Spring Adventures

Second post…… This post will be very long, so don’t say I haven’t warned you….but with some lighter topics and plenty of pictures! At the end of January, I got to experience my first volcanic eruption. Yup…Miyazaki City lies a mere 30 or so miles away from an active volcano, Shinmoedake. One night (morning?) at around 3 a.m., I was shocked awake by the sound of all of the windows and doors in my apartment rattling violently. My sleep-addled brain first thought it was an earthquake, so I jumped out of bed…only to realize the floor was perfectly still. My second thought was that it was the wind, so I opened one of my windows. The night was completely still. Now I was confused as ever, but Matt (in the next apartment over) sent me a text, saying it might be caused by a change in air pressure from the volcano erupting. And indeed it was. I took some Tylenol PM to calm down and fall back asleep…big mistake. I had to go into school an hour late because I could not physically get up at the normal time. The next evening on my bike, I saw menacing ash clouds hanging heavily in the air… For the next couple of weeks, the air smelled like sulfur and a fine coat of ash covered everything as the volcano continued to erupt sporadically. While I wore a face mask as often as I could stand (I really don’t like them), I still had breathing/sinus problems for several weeks (like an extended cold), plus I caught the flu that was going around. Lovely. After all of that settled, in February, I went to a plum blossom matsuri (festival) in a nearby town, Kiyotake. I got to wear my first kimono! Man, was getting that on a process. First there was the issue of which kimono would fit me (I am taller and curvier than your average Japanese woman) and then there are a million things to put on (under robe, under skirt, socks, the kimono itself, the obi [or sash that goes around your waist…]) and you have to put them on in order and in the right way (for example, you have close the kimono in front with the left side over the right to show you are alive and well, the other way means you are dead)…..But once it was finally on, I felt gorgeous and…dare I say it?....Japanese. :) Our group: Asha, Nikki, Sascha, Me Asha and I and some lovely scenery

The festival itself was really cool. Asha, Nikki, Sascha and I hung out together, and I had udon (Japanese noodles) for lunch… Afterwards we watched some Japanese ladies play koto, or harp, and some awesome kid dance groups perform. I wanted to adopt some of the kids…they were so damn cute. There is nothing like watching an adorable 5 year old boy with a mohawk do some sick hip hop moves. (Videos at the end of this post!) Then we went to a tea ceremony outside, which was really, really nice. We watched an attractive young man prepare the tea, and a woman came out and gave us some traditional dessert—mochi, or sticky rice cakes—and then gave us our tea. If you’ve ever had green tea, it is very different from the tea you drink at a traditional tea ceremony. This tea is gritty and has a very earthy taste. I think it’s delicious! Preparing the tea....

That same weekend, I went to my first baseball game in Japan with Asha. I loved the atmosphere of baseball games at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and was not disappointed by the game in Japan. The fans have their own cheering sections for each team, with ginormous flags, instruments, and pom poms. Asha and I drank some beer and took in the atmosphere. We were a tad tipsy afterwards, and while walking away from the stadium, some junior high kids passed us and started talking in English (“Hello!” “How are you?” etc…) One kid asked, “What do you like?” and I responded, “I like beer!” Good thing they weren’t my students. After that, Asha and I went to Mos Burger—a delicious burger chain here—and had way too much food and more beer. An excellent day! A week after that, at the end of February, Nicole and I went on an adventure to Nagasaki with the “Japanese mama” and the other ladies in our neighborhood who sometimes cook us dinner. We really weren’t sure of the exact itinerary, but it was so cheap (around 100 dollars for meals, hotel, and bus) that we decided to go for it. This trip was soooo much fun. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Lost in Translation,” that is how Nicole and I felt during the trip. We don’t speak too much Japanese, and like I said, did not really know exactly where we were going/what we were doing, so the trip was full of surprises and shared “what just happened??!” moments. It was great to have each other to talk to freely in English (the ladies do not take too many pains to slow down their Japanese ) and laugh together. On the first day, we stopped at a seafood restaurant on the water, and I had some delicious shrimp tempura… We got back on the bus and were on for several hours, with an afternoon snack of raw horse meat and a ferry ride being notable diversions. (I did not eat the horse meat. Ughhh). Then we continued driving until we reached our hotel, which was in a small, mountaintop town called Unzen. It is famous for its hot springs (the whole town smelled like sulfur) and it looked really cute. It kind of reminded me of a small European tourist town in the mountains. Our hotel was REALLY traditional (called a ryokan). This was our room, complete with futons, paper screens and sliding doors… At the hotel, we relaxed in the onsen (hot spring bath)…nothing like getting naked with old Japanese ladies! Then we had an awesome dinner….I couldn’t move after we were done. That night we got drunk with the ladies playing card games, watched some fireworks and got to see the smoke rising from the ground in the light of the streetlamps….no wonder the town smelled like eggs! The next day was interesting, to say the least. We left our hotel after a traditional breakfast of miso soup and rice, and Nicole and I assumed we would be going straight to Nagasaki City and spending the day there. Nope. What ensued was a road trip throughout Nagasaki prefecture (state) and maybe even nearby Saga prefecture (we aren’t sure) with the most random assortment of tourist stops imaginable. The first place was high up in the mountains—Nagasaki’s botanical gardens. These were beautiful and we got to ride a cute little train to the different places. It would be a great place to have a wedding!


After that, on the way into the city, we passed through the little town of Obama, Japan. Nicole and I were just chillin’, looking out the windows, when we saw it across the road in front of a shop…a life size, resin statue of Obama with arms outstretched and an American flag behind him. We almost peed our pants. Unfortunately, the bus whipped by it and we did not have time to take any pictures. We were so close to telling the bus driver to stop and running back to take in the awesomeness of the statue. I will go back some day, I will! In Nagasaki City, we went to the Peace Park, which Nicole and I had already been to. We got some ice cream cones, with the ice cream shaped like roses, from a cute little old lady with a street cart. We then wandered off to find a convenience store and get some food…we were starving. We were told we had 50 minutes, so we thought it was fine. However, one of the ladies from our group caught up with us and told us it was time to go. Nicole and I realized our guide had said FIFTEEN minutes. We were hurried back to the bus, and walked on about two minutes late. Everyone else was already on the bus, ready to go, looking annoyed with the stupid, late gaijin (foreigners). When people tell you the Japanese are punctual, they are not kidding. Whoops…. After lunch at a Chinese restaurant, we headed out of the City. We stopped at a Kasutera factory. Kasutera is a sweet, light cake that is a specialty in Nagasaki. We got off the bus and lined up outside of the shop. What happened next is a blur. We went through that factory so fast you would think the building was on fire. After rushing past the people making the cake (with the delicious smell teasing us all the way) we ended up in the gift shop, where there were two tables set with tea and pieces of the cake. It was gone in a blink. After fighting the crowd of people and buying a couple of cakes, I walked outside, dazed, and saw another crowd of people from our group clustered around two rickety tables. A guy was selling some “damaged” (but still perfectly delicious) cake at reduced prices. As I watched the madness, Japanese mama emerged from the ruckus with her arms loaded with at least 10 cakes. All of this took no more than 15 minutes (the punctuality!!!) I got back on the bus and sat down next to Nicole. She looked at me and asked, “What just happened??!” We were in tears of laughter for a good 10 minutes after that. The factory: We've got the Golden Tickets!This is where the magic happens
Hello Kitty has her own line of cake

The hilarity continued at the next stop, a green tea factory in the mountains. When the bus pulled up to it, Nicole and I had no idea what the place was. Just another random destination in our adventure! A woman came on the bus and gave us all pamphlets (In Japanese of course, so they were no help in deciphering where we were.) There were some pictures on the brochure and we were trying to guess what they meant, but to no avail. Nicole and I were dying of laughter in the back of the bus. Serving up some tea

The factory itself was interesting, but again, we rushed through it. Our next stop was a really cool Shinto shrine carved out of a mountain. I took a lot of pictures...




Finally, we stopped at the strangest place yet. As the sky was darkening, our bus pulled up to what looked like a large shed. At this point Nicole and I were up for anything, so we walked in and saw that several tables were set up with food samples, and there was also a shop on the other side. All around, people were shouting and peddling their food. A man working there shoved a small cup with a toothpick and something gooey and pink inside in my hands. I took a small tentative bite and almost spit it out. I have no idea what it was but it had the most distinct, nasty fish taste you could imagine. The other people in our group were gobbling that stuff up like it was the most delicious thing ever. Slightly nauseated, I made my way away from the fish samples and saw that they were giving away samples of green hot sauce. This I was willing to try, and I liked it so much I bought some for myself. Finally, it was time to go home. Nicole and I returned exhausted but with some great memories.

A couple weeks after that, I rode my bicycle to Aya (nearby town about 11 miles away) with Khanh and Jack for a girls’ day festival in town. The ride there was great…really nice scenery and we got to stop at a hole in the wall noodle shop run by a really cute Japanese couple. We also decided to take some goofy pictures beside some strange blue stairs by the river….. Unfortunately, I got a flat tire right outside of Aya. Luckily, I was able to meet up with Nicole, who had driven there, and we went to a friend’s house to make pottery! Nicole used the wheel, but I made mine by hand…. Dolls set up for Girls' Day


Last weekend was pretty fantastic. It included two nights of drunken revelry (the first, karaoke with great company at two great bars, and the second a St. Patrick’s day party with green drinks and great music).
The next day, Matt and Michihiro and I took a day trip to Takaoka Castle:
We also stopped at a really nice onsen and the most ADORABLE café hidden in the woods!!!! It almost looked like a Spanish missionary, the way it was decorated.

Now for school stuff….. We recently had two yearly traditions: graduation and school walk. The graduation ceremony was quite different that those I have been to in the States. In Japan, they are much more solemn and the kids are a hell of a lot more orderly and behaved. Furthermore, they do not call individual student names…everyone graduates as a group. This means there is no annoying, wild cheering from family members and friends. There were several moments where the graduating class had to stand up together and bow, and the kids (all 400 of them) stood up at exactly the same time. They were so precise that the floor shook slightly when they did it. After speeches, singing the school song and “Auld Lang Syne” in Japanese, and the closing remarks, Carmen and I headed back to the staff room and had some delicious bentos for lunch…. And I took a farewell picture with some of the third grade students who I helped with English compositions (I’m proud of them, most got into the colleges of their choice!) Me and my girls

That night there was a graduation enkai (party) for all of the teachers. It was in this really snazzy hotel near the high school. I impressed some of the male teachers by chugging a glass of beer in one go. Classy, I know....but everyone was drunk, so I was in good company.

The school walk was that same week. This is when all of the 1st and 2nd year students and teachers take a bus together to Aya (a small town about 11 miles from our school) and then walk back in a big group (about 800 people in all) together, back to school. This was a lot of fun and I was amazed by how organized it was. I am sure if this was attempted in America you would have several kids running away or causing mischief. Nope, this was just a calm, orderly mass of kids walking back to school and enjoying nature. I talked with two of my former speech students (we played 20 questions for awhile) as well as my debate kids. It took almost all day…and I had a wicked sunburn by the end of it. Kids taking a break from the walk.....

Now, at school, the year has ended. This means that the group of 440 kids who I have been teaching for 8 months are no longer my students, and I will have a new batch of fresh faces next month. I am really going to miss these kids.

Now that the year is ending, they are being super cute and giving me a lot of little presents and cards. I’ve had several students stop by my desk to give me homemade sweets.

One class gave me a gift bag filled with homemade cards. They were sooo adorable…a lot of the kids really took their time and drew pictures on them, or used really cute stationery and stickers. Some of my favorite letters went like this: “Dear Sandra, When I first met you, sorry, but I thought you looked shady. I felt anxiety about our class. However, I gradually appreciated you, because you worked hard to make us delight. Of course, we took a hint...You are our best friend. We always cheer for you."

"Thank you for half a year! I had funny time with you. Your lessons are so interesting. I feel I became fluent in English...Oh, it is exaggeration! ARIGATOO!"

"I enjoyed you oral communication class. Especially, I was interested in Sandra's reminiscence. Thanks to you, I love English. And I LOVE YOU."

And, in one of my final classes, as I was leaving, a group of boys surrounded me outside the room, giggling and looking sheepish. Then one of them said, “I love you San-do-ra” to which I responded, “I love you too!” The kids went nuts after I said that. Later that day, the same kid was leaving school in his mom’s car, and as he passed me, he stretched his arms out the window and yelled, “I LOVE SAN-DO-RA!” Heehee :)

I’ve been practicing with the brass band for awhile now, and it has really been a great experience. The kids are pretty shy, but they have definitely opened up to me. I have also been able to see the dedication and responsibility of these kids up close. We had a full day practice a couple of weeks ago, and it was done WITHOUT ANY ADULT SUPERVISION. No teachers. At all. The kids all came to the concert hall near the school on time in the morning and proceeded to practice all day, with their peers leading and conducting the songs and stopping to critique them. There was no horsing around. No disruptions. No wasted time. They remained disciplined and focused for 7 hours. Unbelievable…

Last night we finally had a concert! It was a blast. Carmen, Matt, and Michihiro all came to support me (thanks guys!!!) and a lot of students, teachers, and family members came too. The auditorium was almost completely full. When we walked out, a group of boys in the front rows starting chanting “San-do-ra!” The kids really got a kick out of me playing in the band. Before our conductor came out, the noise was deafening, with kids cheering for their friends and yelling names. I felt like I was at a rock concert, not a band concert.
Also, the songs we had been practicing were very fun in themselves, some of them with dance moves, but what I did not realize was that they would be even more fun at the concert. This was because a. the audience really got into the songs (head bobbing, toe tapping, waving glow sticks like lighters during slow songs, etc.) and b. for a couple of songs, some of the kids in band dressed up and danced. We played a few Japanese pop songs by the groups AKB48 and Arashi (both are huge here) and those kids were in the front of the stage, hip-hopping their hearts out. The audience went crazy for those songs, singing along. For a Charlie Chaplin tribute song, two boys dressed up in tuxedos and top hats and hammed it up. It was all I could do to play the song without laughing. And, for a song called “Clarinet Sandwich”, our awesome section stood in the front of the stage the whole time and danced and played like mad. I was really touched, too, because midway through the concert the two girl emcees called me up to the front of the stage, introduced me to everyone, and gave me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers.

After the concert, I got a lot of “good jobs!” and thumbs ups from my students (I always make the thumbs up when I teach, so I think they have caught on…LOL) and a lot of adults who I didn’t know stopped me and said “otsukaresama deshita” (thank you for your hard work). One of the kids in band bowed to me. Even today at school several teachers have congratulated me and bowed to me…all for just playing clarinet and having fun. Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!!! I think it was the most fun I’ve ever had at a band concert.

I also finally went to my first choir practice! It was great, just me, Matt, 3 guys in the choir, and the director. We sang in English (Carpenters and Broadway tunes, yessss) and Japanese. I think the director liked me, so I will definitely be going back next month!!

Well….I think that’s it for now (until I update two months later, haha). If you made it this far, thanks for staying with me and reading the world's longest blog post!!! Here now are a selection of “Only in Japan” and random photos and the videos from the festival.

Spring flowers outside of my school

Pictures inside a store near my apartment called Mummy's. It is your average grocery store except for the fact that there are fairy tale characters randomly placed throughout the store (as you can see, here is Jack, the beanstalk, and the giant). They also have some pretty awesome cheese of the "Hello Toni" brand. Toni is a strapping blonde boy who frolics through the mountains with his elf hat, marketing cheese.

LOL

Saw this on a girl's backpack on the train...honey, do you know what your pin means???

Here are the videos as promised: koto and dancing.

I love and miss you all!!!!!!

Earthquake and Tsunami

Two entries this time...yes, I am a terrible updater, I know. I will start with the obvious, the thing that’s been on everyone’s minds: the earthquake and tsunami. The day it happened was an incredibly normal day…sunny and breezy. I was looking forward to my family visiting in less than a week. Towards the end of the day, with only about an hour left of work, a few teachers came into the first year teachers’ office and turned on the television. I didn’t think much of it at first, but soon my curiosity was piqued and I started watching. The initial images showed waves crashing into the shore, washing away small cars and boats. This didn’t seem too bad, but I checked my facebook and saw that there had been an earthquake and now a tsunami was headed for the Northern coast. As the images unfolded, more and more teachers and students came into the staff room. At first there was soft talking and exclamations, but after a while, as the camera panned over the countryside being slammed with a destructive wall of water that washed away houses and cars as if they were toys, the room became as silent as a tomb. I looked around at everyone’s faces and saw fear, shock, sorrow, and desperation. The news indicated that large waves could hit us in Southern Japan in an hour or so, so many students and teachers living near the coast were very worried. Eventually the vice principal came into the room and told everyone to start heading home, and to make sure the students left safely first. The school emptied out incredibly quickly. I went home with Nicole and we watched the news in English for a couple hours. A small, one meter wave hit our coast, but caused no damage. I went to bed that night extremely unsettled, almost feeling as if the day had been a nightmare.
As the days went on, the news kept pouring in. Even though our area of Japan was incredibly fortunate, the death toll kept rising and thousands of people were left homeless, living in shelters without heat or electricity. I also found out that some teachers and students have family and friends in the North. I ran into one of my students over the weekend, and he told me he was trying to get in contact with family online. He hadn’t been able to reach them yet and he was still looking. This student is a really great kid-smart, energetic, and unfailingly cheerful-- but when he told me that, he looked so hopeless. Until that point, I had felt numb and unsettled (still as though the whole thing had been an awful dream) but at that moment it hit me. My heart broke for him and everyone else struggling with this catastrophe. My parents told me soon after that they were no longer coming to Japan, for safety reasons. This was another harsh blow, because at a time when I wanted nothing more than to hug my family and know they were safe, I had to accept that they weren’t coming. And yet I knew that I was lucky to have my family alive and to have my own health. God save those who don’t.
I have never experienced a traumatic natural disaster so personally. I have been living in Japan for 8 months now, and I have really come to love this country as my second home. It’s hard to explain well, but I really feel like I am a part of my community and that I belong here. The Japanese people—friends, teachers, and students alike—have shown me nothing but true kindness and generosity. The culture is beautiful and enlightening. Seeing part of the country destroyed hit me hard. Though I am just starting to get back to normal, the first couple weeks after the disaster are a blur to me. I walked around in a fog, feeling helpless, heartbroken, and unsafe. I also wanted to actually DO something besides donating money to help people, and felt terrible that I couldn’t.
I want to emphasize for those at home that I remain safe. The nuclear reactor situation is, unfortunately, being blown out of proportion by many media sources. It is troubling, of course, but the situation remains relatively stable. What I am angry about is that the focus on the nuclear plants takes away the focus from the true disasters—the death toll, the people still hungry, cold, and homeless, and the unbelievable amount of damage to livelihoods and property. If you can, please give what you are able to give to Japan.

This was terrible, a nightmare. But Japan is a country that is truly strong, and able to pick up the pieces and build again. I look outside and the sakura trees are starting to bloom. People around me are laughing and smiling. Life is going on—as it should.

And 2011 Begins!

It has been ages since I have last updated, but the last couple of months have been sooo busy! For those of you who are still with me, here is a quick update of what has been going on in my life…

In November and December, I was lucky enough to do a lot of traveling in Japan. I took a long weekend and visited my friend from high school, April Baity, in Nara City. She is also teaching English here. Nara is a very important place historically for Japan, and it is full of wonderful sights. Nara is also close to Osaka and Kyoto. Osaka is a very industrial, hard-working, no-nonsense city, while Kyoto is the culture capital of Japan. I was able to see all three cities. I toured Osaka by myself, since April had to work that day, and did well navigating the subway system. I was able to see Osaka castle, Shitennoji temple, a German Christmas festival, and the Osaka Sky Building, which had awesome views from the top. And I tried Osaka’s specialty, takoyaki (fried octopus). In Nara, April and I went to Nara Park, which is the site of Todaiji Temple. This temple has the largest wooden Buddha in Japan. It was the perfect day to go…..sunny, warm, and with the leaves changing beautiful hues of red, orange, and brown. My favorite part of this park was the wild deer!! They roam around freely, and you can buy deer food and feed them. They were aggressive; they definitely know what’s going on and start to follow you as soon as you buy the food (the ladies who run the food stand have brooms that they hit the deer with if they try to eat the crackers before they are purchased). One of them tried to eat my scarf, and I got a few head butts from impatient, hungry deer.
Kyoto was last, and a bit disappointing, only because it was raining all day, and we did not have nearly enough time to see everything. We saw Kinkakuji, which is the famous Golden Temple in Kyoto. Absolutely stunning, even with the rainy weather.
I’m definitely going back to the Kansai region and spending more time in Kyoto!

The weekend after that, I went to Fukuoka with a big group of other JETs to see a Sumo tournament. The sumo itself was interesting, but to be honest, I lost interest after the first thirty minutes or so. I personally can only see so much of huge men wrestling with each other. But, I consider it a life experience that I can say I had. I enjoyed seeing the city with Nicole and Brian, although we had to deal with a rather frustrating bus schedule. The sightseeing bus was really nice (and had a somewhat tacky, yet cute, Christmas display in the back), but it did not come to the stops at the designated times. We got to see some temples and shrines (including a wedding ceremony), try some Fukuoka ramen (apparently the best in Japan), and go into the Fukuoka sky building. We also went to a yakiniku restaurant, where you cook your own meat and vegetables on a grill…delicious!

The next week was crazy but so much fun. Omiya had its annual English Winter Camp, where the top first year students (84 in all) and a group of ALTs go to a recreational facility and spend two days doing activities only in English. It was a lot of work for everyone, but a lot of fun. The kids got to debate, put on skits, cook curry for dinner with the ALTs and teachers (the best part of camp, in my opinion), and make speeches. It was great being able to become close with my group of students and help them to become more confident speaking English.






Literally right after Winter Camp, Matt and I drove to Nagasaki (a good 6 hour drive, but a fun one because we sang along to Broadway musicals the whole time) for the all Kyushuu debate tournament. Both of our teams did well, and my team made the semifinals (the top four teams out of 16). We got fourth place; the top two places went to the Okinawa teams. Those kids are practically native speakers (being surrounded by Americans and English media) and really, really good at debate, so I was really proud of my kids for holding their own even in the face of such good teams. I almost cried after it was over; I really miss spending time with them after school!!

That night, Matt and I went out to explore Nagasaki. First we ate in Chinatown, which was delicious of course, and then we decided to go to a bar. The only hiccup in the evening was a creepy Canadian man with a Hitler moustache who insisted on following us everywhere (Matt dubbed him “Canadian Bacon,” an appropriate name considering his girth). Luckily we lost him and were able to go to a karaoke bar by ourselves. This was soooo much fun, and probably the best bar experience I have had so far. The hostesses were really sweet and friendly, and we had some good conversation with two police officers. I also got everyone in the bar to sing “Top of the World” with me, which is practically the national anthem of Japan (in karaoke, anyway).
The next day, we did a bit of sightseeing, including the Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum. The park was beautiful; the museum unsurprisingly shocking and disheartening. The museum is unique in that, as you walk through it, the atmosphere of Nagasaki immediately after the bombing is replicated. The most powerful visual piece in the museum, in my opinion, was a clock found in the rubble. The hands were stopped at exactly 11:02, the time of the bombing. There were also some heartbreaking artifacts found near a school, including a student’s lunchbox. Matt and I were practically in tears by the time we finished, but seeing the rest of the Peace Park was a fitting and beautiful conclusion to the experience, and gave us some closure. The Park has a lot of water (fountains and ponds), which is symbolic of “cleansing” the victims and of peace and harmony on Earth.

On December 17th, I was lucky to be able to go home for Christmas! I had a wonderful time in Chicago, and was fortunate to spend a lot of time with my family and closest friends. We had our annual two family Christmas parties, the first with my dad’s family, and the second with my mom’s. As usual, on Christmas day, the Marousek (mom’s) family went to a Czechoslovakian restaurant in Cicero, and then headed back to my grandma’s house for Peter Creepers (a concoction of my grandpa’s—pineapple juice, whisky, and raw eggs) and more food and revelry. I spent New Year’s with my friend Rachel and some of her friends who I had never met before. We had a lot of fun…maybe too much. Two of her friends, Mary and Anne, are professional musicians, and we went to a bar a few days after to hear them and their friends play some really good Irish music. I also went to the annual party at Megan’s house, and we made some fantastic gingerbread houses. Ours ended up being very gory, with a murderous, bloody mouthed, axe wielding gingerbread woman in front and “bloody” animal crackers all around the house. All of this stemmed from a minor mishap with red icing. Yeah…we be crazy. ;) And of course, I spent a lot of time with Jenny, the best sister in the world! We went downtown one night for sushi and hookah, and then ended up having a gut bustingly funny Snuggie photo shoot in her (and my old) apartment in Lincoln Park. Thanks to Mom, Dad, Jen, my extended family, Jamie, Kim, Rachel, Rachel, Kristina, Andrei, Megan, Viktorija, Al, Nick, Mary, Anne, Shea, and Amy for making my time at home so great!!!

When I came back to Japan, I met up with my old friend Kim, who lives in Tokyo. She is stationed at Yokota Air Force base and is a meteorologist. I had not seen her for years, so it was a very happy reunion indeed. We went to Tokyo Disneyland, which was the most fun I have had in ages!! I felt like I was seven years old again. It is laid out exactly like Disneyworld—the rides are the same, the atmosphere is the same, the parades are the same…..We went on It’s A Small World (still my favorite), Peter Pan, Snow White (still terrifying…haha), Big Thunder Mountain, Captain Eo, and Pirates of the Caribbean. We tried all five flavors of popcorn in the park (Curry, Soy Sauce and Salt, Caramel, Chocolate, and Honey) and I bought white, fuzzy, sparkly Mickey Mouse ears. 

Well…now I am settling back to life in Japan. I cannot say enough how much I love it here. It was hard for the first week back; I got pretty homesick. But I realize that those feelings come and go, and that everyone who I love at home will be there when I get back. Of course, some late night talks and outings with my friends here made it easy to transition too. I have officially recontracted for another year, and I am looking forward to more traveling, continuing to improve my Japanese, and closer friendships with all of the wonderful people here. I am considering joining a Japanese choir with Matt, as well as playing with the school band (now that debate is over), and joining a gym!

Before I finish, let me plug one of the most fantastic places in Japan—Round One! Round One is a huge sports and entertainment complex that I went to this weekend with an awesome group of people—Carmen, Matt, Khanh, Carl, Reo, Michihiro, and Jack. We played intense games of soccer, tennis, and volleyball, did some taiko drumming, and also did some rollerblading and tried out the rodeo horse (this was obviously hilarious). Definitely looking forward to going back!

Well, goodbye for now! I love and miss everyone at home!!!

A Proud Moment

My proudest moment in teaching so far was the English debate tournament last week. After working with my second year students (Mirai, Naoki, and Shogo) for over two months, staying after school until 6:30 or 7 every day, and not allowing anything less than perfection, our efforts paid off more than I or the Japanese coach, Kondo Sensei, could have imagined.

I felt the first round of the contest, which included 18 teams from all over Miyazaki prefecture, was not indicative of our actual abilities, because we competed against two weak teams. So, while we made the next round and did very well (and we were very excited about this, don’t get me wrong!) I also had this nagging feeling that if we had been against the other teams who made the next round, we would not have made it. The first year team, who I also coached, did very well, but they happened to be pitted against the team who went to the all Kyushuu tournament last year and which had two girls who had lived in America and thus had excellent English. So, they did not make the semi-finals (and, disappointingly, lost by only a few points).

So, the day of the semi-finals arrived. Six teams from Miyazaki prefecture would be competing against each other for the coveted top two spots, and these two teams would go on to the all-Kyushuu contest. (For those of you who are wondering what Kyushuu is, that is the Southernmost island of Japan, where I live, with nine prefectures. So to make the Kyushuu contest is the highest honor). I felt confident in my students, but also knew how good the other teams were, so I was trying not to set my hopes too high. We had the first round of debates in the morning, with two groups of three teams. The top team from each group would go on to Kyushuu, and then in the afternoon the top two would compete against each other for the first prize of the day. I was soooo nervous watching my kids, probably more than they were. They did very well, but so did the other teams, and I knew it would be a very close contest.

While waiting for the results, we had lunch together, and as we did, I really felt close to the students and Kondo Sensei. We really felt like a team, and I felt nothing but pride and happiness for the kids. I knew that, no matter what happened, we could go home happy for all of our hard work. Finally, it was time for the morning results to be announced. We all sat there, hoping. My heart was about to leap out of my chest and I felt physically sick. After waiting to hear the judges make their comments, which of course took an excruciatingly long time, they announced the results…Miyazaki Omiya!!! I let out an audible gasp and felt a rush of pride for my students. We were going on to the tournament!

But that wasn’t even the best part of the day. After we heard the results, we practiced for about an hour while waiting for the final round between us and the other high school (the same school who went to finals last year…definitely a formidable opponent) going to Kyushuu. The final round was held on the stage in the college auditorium, in front of all of the teams, teachers, and judges. I will never forget how awesome it felt to see my kids on stage in front of everyone, ready to take on the debate. And take it on they did. Everything we taught them, all of the hours of practice, all of the kids’ spectacular talent seemed to come together, almost magically. The constructive speech by Mirai was fantastic. Her English was nearly perfect and she put such passion and emotion into it! Then she did a phenomenal job of answering questions from the other team. She calmly answered every one of them intelligently. They asked really good, difficult questions, but she answered them without any sign of faltering. Then, the questions that Shogo asked the other team were excellent. He really attacked the weak points of their argument. Finally, there was Shogo’s rebuttal…all I can say is that I sat there in utter shock and amazement as he tore apart the other team’s argument and then delivered a fantastic closing speech as if he were a native English speaker. I actually got goosebumps watching him! When they announced that we won first place, I thought about how wonderful it can be to teach and to see your students reach their fullest potential. 

We got a lot of compliments after the debate. The head of the English teachers in Miyazaki prefecture (I think?) called the team the “Fantastic Three.” A teacher from one of the best high schools in the prefecture asked us what our “secret” was. I had some high school boys come up and say to Mirai that they knew she would win, because she was so cute.  One of the judges talked to us for a good ten minutes, saying that it was “heaven” to watch us and that we would be a force to be reckoned with in Kyushuu. The other judge, my friend Nick, told me that he put his pen down during Shogo’s rebuttal because he was so caught up in watching him make his speech. But, the best part of the day was when Kondo Sensei told me what Shogo said to her…that they could not have done it without me. That made everything, all of the hard work and late nights and frustrations, worth it ten times over. We came back to Omiya with our heads held high to an ecstatic reception from the teachers and principals.

Here we are! This is why I teach…for moments like this.