Happy Hari

We got back a bit a little while ago from the Hari Race (Dragon Boat Race), exhausted but very pleased with our day! We had a lot of fun hanging out with teachers and students and friends, and then even meeting some crazy old Japanese men after the festivities were over. I will post pictures soon!

and the earth trembles... for an update

Jon and I were rudely awoken by this, a 4.2 earthquake that violently rumbled through our little apartment. We should be used to these by now, and I do still like them, but once I wake up after getting 8 hours of sleep, even if it is a weekend, my body won't let me fall back to sleep. Which is fine really, because today Jon and I will have our driving lessons. Our practical driving test is Wednesday and we wanted to get at least one lesson in beforehand, so wish us luck! The test is in Japanese so it might be frustrating, but we hope to pass it!

Tomorrow, I (and hopefully Jon) will be participating in Chinen Elementary School's Dragon Boat Race. I can't wait! I get to row with my 6h grade students, some of which are in my English club. Also, I have been looking forward to this cultural event since I found out about it.

Jon and I have been all over the place recently, to castles, "haunted hotels", traditional Okinawan houses, and even to the art museum, so hopefully you've checked out our photos at those places. I plan to write a blog about the art museum and the hotel, so hopefully I will have time soon. I've been so busy at work I can't even check my email, and exhausted when I get home!

Until next time...

rain rain go away

The sky opened up and started pouring buckets and buckets of rain on us today, all day. Hot, muggy weather, and hot sticky making rain. Ew! I hope rainy season doesn't last for long!


Oh yeah, and Jon and I watched in awe this morning as our rice cooker exploded. Now I understand why there are warnings about putting anything other than rice and water in them. However, the carnitas we were attempting to make turned out fabulous after we cleaned out the steam escape and tried again. We are finding we can do much more than we ever attempted in the US.

bathroom mistake

So Jon and I ate a KuruKuma, a thai food restaurant with a beautiful view, last night. We had a very spicy beef curry dish with nan bread, and a papaya salad. The salad was so spicy we went though two pitchers of water trying to eat it! Because of all the liquid I drank, I had to use the restroom pretty bad on our way out. Unfortunately, there was a lady in the women's one stall. I waited while brushing my hair and doing my makeup at the sink, but she still wasn't done yet, and was making some throat clearing noises. So I went out of the small restroom, figuring she needed some privacy to do her thing. Finally, I heard the sink and was filled with the joy of knowing I could soon empty my bladder. You can just imagine the look on both of our faces when a man came out of the women's restroom. He just looked at me wide eyed, then looked at the sign on the wall. I was laughing hysterically at his aloofness. He quickly realized what had happened, said a shameful "so-ri", and bowed before quickly walking back to his table. As I ran in to relieve myself, I thought to myself how lucky he was he only had me to face in his major faux pas.

star light, star bright, first... firefly I see tonight?

Jon and I decided to walk to the grocery store tonight, and on the way back we saw a flicker of a green light on the ground to our right. We stopped, asked each other if we had seen what we had seen, and upon confirmation, waited to see it again. It was a little pulsing, intense green light. I took a picture with the flash, but could barely make out the little guy. I looked up "glowing bugs" when we got back to find out that it was indeed a firefly. How cool is that? Too bad it wasn't flying, like the ones I saw on Tokashiki, but, there will be other days to see those again!

Funny Songs at Funny Times

So the Japanese love The Carpenters. They especially love the song "Top of the World". They love it so much that I heard a version of it recently at the entrance ceremony for the incoming 1st graders at Chinen Elementary. Now that's funny.

When I mentioned it to Jon, he said that one of the tunes on a cuckoo clock at his work is Mr. Lonely. That's funny too.

Also, whenever it's about closing time (maybe the last half hour) stores will play Auld Lang Syne.

This place is a crack-up, I tell ya!

Deliciousness Indeed!

This doesn't have so much to do with living in Japan as it does me just wanting to brag about doing something right in the kitchen for once! I just made the most delicious oatmeal cookies from scratch! Can you believe it? The girl who used to mess up brownies from a mix! Anyhow, I made two batches, one from a recipe which called them "healthy" but still called for 3 tablespoons of butter, and another from a recipe that was vegan, and called for applesauce. The problem only being that there is no applesauce readily available for purchase here in Japan, so I had to make my own from scratch. All in all, everything was pretty easy and the cookies came out fantastic. The so called healthy batch is better of course (doesn't butter make everything better?) and the vegan batch is still pretty good. Probably because I added a little peanut butter and just a tiny bit of olive oil so they'd have a more cookie-like consistency. The recipe consisted only of mashed banana, applesauce, crushed nuts, and oats, so I spiffed it up with raisins, about a teaspoon of peanut butter, and topped it off with healthy black sesame seeds. I love that I can taste just a tad of each of those flavors with every bite!

Needless to say, I'm very happy with my endeavor!

Here are the recipes if anyone wants to give it a try :)

healthy oatmeal cookies

vegan oatmeal cookies

If you do try these on your own, let me know what you think!

Japan is funny, America is funny too

Disclaimer: Now I realize I've only seen parts of the Japanese culture and have maximized some of the shortcomings of American culture here for comedic effect, so please just consider that this is my small, meaningless opinion with what may not be the full picture and sprinkled with humor before you attack me :)


Reason #1- Japan is a place where important ceremonies happen in sock feet. You see, you can't wear shoes inside, even in the workplace. Even if you have indoor shoes, graduation and entrance ceremonies take place in the gym which is a separate building, so people are given a bag for their outdoor shoes which they place under their seats. It's kind of funny to think that of important commencements, such as new students, teachers, and students leaving for the next step in their education, all taking place in sock feet.... Something Americans save only for pajama parties or at least the comfort of their own homes.

Reason #2- Japanese people I have encountered and heard about, do things Americans would be appalled at. Case in point, the other day Jon and I were grocery shopping. We were looking for applesauce so Jon went to find a clerk to help us find it. I was standing with the cart, when I realized a woman staring at me. I tried smiling at her, but she persisted in starting at me and then came over. She was an older woman, with her daughter. The mother said hello to me and I replied, after which she started rummaging through our cart! She proceeded to ask me questions, in Japanese of course, to which I pleaded with her that I didn't understand her. The conversation went on way too long while I was just trying do some innocent grocery shopping. She eventually told me she wanted me to teach her English, but I'm not interested in a student who is so nosy. There was another man in the grocery store that night who hassled us about the contents of our cart. Jon and I would never imagine doing that to another person, Japanese or other. I've heard from another ALT (from NZ) who lives on a smaller island who gets old grandmothers rummaging through his cart. It got to the point where he started doing it right back to them. Good for him, but I can't do that! Imagine your reaction if while at your local supermarket and some foreigner came up to you and started making comments about the contents of your cart.

Reason #3- Japanese people are more dependent and more independent than Americans. Americans like to think they are independent. We make our own decisions. For the most part, we have ourselves in mind before others when deciding how we want to live our lives: the jobs we choose, the relationships we make or keep, even the schools we go to. Japanese people, on the other hand, keep their families and their culture before themselves. When making decisions, they consult their families and evaluate the strain it would put on them if the individual makes a choice that might not be in the best interest of the family. However, it is not to say that these individuals are unhappy. I think most Japanese people have learned how to be content in the lives they feel they must lead. That's something Americans could learn. How many Americans do you know that are miserable because they feel like they have to live "their" lives a certain way. Who decides the ownership of a life anyway? Maybe we have it all wrong in America. Shouldn't the families who have helped raise a child from birth have some say in what that child does with their life? Maybe I've just been here too long. Anyhow, back to my point. American children have it made (in my area at least). Their parents pay for these children to have the best extracurriculars, daycare/maids, education, clothes and cars. Those children typically grow up resenting those very same parents for something else that wasn't provided. American children don't always grow up learning about how to be responsible for themselves, let alone their own families. I don't think Japanese people even have a word for resentment. These children clean their own schools, get themselves home from school on their own (first graders ride the bus home alone after a few trial runs with a parent, and it's not unusual to see school children walking home as late as 9pm on weeknights after their sports clubs or cram schools), care for themselves when they get home (unless Mom doesn't work, their parents work much longer hours), manage to do their own homework driven by their own self will, and just seem less helpless than American children. Japanese society depends on the individuals within it. Schools won't get cleaned if children decide they shouldn't have to clean them, the education system would fail if students stopped doing their homework, and the system would fail if adults decided to only work 8 hour days here. Therefore Japanese people are more dependent on each other than Americans who have designed their individual lives. Past the nuclear family, Americans don't really depend on each other though, they have set up their lives as independently as they can so they can feel... maybe, in control? I haven't seen any struggles for control in Japan. Not in the workplace, not in parking lots, not on streets, not anywhere. These people are ok with the fact that much of their lives have been decided for them. They do what they can with what they have and make the most of their situations, whatever the situation may be. They don't seem to be riddled with debt. They don't take vacations all the time to escape their realities. They seem to live complete, full lives and seem pretty happy in these lives. Americans have full lives, but seem pretty stressed out about these lives they lead. Just look at how many people are on meds for mental issues or pain, and how many people are suing their old friends for wrong doings. You won't find that in Japan. Doctors won't even give you painkillers in the hospital when you ask for them. Both times I asked, I was given acetaminophen (and left thinking, are you serious?).

Japanese people drive slowly, but they work quickly. Americans drive fast and work slow. I hope I take away from this place just enough to stay sane when I return to the US.

The price of our independence in America comes with a large price tag for therapy.


Reason #4- Japanese people seem to change their clothes at least once during their work day. Take my vice principal at Hyakuna for example. He is the crossing guard before school, so he wheres a suit, with a windbreaker on top. As soon as the morning bell rings he typically changes into his track suit, which he will wear in the office. Then after he eats lunch, he changes into grubby work clothes and work boots so he can work in the garden. After that he changes again, either into a business suit or a track suit again. I don't think Americans would ever change so many times in one work day.

I ♥ Japan

Japanese people (at least in social settings and on TV) are so jovial and happy. I love to laugh and am so happy to be amused by their silly antics on tv. It's like when I was in high school watching Mtv's The State and laughing hysterically at the skits. Even the commercials are hilarious. I wonder if, after I leave here, I will find myself watching the Japanese channel just to catch a laugh.

I forgot to say the other day that I also got an assigned parking place at Chinen sho this year... Which means there were assigned parking places last year too, but nobody told me. Which means I was stealing someone's spot for 9 months... And nobody told me. I'm telling you, foreigners will never completely assimilate. I will never know as much as someone who was born and raised here, no matter how long I stay. Which is fine. I just have to keep that in mind.

However, I was announced as a new teacher at Chinen chu, and given a welcome gift (potted flowers). So that made me quite happy. It's nice to feel appreciated in a place where so few things I do seem appreciated. Yesterday the principal and vice-principal told me they wanted me to stay at Chinen chu full time. Unfortuntely for them, it's my visiting school. I'm only there one day a week and I think the only reason I have to go there at all is because they just don't have enough ALTs in our district. The vice-principal there is really nice, so I enjoy my time there. I also like the idea of working with older kids, because I get to teach them to read in English. It seems weird, but they can't read English when they enter middle school. They have just learned the English alphabet and sounds at the end of 6th grade. I only hope my 6th graders from last year straighten up and settle down so we can actually accomplish some real learning. It's really a challenge trying to teach them phonics, in a language they don't know. Think about phonics worksheets.... Naming pictures, finding middle sounds with pictures, rhyming words... These all require a basic vocabulary in the language... It's a new challenge that I'm learning how to work around or at least work with!

American Consul General "attacked"

This is quasi-big news here. Apparently a 43 year old, unemployed (not sure what that has to do with it) man threw hot coffee on the Consul General's feet. He was possibly upset about this, US Navy ships docking in an Okinawan island, Ishigaki, port. It's only a 3 day stay, but the local government openly opposes any military presence on Ishigaki. The US Navy, and Japanese officials, however, say that the Navy does have the right to dock there. The military presence in Okinawa has been in debate for a long time, and I understand both sides of the issue. Prefectural government wants the economy benefit, but Okinawan parents of teenage girls object to the military fraternizing with their kin. I have seen a lot of dumbass military dudes, and also met a lot of nice people in the military here, so it's hard to choose a side in the issue. Anyhow, it's interesting nonetheless. According to this article, this is only the second time US has called port since 1972. However, it does go on to say that it could be for reasons other than the US is declaring at the moment.

Oh yeah, and I have met the Consul, actually, Jon and I had dinner at his home, a very nice house with a great view! He was a nice enough guy, if you like down-home Southerners. I guess his Japanese wife does! He does like to close his eyes when he talks and goes way off topic (both times I met him), but he must do a decent job if Japan is eyes him for the next foreign affairs ministry position.

Anyways, my point once again: I like being a foreigner here. I can observe and not have to get too heated, like I would back in the states.

I want to add that I recently read an interesting article about crime in Japan, Okinawa, and the US Military. The author plays devil's advocate a bit, but the article shows how numbers are skewed to make the military here look a lot worse than they might actually be.