たんじょおび！

Today is my 25th birthday. It's Friday and my plans for the evening are still open but I think I'll be happy no matter what I do tonight. The three English teachers that I work with at Naruto Tech are having a small get together for me during 6th period and I'm interested to see what all will be involved with a Japanese teacher-style birthday celebration. I'm thinking about spending this birthday (たんじょおび or 'tanjobi' [long "o" sound] in Nihongo) just taking it easy because I'll be attending a Halloween party tomorrow night and on Sunday I'm having dinner with a new Japanese friend who I randomly met because she was wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers shirt. Two years ago I was in Berlin when I turned 23. Looking back at pictures from that day it seems as if it were so long ago but I think I've just fit in a lot of activity in those two years...I guess that's a good thing.

10/24/07

Today is a Wednesday and I'm feeling a bit tired here at school but it's nice that I've already taught the majority of my classes and it's only 11:20 AM. My last class today will be at 2:00 PM so I've got some time to catch up on some emails, drink tea (the stuff that they've got in the faculty room is excellent!), and study Japanese. On Thursday nights I've got my Japanese lesson with Miori sensei, a retired teacher whose husband is a principal at an Elementary school in Naruto. Private lessons are good because if you aren't studying beforehand it's painfully obvious. Depending on the situation, this can be a good or a bad thing.

Jumping to an unrelated topic, I found a wonderful little macrobiotic health food store here in the city called 'Anew'. I've only visited here twice so far but I've been stocking up on things that I'll use in my day-to-day food preparation such as all-natural honey (in bulk), BROWN RICE! (I was very happy to find this in Naruto!), sesame butter, nori (seaweed), matcha (green tea powder used in tea ceremonies), apple cider vinegar, good quality olive oil, unsweetened organic cereal, and a few other things. When putting ones self in an entirely new situation you really discover the things that hold importance to you. My interest in foods and cooking remains as one of these things. I'm happy that I can still eat mainly raw foods throughout my day but at the same time not get bent out of shape if I break from my usual eating habits (which I often do).


Here's a bit on the philospohy of marcrobiotics (from www.wikipedia.com):


"Followers of the macrobiotic approach believe that food and food quality powerfully affects health, well being, and happiness. The macrobiotic approach suggests choosing food that is less processed and more natural, and employing more traditional methods of cooking for family, friends, and oneself.

One goal of the macrobiotic philosophy and practice is to become sensitive to the true effects of foods on health and well being. In this way, one goes beyond rules and regulations concerning diet to choosing foods that sustains one's health. Also, dietary guidelines help one to develop sensitivity and an intuitive sense for what sustains one's health and well-being in diet as well as relationships and activities.

Macrobiotics emphasizes locally grown whole grain cereals, pulses (legumes), vegetables, seaweed, fermented soy products and fruit, combined into meals according to the principle of balance (known as yin and yang). Dietary recommendations include whole grains, such as brown rice, and other whole grain products, such as buckwheat pasta (soba); a variety of cooked and raw vegetables; beans and bean products, such as tofu, tempeh and miso; sea vegetables; mild natural seasonings; fish; nuts and seeds; mild (non-stimulating) beverages, such as bancha twig tea; and fruit."

(Below- my new friends Mika [foreground] and Michiko at Anew.)

dinner with fukui sensei

During these past few weeks I've been letting myself settle more into life here in Naruto. My constant travel schedule over the past month wore me out a good amount and after Korea I got sick for about a week. I was definitely experiencing a big city burnout and staying home in Naruto has been both a welcome and necessary change of pace.

On Saturday night I went to my co-teacher Fukui sensei's house to have dinner. We have been meaning to get together for some time and I was happy to have the chance to become better friends with someone that I often work with. She has also been wanting me to meet her 2 1/2 year old son that she often talks about in school. I was impressed by how she was able to make an amazing dinner and still consistently give her son the attention that he craved. From what I can tell it seems being a teacher is good preparation for being a parent (and vice versa). The Fukui house is only a three minute bike ride from my apartment so I'm literally a stone's throw away. Just knowing this one family in my neighborhood has already made me feel more settled where I am.


To say the least, the meal was excellent. I was treated to a wide array of dishes, both Japanese and western (to bring back some memories of home). We topped of the meal with some nashi (Japanese pear), grapes, and coffee. They were all really surprised that ate the grape whole without skinning it first and would watch in awe as I put the whole thing in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed. Fukui's husband, who is a government worker in Tokushima, was very interesting to talk with. His English was excellent and I really didn't feel the need to simplify my language when speaking with him. I called their son a 'natural entertainer' and he thought that was very amusing. In response he said, "Ah, I see. So he was born with this talent..."

Fukui's mother-in-law lives with the family as well. When I came to the house, we took part in a tea ceremony before eating dinner. The house has a room especially for this purpose and I felt lucky to be given ceremonial instructions by an expert.

The night ended with stories of past travels as we glanced over the couple's wedding photos from four years ago. I didn't realize that Fukui had visited some many countries. As her husband put it, "She is very unique in this way." Hearing about her time in Chile re-opened my interest in that part of the world. However, I think I'll wait until after my life in Japan to get there.

to korea and back

Last night after a long day of traveling I made it back to my apartment with just enough time and energy to throw my backpack down, check my email, and collapse into my bed. My head was filled with thoughts of my previous week in Korea and, though it was only seven days, it felt like I spent a lot of time there. It's interesting that countries can be so close in proximity and at the same time have such different cultures. I've only been living in Japan for a little over two months but it's been enough time for me to notice and experience a lot of things about the Japanese way of life. I think that this trip holds a certain significance because I now have these experiences in another Asian country to compare with what goes on here in Japan.


The first three days of my trip were spent in the port city of Pusan (aka 'Busan'). Jon took a train from Hongseong (where he teaches) to meet me after putting in a full day of work. Both of us were new to the city so as we were looking for a place to stay we ended finding ourselves in an 'interesting' part of town. After lots of searching, we found somewhere where the bathrooms were bigger than the bedrooms (and it was actually quite nice and cheap as well). Riding taxis around the city that night was a crazy experience. Koreans, form what I am told, have some of the worst driving records and I can see why after speeding down ten-lane highways and running red lights in a cab.

The Pusan International Film Festival was really cool. Jon and I only saw two movies but they were both very interesting and worth the time spent in getting to the theatres. The PIFF drew a big crowd and there were celebrity appearances that were amusing to us because we had no idea who they were but the mobs of people were going absolutely wild.


Not much can compare with good Korean food. During my few days in Pusan I was generally unimpressed with the culinary selection but my first homecooked meal with Jon's host family made me see why Jon is happy to have his host mom for a cook. I never thought that kim chee (a spicy food made from fermented cabbage) for every meal would be so pleasing but I never grew tired of it. There was also an assortment of fish, eggs, greens, roots, rice, mushrooms, and beans. I felt very at home eating a meal with Jon's family...in Korea, everyone uses chopsticks to eat from common serving dishes. I liked the sense of closeness that this brings to the meal.




One evening was spent at a lantern festival in a town about two hours away from Pusan. We were on the fence about going but at the last minute decided to make our way out there. It was well worth the trip.




I was also fortunate enough to visit Jon's elementary school school for a few days. There are only 65 students there so I was able to get to know a good number of them during my time there. Not many foreigners make their way to Hongseong so my presence was a big deal. Jon and I taught a few classes together on the first day and I spent a few hours on the second day exploring the surrounding area on foot.


Korea is a very interesting place. From the gas masks in the subway (see below) and the habitual peeling off the outside of fruit (apples, pears, etc.) to the crazy drivers and the lack of lines in public places...lots of time can be spent observing the people and their habits. I was happy to be a participant in their way of life for a short amount of time. I have to say, though, that I started to miss Japan. It feels good to be home.

a normal day at Naruto Jr. High

If I ever think that my life is somewhat normal here in Japan then i've got to remember the day-to-day experiences that I have at school. Today I came to Naruto Jr. High and taught three classes. I woke up at 6:30am and rode my bike a half an hour before taking a ferry across the water to my school. This is one of my favorite groups of students and teachers and it's easy to see why.

During a break from classes a teacher came over to my desk with four containers of ink. The last time I was at this school this same teacher had given me a stamp of the Japanese spelling for "Brad" and told me that stamps and letter writing are a few of his hobbies. He then showed me the traditional method of applying the ink and then put the "Brad" stamp on a piece of paper for me. He gave me the stamp, a small envelope of Chinese stationary that a friend had given him years ago, some indigenous Japanese nuts, and a keychain for my bike key. Today, this same teacher laid four different containers of red ink on my desk and asked me which one I liked best. I pointed out the darkest color red. "Ahh, a good choice," he said. "That one is the best quality." He took out a small scoop (made from a bird feather) and put some of the ink in a ceramic container for me. "Here, I want you to have this. I'd like for you to be interested in Japanese calligraphy and ink," he said. I told him that I'd use the stamp, ink, and paper for the letters that I write to people and, since I write a lot, these things will be put to good use. Feeling like I wanted to give him something back for the stamp he gave me last week, I came to school with some maple syrup from Vermont. I only have a few containers of it that I bought espicailly to give as gifts (omiyage) in Japan but I knew that he would appreciate the gesture. I gave it to him this morning and he was pleasently suprised at my returned act of generosity.

Last period a student tapped me on the back in the hallway and handed me a letter. She told me that she was going to write me one and I was very happy to recieve it. This is what she wrote (mistakes included):

Dear Mr. Brad,

Hello.
My name is Nakamura Shiori. Please call me Shiori. Class is 3B. Please remember me. When you was playing the drum in a school festival, I thought, "wondeful!!" It was very impressed.
I want to talk with you. So I wrote a letter. And, I want to know about you. Thank you for reading the last.
Then, good-bye.

From Nakamura Shiori


It's very cliche to say but when I am feeling lethargic at school, tired from the morning's bike ride, or not up for lesson planning, the enthusiasm of the students totally brings my mood back up. I feel very fortunate to be in a position where I'm influential in creating an understanding between two cultures. It's nice to be able to say that it's my job, too.

Tomorrow I'm off to South Korea for a week. I am hoping to post a few Kyoto pictures from the weekend later on in the evening. I should have a few hours to spare before packing up and heading out on my next adventure.