Pretty Places

That last blog, upon a second reading, came off a little depressing. It was not intended to be so... it was simply a way for me to vent some of the frustrations that come with life in a foreign country.

The feelings I expressed in that blog are really only how I feel maybe ~5% of the time. So make no mistakes: 95% of the time, I love everything about my life here. I have great neighbors and friends, my supervisor is incredibly nice, I love my new house, and my work is almost always enjoyable. I would be lying if I said everything was perfect - nothing in life is. But things here are as close to ideal as they could be.

All that said, please enjoy these pretty pictures from my trip to Kobe/Osaka/Kyoto during Christas Eve as well as other pictures from a hike I did today (please note - you can click any picture to see an enlarged version of it):

Kyoto Station is really something else

Kyoto Tower

Artwork from 1st Graders on the bus in Kyoto

Entrance to Kinkakuji Temple (The Golden Temple)

And there it is!

It's really pretty

Kinkakuji

This bird adorns the top of the temple

Kinkakuji

Kinkakuji

Kinkakuji

Kinkakuji

This one is called Kiyomizu - its extremely famous

Kiyomizu

Part of Kiyomizu

I drank from this stream to receive a blessing of good health

A street at night in Kyoto - restaurants here are by invitation/connections only

Kabuki theater

A river runs through Kyoto at night

Xmas eve was slightly crowded in Kyoto

The rest of the photos are from my hike near my hometown.

A small waterfall along the path

A small shrine along the path

Part of the path on the way up (looking back)

The way up

Slowly getting steeper....

A small respite on the way up

Giant rock! Right in our way!

View of Owase city as we ascend

Slowly getting more and more difficult...

...but nevertheless gorgeous!

Another nice view near the top by the radio tower

Dont mind the wires from the radio tower lol

Click this one to see this awesome panorama from the peak!!!! Its amazing!

At the top! The view was incredible. We had lunch on this rock.

Contemplating life

Hello there, sir!

A bit steep on the way down...

Another little shrine on the way down

Hope you enjoyed this picture bonanza!
See you next time!

JJ

It's Christmas!...

There is no denying that I've always been a fairly independent person. From my rebellious teenage years to my almost infamous inability to show/express deep affection, it can easily be said that I am usually quite content to be by myself and do my own thing. It's a large part of who I am, though I oftentimes wish this wasn't the case - for I feel that others may misinterpret it as me not caring/feeling.

Thinking along these lines, I chose to stay in Japan for Christmas. Up until now, this decision hadn't bothered me. It was just today, Christmas Day, that I realized that this was my very first Christmas day completely alone. But that's not to say that I was miserable. I kept myself entertained and in the spirit by listening to Christmas songs by Johnny Mathis and The Carpenters (as they remind me most of childhood & Christmas at home).

However, today I realized one really important thing: that while I like Japan, the culture, and the people I have met, there is no one in Japan that I LOVE. I feel VERY strongly towards some of the people who have gone way out of their way to help me, my taiko group, my JET friends, and a few other people. But even still, there's always that slight feeling of being on the outside and looking in (whether due to me being a foreigner or not being able to understand 90% of the things that are being said to/around me).

On Christmas Eve I was fortunate enough to be able to hang out with a nice Japanese girl (and her sister & sister's husband) who speaks English really well. I had a really good time, but with Christmas Eve pretty much being the equivalent to Valentines Day in America I wasn't exactly sure how I was to act or what I was supposed to say/do. We went to Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto and I had a really fun time, but it was also a slap-in-the-face reminder of not only how gloriously single I am (and likely will remain), but also of my inability to comprehend such a complex social situation through the lens of Japanese culture.

All of this combined has served to remind me just how much i LOVE my family, my friends, and my home. I truly miss each and every one of you, and I do regret that I am not there with you on Christmas day. I hope that everyone on my Dad's side enjoyed the usual Christmas Eve together, and I really wish I could have been there for the always entertaining white elephant. On my Mother's side, I hope everyone enjoys the amazing food that mother always makes, and I really regret that I won't be getting a present from uncle Bob this year (as it is one that always keeps me on-my-toes, and it's one I look forward to every year).

Lastly, to all my family and friends back home: I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May the food be good and the company better! Relax, have a good time, be safe, and most importantly, enjoy each others love and companionship.

With love always,
Jordan

Chicken McUpdates

I like to think of this blog as consisting of little bite sized morsels of updates (followed by a slew of pictures). Basically, I've been so busy that I'm too tired to write a proper blog entry. Enjoy?

-I moved into a new house. It happened in a matter of days.

-I've already had two guests over. It's great to not be ashamed of where I live.

-My toilet flushes.

-I did a cooking class for the community. About 30 people showed up. We made REAL hamburgers as well as biscuits and gravy.

-I went to Ise Jingu shrine (probably the most important shrine in all of Japan).

-I went to Nabari and participated in a pub quiz. My team got a glorious 9th place out of 10.

-I did karaoke late into the night with good company in Owase.

-I went to an awesome celebration of life dinner with even better company. This after a rather traumatic incident at a beach. (Everyone is OK!)

-I went to my favorite school's culture day. It was great fun.

-I played table tennis, FINALLY! Even though I was (humbly) quite better than the 8th graders I played, it was still fantastic to play again.

-I went fishing with one of my school's principals.

Okay, picture time:

Gone Fishin'

My new house

View out the front of my new house

Train rides are gorgeous where I live

CoCo Curry House - I love it <3

Hamburgers and biscuits & gravy - as made by JJ

Me and my special needs student play Jenga once a week. Last week we played "Twisted Jenga". The boy is awesome!

One of the dinners so kindly made for me by my new neighbor

Good times at the 'celebration of life' dinner

Okonomiyaki is most definitely my favorite Japanese food

A stylized map of the area I live in

Left: Amount of rainfall in the least rainy region of Japan
Middle: Average rainfall in all of Japan
Right: This is where I live. lol

Another delicious dinner courtesy of my awesome neighbor

Ise Jingu shrine at dusk

That's all folks!

Jordan

It's all About the Allies

A good four or five months ago I piled into a conference room at the Kabuki Hotel in SF with all the other JETs who would soon be departing for Japan from Northern California and Nevada. The reason: the pre-departure orientation.

Throughout the day, there were several speeches and workshops to attend. But today, I am reminded of the opening speech that was given by a former JET/author whose name I cannot remember. During his speech, he mostly talked about his theory that our experience in Japan will largely be shaped by the "allies" that we make during our time on the JET program. At the time, I thought this was a little corny, thought nothing of it, and was quick to shrug it off.

Today, there is no possible way that these words could be more relevant.

I can comfortably say that I've made several allies already, and some of them are so unbelievably nice it's not even funny. Their willingness to go so out of their way to help me with problems that really don't concern them has been a life saver to me. A lot of the times they help me with the simple little things that I as a foreigner am not aware of or cannot manage on my own.

Other times, they are willing to get involved in potentially explosive/time-consuming situations just for the sake of helping me. I am of course speaking about my housing situation. Although it took some time for me to figure out who to tell, after being here for three months I chose to share my woes with a couple different people.

Needless to say, I only told them about it a few weeks ago. They gave me the assurance that they would back me up if it turned into a potentially sticky situation with my Board of Education. With their assurance, and with a small speech prepared, I was able to build up the courage to bring it up with my supervisor. I did this by deploying a decoy maneuver to get him out of the office (so as to avoid the rest of the BOE staff and any potential awkwardness that complaining in front of a dozen or so people could create). I quickly gave my speech, listed the problems I have with the house, and made a special point to emphasize that I am willing to pay for all moving associated costs. My supervisor took all this so well that it was almost shocking.

I gave that speech to him yesterday. Today, I went to look at an apartment. Earlier tonight, some of my "allies" went to the BOE to talk with my supervisor about the entire situation. Shortly thereafter, my supervisor came to my house with said "allies" and we really began to set things in motion. I was asked how soon I want to move (the place is available NOW!), what furniture I want to bring, if I want to buy a western bed for the new place, and we even discussed how much of the rent the BOE is willing to cover. Believe it or not, but there was even talk of my current house being demolished once I move out. haha.

I can only but wonder how much of this is the work of these "allies" that I've made, but I'd be willing to bet that they've played a huge role in convincing my supervisor and BOE that it's the right thing to do. I'm still pleasantly surprised at how fast things appear to be moving.... I wasn't expecting to look at a new place until some time next YEAR. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that it would be the next DAY.

Of course, all this said, I have not moved yet. Things could fall through for any number of reasons and I'm trying not to get my hopes up. After seeing the apartment today though, it's hard not to. The idea of staying inside to shower (and not having to risk being seen naked by my teachers or kids at my big Elementary School), the idea of having a place outside to hang my laundry, the idea of having a kitchen with a regular floor (and not just loose planks loosely covered with linoleum), the idea of having a toilet that isn't just a glorified outhouse.... Even if I don't get this place. I WILL move.

And I'm pretty sure it's all thanks to the allies I've made here in Japan.

September: In Easy to Digest Capsule Form

Oh my!

It's been a while since I took the time to write a blog. I apologize for that. But, I've been insanely busy... For this blog I don't really have the patience or attention span to write a coherent blog which flows from one sentence to the next and from one paragraph to another. Instead, I'm just going to go through and bullet point the things I've been up to. I'll try and keep them in order as best I can, and please forgive what will likely be numerous spelling/grammar errors.

• My main Junior High School had their sports day. I participated in some of the events. My favorite was the giant tug of war game. The rope was seriously the length of the track. I also participated in the students vs. teachers relay race. The highlight of this race was me falling while running at top speed. It helps that I felt it coming and tried to turn it into a sort of cool "bond" roll. It also helps that I fell on a slippery spot that other people fell on too. I was sore and had some pretty hard core bruises for the next couple days.
• After the sports festival I went to a small get together with one of my elementary school principals. Him and his gang consists of himself, a buddhist monk (who lives in a gorgeous temple - which I was given a private closed-door tour of later that night), a retired restaurant owner, and an architect. They are quite a fun group. One of them knows my supervisor very well and will likely become instrumental in my quest to move.
• Two days later, I got together again with the gang. We went for dinner and drinks at a little tiny restaurant right on the water. It was absolutely gorgeous. I ate sea urchin (which was actually quite good) and once again I drank significantly more than I intended to.
• We recently had another typhoon. This one was much faster than the last though, so it passed by without too much trouble. Still though, I was somewhat frightened by it, considering the winds were being recorded at around 90mph in some places. And the typhoon quite literally passed right by my town. The rain wasn't bad, but there were moments when I wondered if the roof on my house was going to fly away. But nothing happened, and I am fine.
• At my favorite elementary school, I really enjoy the time I spend walking to the bus stop when I'm going home. There is a little second grade girl who waits for me and walks with me everyday. We can barely speak to each other, but we have fun anyways. I taught her how to hold a football last time, and had her pass it to me a couple times. She is so adorable my heart just about melts. She always waits with me at the bus stop (rain or shine) and waves as my bus takes off.
• At another of my elementary schools I've learned how to do a traditional Japanese dance which involves the typical looking rice hats. I don't know the name of the hat or the dance, but it is fun, and the kids get a kick out of watching me do it.
• At another elementary school, I have a class of 5th graders with only two students. And the 6th grade class here has 10 students. The kids are great, but I get the feeling that the teacher I teach with in these two classes doesn't particularly like me. Regardless, I've taken up the task of doing everything I can to get on his good side. He's pretty much the only teacher I can think of where I get such a vibe.
• Totally random: I love the vending machines in Japan. There are vending machines everywhere. Heck, as I'm taking the bus, and as we are going through the little areas of nothingness, there are STILL vending machines. And the things you can find in them are incredible. You can get hot drinks, cold drinks, alcohol, and even cigarettes.
• I need a haircut. This is something I've been putting off because I am really dreading the experience. I'm pretty sure the odds of me getting what I want are pretty slim, so for the moment my hair is continuing to grow. On a related note, I've been wearing hats here a lot. It's not something I really felt was "me" back home, but it just seems natural here.
• I am on a mission to infiltrate the different groups of students at my school. I figure if I can sneak my way into their after school club, or talk with them in supermarket, or stop to chat with a group I run into on the street, then I figure I have better chances at teaching them English. Besides, I'm finding that the after school or outside of school time that I spend with them is much more fun because I can actually get to know them and their interests. Pretty much every time I'm out and about I run into a least 1 student or a group of students wherever I go.
• The last two weeks have been sumo time. I'm loving the Hi-Def live coverage with English commentary. Back home the best that is available is a crappy 5 minute delayed feed with horrible video quality and no commentary.
• School lunch is something I find myself looking forward to each day. I've yet to encounter a lunch that I didn't like. I find this relieving considering some of the horror stories I've heard about people having no clue as to what they were being served. Each lunch typically consists of a bowl of rice (or sometimes bread in its place), a meat dish (usually chicken or fish), a salad of some type, and a soup of some type (almost always miso soup).
• There are days when I am constantly moving, running about, and teaching classes. While these days are tiring, they are pretty rewarding at the end of the day. They make me feel content and satisfied. There are of course other days where I have nothing, and I literally mean nothing, to do. Finding stuff to do to fill these times can be quite a challenge. To fill these times I generally do one of the following: plan a future lesson, practice taiko with my pointer fingers on my desk (quietly, mind you), attend another class to observe, or if the chance arises, I talk with other teachers if they are looking just as busy at trying to be busy.
• Sweat and humidity. This is a serious problem for me. Although after this last typhoon it has cooled considerably (and it looks like fall might finally be settling in), there are days where I am drenched in my own sweat. Luckily I wear undershirts everyday now, and I carry around a sweat towel to wipe my face. Still though, the humidity has taken quite its toll on me, and it has taken a while to adjust to it. After the first typhoon, my feet stuck to the floors in my house because it was so damp. This triggered me to buy a dehumidifier. Quite simply, it is the best thing I've bought since I've been here. Just last night, I left it on for about 10 hours, and it collected about a liter of water from the air. Amazing.
• Yesterday I had another sports festival at my small Junior high school. (I'm quickly falling in love with this school, the teachers, and the students. Everyone is so nice and the students are really well behaved.) I participated in a lot of events here. I did one game which was a race where the competitors had to pick a card from a hat and then find someone fitting the description on the card. The mayor, who also participated in this event, picked the "run around the track holding hands with the youngest teacher" card. So, yes, I ran around the track while holding the mayors hand. We both got a good laugh. When my turn to draw a card came, some of the students protested when I went to grab a card from the hat. Instead, they did some digging (ie cheating) to find the best card for me (those sneaky little devils). Of course, they chose the "skip around the track with a girl you think is pretty" card. Of course, as I cannot read Japanese and had no clue what the card said in the heat of the race, everyone was looking at me anxiously to see who I would pick. Finally, seeing my confusion, one of the 9th grade girls came out and skipped with me around the track. What a relief. They also asked me to do a folk dance with the students. It was fun, if not odd (as I was the only teacher to take part in it).
• In terms of what I teach, for 5th and 6th grade I have to use a book called Eigo Noto. Many ALTs have complained about this book, and I can see where they are coming from, but I think its not too bad. The book is basically a nice framework to work within, but if I followed it word for word, than I'm sure I would complain too. At the 7th, 8th, and 9th grade level I do two types of classes. There are the classes where the English teachers want me present in lessons of their design (generally repeat after me, etc), and their are lessons where I get to design the topic and lead the class. These classes are pretty fun to teach.

I guess thats all for now. I'm thinking that for my next blog, Im simply going to do a blog with pictures and short captions... I've been pretty bad about adding pictures. But rest assured, I've got a ton of them.

Okay, laters.

The Life I Lead

Now that my first week is wrapping up, my schedule is starting to take shape... and I am very busy.

But it's a good busy. I feel very content. I teach at 7 schools and I go to every school once each week. Here is my weekly schedule:

Monday: All day at my biggest elementary which has 223 students. I teach 5 classes here every Monday. I always teach the 5th grade class and the two 6th grade classes. The last two classes rotate the 1-4 graders to once a month. (8am-5pm)

Tuesday: In the morning I go to an Elementary school with about 60 students. I only teach the 5th and 6th graders here. After eating lunch, I hop on a bus and head to another Elementary school. This school is my favorite and I only teach 5th and 6th grade. Both classes only have 11 students. (9am-4:30pm)

Wednesday: I go to my small Junior High school which has 67 students. I teach 7-9 graders. The English teacher at this school is a really fun guy and his English is excellent. (8am-4pm) After school I hang out and play with the Soft Tennis club from 4-6ish.

Thursday: I go to my main Junior High school which has about 200 students. I teach with a bunch of different English teachers at this school, but the main one is very nice and her English is also excellent. She is also a very interesting person. (8am-4:30pm) After school on Thursdays, I practice Taiko with some of my students (who either come from my main elementary or main junior high) from 5:30-7; then every other week I teach a community/adult English class from 7:30-9.

Friday: In the morning I go to a small Elementary with 44 students. I teach only one class here (the combined 5th/6th grade class which has nine 5th graders and four 6th graders). After lunch I hop on a bus and head to my smallest Elementary with only 39 kids. I teach 2 classes here: 5th grade (which only has 2 students) and 6th grade (which has 10 students).

Saturday: Taiko practice with the kids from 6pm-9pm
Sunday: Taiko practice with the kids from 6pm-9pm

As much as I am enjoying teaching so far, I also really enjoy the out of class time with the kids. Taiko is something I especially look forward to. I also really enjoy some of the smaller classes I have as it allows me to get to know the students much better.

Finally, I'm really thankful that I didn't get put in a high school. I was really unhappy at first about being placed in Elementary schools, but they have turned out to be what I look forward to the most. The kids are so cute and fun that it almost makes me sick haha.

okay, gotta run!

see you! bye bye! (the typical closing of a class at elementary school)