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. 

The last few weeks in pictures--

 Miyu and I, reunited once again! My Okinawa host family took me out to lunch. お久しぶりね！

 View from the global dorm on the first night. I am obsessed with the sky in Okinawa.

 John, Abbey and myself at Shuri Castle!

 Kouri beach- My Okinawa host family took me on a nice Sunday outing.

 My apartment in its current state... Still haven't made progress on moving in.

 Abbey, John and Aika san, one of the staff at my school that has helped me from the very beginning in 2010.

 Naha fish market! Cheap thrills.

 Hungry?

 Chatan, also known as American Village. Many of the military personnel live and socialize here.

 Students at my school participating in an Eisa performance. Eisa is a type of traditional Okinawan dance/drum celebration.

Typical Tuesday

I am sitting at my desk this morning, trying to not only look productive but be productive as well. From October my Tuesdays will be busy. I get to teach English courses at a local vocational college, an opportunity I welcome after spending all my days with kids ages 12-14! But until my time there begins, I have only one class on Tuesday, so I’m working to find ways to fill my time constructively. Poor me, too much free time to know what to do with!

Slowly but surely we are being folded into the patterns of daily life at a junior high school. The students are overall very fun to work with. I am glad that I had an opportunity to work at this school previously, as I feel much more settled in myself and what I am expected to do as a teacher because of that experience. Before I came in February of 2011, I thought that Japanese school children would be extremely disciplined, attentative and respectful of their teachers in the classroom. While this did not prove to be UN-true, the reality was very different from my expectation. Students are not the perfect angels I thought them to be- they are after-all in junior high, the dreaded age for caregivers!- and are more of a challenge than I had initially anticipated. The biggest challenge for me is getting the students to participate. Learning a foreign language, for Japanese students particularly I think, is scary and it can be difficult to muster the students’ courage enough to have eager participants. Hopefully I will make progress on this front over the next weeks and months.

This weekend was a nice one- David, the American TA who extended his contract, and his girlfriend Mei took us around parts of Naha on Saturday afternoon. It was a tour of practicality as we were shown useful spots such as the 100 yen store (dollar store!), English bookstore, and other cheap markets and places to shop for everyday items. The highlight was definitely the fish market located in the twisted alleyways of the local market near Kokusai Street, the main drag of town. In this fish market were creepy-crawly crustaceans that had yet to meet their match, appendages and antennae reaching out to entice the unsuspecting shopper with their freshness. I was disgusted in the best way possible. There were also other scrumptious morsels of food, perhaps the most shocking being the face of a pig, deflated and waxy-looking. I get chills thinking about it. I will be making stops back there for more cheap thrills and fresh fish!

We also spent some time in Chatan, a town just north of Naha that is geared towards the US military presence due to its close proximity to one of the many military bases that are found in Okinawa. We ate Japanese-style Tex-Mex with American rap music blaring in the background. Military men were everywhere, some young and with friends, others out with their families. The school where I work is in such a local and residential part of Naha that it is pretty rare to stumble across non-Japanese person or family, so it is always a stark and interesting contrast to step into “mini-military America”. On Sunday, Abbey and I went to an Eisa performance at a park near our school. A combination of percussion and dance, Eisa is a type of traditional Okinawan dance performed at festivals and parades. Some students from the school where I work were participating, and it was truly inspiring to see them dancing and playing their drums with such energy and skill. Maybe I’ll have to give it a try one of these days!

Rumors are flying about a potential move-in date for Abbey and I to finally move into our penthouses! Friday Friday Friday! Fingers are crossed and double-crossed. We’ll see what the week brings.

Week One

Our first week of school is almost at an end. We are being spoiled, though, as Friday is sports day for the junior high so all of my classes are canceled, AND we don't have morning classes on Saturday (every-other Saturday we dutifully must report to the office, even though we don’t teach classes). So looking forward to a long weekend. We might not deserve it yet, but I think I can speak for all of us (John, Abbey and myself) when I say we sure appreciate it! It has been a stressful and somewhat confusing week as we complete the orientation process and begin to decipher our day-to-day routines.

Monday and Tuesday were orientation days, sometimes a bit more DIS-orienting than anything else. It has really been logistically a confusing two weeks. Many small details that we thought were set in stone have turned out to be not as they appeared. We are not yet settled into our apartments due to repairs that must be made and don’t have a move-in day in sight. Our responsibilities have changed rather dramatically as well, especially in regards to the amount of time we are required to put in after school. Without getting into the nitty-gritty, it’s been a bit stressful navigating through issues with our contract. But, I am sure that anyone stepping into a job such as this one would be able to share similar experiences, and I am lucky to have the confidence in the place I am working and the people I am working with to be able to let go of the very small obstacles that come my way.  Okinawa has been so so good to me over the last five years or so, and I am grateful everyday to be able to be here!

Beyond the bureaucratic business, classes and life as a teacher has been good thus far. I’ve taught a few “team teaching” classes (exactly as it sounds- working with a full-time teacher) as well as on my own in bi-lingual classes aimed to help students more advanced in their English study. Talking with the other two newbie Americans I realize how lucky I am to have had the experiences I had in Okinawa in 2011 as they removed so many of the question marks that surround teaching in a foreign country. I think I will like teaching, and getting to know the students and saying hello to them in the hallways has also been a really positive part of my day.

I realized tonight another HUGE advantage I have here. I can speak Japanese. And I really really LIKE speaking Japanese. I love that I am able to talk with any of the teachers at school, whether they speak English or not. I love being able to use my language skills to read the signs on the street or to ask for directions if I get lost. Not having that ability would really make the first few months of this job be a bit isolating. But even more than that, I had forgotten how much I really love language and being able to express myself in a different tongue my ideas shifting and being shaped by the alternative grammar patterns and cultural perspectives embedded in language. This is so far my favorite thing about being in Okinawa.

Other than that life is good. Slowly I am able to reconnect with friends and acquaintances and am eager to build my social network. I still don’t have a cell phone or a bank account and don’t know when that will happen. That plus the fact I don’t know when I will ever be able to unpack (it’s been solo long!) makes it a little bit difficult to feel like I’m putting some roots down, but the time for all of that will come. For now, I’m happy where I am and am looking forward to a relaxing weekend.

Life isn't so bad in Paradise

I decided to take up my post as a wannabe blogger once more and dedicate some time to my second trek to Japan. I am here again working as an English teacher’s assistant (TA), but this time I have left behind the sprawling urban monstrosity that is Tokyo and have settled in Naha, Okinawa, a true paradise on earth. I am working for a private school that took the risk of bringing me on over a year ago during my spring break at Waseda University in Tokyo. I had a truly wonderful experience during the dreary month of February and, although six months ago I really didn’t think being an English teacher in Asia was what I would be doing after graduation, I am happy to be back.

A bit about Okinawa. Historically, this grouping of islands has found itself being tugged on two sides by its “big brothers”, Japan and China. At times pledging allegiance to both sides, Okinawa has always had to walk a balance between security and cultural integrity. Okinawa has a culture and a language unique to itself. Japanese and Chinese influences are seen in the architecture of ancient castles and in the colorful traditional garb worn on special occasions. The food is a very “Hawaiian” flavor (to Americans, anyway), as pork is a staple in traditional fare. Okinawa was one of the first nations to fall under the militaristic regime of Japan in the 1870s, and it’s place as a second-class culture still can be observed today in modern Japan.

Okinawa is also, of course, an incredibly beautiful and culturally diverse grouping of islands. Not only are Chinese and Japanese influences seen against the Okinawan backdrop, the presence of over 50,000 US military troops is felt in a powerful way. The many cultures that simmer together here have a complicated relationship to one another, and the issue of US presence in particular is one that is today highly controversial. The anthropologist in me is looking forward to better learning about the nuances of daily life in Naha.

I arrived in Naha on the last Tuesday of August, nearly one week ago. I am coming off of a month of intense travel as I had the great fortune of making some amazing friends who happen to live in some amazing places, Stockholm, Vienna and Prague to be exact. My generous hosts are friends I made my second semester at Waseda (maybe I can blame them for keeping me too busy to write in my blog the last few months I was in Japan!), and being able to see them in their “natural habitat” was an incredible experience. From Europe I headed to Tokyo where I was able to meet one of my fellow Okinawa co-workers, a recent graduate of St. Mary’s University named John. We spent a few days together running all over the city- no easy feat in Tokyo! Then I abandoned him to wander the streets alone while I met up with my Tokyo host family from my year abroad. We had an amazing amazing visit, and I realized how lucky I am to have been able to meet them. Even luckier, a huge typhoon just happened to hit Okinawa the day I was supposed to fly out, so my flight was canceled and I got to spend the entire day with my host mom! Bad news was I had to pay a LOT more for my ticket out the next day, but I’d rather look at the positive side of things!

So after landing on Tuesday night, John and I settled into our temporary housing situation. For a few days we were supposed to stay in our school’s brand new global dorm, a beautiful building with every Japanese bell and whistle you could want (stoves that talk to you, tatami rooms, even toilets that do some..deep cleaning). The only downside- no sheets or mattress the first night! But, I was tired anyway so a little thing like that didn’t stop me from catching some z’s. The next few days were spent doing a bit of shopping for our apartments, cleaning, getting lost in Naha, and learning about our school and coworkers.

In addition to John and myself, there are four other Americans working at our school, two of whom will be working closely with us. David is a TA who is beginning his second year  at school and thus is a huge help to us newbie’s. Abbey just graduated from St. Ben’s and is also  a T.A. Ben and Tom are two Americans who are licensed teachers and thus have a more substantial position in the school. Tom is a veteran of the Marine Corps who married an Okinawan woman and settled down in Naha. Ben graduated from St. John’s University and has been in Japan for five or six years. I was able to meet him the last time I was in Okinawa.

Getting a bit long-winded, but I want to fit a few more things in. Today was our first day of school and it was a very, well, Japanese day. What I mean by that is I was reminded of so many particular idiosyncrasies that are unique to the Japanese. I will maybe go into detail more later, but any of my friends who studied with me in Japan can relate to the frustratinos that sometimes accompany these unique…cultural differences! Haha But in short, we attended two start-of-semester ceremonies, met the Chairman of the school, learned about the history of Okinawa/educational system, received details on our contract, and given the basics on our general schedule and routine. I will write more later on what my duties specifically are once life has settled down a bit more, but I think I have a nice mix of things that I will be doing.

The one thing I cannot WAIT to do is move into my apartment. I hope we will be able to this weekend- there was a delay because of a few repairs that need to be done. After living out of my suitcase for over a month, I am sooo looking forward to finally unpacking!

Will write more soon. Also I have a few pictures to upload- just want to make you jealous!

Tokio Times

 - Author's note-
I just today found this posting draft among my old posts. It's funny to look back on it, knowing now what was to come!



What a fantastic week of city living this past week! I finally had my first week of classes at Waseda, which was a bit strange and was definitely a sharp reminder as to what my former life as a serious student was and will be soon returning to come September when I return to Olaf! But, I like my classes thus far. I am taking intensive Japanese, a kanji (Chinese characters) class, a special course on honorifics and Japanese grammar, and then (taught in English) a gender studies course, a law course, and a history of Tokyo course in which we take field trips to historical areas of the city.  So far so good, although I think my Japanese classes are going to be a lot of work. I am happy about that though- I want to really work hard this semester and improve as much as I can in the next three months.

Besides the start of the new academic year, it was also a fantastic week to catch up with friends! I had been spending a lot of really wonderful days with my host family since coming back to Japan, but last week I was ready to get back out in the the fun and energetic social life of Tokyo.  On Monday and Tuesday I gave English lessons to one of my students.  This student is the CEO of a consulting firm in the Manhattan of Tokyo and is currently opening branches in India, Vietnam, Thailand, and other countries that I can't keep track of. I love going to his office and talking with him and his other employees- I feel very lucky that he was willing to continue taking lessons from me, even after I was out of Tokyo for so long.

Wednesday I met a friend I hadn't seen in probably five or six months.  We played darts together, a first time experience for me, and then went on a two hour boatride around Tokyo Bay.  On this boat we were able to make "okonomiyaki" and "monjya", the former a cabbage pancake-like savory dinner item and the latter a delicious dinner item that is make of veggies, flour, water, and soy sauce and has the consistancy of goo! I learned how to properly prepare them myself, so I can wow my host family with my newly acquired skills!

Thursday I met with an Austrian friend of mine for dinner at an izakaya near Waseda.  I met this friend last September when I joined the ballet club, and then was also in Hiroshima the same time as her.  I had no idea she was in Hiroshima but we were able to meet when, after the earthquake, everyone used facebook to broadcast their whereabouts and we realized we were in the same city.  She lives in one of the Waseda dorms, and I like spending time with her because most of her friends are European, and it's interesting for me to get to know other international students apart from my program.  We were joined by two of her friends, a girl from Taiwan and her Japanese boyfriend. We had a great time, and were invited to a party to be th