After a 13-day stint of work with no days off, i finally finished on a chilly, rainy Saturday with the elementary school play assembly. All grades 1-6 put on school plays. It was really good, and at the request of several teachers, I ended up making cameo appearances in 3 of the plays, with minor speaking roles. Based off of an English story book, the 2nd graders did a blingual play in Japanese and English. They did an impressive job, and I was proud because I'd coached their pronunciation and helped translate the script.
The assembly let out around 12, then everyone went home, only to reassemble at the principal's home around 6 for the barbecue he was ahaving for all the teachers and staff. He was charging everyone ￥3,000(about US$30) a head, but he told me earlier that I would only have to pay ￥2,000--then he told me the bbq would be free for me. Sweet. I caught the train to his house, with 2 other teachers. It was my second-time to his home, and I was just impressed as the first time. The principal and his family are caretakers of the city's Buddhist shrine built on a low mountainside and their house is a abridged with the shrine. I don't know how they do it, but they're BALLING.
The rain was still pouring down, but we bore the chill under the roof of an open shed in the backyard. Working as a team, it took us about an hour to get a good fire going under the dual grill--we had to battle with the wind. The principal likes to do it up big, so he went all out with the provisions. He brought out a big cooler full of beer, wwine coolers, and wine. He brought some hard liquor and Japanese sake and whiskey. We grilled up veggies, fish, seafood, and meat. The seafood was so fresh, that the shrimp were still moving when they brought the tray out. When we grilled them, they were "dancing." poor things. but they were good.
The highlight(s) of the barbecue were the Matsutake mushrooms. The principal brought out a tray of about a dozen or so giant mushrooms about as big as my hand. Everyone was shocked, because Matsutake mushrooms are one of the most premium Japanese delicacies, and SUPER expensive--at least they are in Japan. The principal told me that, in Japan, just one mushroom costs ￥20,000-￥30,000(about US$200-$300). But the mushrooms he had were a gift he'd received from a friend, which had been brought from Korea. Damn, that was one good friend. Most of the other teachers there were in awe, because they had never eaten them before. I just couldn't believe a piece of overgrown fungus cost $300.
They pulled the 'shrooms apart and grilled those bad boys up--and they were actually kinda tasty--they had a chewy, almost meaty consistency. I couldn't eat most of the meat they cooked, so people kept throwing shrimp and 'shrooms on my plate. I was eating shroom strips like crazy. For the evening, I figure I probably ate a modest $500 worth of grub. And I still wasn't full.
The BBQ kinda wrapped itself up around 9-ish and most of the teachers were quite jovial by then. My principal was kinda smacked off sake, and was half staggering when he gave his goodbyes. It was still raining, and the designated driver folks gave everyone else rides to the train station. And that was a night for the middle-agers.
Of course, my night wasn't over as soon as I got home, I headed right back out to Sakae to go see the freaks come out for all the club Halloween parties. I was tired, but it'd been weeks since I'd gone out, so I had to go big. You know how I do!
Oct 31, 2004
Oct 21, 2004
TIMBER!
I had a hairy moment at junior high school today. I fainted in the school gymnasium and fell and hit my head on the floor. Actually, I fell from standing position straightforward on my face, though, fortunately my hard head broke my fall and made contact with the floor instead of my nose or mouth, which are thankfully fully intact. Save for an invisible little bump above my eyebrow, I'm fine and feel totally normal. I have slight soreness on the surface of my forehead, but I don’t have any headaches or internal head pain, nor dizziness so I don’t think I have a concussion.
“What happened?” That’s what I asked. I was in the jhs gymnasium watching some students practice traditional Japanese dance in prep for this weekend’s school festival. There were some other teachers present besides myself, including the vice-principal who was on the other side of the gym, maybe about 20-25 yards away. Two women teachers from my elementary school were present and were seated on the hardwood floor just several feet to the left of where I was standing. I had been standing for about 10 minutes just watching the kids practice, when I decided to stretch. I did a big stretch bending my back while reaching backwards, almost as if I were going to do a backbend. I returned upright, accompanied by the light-headed sensation that you get sometimes when you stand on your head or do cartwheels. The next thing I remember was something hard slamming into my head, waking me up from sleep. My eyes were closed, and when I opened them, I then realized I was face down on the basketball court. I heard the voices of the teachers next to me as I started to raise myself off the floor; they were asking me if my head was okay. I attempted to rise, but one of them told me to just sit on the floor and chill out for a second--by that time the vice-principal was kneeling to my right. I regained alertness pretty quickly, I was just confused about why I had fallen. I’m not sure that anyone actuallysaw me fall except the two next to me. I asked one of them where my hands were when I fell; she told me straight at my sides. She was surprised when I asked her that--I didn’t remember anything between finishing stretching and hitting the floor.
The kids and teachers were surprised and concerned. I was surprised too, because that was the first time I fainted in life. The vice-principal was the most worried about my condition. He’d only seen me when I was on the floor. I sat for a few minutes then he followed me to the washroom so I could check myself out. One of my 6th grade students, Yurika, ran over, calling my name, asking if I was okay. After that, the vice-principal and I went to the staffroom and he called my company to let them know what had happened. He suggested that I go to a hospital, but I felt okay enough that it wasn’t necessary. He said if I felt worse the next day he would take me to a hospital. In his own speculations, he was making all sorts of insinuations about my health, including the fact that I don’t eat red meat, that I drink orange juice, and possibly have anemia. Admittedly, I’d gone to bed late the previous night and my body may have been tired, but I stopped eating red meat going on 10 years, so that had nothing to do with it--he was overspecualting a bit. I appreciated his concern, though. I eat pretty well and I'm not in bad shape, so I'm pretty sure the crazy stretch is what initiated the blackout.
On the other hand, I’ve done plenty of stretching and upside-down stuff at capoeira and never had that experience. I'm not sure what happened to me, but Just to be on the safe side, I'll try to catch more z's and protein over the next few days.
My mama and nem always said I was hard-headed--guess it finally paid off!
“What happened?” That’s what I asked. I was in the jhs gymnasium watching some students practice traditional Japanese dance in prep for this weekend’s school festival. There were some other teachers present besides myself, including the vice-principal who was on the other side of the gym, maybe about 20-25 yards away. Two women teachers from my elementary school were present and were seated on the hardwood floor just several feet to the left of where I was standing. I had been standing for about 10 minutes just watching the kids practice, when I decided to stretch. I did a big stretch bending my back while reaching backwards, almost as if I were going to do a backbend. I returned upright, accompanied by the light-headed sensation that you get sometimes when you stand on your head or do cartwheels. The next thing I remember was something hard slamming into my head, waking me up from sleep. My eyes were closed, and when I opened them, I then realized I was face down on the basketball court. I heard the voices of the teachers next to me as I started to raise myself off the floor; they were asking me if my head was okay. I attempted to rise, but one of them told me to just sit on the floor and chill out for a second--by that time the vice-principal was kneeling to my right. I regained alertness pretty quickly, I was just confused about why I had fallen. I’m not sure that anyone actuallysaw me fall except the two next to me. I asked one of them where my hands were when I fell; she told me straight at my sides. She was surprised when I asked her that--I didn’t remember anything between finishing stretching and hitting the floor.
The kids and teachers were surprised and concerned. I was surprised too, because that was the first time I fainted in life. The vice-principal was the most worried about my condition. He’d only seen me when I was on the floor. I sat for a few minutes then he followed me to the washroom so I could check myself out. One of my 6th grade students, Yurika, ran over, calling my name, asking if I was okay. After that, the vice-principal and I went to the staffroom and he called my company to let them know what had happened. He suggested that I go to a hospital, but I felt okay enough that it wasn’t necessary. He said if I felt worse the next day he would take me to a hospital. In his own speculations, he was making all sorts of insinuations about my health, including the fact that I don’t eat red meat, that I drink orange juice, and possibly have anemia. Admittedly, I’d gone to bed late the previous night and my body may have been tired, but I stopped eating red meat going on 10 years, so that had nothing to do with it--he was overspecualting a bit. I appreciated his concern, though. I eat pretty well and I'm not in bad shape, so I'm pretty sure the crazy stretch is what initiated the blackout.
On the other hand, I’ve done plenty of stretching and upside-down stuff at capoeira and never had that experience. I'm not sure what happened to me, but Just to be on the safe side, I'll try to catch more z's and protein over the next few days.
My mama and nem always said I was hard-headed--guess it finally paid off!
Oct 7, 2004
NARA
I just got back from the overnight 6th grade graduation trip to Nara prefecture. It was a cool trip, I must say. We rode a nice big, comfy tour bus there and back. They even had tv karaoke system on the bus for the kids.
I got to see a lot more than I did when I first went to Nara last year. I saw the oldest Buddha statue in Japan in the area of Asuka, the 2,000 year-old cradle of Buddhist culture in Japan. The scenic slouds, mountains and trees were a sight, a severe contrast to the drab concrete jungle of Nagoya.
We stayed in ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn. I first I had reservations about going on the trip because I wasn't too keen on taking a group bath with the boys and teachers, but the principal really wanted me to go. He paid my expenses and they hooked me up with my own little Western-style bedroom in the inn. It had a decent bed plus a tv. I got to use a private shower as well. Our meals at the ryokan were impressive: we had very traditional Japanese meals with like a thousand courses of hardcore Japanese. Lucky for me, I've grown accustomed to traditional Japanese food, although I could only imagine that as a first-timer in that situation I probably would've barfed at the sight of some of the stuff we ate. There were about 7 teachers on the trip, including myself, and we ate in a separate room from the kids, and even had beer with our dinner, courtesy of the principal. After we put the kids to bed in their big tatami rooms, we had a little "after-party" back in our private room. Sitting around in jinbei, traditional Japanese robes, we had more beer and fresh fruit and just chilled out before we hit the sack.
The next day, we went to Nara Park, a national park full of wild deer. Most of the kids spent the day feeding the animals deer crackers and taking pictures of them. Everyone was free for the day to roam the park as they liked and visit various sites, shrines, and temples. I was surprised at how much freedom the teachers gave the students to basically go anywhwere they wanted and take care of themselves away from home. A small group of students and I witnesed some authentice road rage in Nara Park. A driver with a "handicapped" sign sealed to his windshield, cut off another driver who was a in a black sedan. The man in the sedan honked his horn incessantly, as if it wasn't 10:30 in the morning in a historic national park. Even when the other guy quietly moved his car and drove away, the guy in the sedan blared his horn some more, driving after him, cutting him off at the next pass, then jumping out to approach the other driver's car, screaming obscenities all the while. Meanwhile, the other driver didn't fire back a single word, and eventually the angry got back in his vehicle and sped away. The students were just as surprised at the scene as I was. I asked one of them to explain to me what the guy had said, as I couldn't understand his angry Japanese, but one of the boys suggested that he was probably a yakuza, or mafia member. I just think he was drunk and out of his friggin' wig.
But, just when you think you've seen all the zany things Japan has to offer, there's always more.
I got to see a lot more than I did when I first went to Nara last year. I saw the oldest Buddha statue in Japan in the area of Asuka, the 2,000 year-old cradle of Buddhist culture in Japan. The scenic slouds, mountains and trees were a sight, a severe contrast to the drab concrete jungle of Nagoya.
We stayed in ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn. I first I had reservations about going on the trip because I wasn't too keen on taking a group bath with the boys and teachers, but the principal really wanted me to go. He paid my expenses and they hooked me up with my own little Western-style bedroom in the inn. It had a decent bed plus a tv. I got to use a private shower as well. Our meals at the ryokan were impressive: we had very traditional Japanese meals with like a thousand courses of hardcore Japanese. Lucky for me, I've grown accustomed to traditional Japanese food, although I could only imagine that as a first-timer in that situation I probably would've barfed at the sight of some of the stuff we ate. There were about 7 teachers on the trip, including myself, and we ate in a separate room from the kids, and even had beer with our dinner, courtesy of the principal. After we put the kids to bed in their big tatami rooms, we had a little "after-party" back in our private room. Sitting around in jinbei, traditional Japanese robes, we had more beer and fresh fruit and just chilled out before we hit the sack.
The next day, we went to Nara Park, a national park full of wild deer. Most of the kids spent the day feeding the animals deer crackers and taking pictures of them. Everyone was free for the day to roam the park as they liked and visit various sites, shrines, and temples. I was surprised at how much freedom the teachers gave the students to basically go anywhwere they wanted and take care of themselves away from home. A small group of students and I witnesed some authentice road rage in Nara Park. A driver with a "handicapped" sign sealed to his windshield, cut off another driver who was a in a black sedan. The man in the sedan honked his horn incessantly, as if it wasn't 10:30 in the morning in a historic national park. Even when the other guy quietly moved his car and drove away, the guy in the sedan blared his horn some more, driving after him, cutting him off at the next pass, then jumping out to approach the other driver's car, screaming obscenities all the while. Meanwhile, the other driver didn't fire back a single word, and eventually the angry got back in his vehicle and sped away. The students were just as surprised at the scene as I was. I asked one of them to explain to me what the guy had said, as I couldn't understand his angry Japanese, but one of the boys suggested that he was probably a yakuza, or mafia member. I just think he was drunk and out of his friggin' wig.
But, just when you think you've seen all the zany things Japan has to offer, there's always more.
Sep 26, 2004
SCHOOL VISIT
We had a special school visit at JHS today. I had 2 observed English lessons, one with the 1st year students, and with one of the 3rd year classes. Yumi, a newly hired coordinator of the ALTs in my city, "dropped by" for a surprise visit. Actually, she was delivering a pumpkin to my elementary school on my behalf, because the 3rd grade is planning to have a big Halloween party next month and the teachers want me to carve a jack-o-lantern. because of my company, and Yumi lived in London for 4 years, so she seems a lot more understanding of the life of a foreigner, sympathetic even.
The 3rd year class went down without a hitch. A lot of people people observed the class, including a white American professor who teaches at a local university, and another big-time old Japanese professor who I heard teaches in Kobe. Sayako, the third-year English teacher seemed happy and I think overall, everyone came out looking good because of it. However, the 1st-year class with Ms. Takeuchi sucked butt. She hadn't consulted with me for any of the class preparation, and the kids' English sounded retarded because of it, to no fault of their own. Fortunately, for some reason, no one observed that class except for Yumi. After the class, and without me saying a word, Yumi critically dissected the class, pointing out various faults on the Japanese teacher's part. Yumi even pointed out that Ms. Takeuchi was snoozing during the review meeting he had after the observed lessons, something I hadn't even noticed myself. She said it was ironic considering that that same teacher was the quickest one to make complaints about me to my company. Yumi said that she claimed that I yawn in front of the students. I recall doing nothing of the sort. wtf. This chick is out of her gourd, and I realize that there's nothing I can do to change that. But I was relieved that, for once, someone could understand my frustrations at JHS.
The 3rd year class went down without a hitch. A lot of people people observed the class, including a white American professor who teaches at a local university, and another big-time old Japanese professor who I heard teaches in Kobe. Sayako, the third-year English teacher seemed happy and I think overall, everyone came out looking good because of it. However, the 1st-year class with Ms. Takeuchi sucked butt. She hadn't consulted with me for any of the class preparation, and the kids' English sounded retarded because of it, to no fault of their own. Fortunately, for some reason, no one observed that class except for Yumi. After the class, and without me saying a word, Yumi critically dissected the class, pointing out various faults on the Japanese teacher's part. Yumi even pointed out that Ms. Takeuchi was snoozing during the review meeting he had after the observed lessons, something I hadn't even noticed myself. She said it was ironic considering that that same teacher was the quickest one to make complaints about me to my company. Yumi said that she claimed that I yawn in front of the students. I recall doing nothing of the sort. wtf. This chick is out of her gourd, and I realize that there's nothing I can do to change that. But I was relieved that, for once, someone could understand my frustrations at JHS.
Sep 21, 2004
JUNIOR HIGH BLUES
Today it was brought to my attention by Sayako, a young English teacher at JHS, that some of the teachers there have a problem with my dress. She said, for lack of better English, she thinks that I should dress more "polite." Apparently I dress too casually for the tastes of some of the teachers and, thus, am suffering a "bad image" because of it. This was complete news to me. I've been at this school for a year and a half and none ever mentioned that I dress inappropriately to school. Mind you, there is no dress code for teachers. The Japanese teachers wear everything from shirts and ties to t-shirts and athletic wear. I wear the same gear to JHS that I do to elementary school and I get no complaints over there. On top of that, when I first started at the dangone school, I specifically asked some of the teachers and principals what types of items of clothing were appropriate. I named some items and they were like they were all A-Okay. So now, after 1.5 years I'm hearing this flip-flop B.S. like, wtf?
Anyway, Sayako's suggestion opened up a whole conversation about my relationship, rather lack thereof with the JHS teachers. She admitted that there was distance between myself and the teachers and that she thought I didn't enjoy being at that school. Good observations. I thanked her for being thoughtful enough of my situation. Though, I suggested that instead of assuming how I felt, someone should probably ASK ME to find out the truth. Considering the success I've had at elementary school, with virtually the same approach and attitude towards teaching, I asked: what is the real problem? I'm the same guy at both schools, always willing to talk to and cooperate with all staff, and the kids love me at both, so is something really wrong with ME or the way that they perceive me? I've been treated like an outsider by a majority of the teachers since day one, while maintaining politeness and doing my job to the best of my ability, but now, WAAAY after the fact, I'm supposed to alter my dress to appease a small group of individuals who haven't displayed a rat's butthole about me anyway?? Puh-lease. I have no problem following rules, but conforming to make others happy has never been on my to-do list.
Sayako and I basically concurred that there has been a HUGE communication gap between myself and the rest of the JHS teachers. She also admitted that some of the teachers are probably guilty of comparing me to past foreign English teachers at the school and that they need need to revise their attitudes about me. She agreed to help encourage some of the teachers to be more interactive with me.
Man. I don't really know how I'm supposed to feel about this whole JHS situation. I get really confused by the contradicting messages and silent expectations of Japanese folks sometimes. Here I was, thinking that by doing a good job, being popular with the kids, and being an all-around "nice guy" would warrant some favor and respect from my Japanese peers. NOT. I'm really learning more and more that, in Japan, image is everything, while character/merit count for much less...which would seem to explain the shallowness of the dismal "jip-hop" scene. ...Or does this postulate of J-World apply to the rest of the globe as well?
Anyway, Sayako's suggestion opened up a whole conversation about my relationship, rather lack thereof with the JHS teachers. She admitted that there was distance between myself and the teachers and that she thought I didn't enjoy being at that school. Good observations. I thanked her for being thoughtful enough of my situation. Though, I suggested that instead of assuming how I felt, someone should probably ASK ME to find out the truth. Considering the success I've had at elementary school, with virtually the same approach and attitude towards teaching, I asked: what is the real problem? I'm the same guy at both schools, always willing to talk to and cooperate with all staff, and the kids love me at both, so is something really wrong with ME or the way that they perceive me? I've been treated like an outsider by a majority of the teachers since day one, while maintaining politeness and doing my job to the best of my ability, but now, WAAAY after the fact, I'm supposed to alter my dress to appease a small group of individuals who haven't displayed a rat's butthole about me anyway?? Puh-lease. I have no problem following rules, but conforming to make others happy has never been on my to-do list.
Sayako and I basically concurred that there has been a HUGE communication gap between myself and the rest of the JHS teachers. She also admitted that some of the teachers are probably guilty of comparing me to past foreign English teachers at the school and that they need need to revise their attitudes about me. She agreed to help encourage some of the teachers to be more interactive with me.
Man. I don't really know how I'm supposed to feel about this whole JHS situation. I get really confused by the contradicting messages and silent expectations of Japanese folks sometimes. Here I was, thinking that by doing a good job, being popular with the kids, and being an all-around "nice guy" would warrant some favor and respect from my Japanese peers. NOT. I'm really learning more and more that, in Japan, image is everything, while character/merit count for much less...which would seem to explain the shallowness of the dismal "jip-hop" scene. ...Or does this postulate of J-World apply to the rest of the globe as well?
Sep 8, 2004
THE WHOLE ZOO!
I've officially stopped counting. There was a fourth the night before in the middle of the night while I was sleeping. I didn't even know until one of the teachers at school asked me about it. Then there was the one last night shortly before midnight. I've been on edge since the third one, so I'm a wee bit paranoid about any kind of movement while I'm sitting down (toilet excluded). Between the bigger quakes I swore I've felt small tremors. After last night, I don't think I'm so "noid" after all. I read somewhere that a bunch of smaller quakes in a short period helps shave off pent-up energy between tectonic plates to stave off bigger, more ominous quakes. I don't know if that info was based on science or myth, but I hope it's true, because all this quaking is making me nervous.
On a happy note, I got my absentee ballot in the mail yesterday. Ohhh yeahhh. Time to send Bushbaby and his ranchmonkeys packing! More later...
On a happy note, I got my absentee ballot in the mail yesterday. Ohhh yeahhh. Time to send Bushbaby and his ranchmonkeys packing! More later...
Sep 6, 2004
...AND ZEBRAS?!
O-kay. So we have yet a THIRD quake this morning while at school.We were already prepared to let out early because of oncoming storms from the big typhoon passing over western Japan, when the staffroom windows began rattling. At first it seemed like strong winds, but then the building began rattling too. Someone flipped on the tv right after and the earthquake alert was already being broadcasted. It felt weaker than the two 6.8 and 7.1 quakes on Sunday and only lasted about 10 seconds, but I mean, dang, that was the third earthquake in 48 hours! Meanwhile, they sent the kids home early afterall, because the heavy winds started kicking up.
Getting it from above and below...What the deal, Mama Nature???
Getting it from above and below...What the deal, Mama Nature???
Sep 5, 2004
CATS, DOGS, ELEPHANTS & HIPPOS
O-kay. So about 5 hours after the earthquake, after even more rain and thunder, we have yet ANOTHER earthquake. I believe the second was stronger than the first, which registered as a 4.0 on the Japanese scale (moderate) and lasted about 30 seconds. The second one felt much wavier and lasted at least 20 seconds, it seemed. This time, I got up and stood in the doorway and watched our teacups and electric rice cooker wobble and come this close to tiping over. I'd never experienced earthquakes like these before today.
But, man. 2 big earthquakes in one day...Is this a sign?
But, man. 2 big earthquakes in one day...Is this a sign?
CATS, DOGS, AND ELEPHANTS
After on and off thunderstorms since this morning, we just had the longest, strongest earthquake I've ever felt about 30 minutes ago. It lasted about 30 seconds, and after about 15 seconds, I headed outside until it subsided, in order to avoid any possible collapsing of our small apartment building. I could hear cups rattling in the kitchen and outside I saw power cords swinging over nearby houses. Afterwards my roomie informed me that going outside was the WRONG thing to, and in the event of falling objects, I'd been safer crawling under a desk or table, or standing in a doorway. I'm not a native of earthquake country, so I wasn't aware of that. Lesson learnt. The radio said it was a 4.0 across about 7 prefectures in Central Japan, so a quake was an unsettling cap-off to a very thundery, rainy day.
Sep 2, 2004
X-COMMUNICATED
Friday of the first week of school. Junior High. Things are back as usual, which means I'm being utterly ignored. I mean, before I was generally ignored, but now, it's like I dunno..like I'm invisible. I'm actually starting to think that a cadre of teachers actually don't want me here. I don't know what the problem is, but it's not like I'm not doing what I'm asked to. I haven't had the perfect relationship with my co-teachers, but it's not like we haven't been trying. At least so I thought. There's just a general lack of communication between myself and the 2-3 teachers I teach with. It's almost like people dread talking to me, and the other homerooms teachers basically don't speak to me at all, ...not even in Japanese, even though my listening comprehension is decent. I believe most of the teachers here think I don't understand the language at all, which may be one of the reasons they don't venture to talk to me, I suspect. Rather disappointing after working here for almost a year and a half. Hmm.
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