Giving thanks - cliché, but true

I should be planning out the rest of the itinerary for my fam's trip, seeing as how they started the first leg of their trip at 4 a.m. this morning in Canada. But I was looking through my blog, and noticed that I didn't write about another holiday: my (American) Thanksgiving!

A bunch of us a met up in Iwaki (いわき), a huge city facing the Pacific. N., who is seriously an amazing senpai of mine (mentor) opened up her sweet apartment so that we could all celebrate Thanksgiving last month. It was a Mexican-themed party, so there was so much delicioso food. (I copped out and brought wine). Anyways, my favourite part of the evening was the time for giving thanks. We squished into N's living room - some of on the floor, others perched on her two ballin' couches - and shared what we were most thankful for this year.

It was a room filled with people from around the world. N's from America. But others were from Japan, Ireland, Scotland and England; so, they said it was their first time to really celebrate "Thanksgiving," and they thought it was pretty dope. Once again, I was struck by how the JET Programme draws people from around the world. (I was in Tokyo during the Canadian Thanksgiving. I think we had Thai that night - no turkey dinners for me here!)

The night in Iwaki was pretty hilarious. We headed to Est Est, a bar in Iwaki. We noticed that it was filled with Japanese people who happened to be quite well-dressed. Two seconds later, the bride and groom waltzed in. It turns out that we crashed a wedding nijikai. (In Japan, they usually have a formal reception followed by the nijikai - the after party). Needless to say, that was "gaijin smashing" at its best. (See the definition of "gaijin smash" here: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gaijin+smash).

So, what am I most thankful for this year?

First and foremost, I am thankful for my parents and brother. They are always there to support me - both emotionally AND financially. They are one of the reasons that pushed me to head over to Japan. I am pretty excited that they're coming over in a few hours, so that they'll see what my life is like here! But I'm also really overwhelmed, because I am terrible at navigating and such... I'm sure we'll get lost in Tokyo and in the Kansai area more than once. But I guess that's all part of the experience, right?

I am also thankful for my friends back home. I've been terrible at replying back to their e-mails, but I do try to jot down my own updates to them. I received some Christmas cards from K. and M. - so great to hear from them! It's so nice to hear everyone is doing their own thing. S. is completing her master's; M's studying at Oxford; K's living it up downtown and working for the government; Q's busy with her second degree and school life; L's juggling two dogs, school and wicked adventures involving potential avalanches; M's living it up in the 'Peg; and M's going to Africa, I believe?! I am definitely proud of each and everyone of them.

Finally, I am thankful for the new friends I've found amongst the Fukushima JETs. We've all come from different walks of life, but we're all facing the same challenges and amazing endeavours here. I know that someone's always a quick drive or train ride away if I want to eat some Mos Burger or have a chill night at an izakaya (Japanese pub) followed by karaoke.

Hmm... so, yes. Thank you. Merci beaucoup. ありがとうございます. Muchas gracias.

Woo hoo, going to see the family soon!! I hope they make it up to Koriyama without fail... I know the shink system can be ridic, but I figured they'd be OK without me fetching them all the way from Narita. They should be arriving around 3:20 p.m. local time. I know their flight from Ottawa to Toronto was only seven minutes late in departing... I hope their Toronto to Narita flight goes swimmingly well! Apparently, it is "Snowmageddon" back home - lots of flights have been cancelled in T-dot.

Next blog: Bonenkai with the Board of Education bossmen. What it's like to party with your Japanese bosses. It all boils down to shochu, karaoke and onsens.

Have you ever sang "We are the World?"

My third-years often do writing assignments. They usually have a red pen in hand, so that they’re ready to underline unknown words in their English textbooks. But the other day, the teacher let them spew some creativity while writing short skits.

It was refreshing to see these kids use their English skills with some original flair! The students were too shy to present their skits in front of the entire class, so I had to listen to them do their thing in the hallway. (I also want to note that the school hallways are unheated – all the kerosene heaters are placed inside the classroom. Fun times!)

Anyways, here are a couple of my favourites.

I have dubbed this one: “She is very cute.”

Y: Mako, have you ever been to Neverland?
M: No, I haven’t. How about you?
Y: Of course, I go every night!
M: What do you like best?
Y: Let’s see… I like Tinkerbell the best. She is very cute.
M: Do you want to go there tonight?
Y: Of course.
M: OK, I have a stomachache tonight. So have fun.

The Michael Jackson song printed in the third-years’ textbook most likely inspired the following skit. I called it: "Rejection and Michael Jackson"

S: Miki, have you ever sang “we are the world’
M: No, I haven’t.
S: Do you like Michael Jackson?
M: No, I don’t. But I like The Thriller the best of him.
S: Me too.
M: Would you like to come to his concert with me?
S: I’m sorry but thank you anyways.

What it means to be a teacher in Japan

A ni-nensei (second-grader at junior high school) was sitting in the teacher’s room, patiently waiting to see his homeroom teacher. The sensei was rifling through the first aid kit, looking for gauze or something. He then tended to the kid’s reddish ear, and made sure he was doing all right.

Such small gestures have shown me what it means to be a teacher in Japan. There was one night that I driving home from my elementary school, and recognized one of the teachers who always sports her light prink apron. She was walking one of the little ones back home. In Canada, it was the parents’ responsibility to somehow get their child shuttled back and forth from school. I don’t think teachers ever really offered their own time to walk us back home.

During festivals (matsuris), the streets are littered with students. It’s a nice time to enjoy the different food stalls (okonomiyaki, tayaki and yakisoba!), see the fireworks and so on. I’ve asked my teachers if they were stoked about going to the local festivals… the usual reply involves a big sigh, and “Oh, we HAVE to go and check on the students. We need to make sure that they aren’t getting into any trouble.”

These scattered moments have helped shape how I view the teachers in Japan. They invest their lives into the successes and failures of their students beyond the classroom. It’s not just about teaching them Japanese or math, but how to be upstanding citizens. Native Japanese teachers play a formidable role in the character development of their students.

It strikes me just how far a teacher can influence the personality of their students. In all of my schools, I’ve noticed that the students indeed reflect the personalities of their respective teachers. A serious class will often have a serious HRT (homeroom teacher). A funny class will have a HRT with a great sense of humour. And a disrespectful class will have a teacher that simply yells at them.

For the first time since teaching, I was actually frustrated with one of my classes. A kid flung his shoe, and it whizzed by my head. Another kid was running on top of the desks, then jumped off and started hitting his fists on the back of another kid. He would later tip over the chairs of the students while we were playing a circle game.

I totally get that "kids will be kids," but the teacher just let it happen. She initially yelled at the students, but they didn’t listen. Then, she just let that last one tip over the students’ chairs. I wanted to say something, but as ALTs we’re not really supposed to be doing any disciplining. Back home, you’d totally get sent to the principal’s office for wailing on another kid. End rant. The kocho-sensei (principal) asked how was the class. I couldn’t really express myself in Japanese, so I just said with a nervous laugh that they were TOO genki.

The day did have a bright spot. I sat with one of the ni-nensei girls (second-grader at elementary school). We both practiced writing kanji. I thought it was hilarious how she’d look over at my notebook and correct me. (There are proper strokes when writing kanji. I don’t know them!) When she showed me the right way, my characters looked fabulous. She also showed me how to draw Doraemon on the blackboard. He’s a cartoon cat that all Japanese kids seem to know how to draw. Apparently there’s a song that coaches them along:

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=WjoF3tmAG_8

Snapshots of Japan

This week, I had grubby, little fingers grabbing my hands and dragging me away from an intense game of Tag around the soccer pitch. "Gemma-sensei! Gemma-sensei!" they screamed. My little elementary school kids sat me down on a bench, and pointed straight ahead. There was Adatara-san (Mt. Adatara) in all of her glory, tucked away in Fukushima-ken. I thought it was really sweet that my kids showed such a picturesque view of it.

I've had tons of moments in recent weeks, coming to sudden self-realization that I'm working and living in Japan. And I love it.

For example, a group of us headed over to Tokyo Disneyland and celebrated the Brits' (M.-sensei and H.-sensei's) birthdays last weekend. TOKYO DISNEYLAND! Now, I can say that I've experienced the Disney magic in Anaheim, Orlando AND Tokyo. (Obviously, I am so appreciative that my parents provided me with such opportunities!) So, we kicked off Friday night with a quiet dinner at Elephant Cafe. Tokyo was somewhat peppered with ornate outdoor Christmas trees, lights and those familiar carols blaring from the stores. It was comforting to hear, since Motomiya doesn't show its Christmas cheer! (Well, my local kombini (convenience store) did put up some Christmas lights on a shrub.)



We spent Saturday at Tokyo Disneyland. I think one of funniest parts of the day was trying to get there. We hopped on a limited express train, which bypassed Tokyo Disneyland... we ended up in Chiba City at first. But seriously, sheer happiness and Christmas spirit was oozing from Disneyland.

I liked the Haunted Mansion, which was decorated a la Nightmare Before Christmas. Unfortunately, I missed meeting any characters! I heard that you had to hit up a certain spot in the theme park to meet and greet the characters. No Pooh-san (Mr. Pooh!) for me!! Better luck next time. It was also pretty hilarious going on the Star Wars ride, which was in Japanese. "No brakey!!!! Ehhhh! No brakey!" shouted that robot in broken English. Loves it. I told all of my kids about my Disney trip, and even brought Disney omiyage for all three of my schools. I found out that a lot of them like Stitch ("Stitchy!"), Pooh (Pooh-san), Minnie (Minnie-chan), Mickey (Mickey-san), Goofy and Donaldo (Donald Duck). They liked my Mickey Mouse chopticks, which I showed off during lunch. It's great to feel like a kid again. Seriously, Disneyland was a fun time! We did spend hours in lines waiting for rides, food and even the bathroom... but the good obviously trumped the boring. Lots of leadership-camp games were played, like Thumbs and that question game.

After Tokyo, B. and I headed to some type of party where they awarded chefs or farmers from our town and surrounding areas. I don't even know what was going on. Earlier on that Sunday afternoon, we briefly attended this cultural show at the city hall-ish building. I had another "I'm-in-Japan" moment when the performers flung mochi (Japanese rice cakes) at the audience. I came home with 10 in my purse; they are not oishi (yummy) in my humble opinion.

Konnichiwa, Japan!!

And only two more weeks until the fam arrives in Japan. Ridiculous!!

"This… is…. a… pen!!! THIS IS A PEN!"

He plucked his blue pen from his bedazzled Winnie-the-Pooh tin pencil case. (I have the same one... do you think he'll bedazzle mine, too? Kawaii!!) So, there he was clutching his blue pen and hunched over his worksheet like a model student. He suddenly burst out into laughter, hollering “This… is… a… pen!!! THIS IS A PEN!!!” He waved his own pen around, sarcastically demonstrating that he was having an amazing experience discovering a blue pen. That day, the language target in the optional English was: "This is..."

This simple sentence is pretty standard stuff when it comes to teaching English in my classrooms. We feed the students these simple sentences, which will not really help them develop stellar conversational skills in the real world. We are mostly focused on honing the students’ ability to translate written English into Japanese. Reading and writing definitely trump oral communication.

It’s a tragic thing, because my kids can’t even hold down small talk. A couple weeks ago, I spent some time coaching some of the san-nensei students for their EIKEN test. It’s a test that measures their proficiency in English; a decent score on such a test can only enhance their applications to area high schools.

Anyways, they were able to answer all of the questions for which they’d already written and rehearsed their answers. But if I added follow-up questions, I was met with many blank stares. “Awesome, you play basketball! How long have you been playing?” (Blank stare). “Ah, you like going shopping. What do you like buying?” (Blank stare).

Obviously, some things need to change. It’s not one person’s fault. I’d attribute many failings of EFL/ESL to the shaping of the education system here. Like everyone else has said before me, the teachers and students are driven to plow through the curriculum because they want to excel on the tests. They don’t have time to hone their listening and speaking skills. It’s all about translating and such.

I should mention that the Japanese education system is set up differently than the one back home. Kids attend elementary school from grades one through six. They move onto junior high school for grades 7-9, which explains why most of my students are between the ages of 12 and 15. As a san-nensei (third-grader, particularly in junior high school), they spend a lot of time writing entrance examinations to get into their preferred high school. Intense, no? To think, the only reason I was able to transfer into Colonel By can be attributed to the fact thats I simply expressed an interest in its unique International Baccalaureate Programme and the Spanish classes. Oh, and all of my childhood friends were going there. Lame?! Yes. But I loved it there. End tangent.

And to end this post, I'd like to say that the student excited by the pen is hilarious in general. He does the whole Japanese "ehhhhhh" sound to perfection. "Ehhhhhh! Check, please. Ehhhhhh! Good morning! Ehhhhhh! Gemma-sensei."

Feeling crisp - Nov. 18

Hues of orange, red and bright yellow now paint the rolling hills near my neighbourhood. The trees are in undergoing an amazing autumnal transformation, but I can feel the impending snow. My little car wove through the paved roads amidst the rice fields below on my way to school this morning. Yet another crisp autumn day in Motomiya. It is November. Not a trace of snow to be found, but that looming chill in the air foreshadows what's to come.

This morning's drive into work stirred up some feelings of nostalgia. Back home, we have a few trees at our house. The biggest one is a maple tree that has graced our backyard for 26 years or more. The roots are slowly creeping towards the house, so Dad's slowly been cutting it down. Anyways, seeing the trees in Motomiya reminded me that some things never change... I can escape to a land far away, but signifiers of home will always be around to comfort me. Surprisingly, I haven't been faced with profound waves of homesickness, because I've been having way too much fun. (I did hear the kiddos playing Pomp and Circumstace in the gym, which reminded be that my brother is going to graduate in a year and a half. Time flies.)

I've also been busy with tons of little challenges, mostly due to language barriers. I often feel like I'm in an extended game of "Telephone," because I rely on so many people to translate from English into Japanese for me. I've got the textbooks, some flashcards and so on as study aids... but the language isn't sticking into my brain. I've also asked my students to teach me some Japanese, which is pretty funny.

At shogakko (elementary school) today, my kids and I were bonding over writing in foreign languages. They painstainkingly wrote their names out in romaji (romanized letters) for me, while I penned my name in mediocre katakana. (ジエマ). The fifth-graders did something immensely sweet for me! Apparently, they stayed after school and drew a poster for me, outlining the hiragana and katakana syllabary. (That is, they wrote out all the Japanese characters for me so that I could practice).

I almost melted on the spot. They even included the romaji translations, aw... I'm such a sap, I know. But seriously, elementary school kiddos are way too cute. Sure, they have snotty noses and insist on grabbing your hands... but their cuteness factor trumps all. We played Duck, Duck, Goose during recess. Yup, this is my job. :)

For the love of English

I'm stuck at home with a sore throat, but luckily I'm huddled under my wonderful kotatsu table. (That is, a low coffee table with a heater stuck on its underside. It's covered by my pink kotatsu blanket, so the heat is trapped under the space. Like many other JETs, I am in love with my kotatsu table. I have been whining about the cold for the past few weeks, so I'm glad I finally caved and bought a kotatsu. Anyways).

So, I'm spending my weekend in Motomiya for the first time in a while.

With all this free time, I decided to break out my worksheets and do some correcting. Some of the stuff I've read in their assignments and in-class cracks me up, so I wanted to share it with you.

***

In one of our classes, the students had to interview their teachers and translate their answers into English. The art teacher inserted a couple witty comments. Here's what the first-year students had to say about him.

1. He teaches fine arts.
2. His favourite colour is the rainbow.
3. He speaks English. (Bless his heart, but he doesn't! haha)
4. He lives in Fukushima.
5. He likes drinking.
6. He likes basketball.
7. He teaches moral education. (Really?)

***

Hmm... for my second-graders, we wanted to teach them the meaning behind the word "because." So, my JTE designed a lesson with the theme "Let's find Gemma-sensei a boyfriend." Basically, he would put up photos of dudes and I'd say "Oh, I like that guy BECAUSE he is blond/American/he has a mustache..." One of my potential boyfriend candidates included a photo of my JTE... awkward?! My pred says the JTE thinks it's pure hilarity.

The next day, I noticed on one of the blackboards that a student had scrawled something in English: "Girl, I'll be your boyfreind." Amazing.

***

Yesterday, one of my funny third-graders kept asking me how to spell "crap." He even looked it up in the dictionary, but to no avail. "Gemma-sensei, is it "c-l-a-p?" He tried really hard.

***
One of the first-grade teachers found my pen, and presented it to me while yelling "LOOK! NO CAP! NO CAP!" He was so proud that he could utter those words in English for me. He is seriously one of my favourites. At the last matsuri, he even offered me free yakisoba (dericious noodles) from his booth.

***

One of my ichi-nensei girls scrawled "I love you" on a small scrap of paper, then handed it over to me. She's such a sweetie! And she wrote a follow-up letter, saying she didn't know how to write in English, but would try very hard. Kawaii ne!

***

Little nuggets of such sweetness and hilarity make school life interesting. Jya ne...

Mon. Oct. 6 – Let me see the Chochin Matsuri in Nihonmatsu

I was still pretty tuckered out from the weekend, but I still wanted to see the huge lantern festival held in Nihonmatsu. I made plans to meet everyone after school in Nihonmatsu, but I was a tad late.

I falsely believed I could take the “easy” way back home. Route 4 is the main arterial road here. So, I jumped in my car and hopped onto Route 4. I made a right turn one stop too early, and quickly realized that I was getting onto the Tohoku Expressway. That was such a bad idea! First, my little kei-car doesn’t seem to like reaching high speeds. And second, I was really hoping that there was a nearby exit. Otherwise, I might end up in Sendai, a city located in another ken. Bad news bears!

Oh, I failed to mention that it was also only my first day working at my new elementary school. So, that’s why I didn’t have my bearings!

Anyways, I was able to gas up at a rest stop on the Tohoku Expressway. And when I exited at Nihonmatsu, I played the “Gomen nasai, nihongo ga wakarimasen” card. They still let me pay, but at least the toll wasn’t an exorbitant amount. And the kindly toll booth man sent me in the right direction. Phew!

I finally made it to the Chochin Matsuri. It is the 3rd largest lantern festival in all of Japan! (Everything in Fukushima is all about being placed third. We’re never number one!)

These lantern floats were huge! They were several feet high, with each lantern lit up with a candle. Some dudes were perched on the tops of these structures, and pumped the crowd up with energetic cheers. Young people dressed in traditional attire followed each lantern float, and yelled out: “Washoy! Washoy!” (I have no idea what that means). And of course, there was amazing festival food. Takoyaki, yakisoba, those cute fish-shaped pancakes filled with delicious red bean paste… oh, my!

At times, the lanterns caught on fire. So, the dudes would scramble to extinguish it quickly, or else their whole structure would be over. Good times!

Fri. Oct. 3 to Sun. Oct. 5 – Sober up! (Soccer in Nagano)

When you hear the word “Nagano,” visions of skiing and the Winter Olympics should enter your mind. But for me, Nagano-ken now reminds me of an amazing and hilarious weekend spent with my fellow FuJETs.

About 25ish FuJETs boarded a chartered bus on a Friday night. From Koriyama, the trip to Nagano takes about seven hours. We were heading there to play in an all-ALT(assistant language teacher) soccer tournament, which is held every year in Nagano. As you know, I’m not into playing sports… I was on the sidelines providing moral support for my fellow Fukushima Akabekos (that is, Red Cows. (The akabeko is a mascot from Aizu Wakamatsu, one of the bigger regions in my prefecture).

The ride there was pretty chill; everyone was having a good time. There were too many awkward conversations to remember! I tried to sleep off my cold.

When we got to the hotel, the girls claimed our room. Sadly, we chose a small six-person tatami room. The dudes took over two spacious rooms, which included beds. Oh, how I miss sleeping on a bed! (I sleep on a futon. The novelty has worn off… you’re supposed to store it away every morning, but I’m always short on time in the morning).

We’re here for soccer

So, we hit up the soccer pitches bright and early on Saturday morning. The view was spectacular. Immaculate soccer pitches dotted the landscape, while huge mountains surrounded us. We played a few games… and lost all of them on both days. We were the team that got excited whenever we actually touched the ball. Actually, I don’t think we were terrible… if we squeezed in a couple practices, I’m sure we would’ve fared well. The players were enthusiastic and such ☺ And I think we had the best cheerleaders, especially since the other teams were lame… and didn’t have any.

Some of my favourite cheers from the weekend include: “Don’t shake hands with the goalie!” (He totally took a leak on the field); “Sober up!”; “He hits girls!”; “You can be on our team!” (if our opponents were not-so-hot at soccer).

Off the field

We also had a lot of fun times off the field. The girl talk in the genkan (the front entrance of every room), everyone disappearing, “No!!! I gave him my number!”, the “random” dude who was lost and so on. Oh, and who can forget our theme songs? We kept playing them over and over and over. And over.

Fukushima – we certainly know how to bring the party. I think out of all the kens, we were the last ones still on the dance floor. (There was a big party thrown on the Saturday night in the hotel lobby). Loves it.

Boring, yet delicious: We stopped by a curry restaurant on the way home. (By the way, Japanese curry is the bomb). Mmm, oishi.

Thurs. Oct. 2 – Japanese Class

Nanna saved the day, and drove all the way to my place to fix my car. It turns out that the light bulb was a little loose, so my problem was easily solved. I also asked him to show me how to check my oil, seeing as how I didn’t know how to do it. (I really don’t know anything about cars). All in all, he rocks.

I went to Japanese class, as per usual. I still have no idea what is going on. Good times! We do get a lovely snack during class, so that’s cool. And it’s nice to meet other people who live in my community. Surprisingly, there are a handful of Filipinos who live in Motomiya. One mother brings her three sons to Japanese class. The eldest was most likely born in the Philippines, so he’s learning. And the younger two were probably born here, so they seem fluent. Their names are even Japanese!

Tues. Sept. 30 – Kuruma!! SUGOI! (Car! Excellent!)

On Tuesday, I headed to my board of education (BoE),and waited for my car to be delivered. I wasn’t allowed to drive it, seeing as how it still didn’t have its nihoken (optional insurance on top of the mandatory one – very important!) I was allowed to leave it in the BoE parking lot.

Wed. Sept. 31 – Driving in Japan

I was once again beckoned to my BoE, and told that I was allowed to drive my car back home. I was a little nervous, seeing as how I had never driven in Japan. (They drive on the left side, and the driver’s seat is on the right side of the car. Awkward!)

It was decided that Muto-san would sit in my passenger seat while I drove. And Sanpei-san drove ahead of me, so that I could learn the way back home. Muto-san even took off his tie, and wiped down my front windshield. Dude goes above and beyond for me, eh. Bless his heart, as I believe Heather-sensei would say.

We took a lot of back roads (aka no lights or street names… so it all looked the same to me!) Driving isn’t bad at all! But we noticed my front headlight was weak, so we’ll need to get that checked out.

Sun. Sept. 28 – Being creepy at McDonald’s

After sleeping in, we slowly made our way to the train station. We sat down at McDonald’s, where I had my first Mickey D's meal in Japan. (They put way too much mayonnaise on their bacon cheeseburgers. And when you ask for iced tea, they hand you over some tasteless iced tea and you add the sugary syrup).

We ran into a familiar face – a JET from another prefecture, but who shares a mutual friend with us. We sat at McDonald’s for almost two hours, gawking at people walking past our window… It was funny at the time?! I don’t even know.

Sat. Sept. 27 – Penelope... Penny

Ah, the long-awaited Koriyama Welcome Party. About 50-60 JETs headed to the big city to party it up at a local beer garden. The drinks were flowing, as it was nomihodai again. And it was nice to see a lot of people who live pretty far from me.

We all split up, with some people going to Round One (aka Chucky Cheese, but cooler). I wanted to go clubbing, so Sophea took us out. We ended up at some club where we thought the dance floor would be all about hip hop. Well, we got in… but it was actually a hip hop showcase. Japanese b-boys and b-girls owned the dance floor and stage, but that meant like the remaining 85 per cent of people in the club were simply spectators. We hung out a lot with one of the DJs who also worked the front door, and ended up staying until 4 a.m. to catch his last set.

Towards the end of the night, we did a late-night kombini (convenience store) run. There was a little stairwell that led to an underground walkway; it looked pretty comfortable, so I decided to drink my coffee and chill there. I totally looked like a hobo (what a running trend), and obviously John (Hot Legs) walks by with his camera. Sugoi. (Excellent).

Hmm... also had some hilarious late-night conversation when we got back to Sophea's.

Fri. Sept. 26 – Still sick… but I now have a phone

I was let out of school a tad early, so that I could get my landline installed at home. This may seem like an unimportant task… but a new phone means I am a step closer to getting the Internet.

Hello, world!

Thurs. Sept. 25 – They’re playing basketball…

On Thursday, I showed up at 6:30 a.m. to make sure I scooped up a seat on the basketball bus. I was sick and tired, but noticed that the little student-athletes were up and ‘em in the gym. They were doing their warm-ups and drills in our school gym – without complaint! Their coach (one of my fave teachers here!) asked the kids to greet me with a bow, and they made me feel really welcome at their games.

The games were held in a really big auditorium, with seating up in the balconies on the second floor. When we first got there, some of the other schools were doing their drills. My kids had to go to the front of the gym, and sing their school song as requested by their coach. It was so cute! I started learning my students' names - it's tough trying to remember all 279 of them, but I think I've almost got it! One thing to note: the rookies call add the word "-senpai" when they talk about their older counterparts. It's a sign of mad respect, which I think is kind of cool.

I stood up and cheered for the kids. Some of their mothers brought snacks along, and kept feeding me. And when they found out that I was the new ALT, lots of bowing happened. Good times. (My boys made it to the finals, but got skooled in the end).

At the end of the tournament, all of the students stood in orderly lines in the gym. There was more bowing, followed by the awards ceremony. After all of these festivities, we had to stay and clean the gym. Students were ripping the tape lines off the gym floor, while others were storing away the hoops or sweeping. I didn’t really know what I could do, so I took photos of my kids.

The ni-nensei boys (second-years) were tickled when I would holler “Mina sama, photo!!” (I’m hoping that means something like “Photo, everybody!” Man, I’m totally screwed for the JLPT).

Wed. Sept. 24 – Ping pongin' all day long

I hustled over to my junior high school bright and early on Wednesday morning, seeing as how I needed to catch my bus at 7 a.m. The first- and second-year students were going to compete in their respective sports club activities during the Shinjinsen Games. I believe kids from across the Adachi District are invited to play in this tournament, so I saw the students of my nearby ALT friends. (I was tempted to ask some of the Nihonmatsu girls the whereabouts of “Feather-sensei!” Kawaii).

Anyways, I strolled in at 6:50 a.m., thinking I had plenty of time to board the bus with the basketball teams. In fact, I was greeted by a disheveled-looking kyoto-sensei. With clipboard in hand, he ran over to me from across the parking lot and said “Gemma-sensei! Gemma-sensei!!” followed by something in Japanese. Basically, he was telling me that the basketball teams had left, as they had been scheduled to leave at 6:45 a.m. I was not surprised that I had been told the wrong time. It was sort of a blessing in disguise, though, because I got to meet the table tennis students.

The actual sport got a little monotous, but it was cool hanging out with the students. We took lots of pictures, since most of them didn’t get the chance to actually play. I think it was this day that I started coming down with a fever, sore throat and cold; so I ended up “resting my eyes” a lot that day.

Mon. Sept. 22 – Hiroshi’s party, “Sumimasen!!! Sumimasen!!!” &

Heather-sensei, Mari (Yuuka?) and I hopped on a train bound for Aizu Wakamatsu. We were off to party at Hiroshi’s house, complete with his family’s own ramen noodles (oishi!) The girls and I broke out the sake we bought from our trip to Aizu Wakamatsu during our home stay in August. When you mix it with cider, sake actually tastes great! It was really nice to sit down with JETs from across the prefecture. I even saw Sarah again, who is friends with my ol’ Filipino sidekick from childhood. (Side note: Another “Whoa! I’m in Japan” moment – we all filed into a large tatami room to sleep. I think the head count was about 15 people).

The next day, we groggily got up and headed to the Samurai Festival. Basically, these different groups parade down the main street dressed as impressive samurai. Some of the more prestigious samurais sat on horses that were also led down the street. At times, canons blared and sword demonstrations wowed the crowds. One of the parade participants is apparently kind of a big deal as a television star, so lots of people were busy snapping photos of him.

Dressed in elaborate samurai robes, they paraded down the main street in orderly lines. Some of the men wore awkward black hairpieces, to make it look like they had small faux-hawks a la samurai. At the end of the day, all of the samurais congregated in front of the Aizu Wakamatsu castle for one last hurrah. It was pretty cool to see that even some samurai groups included old folks. Represent, senior citizens. Represent!

Sat. Sept. 20 – Car shopping and Koriyama’s Round One

I headed back to Fukushima City with Heather-sensei. We got picked up at the train station in a ballin’ Audi… Nana was taking us back to the parking lot of his used cars. I got to see my car (I decided on the older model of the Daihatsu Move; Dad talked me out of getting the prettier, but more expensive 2000 model with nice interior and CD player). And Miss Feather chose a car of her own. Good times!

That night, we met up with some of the Koriyama and Aizu Wakamatsu peeps to enjoy dinner together. It was yakiniku, which is now one of my favourite things. Basically, there’s a communal pot of boiling water placed in the middle of the dining table. You dip your meat and veggies until they’re done, and BAAAM! Oishi! (Delicious). Our server was so thoughtful, and wrote out in English what the different bottles of sauce each held! Ah, to be a gaijin.
We eventually ended up at Round One, which is a huge entertainment complex. (Think Playdium). There was taiko, darts and roller skating (I chickened out… Haven’t been on skates since 1994! Haha). This was also the night Danielle-sensei proved to be quite the shoulder to lean on. どもありがとう!

Sun. Sept. 14, Mon. Sept. 15 – Galileo’s guesthouse and Monday afternoon karaoke

On Sunday, I really wanted to check out Vitamin G’s (aka my Filipino brother from another mother) matsuri (“festival”) in Ishikawa. I randomly texted H. for a ride there, and mentioned that we had some JET friends in common. (H. has been dubbed the “King of Fukushima” lol). He kindly drove myself and some other JETs, so that was grrrrrreat!

G’s lovely abode is tucked away from plain view, so we first saw his gravel driveway with a small trailer on the left. We kept joking that it was his guesthouse, and I think I have a picture of it somewhere…
The matsuri itself was a lot of fun. We first sat with a bunch of his townsfolk who were sitting on blue tarps. They offered us food like miso soup, and beverages of choice. Everyone was dressed up for the occasion, with men wearing dark blue coats, and white bottoms. (Some of them made it into a no-pants party. Awkward?) The high school girls were in all-white attire with a pink scarf, while the dudes For most of the matsuri, we followed G. and his group who were busy carrying a mikoshi. (Mikoshi)…. A sumptuous dinner capped off the festivities. We sat around low tables, and feasted over sushi. Mmm.
That night, I think we crammed six people into G’s little living room. I had one of those “Whoa, I’m in Japan!” moments as we squished several futons into place.
The next morning, we were supposed to start heading back home after banana pancakes. But we ended up getting lunch at a nearby restaurant. As we were homeward-bound, we all decided to join Heather-sensei and Grant for mid-afternoon drinks in Nihonmatsu. This brilliant idea led to two-hour karaoke, which then extended to three hours. Yet another hilarious experience I could not fathom back home.

Sat. Sept. 13 – Hurly-burly-curly’s birthday!

Walking through tall grasses in the middle of nowhere in Fukushima City, I looked at used car after used car in Nana’s (an amazingly helpful dude who sells cars) grassy parking area. I was looking for an automatic kei-car with at least two years’ worth of shaken. (Shaken is some sort of biannual vehicle inspection deal).
He had tons of cars, but most of them were standard. So, my decision was pretty easy. I settled on a small silver k-car with a bright blue interior. It also has a cassette deck, which will let me play my iPod. Sweet! The price was a little steep given my salary, but my parents spoiled me with extra cash money before I got here… thanks a million, Mom and Dad!! I’ll pay you back some how ☺ I’ll need to find another job when I get home, though…
That night, we had a little dinner at a quaint Italian restaurant in Fukushima to celebrate S’s birthday. (S. is an English teacher from nearby Otama Village. She’s hilarious, and always says very English things such as: “That’s ace!” I love it). Anyways, the view overlooked the eki-mae (front of the train station), making it interesting to watch people go about their business. We then moved onto karaoke, which as you know… I love karaoke!! Hitting up nomihodai (all-you-can drink) at both the restaurant and karaoke proved to be a swell idea.

Mon. Sept. 8 to Fri. Sept. 12 – What it’s like to be a human tape recorder

Back home, I stumbled into tons of people who told me the cons of being an assistant language teacher.
In essence, I sometimes feel like a mascot of all things foreign. I am used in many classes only for my natural Canadian accent, in that the English class mantra often involves: “Please repeat after Gemma-sensei…” Oh, and I’m also allowed to do greetings and warm-up games. In a 50-minute class, I talk for about 10-15 minutes on a good day. Well, one of my JTEs does give me a greater talking role in class. We like doing skits with the day’s language target! That's always fun.
I’m so glad that I didn’t invest hundreds of dollars in taking that intensive TESOL course before coming here, because I don’t really have to prepare anything. There have been a couple instances where I’ve had to come up with worksheets for my students. But other than that, I can come into class unprepared. I’ve offered to create activities and games, but I’m often greeted with a “Oh, maybe?!” I’ll become more assertive as time goes on. And seriously, isn't there an 80-20 rule? That's totally out of the window. I’d like to get some actual teaching experience before I leave Japan…
Although I’m outlining the boring parts of this job, I really do enjoy my city and school life. The kids always greet me with a friendly “Hello!” in the hallways. And during recess, I make an effort to hang out with them. They are super kawaii (cute) and genki, so that’s what helps get me excited every morning. Even on my daily seven-minute walk to work, I see many of my students hurriedly making their way to school on their bikes. One of my outgoing san-nensei boys (third-year student) likes beaming with pride as he shouts a hearty “GOOD MORNING!” to me.
There was one day this weekend we had a pantomime theater crew perform in our gymnasium. It was pretty hilarious when they asked for students and one teacher (who looks like a bear! But he’s actually quite nice) to come up on stage. They had to act our “Romeo and Juliet,” which ripped the kids into pieces.

Sat. Sept. 6 – Under the bridge

So, I crashed at about 7 a.m. I got a phone call from home pretty early that morning, too. It was really nice to hear from my parents, but I was mad tired.
That night, I ended up hitching a ride from B. He drove me and L. to Aizu Wakamatsu, a picturesque city located about two hours away from my place. It was pouring rain, so it made the drive a little tricky for B.
The all-night, outdoor techno party was being held under a bridge. (Imagine partying under a Queensway underpass. Hobo-chic? I think so.) Our tents were scattered amidst the tall grassy field right underneath it. A DJ booth was set up, with people spinning tunes throughout the evening and following morning. A nearby convenience store was ideal for bathroom breaks, plus buying more drinks and midnight snacks. The store clerk was an old dude with a really bad comb-over, ha.
I remember brushing my teeth, and simply spitting into the field the next day. (I am not an outdoorsy-person, so this was pretty foreign to me). And it was the first time I tried eating a heated breakfast burrito from the combini (convenience store). Mmm… breakfast of champions. And interestingly enough, a herd of Boy Scouts also decided that morning to clean up the area underneath the bridge – they looked a little surprised to see a bunch of people puttering around, too! Stay classy, Japan.

Fri. Sept. 5 – “This is too strenuous” – Sports festival and all-night karaoke

When I was a kid, I remember we had a big bookcase full of encyclopedias and educational children’s books. In one of those books, I was introduced to the Japanese custom of holding sports festivals at school. I don’t quite remember the story, but it was something along the lines of a kid finishing a race after he fell down. I remember the colour illustrations showed a Japanese boy wearing a bright headband.
On Friday, my school held its own sports festival. It kicked off with opening ceremonies, where the students filed into the gym as per usual. This time, they were wearing their school gym uniforms, which include navy blue basketball shorts paired with a navy blue or white t-shirt emblazoned with the school logo. Once again, I had no idea what was going on. It was one of my third-years who motioned me to join the teachers seated on stage, ha.
Each student ties a coloured band around their head, corresponding to their homeroom. It seems like they all compete in at least one sport that day. So, I was able to watch them try their hands at: basketball, volleyball, baseball and soccer!
Sitting on the sidelines, the kids fully cheer on their fellow classmates. They yell things, such as: “Ganbarre!” (Let’s go!) One student was perched on chair, and was enthusiastically cheering on the girls during their volleyball game. He looked over at me, and sighed, “This is too strenuous!!” First of all, where did he learn the word “strenuous”? And could he BE any cuter? I have dubbed him Munchkin #1, because he is one of my favourite pint-sized third-years. He also has a buddy who is also the same size – he shall be Munchkin #2.
I was reminded to wear gym clothes to school, so I opted for my blingin’ Adidas track jacket with the golden sequins. The school gym teacher used his limited English to express his fascination that Adidas is popular in both Japan and Canada, lol. And one of my JTEs said I looked like I stepped out of a magazine, hahaha.
Being different at school does have its perks. Every day, I feel like I get showered in compliments solely due to my inherent uniqueness. The girls often tell me that I’m “kawaii” (cute), or even say, “You look very beautiful today.” And I guess my perfume has drawn some added attention, which could be a good or bad thing. One of the rather macho-looking boys said that I smelled nice. He also asked where I bought it… awkward! The third-year girls even think it’s funny to stop what they’re doing, and smell me.
That night, I went out for coffee with D. We ran into one of our BoE dudes at the same café, which was a little weird. I guess that is what happens when you live in a small “city” of 30,000. He offered to get us pizza, but we politely declined. (He’s the one that I called “cute” by accident.)
I jumped back on the train, hoping to unwind after a long week at work. But I ran into my fellow JET girls from England, who invited me to party with them in Koriyama. I was easily convinced, and stayed on the train. The plan was to stay out all night – the last train back home takes off pretty early. We ended up at a reggae night with other JETs, (Japanese reggae – who knew?). And we gracefully ended the evening with karaoke from about 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Our group of gaijin (foreigners) slowly trudged back to the train station for the first train back. I’m guessing we looked pretty haggard, because we got a lot of stares from the junior high students. (Kids in Japan are, literally, always at school. You can tell, because they need to wear their uniforms to enter the premises. I’m guessing they are studying, doing their club activities or hanging out. But I was quite surprised to see that they even go into school on the weekends! I only started doing that in university, when I’d roll out of bed and sometimes head to the library or use the editing suites.) I also forgot to set aside money for cab fare, so I had to walk home from my train station.

Thurs. Sept. 4 – Nihongo ga wakarimasen (I don’t understand Japanese!!)

My supervisor carefully penned my address in kanji (Chinese characters for me), as I wanted to send off my application for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. I will be writing some tests in December, which will measure my Japanese abilities. I’m a little overwhelmed by the test content, seeing as how I currently can’t speak, read nor write in Japanese. Right now, I know how to say some of the important greetings. Oh, and I can order beer and three apples. (Ringo mittsu o kudasai!)
I had my first Thursday evening Japanese classes this evening. Basically, each student is matched up with a tutor. I feel like I’m in the remedial class, because I was graced with the presence of three tutors. (I am definitely the token beginner in my mixed-level class). I am pretty stoked to have some structure in my Japanese studies.

Tues. Sept. 2 – Domo arigatou, Mr. Roboto

Lining up in front of kyoto-sensei’s desk, the speech contest girls said their ritualistic good-byes which were capped off with the greeting “Ittekimasu.” (ie.
I am leaving right now, but I’ll be back). It was merely 7:30 a.m. when we all had to meet in the teacher’s room for this deal.

The girls, my JTE and I then went outside, where kocho-sensei said something meaningful in Japanese; then the girls bowed to him. A big nine-seater taxi van then picked us up. Before we piled into the cab, the students dropped their school bags, and bowed while saying some Japanese greeting. I can’t remember if it was “Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu” or something to that effect. I’ve seriously got to learn how to bow, ha ha.

The actual speech contest ran the entire day. Looking back, I wish I hadn’t opted for a seat near the front row. I definitely had to stifle my giggles when some kid performed his speech in this hilarious robotic voice. His speech was about some robot, so the intonation and everything fit the story… but it was just too funny, I had a very hard time keeping myself composed.

Mon. Sept. 1

I learned that I’m supposed to sign the attendance log every morning. Gone are the days when I could stroll into class or work with only a minute to spare, because no one really paid attention! It’s in the kocho-sensei’s office to boot (the principal).
I’ve been watching j-dramas to pick up some slang. I’ve learned some filler words, like “Honto ne!!!” I am in love with the cheesiness of these shows. They’re even funnier than my favourite soap back home – The Young and the Restless. J-dramas are soooooo bad… they’re good. Right now, I’ve been trying to follow “Homeroom on the Beach” and one about a girl who wants to become a chef.
My kids have also been great in teaching me random Japanese phrases. They’re tickled pink when I try to pronounce stuff like “Kakoi!!!” and “Watashi wa neko ga suki desu.” We have some pretty funny conversations. Kids do indeed ask the most interesting things.
“Gemma-sensei, who is your dream boy? Is he tall?”
“Do you like the colour?” (I figured they meant “What is my favourite colour?”)
“Do you like Japanese?” (I’m not sure if they mean the language/country/food/etc. Meh)
“Do you like baseball? Do you like volleyball? Do you like soccer?” (Oh, sports… haha)

Fri. Aug. 29 – Sun. Aug. 31

I definitely live for my weekends. We wanted to head to Iwaki for the big party there, but it didn’t materialize. No worries, though… Still had a pretty good time spending time with the JETs in my area!
On Friday, we bid adieu to two of my senpai because they were getting ready to head back home after their time here in Japan. We had an amazing dinner, eating “shabu-shabu.” I totally spelled that incorrectly – but basically, it was hot pot with never-ending meat and veggies. We also checked out Round One, an entertainment complex in Koriyama. I learned that I really shouldn’t play pool, ha. It was pouring ridiculous amounts that night, so I was really grateful after S. gave me a ride home.

Thurs. Aug. 28 – So, this is an enkai…

School’s been pretty fun so far. My kids are super sweet! And I know we shouldn’t pick favourites, but I already have some students that are just too kawaii. I’ve asked them to fill out seating charts, so that I can start learning their names! I like how I can walk down the hallway, and they all greet me with a “Hello!” I hope their enthusiasm doesn’t wear off quickly.
At lunch, students eat their meals in their own classrooms. Selected students don aprons and wear headscarves, and dish out the school lunch. So far, it has included: milk, soup, rice, some meat and something sweet.
I’ve been assigned to eat lunch with a different classroom each day. Over the past few days, I’ve gathered the courage to initiate conversations with the kids while we’re all eating. On Thursday, we had noodles… so, the kids were watching me as I carefully plopped my noodles out of their baggie and into my bowl of soup. They laughed as I kept asking “Ugh…. Daijobu desu ka?!” (Is it OK!?) And then I tried some weird squishy fruit, and they could tell by my facial expression that I felt it was pretty gross.
Brushing one’s teeth is a very public thing here in Japan. Once lunch is over, the kids return their lunch trays. Then, everyone grab their toothbrushes and goes to town right there in the classrooms and hallways. (There are sinks in the hallways where you can spit). It’s totally normal to have a conversation with your friends while your brushing away. I was staring at one kid who sat at his desk, and brushed for seven minutes or so. My dentist would’ve been impressed, ha.
I had a talk with one of my JTEs that night as he drove me to the enkai. It seems like he’s impressed with my mad skills in the classroom, especially since I’ve never taught before. But he did notice that I look really nervous when I’m sitting in the teacher’s room. Everyone’s been really nice to me, but the language barrier totally gets to me. I can’t really initiate conversations in Japanese yet, so I don’t really talk to anyone. I do talk about the weather with the gym teacher who sits across from me, though. And the second- and third-year female teachers like giving me snacks, so we try to talk a bit then.

Come on, teacher... teach me something

This day marked the first day back to school for all students. The teachers’ room was abuzz; everyone looked spiffy. I was called into my kocho-sensei’s office (the principal’s room), where we went over the morning’s schedule. And then we sat in silence, because again my Japanese is quite limited. (I’m sort of studying now!) I was asked to give another self-introduction in the staff room – I recited the seven Japanese sentences I have committed to memory. And then I was brought to the gym for our assembly.
When I got to the gym, it was pretty empty. A few chairs were lined near one wall, where teachers would be sitting. A lone wooden desk with a microphone sat at center stage. It was the first time I noticed three flags, including the Japanese flag, were hanging on the wall on the stage.
Suddenly, reality hit me.
I heard a quiet rumble as I was sitting in my chair beside the assistant to the vice-principal. The students entered the gym in orderly lines, divided between boys and girls. The girls wore their sailor-like tops paired with their pleated skirts in navy blue; their white socks reach up to their knees. And the boys wore black slacks with crisp white shirts. Each student wears certain sneakers with colours that correspond to their grade. So, first-years wear blue ones; second-years have yellow kicks; and third-years have red sneakers.
I was impressed that each student quietly filed into the gym, and carried their wooden chair without complaint. I was also fascinated at how they managed to arrange their chairs into perfectly straight rows. Dude, that would never happen in my schools back home. I remember we would sit willy-nilly on the floor at our school assemblies.
The assembly opened with their school song accompanied by piano. There was bowing and tons of speeches. I was also asked to give yet another self-introduction in Japanese – this time in front of my 277 students. Let me tell you, I totally freaked out for a nanosecond when I saw all of those eyes gazing at me. But while I was standing up front, I saw one of my speech contest girls sitting in the first row… it was nice to see a familiar face!
I spent the rest of the day doing my self-introduction lesson. I talk about bits and pieces of my life and my country. The kids seem most interested in seeing Canadian money, the beaver, Twix the guinea pig and my parents’ Nissan X-Trail. (Japanese car!!) I’ve been playing “Pin the tail on the beaver” as part of my lesson – some classes are too cool for school. And I got the idea from Galileo to play Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” hahaha.

Fri. Aug. 22 – Sun. Aug. 24

I headed to Aizu Wakamatsu for my Japanese language classes and home stay. I was in the pre-beginner class; we were dubbed “Budo” (grape). We had some pretty chill teachers, including Skinny Mr. T! We played that counting game with sticks (ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku….)
At the end of our first day, all of us JETs were herded into a classroom with our bags. A dude with a brown clipboard would holler our names, indicating when we’d finally meet our home stay families.
Two really cute little girls in pink were holding hands with their mother. The little two-year-old wore precious “Anpanman” (a popular cartoon superhero) sandals that squeaked every time she walked!
So, my host family includes the father, who works as an architect; the mother, who is a nurse; and two daughters ages 7 and 2. These kids were sooooo kawaii! We played in the tatami room. The seven-year-old also wanted to have a sleepover with me, so we slept on futons in the tatami room. We had to go to bed pretty early – I’d say 9:30 p.m. I remember getting a text msg at 11ish that night, ha.
The next day, the family got up at 6 a.m. I think the girls were up watching cartoons, while the father slipped out to go to work. We ate a traditional Japanese breakfast, complete with: miso soup, salad, cucumbers, scrambled eggs and fresh peaches. I also asked my host mother to show me how to use the microwave… I have one at home just like it, but I don’t understand all the different functions. (Ah, kanji!! Good times).
We had another full day of classes, which was fun. Our class can finally construct sentences!! We were pretty excited. We can now say: “Otedama wa tsukue no ue ni arimasu.” (The juggling ball is on top of the desk). Ha ha, so jokes.
I think that day we also had lunch. We learned how to play “rock, paper, scissors” in Japanese. And there was a weird game where they tightly wrapped a belt around a balloon, which was passed around then popped.
That night, I went camping with my host family in Nizuru. The grounds were about 20 minutes away from Aizu Wakamatsu. When we arrived, I met about 30 or so people. These were young families who were all part of an English club. My seven-year-old little sister prepared me a plate with way too much food! The families set aside some time to put on a play. It was about Captain Hook fighting with Peter Pan, haha. Then, I had my first “Gaijin! Entertain us” moment… They asked me to give a little self-introduction, and then play a game with the kids. I talked about myself for a few minutes, then taught everyone “Skinnamarinkydinkydink…” It was awkward, to say the least!
We later played with fireworks – even the little kids enjoy getting in on the action. I also went to an onsen for the first time. There was a little indoor onsen located on the camping grounds. It was… an experience?! Ha.
On Sunday morning, I gathered the courage to talk to some of the other kids there. I noticed one of them had hair like my brother’s, so I asked to take his photo! I then said good-bye to my family, and was whisked back to Aizu Wakatmasu.
We went on a field trip to the castle. There was an amazing view from the top – the mountains were enveloped in misty fog. On the front lawn, there were people huddled around a big screen television set up outside. They were waiting for the big race of one of the Japanese competing in a marathon in the Olympics. I believe he got the gold. (p.s. Everyone at the BoE would update me when Canada lost in baseball/softball. They really love their baseball here, especially the high school level games).
We also walked through the sake museum. We got to sample a few shots of sake before lunch. Sake here in Japan is delicious. The stuff I forced my friends to drink in Canada does not compare! I ended up buying a light sake, which apparently goes well with cider.
After our last rainy day in Aizu, we took the train back home. We stayed a bit in Koriyama… I was pretty excited to finally get my own sticker pictures. We stuffed about eight JETs into one tiny booth. They turned out grrrrrrreat!

Thurs. Aug. 21 – Drinking with the bossmen

Wads of crisp yen bills were placed in an envelope, waiting to fill up my new bank account. Thursday was Pay Day! I didn’t have direct deposit just yet, so they just handed me an envelope containing all of cash money.
Later that night, we ended up at the local beer factory. There was about seven of us seated around two tables. A hot grill surrounded by water was in the middle of each table, where you cooked your food. It was so good! We also turned this into yet another nomihodai event… I inadvertently asked my superintendent to order me three drinks at once. (I definitely need to learn Japanese, eh).
I also took various photos. I said “Kawaii!” once, thinking that I was saying a photo was “cute.” But in reality, I guess I called my superintendent “kawaii.” They all chuckled, and my supervisor said, “Gemma-san! He is a grandfather!!!” Good times… Let the awkward moments continue.

Aug. 19 - 20 - Tanjobi omedeto to me! (Blog written Aug. 28)

I woke up bright and apato, excited that it was my 24 th birthday. Ah, I can now look forward to being one year closer to my Christmas fruitcake age, haha. (In Japan, there’s a joke that girls are considered “stale” after their 25 th birthday. This is compared to fruitcake sitting out after Christmas).
I was pretty excited to get my gaijin card, which would open up many doors for me. That is, I really wanted my cell phone so that I could finally call back home and the rest of Fukushima.
That day, I also got some pretty important “gifts” from my board. I finally got my washing machine, microwave, gas range and vacuum (literally translated into “cleaning machine.”) They also got me a new cable, so that I could watch the handful of channels on my little red television set. Dude, it was like Christmas and my birthday all in one day! I no longer have to wash my clothes in my buckets. And I no longer have to eat most of my food from the local combini. (Although their chicken nuggets are pure deliciousness. And who can forget good ol’ Crunky chocolate).
I also grabbed my new cell phone. I wanted a really cool “waterproof” phone. If you know me, you will remember my lame tale when I dropped my ballin’ Sony Ericsson phone in a lake. Anyways, that phone would’ve cost me a whopping $100 per month for a one-year contract, so I opted out. I settled for a cheap phone. I don’t really like it, but the price is right and it lets me call people and it is in my favourite colour – purple! Here in Japan, we use infrared red to exchange our contact info… it’s pretty hilarious how it never gets old when we do it.
In the evening, D. organized a sweet birthday dinner for me in Koriyama. We all went out for Asian food in a quaint little restaurant. I met the other JETs living in the Adachi district, and some of the Fukushima-shi dudes were also there. And my younger “supervisor” came out with us, too, which was pretty jokes. We have trouble communicating due to language barriers, but he’s super nice! We ended the night at a sweet fruit drink bar.
The next day, I found out that I got a message from back home. My parents had called the BoE to wish me a Happy Birthday! The office doesn’t really speak English, but they painstakingly wrote out a message in Japanese for me. They are really awesome like that. Mom said she was put on hold three times, because the office wanted to make sure they got the message down.

Fri. Aug. 15 – Filipino in disguise

Dad teases me, and often says I’m simply a “Filipino in disguise.” Don’t get me wrong - I’m quite proud of my background, but it’s true. I consider myself Canadian more than anything. I do enjoy learning about the Philippines, and you can tell by how much importance I place on my extended family. I love love love hanging out with my dozens of cousins, nieces and nephews back in Toronto.
Some of my fondest memories include sitting around the dining table, and eating leftovers with the girls. And I love how it was normal to have a barbecue spit in my uncle’s backyard, where he’d cook up roasted pig whenever the opportunity arose. Food is the glue that binds our family together, haha. And I totally miss all the little kiddos saying “Auntie Gemma!” I don’t know if they’ll remember me anymore, since I haven’t been in T-dot for ages.
This evening, my supervisor lent me his gas range. Woo! Good-bye refrigerated foods and combini foodstuffs. I can eat real food! Mmm. I am so very thankful. The rest of the Motomiya JETs and I were invited to a party at our supervisor’s house. We met the rest of his family, which was pretty cool. It totally reminded me of the impromptu parties we have back at Uncle George’s house. At my supervisor’s home, we sat in his front yard and had some awesome yakitori and other good barbecued stuff at his place. They had a couple grills on the go. It was very oishi!
Being the camera fiend that I am, I asked for some photo ops with the family at the end of the night. I’d show the photos for their approval, and they’d say “Great! Great!” One of the Sanpei cousins is pure jokes. He told me, “Memory are forever.” And when I was leaving, he yelled after me, “I’ll miss you!” I obviously had to yell back “I’ll miss you, too!” They also clapped for me as I expressed my gratitude with “Gochisosama deshita!” (That translates to “Thank you for the delicious feast!”… I hope).
D. is also planning my birthday dinner next week. I’m super stoked; otherwise, I’d probably be sitting at home by myself, eating a bowl of instant ramen. We’re heading to Koriyama for dinner and drinks with some of the other area JETs. D. and I also had the brilliant idea to invite our younger supervisor out for my birthday. I’ve wondered what it would be like to party with him… so we’re making it happen this Tuesday night, I guess! Dude actually accepted our invite, so it’s on like Donkey Kong. Haha, I hope we don’t scare him off!

Wed. Aug. 13 – Parking lots

I spent another day sweating in my apato, studying some Japanese and doing laundry. I also did a leisurely walk around my neighbourhood, and noticed some people were visiting the nearby cemetery. It reminded me of the last time I visited the cemetery in Oakville during the wintertime. Obviously, everything was blanketed under five feet of snow… so we left our flowers in areas where we thought was the fam plot.
While doing my groceries this evening, I ran into the big bossman from my board of education. I’m pretty sure he asked me if I had walked to the shopping area, so I nodded politely. When I walked home, I noticed there were traffic control officers standing out in the parking lot again. They wear a navy blue uniform, complete with an orange stick and smart-looking hat. They allow pedestrians to cross safely and such. I’ve never seen that at the St-Laurent Centre back home…

Tues. Aug. 12 – Happy Birthday Mom!

After a mere five hours of sleep, I stumbled out of bed and got ready to Skype home. There were some technical difficulties, but it was really nice to hear the voices of Mom and Dad. I hope Molomom had a wonderful birthday – I am sorry I could not be there to celebrate your special day with you! I think that my boss is excited to meet them in December.
Instead, I faced more orientation sessions. It wasn’t bad, except that I did indeed feel the after-effects from last night’s shenanigans! I should really take a hiatus from izakayas. (That a lie. We’re going to the Asahi Beer Factory for nomihodai, followed by karaoke next week. Here’s to partying with your co-workers!)
I took the train back home with JETs Brian, Heather and Ben. My supervisor picked B. and I up again. He took us out for dinner. I finally had that “Yes, I can use chopsticks moment” when our bossman ordered forks for us. It’s awkward that he asked for some chopsticks, since he’s seen me eat a few times already. When he dropped me off at my house, he left me tons o’ useful presents (pots, pans, rice cooker) and actually built my new fan for me. Dude goes above and beyond for me – but I still wish he’d get magically get me my cell phone and Internet. We’re apparently all going out to a festival this Friday. J
It was awesome to see all of my favourite boys and girls from across the ken again! I seriously love hanging out with the girls who live in the JETplex. Sometimes, I forget that I’m not one of them. I hope they don’t mind that I’ll be requesting some floor space every now and then. They are always welcome at my apaato, which I have dubbed “Pretty in Pink Palace.” And I’ve also latched myself with the chillin’ Iwaki dudes, who I met on our last night in Tokyo… Hanging out with Justin and Chris also makes me nostalgic re: Ottawa. (J-dawg, I already miss our mad awkward conversations, bahaha).

Mon. Aug. 11 – Getting oriented, again

My younger supervisor picked me up this morning, and gave me a lift to the train station. He’s pretty chill, although we don’t really understand each other. Once again, I don’t really speak Japanese and he doesn’t speak English. I did figure out where he lives, and that he’s a “light drinker.” B and I think it would be great fun to party with him, because we always see him in a conservative way.
We headed to Fukushima-shi and stayed at a hotel for more orientation sessions. The governor of Fukushima made an appearance to meet us JETs; he seems very personable, and you can tell that he beams with pride when it comes to his prefecture.
A hearty “Kampai!” echoed throughout the hall during our short welcome reception. Big Apple, a local izakaya, was inundated with JETs later that night. This time, our nomihodai lasted for five hours! Annie thought it was important to share her “refreshing” eye drops with everyone, haha. I feel like everyone had a lovely, sloppy time. I met another one of my sempai, who also attended Carleton. I recognized him from one of my American Lit classes. It’s a small world after all! It was really nice to meet the rest of the Fuku JETs who arrived in Japan a week after I did. Sarah, who was good friends with my childhood Filipino brother from another mother, is also living in the Fuk. I’m so excited to have found a Veronica Mars buddy!

Sun. Aug. 10 – Lazy Sunday

Ah, yet another puddle of grayish water swirled down the drain today. I’ve been hand-washing my black clothes today in my trusty two buckets. Hand-washing ALL of my clothes has been quite the humbling experience. I will be the happiest girl ever when I get my washing machine, microwave and stove. Being the first JET in my apaato apparently means my bosses need to have meetings to decide how much to budget for my new gadgets.
It was yet another lazy Sunday for me – just as I like it. I stood for a good 10 minutes in the liquor aisle of my grocery store today, trying to decipher which sake would tempt my palate. There’s too many, so I’ll wait it out…
The new Fukushima JETs will be descending upon Fukushima-shi tomorrow for more orientation sessions. Sugoi!

Fri. Aug. 8 – Sat. Aug. 9 – Finding Fukushima City

I went into my school to help the girls with their speeches and skits. I can see why Tyler said ALTs have tons of free time… I spent most of my morning trying to get a good connection to my e-mail accounts, and checking out the online forums. It’s times like those that make me miss my ol’ cubicle at the government. I could take naps as I pleased... but here, my desk is basically in front of the VP. Durr.
Muto-san unexpectedly gave me a lift to the board of education from my school… Since I was going out-of-town for the night, I had to ask him to drop by my house so that I could change and grab my toothbrush, etc. I felt really bad for making him wait for me, so I kept apologizing and saying, “Ah, I’m such a girl!!” He politely laughed and smiled at me, but I doubt he knew what I was saying haha.
I finally signed my contract and saw my hanko (personal name stamp). I was hoping my hanko would be ridiculously cool, but it’s just my first name in romaji, lol.
We then headed to Fukushima-shi to hang out with the other area JETs. It’s about a 35-minute train ride, which isn’t too bad. I’d describe that city as very quiet, yet urban. We went to an izakaya, where we did the whole nomihodai deal again. There was a somewhat random Japanese dude who was hanging out with us. I dubbed him “Don Johnson,” due to his powder blue suit jacket rolled up to his elbows. What a character. We also went to a small bar for a bit, where they played some wack house music… My Tokyo Orientation roomie saved my bum, and graciously opened her apaato to me.
Meeting JETs from around the world has been great. It feels like I’m going through frosh week all over again, which has its pros and cons.
My supervisor is quite kind. He even picked Brian and I up from the train station today, then brought us out shopping. He knows I’m interested in getting a car, so we started looking around at a local dealership. Those cars were way out of my price range, though. I was drawn to a cute two-seater sports car, but I definitely can’t afford it as a broke university grad.

Thurs. Aug. 7 –Tonkatsu with teachers

One of my JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English) took D. and I out for dinner this evening. She’s only a year older than me, and has been teaching for a couple years now. Hanging out with her felt like a typical Saturday night back home. We talked about anything and nothing for three hours. We were eventually kicked out of the restaurant, because it was closing time. I’m looking forward to working with her this year.

Wed. Aug. 6 – “My car is named Tundra… in Canada, you have the tundra, right?”

It was another day of watching kids practice their speeches. I seriously can’t get over how adorable these kids can be! First of all, students all need to wear matching uniforms. At this school, the girls usually wear a crisp white top with a pleated skirt in navy blue. The colour of their running shoes is determined by their year – the third-years have a bright orange stripe. Whenever I say good-bye for the day, they giggle and say, “See you again!!!” Tomorrow’s my first day teaching alone… I hope it goes well!
Tundra, Canadian pine and Anne of Green Gables – these topics made my day! In the teachers’ room, two senseis were sharing their knowledge of Canada with me. One dude also asked if we have bears in Canada; he made the funniest “growling bear” face, so I cracked up. As one of the Japanese students walked by us, this teacher pointed out the kid’s buzz cut and asked if Canadian boys do the same. I feel like this dude and I will have some pretty hilarious conversations.
When I got home from work, I decided to walk to my nearest train station for kicks. It only takes 20 minutes, but it was super sketchy since the sidewalk ends and you need to walk beside the deep rice paddies. I’ll take the other main road next time, or taxi. The sun sets pretty early here, too. By 7 p.m., the city sits in darkness.
The lack of street signage in Japan still baffles my mind! Sure, the main roads are graciously adorned with street signs. But there aren’t any road signs to be found in residential areas

Mon. Aug. 5 – Feels like my first day of school

“La, la, la, la, la, la, la….” I hummed. I’ve always had a feeling my random outbursts of song would come handy one day. I was trying to teach one of my students how to master the pronunciation of the letter “l.” She was struggling with the word “clapping.”
D. and I went to my base school today. Almost three hundred students attend this junior high school, where I’ll be spending the bulk of my time.
Just like it says in all the books I’ve read, we took off our outdoor shoes and placed them in our shoe lockers. I slipped my indoor shoes, and off we went to meet the kocho-sensei (ie. Principal). I was pretty anxious while sitting in his office, and forgot half of my self-introduction even though I had nailed it last night.
I was then brought to the teachers’ room. Here, the desks are grouped according to the teachers’ assignments. The administrators sit at the front of the room, while the homeroom teachers for each grade have their desks clumped together. My desk is placed with the second-year teachers. Everyone seems really friendly.
Mariko-sensei is one of my English teachers. I forgot to bring a coffee mug today, so she kindly gave me a Snoopy mug during our coffee break. She’s only a year older than me, but she’s been an English teacher for a couple years now. We’re going out for dinner later this week! I look forward to making some social connections – being stuck in my apartment is getting old.
On a random note, Mariko-sensei hair was up in a ponytail and she was sporting her athletic threads. There was one point in the morning where she changed into a smart skirt and top, but then she changed back. It’s pretty awesome that I can revert back to my fashion sense circa fourth-year at Carleton. When things got too hectic, I’d simply go to my night classes in sweats. Serenity now.
Helping out the English speech contestants was the task for today. That’s why I was trying to teach one of the students how to pronounce the letter, “l.” To be an amazing contestant, these kids need to master the following components: pronunciation, gestures and intonation. I feel like I’m in Grade 8 drama class with Ms. Tyndale again. The girls seem really sweet, and I noticed they giggled when I tried to introduce myself in Japanese. D. did some acting exercises with them, causing these girls to shout: “I love you! I love you! I love you!”
After lunch, we were assigned to write a skit for speech contest. I can’t say it’s my best work, but what do you expect with a skit called “The Princess and the Special Helper.” I wish my sarcasm would translate well into my work here, but I figure I should lay off for a bit.
I do have some ideas of things I’d like to teach my kids before I leave Japan. I may, or may not, be joking.
- For any advanced students, I’d like them to learn Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
- Greetings/farewells, such as: “sup jigga” and “peace out”
- My favourite words/sayings: “awkward”; “Where is the nearest Starbucks?” and “homeslice/homeboy.”
And here’s my final thought: So, I popped by the school gym today. Funnily enough, there was one kid who was sitting outside of the gym; he looked absolutely miserable. Sitting on the gym’s front stoop, he was busy burying his head into his lap. I’m guessing he was super tired from all of the work these kids do during the summer. (It seems like the kids are always DOING something, even if it’s their summer vacation right now. I definitely admire their hard work ethic). I was taken aback as all the kids dropped their basketballs, and rushed over to me to start bowing. Apparently, their coach told them to greet the teacher. (It’s normal to do that, I guess). I thought it was pretty cool to see dozens of kids run over to me, and start bowing.
Later days…

Sun. Aug. 4 – Day o’ boredom

The novelty of being in Japan hasn’t worn off yet, but I am starting to go stir crazy. I haven’t been able to contact my friends and family. I would totally fail as a hermit…
I went on another long walk today, and stumbled upon my 7-11. This is pretty important, because I’ll be able to use an ATM around the clock. (Most ATMs shut down earlier in the evening).
I tried buying an international phone card at Lawson, which is the closest convenience store to my place. But the girl kept saying “Sumimasen!”
Tomorrow marks my first day at my base school. Wish me luck!

Sat. Aug. 3 – Japanese Jehovah’s Witnesses

I spent the morning watching my Veronica Mars DVDs, compliments of my brother from the same mother. When I finally felt like braving the humid weather, I went on a two-hour walk to explore my surroundings. It turns out the brewery is pretty close to my place, so I’ll do up a tour at least once.
I also tried doing some groceries by myself. I did make a mistake with one of my purchases. I thought I had grabbed a can of delicious orange Fanta. In fact, it was Fanta with weird jelly mixed into it. That first swig did not quench my thirst!
Two Jehovah’s Witnesses also approached me today. They only spoke Japanese, so I tried to explain to them that I was Canadian. One of them wiggled his tie, furrowed his brow and then grabbed a book out of his bag. That was when he opened it up to the English page, and it explained they were Jehovah’s Witnesses looking to spread the word. It’s great how some things never change.
On the other hand, I’ve started noticing some of the differences between my own experiences and Japanese culture. When I was walking around the board of education with Sanpei-san, he asked if I had different shoes. I’m guessing he noticed that my favourite black Aldo pumps were clicking down the hallway. Oops? The garbage collection system here is unique as well. I’m pretty sure I heard the garbage man making an announcement on his loudspeaker when he dropped by earlier this morning. Finally, 16-year-olds aren’t out getting their driver’s licenses. When I was that age, I didn’t really like driving but I still got my learner’s permit. I was driving my parents’ Sunfire to school every day when I was in OAC.

F ri. Aug. 2 – Let me clear my throat… because I want a cell phone

My landlord knocked on my door early Friday morning. I was pretty happy to see him, because he wheeled in my fridge… I was a little confused, because I wasn’t expecting it that day. It turns out Sampei-san made the arrangements.
I spent the day cleaning again, plus I ventured out to the nearby convenience store so that I could start filling my fridge. (I still don’t have any clue as to what the cashiers are saying). Jay and Brian dropped by my place, and we ended up going shopping in Koriyama City. The new stuff has helped make my apato look more like home. I put together my new bookcase, filled with the bajillion pounds of literature from Tokyo Orientation and a couple books from home. I really had to MacGuyver it; I used an old pair of tweezers to put in the screws. We later met up with J’s gf and D., so that we could head to Koriyama. It was pretty busy, with women milling around in their kimonos and lanterns draped everywhere for the festival. (I’m pretty sure I was supposed to make an appearance in Fukushima city on Friday to meet up with the rest of the JETs… urnks? I hate being without a cell or the internet. I feel so disconnected from everyone!)
I was hoping to get a cell phone that night, but it turns out you need your gaijin card. It was probably all for the best that I halted my shopping, because there are so many pretty phones out there. I was really drawn to a model that you flip both ways and watch TV. You also have the option to add Internet to your phone, but that seems pretty blingin’. We’ll see… We also went to a foreign foods shop, where I got some real peanut butter and jam.
The Koriyama train station is filled with tons of shops and restaurants. We ate at a place serving deep fried deliciousness. (Girls, I still haven’t figured out how can I ask to take home my leftovers!!)
I also tried using the Japanese-style toilets (euphemism for “squat toilets.”) It grossed me out… but when in Japan?! (K., to think we wouldn’t even want to use those outhouses at Bluesfest! Ha… men’s bathroom, anyone??)

Thurs. Aug. 1 – Pretty in pink

There are two hot pink buildings, nestled right off one of the main streets. There’s a bike rack filled with different kinds, including a ballin’ Hummer bicycle in white. If you snake around to the back of the first building, you’ll get to my apartment (apaato).
I have a 1DKL. Outdoor shoes are left behind in the main entrance. There’s a six-tatami mat room, which transforms into my bedroom. The rest of the place has hardwood floors, which is quite nice. My living room is pretty bare right now, simply adorned with a Canadian flag and a map of Japan on the wall. I have a small kitchen/dining area, where I’ve placed a new carpet and a full-length mirror. The kitchen is pretty useless right now. I’m still waiting to get a stove, and I hope I get a microwave as well. My bathroom has your typical Japanese layout: the toilet’s in one room, and the shower/sink deal is in another room.
I also have a space for a washing machine, but I don’t know if/when I’m getting one. I’ve done quite the throwback, and will be washing my clothes in a bucket. This is ghetto, I know. There’s a coin wash up the street from me, but I don’t have the willpower/money to make a bajillion trips there.
That day, Brian and I went to city hall to fill out paperwork to get our gaijin cards. And Sanpei-san treated us to lunch… Here in Japan, pushing a button at the table beckons the waitress. That’s so efficient! Later that day, we went to a sushi conveyor belt restaurant. While I was fascinated by the food going down a conveyor belt, it was the payment method that really cracked me up. We wanted to treat Sanpei-san, and figured it would be hilarious if Brian gave him a big ol’ bear hug or at least blocked him. Sanpei-san was too quick. There was an awkward scramble at the front cash, and he ended up paying.

Wed. July 30 - Meet your new ken

Wednesday marked the day all JETs left Tokyo for our new prefectures (“ken.”) We traveled by bus, shinkansen (bullet train) or plane. I’m pretty stoked that my fellow Ottawa JETs – Justin, Chris and Marianna – will be joining me in Fukushima!
After a refreshing 1.5 hours of sleep, I got up for a quick shower and prepped for leaving Tokyo. I paid my lovely 630 yen for the Asahi beer I had mistakenly taken from the hotel mini-bar. (Apparently, you can’t re-insert it back into its rightful slot. Obviously, I didn’t read the instructions until after the fact. Funnily enough, I now live a mere 10-minute walk from an Asahi brewery in Motomiya).
Fukushima JETs boarded two buses – I didn’t mind the long trip, because I was able to get some sleep. At one rest stop, some people tried fish-on-a-stick and sweet-potato-on-a-stick, haha. As we trucked along the main drag, the spaces looked quite green. Good-bye, urban spaces.
We finally arrived in Fukushima, where we met our supervisors at the Fukushima Agricultural Centre in Koriyama City. It was the first time I met my supervisor. It was also reassuring to see the faces of J. and D.; they are JETs in Motomiya with whom I’ve been exchanging e-mails filled with mundane questions. (“So… what do you do during an earthquake?”) Brian is the other new JET working in Motomiya. We were whisked off to our board of education. Surprisingly, the drive only took 10-15 minutes from Koriyama.
Despite my lack of Japanese, I felt pretty confident going into this meeting with city officials and board of education staff. My very short self-introduction was committed to memory: “Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Gemma desu… Watashi wa Canada no Ottawa kara kashmite. Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.” And then I planned on smiling and nodding a lot.
In reality, this meeting was pretty intense. Dozens of photos were snapped, while these Japanese men asked me questions that I couldn’t understand. We also met the vice-mayor, who seems like a jolly man always sporting a smile on his face. He straight up asked if Brian and I enjoyed drinking. When we answered positively, every second word out of his mouth was “nomihodai!” (I’m guessing the man really enjoys “all-you-can-drink” events). The dudes were totally stoked that Brian drinks – it was quite the sight to see them get all giddy about that news. Interestingly enough, they asked us to watch out for our health and really take care of their children. Can you feel the pressure?
That night, we were invited to Sanpei-san’s house for dinner. They put out quite the spread! It was everything I imagined a traditional Japanese dinner would include: miso soup, rice, fried stuff, Japanese pickled cucumbers, etc. They later served that wack “Calpis” water. It has a whitish tint to it, and totally grosses me out.
My supervisor has two daughters. They were shy around me, because they didn’t really speak English with me. I asked them to teach me some Japanese, though. My word of the night was: “kawaii!” (“cute.”) I showed them pictures from back home. I think they really liked Twix, my guinea pig. I asked my supervisor about the cow he has in his front yard. I don’t think it’s really a pet, though; he did mention the word, “meat.”
I stayed over at his family’s home my first night in Motomiya. It totally reminded me of my extended Filipino family. Grandma and grandpa also live there. It’s kind of like the times Papa Wiron and Mama Poping lived in Toronto with their kids, and Lolo Moling lived in Cali. The Sanpeis also feed ginormous meals, and were concerned when I didn’t want to finish my seven-course meal at breakfast.
It was my first time sleeping on a futon set atop tatami mats. That was another moment that further reinforced that I had truly arrived in Japan. It was also my first night sleeping straight through in Japan. Good ol’ jet lag finally vanished!

Tues. July 29 – I can’t stand the rain… let’s all go to the club

This was the last full day of orientation activities for JETs. In the morning, I attended a session about team-teaching in junior high schools. (I’ll be teaching at a junior high school in Motomiya. I’ll also have some visits to elementary schools.) One of the speakers reminded me of Crush from Finding Nemo (Dilys, ha ha!) He spoke with the same intonation, and he had a very laid-back demeanour. When he was handing out prizes, bags of Skittles sailed over our heads. I’m pretty sure he whipped at least one person sitting in the audience. Oh, the excitement…
We had a prefectural meeting, where we were seated in a circle and got the low-down on our schedule for the next day. I discovered that they took our passport photos, and published them in a “welcome” guide. This photo is even worse than the one on my learner’s permit, haha.
That evening, Canadian JETs were invited to the Canadian embassy in Tokyo. The building itself is gorgeous. To reach the main entrance on the upper level, you need to take an outdoor escalator with a canopy. There was a brief presentation, followed by some drinks and light snacks. It was my first time to try daikon, a huge white radish! We then headed back to the hotel. As we emerged from the subway station, it started to pour like nobody’s business. It was pretty hilarious to be caught in such a storm without an umbrella, and have other hotel guests give us weird looks.
I was ready to hit the sack, especially since I looked like a drowned rat after getting caught in the storm. But I was easily convinced to go out for my last night in Tokyo with some of the Fukushima dudes and my sempai. We first hit up some cheap bar, where I learned that I somehow earned the nickname “Princess” after they saw my fugly passport photo. We also went to some hole-in-the-wall bar called “Gas Panic,” where I saw a gaggle of people sporting clown costumes and parading down the street. They were promoting something about the Olympics. Oh, and I’m pretty sure I saw Cuba Gooding Jr. (No, no I didn’t).
On our walk to our final destination, we stopped by a convenience store. They’re allowed to sell alcohol, so I tried Chu-Hai Strong. It reminded me of Smirnoff Ice, so I was left unimpressed. ((“Vinnie! It burns!”) p.s. Channel Four girls – I’m still punny here. And I saw some boxed wine, which definitely reminded me of the j-skool ladies. Stay classy, now)). Don’t worry, Mom and Dad… I’m not drinking all that much! And now that I live in the sticks, I’m pretty sure I can’t party as much, ha ha.
We ended up at an expensive club, but hip hop night made it sooo worth it. It was interesting to see the Japanese boys and girls all decked out in their finest urban threads. And about all the girls in the line waiting for the bathroom… we are definitely faster back home. I’m pretty sure that the girls in Tokyo change outfits all the time, because it takes them forever and a day to get out of their stall, ha ha. I guess that’s the price it takes to be ridiculously fashionable.
I’ll be Captain Obvious for saying the following, but we stuck out at the club at times. I met some characters, and even ended up speaking French with some dude from France. I’d like to thank the boys for letting me crashing their sausage partay… and I’m sorry that I whined towards the end of the night. (We got home at 5 a.m.)

Mon. July 28 – Can you say “nomihodai?”

The next day started with a hearty breakfast, where they served an array of breakfast favourites such as yogurt… and McDonald’s fries. I should probably thank Pat for fetching my water and orange juice that morning, durr! We then attended our opening ceremonies. I’ll skip over the orientation sessions. Most of the speakers injected some funny anecdotes in their presentations, but the day was still pretty long.
My roomie, M, and I decided to take quick naps before the welcome reception where they apparently served beer and food. (M. is also heading to my prefecture!) Anyways, that 30-minute nap turned into two hours. At 8 p.m., we abruptly woke up and went down to meet the rest of the Fukushima peeps for our night out in Tokyo. We all headed to an izakaya, a Japanese pub offering ‘all-you-can eat and drink’ fare. This amazing idea is called “nomihodai.” We arrived at 9 p.m., but we already saw some Japanese teenagers passed out on the floor.
If you know me, then you totally can predict my reaction as we weaved our way towards a karaoke bar. We filled one karaoke room, flanked by two flat screen TVs and lots of seating. I definitely see myself going more often!

Fri. Aug. 1 – Now in Nihon

It’s about midnight on Friday evening here in the land of the rising sun. I’m sitting in my new apartment (apato!) in Motomiya, a rural “city” in Fukushima prefecture.
I haven’t had the Internet in days, so I’ll be splitting up my stories. I also haven’t had my tall non-fat caramel macchiato since I’ve been here. Tessa and I did stumble upon that familiar coffee spot in Tokyo! Surprisingly, my self-imposed withdrawal from Starbucks hasn’t been too bad….
Let’s start from the beginning
I jetted off to Japan on July 26. My family dropped me off at the airport in Ottawa. That morning, I also had a couple of my aunties give me a call to bid me adieu; I was definitely a stage-five crier. The flight to Toronto was pretty smooth – V. and I split a copy of the Globe and Mail. But our connecting Tokyo-bound flight felt kind of ridiculous. Pearson Airport was blanketed under a “red alert,” meaning the surrounding area had rolling thunderstorms or something to that effect. So, our plane couldn’t quite touch the sky on time. It took two hours until the surrounding skies cleared, and we finally left the tarmac.
The rest of the Ottawa and Montreal JETs sat in the middle cabin, while I hung out in the back. I had inadvertently chosen a seat away from the peeps, in an effort to greedily get an aisle seat.
It wasn’t so bad, though! On my right, I struck up a conversation with a twenty-something Japanese girl. She has been living in Toronto for the past four years, working as a Japanese teacher. She welcomed my pleas to practice some Japanese, and she answered my countless questions about her country.
There were also those newly minted television screens on the back of each seat. I watched awesome shows and movies, such as “The Flight of the Conchords” and “Horton Hears a Who!” in between naps and less-than-delicious airplane food.
I was also entertained by a large group of Canadian high school student-athletes, all sporting red t-shirts and khaki pants. I overheard they were heading to Japan as part of an exchange to play basketball. These kids were strutting up and down the aisles. One dude was embarrassed after his teammate held up his plush white teddy bear for the whole cabin to see.
Taking in Tokyo… I mean, Narita
I was first struck by the humidity when we landed in Japan. JETs wearing bright yellow shirts dotted the Narita airport, and greeted us after we got all sweaty while pushing our heavy carts to the buses waiting for us outside.
The escalators are interesting at Narita, because they “safely” let you and your heavy luggage go up and down. I feared for my life as I wheeled my cart filled with: a 70-pound suitcase, a mid-sized suitcase reaching 50 pounds, my large backpack and my smaller carry-on luggage. Oh, and I should also mention that my Kanye glasses are currently in Canada! I had to quickly repack at the check-in counter in Ottawa, and broke my favourite fugly glasses in the process! But I heard there are tons of pairs in Japan. You can also cop a pair in the By Ward market, if you miss going out with me in Ottawa.
The bus ride to Tokyo was a blur. Surprisingly, L. was the awesome Tokyo Orientation Assistant (TOA) who was my bus guide. She’s one of Tyler’s friends, so it was pretty cool to see her.
The first wave of new JETs descended upon the ballin’ Keio Plaza Hotel, located in the Shinjuku district. I remember feeling pretty parched, sticky and L. accidentally spilling water on my favourite pair of Lulus, ha ha. In the lobby, I also ran into N. and V. – two of my sempai!
After quickly dropping off our luggage, I grabbed some dinner with a handful of Ottawa JETs. A., our CIR dude, knows his way around the city; he navigated us from the hotel to the Shibuya district. We had to hop on the subway to head down two or three stops. Like someone said, everything about Japan has a cartoon-like quality. Weird music blares on the speakers when you’re waiting for the train, and the ads look super cheesy. I love it.
There I was… standing in that Shibuya intersection you can see in Hollywood movies. It was pretty cool to see the sheer amount of people walking around, plus the flashing lights. All of that made me really feel like I had finally arrived in downtown Tokyo. Dinner was another new experience. We lined up outside a busy noodle shop. You need to punch some buttons at a machine to pay for your dinner ticket. I think we all chose a basic bowl of soup. You then circle different options on a small sheet of paper to customize your meal. We don’t read kanji, so V. and I. simply circled the options in the middle, and hoped for the best! Anyways, a map of the restaurant’s booths is posted on the wall – when a blue light sparks up, that means you can sit down at an available spot. Each booth is shrouded in privacy, with dividers and a wall covering that separates you from seeing the cook’s face. I slipped the piece of paper to the cook, who quickly whipped up for my soup. It was very oishi! We capped off the night by visiting a nearby convenience store, where we discovered tiramisu-to-go for the low price of 200 yen. Mmm.

Tokyo-bound

I'm leaving for the land of the rising sun this morning! I've crossed off most of the items on my long pre-departure 'to-do' list... It hasn't really struck me that I'm leaving my home for the next year.

I will surely miss my family, friends and Starbucks. But I'm also looking forward to what lies ahead. As the JET Programme's unofficial motto is wonderfully committed to my memory: "Every Situation is Different." Here's to expecting the unexpected!