all of a sudden last night, my body decided to cave into the crippling powers of the flu.
despite shivering and feeling feverish last night, i woke up this morning with only a painfully burning throat. naturally, i decided to come to school.
so far, i:m not doing too bad, but of all the days i have 4 instead of 3 classes at my elementary school, it has to be today. *sigh*. i think i:m going to leave a little early and catch a nice long catnap before dinner.
in other news, a friend just sent me this article, and it is seriously enraging. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-eastasia.asp?parentid=64334
time for 5th period...
Monday, February 26, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
weird week
so i've had an odd couple of days. some moments funny, some moments sad, but all were mostly amusing. enjoy!
- Till now, I've discovered that between one of my small elementary schools and the fairly large junior high it filters into, there is a family of 5 sisters. the 2 oldest are in middle school, and the 3rd and 4th sisters are in elementary school. the youngest isn't school age yet.
by now, i've figured that because i look asian (because i AM asian), that you generally have to know who i am in order to accost me. that is to say, random people dont greet me for being a foreinger because i normally dont stand out.
i was waiting for the elevator at the mall the other day when i say a little girl sitting in her mother's shopping cart and eating a popsicle. she was having some issues, so her mother helped her squeeze some of the popsicle up. i thought it was absolutely adorable, so i started to chuckle to myself. then out of nowhere, i realize that the mother just said, "Eberin-sensei?" to me.
stunned, i answer, "Yes?" and she goes on to thank me for teaching her kids that go to such and such schools. once i heard the school names, i figured that the only family it could be was the family with 5 girls. and then i realized, "Oh! Is this #5?" to which she laughed and said, "yes."
i told my JTE the next day who teaches at the junior high. i told her that i now know the whole family, to which she asked, "have you met the father yet?" "no. i guess i dont know the whole family after all."
literally, an hour later, a man comes up to the teacher's room window looking for the principle, and my JTE turns to me and says, "it's natsuko and akira's father! now you've seen the whole family!"
pretty nuts, eh?
- hands down, my favorite Kyoto-sensei / Head Teacher / Vice Principal is the one at Kuta Junior High School. since my desk is next to his, i always turn to him and ask him random questions, and they always lead to awesome conversations. he reallly puts thought into his answers, and he always goes out of his way to explain something to me. not to mention the fact that everytime we finish a conversation, we both feel like we've learned something about one another's culture.
thanks to chieze, his DS, and his kanji game, i've discovered over the past month how i've been writing chinese characters and kanji in the wrong stroke orders my entire life. quite upsetting really.
in attempt to start afresh, i turned and asked the kyoto-sensei what the stroke orders were to a few of the words that always mess me up. the kocho-sensei (principal) overheard us talking, and walked over to where we were and decided to join in on the conversation. he then started quizzing me on some kanji, all which i failed to write correctly. and he knew some pretty tricky kanji too. he seemed pretty confident with his stroke orders, and considering he's a principal, been teaching for years, and is 59 years old (no really, he is), i take his word for it.
our 3-person conversation eventually spread throughout the entire teachers room, and i can honestly say not a person in the room went home without having his or her world rocked.
one of the teachers found a stroke-order website that illustrates how to write correctly, complete with an animation: http://kakijun.main.jp. my JTE then started inputting words she always wondered about, one of which was the first kanji in Hakata (an area of Fukuoka): 博. most people in the room thought that the dot in the upper right hand corner goes last, but actually, it's not. everyone was shocked. ESPECIALLY the principal. why? because it's IN HIS NAME *gasp*. poor guy. he's been writing his name wrong his whole life. he can get difficult tricky kanji correct, but not his own name... felt so bad for him. on a funny note though, he said, "i really just want to go home now and ask my wife to write my name for me... see if she gets it right" =P
- i went to my BOE yesterday after school, my BOE being on the 4th floor of the mall. i always end up running into students there because the library is also on the floor. when i went in, i saw 4 kids sitting around on a bench, and when i was about to leave, i ended up waiting with them at the elevator to go down to the first floor.
one of the girls i recognized from my huge elementary school. i asked if they were all from that school. they shook their heads. my student then said, "they're from fukuoka."
Fukuoka?? it's a school day. what are they doing on tsushima??
i started to ask if they were siblings or cousins (they were all realllly young by the way and all around the same age-ish). the boy of the group, who is obviously the oldest, points to my student and says, "she's my sister's daughter."
????!!!
i immediately ask the boy his age: 10. the girl: 8. wtf?! you're telling me that your mother is this girls grandmother? which would mean that the grandmother was still having kids until at least 2 years before her daughter was having kids? does that not sound messed up?
pointing at the boy, i ask my student, "so... so -- he's your uncle?"
*she nods*
but it gets better.
i then ask about the remaining two little girls in the group. i ask the boy who they are. "my siblings."
???!!!!
i ask the two little girls their ages. 6 and 6. "are you twins?" "no." HUH???!!! and the boy explains that one of them is going to turn 7 very soon.
*looking around*
is anyone else out there mildly to extremely disturbed by all this? i didn't have time to ask if my student had any younger siblings or how old her mother is, but assuming that her mother was at least 16 when she had her, that's still at least 16 years after giving birth to the mother that the grandmother is still having babies. i personally feel like once you become a grandmother, you should stop having kids of your own. cuz then things just get too weird. like this group of kids. i mean, if you think about it, those 6 year olds. they're BOTH my students' aunts. and they're both younger than her. i can't even begin to describe to you all how much this all distresses me. very Father of the Bride 2.
______
more weird crap happened, but i'm beat. bedtime!
- Till now, I've discovered that between one of my small elementary schools and the fairly large junior high it filters into, there is a family of 5 sisters. the 2 oldest are in middle school, and the 3rd and 4th sisters are in elementary school. the youngest isn't school age yet.
by now, i've figured that because i look asian (because i AM asian), that you generally have to know who i am in order to accost me. that is to say, random people dont greet me for being a foreinger because i normally dont stand out.
i was waiting for the elevator at the mall the other day when i say a little girl sitting in her mother's shopping cart and eating a popsicle. she was having some issues, so her mother helped her squeeze some of the popsicle up. i thought it was absolutely adorable, so i started to chuckle to myself. then out of nowhere, i realize that the mother just said, "Eberin-sensei?" to me.
stunned, i answer, "Yes?" and she goes on to thank me for teaching her kids that go to such and such schools. once i heard the school names, i figured that the only family it could be was the family with 5 girls. and then i realized, "Oh! Is this #5?" to which she laughed and said, "yes."
i told my JTE the next day who teaches at the junior high. i told her that i now know the whole family, to which she asked, "have you met the father yet?" "no. i guess i dont know the whole family after all."
literally, an hour later, a man comes up to the teacher's room window looking for the principle, and my JTE turns to me and says, "it's natsuko and akira's father! now you've seen the whole family!"
pretty nuts, eh?
- hands down, my favorite Kyoto-sensei / Head Teacher / Vice Principal is the one at Kuta Junior High School. since my desk is next to his, i always turn to him and ask him random questions, and they always lead to awesome conversations. he reallly puts thought into his answers, and he always goes out of his way to explain something to me. not to mention the fact that everytime we finish a conversation, we both feel like we've learned something about one another's culture.
thanks to chieze, his DS, and his kanji game, i've discovered over the past month how i've been writing chinese characters and kanji in the wrong stroke orders my entire life. quite upsetting really.
in attempt to start afresh, i turned and asked the kyoto-sensei what the stroke orders were to a few of the words that always mess me up. the kocho-sensei (principal) overheard us talking, and walked over to where we were and decided to join in on the conversation. he then started quizzing me on some kanji, all which i failed to write correctly. and he knew some pretty tricky kanji too. he seemed pretty confident with his stroke orders, and considering he's a principal, been teaching for years, and is 59 years old (no really, he is), i take his word for it.
our 3-person conversation eventually spread throughout the entire teachers room, and i can honestly say not a person in the room went home without having his or her world rocked.
one of the teachers found a stroke-order website that illustrates how to write correctly, complete with an animation: http://kakijun.main.jp. my JTE then started inputting words she always wondered about, one of which was the first kanji in Hakata (an area of Fukuoka): 博. most people in the room thought that the dot in the upper right hand corner goes last, but actually, it's not. everyone was shocked. ESPECIALLY the principal. why? because it's IN HIS NAME *gasp*. poor guy. he's been writing his name wrong his whole life. he can get difficult tricky kanji correct, but not his own name... felt so bad for him. on a funny note though, he said, "i really just want to go home now and ask my wife to write my name for me... see if she gets it right" =P
- i went to my BOE yesterday after school, my BOE being on the 4th floor of the mall. i always end up running into students there because the library is also on the floor. when i went in, i saw 4 kids sitting around on a bench, and when i was about to leave, i ended up waiting with them at the elevator to go down to the first floor.
one of the girls i recognized from my huge elementary school. i asked if they were all from that school. they shook their heads. my student then said, "they're from fukuoka."
Fukuoka?? it's a school day. what are they doing on tsushima??
i started to ask if they were siblings or cousins (they were all realllly young by the way and all around the same age-ish). the boy of the group, who is obviously the oldest, points to my student and says, "she's my sister's daughter."
????!!!
i immediately ask the boy his age: 10. the girl: 8. wtf?! you're telling me that your mother is this girls grandmother? which would mean that the grandmother was still having kids until at least 2 years before her daughter was having kids? does that not sound messed up?
pointing at the boy, i ask my student, "so... so -- he's your uncle?"
*she nods*
but it gets better.
i then ask about the remaining two little girls in the group. i ask the boy who they are. "my siblings."
???!!!!
i ask the two little girls their ages. 6 and 6. "are you twins?" "no." HUH???!!! and the boy explains that one of them is going to turn 7 very soon.
*looking around*
is anyone else out there mildly to extremely disturbed by all this? i didn't have time to ask if my student had any younger siblings or how old her mother is, but assuming that her mother was at least 16 when she had her, that's still at least 16 years after giving birth to the mother that the grandmother is still having babies. i personally feel like once you become a grandmother, you should stop having kids of your own. cuz then things just get too weird. like this group of kids. i mean, if you think about it, those 6 year olds. they're BOTH my students' aunts. and they're both younger than her. i can't even begin to describe to you all how much this all distresses me. very Father of the Bride 2.
______
more weird crap happened, but i'm beat. bedtime!
Monday, February 19, 2007
to phil
this one goes out to "Phil, ex Tsushima JET 2003-2004 Kamiagata ALT"
first of all, thank you for your comments. and also, for completely ruining my day.
so before i came to japan this time around for the JET Program, i swore to myself that i would NEVER become one of those JETs.. you know, the kind of JET who thinks s/he knows everything there is to know about Japan. the kind of JET that makes all other JETs ashamed to be fellow JETs.
i've always tried to take a step back at any given point in my life, take a look at where i am, what i'm thinking, what i believe in, how i act... and try to make sure that i'm not being too bias or too ignorant or too unfair. i'd like to hope that i'm constantly trying to take strides towards becoming a better human being.
so when something like a stranger halfway around the world whom i've never met, much less even heard of, decides to berate me on something i decide to write on MY personal blog detailing my own personal thoughts, i take offense.
in case you haven't seen it yet, mr. "phil", a former Tsushima JET, decided to "educate" me on how much i should "appreciate" where i live and how i should stop "bitching" about my placement.
Asshole -- you've got it alllll backwards.
i'd like to point your attention to the first thing you wrote to me: "Wow, you're probably the 10000th person on JET who has bitched about their placement in 20 years." I'm sorry, sir. where in my post did i SPECIFICALLY mention that i hate living in Izuhara? or that i hate living in Tsushima? or that i hate living in Japan? or did i once even use the word "hate"?
secondly, do you even KNOW me? have we ever met? last time i checked, i didn't even know you existed. how long have you been reading my blog? and how long did it even take you to find my blog? and does anyone find it uncanny that the one time i decide to poke fun at some aspects of japanese culture, that mr. japanophile here decides to get all up on my case about not "understanding the awe, the inspiration" that is tsushima? did you even know that i studied japanese for 4 years in university? or that i studied abroad in Japan for 5 months prior to the JET Program? kinda weird that someone with so much background in japanese would want to live in japan again, especially if they hate it so much and can't appreciate it, dont you think?
i dont know how long you've been reading about my experiences here, but if you bothered to read past the post you so rudely voiced your unwanted opinions on, you'd find that i LOVE it here. i love tsushima so much that i have the guts to do what you never did -- stay on the island a second year. that's right. i've only been here for 6 months, but after month 3 i already knew i wanted to stay a second year. you say it took you "a solid 8 months" to like tsushima? what the hell gives YOU the right to preach to ME about liking it here??
what i found most upseting about your comments is that they actually made me question myself. between you and me, one of us is being one of those JETs. the kind who thinks s/he knows everything about japan. one of us is being ignorant. i can't believe i for a second believed it could be me.
anyone who knows me, such as the people who i keep this blog up for, know that i wrote that entry half-jokingly. that as sarcastic as i may sound, deep down, i love being in japan. i like learning about how different my culture is from japan's. i never write with the intention of insisting that the US is somehow superior to Japan, or the other way around. i simply write with the intention of sharing my experiences and insights with people i care about. it is NOT for embittered ex-JETs who believe they're somehow better than everyone else to piss all over. take your ego and your pretentious bullshit and harass someone else. move on with your life. you're no longer in japan, and i'm sorry if you're jealous that i am. stop stalking people on the internet and trying to pick fights with people you dont even know. get up from your computer, go outside and enjoy the sunshine. sounds like you could use it.
first of all, thank you for your comments. and also, for completely ruining my day.
so before i came to japan this time around for the JET Program, i swore to myself that i would NEVER become one of those JETs.. you know, the kind of JET who thinks s/he knows everything there is to know about Japan. the kind of JET that makes all other JETs ashamed to be fellow JETs.
i've always tried to take a step back at any given point in my life, take a look at where i am, what i'm thinking, what i believe in, how i act... and try to make sure that i'm not being too bias or too ignorant or too unfair. i'd like to hope that i'm constantly trying to take strides towards becoming a better human being.
so when something like a stranger halfway around the world whom i've never met, much less even heard of, decides to berate me on something i decide to write on MY personal blog detailing my own personal thoughts, i take offense.
in case you haven't seen it yet, mr. "phil", a former Tsushima JET, decided to "educate" me on how much i should "appreciate" where i live and how i should stop "bitching" about my placement.
Asshole -- you've got it alllll backwards.
i'd like to point your attention to the first thing you wrote to me: "Wow, you're probably the 10000th person on JET who has bitched about their placement in 20 years." I'm sorry, sir. where in my post did i SPECIFICALLY mention that i hate living in Izuhara? or that i hate living in Tsushima? or that i hate living in Japan? or did i once even use the word "hate"?
secondly, do you even KNOW me? have we ever met? last time i checked, i didn't even know you existed. how long have you been reading my blog? and how long did it even take you to find my blog? and does anyone find it uncanny that the one time i decide to poke fun at some aspects of japanese culture, that mr. japanophile here decides to get all up on my case about not "understanding the awe, the inspiration" that is tsushima? did you even know that i studied japanese for 4 years in university? or that i studied abroad in Japan for 5 months prior to the JET Program? kinda weird that someone with so much background in japanese would want to live in japan again, especially if they hate it so much and can't appreciate it, dont you think?
i dont know how long you've been reading about my experiences here, but if you bothered to read past the post you so rudely voiced your unwanted opinions on, you'd find that i LOVE it here. i love tsushima so much that i have the guts to do what you never did -- stay on the island a second year. that's right. i've only been here for 6 months, but after month 3 i already knew i wanted to stay a second year. you say it took you "a solid 8 months" to like tsushima? what the hell gives YOU the right to preach to ME about liking it here??
what i found most upseting about your comments is that they actually made me question myself. between you and me, one of us is being one of those JETs. the kind who thinks s/he knows everything about japan. one of us is being ignorant. i can't believe i for a second believed it could be me.
anyone who knows me, such as the people who i keep this blog up for, know that i wrote that entry half-jokingly. that as sarcastic as i may sound, deep down, i love being in japan. i like learning about how different my culture is from japan's. i never write with the intention of insisting that the US is somehow superior to Japan, or the other way around. i simply write with the intention of sharing my experiences and insights with people i care about. it is NOT for embittered ex-JETs who believe they're somehow better than everyone else to piss all over. take your ego and your pretentious bullshit and harass someone else. move on with your life. you're no longer in japan, and i'm sorry if you're jealous that i am. stop stalking people on the internet and trying to pick fights with people you dont even know. get up from your computer, go outside and enjoy the sunshine. sounds like you could use it.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
conspiracy theories
now officially past the living-in-japan-for-6-months-straight point, and bringing me to a grand total of 11 months spent living in japan in my life, i've stumbled upon a couple of conspiracy theories which i'm sure are wholly unoriginal, but i'm going to voice them anyway.
- Japanese people only drink diuretics. At least that's all they sell or offer you when you pay them visits. Vending machines, home visits, school visits... everywhere you go, the most readily available liquids are chock full of caffeine, which for me spells out multiple trips to the bathroom. what do you do when you want to quench your thirst? drink coffee or tea. and what does that do? make you more thirsty. this way, you keep evilly spending money on drinks that keep making you thirsty.
- Non-insulated homes keep the blanket, heaters, and kotatsu-makers in business. Why is it that as brilliant as insulated homes are, japanese people still build non-insulated homes? because it's cool to have a kotatsu in your home. because it's neat to have a toilet seat warmed 24/7. because fuzzy blanket and heater manufacturers all over this country would be bankrupt otherwise. if you make an insulated home, you're taking away from the traditions of desperately staying warm during winter, and we couldn't have that happening, now could we.
- Japanese people wear layers and layers of clothing during winter because they have no body fat. Why is it that I, who has only known the Bay Area's Mediterranean weather (which is always mild), can get away with wearing only a t-shirt and a fleece to school in the dead of winter, while the teachers around me that have lived in Tsushima the majority of their lives need to wear 4 layers at a time? because they're super skinny and possess no body fat. they need to keep in all the heat they can make. i, on the other hand, don't have this issue. my body is fine with breaking down fat to create heat. i only wish it'd break it down more rapidly *sigh*
- Teachers keep offering me stick-pointers so i dont ghetto-fy their kids. I dont know if stick-pointers are what they're called, but they're the sticks you use to point at stuff during class. you know, like a long skinny pole. a while back, i invested in a 100 yen fly swatter and cut it up so that it'd come to a point, and have been using it since during class when my arm gets tired. the kids think it's hilarious whenever i pull it out, and it says something about my personality: i dont mind being laughed at, and i'm frugal as hell.
i've now on 3 or 4 separate occasions at different schools been offered stick-pointers. the first one gave me a real stick pointer with a hand pointing at the end of the stick. the second occasion i was offered to use the teacher's stick pointer. today, one of the teachers offered me his high quality stick pointer that can extend/collapse into something the size of a ballpoint pen. it's so nifty it lights up at the end when extended. if teachers are trying to tell me they feel bad for me cuz they think i'm poor and they're trying to help me out, then i appreciate the sentiment. but if what they're really trying to say is, "we dont want you to ghetto-fy our kids and encourage them to do low-class stuff like cutting up a fly-swatter," then hell no, i'm going to keep using my fly swatter. it's got charm =)
- Japanese will never come out and tell you what they really mean. It's recently come to my attention that all the, "Aren't you cold??" comments i've been getting from teachers may not actually mean, "Aren't you cold?" Instead, it's been suggested that they're hinting for me to layer up. are you kidding?? if i'm comfortable with a t-shirt and a fleece, then i'm going to wear a t-shirt and a fleece to school, Homes. just because you're weak and possess no body fat and need to wear 5 layers of shirts and jackets to school doesn't mean that my body works the same way.
Also, it's recently come to my attention that i'm not supposed to eat in my taxi ride to school, or eat snacks (as in bread) in the teacher's room at school during non-lunchtime hours. i've only been doing these two things for the last 6 months, people. and no one ever decided to tell me that i shouldn't. my taxi drivers will on occasion ask, "so did you eat breakfast this morning?" or if i'm at school, a teacher will say, "is that breakfast?" when i'm eating at 10:30am, but no one in either department has ever said, "you're offending me by eating here." well, that's your loss. until you outright say i can't do something, i'm going to keep playing the oblivious gaijin card. muahahhaa.
Japanese people sometimes make me want to cry from their being so circumlocutory and backwards. Japanese society also makes my soul die a little more each time i find out something new. *sigh*. dont worry people; someday i shall return permanently to the States =)
- Japanese people only drink diuretics. At least that's all they sell or offer you when you pay them visits. Vending machines, home visits, school visits... everywhere you go, the most readily available liquids are chock full of caffeine, which for me spells out multiple trips to the bathroom. what do you do when you want to quench your thirst? drink coffee or tea. and what does that do? make you more thirsty. this way, you keep evilly spending money on drinks that keep making you thirsty.
- Non-insulated homes keep the blanket, heaters, and kotatsu-makers in business. Why is it that as brilliant as insulated homes are, japanese people still build non-insulated homes? because it's cool to have a kotatsu in your home. because it's neat to have a toilet seat warmed 24/7. because fuzzy blanket and heater manufacturers all over this country would be bankrupt otherwise. if you make an insulated home, you're taking away from the traditions of desperately staying warm during winter, and we couldn't have that happening, now could we.
- Japanese people wear layers and layers of clothing during winter because they have no body fat. Why is it that I, who has only known the Bay Area's Mediterranean weather (which is always mild), can get away with wearing only a t-shirt and a fleece to school in the dead of winter, while the teachers around me that have lived in Tsushima the majority of their lives need to wear 4 layers at a time? because they're super skinny and possess no body fat. they need to keep in all the heat they can make. i, on the other hand, don't have this issue. my body is fine with breaking down fat to create heat. i only wish it'd break it down more rapidly *sigh*
- Teachers keep offering me stick-pointers so i dont ghetto-fy their kids. I dont know if stick-pointers are what they're called, but they're the sticks you use to point at stuff during class. you know, like a long skinny pole. a while back, i invested in a 100 yen fly swatter and cut it up so that it'd come to a point, and have been using it since during class when my arm gets tired. the kids think it's hilarious whenever i pull it out, and it says something about my personality: i dont mind being laughed at, and i'm frugal as hell.
i've now on 3 or 4 separate occasions at different schools been offered stick-pointers. the first one gave me a real stick pointer with a hand pointing at the end of the stick. the second occasion i was offered to use the teacher's stick pointer. today, one of the teachers offered me his high quality stick pointer that can extend/collapse into something the size of a ballpoint pen. it's so nifty it lights up at the end when extended. if teachers are trying to tell me they feel bad for me cuz they think i'm poor and they're trying to help me out, then i appreciate the sentiment. but if what they're really trying to say is, "we dont want you to ghetto-fy our kids and encourage them to do low-class stuff like cutting up a fly-swatter," then hell no, i'm going to keep using my fly swatter. it's got charm =)
- Japanese will never come out and tell you what they really mean. It's recently come to my attention that all the, "Aren't you cold??" comments i've been getting from teachers may not actually mean, "Aren't you cold?" Instead, it's been suggested that they're hinting for me to layer up. are you kidding?? if i'm comfortable with a t-shirt and a fleece, then i'm going to wear a t-shirt and a fleece to school, Homes. just because you're weak and possess no body fat and need to wear 5 layers of shirts and jackets to school doesn't mean that my body works the same way.
Also, it's recently come to my attention that i'm not supposed to eat in my taxi ride to school, or eat snacks (as in bread) in the teacher's room at school during non-lunchtime hours. i've only been doing these two things for the last 6 months, people. and no one ever decided to tell me that i shouldn't. my taxi drivers will on occasion ask, "so did you eat breakfast this morning?" or if i'm at school, a teacher will say, "is that breakfast?" when i'm eating at 10:30am, but no one in either department has ever said, "you're offending me by eating here." well, that's your loss. until you outright say i can't do something, i'm going to keep playing the oblivious gaijin card. muahahhaa.
Japanese people sometimes make me want to cry from their being so circumlocutory and backwards. Japanese society also makes my soul die a little more each time i find out something new. *sigh*. dont worry people; someday i shall return permanently to the States =)
chopsticks
i was at my biggest junior high school the other day when one of the japanese teachers comes up to me and asks if i was free that day. i said, sure, since i usually am. she then hands me a stack of essays written by the third years, and asks me to read and comment on all of them. the topic was japanese culture, and they were specifically written so that i could theoretically read them (despite being written solely in japanese, kanji and all).
it took me about a day and a half of reading during free periods and in between classes to finally get through them all, some better written and more thoughtful than others. by far, the funniest thing that i read was this one girl's attempt at english amidst her explanation of "Rice and Chopsticks:"
"Chopsticks is very good.
Chopsticks is very pretty.
It is fighting for world peace.
Let's use chopsticks."
and here i thought only paid adults could create quality engrish. somehow, i feel like she got this off of a chopsticks case... only props to her more if she didn't ;D
it took me about a day and a half of reading during free periods and in between classes to finally get through them all, some better written and more thoughtful than others. by far, the funniest thing that i read was this one girl's attempt at english amidst her explanation of "Rice and Chopsticks:"
"Chopsticks is very good.
Chopsticks is very pretty.
It is fighting for world peace.
Let's use chopsticks."
and here i thought only paid adults could create quality engrish. somehow, i feel like she got this off of a chopsticks case... only props to her more if she didn't ;D
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
valentines day in japan... so far
so i:m at my biggest, busiest elementary school today (the one i loathe), and so far a couple of things have struck me:
- so during class, i:m teaching them how to make this valentines card mailbox which requires some tricky weaving of paper. for the nation that gave birth to origami, these kids are pretty slow when it comes to the concept of slip the paper INSIDE the other one, not lay it on TOP of the other. *sigh*. so long as they:re being quiet and i dont have to talk much, whatever.
- i just had one of the most bomb ass chocolates of my life, and it was made by a teacher. think of a bar of rich milk chocolate, and mix it with a brownie, and you have a soft, yet delectable piece of chocolate. i really regretted not janken-ing (row-sham-bow) for more.
- by far the randomest thing to happen to me today: at the end of lunch, one of the 4th graders comes up to me and shows me a ball of tissue in his hand and says, "Evelyn-sensei. My tooth fell out."
??!!!???!!
WOW. that:s soooo romantic, kid.
- so during class, i:m teaching them how to make this valentines card mailbox which requires some tricky weaving of paper. for the nation that gave birth to origami, these kids are pretty slow when it comes to the concept of slip the paper INSIDE the other one, not lay it on TOP of the other. *sigh*. so long as they:re being quiet and i dont have to talk much, whatever.
- i just had one of the most bomb ass chocolates of my life, and it was made by a teacher. think of a bar of rich milk chocolate, and mix it with a brownie, and you have a soft, yet delectable piece of chocolate. i really regretted not janken-ing (row-sham-bow) for more.
- by far the randomest thing to happen to me today: at the end of lunch, one of the 4th graders comes up to me and shows me a ball of tissue in his hand and says, "Evelyn-sensei. My tooth fell out."
??!!!???!!
WOW. that:s soooo romantic, kid.
Friday, February 09, 2007
thailand and cambodia pictures!!
at long last, i've finished uploading and posting my pictures from thailand and cambodia. i'm sorry for being such a slacker and not getting these up sooner, guys =( at least now i can start blogging again without feeling guilty about not having pics up yet ;D
no offense to anyone who's posted pictures of their trips before, but i tried really hard with my pictures to only post pertinent pictures. that is to say, i didn't put up EVERY SINGLE PICTURE i took. i tried my best to only put up representative pictures. so those of you who want an idea of what i did, you should feel relieved. those to want to see every step i took and every angle of every building i saw, you're out of luck =(
you can check out my pictures in three movements:
Album I: First 3 days or so spent in Bangkok
Album II: The trip to Siem Reap (Cambodia) and back to Bangkok (~4 days)
Album III: Our last week, spent in Thailand. Mainly pictures of Krabi (where we did all sort of non-sightseeing activities), and some of our day trip to Ayuthaya, the former capital. Pictures of our last few days in Bangkok, as well as some of Jayne's pics, are scattered throughout the album too.
Enjoy!
no offense to anyone who's posted pictures of their trips before, but i tried really hard with my pictures to only post pertinent pictures. that is to say, i didn't put up EVERY SINGLE PICTURE i took. i tried my best to only put up representative pictures. so those of you who want an idea of what i did, you should feel relieved. those to want to see every step i took and every angle of every building i saw, you're out of luck =(
you can check out my pictures in three movements:
Album I: First 3 days or so spent in Bangkok
Album II: The trip to Siem Reap (Cambodia) and back to Bangkok (~4 days)
Album III: Our last week, spent in Thailand. Mainly pictures of Krabi (where we did all sort of non-sightseeing activities), and some of our day trip to Ayuthaya, the former capital. Pictures of our last few days in Bangkok, as well as some of Jayne's pics, are scattered throughout the album too.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
easily amused.... by the garbage
i'm sorry, but i just have to share this. the other day when i was at an elementary school, i glanced over at the garbage can that is between my desk and the Vice Principal's desk. there i made the following shocking discovery:
(sorry, it's not funny unless you know japanese..)
i was laughing to myself like an idiot the ENTIRE day because of this, so i finally gave in and took a picture of it with my cellphone. isn't it hilarious??!!
(sorry, it's not funny unless you know japanese..)
i was laughing to myself like an idiot the ENTIRE day because of this, so i finally gave in and took a picture of it with my cellphone. isn't it hilarious??!!
thoughts and updates
boy do i suck at life. i'm sorry i haven't updated this thing in so long, but i've been pretty busy lately. somehow every weekend has been jam-packed with gaijin gatherings, movie-watching, and generally being away from home. i'm still in the process of getting up pictures up from thailand and cambodia on imagestation and slapping some captions on them. if only my computer could get internet at school.... *sigh*
in other news, i had a very LAST MINUTE *ahem* guest come visit me from the States. none other than mr. chieze okoye, whose new nickname is Panda-chan. it's pretty funny how that came about. i originally started to call him Kuma-chan, kuma which means "bear" in japanese. what could be more fitting than the tallest black guy to ever step foot in tsushima, right? so i introduced chieze to mr. matsumura and his family, that family being my favorite here, and the one i'm most indebted to. that and the fact that they love meeting foreigners.... it's a no brainer that they all had to meet.
so, i tell mr. matsumura that chieze's nickname is Kuma-chan, and chieze immediately begins to deny it. my teacher's face started to scrunch up, and a few seconds later says, "wouldn't 'Panda-chan' be better? it's a softer name." and there you have it. history was made.
thanks for coming out, man. it was good to see a familiar face again.
in all the JET orientations and conferences, everyone keeps talking about how january-february are prime culture shock periods. everyone goes home in december, has a good time, comes back to japan, and boom -- you're freezing your butt off, you can't leave your home because it's so cold, you see less and less of your fellow english-speaking friends, you realize how backwards japan is.... recipe for homesickness and culture shock, right?
actually, i can honestly say that despite the reallllly cold weather, i'm happier in tsushima than i've ever been. our gaijin community is so small that everyone's gotten to know each other pretty quickly, and for the most part, we all get along super well. us southerners (me, jayne and aaron) are also super tight, and i can honestly say that they feel like family to me, to the point where i dont miss home at all. yes i get the occasional flashback of my bedroom, my mom cooking in the kitchen, my dad in his chair eating peanuts and channel surfing, my brother passed out on his bed from "studying".... then there are the times that i wish i could hop on my bike and head over to west campus and watch some dled tv shows... or just stroll down the hall and talk to my drawmates till 6am.... i sometimes forget that college life is behind me. but, with everything, i suppose there's a time for a beginning and a time for an end.
and speaking of endings, my time in tsushima has yet to end. just last week, i turned in my forms to recontract for a second year here. same job, same home, same community. one less school. unfortunately, my smallest school is closing at the end of march with the closing of the school year. for you people who have read my blog religiously, you'll recall that my smallest school is only 4 kids. they'll be merging into my second largest elementary school (Kuta Elementary) in april. actually, uchiyama is a "branch school" of Kuta Elementary, so there's no surprise there. but, some of you will also recall that mr. matsumura is a teacher at that small school. he still has no idea where he'll be teaching next year, but i really hope he stays in Izuhara. he's soooo gung-ho about team-teaching english with me, and it'd be a shame to stop when we just figured out a system that works for us.
since i haven't figured out what i'm doing with the rest of my life, and since i know i'll be in japan for another year, my new year's resolution is this: to pass Level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. it'll be in december, and i never intended on taking it before i got here. believe it or not, i feel like my japanese has gotten worse.... speaking-wise, i can bs a lot better now, but my reading and writing has gone downhill. telling myself i need to study for this test will be a good way of making surei dont squander my time in japan. again.
how've you people out there been? drop me a line somtime. i still care =)
--Evelyn
in other news, i had a very LAST MINUTE *ahem* guest come visit me from the States. none other than mr. chieze okoye, whose new nickname is Panda-chan. it's pretty funny how that came about. i originally started to call him Kuma-chan, kuma which means "bear" in japanese. what could be more fitting than the tallest black guy to ever step foot in tsushima, right? so i introduced chieze to mr. matsumura and his family, that family being my favorite here, and the one i'm most indebted to. that and the fact that they love meeting foreigners.... it's a no brainer that they all had to meet.
so, i tell mr. matsumura that chieze's nickname is Kuma-chan, and chieze immediately begins to deny it. my teacher's face started to scrunch up, and a few seconds later says, "wouldn't 'Panda-chan' be better? it's a softer name." and there you have it. history was made.
thanks for coming out, man. it was good to see a familiar face again.
in all the JET orientations and conferences, everyone keeps talking about how january-february are prime culture shock periods. everyone goes home in december, has a good time, comes back to japan, and boom -- you're freezing your butt off, you can't leave your home because it's so cold, you see less and less of your fellow english-speaking friends, you realize how backwards japan is.... recipe for homesickness and culture shock, right?
actually, i can honestly say that despite the reallllly cold weather, i'm happier in tsushima than i've ever been. our gaijin community is so small that everyone's gotten to know each other pretty quickly, and for the most part, we all get along super well. us southerners (me, jayne and aaron) are also super tight, and i can honestly say that they feel like family to me, to the point where i dont miss home at all. yes i get the occasional flashback of my bedroom, my mom cooking in the kitchen, my dad in his chair eating peanuts and channel surfing, my brother passed out on his bed from "studying".... then there are the times that i wish i could hop on my bike and head over to west campus and watch some dled tv shows... or just stroll down the hall and talk to my drawmates till 6am.... i sometimes forget that college life is behind me. but, with everything, i suppose there's a time for a beginning and a time for an end.
and speaking of endings, my time in tsushima has yet to end. just last week, i turned in my forms to recontract for a second year here. same job, same home, same community. one less school. unfortunately, my smallest school is closing at the end of march with the closing of the school year. for you people who have read my blog religiously, you'll recall that my smallest school is only 4 kids. they'll be merging into my second largest elementary school (Kuta Elementary) in april. actually, uchiyama is a "branch school" of Kuta Elementary, so there's no surprise there. but, some of you will also recall that mr. matsumura is a teacher at that small school. he still has no idea where he'll be teaching next year, but i really hope he stays in Izuhara. he's soooo gung-ho about team-teaching english with me, and it'd be a shame to stop when we just figured out a system that works for us.
since i haven't figured out what i'm doing with the rest of my life, and since i know i'll be in japan for another year, my new year's resolution is this: to pass Level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. it'll be in december, and i never intended on taking it before i got here. believe it or not, i feel like my japanese has gotten worse.... speaking-wise, i can bs a lot better now, but my reading and writing has gone downhill. telling myself i need to study for this test will be a good way of making surei dont squander my time in japan. again.
how've you people out there been? drop me a line somtime. i still care =)
--Evelyn
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
back in tsushima
it's my first day back at school already... where has time gone?!
rest assured, my travels were safe and tons of fun. luckily, over New Year's, my friends and I were in Krabi, Thailand, which is over an hour's flight from Bangkok. in other words, we were safe from the bombings in bangkok on new year's.
to sum up what we did....
- fly from Tsushima ->Fukuoka
- fly from Fukuoka -> Bangkok, Thailand
~~~spend a few days in Bangkok~~~
- taxi from Bangkok -> border btwn bangkok and cambodia
- taxi from the border to Siem Reap, Cambodia
~~~spend a few days in Siem Reap where Angkor Wat is~~~
- taxi back to the border and back to Bangkok
~~~spend a day in Bangkok~~~
- fly from Bangkok -> Krabi, Thailand (a resort town with many beaches and foreigners)
~~~spend a few days in Krabi~~~
- fly from Krabi -> Bangkok
~~~spend a few days in Bangkok~~~
- fly from Bangkok -> Fukuoka
- ferry back to Tsushima
my 2 week trip was a blast. warm weather, good company, lots of sightseeing, playing in the water and being out under the sun.... good times.
pictures and stories are coming soon! (^^)v
--ev
ps. i had the weirdest day yesterday. i found out 2 of my friends are engaged and that my cousin had a baby. i didn't even know was cousin was going to have a baby. you people rock my world.
rest assured, my travels were safe and tons of fun. luckily, over New Year's, my friends and I were in Krabi, Thailand, which is over an hour's flight from Bangkok. in other words, we were safe from the bombings in bangkok on new year's.
to sum up what we did....
- fly from Tsushima ->Fukuoka
- fly from Fukuoka -> Bangkok, Thailand
~~~spend a few days in Bangkok~~~
- taxi from Bangkok -> border btwn bangkok and cambodia
- taxi from the border to Siem Reap, Cambodia
~~~spend a few days in Siem Reap where Angkor Wat is~~~
- taxi back to the border and back to Bangkok
~~~spend a day in Bangkok~~~
- fly from Bangkok -> Krabi, Thailand (a resort town with many beaches and foreigners)
~~~spend a few days in Krabi~~~
- fly from Krabi -> Bangkok
~~~spend a few days in Bangkok~~~
- fly from Bangkok -> Fukuoka
- ferry back to Tsushima
my 2 week trip was a blast. warm weather, good company, lots of sightseeing, playing in the water and being out under the sun.... good times.
pictures and stories are coming soon! (^^)v
--ev
ps. i had the weirdest day yesterday. i found out 2 of my friends are engaged and that my cousin had a baby. i didn't even know was cousin was going to have a baby. you people rock my world.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
funniest picture of me ever
so normally i wouldn't post drunk pictures of me, but this picture by far takes the cake. this kodak moment is brought to you by jayne/lurch/david south or whatever we're calling him today.
this almost looks like a Homer moment:
(to jayne: despite your skills, i should still go over there and CUT you for taking pictures of helplessly inebriated people =P)
this almost looks like a Homer moment:
(to jayne: despite your skills, i should still go over there and CUT you for taking pictures of helplessly inebriated people =P)
10 hours and counting...
i'm officially 10 hours away from the start of my winter vacation.... Thailand and Cambodia, here I come!!
Please forgive the hiatus in my blog for the next two weeks. i will hopefully be enjoying warm weather before reluctantly trekking back to the bitter cold here in Tsushima.
Hope you all have an awesome Christmas and New Year's! Don't get too drunk!
*muah!*
--ev
Please forgive the hiatus in my blog for the next two weeks. i will hopefully be enjoying warm weather before reluctantly trekking back to the bitter cold here in Tsushima.
Hope you all have an awesome Christmas and New Year's! Don't get too drunk!
*muah!*
--ev
Sunday, December 17, 2006
my first snow
so this is winter.
this morning, i woke up to the sun shining over the exact spot that i rest my head at night. figuring it was sunny outside, i thought about how one of my teachers told me on thursday that it was supposed to snow today. yeah right.
an hour later, i finally dragged myself out of my bed, and doing my morning routine, opened my curtains briefly to see what the weather was like. and lo and behold -- it's snowing!!!
if it's one thing i've heard just under a billion times since arriving in tsushima, it's 1) "It's cold here in winter," and 2) "The snow doesn't pack down in Tsushima," or some roundabout way of saying that snow melts pretty quickly, so you dont really get to play in the snow.
as soon as i saw it was snowing, i called my closest neighbor, Jayne/David South, probably woke him up, and yelled out, "Look outside your window!!!" Both of us being Californians, we've been mutually looking forward to seeing snow fall. while i have technically seen snow fall, it's never snowed where I live. looks like things have just changed.
the weather today truly is bizarre though. it's either lightly snowing, or it's sunny. i can't explain it. right now, i'm looking out my window and seeing a greyish cloud, outlined by the sun, and in the background, a very blue sky. i just dont know what to make out of the sky here. usually, back in the bay area, i could wake up in the morning, look at the clouds, and figure whether or not it would rain that day. but here, i can't tell anything at all.
in a stroke of retardation, i thought it'd be a good day to do laundry. so i did. except with the on and off snow, i can't hang my clothes up outside, so i've been hanging them up in my bedroom with the window and sliding glass door open. i finally couldn't stand how cold my room is, so i've shut all the windows, and resigned to the fact that it's going to take the next few days to dry my clothes. blargh.
i'm now officially four days away from my trip to Thailand. according to weather reports, it's something like the mid 80sF in Thailand (~29C), while it's been about highs around 14C over the last week. while i look forward to going to where it'll be pleasantly warm, i'm NOT looking forward to when we come back and are greeted by the blistering cold here. *sniffle* at least it'll be a glorious 2 weeks in beautifully warm weather.
and i officially can't type my hands are so cold.... must... warm.. them... now....
this morning, i woke up to the sun shining over the exact spot that i rest my head at night. figuring it was sunny outside, i thought about how one of my teachers told me on thursday that it was supposed to snow today. yeah right.
an hour later, i finally dragged myself out of my bed, and doing my morning routine, opened my curtains briefly to see what the weather was like. and lo and behold -- it's snowing!!!
if it's one thing i've heard just under a billion times since arriving in tsushima, it's 1) "It's cold here in winter," and 2) "The snow doesn't pack down in Tsushima," or some roundabout way of saying that snow melts pretty quickly, so you dont really get to play in the snow.
as soon as i saw it was snowing, i called my closest neighbor, Jayne/David South, probably woke him up, and yelled out, "Look outside your window!!!" Both of us being Californians, we've been mutually looking forward to seeing snow fall. while i have technically seen snow fall, it's never snowed where I live. looks like things have just changed.
the weather today truly is bizarre though. it's either lightly snowing, or it's sunny. i can't explain it. right now, i'm looking out my window and seeing a greyish cloud, outlined by the sun, and in the background, a very blue sky. i just dont know what to make out of the sky here. usually, back in the bay area, i could wake up in the morning, look at the clouds, and figure whether or not it would rain that day. but here, i can't tell anything at all.
in a stroke of retardation, i thought it'd be a good day to do laundry. so i did. except with the on and off snow, i can't hang my clothes up outside, so i've been hanging them up in my bedroom with the window and sliding glass door open. i finally couldn't stand how cold my room is, so i've shut all the windows, and resigned to the fact that it's going to take the next few days to dry my clothes. blargh.
i'm now officially four days away from my trip to Thailand. according to weather reports, it's something like the mid 80sF in Thailand (~29C), while it's been about highs around 14C over the last week. while i look forward to going to where it'll be pleasantly warm, i'm NOT looking forward to when we come back and are greeted by the blistering cold here. *sniffle* at least it'll be a glorious 2 weeks in beautifully warm weather.
and i officially can't type my hands are so cold.... must... warm.. them... now....
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
insane christmas lights
highlight of my day, and proof that i'm easily amused:
Christmas Lights
i laughed so hard i was crying already when i was only 5 seconds into the video, and it's 3 minutes long. that's 3 minutes of nonstop crying, pointing, clapping, and enjoyment. it's THAT amazing. watch it! it's enjoy! =P
Christmas Lights
i laughed so hard i was crying already when i was only 5 seconds into the video, and it's 3 minutes long. that's 3 minutes of nonstop crying, pointing, clapping, and enjoyment. it's THAT amazing. watch it! it's enjoy! =P
Sunday, December 10, 2006
a classroom no-no
a few days ago i was teaching my third and fourth graders in an elementary school how to say their birthdays in English. After gauging their ability level, it seemed all 10 of them were able to say their birthdays for the most part, so i went around the circle and asked them to answer "When is your birthday?" out loud.
when it was this one boy's turn, he just stared at me in fright, and couldn't seem to say anything. so i tried to break it down for him, saw the slip of paper i asked everyone to write their birthdays on, and tried to help him pronounce his month and date. he just sort of murmured "uhh... uuuh.." without forming any real words. after about 15 seconds, i decided that i should move on and went on to the next person.
as i went down the line, i had the typical reaction that almost all my students have. that is, if there's an adult around who can help them, they won't try to think about what to say first. they will immediately look to the adult for help.
just my luck, the principal was watching all my classes that day, so she was speaking into each student's ear when it was their turn. it normally wouldn't bother me that there was an adult helping them out because that means less of me using my voice (which is really the only valuable thing i have to offer all my schools), but the fact that she was the kind of adult that because she thinks she has such a grand mastery of English and the children dont, that she assumes that the children need her help. i honestly believe that if given a moment, these kids can produce what i'm asking. literally, if the child didn't start responding within half a second, the principal would start feeding them what to say. and it reallllly started to bug me. the kids just look to the principal, she tells them slowly what to say, their turn is over, and the child can happily forget what i've been working the last 40 minutes to teach them. splendid.
call it tough love, but i think if you put someone on the spot, they'll remember those moments better. if you ask someone to achieve something in front of the class and they do it successfully, it'll stick. kids and adults alike will relive it over and over again and they'll remember what they did. in the same way, i believe that if these kids can try and say their birthdays just once in front of the class, just so they can hear their own voice speak in english apart from their voices drowned among their classmates when asked to respond as a mass, and they accomplish that feat, that it'll stick and at least they'll be that more likely to remember what they learned.
what probably bothers me most are the kids who don't try. i know these kids are only 9 years old, but that's not an excuse to not try. the kids who look immediately to that adult behind them... those are the ones that break my heart. i believe they can do it. i wish they'd have a little more confidence in themselves.
anyway, back to my earlier reference about the boy who didn't say anything on his turn to say his birthday. after class, i talk to my English teacher/correspondent at that school, who's the Special Ed teacher there. he told me in english that that boy, "He can't speak Japanese."
well, that changes things a little. he looked full japanese to me too. maybe he just moved here.
and then he goes on to correct himself in japanese. it wasn't that the kid couldn't speak japanese. it's that he can't speak. at all. my first encounter with a mute. i still dont know much about that kid's situation, but i'm really curious how teachers know if he's learning anything without feedback...
anyway, the teacher apologized for not pointing out his 2 special ed kids and warning me ahead of time not to put them on the spot like that. i apologized for being a jerk, and took a mental note to be careful the next time i return.
but this kid got me thinking. the other special ed kid was one of the people who immediately looked to the principal for help. that's fine. she's a special ed kid. hence, she needs more help. but what are the normal kids' excuses? if you're a capable human being, act that way. how am i supposed to know who's special ed or not if everyone acts the same damn way? what distinguishes the normal from the special needs kids? they're not all helpless. i know they're not. kids, here is my bottom line: if you're capable, then try. you may actually learn something in the process.
rant over.
when it was this one boy's turn, he just stared at me in fright, and couldn't seem to say anything. so i tried to break it down for him, saw the slip of paper i asked everyone to write their birthdays on, and tried to help him pronounce his month and date. he just sort of murmured "uhh... uuuh.." without forming any real words. after about 15 seconds, i decided that i should move on and went on to the next person.
as i went down the line, i had the typical reaction that almost all my students have. that is, if there's an adult around who can help them, they won't try to think about what to say first. they will immediately look to the adult for help.
just my luck, the principal was watching all my classes that day, so she was speaking into each student's ear when it was their turn. it normally wouldn't bother me that there was an adult helping them out because that means less of me using my voice (which is really the only valuable thing i have to offer all my schools), but the fact that she was the kind of adult that because she thinks she has such a grand mastery of English and the children dont, that she assumes that the children need her help. i honestly believe that if given a moment, these kids can produce what i'm asking. literally, if the child didn't start responding within half a second, the principal would start feeding them what to say. and it reallllly started to bug me. the kids just look to the principal, she tells them slowly what to say, their turn is over, and the child can happily forget what i've been working the last 40 minutes to teach them. splendid.
call it tough love, but i think if you put someone on the spot, they'll remember those moments better. if you ask someone to achieve something in front of the class and they do it successfully, it'll stick. kids and adults alike will relive it over and over again and they'll remember what they did. in the same way, i believe that if these kids can try and say their birthdays just once in front of the class, just so they can hear their own voice speak in english apart from their voices drowned among their classmates when asked to respond as a mass, and they accomplish that feat, that it'll stick and at least they'll be that more likely to remember what they learned.
what probably bothers me most are the kids who don't try. i know these kids are only 9 years old, but that's not an excuse to not try. the kids who look immediately to that adult behind them... those are the ones that break my heart. i believe they can do it. i wish they'd have a little more confidence in themselves.
anyway, back to my earlier reference about the boy who didn't say anything on his turn to say his birthday. after class, i talk to my English teacher/correspondent at that school, who's the Special Ed teacher there. he told me in english that that boy, "He can't speak Japanese."
well, that changes things a little. he looked full japanese to me too. maybe he just moved here.
and then he goes on to correct himself in japanese. it wasn't that the kid couldn't speak japanese. it's that he can't speak. at all. my first encounter with a mute. i still dont know much about that kid's situation, but i'm really curious how teachers know if he's learning anything without feedback...
anyway, the teacher apologized for not pointing out his 2 special ed kids and warning me ahead of time not to put them on the spot like that. i apologized for being a jerk, and took a mental note to be careful the next time i return.
but this kid got me thinking. the other special ed kid was one of the people who immediately looked to the principal for help. that's fine. she's a special ed kid. hence, she needs more help. but what are the normal kids' excuses? if you're a capable human being, act that way. how am i supposed to know who's special ed or not if everyone acts the same damn way? what distinguishes the normal from the special needs kids? they're not all helpless. i know they're not. kids, here is my bottom line: if you're capable, then try. you may actually learn something in the process.
rant over.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Minikui
So i totally forgot about this, but my roommate from university wrote this song for our japanese class presentation back during sophomore year. the tune and lyrics were all written by her, and if you understand a little bit of japanese, you'd probably find it a riot. during finals spring quarter of senior year, i finished on the first day, so i had tons of time to kill since everyone around me was cramming. sooo, i decided to make a music video for her song.
enjoy!
Click here to see the video!
enjoy!
Click here to see the video!
Monday, December 04, 2006
"Killing Me Slowly"
due very much to the influences of my fellow islanders, i have finally reworded my first song!
granted, i didn't reword the ramblings at the beginning of the song, and i think i added an extra verse, but you'll get the idea and i *think* you'll forgive me ;D Enjoy!
Killing Me Slowly
granted, i didn't reword the ramblings at the beginning of the song, and i think i added an extra verse, but you'll get the idea and i *think* you'll forgive me ;D Enjoy!
Killing Me Slowly
(To the tune of The Fugees – Killing Me Softly)
I heard it snowed a little
I heard it was minus 5
And so I went back home and laid in bed for a while
And then I heard the rain come
No stranger to my ears
Trapped in my home and it's winter
Watching my day just go by
Killing me slowly with this cold
Killing me slowly with this cold
Longing for Western insulation
Killing me slowly with this cold
I felt a little dizzy
From my kerosene high
And so I got up and sat under my warm kotatsu
I prayed my walls were thicker
But coldness kept right on
Trapped in my home and it's winter
Inhaling kerosene fumes
Killing me slowly with this cold
Killing me slowly with this cold
Praying for summer to come soon
Killing me slowly with this cold
And as I cooked my dinner
My hands were over the fire
And weak person I am I washed dishes with hot water
With my big ugly jacket
I try to beat the cold but I'm
Trapped in my home and it's winter
Lacking feeling in my toes
Killing me slowly with this cold
Killing me slowly with this cold
Seeing my breath as I sing this
Killing me slowly with this cold
Saturday, December 02, 2006
cold feet
i sometimes wonder if i'll have 10 functional toes and 10 functional fingers by the time i return to the States.
the weather here is pret-ty harsh. because i'm cheap and determined to un-wimp myself, whenever i use my sink, it's always cold water running. and by cold water, i mean water that feels like there's been 10 ice cubes floating around in a single glass of water cold. there's really no point in refrigerating water; i can achieve the same coldness by just drinking my tap water.
if i wanted to use hot water, i'd have to flip a switch that turns on the hot water for both my sink and shower. but if i'm only going to wash off my hands really fast, and it takes several minutes for the water to heat up, i may as well just use the cold water.
the other day, for the first time ever, i washed my dishes here with HOT water, and it was glorious. i can't begin to tell you how long it's been since i've done that. for once, as i rinsed off my dishes, i saw steam rising up and disappearing... one of the most beautiful things i've seen in a long, long time. tragically, my hands were so cold that i couldn't even appreciate the hot water. my hands and feet get so cold sometimes that it takes super hot water for me to even begin feeling anything. this is in fact the system i use to judge whether something i've reheated is hot enough. if i can tell that the plate is going to burn my hand if i hold it too long (because it's hot enough to tickle my nerves past the layers of frozen-over epidermis), it's ready. sad, no?
luckily, there are remedies to the cold. there's my wonderful kotatsu (which i'm baking under, despite it being sunny yet cold outside, and 1:30 in the afternoon), kerosene heaters (which make me feel like i should wear a gas mask), and although out of the way, an onsen (hot spring/public bath) about a 20 min drive away, which i'll hopefully hit up later today. but until then, i'm comfy sitting where i am =)
the weather here is pret-ty harsh. because i'm cheap and determined to un-wimp myself, whenever i use my sink, it's always cold water running. and by cold water, i mean water that feels like there's been 10 ice cubes floating around in a single glass of water cold. there's really no point in refrigerating water; i can achieve the same coldness by just drinking my tap water.
if i wanted to use hot water, i'd have to flip a switch that turns on the hot water for both my sink and shower. but if i'm only going to wash off my hands really fast, and it takes several minutes for the water to heat up, i may as well just use the cold water.
the other day, for the first time ever, i washed my dishes here with HOT water, and it was glorious. i can't begin to tell you how long it's been since i've done that. for once, as i rinsed off my dishes, i saw steam rising up and disappearing... one of the most beautiful things i've seen in a long, long time. tragically, my hands were so cold that i couldn't even appreciate the hot water. my hands and feet get so cold sometimes that it takes super hot water for me to even begin feeling anything. this is in fact the system i use to judge whether something i've reheated is hot enough. if i can tell that the plate is going to burn my hand if i hold it too long (because it's hot enough to tickle my nerves past the layers of frozen-over epidermis), it's ready. sad, no?
luckily, there are remedies to the cold. there's my wonderful kotatsu (which i'm baking under, despite it being sunny yet cold outside, and 1:30 in the afternoon), kerosene heaters (which make me feel like i should wear a gas mask), and although out of the way, an onsen (hot spring/public bath) about a 20 min drive away, which i'll hopefully hit up later today. but until then, i'm comfy sitting where i am =)
Friday, December 01, 2006
feeding the OTHER addiction
just when i thought my chocolate addiction was taking off, someone has tossed a stone in my bowl of soup to stir things up.
being a friday afternoon, i:m at my BOE as usual. when i walked into the bat cave, what:s that thing sitting on my desk? none other than my very own, brand spanking new laminator! my boss then came into my office and said that i could take it home if i wanted to.
alas, my days of dragging oversized laminating sheets to school and back are over.
with the advent of this laminator (it:s a nice one too; the kind all my schools have), i kinda feel obligated now to use it like crazy. they went through all the trouble of getting it for me when i asked like my third week here... my people rock =)
if you have suggestions for stuff to laminate, or want me to laminate anything for you, just lemme know, k? =P
being a friday afternoon, i:m at my BOE as usual. when i walked into the bat cave, what:s that thing sitting on my desk? none other than my very own, brand spanking new laminator! my boss then came into my office and said that i could take it home if i wanted to.
alas, my days of dragging oversized laminating sheets to school and back are over.
with the advent of this laminator (it:s a nice one too; the kind all my schools have), i kinda feel obligated now to use it like crazy. they went through all the trouble of getting it for me when i asked like my third week here... my people rock =)
if you have suggestions for stuff to laminate, or want me to laminate anything for you, just lemme know, k? =P
Thursday, November 30, 2006
super parking garages
as usual, i was watching my daily 10 minutes of tv in the morning. today they talked about new-age parking lots, and i have to give them credit -- they sound pretty cool.
first, it's valet. duh.
second, it's 1000 yen to start, and 300 yen per 30 minutes.
let's say you're shopping in the mall. you buy something. you buy a lot of stuff let's say. carrying it around the rest of the afternoon is going to be a pain, yes? instead of carrying it around, your bags can be passed along to the parking service, and one of the valets will bring your bags to your car for you. this is included in the price of your parking.
next, say you buy cake or something that requires refrigeration. they will keep your items in a fridge until you're ready to leave.
as you're paying for parking at a machine, if you have kids, a clown will sneak up on you out of nowhere to entertain your kids for you.
when you're ready to leave, you walk up to one of these stations that has a large barcode (hard to describe.. not the skinny bar, fat bar types you see in the States, but instead, it's square and looks like some sort of decorder with all these black blobs). some phones (like my kick-ass one) have built-in barcode readers. soo, hold up your phone to the barcode, tell your phone to read it, and on your phone, you'll see a map pop up of that parking lot, telling you how to get to your car. nuts.
apparently, they have the garage also divided into female and male drivers. the female spots are slightly wider than the male ones, because apparently, we don't know how to pull out of a parking spot (i slightly took offense at that one).
at the end of the segment, the commentators said something to the effect of "with the advent of these parking garages, i guess we'll see less fathers at the mall." haha... stupid, but i think it's a fair statement.
the whole time i sat there watching this, i couldn't stop shaking my head, partly because i thought, "this is soooo japanese." partly because i was fascinated that they seemed to have thought of everything. and partly because a little part of me was dying inside, wondering how japanese people can think it's ingenious to come up with the ultimate parking garage, and still fail to realize that hey, insulation in your home ain't a bad idea after all.
first, it's valet. duh.
second, it's 1000 yen to start, and 300 yen per 30 minutes.
let's say you're shopping in the mall. you buy something. you buy a lot of stuff let's say. carrying it around the rest of the afternoon is going to be a pain, yes? instead of carrying it around, your bags can be passed along to the parking service, and one of the valets will bring your bags to your car for you. this is included in the price of your parking.
next, say you buy cake or something that requires refrigeration. they will keep your items in a fridge until you're ready to leave.
as you're paying for parking at a machine, if you have kids, a clown will sneak up on you out of nowhere to entertain your kids for you.
when you're ready to leave, you walk up to one of these stations that has a large barcode (hard to describe.. not the skinny bar, fat bar types you see in the States, but instead, it's square and looks like some sort of decorder with all these black blobs). some phones (like my kick-ass one) have built-in barcode readers. soo, hold up your phone to the barcode, tell your phone to read it, and on your phone, you'll see a map pop up of that parking lot, telling you how to get to your car. nuts.
apparently, they have the garage also divided into female and male drivers. the female spots are slightly wider than the male ones, because apparently, we don't know how to pull out of a parking spot (i slightly took offense at that one).
at the end of the segment, the commentators said something to the effect of "with the advent of these parking garages, i guess we'll see less fathers at the mall." haha... stupid, but i think it's a fair statement.
the whole time i sat there watching this, i couldn't stop shaking my head, partly because i thought, "this is soooo japanese." partly because i was fascinated that they seemed to have thought of everything. and partly because a little part of me was dying inside, wondering how japanese people can think it's ingenious to come up with the ultimate parking garage, and still fail to realize that hey, insulation in your home ain't a bad idea after all.
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