Happy Baaaaarthday to you!

Over the weekend, I got an e-mail from one of my students. I don't get a lot of regular e-mail from my students, because I've only handed it out to select few this year. So, it's pretty exciting to see what's new!

Subject heading? "A Happy Day." Here's what the newly minted 15-year-old had to say:

"Ｄear Ｇemma SEMSEI

Hello!!

Today is my birthday(≧▽≦）☆ !!!

ヾ(≧∇≦*)/やったぁ♬♬ ♬♬."
What a cutiepatootie! Her excitement was contagious, so I sent her an electronic birthday card. I chose an adorable Spongebob-themed card with a simple English message. She loved it!

The birthday greetings continued in class today, after I read K-kun's in-class assignment. I learned that his birthday was also over the weekend. I loudly wished him a "Happy Birthday!" and he nodded with a smile. But then S-kun overheard, and led the class in a rousing rendition of "Happy Baaaaarthday!" K-kun laughed, his cheeks obviously flushed.

He dropped his head onto his desk, as his fellow classmates continued to clap loudly for him. I can sort of see why the kids treat me like an older sister, not a teacher. I like to cause slightly embarrassing moments for them!

Ageha, we meet again.

The girls and I spent our time primping and preening in front of the bathroom mirrors at our usual hostel in Shinjuku. The rest of the floor was quiet, given that we paid the extra few yennies to spend the weekend on the "luxury" floor vacant of that awful smell of stinky feet found on the co-ed floors. True story.

With lots of help from H's steady hand, I was able to apply some black-and-gold false eyelashes to match our big night out. A bunch of FuJETs had travelled down to Tokyo last Friday night, because we wanted to celebrate some birthdays with some hip hop tunes at Ageha, the biggest club in Japan.

Going to the mammoth-sized club takes commitment. It's about 30 minutes outside of Tokyo, leaving you with limited options to get back to the city proper at a decent hour. About 20 FuJETs showed up at around midnight, and people were only beginning to trickle into the venue. There was a 500-yen discount being offered if you showed the Ageha application on your iPhone or iTouch. Like some of my friends bearing iTouches only, we pathetically showed that we couldn't access wiFi but that we had previously downloaded the app. The bouncer, who spoke in flawless English, said he would give us the discount that one time. Oh, so elitist!

The club itself seems to be tucked away in a rather industrial area on the waterfront. It includes various warehouses all linked together. The first area has an expansive bar and VIP section, serving overpriced cocktails and other concoctions. As you walk further, you can walk into the large dance pit. This is where an array of DJs continuously played solid set after set. It was even fun to hear classics from Rihanna and Drake re-played by various DJs, because I rarely go clubbing in Fukushima. Outdoors, reggae tunes were blaring at poolside From there, you can watch the sun rise over the waterfront at 4 a.m. Ageha knows it's an all-night affair, and even has food service tents. We tried the jerk chicken sandwiches to quench our hunger pains at 3 a.m.

As the sun rose, the FuJETs stepped out into the fresh air. I swear, the sun was fully out by the time we crossed the bridge to the nearest train station. We caught the first subway at 5 a.m., and even slow-clapped a Japanese dude and his girlfriend who sprinted and hopped onto the subway at the last moment.

There's something about Tokyo that gets me every time. On Saturday, we woke up late and ate top-notch sandwiches at Zip Zap, a cute cafe nestled in Harajuku that boasts "good booze and very delicious food." Sitting on the mildly damp grass and mosquito-laced air in Yoyogi Park, I caught up with people. We even saw our darling friend, H., with whom I tried to teach Spanish. I wasn't a very good teacher, leaving him saying things like "siente, ocho, nine, ten!" HAHA. We would indulge in vegetarian food in Azajuban, then share some laughs over an evening coffee on a Starbucks balcony.

On Sunday, we grabbed a quick bite at another cafe in Harajuku. This time, my cafe latte was delightfully topped with heart-shaped foam! I love that. The girls and I also dropped by one of my favourite cat cafes, Chamamo, which was right across the street. This is a small "cafe" within an office building. For less than 1,000 yen, you can sip on a beverage and play with cats for 30 minutes. It sounds weird, but it's always nice to chill with affectionate pets! But I guess it's a little weird that I have been there three or four times now. I even have some favourite cats - and I don't even really like cats. Growing up, I've always wanted to own a Yorkshire terrier.

I wrapped up my whirlwind tour of Tokyo with a brief visit to a local souvenir shop, then crossed the street, where this time, I easily found the BAPE store tucked behind the Omotesando Hills building. (Sorry, brother - I didn't buy you anything else! I only wanted to check out the second and third floor of the building. Last time, I only looked around the basement.)

The mad dash to my cheap highway bus was slightly nerve-wracking, but I was satisfied when I made it. I mean, the savings you earn after taking the bus and not the shink! Yet another splendid weekend in Tokyo... The only dark spot was losing my camera at the hostel. I should really stop relying on the kindness of others in returning my lost belongings (luggage on a Japanese subway train, foreigner card, etc.) I learned an expensive lesson that day!

2:18

I've been teaching at the local junior high school and two neighbouring elementary schools in Motomiya for almost two years now. Sometimes, I can't believe how fast time slips by. At JHS alone, I think I've taught about 500 students. And I can't even tell you how many cute, little Japanese kids I've met at the elementary schools.

While I've never really joined in their club activities, I do my best to learn all of their names and some of their stories. As a result, I think I'll start writing profiles of the ones who I've somewhat gotten to know over the past few months...

***

Sweat dripping off his forehead, Te-chan looked down at the stopwatch he had grasped in his left hand. He shook his head, and walked off the track for a quick rest. I praised him for his efforts, as I had been watching the track team doing laps around the dirt soccer field.

"I fail!" he said with a chuckle. This was coming from a kid whose personal best is 2:18 when running the 800-metre track event. (I don't know all that much about running, but that's a pretty good time in my books).

Te-chan continued to rifle through a plastic basket, looking for some new spikes to attach to his running shoes. He took this opportunity to ask me some questions in English. Bless his little heart! He even asked if I liked running, but I had to laugh and truthfully say no.

I see a bright future for this kid. Even though he's only 14 years old, he has already demonstrated he's a natural-born leader. This year, he is the vice president of the student council. He is also the captain for the boys' soccer team. When he's not the captain for the track team, you can hear him loudly screaming, "ICHI! NI! SAN!" as he weaves the soccer team in an orderly running fashion around the soccer field.

He wants to go to Asaka Reimei, one of the more prestigious high schools in Koriyama. They expect only the cream of the crop, and I've heard the English component of their entrance examinations is killer. But I have confidence in Te-chan. He can do it. I've seen how his skills in reading, writing and speaking English have increasingly improved since I first met him.

Two years ago, I rang the doorbell of my landlord's house because I needed some help. Te-chan, who was a mere 1年生 (that is, a 7th-grade student), shyly curried away from the door and whispered to his older siblings: "Gemma-sensei!! Gemma-sensei!!" My landlord happens to have a family of four kids - A-kun (who graduated in March 2008); Te-chan (who will be graduating in March 2010) and little M-kun (who just started his first year at JHS). They also have an older sister, but I've never taught her.

Now, Te-chan isn't scared to speak in English with me. He's the friendly kid who will strike up a conversation with me in the hallways or the classroom. He's the kid who has a lot of admirable drive. He's the kid who used an in-class freewrite session to express his honest opinion on the dilapidated building we call 2chu. He's the kid who runs laps in the evenings, even after spending all afternoon running up and down the soccer field during club activities. He's the kid who can run 800 metres in 2:18.

"No Zone! Don't touch!"

Today I played in the dirt with some of the 2年生 boys. They were removing the weeds and tulips from their homeroom's little plot of dirt, paving the way for the incoming marigolds we'll be planting in the near future.

S-chan (one of my fave boys - and he knows it!) was crouched over the garden, and looked up with his darling eyes: "Gemma-sensei! Help, please!" How I could I resist!

About five of us were busy poking through the dirt. My hand started tugging on a tulip, which looked liked its time was up. But the boys interjected, "No Zone! Don't touch! No Zone!" That was clutch, kiddos. They showed me the areas they wanted uprooted. K-kun even said: "Leaf. Get!" While their English skills are clearly quite limited, I was touched that they were trying to communicate with me!

And then, I learned that boys will be boys. As they were sifting through the soil with their fingers and shovels, someone found a couple earthworms. I tried not to react as they inched the worms closer to my personal bubble. But if you know me, I had to shriek: "Gross!!! Ew!!! Gross!!" They laughed and clapped. Kan-kun proceeded to chop the worms up into halves. Gross!!

I taught them a new word, though: "worm." In return, I learned the word, "みみず." I don't like worms. But those kids do. They were tickled when I recalled their interest in fishing around the local rivers, particularly Gohyakugawa and Abukumagawa. K-kun forgot the word for "river," and insisted that he enjoyed fishing in the ocean. Well, I guess that's possible! The Pacific Ocean is located about two hours away from Motomiya, in the city of Iwaki...

If they try to put another worm in my face, I'll naturally yell at them: "No Zone! Don't touch!"

Thank you, Tokyo Metro

It was the last leg of my whirlwind Golden Week trip to Tokyo. I was standing on my homeward-bound train, weighed down with an excessive amount of baggage: a carry-on suitcase with wheels; my trusty gray Gap shoulder bag; a paper bag filled with overpriced Tokyo chocolates; and finally, a medium-sized overnight bag containing my boots and assorted souvenirs.

In the window's reflection, I saw a lady sitting behind me and peering at my bags. She leaned over to her friend, whispering "Sugoi ne..." Loosely translated? She was commenting on my excess baggage. I couldn't agree more.

Earlier that day, I hopped into a subway car bound for Tokyo Station. I did a quick count - 4 bags. But then I felt uneasy, so I hopped back onto the platform and confirmed directions from the stationmaster. He pointed me to another train, which would head in my desired direction. So, I sat down. But then... 1, 2, 3. I think my heart dropped for a second.

Not because I lost my fourth bag. In my experience, lost items eventually find their way back to their rightful owners in Japan. I know this sounds complacent, but it has rung true for me on more than one occassion.

In fact, I was overwhelmingly concerned that this obstacle would stop me from catching my highway bus bound for home. Weird, eh. Back in Canada, I'd definitely be more concerned about losing my bag forever.

Anyways, I rushed back to the platform and told the stationmaster with slight panic that I had lost my bag on the 3:36 p.m. Using his radio, he was able to track my bag at a nearby station within 10-15 minutes. I don't know who brought it back. An honest commuter who saw it lying on the floor? One of the subway staff? I'll never know. Bottom line - I was happy to get my stuff back. There was lots of bowing, "sumimasen deshita!" and "domo arigatou gozaimasu!" I hopped on another subway, in the hopes of being reunited with my bag.

When I got there, I thought the stationmaster told me to walk outside and look for the Lost and Found Office. (I really need to amp up my Japanese!) So, there I was wandering around the sidewalk. A few minutes later, some staff emerged outside and were obviously looking for me. As we walked downstairs together, they insisted on grabbing my bags for me. Such kind people!

I filled out some paperwork, which involved writing my address in terrible kanji. The clerk looked over my efforts with amusement, haha. He then helped me carry my bags to the other platform, bound for Tokyo Station. More bowing and "domo arigatou gozaimasu" followed on my part. He kindly smiled, telling me to take care: "気をつけて!" 

Can't believe I almost left my bag in Tokyo. Thank you, Tokyo Metro!