Tidbits and Tadbits

Quick updates:

- I joined the volleyball club at school. In my introduction speech to my faculty I mentioned that I had played volleyball before and sure enough, they offered to introduce me to the club. Clubs here are like after school activities, there are a lot of sports, but also music, journalism, traditional japanese culture things... So although there are tournaments occasionally for the sports there is no set league. I really admire these girls because there are only 5! They are one girl short of having enough people to play in any sort of competition, yet every day they still get out there and practice hard. They practice for 3 hours! Crazy. I only stay for about an hour and a half, I’m old :) It’s really fun and they have been so nice! We just do some drills, play some games. They don’t really have a coach, because no teachers really know how to play volleyball at the school. So, the guy that sits across from me, Toyoda Sensei, was appointed to run it. He drops in from time to time, but the girls run the practice time themselves. For having so much freedom, they sure do work hard! I’m such a slacker.

- I taught my first team-taught lesson today for some prospective Jr. High School students. It was so funny. We did some introduction conversations and then to practice I wanted them to play musical chairs. The two people left standing had to do it in front of the whole class. When we started the music no body moved! Watanabe Sensei and I kept trying to get them to run around the circle of chairs, but they literally stood there. They understood what to do, but no one wanted to give up their chair right next to them. It was really funny, and even though no one moved when the music started, when it stopped different people were up each time. Shoganai (What can you do?)

- We got cell phones yesterday! Can you believe that we got one of the higher priced plans and it only comes with 300 minutes per month! They had plans starting at 25 mins per month, then 42, then 80, then 150...and so on. Who talks for so little each month!? I couldn’t even believe it, considering the lowest plan in America is about 800 minutes with free weekend and nights. This is my beautiful, large-but-surprisingly-very-light phone, complete with a little hangy thing that every Japanese person has.



As you can see I enjoy talking on it very much...



- I have to give a speech on Monday at the Opening Ceremony at school. In Japanese. Should be fun...:)

- I’m in charge of the English Speaking Society. Sounds high class, no? It’s really just the name of the English Club. I’m excited to meet them, there are only about 8 people and they all seem really enthusiastic. Hopefully I can teach them wacky stuff about culture, yada yada yada.

- I finally am starting to feel at home at work (wait, does that even make sense?). I don’t feel like everyone is watching me anymore (which they never were, but of course I felt self-conscious because I had no idea how to do anything). Now I confidently roam around the teacher’s room like nobody’s business - refilling my tea cup, going to the bathroom, ordering lunch, searching the supply cupboard, looking out the window...you name it I do it. Oh yeah, go me.

This is my desk. As you can see my predecessor left me lots of "stuff"...but it's ok. I'm accustomed to "stuff."



- In October, Shawn and I signed up to take part in Dragon Boat Races! It’s in Southern Kyushu and we are in a boat with other JETs. I’m so excited! I miss rowing. Although it’s not the same, it is on the water and that is close enough for me.

- I got a sweet grandma bike. That’s all everyone rides here. Every time I get on it I sing the wicked witch song from the Wizard of Oz to myself. You know the one - “doo doo doo doo doo doo, I’ll get you my pretty! And your little dog, too!” It is so freakin’ sweet, I can’t even tell you. So I’ll show you. Check out the cruiser-style handles and oh-so-convenient basket on front. I wish I could bring it back to the states...






- Shawn can’t seem to get to work on time. It’s quite comical actually, you should read his blog. :)

- I cooked spaghetti last night! It was quite tasty. Just like in the US. Also, I have a catalog from the Foreign Buyers Club which imports groceries from around the world! I can get French Vanilla and Pasta Roni after all. Sweet.

- Things are looking up! Of course it helps that it’s the WEEKEND! yippee! I’m takin’ my gma bike out for a cruise!

Cabbage and Nakedness

Another weekend already, it seems like time is just flying by! I guess that’s a good thing...

On Friday we returned from Kamae, a town on the Southern coast of Oita Prefecture, which is where a local high school held their English Summer Camp. We were invited to help out, and it was pretty much our first interaction with students since we got here. It was only three days, two nights, but admittedly, it was long enough. This was the view from the Marine Culture Center we stayed at. It was quite beautiful.



Since it was run by Japanese people at a Japanese facility it was probably one of the few times I will really get to see what Japanese life is like. A few things were hard to get used to, and it made me glad I have my own apartment so I can still live with my own habits. For example, breakfast food doesn’t really exist. For breakfast each morning we had raw cabbage salad, miso soup, rice, and there were usually some meat things. Really, it was no different than lunch or dinner meals. Cabbage for breakfast. cabbage for lunch, cabbage for dinner. It was funny at first, but I was all cabbaged out by the end! Also, there were no private shower stalls. There were only the public baths which was a shock. I knew at some point I’d have to get over it and just get naked, but I wasn’t expecting to do it so soon! So in the women’s onesen (public bath) there was a room for the cubby holes where you put your clothes, etc. Then you go into the room with the giant bath (kind of like a hot tub) to soak in. Before you soak you are supposed to clean off. So on the walls there are about 10 shower stations. Japanese people sit down to shower so there are little seats facing mirrors, each with it’s own shower wand thingy. This is hard to describe. But people just sit there, wash their hair, body, whatever. Everyone in the same room! Naked! Free! And no one cares. It was really an experience, but by the third day I was fine with it. It’s actually really nice. Haha.

For the camp, Shawn, me and this other ALT named Justin were in charge of one group of 8 students. The ALT to student ratio was great! All the ALTs brought an object to represent themselves and the students had to choose one to ‘sell’ in a commercial. We were going to perform the skits in front of everyone the final day. Our group chose to sell the stuffed shark Justin brought. We made up a cute little jingle and skit that included a guest appearance by David Beckham. The shark was protection from bad people. It was pretty cool and we had it all ready to go. Then, the final morning we had to leave early because a typhoon had just struck Kyushu. We didn’t even get to perform them! It was quite disappointing.

This is our cute group. It may look like they are all girls, but there is one androgenous (sp?) boy in there...can you find him? :)



Even more disappointing was this supposed typhoon. I’ve never been a typhoon, but I don’t think this was a good representation of one. Of course, I don’t want to be in a scary tropical storm, but this was no more than a windy rain storm, similar to some storms in Oregon! I’m not really sure why we felt we had to leave early, but of course, safety is the first priority, especially when there are kids involved. Once we got back to the high school we couldn’t get home because the trains don’t run when there are typhoon winds -they derail to easily. Isn’t it ironic that a typhoon (which are quite common in this area) can cripple and entire nation’s infrastructure!? Every day millions of people take the trains, and a typhoon - even the mention of a typhoon - shuts them down. This was strange... So, trains were either not running or running incredibly slow with huge delays.


Luckily the charter bus drove us all to various areas, and we could get home, but ALTs who lived farther away had a more difficult time. We invited a friend, Will from England, to stay with us because he lived farther away. In addition, Phil - our friend from Willamette - stayed. AND, last night another friend from Willamette/TIUA, Naoko, came to visit from Tokyo. In our little apartment we had 5 people staying over! It was really funny. No one else could have fit, but it was just like a slumber party! It was really fun. We picked up Naoko in Oita City from the train station then we went to Karaoke. Which, by the way, is SO FUN. In the US, karaoke is really really scary and horrible. You’re all alone on a stage with bright lights and judging eyes. But in Japan, you’re in a tiny room with 5 or 6 other people. Although there are microphones everyone chimes in and if you are off key or a bad singer, it doesn’t matter! You can’t hear yourself or anyone anyway, because the music is so loud. And the English karaoke selection is amazingly impressive. Old stuff to new stuff. It’s crazy. So we did that, then because we missed the last train home we had to take a taxi. It was so expensive, I couldn’t believe it! None of us were prepared to pay 28,000 yen, which is almost $30.00. It was probably the first and last time we will take a taxi from Oita to Tsurusaki, unless it’s a really great party :). The 11:00 train is only about two dollars.

When we got home we all went to bed. Our predecessors left us some futons for guests and although we had to lay some in the kitchen, one in the living room and Shawn and I in our bed, we could all talk in normal voices and hear each other. That’s how small our apartment is. It was really hilarious and we stayed up talking and joking around for a while. It was cool. It takes me back to the good ‘ol days of slumber parties...

It’s safe to say that Shawn and I are really exhausted and ready for some down time. It seems like there is never time for that. But it has been really fun getting to know all the other JETs in our area. Oita City is where lots of people come into on the weekends, so we are really close to all the action. I have met people from more countries here in Japan than anywhere! There are JETs from India, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Canada, Portugal, and all over the US. It’s really fun to listen to the accents and vocabulary from different regions. And sometimes I catch myself sliding into British vowels if i spend a lot of time talked to those from the UK. It’s so great. I feel really lucky to meet so many different people! All the ALTs are really cool so far, and it’s great to have that support system.

I’ll go to school for my first full day on Monday. Last week I only went for half days on Monday and Tuesday. At the morning meeting I have to give an introductory speech in Japanese! eek! I think I can do it, but of course I will be nervous.

Hope everyone is well! Love the comments!

Disclaimer: Due to spotty internet connections this entry has been in the works for about 3 days. Just bear with me...

Whew. We've stayed in our new apartment for 3 nights now and things are getting better everyday. It also helped that we have had all weekend to make it feel like home. Just yesterday we unpacked our bags and went through the mounds of papers and books they gave us at orientation in Tokyo. The finishing touch is arriving today - our beloved air conditioner! This is probably the best investment I've made in my whole life. (That might be exaggerating a bit, but right now it's all I can think about.) In T-Minus 3 hours it will be installed and then our apartment will be perfect!

Our predecessors left us pretty much all the large furnishings we need, but we had to take a few shopping trips to get essentials such as toilet paper, towels, slippers, detergents, soap, hangers, food, etc. Thanks to the 100 yen store - which is the Japanese equivalent to the dollar store - we made it out pretty cheap. There is a supermarket just on the corner down the street so grocery shopping is really easy and quick. My school provides a refrigerator and washing machine to their ALT every year so that is really great. We have a few tables, chairs, a bed, some book shelves, dishes, vaccuum, iron, fans, and some other stuff left for us. It is such a relief! I can imagine how expensive and stressful it would be to buy all this stuff.

Despite the outward appearance of our aparment building, our apartment is really cute! When you walk in there is, of course, a place to take off your shoes and put on house slippers. Then the kitchen/main area is open with the sink/gas stove. There is NO counter space which sucks once we start cooking, but I guess thats what the tables are for. It's a nice size room. Then there are two other rooms which have sliding doors so you can parition everything, but we just leave them all open. One is the bedroom with a huge closet for the futons. If we were Japanese every day we would put our futon away so the room could be used for something else, but since we aren't, we leave ours out. Well, we also sleep on a mattress instead of futons, something we inherited. But we do have them for guests! So come on over :) The other room is our everything else room. Of course smaller than what we are used to, but definitely big enough and it doesn't feel too small.

These are some pictures of our apt. First, the Japanese style sliding door. So cool and provides very good atmosphere :)



And from the other side of the doors...

I'll tell you the one room that is definitely too small is the toilet room. Actually its more like a toilet closet. I kid you not, it is 3ft by 3 ft.



It is separate from the shower/bath area and when you close the door there is no room to put your knees. You have to sit diagonally to fit. Here is a shot to show the scale. The edge of the toilet seat is the length of my foot away from the wall. You can see how uncomfortable Shawn looks! :)










The depth of the bathtub is quite nice. Unfortunately with our dripping water pressure, it takes a looong time to fill up.












Also, our laundry hanging out to dry...how beautiful.



Sorry this is so rushed. I am on limited internet time and just wanted to give ya'll a picture of what our apt. is like. Shawn's blog has many more photos if you are interested: http://videoretirement.blogspot.com

Pictures of my school to come. We are off to help at an English Summer Camp tomorrow! It sounds like it will be really fun. There will be free time for swimming and games, or so I hear...

We are still really frustrated with being cut off from the world. For some crazy reason it takes about 3 weeks to get internet installed in our apartment! And we don't have cell phones yet so contacting other JETs in our area is super difficult. We are a little shut off, but at least we have each other. Awww....