Ok...are you ready for this?
I decided to re-contract with JET for another year!!! This means that I'll be in Japan until (at least) July of 2009. Wow, now that I typed the date, it seems so far away.
We had to turn in our decision to re-contract about two weeks ago.
I'm not gonna lie, while I'm super excited to be going through the events of a typical school year in Japan (and finally have some clue as to what's going on this time around), I still feel unsure about whether or not this is the right decision...especially because Hoa, Vince and Wendy may all be in China come this August!
Ahh...I'm so jealous!
Anyway, just wanted to share the news with you. =)
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Elementary Schools
Since last December, I have made weekly visits to the elementary school down the block. I love going to those classes because the students are usually having fun and enjoying English.
However, they are super tiring. For some reason, I feel like I have to be loud and scream in order to convey my excitement of being there. I know it's wrong, but it just happens naturally.
On Valentine's Day, I taught a bunch of 5th grade elementary students. The beginning of my lesson included a brief introduction to Valentine's Day in America. We talked about how girls are usually the recipients of Valentine's candies and that people go to nice restaurants for dinner.
Upon hearing that, one kid said, " is it Global Viking?"
As my mouth kept moving to continue the lesson, my brain started to break down the term "global viking." In Japan, buffets are called "vikings," perhaps because of the way people pillage and plunder in restaurants?! I dunno. So, I take it that the term "global viking" means an international buffet. What a cool name.
At the end of the back to back 5th grade lessons, it was time for me to head back to my junior high school Some students wanted me to sign their English file as though I were a superstar. The English teacher explained that I couldn't stay because I have to go back to the junior high.
A student said, "Eh? Louise-sensei [teacher] is a junior high student?"
Aww...they're so cute!
However, they are super tiring. For some reason, I feel like I have to be loud and scream in order to convey my excitement of being there. I know it's wrong, but it just happens naturally.
On Valentine's Day, I taught a bunch of 5th grade elementary students. The beginning of my lesson included a brief introduction to Valentine's Day in America. We talked about how girls are usually the recipients of Valentine's candies and that people go to nice restaurants for dinner.
Upon hearing that, one kid said, " is it Global Viking?"
As my mouth kept moving to continue the lesson, my brain started to break down the term "global viking." In Japan, buffets are called "vikings," perhaps because of the way people pillage and plunder in restaurants?! I dunno. So, I take it that the term "global viking" means an international buffet. What a cool name.
At the end of the back to back 5th grade lessons, it was time for me to head back to my junior high school Some students wanted me to sign their English file as though I were a superstar. The English teacher explained that I couldn't stay because I have to go back to the junior high.
A student said, "Eh? Louise-sensei [teacher] is a junior high student?"
Aww...they're so cute!
Living in the USA
Before the 3rd grade junior high students graduate in March, I wanted to to do a cross-cultural project where they discover the differences that exist between Japanese and American culture in the most mundane of things (ie how people ride the bus, etc.).
I thought it would be an interesting exercise, but coming up with the activities to demonstrate this point was much harder than expected.
To help me produce ideas, I looked for books about everyday life in America and Japan. My friend pointed me to a used bookstore by the International Center and luckily, I found several useful books. The most interesting of all is this book called "Living in the USA."
Here are a few excerpts.
On Asian Americans:
"Asian-Americans tend to have a single-minded concentration on getting ahead. They are doing notably well academically and are surging into the top universities coast to coast..."
"Most Asians distance themselves from both blacks and Hispanics. They date and mate readily with white however."
On Adult Dating:
"Men and women go out together a great deal, especially in the cities of America; they ski together, work together, and dine together, either at restaurants or in each other's apartments. This does not mean that they are necessarily interested in having sex together, though it may appear so and, of course, with some men and women it is so."
"If you have a wife at home, be sure to let this fact be known to the woman early in your acquaintance. It will not necessarily make any difference, but the woman wants to know the situation."
"A woman will not feel that she owes you sex because you have paid for her dinner." She will feel that her company and her acceptance of you have contributed to a pleasant evening for both, but not that she owes you more."
On Silence
Many Americans find silence uncomfortable. They will babble on to fill any silence if it extends for more than a moment."
Needless to say, a book like this, being less than 3/4 of an inch thick, has utterly offended me in mere paragraphs. Those lines offended me as an Asian American, as a woman, and sadly, as an American.
I guess it's fair to point out that this book was first published in 1973 (but updated in 1988). I know that's 20+ years ago, but give me a break! That's a bunch of bull.
I can't believe the choice of words the author used in describing certain groups of people. It also made so many assumptions about the background of its readers. "If you have a wife at home, be sure to let that fact be known..."?!? Are you for real?
I also can't believe this book was published to introduce foreigners to American life. While it provided some shocking amusement, I think I can summarize my views of this book in one line. What a waste of paper!
I thought it would be an interesting exercise, but coming up with the activities to demonstrate this point was much harder than expected.
To help me produce ideas, I looked for books about everyday life in America and Japan. My friend pointed me to a used bookstore by the International Center and luckily, I found several useful books. The most interesting of all is this book called "Living in the USA."
Here are a few excerpts.
On Asian Americans:
"Asian-Americans tend to have a single-minded concentration on getting ahead. They are doing notably well academically and are surging into the top universities coast to coast..."
"Most Asians distance themselves from both blacks and Hispanics. They date and mate readily with white however."
On Adult Dating:
"Men and women go out together a great deal, especially in the cities of America; they ski together, work together, and dine together, either at restaurants or in each other's apartments. This does not mean that they are necessarily interested in having sex together, though it may appear so and, of course, with some men and women it is so."
"If you have a wife at home, be sure to let this fact be known to the woman early in your acquaintance. It will not necessarily make any difference, but the woman wants to know the situation."
"A woman will not feel that she owes you sex because you have paid for her dinner." She will feel that her company and her acceptance of you have contributed to a pleasant evening for both, but not that she owes you more."
On Silence
Many Americans find silence uncomfortable. They will babble on to fill any silence if it extends for more than a moment."
Needless to say, a book like this, being less than 3/4 of an inch thick, has utterly offended me in mere paragraphs. Those lines offended me as an Asian American, as a woman, and sadly, as an American.
I guess it's fair to point out that this book was first published in 1973 (but updated in 1988). I know that's 20+ years ago, but give me a break! That's a bunch of bull.
I can't believe the choice of words the author used in describing certain groups of people. It also made so many assumptions about the background of its readers. "If you have a wife at home, be sure to let that fact be known..."?!? Are you for real?
I also can't believe this book was published to introduce foreigners to American life. While it provided some shocking amusement, I think I can summarize my views of this book in one line. What a waste of paper!
Typical Lunchtime Conversations in the Staffroom
1.)
accountant: Hitomi-san, did you know there's a snail in the kitchen sink?
tea lady: Ehh?! What?
handyman: Yea, I saw it in the sink this morning.
tealady: What? Why didn't you take care of it?
* handyman shrugs nonchalantly
2.)
1st grade history teacher: Where's Louise?
(*note: I was sitting right in front of him in the same seat as every other day. It is probably also important to note that there are only 6 seats at the lunch table.)
English teacher & handyman [pointing to me]: She's right here.
1st grade history teacher [giggles like a school girl]: Oh, I didn't see her because of the black clothing.
(*note 2: My surroundings were neither dark nor black, so I didn't really blend into anything.)
3.) School lunch item of the day: weird-looking potatoes
handyman: The potatoes are sweet.
tealady [in exaggerated anime-like tone after taking a bite]: Sweet!
nurse: It's sweet, isn't it?
English teacher: It's sweet.
Ah...the joys of understanding a little bit of Japanese! =)
accountant: Hitomi-san, did you know there's a snail in the kitchen sink?
tea lady: Ehh?! What?
handyman: Yea, I saw it in the sink this morning.
tealady: What? Why didn't you take care of it?
* handyman shrugs nonchalantly
2.)
1st grade history teacher: Where's Louise?
(*note: I was sitting right in front of him in the same seat as every other day. It is probably also important to note that there are only 6 seats at the lunch table.)
English teacher & handyman [pointing to me]: She's right here.
1st grade history teacher [giggles like a school girl]: Oh, I didn't see her because of the black clothing.
(*note 2: My surroundings were neither dark nor black, so I didn't really blend into anything.)
3.) School lunch item of the day: weird-looking potatoes
handyman: The potatoes are sweet.
tealady [in exaggerated anime-like tone after taking a bite]: Sweet!
nurse: It's sweet, isn't it?
English teacher: It's sweet.
Ah...the joys of understanding a little bit of Japanese! =)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Let it Snow!
It's butt freezing cold outside but it's beautiful. It's been snowing all day and there's a fluffy layer of snow on the ground.
The good thing about my city is that even though it may be snowing non-stop, there's still sunshine on a daily basis. It makes the walk to school that much better.
Although I'm reveling in the beauty of a winter filled with snow, I can't help but wonder about the few homeless people I met .
The good thing about my city is that even though it may be snowing non-stop, there's still sunshine on a daily basis. It makes the walk to school that much better.
Although I'm reveling in the beauty of a winter filled with snow, I can't help but wonder about the few homeless people I met .
Cashing in on love
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day in this country is a whole different ordeal. In Japan, girls give guys candy on Valentine's day. It's kind of like Sadie Hawkins day where you have the chance to profess your love for someone.
However, as in all things in Japan and in love, it's never quite that simple. Valentine's Day is not just a day for couples. There are different kinds of chocolate. And no, I don't mean the amount of cacao the chocolate contains.
Obviously, there's the chocolate you present to your significant other. Then, there are chocolates called tomochoco ("tomo" for friend in Japanese), and last but not least, is my favorite. These chocolates are called girichoco. Giri means obligation. These are the chocolate you're obligated to give to male acquaintances. This includes your boss and other male co-workers, and perhaps male family members.
I was a bit surprised by this Japanese Valentine tradition. It just seems sad that you have to feel obligated to give sweets to people. It's perhaps even more sad for the people receiving it because it becomes a pity gift.
Although I would never turn down a piece of chocolate, I'm sure it doesn't taste as good as it should when the person who gave it to you only did it out of obligation.
On top of all this, I was surprised because I view Japan as a male-dominant society and for females to be the initiators in professing their love seems a bit...out of place. That's why I thought the holiday will be much less celebrated and commercialized as compared to the US.
However, my silly assumption was quickly refuted when my tea lady told me that in Japan, there is a thing called "White Day." White Day is on March 14th. This day is to give the men a chance to give back to the ladies.
If you think Valentine's Day is a very commercial holiday in America, you should come see it in action here. I was at the department store the other day and there were lines and lines of women buying sacks of fancily packaged chocolates. I assume that most of them were buying the girichocos. It's that or maybe they just have many significant others.
All I could think was wow, I'd like to be one of those chocolate manufacturers in Japan right about now.
Happy Valentine's Day!!
Valentine's Day in this country is a whole different ordeal. In Japan, girls give guys candy on Valentine's day. It's kind of like Sadie Hawkins day where you have the chance to profess your love for someone.
However, as in all things in Japan and in love, it's never quite that simple. Valentine's Day is not just a day for couples. There are different kinds of chocolate. And no, I don't mean the amount of cacao the chocolate contains.
Obviously, there's the chocolate you present to your significant other. Then, there are chocolates called tomochoco ("tomo" for friend in Japanese), and last but not least, is my favorite. These chocolates are called girichoco. Giri means obligation. These are the chocolate you're obligated to give to male acquaintances. This includes your boss and other male co-workers, and perhaps male family members.
I was a bit surprised by this Japanese Valentine tradition. It just seems sad that you have to feel obligated to give sweets to people. It's perhaps even more sad for the people receiving it because it becomes a pity gift.
Although I would never turn down a piece of chocolate, I'm sure it doesn't taste as good as it should when the person who gave it to you only did it out of obligation.
On top of all this, I was surprised because I view Japan as a male-dominant society and for females to be the initiators in professing their love seems a bit...out of place. That's why I thought the holiday will be much less celebrated and commercialized as compared to the US.
However, my silly assumption was quickly refuted when my tea lady told me that in Japan, there is a thing called "White Day." White Day is on March 14th. This day is to give the men a chance to give back to the ladies.
If you think Valentine's Day is a very commercial holiday in America, you should come see it in action here. I was at the department store the other day and there were lines and lines of women buying sacks of fancily packaged chocolates. I assume that most of them were buying the girichocos. It's that or maybe they just have many significant others.
All I could think was wow, I'd like to be one of those chocolate manufacturers in Japan right about now.
Happy Valentine's Day!!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Trying for a better understanding
In the last few weeks, I have purposely tried to step out of the routine activities of the typical foreigner in Japan (ie partying every night).
Two recent activities have been especially enlightening.
I started going to a cooking class once a month put on by the Muslim Culture Association of the well-known local university. Each month, they cook Halal food from different countries with a sizable Muslim population. The first month I went, it was Indonesian food, the second Japanese food (not that there is a huge Muslim population in Japan, but I think it was to educate us about what Muslims can eat in the country), and this past weekend, it was Bangladeshi food. The next month will highlight food from Turkmenistan.
I've also started volunteering. There's a group who helps the homeless in the city. I've only been twice and I've already started to doubt the effectiveness of my presence, but it has definitely exposed me to a piece of Japan that I don't think many people here want any foreigners to see.
Two recent activities have been especially enlightening.
I started going to a cooking class once a month put on by the Muslim Culture Association of the well-known local university. Each month, they cook Halal food from different countries with a sizable Muslim population. The first month I went, it was Indonesian food, the second Japanese food (not that there is a huge Muslim population in Japan, but I think it was to educate us about what Muslims can eat in the country), and this past weekend, it was Bangladeshi food. The next month will highlight food from Turkmenistan.
I've also started volunteering. There's a group who helps the homeless in the city. I've only been twice and I've already started to doubt the effectiveness of my presence, but it has definitely exposed me to a piece of Japan that I don't think many people here want any foreigners to see.
Poisonous Gyozas
I finally got a second hand TV! I usually leave it on the background hoping it'll help with my Japanese skills or lack thereof.
However, the big news around all of Japan has been the poisonous gyoza (potstickers) that were sold in the big supermarket chain in Japan called COOP (pronounced "cope" although the origin of the name came from Co-op).
These poisonous gyoza are from...China. There are some people here who suspect that somebody in China intentionally put in the poison. A couple of Japanese people who ate the gyoza were hospitalize and they're recalling all the gyozas of a certain brand sold plus 8 other frozen products from that same line.
From my point of view, this incident (whether or not it's true) further fuels the Japanese's distrust of the Chinese. It's sad.
About a month ago, I had to go teach at the local elementary school. That day, I taught all of the 5th graders in the school. The teacher there wanted me to teach the line, "Where are you from?" and use different countries as examples. I used the US, Canada, Italy, France, China, Japan, and Korea as my examples.
The activity I had the students do involved them each having one card of the above mentioned countries. Then, asking each other, "Where are you from?" Their response will be, obviously, "I am from..." and then the name of the country of the card they were holding. After this exchange, they would exchange cards with each other.
I was walking around and participating in the activity when I observed one pair working together. One had the Canada card and one had the China card. After they exchanged their words, the kid holding the Canada made a big fuss because he was going to receive the China card. He moaned as if he was being given the last pick of the candy from a gigantic jar. I think it bothered me a little bit considering I'm Chinese American. Aside from being annoyed by a 10 year old kid, I was also a little intrigued by what his image of China really is.
The entire world has their eyes on China, watching its every move. I think it is a mixture of amazement, doubt, fear, and curiosity. For me, I also feel a bit of pride. I'm not sure what to make of all this, but inevitably, I know that it affects the way people see me.
However, the big news around all of Japan has been the poisonous gyoza (potstickers) that were sold in the big supermarket chain in Japan called COOP (pronounced "cope" although the origin of the name came from Co-op).
These poisonous gyoza are from...China. There are some people here who suspect that somebody in China intentionally put in the poison. A couple of Japanese people who ate the gyoza were hospitalize and they're recalling all the gyozas of a certain brand sold plus 8 other frozen products from that same line.
From my point of view, this incident (whether or not it's true) further fuels the Japanese's distrust of the Chinese. It's sad.
About a month ago, I had to go teach at the local elementary school. That day, I taught all of the 5th graders in the school. The teacher there wanted me to teach the line, "Where are you from?" and use different countries as examples. I used the US, Canada, Italy, France, China, Japan, and Korea as my examples.
The activity I had the students do involved them each having one card of the above mentioned countries. Then, asking each other, "Where are you from?" Their response will be, obviously, "I am from..." and then the name of the country of the card they were holding. After this exchange, they would exchange cards with each other.
I was walking around and participating in the activity when I observed one pair working together. One had the Canada card and one had the China card. After they exchanged their words, the kid holding the Canada made a big fuss because he was going to receive the China card. He moaned as if he was being given the last pick of the candy from a gigantic jar. I think it bothered me a little bit considering I'm Chinese American. Aside from being annoyed by a 10 year old kid, I was also a little intrigued by what his image of China really is.
The entire world has their eyes on China, watching its every move. I think it is a mixture of amazement, doubt, fear, and curiosity. For me, I also feel a bit of pride. I'm not sure what to make of all this, but inevitably, I know that it affects the way people see me.
Dodgy Internet Services
So, for the last couple of weeks, I've been getting really dodgy internet services. It comes and goes and usually when I need it for anything, it goes.
I think the guy I'm smooching internet off of is on to me and has had enough. Or maybe because two new families moved into the newly built house across the street and they're also smooching internet.
Who knows?
Who cares, really?
I just want reliable internet in the comforts of my own home....for free.
I think the guy I'm smooching internet off of is on to me and has had enough. Or maybe because two new families moved into the newly built house across the street and they're also smooching internet.
Who knows?
Who cares, really?
I just want reliable internet in the comforts of my own home....for free.
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