Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.

It's been a while since my last post. Many changes have happened at the school because the school year ends in March. I have also been away from Ishikawa on a few different trips for vacation, so this post that I started in early March will probably seem disconnected in parts of the entry now that I am finishing it in April.

Graduation

My mind is having trouble grasping the concept of time. I have only been here for four months. I have already been here for four months. Each day feels different because I may feel as if time has flown by so quickly, and then other days I feel as if I just arrived recently.

On graduation day, I felt a mixture of both. I have only been here for four months and the third year students are already graduating! The school year ends at the end of March, but for some reason they hold graduation at the beginning of the month.

There was a rehearsal ceremony on the 2nd, but the actual ceremony took place in the gym on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010. The walls were dressed with red and white curtains--colors they use in celebratory events. The students sat in the center and the parents and teachers were seated on the sides. There were so many mothers in attendance, but only one male for every five females there! Anyway, the whole ceremony was short and finished in one hour, but it was a very emotional ceremony nonetheless.

The students came in class by class and there were six third year classes. Instead of having the each student walk up to receive their diplomas, the students just stood up when their names were called, and then the class representative would go up and receive all the diplomas from the principal. The diplomas are distributed in the classroom after the ceremony.

I swear I wasn't going to tear up at all! Although I was happy for the students I taught, I didn't have a strong attachment to them. Actually, I didn't cry when they got up. It wasn't until another third year class, one that I didn't teach, got up that I started to get emotional. Each homeroom teacher has to announce the names of those students in their own class and one particular teacher promised her students that she would memorize all her students names in order. When she started to choke up and her voice started to crack, I cracked.

The whole ceremony is designed to evoke emotion from these usually stiff students and teachers. A few students gave speeches and also presented gifts to the school. I found the latter to be strange, since these students don't work, so I'm not sure how they can give a DVD player to the school. My favorite parts of the ceremony, and one of the more special differences between Japanese and American graduations, were the times that all the students sang together. We may have one person sing the national anthem at American graduations, but this singing was harmonized, beautiful, and emotional. I felt a sense of solidarity that I never really felt at U.S. high school graduations.

After the ceremony, the third year students went back to their homerooms to get their diplomas. I grabbed my camera and went to see the third years that I taught. I wanted a final picture with them and wanted to give them some parting words. To be honest, I wanted to see my favorite class last, because they are the more enthusiastic group and I felt like I had bonded more with them. However, the other class was taking longer and I was called in by the homeroom teacher. So, I ended up staring at the faces of my favorite students. They were smiling brightly and expressing how happy they were to see me. The tears slid down my face like waterfalls--just like in the animes. I couldn't stop! I tried to by laughing and saying, "I'm so happy for you!" I said goodbye to them and took some pictures. Unfortunately, I cannot post any pictures of students, but you'll have to just believe that they were super cute.

It was a short time, but I'm happy to have met them. T___T

Brass Band Concert

The biggest school club is the brass band. We have an excellent brass band at Meiho High School and the school is pretty damn proud of it. The last large concert of the year was the White Concert, and it was the first concert that I attended. It was meant to be in February, when the snow was still falling, but a lot of the students had influenza, the flu. A lot of the teachers attended, as well as current Meiho High School students, and a lot of hopeful/potential Meiho students from various middle schools in the area.

I don't know much about the pieces that the band played, but they put on an amazing performance. They started off with different sections and then the whole band came together on the stage at the end. There were classical pieces, music from Miyazaki Hayao's films, and even some singing! Actually, the whole band stopped playing their instruments for one song and busted out a cappella. It was a moving song, but at the same time it was a little too perfect like it was from a show from the 50s. They also had some of the members dance during parts of the show. It was incredible! I was happy to see some of the students I teach outside of school and doing something they love.

Final Classes with First Years

I had a chill lesson plan for the kids in the final class I had with each of the twelve classes. We went over vocabulary, key expressions, and then we did a couple activities including classroom Bingo. At the end of class I took a photo with each class. Many of them wondered why I was doing it and they thought I was leaving. I told them that I wouldn't be seeing them for a year in class because I only teach first years and third years.

Most of March I ate my lunch with one of the first year classes. It isn't common for teachers to eat with the students after middle school, but they seemed to enjoy it. I think a lot of them thought of it as an extra class, but I'm hoping to do it from the beginning with the new first years and hope that they just think of it as a good time to practice and learn. I wish I had more time to learn my students' names and get to know them better. In the last month I became closer with a lot of them and now I am rethinking how long I want to stay here. Maybe I want to stay until my first years graduate as third years?? We'll see.

Staff Changes

My supervisor left me!!! Actually she left the school because she's been here for ten years already. In Japan, they rotate teachers between schools every year. The teachers don't find out if they are staying or leaving until the last week of school and it's a secret until the closing ceremony when all the students find out. The closing ceremony was very emotional and my principal teased me later that night at the going-away party. He called me a "naki-mushi," which is the same as "crybaby." But the literal translation seems almost insulting to call a person "cry-bug/insect."

Four English teachers left. That's half of the English teachers. One of them will be back after she takes a one year leave for her Masters program. The party, enkai, after school included a lot of food and drink, as usual, and a lot of farewell speeches.

I created a last minute dvd with video clips and images from the bonenkai and farewell party for the teachers who had to leave. Those poor teachers had only a week to finish everything up, clean up, and say goodbye. Luckily, I got to see them before they left and before I left for my spring break.

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When I returned my desk had been moved, the teachers' room layout was tweaked, and different teachers surround my desk. I now sit even closer to the vice-principals. I keep telling myself that this will be great to start a new year, but I'm getting a little nervous with so many changes and so many new English teachers to work with. I think within those three months of "teaching" I got into a few habits and found a teaching style comfortable for me. Hopefully I will work well with the new teachers and have an awesome year.

Meiho High School's 30th school year has ended. Spring is in and that means a new year here in Japan.

With my supervisor

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." -Dr. Seuss

You mean a simple "yes" won't suffice?

I was so excited when I received a wedding invitation a couple weeks ago for my friend's wedding in Tokyo! It was a beautiful pamphlet style card with English and Japanese announcements and information. In the middle of the wedding announcement was the RSVP postcard, with a postage stamp already on it, and it was ready to be sent back to the couple.

Or so I thought.

For those of you who have recently received a Japanese style RSVP card, or expect to in the near future, maybe this blog entry will help you out. I had no idea what to do until I asked my Japanese co-workers.

When filling out your RSVP card, it is important to remember that Japanese are really into formalities, politeness, social hierarchy, respect, etc. I realize that this is a generalization, but this is generally the case for all written documents. If you forget to cross out something or add something, you could come across like a disrespectful, pompous jerk. Let's look at the RSVP card now:

1)

At the top, the two options are: "will attend" and "will not attend." As an expression of respect, an honorific, the phrases have "go" in front of it. So, the choices in Japanese are 御出席 (go-shusseki), will attend, and 御欠席 (go-kesseki), will be absent.

Because the "go" at the beginning is to hold respect and honor for you as the guest, you need to humble yourself and cross out this part for whichever you choose. Cross out 御. Then circle the desired choice. This shows the receiving party that you don't think the world of yourself.

Don't forget to strike through the other option. Make sure you do two straight lines through it!

I crossed out 御欠席.

2)

I'm not sure what you do for the next step if you don't want to go to the event, so I guess you'll have to go even if you didn't plan on it, because I can only teach you how to finish this RSVP card if you intend on attending.

Under the circled "will attend" kanji characters, write "will humbly receive" in Japanese. The phrase, "sasete itadakimasu," indicates that you appreciate the invitation and you are attending with this honor in mind. Sort of. According to one of the teachers here, it means "I'll do it," but in a way of lowering yourself in relation to the person reading it.

出席

させていただきます

3) You will need to cross out all phrases that include the word, "go."

So, not only do you need to cross it out in your RSVP response, but also in front of "name" and "address." It says, 御芳名 (go-houmei) and 御住所 (go-jyuusho), which means your name and your address. Go ahead and cross out that first kanji character before filling it out with your information. Then leave your message next to メッセージ. Even if you are very close friends with person or persons getting married, it is best to use formal language when composing your message.

4) Now, turn your card around. You aren't quite finished.

The RSVP reply requires language that humbles yourself. Now, you must use language to honor the person who receives the card. On my card, the name and address was already printed on. Be sure to include the kanji character for -sama (様), at the end of the receiver's name. This shows your respect to the receiver.

So, in the end it isn't so complicated. It's just important to remember to always humble yourself and put others above you. It makes the whole wedding process especially special. :)

Congrats to my buddy Jason on his engagement. Can't wait to see you in Tokyo for your wedding.

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Well, not in Japan. First of all, fruit and veggies here are expensive compared to the States. Also if you get sick in Japan, be prepared to see the doctor.

Every time I get a cold, my first reaction is to sleep it off because I've been told that there's nothing you can do except rest. My parents used to force me to go to the clinic for everything and I hated it, especially when the visits would take up a lot of my time and the doctors would tell me what I already knew. My mom would insist that the doctor could prescribe me something for my cold, despite all the times I've told her that a virus can't be cured with medication. What would the doctor give me? OTC meds. Over the counter medication and cough syrup.

So, you can see why I'm so reluctant to go to the doctor's when I start developing a cough or runny nose. I know when my body is going to shut down or when I can still keep drinking at the bar even when complaining of all my horrible symptoms. I also know that when my phlegm turns green, that's usually a good time to go to the doctor.

I kept fighting my cold from the beginning of February to mid-February. I refused to go to the doctor's office. When I finally got sick of being sick, I went with an English teacher from my school and she helped translate.

No strep throat and no bronchitis! Yes! But he did prescribe an anti-biotic and medicine to relieve the symptoms.

After that, my teacher expressed her concern that its been over two weeks since I started feeling sick. His response: "She didn't come to me sooner, otherwise she would have been better now." My response: "Uhh well I thought it was just a virus and I don't usually go to the doctor back in the States right when I get sick." However, in my mind, I smacked his head for being so smug.

They both sort of stared at me in confusion. Apparently, its quite common to go to the doctor within the first few days of a cold. According to my teacher, she gets well instantly after getting medication from the doctor.

This then led to a discussion in broken English and broken Japanese about how the U.S. and Japanese perspectives on health are so different. He believes that in the first few days its unclear if a person has a viral cold or bacterial cold, so they give an anti-biotic for treatment regardless. He said that next time I get sick, I should go to him immediately. Also, if I still felt ill after four days, I was welcome to go back and get some blood work done. Maybe even an x-ray if it was necessary. He was serious.

Is that really necessary? I'm glad I didn't have to go back and argue with him that it's ridiculous to draw blood samples for a cold. If you argue with the doctor on his treatments here in Japan, he has the right to refuse service for you next time. The Doctor's word is law in the clinic.

The medication worked. All five of them. I was given a one-time dose of a liquid anti-biotic, pills for my cough, pills for my runny nose, pills to reduce mucus, and pills for something else--I couldn't keep track of all of them! I was also given some patches, similar to nicotine patches, that I could put on my chest, back, or arm to reduce coughing. I don't think those worked.

If you are in Japan and you are sick, expect to get a lot of drugs. Don't worry, all of the drugs here are weak. Also, don't fight the treatment. Just shut up and take it. It's good for you.

February Pt. II of II

Chinese New Year

2/19/2010

What would Japan be without Chinese New Year? It would be Megan's sad place.

I am going to deny that I am homesick, but I do miss being able to celebrate a big family event with all of my cousins back at home in California. I miss the street festivals, the kids running around everywhere, and I miss the food. Oh, how I miss the food.

This year, the lunar new year, celebrated by many countries in Asia, was on the same day as Valentine's Day. I decided to create an event the following week, because Chinese New Year is still celebrated the first 15 days of the new lunar year. And, because I love parties.

When Friday night came around, I was excited to suit up and wear my modern style cheongsam, and went to pick up guests from the station. A few people from different parts of Ishikawa came down for a night of Chinese food, Mah Jong, and Karaoke. We started off with a set course dinner at a Chinese restaurant, Japanese style Chinese, and just had a few drinks there. Gary, a JET further north of my city, brought red envelopes to share with everyone and we taught the others to say "gong hay fat choi...lai see dow loi..." Which isn't the most appropriate Chinese New Year saying, "May you have fortune...give me my red envelope." But the first part is totally legit.

At the end of the meal, we had an hour before karaoke, so we played one round of Mah Jong. I wish we had more time to play, because its such a fun and addicting game!

Karaoke was three hours long, but it was extremely cheap and entertaining. It's always fun to go out and sing with large groups of people. :) Thank you to all of you who came down to Komatsu to celebrate the new year with me. I felt like it was a family gathering of JETs.

Casino Royale

2/27/2010

It isn't often that Ishikawa JETs get dressed up and gamble for charity. On that Saturday night, the Komatsu people put together an event, led by Stacy and Bill, in Kanazawa's Apre bar. We all dressed up and suited up in our classiest attire and held a casino night using straws, spoons, and stirsticks as chips. All proceeds are going to Ishikawa Orphanages.

The attendees were promised booze, snacks, and a chance to win booze for the top three chip holders. We had a nomihoudai, all-you-can-drink bar, with snacks for two hours for $25. Then you had to put in money to get chips, and that money would go toward charity.

For two hours, we had Cecilia and Ashley running Bingo, Colin as the Black Jack dealer, I was the croupier for Roulette, and there were two self-run Hold Em tables. I think around thirty JETs showed up to drink and play.

I think I've got the hang of roulette now...I may apply to work in Vegas when I get back to the States. JK. But I do want to make a Vegas trip when I get back...any takers?

When Casino Royale finished, the night was still young. I met up with some friends and we had some drinks at a bar before heading to a nightclub. The price to get into the hip hop club at 1am was ridiculous. It was 3,000yen, about $30, and about an hour of our time there was wasted with the exhibition dance performance. I didn't pay $30 to watch some random people dance to the sitar...At least let me dance to the sitar, too! Oh, well. It was a good experience checking out Japan's hip hop scene. I'm looking forward to the next time we go clubbing.

Until then, I'll just have to dance in the hallways of my school.

February Pt. I of II

At Shiramine's Yuki Daruma Fest

February was a busy month for me! I participated in a few different events, attended a couple festivals, and also held my own event in my city. To help me catch up to March and to keep me from getting writer’s block, I will just give a brief overview of everything.

International School

My first weekend in February was spent in Hakui. One of the high schools in Kanazawa hosted an International School for the weekend in the community center. ALTs from all over Ishikawa were asked to participate and help lead or teach high school students, from various Ishikawa high schools. I helped lead half of a group and we went to three workshops on the first day. It was all scheduled and planned out for us already! We learned about Caribbean dance, World Music, and Cooking. After the three workshops, we had dinner in the cafeteria. Curry! I sat with a couple of the high school girls and chatted with them. After dinner there was a “getting-to-know-each-other party” where students got to mingle and play some games like musical chairs and limbo. Shortly after the party the students were required to have an early bed curfew at 10pm.

The grown-ups, ALTs and JTEs, had an enkai in a building nearby. I wish we didn’t eat so much of the cafeteria food! There was liquor and delicious snacks served.

The next morning we had two more workshops with the students. My group went to Tai Chi and Drama/Story Telling. They were so cute. We had lunch in the cafeteria and then it was time to part ways! It was a fun weekend with the kids.

Recitation Contest

For a few weeks a few of the members of my school’s English club met with me during lunch or after school to practice their recitations. They chose one story, out of 10 choices, to memorize and recite. I wish they came more often and worked harder in the beginning to memorize it. The girls, all the students in the club are girls, had trouble memorizing their stories until the last week. On the last week we practiced gestures and facial expressions. The three girls worked hard and gave it their best.

The contest was held February 11^th, which was also a holiday over here in Japan. ALTs from all over Ishikawa prefecture were asked to judge, most of the time with their supervisor, and eliminate participants from various Ishikawa high schools. I went with my supervisor and we judged in the elimination round, the first round. I was late! Well, sort of. The first hour was lunch and I was late by 10 minutes because I got lost. Heh.

My supervisor and I judged in a tatami room and we had to sit kneeling, seiza style, while listening to ten different recitations. In our room it was easy to see the two we would put into the next round. We are asked to judge on facial expression, gestures, intonation, pronunciation, eye contact, and also memorization. The delivery of the story as a whole is the most important part.

The final round included twenty students and they all recited their stories once more in the large room in front of all the other students and judges. It was a good experience and I look forward to going to it again next year.

Winter Night Festivals

I wish I took that Friday off after the holiday, because then I would have a four-day weekend. There were a lot of different night events going on that weekend and I managed to make it out to two different events.

Snowman Festival (A.K.A. Yuki Daruma Fest)

2/12/2010

What is winter without snow and snowmen? I guess that would be winter in California. In a little town called Shiramine, however, it’s their main attraction for tourists.

On that Friday afternoon I dashed out of the teachers’ room, drove home to change, and then power walked to the train station. I don’t run. I ended up arriving in Nonoichi around 6pm and was picked up by my friend, Greg. He drove us to Shiramine, which is about one hour away from that station towards the mountains.

It was the perfect night to look at snowmen! It was cold, but it wasn’t raining or snowing, but there was plenty of snow to play with and look at. Look at all the cute snowmen!

Nice rims

Dinner was late, but I got to eat steak at Café Gusto. Its no Outback Steakhouse, but it’ll do.

Steak!

Gokuyama and Shirakawa-Go – Light Up

2/13/2010

Got up on Saturday late morning and then headed to lunch at the Chinese restaurant. After that Greg drove us to Gifu prefecture to check out the traditional gassho style houses. We were originally planning on just seeing Shirakawa-Go, but we decided to stop by Gokuyama. The snow was piled up so high that you could only see the second floor peeking out. I really wonder how the people get into their homes…

Those are the second floor windows

What these rooftops are made of

The wall of snow was freaking high.

I wonder if the Japanese people wondered what a Megan is.

After about an hour or so of wandering, we drove another 30 minutes to our original destination. Shirakawa-Go was similar, but larger. There was also a beautiful viewpoint that was accessible by foot. We took a lot of photos that evening, had soba for dinner, and then took more photos during the light-up at night.

Nice clear day

For you Spirited Away fans~

Dinner

Time for the light up

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The beautiful view during the day

The beautiful view at night

Outside of My Ishikawa Bubble - Tokyo Pt III of III

1/4/2010

My final day in Tokyo! Or at least the final day until I go in April…

After checking out of the hotel, Kazuki and I dropped off our luggage at the Shinjuku station. We met up with Ben, Henry, and Tony for lunch. The guys had to catch a plane back to the U.S., so we had to grab a quick bite. We found a Japanese fast food shop and scarfed down our udon/beef bowl combos.

Lunch: Udon, gyudon, ocha

Good bye, San Diegans! It was fun traveling together!

Kazuki and I had some time before going to our next destination, so we went to check out Yoyogi Park near Harajuku. It was nice, but it was an actual park so there wasn’t a lot to see. There is usually a lot of dancing or various performances that take place in the park, but maybe it was their day off.

Pond at Yoyogi Park

The only thing Kazuki and I had planned for this Tokyo trip was in Mitaka. We had a 4pm appointment with Totoro at the Ghibli Museum! Cameras are not allowed inside the building, but I took plenty of the outside. It’s a small museum dedicated to the work of Hayao Miyazaki. There is also a short animated film theater inside, which is included in the entrance fee. The short that I saw was about sumo wrestling mice. Adorable! Its definitely worth going to, but make sure you get tickets ahead of time. We had to purchase ours from a Lawson convenience store.

Totoro and dust spirits

From Lupita

Our last event of the night was with my Hiro. We had dinner and then some coffee. Hiro and I said goodbye to Kazuki at his bus stop and then I walked with Hiro to mine. Til next time, Tokyo!

Outside of My Ishikawa Bubble - Tokyo Pt II of III

1/3/2010

Waking up in Tokyo is exciting because I know that I’ll have something planned for the day. That morning I felt refreshed, after a night of drinking, and adventurous. I decided to fly solo that morning and check out Harajuku. I got off the train and followed the hordes of people. I had originally planned on window shopping in Takeshita street, but decided to see where everyone was going.

Followed the crowds to a torii gate...hmmm

Sometimes being a follower does take you places. I ended up at the Meiji Jingu, one of the most visited shrines in Tokyo. THIS is what I had imagined New Years Day would be like at the Osaka shrine with people crowding around the bell, tons of people lining up to buy arrows and omikuji, and plenty of families spending the first few moments of the new year together.

I found Meiji Jingu

Lots of people gathering to pray...hey man~ get out of my shot

Write your hopes and wishes for the year...then put it up for everyone to see

After tossing a coin in and after I bought an omamori, I headed to the original destination: Takeshi street. This shopping area is known for pop idol merchandise—mostly for the ladies’ viewing pleasure. There are also a lot of clothing shops, including sock wear. I checked out a couple places that were devoted to selling socks, tights, leggings, etc. I had to cut my shopping trip short, because I would have been late to a lunch appointment otherwise, but I did manage to snag three pairs of long socks for 1,000Y.

If you want food...thats the place to go for street food. I didn't go though. :P

So many people in Harajuku!

Pick a photo and purchase it. Thats the purpose of this store...

caters to all the girlies

Around 11am, I met up with an old college friend, Kiel, in Shibuya. We went to a café where I had my first decent experience with Japanese pasta. Saizeria, a pasta place in Komatsu, is pretty terrible. It was nice catching up and next time I’ll remember to take a photo together!

Kiel had to run an do some errands, so I called Hiro to see what he was up to. I met up with him, the other guys, and Maki, a new acquaintance, to check out Ginza. Henry was set on buying tea omiyage, souvenirs, so we went to a tea shop to get green tea. Outside of the shop, the Tokyo marathon runners were passing by on the main street. It was little coincidences like this one that made the trip feel like I got a taste of everything. After that we walked around Ginza a little more and then headed to Odaiba to take some pictures.

Tokyo Marathon

Odaiba is beautiful. Definitely make sure to go to Odaiba on a nice day and take some photos of the Rainbow Bridge, the water, Fuji Television Station, and the Statue of Liberty. No joke. They have a smaller version of the Statue of Liberty. It was as if we got a 2-for-1 deal to see Tokyo and New York all in one go. Odaiba is also home to the big giant ferris wheel. I love ferris wheels. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to go, because I had to get some stuff from my hotel room.

Fuji Television

Dinner took place in an izakaya in Ebisu at the same shopping area I went to the first day. The beer glasses were huge! Unfortunately, beer didn’t seem like such a good idea for me when ordering drinks, so I missed out. We tried to hit up Roppongi Hills for clubbing that night, but everything was closed since it was Sunday. The observation deck was the plan B, but it was $15 to get in and it would have closed within thirty minutes. We found a café instead and had some coffee with desserts.

Tokyo Tower

It was a good day for touring Tokyo.