The teaching has begun! Friday started with opening ceremonies, which basically involved me just trying to do what everyone around me was doing. I had to give my big speech in Japanese, which was nerve racking, but they all clapped, so maybe they understood?
After the ceremony, all the teachers had a lunch party where I gave a more casual self-introduction and along with my most fluent JTE, told everyone about myself. Kyoto-sensei (vice principle) sat next to me, trying to make conversation, but when that failed he called over the JTE to come sit with us so we could all talk. Everyone at the school is really nice - a few have said they would like to invite me to their homes, they just don't speak English. Maybe the invitation will still stand when my Japanese gets better...because I'm sure that will happen longggg before their English improves. So while the lunch was winding down, they decided to play the 'ask Nicole questions about herself' game, which in true Japanese style turned into do you have a boyfriend, what type of men do you like, and do you like Japanese men. oh Japan - nothing here seems out of bounds...
Then today was my first real day of teaching! I taught 5 classes at the junior high and gave my introductory lesson. Each class starts with a moment of silence, a morning greeting and bow, and then ends with a closing greeting and bow. For my portion of the class, I had previously blown up and laminated some photographs of Boston, USC, friends, family, etc. and using simple English, explained them. Afterward, I brought in some flyswatters and divided the classes into 2 teams. I would make a statement describing one of two photos I put on the board and then the first student to swat the appropriate picture would get a point for their team. Getting the students moving and having fun brought a whole new level of energy to the class and it was really fun! If there was time following that game, we played a True/False game where I said 5 things about myself and they had to choose either T or F - pretty straight forward you would imagine, but it required a good deal of explanation! My non verbal communication, especially my hand gestures, is getting pretty elaborate (next time you see me, ask for my impression of a fly swatter...) so I carried it over into this game. The kids especially loved my attempt at moonwalking when one of my statements was that Michael Jackson is my favorite singer.
I ate lunch with one of the second year classes, where we discussed very important topics such as Zac Effron and Miley Cyrus. Junior high really is perfect for me...
School lunch is an interesting experience. A couple of students head over to the lunch building to pick up food for everyone in their class. I get mine in the teachers room and then bring it over to a classroom of my choice - this is extremely nice because the children are expected to eat everything they are given, even if they don't like it (school lunches are really healthy, but about 800-1000cal) and this way I can do my own portions and leave out little surprises like the whole little dried out fish (eyes, tails, everything...) I was given today. The students serving the meals wear white jackets and hats that look like that of a chef - pretty classy. Once everyone has their food, we say a quick "Itadakimasu" and put our hands in a prayer position, only then can we all start eating together.
After lunch all the children clean the school. There is no custodial service, so the kids are responsible for tidying up. Some students are good at cleaning, but most are good at looking like they are cleaning when a teacher comes around. I mopped up a hallway with a couple of third year girls who basically sat there and just wanted to ask me the usual questions - do I have a boyfriend, what type of men I like etc.
After cleaning there were two more class periods, one of which I had free. The school day ends around 4/4:30 (Japan, I believe, has the longest school day in the world) and then it was time for club activities.
I had previously asked if I could join the tennis club, and was met with some surprised looks. Supposedly I'm the first ALT at the school that has asked to participate...So after school I borrowed my JTE's racket and hit with some of the girls on the team. They thought it was hilarious when I did the warm-ups, stretches, and sprints with them, but if I cared about making a fool out of myself in front of them, then I wouldn't have signed up for this job! They asked me if I would come back everyday - quite a lofty request - but I said I would come whenever I could. All and all it was a successful day and I'm excited for my day at elementary school tomorrow!
Just an FYI - my predecessor's contract on the internet runs out tomorrow, so it could be a little while until the switch over to my account happens and I have internet again. Hopefully it won't be too bad, but you never know. I'll still try to post at internet cafes and what not, but my pred said it took them over a month to hook her up. So until then...sionara
But wait, last but not least - happy birthday Rachel! Have a great 20th!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Exploring Aso
So the more time I'm spending in Aso the more I'm really loving it!
Wednesday I went exploring a little in the mountains. There is an area by the Aso Volcano Museum where can cows wander in these mountainous fields and people can go on pony rides! I did a little hiking by the water and thought a couple of times that some cows might be coming at me, but they just passed by. I'm sure they're used to people grazing that close to a touristy museum... A few people asked if I would be in some pictures with them, which is especially fun after hiking around in the Kyushu humidity, but it was one of those "I'm an ambassador for my country" kinds of moments, so I chatted with them in my poor Japanese and their broken English. It ended up being a fun conversation and they were quite funny, so all in all and great day!
At night I went to another festival with a girl that works at a Thai restaurant down the street from me. She and her boyfriend took me to the festival and fireworks, where I learned some Japanese slang that could be useful later on!
On Thursday, the superintendent of the Aso-city schools took me sightseeing with a co-worker. She is 28 (everyone here looks ridiculously younger than they are - it's pretty amazing!) and had been living in Aso for 20 years, but had never seen the volcano before! (It's one of the biggest attractions in the prefecture!) We both had a great time, and it's always nice to get to know a co-worker outside of the professional work setting.
I was blown away by how beautiful the volcano was. I had expected it to be red, but was shocked by the bright blue!
After walking around the area and driving through the mountains, the superintendent bought us some ice cream - he really knew the way to my heart - and I went home to get ready for the evening's festivities.
That night was my welcome party, where basically everyone from the BOE came for dinner and drinking. It was a lot of fun, and everyone wanted me to try everything! At work, everyone is expected to put on a professional face, so these drinking parties are really a chance for everyone to blow off some steam and cut loose. While everyone has been extremely nice at the BOE, it was extra fun to see them more relaxed and in their element.
Afterwards, we went to the second night of the festival that I had gone to on Wednesday for dancing. They gave me a happi coat to wear, which shows which group or association of the local area you belong to. Then everyone dances around a fire to some music and drumming. There are drummers of all ages playing, even some adorable little kids, as well as dancers that show the motions to everyone else (since a lot of people are really drunk for this.)
I was pretty much mesmerized by the whole experience. I absolutely loved being in the festival and doing the dances. I was sad when it all ended but knew that I had a fun weekend ahead!
Friday started with my formal Japanese introductions at my Junior High and my elementary schools. I only messed up at one, but they still loved it. The bar on foreigners is not really set too high here...
This weekend a group of JETs headed to Aso for an organized hiking and onsen trip. I invited some friends to stay with me if they wanted and six people loaded up their cars with sleeping gear and stayed at my house. They all arrived on Friday, and on Saturday we explored the volcano and some pretty rocky hiking trails. After we cleaned off at a really nice onsen:
then we headed to Denory's for Denory's night. They had different bands playing, and it was great to take my friends to the place I had been telling them about! On Sunday we slept in and headed to Uto for another festival! We met up with some other JETs and we all watched the fireworks together.
All in all a great weekend!
Monday I started going to my Junior high school instead of the BOE. It was nice to settle into my desk and start to get to know my JTEs (Japanese Teacher's of English - from now on I'll refer to them as JTEs and myself and other JETs as ALTs, or Assistant Language Teachers, so as not be too confusing)
I kind of feel like a celebrity at the school, it's very strange. All the kids stare and giggle when I walk by, the most outgoing of which will say hello and try to introduce themselves. I often overhear them asking other teachers at the school what my name is, how tall I am, etc. They don't have "L's" here, so Nicole is a difficult one. My name in Japanese is pronounced Nikoru (Nee-koh-roo) with extra emphasis on the ko and only a little on the ru. I'm really excited to start teaching! Friday is opening ceremonies (everything in Japan has a formal opening and closing) and then Monday is my first full day! I'm sure have have lots to report on after that!
Wednesday I went exploring a little in the mountains. There is an area by the Aso Volcano Museum where can cows wander in these mountainous fields and people can go on pony rides! I did a little hiking by the water and thought a couple of times that some cows might be coming at me, but they just passed by. I'm sure they're used to people grazing that close to a touristy museum... A few people asked if I would be in some pictures with them, which is especially fun after hiking around in the Kyushu humidity, but it was one of those "I'm an ambassador for my country" kinds of moments, so I chatted with them in my poor Japanese and their broken English. It ended up being a fun conversation and they were quite funny, so all in all and great day!
At night I went to another festival with a girl that works at a Thai restaurant down the street from me. She and her boyfriend took me to the festival and fireworks, where I learned some Japanese slang that could be useful later on!
On Thursday, the superintendent of the Aso-city schools took me sightseeing with a co-worker. She is 28 (everyone here looks ridiculously younger than they are - it's pretty amazing!) and had been living in Aso for 20 years, but had never seen the volcano before! (It's one of the biggest attractions in the prefecture!) We both had a great time, and it's always nice to get to know a co-worker outside of the professional work setting.
I was blown away by how beautiful the volcano was. I had expected it to be red, but was shocked by the bright blue!
After walking around the area and driving through the mountains, the superintendent bought us some ice cream - he really knew the way to my heart - and I went home to get ready for the evening's festivities.
That night was my welcome party, where basically everyone from the BOE came for dinner and drinking. It was a lot of fun, and everyone wanted me to try everything! At work, everyone is expected to put on a professional face, so these drinking parties are really a chance for everyone to blow off some steam and cut loose. While everyone has been extremely nice at the BOE, it was extra fun to see them more relaxed and in their element.
Afterwards, we went to the second night of the festival that I had gone to on Wednesday for dancing. They gave me a happi coat to wear, which shows which group or association of the local area you belong to. Then everyone dances around a fire to some music and drumming. There are drummers of all ages playing, even some adorable little kids, as well as dancers that show the motions to everyone else (since a lot of people are really drunk for this.)
I was pretty much mesmerized by the whole experience. I absolutely loved being in the festival and doing the dances. I was sad when it all ended but knew that I had a fun weekend ahead!
Friday started with my formal Japanese introductions at my Junior High and my elementary schools. I only messed up at one, but they still loved it. The bar on foreigners is not really set too high here...
This weekend a group of JETs headed to Aso for an organized hiking and onsen trip. I invited some friends to stay with me if they wanted and six people loaded up their cars with sleeping gear and stayed at my house. They all arrived on Friday, and on Saturday we explored the volcano and some pretty rocky hiking trails. After we cleaned off at a really nice onsen:
then we headed to Denory's for Denory's night. They had different bands playing, and it was great to take my friends to the place I had been telling them about! On Sunday we slept in and headed to Uto for another festival! We met up with some other JETs and we all watched the fireworks together.
All in all a great weekend!
Monday I started going to my Junior high school instead of the BOE. It was nice to settle into my desk and start to get to know my JTEs (Japanese Teacher's of English - from now on I'll refer to them as JTEs and myself and other JETs as ALTs, or Assistant Language Teachers, so as not be too confusing)
I kind of feel like a celebrity at the school, it's very strange. All the kids stare and giggle when I walk by, the most outgoing of which will say hello and try to introduce themselves. I often overhear them asking other teachers at the school what my name is, how tall I am, etc. They don't have "L's" here, so Nicole is a difficult one. My name in Japanese is pronounced Nikoru (Nee-koh-roo) with extra emphasis on the ko and only a little on the ru. I'm really excited to start teaching! Friday is opening ceremonies (everything in Japan has a formal opening and closing) and then Monday is my first full day! I'm sure have have lots to report on after that!
Bathroom talk
Well I thought I'd put this out there just so people know, because I find it quite amusing. The only thing I knew going into this experience about Japanese toilets were that many places now had both western toilets and squat toilets:
You simply squat and use...
But there is far more excitement that comes along with Japanese western toilets, especially for the ladies. While some toilets look like traditional western ones, there are many additional features. Things like seat heating, a bidet (temperature and pressure can be adjusted), different sized flush options, blow dryer, massage options, water jets, automatic lid opening/closing, automatic flushing, automatic air deodorizing, wireless control panel, a glow in the dark setting, room AC/heating and more!
To me, one of the most interesting things is that women are very embarassed at the thought of being heard by someone else while using the bathroom. As a result, if using a low-tech toilet, they will continuously flush until they are finished, which, as I'm sure you can imagine wastes a lot of water! So now there are a few solutions - some toilets play music! Some others make the continuous sound of flushing water without actually flushing. This feature is really only found in ladies' rooms though, as men don't seem to care.
There is also a need for bathroom slippers here, as the toilet room is considered and unclean space. Since the Japanese are very particular about keeping the unclean and clean spaces separate, there are different slippers just for the bathroom.
You simply squat and use...
But there is far more excitement that comes along with Japanese western toilets, especially for the ladies. While some toilets look like traditional western ones, there are many additional features. Things like seat heating, a bidet (temperature and pressure can be adjusted), different sized flush options, blow dryer, massage options, water jets, automatic lid opening/closing, automatic flushing, automatic air deodorizing, wireless control panel, a glow in the dark setting, room AC/heating and more!
To me, one of the most interesting things is that women are very embarassed at the thought of being heard by someone else while using the bathroom. As a result, if using a low-tech toilet, they will continuously flush until they are finished, which, as I'm sure you can imagine wastes a lot of water! So now there are a few solutions - some toilets play music! Some others make the continuous sound of flushing water without actually flushing. This feature is really only found in ladies' rooms though, as men don't seem to care.
There is also a need for bathroom slippers here, as the toilet room is considered and unclean space. Since the Japanese are very particular about keeping the unclean and clean spaces separate, there are different slippers just for the bathroom.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Kumamoto Orientation
Sorry it's been a little while since my last post, but I've been gone since last Wednesday and since a picture is worth a thousand words, I decided to post pictures onto facebook first!
So on Wednesday, I had my first experience riding the train into Kumamoto City (basically the capital of the prefecture.) I had to transfer to the local tram upon arriving in the city, which surprisingly had little to no English, but all in all I figured it out (my hand gestures are getting quite good) and I made it to my hotel. After settling in, I met up with my long lost friends from Tokyo orientation. It was so great to see everyone and meet the new Kumamoto JETs that had arrived in Japan a week earlier. The orientation consisted of a tour of Kumamoto castle, breakout sessions, Japanese classes, and a sampling of one of Kumamoto's delicacies, Basashi, or raw horse. I had told myself I would at least try pretty much everything here so I took my sample and it was pretty good! I definitely gave my friend Toshi a slap when he looked at me after having his and said 'mmm Seabiscuit' but what can you do.
The first night of the orientation many of the recontracting JETs from around the prefecture came in town for a Beer Garden which the turned into a pub crawl which then turned into dancing. I had no idea how large a role drinking has in Japanese culture, which I'll explain more of after my welcome party on Thursday night. Everyone here works so hard, so drinking is their time to let loose and do they ever! Japan has zero tolerance for drinking and driving though. Literally I could be arrested and deported for getting caught driving after one beer, so they offer a service called Daiko. Daiko is when you call a taxi and two drivers show up in one car - one will drive the taxi and the other will drive you and your car home. The price is surprisingly comperable and can sometimes even be cheaper.
After the orientation ended, I spent the rest of the weekend with my friend Erin who lives in Uki City, about 3 train stops south of Kumamoto city. Overall it was a great weekend, full of sightseeing, kareoke and a restaurant called Joyfull (yes - two L's) which is basically Japanese Denny's. The highlight was Sunday evening when we all drove up to Yamaga for their festival. The women of Yamaga all wear special yukatas and dance in unison with lanterns on their heads. It is really a beautiful sight, especially as the sun is setting, and I was able to take a lot of pictures! Festival season has so far been a blast, and I'm going to try to make it to one this weekend.
On a random note, an interesting thing I've found so far in Japan is that there isn't really the concept of saving things for later. This weekend I had quite an American moment when at the convenient store they had a huge jug of water for about $1 and a normal sized bottle for the same price. I couldn't believe it and of course I bought the larger. Even more interesting though was when I saw a woman buy a different SMALLER bottle for MORE money than the other two! She just didn't want that much water. But still? Couldn't she just put it in the fridge and drink it tomorrow?
Anyway, after the weekend I headed back to Aso to start another week of work! I've been trying to communicate more with the people at the BOE and now they come over and try to practice their English with me or see what new Japanese words I am trying to study. I also got my car insurance so I've been driving to work as well. I'm getting pretty good with the other side of the road thing, but I still have to think a good deal about what I'm doing. The big news of today is that I finally got my keitai! (cell phone) I'm going to start to read the instruction manual tonight because it can do some pretty crazy things, but for now I know that it has a GPS, I can watch TV on it, it has a English-Japanese dictionary including a feature where I can say a word in English or Japanese and it will translate it, full internet, a high res camera, and oh yeah, it's waterproof too!
After work I went next door to meet my neighbors and bring them a gift. It is customary in Japan to bring over a household item when you move to a new area opposed to them bringing something to you. With my minimal Japanese and their minimal English, we tried to communicate unsuccessfully, but I know that the father is a masseuse and they have two adorable little girls and a puppy. They appreciated the gesture and hopefully as my Japanese gets better I'll get to know them better!
I then tested out my skills with the laundry machine, doing my first couple of loads on my own. I also tried to decode the rice cooker when it came time for dinner. Luckily I was successful with both! It's amazing how such a small thing can feel like such an accomplishment when you have no clue what's going on! Well that's all for now. Next week I start going to my junior high rather than the BEO so exciting times ahead!
So on Wednesday, I had my first experience riding the train into Kumamoto City (basically the capital of the prefecture.) I had to transfer to the local tram upon arriving in the city, which surprisingly had little to no English, but all in all I figured it out (my hand gestures are getting quite good) and I made it to my hotel. After settling in, I met up with my long lost friends from Tokyo orientation. It was so great to see everyone and meet the new Kumamoto JETs that had arrived in Japan a week earlier. The orientation consisted of a tour of Kumamoto castle, breakout sessions, Japanese classes, and a sampling of one of Kumamoto's delicacies, Basashi, or raw horse. I had told myself I would at least try pretty much everything here so I took my sample and it was pretty good! I definitely gave my friend Toshi a slap when he looked at me after having his and said 'mmm Seabiscuit' but what can you do.
The first night of the orientation many of the recontracting JETs from around the prefecture came in town for a Beer Garden which the turned into a pub crawl which then turned into dancing. I had no idea how large a role drinking has in Japanese culture, which I'll explain more of after my welcome party on Thursday night. Everyone here works so hard, so drinking is their time to let loose and do they ever! Japan has zero tolerance for drinking and driving though. Literally I could be arrested and deported for getting caught driving after one beer, so they offer a service called Daiko. Daiko is when you call a taxi and two drivers show up in one car - one will drive the taxi and the other will drive you and your car home. The price is surprisingly comperable and can sometimes even be cheaper.
After the orientation ended, I spent the rest of the weekend with my friend Erin who lives in Uki City, about 3 train stops south of Kumamoto city. Overall it was a great weekend, full of sightseeing, kareoke and a restaurant called Joyfull (yes - two L's) which is basically Japanese Denny's. The highlight was Sunday evening when we all drove up to Yamaga for their festival. The women of Yamaga all wear special yukatas and dance in unison with lanterns on their heads. It is really a beautiful sight, especially as the sun is setting, and I was able to take a lot of pictures! Festival season has so far been a blast, and I'm going to try to make it to one this weekend.
On a random note, an interesting thing I've found so far in Japan is that there isn't really the concept of saving things for later. This weekend I had quite an American moment when at the convenient store they had a huge jug of water for about $1 and a normal sized bottle for the same price. I couldn't believe it and of course I bought the larger. Even more interesting though was when I saw a woman buy a different SMALLER bottle for MORE money than the other two! She just didn't want that much water. But still? Couldn't she just put it in the fridge and drink it tomorrow?
Anyway, after the weekend I headed back to Aso to start another week of work! I've been trying to communicate more with the people at the BOE and now they come over and try to practice their English with me or see what new Japanese words I am trying to study. I also got my car insurance so I've been driving to work as well. I'm getting pretty good with the other side of the road thing, but I still have to think a good deal about what I'm doing. The big news of today is that I finally got my keitai! (cell phone) I'm going to start to read the instruction manual tonight because it can do some pretty crazy things, but for now I know that it has a GPS, I can watch TV on it, it has a English-Japanese dictionary including a feature where I can say a word in English or Japanese and it will translate it, full internet, a high res camera, and oh yeah, it's waterproof too!
After work I went next door to meet my neighbors and bring them a gift. It is customary in Japan to bring over a household item when you move to a new area opposed to them bringing something to you. With my minimal Japanese and their minimal English, we tried to communicate unsuccessfully, but I know that the father is a masseuse and they have two adorable little girls and a puppy. They appreciated the gesture and hopefully as my Japanese gets better I'll get to know them better!
I then tested out my skills with the laundry machine, doing my first couple of loads on my own. I also tried to decode the rice cooker when it came time for dinner. Luckily I was successful with both! It's amazing how such a small thing can feel like such an accomplishment when you have no clue what's going on! Well that's all for now. Next week I start going to my junior high rather than the BEO so exciting times ahead!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Kawaii!
Well where to begin? It's been quite an exciting weekend so far! Friday there really wasn't any work I needed to do at the BOE so Takuma-san let me and my neighbor head out early. I really needed to run errands, so he helped me navigate some of the essential places in town. First we went to the 100-yen store (basically a dollar store) but so much better than the ones I'd been to in the states! I picked out some nice things for my house, of course getting stared at the whole time! After I went to the Homewide store, which is basically like a Wal-mart. I picked up some storage supplies and things like hangers, pillowcases, shampoo (they have pantene-pro v and dove soap!) etc. After a delicious lunch of soba noodles and shrimp at a convenient store - yes I know, kind of strange but that's how it's done. Oh and ps. you order it via vending machine - I took my first trip to the grocery store. I got some essentials and some new things. They had the mini sized cups of Haagen Dazs so I got some for emergencies! After that I went home and got ready for the evening festivities.
Aso is divided up into smaller villages, and one of those villages had a festival. I was planning on going into Kumamoto city for their festival, but I thought it would be important to make an appearance at the one in my city. My predecessor had been given a yukata (a type of summer kimono) as a going away present, and one of the English teachers at my school picked us up to help her put it on. When she came to my house, we introduced ourselves and then she proceeded to tell me that I look like Mariah Carey. This was definitely a first for me and I tried really hard not to laugh! We got in her car, she was listening to the locomotion, and drove to her family's store to put on the yukata. It was fascinating to watch the intricate steps of putting the robe on, especially tying the sash - I hope I get to wear one soon! I also learned that another way to say that someone has large breasts is to call them glamorous. I found this to be quite entertaining when both my predecessor and I were told that we were very glamorous.
After we went to the festival and it was so much fun! I met the Mayor of the city and many of my future students. Finally seeing them got me so excited! They are adorable and I can't wait to start teaching. In their best broken English they tried to ask me how tall I was, how old I was, why I wanted to come to Japan, and of course if I had a boyfriend. There were a few other questions sprinkled in here and there, but these I definitely got the most. I tried some new foods, notably takoyaki, which is a fried ball with some cheese and octopus in it. I also learned that everything in Japan is cute. If you like something, really anything, you call it cute or Kawaii (pronounced like Hawaii but with a K) I probably heard Kawaii over 100 times to describe things from shopping bags, to flashing pens, to small children dressed up in their yukatas. When the festival was winding down, my predecessor, my neighbor, one of my eikaiwa students (adult class) and I were sitting down resting when two of my future students came over and brought us some beer. They couldn't have been older than 14. I was pretty much speechless when they brought them, as I tried to explain to the eikaiwa student how strict the US and especially Boston is about drinking. But oh well, it's Japan! Kampai! (cheers)
After the festival more of my eikaiwa students, my predecessor and I all went back to the bar I went to on Wednesday night for some Kareoke. It was a blast, and I was handed the microphone for way too many English songs. They had quite the random selection - I ended up singing Hit Me Baby One More Time (oh apparently the owner of the bar thinks I look like Britney Spears - I'll take her over Mariah) and MacArthur Park. Some of the songs that have English also have the Japanese characters above the words. This basically helps Japanese people get as close to the English pronounciation as Japanese will allow (they don't have some of our common sounds like v's, r's, th's) which led to some hilarious drunken songs. After the bar shut down we all went home, but sitting there with everyone, I'm finding that my Japanese listening skills are definitely improving! Speaking - not so much!
Saturday I slept in and tried out my kitchen for the first time! Then after taking care of some things around the house, my predecessor took me to one of the onsens (Hot springs) in town. I absolutely loved it and could definitely see myself going regularly. For about $4-$8 depending on the onsen you pretty much spend as much time as you want in a spa! I was a little nervous at first because you take your clothes off (this was not a co-ed onsen), but nudity is considered a way to break down barriers in Japanese culture and the people often talk about the virtues of naked communion. First you take a shower, and then you can walk around and enter the different pools. Some were outdoors, some indoors, some were really hot, and one was freezing cold! Some onsens have sulfuric pools that are amazing for your skin (even though you smell like a volcano for a couple of days afterwards) and some have electric currents running through them. I can't wait to try all of them! The really cold pool was by far the most invigorating, especially after getting out of the hottest baths. Overall, the experience was amazing and I left feeling relaxed and refreshed - and my skin felt amazingly smooth too!
After returning home I learned how to use my Japanese laundry machine, and got ready to head out to Denory's Diner (the Johnny Rockets-like place) for an event they were having. Some other JETs, people we met at the festival, and some eikaiwa students all came to have dinner, drink and listen to some live music. It was really fun to see all the different performances and celebrate my predecessors last night in town.
Well it has been a pretty crazy week/weekend so far so I'm hoping for a somewhat relaxing Sunday. Wednesday will be the start of my Kumamoto prefecture orientation where I get to meet all the JETs in my area, so I'm looking forward to that! I'll keep you posted!
Aso is divided up into smaller villages, and one of those villages had a festival. I was planning on going into Kumamoto city for their festival, but I thought it would be important to make an appearance at the one in my city. My predecessor had been given a yukata (a type of summer kimono) as a going away present, and one of the English teachers at my school picked us up to help her put it on. When she came to my house, we introduced ourselves and then she proceeded to tell me that I look like Mariah Carey. This was definitely a first for me and I tried really hard not to laugh! We got in her car, she was listening to the locomotion, and drove to her family's store to put on the yukata. It was fascinating to watch the intricate steps of putting the robe on, especially tying the sash - I hope I get to wear one soon! I also learned that another way to say that someone has large breasts is to call them glamorous. I found this to be quite entertaining when both my predecessor and I were told that we were very glamorous.
After we went to the festival and it was so much fun! I met the Mayor of the city and many of my future students. Finally seeing them got me so excited! They are adorable and I can't wait to start teaching. In their best broken English they tried to ask me how tall I was, how old I was, why I wanted to come to Japan, and of course if I had a boyfriend. There were a few other questions sprinkled in here and there, but these I definitely got the most. I tried some new foods, notably takoyaki, which is a fried ball with some cheese and octopus in it. I also learned that everything in Japan is cute. If you like something, really anything, you call it cute or Kawaii (pronounced like Hawaii but with a K) I probably heard Kawaii over 100 times to describe things from shopping bags, to flashing pens, to small children dressed up in their yukatas. When the festival was winding down, my predecessor, my neighbor, one of my eikaiwa students (adult class) and I were sitting down resting when two of my future students came over and brought us some beer. They couldn't have been older than 14. I was pretty much speechless when they brought them, as I tried to explain to the eikaiwa student how strict the US and especially Boston is about drinking. But oh well, it's Japan! Kampai! (cheers)
After the festival more of my eikaiwa students, my predecessor and I all went back to the bar I went to on Wednesday night for some Kareoke. It was a blast, and I was handed the microphone for way too many English songs. They had quite the random selection - I ended up singing Hit Me Baby One More Time (oh apparently the owner of the bar thinks I look like Britney Spears - I'll take her over Mariah) and MacArthur Park. Some of the songs that have English also have the Japanese characters above the words. This basically helps Japanese people get as close to the English pronounciation as Japanese will allow (they don't have some of our common sounds like v's, r's, th's) which led to some hilarious drunken songs. After the bar shut down we all went home, but sitting there with everyone, I'm finding that my Japanese listening skills are definitely improving! Speaking - not so much!
Saturday I slept in and tried out my kitchen for the first time! Then after taking care of some things around the house, my predecessor took me to one of the onsens (Hot springs) in town. I absolutely loved it and could definitely see myself going regularly. For about $4-$8 depending on the onsen you pretty much spend as much time as you want in a spa! I was a little nervous at first because you take your clothes off (this was not a co-ed onsen), but nudity is considered a way to break down barriers in Japanese culture and the people often talk about the virtues of naked communion. First you take a shower, and then you can walk around and enter the different pools. Some were outdoors, some indoors, some were really hot, and one was freezing cold! Some onsens have sulfuric pools that are amazing for your skin (even though you smell like a volcano for a couple of days afterwards) and some have electric currents running through them. I can't wait to try all of them! The really cold pool was by far the most invigorating, especially after getting out of the hottest baths. Overall, the experience was amazing and I left feeling relaxed and refreshed - and my skin felt amazingly smooth too!
After returning home I learned how to use my Japanese laundry machine, and got ready to head out to Denory's Diner (the Johnny Rockets-like place) for an event they were having. Some other JETs, people we met at the festival, and some eikaiwa students all came to have dinner, drink and listen to some live music. It was really fun to see all the different performances and celebrate my predecessors last night in town.
Well it has been a pretty crazy week/weekend so far so I'm hoping for a somewhat relaxing Sunday. Wednesday will be the start of my Kumamoto prefecture orientation where I get to meet all the JETs in my area, so I'm looking forward to that! I'll keep you posted!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Home sweet home!
I'm finishing up my first full day in Aso and so far it's been quite an adventure! Tokyo orientation was really fun. On the last night our prefecture went out to an all you can eat/all you can drink place with two of the Japanese men that work with our Boards of Education on behalf of the JET program. It was quite fun, and I soon learned that the most important thing to say after I say that I'm from Boston is Daisuke Matsuzaka 松坂 大輔 (check out that Japanese!) I was then met with, in broken English, "so is it true you hate the Yankees?" It was the highlight of the night! Then when the people in charge returned to the hotel, the new JETs all walked around Tokyo and went to an arcade to play and take photobooth pictures (Purikura)
It was a great last night but we didn't want to go too crazy for our big day of flying to Kumamoto! The airport experience was sooo much easier than flying in the US. We didn't have to show any identification which was surprising, could bring liquids, and didn't have to take our shoes off! (The one time you don't have to take them in Japan when you do in America!) I got to sit with Erin (the good friend I had made at orientation) and we had fun enjoying the opportunity to talk about whatever we wanted, as loud as we wanted, because no one except the other JETs would be able to understand us!
After landing, we went our seperate ways, and I was greeted by my advisor from the Aso Board of Education, Takuma-san, and some other JETs in my town. They took me out for a delicious lunch of yakisoba, which is a type of noodle dish, and then they took me to my house and the board of education. The house by Japanese standards is pretty large. I almost hit my head in the doorways but I just make it! I'll post pictures soon, but basically there's an entry way, a bathroom consisting of three rooms - shower and bath, toilet, washing maching machine and sink, 3 tatami mat rooms - my bedroom (I have a bed and a futon so I'm not on the floor!), a room with a dresser and closets that I'll use for getting dressed, and a room with a television and kotatsu (heated table - I actually have two and am using the smaller one in my bedroom) and I also have an open kitchen and hardwood floor room with a couch and desk. After checking everything out I went to the Board of Education (I'll refer to this as the BOE from now on) and met some coworkers. The heads of the BOE weren't there, so I didn't do my big Japanese introduction.
Then the other JETs helped Takuma-san and I communicate in order to fill out my paperwork before heading out for the day. My predecessor is staying with me until Sunday, so at night she took me to dinner with one of her favorite teachers that I will be working with. It was basically like Japanese tapas and it was delicious! I'm trying lots of new foods which can be interesting to say the least, but most things are pretty good! The teacher was really nice as well. She is 25 and speaks pretty decent English. At dinner I tried a drink called calpis, pronounced "cow piss." I definitely asked for some clarification before trying this one, but it ended up being extremely refreshing. In Japan there is zero tolerance for drinking and driving, so calpis is a nice alternative if I'm driving somewhere - which yes, I will be starting to do soon! This scares me a little, since I can't even remember that the passenger door is on the left side, and don't get me starting on how frightening right hand turns can be, but I'm sure I'll get used to driving on the other side soon!
After dinner, my predecessor took me to a bar in the area run by two women that speak some of the best English I've heard from a non-native speaker in Japan thus far. They were really friendly and hospitable, and while the bar patrons were generally older men singing kareoke, I really like the women and think they will really help me get better at Japanese.
Today I filled out some more paperwork and ran some errands with Takuma-san. I picked out my cell phone which is going to be awesome! I have full internet and a Japanese dictionary. I will also have a feature that will translate any line of Japanese that I take a picture of! Pretty crazy! It flips around and does all these cool things, so I'm pretty excited to play around with it! Today I also got to do some sightseeing. I went up one of the peaks of the Aso caldera today and it was gorgeous. You can't always see the horizon here, but on the back side of the mountain it was really clear and beautiful. Then my predecessor and my neighbor that is also a JET took me for lunch to an American style diner. It kind of feels like a Johnny Rockets in there, and I really enjoyed my burger which I've been told is one of the best in Japan. (oh PS I'm no longer a vegetarian!) The guy working at the restaurant is friends with my neighbor as well, so when I start missing the US or American food, this will be a nice place to go.
The rest of the day I spent cleaning and unpacking. I'm pretty much done aside for some decorations I would like to add, but I'm pretty happy so far. My predecessor definitely thinks I'm a nut for cleaning basically every surface imaginable, but hey - I want it to be clean! Then my neighbor cooked me some dinner and we hung out before writing this overly lengthy blog entry - so if you've read this far I'm impressed! I'm looking forward to the weekend and will probably be heading into Kumamoto city for some of it. My neighbor also wants to take me to one of the local hot springs so should be fun!
Soon I'll post an entry about a lot of the cultural differences I've experienced/experiencing. Some I can't quite wrap my mind around, and I was warned it could eventually turn pretty frustrating, but for now everything is so new and exciting that I find it endearing. Oyasuminasai!
It was a great last night but we didn't want to go too crazy for our big day of flying to Kumamoto! The airport experience was sooo much easier than flying in the US. We didn't have to show any identification which was surprising, could bring liquids, and didn't have to take our shoes off! (The one time you don't have to take them in Japan when you do in America!) I got to sit with Erin (the good friend I had made at orientation) and we had fun enjoying the opportunity to talk about whatever we wanted, as loud as we wanted, because no one except the other JETs would be able to understand us!
After landing, we went our seperate ways, and I was greeted by my advisor from the Aso Board of Education, Takuma-san, and some other JETs in my town. They took me out for a delicious lunch of yakisoba, which is a type of noodle dish, and then they took me to my house and the board of education. The house by Japanese standards is pretty large. I almost hit my head in the doorways but I just make it! I'll post pictures soon, but basically there's an entry way, a bathroom consisting of three rooms - shower and bath, toilet, washing maching machine and sink, 3 tatami mat rooms - my bedroom (I have a bed and a futon so I'm not on the floor!), a room with a dresser and closets that I'll use for getting dressed, and a room with a television and kotatsu (heated table - I actually have two and am using the smaller one in my bedroom) and I also have an open kitchen and hardwood floor room with a couch and desk. After checking everything out I went to the Board of Education (I'll refer to this as the BOE from now on) and met some coworkers. The heads of the BOE weren't there, so I didn't do my big Japanese introduction.
Then the other JETs helped Takuma-san and I communicate in order to fill out my paperwork before heading out for the day. My predecessor is staying with me until Sunday, so at night she took me to dinner with one of her favorite teachers that I will be working with. It was basically like Japanese tapas and it was delicious! I'm trying lots of new foods which can be interesting to say the least, but most things are pretty good! The teacher was really nice as well. She is 25 and speaks pretty decent English. At dinner I tried a drink called calpis, pronounced "cow piss." I definitely asked for some clarification before trying this one, but it ended up being extremely refreshing. In Japan there is zero tolerance for drinking and driving, so calpis is a nice alternative if I'm driving somewhere - which yes, I will be starting to do soon! This scares me a little, since I can't even remember that the passenger door is on the left side, and don't get me starting on how frightening right hand turns can be, but I'm sure I'll get used to driving on the other side soon!
After dinner, my predecessor took me to a bar in the area run by two women that speak some of the best English I've heard from a non-native speaker in Japan thus far. They were really friendly and hospitable, and while the bar patrons were generally older men singing kareoke, I really like the women and think they will really help me get better at Japanese.
Today I filled out some more paperwork and ran some errands with Takuma-san. I picked out my cell phone which is going to be awesome! I have full internet and a Japanese dictionary. I will also have a feature that will translate any line of Japanese that I take a picture of! Pretty crazy! It flips around and does all these cool things, so I'm pretty excited to play around with it! Today I also got to do some sightseeing. I went up one of the peaks of the Aso caldera today and it was gorgeous. You can't always see the horizon here, but on the back side of the mountain it was really clear and beautiful. Then my predecessor and my neighbor that is also a JET took me for lunch to an American style diner. It kind of feels like a Johnny Rockets in there, and I really enjoyed my burger which I've been told is one of the best in Japan. (oh PS I'm no longer a vegetarian!) The guy working at the restaurant is friends with my neighbor as well, so when I start missing the US or American food, this will be a nice place to go.
The rest of the day I spent cleaning and unpacking. I'm pretty much done aside for some decorations I would like to add, but I'm pretty happy so far. My predecessor definitely thinks I'm a nut for cleaning basically every surface imaginable, but hey - I want it to be clean! Then my neighbor cooked me some dinner and we hung out before writing this overly lengthy blog entry - so if you've read this far I'm impressed! I'm looking forward to the weekend and will probably be heading into Kumamoto city for some of it. My neighbor also wants to take me to one of the local hot springs so should be fun!
Soon I'll post an entry about a lot of the cultural differences I've experienced/experiencing. Some I can't quite wrap my mind around, and I was warned it could eventually turn pretty frustrating, but for now everything is so new and exciting that I find it endearing. Oyasuminasai!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Greetings from Tokyo!
Well I made it safe and sound to Tokyo and now I'm finishing up my first full day in Japan!
I left on August 1st with about half of the Boston area group. I got to the airport at 5am only to find out that our 8am flight was delayed 2 hours - a little frustrating I'm sure you can imagine since I woke up at 3:50am to be there the required 3 hours early! The line, however, was so insanely long at the airport that all of us would've missed our flight to Newark had it not been delayed! BUT to make matters more interesting, our layover time in New Jersey was supposed to be 2 hours, so our flight to Tokyo would be leaving as we were taxiing around in Newark. We were lucky though - after a few frantic phone calls from our travel agents to continental, our international flight waited for us. The other half of the Boston group flying through Chicago was not so lucky. There first flight was delayed 3 hours and they missed their connection, meaning they spent the night in Chicago, got into Narita late this afternoon (missing the first day of orientation) and, to top it all off, they don't have their luggage.
On a more positive note, my flight was actually pretty nice! They had DirectTV, and I had the choice of over 300 movies to watch! They ranged from classics like Casablanca to movies that recently came out, like Monsters vs. Aliens and 17 Again (clearly I watched both of these!) I think I watched about 5 movies total, a couple episodes of The Office and Friends in, and even got some sleep! The food was pretty much disgusting. I ordered vegetarian and got all vegan meals. If you've ever had soy cheese and imitation meat, you know what I'm talking about!
So now for the good stuff - Japan! We arrived at our hotel which is in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, known primarily for partying. It's a really nice hotel and the people here are soooo nice. I'm in a room with two other girls from my flight that will both be teaching in Kyushu, but not in my prefecture. The JET program has really made everything available to us to make our adjustment to Japan easier. They had a hospitality room open 24 hours a day, and provided us with a free phone call! (I called my mom for her birthday) They have information fairs with vendors explaining different travel opportunities, internet/phone information, service trips to local orphanages, places of need, and more. Basically there is a huge support network that comes with being a JET, which is really nice to see first hand upon arrival. I knew it was there, but did not appreciate until I went out to dinner last night and was completely helpless. Then it finally hit me that I was in Japan!
Today had an opening ceremony, some speeches, and a lot of breakout sessions but I was able to meet the new JETs from my prefecture. There's one girl that I get along with really well and I have a good feeling that we'll be good friends through this experience. She knows less Japanese than I do though, so it could be interesting! Oh yes, of all the new JETs I'm the one blonde. I could very well be the only blonde for miles! This evening after our reception, my new friend and another girl I knew beforehand all wandered the streets of Tokyo, getting stopped by old men proud of there English skills that wanted to chat and ask where we were from. The drunk business men stumbling into Kareoke bars were also pretty hilarious. We got a couple stares, but I enjoyed being able to talk pretty much about whatever I wanted knowing that most people had no clue what I'm saying. This became clear at dinner last night when the group of people I was out with starting talking about Japanese love hotels and dating Japanese people to improve their language skills - a very interesting conversation I might add.
Well, I've learned a decent amount through what former JETs have told us, but this post is long enough and it will probably more intresting when I experience things first hand. I'm pretty exhausted from the travel, topped off with me trying to make the most of my time in Tokyo, so I'm off to bed! Sianara!
I left on August 1st with about half of the Boston area group. I got to the airport at 5am only to find out that our 8am flight was delayed 2 hours - a little frustrating I'm sure you can imagine since I woke up at 3:50am to be there the required 3 hours early! The line, however, was so insanely long at the airport that all of us would've missed our flight to Newark had it not been delayed! BUT to make matters more interesting, our layover time in New Jersey was supposed to be 2 hours, so our flight to Tokyo would be leaving as we were taxiing around in Newark. We were lucky though - after a few frantic phone calls from our travel agents to continental, our international flight waited for us. The other half of the Boston group flying through Chicago was not so lucky. There first flight was delayed 3 hours and they missed their connection, meaning they spent the night in Chicago, got into Narita late this afternoon (missing the first day of orientation) and, to top it all off, they don't have their luggage.
On a more positive note, my flight was actually pretty nice! They had DirectTV, and I had the choice of over 300 movies to watch! They ranged from classics like Casablanca to movies that recently came out, like Monsters vs. Aliens and 17 Again (clearly I watched both of these!) I think I watched about 5 movies total, a couple episodes of The Office and Friends in, and even got some sleep! The food was pretty much disgusting. I ordered vegetarian and got all vegan meals. If you've ever had soy cheese and imitation meat, you know what I'm talking about!
So now for the good stuff - Japan! We arrived at our hotel which is in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, known primarily for partying. It's a really nice hotel and the people here are soooo nice. I'm in a room with two other girls from my flight that will both be teaching in Kyushu, but not in my prefecture. The JET program has really made everything available to us to make our adjustment to Japan easier. They had a hospitality room open 24 hours a day, and provided us with a free phone call! (I called my mom for her birthday) They have information fairs with vendors explaining different travel opportunities, internet/phone information, service trips to local orphanages, places of need, and more. Basically there is a huge support network that comes with being a JET, which is really nice to see first hand upon arrival. I knew it was there, but did not appreciate until I went out to dinner last night and was completely helpless. Then it finally hit me that I was in Japan!
Today had an opening ceremony, some speeches, and a lot of breakout sessions but I was able to meet the new JETs from my prefecture. There's one girl that I get along with really well and I have a good feeling that we'll be good friends through this experience. She knows less Japanese than I do though, so it could be interesting! Oh yes, of all the new JETs I'm the one blonde. I could very well be the only blonde for miles! This evening after our reception, my new friend and another girl I knew beforehand all wandered the streets of Tokyo, getting stopped by old men proud of there English skills that wanted to chat and ask where we were from. The drunk business men stumbling into Kareoke bars were also pretty hilarious. We got a couple stares, but I enjoyed being able to talk pretty much about whatever I wanted knowing that most people had no clue what I'm saying. This became clear at dinner last night when the group of people I was out with starting talking about Japanese love hotels and dating Japanese people to improve their language skills - a very interesting conversation I might add.
Well, I've learned a decent amount through what former JETs have told us, but this post is long enough and it will probably more intresting when I experience things first hand. I'm pretty exhausted from the travel, topped off with me trying to make the most of my time in Tokyo, so I'm off to bed! Sianara!
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