Mentally Unprepared

It still hasn't hit me yet, despite all the goodbye speeches and farewell parties, I still feel as if I am staying in Japan for an indefinite period of time. I can't imagine being at home in California and eating those delicious In N Out burgers that I've been craving. I can't picture what it will be like to see all of my best friends and family face-to-face rather than as a pixelated version on Skype or Gchat. I'm cleaning my desk at work now. It will probably take a few days because I haven't convinced myself that I have only 4 days of work left.

Today, I took a mini two hour nap in the nurse's office because my benadryl didn't wear off in the morning and I was still groggy. I had one of those dreams where I couldn't tell if I had woken up or not. (This will teach me to avoid taking allergy meds if I plan to wake up after 6 hours!)

Anyway, I have a feeling that's what it's going to feel like when I get back to the States. I'll be unsure of whether or not things were real. All the amazing times with friends on the weekends and holidays traveling in and outside of Japan; All the events in Ishikawa; joking with co-workers in English and Japanese; The cheerful students who will always greet you when they see you; All the things in Japan will feel like a dream.

I will miss it all. Well, I have to get back to reality and tackle this mess on my desk. Here's a little story my friend Craig wrote:

It was all a dream. Megan woke up and looked at her bedside clock. The time read 5:45am. It was tuesday. She had slept for two days straight following a wild fondue party with friends. She had dreamt of days, no, months spent in japan, living life as one of the locals in a small town in ishikawa prefecture.

"I can't believe it wasn't real," she muttered under her breath as she began to get out of bed. She had to get ready for work. It was early, but she had a long commute to Anaheim. She was a character in the disneyland theme park. Some kind of blue alien. It went by the name of Stitch.

Goodbyes are hard to say in any language...

My body is an ocean of tears
and my skin is just the dam
When my heart quakes, the dam just breaks
and all pours out without fail
mini-poem by moi :P

The past few weeks have included a string of good bye lessons, good byes to the students I don't teach (method is to bother them at lunch when they can't move) and finally today will be my goodbye speech in front of all 800 people in Meiho.

It should be about 6 minutes long, including both English and Japanese. Hopefully, I can finish it without breaking down into tears for longer than 10 seconds. I think the best way to go is smiling and with a positive attitude, but that's probably not going to happen on stage. Imagining all those hopeful faces staring back at me, I can't help but cry. LOL Taken out of context this sounds horrible.

In any case...頑張る I'll do my best.

Time to practice my speech. Paper in front of me, tissue box to the side and a huge smile on my face.

Golden Week

My last Golden Week is over. I can't really imagine myself moving back to Japan and living here, so it was my last Golden Week holiday period.

What a packed GW it was. This year Golden Week holidays fell on Friday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I had classes on Monday, so I was unable to take the Monday off.

The weekend started off early for me as I took two hours off on Thursday to head over to the highway bus. The highway bus to Nagoya took about 4 hours and I arrived around 7:30PM. I met up with Kazuki and we went to grab dinner at a nearby izakaya.

We had to get up early the next morning to take the 7AM bus to Fuji-go-ko (Fuji Five Lakes), which is an area with five different lakes all surrounding Mount Fuji and giving optimal viewing pleasure of the monstrous peak. With the holiday traffic, we made it to Kawaguchi Lake around 1:30PM. Our late lunch was the local udon dish, but it was disappointing and had an unpleasant fishy taste to it. Where lunch failed to meet expectation, the lake itself and the Japanese inn we stayed at made up for the disappointment.

Kawaguchi Lake is vast and offers a beautiful view of Mount Fuji--on a good day. That first afternoon was cloudy, but the mountain was fairly visible. With few people walking around, mild temperatures and scenic views, our day was pleasantly spent pedaling a swan boat, taking a stroll around the lake and riding the ropeway up for high altitude sightings of Fuji Q Highland (the theme park we would visit the next day). The Japanese inn was a bit far from the Kawaguchi Lake train station, but our room had an amazing view of Mt. Fuji and a wonderful indoor & outdoor onsen. I took advantage of the onsen, hotspring bath, three times in the 16 hours we were there.

Saturday morning, Kazuki and I woke up early again to catch a ride from the Green Lake Inn staff. They dropped us off at the Kawaguchi Lake station and we took the first train over to Fuji Q Highland. We picked up our passes, which were included in our bus trip package, and headed to our first ride: Eejanaika. The coaster reminds me of Riddler's Revenge from Six Flags--you get strapped in to a seat, then the body vest and your feet dangle as you are flung in different directions. The second coaster took two hours to wait for, but definitely worth the wait! Fujiyama is a coaster that has a deep plunge about 2 or 3 times. There are few loops, but the fast pace of the ride for three minutes is 100x more fun than waiting for a cup of ramen. Then we checked out Evangelion World. If you are a fan, this place has life sized figurines, cut outs, mini shows and lots of photo ops. The last thing we were able to see before our 5PM bus was the haunted hospital. The obake yashiki in Fuji Q is supposed to be the scariest in Japan. It was an extra 500 yen to go in and about 20-30 minutes to walk through with only a pen light in hand. The long corridors echoed our nervous footsteps and chatter as we passed by blood smeared walls and several dressed up staff members. Longest 20 minutes of my life.

Although we wanted to go on more rides, such as Do-Don-Pa, the long lines didn't permit it. We headed back to Nagoya in the evening and the Sunday was spent in the city seeing a random J-Pop performance and an art exhibit by a Californian artist.

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The second half of Golden Week was spent closer to home. Tuesday afternoon I picked up Kazuki from the bus stop and we went straight to the Tonami Tulip Faire. The Toyama festival has been experienced in growing beautiful tulips of every variety and displaying them for the past 60 years. The entrance fee was a big steep, at 1000yen per person, but it's a cute festival to visit at least once. We met up with Allison, Misty and Katie at the faire and we all drove to Nanao for the Seihakusai festival.

The local Ishikawa festival features three huge wooden floats, called dekayama, that are human-powered. Anyone is welcome to pull the huge 20 ton floats around the city and on the third day of the festival all the floats converge at the station. We only stayed the first night, but it was fun to meet with everyone for drinks and conversation at Damo's house.

Wednesday morning was more relaxed. Some of us who visited Nanao headed over to an onsen in Notojima. Our plans to visit the Notojima Aquarium was deserted after seeing the long line of cars headed to the tourist attraction. We grabbed a late lunch and headed back to southern Ishikawa. After finally cleaning my apartment, I was able to have company over for dinner and served "Mexican food" on Quatro De Mayo. :) We had salad, tacos, quesadillas and cake.

The last day of Golden Week was spent at another local festival. The Kutani Chawan Matsuri in Nomi city features the famous pottery of the area. Lots of pottery is sold at great prices. Of course, there are also the food stalls and performances, such as taiko. I had some match and sweets with some friends and then ended my day at the onsen and more quesadillas.

After so much traveling, I fell asleep last night at nine p.m.

Spring Sakura and New Adventures

The sakura are finally blossoming and it marks a time of changes in Japan. Spring is when the new academic year starts and new teachers come in to the school.

Last Friday, I attended the welcome party for the incoming teachers at a local hotel banquet room. We had several courses and unlimited beer. It felt great knowing 80% of the teachers there and introducing myself to new teachers. I was much more confident being there than I was a year ago. I got down a bit thinking about how I will be leaving Japan and this cheerful work environment in only four months. But that means I still have three months to leave a lasting impression. During the dinner I invited a lot of the younger teachers out to do karaoke. When the event was over, we headed over to the local karaoke venue for 2 hours of singing. Then I took two of the teachers to chat at our wine bar by the train station. I can tell this is going to be a great bunch to work with and be friends with.

The rest of the weekend was spent with good company checking out the sights of Kanazawa and chilling in a park near tons of cherry blossom trees. I'm hoping the good times keep coming. Looking forward to new adventures in the next few months left in Japan.

Stubborn, Naive, Insensitive Me

Last week I was frustrated about how my friends' family and friends were demanding them to leave Japan, so I decided to contact some press. Here was my plea:

Dear Michael,

How are you? Are things well in San Diego?I am currently in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher of English through the JET Programme. My friend and I would like to explain our situation in Ishikawa prefecture, the west coast of Japan, and ask your help.

In the past few days, the nuclear threat has grown and with it fear and anxiety all over the world. Many of our friends and family members in the U.S. have been constantly following the news and worried that the radiation will spread all over Japan. However, currently there are no reports specifically concerning the west coast and the greater area of Japan.The reports that are being published and broadcast in the U.S. and Japan vary and this is disconcerting. Many of the foreigners in Japan feel as if the American press are sensationalizing events in Tohoku area to the point where it seems applicable to the entire nation. Or at least, this is what friends and family back home seem to think. It's hard to know what to believe and who to trust when family members and friends are relying on American press, which doesn't cover the rest of Japan. Because of this, there has been a lot of personal pressure to return home, while most of the foreigners here feel safe. However, we have been under a lot of stress due to the uncertainty and lack of information pertaining to areas outside of the Tohoku region.

For example, my friend's family has explicitly demanded for her return even after she has explained why she feels Ishikawa is safe from the radiation--distance of over 200 miles, current wind conditions, trust in the Japanese government and radiation detectors, trust in the JET Programme, everything is going about in the town as usual. There have also been reactions such as this blog entry: http://ishikawajet.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/unreliable-news/

Would it possible to do a report on the risks of radiation on other parts of Japan or could you refer us to someone? We think this would benefit many people as it would alleviate anxiety for those living in and out of Japan. This is not a request to take away the focus from the real crisis in Tohoku, but to ask for more information about Japan.

Thank you for your time and for reading this.

Unfortunately, the article became more of a human interest piece where I feel I came off as stubborn, naive and a bit insensitive. Here's the piece: http://www.10news.com/news/27245686/detail.html

Just a few notes on what was left out because I forgot to say it or because it was cut:

• If something were to happen and it was certain it would affect my side of Japan, I would definitely consider leaving. But all the reports focused on Tohoku / Kanto region. The U.S. embassy has asked people living on eastern Japan to consider returning to the States.
• In my city, there's a radiation detector (check previous post), an airport for quick escape and a Japanese Self Defense Force base.
• I was asked whether or not my area was affected by the shortages. My response was along the lines of, "No. We're not a part of the rotating power outages, we're not seeing a lack of food or water supplies. Actually, our prefecture is sending food, water and supplies over to affected areas."
• I was asked how my parents had reacted initially. And right when I commented on my mother's reaction, "She said she's had a lot of trouble sleeping. When she called, she was crying. That's really tough to see," I knew they were going to use that. I sort of smiled because I felt like I trapped myself. :O However, after I spoke with my parents early last week (days before the interview) I had already convinced them I was safe.
• My biggest concern had been about the lack of information outside of the Tohoku/Kanto area and that people don't understand that the crisis has not physically affected all of Japan (although mentally, we are heart broken to see the news as much as anyone else). This was only mentioned briefly towards the bottom of the article:

Nuclear experts 10News spoke to say the danger -- even under the worst-case scenario -- remains small because Lam is far enough away.

Lam said for many that message has gotten lost as the U.S. media has focused on the reactor site, sparking fears among loved ones at home.



Please remember to read the full articles, not only the headlines. Also, pay attention to where the news is concerning. Is it all of Japan or just one part?

There IS a crisis going on in parts of Japan, especially a humanitarian crisis. Please remember that there are thousands of people whose lives have been taken or who are still missing. I'd like to ask everyone to focus their prayers on those in those affected areas. They are still homeless, lacking food, lacking water and lacking supplies. Many of us
in Ishikawa have been doing our best to help those in need by donating blood, donating money, donating goods and offering our homes to those involved in the disasters:

http://www.couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=39703

I am extremely grateful that Michael Chen agreed to pitch the story and that he interviewed me. I just wanted to clarify some points that may have been buried or mising in the article. I hope people can understand the perspective I was trying to show.

[Update] Read this article to see other opinions on sensationalized news:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110321f1.html

Who Do You Believe?

According to Newstabulous, the "Oldest Hotel in the World Still Standing Strong." Well, of course it is. Ishikawa prefecture was physically unaffected by the earthquake and tsunami. The article makes it seem as if the Japanese inn, Hoshi, had amazingly come out of the disaster unscathed by some miracle. And you know what, I am truly fortunate in Komatsu to have only felt the ripple of the earthquake, had a minor tsunami warning and to be so far from the nuclear power plants. My heart goes out to all of those who were more than mentally affected by the disasters. My thoughts and prayers go out to those in the Tohoku area and surrounding prefectures who are now also struggling to survive on limited supplies, food and utilities.

The reason I'm writing this entry is because there have been so many differing opinions on the situation in Fukushima and it's hard to know who to believe anymore. Articles like the one above don't seem to be helping since it's embellishing on what's going on in other parts of Japan. News should be focused on the current crisis in Japan--it IS bad, it IS going to take a long time to recover and the outcome of everything IS uncertain.

However, many people outside of Japan only see these images and apply the facts to Japan as a whole. It has created more panic and anxiety than what the situation may actually call for--or is it called for?!

For example, in Toyama, the prefecture north of Ishikawa, supermarkets and convenience stores are running low on many food items because people have been stocking up for emergencies. This is 200 miles outside of the nuclear plant in Daiichi. Is this necessary? Some locals in Ishikawa say it is ridiculous. But maybe Toyamans have heard news that we haven't yet? For the record, there have not been any statements in the news specifically addressing the Hokuriku area (which includes Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui).

I'd like to say that I trust in the government and the JET programme to tell me if there's an immediate danger. I also believe that I am in a good location because of the distance, the airport in my city and also the fact that we have a Japanese Self Defense Force base in Komatsu.

[Update] My prefecture actually has a webpage dedicated to radiation readings: http://atom.pref.ishikawa.lg.jp/monitoring/Pages/Radiation/FormRadiationMap.aspx

But there is a lack of international news coverage concerning the risks to the other areas of Japan. It's hard to prove to friends or family members that we are safe and that we don't need to fly out of the country. Some people have said that the government is lying or withholding information...

I feel super safe and know that I want to stay, but there's this growing pressure from concerned loved ones. I wish there was more coverage to alleviate the stress the news is creating for those outside of Tohoku area. We all want to know the truth and are trying not to act on emotion.

That being said, I am not writing this because I want to take away from the real crisis 250 miles away. There are REAL problems over there and I think people should really think about how many people have been affected that need help.

I was speaking with a Japanese co-worker today about her friend in Yamagata. Several people have evacuated Fukushima and moved to Yamagata prefecture. Although Yamagata is presently out of the radiation zone, they are feeling the affects through the limited supplies and food available. Delivery trucks aren't dropping off shipments there anymore--or maybe it's limited. There is still a shortage in electricity. The friend is actually driving over to Ishikawa this weekend for personal reasons, but driving back to her Yamagata home with supplies for the people she is hosting.

I encourage everyone to keep these people in mind and find ways to help them through these difficult times. Check your areas for blood banks, drop-off sites for supplies/food and donate monetarily.

What do you all think?? Are your loved ones asking you to return home? Do you feel safe? Are you unsure?

Stay informed, Stay prepared, Stay calm

It was an off period at 2:45PM JST when I was messaging a friend about the teacher next to me clipping his nails at his desk. We joked about nail clippings cutting wires could be the cause of my intermittent internet connection. Our banter was interrupted by the unexpected earthquake.

The first one was barely noticeable. I live in Ishikawa prefecture, which is off the Sea of Japan on the west coast of Honshu.

I thought I had been staring at the computer screen for too long. It was as if I were lightheaded and dizzy. Standing up slowly, I looked over at the only two teachers in the room. The Nail Clipper looked at me and I looked at him expectedly without speaking. I lost my Japanese for that second. The quake had stopped. The female teacher next to him said, "oh, that was an earthquake." Nail Clipper calmly agreed.

Then the next quake made the building sway slightly for a good 20 seconds. I would learn a couple hours later that it was only a ripple off the epicentre on the east coast. Our quake was listed as a 3.0. Half the teachers in the school were unaware of anything happening.



We have been unbelievably fortunate in Ishikawa prefecture. It wasn't until I got home around 5:00PM that I understood how severe the situation in Tohoku and Kansai was. Immediately, I texted or called all the friends I could think of who were living in the affected areas. My friends are fine, but many are still unnerved by the recent events.

When I signed in to Facebook and Twitter I was overwhelmed by the number of concerned messages I received from friends--many of whom I haven't spoken with in years. I was very grateful for the concern and I appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers. THANK YOU.

Again, I am 100% OKAY です.

Actually, aside from watching the news and messages on the social networking sites, everything seems normal in my area. We are probably experiencing the same thing that everyone else in the world is experiencing. A little bit of awe mixed with frustration and helplessness. All we know and see is in the news. Many people want to help but don't know how or are not sure if it is possible.

Over the weekend, I became obsessed with finding ways to relieve those feelings by researching the different ways that people can help. This is what I've found works for me:

Stay Informed
With so many sites forming, it's hard to know what is real anymore. Obviously, major news networks are your best bet. Don't listen to all the hype of impending doom unless it's credited.

For the latest earthquake information: http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/quake_singen_index.html

How you can help: While my area is not suffering any physical damage, the other side of the island is going through an extremely rough time. Thousands of people are homeless or have limited daily necessities.

[update] From CNN (3/16/2011)

While agencies are working to raise money, donations have been slow to come. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a newspaper covering nonprofit organizations, says donations to nonprofit organizations have reached about $25 million so far. The total is far below the first four-day totals of other recent natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina and the crisis in Haiti, it said.

Please consider donating money or supplies through legitimate sources:

1. From the U.S.: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/11/6246445-japans-earthquake-how-to-help
2. From Japan:

• Donating money: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkDkITkG4lE /
• Donating food/supplies: http://www.2hj.org/index.php/news/send_us_food_and_supplies/
• Donate blood, but check if you qualify first: http://www.mutantfrog.com/2011/03/13/who-can-and-can-not-donate-blood-in-japan/
• Volunteering (Read CAREFULLY): http://ajet.net/lang/en/2011/03/16/volunteer-information-for-people-in-japan/

Please remember that for food or supplies, it is better to send the necessary items. Before you purchase anything, please read the list of items.

Also! Don't try to rush into the affected areas now to try to help. Let the professionals sort things out first.

Stay Prepared
How many people actually have an emergency kit? I know I didn't. There is a possibility of another huge quake, up to 7.0, hitting Japan again in the next 48 hours. It's best to keep water stocked, some non-perishable food ready and other essentials. (You'll use the stuff eventually anyway. So why not?)

For JETs, here's a good link to look over: http://ajet.net/lang/en/2011/03/13/emergency-proceduresinformation-evacuation-card/

Being prepared will help you stay calm. Which leads me to the last tip...

Stay Calm
Even with all the disasters shown in the news we all need to stay calm to stay focused. Here's a message from National AJET:

--don’t add to sensationalist rumors. If you are posting information on facebook, twitter and other media outlets, please make sure that you use credible sources. Include your source and as much information as possible.

Personally, I think people in Japan are already on edge, so please don't add to that. Most of us are trying to stay calm while constant messages of impending doom keep popping up.

------------------------------------------

Once again, thank you all for your thoughtful messages and your concern.

My heart goes to all the people in the affected areas and their loved ones.

The End of Another School Year

Graduation took place at the beginning of this month and we held the ceremony in the gym--just like most high schools in Japan. It was another tear-jerking ceremony. They like to turn on the nostalgic ballad music right when the student speeches are given or when the students stand up as their names are called (diplomas/certificates aren't presented to each individual on stage, but rather distributed in their homeroom classroom after the ceremony). It's as if they try to create their own soundtrack!

But despite the overdramatic nature of the whole process, I really did enjoy attending the ceremony. It was much better this year when I actually knew some of the students' names. Coming in much past the half-year mark last winter, I could only recognize a few faces.

The week before the graduation ceremony the school held the final exams for the 1st year and 2nd year students. The 3rd years, who would graduate, had finished their classes/exams early February. We have about three weeks left in this school year, but the English department thought it would be difficult to pack one more team-teaching class, the classes I do jointly with the Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs), within that short period.

Subsequently, I am left with a lot of free time at school. I can't even plan classes until they tell me which books they will be using in the start of the school year this coming April. I suppose I could plan a general introductory lesson...

Well, instead I am planning my spring break trips, doing some writing and studying Japanese. Oh! And I am finishing up The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. If you haven't heard of it already, go check it out. ;)

Now, it's time to go book some hotels in Japanese. I'm killing two birds with one stone...I never really liked that expression...it's disturbing with my overactive imagination.

一石二鳥
isseki nichou
One stone, two birds

Traumatized (Post is a bit TMI)

I've never been probed there before! My nose!

So I went to see an otologist yesterday. I'm not really sure if he specializes in ear medicine...of the modern age. Let me explain my situation first.

Recently, my right ear has been bothering me. There isn't any pain, but it feels as if the pressure is off. It constantly feels as if I'm still at high altitudes. It's only my right ear. Over the weekend I took a short trip to Hokkaido, while I was still recovering from my cold, and I have a feeling that was the cause. On my first flight over, I suddenly heard a loud ringing in my right ear as the plane was landing. Then POP. And there was some immense pain that followed. Unfortunately, the pressure returned immediately.

So after a few days back on land I thought it would go away. It hasn't. I asked the school nurse to recommend an ear doctor in the area and had my supervisor translate my symptoms and story into Japanese. I went after work and checked in on my own. The staff is friendly and patient with me considering my inability to understand some of the medical terms. Although there were several others in the waiting room, I didn't wait long before being called in.

I walked into the room and I was horrified. I'm not exaggerating--I felt my heart start to race a little bit. I was led to a chair, similar to the ones you would see at the dentist's office, and to my left was a metallic table with what I imagined were various scalpels, tubes, and probes. I sat down and clung to my handbag. When I settled down, I took another look at the table. It was everything I thought I saw, minus the scalpels. That provided little relief considering my closer observation showed me how old and rusted everything looked.

The doctor came over. He has a gentle face like a grandfather with eyes I can barely see when he smiles. Then the examination started.

He checked both my ears and from the right he used a long, tweezer-like instrument to extract a huge clump of ear wax. Then he wiped it off and placed it back on the table. I wondered how often they cleaned their tools. The removal had little affect. He explained something in Japanese, but I could only catch pieces of what sounded like "cold" and "ear canal." He pointed to an internal picture of the human ear connected to the nasal passages. His fingers motioned near the throat area. Then he proceeded to take a thin tube, the kind you might see used by a dentist for suction, and he stuck it up my nose. It shot out what felt like air and pain. "kusuri." Medicine. He asked me to stick out my tongue and open wide. Out of no where he takes a cotton ball and shoves it down my throat! I think there was some sort of numbing agent in the medicine. When he threw it away I noticed it was bright red. I hope that was the medicine. "yappari hareteru." My throat was inflammed or swollen.

They tested my hearing and my right ear was weaker at hearing. The doctor showed me a graph of the results. Then the big guns came out. He asked me to place something into my right ear and the other end of the tube went into his ear. Then he stuck something up my right nostril, turned on the air and forced it in. OH MY BUDDHA it hurt to the point where I was whining, "ittai ittai..." It hurts, it hurts. My fingers gripped the arm rests as he moved over to the left.

When they were finished I was prescribed some medicine. Then they pointed to a calendar and said that the medicine would only last a week. I should sign up for another visit within the week. I scruntched my face and told them I would come on the last day if it wasn't better. I definitely want to avoid that procedure by all means.

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Last night, I felt like I hadn't been able to breathe like that in months. My sinuses were cleared, but my ear didn't feel any different.

My supervisor just called and asked what the procedure was. The simple explanation we got was that my nasal passage was probably inflammed or closed up, which affected the ear. So the procedure was to open it up. My guess is that its from all the times I blew my nose this past month. The good news is that I don't have to go back if that one time was all that it took to help my ears. The bad news is that this morning both my ears feel funny....

Vietnam

Wow its already been over a month since my winter break, but I wanted to write about it before I forget.


In Decemeber 2010 I took a 10-day vacay with a friend to South East Asia. We took 5 days in Vietnam and spent the other 5 days in Thailand. Because of the short length of the trip, we decided to stay in one major city and not travel around too much.


Vietnam

Melanie and I took the overnight bus over to Osaka on Christmas Eve and then the train over to the Kansai Airport on Christmas morning. It was a fairly long flight over to Ho Chi Minh city, because there was an hour layover at the Hong Kong Airport. I enjoyed my flight on Cathay Pacific since I got a meal for both flights, even though I was planning on eating at the HK Airport with some delicious HK food. But I guess free food is always good. I took advantage of the hour to get some HK style milk tea and bought a couple "I <3 Hong Kong" shirts.

The arrival in Saigon was a bit of a mess because we were swindled out of money right away. After grabbing our baggage, we walked out towards the taxi stand. We were only about 50 meters away, but a man came up to us and flashed his "taxi license" persistently. I was a bit skeptical, but we went with him after hearing that it was only "700." When we left the airport, we found that it was 700,000 Vietnamese dong, which is around $35, for the 15 minute ride. I guess during transactions they drop the last three zer0s. It was close to four times the price it should have been! Should have changed our minds when we saw that the vehicle wasn't even a taxi...

The hotel that M booked was great though! Free computers to use in the lobby, free wi-fi, free breakfast and dinner (if you wanted), personal restroom with shower. The only fall back was that we mistakenly booked a double room, so we had to share the bed. Since we arrived so late in the day, I believe it was close to 8PM, we decided to walk around and then grab some pho as our first meal--even though we had dinner on the airplane. Those free meals weren't going to spoil my foodventures! Down a small street near our District 1 hotel there was a restaurant serving pho. I got a small bowl of tendon pho and it was very satisfying. I've yet to find a decent pho restaurant in Japan and this was delicious at a more than reasonable price. All the food from the food stands were around $2 or less.

The area we stayed in had tons of bars and restaurants. We grabbed a beer from a small bar and sat outside watching the vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The first thing I noticed about Vietnam was the horrible traffic. While riding in the car/taxi, which was driven by the worst driver ever, we were surrounded by cars and motorbikes. The driver zoomed quickly by all the traffic without much consideration to the motorbikes. It felt as if we were dangerously close to hitting many of the bikers. I remember the honking the most. Everyone honking, cursing, and pushing around each other. Add pedestrians into the picture and lack of pedestrian crosswalks and you have the chaos that is Saigon traffic.

The next bar we went to was busier. It was called Go and its hard to miss with the hundreds of lights on the sign. The most Christmas spirit I saw on the strip of bars--neon signs and Christmas lights wrapping the palm trees. I had hookah, or shisha, for the first time. The flavor we got was apple and I can't say that I enjoyed it too much. It was fun chatting with a couple tourists at our table, a couple of Vietnamese Americans who were with two local Vietnamese girls. We were quite tired after our hookah and headed off to bed.

The first day of sunshine in Vietnam was far warmer than expected given we had come from the Ishikawa winter. We got our free breakfast buffet in the morning--a mix of Western style foods and Asian cuisine that I wouldn't usually consider breakfast. My favorite part of my plate was the fried egg roll. After stuffing ourselves, we flagged a taxi down and headed to the Giac Lam Pagoda. It wasn't the most amazing attraction, but it was nice to do some traditional Buddhist prayer that my family usually does. The rest of the day was full of temple visits--the nearby temple, the temples in the Chinatown area. We had a delicious lunch on the streets and then we headed to the main event--the local waterpark named Dam Sen. With it being my first time at a waterpark and the high degree temperature, the park was a highlight in my Vietnam trip. It was cheap to get in, close to $5 for the day, and 90% of the people were Vietnamese locals.

The evening was more eventful than I expected. We signed up for the hotel's "Family Dinner" and joined an international group of people for the Sunday night meal. We were all given t-shirts with the slogan: We are a family, then encouraged to meet others at the dinner. A free meal, new friends, an awkward dance party and karaoke made the night silly, but fun. M and I left after the round of karaoke and changed for the "Apocalypse" club. We were joined by the Singaporean couple we met at dinner and danced a little less awkwardly to dance/house music.

The second full day followed a scheduled tour from 8AM until 4PM. A van picked us up from the hotel and we sat with other tourists that were picked up along the way to the attractions. The first stop was a factory with handicapped workers--many of them were affected by the Vietnam/American war. The tourguide led us around to the work stations and of course the store. The second stop was the temple, Tay Ninh Holy See, where many people practice Cao Dai. The temple is extremely ornate and colorful with dragons wrapping around the pillars and a sky blue vaulted ceiling. The visitors, and I don't mean the tourists watching from the second level, dorned colored robes that indicated the religion they believe in--Buddhism, Catholocism, Christianity, etc. Unfortunately, I can't remember what each color represented...

After lunch we headed to the Cu Chi Tunnels where the American war had been fought. These then hidden tunnels are surrounded by death traps, which are now safely displayed for the tourists. Sounds of AK47 and machine guns firing can be heard throughout the site because they have an area where you can pay to fire the massive weaponry. Walking underground through the tunnels was an experience I'm glad I tried but would never do again. It's stuffy with poor ventilation, narrow with room only to kneel or crawl and its pitch black most of the time. I must have gotten out after 50 meters.

We were exhausted after the tour and starved so we went to grab some pizza near our hotel. Dessert was fresh coconut juice from a stand in an alley. Then I took some time alone at a cafe and continued to read Norwegian Wood from the page I left off on. On my walk back to the hotel I bumped into a couple friends from Japan and had a beer with them.

The third day was not as eventful but it was probably a good idea to relax. We would be leaving for Thailand the next morning. The first part of the day was spent at the War Time Museum. It is disheartening to see so many images of the people affected by Agent Orange. While I took plenty of videos and images there, I doubt I would ever show these to people because its something a person needs to see on their own volition. The museum soon closed after we got in because there was a midday break.

The rest of our time after lunch was spent shopping for gifts. I started conversing with one of the friendliest store clerks I've ever met. I think it might have been because she is young and eager to speak English. She was so talkative! I invited her to go out after she finished work and we ended up getting smoothies somewhere. It was interesting talking to her about various things, but sitting out that night in the outdoor tables was a horrible idea. 10 new mosquito bites! I forgot why I hated the Asian summers until that night. We said we would keep in contact, but I lost her information. :(

That was the last night in Vietnam and then it was off to Bangkok.

Ohisashiburi

It's been a while since I've last posted.

I guess winter is about the only time I have time and desire to post. I have been sick recently with another cold, it's cold out so I don't want to go out and I don't want to get out of my kotatsu.

Here's what's up:

I just returned from a 10-day trip to Vietnam and Thailand. Five days were spent in each country. It was marvelous! More than reasonably priced food, vitamin D from the natural light of the sun, sandy beaches next to crystal clear water, bargain shopping, decorative temples, sexily dressed people dancing to real hip hop music spun by DJ SG...The summer adventure in the midst of Ishikawa winter was worth the mosquito bites!

When I returned from the hot and humid conditions of SE Asia it was chilly, but Osaka was only two-thirds as cold as Ishikawa. I was afraid I would be freezing back in my apartment! Luckily, Ishikawa wasn't snowing or snowed over on the day that I arrived Komatsu. That soon changed and I was happy to leave for a mini-trip to Tsujido--a small city on the other side of the island. Although it wasn't warm enough to wear a t-shirt, Tsujido was warm enough to ride bikes next to the beaches and it was nice just to have the sun on my face. I got to see some friends who I rarely see. I played Just Dance 2 for the first time. It was a much needed transition trip!

Unfortunately, when I returned to Komatsu from this second trip, it was snowing this time. I had no cash on me, so I walked from the station to my apartment through the snow in my worn out shoes. I had no idea it would be snowing and I packed shoes that had worn down soles. It felt like I was walking barefoot on the water that is used to clear the roads. This and probably my sudden exposure to different climates every few days led to my current sickly condition.

I experienced some new things this past week. Some were good and most were bad.

Have you heard of a stye? No? Me, neither! Or at least I hadn't until I got one on my last day in Tsujido. My friends thought it might be pink eye, but it didn't seem likely since it was only red on my right eyelid. Then over the weekend it returned after it seemed to disappear for two days. What was worse was that the left eye also developed a stye which got larger than the one of the right! Ugh...it doesn't feel too bad. It just looks bad.

Before the start of this past weekend, an old woman in my apartment building bought me a can of hot tea from the vending machine. It was a random, sweet gesture. This woman has given me so many things for no reason! The first time I ran into her downstairs she asked me to wait while she ran up and got me some mandarin oranges! Another time she gave me some sesame paste that she made. Every time she gave me something I didn't know how to refuse her, because she has the thickest Ishikawan accent or uses some different dialect and I don't understand what she's saying to me. This time I offered to take her to the store whenever she needed to go since she bikes and that's quite difficult to do in this weather. This weekend was the snowiest I've ever seen Ishikawa! It got to be over a foot of snow in parts of the prefecture--maybe more! Anyway, the woman was happy to get a ride and I took her yesterday. I tried my best not to look interested in anything because I had a feeling she would just pay for anything I even glanced at. She still did it anyway. One voluntary car ride got me raisin bread, some strange egg soup, deep fried rice balls, fish cake rolls and crackers. I'm not trying to get goods out of this lady, who I am now to call "Ishida Okaasan." Ah, well...at least I have a new mother figure.

The last new thing of the week is my announcement to my school. I informed my supervisor, vice principals and principal that I will be leaving at the end of my contract. I decided not to renew for various personal reasons. It was very difficult to tell them. I'm pretty sure I used the words "I think I'm going to leave," which is not true--I know I'm going to leave. I am leaving August 2011. There was probably some stuttering involved as well. Awkward. This is all after hearing, upon returning from my 10-day trip, that they would like me to re-contract. They had submitted request forms to the Board of Education while I was away. Perhaps I should stay? No...that's probably a bad idea. I made my decision and I should stick with it. When I told my principal he seemed so surprised that I would be leaving. He only had good things to say and I was very flattered to hear that he thought I had become a respectable teacher. I told him that I have gained so many experiences at the school, and I love working there(!), but I need to go home for many reasons.

And as I sit under my kotatsu, with a stye in both eyes and five different types of pills for who-knows-what, I'm certain I've made the right choice.

Vacation Time

I have been away from this blog for too long! I have a few unfinished posts, but I want to write about my trips before I forget them. Not that they're forgettable, it's just that I have a horrible memory.

It started in the middle of March on the 19th. The following Monday would be a substitute holiday for Vernal Equinox Day, so it was a three-day weekend. That Friday a couple of my friends and I took a half day from work and then headed over to Kansai Airport by train. Destination: Hong Kong.

Hong Kong (March 19-22)

The first night in Hong Kong was somewhat eventful considering we got in around 10pm, took the Airport Express shuttle, and checked in to our hostel by 11:30pm. After dropping off our luggage we headed to Lan Kwai Fong to check out the party scene.

Bars, bars, foreigners, trash everywhere, and Thai restaurants. We took a quick look around and started at the Thai restaurants for late night eats. It was a mix of Thai, Vietnamese, and Malaysian food. My friends had pho, coconut seafood fried rice, and I had garlic fried chicken wings. My mouth is watering at the thought of all that good food. We toasted to the first night in Hong Kong and then we headed over to the bars for some dancing.

From Meg's Mugen Adventure

To be honest the music kept fluctuating between decent and ridiculous, but we stayed for a good hour or more at one bar. Then we tried another bar that had great music, but we got tired and it was a little too crowded anyway. We hit the sack around 4am.

Day 1

That same morning, four hours later, we got up and got ready for our daytime adventures. Our first meal was dim sum. It took us a while to find a place. You would think that Tsim Sha Tsui, where we were staying, would have tons of places. We were probably just unobservant. Anyway, dim sum was amazing. I missed real Chinese food! I would trade a million kaiten sushi meals for a good Chinese lunch and dinner. I guess I sort of did because we paid to travel to Hong Kong for just three days.

From Meg's Mugen Adventure

Rolling ourselves out of the restaurant, we got on the MTR over to the Giant Buddha and temple. We were able to bypass the one hour line by paying a little extra and taking the crystal cabin of the Ngong Ping 360, a gondola lift with a see-through bottom. We were planning on taking it anyway and it gave us an advantage. I've been to the Big Buddha before, but it is so much more enjoyable when it isn't in hundred degree weather with sweat soaking my clothing. The weekend was a borderline hot 70 degrees Fahrenheit that would have been perfect if there wasn't humidity, but I was definitely not complaining since I had just come from freezing Ishikawa. We took a lot of photos, including a lot of those poster stands where you put your face in the hole. What are those called??? If anyone knows the official term, please let me know, because it is bothering me.

From Meg's Mugen Adventure

From Meg's Mugen Adventure

From Meg's Mugen Adventure

The next part of our journey was a bit more challenging. We went up a steep hill for the Ten Thousand Buddhas monastery. The golden buddhas lined both sides of the uphill path and it seemed never ending--the buddhas and the road. At least we got to take a quick break when some wild monkeys appeared and started playing while on the statues. We were lucky that we got to the monastery right before closing time and we got a lot of exercise from the walk. Double win!

Dinner and quick shopping followed in Mon Kok. We had some Chinese food, of course, and hit up some places before heading back to Tsim Sha Tsui. We didn't have a lot of time to shop because we wanted to see the Symphony of Lights show at the harbor, so we headed back afterward to do a few more hours of shopping.

Day 2

The next morning started off early again and we grabbed some breakfast at Cafe de Coral. The first on our list of things-to-do was to check out the view at Victoria Peak. We took the tram up and took numerous photos up there. That weekend there was a fundraiser for a non-profit working against child abuse. I think it was a marathon. I have some video clips of the performances because it reminded me of the events back home in the States.

The rest of the day was pretty chill as we walked around Hong Kong taking photos of the skyscrapers, went to a shopping mall and had a great lunch at the food court, and then took the Star Ferry over to Wan Chai. I was so excited to go to my first film festival outside of San Diego! We got to the convention center early and got our tickets. I was so excited that I went to go line up in case there was a large queue. My friends went to a cafe downstairs instead. When I got to the line, I realized that it was for the sold out show and that my line consisted of only me. So I headed back downstairs and ate my friend's leftovers. The movie we watched was "Like a Dream," starring Daniel Wu. It was beautifully filmed and I appreciated how everything was well connected.

Day 3

We had a scare at the airport when one of my friends found out his airplane ticket was not reserved. There was a huge possibility that he wouldn't make it on the flight, but luckily we all made it on the plane together. We all had work the next day.

We got back to Japan around 2:30pm and headed on the train back to Ishikawa.

Great trip. Great food.

Best Weekend Ever

That is all I have to say for now. Crunch time for lesson planning.

8/31/2010
Seriously? For about 10 minutes I couldn't remember why I wrote this entry. Then I remembered that I went to a beautiful wedding (not mine), hung out with some SD friends, and went to Disney Sea where I met my love, Stitch, and took a very happy picture with him.

Sorry for the abridged version.

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.

---------

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