Posts filed under 'Japan'
Two years ago when I arrived at Nishikawanobori Elementary school, a very confusing conversation took place in Japanese which resulted in me getting into the vice-principal’s car with him, driving past the “Welcome to Nagasaki” sign, over a dam, up a mountain, and stopping at a tiny one-room school house in Yahazu. And so I arrived at bunkou. There are only four students in bunkou, two first graders and two second graders, which is all the tiny village of Yahazu has. To save the wee ones from trekking to the base school, Nishikawanobori instead brings the resources to them, and once a month that resource is me. It takes a bit of getting used to, changing from teaching classes of 34 to four. Activities that used to take half an hour now take about 30 seconds. (Who wants another turn? How about another? Not bored yet? You want to go again, right?) It helps that the four kids are adorable and think that everything I do is hilarious. Though consequently I am terribly self-conscious about EVERYTHING now (and you would be too if seemingly randomly kids broke into inconsolable fits of giggles at you), including but certainly not limited to: my hair”style,” the way I say “ba-nya-nya,” how I give a thumbs up when I ask “OK?,” the way I sweep the floor with my midget-sized broom, the way I inflate beach balls, and oh how the list goes on.
Today was the last day at Nishikawanobori Elementary, and I was lucky to have been the honored guest at a truly lovely and heartwarming ceremony this afternoon. The gym was decorated, signs were painted, trivia quizzes were written, songs were sung, armfuls of gifts were given, and I ended it all with a very incomprehensible speech about how much I would miss them. Kindness followed by sadness, I suppose that’s how this whole Japan story’s going to end up eventually.
July 12th, 2006
I have been asked by half of my readership (that’s you, Sarah) to post something from our Kyushu road trip last Golden Week. Alas, I don’t have those pictures on my computer at the moment, so here is something from our previous Kyushu road trip from Golden Week the year before last. Yes, we’re quite original when it comes to trip planning. I must say, though, that I’ve seen more of this island than probably 99% of the residents here, which earns me a little respect when they ask me where I’ve been in Japan. It’s interesting how all of our travels somehow revolve around wild monkeys. It seems to be a prerequisite for any location we consider vacationing in– abundance of wild monkeys. Some people go for the beaches, others for the food, and then there’s us; we go for the semi-domesticated wild animals. I will post evidence soon. Until then, please enjoy this large-costumed employee at one of Beppu’s “hells.” These are intolerably hot onsens, so instead of bathing in them we stand around looking at them. I’m not sure what the costumed man has to do with onsens, but I’m sure it had something to do with the cute factor, marketability, and the problems surrounding exactly how to make a keitai jangle out of a pool of water.
June 30th, 2006
Awful form, sure, but he got bonus points for the quantity. And one can never forget the most important criterion in the Japanese educational system: Was properly dressed for the task at hand! Ankle zippers securely zipped, white T-shirt not visible, shoelaces tied. Well done! B+!
June 27th, 2006
Sure, our apartment is tiny, the floor nearly gives out if you stand in a specific spot in the kitchen, it reeks of dead fish from the fish market below, but man has it got a fantastic view! Being on the third floor takes us above the majority of town (sad, I know), so we can see pretty much everything. I’m definitely going to miss the mountains when I get home. (I have been told by people who live near “actual mountains” that Takeo is surrounded by hills, but to this Iowa girl they’re beautiful, majestic mountains.)
June 25th, 2006
Ah, back when Japan had a chance in the World Cup. These dudes came out to the racetrack with about half the town on Sunday night to cheer on Japan during the match versus Croatia and watch the game on a giant screen TV. It was a crazy atmosphere with the young and the drunk chanting “Nippon! Nippon!” in front of so many TV camera crews and spotlights that it was impossible to actually focus on the soccer game. The mayor appeared trashed and was prancing around in his black crocs waving the Japanese flag, embarassing himself by trying to dance (I blushed on his behalf). Sadly, though, we were all disappointed and amazed with Japan’s suckitude when we neither won nor lost (but obviously it was enough to lose in the end). How pathetic, Japan. I will also note that since I am American, it was the first real soccer game I had ever seen from start to finish. Pretty anticlimactic, but the cheering was good! It should also be noted that I have no idea who these guys are, but since I am leaving the country and the hemisphere in a matter of weeks, I’ve become quite bold and have taken to doing whatever I please whenever I wish to. It’s very liberating!
June 24th, 2006
When it comes to cute, every ALT believes that he or she has got the cutest. Not so, my friends, because mine are the cutest out there. The Board of Ed rounded up the adorable ones, stuck them in four selective elementary schools, and gave them to me. It’s true. I’ve spent a long time nurturing and encouraging The Cute too, so I believe I can be thanked for part of it. For example, I have taught them all how to high-five. When I walk down the hall it’s like the end of a giant peewee soccer game– kids are high-fiving left and right. I’ve also taught them that shoving their fingers up my butt (ah, the kancho) detracts from The Cute, so with the exception of one somewhat unique child, I have curbed that behavior completely. Nothin’ but cute left over.
June 23rd, 2006
I’ve been given some pretty weird things here, but I’ve got to say that fresh picked seaweed definitely ranks near the top. This batch was given to me by my eikaiwa (English conversation) student and great friend, Etsuko. Etsuko and Yuka have been my students for nearly three years now, and together they make the best stand-in mother a girl could hope for. It’s a rare week when I don’t come home from class without my bag stuffed with goodies: a bag of fresh onions Etsuko got from a friend, fresh loquat from Yuka, and then of course the seaweed. Etsuko actually went to the beach, stuffed half a year’s worth of wakame in shopping bags (for a Japanese person this is a LOT), and stuck it in the hotel refrigerator. Apparently this is normal. She recommended that in the off chance we couldn’t finish the fresh wakame in a week’s time, we should hang it out on the laundry line to dry it so we could save it for later. Um, we’re still saving it… (September 2004)
June 22nd, 2006
Over Golden Week every year, our neighboring town of Arita is home to the world’s largest pottery festival. That’s right, the world’s largest. Though outside of Japan I’m not aware of any pottery festivals, much less large-ish ones, but nevertheless it is quite a title. I’ve heard that upwards of 800,000 people head to hicksville to barter for gorgeous handmade goods, pick up a few rice bowls for the kiddos, and “window” shop for miles. The streets are lined with stalls, the stalls are crammed with people, and if the people are old, they’re probably pushing.
Old people* in this country are scary. They use their elbows in crowds and they’ll start a riot for a free pack of tissues.
*Okay, not all old people. But a lot of them. I just had to get that in somewhere…
June 19th, 2006
Happy Father’s Day to a wonderful Dad! Here he is in all of his glory at the Nagasaki lantern festival two years ago. He was in town for all of 48 hours, but it was still nice to show him around the sights and make him eat food I thought was good, and he thought was painful (he was returning from a trip to India…). Love you Dad!
June 18th, 2006
After three years of looking at rice, Niq and I finally got to plant some! The rain was unfortunate, which made the whole experience seem more like forced physical labor than a cultural experience, but it was still pretty fun. We were rewarded with a beautiful picnic of food I couldn’t eat (looked delicious, but this week I’m drinking mud smoothies instead), and we got to spend time with our friends from Yamauchi. This is Misuzu, one of the more adorable kids I know here.
June 17th, 2006
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