My surprise trip home...What a difference 13 hours makes!

Friday, we went to our friend’s restaurant for a farewell dinner for my homie’s sisters who were visiting from California. Our friend really hooked it up. We had something between Nabe and Sukiyaki, Basashi (yes more raw horse), my fave cabbage wrapped pork dealies, fries…regular and sweet potato, tempura-ed veggies, a sashimi-ed flounder still moving when it got to the table, and some little live fishies that we were supposed to eat before they died in the sauce…sounds cruel huh…mine kept jumping out of my chopsticks. I don’t know if the fact that it was still living or it’s ability out muscle me that freaked me out, but it took me about 45 seconds to pump myself up and pop it into my mouth…ACK! I honestly only did it to be able to say that I ate a whole live fish! YAY!

For all of you who haven’t heard yet, I’m HOME!!! I decided about a month ago that I would fly into town to surprise my parents. So, I packed my stuff, only told the folks who live in my building and two people at home, and hopped on a plane and headed over. Can you believe that on a 12-hour flight from Tokyo to Atlanta my section’s screens were not working? So that means we couldn’t watch TV, play games, control our lights, request an attendant, NOTHING! I hung out in Atlanta for a bit before heading home, any my best friend was so very accommodating and I had a GREAT time!!! Monday, I jumped on the train to go to the airport. At the airport, I caught the limo home. Well, something told me that my mother would be home and looking out of the window….and sure enough a split second after I jumped out the front door flew open and my mother came flying down the yard in her PJs, “MY BABY’S HOME…MY BABY’S HOME!!!” So I ran up and gave her a big hug! The driver was cracking up. It was indeed a classic Color Purple moment! Once inside, my mom called my dad and said, “Come home I don’t feel well.” He asked what’s wrong and she told him to just come home. I sat in the living room with my camera and snapped a picture when he walked in. He stood there for like 5 minutes staring at me then asked, “What are you doing here?”

That day we…
· Shoe shopped: 3
· Dress shopped: 1
· Got manicures
· Got pedicures
· Ate at Red Robin…a grown up burger joint…My mother and I split a Mushroom Burger and fries…I had a mocha smoothie…I already see that I’m not going to be able to eat all my food on this trip! Yes, it was a very eventful day.

On Tuesday, I…
· Rummaged around Old Navy looking for some decent work pants…to no avail
· Crossed the street to TJMaxx…got another pair of shoes
· Went by the daycare to say hey
· Made a hair appointment
· Went by my play Grandma’s house to wish her a surprise Happy Birthday at midnight

On Wednesday, I…
· Went to the salon at 11:30 am…got some teeny lil comb twists…So now my head is covered with millions of lil corkscrews…cute
· Went with my dad and his friend to Atlanta…dropped them of at Philip’s Arena for the Hawks vs. Miami Heat game
· Swung by GSU to pick up my best friend in the Jag (yes another…there are two best friends in Atlanta right now) and we headed to the Cheesecake Factory where we were met by our mothers’ friend’s son…he made it as we were ending our meal and paid…WHAT A GENTLEMAN!!! I had the Jamaican Black Pepper Shrimp and a water because my orders for a Green Tea Latte and a Chai Latte were both DENIED…something about the black tea base being something or another, like not up to par or something ionno…lame manager’s excuse for something being out of stock I’m sure…I figured that because GREEN TEA Lattes should not require BLACK TEA base…DUH…then I ordered a Green Tea Smoothie…YUCK, DON’T EVER GET IT! WHO IN THE WORLD THOUGHT MIXING GREEN TEA AND YOGURT WAS A GOOD IDEA…HUH!?
· Picked up my dad and his friend and we headed back home

On Thursday, I…
· Woke up at 3 pm…What? Jet lag made me go to sleep at 5 am…I thought my mom was doing good until she made a comment about my hair…Can’t please everyone.
· Got dressed and went by my mom friend’s house (the one whose son is a gentleman)…my mom made another comment about my hair…sigh. I got caught up in a movie that I want to rent and watch…Something Like Heaven, I think…
· Talked to my Grandmum
· Went to the daycare…to say hey again I guess
· At dinner at The Market…a quaint seafood spot…DELICIOUS…fried green tomatoes and okra appetizers, I had the house salad, grilled shrimp and cheese grits as an entrée…with Sweet Tea of course!
· Went to Best Buy to figure out why I can’t post pictures on my blog!!!
· Went to Winn Dixie
· Came home to hope on my now [almost fully] functioning computer! YAY!

On Friday, I...
· Picked up my boyfriend's grandmother and her friend (they're in town for a church conference) and took them to the mall.
· BFA came to the house with her lil cousin to visit!
· Went to see one of my other mamas at her job...met my best friend up there (yes, one of the two aforementioned)
· We went to: Publix, her family friend's house, Red Robin, and Wal-Mart...for like 2 hours...WHEW what a wild Friday night!!!

On Saturday, I...
· I went shopping with my dad...bought a Nintendo DS ...he's black...his name is Densel (Justin's in Denise).
· I fixed up a slide show for my 3rd Grandmother's surprise birthday party.
· The birthday party was wonderful!
· Went out with my best friend...downtown, it's the last hope for our city's youth...so, the cops were OUT THERE!!! I forgot what it was like to be surrounded by police...weird.

On Sunday, I...
· ATE!!! Cheeses, fruit, veggies, green salad, potato salad, home smoked Boston butt, bbq ribs, bbq chicken, cabbage, rice, pinto beans seasoned with pork shanks, bbq baked beans, macaroni and cheese, corn bread, corn, rutabagas, pie, banana pudding...and I think I'm still forgetting some things...YUMMMMMMMY!!!
· One of my friends from elementary school came by just in time for my parents and their friends to start doing the Chinese Checkers (dance)...or should I say just in time for them to recruit me to teach them how to...again!

On Monday, I...
· Went to see 300 with my friend from elementary school (see Sunday)...Justin gave it a low grade and thought it was racist...but it was pretty much in line with the history of Sparta...or atleast what they put in the books...sigh

On Tuesday, I...
·Got dressed up and went to the Green Island Hills Country Club for reception for the new Mayor pro tempre, who is also a family friend.
·Did a little more shopping with my mom...Dillards and TJMaxx...SALES SALES SALES!!!

On Wednesday, I...
· Went to Atlanta...surprised my Aunt just as she was about to get in the shower to go to work!
· Ate lunch with one of my former students at Pricci in Buckhead...Yum
· Then headed to Duluth for dinner with my other former students, and had a great time playing on the trampoline with the kids...so now I want to see if I can fit one in my suitcase!
·Searched every Kroger and Wal-mart from Atlanta to my house in search of Arid clear powder scented deodorant...ummm, It no longer exists...WaAaAaAaAa!!!

On Thursday, I...
· Went to the dentist for a cleaning at 7:50 am...which by the way is quite a feat when you don't go to sleep until 5ish am!!!
·Did laundry
· My parents went to a UNFC function and I went to Georges Bizet's opera Carmen with my 3rd Grandma...most of the cast were kinda old (including Carmen...weird)...costumes weren't good...sets weren't either...the acting followed suit...Ate a Bruschetta Burger with garlic fries at Applebee's...surprisingly delish!

On Friday, I...
·Packed up and headed to Atlanta with my parents
·Swung by campus to deliver some gifts to 3 of my professors
·We checked into the hotel and headed to Atlantic Station
·Had dinner at Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro...I couldn't even finish my salad...Japan has shrunken my appetite!!!
·Talked to my aunt who recently chopped of her hair...ah, one of my own heart!
·Went to Shout with my best friend...WHO KNEW IT WOULD BE SALSA NIGHT...YAY

On Saturday, I...
·Woke up at the crack of dawn to go to the airport with my parents. My aunt met us there. I checked in my luggage (one bag was 88 pounds...I don't know how that happened...especially because that's the suitcase that I had intended to bring back empty...hmmm perhaps shoe/grocery shopping had something to do with that???)
·My flights went well...I'm glad that I didn't try to adjust my sleeping to US time b/c I was able to sleep and eat at the appropriate times during the flight...I somehow managed to wake up every time the food made it's way down the aisles. I think I'll start booking my flights with airlines depending on the food they serve...Korean Air = Yummy!

I got to my apartment on Sunday night...drained and hungry...and ready for my next trip!!!

A Lesson on Hydration

Last night, my Japanese mom invited me, one of my coworkers, and my friend who works at the teashop to come to her house for dinner and then to go to an onsen (hot spring bath) after dinner. My coworker had tutoring so she missed dinner. While waiting for my teashop friend to come, my Japanese mom and I had a really good conversation. I found out that she went to all girls Catholic schools from junior high school to college. She lost both her husband and sister years ago so she made keepsake teddy bears from their clothes. She gave me a book that she made to comfort her niece after her sister’s death. It’s really sweet. Her husband was a dentist so she made a little bear from his work jacket. I think that’s such a great idea.

For dinner, we had corn chowder, boiled canola (plant not oil…hehehe) with ham, potato salad, some fried sprouts of some sort, and cabbage stuffed with ground meat and veggies. FAB-U-LOUS! At dinner, I found out that she doesn’t work so I taught her the word “homemaker.” I had a feeling she didn’t work because she never talked about it, but I figured she did work because she takes trips and does many things that most people can’t do because they’re broke. She has two sons in their 20s. One is my age and in school. Aside from skateboarding, I don’t know what the other one does but I think he lives at home. I’ve only seen him once. I’m assuming her husband’s company still provides funds. She has a boyfriend who is somewhere around 10 years younger than her which I think is great because from the looks of the men her age around here wouldn’t be able to keep up.

After dinner, we picked up my coworker and took a 45-minute drive to the hot spring. All the baths were family style, meaning that groups have private rooms with a changing room, shower, and 1 or 2 tubs outside under an awning. The sky was really clear and since we were in the boonies you could see every star. When we got out, I was feeling a little woozy so I leaned against the counter. Then I realized that my heart was beating faster than normal so I sat down. Thank God that I did, because I woke up sitting on the floor with the others laying cold towels on me. My coworker said that she thought I was joking because she had just asked if she could get to her back that was next to me. She said that as soon as she asked I slumped and put my arm over her back. It took her a few seconds to realize that I wasn’t playing so she started snapping her fingers next to my ear and called the others over. I don’t know if I was overheated (I felt fine until I got out of the bath) or if I was dehydrated (which I’m sure had something to do with it), I’ve only blacked out once before. It was a few days after I got to Senegal, the day after I chopped all my hair off to be exact. For lunch, I had eaten mafe and I hadn’t had that much water. The bus was full so my friends and I were sitting on the side of a seat. I remember getting really hot all of a sudden, then my stomach started turning, and I began to feel like I was sinking. I woke up in the seat across from where I was sitting, being fanned with water being thrust at me from all directions. So much for thinking I was cute that day…hehehe. In my marching band days I experienced what was probably the beginnings of a black out, but I immediately got out of the sun and sprayed myself with some water. Gotta be more careful. The odd thing is that I felt so refreshed once the wooziness passed.


When I got to the junior high school today, the vice principal said, “You ran out of steam yesterday.” Ha, if only he knew. He was referring to the elementary school fiasco. Then he asked me what today is. I said Wednesday. He laughed and said, “No, it’s White day,” then handed me a bag. “Because you gave me wine before, this Is my present to you.” Wow. White Day is like Valentines Day in Japan, but usually woman give gifts on Valentines day and men give gifts on White Day. The gifts are usually white. So, I got lotion…which matched my white hands (you know what cold does to dark skin). Good timing!

A Lesson On Inconsiderate...

When I reached over to turn off my first alarm this morning, I noticed that there was an envelope icon just above the clock that read 5:30 am. Text message. So, I checked it. It was a message from the English teacher that I work with at the far away school.

3/12 23:26
hi! what’s going? sorry to tell late. i missed to call u. it’s not good time to call u, so this mail
well, tomorrow pleas go to the elementary school directly. They asked u to have classes for them.
sorry again, i left the schedule that they sent us. 2 classes tomorrow…i wonder
tomorrow morning i’ll call you. thanks

So, I rummaged around the bin of old VHS tapes that have accumulated in my apartment from past teachers. Nothing. Nothing appropriate for elementary school kids anyway. The closest I could get was The Simpsons and we all know that’s not the answer. So I decided that when I got to the school I would just tell them that the teacher told me that I had classes at the elementary school this morning. It’s funny, and I’ve expressed this to others before, but I feel like she’s always trying to “sabotage my mission.” For example, I did a music lesson on jazz for Black History Month. I printed the song “Lullaby of Birdland” (sung by Ella Fitzgerald) to make into a song scramble. For this activity, you cut the lyrics into strips for the students to piece together while listening to the song. There were two sheets of paper and she offered to photocopy them for me. I explained that I needed 18 copies of each sheet so each student would have the whole song. I’m sure she could have put the 2 sheets in the slot on top of the copier, pressed 1-8, and hit print. However, she managed to make double copies of only one sheet. I know the song well so I caught the mistake while I was sorting the strips of paper to go in individual envelops. Luckily, the song is repetitive and the two pages were similar enough that I was able to make the whole song by taking out a couple of lines. So, it worked out fine. Another time, we were doing a lesson on “How do you say … in English?” One of the students said, “How do you say shitajiki in English?” I told the class that we don’t use those in America. A shitajiki is a plastic mat that you place under your paper so that the lead doesn’t transfer from the reverse side when you write. She responded, “In America, they don’t care about the lead getting on the other paper. They do not use keishigomu (a GREAT eraser) either so there is always black on the paper.” I wanted to say, “We don’t use either of those because our writing system is based more on fluidity than straight lines so we don’t bear down as hard with our pencils. So we don’t need shitajiki or keishigomu.” Instead, I said, “No, it doesn’t transfer when we write. Maybe our lead is a little different.” I mean really! Unless you’re a child, you know not to press down so hard that can’t erase it. Americans are stereotyped enough. The last thing I want the kids to think is that don’t have the ability to be neat.

Then there are the countless times that I’ve asked her to look over an activity to make sure it’s what she wants, and she says, “I’m so sorry but right now I am very busy.” So, when we get to class she stops the lesson because it’s not what she wanted. Or when there is literally nothing more in the way of work for me to do so I check my email or the news and she all of a sudden wants to discuss a lesson we’ve already talked about a million times. She had the nerve to get a little upset when I told her that I had a meeting in the city on the day of their graduation. First of all, no one told me when graduation was. By the time they asked if I was coming, I had already committed to my meeting. I had even considered missing my meeting and notified the facilitator about my possible absence, but I’m not a fan of inconsiderate people (that includes the elementary school because they always send the schedule at the last minute then expect me to teach different things to all six grades!) and I have no obligation to do anything for them except teach. So, that settles it. I’m not going…period. I’m not vengeful, but I am a firm believer in the saying, “I can show you better than I can tell you.”

Anyway, she didn’t call me. So, I stopped by the middle school to see if she had any movies that I could show the kids. Well, the movies she had weren’t what I had in mind but they worked out fine. I wanted to show them a movie for fun, but all she kept handing me were educational films so that’s what they watched.

Fire Walking, Teapot Shopping, Soba Chomping, Meat-Eater!

I've decided to use links for stuff that folks may not know about. So, I don't have to interupt my stories to explain Japanese words, etc...So you can click on the red/underlined links for more information...

Unlike most weekends since it's been cold, this weekend was quite eventful. About two weeks ago, the temperature shot up to the upper 60s. Then it plummeted back down to the low 40s over night. So, needless to say I've been barricading myself in my bedroom directly in front of the heater! Friday was spent inside doing laundry, cooking, catching up on emails, and generally relaxing. Saturday, it was my intention to go to the dollar store to replace a bowl I broke, but it was cold and rainy outside so I stayed in all day. That evening was the taco party.

Although it was pretty chilly, the sun was out and the sky was clear on Sunday. One of my friends works at a teashop and I sent her a text message on Friday for directions there. Instead, she offered to take me there on Sunday because it was her day off. Wow, people usually want to stay away from work on their days off…hahahaha. She also mentioned something about Yamabushi monks and fire walking. A trip to the teashop turned into a whole day adventure in Hoshino (a village in the mountains).

When she arrived to pick me up, I thanked her and gave her a box of Castilla from Nagasaki because she went out of her way just for me. First, we headed up a mountain to the place where the monks were doing the ceremony. It went as follows:

1. Everyone wrote their names on pieces of wood with pre-printed wishes on them.
2. The monks prayed at the shrine them made their way up the hill where the ceremony took place.
3. Formalities…sutras….I don’t know exactly what that part was; it was all in Japanese of course.
4. A big pile of wood and branches was set on fire and the wishes on the pieces of wood were thrown in.
5. The smoldering embers were raked to make a walkway.
6. Monks blessed everyone
7. We stripped off our shoes and socks and fire walked.

Fire walking was never on my list of things that I wanted to eventually do, but now that I’ve done it I think I’m officially OFFICIAL! It’s interesting that the word religion is used loosely when referring to Buddhism here. Of course, some refer to it as a philosophy or a lifestyle, but it’s obvious that a lot of things people do in it’s practice are for fun…i.e. fire walking. My friends didn’t seem to be there for the religious experience at all.

For lunch, we went to another friend’s soba restaurant. I didn’t like soba until last weekend. They are usually served cold and they usually taste a little too wheaty. These noodles were so good though. I later found out that the powder they use in their restaurant is specially ordered from a place in Northern Japan. Her family likes the location of the restaurant because the water quality way out there is so good. After a great lunch and a little gossiping…ehem…sharing of personal opinions, we headed to the teashop. Japanese people don’t do the whole “hook-up” thing but they do buy gifts for people at the drop of a hat. So, my friend who works there treated us to some tea flavored ice cream and tea. After I made my purchases, she gave me some green tea flavored snacks.

Later that night, we all went to a yakiniku restaurant because my co-worker’s (the one I like the most here) sisters are in town to visit her. Our party was so large so we had to sit at two different tables. I sat at the table with all the Japanese women. At first I though it was strange that all out Japanese friends were women and between the ages of 28 and 50. Nevertheless, I like it because they want to do more than drink, drink, and drink. I also like how women here, whether they are married/in a relationship or single, always make time for their friends. They focus a lot on friendship. I wonder though if it is a result of how men here usually work all the time. Either way, it’s nice.

Question: Ever put your foot in your mouth?

So...as we all know, I'm usually the only minority in the various programs that I've done and I've never encountered any issue until coming here. I have a co-worker who is a Filipino male from Hawaii who manages to put his foot in his mouth every now and then. For example, we were all sitting around doing much of nothing in the office one day. Another co-worker draws really well so they had been playing a game that involves describing a person to the artistic guy and he would make a funny sketch based on what you say. So my Filipino co-worker started describing a man...when it came time to describe the man's clothes he says, "Make his clothes like a Black guy." I was reading quietly, and stopped to look up with a bewildered face because I was seriously wondering where this was going. I guess he sensed/saw me look up (I don't know which because I was staring off into the distance like huh), because in an effort to clean it up he says, "Like with a big jacket." So I turn to look at him and say, "Hmm, that's interesting because I don't own a big jacket. Neither do most of the Black guys I know." Realizing where I was coming from, he immediately apologized and continued to apologize throughout the day.

Well, tonight we all attended a get together and the play list that looped in the background happened to be on a hip hop song. Everyone was making general conversation and he says, "There's this one episode of South Park when Stan's dad is on a TV show and the category was 'Things that annoy you.' And the answer said 'N-blank-G-G-E-R-S' and he had to fill in the blank. So he says the N-word, but the answer is 'Naggers.' I was like whoa." Now, I don't know what in the world possessed him to share this story but the room fell silent and in an attempt to save him another guys says, "Hmmm. Let me think of the most outrageous thing I've ever heard on South Park" and he goes into his own account about one of the Christmas episodes. I choose my battles, so I decided to save my response for later when there wasn't a room full of people who didn't deserve to be made uncomfortable by whatever was bound to come out of my mouth. When I got home, I checked my email. Earlier in the day he had sent an email out to everyone about a dinner tomorrow. It was in response to an email one of the female teachers had sent out. I'm going to leave the names out...A line of it went as follows:

"You forgot to mention *******'s name ******. Bitch!"

I took this as an opportunity to :
1. Speak up for the woman he was talking to because she's too shy to confront people about things that offend her and she's expressed that to me on several occasions. I know this kind of language wouldn't be taken well, joke or not.
2. Speak up as a preemptive move to let him know that I don't take kindly to it either.
3. Tell him about the comment he'd made during dinner.

So I wrote him an email then went as follows:

Hey *****
Just a tip...be careful with that B word there...that can be taken the wrong way. And, I didn't want to bring it up at the dinner as to not create a weird vibe, but the South Park comment was a little...mmm...off...not sure where you were coming from/going with it. I'm not upset or harping, but it's always good to consider your company and/or who you're talking to...
See Ya Tomorrow

He's the type of person who has no problem admitting he's wrong so I didn't see the need to blast him. Here's his response over IM soon after I sent the email (he's red, I'm purple)

hey
howdy
just got back. read your email. Sorry, i didn't realize it until the end.
wasn't trying to diss you or anything like that
it's cool...didn't want the night to end without letting you know
yeah. thanks though
yep
i'll have to watch it next time
yeah
hope I didn't offend you
it's cool
if you're bored, check this out
http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/89049/How_It_s_Made_Shoppin_Cart_Ep_212.html okie dokie
pretty cool eh?
o didn't check it yet....still checking backed up emails
well, i'm off to bed. Sorry about the comment tonight.
Good night
ok good night

When I checked my email, he had already sent me an email before he IMed. It read,
hey,
sorry about that. Didn't realize it until the end and by then it was too late. I wasn't trying to diss you or anything. I'm sorry.
*****

One of my Canadian co-workers has the tendency to use the phrase "You people." Let me tell you, the first time I heard it I was taken aback for like 2 seconds until I realized that she meant Americans...hahaha. On a not so funny note, her boyfriend's response to the fact that I didn't vote in the elections back in the fall was, "You need to vote. Especially you." I just looked at him like "What?" Another time, her boyfriend was making a joke online about how America is going to annex Canada. So I said, "Well if America does that then Mexico is next and I don't know that that will go over to well. Then there's the Caribbean." His response was, "Oh the Caribbean won't be a problem because 1. We're the backbone of their economy, 2. They don't have an army, and 3. They'd be late to their own insurgency." I looked at her and said, "WHAT! What is that supposed to mean?" She immediately replied, "Oh my God that was incredibly offensive," and I guess typed my reaction. I didn't need him to apologize and I'm assuming he didn't since she didn't say anything after that. From then I knew that I would not have anymore conversations with her concerning him. People need to do better.

There is another co-worker who says something racist everyday about several different ethnic groups (including whites) who considers himself a minority because he's homosexual. Sure, he may be a minority but I don't think that he realizes that people don't just automatically discriminate against him because they don't know he's a minority until he tells them about his sexual orientation. I've just resorted to looking at him crazy every time something ignorant comes out of his mouth. Just because you're a member of a marginalized group of people, it is certainly not okay to say derogatory things about others based on their race, sexuality, or whatever. I just hope that one day he get's a clue. Until then, I'll keep putting my foot down.

Another Friday!!!

Yesterday was a less than interesting day. At school, I only taught 2 classes so I spent a lot of time playing chess on my laptop. After one of my classes, the teacher who barely speaks above a whisper that I teach with told me that she would be changing schools at the beginning of the new school year. Here the new school year begins in April. So I asked her if she knew what school she would be visiting. She said no, not yet. So I asked when she would find out. She said May 23. What!? Only 2 weeks between the new school year and when you find out where you’ll be working! Wow! During the last period of the day, I took a cd with some signs that I was asked to make to the principal. A few minutes after he comes into the office to tell me that the 3rd graders were practicing their songs for graduation and he asked if I wanted to watch them. Here’s what I wanted to say:

NO, ACTUALLY I DON’T. I’M REALLY ENJOYING THIS GAME OF CHESS AND YOU’RE INTERRUPTING. PERHAPS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER INVITING ME TO THE ASSEMBLIES AND NOT TO POINTLESS PRACTICES WHERE I WILL FREEZE MY BUT OFF BECAUSE YOU’RE ANTI-HEAT AND WHERE I WON’T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING ANYWAY? AND SINCE WE’RE CHATTING, CAN YOU TELL YOUR STAFF TO STOP ASKING ME IF I’M COMING TO GRADUATION NEXT FRIDAY. THE SAME PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME OVER AND OVER, AND ALL OF THEM SHOULD HAVE A COPY OF MY SCHEDULE. I’M NOT SCHEDULED TO EVEN BE AT THIS SCHOOL NEXT WEEK SO WHY WOULD I COME ON FRIDAY WHEN THE SCHOOL THAT I WILL BE AT IS HAVING A GRADUATION ON THE SAME DAY? HUH? AND DO BE SURE TO TELL THEM TO ALSO STOP ASKING ME IF THAT SCHOOL IS HAVING A PARTY AFTER THE GRADUATION…FOR THE FINAL TIME, YES THEY’RE HAVING A PARTY! AND IF THEY WEREN’T, DO YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD TRAVEL ALMOST 3 HOURS BACK HERE JUST FOR A PARTY? I DIDN’T THINK SO. YOU’RE DISMISSED.

As for what I actually said “Sure.”

On the silent walk to the gym, the principal was like, “Maybe you can teach an old dog some new tricks.” Had I not realized as quickly as I did that he was referring to transferring the signs from the cd to his computer to print, I’m sure he would have gotten a stern sideways glance, neck roll, and a rapid, “I BEG YOUR PARDON!” Thank God for my patience with people. When I got to the gym where the students were practicing, I stood next to the teacher who was leaving. I noticed that the Special Education teacher was over the music practice so I turned to the teacher I work with to ask if the Special Education teacher was also the music teacher. I don’t know if she was feeling talkative because she’s changing schools or what but she informed me that they have been through a number of music teachers since the music teacher is on 3 years leave….3 YEARS?!...because she is ill and had some troubles with the students. So I said, “She had a nervous breakdown?” And the teacher said yes. WHAT?! This school has ISSUES! They just got a counselor….how long has this school been here? Forever! I was under the impression that he would be here all the time but he will only be here every two weeks, for two weeks from the hospital.

When I made it back to my bike in my city, I was surprised to see that the tire that I had just changed about 2 weeks ago was flat. As I walked my bike away from the station, a bird decided to relieve itself above me. I was luck though because I reacted quickly enough to avoid getting pooped on. My computer case was not so lucky though because it was in the basket on the front of my bike….sigh.

Today, I taught about giving directions at the teacher’s request. She wanted me to tell the students how to explain taking different types of public transportation. On Wednesday, when I tried to review the worksheets she replied, “Everything is okay because I have no to time to talk about Friday’s team teaching. I have a meeting that started at 3:10.” I looked up at the clock and it was 3:13. So, I said, “Well you should hurry then,” as politely as I could with a smile. This morning, while I was playing chess (hehe) she walked over to ask about the lesson. So I showed her the two worksheets that I made and explained how I would teach it. She was like, “Ok, great.” Let’s just say that it’s a little difficult to teach something like directions when you have students who still don’t know the word “walk”…did I mention it’s the week before the end of the school year?…sigh.

Evaluation!!!

I asked my supervisor last week about the evaluation that’s done by the schools for each of the English teachers in my program. He told me that he would go over the comments with me in a week. So, Monday I was escorted to the meeting room down the hall from the main office at the board of education. “Please have a seat,” spoken emotionlessly. I sat down and folded my hands on my lap while he arranged the documents on the table for me to read….Here is what they said (verbatim, yes errors/awkward English and all…with the exception of the things Spell Check caught…):

The Outline of the Outcome of the Work Performance Evaluation
March 1st 2007

The Work Performance Evaluation was made on basing your principals and teachers comments mainly

You never took unpaid leave of ay kind last year. And you were always punctual for your job.

You worked eagerly as a member of ALTs of the Minami Chikugo Branch Office.

You can behave responsibly for having been asked.

You are liked by a lot of students, because you are very friendly to them.

You can speak English at a speed that students understand easily.

Because you have experiences of living in some countries and experiences of having actually studied Japanese and French, you understand the difficulties and the importance of studying the foreign language.

You try to understand student’ feelings, and you can appropriately help them or speak to them.

You participate in the class of music or penmanship, and you try to have chances to make friends with students and other staffs.

You can provide a lot of good ideas about lessons for JTE, and you voluntarily try to check student’ work-sheet etc.

You are a wonderful ALT who has leadership and the sense of responsibility for her job.

We show you great honor as a member of the Minami Chikugo ALTs. Minami Chikugo Branch Office


Not that any of this was a shock, but while he was handing me the evaluation to read I was thinking in the back of my mind, “Hmmm…I wonder if those times that I happened to be dozing at my desk were documented…” HAHAHAHA! “No one could find any negative comments about you. We are glad to have you as a part of the Minami Chikugo Board of Education.” YAY!

Last night I went to a friend’s apartment near the city for a get together. He made some really good pasta, others brought bread and assorted stinky cheeses (camembert tastes like paint…the kind you paint cars with…yes that toxic!), sautéed spinach with bean sprouts, salad, strawberries, and I made candied Japanese yams. After dinner we all sat squished together under a comforter to watch Stranger Than Fiction on his Mac (pssshaaaa, only PCs for me thanx). At about 10:45, I asked him if he had a train schedule…he didn’t so we paused the movie to check it on the internet real quick. 11:26 and 11:28…as everyone thought to themselves “We should definitely be finished watching to movie by then…” It didn’t help that the part of the movie we were on was starting to get good. The movie ended at approximately 11:20 so we jump up to put on our coats. I was moving slowly so our host said, “Your train’s leaving in 6 minutes!” I said, “Yeah, but there’s another one at 11:36.” He looked at me crazy and said, “No, it leaves 2 minutes after the one that’s leaving in 6 minutes!” DOH! So we dash out of the door and down the street. Usually when you’re traveling back home from a new place it seems like the trip is much shorter, right? Well let me tell you something, when you’re running through 40 something degree air, with your shoes half on, toting a ceramic bowl…it’s seem like FOREVER…even if it was downhill all the way. Chest burning and clock taunting me, I stopped running. Think Quick! A CAB! Well we missed two and just when we thought all hope was lost because we could see the station but were still quite a ways away, another cab light appeared. So, I jumped in the middle of the street in hopes that he wasn’t crazy. Paid about $6 to go less than 75 yards but as we were jumping out of the cab, the train was pulling into the station! A rapid (the 11:26) at that! SAFE! So I got home and stayed up until like 2:30 doing a little work and a lot of catching up on the news. PEOPLE ARE CRAZY! What’s the deal with all these people cutting folks up in America these days. I thought it was understood that that’s just nasty after Geoffrey Dommer! Sure folks in Japan have been doing it quite a bit lately but that don’t make it right!!!

The school I work at this week has lunch delivered…Bento boxes, a box with several compartments all filled with assorted foods…usually cold. Well, I don’t know if it’s some ingredient that’s used in every dish but everything now tastes the same, and I’m not really a fan of cold cooked food. So, starting yesterday, I’ve been going to the bakery at the train station to pick up something to eat. Yesterday, I bought a Tropicana grape juice and a curry bread, baked or deep fried dough stuffed with curried vegetables and maybe chicken. Every time I walk into the bakery (usually to buy breakfast), there’s the yummy smell of something with garlic in it and I decided to try different things in an effort to find out what it is that has the place smelling so good. Today, on my garlic hunt my eyes landed upon what I read as Chili potato bread. Hey I like bread….I like baked potatoes with chili, it’s pretty much the only way I like them. So I decided to give it a try. At lunch time, I whipped out my chili potato bread and took a bite and man was it gooooooood! By bite number 4 or 5 I reached the center and was surprised/dismayed by what I found. I’m sure you’re all preparing yourself for some gut wrenching account of something creepy, once alive, formerly embedded in a follicle, or still blinking in my bread. What I found was not quite that extreme, but it was equally disappointing. I had reached the potatoes…and they were slathered with MAYONNAISE! Dogonit Japan! Why must mayonnaise appear in the most unnecessary places? Sandwiches…fine. French fries…ok. Pizza…NO! Chili…MOST CERTAILY NOT!!! Whose idea was that?!?!?! Today’s Words of Wisdom: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT use old lip gloss!!! Monday, I looked like someone had hit me in my top lip a few times for fun…and I broke out in fine bumps! So I took a Benadryl and a nap. Now I can see my face again….and no, no pictures! Needless to say I threw that tube away.

Addendum...

I forgot to add to the Festivals post that after the Plum Blossom Festival, my self-proclaimed [super silly] Japanese mother took us to a shrine called “Opai No Kami Sama”…it’s dedicated to The Girls…no I’m not talking about female children!!! I mean “The Girls!” People make…ehem…”Girls” and bring them here to be put on the board. There are shrines for everything here! If you don’t believe me look them up on the Internet…Go ahead Google any words that made you giggle as a kid and you’ll find a shrine for it in Japan! HAHAHAHA!

Festivals, Festivals, and Mo' Festivals! TaChIbAnA and NaGaSaKi!!!

Last Saturday and Sunday I went to Tachibana, a town near mine, for the Plum Blossom Festival. It's amazing to me that folks here designate special days to look at pretty trees. I guess that's part of living in/near the country. Saturday, I went with some fellow English teachers. Sunday, I went with one other English teacher who lives in my building and some of our Japanese friends. All the vendors who remembered me from Saturday were like "Hey!" A photographer caught sight of us while I was in line to buy a roasted sweet potato. She asked if I could be in some of her photos for an amateur photo contest. I said sure as long as she sent me copies of all the pictures. While the potato man and I were standing together for the shot, this crazy woman (the photographer) says, "Ok, now give him a kiss on the cheek." You know the "Did I hear you correctly?" face...well that's what she got...followed by a long stare then a "NO" head shaking! And as if that's not bad enough she asked that my coworker and I stand by the flowers for a picture then she asked again...so this time she got the "This ain't that kind of party" neck role followed by a narrowing of the eyes and an eyebrow raise...So she said "Ok." After that I was through with it so while she was requesting a photo somewhere else I said, "Thank you" and "Goodbye" after I got her business card. I better get my pics...lol

This Saturday, I went to Nagasaki with a fellow teacher who is from Jamaica. There are Chinatowns in Yokohama, Kobe, and Nagasaki. For the last two weeks they were celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year. I guess the Lantern Festival only takes place in Nagasaki. Nagasaki is the western most city in Japan and it is also where the US dropped another atomic bomb 3 days after Hiroshima back when the they were acting a fool with weapons whose power I don't think they fully understood. In the morining we went to the Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum. It was much less graphic than the museum in Hiroshima where I felt a certain uneasiness every time I looked an older Japanese person in the eye. I think that fact the the weather was really nice also made a difference in mood. Hiroshima was cold and rainy when we visited the A-Bomb sites. The afternoon and evening were spent browsing the stores and looking at the lanterns. I was originally under the impression that the laterns were made of paper, but they are made of material stretched over wire frames that are lit by small lights inside. It's was still pretty cool though. There were performances and the presentation of the Misses froom the different areas around Kyushu (the island I live on...Japan is made up of four main islands). I snacked on Goma Dango (deep fried mochi (rice cake) balls with sweet red bean paste in the middle and covered in sesamee seeds) and I bought Castellas (sponge cake made of sugar, flour, eggs, and starch syrup...thought to be originally from Spain, brought by way of Portuguese merchants in the 16th century) and Jasmine tea.

Sunday, I happened to run across an annoucement for a taiko performance in the city. Well, I couldn't find it so I ended up at an outlet mall...I don't know how my shopping radar just pinpoints malls like that. I didn't buy anything though (SURPRISE!)...lunch doesn't count. I always forget that I live near the ocean because my city is fairly industrial so it's pretty much all concrete with the exception of the mountains in the distance. Well the mall is right on the water so I took a couple of pictures to remind myself that I am indeed not landlocked! On the bus back to the station I spotted a grocery store that sells foreign food, so I hopped of the bus to take a look...a $40 "look"...and walked out with one bag! What was in this bag you ask...

fresh basil (which I can't find anywhere!)
sponge cake (cuz I don't have an oven to bake my own...)
baking brandy (to sprinkle on the cake)
heavy whipping cream (to layer in the cake with strawberry purée)
cinnamon apple chips (just because they are delicious)
a big bottle of olive oil (cuz buying small bottles is less cost efficient)
a mozzarella/tomato/pesto pizza (that I can cut in half to fit into my toaster oven)
$40!!! AAAH!

Then I came home and did my real grocery shopping...bought twice as much for less than half that price! Since I had extra pastries I decided to have a tea party. So I drizzled the brandy on the sponge cake, blended the strawberries with sugar, and whipped the cream to spoon over it....well, let's just say that there's a reason that the cooking brandy is sold in such small bottles...it was TOO STRONG TO DRINK! Luckily I had also made some Japanese sweets so there was plenty to snack on while we just stared at the cake in disbelief. Too bad...it would have been so good. Oh well, lesson learned.

TGIF!!!

I apologize for the hold up on photos but they won't load for some reason...Anyway, life goes on...

As much as I love changing my hair and switching up my clothes, it seems like folks around here can’t handle it. I mean people around here rarely wear their hair differently and a lot of people wear pretty much the same things all the time. The funny thing is that when I do decide to switch it up it seems to distract the teachers more than the students. Tuesday I wore my hair in what I like to call a faux bob...hair pulled back and tucked under in a headband...One too many people were all up in my personal space too early in the morning (as in before I could get good and settled into my desk) over it so I decided to put it in a French braid and headband Wednesday. BACKFIRE! “Wow you changed your image today, “ and, “You look sporty today.” I guess there’s just no way around it as the foreigner.
Today, during sixth period, the office was silent and empty so I decided to listen to a French podcast. Halfway through the period, one of the teachers comes back into the teacher’s office to look for something. Then he walked over to me and said something that I couldn’t understand, but it was about the gym, students singing, and shall we go. So I closed the laptop and made my way to the gym. Boy was I surprised when I got there. The room was decorated with ribbons, banners, and designs made of crepe paper flowers. All the students were standing in rows and the 1st and 2nd graders were facing the third graders and singing a song. All the teachers were standing around…including the principal, vice principal, the other administrative guy, and both English teachers who all speak English well enough to have informed me that there was an assembly going on. When the principal finally spotted me, he came over and said, “This is the party for the 3rd graders who are graduating in two weeks.” Well DUH! I’d gathered that on my own by then. Nice timing! I want to know why it took one of the teachers who has no reason to talk to me to inform me that something big was happening in the gym when I work directly with two other teachers!!! What makes it worse is that the English teacher whose class I taught today appeared to be over the festivities!…Maybe it’s just me, but most people would consider that pretty inconsiderate. THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY!!!
After school, the boys and I (since the other female teacher who works with us is in Chicago on vacation) made plans to a buffet restaurant. One of my co-workers and I work in the same city, meaning that we get off at the same train stop. I was waiting for him to get to the bus stop so that we could meet the other two at the restaurant and this fool was already on a bus on his way to the place...so much for team work...Speaking of which...The other day we all jumped on a crammed train and I ended up standing. Three male English teachers, all from the States, and no one even thought about offering me a seat. In the words of my friend Michelle, "The G.R.I.T.S. would riot!" So I walked to another car and had a seat...sigh. MANNERS!? There are a lot of things that are indeed rude about folks back home, but we do the whole public transportation etiquette thing at least. While waiting for the restaurant to open for dinner, I bought a new kite...YAY! a girl approached me and asked my age. She was perhaps a little mentally disabled or had a severe social disorder (I'm not making fun). When I finally realized what she was asking I answered and she went into a question rapid fire mode...than reached out to touch my hair...WRONG ANSWER! I am gonna have some seriously cat-like reflexes when I get home! My natural reaction was to step back and stare at her. Anyone blame me? I've said it before and I'll say it again...JAPANESE FOLKS DON'T JUST WALK UP TO OTHER JAPANESE FOLKS THEY DON'T KNOW AND TOUCH THEM...WHY IS IT OK TO TOUCH ME?!?!?! Answer: It's not...period. After dinner, I headed over to the lil mall and bought myself some nice work shoes. While browsing, I look up and guess who's standing there...The girl same girl from outside! So she follows me around the store for a while then goes on about her business. Do her parents know where she is? Or maybe one of her parents works in the mall???