MN: a day in the life: March 2006

Friday, March 31

matta ne to Masato

Dear Masato,
You've been an amazing source of help, advice and understanding. You have helped me navigate hospitals, interpret electric bills and use archaic kerosene heaters. You've also been one of my allies and the best teacher of Japanese culture. I will miss your face at the kyoikuinkai, but know we will meet again...Otsukarasama deshita.
Matta ne, Anne
My Taneichi favorites - reunited!


A gaijin spotting in Taneichi!!!


Masato & me


(Alas, another new face. Sa-chan, is a friend of Masato--and THE cutest little Japanese person ever. Sweet and adorable!)


Front row- Manami, me, Junko and Taira/Back row- Damian, Laura, Sa, Yuzen, Zach

who's who?

Dear Mom,
Last week, you said you couldn't keep the names of my friends straight.
It's understandable, Japanese names have too many vowels and are
always 3 syllables too long for me to remember!
So, this post is for you (complete w/ pics & names.)
I'm so lucky, these ladies are incredible...
And to the lovelies, pictured below, and reading this now:
You have made my experience in Japan unforgettable!!!
Love, Anne
L-R: Manami, Junko & Taira

Chikako


Mayumi



Saori


"Sophia"

Wednesday, March 29

thinking of YOU

...bonfires, budweisers, concerts & clubs...
i can't wait to see you again! hugs & squeezes, ~anne

Tuesday, March 28

the proof is in the personality

OK I have too much free time on my hands today. I saw these tests on Nichola's site and blog stalking wasn't enough, I must now emulate her. Thanks Nichola! Follow the link below to take the test yourself (I found it rather accurate)!
My results :
My Personality is Rational NT. Which means...
You are both logical and creative. agree.
You are full of ideas.You are so rational that you analyze everything. ...everything?
This drives people a little crazy! yes, almost to a fault. but I prefer to call it thoughtfully prepared for all possible situations.
Intelligence is important to you. You always like to be around smart people. true, mental stimulation is a bonus..
In fact, you're often a little short with people who don't impress you. alas, an alibi for these situations!
You seem distant to some - but it's because you're deep in thought. quiet contemplation here in japan-keeping the 'wa' flowing...
Those who understand you best are fellow Rationals. then there must be a lot of rationals out there...
In love, you tend to approach things with logic. yep, never wanted to invest time into things i knew wouldn't pan out.
You seek a compatible mate - who is also very intelligent. doesn't everyone? ok now this test is getting a bit generalized...
At work, you tend to gravitate toward idea building careers -
like programming, medicine, or academia. teaching is a match.
With others, you are very honest and direct. right on, it's commended in the States, but not well received here in japan.
People often can't take your criticism well. how does it go...if you can't take it, don't dish it...
As far as your looks go, you're coasting on what you were born with. yep no plastic surgery or sex changes thus far.
You think fashion is silly. fashion means sacrificing your individuality. who wants to look like everyone else?
On weekends, you spend most of your time thinking, that's right, i save ALL my thinking for the weekends? hmmm...
experimenting with new ideas, sure-yesterday i created a chocolate tofu pie, but gave it to my neighbor - too afraid to try it myself!
or learning new things. always.
OK your job. First, leave a comment---is this right on the money or far from the truth?
And secondly, take the test and see for yourself!

Monday, March 27

home away from home

Today was another day of relaxation @ the Sasaki household. Saori picked me up early this morning to enjoy another dose of family. Inbetween the japanese puzzles and origami (of which i still don't have the dexterity to be successful at it), watching Big Fish (very strange but anything in english is welcomed) and the national high school baseball tourney (and I thought the US' national pastime was baseball, i've never seen so many fans over here!), all the while being bombarded by her
energetic-cutiepatuties
(pictured below l-r, Shyou & Ryou),
leads me to believe I will sleep well tonite. Their children are so loveable, outgoing and affectionate. I find this fascinating as something strange happens once they hit about 4-5 grade...the cutesy, spazziness stops with no warning and the roboticism begins.
Motherhood is obviously a loooooooong ways off for me!
The Sasaki's are my family away from home,
and for that, I thank you. If you ever need a babysitter...

Friday, March 24

Taneichi-chu: farewell to a few

Tonite was the last of the going away parties. Taneichi-chu lost a whopping 6 teachers in the shuffle. Both the principal and vice principal and one of my JTEs pictured above in the middle, were all on the chopping block.
NOTE: Sawada-sensei is seated next to him.
We try to do the impossible & "team teach with 3 teachers".
Aside from my own opinions of the public education system in Japan, it was hard to see so many familiar faces leave at once; no valid reason other than that their number was up. They walk away without a say, as though its just another day...
Years spent working 10-12 hour days at this school, and a 25 minute school-wide farewell ceremony and 3 hour party was the only recognition given. I will never understand things like this in Japan.
Is this celebration phobia, the PTA trying to save a few bucks?
I have other questions to: School let out last week, why must teachers continue to go to school each day when they aren't even teaching? How can they expect teachers (or principals for that matter) to be prepared for a new school year when they just found out about their placement (sometimes 150 MILES AWAY!) 3 days ago? Why are teachers treated like robots? Why would anyone want to teach junior high school in Japan? To a foreigner who continues to struggle in understanding Japanese, it appears that no one is enjoying their monotonous and mundane jobs that offer no opportunity for creativity, change or variety. Aren't those the exact reasons why most people go into education in the first place? (L-R, me, Tuna, kocho and kyoto-senseis). And so another sad evening has passed and I will be forced to wait another 2 weeks to meet their replacements. It's a bit of a gamble, but I'm hoping for the best. It's been very interesting. Thanks for teaching and learning with me. Good luck next year!
The 6 people seated in the front row are the 'shuffled'. They are all headed in different places through out Iwate. Kishida, first person from left, is headed to Rikuzentakatta---that's a 5 hour car ride.
The next 3 people are going to Kuji...about an hour south.
Nakamura-sensei is going a couple hours south near Morioka and
Tuna, my former co-teacher, is heading to a nearby village.
I don't understand the shuffling system, but like most everything,
I don't have a say in anything anyway.
Try to make the best of it- you owe it to your students. Good luck!

sayonara season w/ shukunohe

Sayonara's are so hard! I just got back from a relaxing trip and am thrown into sad, hurried goodbyes with teachers at my schools. I am trying to understand how the government can justify shuffling people's lives around, taking and giving away their jobs, with no concern for their feelings and opinions...but until I figure it out, I will just smile, nod and enjoy another entertaining enkai...this time with the staff of Shukunohe-chu.

We sat down to dinner, pictured below. Not surprising, everything on the table was still breathing and had a pulse. They know of my disdain for sashimi and in seeing that I had pawned off nearly every one of the 10 dishes of squirming creatures to other teachers, they ordered me a cheese pizza (minus the mayonaise and raw egg)! Now THAT was a FIRST!

Pizza @ an enkai? Huge thanks to them for understanding the differences in our appetites and the way in which we define 'delicious'.

So here is what I could have had...which would you choose?


Sasaki-sensei

Ice cream w/ chopsticks...now THAT requires

a patience I will never understand.


So long! Mattaaimashou! Farewell! Sayonara!

In closing, as the nite faded away and the beverages were drained, I asked for a group picture and this is what we came up with. Not quite the shot I was shooting for, looks more like a soba eating contest. So Japanesey. I had such an enjoyable time, to my surprise, as I have spent the least amount of time with the teachers at this school. I will never forget the evening - a free enkai with pizza- that just doesn't happy in Japan!

Tuesday, March 21

AlOhA from hAwAii

Aloha! I've spent the last 10 days with my family in Maui and Oahu. It was a really relaxing week of catch up with my favorite people in the world. 7 months of emails and phone calls can be taxing, so enjoying some drinks on the beach paved the way for a special reunion.
Here are some random favorite family pics. Above, Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Oahu. This was my last day in Hawaii and a somber one. Pearl Harbor was very moving---we toured the US Bowfin (a combat submarine) and the US Missouri (a battleship used during WWII) and went out to the US Arizona to see the memorial site of 1200 men who lost their lives during the attack and haven't surfaced since. Many Japanese travel to Hawaii and it was not a surprise to see them at Pearl Harbor. I wonder what they are feeling and thinking...guess I will find out when I travel to Hiroshima in the coming months.
OK on a much lighter note...my favorite part of the trip was snorkeling. I was a bit nervous @ first...I was a rookie oceanic snorkeler. We took a cruise boat out to Molokini island, pictured below, to try it out. Molokini is a beautiful quiet island with peaceful coves for beginners like me to enjoy, without fearing for my life (sharks, whales, and other species that find humans a tasty treat!) I dove in and the world just stopped, my brain shut off and for the first time since I came to Japan....I quit thinking. I lost myself in the small crevasses of the coral and the sea. It was the most relaxing thing I have done in my life.
Maybe someday I will get my scuba cert...
The entire week proved to be one big party...lots of drinks, laughs, delicious food and sun. Yknow the saying "out of sight, out of mind" holds true. I think of my family often, but have found more than enough ways to occupy myself over here. But there is also something to be said for "distance makes the heart grow fonder" - as seeing them again made me remember how special they are and how lucky I am to have these folks to come home to. We have taken many family vacations together, but this one was extra special.

We hit up a luau in Maui...the dinner and show was delicious and entertaining. The fire throwing man handled the flames like it was puddy. The beautiful women and their grass skirts danced the nite away..and the men and their 'barely there' sarongs gave me a much needed dose of eye candy. Alas.
Ignorant me assumed that because Hawaii is in the USA everyone would speak English and eat lots of pizza and Oreos. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Hawaii has its own culture and language. Actually, Hawaiian language sounded a bit like Japanese----a syllabic language with many similar confusing sounds. There were so many Japanese tourists in Oahu, I almost felt like I hadn't left Japan at all. And the streets were covered with ethnic foods and finding PIZZA almost proved impossible! Having my family visit Japan would have been a blast, but Hawaii proved a small dose of Japanese culture, with the comforts of home (like normal toilets).

These are shots from our condo in Maui. We stayed on Kaanapali Beach, supposedly the biggest and best beach in Maui. We were about 50 feet from the water and enjoyed whale watching from our balcony. This is humpback whale mating season and Kaanapali Beach has THE BIGGEST population of whales in Hawaii. All around me, I saw the whales and the huge geyers of water shooting from their blowholes. Some of the whales jumped out of the water, breaching--as its called? They were beautiful and so big--45 TONS!

Thank you Mom, Dad and Mike for another memorable vacation! Too many memories that can not be summarized on here (the Road to Hell, er...Hana incident, the possible murder/suicide at the hotel, your Avian scare in Honolulu). What a trip! Seeing you guys made me miss you even more! I love you and look forward to another reunion...not Hawaii-probably just the cabin...later this summer. Thanks again for planning (and semi-financing) this one - it really was incredible! Love you! anne.

Sunday, March 12

yOkOhAmA

The Drosinos ~ 2006

En route to Tokyo and onward to Maui...I made a pitstop near Yokohama to see an old friend who moved to Japan last summer. Jill and I were best friends growing up...elementary through high school. After high school everyone went their own way, but we tried to stay in touch. She married Tim (who is a pilot in the Navy) and they have been traveling around from base to base ever since. This is their 6 month old, Despina. She is THE cutest and MOST alert baby I have seen in a long time. Adorable...and already a world-class traveler!
We made the usual rounds, seeing some of the bigger landmarks in Yokohama, the famous ferris wheel pictures above and went up the tower---the tallest one in Japan to get shots like the ones below. Yokohama is the second largest city in Japan and it pretty much runs right into Tokyo
so all we could was a 360' view of concrete.
Not very picturesque, but unbelievable how commercialized it is.

From there, it was onward to Chinatown. The biggest of its kind in Japan. Sorta resembled China, w/ random animal parts for sale on the sides of the street, but a bit cleaner and more friendly than my experience in China.
It was SO special to see such a good, old friend and familiar face IN JAPAN! Who would have guessed that two friends who grew up in small town St. Cloud Minnesota would wind up in Japan. Crazy what a small world it is!
Thanks again for the wonderful visit! I'm so looking forward to you coming up sometime this summer. Enjoy the warm weather down there--I'm still using my kerosene heater up here! See you soon! Matta ne!

Friday, March 10

Tan-chu GraDUatIoN

ConGRatULatIONs

Today, was my first Japanese graduation ceremony. I have several things to comment on as it will be my only graduation ceremony while in Japan. So, today marks the end of their compulsory education in Japan. Yep, 9th grade is all that is required, but MOST go on to some type of high school (which will determine your purpose and successfulness in life). So I think graduation IS something worthy of celebration as I seem to have nothing but negative things to say about the schools here.
The ceremony began promptly at 9:30 AM Saturday morning/today. The parents were first ushered in (wedding style) and the 7th and 8th graders sat in neat rows at the back of the gym and the 9th graders sat ahead of them, but not up on the stage....have to make sure that Kocho Sensei has his space and maintains authority on the day's festivities. It never can really be about the students. So the 9th graders were paraded in to none other than the same graduation song played back in the States...interesting.

After sitting down (well, more like a series of standup, sit down, bow, bow, standup, bow, sit, bow) their were no "special remarks" given, the students were called up one by one to accept their certificate. I couldn't believe it--no mention of anything from anyone, no 'congratulations' banter, and only 2 minutes into this huge shpeel they started dishing out the goods...to "Amazing Grace" of all songs? What country am I in again?
Above, is a picture showing the proper way of receiving a document. It's really polite and a bit eccentric, but that's Japan for you. It involves a timing mechanism I haven't quite gotten down...basically take whatever is give to you (this applies to food and gifts as well) with 2 outstretched arms, maintain a shared grip on the object with the gift-giver, then when it's time (i never know when it's time) take it and make it yours...but don't forget to bow deeper than the said gift giver. whew...too much work i say.

SIDE:I especially loved the video camera they hook up and aim at each students face to give their "reaction" to it for everyone to see. Nice touch, but adds a bit o' stress on the day. For their entire young lives they have been told to hold in their emotions and feelings, never sharing them with others (but a bit ironic that you would blast their reactions on a movie-screen sized projector? mixed messages?) The students were MUSH BALLS! I have never seen so many 9th grade boys balling!!! WHY!?! Could the repression of their emotions for the last 15 years, stress of the zillion cultural rules and frustration in never being able to vent about it all come to an emotional pinnacle.....exploding on the camera for everyone to see? Kinda sickening they find this televisized christening entertaining. I was so embarassed for the students that I couldn't watch this unfolding over and over again on the screen, so let it be known that I did not partake in devastating their already non-existent self-esteem!

Shortly thereafter, the 7/8 graders sang a couple of unrecognizable but BEAUTIFUL songs to the 9 graders. Love this shot, showing how ceremonial it all is. The ninth graders, standing at the right of the photo were balling and balling so the song must have been a sappy one. I forgot to wear waterproof mascara but since I didn't understand a word of their songs, it didn't matter.

Below, the 9th graders return the favor with a contemporary Japanesey song of their own. The 7/8th graders took a shot at "expressing their feelings" and again, there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Well, except for me---cos my mind was on things like Hawaii and edible food. In truth, I love watching and listening to the students sing. Incredible voices and their ability to harmonize is quite commendable. I don't know what they are saying, but the way they say it...actions speak louder than words right? Finally, after the certificates and the music, came the speeches. 8 of them: by teachers, the principal, the vice principal, the PTA, the principal, the student leaders, the principal..............sigh. I probably could have dozed off, if not for the kid in the front row who started puking just seconds before the picture above was taken. Of course, as the picture indicates, the show raged on, despite this kid heaving and heaving....alas, AFTER he had made a royal stink in the gym, they removed him....WHY on earth would you not excuse him IMMEDIATELY!!?!?! the smell and sight of this sickening incident totally wrecked their song! so the stinky kid leaves (why was HE nervous anyway? he's only a 7th grader, relax kiddo you got a couple more years to go before its YOU up there!) and just then, another student, this time a 9th grader, went down after fainting. he recovered quickly, by his own will and admonition, and just stood up and kept singing along. strange...next time, go easy on the breakfast of sea urchin testacles. Today, was a difficult day for me too. Not just cos I didn't understand what was being said between teachers, parents and students---but watching and 'guessing' what was said/not said made it even more sad! Maybe I was making it more sad than it really was? I know what was most sad was saying goodbye to Eri, pictured above. She is just like me, but in Japanese clothes. She's spunky and NON-Japanesey, and an absolute delight. I hope to see her again sometime, sayonara's are so hard!
Here is Taneichi's genkiest. Really going to miss these diverse personalities...the diversity in students made the job a tad interesting. The slacker, the brain and the jock, will surely be missed. Next month, they will part ways and head to different cities for high school:Taneichi, Kuji and Hachinohe. Best of luck boys! Perhaps, that is what makes it SO difficult for students to say goodbye to junior high school. It's a huge chapter of their life that has ended. They have been in the SAME class with the SAME 35 students for the last 9 YEARS! No new blood, only 2 schools and 2 classrooms....9 YEARS! If it were me, I would cry for a couple of minutes, than thank the heavens for the opportunity to MEET and SEE new people and places! But, I'm so not Japanesey!
Many sad faces in this photo....they have been crying nonstop for 2 hours. The red ribbons they are wearing on their coats become souveniors to give to the 7/8th graders when leaving the school grounds for the last time. And pictured below, is part of this ceremony. We lined the exit of the school and the ninth graders slowly paraded down it saying goodbyes....and when they are ready, they just continue on their way...walking to their homes.

The younger students pass out cards, candies, ribbons and exchange the gold buttons from their suit coats with one another as momentos. I, too, was given 2 gold buttons!

I signed a zillion yearbooks, as they realize the potential worth of my autograph someday. I was surprised by this repressed urge to speak English with me today!? Really you ARE interested in it!? If its so interesting, why didn't you try to strike up a conversation with me in the last 7 months!?

And so it goes...my last thoughts on today were a mixture of sorts. Really happy and optimistic, way fun to live in the limelight one last time with them (ie. with the baseball team below), and a bit disappointed. I was bummed that in 7 months of 'working with them' so many of them still could not make eye contact with me, would not say 'hello' or shake my hand. OK that's a bunch of American cultural differences thrown at them at once, but had they reciprocated ANY of those with the slightest interest, I may have felt my purpose over here had been met. Maybe next year...school year begins April 2nd, 2006.

Let's hope it is an enjoyable one!?!

GoOd LuCK in HiGH SchoOL!

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