why i don't teach from the textbook

Because there are lessons like this:


(Bad picture, I know...but there was not too much lighting in the staff room that day. This is one of MANY amusing subjects that the high school text covers.)

Here is an example of a worksheet that I created for the first year English students at my junior high schools:


Basically, the students are to draw their favorite person (cartoon, celebrity, someone they actually know, etc.) and then write five sentences to describe him or her. I really like this format because it encourages them to be creative when practicing new vocabulary words and since all of my students love to draw (even the tech high school kids) it gives them an artistic outlet along with the writing practice. If I have a significant amount of time to work with I usally have the students group together in pairs and describe their drawings to one another. At the end of the class they turn their papers in to me and I make grammar corrections and comments on their pictures (which are always very impressive) before handing them back next class. The drawing above was one of my favorites from yesterday's classes.

(Click on the picture to see a larger version.)

the winter routine

I'm pleased to say that it's winter and I'm not feeling down at the moment. I can't really get out that much during the week but this month I'm finding a lot of enjoyment in sticking with a simple routine that includes cooking myself a fairly involved dinner each night. On the menu this week is quinoa ('keen-wah', a Pittsburgh favorite- reminds me SO much of the feasts we'd make on Mathilda St. in the evenings) with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, basil, sea salt, and nice heap of nutritional yeast. This is what plain quinoa looks like after it's cooked:


I've been using that as a base for my meals and then I'll sautee some tuna or vegetables and make a salad along with it. If I'm feeling really ambitious I'll throw some fruit and vegetables in my juicer and have something good to drink along with my meal. The only reason that I don't juice all of the time is because of the amount of effort that goes into cleaning my juicer. I've also been looking forward to a really good cup of coffee (thanks to my newly purchased grinder and french press) and a toasted brown rice and anko (あんこ) roll after dinner. The rest of my evenings are spent under a lot of blankets either reading, writing, or watching a DVD. Things are pretty simple these days but it I'm feeling good about it. As long as I can make it to the grocery store on my way home from school I think I'll be content until springtime.

Speaking of spring, I guess more of reason to keep with a relatively inexpensive routine is because I'll be heading off to New Zealand in late March. Caitlin and I will be spending two weeks (3/20-4/3) doing as many outdoor things as possible for the time that we are there and I'm excited because it'll be autumn during our visit. And when we get back it's be time for さくら (sakura, or cherry blossoms) in Japan!

Hopefully February won't drag on too long. Even if it does, spingtime will be worth the wait I'm sure.

saturday afternoon sumo

Early yesterday evening I returned from my whirlwind weekend trip to Tokyo. On Friday night I took a 9 hour overnight bus from Naruto to Tokyo and, unfortunately, did not catch a bit of sleep on the journey there. Getting on an overnight bus on its last stop can be a pretty strange scene...it felt like I was barging in on some exclusive Japanese nap time. But I rested my eyes and got excited about hanging out with Julia and her Yamagata-ken crew in an amazing city of nearly 28 million people.

My bus arrived in Tokyo at 7:00am and Julia did not get in until four hours later so I used this time to catch some sleep in a random corner of Tokyo Station. Actually, I didn't really plan on taking a nap but I think that my body just knew to rest up before going at it in the big city. As expected, I was shuffled away by police before re-energizing much. Julia's train came in right on time and we grabbed some quick lunch, headed to our hostel, and then to the sumo match. Being in Tokyo for an event like this was just awesome...it all felt so 'Japanese'. I knew nothing about sumo before attending the match but by the end I was schooled on the basics (as a result of sitting by Julia's friend Max) and even caught the gossip about the top seeded wrestlers. The thing that I really enjoyed about the atmosphere is the incredible amount of anticipation that surrounds a match that could potentially last only a few seconds. The wrestlers literally invest their lives in the sport (they aren't even allowed to drive cars!) and some become a few of the biggest celebrities in Japan. Tokyo is not at all close to where I live but experiencing this event was so worth the time/money/lack of sleep that it took to get there just for this weekend.


I have to say that the events of that evening might have been just as memorable. After taking a two hour nap, we all went in separate shifts to eat dinner before catching the subway to the well-known Shibuya district. It was one of those nights where I didn't even take a camera because just wanted to experience it without worrying about documentation (and it's not like it'll be my last time in Tokyo). We arrived at a club called 'Womb' around midnight where a well-known (to some people) German DJ was spinning records. Although I've not seen the movie yet I was told that this club was in the film 'Babel'. Anyway, at this point I think everyone lost track of each others' whereabouts and time as well, but I know that we left around 5:30am (or later?) and I finished the night with some spicy ramen. I finally got to bed at 8:00am and had to be out of the hostel by 11:00am, so the total amount of actual sleep for the weekend was about three hours. I'm glad that Sunday was spent taking trains and buses back to my town because I don't think I was good for much else at that point.

And, just as quickly as I left it, it's back to the weekday routine in Naruto. Life here in the countryside can be so calm but once in a while it's nice to remind myself of how much I enjoy big city life. As for now I'm seeing that life from a considerable distance and, so far, I like it that way.

another day, another year.

Though it didn't take much effort, today I made a big decision official by handing in my papers to stay in Japan for another year. My supervisor already knew that I had planned to stick around but there was something about giving her my recontracting sheet in the board of education office that made me feel more settled than ever in Japan. Back when I got these papers in October, I knew that there'd be so much in between that moment and the deadline for my decision that it would be best just to see what happened over next few months. And a lot happened. I familiarized myself with 900 students, I went to Korea, I quickly learned (and am still learning) the ways of the Japanese education system, I slowly made my apartment feel like home, and then I got 'culture shock', then got sick multiple times, then headed off to Southeast Asia. I wanted a car, then didn't want one, then wanted one again. And, in between all of this, I tried to teach English.

I'm two weeks away from the half year mark of living in Japan. I've heard a lot of past and present JETs mention that it took them about a half a year to get in the swing of things while living in here. Although everyone's experience here is very different, I'd say that, in that respect, I'm following suit with the norm. A very significant mark concerning my mental stability occurred when I came back from Thailand. I'm not sure if It was what I actually saw there that made me feel so differently about my situation or if it was simply the timing of the vacation, but I came back to Japan and it felt like my home. I'm not so naive that I'm expecting this feeling to persist any time beyond the present but so many of the small things that were causing me anxiety in December have left my head. For example, being in contact with a lot of people with your same job can sometimes cause you to make comparisons to other peoples' specific situations. I know that I did that a lot at first because when you are stripped of everything and everyone that you knew in your previous life it makes sense that one would look to others around you in order to compare and contrast their situations with your own and then say, "OK, am I happy?" But, this is irrelevant. Since everyone would react differently to different situations, it's very difficult in most cases of comparison to say that one person has it better than another. Everyone here is looking to get the most out of their experience and we all go about doing it in different ways.

So, what's my way of going about maximizing my time spent here? Hmm...I guess I don't really think about it that much. I'd say that I've been a 'doer' as opposed to an observer. I mean, that kind of comes with the job...but if I'm really on the fence about a decision (due to time, money, energy, etc.) I'll just go for it. This weekend I'm meeting Julia in Tokyo to watch a Sumo match. She emailed me a few months ago to ask if I wanted to go and at the time we were both hesitant to commit...but then we soon realized that there's no reason to miss out. I think as long as I keep this way of doing things, I'll be happy with how things go in Japan.

To quote a blog title that Julia came up with last year, "6 months down, 18 (or more) to go."

Haha.

two weeks of southeast asian action

Day number two of my back-to-work week in Japan. I was really wondering what it would feel like to get back to things here after spending some time on the road in Thailand and Laos...and I'm happy to say it's nice to be on a fixed schedule again. But I'll get into more about that later. First, here are some pictures to give an idea of what I saw and some things that I experienced in a pretty wild (and very different) part of the world.

Thailand


Doi Suthep Temple in Chiang Mai. This was the day after I flew from Osaka (Japan) to Hong Kong then Bangkok and finally Chiang Mai. I met up with Caitlin, who had already been in Thailand for a few days with her sister Ann who is currently residing and working in Chiang Mai. Doi Suthep is located on the top of a sizable mountain that overlooks the city so Caitlin and I flagged down a tuk-tuk (basically an open-air taxi...you sit on benches in the bed of a truck) and went to the temple to meet Jon and his friend Tom, both of whom are teaching in Korea. Jon and I planned on meeting in Southeast Asia beforehand and he made his way to Chaing Mai the day that I flew in. The woman in this picture was posing for another photographer but I used the opportunity to snap a decent shot of my own.


Posing with Jon in front of one of the ubiquitous visual tributes to Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (aka Rama IX). When I stepped out of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, the first few things that I noticed during my taxi ride were the largest commercial billboards that I've ever seen (by far) and images of the King thrown up everywhere possible. There were also a great amount of Thai flags and 'Long Live The King' banners on buildings adjacent to the highway. I even saw a church with the King's face at the top of the steeple. Hmmm...doesn't that break one of the Ten Commandments? Quite a site, for sure.


There he is, King Rama IX at Doi Suthep. You get used to seeing his face pretty quickly...


Jon and Caitlin before our hike to a waterfall at a nearby national park. This first day of activity in Thailand really gave me a positive impression of the country, which was one that I hadn't researched to a great extent before arriving. We loaded up on fresh fruit and some nuts and headed into the woods. It was nice to shop at outdoor markets instead of grocery stores as I do in Japan. And the fruit might have been the the best tasting (and without a doubt the cheapest) that I can remember eating. I think the temperature was somewhere in the high 80s this day (December 27th).


Catching an interaction at the temple plaza.


A Thai woman pausing at the temple steps. As with Japan, there seemed to be a lot of local tourists at this site as well as foreigners.


Jon, posing at the waterfall.


Ann and fellow VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) volunteer Pam having lunch at an organic vegetarian restaurant called 'Pun Pun', located at and operated by a Buddhist temple in Chaing Mai. Yep, I'll admit that I've reached a new level of bragging rights in the world of trendy eating. Later on we went back to the temple and took part in 'Monk Chat'- a chance to speak with monks attending Chaing Mai University. Basically, you can ask the monks anything you want about their lives and they will talk about it with you. Caitlin and I agreed that this might be the highlight of the entire trip. I didn't take any pictures of the orange-robed monks but they were all throughout both Thailand and Laos. The two monks that we shared conversations with were around 18 years old.


Chaing Mai. Motorbikes, traffic, storefronts, sunshine...a common scene.


Even when boarding a plane to leave the country, you can't escape the people's pride of their king.


Caitlin at at the Bamboo Riverside Inn in border town of Chiang Khong. Stayed here for one night because the border to Laos wasn't open when we arrived until the next morning. The guy that owned this place was classic...I really wish I had a picture to remember him by. Old Thai hippie who quizzed my on my CSNY knowledge by playing a CD with instrumental jazzy versions of the songs off of 'Deja Vu' and quickly asking "What song is this!! Do you know??!" I came up with every song title within a few seconds and won his favor. It was 100 baht (about $3) a night to stay here and we slept in bamboo shelters that did nothing to protect against small animals and large insects from making their way inside.

Laos


Crossing the Thai-Laotian border. A Thai Village on the Mekong.


Kip, the currency used in Laos. We saw a guy with a garbage bag full of it at the border.


Laos is one of the few remaining communist states but the government has been allowing private enterprise since '86. Images of the sickle and hammer are still proudly displayed beside the Laotian flag.


Houyxai("Hoi-sigh"), Laos("La-oh"). This was the morning that we left for 'The Gibbon Experience'- a three day hiking, zip-lining, and treehouse sleeping trek through the Laotian forest. Me, Caitlin, Ann, and four other people gathered in this truck with our gear and took a two hour ride away from town an then hiked for 3 1/2 hours to sleep in treehouse made from wood and bamboo. We stayed for two nights and slept in two different treehouses. This may be one of the most memorable (and dangerous) things that I've done in Asia so far.


Crossing a river and making our way into the woods.


Juni, one of the guides responsible for keeping us alive. Can't say that the guides really looked after our safety too well but they were awesome people.


Peng, our other guide on the trip.


I wish I had better pictures of us zip-lining but it was difficult to capture. We hiked around all day with harnesses and we'd all come upon a gourge and attach our carabeeners to the metal rope and then coast (sometimes 200m or more) over the tops of the trees. After the first day our guides stopped checking if we put on the harrnesses correctly and also stopped checking if we were locked on properly to the zip line. Again, it was best not to think about these things until after we were out of the woods.


Dinner by candlelight in the treehouse.


Camila and Juni during our first night in the treehouse.


Morning in the second treehouse. Packing up for another day of hiking.


It was best not to think about how close our bed was to the edge...and the fact that the railing wasn't too sturdy. I was the lucky one who slept closest to the drop-off. However, I did get an amazing view of the stars at night. Probably the brightest that I've ever seen the sky when the sun is down.


My view from the treehouse.


Coming back from our three day adventure in the woods. I don't think that the Laos experience would be complete without a long, dangerous ride in the back of a truck.


Sunset on the Mekong. We stayed at a place in Houyxai called the 'Friendship Guesthouse' that boasted a spacious roof for sipping on a Beerlao and watching the sun set. Not a bad way to start off the evening.


Luang Prabang. Caitlin and I took a short flight here from the Houyxai airport and had a little over a day to hang out in the city. This area was really interesting because you can see colonial French buildings from around the dawn of the 20th century. These buildings have now been transformed into things like coffee shops, bakeries, and art stores and there was no shortage of foreigner interest in seeing the 'new' Luang Prabang. Since Laos only opened it's borders for tourists sometime in the 1990s, the tourism infrastructure isn't as solid as it could be but it was nice to be there before it potentially becomes a widely-known destination for adventurous travelers.


The night market in Luang Prabang. Did a lot of looking around here.


A young girl making a scarf at our guesthouse.


A tuk-tuk (taxi)...notice the colonial buildings in the background.


Bamboo bridge, Luang Prabang.


Motorbikes can been seen wherever you go in this part of the world.


Making our way back to Houyxai.

So that's a nice, short summary of the trip. I feel like I could write so much about the different aspects of Thai and Laotian culture but I think that these pictures and brief captions are a good way to get the gist of my perceptions while in Southeast Asia. Being in Japan again feels good...it feels like home right now. This weekend I'm going to do nothing but catch up on sleep, laundry, letter writing, and reading. And maybe thinking about where my next trip will be.