Mandy.In.Japan

Good Day Sunshine

2008-10-10T01:05:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-09-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-15T01:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-05T23:36:00.000-07:00

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!!

2008-05-28T06:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-27T05:57:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-23T07:21:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-21T04:01:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-07T05:09:00.000-07:00

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!!

2008-04-03T02:27:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-03-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

...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...

!!!!!

2008-03-21T07:19:00.001-07:00

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

2008-01-28T03:52:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-01-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

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

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

2007-11-21T04:14:00.000-08:00

...And I will probably actually have one this year!! I experienced my first snowfall last Sunday night!!! It was SO beautiful. It was late at night, around 11:30, but nonetheless I ran around outside, frolicking and taking pictures. I'm sure the novelty will wear off once the *real* snow hits in a few months, but as for now, I am fascinated with snow! I'm excited for winter. :-) Here's a picture from Sunday night:

You can see some more by copying and pasting this link:
http://claremont.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2057681&l=16b5e&id=13301566

I'm going to go get warm now.
-Mandy

Hisashiburi desuneee!

2007-11-13T03:34:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't speak the Nihongo, "hisashiburi desune" means "long time no see." Which is definitely the case!

My oh my it has been a long time since I wrote! This is primarily because my parents came to visit for the first two weeks of October, and I have been trying to catch up on life since then! (I'm still not quite there, haha.) My parent's trip was great; we visited lots of different places including Takayama, Kyoto, and Gokayama, and they loved Japan! I haven't had the chance to post photo albums on facebook yet, but that is on my list of (urgent) things to do, so look for the links soon.

I really can't believe it's November already, and almost halfway through the month at that! Thanksgiving is coming up, and although I will not be celebrating the holiday on the 22nd like most good Americans, I will (thankfully... no pun intended...) get to enjoy some turkey etc. at least once at some local Toyama-JETs turkey-day parties (thanks Cheryl and Sevan!). As for the actual holiday, well, I will be working on Thursday, but in Japan it is "Labour Thanksgiving Day" on Friday, and hence a three-day weekend. So, Friday and Saturday I will travel to Kyoto and Osaka with about 18 other teachers from my high school!! They are all much older than me, and most don't speak English... so basically it should be a smashing good time. I'm really looking forward to it actually; I think touring around Kyoto and Osaka with native Japanese should be really rewarding, as should our drunken dinner party on Friday night! (The teachers who don't speak English tend to open up and at least try to talk to me a little bit when they're inebrieated.)

What else is going on... The leaves are changing, which is beeeautiful. It's my first Fall! I'm loving the weather right now, although I think it will continue to cool off pretty quickly at this point, until it starts to SNOW in December (also a first for me)!! I'm excited, and also terrified, primarily because my apartment lacks central heat. In some ways, the Japanese are so stubbornly old-fashioned...

Anyway, here are some links to some Fall pictures (the first is pictures from Halloween at my deaf school, the second in fall in Kenrokuen garden and surrounding Kanazawa, and the third is fall at the Kamitaira Gasshou houses!)

http://claremont.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056941&l=4ead3&id=13301566
http://claremont.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056632&l=426e2&id=13301566
http://claremont.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2057311&l=2f232&id=13301566

And, lastly, I'd like to share some more amaaaazing short essays written by my third-year students. For this first batch, the topic was "If you could change into any person, living or dead, for a single day, who would it be and why?" Read them all, savor them, die from laughter... ENJOY them!

"I want to change place with Sugaru that is my brother because they have a lot of talent. For example, he is very good at study and sports, and he is taller than I. So, I want to change place with my brother. If I could change place with him, I try to make a girlfriend, and I go date with her. I want to enjoy a single day with girlfriend."

(For this one, keep in mind that the student has the choice to be anyone for a single day. ANYONE.)
"I want to change places with a variety shop's assistant for a single day because I want to spend time being in many cute goods. I go to the office in the morning, then work in the shop. I answer to customer's question and keep the shop clear and so on. After the shop closed, I am willing to do some jobs and I go home late night. I really want to be tender with many cute goods."

"I want to become Thero. He is an magician and everyone knows him. He has great magic [technique (?)], and he always makes me very exciting by his magic. So I want to make someone exciting, and I want to see her surprising face."

"I want to change places with my teacher because she can see my friends of faces from best positions every day."

(One of my all-time faves):
"I want to change Ann Salivan...I want to meet Helen Keller and fight her." (!!!!!)

"If I could change place with one person for single day, I would change place with Ayumi Hamasaki. I like her very much. Her face is very beautiful and cute. What is more, she sings song very well. So if I could change her, I would go out for town and go to karaoke, or spend looking mirror all day."

"If I could change places with one person for a single day, I want to do with Napoleon. This is why, I like studying history. I want to feel the era and spend at that time. And he is big people." (Sorry kiddo, hate to break it to you, but the last thing Napoleon was is "big"...)

A short social commentary on Japanese gender roles:
"If I could change place with one person I want to change a father. Because I want to change a man. Mother is very hard. If I changed my mother, I have to cook, clean, the room and wash the dish. I can't do it. But if I changed my father I have to work only. My mother have to work and housework. I want to change a my father."

"I want to change place with Harry Potter because I want to fry by myself." (Brought to you by the letters L and R. They're really the same thing after all, aren't they?)

This one's truly amazing. She got big points for creativity, if nothing else...
"I want to become a gate in Disneyland. In the morning, I can watch countless smile and exciting people who are looking forward to entering the park. In the night, I can also watch the people who having many survenias (souvenirs?) happyliy, but also are sad to have to leave there. I want to watch many people's vivid face. In addition, to, I want to see the character such as Mickey and Minnie. So, I want to become it."

"I want to change places with Daisuke Matsuyaka, the famous baseball player. I like watching baseball, but I have never played it, and I have never visited foreign country. I have few same thing with he, for example, the age, the sex, and families we have." (Do you? Really?)

Now this one, I just flat out don't get:
"I want to change place with Sone. She is a gluttony fighter. I want to try gluttony on TV."

"I want to study harder as if Ichiro played the baseball very hard." (I just thought this one was cute!)

"I wish I change place with Naoya Murata. He very smart, tall, good at playing soccer and cool. However he is not fun. It is only him defect. However most girl love him, because he is perfect person."

"I choose my mother...By change places with her, I understand her houseworks, and want to know the importance of her, and I want to say, "Thank you for growing me everyday." (With a the right amount of water, sunlight, and fertilizer, anyone can grow the perfect Japanese child.)

"I want to be a singer. When I sing a song, my voice is very bad to listen...If I want to be a singer, please come to my concert." (Way to promote yourself, kid.)

This one's a classic:
"My dream is to be a actor, so I want to become a famous movie star. And I want to make friends who is also famous movie star and enjoy talking about some neutral topic like the weather or news."

"I'd like to change Amanda. Because she is very cute and to speak complete English. I'm not good at English so if I could change her, I would speak and speak in English. And I feel happy to solve many difficult questions. Other, she is so cute that everyone likes her and say "Amanda is cute." I want to be said "cute" too. So I'd like to Amanda for a single day." (Awww... :-) :-) :-) Also, I love that I'm a verb in the last sentence!)

"I want to become my mother. Because she is teacher. I want to make a test. It seems to be easy, but I suspect difficulty."

Some on-point political statements coming up...
"I hate American's government's for the long time because they promote War. I think that the big world war will happen 21 century. My hope is that All of the world got peace. I want to change places with American president, and told to the importance of peace. America is the most strongest country in the world. If America got peace, other countrys are may pieace to."

"I think that is American president, because he has very strong power. So if he said "we must do recycle" the people who lived in the world would do it and we could reduce garbage." (Now, if only we could get the president to say something as intelligent as "We must do recycle...")

"I want to change place with Prime Minister in Japan, because he has power which it can change of Japan. Japan has many problem today. For example, Japanese government has a lot of no useful persons for us. They are playing golf without doing others important works. And they are given much money by company to be given offer. If I change place with it, I force to stop them, and I will cut them." (Now now, violence is never the answer, angry young one.)

Lastly, a couple from different topics. The first is in response to a prompt to write a newspaper article about an automobile accident; the second a prompt to write about what the student did the previous weekend.

"A traffic accident occurred at Suehiro Street last night. It is said that two men were run over by a black car when they were crossing the street. One died soon and the other is curing in a hospital." (I can't stop thinking about a man in a full-body cast, slathered in honey and impaled with cloves, roasting in an oven!! I don't know if that's actually how you cure ham, but it sure as hell might as well be.)

And, I've saved the best for last:
"Last weekend, I was staying at home all day, because I had to study. Then, my parents had gone to spa, and my grandmother had gone shopping with her friends. That is, there were only me and Goro. Goro is my cat. I had talked to Goro about my future, world peace, love, and anymore... But he hadn't spoken. Anyway, last weekend was very lonely."

SOOOO that is my job in a nutshell, folks-- NUTS! Haha, it sure does make reading 100+ essays a week more enjoyable!

My fingers hurt. Till next time,
Mandy

More Pictures

2007-09-29T04:31:00.000-07:00

For those of you reading this who aren't on facebook, I posted more pics AND I figured out a way for everyone, facebookers and non-facebookers alike, to see them-- just follow this link!

http://claremont.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2053186&l=8d790&id=13301566

The pics are from my school's festival, my apartment, and my neighborhood. Not as artistic as the last batch, but still interesting (I hope).

-Mandy

Almost October?!?

2007-09-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe how fast the days are going by now that school is in full swing. Almost two months have passed since I got here! Last night I had a dream that my year here was finished, and I have a funny feeling that dream is going to become a reality in no time at all. I thought that graduating from college and no longer having any homework would mean having tons of free time on my hands... SO not the case. Already I'm behind on my to-do lists! Look at this blog, for example: it's been nine days since my last post, and I even have the internet in my apartment now. I'm currently posting at school. Where does the time go?

I'll tell you where it went two weekends ago-- all over Tokyo and back again. I promised to write about my weekend adventure, so here it is: Four other ALTs and I took the night bus from Toyama city to Tokyo, leaving at 11:45pm and getting in at 5:45am. We did not get much sleep that night, needless to say. So, we checked into what turned out to be the best hostel ever, and took showers and naps before heading out for the day. (A quick note on the hostel: it had opened only a month before, so it was brand spankin new, super clean, and super cheap-- such a great deal!) After resting up for a bit, we headed out to this huge garden and Shinto Shrine area that I am embarrassed to say I never actually learned the name of. (Much of this weekend was like that-- me not knowing what was going on. I blame it on the sleep deprivation, but really it was probably just laziness on my part.) We hung around there for a bit, and I bought one of those little wooden boards you can write your wish on, and I hung it up with all the others. I liked the idea of leaving something that might still be there even when I leave Japan.

After the shrine, we headed out to Yokohama for the Great Japan Beer Festival 2007-- all you can drink (more like all you can sip, considering the size of the glasses they gave us) for a mere 4000 yen (about $40). That was a lot of fun; Yokohama is a beautiful harbor city with really beautiful night views! My favorite beer was a raspberry flavored one that, again, I don't know the name of. (I sense the overall theme of the weekend developing here.)

Then, we went back to the hostel and freshened up for a night out. We met up with one of Sarah's friends at a bar, then at 1am headed to a club in Shibuya to see a Japanese funk band play. Turns out we just missed their first set, and they didn't start their second one until 4am. Soooo, 3 hours of sleep deprivation later, the band came on, and they were AWESOME. They covered James Brown songs, and they were really good! But, alas, around 5am, I had fallen and couldn't get back up, so to speak. Sarah, Ann and I took a delirious cab ride back to the hostel, and I was asleep by 6am. Thank god.

At 1pm on Sunday, it was time to get started all over again. We were going to go see sumo, but sadly the tickets for that day were all sold out. So, we headed to a Buddhist temple (you got it- I don't know the name) for a lantern festival. Of course, considering we slept until 1:00, it was night time by the time we got there, so the timing worked out perfectly. After that it was dinner at an American-style restaurant (they had REALLY good pizza), and back to the hostel for another late night of cheap wine and "Never Have I Ever."

We checked out on Monday at 11am, and headed out again for sumo, this time armed with tickets we had purchased the previous day. We got to the venue, and it was great because the sumo wrestlers were just walking around in their robes and top knots and buying snacks at the convenience store like it was no big deal, totally normal. (Wtf??) I was about to take a picture of this strange sight when I realized my camera wouldn't turn on. I opened the battery compartment, and sure enough, in my near comatose state the night before, I had taken it out of the charger and put it down in a mystery location in the hostel, which remains undisclosed to this day. I was SO bummed, and in classic Type A style, I silently fumed over my stupidity for the remainder of the trip and much of the next day, until I was able to bike to the nearest electronics store (about 40 minutes away) to buy a new one. Anyway- back to sumo: it was the BEST part of the trip, hands down. I loved it!! The whole thing was very ceremonius-- This little man in a brightly colored robe would chant something before each match, and then the wrestlers would warm up by lifting their legs in the air and waddling around one another, much like nervous mother hens protecting their nests. Then they'd throw some salt in the ring, and BAM, have at it. Sometimes the matches would be over in a few seconds; the best ones would last half a minute or longer. I really enjoyed the whole experience. And despite what my teachers at school now believe, that I "like fat man," it really had nothing to do with their gelatinous bodies. In fact, the truth is, many of them were more muscle than fat! Well, ok... maybe half muscle, half fat. Anyway, the point is, I do NOT like fat man-- but I do LOVE sumo!

After sumo it was back to the train station to catch the shinkansen (bullet train) back to Takaoka. Three long, exciting, *expensive* days later, I was home. My little apartment never looked so good.

Soooo that was my weekend in Tokyo! Since then I have been teaching during the week and generally trying to catch up on rest and errands on the weekends. This weekend I will be getting ready for my parents' arrival on Wednesday-- I've got groceries to buy, my apartment to clean, travel arrangements to make, etc etc. But I'm really excited for their visit!

Before I go I'd like to leave you with some excerpts from some student essays I graded this morning. Just for kicks. The topic was "What kind(s) of energy should we use from now on, and why?" Here are some of the ones I enjoyed reading the most:

"Solar energy and blow energy" -Sounds good to me.

"I think solar energy is very good. It is useful for us to use. Solar energy prevented warmming glove from wormming glove." -You tell em, kiddo.

"I think solar energy is the best. It's different from atomic energy that human being created. Its energy can get from sun and probably unlimitted. If we go on using atomic energy, the earth will collapse. It means our death. We should use "nature" resources for fear we die. We can use solar energy in place of atomic energy from now on. If you buy your house, you have seller fix the solar panel on the roof." -This kid's got green architecture down!

"What we should do at first is study for improvement. I want to protect our earth. I study hard to look for the way to use alternative energy sources. I hope our future is excellent and beautiful." -Now, if only our current president was so determined...

"I think hydroelectric power is best. Water is unlimited resource and Japanese people are familiar with water." -Good thing, otherwise this whole island thing would be a problem.

And finally, "The best energy source I think is cheap, safety, able to be used simply. because if it's safety, nobody would be killed by it, if it's cheap, it could be used everyone, if we can used it everytime, and in all over the world, we could save the poor." -In Jesus' name, Amen.

I hope you enjoyed reading these six even more than I enjoyed reading all two hundred.

Until next time,
Mandy

I heart Japan

2007-09-20T05:37:00.001-07:00

I am writing my first post from my apartment!! YAYYY I finally have the internet! They sent me the modem and activated the service on Wednesday, and I set everything up all by myself and got it up and running! I'm so excited! Except now I waste a lot of time online. Haha.

This will be quick because I have to shower and iron my pants for tomorrow, but I just wanted to put this link to my first set of uploaded pictures out there: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13818753@N04/. It should be accessible to anyone. I've posted my favorite pics so far; take a look and I hope you enjoy them!

Here's one of my absolute favorites, just for starters (it's from outside Kenrokuen Gardens in Kanazawa; there was a festival going on):

I'll write a long post this weekend about my AMAZING visit to Tokyo and Yokohama last weekend-- SO much fun!! Some of the pics are from that trip, so maybe some of you can get a sneak peak if you take a look now. Also, tomorrow is Takaoka Minami's School Festival, meaning no classes, and all fun and games! The kids have been preparing like crazy, decking out their classrooms, cooking food, practicing music and drama pieces, etc. It's going to be awesome! I'll be taking a ton of pictures for sure, so look for a second installation of pics on the flickr website coming soon.

Til later this weekend (another three-day weekend, yay!),
Mandy

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

2007-09-10T23:27:00.000-07:00

So, cross my fingers hope to die, I THINK I am getting internet in my apartment in a week. I hope I didn't just jinx it by saying that. For those of you who don't know, the whole internet thing has been a general pain in the ass. I originally applied for it a month ago, and was told it would take a month to process my application and get an appointment to get it installed. Sure enough, I got my appointment for almost exactly a month after the original date. They were supposed to come to my apartment on September 10th. Sadly, however, the company called on September 8th, saying things to me in Japanese that I did not understand. I had my supervisor call them on the 9th, and after a long non-English conversation, she got this look of sorrow and embarrassment on her face, and said "Sorry... Sorry... there has been a problem with your application. They will not come to your apartment on Monday." It was like all my dreams had been shattered by a fast-moving truck. Well maybe not that bad, but still pretty disappointing. It turns out the store where I had applied was supposed to send photocopies of my ID documents to the phone company, but they never did, so they sent me a letter asking me to do it, but of course the letter was in Japanese and I had no idea what it said, and my supervisor failed to read it carefully enough to tell me, and yadda yadda yadda long story short is I did not get internet a month after applying, as promised. I spent the weekend intermittantly hanging out with people, which was fun, and sulking about my loss, which was not so fun. Luckily, two friends of mine gave me the English line for a different internet company, and I called them on Monday and was able to apply through them and get an activation date of September 19th, only 8 days from now! Anyway, the moral of the story for anyone who is even thinking about ever living in Japan is DO NOT APPLY FOR YAHOO-BB IN PERSON. EVER. Do it online, or apply over the phone with NTT. That's my two cents of advice, for what it's worth. It'll save you a lot of trouble.

So, now I'm at school, and I just finished up my Tuesday of my second week. Classes are going well, and I'm getting settled into a routine here. Tomorrow I go to the deaf school, to teach my two classes, each with one student only. It's much more relaxed than Takaoka Minami, and I have a lot of down time to read and use the internet. I like my two students also; I help them read and write the alphabet and simple words. Last week I made up some bingo cards and crossword puzzles to make it a little more exciting for them. I'll bring prizes for them tomorrow too; stickers and keychains from home and whatnot. Woo!

Alright some students are here in the staffroom to sell tickets for ice cream for the school festival coming up, so I guess I'd better go buy some (by which I mean I want to catch them before they leave... mmmm ice cream).

Until next time (maybe I'll have my own internet by then??),
Mandy

Back to school

2007-09-04T00:04:00.000-07:00

So, it's Tuesday, and the second official day of the term. School resumed yesterday, and I was so excited that I had to write about it last night even though I couldn't post until today! So, I've copied and pasted below what I wrote at home yesterday about my first day:

I just finished my first day of school! It was fantastic. Let me give you a run down:

School officially started at 8:35am, with the Opening Ceremony in the gym. I was given very specific instructions for my role in the ceremony—i.e., Number 1: stand at gymnasium door. Number 2: Enter gymnasium. Number 3: Walk to stage… And so on. In short, I was introduced by the principal in a very proper manner to the entire school (500 students and about 40 faculty), all who remained standing for the whole ceremony in very neat rows. It was a little military-esque, to be honest. But, I guess that’s Japan for you: very proper. After I was introduced by the principal, I had to give a self-introductory speech—in Japanese! All I did was read it off of a piece of paper (my speech had been translated into Japanese by my supervisor), but still, it was a little nerve-wracking! I made it through with only a few mistakes though, at which point I was very relieved to leave the stage and go stand in line with the rest of the teachers. The ceremony concluded after a few more speeches and introductions (the new student government, for instance), and then it was off to my first class!

At 9:35, Oral Communications, a class for 40 first-years (so many students!), began. I had prepared a self-introductory lesson, complete with a Power Point slideshow, a quiz, and an activity to help the students get to know me better. I think the class went well, but it was a little hard to tell, primarily because students in Japan do NOT respond when you ask them something! I went through my whole slideshow (very slowly and clearly, of course) and then explained the first set of instructions for the quiz; “Please make pairs with the person sitting next to you.” The response from the students? Blank stares and a complete lack of movement. I had been warned of this response (or lack thereof) in all of my orientations, so I wasn’t entirely surprised. However, it did make it difficult to judge if anything I had just said had been understood! Eventually, however, with my team-teacher’s prompting, the students made pairs and began working on their quizzes. Thankfully, it seems they did indeed understand my presentation and the quiz questions, because almost everyone got every question right! After the quiz, we moved on to the next activity: Interviewing Amanda! (Pretty self-explanatory from the title, but basically students worked in pairs to come up with at least two questions in English that they would like to ask me.) Many of the questions were the same, for instance, “What is your favorite Japanese food?” (answer: sashimi). However, there were the occasional unique ones, like “What is a good place to visit in Hawaii?,” and, of course, the question I had been warned about by many an older ALT: “Do you have boyfriend?” I had thought a lot about how I would answer this question, and I was prepared with my somewhat-witty response: “I have many, many boyfriends! Hundreds of boyfriends!” This is, of course, not an entirely accurate response, and in all honesty it felt a little weird lying about such an important aspect of my life. But, I got some laughs out of it, and avoided students knowing a little too much of my personal information.

So, that was Oral Communications, section 4. I went on to teach the same class for section 1 an hour later, and I will teach it twice more by the time this week is through. Then, thankfully, we will move on to more exciting topics than my autobiography, for instance, how to converse with a doctor in English and how to invite friends to a party. (Wheeee!)
I then ate lunch, and spent the remainder of the class day grading third-year English exams and writing responses on my “Interview Amanda” worksheets. Not the most stimulating activities, but at least the time passed quickly. Then, at 3:45, I was invited to join the school’s Tea Ceremony club—this turned out to be the highlight of my day! For this club, about 10 girls and their sensei meet every Monday in the school’s tatami room (tatami being woven bamboo mats that cover the floor) and practice the ancient Japanese art of making and serving green tea. I mostly just watched at first, as girls took turns mimicking their sensei in kneeling, elaborately folding their tea cloth and using it to ceremoniously wipe the tea cups and utensils, making the tea, serving the tea, and cleaning up the tea set. I had no idea it was such a detailed, beautiful process! It truly is a very impressive act. I went along with whatever the other girls did, using a small wooden spear to eat my mochi, accepting my tea and bowing with my head to the floor, etc. Then, the sensei asked me to try making tea! I was tickled, because secretly I thought it looked like a lot of fun! She led me through the process, and I tried my best to do everything just so. I think I did pretty well for a beginner, except for the outcome of my tea—apparently too strong, and not frothy enough. Oops. I felt bad for the girl who had to drink it. The girls also seemed to enjoy watching me try my hand at their art form; they even brought out a video camera to tape it! All in all it was great fun, and a really wonderful way to spend some time with the students outside of the classroom. I will definitely be attending again in the future!

By then, it was 5:15pm, and my day was over! It went by very quickly, and I’m excited for tomorrow! In addition to my Oral Communications class, I will teach two writing classes for second-year students. And, with any luck, maybe I’ll be invited to another club meeting!

For now, it’s time for dinner and some Desperate Housewives (the third disc of season two of Sex and the City was all rented out! How disappointing.). It’ll be leftovers tonight, as I made chicken curry last night—it was the first time I cooked meat here! And it actually tasted pretty good. Go me.

Mata ne,
Mandy

Back to Tuesday: today was good too; a little more hectic because I had 4 classes instead of 2. And tomorrow is my first real day at Takaoka Deaf School! Wish me luck!

It's Aloha Friday, no more work til Monday...

2007-08-30T21:26:00.000-07:00

The weeks here are flying by! I can't believe it's Friday already, and the last day of August at that! I am so so so excited to start teaching on Monday. Before classes start though, I'm going to have a give a self-introductory speech in front of the entire school at the Opening Ceremony- in Japanese. Hmmm hope I don't screw that one up.

I'm actually leaving school today two and a half hours early, to go with a Japanese teacher to her hometown 20 minutes from here for a wood-carving festival! Then, I get to have dinner with her family at her house. I'm so excited! I'm really looking forward to interacting with a family here. It's been almost a month since I've enjoyed a sit-down family meal!

This weekend is Welcome Weekend for Toyama JETs. We are going "camping" (read: we will sleep in cabins with running water, thank god) near Mt Tate. I'll probably be getting very little sleep Saturday night... but hey, who needs sleep? It's all about having fun. Speaking of sleep, however, I'm very proud of myself-- I've been going to bed at 10:30 almost every night, and getting a full 8 hours of sleep! I feel great during the day-- such a change from the chronic exhaustion of college. Gotta love not having homework.

And, last night I got to sleep for the first time on an authentic Japanese futon! My supervisor took me to the mattress store yesterday so that I could buy a futon and blankets, since it is starting to cool down here at night. (I had been sleeping on a fold-out foam mattress before that. It was perfectly comfortable, but it would not keep me warm come winter.) Also, I FINALLY got curtains for my sliding glass doors in my bedroom-- my room is so pretty now! And I actually have privacy! Hallelujah.

Ok I'm off to grade some more exams before I head out in half an hour for the wood carving festival! Woo hoo!

It's raining, it's pouring...

2007-08-27T22:49:00.001-07:00

I woke up last night to the sound of pouring rain, and the realization that my freshly laundered clothes which were hanging out to dry were probably pretty wet. This is the first real rain we've had here in Takaoka, and I'm atually really enjoying it. It's cool and pleasant soothing to the eyes. I do need to get a new umbrella, however. My predecessor left me his, but when I opened it up this morning, I realized it's actually the crappiest, most beat up umbrella I've ever seen. I was actually embarrassed to bring it to school. Thanks, pred.

Still no internet on the home front, but good news-- I have an appointment to get it installed on September 10th! Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm going to have use a few hours of my very precious paid leave to go home early to have it installed, but it will be oh-so-worth-it. I'll finally be able to upload my pictures, use skype, read the NY Times, and check my email at will... I will probably not get any sleep that night, haha.

Ooh here's something exciting-- I went for a bike ride yesterday afternoon to try to find the nearest post office (which I did), and then I kept biking to explore for a bit more. Turns out there's this awesome park only a few minutes away from my apartment! It's beautiful; lots of trees and grass with walking paths, a river and a couple bridges, two big play structures for little kids, flower gardens and a gardening center, and a big soccer field. I was so happy to find a nice, peaceful natural area so close to me! I will be going there a lot, I'm sure. It's really well-kept, and it seems a lot of people go there. I was there around 5:30pm, and there were little old ladies working on the flower gardens, lots of little kids running around, some teenage boys playing soccer, and a lot of people walking their dogs. Very pleasant over all.

Also, did I mention I'm less than a 10 minute bike ride from the biggest mall in the prefecture? I probably did. But I'm so thrilled about it I'm mentioning it again.

So, as you might be able to tell, I'm becoming pretty accustomed to good ol' Takaoka. There's pretty much everything I need only a short bike ride away, and I can easily take the train to other parts of the ken (prefecture) when I want to see new places. Pretty sweet deal I've got going on, actually.

Alright... I guess I should get back to work. And by work I mean I think I'll go wander aimlessly around the school and coerce the students into speaking English. (I don't really have to do much coercing; they're so cute and they love to talk!)

Until next time,
Mandy

A Quickie

2007-08-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

This will be short and sweet, because I'm using a public computer and I have only 10 minutes left.

This week flew by! We had a bunch of orientation activities every day except Thursday, so I was kept very busy. The best day was Wednesday, when we took a bus ride to Mount Tate (called Tateyama here; "yama" means mountain), and we hiked to the top! Well, almost to the top. It was actually really bad weather, foggy and pouring rain, so we weren't allowed to go past 2,700 meters. (The summit is 3,200 or something like that.) So, we all got soaking wet, but it was great fun nonetheless! I have some cool pictures on my computer, but I won't be able to upload them until I get internet in my apartment. (Not having the net is driving me mad!)

One more great thing that happened was on Thursday night: I had just heated up some frozen fried rice and a pre-cooked fish patty for dinner, when I got a knock on the door. It was my next-door neighbors, delivering a home-cooked meal! It was SO cute of them, and the food was delicious! Two eggs, a hamburger patty, cucumbers, carrots, eggplant, and potatoes. It was the first home-cooked meal I had had since... well, since I left home! They also gave me a little mango-flavored Haagen Daaz cup of ice cream for dessert! In return, I gave them 3 hawaiian tea bags, a key chain, and two postcards, and attempted to speak with them in Japanese. It really made my night!

I'm off, but I hope to write again soon!

Oops

2007-08-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, so apparently "One Week" is by Barenaked Ladies, not Third Eye Blind. Thanks Mitchy.

It's 8:44am on Thursday morning, and I am at school, enjoying the internet that I cannot use at home. I actually get quite a bit of work done everyday too, despite the huge amounts of time I spend perusing the world wide web. Today, I'll be organizing my photos for my self-introduction lesson, and also writing up brief explanations of Hawaii travel brochures I am going to use in a Travel Agent/Tourist role play lesson. I'm going to be the best teacher ever! Haha. (But seriously, I am.)

So I learned something FANTASTIC last night: there is an enormous, beautiful, fun-filled shopping mall only a ten minute bike ride from my apartment! It may seem shallow, but that makes me SO excited about where I live. Not necessarily for the shopping, but for the opportunity to get out of my apartment and go somewhere stimulating to people-watch and grab a quick bite. There is also a movie theatre in the mall; a bunch of us JETs watched Transformers last night! And, I bought a bike at the home store at the mall, so now I feel like I can get anywhere I need! It's AMAZING-- I hadn't ridden a bike since I was probably 10 years old, and I had forgotten how much damn fun it is! And now I don't feel so trapped; if I need conditioner, I can bike to the pharmacy and buy conditioner! If I need eggs, I can bike to the grocery store and buy eggs. You get the picture. It's glorious. And my bike is red and beautiful, with a big basket on the front and a little bell! I should think of a name for it. I welcome any suggestions.

On a less interesting front, I've been keeping myself amused in my apartment by watching episodes of Friends and Sex and the City. Friends, of course, is one of my all-time faves and an instant picker-upper, but I had never watched Sex and the City before. I rented the first disc of the first season from a dvd rental place up the street from me, and I love it! What better way to feel good about living alone in an apartment than by watching a show about 4 single women living the independent dream in Manhattan? (This may sound extrememly superficial... but I'm trying to make it in Japan here. Anything helps.)

I think some friends and I are going to sightsee a bit this weekend; either some big gorge in Kurobe (east of here), or some famous old Japanese houses called Gassho houses that are a world cultural heritage site. Either way, sounds good! I'm especially looking forward to sleeping in at least one day. (If you know me at all, you know that I love my sleep!)

Mata ne,
Mandy

It's Been One Week (since you looked at me... Third Eye Blind anyone?)

2007-08-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

So, I have officially been here in Toyama prefecture, Takaoka city, for one week. Boy has it been crazy! I have to admit, I haaaaated it when I first got here. After running around doing errands and meeting other coworkers, my supervisor dropped me off at my apartment around 6pm on my first day, and left me to find dinner for myself. Which, normally, would not be such a big deal, if I had not just LANDED IN JAPAN. I found a restaurant right across the street from my apartment, but needless to say I did not enjoy dinner, as I felt completely alone, and everyone kept staring at the "gaijin" (foreigner). I cried a lot that night, and most of the next day. In fact, the next day I was certain I had made a mistake, and I wanted to go home-- right that instant! I was ready to head to the travel agency and book a ticket home, but my supervisor coaxed me into talking with another ALT here whom I met at Tokyo orientation, and she managed to convince me to give it at least a few more days.

A few days later... I was back to square one! I didn't have to go to work on Saturday, so I spent most of my day trying unsuccessfully to get my apartment set up, which involved attempting to sort my trash into about 6 bazillion different categories. With no help from the badly translated English trash guide, I failed miserably, started crying, and again decided I wanted to go home. I just felt so trapped and alone! But luckily, a social event was planned for all Toyama JETs that night, so I went out, hung out with people, got a little drunk, and made it through the weekend. Since Monday, I have felt pretty good actually. I'm starting to get used to the idea of being here a whole year, I'm beginning to get a feel for my area (slowly, sloooowly-- I don't have the greatest sense of direction), and I've made quite a few friends. So, at this point, I can say "I'm going to be okay!" (Which is miraculous, considering how certain I felt about needing to leave only 4 days ago.) Of course, I know that there will be MANY more ups and downs throughout the course of this year. It's not going to be easy. But it probably can't ever get as bad as it was the first three days... And that didn't kill me, so apparently I'll make it through this year after all! (Clearly I'm experiencing an up right now.)

But seriously, Japan is really cool. At least for now, while the novelty is still fresh, haha... I live in a nice little apartment about a 7 minute bus ride from my school in one direction, and about a 5 minute ride from the train station in the other direction. It's been hot as hell here, so walking anywhere for more than a few minutes is pretty much torture. Thankfully, I think I'll be getting a bike this evening, which hopefully will make getting around a lot easier. (On a side note: my vice principal just got back from buying lunch, and he brought me a little haagen dazs ice cream cup! Seriously everyone here is so NICE!)

I don't have internet in my apartment yet, and I won't for at least a month, so in the mean time I abuse the internet here at school. This may seem an inappropriate thing to do, but right now I really don't have much else going on. This week is the Japanese holiday "Obon", a time for remembering ancestors and celebrating family, so there are actually only 2 other teachers here at work today. Thus, I think I can get away with updating my blog at the moment.

Classes start on September 3rd, which I am REALLY looking forward to. Although I am getting accustomed to my surroundings and to living on my own, I think having a routine will help immensely. That way, rather than feeling lonely when I return to my apartment at the end of the day, I can feel a sense of relief and relaxation! Also, the students I've met so far have been fantastic-- so friendly and eager to talk! I think I'm really going to enjoy teaching here. I've already planned my first 2 lessons! And also, I found out I teach once a week at Takaoka Deaf School-- What a surprise! I have no idea how I am supposed to teach if I don't know sign language, but I guess I will find out.

Lastly, before I sign off, a few oddities about Japan:
1) Not all bathroom facilities have "western" toilets-- meaning if they are non-western, you cop a squat! (My supervisor tells me it's good for the thighs.)
2) Next to all toilets, you will find a motion sensor that, when activated, turns on a rushing water sound-- to mask the sound of your business.
3) There are cicadas EVERYWHERE. And they are SO LOUD. Sometimes at night I think the smoke detector is going off, but no, it's just a cicada, right outside my door.
4) I am actually taller than some people here! Haha, maybe that's not an oddity... Just personally amusing to me.

If you are reading this and feel so inclined, shoot me an email! I'd love to hear from back home!

Until next time,
Mandy

Everything is in Japanese

2007-08-06T02:06:00.000-07:00

I`m using a Japanese computer, which means a lot of the text on the screen is in Japanese. I don`t really know what I`m doing, and I`m having trouble finding the apostrophe key! But, the good thing is that I`m actually in Japan! Tokyo, to be exact, at my orientation. One more full day here tomorrow, and then I head off for Toyama-ken, Takaoka city, my new home for one year!

In brief: the plane ride was great; they had video games on the tv monitor! I played a lot of tetris. Then, there were some complications upon landing. They made me repack my luggage to take to Tokyo because I could take only one bag when I thought I could bring two, and then I found out someone else had mistakenly taken my duffel bag, and I had hers! That meant I had to stay another 2 hours at the airport, trying to sort it out. It actually didn`t really get sorted out until this morning, when I laid eyes on my bag here in the hotel, to my great relief. They shipped it out to Toyama for me, so it should be waiting for me, along with my other large suitcase I shipped from the airport, on Wednesday. Needless to say, it was a very frustrating start to my time here, and I was pretty upset Sunday night. Luckily, it was really easy to find other JETs going out to dinner (there are 1,000 of us here in the hotel!), so I tagged along with them and distracted myself from my distress. Soon enough though, exhaustion set in, and I was in bed by 10:30. I slept through the night, and started up bright and early at 7am today! It`s been a long day full of meetings and lectures, and we have our formal Welcome Reception Buffet Dinner in about 20 minutes. Then, I`ll be heading out for some karaoke with my fellow Toyama JETs! I`ve never done karaoke before...

All in all, it`s been a hectic, stressful, exciting start. Just as I expected it to be!

PS: The toilets here automatically fill with water when you sit on them! It really creeps me out.

!!!!

2007-08-01T03:33:00.000-07:00

It's 12:23 AM, the night before my parents and I leave for Honolulu, the city from which I depart on SATURDAY!! I can't believe I finished packing! Two big 50-lb suitcases, one roll-on, and one backpack. That is the least I have packed for such an important journey ever! I have to get up in four and a half hours though, so I'm keeping this short and sweet. I am SO excited and SO nervous and SO excited!! AAHHHHHHHH!!!

Maybe the next time I write, I will be in JAPAN!!! Wish me luck!

Some thoughts

2007-07-26T02:50:00.000-07:00

I just wrote a personal journal entry, and I'd like to share some of it here. Just some thoughts I have about this upcoming year. It was a nice exercise in thinking clearly and concisely about what I am about to experience-- in organized, bullet format. I am forever a neat-freak.

I expect this experience to be:
-Challenging.
-Exciting.
-Stimulating.
-Exhausting, at least at first.
-Scary at times.
-Exhilarating.
-A confidence-builder.
-Worthwhile.
-Memorable.
-Fun.
-Humorous at times.

I am excited about:
-Improving my Japanese.
-Eating lots of Japanese food.
-Taking beautiful pictures.
-Exploring new places.
-Meeting my students.
-Meeting other JETs from around the world.
-Working as a teacher.
-Befriending Japanese locals.
-Living on my own.
-Getting better at cooking.
-Seeing the seasons change.
-My first snowfall.
-Becoming more independent.
-Coming home in a year and feeling like I’ve accomplished something/done something really special.

I am scared about:
-Living on my own.
-Not being able to talk to Seth and my family and friends as frequently as I’m used to.
-Being very, very cold.
-Having to kill cockroaches myself.
-Not being able to read signs when I go out.
-Not being able to understand much of what people/the radio/the TV says.
-Feeling lonely sometimes.

My goals for the year are to:
-Improve my Japanese skills, or at least to get them back to the level I had achieved 3 years ago.
-Become proficient at riding a bike.
-Become a versatile, confident cook.
-Build friendships with local Japanese as well as other JETs.
-Explore Takaoka city, the greater Toyama prefecture, and other parts of Japan.
-Study at least one Japanese art form.
-Regularly update my blog.
-Talk to Seth and my parents at least once a week. (Yay Skype!)
-Take many pictures.
-Say “yes” to as many invitations to social events as I can.
-Learn how to use public transportation.
-Stay safe by thinking ahead, being aware of my surroundings, and always being precautious.

So far, so good for the seventh goal I listed, eh?

Getting Closer

2007-07-23T01:38:00.000-07:00

I'm a few days closer to my magic date of departure, and I've managed to cross a few items off my to-do list. I did some shopping yesterday and today and stocked up on some things that apparently are pretty hard to come by in Japan. For instance:

1) Deodorant. Apparently the lucky Japanese don't sweat much, and it's near impossible to find antiperspirants in Japan.

2) Toothpaste. Although I've heard toothpaste with fluoride has become more commonplace over the last few years, it's still hard to find, and doesn't taste very good.

3) Over-the-counter drugs. Got some Excedrin Migraine, Tylenol, Pepto Bismol, Echinacea, Vitamin C, and Women's One-a-Day, and Lactaid. It may seem like a lot, but I figure a year's a long time, and it's better to be prepared. I've been told the medicines in Japan are usually weaker than those here in the states, and often come in powder form that you dissolve in water. (Eww.)

Of course, I can't afford to overpack either. So it's going to be a fine balance: Black I-look-so-good-right-now stilettos, or Costco-size value pack of tampons? Both have their benefits... but it's hard to say. I'll keep you posted. (Thrilling, this process of packing, isn't it?)

I also bought a bunch of Hawaii souvenirs, as it is customary in Japan to give small tokens of appreciation to those who have helped you. I've also been told by current JET teachers that giving out little prizes is an excellent way to get otherwise uninterested students very very excited about learning English. I figure postcards, stickers, keychains, and pencils ought to do the trick. (And no, this is not bribery; merely positive reinforcement.)

Lastly, I discovered the most exciting thing the other day: FREE Hawaii travel brochures and magazines-- written in Japanese!! How perfect is that? I must have looked like a crazy person, taking dozens and dozens of pamphlets from the tourist-central rack outside the grocery store. They're really great though, they have pictures of all the different sites and activities here on the Big Island. I think it'll be a fun way for my students and colleagues to learn more about where I'm from. Of course, the best part of all is that they're freeeeee!

Alright. You're probably as tired of reading this as I am sitting here typing it, so I'll say goodnight.

Until next time,
Mandy

Preparations, preparations...

2007-07-19T00:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I’m not *actually* in Japan yet. (I will be as of August 5th.) In the meantime, however, I still have quite a bit of business/Japanese reviewing/relaxing/enjoying of food/goodbye-ing to attend to. I just spent 3 awesome weeks with Seth and his family, and I have a few more weeks at home in Hawaii with my own family before I take off. I’ll spare everyone the boring details of my massive to-do lists, which seem all too lengthy for the amount of time I have to complete them. Let’s just say that between now and August 5th, I’ll take care of business and get my butt over to Japan, at which point the real fun will begin, and I’ll do my best to keep you updated.

Once I am in Japan, I will have to set up my internet in my apartment ("apato" in Japanese), which will probably take 2-3ish weeks. I will be able to use the internet sparingly at work (Takaoka Minami High School) to check email and whatnot, but probably not much more than that. I can be reached at both of the following email addresses, although the first is preferred:

amanda.woodwell@gmail.com
ajw02003@mymail.pomona.edu (beginning August 1st)

Once I have the internet set up in my apartment, I will be relying primarily on Skype for international calling. Look me up! Full name: Amanda Woodwell. I also use AIM, screen name mandyjeanne07.

And of course, there’s always facebook.

Lastly, if anyone wants an awesome postcard from Japan, send me your address and I'll send you a little love. (You're welcome to send me some love the old-fashioned way, too-- just let me know if you feel so inclined and I'll email you my address.)

Oh, and if anybody wants to look me up on a map or Google Earth, I’m in Toyama prefecture, Takaoka city. That’s central Honshu (the main and largest island in Japan), on the Japan Sea Coast (right near where that huge earthquake happened yesterday... Cool, huh?).

That’s about it for now. I’m off to dinner (good ol’ spaghetti; got to enjoy it while it lasts).
Jaa, mata ne (Until next time),
Mandy