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I’m still here, Chief. September 13, 2010

Posted by Earthdragonette in Apologies, Hear Ye.
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First and foremost, although logically troublesome, Frequency is an astoundingly fun movie.

So, my slow climb towards Blogger Redemption was sidetracked by my shenanigans in Tokyo with The Japanese Best Friend. Then, after returning from that little adventure I melted into a Puddle of Summer. Then there was the trip to Osaka with My Japanese Sister and her children. That was soon followed by a day in Nagoya. Last weekend I went out clubbing with a group of friends that I made at the gym, and now we’re into the Sports Festival Season. Between these trips, dance practices, band practices, and hitting the gym at least four times a week, I really haven’t been home all that much.

To be honest, in addition to the way that my schedule has exploded, I suppose part of me has been reluctant to blog over the last few months because I’ve been steadfastly avoiding the phenomenon of Deep Reflection. Analysis I’ve partaken of in spades, and goodness knows where I’d be without the almost 24/7 availability of Jyona33 and his counseling services. Still, for a variety of reasons, I’ve been unable/unwilling to sit down and write about what I’ve been doing. As I said, the reasons for this are various, but I think the most compelling explanation has to do with us rapidly approaching the 6 month mark in our countdown. In a similar vein, I made a lot of progress on my graduate school applications over the summer and some of my social groups are starting to plan farewell parties. These events are alarming to say the least; I had a small mental breakdown when I realized that I would be watching the end of the current soccer season from my father’s apartment in Maryland (or, providing that I can find one, a German pub in D.C. ).

At this point, I’m not questioning the need to leave Japan and return to the United States. Although my social life has literally increased by 500% in the last four months, there are still ways in which I feel limited in my current circumstances. When I think of my longterm plans and goals, I don’t see them happening here. I really want the opportunity to work with American children. I want to run my own classroom and do so with the resources available in the Washington D.C. area. I miss Latin American culture, coffee shops, organic foods, and not being stared at when I walk into stores. Not to mention that I yearn to see my family and friends, and I’d relish the opportunity to sincerely and faithfully practice some form of my actual religion. (This isn’t to say that I am fantastically religious, but I do like going to early Sunday masses and listening to choirs sing beautiful hymns. )

I’ve talked about this double-life syndrome before, and it’s not a burden that gets easier with the passage of time.  In fact, it’s only become more difficult lately because it seems as though every week brings a new level of comfort in my Celebrity Role, a new depth of understanding about my circumstances, or a new sign of acknowledgement and acceptance from those around me. Since I went out with my gym friends that night a couple of weeks ago, I’ve had nights where I’ve spent more time at the gym talking to people than actually working out. Several of the families from my schools have also opened up lines of communication recently, and I feel as though there are days when I do nothing but run around in cycles of dialogue focused on my students and their personal lives.

I suppose that, given how busy things are inside of my head, I’ve chosen to dive into my circumstances and not look back at the size of the splash. Although I’m still planning my move back to the States in a logical, calculated fashion, there are ways in which I have chosen simply to embrace each day as it comes and to do what I feel will make me happy in the here and now. I’m giving all my activities everything I’ve got, if only because I really don’t have that much time left to do them. I don’t want to linger overmuch on my departure, because I think it will restrict what I feel comfortable doing in the present.

So, that’s more or less where I am now. The question then becomes, how do I continue to make use of this blog, which is something that I’ve already put a lot of work into and that I feel can help me stay balanced over the next six months and seventeen days. I shouldn’t be afraid to stop and take stock of what I’m doing, and I think that since there are so many things happening now, this is still a great opportunity for me to share some of my experiences with all of you.

To that end, my intention is to go back to the original premise of this blog. I’d like to stay a little away from the philosophizing, and instead focus on collecting significant memories from now until March 30th. I think you can expect a tremendous increase in our number of Characters, especially once I start to explain more about the Gym Community and the people who have come to play more prominent roles in my life. We also have some pretty interesting events on the horizon, including a school-wide Halloween activity at Friday’s elementary school, Thanksgiving with The Japanese Best Friend and … The Mentor (!!!), and of course a trip back to the States for Christmas break. Hopefully along the way, I’ll have memories to share of getting into Graduate School (let’s all send positive energy for that) and another few nights out with the Gym Folk.

In the meantime, I apologize again for the long break. I’m back for the present, and I will do my best, as always, to try to stay on track. I really feel as though we’re about to enter a very interesting period in this long, 4+ year-long adventure and … you know … I’d really like you guys along for the ride.

No I can’t recall anything at all
Oh baby this blows them all away
It’s got what it takes
So tell me why can’t this be love

My Gym World July 29, 2010

Posted by Earthdragonette in Gym Adventures.
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So, we seem to be moving along at a merry pace.  It’s kind of amazing what effect summer vacation (and the absence of lesson planning) has on my ability to consistently update this blog. It’s also kind of amazing how listening to the Brobdingnagian Bards in fact has the opposite effect.  I think it’s because all of their songs are more like little stories and I can’t listen to stories and write at the same time.

So … let’s talk about the gym. Because now that it’s summer I go there four nights a week.

First, I feel that we need to update our character list. If you recall, these are the individuals that I introduced to you last June:

The Girl Who Helped Me Sign Up, The Girl Who Showed Me the Ropes, The Guy I Don’t Like, The Guy That I Like A Lot, The Amazing Purple Pants Guy, and The Lady Who Will Hurt You.

I have a few changes/extra bits of information to share about a few of these individuals.

First, The Guy I Don’t Like is now more like The Guy That I Don’t NOT Like but I Don’t Like Him Either (TGTIDNLBIDLHE for short). He moved into a better state of grace with me when I saw him directing an aerobics class about a month ago. I was impressed with how well he taught and how he did a lot to support the people in his class. So, even though our own interactions are frigid, I can’t look upon him with complete disdain since it seems as though he has some empathic ability. It’s just never directed towards me.

Secondly, The Guy That I Like A Lot will still keep this title but I almost want to amend it to The Guy That I Adore. He’s continued to be incredibly helpful and focused on my training.  We often meet at the end of my workout sessions and he gives me advice, teaches me new stretches, or just offers me a few words of encouragement. Thank God for people like him.

Thirdly, The Amazing Purple Pants Guy is still wearing these amazing purple pants.

MC Hammer wants these pants.

And fourthly, I joined the gym’s hip hop class about a month ago and so I’ve had the opportunity to interact with The Lady Who Will Hurt You. She is actually very nice and, having accepted me into the gym community, has become incredibly interested in my workout schedule, if and when I’m going to a particular class, and whether I prefer Japanese men or American men. This just goes to show that in the countryside of Japan, the topic will always, without fail, return to one’s love life.

To this list of Usual Suspects, I’d like to add The Super Young Guy and The Guy Who Looks Like Hugh Jackman. I should probably add that the following descriptions are more or less lifted from an email that I sent to Jyona33. Why rewrite something that was done well enough the first time around? ^__^

The Super Young Guy
I wouldn’t say that he’s as young as my supermarket clerk, but I would guess that he’s 25 or younger. Up until last week, I didn’t really have that much contact with him. He would always say hello to me, and then he’d occasionally stop by and give me some advice. Generally speaking though, that was about it. A little over a week ago, as I was stretching out at the end of my workout, I noticed that he was circling me. It got to be kind of distracting so the next time he did a flyby I turned off my iPod and looked at him expectantly. It was funny, because he didn’t say anything for about ten seconds and seemed to be debating with himself. Then, rather abruptly, he started a conversation in English.

My guess is that he’s wanted to talk to me in English for awhile, but feeling shy about it he’d taken to circling me while trying to gather his nerves.  I find this both funny and very cute. Anyway, we ended up talking for about a half an hour or so. His English is slow, although grammatically correct (if quite simple). It reminds me of talking to one of my JHS students. Still, he understands a lot of what I say, and I can always use Japanese if it looks like he’s confused. When we parted ways, it was obvious that he was proud of himself for coming over and talking to me. I’ve seen him about three times since this event, and each time he’s come right up to me and started a conversation in English. There are some circumstances under which I would find this kind of behavior troublesome, but he’s so nice and sweet about the way he interacts with me that this is one instance where I don’t mind at all.


The Guy Who Looks like Hugh Jackman
So, this is one of the muscle heads nice young gentlemen that I like to ogle draw inspiration from when I work out. He’s significantly older than I am (I would guess somewhere around 45), and I swear that he looks like Hugh Jackman. He’s super muscled and super tanned and he spends hours lifting heavy things.

Anyway, I was at a coffee shop the other day and I saw him come in, order something, and leave. I think he saw me, too, but we didn’t acknowledge each other or anything. I didn’t think much of it, but fast forward to about a day later when I ran into him on the stairway in the gym. He stopped in front of me and asked in remarkably clear and fluid English, “Excuse me, are you an American?” I said that I was and we had a bit of a chat. It turns out that he lived in Texas for five years, and his wife was from there as well. Anyway, he asked for my name, gave me his own, and said it was nice to meet me.

I found the encounter to be entertaining because he’s one of the last people in the world that I would’ve pegged as having fluency in the English language. This just goes to show that one really can’t judge others based on appearances. One would think that I should have learned this lesson by now. Oh, irony.

And this pretty much brings us up to date on the atmosphere and events surrounding the gym. I tend to see one of my favorite trainers whenever I go, and so I have plenty of people keeping an eye on me and encouraging me. It’s nice that it’s becoming a place that I feel comfortable going to, and I have a feeling that we’ll all be better for the association when all is said and done. In this way, it’s a shame that I only have eight months left here.

Before I wrap this post up, here’s a video for you. It’s Avril Lavigne covering Greenday’s Basket Case, and the new song that the band and I are working on. They’re happy because the instruments are fast, loud, and bombastic. I’m happy because the vocals aren’t difficult. So we’re all very, very happy.

Just with a dream
Just with a dream and with a song

Super Duper Mega Spring Break Update March 30, 2010

Posted by Earthdragonette in Apologies, Culinary Pursuits, Cultural Exchange, Japanese GET, Julie Gets Philosophical, Me Time, Student Moments, Time to Party.
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And so I’m back from my adventures. I would apologize for the slight tardiness of this post, but with my recent habits I’m starting to sound like a broken record. How about this? Every time I write a post … even if it’s on time … let’s just assume that I’m sorry that it’s late. Consider this a veritable blank check of apologies and prostrations for my tendency to choose baking bread over blogging.

Whew. Now that that’s out of the way~

I can’t believe that my painstaking planned dream vacation in Osaka is Over. I won’t lie to you – I had a very intense and very real emotional reaction when the shuttle bus pulled away from the hotel to take me to a nearby subway station last Sunday morning. I don’t know what it is about hotels but I just love them. LOVE them. It isn’t even the “being waited on hand and foot” element because my favorite part is breaking that “customer/employee” wall and getting the staff members to tell me about themselves. I think it’s just that hotels are just groovy. I love everything from the smell to the little “ding!”s of the elevators to room service.

Room service.

Don’t even get me started on how much I love the concept and perfect execution of room service. The fantastic and tangible wonder that I used to experience on Christmas morning? Yes, that’s now been transferred to anytime a hotel employee rolls in a silver covered tray of food into my room.

So, in an attempt to wrench myself away from this theme of hotelphilia before I inspire myself to compose a sonnet on behalf of the Hyatt Regency Osaka, let me direct us towards the content of my trip. Or, rather, to my three favorite memories from the trip. After that, I’ll have some words about this “end of the school year” time that we’re currently swimming through. In addition, expect poignant closing remarks about how I am 366 days from leaving Japan for good (and-I-really-REALLY-mean-it-this-time).

Osaka Memory BEST THREE!!! (As the Japanese would title this.)

Number 3: Eating a full-course French dinner on the top floor of the Osaka Regency Hyatt Hotel

Is it even possible for me to make that memory title sound even more highfalutin? In all seriousness, though, I think that Friday’s dinner might make it in my Top 5 Best Dinners of All Time. (Which sounds to me like a worthy post in of itself. We’ll just save that idea for a rainy-nothing-is-happening-at-all-and-you’re-tired-of-me-talking-about-The-Child day.)

After I arrived at the Hyatt, I spent some time in the gym before deciding to visit one of the hotel’s many famous restaurants. I was torn between French and Italian, but opted for French because I don’t have a great deal of experience with that type of food and I was in the mood to spoil myself. The French restaurant in this Hyatt is also (as I mentioned before) on top of the hotel. It was actually the vast influence of Jyona33 that made me favor the restaurant on that particular point.

Jyona33 is extremely fond of the New York Bar at the Tokyo Park Hyatt Hotel. Not only is it the setting for numerous scenes in the movie Lost in Translation, but it also is one of his favorite places in the entire world. Situated on top of the hotel, you can see the most amazing view of the Tokyo skyline. I do actually think that he counts it as a point of personal attack against him and our friendship that I have yet to visit this bar.

Anyway, because I’m the Osaka Girl to his Tokyo Boy, it only made sense for me to spend my first night in the Osaka Hyatt in its version of the New York Bar, which also offered a spectacular view of the city (even more breathtaking in the setting sun). I was the first person in the restaurant for dinner, and so I had the staff to myself for the first twenty minutes or so. This was great fun for me, because it didn’t take them long to figure out that I speak Japanese. That, my general youth, and my “I’m just happy to be here” attitude made us all BFF for the evening.

It was particularly entertaining for me, because I would tell one waiter something about myself and then another waiter would stop by my table a little while later and pick up the conversation from that point. I suppose from this I can deduce that they were discussing me in the kitchens, which normally would make me cry “Celebrity!” and fill me with dread. This time, though, I found it amusing and it seemed to cement our kinship. They kept me well supplied with bread, champagne, and tea. I told them what it was like to teach in the Japanese countryside. There were also occasions where they practiced their English with me, and for once I didn’t feel exploited.

Six courses, some champagne, some tea, and two hours after I arrived, I veritably floated down to my bedroom. In my four years here, I have had a variety of meals in a variety of venues with a variety of people. I thoroughly enjoy eating freshly caught fish with my students or grilled cow organs with my slightly wicked and shocking coworkers. But I have no problem enjoying the more international, expensive, and elegant side of Japan. None whatsoever.


Number 2: Reconnecting with an old friend and recalling that I am not as misanthropic as I often perceive myself to be.

When I first moved to Japan, I endeavored to join a soccer team that worked out of Matsusaka. In doing so I met a former JET, we’ll call her Zelda. In addition to the affinity for video games (hence the name), we’re also linked through my best friend from college. It turns out that they went to high school together and knew each other well. It is indeed a small world after all. At any rate, my association with the soccer team faded, but my friendship with Zelda remains to this day.

Zelda is currently living in Osaka and so we decided to meet for lunch on Sunday. We found each other with relative ease and proceeded to a spectacular Vietnamese restaurant. A bowl of pho, some spring rolls, and two hours later, she and her boyfriend bade me Bon Voyage at the Kintetsu train station.

Because of my work schedule and the social commitments that I regularly make with my Dance Group, my coworkers, or my Japanese friends, I really don’t have many opportunities to socialize with people who are truly fluent in English – and fluent they way that I am. The Japanese Best Friend is certainly fluent, but if I started to whistle, say, the theme to DuckTales, I don’t think that she would appreciate it the way that I do. Conversations really do take on a particular spin if you can make vague references to books, movies, songs, or people and have your associates understand you with little to no effort on their part.

Over time, I’ve adapted to not making these kinds of references in conversation. It’s as if I’m a radio station and when I broadcast on a normal day, I leave out the heavy metal, the political commentary, and the occasional risqué aside. When I meet with people like Zelda, though, I suddenly have the option of playing Sonata Arctica or offering an opinion about healthcare. There are, I also find, more opportunities for the well placed “that’s what she said” joke, which can be a valuable conversation maker (or breaker). I don’t always choose to use these elements, granted, but at least the option is there.

Wow, that was a lot of buildup for this particular memory. It also slightly takes away from Zelda because she’s starting to sound like a vehicle through which I can more fully express myself as a cultural entity. This was not exactly the point. She is, on her own merits, exceptionally funny and interesting to spend time with.

Still, the luncheon with her was an opportunity for me to remember that I like to talk to people. I like to hear what they do and listen to their stories. I enjoy making them laugh, and finding the right strings of humor and absurdity to tug on so that I can create all sorts of hysteria. I forget this sometimes, and in doing so I spiral downward into this belief that I prefer my apartment/cave/hobbit hole to the light of the Daystar and Those Who Would Frolic in It.

In truth, what I suspect what I prefer are conversations that do not focus on my superficial elements – be they foreign or American. This means that I probably don’t do well with meeting new people, because new associations often begin with the superficial and progress to the meaningful. This, among other things, leads me to believe that I will spend my entire life flirting with the role of the Byronic Hero(ine).

Still, lunch with Zelda, aside from being just a regular grand time, also gave me a lot to think about on my train ride home. I like to think of myself as stretching out my potential on a daily basis, but there really are some elements of my character that I can’t attend to while I’m in my current situation. This revelation is good for me to keep in mind, because it reminds me that there is more growth to be had once I get back to the United States.


Number 1: Seeing Wicked in Japanese

The summer before my senior year, I worked for the St. John’s Alumni office. It’s one of my fondest memories from college. My two bosses were genuinely funny, warm, and interesting people and they were very supportive of me throughout some rather difficult and trying times. In addition, they were responsible for another dinner that qualifies for a spot in my Top 5 Best Dinners of All Time. (That really is a post that I should focus on.)

So, the summer before my senior year, both of my bosses became obsessed with the musical Wicked, and subsequently drew me into their fanaticism. I listened to the soundtrack every day for three months while I worked out in the gym. During slow periods at work, it was not unknown for one of us to burst into song only to then be joined by the other two. They were fortunate enough to eventually see the stage show, but circumstances kept me from doing the same.

Until last Saturday night.

Knowing the play as well as I do and understanding Japanese to the point that I can, I wasn’t worried about the musical being in Japanese. In fact, I think in many ways, this play is almost more Japanese in feeling than Western. At the heart of the play is the conflict between Elphaba and Galinda/Glinda. One is, well, a Byronic Hero(ine), and the other is super cute, perky, and often superficial. This dichotomy is well-known to the Japanese and it shows up a lot in their books, movies, and music. I think that the actors fully understood their characters; all of the performances were simply superb.

What was particularly wonderful for me was that for the first time, I felt as though I were a real member of the audience. Whenever I go and see movies in Japan, I usually see them in English with Japanese subtitles. This means that I often understand jokes at different times or in different ways than the other audience members. Oftentimes, many asides and quips aren’t even translated. Nine times out of ten, my reactions to the movie are completely out of sync with everyone else’s.

On Saturday, though, we all went through the story together. Granted, there were some times when I found something to be particularly humorous that others did not, or they caught something in Japanese that I didn’t. For the most part, though, we were all on the same page. We were emotionally moved in the same way and at the same points; there was no sense of comprehension hierarchy or cultural ownership. We were all there to see and appreciate the exact same thing.

So, in addition to Wicked being a fantastic play, it did a lot to soothe the perpetual “one of these things (i.e. that-would-be-you-Julie) is not like the other” feeling that I often carry around with me. In this way, my weekend of relaxation in Osaka was truly made possible.
And now here, we are, the last day before the Spring Term begins (more or less). The New Student Entrance ceremony is next Tuesday, and then I believe that classes start on Thursday. We’ll have about a week or so of adjustments, meetings, and orientations, and I suspect things will settle down around the week of the 12th. This term is one of the longest in the school year, and won’t finish until the middle of July.

As we finish with the winter term, though, I find myself feeling reflective and thoughtful. There are a lot of “end of the year” ceremonies, dinners, and activities afoot right now, and I can’t help but think that next year they will focus (to some degree) on me. My students (Hermione and Hannah Montana in particular) were in a frenzy for some time before I reassured them that I wouldn’t be leaving this year. I dread their reactions when I finally depart next April, but I’ve resolved to cross that bridge when I come to it.

In the meantime, we’re on the edge of a new year full of new experiences and new opportunities. The Japanese Best Friend and I are going to Tokyo for a small vacation at the beginning of May, I hope to go back to Osaka sometime in the next few months, Jyona33 may very well be visiting us in July, and there is still talk that I may be allowed to move into the bigger apartment in my building.

So, those are the things that I’ll focus on for the moment. We have 366 days left, and we’re going to be very busy.


Odorou, minna issho
sore ga jinsei da
odoreba kokoro ga
aruku harebare to

Two Words: ICE CREAM! February 1, 2010

Posted by Earthdragonette in Dance Troupe, ice cream, Student Moments.
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Where ICE CREAM = I Cant Exactly Choose (Raccoon!!) Enjoy All Moments!

Yes, just to show that there is always time for ICE CREAM (and thus, time for a post), I present to you in short, spastic bits, the contents of my weekend and Monday. It’s crude and inartistic at best, but in the interests of not progressing to a “Saturday-Sunday-Monday-Tuesday!!! Update!!!!”, it is quite necessary. I should be able to get back on a regular posting schedule as of Tuesday evening.

(Fun English Fact: It’s not “unartistic,” it’s “inartistic.” Fancy that.)

Onward!

~ Saturday, I cleaned. Cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. I also righted the balance of the universe with an epic conversation with Jyona33. I suppose I should be concerned with the degree to which this man has an influence over my daily affairs, but we all need a few people like this in our lives. Otherwise, who would tell me where I should go on vacation in Japan? Or how to subtly convey to my coworkers that I would rather they not ask me about how I lose weight? Or instruct me on how to improve in the centipede race?? These are heavy topics that require the most delicate and thoughtful of consultations.

~ Saturday, I also danced. Danced and danced and danced and danced. I danced in preparation for:

~ Sunday’s Culture Festival!

Actually, let’s take a break from our ICE CREAM and go into a little more of a prose style here, because the events of Sunday are worth slowing down for.

In short, it was chaotic. I don’t think I’ve ever been so busy at a culture festival, and this includes the years when I was co-running the music club at the middle school. Those years required a lot of preparation ahead of time, but after our performance at 9:30 in the morning I was free for the rest of the day. That was most definitely not the case last Sunday.

The morning started out responsibility-free. I showed up to work, and then went to the gym to entertain the third year students until the rest of the classes and their parents arrived. We then watched presentations from all the classes, most of which were musical ensembles of some sort. I have to say that the first and sixth grade classes stole the show.

Many of you are already aware of the deep affection I feel for The First Years. To say that they are my favorite class does not properly express the emotion I feel for them; it’s more substantial than that. They are, honestly, the most amazing group of children I think I’ve ever encountered. They’re sweet. They’re enthusiastic. They can dance. And most importantly, they are so fantastically innocent and earnest in their beliefs that they do the most ridiculous things.

Here’s an example: during the first month of school, The Mentor caught them running down the hallway. He’s the sixth grade teacher and so already quite an imposing figure to their first year minds. The Mentor can also be very intimidating, so 99.9% of the time his commands are followed. (And I have it on good authority that the one student sometime, somewhere, who didn’t do what The Mentor asked was never heard from again.)

Anyway, so The Mentor caught them running in the hallway and told them to stop. He explained that students are not supposed to run in the hallways at school and that it’s dangerous. The First Years were so taken with this notion and so altered by this encounter, however, that they took him to mean that they’re not allowed to run at school EVER. Their home room teacher was eventually able to convince them (after about a week) that they are allowed to run outside.  Yet, to this day, if they ever see The Mentor watching them when they’re on the playground, they always slow down to a walk.

Now, how can you possibly not be enamored with these children??

So, given these emotional lenses that I had on while watching their performance (a recitation about their class and how much fun school is), it’s no surprise that it was my favorite. To be fair, the sixth grade play about traveling through time and bringing back noteworthy inventions from various historic eras was pretty sweet, too. I was impressed with how clear and loud their voices were; their public speaking has improved a lot over the last couple of years.

Okay, so the presentations ended at around eleven and then I lent a hand cleaning up the gym. This took awhile, though, and it only left me with about ten minutes for lunch, after which I went back to the gym to do my dance. I’d debated whether or not to leave my handsprings in the routine, but it was good that I did since I think that move was the crowd favorite. My dance was followed by the sixth grader’s final concert (they like to get dressed up, form bands, and sing to the school) and the afternoon activity corners.

As you will probably recall, my dance troupe lead one of the afternoon sessions, and that was also entertaining (if a bit busy). The kids did a really great job with memorizing the dance and I liked helping them out. The  various five to ten minute breaks were also enjoyable as the children sought fit to drag me into a variety of games (most of them requiring me to chase the children around the gym). Some of my middle school students also stopped by, and so it was fun to chat with them when I had the time.

Okay, moving slightly back into ICE CREAM form now, let’s recap the specific memories we’re tagging here:

Saturday: Jyona33 provides timeless wisdom to aid me on my life’s journey
Sunday: I am a dancing fool and The First Years’ performance left me in such a state of beatitude that I hereby pledge my life (for the next year and three months) to giving them the best English lessons I can.
That leaves us with Monday!

Monday was quiet, and perhaps marked by numerous interactions with Hannah Montana and Aphrodite. The Savant and Mary Sunshine were at a high school orientation, and so my usual suspects weren’t around. This time of year is always interesting, because although the third year students haven’t graduated yet, they’re not around as much and I don’t do many things with them in class. It’s the time of year when I start to shift my attentions more to the first and second years, and I try to prepare to say goodbye. We only have about a month and a half left of the term, and it’s going to go by quickly.

Hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen. A lot of interesting things are coming our way.

Otsukaresama deshita. December 14, 2009

Posted by Earthdragonette in Julie Gets Philosophical, Me Time.
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The title of today’s post is a phrase that the Japanese typically use to praise each other for a job well done. It’s a set phrase, and so you hear it a lot at the end of the work day or after someone finishes a particularly noteworthy task. If I understand it correctly, then it more or less translates to, “I see you as somebody who must be tired (because of the work that you did).” It’s also a phrase that one typically says to someone that they see (even if only for the moment) as superior to them; there are other phrases for those who you regard as socially below you.

(***A  note to people who are searching blogs to find a way to respond when someone says “otsukaresama deshita” to you.***

I typically respond by thanking the person who said this to me. If they were also involved in whatever it was that I just finished, then I will often say it back to them (if they’re my equal or above me socially), or “gokurousama deshita” if they’re below me. I’m not sure if this is 100% what you should do, but it’s always worked for me and I don’t think that my coworkers find it strange.)

I’ve had it said to me before, but because of my social position relative to those around me (which is to say it’s pretty low), I tend to receive those other phrases. Today though, one of the cashiers at my local grocery store said it to me.

This cashier is an interesting individual for me to interact with. Jyona33 met him last summer when we went shopping together, and as since referred to him as “Julie’s Jailbait” in conversation. He says this because the cashier is a young man who has been known to go out of his way to help me while I shop (getting things off of high shelves for me, carrying my bags to my car, and so forth). Ergo, Jyona33 thinks that I’m the fanciful and distanced object of this young man’s affections. To add to the humor (as far as Jyona33 is concerned), the cashier is probably no more  than eighteen years old. So, there you go. Jailbait.

I, however, prefer to think of him as simply being polite. I like this interpretation because it means that his treatment of me suggests that he doesn’t see me as being different from the other customers.  That’s one thing that I’ve always enjoyed about interacting with him – he has never commented on my ethnicity and has never assumed that I can’t understand what he says to me. This isn’t to say that we chat at length (we don’t), but we do exchange the occasional pleasantry. And, in the act of doing so, it’s always just been that: pleasant. Friendly.

Normal.

Today, when I went to check out at the end of the day, he greeted with me with “Otsukaresama deshita.” The past few weeks have been so hectic and overwhelming, that hearing an acknowledgement of my efforts meant a lot to me.

I  know you must be thinking, “Wait, Julie, how was his comment meaningful? He doesn’t know anything about your job, and he certainly hasn’t seen anything that you’ve produced over the last two weeks.” Indeed, you have a good point. How was this not just a meaningless greeting?

My thought process here is a little difficult to explain, but I’m going to try.

When I came to Japan, I think one of the most difficult things I had to deal with were the vast and steadfast stereotypes about my job and those who do it. There are good ALTs and bad ALTs, just as there are good teachers and bad teachers, good doctors and bad doctors, good bankers and bad bankers. Traditionally, though, I think that ALTs tend to be people who are looking to take time off from their regular lives in exchange for adventure and self discovery. I certainly don’t criticize this desire, or the need to fulfill it. It’s part of why I myself came here, afterall.

The difficulty with this, however, is that engaging in that kind of lifestyle isn’t always conducive to becoming a good teacher. (It’s hard to go to school festivals if you leave your town every weekend.) Additionally, this lifestyle creates certain perceptions that Japanese schools have of foreigners - perceptions are very difficult to change, especially if they are neutral to negative in tone. When I first came here, my schools were very polite, and to some degree welcoming, but they didn’t really expect much from me. They wanted me to show up for work, of course, and to fill in the hours productively, but they didn’t have hopes about me going to extra festivals or events, and they certainly didn’t envision me staying past 4:15 on weekdays. This isn’t to speak ill of the ALTs who came before me. My town has always enjoyed working with foreigners and I was welcomed under very positive circumstances.

But, when I started to do these things (like staying late after school), I feel that I was praised to an unnecessary degree. Things that I should have been doing because I felt  they were part of my job, were seen as going above and beyond the call of duty by those around me. It was difficult, because all I wanted was to be seen as a part of the workforce – somebody who was here with a purpose, just as the other teachers were. Instead, it seemed as though The Celebrity was getting in the way of that, and my efforts to be a team player were still separating me from the rest of the members.

Over time, this has changed. Being here for almost four years and showing that I don’t expect praise or extra compensation for my efforts has ultimately given me the social position and lifestyle that I’ve wanted. When I ask to go to extra seminars or meetings, now, they don’t look at me as if I’m doing some kind of ALT-encore. They understand that I just want to learn more about how to be a good teacher. They understand this desire, they accept it, and they’re willing to support it. In the end, I don’t want to be special. I want to be helpful.

So, when the cashier (sorry Jyona33, I refuse to call him “My Jailbait”) greeted me with “Otsukaresame deshita,” it made me happy. I know I’ve been working hard, and so I’m free to say to myself, “Otsukaresama” whenever I want. It’s really not about specific validation. When I hear this phrase from him, I see it as a simple statement of acceptance.

It’s the end of the day, and to him I’m someone who must be tired (because of the work that I did). It’s a set phrase – a signal from him to me that acknowledges that I’m part of the rhythms of the day.

It’s a small way to let me know that he thinks I have a role here.

All my fears just fall away
When you are all I see

金土日月 Recap: November 23rd November 23, 2009

Posted by Earthdragonette in Weekend Recap.
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In Japan, today is the national Labor Thanksgiving holiday, so it’s without a sense of irony (or perhaps it’s with a sense of irony but without a sense of sarcasm?) that I can wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving Week. Due to some scheduling issues, I won’t be having my Turkey Fest ’09 until December 5th, but my time will come…

So, how is everyone? I appreciate the comments that I’ve been getting (usually through Facebook). It’s nice to know that other people are enjoying reading about what my life is like here. As I’ve said before, it’s pretty routine, but maybe you’ll find some elements of it to be interesting and/or entertaining. ^___^

In particular:

Friday was memorable because I woke up running and didn’t stop until about 7:30 that evening, which was the time I went to bed. I had six classes at a row at my Friday Elementary School, and that was definitely more than my usual load. The method to this madness was that the students’ parents had been invited to observe classes throughout the day and a lot of the parents are curious about my English lessons. Things went well overall, though various Gods of Mischief tossed some curve balls my way. Among the more memorable ones were:

  • The sixth grade home room teacher was out with the flu, leaving me with having to do the class not only by myself, but with a lesson that I had approximately ten minutes to plan (it was supposed to be his day to run class). That was fun. And by ”fun” I mean “it almost gave me a heart attack but I made it through and I think the students still like English and me.”
  • The Macarena wasn’t quite as popular as it was with The First Years, and so that made me a little sad.
  • I got my lessons plan really mixed up at one point, but the home room teacher saved me.

What was really memorable for me, though, was what happened after lunch. Usually I eat with the students and then return to my classroom for twenty-five minutes of intense English conversing-sticker giving-eraser distributing-letter getting-CD giving-madness. On Friday, though, I really had to go to the bank and I didn’t have any free periods. My solution was to eat very quickly in the teacher’s room and then drive to the bank afterwards. I’d hoped to get back to school by the time that recess started so that I could talk with the kids like I usually do, but I was about ten minutes late. I went straight to my classroom when I returned, but I expected to find it empty, figuring that the students would have lost interest and gone off to do something else. Imagine my surprise when I found a line of 45 students (some with their parents) waiting for me. Loudly. I really wasn’t expecting them to wait for me for such a long time, but the display of trust (and, yes, indignation that I was so tardy), made me happy.

Saturday found me taking my monthly trip to Nagoya for a visit to the hair stylist and some shopping. I’ve been going to the same guy for years, and at this point we know each other fairly well. He (we’ll call him Tetsuya) has a lot of opinions about my hair (“it should be long, straight, and sexy,”) so he tends to decide what it is that we do with it. Tetsuya’s also lived all around the world and done all sorts of crazy things. He supported himself as a waiter and professional boxer in Mexico, studied in salons in Seattle, London, and Paris, and he also plays guitar in a rock band. He has been known to gather his entire staff around my chair whenever we talk about my love life, in the hopes that the collective advice will make me successful in my ventures. In short, Tetsuya’s pretty awesome.

Sunday was a day out with The Japanese Best Friend. I haven’t seen her in *ages,* and once we got together, we talked for about fourteen hours straight (well, with the exception of the two hours that we were watching the new Christmas Carol at the movie theater). We had lunch and did some shopping in Yokkaichi, and then drove down to the biggest mall in the prefecture for some more shopping (can we say The Body Shop?) and to see the aforementioned movie. She is, without a doubt, one of the best things about being in Japan. Whenever we spend time together, I can always count on great conversation, great food, and great shopping. \(^___^)/

Monday has been a slower, catch-up sort of day, which is a good thing. The weather was gorgeous, and so I had the chance to air out my apartment, get some cleaning done, and talk to some friends (Jyona33 and I clocked in 3.5 hours on Skype). I have to go to a meeting tomorrow, so my morning schedule is a little free, although I have some errands to run. I am particularly excited about the meeting (okay, I am ONLY excited about this meeting) because it means I get to go to Starbucks and that is enough to make me happy at any time, any place. HELLO SEASONAL LATTES.

And as for now, I have some lessons to plan, some soup to make, and hopefully a relatively relaxing night ahead of me. It’s going to be kind of a busy week (when is it ever not?), and I’m going to need to stay on my toes if I want to Avoid The Flu and Have Successful Lessons.

You know, the important stuff.
Never seen you, I don’t even know your name
But still I believe, that you are gonna save me

In a parallel universe, I update my blog every day. Part II. November 15, 2009

Posted by Earthdragonette in Apologies, Julie Gets Philosophical, Just Bizarre, Lessons Learned, Student Moments.
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I hope you took the opportunity to stretch your legs, get a beverage, grab a snack, let the dog (or cat) out during our break.

Now, back to my attempts to end Rampant Procrastination.

#11: I Guess I Like Attention?
I do write a blog (kind of…) after all. In fact, I think that liking attention is a requirement if one wants to be a teacher. Those who feel unnerved by many sets of curious eyes on their person, seeking wisdom, answers, and snark need not apply. That sort of thing.

So, given this personality quirk that I have, it makes sense that I would want to find a way to participate in the middle school culture festival, which I did by dancing during a very brief talent show segment. The schedule for the festival went thusly:

9:00: Opening Ceremony
~ Performance from the elective music classes (students performed on traditional Japanese instruments)
~ Speeches from 10 students about a variety of topics
~ Presentation from the student health committee on drug abuse
~ Presentation from each grade
          ~ First years: 20 second speeches about their first year in middle school
          ~ Second years: small play about an activity they’ll be doing this month (For two days, they’re going to go out and work in a variety of the town’s businesses. They’ll work in everything ranging from restaurants to hospitals to gas stations.)
          ~ Third years: presentation about their trip to Tokyo last April
~ Lunch break (At about 11:15)
~ Huge BINGO Game
~ 1:00: Talent show (which included my dance)
~ Afternoon chorus competition between the different classes
~ Special Guest: Traditional Japanese storyteller
~ 3:30: Closing Ceremony

And that was pretty much it. I wandered around for most of the day, taking pictures and talking to students and their families. My dance was something I’d put together myself, set to Chris Brown’s Forever. I think it went quite well – the kids certainly had fun with it. 

#12: Reasons that I love karaoke
I’m not the best of singers, but I do like to do it. Unfortunately, I’ve found more often than not that karaoke in the States is a very public, very embarrassing, and often very unpleasant experience. The Japanese karaoke experience is totally different, especially if you go to a karaoke establishment. You get your own room, your own television/stereo equipment, and you can use a phone in the room to order a variety of refreshments. Jyona33 and I probably owe the success of our friendship to Disney duets and Bonnie Tyler.

Recently, I went out with Rocko, and I’ll go ahead and let you know that the boy has game. He can rap. Seriously. I will admit to my superiority on Sir Mix-A-Lot’s Baby Got Back, but that’s about it. For the real deal, you need to hook up with 50cent, Eminem, and Rocko.

#13: The growing dichotomy that is my life
This isn’t a specific moment exactly, but rather a growing feeling I’ve had over the last month. Put very simply: I go to work and immerse myself in whatever school I happen to be in. I play around with my students, discuss a variety of topics with the teachers, go to planning meetings and training seminars, have dinner with friends on weekends, dance my heart out on Wednesdays and Sundays, and sometimes speak coherent and intelligent Japanese.

I also spend hours talking to friends on Skype, read Anna Karenina, memorize Shakespeare (because everybody should), stalk Jay Sean’s new singles, and have dreams of somehow marrying Stephen Colbert.

Sometimes, I’m not exactly sure which country I’m living in, or which world for that matter.

#14: Visiting old friends… my second culture festival
I’ve talked on occasion about The Middle School That Closed. Earlier this month, my town’s new middle school (the one that resulted from the merger of the three that closed) had their first culture festival. I wanted to see my old students, so I decided to attend. I didn’t stay for very long – just long enough to see their morning speeches and performances. They also had their chorus competition in the morning, and that was very cute. Aunt Mia was present, and she and I had the chance to talk a little before she had to run off. I still predict that she is somehow going to end up godmother to my children.

#15: And The Flu shall have no dominion (over me)…
Although it’s everywhere. My schools have been cancelling classes left and right and it’s been weeks since all of the grades have been present at the same time. Two weeks ago all of my third year JHS students were sent home for the week (14 had the flu) and then last week my second years were shut out (10 cases there). It’s the second time this year that my second years have had this happen to them. The teachers are really stressed because everyone is behind in their lessons, but the students are obviously enjoying all of this vacation time.

So far, by some miracle, I’ve managed to stay healthy. I had a scare two weeks ago, because I started to feel out of sorts. I’m not exactly sure what it was, but it passed by without making too much of a fuss, and I’ve remained well enough to venture into the wild and germy frontier. I still predict that I’m going to get Swine Flu.

#16: Fievel VS The Monkey, Part 2
I think it was on the 5th of November that I saw Fievel make an actual claim on me in front of The Monkey. It really stands out in my memory, though, because it just showed how feisty my previously silent one is becoming.

The students had to leave school early because of a big meeting that the teachers were preparing for. I had my work more or less under control, and so I spent some time with the kids while they were waiting for the last bus of the day. Fievel decided to assert his newfound power over me and asked me to give him a piggyback ride. The Monkey saw this, got jealous, and tried to interrupt the whole process. 

I kid you not – as soon as The Monkey tried to block Fievel and climb on my back, Fievel looked at him and said (quite clearly and without any hesitation whatsoever): “NO. MONKEY DOWN!”

Success! English has been acquired!!!
 

#17: Playing With The Big Kids
On November 6th, my Thursday elementary school had a huge meeting that most of the teachers in my district were invited to attend. All of the teachers were required to have open lessons, which were then followed by a lecture from the 5th and 6th grade teachers. After a small break, everyone broke up into smaller groups to ask the home room teachers questions about their lessons.

Although I don’t always understand everything that’s said at these functions, I like to go because, well, it’s an opportunity to learn more about teaching theory (which is where I am admittedly pretty weak). For the open lesson and small meeting portions, I stuck close to The Mentor, since I find his lessons to be consistently well planned and executed.

Overall, I really enjoyed the meeting. I also enjoyed the Celebrity Effect, because a lot of people were not expecting me to be there, and I got to see my presence distract them from their own lives (if only momentarily). I found the overall theme of the meeting to be extremely interesting. It focused on a teaching model by which students are encouraged to approach problems individually, and then through their own efforts and discussion with their classmates, broaden and deepen their knowledge of the given subject. The open lessons were supposed to be examples of this model in action, and then the last meetings of the days were opportunities for other educators to respond to the model and to the way that the school is trying to implement it.

It’s a little frustrating for me, because there are so many things that I wish I could ask or discuss with my fellow teachers, but that kind of Japanese is still out of my reach. Still, I think that I benefitted from attending the meeting. I particularly enjoyed sitting next to one of the Two Terrific Teachers and being his comment partner through the last meeting. Do not be fooled – Japanese people are polite, but snark exists in this culture and it is alive and well. ^o^

#18: If you haven’t ever made sweet potato, tofu, and coconut milk curry…
…then you should, because it is delicious. It is so delicious that it actually qualifies as a memory from this fall season. I make it once a week, eat it for two or three days, and enjoy a slice of nirvana. When I look back on Autumn of 2009, I will most assuredly recall sweet potato and coconut milk curry.

#19: It’s Sunday – let’s go to a festival!
My third festival of the year was at my Friday elementary school. The schedule for this festival was a little different from the one that my middle school had:

~9:00, opening ceremony
~ Fun Corner (1 hour)
~ Mochi Making Event
~ Lunch and Recess
~ Fun Corner #2 (40 minutes)
~ Closing ceremony (at about 2:00)

The Fun Corners were a series of stations set up around the school that the students went to. There was a jump rope station, a juggling station, a station for playing with traditional Japanese toys (kendama and spinning tops), a station for origami, and one for wood crafting. I spent a lot of my time with the origami corner, where my superior motor skills were invaluable to the first and second year students. I had a very odd moment where I looked around and realized that I (the American) was actually leading Japanese school children through the origami process. I suppose that sometimes, authority figures are authority figures regardless of nationality.

(Also, just to squeeze this in here: mochi is a rice cake that’s made by pounding down a special kind of cooked rice. By itself it doesn’t have much of a taste, but it’s often eaten with special soy powder, fruit, or red bean paste. Fresh mochi is a gift from the gods, and I’m so happy that I have an elementary school where they make it once a year.)

#20: Did I say this before? Sometimes I am not very smart.
I’ve asked my Thursday elementary school if I can dance at their culture festival. I’ve yet to hear back from them, but I hope that they’re willing to indulge me as I really want to contribute something to the day. Besides, it gives me an excuse to make up a new dance routine.

A farewell to summer… August 31, 2009

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Aaand, we’ve hit a benchmark in this blog. My first missed post!

Admittedly, when I started out writing this blog, I didn’t expect to be able to post every single day, but I did hope to come close. Unfortunately, illness happens, and I was curled up in bed on Sunday night, hoping for those oh, so sweet arms of Morpheus. Morpheus though, is a jealous companion, and he doesn’t like me blogging when he comes to visit. I tried to catch up this morning (when it was still technically Sunday in the United States), but my Muses are fickle and they prefer coming out to play in the evening.

So, Jealous Morpheus + Moody Muses = No 土日曜日 Recap.

And yet, because I didn’t go into work today, the sense of weekend has continued. I could go ahead and write about Saturday-Monday’s poignant memories, but I think I want to do something a little different. This is the last “last day of summer vacation” that I’m going to have in Japan, and I feel that this merits a special post.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you:

Julie’s Top 10 Moments of the Summer 

10) Dinner with teachers from the Old Middle School
            From the August 9th post.
            This really was a spectacular dinner. I was sad that we didn’t have a chance to go out for karaoke, but it was still amazing. I miss working with these teachers, and having a chance to catch up with them, remember old times, talk about new developments, and listen to The PoEM is a special memory from this summer.

9) Stalking Supporting my middle school’s baseball team
            I don’t think that I really wrote specifically about this (some of it happened before I started the blog), but I spent a lot of time this summer watching my middle school guys’  baseball practices, practice games, and real games. They lost the district championships early on in the season (I felt really bad for The Savant because he was the team captain and took it really hard), but the first and second years trained really hard for the rest of the summer. I’m looking forward to seeing how they develop as a team – especially after they get new members next spring!

8) Running
           I actually started running around February of 2007, but I was only able to keep it up through last October. After that, the days got really short, my schedule got hectic, and I got shin splints. This summer, however, I really started to miss it, and after buying the proper footwear, I hit the pavement again. I’m glad I did – I think I function better with my daily dose of Zen.

7) Fish festival!
            From the August 23rd post.
            This was just fun. I mean, the fish was delicious, my elementary students were cute, the families were nice, the onigiri was fresh, and the ice cream was divine. I got to be a team player and enjoy a picnic. Really, what more could one ask for?

6) Eating that stupid fish eye
            From the August 18th post.
            I can’t in good conscience put this in my Top 5, because it was gross. To date, I still have not eaten the following: grapes, blueberries, olives, or corn. Still, it’s a badge of honor that I will proudly wear. (EWWWW.)

5) The Trip to Toba (aside from eating the fish eye)
            This trip happened before the blog, but I did write about it in the August 18thpost. I appreciated the isolated-third-worldish-we-actually-WAIT-THREE-HOURS-for-a-boat feeling. I liked walking around the island with the Two Terrific Teachers, and I especially enjoyed the dessert that The Awesome Vice Principal got for me. Actually, I loved anything having to do with my middle school teachers this summer. We had a great time together.

4) Hiking the Kumano Kodo with Rocko
            Described in the 土日曜日 Recap from August 16th/17th.
            I like Rocko, and I like the Kumano Kodo, so this was pretty much solid win all around. Discussing philosophy and 90’s television shows while wandering around an ancient forest road to the top of a mountain is a great way to spend one’s morning. This was then followed by The Beach, and we all know how I feel about that.

3) Spending time with Mary Sunshine prior to the All Country Table Tennis Tournament
            Anything involving Mary Sunshine has to make my Top 3. She is The Favorite after all. I think that we had some great conversations this summer, and I liked being able to share even a small part of her training and anticipation. She didn’t place very high at the nationals, but she told me that she learned a lot and that she’s even more determined to keep it up. She has some tournaments scheduled for the fall, and I can’t wait to see how she does.

2) The Beach!!
            From the August 8th, August 9th, August 12th, August … you get the idea.
            Sun, sand, water, an iPod, and delicious Japanese food. It’s no wonder that I went, like, fifteen times.

1) A visit from Jyona33
            This was something else that happened before I started writing this blog. It also involves a character that you have not yet met. I give you:

Jyona33
This was an ALT in a nearby town a couple of years ago. We met when he was a second year ALT and I was just in my first year. Although our initial exchanges were awkward, our friendship soon bloomed and now he is one of The Best Friends.* He’s back in the States now, but we talk often and he schools me on All Things Japanese and the General Direction My Life Should Take. He’s a funny person.

Anyway, Jyona33 has been out of the country for awhile, and he came back to visit for about two weeks in mid-July. He stayed with me for the better part of a week and we had a rather fantastic time exploring our towns and just talking. I got to meet some new people, see some new places, and just enjoy the frequent use of the English language outside of the telephone conversations I have with people back home. I think that his visit really marked the beginning of the summer for me, and it set the tone for the rest of it.

So there we have it. 6 weeks. 10 memories. As far as I know, my last summer in Japan is at an end. I’m a little sad – it’s bittersweet, after all. Still, there are a lot of things on the horizon and I’m looking forward to seeing where this is all going to go.


*I would go further and refer to him as the wind beneath my wings, but that would embarrass him. Assuming he ever actually reads this blog as he’s been promising to do for weeks.

 

“Mysteria – the spirit arising
Eldritch cries from the hill
Mysteria – the fires are blazing”

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