Good Day Sunshine

Today was a good day for three reasons:

1) I got to take a 6-year-old on a bathroom break while he waited for his mom to take a test. We talked about the first grade, his baby cousin, and ice cream.

2) I called the music director at the church across the street, and he invited me to come hear the choir this weekend, and meet with him afterwards to talk about auditions.

3) Due to my excitement about singing in a choir again, I struck up a conversation with a man in the elevator (something I NEVER do) on our trip from the first to the second floor. It wasn't a long conversation, but the spontaneity of it tickled me.

Also, I watched The Office.

Good day.

Well, it's the weekend again.

Sure enough, now that I've started working, my time is passing more quickly. Praise the lord. I still want to add more to my plate, though. My weekends are pretty uneventful, and I could go for a little more activity. Preferably, cheap or free activity. I think I'm going to look into volunteering somewhere, maybe at a medical or legal clinic. Or maybe I'll go read to old people. Whatever it is, I need to do something that doesn't cost me any money and also makes me feel good. Today, I went to see a filmed version of RENT on broadway-- the last performance ever, in fact. It was amazing, of course, but it was also $20! And then I bought a pair of slippers afterwards... Not part of the original plan. Note to self: STAY AWAY FROM SHOPPING AREAS. But ooooooh my slippers are cozy! Nice, quality, leather Clarks with excellent arch support. Just what the doctor ordered... I'll just tell myself that.

What else has been going on these days... Oh, I'm still trying to figure out this whole "future" thing. As in, what will I be doing at that point in time? I had started looking into law school, but just as quickly as I began, I turned to something else. This is fairly typical behavior for me. Which is strange, because I never thought I'd be one of those "lost souls". From day one, I had planned to become a doctor. All my life. Until freshman year of college came along, and the chemistry department told me I belonged in the retard section, and also remedial math. That was a blow to my enormous ego... Hence ended the doctor era. Since then, I've considered becoming, with varying degrees of seriousness, an actress, a psychologist, a teacher, a school psychologist, a nurse, an event planner, an education administrator, and a lawyer. And now I find myself at the nurse junction again. Allow me to list why I feel nursing would be an excellent career to pursue:

1) Nurses are caretakers, advocates, communicators, and educators. These are all things I enjoy and excel at.
2) Nursing, as a profession, is rewarding both personally and financially.
3) Obtaining a Masters degree in nursing would allow me the opportunity to be a leader in the field, which is really what I've planned on doing all along, regardless of the specific field I get into.
4) Nurses enjoy strong job security, as well as continued growth in various specialty areas within the field.
5) Depending on their specific place of employment, nurses likely enjoy excellent benefits, including flexible scheduling, generous paid time off (both sick leave and vacation days), and excellent insurance options.
6) I am very familiar with the field, as both of my parents are nurses and I know firsthand about all the challenges and rewards pursuant to working in healthcare.

There's really nothing standing in my way to becoming a nurse, other than three pre-requisite courses: Microbiology, and two semesters of Anatomy and Physiology with lab. I think I could take these courses while I work, as long as the scheduling works out. So really... Why not become a nurse? I wanted to be a doctor to begin with; maybe I should listen to my past and stay in the same ballpark.

Let's see if I can go a whole week without changing my mind.

Mission to lock door: impossible

So, it turns out I have this fool-proof lock on my bedroom door, which prevents me from locking myself out. Not that I'd like to lock myself out, but I was planning on locking my door from the inside before I left tomorrow morning, and then opening it with a bobby pin when I got back in the evening. This is because the daughter of the couple I live with often goes into my room when I'm not in it. This bothers me, because she touches my things and moves them around. I considered making a short list of "rules" to put on my door to remind her that my room is off-limits when I'm not there, but she's developmentally delayed, and I just don't think it would work. I don't really want to confront her parents and ask for a key lock to be installed on my door... But I suppose if I keep on coming back to see that my belongings have sprouted legs and played musical places while I was out, I guess I'll have to.

I've had a slow-paced weekend, which has been both nice and frustrating. I'm anxious to start working so that I can use my weekends to relax, rather than to feel like I've got way too much free time on my hands. But, I suppose for my first weekend here, I got a lot done: Yesterday, I went to the nearby Hawaii State Art Museum. Every second Saturday of the month, they host a visiting art group or guild that puts on "family fun" events for the public. Well, I didn't have a family to go with, so I just went by myself. I felt a little awkward in a room full of elementary school kids and their parents, but nonetheless, I hung out long enough to tear up scraps of colored paper to be transformed into new, pulpy, hand-made paper. It was fun! And then I left, because the other activities available (coloring, rubber stamps, and paper airplanes) just didn't quite appeal to me. Actually, I didn't leave the museum, but I browsed around the galleries on the second floor, which is home to works by all sorts of Hawaii born and/or trained artists. There was a lot of interesting stuff... It would have been nice to have someone to admire (or bawk at) some of the pieces with, but there are worse things one could be forced to do alone.

After a quick lunch break back at the condo, I headed out again for the Hawaii State Library. I re-activated my account and got a new card, and checked out a number of books about law school and also about immigration. I never thought I'd be in a relationship that would put "How to Get a Green Card" at the top of my reading list, but life's full of funny surprises, isn't it? I spent all of last night educating myself on immigration methods and policies, and a couple hours this afternoon reading up on what it takes to go to law school. I've never been a fan of non-fiction, but I've been soaking this stuff up like a sponge. I think I've reached a point in my life where non-fiction actually applies to me.

Today, I was going to go to the Choral Eucharist service to check out the choir at the Episcopalian church next door, but shortly after I woke up I started seeing this arc of wiggly light in the peripheral vision of my right eye. I called my mom, and she promptly decided that I should go to the emergency room. Naturally. Anyway, luckily the lights stopped after a few minutes, but unluckily, I started to develop a headache, and realized I was suffering the onset of a migraine. So I popped 600mg of ibuprofen and went back to sleep until 12:30. Great way to spend a Sunday morning. Later, I headed out to the Aloha Tower Marketplace, a nearby shopping plaza which is apparently frequented only by tourists. I don't think I'll ever go there again. Then, after a good workout at the fitness center here at the condo, I enjoyed my dinner of "Stone Baked Organic Spinach and Cheese Pizza" (purchased frozen from Safeway, of course), watched a re-run of Desperate Housewives, and then learned about my unlockable bedroom door. Which brings me here.

I start work tomorrow. I hope it gives me something a little more exciting to write about than a door that won't lock... For the sake of anyone who's reading this, anyway.

Some adjustments

Yes I just posted like half an hour ago. I just wanted to say that I like my blog much better in the current pink theme. Maybe this will get me posting... Probs not.

Here we go again

I am so unbearingly bad at this blogging thing. It's embarrassing. I have an interesting life, some decent thoughts, and good friends who would read this thing if I put any effort into it. But, alas, I choose to spend my spare evening time in other ways... googling useless crap, picking my pimples, and watching meaningless TV to name a few. Well, to give myself credit, I do read the New York Times and also whatever book I'm currently working my way through. But still-- I am shamed by my friends' bigger, better, shinier blogs time and time again. I just checked out Ann and Kelly's, and of course, they rock. I should link them on mine, but I don't even know how to do that. How sad am I? Anyway, in an attempt to be cool like them and record at least a little of this funny life of mine, I'll try again.

So. Last time I wrote, I was a happy chappy English teacher in J-pan. Those were the days. My last five months there were the best of all, and they happened only a little too late for me to get my head out of my butt and realize that it would have been a good idea to stay a second year. Ah well, at this point all I can do is bemoan my past self's shortsightedness... Bemoan bemoan bemoan. Anyway, the reason those last months were so good was because I was finally settled, in a happy routine with good friends and good weekends and good students, and, from May onward, even a good boyfriend. Not to mention, I made a ton of money doing hardly anything, was exempt from dual taxation, and paid lint picked from my belly button for rent. Life was really, really good.

Now, I find myself in Honolulu. Which is also good, and I expect it only to get better. However, it's still hard for me to accept that Japan is now in my past. Sure, it's in my present in the fact that my boyfriend is Japanese, and I plan on going back to Toyama before June of next year. But, I don't LIVE there anymore. I don't get to ride my bike, or waste time and money at Aeon, or teach my students the difference between "neighborhood" and "neighborfood", or spend gloriously spontaneous and crazy weekend nights with Ann&Kelly and company and my (or should I say "our"?) purple velour pajama pants. I suppose I'm still mourning the loss of such a fantastic time in my life. At what point, though, does the mourning end? I suppose when my new life here in Honolulu gets a jumpstart and gets going. I'm waiting anxiously for that to happen...

I realize I'm making my life here in Honolulu sound bad. It's really not; in fact, it's pretty awesome so far. (I've been here three days). Let me share the positives: I live in a kick-ass brand new condo smack dab in the middle of downtown Honolulu. The grocery store, drug store, Ross (my fave discount department store), the post office, the library, my place of work, Chinatown, and about a million restaurants are all (and I repeat ALL) within walking distance of where I live. How great is that? Plus, if I can't walk somewhere, there's the nation's best bus system ready to take me anywhere I fancy to go. (I'm actually going to give TheBus a try tomorrow-- is it weird that at this point I'd feel more comfortable taking the bus in Japan than taking the bus here?) Heck, aside from all the great stuff around me, there are countless things to do just in this condo itself. I used the fitness center for the first time today, and I plan to make use of the pool this weekend or the next. There are also music rooms, a yoga room, a media room (think leather lazyboys and a movie theatre-style screen), and even a dry cleaning service. Also, I live with a Chinese couple and their daughter, who are all very friendly, although they like to watch about 3 different TV stations at once (I'm not kidding-- three different stations on three different TVs).

Honolulu itself is amazing to me. It's huge, but it's small too. Does that make sense? I don't think I'll ever get bored here. Now all I need are some friends! Haha. I'm looking forward to exploring the city more, and taking lots of pictures.

My job starts on Monday. I'll be working as an Admissions Representative for a small career college. I'm hoping it's an enjoyable pursuit. Mostly, though, I'm just looking forward to having a daily routine. I function best on an organized schedule-- much like a small child.

Well let's see here, anyone wanna take bets on when my next post will be?

Most Houses Have Only One Kitten

Heya,

It's that time again-- time for another round of hilarious, heartwarming, and otherwise amazing student essays! This week'S topic is "Would you prefer to be part of a large family or a small family?"

Enjoy~

"I would prefer to be part of a large family. If I have several brothers and sisters, I could got something from them, and I could turn to them for advice. They ought to be near than my parents. Above all things, I wish a family was cheerful." <3!

"I prefer to be part of a large family. First reason, I am only children now and I feld lonely at the many times when I watched TV alone. If there was a brother, I could talk to him and enjoyed the time. Second, reason I feld lonely too when I eat the dinner with my family, because I want to eat the dinner with many people in noisy like in the TV drama. Third, I like the children and look after them. For example, I want to go to sea or mountain or shopping center and play with the all day, I sometimes will have to make the dinner. From these reasons, I prefer to be part of a large family."

"I would prefer to be part of large family. I have two sisters. My sisters are busy bee. Thanks to my sisters, our lives have become easier. And my grandmother is a busy bee too. She cooks meals for me every day. It is very important for family to help each other. So, I am happy every day." (My heart is exploding with love right now.)

"I prefer to be part of a large family because the larger family is, the more lively it is. If I were on only chid, I would feel lonely. Of course, it is hard for parents to support family and they need a lot of money, but I think it is wonderful that there are more people in family that cannot be replaced by money."

"I would prefer to be part of a large family. Because I like busy family. I want to make a cheerful family. I think cheerful family will make cheerful children and cheerful life. I want to spend happy and snug life. There fore I will need a large family. If it is OK, I want to include a dog."

"I prefer to be part of a small family because of economical side. A large family need much money as the cost of living. What's more if the have many children, it cost them much money to bring up them. In short, the more the number of family increase, the more difficult we earn our bread." Mmmm... bread.

Only Child Syndrome:
"I would prefer to be part of a small family. If I had several brothers and sisters, I would have to buy a lot of [my own] things, because almost all things are handed down, and I get[want] new ones. Besides, I may not have myself room, and share my brother that makes me stifle. So I like a small family."

"I would prefer to be part of a small family. Talking with my grandfather and groundmothe get sometimes on my nerves because of a generation gap." (I feel ya, kid...)

And finally...
"I prefer small family to large family. Because I need not care family. For example, most of houses have only one kitten, bathroom and washroom. The more there are people as family, the more difficult I use there when I want to. Therefore, I don't like noisy. If there're many people in my house, I can't concentrate my studying."

Grading 160 essays is so much more fun when you encounter ones like these. :-)

Also, a quick update-- Westgate, the program I wanted to work for in Tokyo in the fall, is not gonna happen for a variety of reasons. Specifically, their contract time frames are really weird, such that I'd have a job and apartment from September to December, but then no job and no apartment from December to April. In April, I'd have the choice of taking another assignment, but of course I'd have nothing to do in those four months off, and I'd have no place to live. Not so convenient. Also, the salary they advertise is BEFORE taxes (aka not that great), and I also would not be exempt from dual taxation, as I was on JET. So. It looks like I'm headed home after all. I feel good that I tried to find another job here though, even though it didn't come through. Now I can leave knowing that I at least explored another option. And really, I think it's all ok. I'm feeling ready to be back in beautiful Hawaii Ne, basking on the beach, eating fresh fruit, watching the sunset... etc etc. And, I get to try living in Honolulu! That's another adventure in itself. So, all in all, life is good. Two more months here, then time to move on. Sweet.

Exciting New Things!!

I'm super pooped so I'm not gonna write much tonight, but I just wanted to share that I am applying for a teaching position in Tokyo for this fall!! I finally bit the bullet and realized that I don't want to leave Japan just yet, and something needed to be done about it. The company is called Westgate, and they employ 99 teachers each term (fall and spring) in universities and elementary schools. The contract is for 3-6 months, and is renewable. If I get the job, I'll (hopefully) be able to go home for a short break in August, and then return to Japan to start my new contract in September. I think moving to Tokyo would be the best of two worlds-- I'd still be in Japan, allowing me to continue on the path of self-growth and exploration that I started, and to learn more about Japan and its culture, and to visit my current kiddies and friends from time to time (graduation!!). BUT I'd be in Tokyo, which is new and exciting and full of its own set of challenges and adventures. And the contract is considerably shorter, and of course renewable, allowing me greater flexibility. I really think it's a great set-up and opportunity, and I hope I get it!! Keep your fingers crossed for me. :-)

A more detailed post to follow, I promise. おやすみ〜

When I'm Stressed, I Write

I wish I were good at journaling. I wish I were one of those people who loved to write, loved to record all the interesting events in their life, all their thoughts and impressions. Sadly, I'm not. I'm lazy. When I do write, however, is when I'm feeling stressed about something. Which is exactly why this blog had a fair number of entries at the beginning of my stay here in Japan, and now an increasing frequency of posts here at the end. I spent a fair amount of time tonight scheming up ways that I could possibly stay in Japan. Some of my ideas included: 1) Pray that my successor decides not to come, and by luck reclaim the position that is rightfully mine. 2) Ever-so-slightly misinform my successor, so that s/he believes s/he is coming over to a living hell and will thus cancel his/her plans, again allowing me to stay fat and happy here on my throne. 3) Move to Okinawa. This is mostly just an Okinawan joke I like to toss around in my innermost thoughts. It's not serious. But it could be if I wanted it to. The funniest part is that I recently received a proposal, via text message, from one of the guys I met in Okinawa a few months ago. It read, "You will marriagh me!" Stunning. Really, I don't know what I'm doing still sitting here on my butt in Toyama. Give me a ticket for an aeroplane. Ain't got time to take a fast train... Kohei-is-job just wrote me a letter. Text message. Whatever. So that's option number three... Move to Okinawa, marriagh with Kohei, and live the rest of my days helping run his yakisoba shop and giving birth to his large Okinawan babies. Somehow, options 1 and 2 seem more appealing to me...(Did I mention Kohei wants to be cock? Yes, cock. Ok, ok, he meant cook... But I get the feeling it was more a Freudian slip than a spelling error.)

Anyway. As you can see, all my ideas suck, and I'm clearly going to have to return to America, as was originally planned. So, I'll continue with my reflection/processing exercise.

Things I Will Miss About Japan:
2. My friends. I think I got really lucky, getting placed by chance in the same prefecture as all the lovely folks I have come to know. I've met some really wonderful people, and my time here would have been rather dull without them. This obviously is especially in reference to Kelly and Ann, my two favorite Himi-jin and all around best galpals. They understand my quirky, sometimes over-the-edge sense of humor; they listen to me when I need to talk; they love crazy adventures and meeting new Nihonjin as much as I do. They're the icing to my cake, and I guess one good thing about going back to the US is that they'll be there too!! We can commiserate without having to skype long distance when no one we talk to at home understands why we use words like "chotto," "chigau," and "daijoubu." Or when we simply can't speak Engrish. I mean English.

Things I am Looking Forward to Returning to in America:
2. The bee-a-u-tiful weather (specifically, in Hawaii). Living in Japan taught me a lot of things about myself, and one of those things is that cold weather and I don't mix too well. I handled the winter, and because it was my first experience with snow, I even really loved it at times. But then the snow would start to melt and mush with the dirt on the road and people's footsteps would ruin its serene beauty and then it would turn into ice and I'd slip and I hated it. So yeah, I'm looking forward to the picture-perfect climate of that place otherwise known as Paradise. I realized this when I went to Okinawa, and my body began to thaw from its three-month-long ice age. Okinawa smelled like the tropics, looked like the tropics, and most importantly, felt like the tropics. My body was in its zen state. The perfect weather is one aspect of Hawaii that I had seriously taken for granted up until that point. I'm glad I realized how foolish it is to live any place where the word "underwear" is paired with the word "long" for a third of the year. The only way I like my underwear to be is minimal, thank you very much.

My Favorite Memories in Japan:
I'm trying to go somewhat in chronological order here, so that I am less likely to forget something. Memory shout-out number two goes to my first weekend trip with the friends, to Tokyo for Sarah's birthday. It was a three-day weekend, so we were able to get a lot out of it. We went to a beer festival in Yokohama, an awesome club in Shibuya which we stayed at until dawn (no exaggeration), an amaaaazing Sumo tournament, and we stayed at my very first hostel! To be honest, at the time, it was still so damned hot and I was still so unused to Japan that it was all a bit overwhelming. I was having fun, but I was only blindly following the group and pretty much flying by the seat of my pants. At that point, Tokyo still scared me. But, it was a good chance to see that getting away on the weekends was a totally viable and really fun option, and it was the first time that I really started getting to know Sarah, Michael, Katherine, and of course Ann, who at that point I was pretty sure was too much of an independent free-spirit to want to be my friend. Haha. Good thing she proved me wrong... :-) Anyway, yes, Tokyo was a blast, and I'm so glad I'm going back one more time before I go!! Shibuya, here I come. And I'm bringing my lady friends with me. Watch out.

Trying to Beat the Leavin' Blues

So, I'm still having a really tough time with the thought of leaving in just over two months. I counted the days that I have left to teach at my high school: 19. And at my deaf school, only 5. This is pretty much a large-scale tragedy I have on my hands here. I could go into repeated detail about how and why this is basically the end of the world, but instead, I've decided to proactively battle the leaving blues. From now until the time I have to get on that damned plane, every time I write an entry on this blog I will write one thing that I will miss about Japan, and one thing that I am looking forward to having again in America. I realize this plus-one-minus-one approach will not really pull me to either side of the spectrum, but it will at least (hopefully) neutralize my panic and help me to chill the freak out a bit. Here goes:

Things I Will Miss About Japan:
1. MY STUDENTS. This should come as no surprise. Especially my new first years, my English club girls, my deaf kiddies, and (<3<3) Japanese Boy, Googly Eyes Boy, and Baseball Captain-san. They make my day, every day. Today, Japanese Boy came from his classroom to the doorway at the back of my classroom towards the end of 2nd period, and grinned and waved at me, *while* class was still going on and I was teaching about the "not only...but also" sentence pattern! Ha! Warmed my heart right up.

Things I Am Looking Forward to Returning to in America:
1. My parents. I'm not gonna lie, I am not exactly looking forward to having to live at home for an unspecified amount of time, but once I'm settled and on my own (hopefully in Honolulu) it'll be nice to be a bit closer to those two crazy old birds. They can be fun, in moderate doses.

I like this game. A good way to process and reflect on my time here and my time to come... In nice, easy-to-digest amounts.

Actually, I'm not done yet. Let's add one more category:

Favorite Memories in Japan:
1. This might sound strange, but I think my first night in Takaoka was certainly one of my most meaningful memories, if not exactly one of my favorite. I had just eaten dinner by myself in the Gusto diner, and I came back to my empty, hot apartment and laid down on my then-strange tatami mat floor and CRIED and CRIED and CRIED. That was, I think, the worst I'd ever felt in my entire life. Period. So yeah, not exactly a peachykeen memory... But an important one nonetheless, because now, when I look back on that, I can remember how inhumanely shitty I felt, and I can look at all the progress I've made since then, and how far I've come on this journey. Now, I freakin love this place and I don't want to leave! Haha! How do you like them apples? Just goes to show you, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Now, in my future hard times, I can think about my arrival here, and I can remind myself that, despite all the tears and heartache and fear and uncertainty and hatred for life at that moment, things DO get better. That's something we all need to learn for ourselves, and it can only be done the hard way. I'm certainly glad I did it.

Neighborfood

So, I posted this anecdote on facebook awhile back, but I never shared it here:

"I love those special moments in life we have all have from time to time: the ones in which we start to chuckle... and it turns into a giggle... and then we laugh... and then everyone else around us laughs, and at that point we're screwed; it's just a full-fledged attack with no hope for return. I had one such moment today in my favorite third-grade class. It went like this:

Towards the end of the period, a few students went up to the front of the class to write their translation answers on the board, as usual. After they finished, they returned to their seats, and I got ready to correct their responses. Nothing new here. I quickly noticed, however, that the first sentence, which should read, "I often see students shopping at the convenience store in my neighborhood," in fact read, "I often see students shopping at the convenience store in my neighborfood." Neighborfood. It's not that funny. Except that in this particular moment there was nothing funnier to me in all of Japan, in the entire world even. Neighborfood. I lost it, I tell you. My kids were laughing more at me than at the sentence, as tears streamed down my face, and I had to assume a temporary squatting position to attempt to regain my composure (which, of course, failed). My JTE eventually had to erase the word from the board entirely, but at that point it was no use. I'd lost a screw and I'd never get it back. I managed to finish up the class, but just barely. I still had a big grin on my face when I came back to the staffroom... What a great way to end the week.

To the student who wrote "neighborfood": I love you. With all my heart. Thank you."

~~~

That's the neighborfood story. I have two extensions to add: First, I have since read essays containing the similarly modified word "childfood." Haha. Second, since that day, the students in that particular homeroom grin wildly and say "neighborfood!" every time they see me. :-) (Of course, I start thinking about the original neighborfood incident and start cracking up all over again.) Like today, in class, I was trying to make an announcement for the upcoming charity show, and one of my FAVORITIST boys ("I am: Japanese Boy!!") grins at me from the second row and says, quietly at first, "neighborfood." Then louder, "Neighborfood!" Then of course, the whole class breaks into "Neighborfood!! Neighborfood!!" Hahaha oh man I love these kids SO much; honestly, the fact that we have gotten to the point of intercultural/interlinguistic joking just makes my heart sing. Anyway. Class continues, and they write their sentences on the board again. Lo and behold, this week's translations also include a neighborhood reference. Only this time around, the student blessed with writing that particular sentence decides to be clever, and she writes "neighborfood" with the F in bright pink!! So I play the whole thing up, saying, "Hmm, something's wrong here... What is it..? Can anyone tell me?" And the kids play along, "guessing" mistakes that aren't really mistakes. Then BAM I shout "OHMYGOSH you wrote neighborfood!!!" and fling my textbook aside in feigned shock. The kids went WILD!! They were laughing and hooting and hollering and clapping their hands like there was no tomorrow!! I felt like a regular Robin Williams at a stand-up event. <3

Have I mentioned I'm on the same sports day team ("Red Team!!") with these awesome kiddos?!?!? Yes. It's true. My life really is that amazing. Jealous yet?

Holy Cow

So I'm sitting in my living room/kitchen area, finishing my dinner and listening to some newly purchased music (namely, Jason Castro's version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, haha), and I just realized-- after I leave this place in August, I am probably NEVER going to see Takaoka again. !!! This struck me as incredibly sad, and I started crying right then and there. Up to this point in my life, I've always said goodbye to people and places with the probability of seeing said people and places again softening the blow. But this? Leaving Japan? Ok, maybe I'll come back to Japan on a vacation someday, to travel to places I never got to this time around. But I'll never see the inside of my apartment again. MY apartment, my very first that I made into my little home! Even if I were to see it, it wouldn't be mine anymore. It will belong to whomever follows after me, and it will be decorated in their taste and cluttered with their belongings. And really, not seeing my apartment again is the least of it. I'll never ride my red bicycle to the grocery store again, or to Aeon, or to the station to take the train to Toyama or Himi or wherever. I'll never again pass by Hard Off, with their awful MIDI-type welcome music blaring at the door. I'll never hear a hearty "Irasshaimase!" when I enter a store. I'll never see these rice paddies again, and hear the croaking frogs and chirping crickets at night as I coast down the deserted highway to my apartment late at night. And, worst of all, far above and beyond the loss I feel when I think about all the things I just listed and others like them, is the loss I will feel when I say goodbye to my schools for the last time. I really just don't even want to think about it. Everyone has been so incredibly kind to me, and I feel like I've finally just really become comfortable with my students, and they with me-- both on an educational level, and a personal level. I get incredibly jealous thinking about my successor, who will spend the next year (or more) teaching MY kids, and going to MY school festival, and even grading MY piles of awful, awful essays. Will he or she appreciate it like I do? Will he or she try as hard, really make a solid effort for the kids? I shouldn't judge this person before I even know who he is. But I can't help it! They are taking over my life, and my life will become theirs, and it will no longer be mine in any way, shape or form. Everything here will go on in the same way, except without me in it. Isn't that crazy? I guess that's true of any place when someone leaves it-- high school, college, etc. But like I said before, I can visit my high school and college pretty much any time I choose to, providing I have the means and time. But coming back to Takaoka? Pretty soon this place will live only in my memory, and I can only hope I've made enough of an impression to remain in my kids' memories. Anyway. The whole thing's incredibly bizarre, and I think it's only going to get weirder and sadder from this point out. No. That's a pessimistic way to look at it. Of course it's going to be amazing for these last two months; I wouldn't expect any less. But that final day, when I get on that plane with a one-way ticket and no return in sight... THAT will be sad. And weird. I guess I should just focus on the positive-- that I got to have this amazing year here, full of adventures and wonderful people and invaluable personal growth. So, yes. Let's focus on the positive. Starting now. Sigh.

I suck

Surprise surprise, I never even finished writing about my first day in Okinawa. I am officially the worst blog-keeper in the world. Well, fyi, for anyone who even reads this anymore (unlikely), Okinawa was the highlight of my entire Japan experience thus far. So if you are interested in hearing more about it, ask me. I'm better at talking than writing blogs, apparently.

And I might be better at taking and posting pictures than I am at talking. If a picture's really worth a thousand words, then these links are better than anything I could ever write anyway:

Okinawa pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068131&l=21c33&id=13301566
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068132&l=e8830&id=13301566
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068133&l=22a49&id=13301566
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068135&l=962dd&id=13301566

Sakura pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068741&l=fabd4&id=13301566

Showa day (first Golden Week holiday) pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2070106&l=d38fc&id=13301566

I think part of the reason I don't write is because a) I'm lazy, and b) it's just SO IMPOSSIBLE to put my experiences into words... I feel like if I were to even try, I'd just feel like everything I wrote was trite and inadequate and it would spoil the awesomeness that is my life in Japan. So instead, I'll just keep posting pics, student essays, and the occasional update. Again, I don't think anyone reads this, so no one should mind, really...

Last thought for the day (week? month? when will I write again?): I am s-a-d about leaving Japan. For reals. It's a necessary thing to do for a number of reasons, but it's also going to be super hard. I've come to love it here, in so many ways. It's finally become my home, and now I've got to uproot again... Who would have thought I'd call this place home 9 months ago, when I wanted to leave so badly a week after my arrival? Funny how things turn out.

Japan, I love thee. Now, I have dishes to do. Peace.

Okinawan Amazingness: Day 1

Here we go, folks: I'm going to attempt to recreate the awesomeness that was my Okinawan vacation, day by day. Let's be honest-- this will inevitably pale in comparison to the real thing, but I'll do my best. Photos will help.

DAY 1: Wednesday, March 26th

Ann, Kelly and I woke at the buttcrack of dawn to get to Kansai Airport for our 9:05am flight. Dressed in our tropical best, lugging our suitcases up and down the stairs at Osaka station, we were quite the spectacle-- a theme that would only intensify as we headed farther and farther south in the Japan islands chain. We catnapped through our two hour flight, and arrived at Naha Airport a little after 11am.

The minute we stepped off the plane, I knew life was infinitely better in Okinawa. Fragrant white and purple orchids adorned the airport from the arrival gate to the baggage claim terminal. We could see the ocean from the airport windows. The sun was smiling and shining. Basically, Okinawa was everything Toyama was not. I loved it instantly.

We picked up our bags, and marveled at the assortment of other gaijin dotting the airport. (Actually, in truth, we judged them, in classic Japanese style: "Ew, gaijin, what are THEY doing here?" Haha. Japan has clearly touched us in more ways than one.) A quick ride on the monorail that soars on concrete pillars high above Naha city, and we were downtown. After claiming some coin lockers to store our belongings (LOVE that about Japan), we headed out into the sunshine to begin exploring.

Downtown Naha, Kokusai-dori: A lot like downtown Waikiki, but smaller and cleaner. A touristy strip of specialty and souvenir shops, restaurants, and gaudy lifesize statues of everything from anthropomorphic hotdogs to colorful shiisa, the guard dog-esque mascot and good luck symobol of Okinawan ryukyu culture. The weather was lovely, sunny with a slight breeze, and being outside in a tanktop and flip-flops felt like the best thing since sliced bread.






After siting some habu (Okinawan snakes) in jars, purses made out of taxidermied frogs, and penis-shaped ashtrays, we had worked up quite the appetite, so we headed to a covered corridor marketplace to find some grinds. It was quite the overwhelming experience, let me tell you-- fish, crustaceans, and other various sea creatures (dead and alive) spilled out of every ice box, containers of pickles covered all the tables, and a number of skinned pig faces hung ever so nonchalantly from pegs on the walls.


Apparently, we had the option of buying our own fresh seafood and having the restaurant chefs on the second floor cook it for us, but it was all a little too confusing for us to handle. We headed upstairs to one of said restaurants and went about ordering our lunch the normal way, from a menu. Sometimes simplicity is everything. I believe we had Okinawan soba, goya champuru (signature Okinawan dish made with tofu, egg, bittermelon, and pork), and spring rolls. It was all very oishikatta (delicious), yum!

Ok. This is taking way longer than planned. More to come tomorrow.

I LOVE OKINAWA!!

I am sitting at a Gero-Gero (Ribbit-Ribbit) internet cafe on Ishigaki island, on my last full day of my Okinawa adventure with Kelly and Ann. And let me just say, WHAT an adventure it has been. HOLY COW I can't even BEGIN to express the amazingness and spontaneity and ridiculousness of this vacation! I will be writing a detailed record of each day once I get back to the grossness that is Toyama, because I don't want to forget a THING that has happened. We've made friends with amazing okinawan boys and their families, stayed overnight in a decades-old family owned inn, learned Okinawa-ben (Okinawan slang), toured a UFO rock garden (barefoot, of course) eaten spam and eggs and rice for breakfast, karaoked til the break of dawn, slept on the beach, driven on the left-hand side of the rode, ridden in a buffalo-drawn cart, gone okinawan firefly watching, the list goes ON and ON. Being in such a beautiful, laid back island environment has made me super natsukashii (nostalgic) for Hawaii, too. Ho man I can't wait to be in paradise again. This has been a truly amazing experience and I'm SO HAPPY I came here. I don't have much time left on this computer though, so I've got to wrap it up. I will write a full account of our adventures once I get home FOR SURE. Stay tuned. Until then, I leave you with this awesome phrase, that is my new motto in life-- "Nan kuru nai saa"-- it means "No worries!" How perfect.

Life. Is. Perfect.

Tomorrow at this time...

...I will be on a PLANE to OKINAWA with my besties kelly and ann!! It's finally spring here. Well, it's still a little cold. But it's almost April, so in my book that means spring. Ann and I went on a few shopping binges to update our wardrobes: lots of linen and cotton dresses and other flowy things! I can't wait to be WARM on the sunny sands of the beach. We will stay in Osaka tonight, and then tomorrow at 9:05 head south to paradise! I'll try to update a bit while I'm down there, but considering my recent track record... I'm not promising anything. Does anyone even read this anyway? Unlikely.

Here's the general skeleton of our trip: Days 1-3, Okinawa-honto, the biggest of the Okinawan islands. We'll kick it in Naha, the prefecture's biggest city, and drive around the island, stopping at various attractions: war memorials and museums, the best aquarium in japan, beautiful beaches, and the like. Then it's down to Miyakojima via an overnight ferry that my mother is mildly freaking out about. We will arrive on the island at 4:30am... Just in time to wait 2 hours for the sun to rise. A couple days sunbathing on Miyako (home to "Japan's Best Beach"), then even farther southward to Taketomijima, a tiny island with only 500 people or something ridiculous like that, and water-buffalo drawn carts! Ann's goal for this trip is to eat a snake - while riding a buffalo - while playing the shamisen (traditional Okinawan stringed instrument) - while being serenaded by a toothless old man. We'll try to work that into our busy schedule. THEN, for our last few days, we will head to Iriomotejima, the "last wilderness" of Japan (aside from that vast expanse called Hokkaido). There we will go on a full-day guided kayak trip, through the jungle (!!) of Iriomote! Maybe we'll glimpse one of the rare and near-extinct jungle cats... but probably not. Lol. Then we head to Ishigaki for a one-day stop over on our way back to Naha... Then it's back on April 4th to Okinawa island and upward to Osaka, and then BAM we're home! That's our trip in a nutshell. IT'S GOING TO BE AWESOME.

I'm trying to keep myself busy here on my last day at work, with not-a-thing to do. Good way to get in the spring break mindset... Find my zen. Hommmm, let's meditate. Oh here's one quirky Japan fact for you: The Japanese Board of Education transfers its teachers from school to school at a whim. As in, at the end of every school year, every teacher is liable to be told to pack up and move on, buddy. TOTALLY uncool and random and nonsensical, right?! Two of my favorite teachers and one of my favorite office workers found out yesterday they will be leaving. They packed up their desks and that was it! They're gone! So crazy. I'd hate for someone to tell me where I can and cannot work. How ridiculous... OH JAPAN how silly you are.

Alright I'm out. Next time I write, it'll be from a little grass shack in Okinawaaaa...

!!!!!

I AM GOING TO OKINAWA IN FIVE DAYS!!! yep this will probably be my only post for the next two months. ok ok i promise to at least provide a link to my pics of PARADISE. stay tuned.

Getting through the winter, with the help of my students' stunning Engrish skills

It's still winter here. I'll be going skiing for the first time this Friday, and I am pretty terrified. I'll try not to die. Not much else to report on the home front, but I do have some more dazzling essays to share. Students were asked to explain the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" (English education in Japan is big on originality... not):

There is a saying that “when in Rome, do as the Roman do.” This means that you obey the country’s rule where you are in. For example, if you are in Pakistan, you can’t show their body. This reason is that Pakistan is danger like being attacked yourself to get to money, so you behave like Pakistan, and would not be attacked you.

There is a saying that “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” This means that when you visit new land, you must obey the custom in the land is law of maxim. For example, when foreigner come to Japan, they have to come in the house in them socks. If the foreigner come in house putting on them shoes, the house owner will be displease. So I think to obey the land custom is very important for friendship with among country and country.

You should obey When in Rome, do as the Romans do. For example you go to desert, you want to wear short sleeves and half pants. But you must wear long cloths. If you wear short cloths, sunlight would burn your skin. Desert’s sunlight is strong sun. Many culuture, too must obey the do in the country. For instence, we must stop farming once for year in rain forest because the tropicas has poor soild. So people who lived in there grow only need crops. In short, we must obey the culture.

This word is really right. There is a example like this. Japanese walk speed is different. When I went to Osaka, I saw that almost all of the people was walking with great velocity. The sight frightened me but I walked as fast as possible. Because I thought to have to trouble people. I adapted one’s way of life to this circumstance. Just this example is “When in Rome, do as the Romans do as Rome does.”

And lastly...

There is a saying “Many a little makes a mickle.” This proverb is using on all sides. For example, if you collect little money, You will buy a costly thing. As another example, if you try to study hard, you will have good brain. In other words, the simple habit become the great worth. So it is important for us to make steady efforts. We have to try such custom.

What exactly IS a mickle? Anyone?

2008!

Wow I am seriously really bad at this blog thing. It's been over a month since my last post, whoops! Well I will try to catch up a bit now, my first day back at school after winter break with nothing to do.

It is winter here (duh), and thus really cold. My apartment has an air conditioning unit, but it only heats one room. The other room gets cold enough for me to see my own breath, which is fun but not really. I have a kerosine heater for that room which, for the one day I used it, was heaven, but now I am out of kerosine. I'm kind of scared to go to the gas station and try to buy more. No real reason why; just that I'm in Japan and simple things like that can be scary. I am beginning to loathe the winter, and it just started. Not a good sign.

Despite the cold, however, I LOVED my winter vacation because SETH came to visit!! He was here for 2 whole weeks (!!) and we did so many things and had so much fun. His trip started with an unexpected stop-over in Alaska, when his plane from Chicago started leaking water or something and had to be turned around and flown back to the states. Unfortunate for both of us, but luckily I was able to stay in Tokyo with a lady who did a homestay at my parent's house last summer. So, I got to cruise around Tokyo, and poor Seth was holed up in freezing Anchorage! But, he finally got to Japan on the night of the 23rd, about 24 hours delayed. It was quite the ordeal, but we spent one night in Narita and were able to make it safely back from Tokyo to Toyama just in time for my final Choir rehearsal on Christmas eve. Then, on Christmas day, I sang Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Toyama Chorus and a professional orchestra from Tokyo! We also sang Silent Night and Auld Lang Syne in Japanese, complete with glowing "pen lights" to set the mood. It was pretty sweet. Seth took some videos, which I will post as soon as I figure out how.

After one day of recuperation in Takaoka/Himi (dinner with Ann-san and family!), we set off to Kyoto on the morning of the 27th. I had planned our trip so that we could see some attractions before they closed for the holiday season (Dec 28th-Jan 4th), but unfortunately some of them (Nijo Castle, for instance), closed earlier than expected. But, we still found plenty to do. We visited Ginkakuji, Kiyomizudera, Fushimi Inari (we did the whole 4km walk under the thousands of red gates-- so pretty!), the Imperial Palace grounds, Heian Jinja, and spent New Years eve at Yasaka Jinja with the rest of the Kyoto population. We also found some great little restaurants, namely Falafel Garden and a quirky cafe/bar called La Siesta, complete with old-school video games and a fully vegetarian menu. And, we took a few day trips, one to Osaka to see the aquarium (featuring penguins and a whale shark!), ride on the World's Largest Giant Wheel, and visit "America Village," and one to Nara to see Todaiji Temple (the largest wooden building in the world) and all the non-wild deer who will attack you if you have food. We stayed at a cute little hostel near Kyoto station, conveniently located near a 7-11 where we bought plenty of snack food. The only problem with the hostel was that both Seth and I seemed to be allergic to their cleaning agents. Yuck. All in all though, Kyoto was a great time and we had a lot of fun!

Then, it was back to Takaoka for some r&r. It was snowing when we arrived, so we built a snowman named Joe and threw snowballs at each other and I made my first snow angel. Unfortunately, when we woke up the next morning, somebody had destroyed Joe with a shovel. How cruel! We spent the rest of our time relaxing, shopping, eating, playing scrabble, watching tv/movies, and finished off our time together with a short trip to Kanazawa to visit Ninja Temple and the Gap (awesome New Years sales!). I think Seth's favorite part about Japan is the hyaku-en (hundred yen, less than a dollar) stores. He stocked up on dozens of useless but hilarious items. I also bought a few.

Sadly, our time came to an end, and Seth left yesterday morning to spend a week in Portland with his family before heading back east for the second semester. I tried to distract myself from his absence by shopping with my gal pals, but coming home to my empty apartment totally sucked. I miss Seth a lot, but I'm glad we got to spend two weeks together and do such exciting things! And now, I am back at work, although classes don't start until tomorrow, so again I have nothing to do. (Which is fine with me, especially since I'm a little sick). This term, which is the third and last in the Japanese school year, will be shorter than the last, and also less hectic as I will no longer be teaching the third-year students, who will be busy cramming for the upcoming university entrance exams. Hopefully, I will use the extra time to search for a job for next year!

Well, I don't know when the next time I write will be, considering my recent track record. But, there will be a next time, I can guarantee that. And I'll post when I upload my pics and videos from Seth's trip!

Mata ne,
Mandy