I've been back for over two months now and things were definitely not as easy as I thought it would be! I've gone through awesome adventures, tears of frustration, existential trauma and so much more. I'll have to get back to you on how difficult it has been to go through reverse culture shock, but I'm busy now. . . What a crazy thing life is. . .
Find more photos like this on Model Muse
Friday, October 12, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
So Much More. . .
Well, it's definitely July. About 1/3 of the way through July. Only 17 days until my flight home. Only 10 days until my friend Justine comes to visit. Three hours until my leaving enaki for the Board of Education. I have so much to do but I just need a moment to sit and write and think!
Yesterday was the beginning of the end. I started my day with the final classes at the kindergarten. One teacher and two children were crying, most others were pretty sad, and it was difficult to really grasp it all as it was going on. One students, who barely speaks, said to me as she ran her little finger down her cheek from her eye, "I'm saaaaaaad!" and it touched me so much! I think they finally understand that I'm leaving the country for real this time and it came as quite a shock. It could be because their last memories of my predecessor were 4 years worth. . . who knows. . . maybe they did just really like me? Let's hope. . .
I've been giving the students and teachers all "lucky pennies" as mementos so I don't have to worry about giving individual gifts later. I usually try to make everyone feel special with a personalized card or whatnot, but I just can't in these last days. . . pennies were definitely a good idea, thanks to my beau for that!
Upcoming events? Enkai tonight, last Taiko practice tomorrow, packing Thursday, Yukata-wering and dinner in Aki Friday night, last Taiko concert and leaving enkai Saturday, concert/ art show Sunday, some other kind of show on the Monday holiday following. . . next week will surely be a blur with last everything! >_<
Yesterday was the beginning of the end. I started my day with the final classes at the kindergarten. One teacher and two children were crying, most others were pretty sad, and it was difficult to really grasp it all as it was going on. One students, who barely speaks, said to me as she ran her little finger down her cheek from her eye, "I'm saaaaaaad!" and it touched me so much! I think they finally understand that I'm leaving the country for real this time and it came as quite a shock. It could be because their last memories of my predecessor were 4 years worth. . . who knows. . . maybe they did just really like me? Let's hope. . .
I've been giving the students and teachers all "lucky pennies" as mementos so I don't have to worry about giving individual gifts later. I usually try to make everyone feel special with a personalized card or whatnot, but I just can't in these last days. . . pennies were definitely a good idea, thanks to my beau for that!
Upcoming events? Enkai tonight, last Taiko practice tomorrow, packing Thursday, Yukata-wering and dinner in Aki Friday night, last Taiko concert and leaving enkai Saturday, concert/ art show Sunday, some other kind of show on the Monday holiday following. . . next week will surely be a blur with last everything! >_<
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Bursting Bubbles
Several times during the conversations I've had here, I have experienced the dreaded "EEEEEEEEH!?" and the face of shock from many Japanese peoples' burst bubbles regarding cultural similarities and differences. Many of these situations took place in my eikaiwa (conversational English) class with older Japanese adults, but it happens almost every week in some form. Here are just a few examples. . .
PERSONAL APPEARANCE:
I'm tan. I'm not that way because I bake in the sun every day, I was born that way. In the spring, summer, and autumn, I tan very easily, making it even more apparent that I am darker than what is appreciated in Japanese society, where women hide from the sun year-round. I refuse to cover up my skin with ridiculous layers of fabric in the tropical heat or use whitening products on my skin to adhere to the Japanese view of "beauty".
I was told that there is a saying in Japan that goes something like: "White skin hides 7 flaws". . . this means that if a woman has very white skin, it doesn't matter how ugly, rude, stupid, deformed, snotty, etc. that she is, because she is still regarded as beautiful. I beg to differ. . .
When I told my eikaiwa students that the opposite is true in many countries around the world, they were in shock. I've written about this before, but these ladies have tried to make excuses for staying pale by saying they are trying to prevent cancer or something. Hmm. . . One woman in particular, the eldest in my class, tried to explain why it's important to stay lighter-skinned and then followed this by telling me she was referred to as 'the black one' when she was in school. I wasn't entirely sure what to make of this. . .
RELIGION:
Religion has come up several times in conversation here, but always pretty casually. Before I came to Japan, I was taught that there were only a few "religions" in Japan, mainly Shinto and Buddhism. These are actually not even religions, but more a way of thinking and acting. Here, at this day and age, people don't really ask about religious background because people don't generally care about it. If one is a Christian or follows Shinto traditions, they typically do so without a big show (all except maybe the Jehovah's Witnesses. . . . I still haven't been able to shake them off of me!) When I explained that, in America and many other western countries, religion is a taboo topic of discussion, they didn't understand why. It does seem like a pretty stupid thing to be offended about, but that's just a fact of the western world.
I have met a few Japanese people who claim to be Christians. One lady is very deeply involved in church and loves the bible, Jesus, God, singing hymns, etc. She might be a bit crazy, but I guess that's just what keeps her going. In one eikaiwa class, I had a discussion about religion and religious tolerance and wandered into the different systems of belief existing in the world. This woman claimed "I love everyone, but I don't like Mormons." She was disgusted by them, in fact. Just playing along and trying to prove my point, I told her that I was offended by that statement, being a Mormon myself. The look of dismay and terror that appeared on her face was priceless. My point was that if that conversation had been in a public place in the western world and someone overheard her say such a thing, there would have been some kind of confrontation. Sad but true.
FAMILY:
My parents are divorced. Both my mother and father have found new people spend their lives with. This is a concept very few children understand here, since many Japanese marriages are loveless anyway (of course not all, but many). I also have stepsisters, who I included in my family list. My mother is English and my father is American, she is brown and he is white. Her parents are from India, another country altogether from the rest of the family. When I gave my self-introduction to all the children and people of Yasuda-town, there were a slew of confused faces during the explanation of my family. Understandable, but I wasn't expecting there to be so much ignorance regarding these concepts. . .
I've also got extremely large grandparents on my father's side (my grandmother is 5'2", but weighs over 300 pounds) and it absolutely floored a number of people to see pictures of them, especially students. Granted, I live in one of the most slender countries in the world, but I didn't realize so many people would be petrified to know these large people existed and were actually related to me. No, they aren't sumo wrestlers. . .
PERSONAL BACKGROUND:
I studied Industrial Design and I am not sure whether or not I would like to pursue that field in the future. I'm sure not everyone in Japan knows what they want from the start, studies it, and becomes it, but there are many people surprised at my indecision.
I'm also leaving this incredible opportunity to join my beau in the joblessness of America because I love him. This is also something very uncommon in Japan. I'm not sure I appreciate this world where a job is more important than someone you love. . ,
In Japan, people tend to find that one or two things they like and only focus on those things. They typically have one club which they belong to and they get awesome at that one club activity, going there or practicing it (whatever it is) almost daily. It's difficult for them to imagine that I have lived a life of dabbling in this or that, that I am a "jack-of-all-trades and a master at nothing." I think I'll probably remain that way for the rest of my life. . . who knows, though! It was definitely hard for me to choose what to focus on even just coming to Japan for a few years!
ON AMERICA:
The United States of America is HUGE and, no matter how many times I say it, Japanese people don't seem to understand this. I'm often asked questions like, "What do Americans think about X?" and "In America, do people X?" and these questions, of course, are impossible to answer! Not everyone in America (or most any country for that matter) thinks and believes in and acts the same! It sounds very close-minded to say this, but there are a lot of national similarities between people in Japan, so I understand why they might think the same is true worldwide. This is just something that frustrates me to explain. For example, "Is it hot in America like it is in Japan?" Well. . .
It is also, understandable, difficult for Japanese people, in this homogenous society, to really grasp the internationalization that goes on in other countries like the U.S.. No matter how much I explain myself or my friends or that there are millions of immigrants who move to other countries to start lives either with or without families. I tried, though!
ON JAPAN:
I can use chopsticks. I have since I was young and many people here find that hard to believe. Apparently, only in Asian countries would anyone have access to such things. . . Good thing we don't go around telling people how amazingly skilled they are at using forks! I think they probably wouldn't even get it if there were. . . sarcasm doesn't translate so well sometimes. . .
There are many foods here which I don't like and won't eat - shiso leaves, whale, horse, certain kinds of fish and seaweeds, etc.. For some reason, most Japanese people seem to think Japanese cuisine trumps that of all other countries. They even think they invented most things, like curry and gyoza (Chinese dumplings) and don't believe me when I tell them these are not Japanese foods. I have never asked anyone something as ludicrous as "what do you think of American food, isn't it delicious!?" and I think people really expect me to tell them how amazing everything is in Japan.
When I first arrived, I was talking about how strange it was to pay roughly the equivalent of $10 for a single peach or $20 for a bowling ball-sized watermelon. I explained that I had a watermelon the size of a small pig once, which I purchased for $2 in Philadelphia. "Yes, but, don't you think Japanese watermelon tastes much better?" I was strangely offended by this statement, but told them honestly that they taste pretty much exactly the same. Intensely shocked faces followed. . .
Japan has this wonderful kind of music called enka which is a kind of traditional folk-song style, a lot of whiny sounds and singing high-pitched notes. Though elderly Japanese folks like to think their traditions and things are carried on and appreciated my their future generations, it is clearly NOT. It surprises me, though, that some people here seem to think we know their enka songs regardless of our language abilities. Rarely, you find a foreigner who is obsessed enough with the culture to enjoy enka, but not often. When asked about my feelings for enka, I replied that it was "maa - maa" or OK/ not too bad. I think they were expecting me to be thrilled by this music. I would probably say the same for J-pop. . .
Perhaps I am unusual in that I don't fake my enjoyment or appreciation or tolerance for things. I like being an honest person that way, rather than making everyone feel good about things all the time. It isn't that I'm necessarily negative, just that I would rather let people know the truth of things. In a culture where saving face is more important than honesty, quite a few bubbles have been burst in the past two years. . .
PERSONAL APPEARANCE:
I'm tan. I'm not that way because I bake in the sun every day, I was born that way. In the spring, summer, and autumn, I tan very easily, making it even more apparent that I am darker than what is appreciated in Japanese society, where women hide from the sun year-round. I refuse to cover up my skin with ridiculous layers of fabric in the tropical heat or use whitening products on my skin to adhere to the Japanese view of "beauty".
I was told that there is a saying in Japan that goes something like: "White skin hides 7 flaws". . . this means that if a woman has very white skin, it doesn't matter how ugly, rude, stupid, deformed, snotty, etc. that she is, because she is still regarded as beautiful. I beg to differ. . .
When I told my eikaiwa students that the opposite is true in many countries around the world, they were in shock. I've written about this before, but these ladies have tried to make excuses for staying pale by saying they are trying to prevent cancer or something. Hmm. . . One woman in particular, the eldest in my class, tried to explain why it's important to stay lighter-skinned and then followed this by telling me she was referred to as 'the black one' when she was in school. I wasn't entirely sure what to make of this. . .
RELIGION:
Religion has come up several times in conversation here, but always pretty casually. Before I came to Japan, I was taught that there were only a few "religions" in Japan, mainly Shinto and Buddhism. These are actually not even religions, but more a way of thinking and acting. Here, at this day and age, people don't really ask about religious background because people don't generally care about it. If one is a Christian or follows Shinto traditions, they typically do so without a big show (all except maybe the Jehovah's Witnesses. . . . I still haven't been able to shake them off of me!) When I explained that, in America and many other western countries, religion is a taboo topic of discussion, they didn't understand why. It does seem like a pretty stupid thing to be offended about, but that's just a fact of the western world.
I have met a few Japanese people who claim to be Christians. One lady is very deeply involved in church and loves the bible, Jesus, God, singing hymns, etc. She might be a bit crazy, but I guess that's just what keeps her going. In one eikaiwa class, I had a discussion about religion and religious tolerance and wandered into the different systems of belief existing in the world. This woman claimed "I love everyone, but I don't like Mormons." She was disgusted by them, in fact. Just playing along and trying to prove my point, I told her that I was offended by that statement, being a Mormon myself. The look of dismay and terror that appeared on her face was priceless. My point was that if that conversation had been in a public place in the western world and someone overheard her say such a thing, there would have been some kind of confrontation. Sad but true.
FAMILY:
My parents are divorced. Both my mother and father have found new people spend their lives with. This is a concept very few children understand here, since many Japanese marriages are loveless anyway (of course not all, but many). I also have stepsisters, who I included in my family list. My mother is English and my father is American, she is brown and he is white. Her parents are from India, another country altogether from the rest of the family. When I gave my self-introduction to all the children and people of Yasuda-town, there were a slew of confused faces during the explanation of my family. Understandable, but I wasn't expecting there to be so much ignorance regarding these concepts. . .
I've also got extremely large grandparents on my father's side (my grandmother is 5'2", but weighs over 300 pounds) and it absolutely floored a number of people to see pictures of them, especially students. Granted, I live in one of the most slender countries in the world, but I didn't realize so many people would be petrified to know these large people existed and were actually related to me. No, they aren't sumo wrestlers. . .
PERSONAL BACKGROUND:
I studied Industrial Design and I am not sure whether or not I would like to pursue that field in the future. I'm sure not everyone in Japan knows what they want from the start, studies it, and becomes it, but there are many people surprised at my indecision.
I'm also leaving this incredible opportunity to join my beau in the joblessness of America because I love him. This is also something very uncommon in Japan. I'm not sure I appreciate this world where a job is more important than someone you love. . ,
In Japan, people tend to find that one or two things they like and only focus on those things. They typically have one club which they belong to and they get awesome at that one club activity, going there or practicing it (whatever it is) almost daily. It's difficult for them to imagine that I have lived a life of dabbling in this or that, that I am a "jack-of-all-trades and a master at nothing." I think I'll probably remain that way for the rest of my life. . . who knows, though! It was definitely hard for me to choose what to focus on even just coming to Japan for a few years!
ON AMERICA:
The United States of America is HUGE and, no matter how many times I say it, Japanese people don't seem to understand this. I'm often asked questions like, "What do Americans think about X?" and "In America, do people X?" and these questions, of course, are impossible to answer! Not everyone in America (or most any country for that matter) thinks and believes in and acts the same! It sounds very close-minded to say this, but there are a lot of national similarities between people in Japan, so I understand why they might think the same is true worldwide. This is just something that frustrates me to explain. For example, "Is it hot in America like it is in Japan?" Well. . .
It is also, understandable, difficult for Japanese people, in this homogenous society, to really grasp the internationalization that goes on in other countries like the U.S.. No matter how much I explain myself or my friends or that there are millions of immigrants who move to other countries to start lives either with or without families. I tried, though!
ON JAPAN:
I can use chopsticks. I have since I was young and many people here find that hard to believe. Apparently, only in Asian countries would anyone have access to such things. . . Good thing we don't go around telling people how amazingly skilled they are at using forks! I think they probably wouldn't even get it if there were. . . sarcasm doesn't translate so well sometimes. . .
There are many foods here which I don't like and won't eat - shiso leaves, whale, horse, certain kinds of fish and seaweeds, etc.. For some reason, most Japanese people seem to think Japanese cuisine trumps that of all other countries. They even think they invented most things, like curry and gyoza (Chinese dumplings) and don't believe me when I tell them these are not Japanese foods. I have never asked anyone something as ludicrous as "what do you think of American food, isn't it delicious!?" and I think people really expect me to tell them how amazing everything is in Japan.
When I first arrived, I was talking about how strange it was to pay roughly the equivalent of $10 for a single peach or $20 for a bowling ball-sized watermelon. I explained that I had a watermelon the size of a small pig once, which I purchased for $2 in Philadelphia. "Yes, but, don't you think Japanese watermelon tastes much better?" I was strangely offended by this statement, but told them honestly that they taste pretty much exactly the same. Intensely shocked faces followed. . .
Japan has this wonderful kind of music called enka which is a kind of traditional folk-song style, a lot of whiny sounds and singing high-pitched notes. Though elderly Japanese folks like to think their traditions and things are carried on and appreciated my their future generations, it is clearly NOT. It surprises me, though, that some people here seem to think we know their enka songs regardless of our language abilities. Rarely, you find a foreigner who is obsessed enough with the culture to enjoy enka, but not often. When asked about my feelings for enka, I replied that it was "maa - maa" or OK/ not too bad. I think they were expecting me to be thrilled by this music. I would probably say the same for J-pop. . .
Perhaps I am unusual in that I don't fake my enjoyment or appreciation or tolerance for things. I like being an honest person that way, rather than making everyone feel good about things all the time. It isn't that I'm necessarily negative, just that I would rather let people know the truth of things. In a culture where saving face is more important than honesty, quite a few bubbles have been burst in the past two years. . .
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Bye Bye Tupac!
Today, my old car (affectionately dubbed "Tupac") was finally taken away to die peacefully and get chopped into countless parts so other, newer cars can live. It had been sitting in the same spot for almost an entire year. It wouldn't start, at all, only make that very cartoon-like car-starting noise and then die, slowly and painfully. Last time I tried to get him going, smoke was streaming out from under the hood. . . he wasn't doing so well.
Anywho, after much delay, my supervisor called to inform me that they were finally coming to take him away. She drove me over to my house and we had a nice little chat on the way. "They say," she began, "that your. . . what's it. . . laundry? Um. . . " And I wasn't sure where it was going. I figured something maybe like "some of your things have blown away before" but she continued - "Umm. . . panties?" After living here and doing my laundry the same since I got here 2 YEARS AGO someone recently found it embarrassing, insulting, or inappropriate for my underwear to be hanging up drying with the rest of my clothes. . . She did continue to explain that if there was some kind of weird person out there, they might do something odd, like steal them, so maybe it was good she mentioned this. But, seriously, NOW!? I guess I should be lucky no creep has taken my panties. . . or worse. . . like in Muroto last year. . .
So strange. . . Thanks? haha. . .
Anywho, after much delay, my supervisor called to inform me that they were finally coming to take him away. She drove me over to my house and we had a nice little chat on the way. "They say," she began, "that your. . . what's it. . . laundry? Um. . . " And I wasn't sure where it was going. I figured something maybe like "some of your things have blown away before" but she continued - "Umm. . . panties?" After living here and doing my laundry the same since I got here 2 YEARS AGO someone recently found it embarrassing, insulting, or inappropriate for my underwear to be hanging up drying with the rest of my clothes. . . She did continue to explain that if there was some kind of weird person out there, they might do something odd, like steal them, so maybe it was good she mentioned this. But, seriously, NOW!? I guess I should be lucky no creep has taken my panties. . . or worse. . . like in Muroto last year. . .
So strange. . . Thanks? haha. . .
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
KA-RA-O-KE
They can't all love it, can they? Seriously? All of Japan obsessed with karaoke, drunken singing in a group of people 'til the wee small hours of the morning?
Um, yes. OBSESSED. I suppose it was invented here, though, wasn't it?
If you go to any city in this country, you will find numerous little izakayas (pubs) with a focus on late-night karaoke-ing. Giant cities, tiny towns, they've all got them, and plenty of them. When Steven lived in Fukuoka, we decided to take a night to check out the "young" part of the city, the really happening area where everyone parties until the sun comes up. You know what we found there before stumbling upon the nightclub we had been previously searching for? About fifty karaoke clubs. Rent rooms by the hour, all-you-can-drink, whatever and that was it, for the most part. In Philly, we often went to $2 Pint Night, which had karaoke as well, but it was more of a joke for most people. I remember there being something like this in Philadelphia called "Yakitori Boy" but it was one of the dodgiest places I remember coming across in that part of the city.
Anywho, there's something here called enka which is traditional Japanese songs sung in a loud, drawn-out, shaky voice from both men and women. It is actually quite adorable to watch the elderly take their limelight and croon to these toons. . . for no more than ten minutes, maybe. But they go on for hours and hours if you let them! I really can't take too much of it at once. All the songs start blurring together after a certain point and the night just becomes one whole blob of enka with some dinner and drinks on the side. I've had the pleasure of joining Yasuda townspeople in numerous enkais (parties) for random things like sports days, celebrating the end or beginning of the year, congratulating people for accompishing some event, or whatever else tickles their fancies. They LOVE to party in Yasuda!
I just walked back to school from a mid-day enkai which I was invited to attend by a member of the group (something like the Lions' Club in the U.S., I imagine). Needless to say I didn't drink at this one, which may be why it seemed so much longer than most others I have been to, but it was sweet. I had the honor of sitting next to the Mayor of Yasuda and being the youngest in the room (by decades and mostly half-centuries!). He proved to be an excellent enka singer! They tried their damnedest to get me to sing something, but I quickly reminded them that my Japanese is nowhere near good enough to sing these songs. They pointed out the Beatles songs in the back of the book, but I still declined saying that it would obviously be too difficult.
The truth is that tomorrow night I'll be attending a beer party in Nahari (a neigboring town) and there is no way I would be able to have this two days in a row. Either way, it was lovely to see these elderly folks enjoying themselves so much.
Um, yes. OBSESSED. I suppose it was invented here, though, wasn't it?
If you go to any city in this country, you will find numerous little izakayas (pubs) with a focus on late-night karaoke-ing. Giant cities, tiny towns, they've all got them, and plenty of them. When Steven lived in Fukuoka, we decided to take a night to check out the "young" part of the city, the really happening area where everyone parties until the sun comes up. You know what we found there before stumbling upon the nightclub we had been previously searching for? About fifty karaoke clubs. Rent rooms by the hour, all-you-can-drink, whatever and that was it, for the most part. In Philly, we often went to $2 Pint Night, which had karaoke as well, but it was more of a joke for most people. I remember there being something like this in Philadelphia called "Yakitori Boy" but it was one of the dodgiest places I remember coming across in that part of the city.
Anywho, there's something here called enka which is traditional Japanese songs sung in a loud, drawn-out, shaky voice from both men and women. It is actually quite adorable to watch the elderly take their limelight and croon to these toons. . . for no more than ten minutes, maybe. But they go on for hours and hours if you let them! I really can't take too much of it at once. All the songs start blurring together after a certain point and the night just becomes one whole blob of enka with some dinner and drinks on the side. I've had the pleasure of joining Yasuda townspeople in numerous enkais (parties) for random things like sports days, celebrating the end or beginning of the year, congratulating people for accompishing some event, or whatever else tickles their fancies. They LOVE to party in Yasuda!
I just walked back to school from a mid-day enkai which I was invited to attend by a member of the group (something like the Lions' Club in the U.S., I imagine). Needless to say I didn't drink at this one, which may be why it seemed so much longer than most others I have been to, but it was sweet. I had the honor of sitting next to the Mayor of Yasuda and being the youngest in the room (by decades and mostly half-centuries!). He proved to be an excellent enka singer! They tried their damnedest to get me to sing something, but I quickly reminded them that my Japanese is nowhere near good enough to sing these songs. They pointed out the Beatles songs in the back of the book, but I still declined saying that it would obviously be too difficult.
The truth is that tomorrow night I'll be attending a beer party in Nahari (a neigboring town) and there is no way I would be able to have this two days in a row. Either way, it was lovely to see these elderly folks enjoying themselves so much.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Eclipsed!
It only really seems appropriate that since my last post was complaining about the terrible technology that I've experienced in Japan, this one should explain that I am currently using a brand new, huge, beautiful and powerful laptop at work right now. So far, it is working really nicely, and faster than anything I have used thus far. Perhaps the thinking in keeping the caveman POS I had before around in the office was that it was letting the beast die naturally, a slow and painful death. It's about damn time. . .
Anywho, yesterday was a big day for many people all over the world. We had our first total (annular) solar eclipse of the 21st century. Southern parts of Japan (among a few others) had the best view of this phenomenon. LUCKY ME for living in Kochi right now! Even through all my shit luck, there are tiny rays of light like this. I've heard various things about how often these eclipses occur, from every 17-19 years to every 600 or so. I remember hearing about the one in 1994 and being amazed that our teachers were telling us to look at the sun, but safely, but glasses or something. It was beautiful and awe-inspiring. There are things in this world that really make me think about life and my place in the universe. I'm almost always freaked out when I think on these things for too long. However, this was just exciting and gorgeous. We really are so huge, yet so tiny. . .
Anywho, yesterday was a big day for many people all over the world. We had our first total (annular) solar eclipse of the 21st century. Southern parts of Japan (among a few others) had the best view of this phenomenon. LUCKY ME for living in Kochi right now! Even through all my shit luck, there are tiny rays of light like this. I've heard various things about how often these eclipses occur, from every 17-19 years to every 600 or so. I remember hearing about the one in 1994 and being amazed that our teachers were telling us to look at the sun, but safely, but glasses or something. It was beautiful and awe-inspiring. There are things in this world that really make me think about life and my place in the universe. I'm almost always freaked out when I think on these things for too long. However, this was just exciting and gorgeous. We really are so huge, yet so tiny. . .
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Technological Wonders of Japan
Japan: Masters of Technology.
Let me explain my experiences with technological wonders while living here the past two years. . .
When I arrived in this country, I desperately wanted to use the internet to contact people back home, let them know I was safe, etc. I was in Tokyo at the JET Programme Orientation and we were staying at the Keio Plaza Hotel, supposedly one of the best. My roommates and I were a bit surprised to find that we needed to plug ourselves into the one LAN cable provided in our room if we wanted to use the internet. Almost every place here might have internet, but it is almost always LAN, not wireless.
When I got to Kochi, I was a bit disappointed to find that there was not (and had never been) internet at my home. I don't blame anyone for being disconnected, but I actually enjoy the ability to go online when I feel like it in the privacy of my own house, especially for Skype conversations and the like. It took 2-3 months to get the line to my house and it was a bitch to get set up. I know others who had to wait even longer. I understand that we live in bumfuck nowhere, but that is a bit lame. . .
At work, I found that we all had laptops to use for classes and things. They are all about 5-6 years old, but they look and feel older than that. They all have disc drives in them still. And my schools still use floppy disks at work. I was shocked when I found that out. At the junior high school, I can see the external hard disc drive sitting on top of the computer since they are no longer made with them built in. Not a clue to stop using them? Hmmm. . .
The speed on these computers is almost unbearable sometimes. If I click something, it takes about a minute to register on the computer and actually react. I thought I could deal with that at first, maybe learn something about patience or whatever, but it has been slowly eating my brain waiting for the responses.
In the past few weeks, two of the three computers at my disposal in the town have crashed. No one understands what to do when it says to "insert the hard disc" to recover, so they think it is best to just get a new computer. I'm not going to argue with that!
Everyone has fancy applications on their phones. I'm not talking about iPhones or "smart" phones, per se, but even the "dumb" phones. For example, if I purchase this ridiculous little antenna, I can watch television programs on my keitai (cell phone). Instead of "texting" or "SMS"ing, we have our very own keitai emails, which can be annoying if you only have someone's phone number. I kind of appreciate being able to send a message to someone's number, less to remember/ program. Interesting concept, though, phone emails. Many people don't have a camera here, only using their keitai. I could never live using my keitai as my phone, camera, computer, and television all in one. . .
Speaking of televisions, mine has been obsolete for almost a year now. I paid for NHK (Japanese cable provider) for a full year and only was capable of using my TV until July of last year. As a result, the company is going to refund a few months of my bill which I had paid in advance. WIN! They have been harassing me to pay my supposedly voluntary dues for many months now. Hopefully, as a result of explaining that I have no TV viewing capabilities (TV, computer, or keitai), they will leave me alone from now on.
There have been many other amazing experiences with technology here, but I will quit ranting for now.
On a brighter note, if I have bills that need to be paid and I receive a paper bill or a bus or flight in Japan, etc., I can take it to the nearest convenience store to take care of them! That's something pretty special.
Let me explain my experiences with technological wonders while living here the past two years. . .
When I arrived in this country, I desperately wanted to use the internet to contact people back home, let them know I was safe, etc. I was in Tokyo at the JET Programme Orientation and we were staying at the Keio Plaza Hotel, supposedly one of the best. My roommates and I were a bit surprised to find that we needed to plug ourselves into the one LAN cable provided in our room if we wanted to use the internet. Almost every place here might have internet, but it is almost always LAN, not wireless.
When I got to Kochi, I was a bit disappointed to find that there was not (and had never been) internet at my home. I don't blame anyone for being disconnected, but I actually enjoy the ability to go online when I feel like it in the privacy of my own house, especially for Skype conversations and the like. It took 2-3 months to get the line to my house and it was a bitch to get set up. I know others who had to wait even longer. I understand that we live in bumfuck nowhere, but that is a bit lame. . .
At work, I found that we all had laptops to use for classes and things. They are all about 5-6 years old, but they look and feel older than that. They all have disc drives in them still. And my schools still use floppy disks at work. I was shocked when I found that out. At the junior high school, I can see the external hard disc drive sitting on top of the computer since they are no longer made with them built in. Not a clue to stop using them? Hmmm. . .
The speed on these computers is almost unbearable sometimes. If I click something, it takes about a minute to register on the computer and actually react. I thought I could deal with that at first, maybe learn something about patience or whatever, but it has been slowly eating my brain waiting for the responses.
In the past few weeks, two of the three computers at my disposal in the town have crashed. No one understands what to do when it says to "insert the hard disc" to recover, so they think it is best to just get a new computer. I'm not going to argue with that!
Everyone has fancy applications on their phones. I'm not talking about iPhones or "smart" phones, per se, but even the "dumb" phones. For example, if I purchase this ridiculous little antenna, I can watch television programs on my keitai (cell phone). Instead of "texting" or "SMS"ing, we have our very own keitai emails, which can be annoying if you only have someone's phone number. I kind of appreciate being able to send a message to someone's number, less to remember/ program. Interesting concept, though, phone emails. Many people don't have a camera here, only using their keitai. I could never live using my keitai as my phone, camera, computer, and television all in one. . .
Speaking of televisions, mine has been obsolete for almost a year now. I paid for NHK (Japanese cable provider) for a full year and only was capable of using my TV until July of last year. As a result, the company is going to refund a few months of my bill which I had paid in advance. WIN! They have been harassing me to pay my supposedly voluntary dues for many months now. Hopefully, as a result of explaining that I have no TV viewing capabilities (TV, computer, or keitai), they will leave me alone from now on.
There have been many other amazing experiences with technology here, but I will quit ranting for now.
On a brighter note, if I have bills that need to be paid and I receive a paper bill or a bus or flight in Japan, etc., I can take it to the nearest convenience store to take care of them! That's something pretty special.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Spring Daze
Yep, time is flying! I can't believe April is almost gone. It's pretty much Golden Week again!
Tomorrow, my friend Emily and I leave for Tokyo. We'll spend a day there, going to an exhibition about "exoticism", which should be pretty good. I hope to maybe check out Harajuku or something. I feel like that would be one of the only reasons for myself to travel in and around Tokyo, haha. Then, we're off to Gunma Prefecture to visit my Uncle who I haven't seen in 20 years! He has been in Japan for quite some time and married a Japanese girl last year. It will be nice to see him again and meet his lovely wife (who is the same age as me!). Hmmm. . . what Kochi omiyage (souvenirs) should I bring. . . ?
The weather these days is fantastic. I hate that this only tends to last a few weeks, though. Then, it gets stiflingly hot and humid and everything gets moldy. . . aaaaah, Japanese summer! Cherry blossoms have finished their brief appearance, but many other flowers are at their prime. Birds are singing, cicadas and crickets are buzzing through the night, fruit flies are attacking my kitchen, frogs are hopping in and out of the BOE pond. . . I've been running into more and more spiders these days. I met my first snake of the season and my first seasonal huntsman, too - about the size of a half dollar. I'm actually glad to think that by the time he is face-sized, I'll be heading back to the U.S. and won't have to keep looking out for him anymore!
Today we had "ensoku" (a kind of welcome party for the first years) at the junior high school. Students had teams and cooked curry. Then, we played sporty things, like running in a line to play janken (rock, paper, scissors). It was spitting a bit outside, but it's the nice kind of sprinkle, when the temperature is warm, but not sticky hot, a little chilly, actually. It's light jacket weather - my favorite! Also, this new JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) is lovely. I really appreciate her energy and enthusiasm as well as her ability to be loose and flexible. We're still getting to know each other and get used to each others' styles of teaching, etc., but I feel like this will be a nice way to leave my memories of teaching here.
This is a really, really, busy, busy time. . . I have about 3 months left in Yasuda, Kochi, Japan, and I'm trying to make the most of it while I can. We have a few more taiko shows coming up, maybe three. Emily and I will be playing in a taishogoto concert in June with about forty other (old) women, so that should be fun. There is a little festival on the west side of Kochi called "Hata Fest" going on in May and I'm making/ selling jewelry and fruit & nut mix for that. I'm having a "Gaggle of Girly Gaijin" party in the last weekend of May at my house. For Christmas, I was Secret Santa-ed a whole bunch of facial masques and there's no better time I can think of to use them! At some point soon, we (East side Kochi JETs) are planning a bike ride to a curry restaurant. We're all looking forward to that since it got rained out of last weekend's plans. There's also an art exhibition taking place in Ino near Kochi City where four lucky foreigners (Mia, Emily, Jono, and myself) have been invited to participate! I've been very busy doodling monsters and such. It's pretty exciting and, though Ino is pretty small, a few of us have decided to dub this the "Ino Biennale". WOO! At the opening reception of this show, Mia was asked to perform something and she and I will also do a bit of a duet. It will be my first time actually singing to an audience in Japan and I hope they enjoy it. Definitely a lot to look forward to!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Aaaand It Starts Again
That was a very quick spring break. Now it's time for students to come back and start a new year of learning. I keep forgetting that they will all be one grade further next time I see them. I have had random occasions where I see some students playing here or there in Yasuda and they all look way bigger than they did last year, just after a week or two! Crazy. . .
Today was the day for 新入式 (shinnyuushiki - new student entrance ceremonies) and I forgot about the formalities. I dressed myself colorfully as usual today. Usually, it comes off as semi-professional to say the least, but today it was nowhere near that. . . I had on a flannel shirt and a gray jersey dress with orange tights and my orange and blue shisa(Okinawan lion statue) earrings. I looked like I was going to meet my friend in the park or something.
The looks of shock I saw on the faces of the other teachers made me feel somewhat bad, somewhat glad. Everyone was wearing suits and pearl necklaces and things. I stood out, as always, like a giant sore thumb. I was obviously a little embarrassed for many reasons: my predecessor wore a suit, blouse, and tie every single day during his four years here, suits and ties are black and gray while my blue, green, and orange are quite a distracting way to be different, no one is used to someone mucking up their 'special events' like this. I also had to give a short self-intro each time. I should have known more to say, but I didn't. On the other hand, it felt good to show them that I was still never conforming to their ways of being. The idea of us giving them some internationalization gets swallowed up by their attempts at making us more Japanese. I've never bent and I certainly am not going to start now. It gave the 'new' students and their parents an idea of what I was actually like.
I felt the worst because I was late to the 中学校 (chuugakkou - junior high school) ceremony this morning. Oh well, school will be beginning this week and it will be interesting to see how much I can get done with my students before they are no longer my students. It will also be interesting to work with a new JTE (Japanese teacher of English) at the JHS. She seems like fun. The elementary school teachers seem to be teaching the appropriate grades finally. In one way, I am hoping this time flies by (which I know it will) but I also hope to enjoy the remainder of my time as the Yasuda ALT.
Today was the day for 新入式 (shinnyuushiki - new student entrance ceremonies) and I forgot about the formalities. I dressed myself colorfully as usual today. Usually, it comes off as semi-professional to say the least, but today it was nowhere near that. . . I had on a flannel shirt and a gray jersey dress with orange tights and my orange and blue shisa(Okinawan lion statue) earrings. I looked like I was going to meet my friend in the park or something.
The looks of shock I saw on the faces of the other teachers made me feel somewhat bad, somewhat glad. Everyone was wearing suits and pearl necklaces and things. I stood out, as always, like a giant sore thumb. I was obviously a little embarrassed for many reasons: my predecessor wore a suit, blouse, and tie every single day during his four years here, suits and ties are black and gray while my blue, green, and orange are quite a distracting way to be different, no one is used to someone mucking up their 'special events' like this. I also had to give a short self-intro each time. I should have known more to say, but I didn't. On the other hand, it felt good to show them that I was still never conforming to their ways of being. The idea of us giving them some internationalization gets swallowed up by their attempts at making us more Japanese. I've never bent and I certainly am not going to start now. It gave the 'new' students and their parents an idea of what I was actually like.
I felt the worst because I was late to the 中学校 (chuugakkou - junior high school) ceremony this morning. Oh well, school will be beginning this week and it will be interesting to see how much I can get done with my students before they are no longer my students. It will also be interesting to work with a new JTE (Japanese teacher of English) at the JHS. She seems like fun. The elementary school teachers seem to be teaching the appropriate grades finally. In one way, I am hoping this time flies by (which I know it will) but I also hope to enjoy the remainder of my time as the Yasuda ALT.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Graduation Time
Soooo. . .
Every year in Japan, the end of March signifies the end of the school year, the ending of winter, the beginning of spring, and a time for great changes. Cherry blossoms start to bloom, everyone is much happier about being here because the weather is actually tolerable. There are too many enkais (work parties) to count.
A typical graduation ceremony:
sit
stand
bow
sit
bow
bow
sing
sing
bow
speech
bow
bow
bow
stand
bow
sit
bow
bow
bow
speech
bow
bow
speech
bow
bow
speech
bow
bow
speech
bow
bow
stand
sing
bow
sit
bow
bow
speech
bow
sing
bow
bow
stand
bow
bow
for about two hours.
These ceremonies really make me hate the ceremonial culture in Japan which regards crying as acceptable but not smiling. Everyone wears black or gray and the entire occasion is way too serious for what it is. This goes for all ages, kindergarten through junior high. I don't have high school here, but I imagine it is pretty similar. It also doesn't need to take over two hours to accomplish everything. The speeches from officials are all generic and the speeches the students make to one another are recited in unison, which sounds robotic and makes them seem apathetic (which, I'm pretty sure, they are). It's also a strange time to see people getting emotional. This year, a large chunk of the junior high school boys starting crying like crazy during their graduation. It was strange to see them like that, these little punk rockers and baseball players in tears. . .
That all being said, I finished the year off with a Spring Dance for the JHS students. It wasn't quite as successful as the first one since I asked for them to give ￥100 to get in. There were also many students who graduated and wanted to go, but had to move to their dorms for high school and things. Still, many enjoyed their time there experiencing this western idea of a dance party. We stayed in our giant circle with a few people popping in and out to solo dance every so often. I ended up painting some faces, which I think they had never seen before judging by their reactions. Again, like an idiot, I forgot to take photos of the place all set up. . . next time? They always ask for another one, but they'll have to earn it this time by being awesome students in the new school year! Haha. . .
Every year in Japan, the end of March signifies the end of the school year, the ending of winter, the beginning of spring, and a time for great changes. Cherry blossoms start to bloom, everyone is much happier about being here because the weather is actually tolerable. There are too many enkais (work parties) to count.
A typical graduation ceremony:
sit
stand
bow
sit
bow
bow
sing
sing
bow
speech
bow
bow
bow
stand
bow
sit
bow
bow
bow
speech
bow
bow
speech
bow
bow
speech
bow
bow
speech
bow
bow
stand
sing
bow
sit
bow
bow
speech
bow
sing
bow
bow
stand
bow
bow
for about two hours.
These ceremonies really make me hate the ceremonial culture in Japan which regards crying as acceptable but not smiling. Everyone wears black or gray and the entire occasion is way too serious for what it is. This goes for all ages, kindergarten through junior high. I don't have high school here, but I imagine it is pretty similar. It also doesn't need to take over two hours to accomplish everything. The speeches from officials are all generic and the speeches the students make to one another are recited in unison, which sounds robotic and makes them seem apathetic (which, I'm pretty sure, they are). It's also a strange time to see people getting emotional. This year, a large chunk of the junior high school boys starting crying like crazy during their graduation. It was strange to see them like that, these little punk rockers and baseball players in tears. . .
That all being said, I finished the year off with a Spring Dance for the JHS students. It wasn't quite as successful as the first one since I asked for them to give ￥100 to get in. There were also many students who graduated and wanted to go, but had to move to their dorms for high school and things. Still, many enjoyed their time there experiencing this western idea of a dance party. We stayed in our giant circle with a few people popping in and out to solo dance every so often. I ended up painting some faces, which I think they had never seen before judging by their reactions. Again, like an idiot, I forgot to take photos of the place all set up. . . next time? They always ask for another one, but they'll have to earn it this time by being awesome students in the new school year! Haha. . .
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Lunch Today
Today I had lunch with 小学校 1年生 students (elementary school 1st graders) and it was ever so lovely. . .
The meal was fine, some saucy meat and veggies, bowl of rice, bowl of soup, and a scrumptious piece of strawberry/ vanilla cake! The students I ate with (there are only 6 of them in that grade) were all excited that I was there, as always. It's adorable to see them excited like that.
They also really enjoy watching the way I eat and copying me. . . they never get the chance to see such strange and exciting things during meals! Once before, we had a long roll of bread and some weird kind of pumpkin, onion, cheesy stuff. The pumpkin stuff was a bit strange on its own and the bread was dry, so I put them together in a sandwich. Sounds normal to me, but these kids went NUTS! Everyone made these sandwiches. They also like when I dip my bread into the soup and copy that as well. Today, we had that saucy stuff and rice, which I mixed together and they all went nuts again. This is just not done here, the mixing of food things. They assured each other, as they tried it, that it didn't taste bad. It was actually delicious! The teachers usually give a faint look of disapproval, but the kids love it.
We also have random little chats together These are the moments that make these awkward times worthwhile!
The meal was fine, some saucy meat and veggies, bowl of rice, bowl of soup, and a scrumptious piece of strawberry/ vanilla cake! The students I ate with (there are only 6 of them in that grade) were all excited that I was there, as always. It's adorable to see them excited like that.
They also really enjoy watching the way I eat and copying me. . . they never get the chance to see such strange and exciting things during meals! Once before, we had a long roll of bread and some weird kind of pumpkin, onion, cheesy stuff. The pumpkin stuff was a bit strange on its own and the bread was dry, so I put them together in a sandwich. Sounds normal to me, but these kids went NUTS! Everyone made these sandwiches. They also like when I dip my bread into the soup and copy that as well. Today, we had that saucy stuff and rice, which I mixed together and they all went nuts again. This is just not done here, the mixing of food things. They assured each other, as they tried it, that it didn't taste bad. It was actually delicious! The teachers usually give a faint look of disapproval, but the kids love it.
We also have random little chats together These are the moments that make these awkward times worthwhile!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Conformity, かな?
I barely noticed in my first months of being here, but pretty quickly after I became adjusted to life in Japan I noticed how incredibly conformed everyone is here. . . Well, I'm not sure whether that is a completely accurate term to use in all of these cases, but I guess it gets my point across a bit more clearly than something like "similar liking or doing of things"? It's pretty frightening when I think about it, actually. Let me list a few of these ways:
> When confused, everyone tips their head at the same angle, same direction, and makes an inquisitive "mmmm?" noise in the same manner.
> When speaking to a public audience, people change the tone of their voices to a higher, gentler tone. Maybe some of us foreigners also do this a bit (I don't think so, not in the same way) but they all sound the same and make such drastic changes to their tone of voice that I can't usually recognize them by voice alone when they make a speech.
> When shocked, everyone makes a ghastly "EEEEEEEEEEH!?" noise and, regardless of the amount of real shock, regardless of gender or age, everyone grunts this out the same. Think of Tim Allen on Home Improvement. . .
> When hot and sunny, everyone (especially women and possibly excluding the farmers and swimmers) covers their entire body from head to toe in ridiculous-looking wind breaker clothing. They wear gloves to drive, enormous hats and jackets, they cover everything but no one really wears sunglasses. . . interesting. . . every conversation begins with "あついね？" (atsui, ne? (hot, isn't it?))
> When cold, everyone pulls out their plastic, puffy jackets. Every conversation begins with "さむいね？" (samui, ne? (cold, isn't it?))
> At graduation ceremonies, everyone wears black. No one really smiles because everyone is waaaaay too serious. Even the students, who are both happy and sad to be ending their time there and want to smile have to stifle it for the 2-hour-long ceremony. They'd rather them start crying than smiling! I thought this was supposed to be a happy occasion!?
> When an event goes on away from school and the teachers and students eat lunch during this event, all the faculty members order a bento lunch from the same place. I know, this is somewhat convenient, no worry about remembering to pack something or whatever. HOWEVER, they usually don't even like what is in the bento they bought.
I once brought a lunch I had made to one of these events and ate lunch with everyone. They stared at me in shock and giggled to each other as I took a bite of a raw carrot. . .amazing!?
> People are afraid to dance at a dance party. I guarantee that no matter where you go in Japan, you will find the same thing: people face the musician/ DJ/ whatever and bob their heads together, maybe clap, maybe move a few other parts of their body, but not many actually dance. Nor do they turn away from the musician. It just feels so weird. . .
> When getting drinks or something together, a group of Japanese people will almost always order the same thing. If two or three want beer, everyone else does too. Even if they don't like beer or initially wanted a chu-hai (fizzy cocktail with Japanese vodka and flavored syrup).
> All sketches by students look exactly the same. They are either little cute things or manga (Japanese comic) drawings. If you ask a child to draw a picture of something, especially of food, it will almost always look the same. For example, grapes are always a bunch of small circles which have a little 'T' vine at the top, Curry will always be a brown half circle next to a white half circle. I find it a little strange and sad. . .
> People make the same exact comments and ask the same questions to every gaijin (foreigner) all over Japan. . . "Wow, you can use chopsticks!?" / "Your Japanese is very good!" (even if you only said arigatou. . . ) / "Have you ever tried Japanese sake/ sushi/ tempura/ tea?". . . the list goes on and is full of things which are somewhat insulting, inferring that we are thought to be completely ignorant of other cultures.
> It seems like most Japanese people want to travel to the same parts of the world to see the same things. I can't tell you how many people I have heard talking about this or that place which is amazing and any time anyone goes there, it's always full of Japanese tourists!
> When eating certain foods, everyone uses the same utensil. Yes, they use chopsticks for most things, but there are certain dishes (like curry and rice) where you are expected to use a spoon. It might not be so bad if they didn't freak out when they saw you using something else!
> When a teacher notices a student doing something unique (especially in elementary school), something other students are all doing the other way, instead of praise, they are reprimanded. I realize this probably depends on the teacher you have, but I typically notice the teacher correcting the student from their individualized way to be like all the others.
> People are afraid to question things here. Either that or they don't really care. If you ask a question about why they do something, you usually get the same answers. (For example: "Why do you eat whale?" "Because it is Japanese tradition.")
> Weddings (or at least the receptions) are beautiful, elaborate TV show put on by hotels. Apparently, they are almost all the same, depending on the part of Japan you are in. These parties have just been completely commercialized into something the bride, groom, and guests are shuffled through so that the next bride may have her party. Coming from a place where those I know and love put their hearts and souls into a very personal wedding party, it just felt strange to experience this.
> I would have to say that over 90% of vehicles here are white, silver, or some other kind of neutral/ stone color. It is a rare excitement to see a brightly colored vehicle and, considering that they don't like to stick out, not many people approach the rainbow-ed cars.
> There is quite an eerie obsession with cherry blossoms (さくら sakura) here. Not just by women, not just by a few people, but by the entire nation. I mean, a little too much infatuation with the flower. Yes, I definitely admit it is beautiful and there is something poetic to Japanese culture in that they come out for a few weeks, they are beautiful and make others happy for that time, and then they die. However, you can't escape them! Cherry blossoms cover everything: all manner of materials, clothing, books, pottery, cars, cakes (not just the look of a flower, actual cherry blossom flavored things, not so nice!), BEER cans!?. . . the list goes on for days. Everyone sets up a time to go do 花見 (はなみ cherry blossom viewing) and have picnics and beer under the trees. Nice, but gives me a creepy feeling when I see them on and in everything, everywhere. . .
> I'm sure there are plenty more. . . feel free to add some in the comments if you know of any. . .
Again, I understand the simplicity of it all; people sometimes enjoy a sense of belonging which they gain in doing and liking the same things as others. It just really bothers me to see people afraid of expressing themselves or doing/ getting what they actually want just because they would become the odd one out. Here, it is not a good thing to be different from others. There's a saying that's very popular in Japan. . . "The nail that sticks out needs to be hammered down." Enough said.
> When confused, everyone tips their head at the same angle, same direction, and makes an inquisitive "mmmm?" noise in the same manner.
> When speaking to a public audience, people change the tone of their voices to a higher, gentler tone. Maybe some of us foreigners also do this a bit (I don't think so, not in the same way) but they all sound the same and make such drastic changes to their tone of voice that I can't usually recognize them by voice alone when they make a speech.
> When shocked, everyone makes a ghastly "EEEEEEEEEEH!?" noise and, regardless of the amount of real shock, regardless of gender or age, everyone grunts this out the same. Think of Tim Allen on Home Improvement. . .
> When hot and sunny, everyone (especially women and possibly excluding the farmers and swimmers) covers their entire body from head to toe in ridiculous-looking wind breaker clothing. They wear gloves to drive, enormous hats and jackets, they cover everything but no one really wears sunglasses. . . interesting. . . every conversation begins with "あついね？" (atsui, ne? (hot, isn't it?))
> When cold, everyone pulls out their plastic, puffy jackets. Every conversation begins with "さむいね？" (samui, ne? (cold, isn't it?))
> At graduation ceremonies, everyone wears black. No one really smiles because everyone is waaaaay too serious. Even the students, who are both happy and sad to be ending their time there and want to smile have to stifle it for the 2-hour-long ceremony. They'd rather them start crying than smiling! I thought this was supposed to be a happy occasion!?
> When an event goes on away from school and the teachers and students eat lunch during this event, all the faculty members order a bento lunch from the same place. I know, this is somewhat convenient, no worry about remembering to pack something or whatever. HOWEVER, they usually don't even like what is in the bento they bought.
I once brought a lunch I had made to one of these events and ate lunch with everyone. They stared at me in shock and giggled to each other as I took a bite of a raw carrot. . .amazing!?
> People are afraid to dance at a dance party. I guarantee that no matter where you go in Japan, you will find the same thing: people face the musician/ DJ/ whatever and bob their heads together, maybe clap, maybe move a few other parts of their body, but not many actually dance. Nor do they turn away from the musician. It just feels so weird. . .
> When getting drinks or something together, a group of Japanese people will almost always order the same thing. If two or three want beer, everyone else does too. Even if they don't like beer or initially wanted a chu-hai (fizzy cocktail with Japanese vodka and flavored syrup).
> All sketches by students look exactly the same. They are either little cute things or manga (Japanese comic) drawings. If you ask a child to draw a picture of something, especially of food, it will almost always look the same. For example, grapes are always a bunch of small circles which have a little 'T' vine at the top, Curry will always be a brown half circle next to a white half circle. I find it a little strange and sad. . .
> People make the same exact comments and ask the same questions to every gaijin (foreigner) all over Japan. . . "Wow, you can use chopsticks!?" / "Your Japanese is very good!" (even if you only said arigatou. . . ) / "Have you ever tried Japanese sake/ sushi/ tempura/ tea?". . . the list goes on and is full of things which are somewhat insulting, inferring that we are thought to be completely ignorant of other cultures.
> It seems like most Japanese people want to travel to the same parts of the world to see the same things. I can't tell you how many people I have heard talking about this or that place which is amazing and any time anyone goes there, it's always full of Japanese tourists!
> When eating certain foods, everyone uses the same utensil. Yes, they use chopsticks for most things, but there are certain dishes (like curry and rice) where you are expected to use a spoon. It might not be so bad if they didn't freak out when they saw you using something else!
> When a teacher notices a student doing something unique (especially in elementary school), something other students are all doing the other way, instead of praise, they are reprimanded. I realize this probably depends on the teacher you have, but I typically notice the teacher correcting the student from their individualized way to be like all the others.
> People are afraid to question things here. Either that or they don't really care. If you ask a question about why they do something, you usually get the same answers. (For example: "Why do you eat whale?" "Because it is Japanese tradition.")
> Weddings (or at least the receptions) are beautiful, elaborate TV show put on by hotels. Apparently, they are almost all the same, depending on the part of Japan you are in. These parties have just been completely commercialized into something the bride, groom, and guests are shuffled through so that the next bride may have her party. Coming from a place where those I know and love put their hearts and souls into a very personal wedding party, it just felt strange to experience this.
> I would have to say that over 90% of vehicles here are white, silver, or some other kind of neutral/ stone color. It is a rare excitement to see a brightly colored vehicle and, considering that they don't like to stick out, not many people approach the rainbow-ed cars.
> There is quite an eerie obsession with cherry blossoms (さくら sakura) here. Not just by women, not just by a few people, but by the entire nation. I mean, a little too much infatuation with the flower. Yes, I definitely admit it is beautiful and there is something poetic to Japanese culture in that they come out for a few weeks, they are beautiful and make others happy for that time, and then they die. However, you can't escape them! Cherry blossoms cover everything: all manner of materials, clothing, books, pottery, cars, cakes (not just the look of a flower, actual cherry blossom flavored things, not so nice!), BEER cans!?. . . the list goes on for days. Everyone sets up a time to go do 花見 (はなみ cherry blossom viewing) and have picnics and beer under the trees. Nice, but gives me a creepy feeling when I see them on and in everything, everywhere. . .
> I'm sure there are plenty more. . . feel free to add some in the comments if you know of any. . .
Again, I understand the simplicity of it all; people sometimes enjoy a sense of belonging which they gain in doing and liking the same things as others. It just really bothers me to see people afraid of expressing themselves or doing/ getting what they actually want just because they would become the odd one out. Here, it is not a good thing to be different from others. There's a saying that's very popular in Japan. . . "The nail that sticks out needs to be hammered down." Enough said.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
YES, I'd Like That Extra Food!!!
I'd like to take this little wedge of time I have left after eating lunch to bitch about something quickly that has been irritating me since I got to Japan. . .
WHY do these women think only men should have extra food? Whenever there is another lunch or unequal portions of food for our lunches, the people serving up (usually the office ladies) don't even think twice about making sure the men get it. Only the men. Even if they don't want it!
Today, I watched the guy sitting across from me make a face of agony as the lunch lady of the day brought over a whole tray of food that no one claimed. He was clearly full and didn't want any of it, but he took a bit anyway. Then, she skipped right over me and went to the other young guy across the room who shoved his face full also struggling to fit it all in his tiny stomach.
This has been the case several times since I have come to Japan and it still baffles me. I understand these women are mostly paper thin and don't want to pack themselves full of food, but I am not quite the same. I'm a pretty big girl and I LOVE TO EAT. I wish there was even the thought of offering that extra food to me. . . it's just the way they think and anyone who thinks otherwise is an outcast and that is not what people do here. I HATE it.
Sincerely,
~Hungry Me
WHY do these women think only men should have extra food? Whenever there is another lunch or unequal portions of food for our lunches, the people serving up (usually the office ladies) don't even think twice about making sure the men get it. Only the men. Even if they don't want it!
Today, I watched the guy sitting across from me make a face of agony as the lunch lady of the day brought over a whole tray of food that no one claimed. He was clearly full and didn't want any of it, but he took a bit anyway. Then, she skipped right over me and went to the other young guy across the room who shoved his face full also struggling to fit it all in his tiny stomach.
This has been the case several times since I have come to Japan and it still baffles me. I understand these women are mostly paper thin and don't want to pack themselves full of food, but I am not quite the same. I'm a pretty big girl and I LOVE TO EAT. I wish there was even the thought of offering that extra food to me. . . it's just the way they think and anyone who thinks otherwise is an outcast and that is not what people do here. I HATE it.
Sincerely,
~Hungry Me
Time for "Graduation"
Well, it's that time of year again where the eldest students in the schools "graduate" to the next school. I have eight kindergarten, twenty elementary school, and twenty nine junior high school students moving up.
I will miss these JHS kids the most since I won't get them as high schoolers (Yasuda Town is too small) . . . last year, the 3年生 (sannensei) students were terrible to me. I was glad to see them go, but these kids are great. They usually try pretty hard, show interest, and have fun. I made them all CDs as a thanks for being awesome. I hope they like them. They were a bit concerned when I told them there would be no Japanese music, only foreign music. I just want to expose them a little, haha. . .
I will miss these JHS kids the most since I won't get them as high schoolers (Yasuda Town is too small) . . . last year, the 3年生 (sannensei) students were terrible to me. I was glad to see them go, but these kids are great. They usually try pretty hard, show interest, and have fun. I made them all CDs as a thanks for being awesome. I hope they like them. They were a bit concerned when I told them there would be no Japanese music, only foreign music. I just want to expose them a little, haha. . .
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Why Do They Always Find Me!?
It seems like every time I live abroad, the religious nuts find me. . . and approach me. . . and try to talk to me about "the way to be". . . and it always leaves me frustrated and angry and baffled as to how they always manage to pick me out of the crowd! Why me? Do I ooze helplessness? Do I look gullible? Do they think I'm just some heathen brown person because I'm not wearing a cross necklace? WHY!?
When I was in Australia, my friend and I were sitting in a park, studying. A big, red-haired man came over to us and sat down. We thought maybe he was just some dude looking to lay in the sun for the day. But, no. He began talking to us about God. About some religious cult he belonged to where they all lived in a "commune" and those who worked provided for everyone else, everything was shared, everything was peaceful and beautiful, etc. I'm not shy to these, really. Yes, they tend to irritate me, but I do enjoy having a bit of debate here and there regarding personal matters. This guy ended the conversation basically by letting me know what a selfish bitch I was for using my money to study abroad and do things for myself and that God would not be happy about that. We all will go to hell unless we join his incredible commune. . . what a grand time that was!
My town is tiny - less than 3,000 people live here and I would say about 75% of them are over 75 years of age. When I walk down the shrine steps to go to work sometimes, across the road is a small dip off the road where people sometimes sell food or whatever. There's a young guy who makes and sells takoyaki from a van, but he's harmless, very quiet. Then, there's a man who also has a van and he makes and sells all kinds of popped grain treats: sugar-coated popcorn, wheat, rice, etc. The first time I met him had to have been about a year and a half ago. He barely speaks English and was nice enough, but then suddenly, out of the blue, asked if I liked God. Hmmm. . . a bit forward and strange to hear from a Japanese guy. It turned out he is Jehovah's Witness. I really thought most people here were either Buddhist or Shinto. I tried to be gentile and explain "No, sorry, I'm not interested" but DAMN was he persistent! Long story short, he gave me a few things to read (only one of which had any English in it), I returned them to him still saying no, thanks, and we left each other in peace, munching on sweet popped grains.
This guy knows my name, where I live, how old I am, etc. and whenever I see him, he lights up and tries again and again to get me to believe in God. He also tries to give me the popcorn and things, but I always insist on paying. I don't want him to be able to use this against me later, haha!
For the past few months, there have been these two lovely ladies inviting themselves into my house for a chat every so often (about once a month). They first showed up to my door one day when I was finally relaxing and having time to myself one Saturday afternoon, bra-less, in comfy PJs, and definitely not too open to having company. I had no idea who they were. One is younger and has relatively good English-speaking ability and the other is older and has quite limited conversation skills. They were wondering if they could possibly come in and chat. I figured they wanted a little extra English practice or something. I was hesitating a lot and hinting at my lack of preparation for guests and they asked if they could come back the following weekend. Not knowing what was going on, I said that would be ok. That's when the younger explained that they heard about me from the popcorn man. Woop. Woop. It all came together now. They were Jehovah's Witnesses and they found me. AGH!
When they came, they were sweet and brought food - the younger made a sweet potato cake and the elder made some kind of funky pesto stuff and bread. I didn't invite them upstairs, but instead set up a small area downstairs in the tatami room. I served it all up for the three of us and we started talking the usual small talk, where we're from, what we do, interests, hobbies, etc. To my surprise religion didn't really come up until they were going to leave. The entire two hours felt so strange, a little fake, superficial. . . This was in December. I told them I was busy until at least the middle of January. They then invited themselves over again in the middle of January.
I had completely forgotten about when they said they were coming. I had been laying around in comfy PJs again, but this time I was pretty sick and really didn't want to be around people. They stayed anyway! Not very "Japanese", I don't think. . . They both brought a little gift, 2 boxes of tissues and a bag of salty rice snacks. This time, the elder one brought origami paper and we showed each other some cute things. Again, religion was not much in the conversation, but I could tell they kind of wanted it to come about. I let them know that no matter what was said, my views on religion were not going to change, thinking that maybe this would deter them from coming again. It didn't. They told me a date in February and I felt like a dick wanting to refuse, so I said it would be all right. DAMN them for being so nice! When that date came around, I was seriously sick again, so they said they would come at another time. I'm pretty sure they came this past weekend, but I was in Okayama at a festival (something I had told them previously). I'm also busy for the next few weeks.
I hope they forget about it, but I doubt they will. I don't want the awkwardness. I don't want to invite people into my house that invited themselves in the first place! These women are such blind followers to their faith that I wouldn't even be able to say something and hear a proper retort. They don't even speak English well enough to get their points across to me and don't know enough Japanese to respond deeply enough.
Yesterday, I passed the popcorn man and bought no sweet treats. . .
When I was in Australia, my friend and I were sitting in a park, studying. A big, red-haired man came over to us and sat down. We thought maybe he was just some dude looking to lay in the sun for the day. But, no. He began talking to us about God. About some religious cult he belonged to where they all lived in a "commune" and those who worked provided for everyone else, everything was shared, everything was peaceful and beautiful, etc. I'm not shy to these, really. Yes, they tend to irritate me, but I do enjoy having a bit of debate here and there regarding personal matters. This guy ended the conversation basically by letting me know what a selfish bitch I was for using my money to study abroad and do things for myself and that God would not be happy about that. We all will go to hell unless we join his incredible commune. . . what a grand time that was!
My town is tiny - less than 3,000 people live here and I would say about 75% of them are over 75 years of age. When I walk down the shrine steps to go to work sometimes, across the road is a small dip off the road where people sometimes sell food or whatever. There's a young guy who makes and sells takoyaki from a van, but he's harmless, very quiet. Then, there's a man who also has a van and he makes and sells all kinds of popped grain treats: sugar-coated popcorn, wheat, rice, etc. The first time I met him had to have been about a year and a half ago. He barely speaks English and was nice enough, but then suddenly, out of the blue, asked if I liked God. Hmmm. . . a bit forward and strange to hear from a Japanese guy. It turned out he is Jehovah's Witness. I really thought most people here were either Buddhist or Shinto. I tried to be gentile and explain "No, sorry, I'm not interested" but DAMN was he persistent! Long story short, he gave me a few things to read (only one of which had any English in it), I returned them to him still saying no, thanks, and we left each other in peace, munching on sweet popped grains.
This guy knows my name, where I live, how old I am, etc. and whenever I see him, he lights up and tries again and again to get me to believe in God. He also tries to give me the popcorn and things, but I always insist on paying. I don't want him to be able to use this against me later, haha!
For the past few months, there have been these two lovely ladies inviting themselves into my house for a chat every so often (about once a month). They first showed up to my door one day when I was finally relaxing and having time to myself one Saturday afternoon, bra-less, in comfy PJs, and definitely not too open to having company. I had no idea who they were. One is younger and has relatively good English-speaking ability and the other is older and has quite limited conversation skills. They were wondering if they could possibly come in and chat. I figured they wanted a little extra English practice or something. I was hesitating a lot and hinting at my lack of preparation for guests and they asked if they could come back the following weekend. Not knowing what was going on, I said that would be ok. That's when the younger explained that they heard about me from the popcorn man. Woop. Woop. It all came together now. They were Jehovah's Witnesses and they found me. AGH!
When they came, they were sweet and brought food - the younger made a sweet potato cake and the elder made some kind of funky pesto stuff and bread. I didn't invite them upstairs, but instead set up a small area downstairs in the tatami room. I served it all up for the three of us and we started talking the usual small talk, where we're from, what we do, interests, hobbies, etc. To my surprise religion didn't really come up until they were going to leave. The entire two hours felt so strange, a little fake, superficial. . . This was in December. I told them I was busy until at least the middle of January. They then invited themselves over again in the middle of January.
I had completely forgotten about when they said they were coming. I had been laying around in comfy PJs again, but this time I was pretty sick and really didn't want to be around people. They stayed anyway! Not very "Japanese", I don't think. . . They both brought a little gift, 2 boxes of tissues and a bag of salty rice snacks. This time, the elder one brought origami paper and we showed each other some cute things. Again, religion was not much in the conversation, but I could tell they kind of wanted it to come about. I let them know that no matter what was said, my views on religion were not going to change, thinking that maybe this would deter them from coming again. It didn't. They told me a date in February and I felt like a dick wanting to refuse, so I said it would be all right. DAMN them for being so nice! When that date came around, I was seriously sick again, so they said they would come at another time. I'm pretty sure they came this past weekend, but I was in Okayama at a festival (something I had told them previously). I'm also busy for the next few weeks.
I hope they forget about it, but I doubt they will. I don't want the awkwardness. I don't want to invite people into my house that invited themselves in the first place! These women are such blind followers to their faith that I wouldn't even be able to say something and hear a proper retort. They don't even speak English well enough to get their points across to me and don't know enough Japanese to respond deeply enough.
Yesterday, I passed the popcorn man and bought no sweet treats. . .
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Haiku
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
My job being the busy, crazy mess itis should be, I had a bit of time to reflect upon some of my experiences and thoughts in and on Japan and Japanese culture. I wrote them as haiku poems, which are a Japanese style of poem or three lines with syllables or 5-7-5 respectively. I was told just that, as a Japanese rule, haiku are supposed to have one "seasonal word" per poem. Oh well. . . Here are a few:
_________________We sit patiently
_____________Awaiting something to do
_______________genki, but asleep. . .
.......................................Freezing, dry winter.
...................................Sweaty, moldy, moist summer.
.........................................This is Japan, ne?
*******************くも、へび、か (spider, snake, mosquito)
****************じしん、つなみ、たいふ (earthquake, tsunami, typhoon)
*****************Isn't it swell here?
,,,,,Lost in years gone by
,cultures clashing, old and new
,,,,,,,tradition abuse?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dear Fukuoka,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~you've taken this love of mine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~now prepare for me!
-----------------------------------Curiosity
--------------------------nothing to be questioned here
-------------------------------simply a faux pas
'''''''Photos can't capture
'''''never descriptive enough
'''''''to share the moments
```````````````````````````````````````Ignorance can't be
`````````````````````````````````as blissful as thought before
`````````````````````````````````````don't you want to know?
_______________My lips need your lips
___________or these chilly winter nights
_______________will drag on too long
...............................................Years spent teaching speech
................................................and the conversation ends
..............................................."Fine, thank you, and you?"
***************************What's in front of me?
****************chicken? beef? pork? goat? fish? whale?
***************************no one ever asks. . .
,,,,,,,,Great innovation
,,,of things that already are
,,,,,,,,congratulations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bad luck, rabbit year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Come on, dragon, make this great!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Soothe my soul again!
-----------------------Quizzes and testing
-----------------what defines one's excellence?
-----------------------one may never know
``````````````````````````````````````````````the minutes drag on ````````````````````````````````````````today they don't need me here ````````````````````````````````````````````````as I sit and wait
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''They chill the inside
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''with open doors and windows
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''all for improved health!?
______The smile is empty
____and I can see the fire burn
______behind cool, calm eyes
...............................................If status is naught
..........................................then why are we made to wear
..............................................collars and neckties?
*******************I try and I try
**************and I can't seem to get it
*****************but just try again
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Such antiquity
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,floppy drive is still in use
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,in Yasuda town
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~These raging hormones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~just push the English right out
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~of their young bodies
----------------------------------------All they seem to know
-------------------------------------the land of the rising sun
-----------------------------------------and how great it is
I know they are not great, but I enjoy making them. It's a pleasant way to vent sometimes. . .
My job being the busy, crazy mess it
_________________We sit patiently
_____________Awaiting something to do
_______________genki, but asleep. . .
.......................................Freezing, dry winter.
...................................Sweaty, moldy, moist summer.
.........................................This is Japan, ne?
*******************くも、へび、か (spider, snake, mosquito)
****************じしん、つなみ、たいふ (earthquake, tsunami, typhoon)
*****************Isn't it swell here?
,,,,,Lost in years gone by
,cultures clashing, old and new
,,,,,,,tradition abuse?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dear Fukuoka,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~you've taken this love of mine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~now prepare for me!
-----------------------------------Curiosity
--------------------------nothing to be questioned here
-------------------------------simply a faux pas
'''''''Photos can't capture
'''''never descriptive enough
'''''''to share the moments
```````````````````````````````````````Ignorance can't be
`````````````````````````````````as blissful as thought before
`````````````````````````````````````don't you want to know?
_______________My lips need your lips
___________or these chilly winter nights
_______________will drag on too long
...............................................Years spent teaching speech
................................................and the conversation ends
..............................................."Fine, thank you, and you?"
***************************What's in front of me?
****************chicken? beef? pork? goat? fish? whale?
***************************no one ever asks. . .
,,,,,,,,Great innovation
,,,of things that already are
,,,,,,,,congratulations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bad luck, rabbit year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Come on, dragon, make this great!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Soothe my soul again!
-----------------------Quizzes and testing
-----------------what defines one's excellence?
-----------------------one may never know
``````````````````````````````````````````````the minutes drag on ````````````````````````````````````````today they don't need me here ````````````````````````````````````````````````as I sit and wait
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''They chill the inside
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''with open doors and windows
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''all for improved health!?
______The smile is empty
____and I can see the fire burn
______behind cool, calm eyes
...............................................If status is naught
..........................................then why are we made to wear
..............................................collars and neckties?
*******************I try and I try
**************and I can't seem to get it
*****************but just try again
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Such antiquity
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,floppy drive is still in use
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,in Yasuda town
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~These raging hormones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~just push the English right out
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~of their young bodies
----------------------------------------All they seem to know
-------------------------------------the land of the rising sun
-----------------------------------------and how great it is
I know they are not great, but I enjoy making them. It's a pleasant way to vent sometimes. . .
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)