...a love once new has now grown old. I have been in Japan for almost two months now, and summer is drawing to a close, so I figured these Simon and Garfunkel lyrics were appropriate. :)
As always, a lot has gone on since I last posted. I think the best way to let you folks back home know what I have been up to is to just make a list of sorts.....
In general, things get more awesome day by day. It is now rare for me to feel really homesick, although I still miss everyone of course. Everything at school and home has been going well. I have been really getting to know my fellow JETs and coworkers, and feel like I am carving out a "niche." One thing I have learned is how much work it is to keep up your own place, pay all the bills, keep up a social life, and have a full time job! I have never experienced this before, so it is definitely new to me. I think this experience is making me very independent. Another thing that I have noticed is how super friendly the Japanese people are, and how safe this country is. I mean, I knew these things when I came, but each day I am shocked by the helpfulness and kindness of the people and the security that I feel. I suppose coming from Chicago has something to do with this.... To give you an example, a couple of weeks ago, I made the stupid, stupid mistake of leaving my IPhone on the bus. I had just bought a bunch of groceries, so in the midst of balancing those with my purse and bus ticket, I put the phone on the seat next to me and never picked it up. Well, I realized this when it was too late, and started to panic. My IPhone has been my link to the outside world, and I really depend on it. Now, if this had happened in Chicago, I wouldn't even attempt to get the phone back. I mean, there would be no hope whatsoever...it would be stolen in seconds. Maybe it sounds like I have no faith in people when I say that, but I know it is true. However, being that I am NOT in Chicago, I decided to give this a chance and made a call to my JET advisor, and she told me to call my supervisor in the morning. Well, my supervisor called the bus company for me and the bus driver STILL HAD THE PHONE. Either he found it at night when he was cleaning the bus and kept it with him, or a passenger found it and gave it to him. Can you imagine??? People are so honest here, they will return a brand new IPhone. Then, my supervisor was so nice that she insisted on picking up the phone for me and bringing it to my apartment...all the way on the other side of the city. :)
I was pleased and overwhelmed (in a good way). Another incident that really touched me occurred around the same time...I heard from home that my bird, Sweet Pea, is very sick. We have had her for eight years, and I was really shocked/upset when I heard the news. The next day at school, I was visibly upset but holding back my tears and trying to remain professional, when a teacher asked me if I was OK. Well, of course, this prompted the tears, and soon several teachers knew what had happened. Their response? I instantly received some sweets, well wishes, and an invitation to a yoga class ("to relax"). Their kindness definitely helped ease the pain.
A couple of weeks ago, my school put on the school culture festival and the sports festival. These were AMAZING. These kids can really do everything--sing, dance, act, play instruments, play sports, paint, take photographs, bake, volunteer....... The first two days were the culture festival. On the first day, we went over to a nearby orchestra hall and watched the band, chorus, and Japanese harp club perform. A girl who won a prestigious piano competition played too, and I can honestly say it was one of the best piano performances I have ever seen. Then every single class in the school participated in a chorus contest. Each class prepared a song to sing and had a student conductor. I could not imagine this happening in an American school--every single kid singing. The second day, the culture festival was held at the school, and the different club activities set up exhibits in the classrooms. The kids scrubbed the school clean and decorated, so the school looked really nice. I walked around with another teacher and got to: attend a tea ceremony, wear a sari, see a handmade planetarium, judge some really pretty desserts in the sweets contest, play the Japanese harp, try calligraphy, view student paintings and photography, buy handmade goods from a nearby center for people with disabilities, check out the students' flower arrangements, and watch the dance team. Over and over again, I was astounded by these kids--they are so talented and they organized the whole thing themselves. Then there was sports day....the first day was practice and then the second day was the actual Sports Day. The students were divided into four teams--red, yellow, white, and blue--and competed against each other all day in a variety of games and performances. There was a relay (which I ran in with the other teachers...we lost spectacularly), some fun teamwork games, traditional Japanese dancing, dances that the students made up, folk dancing (super cute...reminded me of square dancing in elementary school) and a cheering contest. The kids ran and yelled and played in the ridiculously hot sun all day without a hint of fatigue. I am certain that I did not have that much energy in high school....
After the craziness of school festival and sports day, all of the teachers had a nomikai (drinking party). I was just sitting there, eating my sashimi and drinking my Asahi beer, when I was told I had to make an impromptu, introductory speech in Japanese. Somehow I managed, after getting help from Carmen and thinking quickly about what I could say. As I talked, the teachers kept applauding and cheering (even though all I was talking about was where I went to University and my hobbies--that's about the extent of my Japanese). It was awesome and hilarious.
Last weekend, I danced in the Erekocha festival as a part of the Miyazaki International Association in Miyazaki City, which was a blast. I wore a Japanese cloak of sorts (not sure what the name is) and learned three dances (one with some fan waving) before we headed off to the streets. Luckily, I was dancing with a bunch of other JETs, so we all made mistakes together. It was so much fun; we were laughing and really enjoying ourselves, despite the extreme heat. There was one move that looked kind of like the "bend and snap" from Legally Blonde, and another that looked like "Thriller", so we were counting and shouting those things out during the dance. Good times. After the dance, we had a really nice dinner party in a really nice restaurant with delicious food and good company. Two JETs sang some Irish songs and played guitar, so that was fun to watch as well. That night, Nicole and I went to a little bar called "the hobbit hole" (because the entry way is super small) and then met up with some other JETs at another bar. There, I sang some Killers (Somebody Told Me) in karaoke. It was off the hook. ;)
A couple nights ago, my fellow Otsukadai JETs (aka apartment complex buddies) and I went to the "Japanese Mama's" house for dinner. She is this really sweet old lady who loves cooking dinner for foreigners. Her house was awesome, because she has been all over the world. So, while it is in the traditional Japanese style, it is filled with trinkets from all sorts of places. And she has a room upstairs filled with dolls--300 to be exact. This probably either sounds awesome or terrifying, depending on how you feel about dolls. And the food was wonderful. There was dish after delicious dish, and then fresh fruit and cheesecake for dessert...I can't wait to go back!
In other news..I have finally started teaching! My first few lessons were great. The kids are very shy and hesistant to even raise their hands, but I think they really enjoy hearing about Chicago. (Especially when it comes to deep dish pizza, Al Capone, and Chicago sports rivalries....) I feel so lucky to be able to do what I love at such a great school with such great students. I have also been helping two girls with speech contest, and both of them have great speeches. I am going to watch them next week, hopefully they will both do well! And, I have continued to have lunch with the office ladies, and I am proud to say that my Japanese communication ability gets better and better (if slowly) and that I have begun learning some kanji (Chinese characters that are mixed in with the Japanese characters). And soon, after I am done with speech contest, I am going to start practicing with the brass band so I can play in the Christmas concert, and maybe even join the Miyazaki Orchestra!
The weather here is finally changing! It has been hot as hell for the last two months, and I have suffered from heat exhaustion a few times. BUT, a cool breeze has been making an appearance for the last few days, and it is noticably more comfortable outside. Now, by "comfortable" I mean, like, 85 degrees....that might seem miserable to you guys but to me it feels great!!!
I will conclude this post with a mention of the best dessert I have found in Japan....and perhaps in my whole life...BLACK THUNDER. My friend Carmen and I have dubbed it the "thundering treat" and it. is. DELIGHTFUL. It is a chocolatey bar with pieces of cookie and fudge. AND there are Black Thunder ice cream bars!!! They are so good, it is unbelievable. It's a chocolate coated chocolate ice cream bar with cookie chunks. ahhh, I need to stop writing for I am developing cravings....
That's all for now! Miss and love all of you!
No comments:
Post a Comment