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.

autumn around the corner

With the end of September coming near, change has made its way into my life and the routine I've found here in Naruto. The near intolerable heat of late summer has been replaced with mild evenings and cool breezes. I am finding that the change in seasons is putting my mind and body at more of an ease as well as prefacing the year(s) to come in Japan.

This past weekend was first time that things here have felt not only good but 'normal' as well. Julia, a very good friend from Pittsburgh and fellow ALT, took an overnight train from Yamagata on Friday night to meet up with me in Osaka on Saturday morning. I've been looking forward to this weekend since we planned it about a month ago and, needless to say, it could not have turned out much better. Seeing an old friend in a situation such as this can be very important for one's psyche...I realized this the second I saw Julia at the train station. If familiar things are what get you through the difficult times here than an old friend is at the top of that list.




After an action packed day and night in Osaka (including an okonomiyaki & Kirin dinner!), we decided to take the 2 hour bus ride to Naruto for the next evening. Having a visitor come to my city and see my situation made me feel so much more at home in Naruto. When I visited Julia in Japan nine months ago she said the same thing about my time there. I found that I was proud to show her the simplicites of my daily life in southern Japan. Going grocery shopping and preparing huge salads for dinner reminded me so much of when we were housemates in Pittsburgh (although the salad that we made on Sunday night tasted better than any I've ever had back in the States).


The aquarium in Osaka was also a treat. We headed there for our first activity of the day on Saturday and I realized that the last time I visited one was in Montreal a few years back. I forgot how much I liked being there and taking pictures of fellow spectators as well. Although the size of the much advertised whale shark didn't live to my preconceived standards, I'm planning on making a few more visits there because there is just so much to see.

three down, many more to go

After three weeks of teaching here I feel like I've been adequately exposed to the general routine of the teachers and students at my four schools. Although every school is different, some things are similar throughout my experiences up until now. One thing that I am noticing in particular is how teachers react to/deal with discipline issues. I was clued in to the behavior of my students by my predecessor and was not surprised to come across some apathetic classes but I was a bit thrown off by how the JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English) handle frequent classroom disruptions. Basically, most don't have a handle on these types of problems. It seems that in the classes with the "bad" kids, the teachers have almost totally given up on any kind of formal instruction during class. As I was walking with a JTE to my last class of the day, she told me, among other things of the sort, "I really hope they don't hate you."

Well, I didn't get to teach my lesson from start to finish in this class but my interactions with the students made our time together a success. I walked in and a few students asked me questions right off the bat and conversation continued until the end of the period. They had a genuine interest in knowing some things about me and I focused a few of the topics on what I had already planned to say as well. I could imagine that some teachers would hate having to deal with these guys all the time but my JTE and I took it all with a laugh. I was told that a sense of humor would be important with this job and I think that will hold true as long as I am teaching here. (side note: I think it's funny that these kids are the 'toughguys' but then you ask them what their favorite bands are and they say Backstreet Boys or Beyonce. And they're not being sarcastic.)

Each class is an adventure for they are all so very different. But I would guess that's true for teaching in general, not just in Japan. So far I'm very happy with the progress that I've made with the High School kids at Naruto Tech. Every day will not be easy but it's anything but dull.

kishiwada, kamiyama, & osaka

Well, I didn't think I could top last weekend's adventure to Ikeda but these past few days have been full of awe and excitement. On a whim, I took a bus from Naruto to Osaka on Saturday morning with my friend Sarah to check out the Kishiwada Danjiri Festival. Here's some details about the event:

(from www.tokyocube.com)

"[S]ometimes called 'The Fighting Festival', The Kishiwada Danjiri festival takes place in Osaka, and began as a dedication to Inari, the fox god of the harvest.

Around 30 huge floats are used in the festival; they are made from wood and are the pride of the neighborhood from which they are from.

The floats are designed to go very fast, and the most exciting part of the festival is seeing the danjiri being pulled at high speeds around narrow roads and street corners. They are pulled in all directions and their sharp 90 degree turns draw gasps of exhilaration from the crowd. As the floats are pulled up the steep slope to Kishiwada Castle, there is a particularly sharp turn, and sometimes floats tumble over or crash into a building, all adding to the drama and spectacle of the race. Those danjiri that survive the festival are exquisite pieces of art."


It's hard to even explain how wild this thing was. Sarah, myself, and a few others were eventually pulled into the action and we pushed one of the wooden floats all around the neighborhood. I talked to a lot of Kishiwada residents about the festival and I realized the importance of the event. Much like the Awa Odori dance in Tokushima, the Danjiri festival is the pride of Kishiwada.


A few hours after coming back from Osaka I was on my way to Kamiyama to visit Emma, a JET from Great Britain. A small crew of us set out to climb a nearby waterfall and it turned out to be one of the most amazing sights I've witnessed since moving to Japan. I've never seen mountains like the ones in Tokushima and the more I explore the area the luckier I feel to be here.

culture festivals/traveling/etc...

Although it's Monday morning and I have to teach some high school classes in a short while I'm feeling good because I had a really nice weekend. I spent half of my time in Ikeda visiting Caitlin and the other half at a school culture festival. Ikeda was beautiful and I'm excited to go back when the leaves change color.













And the culture festival was a lot of fun as well. I played drums in a band that covered 'Let it be' (see below) and got to hang out with some really enthusiastic students. After a long day, some of the teachers in the band invited me out to an enkai (drinking party) that ended in some fine karaoke. I impressed myself with my own singing maybe for the first time ever.













Earlier this morning I purchased a plane ticket to Pusan, South Korea to visit friend/ex-roommate/Fulbright teaching scholar Jon. I'll be there from October 4th-10th and I'll be attending the Pusan International Film Festival as well as going to his school and meeting his host family (among other things). In two weeks I will be in Osaka with Julia...I'm really excited about that because it'll be the first time we see each other since I moved here. My weekends and vacation time are filling up fast but I think that's a good thing.

a weekend in the inaka

Yesterday was a great day of teaching at Naruto Jr. High. I did four self introduction classes and ate lunch with the students as well. I'm already at the point where I could recite my 25 minute (or more) introduction in my sleep so the rest of this week is going to be pretty easy. Speaking of school lunches, something that I didn't know before coming to Japan is how different (from what I was used to) and almost ceremonial they are. Every student plays a part in prepping or serving the food and lunch is usually eaten in their homeroooms. Yesterday my class was very shy while eating but a few of the male students gave me their apple sauce cups, so I felt welcomed.

Just had my first class with some bullies. A group of five kids were disrupting the lesson the entire time and everyone else was too intimidated to participate because of them. They were trying to make me feel uncomfortable but I've dealt with a lot worse.

Male student: "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Me: "Hmm, that's a secret."
Male student: "Do you have a boyfriend?" (laughs)
Me: "Do YOU have boyfriend?"
Male student: "Ummm...yes?"

Outwitting a 15 year old when he attempts to embarrass you in a language he doesn't know isn't too difficult but watching teenagers compete for attention is annoying. However, these guys were actually quite nice outside of class.

So I've got some fun things to look forward to this weekend. Somehow I was convinced by a few fellow teachers to play drums in their band at their school's culture festival on Sunday. Practice is at 7:30am on Sunday morning and I'm only getting up that early on a weekend because this is an opportunity to play music- something I rarely pass up. I don't know anything about what songs we are doing but somehow all of the teachers know where I live so they're giving me a ride to the school. I'm also planning on taking a train out west to Ikeda to visit my friend Caitlin who a JET that grew up in Pittsburgh. I'm looking forward to seeing the western part of Tokushima...the pictures that I've seen from there have been incredible. Tonight I'm teaching a group of adults (including my supervisor) at the Board of Education office. It'll be a nice change of pace and a good chance for me to make some Japanese friends. Should be a fun evening.