The Adventures of Scary Sensei

In an effort to increase students at our school, we have started having a story-time hour, where Kevin and I will read one of our story books and "act it out" with props and stuff. We get a lot of current as well as prospective students who come in.

Now, as a side note. Japan is a rather homogeneous country. I believe the foreigner rate in Japan is 1%. Add to that the fact that about 70% of the foreigners are from other Asian countries (China and Korea mostly), we're talking .3% of the population are western foreigners. We look different.

So, back to story time. One kid is already whimpering a little and running away from me when he sees me before we even start. We are about to start, so we all move into the room... Another little boy walks in, looks at me, and yells 先生は怖いよ。分かんない。 (Teacher is scary. I don't understand.)

In the beginning, this was upsetting to me. Now I just find it funny. The moms are always really embarrassed. The comedy continued... the first little boy (who was running away from him) found a little tigger stuffed animal, set it on the ground, mounted it, and started humping it like a dog. Now, it's my turn to say: 分かんない I don't understand.

日本語 Japanese

I'd really like to be able to speak, read, and write Japanese. Naomi tells me that I try harder than any NET she's met. I try because it interests me. To me, Kanji (the Chinese characters used in Japanese) is this big puzzle that I want to solve. It's really interesting when you start to understand it. Like the character for book 本 is a derivative of the character for tree/paper 木. Or look 見 is a derivative of eye 目. I really enjoy 消 which shows up in the words for fire department, gastroenterology, and hand sanitizer. It means "to consume" (in the case of sanitizer, the kanji is something like consume poison). I really enjoy it. So, I see characters around me and I get interested, so I look them up. I REALLY miss my iPod already. There was so much I looked up on it. I just figured out how to work the dictionary on my phone, so I have a replacement, but my iPod was a much better set up. At any rate, I came across this character today: 当. Google says it means "this" and my phone says it means "advisable, expedient, right, well, reasonable." Not quite the same thing. I'm confused...

I am trying, though. Part of the Japanese culture is to really praise others, even for small accomplishments. So, people tell me a lot that my Japanese is really good. It's nice to hear and very encouraging, but maybe all I've said is "no bag, please" to the clerk at the convenience store or something equally simple. I'm at the point that I can do a lot of (simple) practical things like make reservations, order in a restaurant, buy tickets, etc. But, I can't tell you how I'm feeling, or about my day. It was only a few weeks ago that I learned the word for happy and sad. I don't know angry or thirsty or... I know tired (I hear that one A LOT). And I know full... onaka ipai. That one I remember, because I accidentally said onaka pai, which Naomi cracked up and said I just said stomach boobs. Ooops!!

My hair dresser, Haru-san, really wants to learn English. We have a date set up to ge together and talk for a bit. First half in English, second half in Japanese (or vice versa.) Conversations with her are fun, she's super cute and very sweet. But they are a little hard and tiring, because neither of us are at a place with the language where conversation is free and easy. Still, I'm looking forward to it. It should be fun. I'll just bring my phone dictionary and a lot of mental energy :D

Yatta!!

I FINALLY finished Reading Lolita in Tehran. Glad to be done with it. Onto A Spy in the House of Love by Anias Nin. Ralph's recommendation.

Still reading Reading Lolita in Tehran in Japan

So, it's been about five months, and I'm still reading Reading Lolita in Tehran. I normally read MUCH faster. This must be a new record for me. It's not my kind of book. I find it incredibly slow and uninteresting. However, I am determined to finish it. I am about ten pages from the end, so I'll get there!
Part of the problem is that I have been either too busy or too tired to do much reading anyway. When I go up to Tokyo or Yokohama by myself, I read on the train. That's about it. Still, I came across a line today that I really liked. Without even being able to identify this myself, I think this was a large fear about coming to Japan. This fear hasn't resolved. In fact, if anything, it may be coming true.

You get a strange feeling when you're about to leave a place... like you'll not only miss the people you love but you'll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you'll never be this way again.

omoshiroi (funny)

So, I can finally tell a joke in Japanese and I'm pretty excited about it:
マイケルジャクソンの好きな色は何ですか？青!!
maikeru jyakuson no suki na iro wa nan desu ka? ao!!

Don't worry... this joke is just as bad of humor as my English jokes (more to come on that later.)
So, 青 (ao) means blue in Japanese. So, the joke is, what is Michael Jackson's favorite color? AO! (pronounced slightly more like the Michael Jackson screech.) The joke doesn't work as well when you translate it but I really liked the joke.
I told the joke to my Japanese staff. They all laughed and said it was cute and funny and whatever. Yet, when I was talking to Kotoko, she was talking about seeing some Michael Jackson exhibit with her boyfriend At-chan. I told her she should tell the joke to At-chan, and she basically said he might laugh if I told the joke but not if she did. Basically, she's not willing to repeat my fantastic joke.

My other joke... the punchline of the joke is actually the same word in Spanish and in Japanese, so this will work better in Spanish...
Cuál es la comida preferida de un panda? Pan, duh!!
Ha, ha, ha... these are knee slappers

Still, I'm excited to get to a level of Japanese that I could potentially tell jokes. It was sort of fun having Laura's friend here visiting. As an outside observer, somebody who doesn't even live here, he came in and swore I speak Japanese. I don't, but the encouragement was still nice.

I saw my hairdresser again this weekend. Haru-san is the cutest thing ever. This was the first time seeing Haru-san without Naomi. (Naomi is one of the Japanese teachers I work with. She introduced me to Haru-san and does most of the interpreting when I see Haru-san.) So, this time it was just me and Haru-san. It was actually really fun to try to talk to her. I feel like I get a lot of opportunity to practice ordering food or whatever. I've gotten okay with that functional Japanese. But, nobody ever asks me conversational questions: how was your day? how are you? what do you think? how do you feel? what do you like? It was fun to try to practice that. And, I think Haru-san likes me, which helps. BUT, even more than that, I think she is as eager to practice/learn English as I am to practice/learn Japanese. So, we had this total practice conversation going back and forth between the languages. She was SUPER cute as I sat down, you could see herself prep herself mentally before asking, "would you like something to drink?" Totally adorable. We talked about Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga, Madonna and Belinda Carlisle. We practiced for karaoke, discussed Mt. Fuji, swapped drink recommendations. I went in to get a bang trim and was there for about 40-50 minutes. Luckily (for me), it was a really slow day in the salon so we could just sit and talk. Haru-san, Naomi, and I are going to karaoke in a few weeks, so I told Naomi I want to tell her my Michael Jackson joke and see if she gets it. (I practiced on Manager and my Japanese staff tonight.)

I do want to learn Japanese, though- speaking and writing. I have a white board in my "kitchen" where I practice writing some kanji. (Typing is actually way easier, because I just spell it out and the computer does the work. That doesn't mean I recognize it, though, so writing it is helpful.) At any rate, I was trying to write: this is my year in Japan. (the idea, being, you're here for a year... live it up.)
I wrote　私の今年日本にです。Well the kanji for year (年), Naomi told me I didn't write correctly and it looked too much like 牛, which means cow. Basically, I wrote: I am now a cow in Japan for a year. AWESOME!! The sad thing is, I feel like that sums things up pretty well. Both my speaking ability (I'm sure I inadvertently say things like that all the time in Japanese) and my actual life (like having assholes call me heavyweight or even western men saying things here weren't built for western women while pointing at me.) Well, that's life! C'est la vie! and しょうがない



All that's left to say is that I am now a cow in Japan for a year: 私は今牛日本にです

Recovery Day

So, there have been quite a few ups and downs and emotional roller-coasters since I arrived here in Japan. Still, some homesickness aside, this has been a really fun summer! I think this the last time I had a free weekend was once in June and once in May. It's been quite fun. However, it feels nice not having anything to do this weekend but relax.
Obon break starts on Wednesday for us. (Thank you Amity, we have to show up to work on Tuesday, even though much of Japan is already on vacation.) Obon is a week-long vacation similar to Dia de los Muertos. I'll be going to my coworker's mom's house in Chiba prefecture for a few days. I believe there are plans of relaxing, going to onsen (hot springs), hot stone massages, and steak dinners. She has mentioned we can borrow her mom's car and drive around for a bit. Apart from taxis (and even then not that many) I haven't been in a car for five months. We'll come back to Tokyo in time to go out dancing Friday night. Then, Kevin and I will get on a bullet train and head south to Hiroshima for a few days. We will miss the anniversary of the bombing by about a week, but it should still be really interesting.
Like I said, today is a recovery day. Laura's friend Robert is in Japan on work, so I met with him last night to try to show him a good time. We met up with my friend Maggie and Maggie's boyfriend (who is visiting from home) for some karaoke with all you can drink. We sang a line or two and pretty soon it was time to go home. I missed my last train and Robert told me he didn't have a hotel reservation for the night. I don't really know hotels in Tokyo, since I don't stay in them much. Robert asked me to ask around for a "good hotel." People all kind of just shrugged and didn't have any recommendations. The taxi driver drove us to a small side street with a bunch of hotels (the neon signs maybe should have been a giveaway. Then again, this is Japan- everything is neon.) I asked some guys on the street for a "good hotel" (ii hoteru wa doko desu ka? wakarimasuka?) We must have asked some not good characters... they sent us to Carribean Resort. It's nice. They said. It's a resort. They said...
It's a love hotel! It was my first experience with a love hotel. It was really funny. They had a welcome drink bar with soda and stuff. Next to that is a selection of bath salts that you can take up to your room. (How sad is this... I took bath salts from the hotel to use at home by myself.) The rooms had condoms in a nice packaging next to the bed... as well as play station and karaoke. The bathroom was huge! There was even a vending machine in the room. ahem... I'll leave the vending machine up to your imagination. You select your room from a big panel with pictures and buttons and stuff. Then, you go up to your room. You pay on the way out, so they lock the door so you can't leave without paying.
We did leave, though, to get a drink. We went to a bar in Shibuya where we ran into my friend Pace and his friends. We joined their crowd and hung out for a bit before going to an izakaya to finish off the night. We left the izakaya after sunrise. (And I was hoping to make it an early night- maybe even stay in and watch a movie.) At that point, I was able to catch a train home and left Robert to have a peaceful morning sleep by himself in the Love Hotel. Ahh... and so ends (or begins?) another day in Japan.

変態 （へんたい）

So, I'm teaching a class the other day, feeling totally exhausted and not wanting to actually teach. Kids love to sing this song "walking walking, walking walking, hop hop hop, hop hop hop, running running running, running running running, now let's stop!" Yeah, this is how I spend my days. Pretty exciting! At any rate, we're walking around and the kids all start holding hands and running in odd directions. So, I'm having flash backs to being at the roller skating rink when everyone holds hands and walks in a circle, but half the people face a different way, so nobody goes backwards. I'm not sure if I'm describing this well. BUT... I thought it would be fun. So, I start saying "Kotoe, hold Yuki's hand." "Masumane, hold Kokoro's hand." All of a sudden I hear my kids start saying "hentai, hentai!" In case you're not up on your Japanese, that means "pervert" Awesome! My children are calling me perverts. That's what every teacher hopes for.

The other side...

Transitions have always been difficult for me. I've never thought I do well with change, but in recent years I seem to have an open call for whatever change I can get. First I move from San Diego to San Francisco, change job fields, everything. A little over a year later, I do it again to move to Japan. New city, new country this time (although, SF might as well be its own country), new job field... everything. The thing is that I do not plan on renewing my contract, so change will happen for me again in eight and a half months. It's weird to think that the transition back to SF will most likely still be a difficult one. Still, I feel like I've reached "the other side" in terms of transitioning to Japan. Things aren't as hard as they were when I arrived. Sure, I still miss SF, my family, friends, my old job, etc. But, I'm finding a place for myself here in Japan. Things are starting to make sense. I have things to do on the weekends. I'm falling into a routine. Now, if I can just get some rest and time to relax! I've now been here three and a half months. I started feeling more settled around a month ago. It's a nice change. Still, I can't help but think back on my time to Paris. Right or wrong, I keep comparing the two experiences. Although, timewise, this would be about when my time in Paris was winding down and coming to a close. It's hard to imagine that it feels like I'm just starting my time here in Japan. Would my experience in Japan have been easier to adjust to if I knew it wasn't for as long- more of a need to make every moment count? Still, in France, the culture is so much more similar to American, that I didn't give as much thought to the differences. Here in Japan, the culture is more different at its root. However, unlike in France, Japan is in love with the rest of the world and imports so much. They have a desire to taste and experience the best of all worlds. That is something I can relate to. It's taken a while for me to really start noticing what things I miss about home (and not specifics like a cheeseburger from Nabil at Sam's late at night or a drink on Haight Street with Flo and from my favorite bartender.) Now that I've been here a little longer, I am starting to notice a few things that they just don't have or do here, and I'm starting to miss them:

-American breakfasts in general
-Brunch in particular
-All baked Italian dishes with ricotta- lasagna, baked ziti, ravioli
-Dirty martinis
-Cosmos
-El Zarape-style burritos


Being a little easier to find English-speaking doctors, dentists, and optometrists would be nice too... It's hard enough finding a doctor you like, and MY pool just got much smaller, since I don't speak Japanese.

Socialized healthcare

I had my first experience with socialized healthcare this weekend. In the Japanese system, patients pay 30% of the total cost. It sounds like a lot, but I think without the massive amounts of lawsuits, some things are cheaper. Although, some things are more expensive. The fee for the office visit was cheaper, but you also pay 30% of lab costs. I THINK the lab costs were similar, but I think many US insurance companies cover lab costs, whereas I now paid 30%. I went to a doctor who was listed on the US embassy's website as being good for US expats. The doctor's English was good, but... I did have to pull out my dictionary to translate botulism when taking the medical history. Botulism may not be super common, so I guess that gets a pass. Once she saw the kanji, she mentioned honey, etc., so she knew what I was talking about. I realized way after the fact that nobody took my weight or blood pressure or temperature. I got my blood drawn for an allergy test and the woman didn't wear gloves. I don't understand why ANYBODY would choose not to wear gloves this day in age. Marc (my old boss, and an MD, at the VA hospital in SD never wore gloves to do blood draws, so I guess I've seen this before.) Still... Of course, I also don't clean up blood and put on band aids for the students like some of my Japanese staff. Maybe it's cultural??? Even Naomi (one of the Japanese staff) suggested it might be a cultural difference.
Perhaps equally foreign, I got a letter from the local government in the mail today reminding me to get my annual pap smear. Thank you, Fujisawa

Just another (all) night in Tokyo

I don't remember ever having lived so much for the weekends before. I think my whole mood changes the minute the weekend comes, maybe that's because I get out of Shonandai.
Last night I went up to Tokyo for a beer meetup group. It was fun, but those meetups can always be just a little awkward, because it's a group of strangers making small talk. Still, it was a good mix of Japanese and gaijin. We started talking about jokes and one man, who has lived in Japan for nine years, told me my jokes were so bad, that here in Japan, they have a specific word for that kind of humor. I forget the Japanese word, but it translates to middle-aged man humor. The people were nice and the beer was good. We decided to go to a different neighborhood and go to what they called the ¥300 shot bar. When we got there, I realized I had already been there and really liked it. It was kind of nice feeling like places are starting to be recognizable.
At some point, it was time for Cinderella to leave. My train might not turn into a pumpkin, but it does stop running. Once again, I wish I didn't live in Shonandai, but Tokyo, so I don't have a curfew. Well, trains in Japan can be confusing. I use a program on my phone to find trains. It's all in Japanese, but I normally do ok. I was running to catch the last train. I knew I had the right line, but wasn't sure what platform. My train left at 11:39. I got a little dyslexic and saw one train on the screen that said it left at 23:49. I just saw the 9 and jumped on. I immediately knew my mistake at 11:39 when the other train across from me on the platform (completely packed) pulled away... And I'm stranded in Tokyo all night... To make it worse, my first Japanese class is today- pretty early in the morning.
So, I head to Manga Kissa. My lonely planet had recommended it if you're stuck for the night. I'm glad I had read that section. So, for ¥1300 (about $15) I get a private booth for six hours. There's a computer with tv, unlimited internet access, a recliner... They offer free drinks all night... Juices, coffees, teas, sodas... They even had free soft serve ice cream last night. Manga is Japanese comics. This place is like a huge library FULL of comic books. I spent the night sleeping in my recliner, other people sleep on the floor... If I hadn't been so tired, I think it would be fun to look through the comics, explore that side of Japanese culture. Or maybe use their massage chairs. I've had much better nights sleep before, but it wasn't awful... Now to go to class and lean Japanese.

Schizophrenia?!

I've heard that transitions are like cycles, they get better, then worse, then better again. And so goes the cycle. I've even had a transition or two in my life and have experienced those transition cycles. The cycles here are making me feel schizophrenic or like I have multiple personalities or something. Some weeks are really great, and I'm happy and enjoy the experience.
Then, there's this week. It's just been a hard week. I've been homesick. I miss my life in San Francisco. a lot. My job here is not as fun. My social calendar is not as full. Then today happened... Apparently the post office sent me something in the mail, but I didn't get it. It went to a mail slot near my door, not my actual MAILBOX that I've been checking. So, apparently, mail has not been delivered to my apartment. This has messed up my bank. I STILL don't have an ATM card. Meaning, to get money, I have to go in and see a teller Mon-Fri. We figured this all out today when we went down to the bank. They'll make me another one and I should get it in 7-10 days... Well, at least the process will start over again in 7-10 days. Nothing about banking here is easy. Then, my phone service has been shut off. Apparently, the phone company ALSO tried to send me something that didn't get delivered , because of the problem with the post office. That also was "handled" today so I should have it back tonight or tomorrow morning. Still, it's incredibly frustrating that the system is so different. I don't understand any of it. Even if I did, I can't fix the problem myself because I don't speak the language. I hate not feeling self-sufficient and needing everybody to do everything for me. Weeks like this make me wonder if I'll make it the whole year. 69 days down. 296 to go.
Last night I did get a little excited for a minute. I was writing about how I want to go home... want to go back to San Francisco. I realized how to say that in Japanese:
サンフランシスコへ行きたい
san furanshisuko e ikitai

I'm not even sure it is totally correct, but I was still pretty excited to figure it out. It made the night slightly more bearable, but then today happened. At least I didn't have many classes today and had enough money in my wallet to splurge on dinner and a bottle of wine. Let's hope I still have enough cash to get through the weekend (seeing as I can't get money again before Monday) sigh... San Francisco me manque trop.

Just some thoughts on a Monday evening

Today, I went to see Alice and Wonderland in 3D! I have been waiting to see this movie for the longest time. It came out in theaters in the US the day I got on a plane to come to Japan. Even then I wanted to see it. It premiered here in Japan last week. Felt very delayed. The movie was fun, I had really looked forward to seeing it. Felt like a bridve between SF and here. Went to a nice grocery store afterward and spent way too much money on food- imported cheese, imported Anchor Steam, imported olives, imported taco seasonings, salsa, and shells.

People have asked for cultural oddities. I find Japan difficult to describe, because in many ways it's like home: they have baseball teams, Starbucks is everywhere, they like having a variety of ethnic foods. My friend said she thought Tokyo was like some neighborhood in LA that doesn't speak English, which even that is somewhat common. Still, the culture is different. I'll do a better job looming for and remembering those differences. I do find it odd that they don't say anything (i.e. gezuteight sp?) when you sneeze. They turn off the escalators in the train station around ten, even though trains still run. Men here openly admit to liking boy bands and have dangly things and key chains on their pencil cases and phones. The girls here are VERY modest about showing any cleavage, maybe even shoulders too, but then wear the shortest skirts and shorts I've ever seen. Kevin can't get over the fact that they wear masks here when they're sick, but then still use chopsticks to dip into communal food. Floral one-piece jumpsuits, while not popular, are not unheard of either. I particularly enjoyed the man with THREE glittery bows in his hair like it was no big deal. I'll try to get pics, but the culture is so respectful, I don't want to be rude.

Bizarre beyond bizarre

Before I left for Japan, I wondered if I belonged anywhere or if I belonged to the world. Now, I often think that my heart is, and always will be, in San Francisco. I have found a home. Still, there is a part that belongs to the world as a whole, and it made it's way home tonight.
After work, I went out with Kevin. We met up with Ralph, this guy who works for Aeon (our parent company), actually upstairs in the same building. Ralph is this really cool guy. He's from Britain. We also met up with Sayaka. I had never met her before. She works in a hair salon in the same building. Apparently, she is a student at Aeon. Perhaps, Ralph's student? Perhaps, Ralph's girlfriend? We went out to an izakaya and had an absolutely delicious meal!
Afterward, Kevin and I went to a bar that he had wandered past last weekend. The bar turned out to be a Latin bar. (Oddly enough, it used the batman logo as its own logo.) Still, it was an interesting night. The bartender was Japanese (Okinawa) by birth and heritage. He grew up in Argentina and considers his mentality to be Argentinian. His first language was Spanish. I spent the night, at a bar in Japan, speaking Spanish and translating for Kevin. On the other side of Kevin was a man who spoke Japanese and English. So, we were speaking/translating with him too. Then, it turns out that both Kevin and this Japanese man can sign. They were comparing American sign language and Japanese sign language. The bartender opened a bottle of wine that was ABSOLUTELY delicious!! When we asked him about it later, it turns out his friend gave it to him as a gift. His friend is a famous sumo wrestler here in Japan. The wine was INCREDIBLE. The Japanese man who spoke English was saying he thought the wine was very expensive. Kevin and I both thought it was one of the better wines we'd ever tasted. We were then "gifted" with some pastise/ouzo/absinthe... we're not sure exactly what it was. I'm pretty sure it was absinthe. Still, my poor brain is trying to catch up from the day. Such an interesting evening though. Roberto, the bartender, and I spent a good while discussing politics, racism, and the idea of being open to people of the world as a whole.

Cycles

Adjustments go through cycles, I know that. Last weekend was fantastic! We went to Tokyo Disneyland on Sunday (our Saturday). It was (almost) everybody from work. It was great getting to see them all in a social setting. Tokyo Disneyland was a lot of fun. It's very similar to Disneyland in California, but just different enough to throw you off. The "lands" are all the same, except they've renamed "Frontierland" to "Westernland" which I thought was funny. We saw the Easter Parade, complete with Mary Poppins and weird egg costumes. Honey I Shrunk the Audience was in Japanese, but they had headphones in the back row with English translations. The rides, like Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, were a lot faster, which made them more fun. Space Mountain felt longer too. Sunday, I went to Yokohama and got my hair cut. It was great getting to go to a Japanese salon. I had a girls day with Naomi, one of the Japanese teachers. We had lunch, got our hair done, went to a cafe, and then went shopping. She's been going to this hair stylist for years now. Naomi had written down English translations for a few common phrases in a book for the hair stylists (not while I was there, but sometime before then.) It was super cute, because they would thumb through this book and then look up and timidly say "Let's go wash your hair" or whatever it was. One girl had a friend in Sacramento and had been to SF before. We had a very pidgin-ed conversation, half-Japanese/half-English, about her trip to SF. With her finger, she makes a big S-like curve and says the word flowers. Ahh... Lombard St... That's pretty much how the conversation went, but it was a fun day. It was nice feeling like I could have a weekend that felt kind of normal. As though, even though I was in a foreign country, life is normal and it goes on. You get your hair cut, go shopping, whatever.
This week was a little harder. I had a weird dream on Monday or Tuesday night that was pretty upsetting. I think the dream kind of put me in a funk. I'm also hearing less and less from people from home, which makes me feel lonely. So, if you're reading this, send e-mails or text messages. It's nice to know there are people out there thinking about you. I haven't talked to many people from home since I've been here. There are people around, so it's not like I'm alone, but I miss people from home, which makes me feel lonely. Last night and tonight are the first nights by myself since last Saturday, so it's really not like I'm alone, but do feel lonely. This week, I've been wondering if I'll actually make it the full year. Like I said, I know it's all cycles. I know it will get better again, and then worse again, and then better. This weekend, I'll be going up to Tokyo to go dancing. That should help A LOT! I miss dancing. I haven't gone out dancing since my last weekend in San Francisco. Well, dancing in the elevator to "Telephone" doesn't count.

P.S. I added a link to the Disneyland pictures on my facebook, but here it is again:

Minor Victories

It's amazing how perspectives change when you don't speak the language. I went to my local grocery store to get the fixings for some delicious spaghetti and meatballs. The variety of noodles is pretty vast, however, it's mostly ramen, udon, and soba. After sifting through all the asian noodles, I finally come across some good ole spaghetti and macaroni. I would really liked some baked ziti, but that will have to wait for another night. Mostly, I'll have to go out and get a casserole dish first so that I can actually use my toaster/microwave/oven (one appliance really does all three, which is kind of cool.) Next comes the sauce. Although I'm getting more comfortable in the grocery store, I'm not yet adjusted to my work schedule. It's 10:45, and I'm finally home from work and the grocery store, about to cook dinner, and still have to lesson plan. Home made sauce would be great, I just don't have the time. At least I could read "tomato and basil" in katakana... so, how bad can the sauce be. Next: meatballs! I'm recognizing the kanji for beef, so I was able to distinguish the various types of ground meats. I will say, I recognized the ground beef, but could not distinguish the mystery ground meat sitting next to it. I now have all the fixings (I bought some red wine the other day, check!. Garlic, check! Bread, check! Caesar salad, check!)
The real minor victory: applying for a points card. I was able to (sort of) tell the cashier that I don't have a card, but would like one. (Again, this is very pidgin-ed, child-like Japanese). Filling out the form was kind of like a guessing game. I understood a few things. Mimicked a few others. I wonder if she didn't get all the information she needed, but just gave up. I don't really know what my points get me. All I understood was one point for every 210 yen (about $2.10). Something else gets me two points... then, well, I don't know. So, I don't understand what my points get me, but hopefully something. At least I have a card. That's enough of a minor victory for the day. The weird thing, is that applying for a grocery points card in Japan, and actually getting it, makes me feel like I could do anything! Once I eat some spaghetti, that is

Perfect Moments

Today was a fantastic day. One of those days that reminds me why I chose to live in a foreign country for a year. One of my Japanese co-workers invited us to her grandmother's house today for lunch. It was one of those fantastic, long lunches that take forever. We arrived around 1, started with tea and sweets. Sat down to eat (on the floor) around 1:30 or 2. Finished eating around 4 or 5. Tried on kimono robes and took pictures until around 6, at which point there was coffee and dessert. Naomi's grandmother mentioned how amazing life can be at times. How, with the vast number of people on earth, what are the chances that this specific group of people would be brought together. It was so wonderful being invited into her home and feel like you could really be a part of their lives, at least for a day. I felt like I really got to experience a real Japanese moment, that you can't get on just a quick visit.

That said, it was also a really funny day. On the way to the train station to go to Yokohama, I passed the bar that Kevin and I had gone to for St. Patricks Day. We had been told the bottom level was a hostess club, but the top was ok. Well, today I saw a sign in katakana that spelled out ra-n-chi. All I could think was, does that sign just straight up say raunchy? I wondered if maybe I had been in a hostess club without even knowing. Apparently, it says lunch. It's just a bar that serves lunch. Damn l's/r's! "Lip my stocking!" (Lost in Translation quote). We really enjoyed saying things like, let's go get raunchy! If I don't get raunchy, I get really cranky. Maybe one of these days, we'll go back to that bar and get raunchy together.

Around Shonandai

Hello again!!

People have asked for pictures, so here's a short picture tour of my new home...


My lovely bed... Without the mattress the outgoing NET left for me, it would just be a futon...



My "kitchen." I think my kitchens get progressively smaller with each apartment. I don't know how much smaller I can go, though...



The bathroom. I hope you'll take note of the toilet slippers... Also, here in Japan, there is a faucet over the toilet so you can wash your hands with the water that fills up the toilet tank. Conservation!



Washing machine!!! To the right is the bath and shower (which are separate from each other and the toilet room.)



Entryway... not very exciting. Want to get a shoe rack.



Obama doll from Heather... to remind me of home!!!!!



My desk



The oh-so-exciting view from my balcony. I heard somebody say that Japan is so focused on progress and industrialization, that they have done little to beautify their urban areas. In many ways, this is true. It's often industrial, urban, and ugly. Yet, this is a culture that really values aesthetics. So, random things will be really pretty, like manhole covers have these beautiful, intricate designs on them. Yet, buildings are ugly... Go figure!



The construction site right next to my apartment that is waking me up every morning with the sounds of construction. Boo!! The construction workers are nice, though



Another beautiful view.. this time leaving my apartment building.



A look down the street.



The bar where we spent St. Patrick's Day. It's the only bar here in Fujisawa, that we know of, that is not a hostess club, which is something like a modern-day geisha or a whorehouse, depending on who you ask... But, I guess the bottom floor of this bar is a "snack bar" as the hostess clubs are referred to.




The view walking into work.

Reading Lolita in Tehran

On my lunch break today, I took my bento box and ventured out to Shonandai Park down the road. I hadn't gone that far yet, even though it's not that far, but realized there's a cultural center a few blocks from work, and a park beyond that. I sat down to eat my sushi, read my book (Reading Lolita in Tehran), and read a letter from my mom. (I do love snail mail- anything from home.) After lunch I put my book under my arm, grabbed my purse, my trash, and left. Halfway back to work, I realized my book, with the letter from home, was no longer under my arm. I went back and searched for it- in vain. I was so upset and it ruined my mood. I'd lost the letter and yet ANOTHER book. (I guess it's true- wherever you go, there you are... I'm still losing books.)

After my next class, my coworker tells me a woman stopped by to drop off my book. I guess she saw me drop it and somehow knew I worked for Amity (maybe she figured I'm a westerner and one of the only westerners here in Shonandai, I must work for the English school.) Either way, I couldn't believe she went out of her way to bring my book (and letter) to my school so I could get it back. It really did make my whole day. It's a part of why I'm appreciating Japan.

I've arrived (mentally)

Well, it finally feels like I've arrived in Japan. It was a bizarre moment too... I was in my apartment on a lunch break. I had taken a bento box back to my apartment for lunch and was sitting on the floor, eating, opening some packages from the ¥100 store (like our dollar store), and listening to the radio. This song in English came on and it occurred to me that I have no idea if this is a new song in America. Is it played in America? Is it new? I have no idea. All of a sudden, I felt very far home. Which allowed me to finally realize that I'm in Japan. It's weird how those odd moments hit you. It was hard going back to work (the work days here are very long, which is also very Japanese.) After work, I decided to treat myself and make a good meal. I figured I'd go get some drinks to stock my refrigerator too. There is a liquor store (more like a BevMo) down the street from my house. In the spirit of things, I wanted to get some plum wine. Problem is that I don't understand ANY of the bottles to know if it's plum wine, much less if it's good. I mustered all the Japanese I knew to ask the woman where the plum wine is and... "which one is yummy?" That was all I could do for "can you recommend one." She asked me a question (I presume about my taste in drinks, but I have no idea.) I decided to just answer yes and make things easier???? Either way, I did end up with plum wine, and it is delicious.
But, it only got worse from there- the grocery store!!! Very bizarre. That really drives the point home that I'm not at home. The items they carry are very different, even their fruits and vegetables. Fruits are also very expensive. Cheese- they kind of only have processed cheese. (By the by, if anyone comes to visit, I want a big block of cheddar!) However, I've never had to go grocery shopping with a translation dictionary before!! I have my iPhone out as I'm looking at the labels. I wanted to buy some beef, but wanted to make sure it was beef. I'd seen "raw horse" on a menu last week, and now I'm scared about eating horse (even if my co-NET, or Native English Teacher, says horseys=yummy). So, I look up in my dictionary "beef" and ask the customer next to me "is this beef?" I feel like a retard. But, she tells me no "blah blah blah blah blah". All I heard was no, and it's mystery meat... I'm scared... I put the meat back. I walk down the aisle til I find a kanji character that looks like beef (牛). I pick up the package and see a huge sticker that says "American Beef: Because we care" What? Where's all the great kobe beef I've heard so much about. Whatever... screw the environment, I've had a hard day: I'm buying imported, American beef. The whole day made me feel pretty isolated and overwhelmed.

Today was actually a better day. At least I felt better. Some of my students are really cute, and I already like them. Others are slightly more challenging. I was working with a younger student on "eyes, ears, mouth, nose" etc. So, I drew a simple face on the board (eyes, nose are both just dots) and said "this is me." My student goes, "no" and takes the pen and redraws my face. My eyes are these HUGE round circles. My nose is a pig nose. My mouth is like a sharp, pointy dagger... I said "this is me?" and he goes "yup!" wtf? really? I wish I could send you all a picture of what he drew- it was really frightful!!! Later, a prospective new student (about 3 yrs old) came in for a trial lesson with a JT (Japanese Teacher- they still teach English). Manager asked me and my co-NET to go say hi and talk to the new student in the lobby. The child is happily playing with legos with the JT until I walk up, sit down, and say hi. The child turns, looks at me, and his face just melts and he starts BALLING!!!! I've never made a child cry before just by looking at them. The more I think back on this, though, the more it just really makes me laugh. My outgoing NET and I had a REALLY good laugh about both of these events today when I told him after work. We were making each other laugh so hard that my sides still hurt. He's a really nice guy, and he's been really trying to make this transition as easy as possible for me.


We tried taking a staff picture after work. Hopefully they'll post the complete staff picture on their website soon. On my camera, we took a few pictures, but I couldn't get everyone in them. Manager had to take a phone call and Yuko took the picture. But, here's to give you an idea:



In the back is Kotoko, Mike (the outgoing NET), Kiriko and in the front is Naomi, me, and Kevin (my co-NET, who will be here this year with me)... and of course, the Japanese peace sign...



Kiriko was putting bunny ears on me. I could feel her hands and was trying to get away from the bunny ears, but it looks like I'm hiding my face

Moving Landmarks

I still don't feel like I'm in Japan. I'm not sure where my brain thinks it is. It's not quite San Francisco, although, the amount of Asian people hasn't REALLY changed too much between SF and here. These cities are pretty industrialized, so there's not a whole lot of the traditional Japanese architecture, I have yet to see a paper screen door, although I have seen women in full geisha dress. Still, I think part of it is there isn't one specific landmark I associate with Japan. In France, I knew I was there when I saw the Eiffel Tower. In China, I saw the Great Wall. England has Big Ben... What does Japan have? I haven't gone up to Tokyo yet, maybe the Tokyo Tower would do it???????

We left our training week in Okayama yesterday to come to our cities in which we will be living the remainder of the year. I'm now in Fujisawa City (my neighborhood is called Shonandai.) To get here we took the bullet train!!!!!! I was really excited to get on the train. It felt like that type of landmark for Japan. I've heard about these since I was a kid. We got to the station pretty early and waited on the platform for a while. We saw a few trains come and go, my excitement mounting with each one. Amity bought our tickets, that had pre-assigned seats. I even had a window seat, which I love!! I was excited to look out the window, see Japan go by, feel the speed of the train!! Our trainers warned us that it is a fast train, we will not have much time to get on the train once it pulls into the station, so we line up, say our goodbyes, and are ready to go. Here comes the train!!!

Apparently, the train goes SO fast, I get motion sickness if I try and stare out the window. I had to pull down the window shade so I wouldn't get sick. They have people go down the aisles with carts to buy food- much like on a plane. And, that's how it felt- like I was on a plane. I pulled out my laptop and watched a movie. I was more than a little happy to pull into shin-Yokohama station nearly three hours later.

Manager (apparently, you refer to people by their position here in Japan) met me at the station. Manager was VERY nice. She got me on the train to Shonandai. We talked about sake and mixed drinks a lot of the way. This is going to work out well. She got me set up in my apartment here in Shonandai. She even took me grocery shopping and bought a bunch of the stuff to help me get set up. She even had extra toilet paper, body wash, laundry detergent (yes, my shoebox has a washer). She took me out to dinner last night. The outgoing teacher and my co-teacher came along as well. It was a fun dinner. The other teachers and I will be going out to dinner tonight- possibly to one of the TWO Mexican restaurants in the area. How excited am I???

Starbucks under Okayama

Training is really intense here. Back in San Francisco, working at the Rose, I'd say an average work week was between 30-35 hours, including all breaks. It's also been a LONG time since I've been a student. We're in training for eight hours a day, not counting our one hour lunch and one, ten minute break. That is a long time to be a student. Needless to say, coffee is an essential part of my day. Well, coffee is a bit different in Japan. In the stores, I see a lot of instant coffee, which isn't exactly what I'm looking for. They do sell coffee in vending machines. You can either get a hot or cold can out of the vending machine. The hot coffee still comes in a can. It's milky and sugary, which isn't really how I take my coffee, but that's okay. More than anything, I'm really weirded out about drinking warm coffee from a can. (FYI... If you get the BOSS coffee out of the vending machines, it's Tommy Lee Jones on the ads). To my Western brain, there is nothing natural about that. I've been pouring it out into a mug (either the snoopy mug the training center has or this awesome cup from Mo's Burger here in Japan that talks about how you should eat a hamburger when you're happy, pictures to follow later.)

So, last night, on our way home, we decided to try an alternate route and went down these stairs to see if we could get around having to use crosswalks. These stairs went down to the subway system, and apparently, this whole other world underneath Okayama. There are all these tunnels leading off in every different direction and tons and tons of stores. We saw a bunch of Japanese brands, but there was also a Starbucks and the Body Shop, etc. It was crazy finding this whole other underground world we never knew about.

So, as I mentioned, training has been intense. I think the whole group came back yesterday feeling really discouraged after the amount of information and the amount of work that went into the day. I was determined to have a better day, and higher morale today, so on my lunchbreak, I went in search of the Starbucks- I want a BIG, TALL cup of BLACK COFFEE!!! Well, we got lost and couldn't find the Starbucks (yes, the underground area is that big.) On the way, however, we found a sushi boat restaurant. It was FABULOUS!! I've been dying to try these sushi boat restaurants. It wasn't even that expensive either. I don't know if it's just Okayama or what, but after hearing about how outrageous prices are in Japan, I'm pleasantly surprised. Either way, I had some tuna, some inari, some eel, some clam, some udon, some macha... It was pretty good. I love seeing the fresh sushi go by on boats to. The only embarassing thing is that me, being me, pulled a me-move. Going for the unagi, I got really excited, and kind of started flipping the plate over. The boats keep moving, but I try to fix it and kind of knock the sign over. It was all bad. The sushi chef had to run around from his post and rescue my little unagi. I'm mortified. sumimasen. sumimasen. (excuse me/I'm sorry). Whatever, he fixed it and made me a fresh plate of the unagi. It was a very thick and meaty piece, not quite what I was expecting. Still, the whole meal was fantastic. At the end, the woman comes by with a scanner and scans all our plates to come up with the price. How high tech and fancy is that? The group's new motto: I love you, Japan. All this while on a mission for Starbucks. We never did find it again. I settled for a coke instead, and will probably get the morning's coffee from a vending machine as well.

I've arrived

Well, after a long travel day and a VERY long day in the airport, I've arrive in Okayama, where we are staying for initial training. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much English is around and at how the katakana (Japanese alphabet) spells out things in English, as long as you can read the katakana. I'm surprised by how much french there is. There are pastry shops and bistros and French restaurants. Three of the six of us in our training group actually studied abroad in France too... Still, the language seems overwhelming and complicated. I'm trying to talk. Occasionally it even works! I'll feel like I'm on a roll... I order coffee, ask for the breakfast blend, understand they only have the afternoon blend, order that... then she gives me a coupon for something and I'm totally lost and kind of just walk away. Apparently counting is more complex than I initially thought. What you are counting changes how you count. Wow!! I guess I have a lot to learn!!!

Still, I'm not sure my brain realizes that I'm in Japan yet. I'm surrounded by five other American co-trainees with whom I've been spending my time. I've seen just enough signs in English, a surplus of McDonalds, Starbucks, Tully's, Pizza Hut, Ikea, etc. Okayama seems more industrial, so it's also not quite how I pictured Japan to look. I'm really eager to get to Tokyo/Yokohama, where I'll be living. It felt a little like Japan when I was looking for some Advil yesterday. ALL the medication is labeled in Japanese- labels, indications, directions, dosage, everything! I learned some valuable new words in the process. However, dinner last night really started to feel like Japan. We found this great little restaurant. You walk down a bamboo hallway to get to the entrance. You take off your shoes (of course.) The decor was all Japan too. We had gyoza, edamame, sashimi, some scallops, and our first hot sake in Japan. Ordering is always a bit of a process, but the food is good so far, the sake even better! There was a Japanese group next to us that was really fun. When a girl in their party arrived, they started singing happy birthday in English, so we sang along with them. They seemed so excited we were singing. Today is another free day before training starts tomorrow. Internet is not as prevalent as I expected, and I anticipate being busy during training. Still, I'll update soon