True Life: T Swift is my doppelganger

Do you ever get confused for someone else? I honestly never do. No one has ever told me I look like a celebrity or that I'm a dead ringer for their best friend from high school. But for the first time in my life, this is changing. Since I came to Japan, nearly every Japanese I get to know well enough to have this conversation tells me that I look like Taylor Swift, the blond hair, blue eyed pseudo country singer. This baffles me to no end because in my eyes and in the eyes of everyone from home (unless I've drastically changed in the last five months) absolutely no one could make this comparison with a straight face. But what is the most confusing to me is that this isn't just a case of foreigner-syndrome (where every non-Japanese face blends together), because it is ALWAYS T Swift that I am compared to. Never anyone else. Strange. Oh well, it's not exactly bad to be compared to a beautiful celebrity.

In other news, I'm getting ready to jet off tomorrow to Europe for a Christmas/New Year's holiday. I'm meeting my St. Olaf friend, Sarah, in Munich and we are traveling together through the holidays. Sarah has been living and working in Turkey since September, and I am really excited to see a familiar face. Luckily for us, my German friend from Okinawa, Marius, will be in Munich at the same time we are, and he graciously offered to show us around a bit. Then when Sarah and I arrive in Budapest, we will be meeting my friends Valentina, Anezka and Anezka's boyfriend, Adam, friends I visited this summer the first time I traveled to Europe. I am so excited I can hardly contain myself!
To top it all off, I get to see my lovely mother and sister in Tokyo and Okinawa as they come visit me in January. So much to look forward to!

A couple other recent highlights:

Went to a party that was crashed by a group of thirty English teachers all dressed up in Santa suits. One of them referred to me as a Scandinavian princess, so that made me happy haha.
Got news that I'm FINALLY getting paid for the voice-over work that Alini and I did in November.
I took the Japanese language test a few weeks ago. It thoroughly squashed me, but it's good motivation to keep working hard so I can pass my level in July!
Tried to bake cookies in a toaster oven. It went reasonably well, but it cost me sooo much money to get all the ingredients needed.
The other TAs and I went to a 1950s bar with a 70+ year old teacher from my school. They had a live cover band and before long, I was twisting, shouting and hip-bumping with a large Okinawan man. Surprisingly and hilariously fun!
I've started the annoying habit of talking to myself in Japanese. I really have to watch myself, because I find myself mumbling things under my breath all the time.

When turkey is nowhere in sight, slide me over a thick slice of THANKFUL

Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching. This is personally my favorite holiday for many reasons. The food is amazing. Anyone who hates on American cuisine clearly hasn't been fortunate enough to experience the impecible balance of flavors created when cranberries meet sweet potatoes meet turkey meets anything pumpkin. Wow. I love the relatively stress-free environment of the holiday. Unless you are a Black Friday Crazy (said with love), Thanksgiving is about food and family and not much more. No gifts, no formal attire. Just bring yourself! While I can't be with my family and friends from home, I can carry the spirit of TG with me. So throughout the course of this week I will be writing a post devoted to just a smattering of all the things I am thankful for and will post them on the big day.

My job:
While there are things that have been difficult adjusting to here at my school, I thank my lucky stars everyday for the fact that I HAVE a job. Not only do I have a job, I am able to live and work abroad, use a foreign language everyday, travel and meet new and exciting people. At this point in my life, this is EXACTLY what I want to be doing. If you ask me what my long-term goals are, where I would like to be in five years, things get a bit (or very) hazy. But in the here-and-now I am so happy to be experiencing the world in this way. And to be paid for it!

The internet:
For better or for worse, there are some days when I have a lot of downtime at work. Enter, the internet. I have never been so caught up on world news, investigated as many potential job opportunities/career tracks, listened to as much music from around the world in my life. I love being able to skype with friends and keep in touch via facebook and emails.

The roof over my head:
My apartment is awesome. I wish I had one counter in my closet-of-a-kitchen, but I don't and that's okay. Please come and stay with me so you can see my beautiful view, can appreciate the 1 minute walk to school and the judo kids that live in the bottom floors who tell me I am so ki-yu-to (cute). I even have a space on the floor big enough for you to sleep on! For Japan, that's pretty lucky.

Friends:
I have met some really amazing and inspiring people here in Naha. They come from all walks of life, from different socio-economic classes, professions, age categories and language backgrounds. And all of them have surprised me in wonderful ways with their open minds and hearts, with their generosity and their enthusiasm for life. They have introduced me to new hobbies and experiences, have helped me to look critically at myself and my own direction in life and have made me laugh. A lot. Sometimes Okinawa seems like more of a mental state than a place on a map, a phase that one passes in and out of, one where everyone is coming from somewhere and going somewhere else, stopping only for a few months or a few years to take a rest. And so, all of these friendships are tainted with a bit of sadness in the fact they will only exist in the presence of others for a short amount of time. Must learn from these amazing people while I can.

Friends who give me mountain bikes for free:
I was given a FREE MOUNTAIN BIKE by my friend Marius. YESSSS! It's pretty beat up from being left in the rain for, like, a year, but it's being fixed now and come this weekend I'm going to really start exploring Okinawa. My "Mama che-ri" (the word they use for my basket/no-gear bike. I don't know where it comes from. My guess: Mama chariot? haha) just doesn't cut in in hilly Okinawa, so this generous gift was greatly appreciated.

Far-Away Friends:
Since high school I have had a group of best friends who I have dubbed my "far-away friends". First were the Korean girls, next the Euro Crew. My university friends now fall under that category as well. The fact that these friendships are not maintained by the convenience of proximity makes them so special.

SIGHT/TOUCH/TASTE/SOUND/SMELL:
The other night I had dinner with my friends Ayumi, Mimi and Mimi's younger sister. Mimi's younger sister is deaf, and getting a small glimpse of what her life is like was very thought provoking. It made me conscious of the ways large and small in which sound permeates and dictates communication with others and with the surrounding world. While being without the sense of sound is not necessarily a bad thing (I'm sure people who cannot hear find great meaning in other things that people with sound miss out on), I cannot imagine it. I am grateful for all of my abilities, the five senses being among them.

MarMar/Mimi/Dids:
My family is pretty cool. They let me do as I like and then step back and do amazing things themselves. I'm not going to gush here because I would be too embarrassed to say how proud I am of each person in my family, but I think the reader gets the idea. A special shoutout to Maren who is killing it as a nursing student (not literally hahahahahahaha) and who I think has managed to become more of an adult that I have despite her college-student status. (She bought a bed last summer- I haven't been able to commit to anything bigger than a suitcase..). A funnier, cuter and more exciting adult at that!

Kirin Milk Tea, Okinawan Salt Cookies and other foods I can only eat/drink in Japan:
Self-explanatory. But really, Kirin Milk Tea is my favorite drink ever. So delicious. Fifty bucks for anyone who can find where they sell it in America.

Personal Safety:
As events in Gaza have unfolded in the last week and after hearing stories of other friends living in more crime-ridden places, I am very grateful for the simple fact that I feel safe where I live. I love that I can walk by myself, daytime or night, outside in the fresh air. I can go where I please when I please,  with whomever I want or all by myself. It would be really, really difficult for me to live somewhere where this is not possible.

"What are you doing next year?" I don't know. And that's (sort of) okay:
Stressful? Yes. Scary? Yes. Liberating? Yes. I don't know what I'm doing next year. But I'm sure I'll be nostalgic for these days once I have a mortgage and a two-year-old. (shudder)

English is my FIRST language:
Trying to teach English to Japanese students is difficult. You could blame it on the Japanese "island mentality". You could blame the educational system and the approach used to teach foreign languages in Japan. But when it comes down to it, Japanese students are at a disadvantage when learning ANY foreign language. While Japanese is thought of as being a very difficult language for foreigners to learn, I believe this is a misnomer. Of course, learning a foreign language is difficult- I don't believe there are "easy" languages as learning a new way to express one's ideas is never simple. But, while many people are caught off guard by the three writing systems Japanese requires, the grammar is actually very straightforward, linear and even flexible. The pronunciation is easy and contains very few sounds that cannot be found in English. And while this is good for me, for a Japanese child it makes learning any language that is more complex even MORE difficult. Imagine having to double or even tripple your vowel and consonant sounds. Think about how weird the "th" sound is. Be conscious of the shapes your mouth makes when you say anything with a "v" or an "r". Imagine doubling your verb tenses. And English isn't even the most complex language! But even more than that, English is so widely used that it's a wonderful tool to have when traveling. It's also a wonderful way to make money. So yes, while part of me wishes I had been born in in a place where being multi-lingual is no big deal, I am happy to have my native language be such a useful and lucrative one.

JPY-USD exchange rate:
While the current exchange rate is absolutely horrendous for anyone traveling in Japan, I love it because I am paid in Yen!

Rice:
Like many Americans who first come to Japan, it took me a long time to get used to eating rice. Which sounds strange, right? I mean, it's so bland who could dislike it? The problem wasn't that I disliked it, rather that I couldn't eat as much as my Japanese counterparts. I couldn't fathom how these little tiny Japanese women ate SO much rice! Or how my Okinawan host sister Miyu could say that rice was her favorite food. Well, after a whopping total of 14 months in Japan, I can say I am officially a rice fan. Sometimes I find myself craving it MORE THAN BREAD. So weird. But so good!

The ocean:
I can literally see the ocean from my apartment. I can smell the salt water air when I walk down the street. I can bike to a swimmable beach in 30 minutes. For a land-locked Minnesota girl like myself, this is amazing. For me it has always been a near religious experience going to the beach. But now it's so accessible and is the most beautiful ocean I have ever seen with my eyes.

Sun:
Sunny days mean more to me than they ever have before. Naha is not a city suited for clouds. When it lacks direct sunlight, it has a tendancy to look sad and dingy. In the sun, the bright reds of the stone roofs contrast beautifully against the deep blue tones of the sky. It is so beautiful. Plus, it helps me get me moving so I can take the most advantage of my day.

My bed:
Ever since high school I have always listed my bed as one of my top five possessions. My bed in Okinawa is not as comfortable, but I am grateful for it all the same. My peers mostly sleep on mats on tatami (straw) floors. Which is cool- I have actually loved my floor-sleeping experiences. But I don't like the smell of the tatami mat so much, so I'm glad to not have that permeate my room.

Tuesday night outings:
When the week is long, make it more fun. Tuesdays have become my night out, and it's nice to pretend that it's the weekend, even though the week is just beginning. It is so depressing to only "gaman", to simply endure the week, waiting for the weekend. So I don't!

Freckles:
I think they are cute. Good thing too, because they have exploded over my face in the last six months.

(I'm soooo) Kjersti:
I can't even write this without laughing aloud. "Kjersti" (pronounced Sharstee) is a Norwegian name, a great name to be sure. However, in Norwegian class last spring one smart-ass freshman boy cracked a joke that has changed my life. My teacher used the name Kjersti for some grammar example, and in the middle of the briefest pause I heard a small voice coming from the corner of the room, "I'm so kjersti!" (a play on 'I'm so thirtsty'). Now, there are a lot of Norwegian words that sound funny in English. Snart (soon), for example. For some reason this bunch of mostly freshmen were pretty mature and didn't make the obvious jokes. But come April, the floodgates opened and the entire class burst out laughing. And I am still laughing today. My friends know, I can't even tell the story without pausing for entire MINUTES to laugh. I have no idea why this is so funny to me, but if I ever need to perk myself up I just think of that little squeak of a "I'm sooo kjersti", and before I know it my face hurts from laughing so much. I forgot his name, but wherever he is thank-you for what has become the funniest joke ever.

Aisatsu:
This literally means "greetings" in Japanese and is a fundamental element of Japanese daily life. Saying "good morning", "hello", and "good evening" are important ways to show you acknowledge and respect those around you. I probably say "good morning" at least fifty times per day, but it is the best pick-me-up a girl could ask for. I try to greet my students and co-workers with a smile, and really what a difference this makes in my mood. A cheerful start to the day is something to be grateful for. "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!"

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been lazy about writing about a few important school events in the last few weeks. The first is Sports Day and the second is the Speech Contest. Both of these were junior high school events, and they both required a lot of preparation from both the students and the faculty.

Simply put, sports day was downright impressive. Many teachers asked me if we had a similar event in American schools, but apart from field days (days when elementary school students were taken to a park to play outside all day), high school marching band was actually the only thing I could compare it to, which was a pretty far-fetched comparison.

For weeks, the middle school students engaged in special practices to prepare for the day. In sports day, the students compete in class relay races as well as put on a performance demonstrating dance, gymnastic skills and percussion to the public. I was frankly blown away watching the rehearsals. It was obvious the huge amount of time invested into the students. The coordination was nearly perfect, each of the students properly memorized the appropriate dance move or drum stroke, and the students seemed to take it very seriously. Examples of events were a mass karate demonstration (chills), Okinawan and Hokkaido (Northernmost part of Japan) fisherman dances, Naginata (Japanese martial art/dance performed by girls that uses a very long stick), Eisa (Okinawan percussion/dance), and a human-pyramid/balance exercise performed by the eighth grade boys. It was very impressive. As I sat on the sidelines under the faculty tent and watched hundreds of students perform in near-perfect unison, I realized it may be the only time I would be able to relate to the late Kim Jung Il (a reference here to the North Korean Mass Games) haha.

The speech contest happened last Saturday and was a big event for myself and the other TAs. We had been preparing for this since our first week at Okisho, and the pressure had been building. For nearly two weeks I was working 9-10 hour days everyday (plus some Saturdays), and we were quickly tiring of helping students prepare their speeches, memorize the texts and come up with appropriate gestures. We each had about five classes we were in charge of, and invested a lot of time in the students that were representing their class. Additionally, due to our mandatory participation in the English Speaking Society (ESS- funny name!), we had been working after school with the members to learn the lyrics to and create a dance for Justin Beiber's classic, "Baby". Not exactly the coolest song, but it was a big deal for the students involved. It was very frustrating as in the weeks leading up to the contest the students all seemed to suddenly be overcome with responsibilities to other clubs and activities, so up until the day before the contest our "stellar performance" was missing 70% of its students and those that came knew little of the dance/song lyrics. But isn't that always the case? In the end, it went well. It was actually kind of hilarious! But I am glad it is over. Smoother sailing from here on out for the next four months or so.

On another note, I've been spreading the Thanksgiving gospel to Japanese school children everywhere, and all that talk about turkey and pumpkin pie is getting me really fired up for Thanksgiving. The global dorm is actually having a party on Friday where they are cooking a Turkey/mashed potatoes. This is really great because getting a Turkey in Okinawa would be near $150. Wowow. So I am really lucky the school is paying for this! But, I must say I can't help but be a little envious of my sister who will get to eat the traditional Rendahl/Sullivan Thanksgiving fare. SweetpotatoesturkeypumpkinbreadzucchinibreadmashedpotatoespicklesstuffingcranberrysaucerollspumpkinpiepumpkinpiePUMPKINPIE!

Mary from Ireland, Tamagi and SION: The weirdest Friday night ever

Life has been crazy fun/exhausting/enlightening and well..crazy. Let’s start with Friday. I cannot believe the ominous foreshadowing of my words, “Not so much blog-worthy news recently, although that will change over the next few days I predict.”

The day began on Friday with a relaxed schedule due to the fact the middle-schoolers were preparing for a sports day festival on Saturday. Around noon I was presented with an opportunity from my boss to take on a special project: recording English dubbs over a 30 minutes Japanese television program on organic agriculture in Okinawa. The program was for some reason going to be sent to Saudi Arabia and they needed a native English speaker to read the translated script. I was excited to do this as I had no work to do and it sounded like one of those random jobs you only stumble across in Japan. (I mean really- SAUDI ARABIA?)

Well, things looked ominous from the beginning. I waited for a half hour for the car to pick me up to take me to the recording studio before I was told the woman bringing the translation had been in a car accident, so I should take a cab to meet our contact at a café twenty minutes away.  My co-worker Alini came with me to make sure that I was able to find the people I was supposed to make contact with, the plan then being that she would leave once all was well. When arrived, we met Tamagi san, a fifty-something retiree who supposedly made a career in international media (I question the validity of this claim after working with him, but I’ll get to that). We ended up chatting. And chatting. And chatting. Topics of conversation were becoming desperate. Alini ended up staying with me, hoping to leave once the translated text arrived. I was grateful she was there because, while my Japanese usually gets my by, it was no match for the garbled mess of words uttered in a dialect I like to refer to as “man talk”. Tokyo, Okinawa, wherever, men have a horribly effected style of speech that is nearly impossible to understand. From the complex to the most basic sentences, even Alini at times had trouble understanding, and her first language is Japanese.

Anyway. The hours ticked by. Finally at four thirty we got a confession from the woman who had supposedly gotten in a car accident that she never finished translating the document (Mary from Ireland, if our paths ever cross you may want to walk in the opposite direction..). New plan. Tamagi said I should still come to the studio and instead of reading a script I should just wing it! Just watch the screen. Say what I see. So professional, right? I couldn’t believe it. But, he said we would be done by seven and as it was a favor to the Vice President, Alini and I felt that we had to go.

So, we hopped in a cab and start driving to the studio. Again, so glad Alini was there because it was a scene straight out of a horror film. The “studio” was a small wooden trailer in the middle of an isolated and deserted sea port. Two young girls, one “powerful” media executive, deserted trailer. Maybe you know how those movies end? Well, of course I’m being dramatic. We were never in danger, but we realized the absurdity of the situation in that moment. None of our bosses knew where we were, what we were doing, who we were with, etc.

We arrived at the studio and find out that we ARE indeed going to need to translate the script. Usually a difficult task in itself, consider the fact we also had to use vocabulary such as fermentation, micro-organic material, etc to describe “SION”, the featured product. It was a very technical piece with many interviews, so it took a very long time to translate. A VERY long time. As in, 5 hours. As in, Alini and I sitting there for five hours while she translated from Japanese into simple English and I polished the sentences. Five hours while Tamagi and his co worker sat there without any real empathy or appreciation for what we were doing, only flippantly chuckling while asking if we were okay on time (Of course Tamagi, at nine o’clock on Friday night, there’s NOTHING else I’d rather be doing!)

            

           Finally at 10:00 pm I read from my very rough notes as we recorded the English over the Japanese. It wasn’t the most professional job on my end, but then again there was almost no professionalism to work with from the beginning, so I guess we did the best we could. Tamagi then made pleasantries by taking friendly pictures of Alini and I. He asked Alini her name for the 10^th time. More of the same. 11 pm Alini and I were dropped off at school, gave each other a big hug and walked our separate ways.

In the end, all’s well that ends well. We will receive payment for our work, we were apologized to by our bosses, so amends have been made. But it was still pretty discouraging to see my employer let another outside organization take such advantage of Alini and I. In the future I need to be more protective of my time and skills when working with other outside groups. But, on the other hand, I got to make a recording that will be broadcast on Saudi Arabian television. Sometimes it’s worth suffering momentary hardship for the sake of a great story. Only in Japan, right?

The amazing Alini and myself. 10:40 pm. 

The View From The Top

Not so much blog-worthy news recently, although that will change over the next few days I predict. In the meantime, shameless bragging about my good fortune to live in an apartment with literally the best view in Naha. 

Greed Eats Brains

From the mouth of a sweet German grandmother, this admittedly grotesque and sensationalist title phrase has proven to be an interesting bit of food for thought over the last few days. I had a very enlightening conversation with a new friend of mine over the weekend on the value of contentedness in the 21^st century. He told me the story of his friend’s grandmother who, at an annual family gathering, would send all the young people out with twenty euro or so to spend on gambling, but would always warn them that “greed eats brains”. (Note: My friend assures me this phrase has a more dramatic effect when said in its native German, and when I asked him to demonstrate I only know that it sounds even more terrifying haha). Sort of a strange story (really, whose grandmother gives them money to spend on gambling?) , but a striking one. Greed can become an all-consuming vice that spills over into facets of one’s life that they didn’t even consider. “Greed eats brains” to me accurately captures the feeling I sometimes have when I walk into a store and after 10 minutes feel like I need to buy, buy, buy. What is even more amazing to me is that literally the moment I exit the store, this brain “fever” suddenly dissipates and is gone, as quickly as it started. It can be so easy to be distracted by things that we don’t need. Now that I live on my own, I have been more conscious of the role material items play in my life and have taken great efforts to not get swept up in “stuff”.

Moving on from the topic of greed, our conversation took a more general turn as we discussed the importance of contentedness. My friend said that he was lucky to have been “born happy”, to be someone who’s natural state is one of contentedness with life.  This doesn’t mean being apathetic to one’s place or position, rather a perspective that allows one to focus on the things that really matter and let go of the things that don’t. It was encouraging for me to hear, as sometimes I get too caught up thinking about where I want to go, who I miss, who I want to be with, who I don’t want to be with, etc, and I forget to be happy where I am. I’m sure this happens to everyone, but this conversation had impeccable timing because in the past two weeks or so I’ve really been settling into my life in Okinawa and am trying to own it and make it mine.

The things I’m writing about maybe sound obvious or show my youth and lack of experience, but all of the sudden this week so many things clicked for me about the importance of living in a way that is simple and happy. Part of being 22 is feeling stress and anxiety about the future as there are so many question marks and places of uncertainty in the months and years ahead. However, it was so refreshing to hear this grounding wisdom from someone not so much older than me. Good to know I am surrounded by such level-headed people. 

Happy Halloween!

Today I was witness to a halloween party like no other I have seen before, in a classroom anyway. To preface my story, I must explain that on Tuesdays I work at a technical college that has an affiliation to the junior/senior high school where I work. This tends to be very fun as the students are about my age, and it's a wonderful breath of fresh air after working with 12-14 year-olds all week.


Today at the technical school was the day we decided to celebrate Halloween. We asked all the students to dress up in costumes, bring a snack to share and be ready to mix and mingle with their peers in other classes. I was expecting the party to be nothing out of the ordinary, students coming without costumes or acting lackluster about the halloween themed games we had picked out. What a surprise when I walked into the room to find forty fully costumed students, painting blood and gore make-up on to one another and fixing their hair to match their outfit! And the outfits- I don't think there's another way to state this other than to say that it was a very...sexy halloween party! I was so surprised at the obviously (to my mind) NOT-FOR-SCHOOL costumes that were being worn by the girls (and boys- but I'll get to that in a moment). To be fair, showing a little leg in Japan does not have the same feeling or meaning as it does in America. Conversely, ladies showing any amount of skin below the collar bone in Japan is very much frowned upon, where as in America it is more common place (for better or for worse!). Secondly, Japanese people are really into dressing up in costumes- they have a specific word for it "cos play"- and don't just do this on Halloween. In Tokyo there is an entire section of the city known for it's avid cos-play frequenters who like to dress up in a wide array of costumes, ranging from french maids to animals to comic book characters to super heroes. So thus, while a group of students dressing up in such..minimalistic costumes would be a definite no-no at home, here it was more appropriate and made more sense.

The boys- wow. I was surprised. Again, to preface this, cross-dressing in Japan does not have the same connection to homosexuality as it seems to have in the US. In fact, it is not uncommon to see on TV men dressing up as school girls or other women to get a laugh, to be funny. Still, I was surprised to see four of our ten male students dressing up as women! And rather *eh em* sexy women at that. It was a weird morning!

We spent one entire hour and a half taking pictures and waiting for the students get their costumes ready. It was so crazy! Yet so fun! I hope my descriptions haven't painted a promiscuous picture of Japanese young people, because that definitely isn't the case. This is just one example of the ways holidays can be interpreted cross-culturally in completely different ways. And an example of how what is acceptable in one place isn't necessarily acceptable in another, and vice versa. Another example is Christmas/New Years. In Japan, Christmas is a romantic holiday similar to Valentine's Day in the US, while New Years is a time devoted to family. The opposite is true in America where Christmas is the ultimate family holiday and New Years is the ultimate party holiday. So interesting!

I am including a few photos just to give you an idea of what my morning is like. Happy Halloween!

So many Minnies! 

My positively puritan costume: A tourist!

I think the boys outshine me in their feminine beauty...

The class!

久米島 Kume Island

While I do unfortunately spend many many hours with my eyes glued to my computer sitting at a desk, I am fortunate enough to live in a truly beautiful and WARM place, meaning I can take the occasional break from forced sedentary life to explore the great outdoors.

This weekend I did just that, taking a four-hour ferry ride to Kume (Koo-may) Island. I traveled with John and Abbey as well as Ben, another teacher at my school, two Pauls, two Japanese friends of ours, and a visiting friend, an Italian named Teresa. What can I really say about the trip other than it was truly beautiful. We picked our camping site, made camp and enjoyed the sunset on the ocean. We cooked fish and meat in our campfire, played with sparklers on the beach and even managed to surprise one of our party members by celebrating her birthday, smuggling a cake with us all the way from Naha. We experienced a wide array of wildlife, from the GIANT spiders that seemed to buddy up to Teresa to the thousands of crabs that took over the beach at night (literally thousands. Luckily, we only saw their tracks the next day. We pitched our tents far enough away from the ocean that we were left alone.) In the morning, most members of our group ran in a half marathon, quite a feat considering the intensity of the sun combined with temperatures upwards of 80 degrees (30 degrees cel). I woke up early to see the start of the marathon at seven am and then sent my friends off on their own race at nine thirty. I was truly amazed when I saw a man in the full marathon group running the race with two prosthetic legs. You read about these things relatively frequently, but I have never seen it with my own eyes. It was surprisingly moving to me to see him running, and was a very inspirational start to the day. On a lighter note, many of the runners were decked out in elaborate costumes and hats. I could not believe it. Somehow Japanese people seem to have this amazing ability of running marathons without looking sweaty, disgusting and disheveled at the end. While our friends were running, John, Abbey and I took a stroll to see the famous "Turtle Rocks" of Kume Island. These are rock formations that are supposed to either look like turtles OR when put together like the back of a turtle shell. I'm not really sure which, but the swimming was wonderful. The ocean is so clear and blue in Okinawa- I could never get tired of it. Unfortunately we could only stay for one night as we had to be at school on Monday so we left our friends and headed back onto the ferry. I was again struck by how beautiful this part of Japan is. Sailing back to Naha, I couldn't help but feel like I had gone back in time to some supernatural and majestic place where the gods weren't so very far away. The islands really give me this feeling, partly because they are so isolated and so foreboding in their appearance, partly because of their intense beauty. I absolutely cannot wait to go back!

 Senaga Beach

 My one true friend!

 The random graveyard for foreigners located near the port.

 Sunday beach BBQ with teachers and their families! (I didn't write about this, but it was really fun.)

I haven't had anything overwhelmingly interesting to write about in recent days (I mean, how can you top Miss International?), so instead I'll just touch briefly on a few mildly interesting topics.

1. FREEDOM
So I spend more hours sitting at my desk trying to look busy on my computer than I ever thought I would. I'm still getting used to the 8-5 schedule, and the enormous amounts of downtime are proving to be the largest challenge so far. By the end of the day my legs are practically itching to move around and take me somewhere or do something. I think fondly back to my summer working at Habitat for Humanity sweating in the summer sun and coming home tired and sore. However, here in Okinawa I now have a new friend that helps me with my lack of mobility problem. About a month ago I bought a bike, and it has quickly become a trusty friend. I like just going on bike rides at night because it is a great way to get to know Naha and the surrounding cities (Okinawa is not a very big island). I've stumbled across come really interesting things- a graveyard for foreigners with a special stone commemorating Commodore Perry's arrival to Japan, subsequently ending hundreds of years of isolationism, for example. My favorite find by far happened almost a week ago. Last Saturday we had a half day of school, and at one o'clock when we finished I was ready to ride. I took off heading south and ended up at Senaga beach, an isolated beach with rocky coral and sand that was directly in the airport's flight path. I enjoyed laying in the sun, feet in the water watching the planes come home. So great. I love my bike. And I know it loves me. :)

2. The joys of Scandinavian radio (thank-you, internet).
In an effort to maximize linguistic growth opportunities, I have taken to listening to Norwegian or Swedish radio while at my desk. Sometimes I even pair it with Japanese language study, although that's probably not the most productive use of my time! I'm kind of surprised how much I can understand, but more than anything else, listening to these national radio stations makes me realize how sad Winona's stations are. Us Winonans are forced to listen to the same twenty pop songs rotate endlessly all day and all night until you can hardly stand to turn the radio on. Yea, European internationalism and taste in variety! Takk/Tack!

3. The (G.D.) Global Dorm
This is a topic I won't write too much about, as you never know who is reading what when it's posted on the internet, but life has been a little more exciting here in Okinawa due to a little project my American co-workers and I affectionately refer to as the G.D. Global Dorm. Basically, the four of us will be rotating night shifts in the school's new Global Dorm once or twice per week. The Global Dorm is a cool idea- basically placing Japanese students with foreign students in a room-share, thus exchanging cultures and encouraging practical English usage. There has been some miscommunication going on with the admin and the four of us, however, so it's become a bit of a tense topic at times in terms of what our responsibilities will be. However, it has also been a source of fun. For example, last week we took the cheesiest photo shoot ever to provide photos for the brochures. One of them involved a seemingly impromptu guitar/SAXOPHONE concert by Abbey and one of the students. Another involved a PG-13 Scrabble game. Good times!

4. Okinawan Host Fam
Last night I met up with my Okinawan host parents and their niece and nephew at a Korean restaurant, and it was an amazing time. When we first met my host mom and I bonded almost immediately on our shared love of all things Korean, and we both really enjoy Korean food. And while the Korean dinner was wonderful, I was mostly so happy to be with my surrogate parents in Japan. More than my Tokyo host family, the Kinjos are like my second parents. They fuss over me and worry about me and buy me presents and basically spoil me like any Japanese parents would.

5. Weekend plans
Heading to Kume Island tomorrow/Sunday for my first ever camping experience. Cannot wait. There will be a marathon on Sunday and we know some people running in it, so it will be fun to cheer for them and watch them compete. Kume is supposed to be amazingly beautiful, so I am very excited. I will write about that when we get back.

When beauty queens attack..

On Friday, a very strange thing happened. I was teaching a late morning bilingual class when suddenly, excited cries and screams filled my classroom from across the courtyard. They had arrived. Who, you might be wondering? The tall, beautiful and exotic contestants for....MISS INTERNATIONAL! (Audience applauds)  http://www.miss-international.org/en/

Miss International is apparently a Japanese beauty competition that recruits young beauties from all over the globe to come to Japan and compete for the title of 'Miss International'. I know what you're thinking- why was I not given a personal invitation to this obviously select display of beauty, grace and talent? I have no idea frankly. But maybe next year I will be, as apparently Okinawa has been contracted to be the host of this bizarre event for future years.

Another question potentially burning in your minds? Why would these young ladies be coming to the high school/junior high school where I am teaching? To take part in a karate demonstration, of course!

I must admit, while it was an incredibly bizarre experience to have the majority of the student body as well as faculty and staff members clumped around windows, balconies and doorways trying to get glimpses of these foreign beauties, and while it was even weirder how much all the boys (and girls) screamed once they walked from the school and into the gym, it was funny watching some of them try to perform the karate forms they had been instructed to do. Each contestant was paired with one karate club member and one English-speaking high school student. It was obvious that some of the gals were more athletic than others.

The best part of the day though was by far seeing all the high school boys who are a part of the sports class lining the space between the high school entrance and the gym, making a path through which the contestants would pass. Let's just say they were pretty excited.

 Just a portion of the students hanging off the balconies to see the Miss International contestants.

 High school sports boys. Pretty pumped. 

 Students AND teachers (with cameras- myself included obviously) trying to get a sneak peek of the action in the gym. 

And of course, the ladies themselves (donning the pink t-shirts). 

Just another day in Okinawa!

Photos

Students getting ready for the big day!

High school students selling their wares at my desk. Costumes encouraged.

Inside the classrooms...

My high school friend Narumi and I! 

Open Campus

I haven’t been able to post as much the last few weeks, partially because I have been busy and partially because every time I am not it seems my internet doesn't work in my apartment. But I don’t want to fall behind because there has been a lot going on in the past ten days or so. The most recent piece of news was the commencement of Open Campus, a combination school festival/open house for new or perspective students. Beginning last week Wednesday classes were canceled so the students could prepare for the festivities that would take place on Saturday and Sunday. At first I was surprised as I didn’t know why this preparation would take so long, but once I realized how intricate the attractions were it all became clear. Junior high school students were given a theme by grade (first graders focusing on traditional Japanese crafts, second graders on the war in Okinawa and I’m not sure what the third graders were assigned to), and in addition to filling their classrooms with elaborate paper cut-outs and paper mache structures, each student created a page to a newspaper, focusing on one sub-topic. The result was very impressive. The high school students prepared their classrooms in a similar way, but more attention was put on their larger task of preparing food and drinks to be bought and consumed by students and guests. Some examples of these foods are pizza, taco yaki (friend octopus), crepes, curry and Okinawa soba (noodles), just to name a few. Other high school classes put on haunted houses or other attractions. I must admit though, while their level of effort was impressive, the flavor of the food left something to be desired. Haha

I played my own role in the open campus celebrations, preparing a room dedicated to showcasing all of the school’s international connections and abroad programs, as well as giving tours to parents and students of the new Global Dorm. The other TAs and I also were presented with other international students and teachers at a presentation highlighting the school’s academics (displays of mental math genius), dedication to the preservation of Okinawan culture (fantastic demonstrations by the karate and kendo clubs), and the emphasis on a global perspective. By far the most amazing part was the karate demonstration. So many of the members were little high school and junior high school punks, yelling in the halls or being mischievous with their friends in class. I was so impressed with the level of effort and concentration these students were able to put into their practice of karate. I had chills every time I watched them perform. So impressive!

I had the privilege of dipping my toes into the waters of Asian martial arts myself. Last week I was able to attend a karate lesson, and it was a very enjoyable experience. Karate is an art based around self-defense and preservation. The main weapon anyone possesses is their ability to harness not the strength from their muscles, rather to find the stronger position and use leverage to defeat their opponent. It also seems to be similar to ballet in the way one has to think about their body and the movements they make. I really enjoyed the experience and hope to continue learning.

In addition to Open Campus, this past week was the great Naha Festival here in Okinawa. We had to work over Saturday and Sunday, so unfortunately I missed most of the festivities, but our coworker David took some time off and was able to see a few parades and, the highlight of the festival, the east-side/west-side tug-of-war.  According to the Guinness Book of World Records, apparently this festival holds the title for the world’s largest piece of rope. The entire city comes together and the east and west sides battle it out in a massive tug-of-war, hoping to become the winner for the year. Once the match is over, the rope is cut into thousands of tiny pieces. Residents bring the rope home with them, where it is supposed to bring good luck. David was kind enough to grab some for Ben, John, Abbey and myself. We were able to head out after open campus on Sunday and experience some of the fabulous festival foods and fireworks. 

Peanut Cream

Peanut cream: a food as disgusting as it sounds, I made a horrible and rookie mistake last night in the super market when I was trying to buy peanut butter to make a simple sandwich for lunch today. My father will be ecstatic to know that I recently devised a budget for myself, and thus am in a state of hyper-awareness regarding where I can find the best deal (a trait my mother can relate to haha). So, last night I was carefully combing through the super market, trying to make the most economically logical purchases possible. I knew I wanted to bring sandwiches with me to work, but as cheese and lunch meats are basically non-existent, I thought the old American standard, peanut butter, would have to do the trick. I meandered over to the sandwich spread aisle and am horrified at how expensive a jar of skippy peanut butter is. So my eyes wander and I see what I am sure is a Japanese off-brand of the American version (mistake number 1: Japanese people don’t eat peanut butter, why would they make a cheaper version to compete with the import?). I do a few calculations and realize that two jars of the Japanese brand is the same price and the same quantity as one of the Skippy brand. I felt a bit smug walking away with such a great deal.

Two hours later I decide to give my find a little taste. As I open the packaging I realize immediately that something is terribly wrong. The shine is wrong. The way the paste lays in the container is wrong. Uhoh. So I give it a little taste. Ufda しっぱいした! (complete failure!) I look at the packaging and realize I didn’t read it carefully enough- I bought peanut CREAM, a sweet, plasticy filling for some pastries or for Japanese people who don’t know the difference. At first I though I would try and stick with my purchase- I paid good money for TWO containers, after all. So, today at lunch I will be eating a peanut cream and banana sandwich. Wish me luck. Ugh, such a rookie mistake- I’ve been here too long now to tolerate such carelessness with label-reading!

Haha other than my wild adventures in price comparison, the week has been good. Abbey and I had dinner last night with two new friends of ours and we are planning to camp with them and their friends in October on one of the islands. There is a big marathon there during that time, so there will lots going on and lots to do and see.  Yesterday I also attended my first Japanese fire drill. It was the first time I have ever seen something actually lit on fire during a fire DRILL. Once all the students were evacuated from the building and were in the schoolyard, the teachers lit a barrel with oil in it on fire. Then another teacher clumsily extinguished it with a fire extinguisher. It seemed really unnecessarily dangerous and a bit dramatic, but it made my day more exciting! 

AKAJIMA

Life has suddenly started seeming normal. My apartment is finished, furnished and, those who saw my room last year may be surprised by this, even decorated. I have the most wonderful view that looks out over all of Naha, transforming the city from a grungy concrete jungle into a ritzy and romantic skyscape. Abbey, the other American TA who also lives on my floor, likes to say that she is inspired to think big thoughts when she looks out at the view. I don’t know if I think big thoughts, but I certainly enjoy the metropolitan feel.

We were to enjoy that view on Friday night with some of our new teacher friends from school. David and his girlfriend, Ben (another American teacher) and a former teacher named Paul came by to enjoy the sunset on our rooftop porch. I have been hearing about Paul since the last time I was in Okinawa and have started to refer to him as “legendary Paul”, partly in jest but also because his life is actually kind of interesting.  He quit his job as a teacher at my school where he was loved by the faculty and students to pursue his dream of training under a Karate master. He now works at the most elite school in Okinawa and continues to study karate. I’ve actually met many foreigners now who say that at least part of the reason why they are in Okinawa is to study karate. If I see foreign men and they aren’t military, that is more than likely the reason for coming to Okinawa. Karate began in Okinawa and from there spread to the rest of Japan. Students at my school are required to take Karate as a part of their course curriculum in an effort to further preserve Okinawan culture. I may even go to a few classes, just to see what all the fuss is about.

While our rooftop party way fun, we made it an early night as the next morning we were heading to Akajima (Red island- “aka” means red and “jima” means island) for a day of swimming, snorkeling and relaxing. The ferry takes about 1.5 hours and was full of people excited to spend the day at the beach. And we weren’t disappointed! Swimming in the ocean at Akajima was one of the best swimming experiences I have ever had. I was probably swimming in the water for three hours, surrounded by fish I never thought I would see in my life. The colors were incredible- neon blue, bright yellow, purple, silver and every color in-between.  I saw a Rainbow Fish and for a moment was filled with a sense of nostalgia as I remembered a book my sister and I used to read often when we were growing up. Basically, it was amazing. I unfortunately didn’t take any pictures, but I plan to go back soon, so I will put them up at that time.

When we returned around six pm, two teachers we work closely with took us to dinner. This was a very fun experience as outside of work, many Japanese people are able to reveal a bit more of their personality and have a bit of fun. We had a great time!

Sunday Abbey, John and I were invited to the home of the Vice Principal and his wife, another teacher at school. It was such a kind gesture as they made us feel so welcome. It was also funny at times because the Vice Principal and his family lived in Minnesota for a few years while he was a visiting professor at St. Ben’s/St. John’s. Throughout the entire dinner the VP was playing videos from his time in MN, mostly featuring the animals that came to his back yard. A bit unexpected maybe, but overall a great dinner.

Now I am back at school and am working hard to be productive not just with my school work but also in making plans for life after Okinawa. If my senior year of college taught me anything it was that one year goes by quickly, as do application deadlines! 

Typhoon

A typhoon swept through Okinawa this weekend, and with it my weekend has become a blur of new experiences and nice memories.

Friday night after school Abbey and I decided that we would bite the bullet and move into our apartments. There is still some work that needs to be done, but considering people are quick to remind us of the lackadaisical pace Okinawans move at otherwise known as "Okinawan time", we decided it would be worth it to finally have our own space. Friday night was spent packing, trying to keep the washing machine and window screen that currently occupy my room out of the way, and looking past how grimy my refrigerator was. It was a busy night and we both went to bed with the feeling that there was still a lot of work to be done!


The next morning I was awakened from a dead sleep with my three American co-workers in my room, telling me I had overslept and was late to go to a speech contest we were expected to attend! I was so disoriented it took me a minute to realize what they were talking about, and then I felt my stomach sink as I realized my mistake. I realized after the fact that while I was unpacking the night before, my alarm clock had fallen on the ground from a table in the corner of the room. I put it back upright and thought it was fine, but I realized later that the fall had caused it to break, and thus my alarm never went off. Being late is a horrible feeling and I felt very badly, but luckily the apartments are close and it was I was only late by 15 minutes or so. Still, now I'm on my best behavior at school to make sure that doesn't happen again. The teachers were very kind though, and the speech competition was actually enjoyable. The representative from our school actually won second place!

We were all going to go out to lunch after the competition but the quickly gathering clouds reminded us that the typhoon was on its way, and it was supposed to be a doozy. Once back at the apartments, David took us to a famous ramen shop (for my Tokyo friends, I think it is another branch of Ippudo- the first kanji is different but the second is the same, and the inside of the store is almost identical to that of the Ippudo at Takada!). Later that night, after the rain was pouring and the wind blowing, I put on my rain suit I bought from the grandma in the Naha marketplace and trekked over to the grocery store. I felt kind of silly walking around in my matching lavender pant/coat set, but I was dry!

The typhoon was a bit scary, though. Abbey and my apartments are on the 10th floor, the "penthouse" as we call it, so at the worst moments we could feel the building shake! The winds reached 115-130 miles per hour, and it was scary at times to hear the roar outside my windows. It was a pretty restless night as the storm peaked between 1 am and 5 am, so I kept waking up at various times. However, I made it and now I know what to expect!

Sunday was spent further cleaning and organizing, but perhaps the most notable event was that we FINALLY bought our cell phones! David and his girlfriend Mei helped us though the entire process, truly a blessing as Mei is Japanese and was able to translate the more complicated parts.

All-in-all a great weekend. Still licking my wounds after oversleeping and waking up to my co-workers in my room on Saturday morning telling me to wake up, but mistakes happen! Now that I have my cellphone I also finally have a reliable alarm.

I think I need more of a social life, because blogging has become a surprisingly nice way to pass the time! I don't know how interesting any of what I write is to the few kind souls who indulge me by reading these posts, but it's been a rather cathartic experience lately.

A few special things happened today. I bonded with the teachers who sit near me at school. I sit near the social sciences department for the junior high school, and they are basically a rowdy bunch of married men with a sense of humor and a few spunky ladies thrown into the mix as well. Again, speaking Japanese has great advantages!

The three other TAs and I are teaching junior high students involved in the English language club the Justin Bieber song, "Baby". It's basically a hilarious experience, especially the other day when David and John were in charge of teaching them the lyrics. One such example: "Are we an item? Girl quit playin'. We're just friends? What are you saying?!" Maybe it's funnier in person haha. Anyway, we will be performing this in November in front of the school during the annual speech contest, so we have to keep practicing!

A new lesson was learned- I can never again try and go more than 48 hours without washing my hair. Too much humidity. Grossss.

I decided that I want to take the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) this winter. It is basically a standardized test that indicates, obviously, one's proficiency in Japanese. 1 is the most fluent, 4 the most basic. I am planning to take test 2 and, if I pass, take 1 this summer right before I leave. It's good motivation to hone my skills, a goal I have for my time here.

Every night I have been going on two or three-hour long walks around Naha. Slowly but surely I am getting to know my way around the city, and I have stumbled upon a few amazing nooks and crannies along the way. One really neat spot is a labyrinth of small streets and allies featuring small, local produce and merchandise shops. Today I saw an add for 500 yen raincoats (about $6), so I hopped on in. Inside were an elderly saleswoman and her 90 year-old mother. I ended up having a really sweet conversation with the two women, and it made my day having such a genuine interaction with local Okinawans. 

This is almost embarrassing to write, but today I was walking along at a normal and casual pace when I out of nowhere tripped and fell, twisting my ankle and skinning my knee. I only write about this because all of the sudden when I was in Europe visiting friends, my ankles went crazy. I have twisted each ankle twice and have shed blood from both my knees the same number of times, all in the course of six weeks. My friend Valentina thinks my clumsiness could be an attractive feminine quality- that potential suitors will like looking out for me and basically helping me walk around hahaha. Today I thought of that and found myself wondering why no one was there to save me from myself haha! At the rate I'm going, I'll be hobbling around by the time I am fifty!

Anyway, that is that. Tomorrow is Friday- we'll see about the apartment situation.