Things I Find Funny

70 years ago today is the day Pearl Harbor was attacked.  I don't find this part funny, just an interesting thought to reflect on.  My 11th grade students are in Nagaski right now on a week long field trip.  In light of eternity, 70 years is a short time frame and so much has changed.  I am sure if you would have asked my grandfather back in 1941 if he ever thought it would be possible for his grandchildren to live peacefully in Japan, he would have said no.  But here I am.

On to the funny stuff.  My students are hilarious!  Maybe I was a bad teacher in America.  I never got giddy to grade papers or tests like I do in Japan.  Maybe that is because my students never said some of the things my Japanese students say.  Let me enlighten you...

My 8th grade students (this is their 2nd year in English) were learning sentences that were built like this: subject + to be + adjective.  An example I gave was "He is tall."  I cannot even begin to tell you the number of papers I got back that said, "She is easy."  

In that same grade, they were learning to say future tense sentences with "to be".  This is just a reminder that I teach at an all-girls "christian" school.  One of my girls wrote, "I will be a male nurse."  Knowing they had to stand up in class and read their future tense sentences, I tried to talk with the girl before she embarrassed herself.  But, lo and behold, that was exactly what she wanted to say.  To my surprise, my co-worker had another girl in her 11th grade class give a "Future Speech", that is a speech where they talk about their future goals and plans, about the fact that she wanted a gender reassignment.

My 9th grade students just got back from a two week field trip to New Zealand.  One of the questions they had to answer when they got back was, "What is the difference between uniforms in New Zealand and uniforms in Japan?"  One student wrote, "New Zealand uniforms are one piece dresses and Yokohama Jogakuin's uniforms are jackets and shit."

We have one student who comes to our row nearly everyday at lunch to talk with us.  She is loud and really happy and super non-traditional Japanese.  She really likes sparkly things like sequin and flashy jewelry.  The other day she said to my co-worker as sincerely and excited as always, "I really like the costumes you always wear."  

Oh, and I can't forget the best one yet.  Below is what a 12th grade student wrote on a pretest for an entrance exam into college.

Yes, I love my job.    It is quite wonderful and always exciting.  My students are great and I love that they experiment with the English language.

In the near future I plan to post a blog about learning to speak fluent Japanese.  Stay tuned...

Happy Wedding Day Cake!

Being a gaijin

Dedicated to Stevko -

The Big Buddha

I have had my first episode of culture shock.  It's nothing major.  I just have not seen so many drunk adults in my life.  Let me rephrase that.  I have not seen so many drunk adults throwing up in public in my life.  If I was going out on the weekend in America, I may see an occasional 20-something throwing up.   But even that was rare.  Here - If I ride a train after 9pm, I am almost guaranteed to see some 40 year old puking.  The other evening I was coming home on a train.  I look over my shoulder and see this woman holding on to the rail with the tips of her fingers.  She is about 40 and swaying back and forth.  She's clearly drunk.  Her 5 year old daughter is standing beside her.  About a minute later I hear this blood curdling scream from the same direction.  I look over and the lady has vomited all over herself and her daughter is freaking out.  It's running down her business suit and into her shoes.  She doesn't move.  Her daughter keeps screaming and crying.  She just keeps letting it come out and run down her.  Then they board the train.  It makes me so angry.  But the culture is different here and I surely don't understand it after just 2 months.

There is another instance too...
Let me preface this by saying, I am in no way comparing this to the civil rights era.  Growing up, where I did, I don't feel like I was ever really around racism or severe prejudices.  I'm sure it happened.  I just don't have any memory of it.  Maybe it's because it's less likely to happen to a white person.  I don't know.  I do remember experiencing it in college for the first time.  I had befriended a person at my Christian school only to find out that black people were not allowed at her house.  I thought she was joking.  A terrible joke, but I thought it was a joke.  Turned out to be true.  We were never friends again.  And that was a crazy paradigm shift in my life.  I honestly didn't think people like that existed anymore.  Little did I know about the south.  Well, anyway, I am getting a little dose of it over here.  Not from everyone. Most people are very nice and pleasant to me.  But then there are those times when I can clear a train car because I am a gaijin, a foreigner.  In a packed train, where there is breathing room only, I have had an invisible barrier built around me.  Everyone else is crammed and being shoved, but no one will come near me.  Some might see this as a luxury.  And sometimes I think the jokes on them.  But most of time it hurts.  It hurts knowing I repulse someone by my mere existence.  Anyway, those days are few and far between.  I only explain them because I notice.

Now on to school.  Wow, is it different here.  To my knowledge, none of the teachers have their own classroom.  Our desks are in one big room set up almost like an office with cubicles.  It's a bit more socially friendly though.  I sit in a row of foreign teachers.  The principal and administration are two rows in front of me.  If a student needs help or has a question, they come to the teacher room and find us in our rows.  The teachers travel from class to class and the students are stationary.  The style of teaching is different too.  In America, it is all about differentiation and teaching a student to meet their individual needs.  In Japan, it's a one-size-fits-all approach.  You teach to the middle.  The responsibility for learning is more on the students than on the teacher.  My classes all have wooden desks with a teacher's desk front and center and a chalkboard behind.  We do have new TV's in each room and I think that is because Japan just required all their people to switch to digital TVs.  I teach 15 classes a week.  My busiest days are Wednesday and Friday when I teach 4 classes.  Even on those days, that leaves me with 2 preps and a lunch.  It's pretty amazing.  I actually have time to unit plan and plan ahead.  Every morning at 8 am the bell rings, someone stands up in front of the teacher's room and leads a hymn and then shares a verse from the bible.  At 8:30 we have chapel that lasts for about 20 minutes.  The students stand in straight lines through the whole message.  Though I teach at a "Christian" school, most of our teachers and staff are not Christians.  In Japan, it's all about the routine, tradition, and presentation.  Funny that I moved to a country with such strong characteristics.  If you know me at all, I despise routine, question most things that are done out of tradition, and strive to never present myself in a way that is anything other than myself.

Well it's late... that's all for now...

Plethora of things

This is Yokohama at night.

To be honest... I am loving Japan.  There is a peace and restfulness here in one of the busiest places I have ever lived.  I cannot pinpoint just one thing that makes Japan so enjoyable.  It's really a plethora of things. Like the people I am beginning to invest in at work.  For the next month or so, I will be getting to know my co-workers more than my students.  The schedule at school makes that possible.  The friendships that are developing there and at church are very encouraging.  I am also attending/helping out at a ministry called Greenhouse.  This is an after school function where several schools around the area will have their students come for extra English practice.  We eat, sing, and just share in life with our students.  The goal is that we will live and teach in such a way that our students will know Christ for who He is.  Through Greenhouse, I am able to meet other teachers in the area.  We actually have a karaoke night planned for next Saturday.  I am stoked!  I only wish Laura Erickson and Kerry McDaniel could be there to partake in the joyous occasion!

I also really enjoy the amount of walking I do in a day.  I am not kidding when I say I live on a big hill.  As much as I thought it would be a pain, I actually love it.  It's good for sprint training.  There is also a quaint little park about a mile away.  I ran there today and then ran around the park.  I must have looked like a fool with the giddy smile across my face as I ran.  It was AMAZING! 

Japan is also giving me opportunities to try new foods.  The other day I ate Shabu Shabu, which is thinly sliced raw meats that you cook in a soup at your table.  The meat, though thin, still has a lot of fat on it.  However, it was delicious!  I also went to an Indonesian restaurant and ate chicken off the bone... that is a HUGE step for me!  There are also several Indian restaurants here with amazing curry, which is quickly becoming my favorite.  Tonight I even ate lamb in my curry... crazy!

I also have to admit that being able to actually date my boyfriend is quiet lovely.  I get to see him several times throughout the week and IT. IS. AWESOME.  I just love him.  I love dating him and the fact that I can hold his hand nearly anytime I want!

On the bench: Me and my roommates Beth and Autumn.
Rachel is across from us and is Autumn's sister and a new friend of mine.
Arai is a co-worker who took us out for curry and dessert! 

Of course there have been some hard times too.  Living with roommates has its ups and downs.  While it has been mostly good, there are times when personalities clash.  We are learning each other and that can often take a while.  Please pray for us.  Pray for unity and hearts that are truly "others" minded.

I could also use your prayers in other areas too.  It seems that the potter is molding the clay.  Many of you know that some of the most difficult people for me to love and show compassion to are Christians who have a very narrow world-view (meaning they haven't experienced a lot, but tend to think they have).  My prideful attitude often gets in the way and I use what I deem as their foolishness as a reason not to love them.  I often do not have compassion on their circumstances because I think they are weak and that they need to buck-up.  Even as I write this, I think what I am saying is right.  And, maybe it is.  Maybe it's not.  But even if the way I see it is the right way or better way, it is still no reason to be unloving towards them.

Anyway, all that to say... please continue to pray for me.  I have a lot to learn in this big world. 

Budou

Things I am getting used to:

The garbage - They are very organized with garbage here.  I have three different bins and a separate section for cardboard.  You bring your trash from your lunch home with you.  You don't throw it away at school.  If you buy a Starbucks and carry it out of the store, chances are there will not be a garbage anywhere and you will have to carry it home.

Walking - I walk everywhere.  We live on a really huge hill that we walk everyday.  I probably spend 2 hours almost every day walking to or from somewhere.  I am not talking about the walking you do at work or at home.  Instead of a driving, I walk.

Bathrooms -  I guess it is custom to bring your own handkerchief into the restroom.  If not you are usually using a community towel.

Light switches - They are usually on the outside of the room.

Grocery shopping - Most people buy their groceries the day they will eat it.  You don't stock up like in America and just go once a week or so.  

Air conditioning - Most houses have wall units in each room.

Fat - They eat a lot of fat on their meats.

Slippers - You wear slippers inside the house.  Shoes are not to be worn in a house.

Ovens - Most japanese homes do not have an oven.  We don't.

Japanese - You cannot even begin to understand how difficult the most basic of things can be to operate or buy because it's in japanese.  Remotes, alarm clocks, microwaves, washer and dryers, milk, butter, certain vegetables.  

Food - The raw stuff is still hard to eat. However, a lot of foods are different than what you expect.  Things you think will be salty are sweet.  Things that you think are sweet are savory.  

Fruit - It's a dessert here.  So my students think it is odd at times for me to eat it at breakfast or eat it first during lunch.  However,  IT IS DELICIOUS!  The fruits are huge here and so much tastier.  My favorite fruit in Japan are grapes (Budou).  They are so big!  You don't eat the skins of them though.  You eat them almost like you would eat a cherry, except instead of spitting out the pit or seed, you spit out the skin.  

This is the Story (Part 2)

In February, I was willing to go just about anywhere that would fulfill the purpose of serving God, serving others, and paying off my student loans.  Everywhere except, Japan.  

Enter Kevin.

My stud of boyfriend, Kevin, was in Japan.  Now, I know most people may wonder, "So, why isn't Japan the first place you look?"  For me, Japan was Kevin's thing.  I didn't want to intrude on his thing and I wanted my thing. We had already planned on doing 2 years long distance, what would it matter if I just changed where the distance would be? 

Not looking in Japan for a job was unsettling for Kev.  I could serve God, serve others, make a dent in the loans, and have the added perk of actually dating my boyfriend in the same country.  After many prayers and long conversations with people wiser than myself, I made the decision that I wasn't going to aggressively search for jobs in Japan, but I would be openminded to the possibility.  

Within days, the only jobs that were coming my way were jobs in Japan.  One job description was teaching English in Yokohama at an all-girls christian school called Yokohama Jogakuin.  Guess where Kevin lives?  YOKOHAMA!  Woot! 

It took a while, in American standards, to interview and get officially hired with this school.  Once the process was done, I had signed a contract for a two year term where my responsibilities included: actually following Christ and letting that shine throughout my life to a group of girls who need to see an authentic christian woman (one with flaws and mishaps, but continues the good fight with a faith that is unwavering). All this, while teaching them English in the process, as in, an ESL approach to the english language.

So there you have it.  In 13 days, I will be leaving to start a new journey in Japan.  I am excited about my job and the ministries I will be able to partake in.  I know this will be tough and a growing process where I will be stretched tremendously.  I look forward to that actually, because I know that the hard times produce perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope.  And we can all use a little hope.

This is the Story (Part One)

Two.  That's typically the number of years you work full time while going to school at night to complete a Master's program.  Twelve.  That's the number of months some districts like to wait before honoring a teacher with the appropriate pay for their Master's Degree.  Sixteen.  That's the number of dollars some districts think is appropriate to add to a teacher's paycheck once they finally honor the additional degree.  At least this was the case for me.

Making loads of money has never been a mindset of mine (I don't think I would have gone into education if it was my mindset).  I strive and appreciate living simple.  I cut costs in nearly every way I could think of and no matter what I did, I struggled to pay those ugly student loans.

Around January, a little birdy started chirpin' in my ear (thank you Melanie.)  I am still young, I am able, I am willing, and I love to travel.  Why not look into teaching overseas?  Rumor has it that teaching overseas tends to pay well and maybe, just maybe, I could make a dent in my student loans.

I don't think Melanie ever thought I would run with the idea full speed ahead.  I joined an organization that placed teachers all over the world.  My first interviews were with countries in the Middle East.  One in Qatar and one in Bahrain.  Shortly after the interviews, countries throughout the Middle East started breaking out into civil wars (shocker).  The organization I was looking into, as well as family and friends, decided that I shouldn't go to the Middle East.  

So, I looked elsewhere...