child devil of tuna

It has been brought to my attention that there was an earthquake in Japan early this morning. That's news to me. So that probably answers all of your questions. Yes, I'm OK. No, I didn't feel the earthquake. But it does make me feel loved to hear from you people who are obviously concerned. =)

As for a little Japanese geography (because some of you also mentioned that you had no idea where I was relative to Hokkaido, where the earthquake was). Japan is made up of four main islands. Hokkaido to the north. Honshu (the largest most populated one) in the middle. Two smaller islands, Kyushu and Shikoku, to the south. And south of Kyushu and Shikoku lie the Okinawa islands which stretch all the way to Taiwan and stay sunny and warm practically all year round (Okinawa is the Hawaii of Japan). Mie-ken--where I live--is about 2/3 down Honshu. Tokyo is in the top 1/3ish of Honshu. In other words, Mie is very very far from Hokkaido and I don't know exactly how far away it is, but it's kind of like worrying about L.A. because I just heard that Seattle had a big earthquake.


If the link that I put in above doesn't work, cut and paste this: http://www.jinjapan.org/kidsweb/japan/map/j_regi.html

Kuwana is near Nagoya in the Kinki region, for your information. Yes, I live in the KINKI region. hahaha

posted by Grace @ 9/26/2003 01:27:00 AM 0 comments

When I was told that in Japan, autumn comes suddenly and out of nowhere, I didn't really believe it. They said that around the autumnal equinox, the weather will suddenly turn cold, the wind will start to blow, and the rain will just stop coming down. Well, that is exactly what happened between last night and this morning. Last week was really hot and humid. The sun was out, the insects were buzzing around, and I still slept with all of my windows open, the fan blowing directly on my head, and all I needed to use as a cover was a bedsheet. And it was still pretty hot.

On Friday, clouds rolled in and it started to rain. It didn't stop all weekend. We were due for another hot, humid, rainy typhoon and it was supposed to make landfall in Mie early today. It was raining last night when I went to sleep.

However, when I woke up this morning, the sky was absolutely clear and strikingly blue. You know that kind of sky you get during the windter months in California. It was also frigid this morning. I actually had to get up out of bed at 4 a.m. to pull my warmest comforter out of my closet. When biking to school this morning, it was so cold and windy that I actually had to wear sweat pants. And I didn't even break much of a sweat biking up the hill that my school sits on top of. And now I'm sitting inside of the teacher's room with a cardigan on and I'm still not really warm.

The autumnal equinox is officially tomorrow. I'd say that autumn came a day too early this year. This country never fails to amaze me.

On another note, I got my hair cut yesterday. After much searching, I found a place that cuts hair for less than wallet-busting sum of $50. I see now why haircuts in Japan cost so much. They are never just cuts. They shampooed and conditioned my hair both before and after my cut. While waiting, I got a scalp and shoulder massage. My hairdresser went over various hair styles with me before the big cut and she even blowdried/styled it and everything afterwards. And the end result: the best haircut I have ever gotten. I am so happy with my haircut that it's unbelieveable. And the cost of the best haircut? About $40. Come to think of it, I think that's how much I paid to get my hair done for prom and this cut will last me a month and a half at the very least. A small price to pay to have my hair look nice. I don't think I'll be able to go back to Supercuts again.

posted by Grace @ 9/21/2003 09:30:00 PM 0 comments

Adventures in Bug-filled Japan: Part II

Last night, I went over to a friend's apartment to have dinner. When I met her at the station, she informed me that her house had come under attack by a large, palm-sized spider. However, by the time we reached her place, the spider had whisked off somewhere and we could not find it anywhere in her apartment.

After much fruitless searching, we decided to just go ahead and make dinner. While we were finishing up, she let out the most terrifying scream ever and she jumped on top of the table (I am not kidding. On TOP of the table with her shoes on). I freaked out and thought the spider was in my hair or something. But when she finally got her act together enough to point in the right direction, I found that the spider was crawling on the living room floor, some 15 feet away. I know I'm squemish about bugs, but that's ridiculous. It was obvious that it wasn't going to suddenly leap from its spot on the floor into our salmon dinner. Judging from its then-current trajectory, I was able to figure out where it was heading and I prepared myself for battle with the HAIRY 8-LEGGED BASTARD.

Of course, by no means was I excited about catching/killing this spider. I hate creepy crawly things with a firey passion and the size and numbers of the bugs in Japan is what's really keeping me from unconditionally loving this place. To me, the bugs are Japan's biggest vice. I donned my spider-killing paraphernalia: a long-handled broom, a dustpan, shoes, and bug spray potent enough to kill a moose. If I had an astronaut suit, I would have used that, too.

I sprayed that sucka until my own head got a little light-headed from inhaling fumes. And let me tell you... That spider REFUSED to die. It kept crawling around on the walls and all over my friend's furniture until finally, like 10 minutes after I had started spraying it, it crumpled up into a twitching ball of fuzzy legs under her living room table. I tied a mop handle to her dustpan (so that the dustpan handle would be as long as the broom handle and I could be as far as humanly possible from the presumedly dead body) and carefully swept up the carcass and flushed it down the toilet. I think we flushed twice... just in case.]

The spider looked kind of like the last picture on this page. There are also a lot of these kinds of spiders everywhere in Japan. I found one sitting on my bike the other day. And I was already late for school, too....

posted by Grace @ 9/17/2003 09:26:00 PM 0 comments

British-isms: Part II

pissed (adj) - drunk. (Example: I was so pissed last night. Translation: I was so drunk last night.)
tank top (noun) - vest.
vest (noun) - tank top.
ming (noun) - crap, shit, dirt. All around disgusting things. More commonly used in adjective form...
minging (adj) - really gross, disgusting. (Example: What a minging shirt he's got on. Translation: What a hideous shirt he's got on.)
trollop (noun) - a complete and utter moron. Refers to females.
pillock (noun) - a complete and utter moron. Refers to males.
pull (verb) - to kiss. (Example: Johnny pulled Mary. Translation: Johnny kissed Mary.)
snog (verb) - to kiss. (Can be a noun as well, altough the verb usage appears to be more common.)
bonnie (adj) - pretty, attractive. (Example from Pirates of the Carribbean. Johnny Depp says to Orlando Bloom: And then you can go save your bonnie lass. Translation: And then we can go rescue your pretty girl(friend).)

I swear there are more, I just can't think of them right now. Here are some words that I use that British people find funny or something:

boondocks
po-dunk
out in the boonies
ghetto
that is way cool/awesome/etc.
totally (ie: This is so totally cool or something like that.)
that's so messed up
nifty
call my cell (they say "ring me" or "call my mobile")
restroom (they say "loo" or "toilet." Or in some cases, "I need to take a wee." weirdos)
what a loser
it's all good
like, like, umm, like y'know...

Again, there are others, but I forgot them. Maybe I'll remember them later.... whatever. I'm outie...

posted by Grace @ 9/16/2003 11:13:00 PM 0 comments

Eric: English does have a subjunctive. It's not an actual tense into which you can conjugate a verb; it's more of a situational thing. I think there are only two situations where a verb would be considered to be in subjuctive form. I don't remember one of them, but the other is when one would say something like "If I were an elephant, I would never forget anything." The "were" is in subjuctive tense. That's all I remember.

Don: Your explanation would only work with students from the U.S. There are no proms in Japan.

Another week finally draws to a close. I only teach maybe 3 classes a day but that coupled with the biking in the intense heat of Japan is enough to make me tired. I had planned on spending this entire weekend cleaning and decorating my bare-walled apartment and catching up on much needed sleep, I am being dragged to Toba (in Southeastern Mie) for a JET-hosted beach party on Saturday, Ueno on Sunday (for ANOTHER festival. I was just in Ueno three weekends ago and there was a festival then, too!), and Osaka again on Monday. I think I'll have to skip out the last day or two. I'm up for a BBQ on the beach, but the thought of spending hours on the train to spend only one day in either Ueno or Osaka seems like a waste of time. I want to give both cities a fair chance and more than 5 hours each.

I realize now just how much of a homebody I am. I like going out and I like traveling and I like teaching a lot. I like being around people; I consider myself to be pretty social and gregarious most of the time. However, I also enjoy "me" time. I need at least one entire day in the week to myself where I sit on my ass and do nothing in particular. And especially because I haven't really fully settled down in my apartment, I want some time to make my apartment into my own personal space rather than just some place I sleep at night. It worked out OK for the first month or so, because I still felt like I was on vacation here, but now that I've started working, I'm finally starting to feel as though I LIVE here.

But yeah, enough complaining. I really don't have any major complaints. During one of my classes today, one of my students asked me "Do you like Japan?" And I can honestly say, "yes, I do. I like it very much."

Have a nice weekend, everyone, and take care!

posted by Grace @ 9/11/2003 11:32:00 PM 0 comments

Eric: No, I do not get to speak all that much Japanese. I am forbidden by my schools to speak any Japanese to the students or the teachers. I have to pretend that I am the typical ignorant American who has absolutely zero communication skills unless you try to speak to me in English, in which case I am to become an uber-teacher with the uncanny ability to understand very broken, badly accented Japanese and to know every grammar rule under the sun. So, what was present progressive tense again? I can't remember.

Yesterday, I went to my very first elementary school to teach some lessons. I was a little apprehensive at first, because I hear that the children are crazy and will try to climb all over you. So yes, that was the case, but at the same time, it was a lot of fun. The younger students are very outgoing and for lack of a better word, very genki. I was starting to get tired of really quiet and shy junior high school students so it was refreshing to teach a class where if I asked a question, 10 students would jump up and down with their hands raised, eager to give me an answer. And when I suggested a game to them, they were actually excited to play. I wonder what happens between the ages of 9 and 12 that makes junior high school kids so unwilling to participate in school? I guess it happens to American kids, too. It's quite a shame, because from what I've seen so far, the students' English skills are pretty good. They just need a little more confidence. Hopefully, they'll stop being so scared of me and I need to get the other teachers to stop reverting back to Japanese in the classroom. That's the problem with a lot of the teachers is that they don't speak English in the English class... How are the students expected to learn how to speak in English when their teachers aren't giving them a good example to follow?

posted by Grace @ 9/10/2003 06:37:00 PM 0 comments

In regards to the last set of comments:

Eva: I have the coolest engrish shirt. It says 'cherry brossams. makes me feel good/nice (something like that). I want to sleep with you.' I will be the height of fashion when I get back to the States.

Don: Here is a bad joke that my mom told me about English lessons taught in Korea (also applies to Japanese schools). A fobby Korean guy got into a horrible car accident and was pinned beneath his car and was on the verge of death. When the ambulance arrived, the EMT asked, 'how are you?' The Korean guy answered 'I am fine, thank you. And you?'

Eric: Riding my bike is fine. Until it rains. Ever tried riding your bike for 4 km in a thunderstorm?

I thought that I could use this past weekend to catch up on sleep and recover from the last four weeks of a new JET's crazy lifestyle. No such luck. I think I've slept about 20 hours in the last four days or so. Hey, kind of reminds me of college... except with Scottish people instead of Californians, and Japan instead of Berkeley, and work instead of classes, and lesson plans instead of midterms...

All JETs--well, maybe not all. Maybe more like 99.8% of JETs--like to drink way too much. I think this is partially due to the fact that most of the new JETs in Mie are from England and Scotland and that the JETs from California have all graduated from college recently. I've finally figured out the pattern: "Let's go get dinner" actually means "Let's go somewhere and get drunk after we eat." "Let's hang out at my apartment" actually means "Let's stay here and get drunk." And of course, "Let's go karaoking" means "Let's drink while we make idiots of ourselves."

Friday: A 2nd year JET who lives in my town threw his very first house party. This is a good example of situation #2. I got the chance to meet a lot of re-contracting JETs in my area. As I said before, they do a really good job of selecting JETs. I have yet to meet a JET that I dislike greatly. Nearly everyone I've met are really awesome, very friendly, and all around good people. I also discovered a way cool Japanese drink called a Chu-Hi. It's stronger than beer and tastes like wine coolers. Good for people like me. I hate beer and will only resort to it if there is no alternative. Or unless someone buys me one. Free stuff is good. Ruth and Lewis (who live in Yokkaichi) spent the night at my apartment since the last train stops running at midnight. So early.... sheesh.

Saturday: Ruth and I meet up with three girls from Nabari (Ruth and I spent last weekend in Nabari and Osaka) and one from Asahi (like the beer. But Asahi beer is not made here. This is a small po-dunk town near Kuwana) and we head out for a night on the town in Yokkaichi. Lewis decided that he needs to express his more manly side and he heads off to Ise to go watch a soccer match with some of the other boys from Mie. In a small bar in Yokkaichi, we met some crazy 53-year-old woman who kept taking us to random places. She insisted that we call her "mom." I can't express to you just how messed up Saturday night - Sunday morning was. "Mom" kept buying us drinks and tried to set us up with Japanese men she knew. She kept us all up until 5 in the morning when we decided to put her in a cab and call it a night. If you want to know the details, call me or email me and I will let you know. Let's just say that this was by far the craziest night I've ever had. Crash at Ruth's place as the sun comes up...

Sunday Afternoon: We found a THAI restaurant!!!! Thai curry for lunch and Hagen Daaz sundae for dinner.

Sunday night: Natalie, a 3rd year JET who lives upstairs from me, invited the Friday Kuwana bunch over for movies and snacks. We were all good teachers and we didn't partake in any questionable activities. I mean, we all had to go teach today!

And what am I going to do today after school? Go have coffee with Ruth and Lewis. No really. JUST COFFEE. Well, maybe tea for me because I don't drink coffee. Then after that? SLeep for 12 hours. I think I need sleeeeeeep...

posted by Grace @ 9/07/2003 09:39:00 PM 0 comments

I found out that it's really not as hard as I thought it would be. I could very easily fill up an hour with info about me and my home country because I am forced to speak really S-L-O-W-L-Y and repeat myself multiple times. And I came up with a few fun activities and games about the geography of the U.S. and my hobbies and these pass time quite nicely. The students are really shy and don't readily volunteer, but they're good kids and they try hard. I have given my self-introduction 6 times already, and next week, I have to give it 9 more times. And since I'm teaching at 3 junior high schools total, I'm guessing that I'll have to give my self-introduction another 20 times or so. And that's not including my bi-weekly elementary school visits. I think I'm going to get very good at talking about myself.

I have to teach my first real lesson next week (not just a lesson about myself). And this is the passage in the text that I have to teach:

I am a bird. I am in the sky
You hear me every morning.
I am a human. I like you.
We are together.

I am a flower. I am in the field.
You see me every morning.
I am a human. I like you.
We are together.

I am a dolphin. I am in the ocean.
You call me every morning.
I am a human. I like you.
We are together, together in nature.

And I am Grace. I am embarrassed for whoever wrote this passage in the 7th graders' textbook.

What am I supposed to do with this?? I mean, the grammar is all correct. The words are used correctly, too. It just SOUNDS really strange. 'We are together.' hmmm.... Oh well. The lesson must go on...

I have to ride my bike to and from work. That translates to an 8-kilometer round trip. My next school is a 10-kilometer round trip away from my apartment. I will be so in shape when I get back to the U.S.! I am so glad that it's Friday. I think I need this weekend to sleep and recover from 40 km of biking. This weekend, I am only riding the trains...

posted by Grace @ 9/05/2003 12:08:00 AM 0 comments

This is my second day in Ryosei Junior High School, where I will be teaching for the next four weeks or so. I will teach my first lesson tomorrow and frankly, this all kind of scares me a bit. I was originally told that I would teach for only 15 - 20 minutes the first few days so that I get a feel for it. However, I was told yesterday (my FIRST day in this school) that I was to come up with a lesson plan and some interactive activities and a worksheet for my first lesson and I am to teach for the ENTIRE class period. So 15 minutes has become 50. Somehow, I am not thrilled at that prospect.

So at the moment, I am feeling an odd mix of lots and lots of emotions. On one hand, I really really like my teachers and they're super-nice so I am glad that I'm in a good environment. On the other hand, I'm anxious, nervous, and a little worried about teaching an entire lesson because I have never taught a class before. But then again, I'm resigned to my fate. I mean, what can I do to change it? Then that makes me want to do a kick-ass job and be all that I can be (without joining the U.S. Army).

Well, I have less than 18 hours before my first lesson. Soon it will be over and the stuff that's making my stomach turn will all be over in less than 24 hours. In the mean time, I am going to go and make some really nifty posters about life in the States, practice drawing a U.S. map, and watch dumb Japanese TV to help keep my mind off of things. With me luck, people!

posted by Grace @ 9/02/2003 12:31:00 AM 0 comments