The one and only job I applied to when I first heard about the future of the Japanese school was an early start Reggio Emilia-inspired school that's conducted primarily in English. Ideally, I wanted to continue working at a Japanese-language preschool elsewhere. I don't get much speaking practice in anymore and I'd hate for my language skills to deteriorate after working to hard to get to the level I'm at now. There are a few schools that I came across in the area, but they either weren't hiring or were too far away.
The moment I stepped onto the beautiful campus of this new school on the day of my interview, I knew I wanted to work there. Everything I've been learning in the classes I'm taking says that preschool-aged children learn and develop best through play. The children at this school have free reign over their curriculum, which is play-based, whether it's through dress up, using blocks, painting, or getting dirty in the sandbox. They choose whether they're inside or out regardless of the weather, and they're surrounded by nature in an urban setting. While it may appear unstructured to an untrained eye, this play-based aspect helps young children develop their social skills, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving, among many other things. It's quite amazing to see 3 year olds talk out their squabbles with one another with the teacher providing very little assistance and I loved witnessing everything I'd been learning at school firsthand. After my first interview in March, I was called in to interact with the children as well as substitute teach, and finally in April, I got an official offer of employment!
I formally started at the beginning of the month and spent the summer going in for training as well as traversing around Europe for 20 days. The children are an absolute joy to be around, and my new coworkers are so passionate, knowledgable, and incredibly fun to work with. Since it's a school for younger aged preschoolers, it's unfortunately not full-time, but I maintain hours by babysitting and tutoring on the side. I'm honestly just happy to be in a place that's not only enjoyable to work at but a place where I can apply what I've been studying and become the teacher I want to be. I've already learned so much in the short month I've been there, and I know can flourish even more.
Friday, September 29, 2017
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Endings
When I first started at the Japanese-language preschool about two years ago, it took me a while to get used to being around such small children. I hadn't taken any Early Childhood Education classes and the only exposure I had to toddlers were the sons and daughters of my cousins, all of whom are now in or beyond elementary school, and I'd only see at our family functions. I wasn't sure if I should talk to and act with preschoolers the same way I did with my elementary school and junior high students in Japan, especially since I had to help them with things like using the toilet and blowing their noses. I eventually grew to love working with the smaller ones, which made me keep an eye out for other jobs working with younger children and start taking ECE classes. I now have 6 of the 12 ECE units required to become a preschool teacher in California and am currently working towards 9.
A few months ago, the school's director told me that she'd be closing the school due to her poor health. It definitely takes a lot of physical strength and energy to work with preschoolers, and she didn't want to supply inadequate care to the new 3 year olds who'd be entering the school in September. Most of the children at the school were due to graduate this year and enter kindergarten in the fall anyway, so while it's sad, it was just time for everyone to move on. The other day was the graduation ceremony for the five remaining students, and they performed the songs and sign language we've been practicing over the past few months in front of their families. They also shared their graduation photo albums, which included photos of them from birth to now and small snippets about themselves that they came up with and wrote down. After the ceremony, they surprised us teachers by performing a song they'd been practicing on their own with their parents, and a father even accompanied their singing on the guitar. It was a bittersweet day that I won't forget, and I'm so thankful for this job that introduced me to the joy of working with preschoolers.
To be continued.
A few months ago, the school's director told me that she'd be closing the school due to her poor health. It definitely takes a lot of physical strength and energy to work with preschoolers, and she didn't want to supply inadequate care to the new 3 year olds who'd be entering the school in September. Most of the children at the school were due to graduate this year and enter kindergarten in the fall anyway, so while it's sad, it was just time for everyone to move on. The other day was the graduation ceremony for the five remaining students, and they performed the songs and sign language we've been practicing over the past few months in front of their families. They also shared their graduation photo albums, which included photos of them from birth to now and small snippets about themselves that they came up with and wrote down. After the ceremony, they surprised us teachers by performing a song they'd been practicing on their own with their parents, and a father even accompanied their singing on the guitar. It was a bittersweet day that I won't forget, and I'm so thankful for this job that introduced me to the joy of working with preschoolers.
To be continued.
Friday, August 26, 2016
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the strange)
I was admittedly in a bit of a rut for the past few months. Maybe "crossroad" is a better term. In any case, I was definitely lost, but I'm happy to say that I'm much less so than I was before.
A huge part of me longed to be back in the classroom after the Japanese-American summer camp gig ended last summer. Even though I knew I'd be returning this year (and I did!), I kept an eye out for interesting-looking teaching jobs, and was super lucky in finding employment at a Japanese-language preschool back in January as an assistant teacher. The students aren't allowed to speak in English, and I have to correct them and tell them the Japanese equivalents of the words when they do. At first, I wasn't used to working with such small children, but I've grown to really love it, and recently quit my bookstore job to be an after school teacher for kindergarteners and first graders while continuing at the preschool on the side. I've also moved out of my dad's place and into one of my own with a wonderful roommate and her adorable cat. August has been a month of moving and changes and I've been quite busy with it all, but being back in the classroom and living on my own again have been nourishing for my spirit.
Much earlier on in the year, I was rejected by the only grad school I bothered applying to for a Master's in TESOL. It's not hyperbole to say that I was reaching for the stars; my top pick was an Ivy League school. But what appealed to me about the program was that I could simultaneously earn a degree in TESOL and a K-12 teaching certificate. The charm of going to a school all the way on the other side of the country was another reason why I applied as well, and even though I figured from the very beginning that I wouldn't be accepted, I couldn't help feeling at least a bit hopeful. However, getting that preschool job back in January made me realize that I really do enjoy working with kids, especially young ones. So perhaps this is the universe's way of telling me that I should start down the path of Early Childhood Education instead of ESL, at least for now.
I've grown to become the kind of person who doesn't like to rush, so I think I'll give it a go and apply for my top pick grad school again next year. For the time being, I'll be plenty occupied with my two teaching jobs, taking ECE classes at a local community college, assisting at my old ballet school every now and again, translating in my spare time, and possibly being a Japanese and English tutor. Oh, and Pokémon Go :] (go Team Instinct!)
A huge part of me longed to be back in the classroom after the Japanese-American summer camp gig ended last summer. Even though I knew I'd be returning this year (and I did!), I kept an eye out for interesting-looking teaching jobs, and was super lucky in finding employment at a Japanese-language preschool back in January as an assistant teacher. The students aren't allowed to speak in English, and I have to correct them and tell them the Japanese equivalents of the words when they do. At first, I wasn't used to working with such small children, but I've grown to really love it, and recently quit my bookstore job to be an after school teacher for kindergarteners and first graders while continuing at the preschool on the side. I've also moved out of my dad's place and into one of my own with a wonderful roommate and her adorable cat. August has been a month of moving and changes and I've been quite busy with it all, but being back in the classroom and living on my own again have been nourishing for my spirit.
Much earlier on in the year, I was rejected by the only grad school I bothered applying to for a Master's in TESOL. It's not hyperbole to say that I was reaching for the stars; my top pick was an Ivy League school. But what appealed to me about the program was that I could simultaneously earn a degree in TESOL and a K-12 teaching certificate. The charm of going to a school all the way on the other side of the country was another reason why I applied as well, and even though I figured from the very beginning that I wouldn't be accepted, I couldn't help feeling at least a bit hopeful. However, getting that preschool job back in January made me realize that I really do enjoy working with kids, especially young ones. So perhaps this is the universe's way of telling me that I should start down the path of Early Childhood Education instead of ESL, at least for now.
I've grown to become the kind of person who doesn't like to rush, so I think I'll give it a go and apply for my top pick grad school again next year. For the time being, I'll be plenty occupied with my two teaching jobs, taking ECE classes at a local community college, assisting at my old ballet school every now and again, translating in my spare time, and possibly being a Japanese and English tutor. Oh, and Pokémon Go :] (go Team Instinct!)
Saturday, October 17, 2015
帰る場所 - Place of Return
Some of you already know, but I went back to Japan last month for a ten day visit. I hadn't planned on returning so soon after coming back to California in the spring, but my favorite Japanese band played two live shows in their hometown of Osaka, which is something they rarely do, so I decided to splurge and go for it. And it was totally worth it. They played songs I had never heard live before, and I was closer to the stage than I had ever been in the previous 7 times I had seen them perform.
Of course, I also took the opportunity to see my friends and visit with my relatives. I even made a brief trip to the junior high I taught at, and it was so nice seeing everyone again, even though it took my former students and coworkers a few glances to recognize me, hehe. Guess a hairstyle really can change someone's appearance. In all, it was an amazing but short trip back, and I can't wait to visit again.
I know that many other returnees have a difficult time adjusting to life back in their home countries, but I've been very lucky in that my transition hasn't been very hard at all. I have access to many things Japanese thanks to living in a culturally rich and diverse area. I began working at a Japanese bookstore in June, so I get to use the language with my coworkers and customers. And it's even located in a historically Japanese-American area where my grandmother used to live, which gives me a taste of the life I was used to across the sea.
But above everything, I think it's mostly thanks to the fact that my day-to-day life back here hasn't changed much compared to the life I had over there. Yes, I live with my dad again, and at first, I was afraid that not having a place of my own would drive me crazy. But our schedules are so different that I don't see him as often as I thought I would. I had friends in Japan and of course I have friends here, but my introverted lifestyle makes it so that I don't really feel lonely when I decide to stay home instead of go out (which happens a lot). And when I first got back, there were a few things that irked me about the way things are done in this country, but I think I've gotten used to the differences relatively quickly since I had made several trips back over my four year stint in Japan.
I'm very blessed and thankful that I have two places on opposite sides of the world that I can call home.
Of course, I also took the opportunity to see my friends and visit with my relatives. I even made a brief trip to the junior high I taught at, and it was so nice seeing everyone again, even though it took my former students and coworkers a few glances to recognize me, hehe. Guess a hairstyle really can change someone's appearance. In all, it was an amazing but short trip back, and I can't wait to visit again.
I know that many other returnees have a difficult time adjusting to life back in their home countries, but I've been very lucky in that my transition hasn't been very hard at all. I have access to many things Japanese thanks to living in a culturally rich and diverse area. I began working at a Japanese bookstore in June, so I get to use the language with my coworkers and customers. And it's even located in a historically Japanese-American area where my grandmother used to live, which gives me a taste of the life I was used to across the sea.
But above everything, I think it's mostly thanks to the fact that my day-to-day life back here hasn't changed much compared to the life I had over there. Yes, I live with my dad again, and at first, I was afraid that not having a place of my own would drive me crazy. But our schedules are so different that I don't see him as often as I thought I would. I had friends in Japan and of course I have friends here, but my introverted lifestyle makes it so that I don't really feel lonely when I decide to stay home instead of go out (which happens a lot). And when I first got back, there were a few things that irked me about the way things are done in this country, but I think I've gotten used to the differences relatively quickly since I had made several trips back over my four year stint in Japan.
I'm very blessed and thankful that I have two places on opposite sides of the world that I can call home.
Friday, July 3, 2015
Godzilla vs King Kong
I was given the wonderful chance to work at a Japanese-American summer camp for a month as a head teacher for a small class of elementary school students. I've been out of teaching for a few months now, but the moment I stepped into my classroom three weeks ago, I felt like I was back home again. It was a long road to get to this point and I still have a long way to go, but I know for sure that teaching is my calling. It's not a walk in the park and there will always be difficulties trying to block my way, but I have never felt the joy I feel in the classroom in any other job I've dabbled with in the past.
Before living in Japan, I had very little teaching experience. I assisted my cousin with her 5th grade class in Hawaii for about a week when I was 16, and I helped to "herd" a group of little girls for a few days during their ballet lessons right after I finished college. I've always liked kids and have several young nieces and nephews I love playing with whenever I see them, but I guess I never really noticed the difference between Japanese kids and American kids until I started working as a head teacher back here in my home country. Most, if not all, of my students at the camp have some sort of Japanese blood running through them, but the environment they're being brought up in is definitely American more than it is Japanese, even with their Japanese parents or grandparents being a direct influence in their lives.
Kids here need a lot more adult supervision and guidance. One thing I could never get used to in Japan is how the students are expected to behave even when the teacher isn't around. I'd often go to a classroom to eat lunch with the younger kids, and the homeroom teacher wasn't necessarily even in the classroom when I arrived. Junior high school students often have club activities before and after school that are not always supervised by an adult. And everyone walks to school without an adult ringleader. I do think a part part of this "trust" is due to the generally safe environment of Japan (I've seen kindergarteners ride the train alone!), but it's definitely a cultural thing as well. Kids in Japan are pretty democratic and can solve most minor issues without an older person's interference. They usually resort to janken (rock, paper, scissors) to determine a tiebreaker or settle an argument, and they greatly respect their senpai, or upperclassmen, maybe even more than their actual teachers. The camp I teach at has a super fun and positive environment, but we can't ever leave the students alone. They even have to go to the bathroom with a student assistant, but more than having respect for those older kids as guiding senpai, my students seem to view them as big brothers and sisters to play and joke around with. And I always have to act as the middleman if they get in a silly argument over who won the round of a game we played.
American kids are extremely vocal and opinionated. Maybe it stems from Japan's strong militaristic history, but uniformity is still a huge thing there even today. Most of the kids I worked with during my time there would usually willingly agree with their friends' thoughts and ideas, and if they didn't understand something, they wouldn't necessarily ask for help, as it was too embarrassing to admit their ignorance and stand out like a sore thumb. My students in the U.S., however, eagerly voice what's on their minds and aren't shy to admit that they don't get something either. They'll even start to argue with me if they don't like the decision I make as a middleman. I do live in a former-hippie-and-still-super-liberal area of California so I can't speak for the whole country, but from what I hear from my other teacher friends and have seen on TV programs, kids here love to take full advantage of their right to free speech, haha.
Finally, it's an unfortunate truth of our failing education system, but American kids are not as musically or artistically gifted as their Japanese counterparts. The school system in Japan has never cut music or art classes because of budget reasons, but those are some of the first classes to go here in the U.S. I never even really had art classes at my elementary school as a student, and I went to a private school! If you want to excel in those areas, most kids here take (or are forced by their parents to take :P) extra-curricular classes outside of regular school. I don't mean to say that American kids lack creativity...actually, I think they tend to be a lot more creative and imaginative than Japanese kids since they are encouraged to speak their minds. And several of my current students are incredibly artistically talented. But on the whole, from what I've seen in both countries, since Japanese kids receive the proper education to sing, play instruments, and learn how to draw, they are much stronger in those fields than kids their same age in the U.S. The first time I heard my Japanese sixth graders sing, I was nearly speechless. Not only were all 120 students singing in tune, but they were even harmonizing at times! I wish I could have learned to have done that as a kid! I have a strong artistic background, but sometimes I wonder if I would have gone through with graphic design after all had I had proper, mandatory art classes from first to eighth grade.
There are a few more things I'd like to write about, but this post has gotten a lot longer than I intended it to be, so I'll end it for now. Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts if you are a teacher as well or have taught abroad in a foreign country.
Before living in Japan, I had very little teaching experience. I assisted my cousin with her 5th grade class in Hawaii for about a week when I was 16, and I helped to "herd" a group of little girls for a few days during their ballet lessons right after I finished college. I've always liked kids and have several young nieces and nephews I love playing with whenever I see them, but I guess I never really noticed the difference between Japanese kids and American kids until I started working as a head teacher back here in my home country. Most, if not all, of my students at the camp have some sort of Japanese blood running through them, but the environment they're being brought up in is definitely American more than it is Japanese, even with their Japanese parents or grandparents being a direct influence in their lives.
Kids here need a lot more adult supervision and guidance. One thing I could never get used to in Japan is how the students are expected to behave even when the teacher isn't around. I'd often go to a classroom to eat lunch with the younger kids, and the homeroom teacher wasn't necessarily even in the classroom when I arrived. Junior high school students often have club activities before and after school that are not always supervised by an adult. And everyone walks to school without an adult ringleader. I do think a part part of this "trust" is due to the generally safe environment of Japan (I've seen kindergarteners ride the train alone!), but it's definitely a cultural thing as well. Kids in Japan are pretty democratic and can solve most minor issues without an older person's interference. They usually resort to janken (rock, paper, scissors) to determine a tiebreaker or settle an argument, and they greatly respect their senpai, or upperclassmen, maybe even more than their actual teachers. The camp I teach at has a super fun and positive environment, but we can't ever leave the students alone. They even have to go to the bathroom with a student assistant, but more than having respect for those older kids as guiding senpai, my students seem to view them as big brothers and sisters to play and joke around with. And I always have to act as the middleman if they get in a silly argument over who won the round of a game we played.
American kids are extremely vocal and opinionated. Maybe it stems from Japan's strong militaristic history, but uniformity is still a huge thing there even today. Most of the kids I worked with during my time there would usually willingly agree with their friends' thoughts and ideas, and if they didn't understand something, they wouldn't necessarily ask for help, as it was too embarrassing to admit their ignorance and stand out like a sore thumb. My students in the U.S., however, eagerly voice what's on their minds and aren't shy to admit that they don't get something either. They'll even start to argue with me if they don't like the decision I make as a middleman. I do live in a former-hippie-and-still-super-liberal area of California so I can't speak for the whole country, but from what I hear from my other teacher friends and have seen on TV programs, kids here love to take full advantage of their right to free speech, haha.
Finally, it's an unfortunate truth of our failing education system, but American kids are not as musically or artistically gifted as their Japanese counterparts. The school system in Japan has never cut music or art classes because of budget reasons, but those are some of the first classes to go here in the U.S. I never even really had art classes at my elementary school as a student, and I went to a private school! If you want to excel in those areas, most kids here take (or are forced by their parents to take :P) extra-curricular classes outside of regular school. I don't mean to say that American kids lack creativity...actually, I think they tend to be a lot more creative and imaginative than Japanese kids since they are encouraged to speak their minds. And several of my current students are incredibly artistically talented. But on the whole, from what I've seen in both countries, since Japanese kids receive the proper education to sing, play instruments, and learn how to draw, they are much stronger in those fields than kids their same age in the U.S. The first time I heard my Japanese sixth graders sing, I was nearly speechless. Not only were all 120 students singing in tune, but they were even harmonizing at times! I wish I could have learned to have done that as a kid! I have a strong artistic background, but sometimes I wonder if I would have gone through with graphic design after all had I had proper, mandatory art classes from first to eighth grade.
There are a few more things I'd like to write about, but this post has gotten a lot longer than I intended it to be, so I'll end it for now. Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts if you are a teacher as well or have taught abroad in a foreign country.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Part Deux
I've been back in California for over a month now, and even though my several trips home over the years may have lessened my reverse culture shock this time around, it's still a bit unreal to be back. My suitcase and boxes are not even close to being unpacked, and I have so much sorting and throwing out to do in my old room to make space for everything I brought back with me that the mere thought has been overwhelming me. I think a part of me also doesn't really want to face the reality that my life in Japan has ended. I find myself already yearning for the simple life I had over there.
Before coming back, I traveled throughout Asia for the month of April. It was really interesting to see how similar and different the four countries I visited were compared to Japan, and it got me excited into traveling again sometime soon. It also reinforced the Japanisms I gained and Americanisms I lost during my life in Japan, and I thought I'd add to the list I made previously since I thought of a few more.
4) Silence is golden
I never liked small talk, especially with strangers I'll never meet again. If you're just starting to get to know someone, especially with the intention of dating that person, small talk is an unfortunate and awkward stage that I'm always super glad to get over with. But talking to random people in the street or even store clerks and salespeople I've always found super vexsome. Does my waitress really care how my day is going? I doubt it. Yeah, we've had nice weather recently, random old man...I have eyes, you know. I like my shoes too, overly friendly lady next to me on the bus...that's why I bought them. Maybe it's because of my Asian appearance that I rarely got talked to by strangers in the street in Japan, (my more "foreign-looking" foreign friends would complain about getting random English words thrown at them) but I feel like I got way too used to people respecting my personal bubble while in public. Once, and only once, the cashier at a convenience store I would frequent commented on my unusual coin purse, and it threw me so off guard that I nearly didn't know how to respond. Now that I'm back in the U.S., I get bombarded with comments and questions constantly by strangers everywhere, and it drives me bonkers. I have my earphones in for a reason, guys!
5) There's a time and a place for everything
My students in Japan would often ask me if people in America really are "free." I would always respond in the affirmative, and luckily I was never asked why. I wouldn't have known how to answer why myself. But after spending time in both countries, I think I finally have the answer. Japan has a cultural phenomenon called honne and tatemae. People have facades that they put on while in public and a "true self" that exists in their private lives. It is not unique to Japan, however I don't think there are singular words to describe this in any other language besides Japanese. Those who know me know that I'm goofy and like to joke around and laugh. The person I present in the workplace, however, is pretty serious and hardworking. As a teacher, of course I have a "professional" playful side, but that's reserved especially for the classroom. People in Japan often go to nomikai, literally drinking parties, with their co-workers, and there are many throughout the year that are more official and held to celebrate something important. The ones I went to with my schools showed a side of my co-workers I had never seen before. I mean, a bit of their inner personalities would show through at work, but they tended to let all loose after a few sips of beer. Elsewhere in the world, everyone has a sense of professionalism in the workplace, but I feel it's a lot freer. The bus driver of the bus I was on the other day was munching on strawberries while driving. Store clerks in Bangkok were visibly napping or playing with their cellphones when the number of customers went down. The ticket vendor in Shanghai rolled her eyes and sighed at my friend and I when we asked her to recharge our subway cards. Geez fellas...aren't you getting paid to do your job right?
6) Tipping is not a city inChina Japan
I worked at a coffee shop for two years and loved getting tips. Working there made me more aware of the importance of tipping in the service industry, especially if you received particularly outstanding service. This practice is virtually nonexistent in Japan, and the only exception I ever witnessed was at Cold Stone Creamery, where the workers still sing to you if you throw a little something in the tip jar. Omotenashi has kind of killed my expectations of service and hospitality in the U.S. Customer service workers treat you like a god in Japan, even without expecting a monetary reward in return. To get the special treatment here, however, a tip is supposed to take you a long way. But that's not even always the case! Gratuity is tacked on at most restaurants if you go with a large group, which is totally understandable, but if your service is crap, you can't get out of it. Even if you don't have a large group and get bad service, you are still expected to leave a little something. I get that the practice started because waiters and other service workers once didn't earn enough to support themselves, but now in the 21st century, people should be paid the proper amount for the work that they do and always treat you the way they want to be treated.
My new-old life back in the States is just beginning, so maybe I'll think differently down the road. I'd still like to think that whatever mannerisms I picked up across the sea have changed me for the better.
Before coming back, I traveled throughout Asia for the month of April. It was really interesting to see how similar and different the four countries I visited were compared to Japan, and it got me excited into traveling again sometime soon. It also reinforced the Japanisms I gained and Americanisms I lost during my life in Japan, and I thought I'd add to the list I made previously since I thought of a few more.
4) Silence is golden
I never liked small talk, especially with strangers I'll never meet again. If you're just starting to get to know someone, especially with the intention of dating that person, small talk is an unfortunate and awkward stage that I'm always super glad to get over with. But talking to random people in the street or even store clerks and salespeople I've always found super vexsome. Does my waitress really care how my day is going? I doubt it. Yeah, we've had nice weather recently, random old man...I have eyes, you know. I like my shoes too, overly friendly lady next to me on the bus...that's why I bought them. Maybe it's because of my Asian appearance that I rarely got talked to by strangers in the street in Japan, (my more "foreign-looking" foreign friends would complain about getting random English words thrown at them) but I feel like I got way too used to people respecting my personal bubble while in public. Once, and only once, the cashier at a convenience store I would frequent commented on my unusual coin purse, and it threw me so off guard that I nearly didn't know how to respond. Now that I'm back in the U.S., I get bombarded with comments and questions constantly by strangers everywhere, and it drives me bonkers. I have my earphones in for a reason, guys!
5) There's a time and a place for everything
My students in Japan would often ask me if people in America really are "free." I would always respond in the affirmative, and luckily I was never asked why. I wouldn't have known how to answer why myself. But after spending time in both countries, I think I finally have the answer. Japan has a cultural phenomenon called honne and tatemae. People have facades that they put on while in public and a "true self" that exists in their private lives. It is not unique to Japan, however I don't think there are singular words to describe this in any other language besides Japanese. Those who know me know that I'm goofy and like to joke around and laugh. The person I present in the workplace, however, is pretty serious and hardworking. As a teacher, of course I have a "professional" playful side, but that's reserved especially for the classroom. People in Japan often go to nomikai, literally drinking parties, with their co-workers, and there are many throughout the year that are more official and held to celebrate something important. The ones I went to with my schools showed a side of my co-workers I had never seen before. I mean, a bit of their inner personalities would show through at work, but they tended to let all loose after a few sips of beer. Elsewhere in the world, everyone has a sense of professionalism in the workplace, but I feel it's a lot freer. The bus driver of the bus I was on the other day was munching on strawberries while driving. Store clerks in Bangkok were visibly napping or playing with their cellphones when the number of customers went down. The ticket vendor in Shanghai rolled her eyes and sighed at my friend and I when we asked her to recharge our subway cards. Geez fellas...aren't you getting paid to do your job right?
6) Tipping is not a city in
I worked at a coffee shop for two years and loved getting tips. Working there made me more aware of the importance of tipping in the service industry, especially if you received particularly outstanding service. This practice is virtually nonexistent in Japan, and the only exception I ever witnessed was at Cold Stone Creamery, where the workers still sing to you if you throw a little something in the tip jar. Omotenashi has kind of killed my expectations of service and hospitality in the U.S. Customer service workers treat you like a god in Japan, even without expecting a monetary reward in return. To get the special treatment here, however, a tip is supposed to take you a long way. But that's not even always the case! Gratuity is tacked on at most restaurants if you go with a large group, which is totally understandable, but if your service is crap, you can't get out of it. Even if you don't have a large group and get bad service, you are still expected to leave a little something. I get that the practice started because waiters and other service workers once didn't earn enough to support themselves, but now in the 21st century, people should be paid the proper amount for the work that they do and always treat you the way they want to be treated.
My new-old life back in the States is just beginning, so maybe I'll think differently down the road. I'd still like to think that whatever mannerisms I picked up across the sea have changed me for the better.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Turning Japanese?
There was an interesting article I read a while back written by an American girl about American habits she lost when she moved to Germany. There are other similar articles on the same site including one by another girl who lost certain Americanisms while in Japan, but I honestly thought they were poorly written and not as interesting as the Germany one :P The time I've spent living in Japan is relatively short and already coming to an end in a little over a month now (eep!) but I thought I'd try my hand at writing something similar.
1) Good things come to those who wait
A friend once joked that the national pastime in Japan in waiting in line. While he said it mostly in jest, what makes it even funnier is that it's basically true. Obviously you have to line up and wait your turn for a lot of things here just like everywhere else, but it really seems as if the Japanese people actually like doing it. They spot a line and are drawn to it like moths to a flame. Maybe it's reflective of the herd mentality ingrained in the culture here. "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down," is a well-known Japanese proverb that I think represents how uniformity and doing what everyone else around you is doing is valuable in this country. Chicago's famous Garrett Popcorn has a shop in Harajuku and every time I'm there, the line is ridiiiiculously long. And it grows even longer the longer it grows. All that for popcorn? Well, I suppose if you want something enough, what's a 3-hour wait gonna hurt? I have to admit that even before coming to Japan I've lined up 9+ hours in advance for my favorite band to secure a front row spot, and as a hardcore fan it was totally worth it. But now after living here for several years, lining up for banal things or just for the hell of it doesn't bother me so much anymore. Heck, the same friend mentioned earlier and I went to a concert last year and we lined up in some random food line just to kill some time before the show. We ended up not buying anything in the end even after getting to the front, haha.
2) The naked truth
Back in the States, I always changed clothes in the shower stalls at the gym. In college when I had roommates, I'd make sure to change in privacy too. Being in my underwear in front of other people wasn't an issue, but being buck naked was. It made me feel shameful, vulnerable, and defenseless. But after being in Japan, I've grown a lot more comfortable being in my birthday suit among other people, including strangers and friends. I've been to several public bathhouses and onsen, both of which require no clothing. It's considered extremely rude to wear a swimsuit in either, unless it's a co-ed one. That said, I still don't think I'd be fully comfortable in a completely nude, co-ed bathhouse or spa. I didn't even bother stepping foot in the "clothing optional" section of a spa I went to in San Francisco over winter break. But I feel I could easily do First Rain at my alma mater now.
3) Fatigue is the best pillow
I love sleep. I would marry my bed if I could. I used to sleep for 12 or more hours when I was a teenager (I blame hormones and teen angst). While my sleeping patterns have improved immensely over the years, thanks to my time in Japan, I've acquired the superpower of being able to sleep just about anywhere. Kitchen floor the only space open at a friend's house after a party? No problem. Worn out from all night karaoke even though your buddies are still going strong at 3AM? Not an issue. Train packed to the brim with barely enough room to stand? The passengers around you will prevent you from falling over. Ooh, you grabbed a seat? The lady's shoulder next to you will make an excellent cushion! Japanese people have this amazing ability to make any place their bed. I've seen so many drunk business men knocked out on park benches or even sidewalks. Teachers at my schools take naps at their desks in the staff room with absolutely no shame. My own personal favorite bed-away-from-my-real-bed is the train. There's just something very comforting about the gentle rocking motion as it moves from station to station. Maybe it's a bit like being back in the womb. I almost always pass out upon grabbing a seat. The only unfortunate drawback to my superpower is that I still cannot for the life of me sleep on a damn airplane.
There are plenty more "habits" I've developed and lost while here, so perhaps I'll write a follow-up post later on. Thanks for stopping by!
1) Good things come to those who wait
A friend once joked that the national pastime in Japan in waiting in line. While he said it mostly in jest, what makes it even funnier is that it's basically true. Obviously you have to line up and wait your turn for a lot of things here just like everywhere else, but it really seems as if the Japanese people actually like doing it. They spot a line and are drawn to it like moths to a flame. Maybe it's reflective of the herd mentality ingrained in the culture here. "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down," is a well-known Japanese proverb that I think represents how uniformity and doing what everyone else around you is doing is valuable in this country. Chicago's famous Garrett Popcorn has a shop in Harajuku and every time I'm there, the line is ridiiiiculously long. And it grows even longer the longer it grows. All that for popcorn? Well, I suppose if you want something enough, what's a 3-hour wait gonna hurt? I have to admit that even before coming to Japan I've lined up 9+ hours in advance for my favorite band to secure a front row spot, and as a hardcore fan it was totally worth it. But now after living here for several years, lining up for banal things or just for the hell of it doesn't bother me so much anymore. Heck, the same friend mentioned earlier and I went to a concert last year and we lined up in some random food line just to kill some time before the show. We ended up not buying anything in the end even after getting to the front, haha.
2) The naked truth
Back in the States, I always changed clothes in the shower stalls at the gym. In college when I had roommates, I'd make sure to change in privacy too. Being in my underwear in front of other people wasn't an issue, but being buck naked was. It made me feel shameful, vulnerable, and defenseless. But after being in Japan, I've grown a lot more comfortable being in my birthday suit among other people, including strangers and friends. I've been to several public bathhouses and onsen, both of which require no clothing. It's considered extremely rude to wear a swimsuit in either, unless it's a co-ed one. That said, I still don't think I'd be fully comfortable in a completely nude, co-ed bathhouse or spa. I didn't even bother stepping foot in the "clothing optional" section of a spa I went to in San Francisco over winter break. But I feel I could easily do First Rain at my alma mater now.
3) Fatigue is the best pillow
I love sleep. I would marry my bed if I could. I used to sleep for 12 or more hours when I was a teenager (I blame hormones and teen angst). While my sleeping patterns have improved immensely over the years, thanks to my time in Japan, I've acquired the superpower of being able to sleep just about anywhere. Kitchen floor the only space open at a friend's house after a party? No problem. Worn out from all night karaoke even though your buddies are still going strong at 3AM? Not an issue. Train packed to the brim with barely enough room to stand? The passengers around you will prevent you from falling over. Ooh, you grabbed a seat? The lady's shoulder next to you will make an excellent cushion! Japanese people have this amazing ability to make any place their bed. I've seen so many drunk business men knocked out on park benches or even sidewalks. Teachers at my schools take naps at their desks in the staff room with absolutely no shame. My own personal favorite bed-away-from-my-real-bed is the train. There's just something very comforting about the gentle rocking motion as it moves from station to station. Maybe it's a bit like being back in the womb. I almost always pass out upon grabbing a seat. The only unfortunate drawback to my superpower is that I still cannot for the life of me sleep on a damn airplane.
There are plenty more "habits" I've developed and lost while here, so perhaps I'll write a follow-up post later on. Thanks for stopping by!
Friday, January 30, 2015
It's just time to say goodbye
I've thought about it long and hard, and after four years in Japan, I've decided to head back to the States this upcoming April. I've had a few hardships here and there, but overall my life here is very happy and comfortable. I feel that it's just time to say goodbye. Although I really enjoy my job, I can't be an ALT forever. It's more of a part-time job than it is a profession, and I will never get a salary raise or advance to a higher position if I continue to stick with it. That's the sad reality of the situation. I've met veteran ALTs who have been in this country for much longer than I have, and the majority of them are extremely jaded and fed up with their lives. That's not who I want to become. I want to leave Japan loving it as much as I did when I first got here so I can look back on my memories fondly and look forward to visiting again someday.
So what's my plan now? For the longest time, I thought I was going to become a graphic designer. Art has been a huge part of my life ever since I was a kid, and my B.A. is even in photography. I had planned to go back to grad school for graphic design after spending a few years in Japan, but thinking about making art for people, having to change things to suit their preferences, and sitting in front of a computer screen all day made me realize that I can't do it. I thought about studying translation and becoming a Japanese-English translator, but that was never my strong point when I took Japanese classes, plus I find no pleasure in doing it. And since I grew to love teaching so much, I thought about earning a teacher's license to teach elementary students, but as much as I love kids, I can't be around them all day long and I'm no good at math, science, and history.
I'm going to go back to school to study TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). I discovered recently that it's not just teaching, but it's teaching English that I really love. However, I have no background in syntax or linguistics, so it's always difficult for me to answer structure or grammar-related questions that my students have. My teaching methods have been praised quite often even with no official training or license, but I feel that I have a lot of growing to do as an English teacher that I won't be able to do as an ALT in Japan. There are several schools I'm looking into at the moment, so I will spend about a year living at home in California to finish up my applications, work part-time, and reconnect with my family and friends in the Golden State before going back to school. After I graduate, I want to work at a community college or university in Hawaii and teach English to primarily Japanese students. And if I miss it enough, maybe I'll even come back to live in Japan again.
Thank you for accepting me and helping me become a better person. Thank you for bringing me amazing friends, food, and experiences. Thank you for being constantly weird and quirky and always surprising me in new ways. It makes me so sad when I think that my time with you is finally coming to an end, but it's not sayonara forever. I'll be back, and I can't wait to be reunited with you again.
So what's my plan now? For the longest time, I thought I was going to become a graphic designer. Art has been a huge part of my life ever since I was a kid, and my B.A. is even in photography. I had planned to go back to grad school for graphic design after spending a few years in Japan, but thinking about making art for people, having to change things to suit their preferences, and sitting in front of a computer screen all day made me realize that I can't do it. I thought about studying translation and becoming a Japanese-English translator, but that was never my strong point when I took Japanese classes, plus I find no pleasure in doing it. And since I grew to love teaching so much, I thought about earning a teacher's license to teach elementary students, but as much as I love kids, I can't be around them all day long and I'm no good at math, science, and history.
I'm going to go back to school to study TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). I discovered recently that it's not just teaching, but it's teaching English that I really love. However, I have no background in syntax or linguistics, so it's always difficult for me to answer structure or grammar-related questions that my students have. My teaching methods have been praised quite often even with no official training or license, but I feel that I have a lot of growing to do as an English teacher that I won't be able to do as an ALT in Japan. There are several schools I'm looking into at the moment, so I will spend about a year living at home in California to finish up my applications, work part-time, and reconnect with my family and friends in the Golden State before going back to school. After I graduate, I want to work at a community college or university in Hawaii and teach English to primarily Japanese students. And if I miss it enough, maybe I'll even come back to live in Japan again.
Thank you for accepting me and helping me become a better person. Thank you for bringing me amazing friends, food, and experiences. Thank you for being constantly weird and quirky and always surprising me in new ways. It makes me so sad when I think that my time with you is finally coming to an end, but it's not sayonara forever. I'll be back, and I can't wait to be reunited with you again.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Homegoing
I've always been a pensive person and I constantly have all sorts of thoughts running through my mind. Maybe that's how I found blogging so therapeutic back when I was younger...it helped me to sort out the clutter in my brain, in a way. I kind of wish I still had the time and motivation to write more regularly nowadays.
So I've officially been in Japan for three years now. I touched on this subject briefly before, but it feels like it's been much longer. I think it's because I've found my niche here. I love my job and the city where I live. I have an awesome group of friends out here, and wonderful, supportive relatives only a train ride away. And while I'll always be the same person deep down, I've done a lot of growing up, especially in a psychological sense.
It was weird going back to California in December. It will always be my home, but it was a strange feeling being somewhere so familiar yet so foreign. Everything was the same, but everything was different. I can't really explain it. Overall though, I was happy to be back, even if it was just for two weeks. I was able to see most of the people I had hoped to see, and go to most of the places I had planned to go. I barely had enough time to properly sleep at night, I was so busy running around and having fun.
However, there were so many small things I had forgotten about since I don't experience them on a daily basis here in Japan. There is litter everywhere you go in America, even with trashcans on every corner. Public transportation is smelly and full of crazy people. American food, even the "ethnic" stuff, is greasy and super salty or sugary. Americans really are friendly and loud; I don't think it's a stereotype. And everything is so....big.
I don't mean to sound like I'm putting down America because that's not my intention at all. I love my country and am proud to be an American. I just think it's interesting how the place that's supposed to my home was almost like an alien planet, and I was a visitor just passing by.
I'm not sure when I'll next visit, but when I do, hopefully this reverse culture shock won't be as strong. One thing's for sure though: I don't think I can live in California again.
So I've officially been in Japan for three years now. I touched on this subject briefly before, but it feels like it's been much longer. I think it's because I've found my niche here. I love my job and the city where I live. I have an awesome group of friends out here, and wonderful, supportive relatives only a train ride away. And while I'll always be the same person deep down, I've done a lot of growing up, especially in a psychological sense.
It was weird going back to California in December. It will always be my home, but it was a strange feeling being somewhere so familiar yet so foreign. Everything was the same, but everything was different. I can't really explain it. Overall though, I was happy to be back, even if it was just for two weeks. I was able to see most of the people I had hoped to see, and go to most of the places I had planned to go. I barely had enough time to properly sleep at night, I was so busy running around and having fun.
However, there were so many small things I had forgotten about since I don't experience them on a daily basis here in Japan. There is litter everywhere you go in America, even with trashcans on every corner. Public transportation is smelly and full of crazy people. American food, even the "ethnic" stuff, is greasy and super salty or sugary. Americans really are friendly and loud; I don't think it's a stereotype. And everything is so....big.
I don't mean to sound like I'm putting down America because that's not my intention at all. I love my country and am proud to be an American. I just think it's interesting how the place that's supposed to my home was almost like an alien planet, and I was a visitor just passing by.
I'm not sure when I'll next visit, but when I do, hopefully this reverse culture shock won't be as strong. One thing's for sure though: I don't think I can live in California again.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
A wild blog post appears!
Uhhh...'sup, Internet. Long time, no blog. Nearly two years, actually ^w^; It's funny...back in my late high school and college days, I could barely go a day without blogging, even if it were about trivial day-to-day banalities. I definitely think our modern social media has had an impact on my already short attention span, but I also think a part of me has grown out of the joy I used to find in writing down my daily activities. A little sad, but meh, people do grow out of things. C'est la vie.
So what's been up with me over the past year and seven months? Not much, honestly. I'm still in Iruma, still enjoying my time in Japan, LOVING teaching...don't have too many complaints about life right now. Actually though, I've recently come down with the flu, so according to the doctor's orders, I can't go to work for the week. I'm definitely over being cooped up in my house and it's only Tuesday...but at least it's given me an excuse to revive this ol' thang ;P
My three year anniversary in Japan in coming up in March. It's hard to believe I've been here this long already! I can't say that it feels like I just arrived yesterday though...in fact, it almost feels like I've been here longer. While I'm not completely "turned Japanese" (and that will never ever happen...I'll make sure of it, haha), I'm without a doubt in the mastery stage of culture shock. I am still constantly struggling with the Japanese language, but my proficiency is constantly improving. As a matter of fact, I took Level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) back in December and got notice a few weeks back that I passed! \(^O^)/ I'm planning to take Level 1 in July, but I gotta work my ass off for that one; apparently even native Japanese have trouble passing it.
This past winter break, I was very lucky and got to go back California for the first time in two years. I had spent Christmas 2012 in Japan, and while I was super fortunate to have had wonderful, amazing friends to celebrate it with, nothing beats being home for the holidays. I honestly had the best trip I could have ever wished for...everything was perfect and it was like a dream come true! It made me feel extremely happy and loved to know that I have warm, welcoming arms waiting for me back at home. At the same time, it was extremely strange experiencing reverse culture shock. America's weird, man o_O;
But that'll all wait for another post. Hopefully. See you soon, but no promises :P
So what's been up with me over the past year and seven months? Not much, honestly. I'm still in Iruma, still enjoying my time in Japan, LOVING teaching...don't have too many complaints about life right now. Actually though, I've recently come down with the flu, so according to the doctor's orders, I can't go to work for the week. I'm definitely over being cooped up in my house and it's only Tuesday...but at least it's given me an excuse to revive this ol' thang ;P
My three year anniversary in Japan in coming up in March. It's hard to believe I've been here this long already! I can't say that it feels like I just arrived yesterday though...in fact, it almost feels like I've been here longer. While I'm not completely "turned Japanese" (and that will never ever happen...I'll make sure of it, haha), I'm without a doubt in the mastery stage of culture shock. I am still constantly struggling with the Japanese language, but my proficiency is constantly improving. As a matter of fact, I took Level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) back in December and got notice a few weeks back that I passed! \(^O^)/ I'm planning to take Level 1 in July, but I gotta work my ass off for that one; apparently even native Japanese have trouble passing it.
This past winter break, I was very lucky and got to go back California for the first time in two years. I had spent Christmas 2012 in Japan, and while I was super fortunate to have had wonderful, amazing friends to celebrate it with, nothing beats being home for the holidays. I honestly had the best trip I could have ever wished for...everything was perfect and it was like a dream come true! It made me feel extremely happy and loved to know that I have warm, welcoming arms waiting for me back at home. At the same time, it was extremely strange experiencing reverse culture shock. America's weird, man o_O;
But that'll all wait for another post. Hopefully. See you soon, but no promises :P
Monday, June 11, 2012
Solitude
I've touched on this briefly in a few past entries, but I wanted to elaborate on it a bit more in a full entry. I am very lucky in that I already had friends and relatives in Japan to warmly welcome me when I first arrived here. I'm also lucky in that I've been able to make a number of new friends during my past year and three months here. I was super shy all throughout high school, and slightly less so during and after college. My experiences in this country have taught me to go beyond my comfort zone in order to meet new people and cope with loneliness. But above anything else, Japan has taught me the importance of solitude and being able to live by myself.
A friend of mine who lived here for about four years before moving elsewhere told me that he came to Japan in order to learn how to live on his own. Unlike me, he didn't have a strong interest in the Japanese culture or language prior to moving here, and he gave up studying the language quite early on. Yet he was still able to get by in his own way, and I think a big reason is that he succeeded in his goal of learning to live by himself. Last year, when my homesickness was in full bloom, I was not yet used to being physically and mentally on my own. I was afraid of going out by myself just to run necessary errands or do fun things I'd usually enjoy, and being cooped inside my tiny apartment was more unbearable. Even when I hung out with friends, I felt unfocused and detached from them, and I hated myself for feeling so negative and depressed all the time. But some time after summer vacation ended and work started up again, I made a full turnaround. I'm not sure if there was a specific trigger, but I haven't felt afraid of being alone since then. In fact, I enjoy doing a lot of things by myself now, and prior to celebrating my 26th birthday with friends back in April, I went to Tokyo and hung out with myself, haha. I think it's actually quite common for people to do things by themselves rather with friends, so perhaps it's a part of the culture that I've absorbed over time. I wonder if I'll continue living like this whenever I move back to the States...
A friend of mine who lived here for about four years before moving elsewhere told me that he came to Japan in order to learn how to live on his own. Unlike me, he didn't have a strong interest in the Japanese culture or language prior to moving here, and he gave up studying the language quite early on. Yet he was still able to get by in his own way, and I think a big reason is that he succeeded in his goal of learning to live by himself. Last year, when my homesickness was in full bloom, I was not yet used to being physically and mentally on my own. I was afraid of going out by myself just to run necessary errands or do fun things I'd usually enjoy, and being cooped inside my tiny apartment was more unbearable. Even when I hung out with friends, I felt unfocused and detached from them, and I hated myself for feeling so negative and depressed all the time. But some time after summer vacation ended and work started up again, I made a full turnaround. I'm not sure if there was a specific trigger, but I haven't felt afraid of being alone since then. In fact, I enjoy doing a lot of things by myself now, and prior to celebrating my 26th birthday with friends back in April, I went to Tokyo and hung out with myself, haha. I think it's actually quite common for people to do things by themselves rather with friends, so perhaps it's a part of the culture that I've absorbed over time. I wonder if I'll continue living like this whenever I move back to the States...
Thursday, April 19, 2012
New beginnings
It's about damn time I updated this silly thing, isn't it? A lot has happened in the five months since I last posted. I went home for winter break and had a fantastic time seeing my family and friends. I started a list of long-term "goals" (NOT resolutions XP) at the start of the new year and have been making decent progress with it. And I moved from Kumagaya to Iruma about two weeks ago.
I really wanted to stay at my schools in Kumagaya since I felt that I had finally gotten used to everything, but unfortunately something happened with the contracts for the ALTs, so I had the choice of either staying and commuting to a nearby city, or moving altogether. I chose the latter option since a number of my friends decided to move too. It turns out that several teachers that I was relatively close to at the main junior high where I taught were going to be changing schools anyway, and I felt that the new school year wouldn't be the same without them.
Iruma is directly south of Kumagaya and much smaller in size. Since most of my friends from college teach in this city and it's only about 40 minutes to where my relatives live in Tokyo, I figured it would be a much easier adjustment than last year. Also, since I now have a year of teaching experience behind me, I know what to expect and how to go about planning lessons and such. This school year however, instead of going to just one small elementary school once a week, I'm going to three pretty big elementary schools all week long! Upon hearing about my new assignment, I was admittedly nervous. Unlike junior high, elementary school ALTs are generally expected to be the main teachers in the English classes since the Japanese teachers won't necessarily hold English teaching licenses or even speak the language. I was spoiled last year in that the homeroom teachers of both my 5th and 6th grade classes usually took the lead, and the only class I would have to plan and do mostly on my own with the homeroom teacher's assistance was my special ed class. However, teaching that class was what I looked forward to the most during the week. I loved the freedom of choosing what I got to teach, and the kids, even if they couldn't remember everything we would do in class, were absolutely adorable and super eager about my lessons. I have to plan the lessons and lead the classes at two of my schools this year, but so far it's been going well. The kids are bright and attentive, and they seem to like what we've been doing in class. The homeroom teachers have also said that they've been enjoying class, so I guess I'm doing something right! Elementary school does take up a lot of energy though, so I've been taking really long naps almost everyday after returning home, haha. Hopefully I'll get used to this crazy schedule soon.
I do miss Kumagaya, and packing up to move was a bit painful since I knew that I'd be leaving my very first home in Japan. But I do have a good feeling overall about this new start in my life, and have been enjoying life in Iruma a lot so far. And it's really nice knowing that I'm no longer in the hottest city in Japan! We'll see how I feel once summer gets here and the teachers' room isn't constantly air conditioned though ;)
I really wanted to stay at my schools in Kumagaya since I felt that I had finally gotten used to everything, but unfortunately something happened with the contracts for the ALTs, so I had the choice of either staying and commuting to a nearby city, or moving altogether. I chose the latter option since a number of my friends decided to move too. It turns out that several teachers that I was relatively close to at the main junior high where I taught were going to be changing schools anyway, and I felt that the new school year wouldn't be the same without them.
Iruma is directly south of Kumagaya and much smaller in size. Since most of my friends from college teach in this city and it's only about 40 minutes to where my relatives live in Tokyo, I figured it would be a much easier adjustment than last year. Also, since I now have a year of teaching experience behind me, I know what to expect and how to go about planning lessons and such. This school year however, instead of going to just one small elementary school once a week, I'm going to three pretty big elementary schools all week long! Upon hearing about my new assignment, I was admittedly nervous. Unlike junior high, elementary school ALTs are generally expected to be the main teachers in the English classes since the Japanese teachers won't necessarily hold English teaching licenses or even speak the language. I was spoiled last year in that the homeroom teachers of both my 5th and 6th grade classes usually took the lead, and the only class I would have to plan and do mostly on my own with the homeroom teacher's assistance was my special ed class. However, teaching that class was what I looked forward to the most during the week. I loved the freedom of choosing what I got to teach, and the kids, even if they couldn't remember everything we would do in class, were absolutely adorable and super eager about my lessons. I have to plan the lessons and lead the classes at two of my schools this year, but so far it's been going well. The kids are bright and attentive, and they seem to like what we've been doing in class. The homeroom teachers have also said that they've been enjoying class, so I guess I'm doing something right! Elementary school does take up a lot of energy though, so I've been taking really long naps almost everyday after returning home, haha. Hopefully I'll get used to this crazy schedule soon.
I do miss Kumagaya, and packing up to move was a bit painful since I knew that I'd be leaving my very first home in Japan. But I do have a good feeling overall about this new start in my life, and have been enjoying life in Iruma a lot so far. And it's really nice knowing that I'm no longer in the hottest city in Japan! We'll see how I feel once summer gets here and the teachers' room isn't constantly air conditioned though ;)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Feelin' Fine
December's quite literally around the corner, and my nine months here will be on the 12th. I'm happy to say that my homesickness has drastically improved since my last two emo-stricken entries, but admittedly a part of it might be because I bought my plane ticket home for winter break. I'll be back in California for only about a week and a half (12/23 to 1/4), and although I know for sure I'll be jet lagged, there are so many faces I want to see and so much different food I want to eat that I probably won't be sleeping much.
That aside, I think I've finally gotten used to my life here, which I'd like to believe is the big reason why I feel significantly better than I did before. I'm still constantly struggling with the language, but outside of that, I feel like I've finally found my niche. I know what's expected of me at work and I get along with my coworkers. Some of my students have been driving me a bit crazy since I first started this job, but I've come to terms with the fact that it's something I can't really change. Other students I love to death, and their cheerfulness really rubs off on me. I've made friends in my area and have recently been making a bigger attempt to be actively social. But at the same time, I've learned to cope with living alone and now enjoy spending time by myself. I've also mastered the previously formidable squat toilet and actually prefer it to a Western toilet on occasion ;P
I'm still looking forward to Christmas in the Bay though :)
That aside, I think I've finally gotten used to my life here, which I'd like to believe is the big reason why I feel significantly better than I did before. I'm still constantly struggling with the language, but outside of that, I feel like I've finally found my niche. I know what's expected of me at work and I get along with my coworkers. Some of my students have been driving me a bit crazy since I first started this job, but I've come to terms with the fact that it's something I can't really change. Other students I love to death, and their cheerfulness really rubs off on me. I've made friends in my area and have recently been making a bigger attempt to be actively social. But at the same time, I've learned to cope with living alone and now enjoy spending time by myself. I've also mastered the previously formidable squat toilet and actually prefer it to a Western toilet on occasion ;P
I'm still looking forward to Christmas in the Bay though :)
Saturday, August 27, 2011
まだ残ってる
Summer break is nearly over, but I'm still homesick, although it's definitely less intense than it was before. I've figured out that a big part of my feeling this way has to do with the fact that I'm living alone alone for the first time ever. I always had roommates in college. Even though it was just the three of us back at our little house in California (four, if you count the cat ;P), I was never really by myself. And my best friend lived a five-minute drive away from me. I feel very thankful and blessed to have made friends and gotten close to my relatives out here, but there's a sense of familiarity and the known that I've been really missing lately.
I had wanted to write a post about this for a while now and was inspired by my friend Manami to do it today. When I applied for the JET Program for the first time, one of the questions that I was asked during the interview was, "How will you react if a Japanese person comes up to you and assumes or insists that you're Japanese?" I can't remember my answer, but this situation happens all the damn time to the point of it pissing me off a bit. I know I have an American accent/incorrect intonations/say the wrong word when I speak Japanese. I also know that I don't look 100% Japanese. But people still assume, even after talking to me, that I'm freakin' Japanese just because I have an Asian face! A lot of the time I actually have to explicitly say that they need to speak slower since I'm a foreigner, but the reaction I get after that is usually, "Oh, really? But your face looks Japanese and you speak so well!" むかつく。And even after explaining my situation, my ethnic background, et cetera, some people still insist that I'm lying!
At the same time, I do admittedly enjoy blending in. I don't stick out as much as other gaijin. It's probably good practice for my studying of the language, and it's incredibly interesting to observe this strange country as an outsider while appearing to be an insider. But sometimes I wish I could look more hapa. I had thought that I appear less Japanese when I wear my contacts instead of my glasses (a lot of my foreign friends have told me this) but several recent events have proved this theory completely wrong, haha.
I'm still enjoying my time out here (I'll post a more positive entry about my adventures at some point, I swear!), and I know that whenever I move back to the US, I'll miss Japan like crazy. But for now, letting this all out for everyone to see is very cathartic and has eased those remaining feelings of homesickness a bit :)
I had wanted to write a post about this for a while now and was inspired by my friend Manami to do it today. When I applied for the JET Program for the first time, one of the questions that I was asked during the interview was, "How will you react if a Japanese person comes up to you and assumes or insists that you're Japanese?" I can't remember my answer, but this situation happens all the damn time to the point of it pissing me off a bit. I know I have an American accent/incorrect intonations/say the wrong word when I speak Japanese. I also know that I don't look 100% Japanese. But people still assume, even after talking to me, that I'm freakin' Japanese just because I have an Asian face! A lot of the time I actually have to explicitly say that they need to speak slower since I'm a foreigner, but the reaction I get after that is usually, "Oh, really? But your face looks Japanese and you speak so well!" むかつく。And even after explaining my situation, my ethnic background, et cetera, some people still insist that I'm lying!
At the same time, I do admittedly enjoy blending in. I don't stick out as much as other gaijin. It's probably good practice for my studying of the language, and it's incredibly interesting to observe this strange country as an outsider while appearing to be an insider. But sometimes I wish I could look more hapa. I had thought that I appear less Japanese when I wear my contacts instead of my glasses (a lot of my foreign friends have told me this) but several recent events have proved this theory completely wrong, haha.
I'm still enjoying my time out here (I'll post a more positive entry about my adventures at some point, I swear!), and I know that whenever I move back to the US, I'll miss Japan like crazy. But for now, letting this all out for everyone to see is very cathartic and has eased those remaining feelings of homesickness a bit :)
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Shocking
It has been ages since I last wrote in this thing. I've been pretty busy with work, but on top of that, I've been dealing with a lot of personal issues lately, thanks to culture shock. I had anticipated encountering it before coming here and I feel like I've been dealing with it relatively well, but it's still a persistent problem that's been taking a bit of a toll on my mental well-being.
Admittedly, I've been feeling pretty homesick lately. I have officially been in Japan for four months as of yesterday, and this is the longest (not to mention farthest) I have ever been away from home. My college was about a two hour drive from my hometown, so back when I was still a student, I'd go home quite often. Since I obviously can't do that now, thanks to the Internet, it's been really easy to keep in touch with my loved ones back in the States. Talking to them through email, Skype, and Facebook has been extremely helpful in easing my feelings of homesickness.
But to be honest, my biggest issue has actually been a language-related one. I studied Japanese in college in order to earn an East Asian Studies minor, but I unfortunately didn't get the chance to study abroad. I also didn't make any native-speaking friends until the end of my senior year, which is when my speaking ability noticeably improved. And then after finally graduating, I pretty much stopped studying. I've been hard on myself for not keeping up with my studies post-graduation especially now that I'm finally in Japan, but I'm trying to make up for that by practicing the language every chance I get.
However, I actually feel like my Japanese is even worse than it was when I first got here! It could be that I was so enamored by everything around me (honeymoon phase!) that I didn't realize all the mistakes I was making when using Japanese, but it could also be that the stress of my particular situation is frying my brain. Mixing both English and Japanese at work is definitely a challenge, and even my English has been coming out incorrectly from time to time, haha.
Summer vacation is just around the corner, so I'll have lots of time to properly relax and spend time with my friends and relatives out here. I know that things will get better soon....I just have to keep my head up and keep moving forward. I've fallen down numerous times before and survived, so what's a few more trips?
Admittedly, I've been feeling pretty homesick lately. I have officially been in Japan for four months as of yesterday, and this is the longest (not to mention farthest) I have ever been away from home. My college was about a two hour drive from my hometown, so back when I was still a student, I'd go home quite often. Since I obviously can't do that now, thanks to the Internet, it's been really easy to keep in touch with my loved ones back in the States. Talking to them through email, Skype, and Facebook has been extremely helpful in easing my feelings of homesickness.
But to be honest, my biggest issue has actually been a language-related one. I studied Japanese in college in order to earn an East Asian Studies minor, but I unfortunately didn't get the chance to study abroad. I also didn't make any native-speaking friends until the end of my senior year, which is when my speaking ability noticeably improved. And then after finally graduating, I pretty much stopped studying. I've been hard on myself for not keeping up with my studies post-graduation especially now that I'm finally in Japan, but I'm trying to make up for that by practicing the language every chance I get.
However, I actually feel like my Japanese is even worse than it was when I first got here! It could be that I was so enamored by everything around me (honeymoon phase!) that I didn't realize all the mistakes I was making when using Japanese, but it could also be that the stress of my particular situation is frying my brain. Mixing both English and Japanese at work is definitely a challenge, and even my English has been coming out incorrectly from time to time, haha.
Summer vacation is just around the corner, so I'll have lots of time to properly relax and spend time with my friends and relatives out here. I know that things will get better soon....I just have to keep my head up and keep moving forward. I've fallen down numerous times before and survived, so what's a few more trips?
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
A Christmas Cake Birthday
My 25th birthday was on April 28, which fell on a Thursday this year. I had to go to work, but the following day was Emperor Showa's birthday, which is a holiday that marks the start of Golden Week in Japan. So I got the day after my birthday off, and that meant that I got to party hearty on the actual day I was born!
I was lucky enough to make some friends in Kumagaya just after moving here, so I celebrated with them. First, we went to eat dinner at a kaiten-zushi place in the area. I had gone to a similar place with my family in Tokyo, but the restaurant we went to in Kumagaya had Shinkansen sushi in addition to the expected conveyor belt. You can special order certain items on the menu and it'll be delivered to your table fresh on a mini bullet train! I also tried some interesting sushi I hadn't ever seen or tasted before :9 After dinner, we went to a karaoke box near the train station for all night karaoke. If you pay around US$30, you can get all-you-can-drink alcohol and sing karaoke until 5:00 AM. What a sweet deal! I think I ended up falling asleep before 5:00, but karaoke takes a lot out of you, especially with a bit of alcohol in your system. I still had an amazing time, and I can't thank my new friends enough for being with me on my Christmas cake birthday.
What the heck IS a Christmas cake birthday anyway? In Japan, it's tradition to eat something called a Christmas cake (it's basically a strawberry sponge cake) on Christmas Eve. According to Wikipedia, "A single woman over the age of 25 may be referred to in Japan as a [Christmas cake] based on the belief that, like a Christmas cake which becomes nearly worthless after Dec. 25, she is "shomikigen-gire" or past the "sell-by date." Apparently, because I'm 25 now, no man will ever want me ever again because I'm expired! I highly doubt this is actually the case, especially since the times are always a-changin', but if I'm wrong, then I guess I can't really get into the dating scene out here, haha :X
I wasn't done partying yet on Friday! Two of my good friends here in Japan have birthdays on April 30, so we decided to have a triple birthday party with our mutual friends on Showa Day. We met up at Tokorozawa in southern Saitama for more karaoke (yay!) and then dinner and drinks at an izakaya. A friend of ours surprised us all by getting a beautiful birthday cake with all three of our names on it, and at the end of dinner, everyone sang to us before we blew out the candles. After the delicious dinner and cake, we decided to go for drinks in a nearby park. It's legal to have open containers in public out here (there are even vending machines that sell beer!), so we took full advantage of that! The weather wasn't too warm or too cold, so it was really a nice evening to be hanging around outside. We called it a night at about 10:00 in order for all of us to catch our last trains home. It was a night to remember, and I'm so lucky to have such awesome friends out here!
I still had a little bit more partying to do on Saturday! Since one of my friends' real birthday was on the 30th (the other already had plans), we decided to do one last get together with a few folks in Ikebukuro (Tokyo). Some people were a bit hungover from the night before, and because ramen is a wonderful hangover food, we first met up for some delicious Ramen Jiro. Ramen Jiro is a tonkotsu (pork broth) ramen chain store with some of the most amazing soup I've ever tasted! It was also the first ramen I ever tried in Japan, and now I'm hooked! I'm dreaming of the day when I can actually finish a whole bowl down to the last drop. After Jiro, we went to an arcade for a while to play some video games and darts. I tried my hand at a UFO catcher but had no luck, as always. We later headed to a Mexican restaurant for some cocktails, and then ended the night with a round of bowling! I was never a fan of or any good at bowling, but I wanted to experience it in Japan. It was basically the same as in the US, except the alley was probably more sanitary overall. And there were a LOT of good bowlers in there! I think our little group felt a bit intimidated, but it was still a lot of fun. We parted ways shortly after bowling, and immediately after coming home to Kumagaya, I fell asleep.
I don't know if my Christmas cake self can handle this much partying next year, so I'm very glad that I had such a lengthy and wonderful celebration for my 25th year on this earth. I can't say it enough: thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes, and thank you to everyone who celebrated with me!
I was lucky enough to make some friends in Kumagaya just after moving here, so I celebrated with them. First, we went to eat dinner at a kaiten-zushi place in the area. I had gone to a similar place with my family in Tokyo, but the restaurant we went to in Kumagaya had Shinkansen sushi in addition to the expected conveyor belt. You can special order certain items on the menu and it'll be delivered to your table fresh on a mini bullet train! I also tried some interesting sushi I hadn't ever seen or tasted before :9 After dinner, we went to a karaoke box near the train station for all night karaoke. If you pay around US$30, you can get all-you-can-drink alcohol and sing karaoke until 5:00 AM. What a sweet deal! I think I ended up falling asleep before 5:00, but karaoke takes a lot out of you, especially with a bit of alcohol in your system. I still had an amazing time, and I can't thank my new friends enough for being with me on my Christmas cake birthday.
What the heck IS a Christmas cake birthday anyway? In Japan, it's tradition to eat something called a Christmas cake (it's basically a strawberry sponge cake) on Christmas Eve. According to Wikipedia, "A single woman over the age of 25 may be referred to in Japan as a [Christmas cake] based on the belief that, like a Christmas cake which becomes nearly worthless after Dec. 25, she is "shomikigen-gire" or past the "sell-by date." Apparently, because I'm 25 now, no man will ever want me ever again because I'm expired! I highly doubt this is actually the case, especially since the times are always a-changin', but if I'm wrong, then I guess I can't really get into the dating scene out here, haha :X
I wasn't done partying yet on Friday! Two of my good friends here in Japan have birthdays on April 30, so we decided to have a triple birthday party with our mutual friends on Showa Day. We met up at Tokorozawa in southern Saitama for more karaoke (yay!) and then dinner and drinks at an izakaya. A friend of ours surprised us all by getting a beautiful birthday cake with all three of our names on it, and at the end of dinner, everyone sang to us before we blew out the candles. After the delicious dinner and cake, we decided to go for drinks in a nearby park. It's legal to have open containers in public out here (there are even vending machines that sell beer!), so we took full advantage of that! The weather wasn't too warm or too cold, so it was really a nice evening to be hanging around outside. We called it a night at about 10:00 in order for all of us to catch our last trains home. It was a night to remember, and I'm so lucky to have such awesome friends out here!
I still had a little bit more partying to do on Saturday! Since one of my friends' real birthday was on the 30th (the other already had plans), we decided to do one last get together with a few folks in Ikebukuro (Tokyo). Some people were a bit hungover from the night before, and because ramen is a wonderful hangover food, we first met up for some delicious Ramen Jiro. Ramen Jiro is a tonkotsu (pork broth) ramen chain store with some of the most amazing soup I've ever tasted! It was also the first ramen I ever tried in Japan, and now I'm hooked! I'm dreaming of the day when I can actually finish a whole bowl down to the last drop. After Jiro, we went to an arcade for a while to play some video games and darts. I tried my hand at a UFO catcher but had no luck, as always. We later headed to a Mexican restaurant for some cocktails, and then ended the night with a round of bowling! I was never a fan of or any good at bowling, but I wanted to experience it in Japan. It was basically the same as in the US, except the alley was probably more sanitary overall. And there were a LOT of good bowlers in there! I think our little group felt a bit intimidated, but it was still a lot of fun. We parted ways shortly after bowling, and immediately after coming home to Kumagaya, I fell asleep.
I don't know if my Christmas cake self can handle this much partying next year, so I'm very glad that I had such a lengthy and wonderful celebration for my 25th year on this earth. I can't say it enough: thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes, and thank you to everyone who celebrated with me!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
My journey here, part 3
Thanks for sticking with me! This'll be the last chapter of my getting-my-ass-to-Japan saga. I hope you enjoy reading it!
The plane from Hong Kong to Japan landed at about 8:30 PM. It took me about an hour and a half to get my luggage, go through customs, get my tourist visa validated, and find the right train to take out of the airport. My carry-on bags were about 20 pounds. My check-in luggage was probably about 90 pounds. I was basically walking around with another me dangling off of my body. It was, for lack of a better word, painful. When I finally found the station, because of the earthquake, I had to wait an hour for the train to arrive. I wasn't even sure if it was the right one, but since everyone else was getting on it, I did too.
But one of fears had come true -- I got lost on the trains in Japan. All I knew was that I needed to get to my hotel in Asakusa, which is in Tokyo, so I figured that most people would be going to Tokyo from Narita anyway. And they were. But my problem was that I didn't know where the wards and districts in Tokyo were in relation to one another. The first train I got on had its last stop in a place called Aoto. There was a train headed to Ueno leaving shortly from this station, but I had thought that I would be able to take a train straight to Asakusa with relative ease, since there were signs saying that the Toei Asakusa Line goes through this station. When the train to Ueno came, everyone waiting on the platform got on. One of the station attendants told me in Japanese that this was the last train for the evening. I told him I wanted to go to Asakusa, but he told me that the Toei Asakusa Line wasn't running anymore for the day. I was shocked and crestfallen. I wanted to cry again, but told myself to be strong. Everything's gonna be alright...I can just take a taxi to Asakusa! Sure, it would be a little expensive, but at this point, seeing as I had been traveling for more than 24 hours on just under 4 hours of sleep, money was no issue. But first, I really had to go to the bathroom. So before exiting the station to find a taxi, I walked into a bathroom and encountered my first ever squat toilet! I wanted to cry again. However, thanks to some pointers from my friend Chie, I managed to pee without much difficulty and without getting anything on my clothes. ありがとう、ちえちゃん！^_^
I found a cab easily and asked the driver how much it would cost to get to Asakusa. He told me it should be no more than ¥4000 (around US$40). I told him the name of my hotel, but he had not heard of it before. Thankfully, I had the phone number and address of my hotel written down so he ended up finding the directions on GPS with no problems. However, when we got to the place where the GPS told him to go to, my hotel was nowhere in sight. Japanese addresses are very different from addresses in the states. There are no street names or building numbers...you find a building based on its district, block, and what actual building number it is on that block. It turned out that we were just on the other side of the block that the hotel was on, so after giving them a ring, the driver found my hotel.
I went to the lobby with my 110 pounds of luggage, told the receptionist my name, and provided him with the confirmation number provided by my travel agency. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep. I didn't even care about showering or brushing my teeth...I was just about ready to pass out. But of course, there had to be one final obstacle for me.
The receptionist couldn't find my reservation. I didn't even know what to say. I had notified the hotel and my travel agency through email that my original flight to Japan was canceled and that I was getting there at a later time. But that shouldn't have affected the confirmation number I was given...wouldn't my reservation still be in the record books? Apparently not. "Do you want to pay for just one night here?" the receptionist asked me. "No, I don't," I responded, gritting my teeth and holding back tears. "I already paid for my week here more than a month ago. Why can't you find my reservation? If I show you the email I got through the travel agency, will that help?" The lobby had free wifi, so I brought out my laptop and found the email I received with my confirmation number and reservation information. The idiot receptionist was still having trouble finding my reservation even after I showed him the email, but finally, his coworker managed to piece everything together and figured out whatever problem there was. I got my room key, received a small apology from the douche-bag receptionist, slowly made my way to my room, plopped on my bed....
...and at long last, cried those many tears I had been holding back since leaving California.
The end! If you made it this far, brownie points for you :) See you next time!
The plane from Hong Kong to Japan landed at about 8:30 PM. It took me about an hour and a half to get my luggage, go through customs, get my tourist visa validated, and find the right train to take out of the airport. My carry-on bags were about 20 pounds. My check-in luggage was probably about 90 pounds. I was basically walking around with another me dangling off of my body. It was, for lack of a better word, painful. When I finally found the station, because of the earthquake, I had to wait an hour for the train to arrive. I wasn't even sure if it was the right one, but since everyone else was getting on it, I did too.
But one of fears had come true -- I got lost on the trains in Japan. All I knew was that I needed to get to my hotel in Asakusa, which is in Tokyo, so I figured that most people would be going to Tokyo from Narita anyway. And they were. But my problem was that I didn't know where the wards and districts in Tokyo were in relation to one another. The first train I got on had its last stop in a place called Aoto. There was a train headed to Ueno leaving shortly from this station, but I had thought that I would be able to take a train straight to Asakusa with relative ease, since there were signs saying that the Toei Asakusa Line goes through this station. When the train to Ueno came, everyone waiting on the platform got on. One of the station attendants told me in Japanese that this was the last train for the evening. I told him I wanted to go to Asakusa, but he told me that the Toei Asakusa Line wasn't running anymore for the day. I was shocked and crestfallen. I wanted to cry again, but told myself to be strong. Everything's gonna be alright...I can just take a taxi to Asakusa! Sure, it would be a little expensive, but at this point, seeing as I had been traveling for more than 24 hours on just under 4 hours of sleep, money was no issue. But first, I really had to go to the bathroom. So before exiting the station to find a taxi, I walked into a bathroom and encountered my first ever squat toilet! I wanted to cry again. However, thanks to some pointers from my friend Chie, I managed to pee without much difficulty and without getting anything on my clothes. ありがとう、ちえちゃん！^_^
I found a cab easily and asked the driver how much it would cost to get to Asakusa. He told me it should be no more than ¥4000 (around US$40). I told him the name of my hotel, but he had not heard of it before. Thankfully, I had the phone number and address of my hotel written down so he ended up finding the directions on GPS with no problems. However, when we got to the place where the GPS told him to go to, my hotel was nowhere in sight. Japanese addresses are very different from addresses in the states. There are no street names or building numbers...you find a building based on its district, block, and what actual building number it is on that block. It turned out that we were just on the other side of the block that the hotel was on, so after giving them a ring, the driver found my hotel.
I went to the lobby with my 110 pounds of luggage, told the receptionist my name, and provided him with the confirmation number provided by my travel agency. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep. I didn't even care about showering or brushing my teeth...I was just about ready to pass out. But of course, there had to be one final obstacle for me.
The receptionist couldn't find my reservation. I didn't even know what to say. I had notified the hotel and my travel agency through email that my original flight to Japan was canceled and that I was getting there at a later time. But that shouldn't have affected the confirmation number I was given...wouldn't my reservation still be in the record books? Apparently not. "Do you want to pay for just one night here?" the receptionist asked me. "No, I don't," I responded, gritting my teeth and holding back tears. "I already paid for my week here more than a month ago. Why can't you find my reservation? If I show you the email I got through the travel agency, will that help?" The lobby had free wifi, so I brought out my laptop and found the email I received with my confirmation number and reservation information. The idiot receptionist was still having trouble finding my reservation even after I showed him the email, but finally, his coworker managed to piece everything together and figured out whatever problem there was. I got my room key, received a small apology from the douche-bag receptionist, slowly made my way to my room, plopped on my bed....
...and at long last, cried those many tears I had been holding back since leaving California.
The end! If you made it this far, brownie points for you :) See you next time!
Monday, April 25, 2011
My journey here, part 2
Continuing from where I left off last time, I was finally at my terminal and waiting to board my flight when I got a call from my best friend telling me about the earthquake in Japan. Memories of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake quickly filled my mind. I was only three then, but I still remember it so vividly. I ended up spending the rest of my time before boarding my flight looking up as much information about the earthquake online, texting/calling/Facebook-ing my worried friends and family who didn't know the details of my departure (some people had thought I was already in Japan), and feeling sick all over again. My 14+ hour flight to Hong Kong was filled with anxiety and uncertainty. I had no access to the news during my entire flight and I could barely sleep. The middle-aged man sitting next to me was super rude and obnoxious. A passenger who couldn't speak English got sick in the middle of the flight and the crew was helping him out right by my seat for a good hour or so. It was the longest flight I had ever been on and the experience couldn't have been more awful.
When we finally arrived in Hong Kong and I got off the plane, there was a woman standing right outside the exit holding a card with my name on it. She informed me that my flight to Haneda had been canceled, my new flight was leaving for Narita in the late afternoon, and I now had an eight hour layover in Hong Kong. The exhaustion and stress were getting to me really bad at that point, because I almost broke down crying right there in front of her. On the bright side of things, I got a free hotel room for a few hours, so I got to rest a bit (not really) and take a shower. I also got free brunch, so I filled up as much as I could on dim sum. But of course, I had to stand in a few wrong lines and get lost in the airport for an hour before finding my damn hotel.
By the time my plane to Japan was finally up in the air, I was beyond tired. The flight was only about four hours, but I got to sleep for most of it, and that helped me feel a little better. What awaited me in Japan, however, was another adventure altogether.
Part 3, the final chapter, is next! :)
When we finally arrived in Hong Kong and I got off the plane, there was a woman standing right outside the exit holding a card with my name on it. She informed me that my flight to Haneda had been canceled, my new flight was leaving for Narita in the late afternoon, and I now had an eight hour layover in Hong Kong. The exhaustion and stress were getting to me really bad at that point, because I almost broke down crying right there in front of her. On the bright side of things, I got a free hotel room for a few hours, so I got to rest a bit (not really) and take a shower. I also got free brunch, so I filled up as much as I could on dim sum. But of course, I had to stand in a few wrong lines and get lost in the airport for an hour before finding my damn hotel.
By the time my plane to Japan was finally up in the air, I was beyond tired. The flight was only about four hours, but I got to sleep for most of it, and that helped me feel a little better. What awaited me in Japan, however, was another adventure altogether.
Part 3, the final chapter, is next! :)
Sunday, April 24, 2011
My journey here, part 1
I took care of a lot of errands today on top of relaxing a bit, and since I'm free now, I thought I'd take some time to sit down and practice my English. One of my friends remarked the other day that my spoken English has been sounding "Japanese" lately (I've personally noticed that my spelling has been getting pretty bad), and I blame it mostly on using super simple English at work to communicate with a good number of my students and coworkers. I'm allowed to use Japanese at work especially with the really young kids and teachers who don't know any English, but I'm supposed to use mostly my mother tongue while on the job. Anyway....today, I wanted to write about my actual journey to Japan a little more than a month ago. I had mentioned before in an earlier post that it was a crazy adventure in itself, so here we go!
I had booked through a travel agency back in February for a flight going from San Francisco to Hong Kong and then from Hong Kong to Japan between March 11 and March 12. I had picked this particular itinerary since a) it was pretty cheap, b) it had the least amount of layover time/flight changes for its price, and c) it flew in to Haneda Airport instead of Narita, which is much closer to the center of Tokyo. Since it was going to be my first time in Japan and because I get lost pretty easily, I didn't trust myself enough to navigate the trains. On top of that, I figured I'd be pretty tired from traveling for 14+ hours, and that the extra two hours of traveling from Narita to Tokyo would only make things worse.
My flight to Hong Kong was a red-eye leaving at midnight, meaning I had to be at the airport on March 10. I'm a very last minute kind of girl, so of course, on the evening of March 10, I still had a bit of packing and getting ready to do. Right after my family and I finally left the house at around 8:00 and were on the freeway to SFO, I realized that I had forgotten a very important document at home! Thankfully, we hadn't gotten too far, so that only set us back about 15 minutes. Upon getting to the airport, however, I encountered another setback.
I had only purchased a one way ticket to Japan. My work visa had not gotten to me yet since I was given notice that it was received by company just a week before my departure. This meant that I had to enter Japan on a tourist visa and change my visa status after my arrival. This also meant that I needed to buy a refundable return ticket somewhere [anywhere] to qualify for a 90 day tourist visa. The cheapest ticket was $2000. I only have a debit card with less money in my checking than my savings, so I couldn't buy it on my own. My dad's credit card wouldn't work either. The airline could not split the ticket price between our two cards. I felt like crying...after all this anticipation, hard work, and preparation, would I not be able to go to Japan after all? Luckily, my awesome friend Will had come to SFO to say goodbye to me. He had a working credit card, and being the punctual fellow that he is, had gotten to the airport way before I did. My knight in blue jeans! I really owe him big time for this one, haha.
After finally checking in and getting my boarding pass, I was all set and ready to go. But first, I had to say goodbye to everyone. Will had told me that his dad had driven him to the airport, so I was expecting to see him waiting around the corner in front of security. However, I was shocked to see that instead of his dad, my Friday Night Family was there instead! There are nine of us, including me and Will, that hang out every Friday night in San Francisco for drunken antics and all night [video] gaming fun times. I had thought I had said my final farewell to them when we had our last Friday night together the week prior, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw their smiling faces there at the airport! I was so touched and still a little shaken up about the whole ticket fiasco that I almost started crying. But I didn't, and we took a couple of awesome Family Fotos before parting ways.
I said goodbye to my dad and brother, went through security quickly and easily, and found my terminal without managing to get lost. Everything was going so smoothly, and I couldn't wait to board the plane! I turned on my laptop and was about to go on Facebook to help myself relax when my best friend Audrey called my cell phone. "I don't want to alarm you or anything," she said, "But there was just a 9.0 earthquake in Japan, and I thought I should let you know..."
This has gotten rather long, so stay tuned for part two!
I had booked through a travel agency back in February for a flight going from San Francisco to Hong Kong and then from Hong Kong to Japan between March 11 and March 12. I had picked this particular itinerary since a) it was pretty cheap, b) it had the least amount of layover time/flight changes for its price, and c) it flew in to Haneda Airport instead of Narita, which is much closer to the center of Tokyo. Since it was going to be my first time in Japan and because I get lost pretty easily, I didn't trust myself enough to navigate the trains. On top of that, I figured I'd be pretty tired from traveling for 14+ hours, and that the extra two hours of traveling from Narita to Tokyo would only make things worse.
My flight to Hong Kong was a red-eye leaving at midnight, meaning I had to be at the airport on March 10. I'm a very last minute kind of girl, so of course, on the evening of March 10, I still had a bit of packing and getting ready to do. Right after my family and I finally left the house at around 8:00 and were on the freeway to SFO, I realized that I had forgotten a very important document at home! Thankfully, we hadn't gotten too far, so that only set us back about 15 minutes. Upon getting to the airport, however, I encountered another setback.
I had only purchased a one way ticket to Japan. My work visa had not gotten to me yet since I was given notice that it was received by company just a week before my departure. This meant that I had to enter Japan on a tourist visa and change my visa status after my arrival. This also meant that I needed to buy a refundable return ticket somewhere [anywhere] to qualify for a 90 day tourist visa. The cheapest ticket was $2000. I only have a debit card with less money in my checking than my savings, so I couldn't buy it on my own. My dad's credit card wouldn't work either. The airline could not split the ticket price between our two cards. I felt like crying...after all this anticipation, hard work, and preparation, would I not be able to go to Japan after all? Luckily, my awesome friend Will had come to SFO to say goodbye to me. He had a working credit card, and being the punctual fellow that he is, had gotten to the airport way before I did. My knight in blue jeans! I really owe him big time for this one, haha.
After finally checking in and getting my boarding pass, I was all set and ready to go. But first, I had to say goodbye to everyone. Will had told me that his dad had driven him to the airport, so I was expecting to see him waiting around the corner in front of security. However, I was shocked to see that instead of his dad, my Friday Night Family was there instead! There are nine of us, including me and Will, that hang out every Friday night in San Francisco for drunken antics and all night [video] gaming fun times. I had thought I had said my final farewell to them when we had our last Friday night together the week prior, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw their smiling faces there at the airport! I was so touched and still a little shaken up about the whole ticket fiasco that I almost started crying. But I didn't, and we took a couple of awesome Family Fotos before parting ways.
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| Taped-on chap was there in spirit. He was sick at home for a couple of weeks :( |
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| Love these guys! ♥ |
This has gotten rather long, so stay tuned for part two!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
わたしが誇るまち
Long time no blog, I know! I'm finally getting settled in to a place of my own and started work on April 8 so things have been pretty hectic. But I thought I'd disclose some information about my new job and living situation since I've got some time on my hands.
I found employment through a private ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) company called RCS after being put on the waitlist for the prestigious JET Program two years in a row. I have several friends working through this company as well and they have had nothing but good experiences! I'm currently working at two junior high schools and one elementary school in the city of Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture, which is just about an hour north of Tokyo. My job is to aid the head teacher, a native Japanese, in teaching English as a foreign language to the students. In a big way, my job is to also act as a cultural bridge between the U.S. and Japan because in addition to teaching English, I am a "living resource" -- I give my students a glimpse of what life is like in a country with a culture different from their own. I finished up my first full week on the job on Friday, and although I was a little nervous during my first few classes, I think they all went pretty well! The kids are very cute and sweet, although a few are a bit rowdy, haha.
The city I live in, Kumagaya, is well-known as the hottest place to be in Japan over the summer. I love the heat, but I don't know if I can handle THIS sort of weather! Japan gets hot, but it also gets humid. My friends in other cities in Saitama have told me that it feels like you're melting 24/7 because you're constantly sweating. I don't know what only a few degrees of difference will actually make out here, but I guess I'll find out in a few months when summer rolls around. Other than the potential heat factor, my city is great! It's close enough to Tokyo so that I can see my friends and family pretty frequently, the people here are really nice, and there's plenty to do in the area since it's not considered totally inaka ("rural"). My apartment is small but cozy, and I have only a 10 second walk to a river and road lined with sakura trees!
I found employment through a private ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) company called RCS after being put on the waitlist for the prestigious JET Program two years in a row. I have several friends working through this company as well and they have had nothing but good experiences! I'm currently working at two junior high schools and one elementary school in the city of Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture, which is just about an hour north of Tokyo. My job is to aid the head teacher, a native Japanese, in teaching English as a foreign language to the students. In a big way, my job is to also act as a cultural bridge between the U.S. and Japan because in addition to teaching English, I am a "living resource" -- I give my students a glimpse of what life is like in a country with a culture different from their own. I finished up my first full week on the job on Friday, and although I was a little nervous during my first few classes, I think they all went pretty well! The kids are very cute and sweet, although a few are a bit rowdy, haha.
The city I live in, Kumagaya, is well-known as the hottest place to be in Japan over the summer. I love the heat, but I don't know if I can handle THIS sort of weather! Japan gets hot, but it also gets humid. My friends in other cities in Saitama have told me that it feels like you're melting 24/7 because you're constantly sweating. I don't know what only a few degrees of difference will actually make out here, but I guess I'll find out in a few months when summer rolls around. Other than the potential heat factor, my city is great! It's close enough to Tokyo so that I can see my friends and family pretty frequently, the people here are really nice, and there's plenty to do in the area since it's not considered totally inaka ("rural"). My apartment is small but cozy, and I have only a 10 second walk to a river and road lined with sakura trees!
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| I think I'm going to like living here :) |
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