IN A NUTSHELL: Pumpkins in Sakugi?

My Self-Imposed, But Unnecessary Guilt Trip Since I was spending the day at the Junior High anyway (instead of the Bunka Center) because of the extra morning class, I thought I might use it as an excuse to kind of skip nursery school. I felt all bad about thinking this because it is not that I mind that much playing with the kids, but a nice, quiet hour at my desk would be much preferable. I think part of the stress I feel is the unpredictability - I never know what these kids are going to do next, appropriate or not And another thing is that there are so MANY of them. I could deal much better with say, three or four at a time, but there are about thirty kids all together, at least seven or eight competing for my attention at any given time. It's hard to entertain that many kids without a lot of creativity and, if all else fails, running around chasing them (which they seem to never get tired of). I think I'm getting old and crotchety. ANYWAY, the point of all this is that I gave in to the guilt and said I would go at 10:30 like usual, but I turned out not to be needed! The kids would be gone until lunch, but I was supposed to go over and eat with them since the Junior High had not prepared for me. I was able to be in a much happier mood over lunch with the kids since I did not just spend the previous hour and a half exhausting myself playing first.

Sleepy Second Years Once again, the second years were sleepy in my elective class. Despite the sleepiness, I managed to get them to say "Yes!" really loud with a victorious fist at the end of my class on "Happy Reactions." Tomomi-sensei told me they were up until 10 last night AGAIN practicing for Kagura. I saw them practicing a month ago and they looked great! It looked like they had all the hard stuff figured out! They knew the music, the routine, the whole deal. What the heck are they spending so much time practicing? I can't wait to find out a week from Sunday.

(Bounce, Bounce!) Yay! I'm happy! I got questions in my mailbox! The students DO read my corner! The questions, unsurprisingly, were "What do you think of Sakugi?" and "Do you have a boyfriend?" I will spend some time drafting responses. The questions were written in Japanese so I'm going to answer in Japanese. Maybe not so good for their English practice, but hey, I'm communicating!

Ah, Propaganda I asked Nosohara-sensei if I would interrupt anything if I wanted to practice koto harp and she told me, out of absolutely nowhere, that a policeman from Miyoshi was visiting and was going to have a talk upstairs about how to prevent crime in schools (or something like that) and asked if I wouldn't mind coming up and watching. Oh, and it starts in 10 minutes. I kind of blinked and said, "sure," and wondered if she even heard my original question. So I walked upstairs. all the students were lined up in the hall (at least they were given chairs this time!) and all of the teachers including the principal came up. My first thought was, "To prevent crime in schools, do not have all the teachers leave the valuable-filled staff room at the same time!" I think, though, that SOMEONE must have been down there. I hope so, at any rate. I saw the policeman in uniform walk through the room with his arm band on (the whole time, the theme song from Odoru Daisousasen running through my head) and sit down off to the side. A non-uniformed woman came up and started talking. She tried fairly unsuccessfully to rouse the shy and tired students into answering her questions. Both the officer and one of the teachers starting taking photographs in the terrible lighting. Then she started a video. It was one of those fake documentary things with dramatic lighting and teen actors saying their lines so forcefully that even I could tell they were quoting a script not 'their own opinions.' I heard students snicker a few times. The main topics seemed to be bullying and shoplifting, though I did not understand what the resolution or moral was, probably because I spaced out about halfway through. The women came up after the video and I THINK was telling the students how important it was to be able to scream "help!" loudly if the need called for it. She wanted everyone to practice. I would have been all for that! Screaming is a great tension reliever, but she couldn't get a peep out of these students. I sympathized. Anyway, the cop FINALLY came up and spoke, but I was so brain-dead by that point that I did not understand a word.

Kabocha! Nosohara-sensei made some calls for me yesterday and told me that she had, somehow, found me a pumpkin that I could make into a Jack-o-Lantern for the school festival. I couldn't actually believe it, but today, she said she would take me to pick it up. Woo hoo! So we got in her little car and we started driving. (I had NO idea where we were driving. Was it in Sakugi? Miyoshi? Two hours away?) I guessed it was close because of how much of a hurry she seemed to be in. And it was! About three minutes into the drive, she turned off onto a random street in between two fields. She was not sure if it was right, so she got out of the car to ask a nice, old lady farmer at the end of the road. (This is the cutest thing I've ever seen:) I could not hear their conversation, but I watched quietly from the car. At one point, Nosohara suddenly rounded herself, like she was holding a giant beach ball, then went back to normal again. I suddenly realized she was trying to explain a pumpkin to the woman (who was probably more used to the smaller, edible variety). It was SO CUTE! Anyway, she finally turned and looked out past the car. I followed her eyes and saw three bits of orange across the way. I couldn't believe it! It looked like there were pumpkins in Sakugi! Nosohara-sensei got back in the car and made the next turn off. There they were! Three big, orange pumpkins were just sitting on the side of a typical field of rice. I had to blink several times. Nosohara-sensei picked up a big, wide pumpkin for me and put it in her car. I was like, "um, do we have to pay someone or at least say, 'hey, we're taking a pumpkin, is that okay?' or anything like that?" but she said we would see the owner. She drove up to a little store (which I did not even know was there - I wonder if it is open Sundays?), and we talked to the sweetest lady in the world who owns the shop (and the pumpkins apparently). She said to go ahead and take it for free, cause it would otherwise be "cow food." (I've never seen a cow in Sakugi - though I have heard one - but I'll take her word for it.) Nosohara-sensei gave her some tickets for cake and udon at the culture festival in return and we had a great exchange of bows and thank yous and it was all very happy. I got quite a lot of looks as I carried the "jumbo pumpkin" back into the staff room. I was going to bring it home to carve myself later, but it's been suggested to me to let the kids help.

May I Come In? May I Come In? My eikaiwa (English Conversation) was the smallest ever tonight: just two women and one man, who we recruited from the main room. It was pretty laid back. First we talked about what we would do with a million dollars (ichi-oku-en) then we did a pretend host-guest role play. I think they enjoyed walking out of the room then walking back in, everyone taking a turn as the 'host.' (I even brought some drinks to pour when I had them say, "Would you like something to drink?") It turns out Odagawa-san makes use of the excerise equipment at the bunka center after class. She invited me to join her which I may do because it is getting quite chilly lately!

Way Too Soon to Think About! As I was leaving eikaiwa, I stopped by my desk at the culture center. There was, among other things, a three-page paper about Re-contracting. Although my decision whether to stay a second year is not due until February, they gave me the information now. The reason is because there are other decisions with earlier deadlines that don't apply to me. Still, it feels way too early to think about. I just got here! Okay, correction, the last two months have felt like a year because of all the new people and experiences, but I still feel 'new' here. Anyway, the big question is, will Sakugi be able to have a JET next year? They, and many other villages, are merging with Miyoshi before the end of the school year. I think they will probably still have one since it would be strange for them to stop (and the number of JETs in Japan still increases every year), but we'll see what happens...

IN A NUTSHELL: Chapstick!

Testing Day I was asked to help with the listening section of Day 1 of the Tests. These were not bubble tests and did not look standardized, but they were pretty serious. Tomomi-sensei asked to talk only slightly slower than natural speed while saying the few lines of dialogue ("I have three hamburgers"). I did so and the students nearby seemed to understand what I said. I think I should have talked slower, though. Anyway, after that, I could leave, so I essentially had no classes today! Cool!

Why Small Towns Are Cool The postmen delivered a package to me personally at my desk at the Junior High school even though it was addressed to my house. Everyone knows where I am! The box was from my parents and contained, among a few other care-package items, chapstick! Four tubes! I'm set for another couple months at least! Woo hoo!

(Bounce Bounce) Another Question! After not one, but two, notes in my mailbox asking how old I was (I know I said it in two of my three introduction classes, so I made them solve an equation to find out -- and I do hope they use the same mathematical symbols as we do), I got a new one today asking if I knew who "Anpanman" was. Since I had seen a TV show last night where they surveyed a thousand people and asked who they thought the most famous person or character in Japan was, I knew! Anpanman was in the top ten, though I still do not have the first clue who the pudgy-faced rosy-cheeked fellow is. 'Pan' means bread, so maybe it's a brand of bread?

Jouzu at Koto? Every lesson, I learn about more neat ways you can play a koto harp. Now I'm using all three of my pick fingers (instead of just my thumb) as well as a fourth finger for a giant strum and now two fingers on my other hand for pretty plucks. It's all very complex and quite interesting. The Japanese use "do re mi" for notes, which surprised me since the only place I even know that from is the Sound of Music. The placement of the plastic triangle things holding up the strings on the koto determines the key. The song I'm learning (Fancy Sakura, Sakura) is in G-Minor. She told me many koto songs are in minor keys. I am not surprised. Anyway, she said she is amazed how fast I'm picking it up and how good at keeping rhythm I am. (Of course, after she says things like this, I royally screw up.) I think I must give the appearance of being good because she's used to teaching 13 and 14 year olds and also because I played the piano for over five years. Still, I get all bubbly inside every time she says it.

Arts and Crafts Day And so ends my first official day where I had long periods of time with NOTHING TO DO. I had a wonderful time making pretty weather flashcards and studying Japanese.

Saturday, Oct 18, 2003

IN A NUTSHELL: Candy Corn and Jet Li

FBC Comes Through I received my package of candy from the Foreign Buyers Club this morning from Takyuubin (the delivery service that has the trucks with the cats on it). I opened it online with my brother, who then had to convince me not to open a bag and sneak a piece. Everything arrived complete and safe, though, I have to admit, one bag was a bit smaller than it looked online. I also ordered a pumpkin for $10 and it was in the box too! Very cute and perfectly shaped. It's a great centerpiece for my table - it is too bad I'm cutting it up in a few days. Hmm.. how long do pumpkins last? Maybe I'll make it a centerpiece after all since I do have another pumpkin - an authentic Sakugi one to boot.

Chinese Torture? I am doomed. Although I like kung-fu movies and am a big Jackie Chan fan, it seems impossible for me to find a watchable Jet Li movie. I watched "Kiss of the Dragon" tonight. Ack, I should have hit stop after the previews. Despite the promising title, it was a really bad film. Unlike "The One" which was so bad, I'm inspired to write as essay, possibly create a web page devoted to how bad it is, this was just bad in a Just Sucks kind of way. This clearly made with money (it is not a B movie), so the question comes up: why did no one do a quality check? Perhaps Jet Li is falling to Jackie Chan syndrome - his movies get worse and worse as time goes on. (The Tuxedo, Jackie's most recent movie, was almost as bad as this movie and his worst yet.) I should rent some old Jet flicks maybe? WARNING: I rant about Kiss of the Dragon for the rest of the paragraph, so you can skip if so desired. Here are some questions I still had after the movie: Why does this take place in Paris? Why is everyone in Paris, except for the Chinese, a bad guy? Why does everyone in Paris, even the Chinese, speak English, even among themselves? Why does Jet Li's extremely dull character even go there in the first place? And what's going on with the main (err, only) female character? Apparently she was forced to get addicted to heroin and forced to become a hooker so her daughter, who she had not seen in a year, would be rescued from an orphanage. (Note: when we finally meet the daughter, she is 8 years old, in pristine condition and is French.) Why was it feasible that this was a better fate than the terrible taboo of having a child out of wedlock in North Dakota? (Why North Dakota of all places?) This was apparently based off a story that Jet Li himself wrote which MIGHT explain his lack of information about America (I hope! Does Jet Li know something sinister about North Dakota that I do not?) and why his character has absolutely no fear, is constantly calm, and therefore HAS NO PERSONALITY. Also, all his fight scenes are sped-up and jump cut. Does Jet Li actually know martial arts or is it all an act? I couldn't tell from this movie. Okay stupidest scene: Jet Li decides to fight an entire karate class (all of whom are innocent and just in the same building as the bad guys, then again I have to remember that EVERYONE in Paris is a bad guy or else Jet Li's randomly attacking anyone in his way seems very unlike a hero) instead of fighting 3 bad guys on the other side of the door. But the bad guys break through the door before he's finished, so it was a waste of time. I'm all for gratuitously fun fight scenes, but do they have to be THAT flimsy? The one cool scene: Jet Li kicks a red pool ball up from it's net and while it's in the air jump kicks it toward a bad guy and nails him. Nothing to do with the plot (plot?), but it was way cool. Oh, one more question: What's with the turtle?

Sunday, Oct 19, 2003

IN A NUTSHELL: Relaxing in the House

Animal Puzzles I colored in all the animals for my animal puzzles for my 1st and 2nd graders. Once again, it was very fun to be a kid and color (with these colored pencils I found) for hours, then again, it's hours! Way, way too long for one 20-minute activity. Note: I need to buy a pencil sharpener and think of shorter prep-time activities.

Monday, Oct 20, 2003

IN A NUTSHELL: A Long Nap

Miniature Concert It's only when I leave myself work to do in the morning that I suddenly no longer have a morning (this is becoming quite a common theme in my schedule, actually.) I had just started working on the finishing up the animal puzzles and flashcards for 3rd and 4th grade when Nakamura-sensei asked me if I wanted to watch the elementary students rehearse. Apparently, in two days, they are going to Miyoshi to sing with other elementary school students. She saw that I was busy and kept saying "only if you're not busy" but then was gesturing me to the door repeatedly when they were about to start. Any other morning, I would have been glad to, just not when I have limited time to get stuff done. I went anyway. The first song was really cute and I enjoyed listening (once I relaxed and tried not to worry about the pile on my desk). The song was lively and they even harmonized. However, the second one (a slow song) dispelled the high opinion I had formed about their musical talents. At least it wasn't a SMAP song.

Oops Nakamura-sensei and I were talking while we walked up to the gym to watch the kids and I found out that I completely missed this big festival in Sakugi yesterday called the Furusato festival. Yep, that's why yesterday's journal entry was so short - I was too busy relaxing in my house to even leave and notice the happenings up the road. They DID give me a monthly calendar, but there is something written in kanji just about EVERY day so it is impossible to know what might be relevant to me. Oh, well. I did need the chill time.

That Nice Feeling of Satisfaction The 1st and 2nd graders LOVED my animal puzzle. (If they didn't, I would have committed seppuku in the copy machine room.) The puzzle solving went unexpectedly well, though in between was a bit chaotic (including a crazy moment where I was trying to award the fastest puzzle-completing team stickers for the second time, and suddenly everyone felt like they deserved a sticker and I was surrounded by massive numbers of hands.) The teachers thought the idea (that I took from a JET book) was very interesting. Five minutes overtime and the kids were already re-grouping to switch puzzles again despite that I had called "Let's finish!" ("Owarimashou!") I eventually convinced them to stop, but it made me happy that they were set to solve again and again. I'll recommend this one to my successor for sure.

Gaijin Fashion I heard a comment in one class and when I heard the comment the second time, I asked what was up. Apparently, I wore my hair different that I usually wear it (to the back instead of to the side) and the kids noticed. I never pay attention to what I do with my hair (that decision being made far too early in the morning) but at least they seemed to agree that it was "cute."

Look, It's a Grand Slam Breakfast The menus I liberated from two American restaurants were a big hit in the 3rd and 4th grade classes. The 3rd grade teacher especially liked them. I chose menus with a lot of pictures and the kids loved looking at the food and the massive amounts of English. The English was far too hard to actually make an activity out of, but they did get a kick out of it. Go me!

Dirt Dango I got talked into recess again (despite a bit of panic about how my after-lunch classes would proceed since I knew I could not match last week's success) and instead of playing, we went to the back and made "dirt dangos." Basically, they poured some water into some dirt with small pebbles, took a handful, rounded it into a fist-sized ball, then rolled it with dry dirt on the outside until it resembled a giant dango, which is a small, round food that the Japanese put a stick like a shish kabab, fry and eat. It was actually pretty fun. As told, I put the finished, smoother dirt dango in the box with my shoes, though I'm still not exactly sure of the logic of this. Maybe it is the best place to save dirt for later?

Um, Moo? The 1st grade teacher came up to my desk and talked to me for awhile rather intently. Since it seemed important, I wanted to make sure I understood it all and for some reason could not comprehend a lot of what she was saying, so it took awhile. At the end, I think I understood the gist to be that I hadn't successfully taught the kids the animal sounds. When she asked the kids later, she told me most of them could not remember the sound. She theorized it was because the kids were excited and LOUD and couldn't hear me. She told me I should quiet everyone down first before teaching them anything. I think she also said to be sensitive to the first graders who probably know a lot less, though get drowned out by the smarter second graders who know a heck of a lot of English words. Honestly, I had no idea she was paying that close of attention to what I was teaching. To me, the class was very informal and I never intended them to memorize a bunch of animal sounds in English. The animal NAMES I taught a bit more formally, with flashcards and the bit, but the sounds was very offhand. I know kids like that sort of thing which is why I brought sounds up at all, but in general I think animal 'sounds' are kind of silly to learn since there are so many variations (bark, woof-woof, bow-wow) and because they are not particularly accurate nor useful. Also, I had one animal that I did not recognize for sure (it was either a rooster, a turkey or a hen) let alone what the sound of it would be. Duck, Cow, and Pig were easy enough, but I just told them the sound I did not drill it. Hmm. I felt vaguely criticized, but I think I would have been less so if there was not the communication barrier. She is a really neat teacher and I value her opinion so I would have really liked to know for sure what she was saying and what she meant.

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel Next week is my Halloween week, which promises to be both fun and chaotic. My first idea for a game for the 1st/2nd graders (Pin the Face on the Pumpkin) got dropped due to some problem with the kids being blindfolded I think, even though they have a game identical here in Japan. However, my second game, which involved the whole class having scissors to make masks, was no problem.

A Super Power Nap This is a first. I came home, decided I was wiped and fell right onto my futon to take a nap. It was about 5:30 pm. When I woke up, it was 9:30 pm. Whoa! I usually don't even take naps, let alone mega-long naps. Was I that tired? I guess so. I ate dinner at about 10:30 after a well-timed phone call from Erik, but naturally I didn't get to sleep until 1 or so in the morning and was STILL tired the next morning. I'm really tired of being tired.

Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003

IN A NUTSHELL: Game Agony

Failed To Remember Jr. High School Apathy The game I made for the 3rd years (which was actually someone else's game - moving a soccer ball along to either flag based on a correct answer to a grammar point and a dice roll) was way too hard. Two problems: one: I, for some reason, tend to assume that students WANT a challenge (what am I thinking?) and two: I did not know how much of the grammar point Tomomi-sensei intended to teach that day. The point was "What time is it? I don't know WHAT time it is. Who is that? I know WHO that is." and so forth. My versions were too hard and, despite that I eventually gave them a pattern to follow and a whole lot of hints, it was still beyond them. I did persuade the right answer out of most of them at least, so the dice was rolling and teams were scoring. Next time, I'll try something easier. Tomomi-sensei asked me afterwards what I thought of the class instead of giving his own opinion first. I suppose that was polite, but it seemed a bit sneaky, too. (Why are these 9th graders so shy, anyway? They are the leaders of the school - where is that leader confidence? I remember 9th grade being infinitely better than 7th or 8th grade. Then again, maybe they are leaders socially, just bored with school.)

Too Easy? I had the same problem as above with the 1st years except in the opposite direction. Tomomi-sensei taught them way more than I expected and so I think my game was too easy. (The grammar point being to differentiate between like and likes, play and plays, etc.) There were still a few students, even during the third round, who still did not quite get it, but so many did, it was impossible to give out prizes.

My Conclusion: I need to get a better understanding of just how much English the kids already know and moreover, I need to know what Tomomi-sensei intends to teach them beyond what is already in the textbook (my only reference source). I have a feeling, though, that he does plan his classes last minute. Not in a stressful way, but in a way that he knows he can put a reasonable class together in a certain amount of time, so why bother doing it ahead of time. I think I will ask him anyway, though,

Should I Charge For Parking? So, I'm about to go to my Japanese class in Miyoshi when I notice my driveway is blocked by a blue truck. Um. Luckily, I saw the driver as well. (He was trying to start up a funny red machine that does not resemble a lawn mower except in the way one starts it - pulling the string and having it fail repeatedly.) I walked out to get his attention over the now blaring machine. I told him I was leaving in five minutes and I needed to get out. He said something that might have been, "do you mind if I pull up here, then?" referring to the front of my house. I said "douzo" (go ahead) but when I left for my class ten minutes later, he was gone.

Japanese Gladiators You never know what you will get with Japanese TV. This time, it looked like American Gladiators. (Does any one remember this show? It was on at midnight after Saturday Night Live about 10 years ago?) Just like the U.S. version, there were real-life contenders from various sporting events (like boxing and sumo wrestling) competing with the home team Gladiators (except they weren't called that), who were all wearing costumes and masks. They did ridiculous events (like the "Joust") and wore very serious expressions. Quite funny.

Wednesday, Oct 22, 2003