tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47717807011588527572024-03-05T19:14:41.133-08:00JETsetterspj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-73552182493837158822014-11-08T05:13:00.005-08:002014-11-08T05:13:54.941-08:00You say goodbye, and I say hello<i><b>I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye. - Pi Patel, Life of Pi (2012)</b></i><br />
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I am painfully aware of moment. Sometimes it enhances the moment and other times it doesn't let me just live in it instead of observing it. Leaving Japan and not knowing when I'd come back wasn't just a moment though. It was a process. In another post I mention how moving from another country takes weeks, well so does saying goodbye properly. Every place and every person that seems worthy of your goodbye should get an un- rushed, heartfelt goodbye. Do this and you'll have no regrets.<br />
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Japan already has goodbyes built into their culture with farewell ceremonies, enkais, and phrases like <span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">お世話になりました </span>(osewa ni narimashita) which is used to thank someone over a considerable amount of time. This was my life in Japan, the one I had wanted for so long, and now it was coming to a close. I said goodbye to <i>every thing</i>.<br />
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I said goodbye to my favorite bistro place with the awesome salmon calzone and their kind staff. To the bakery ladies who would laugh at the silly foreigner girl who asked for her sandwich to be toasted To my friend at the salon who diligently made every effort (and succeeded in kick-ass fashion) to dye my hair in 'gradiation' aka ombre. To the kind couple whom I rented my car from who would never let me leave without some token of their appreciation in the form of snacks, tea, pocket warmers, etc. To the mountain I climbed after school with my hiking buddies where we'd runaway screaming from giant Japanese hornets. To the kind Indian staff at our favorite restaurant who without fail, would give us free lassi each visit. To the rare Japanese gas station attendant with the beautiful blue eyes who would put in gas for me. To the older Japanese ladies we would have English speaking parties with. To apartment I hated at first and came to love after I'd made it homey. To the students who would smile and wave at me, To the teachers who had taken me in. The friends I never imagined myself lucky enough to meet. To the bunny I'd bought for month and was frantically finding a way to ship back home to me (spoiler alert: I did it). And finally...to the love of my life who I had met in the place of my dreams. He was staying and I was leaving. That's all I'll say.<br />
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Actual events included farewell dinners with these friends, but you know how those go, so I'll elaborate on the farewell enkai and ending ceremony at school.<br />
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That day would be the end-of-summer term concluding ceremony and since this is done essentially in the middle of the Japanese school year, many of the students were shocked to hear that I would be giving a farewell speech. It later had to be explained to them that nothing was wrong with me, it was just the end of my contract. I did the whole thing in Japanese and received a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a certificate from my school. Afterwards, I took pictures with several students and teachers, packed my desk, bowed to the principal and vice-principle, and then went back to my apartment where I proceeded to jump up and down because I DID IT! I'd taught for two years in Japan when at first the task seemed impossible in terms of being a teacher and through some of the harder days when nothing seemed to go right. Later that night, I had an enkai held just for me with not all of the teachers, but certainly my favorite ones. They wouldn't hear of letting me pay, and gave me way too many cards and little cute gifts. We took pictures and they gave speeches. I gave an informal speech that even surprised me with the emotion I suddenly realized I had. So with tears in my eyes as I said in Japanese, "thank you so much for <b>everything</b>", I looked around and saw people looking back at me with fondness and friendship. However, nothing struck me more than when the agricultural teacher, a young Japanese guy who had befriended me early on came up to me laughing as he tripped over his words in English trying to tell me something. I told him to tell me in Japanese and I'd help him. What he said left me so stunned that I couldn't fulfill my promise. He said,<br />
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"When the earthquake and tsunami struck, Japan was labeled as a dangerous place. Many people were worried about many things and even our ALT left even though we were all the way in Tamba, far from the affected area. I really didn't think we'd have an ALT that year, but you came and said you'd loved Japan so much you had to come especially when they needed you to...Thank you. Thank you for coming to Japan."<br />
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No, thank you Japan, for making a dream come for me by just being you.<br />
Goodbye (for now)spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-89308659017243403702014-11-08T02:26:00.002-08:002014-11-08T02:26:56.458-08:00The Process of Letting GoThese are my last few months living in Japan. A two year journey that was ten years in the making is going to be over soon, so some time to sit back and reflect over the course my life has taken since making this decision is in due order.<br />
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PSSSH YEAH RIGHT! Do you know how much goes into moving?? To another country?!? I'll just say right now that I have no idea how people who aren't as OCD as me about organizing can do it. They either have way less stress than I do about throwing stuff in a bag and hoping for the best when you get there, or get a lot more help than I do.<br />
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My to-do list included things like going ways presents for my co-workers and shopkeepers who'd come to know me as a regular. Things to sell, pack, throw away, give away, and donate. Things I could shuck off on my visitors to take home for me (you guys saved me so much in shipping charges and now forever part of my exclusive mule club!), things I could do without until my bf could bring it home to me when he visited, things I needed until the last minute, things I was taking to Europe (more on that later), tax-representative stuff, how to stop all my utilities in a timely manner, returning my rental car, cleaning the apartment for inspection, figuring out how to ship my bunny home (this deserves a post on its own), getting in those last trips to my favorite places, getting in those last trips to places I'd always wanted to go, seeing friends before <i>they </i>left - are you as tired as I am yet?<br />
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To further explain that Europe blurb, I knew from the get-go that I would be treating myself to a Europe getaway at the end of my JET contract. I wasn't sure if I was going to backpack over three months or something crazy like that, but as it had happened in the past, my two moms and best friend jumped on board. This meant some serious readjusting of what I had envisioned, but it didn't bother me in the least. This post (coming soon!) details that incredible trip, but needless to say, that kind of adventure isn't one you want to be planning while moving.<br />
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Some tips for those departing moving from country to country would be the following (in no particular order) Some of these are more for leaving and some are more for going:<br />
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<li>It's never too early to start planning - make lists, read up on the experiences of others who have come before you (ahem), and plan way ahead.</li>
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<li>Make a list that counts down by weeks so you know what has to be done by that week. This will help you remember the time-sensitive stuff like if you need to order something online or cancel a service before you're charged for the next month, etc. </li>
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<li>Take advantage of off-season sales for things that you will need on your trip and are difficult to acquire wherever you may be going. </li>
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<li>Make one-on-one time for everyone in your life weeks before you go so you're not feeling rushed at the end to see everyone in big groups or whenever you can cram them in - trust me, they'll appreciate you thought of them.</li>
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<li>Set up a blog, vlog, instagram, facebook page, etc before you go. Some people document the departure process as well as the arrival one, but some leave it for when they get there and lose some of those first impressions in the initial haze of settling in.</li>
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<li>Think about bringing some gifts for the people you'll meet in your new life abroad and giving some to the people who did make your trip memorable. Things that are from your country are best. Sure this isn't the custom in all countries like it was for me in Japan, but it's good etiquette and appreciated no matter where you go. #Stayclassy</li>
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<li>Take pictures of everything!! That front yard that is never mowed like you've asked a million times for you school to do - do it. That side angle view of your students walking to school as you have your tea in the morning. Yup. You'll probably never show them to anyone else and think you don't want to remember them, but one day you'll be going over your pics and see them and get a wonderful rush of nostalgia. </li>
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<li>Stop to appreciate the last time you'll probably hang out with all the friends you made in your time abroad being in the same place at the same time. Just a moment. It goes well with the Japanese proverb I live my life by which is <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">一期一会 (ichi go ichi e)</span><span style="color: #545454;"> </span></span>meaning <i>one chance, one opportunity</i>, because that moment will never happen again. </li>
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I think that's a good poignant place to end this post. Let me know of any other tips you have from your experiences in the comments! </div>
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<br />spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-71342887877235757492013-08-14T13:25:00.000-07:002014-11-08T02:22:24.362-08:00The SuccessorSomewhere, someone was eagerly waiting to find out if they had gotten into JET, was then waiting to see where they'd be placed and what academic level, and THEN wants to hear from their predecessor to learn as much as they can about their placement before they arrive to be totally prepared!<br />
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That was my experience at least, but due to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that happened mere months before my arrival, my whole process was pushed back by about six weeks. So maybe that's why I was so eager... </div>
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My predecessor was helpful with whatever I asked of her and sent me a video of the apartment so I knew exactly what kind of space I had to work with when I arrived. Not only that, but if you remember <a href="http://spjetsetter.blogspot.com/2011/09/i-have-arrived.html" target="_blank">this</a> post, it also took the edge off my shock when I arrived (but did nothing to alleviate the tears. hmm). She would comment on my pictures the first few months after my arrival and so on. </div>
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As I was waiting to hear about my successor, all the other ALTs had learned of theirs and began the usual process of informing them about their daily life and duties as well as trying to establish what could be sold to the successor or thrown away from their belongings. My JTE had told me on other occasions that my three previous predecessors were girls and from America so I just assumed that would be the case. I had wild imaginings of preparing long a Word document detailing every aspect of life in Tamba and what I had learned. I got this idea from my previous employment where a sort of manual is on file listing useful phone numbers and quick help guides, but with a to-do list as long as mine, that didn't happen..</div>
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Soon after I found a note on my desk with the name Peter Johnson and his email address. I took the grand leap of deducing that this was news I had been waiting to hear! Hello, Peter! Peter? A boy...huh, well look at that. He is from America though, and the nicest guy. We emailed each other a few times, but he didn't have many questions or expectations. He bought a few items off of me, but oddly refused the mattress. For some very hygienic people I know refusing a mattress is not a surprise at all (myself included), but I was selling it dirt cheap, it was a full size, already in the apartment, and even for a clean freak like me, a new mattress cover would have sufficed. He explained that a futon would be fine for him (maybe for the authenticity?) so I wished him Godspeed and sold the mattress to another incoming Tamba ALT. (oh these youngens with their resilient backs). </div>
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It's not too common for a predecessor and successors to meet since people usually leave their town to travel or go home right after their contract, but I was sticking around for various reasons and so, we met! It was strange going back to my home of two years, the site of so many happy, sad, quiet, personal, intensely visceral memories and having to walk in to my apartment like a guest. I explained a few things that were baffling him like the bathroom temperature control panel and the hot water faucet, and left my apartment forever. </div>
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Good luck, Peter! May you come to love Tamba as dearly as I do (but you will never be queen of Kasugacho Mountain! That's mine forever! haha)</div>
spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-23145760042403475212013-05-31T04:08:00.000-07:002014-11-08T05:17:45.506-08:00Spring Breakin' all the rules (Part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here is Spring Breakin' all the rules part 2! Click <a href="http://spjetsetter.blogspot.com/2013/04/ancient-wonders-and-paradise-on-earth.html" target="_blank">here</a> for part 1~<br />
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I last left us off with me leaving the wondrous and ancient kingdom of Angkor in Cambodia bound for the 'Island of the Gods' as lauded by some, Bali.<br />
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I went via Malaysian Airlines where my dashing, but very tall companion had enough leg room to completely stretch out. He was quite excited about it for an 8 hour flight. We arrived at the airport at night and like in many Southeast Asian countries, the hotel pickup service was late and needed to be reminded to come get us as they had offered online. We arrived at the hostel and got the grand tour.<br />
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It. Was. Gorgeous!<br />
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Very lush, giant pool, open air bar and patio for morning breakfast and cathedral ceilings in our huge room that had a view of the pool from the balcony. It was also just down the road from the main road in Kuta. The only downside to this place was the spotty wifi, but not the worst thing when you're suppose to be disconnecting for a while, right?<br />
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Unlike Cambodia, we had whole of Bali to see and just 3 days to do it in. My friend had his must-sees and I had mine. Luckily, we had discussed beforehand what kind of travelers we are to see how compatible we'd be, so a lot of the same things were on both our lists.<br />
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Day 1: Tourists in the extreme!<br />
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I was told that Bali is the Australians what the Bahamas is to Miamians - a paradise next-door. Aussies go Bali for weekend trips and want nothing but the beach, pool, trendy shops, and restaurants. So that's what we did and it was glorious. That part of Bali felt very much like places we were used to back in our own respective countries, especially me as I thought of Miami Beach. Also keep in mind that back in Japan it was still cold even in March so a day at the beach was just what we needed. I took it up a notch and wanted a surf lesson. I'd never had one before and am always up for new experiences so I was really excited when I read about easy it was to book one. Different guys would have their surf boards set up on the beach and would kind of follow you for 10 feet while you passed them trying to convince you to have a lesson with them. The usual advertising was for a two-hour lesson for the equivalent of 30-50 USD. They know many people are tourists, so are willing and even expecting to pay this price no questions asked. I'd read online though how to handle the ones that we being too pushy or bargain them down if a two of you wanted a lesson for example. In principle, I hate being swindled, but when traveling in poorer countries, I try to consider that this is these peoples livelihood and if I'm blessed enough to be on vacation in their country, I'll pay their prices. BUT I refuse to be harassed or forced into any purchase so the winner of my surfing affection was this cool dude who, from a distance, called out and asked if I wanted a lesson and when said, 'maybe in a little bit,' he just gave me a thumbs up.<br />
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I walked up and said, 'how much for two hours?' He asked if my friend wanted one as well (probably already savvy to the split cost technique), but my friend wasn't interested. I ended up only paying the equivalent of 30 USD for 2 1/2 hours. I put on a skin guard and we practiced how it is you swim, stand, and steer all on the sand before heading out into the waves. The waves were rolling in gentle that day, but still high. My first problem was not standing up fast enough. If you don't do it in time, the momentum of the wave will prevent you from ever getting your balance once you're up. My second problem was overcompensating my balance to one end and virtually launching myself from the board. The last problem I had was trying to master this new technique while taking selfies with my underwater camera - haha! My friend was taking photos for me from the beach, but nothing like that first person point-of-view, right? Once I started paying attention more, I picked it up quickly and was riding the waves all the way to shore. No fancy tricks or anything, but I was able to switch directions and do a cool pose for the beach paparazzi. I knew that dragging the surfboard from shore back out to open water over and over again was going to leave me aching so afterwards I decided to take advantage of one of the many spas~~~<br />
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My hubby walked with me till I found one that I liked and then he went off to do some tourist shopping while I had a two hour package deal. Massage, rose-petal milk bath, and hydration wrap, aaaahhhhhh. It's a little known fact about me that I love a spa day. You could gift me a spa day for any occasion and I'd love you forever. But this, this was the mother of spa days! Of course a spa day in Bali, paradise on earth, was going to include lush garden as your surroundings, the actual ocean sounds not far, and the sky changing colors like a kaleidoscope overhead. Surreal.<br />
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After the spa experience, we met back up and had a romantic dinner on the beach complete with a Balinese troupe of people playing traditional music as they walked up and down the beach as the sun was finally setting in to the sea. It's the most striking sunset on the ocean you'll ever see.<br />
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Day 2: Temples, temples, temples<br />
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Remember how I said Bali is the Island of the Gods? Well then naturally, there would temples everywhere to celebrate them. Like the Japanese, the Balinese didn't separate their religion from their lives; They blend seamlessly in everyday practices, architecture, and speech, so already we had been exposed to some of the religious paraphernalia. There are many famous temples, so with our limited time we chose they most famous and most varied of the options. We rented a taxi through our hostel (about 45 USD for 8 hours) which was the best thing we could have done. It was perfect to have a personal chauffeur, GPS, and tour guide all in one. This seems like an obvious perk to renting a taxi but I've actually known people who rented their own cars or mopeds because it's cheaper. Bali can have scattered showers and winding, dirt roads can be dangerous to navigate so I don't recommend doing so. Moving on, although the hostel told us how much it cost, it was important to also confirm this with the taxi driver at the onset. If you don't, they might say there were surplus fuel charges or some other bogus charge that surprises you at the end. Just like with the temples of Angkor, I'll list which ones we saw and my brief impressions:<br />
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Pura Taman Ayun<br />
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The most typical Balineses temple. It was interesting because we could see what the typical layout of these temples are with this one, but overall not too interesting. I think more interesting was how a group of ladies were falling over themselves to take a picture with me and boyfriend - two light haired, light-eyed foreigners. Oh, dear.<br />
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Pura Ulun Danu<br />
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This is the temple that you see whenever you google Bali. Picturesque, packed, and full of interesting facets to look at. Unfortunately, some of the infamous scattered showers was happening while we were there, so people were packing in all the crevices, limiting our leisurely strolling. There was a great market outside of it for souvenirs as well.<br />
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Tanah Lot<br />
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The must-see out of any temple on Bali, and at sunset for sure!! You can walk out the famous rocks, sit and watch the waves, wander around the typical pagodas, see the gates up close, get a snack nearby or visit the little shops on the grounds. I bought my favorite necklace there for 2USD and will forever regret not buying about 18 more.<br />
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These temples weren't close to each other, and of course we spent time at each one, so unlike at Angkor, we only saw these three. Also, we squeezed in time to go to a coffe plantation where I bought THE BEST dark vanilla chocolate I've ever had in my life, a short hike up to Git Git Waterfall which was definitely worth it, saw the famous stacked rice paddies, and went all the way up to the north to go to best Black Sand Beach in Lovina. 8 hours was all most not enough time, but we managed it!<br />
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Day 3: Just being a local<br />
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Due to different school schedules, I was leaving my boyfriend to go back to Japan while he continued on to one of the most famous diving spots in Indonesia, but on our last day together in Bali we walked around and saw some smaller local temples, found a mall in the touristy area where I did some shopping (and found some of my favorite shirts till this day) and enjoyed a last lunch eating traditional Balinese food we found in a hole in a wall. It was basically a no-fuss, let things play out kind of day taking in Bali as a local instead of a tourist. I then made my way to the airport via taxi and left this island in the sun.<br />
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Ever since that trip, when I tell people about my travel around Asia, the mention of Bali always seems to make their eyes widen just a little bit more. It's one of those places everyone says they'd love to go or imagine they would, but scarce few do. And I do consider myself extremely fortunate to have made it down there. It's not an easily accessible place of the world and I still pinch myself that I was able to go. I say 'able', but I know I moved heaven and earth to make to heaven on earth. Best decision ever.<br />
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<br />spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-62803760220185261302013-05-30T12:40:00.000-07:002014-11-08T05:17:33.499-08:00Spring Breakin' All the Rules! (Part 1)Last <a href="http://spjetsetter.blogspot.jp/2013/05/spring-breakin-all-rules.html">post</a>, I explained <i>how </i>I managed to have a proper Spring Break despite my lack of PTO and now, here's the result! I had a fantastic 8 day journey yet again through parts of Southeast Asia that I never imagined myself going to. This time, it was with my best guy friend and together we set out to make this a trip of lifetime.<br />
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Early in January 2013 we were causally talking about what we'd both like to do before leaving Japan. After what was at first just a talk about what we longed to do, quickly became a plan! Not being overly ambitious with our limited break time in between semesters, we agreed on two countries and made clear goals for each. The first, travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia to see the infamous Angkor Wat. The second, some chill time on the well known beach paradise, Bali.<br />
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I won't bore you with the details with how we figured out the ever exhausting puzzle of finding flights and accommodations, but after a crazy week of constant research and tactical planning, we managed to get very good deals on our flights and hostels. We get paid well enough on JET to not have to worry about price so much, but it becomes part of the challenge for the avid traveler.<br />
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After that was settled, the next hurdle was my 'spring breakin' out of work' plan (even though no work was to be had, since it was break for the kids, but you can read all about that <a href="http://spjetsetter.blogspot.jp/2013/05/spring-breakin-all-rules.html">here</a>.) Last came my favorite part - planning the activities! Spontaneity always makes for better memories when traveling, but I would hate to have gone to a place and missed out on its most famous {fill in the blank} attraction out of pure ignorance. My policy is to be in-the-know about what to expect from a place and then let the days fill themselves with that knowledge or whatever else comes our way. What follows is an account of the activities we managed to do, which is impressively, about 98% of everything we wanted to do.<br />
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<b>Overall Itinerary:</b><br />
March 23 Flight from Osaka, Japan to Siem Reap, Cambodia<br />
March 24~25 Trekking the Angkor Kingdom Ruins and Temples<br />
March 26 Flight from Phnom Penh to Bali, Indonesia<br />
March 27~29 Exploring beautiful Bali at our leisure<br />
March 30 Flight from Bali, Indonesia to Osaka, Japan<br />
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oOo<br />
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The Kingdom of Cambodia is a fascinating place with a tragic history and the most kind people. If I had more time, I would have gone to see the sobering 'killing fields' and gotten to know more of the culture of Cambodia. However, my time only allowed me opportunity to go the World Heritage Site, Angkor Archeological Park. I've heard of visitors spending up to a week in this place, but most have a 3 day excursion (my companion and I saw the highlights in 2 days).<br />
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We arrived in Siem Reap after a layover in Shanghai where we met the nicest Korean gentlemen who inadvertently chatted us up so much we nearly missed our flight. How ridiculous would it have been to miss a flight during a 4 hour layover? Anyway, once we arrived we paid the 25 USD entry visa (paying for visas on arrival is not always an option so check that about any country you visit ahead of time!) and in line met a woman from San Francisco who was the chaperone of a group of high school kids on a volunteer trip. My boyfriend (he's going to get various names from now on) and I could pass as high school kids ourselves with our baby faces, so she must have felt the need to take us under her wing and next thing we knew, we were being escorted to our hotel on a free ride via their tour bus. <br />
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Arriving at our hostel, we immediately inquired about how we'd go about seeing the best of Angkor. As is usually the case with hostels, they are extremely helpful with these matters. We devised our plan for the following day, showered off the trip and got to bed. But not before learning our hilarious wifi password, you know, since we're unabashedly addicted to our smart phones. The rest of the trip consisted of us using that pass code as code for something or other (sorry! I'm gonna keep it our little inside joke, haha!) <br />
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Another thing I love about hostels is that they will typically have a restaurant attached to them that serves some of the local food for ridiculously cheap and without the hassle of searching for a place on your own. Cambodia used to be a French colony until as recently as 1963 and so baguettes were on the menu. Baguettes, fruits, eggs, beans on toast, juices..simple but delicious. After our $3 breakfast, our tour guide arrived. His name was Bo and is a friend of our hostel owner. This is obviously a partnership they have going on so we had full confidence that he'd be a good guide in the interest of keeping this partnership going. He would be taking us around the expansive park in his Tuk Tuk. A normal Tuk Tuk ride can cost between $2 - $4, so for the whole day we were asked to pay $15. That's it. He was going to be our personal driver and tour guide for $7.50 each (it wasn't required but we tipped him enough to make it an even $10 each). And after going to the park I believe transport via Tuk Tuk, as opposed to tour bus or bikes, is the best option. These temples are part of a huge complex and are not close together. Being in bus loses some of the adventure aspect of it, but being on a bike means you're exhausted by the time you arrive at each temple and have the sun beating down on you most of the day.<br />
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Bo recommended doing what is known as the outer (also 'big') circuit one day and then the most famous temples the following day. We trusted him and off we went. The hostel had also lent us a Lonely Planet book, so on our way to each temple we'd read up on what we were about to see. From the first temple to the last, each was unique in its own way and absolutely fascinating. Trees woven in between crumbling structures. Intricate carvings, weathered and yet vibrant with their history. The structures themselves stood tall and I for one found myself staring in awe.<br />
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The only unfortunate part of the experience is that in front of each temple are various peddlers grabbing for your attention, including small children. Even inside some of the temples, usually men crouched in a corner, are Cambodians offering to give you personal tours of the temple for a fee. What they do is they start walking with you, pointing things out and their significance. Once you're intrigued and listening, they ask for a tip. They also know some creative poses for pictures within the walls. Outside, food vender stalls set up which is convenient for a quick lunch break without leaving the grounds. I say unfortunate about these things because it does distract you from walking up to these ruins with only wonder in your eyes since instead you're saying 'I'm sorry, no thank you' to the 20th kid to ask if you want a postcard. However, more unfortunate is that for many this is their only livelihood. Cambodia is poor and Angkor is the biggest pull they have as far as local economy.<br />
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Now a quick summary of the temples I saw and my impressions (the history is for the guide boks):<br />
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A quick note before I start, some temples are dress-code enforced and others are more spectacular at certain times of the day. Take heed when I point these out. Also, make sure to discuss where your ride will be waiting for you outside of each temple if you choose the Tuk Tuk option.<br />
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<b>Pre Rup</b>: Gorgeous one to start the day off. Lots of steps and different carvings on the wall to see. The morning sun worked really well to shed light on the intricate carvings. <b> </b><br />
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<b>East Meabon</b>: Elephant corners temple! There were Elephant statues at each corner and that was basically the only differentiating feature about it. <br />
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<b>Ta Som</b>: One of the more popular temples that is the first on the Big Circuit you'll see with the trees weaving themselves in between the crumbling ruins. Be ready to wait to take a picture in front of the courtyard entrance where one tree has elegantly draped itself. <b>*must go*</b><br />
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<b>Neak Poam</b>: A long walk for a big lake with some still-standing ruins around it. I'd skip it.<br />
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<b>Prea Khan</b>: The bridge leading up and the back courtyard are the best bits of this temple. The bridge is the best example of the Naga bridge style in my opinion. The back courtyard is virtually empty but has one of the tallest, if not the tallest, tree sticking out of one of these temples and was really impressive. <b>*must go* </b><br />
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<b>Phnom Bakeng</b>: Notably, the sunset temple. Lots of steps to climb, but at the top there is really only one not so very impressive structure. It does afford you a view of the park but not a great view, just a lot of foliage. It's very crowded with people waiting for sunset and not worth it in my opinion. Also, dress code enforced (ladies, no bare shoulders or above the knee; gents, just no cut off shirts if I remember correctly) <br />
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<b>The Bayon</b>: The temple with the faces. There are lots of steps to go up and down so you can see the faces up close and from the ground. This is also one to do when the sun is high in the sky so that the faces are illuminated and thus letting you see all their intricacies. I kept expecting one to talk to me about the legend of the hidden temple, haha! <b>*must go, my favorite temple overall*</b><br />
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<b>Ta Prohm</b>: The Tomb Raider temple. Just wow. You've never seen trees like this. They're big, tall, wide, long, twining, never-ending, and just imposing! They spill over the temple like melted candle wax. Because it is so well-known, this temple is very crowded and many places for photo ops have a wait (but only 5 minutes or so). This alone is a reason to come to Angkor. <b>*must go, one of my favorites*</b><br />
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<b>Angkor Wat</b>: People mistakenly call the whole park 'Angkor Wat' when it is in fact referring to this one temple - but with reason. This is the most important temple and rightfully should take up at least half a day. This temple has both a dress code enforcement and a time day to see it; that time being sunrise. Bo and other tour guides know this and so they have no problem accommodating this as part of their tour. Watching the sun rise over Angkor Wat is something I'll never forget. The colors burning into the sky, feeling the moisture in the air turn humid, seeing the shadows of the temple burn away to reveal new layers - it is simply stunning. You'll be able to see it anywhere from the walkway leading up to it, but most people like to be the perfect distance away to be able to get the rising sun and the temple by in a tight shot. My buddy and I went the extra mile and some perspective fun using the sun (as seen below!). The temple is also beautiful at sunset, so in this case we left Angkor Wat after sunrise, went to Ta Prohm and The Bayon, and then came back to see the rest of Wat around early evening before closing time. This worked out well for us as the sun was not necessary to see many of the inner courtyards. <b>*must go, my favorite lasting impression of the whole experience*</b><br />
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oOo<br />
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After the archaeological park, we had found that the cheapest way to Bali was through Phnom Penh and not through Siem Reap where we were. To clarify, we knew this when we booked our flight while still in Japan, but left finding a way to Phnom Penh until we arrived and talked to someone. We found a bus (again, through our hostel), that would take us there over night in time for our flight in the morning. It was $20 for a 6 hour overnight bus, but we saved over a $100 on the flight as a result. This was ultimately worth it, but there was a short period while making the arrangements where it seemed like we wouldn't be able to get a shower in before getting on the overnight bus. Picture it, we got up at sunrise, spent the whole day visiting temples, were about get on a 6 hour overnight bus that would take us to the airport where we'd immediately take an 8 hour flight to Bali. Just after a day is dusty, humid Angkor, we were gross. And thus I had my first ever panic attack. I'm a very clean person and don't mind getting sweaty and dirty as long as there is the promise of a shower at the end of the day, so without warning and faced with this prospect, I started pacing, shaking, and hyperventilating. Thankfully, my boyfriend saw something was wrong, took the lead, and found us showers. I don't think it was a full blown panic attack, so forgive me if it seems like I'm making light of it or if my reason for having one seems trite, but it's just the truth of what happened. I mention it because now I know for future travel to avoid that situation because it is a trigger for something that, apparently, makes me deeply uncomfortable. <br />
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Before boarding the bus, we had some time to browse at a local night market and a quick dinner and then we were making our way to Bali! This post has gotten quite long so I'll save that half for next time!spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-49834073542099368242013-05-29T23:05:00.002-07:002014-11-08T05:14:59.371-08:00Spring Breakin' all the rules! (the heist!)I have a hard time following rules that I don't see as making any sort of logical sense. For example - I'm required to be at work when I have zero work to do while the kids are on break. And I don't mean they give me busy work to do. They actually ignore me the whole day while I do what I want (as long as I'm at work). I know this from plenty of break experiences by now. If I wanted to take the day off I'd have to use PTO (<i>nenkyuu</i>), but I don't have any of those days left. Thus with spring break coming up for the kiddies, I hatched a plan and set it in motion spurred by the Mark Twain quote,<br />
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<i>"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do [...] Explore. Dream. Discover."</i><br />
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And no, I wouldn't use that as justification for whatever I please or to blanket past regrets. But for taking advantage of opportunities I might not ever get again at no cost to those around me? It wasn't even a question.!<br />
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<b>The plan</b>: eight day vacation exploring ancient ruins and relaxing in paradise. <br />
<b>The cover</b>: bad case of food poisoning that normally incapacitates someone for at least a week. <br />
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Simple enough I thought. The key to all of this was one simple piece of paper; a doctor's note to excuse my absence from work in the official records (quite a big deal in Japan).<br />
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<b>Phase 1</b>: The day before I left on my trip I planned to go to the doctor's office to plant the seed. Between my Japanese and the doctor's English, we established my 'symptoms' (basically every food poisoning symptom I could find online), but then he wanted to check my stomach for sensitivity. My boyfriend was in the room at the time and as the doctor gently pressed down on my abdomen for signs of agitation or discomfort, I inconsistently gave him grimaces of pain. At that I could feel my boyfriend face-palming behind me, but what can I say! I'm a terrible actress! Unfazed, the doctor just prescribed some powdery medicines and sent me on my way. Sort of success. <br />
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<b>Phase 2</b>: While away on my trip, I needed to call my school every weekday morning to let them know I wouldn't be coming in. In the past, for reasons out of my control, I knew that if I didn't call, they would show up at my apartment and would go as far to enter my apartment without my permission just to check on me (another story altogether). This meant that I had to buy Skype credit to make calls internationally, make note of the difference in time zones to know when to call, and have crystal clear wifi. I could handle the first two, but the last bit had me worried since that was out of my control and lo and behold, I had reason to worry. At our last hotel, the wifi was shiiiite. I can't really blame the hotel though.. wifi and paradise should really be incongruous things anyway. So the best reception for the wifi was out by the courtyard where we were having breakfast every morning. I have one picture of my face while making these calls, but a recording would have been much more entertaining. Between kids crying, roosters crowing, plates clinking and other sounds that have no place in my apartment where I'm supposedly on my death bed, my JTE must have been rolling his eyes as hard as I was scowling at the source of the noises. By the third day in a row that I called he was definitely on to me, but blessedly too Japanese to call me out on it. Success enough in my book. <br />
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But to add insult to injury (from me to them), I had been given the news just the week before that some remodeling would be done to my kitchen. This was most certainly welcome news (since I think my apartment should technically be labeled as dilapidated), but what terrible timing! They were expecting me to be there to open my apartment and let the workmen in every day as well as to answer any questions they might have. Fortunately, my boyfriend wasn't going on the trip and so he was there to at least open the door, but of course the builders would be asking for me. I had to avert this dilemma (quite brilliantly I thought) by saying that a lack of kitchen and sink in my (food poisoned) state required me to stay with a friend so I could have full amenities available to help me get better. They understood and left the matter alone. Further complicating things, even my boyfriend couldn't be there as he suddenly had to be in Osaka for two days! Not able to do much, this delayed the kitchen remodeling process until even I had to deal with it when I got back from my trip. Oh well. <br />
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<b>Phase 3</b>: Once back, I had to return to the doctor to let him know that I had missed work and required a doctor's note. One problem - I got back on a Saturday. In Japan, -no- form of medical clinic, hospital, or outpatient center is open. It's often joked about here that you should only <i>plan </i>on getting sick or having some other severe injury on a weekday or else suck it up until Monday morning. It sounds ludicrous but it isn't far from the truth. You can call an ambulance on the weekends to receive first aid treatment and certain tiny emergency centers are open to receive such patients, but you better be on your death bed to expect treatment. Me? I just wanted a note. A note that if I didn't get could incur serious repercussions, but they would not be amused for me to show up wanting a note. If need be, the repercussions route it was then. I would deal with them without complaint of course since, after all, it had been my choice to choose adventure over a desk sentence. But despite accepting my potential fate beforehand, it was still an uneasy thing to go into work Monday morning to face my boss empty handed.<br />
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To my utter surprise, my boss cheekily said (while actually pointing to his cheek), "nice color" (referring to my tan), and asked for the note. I gaped for half a second at his knowing remark and then confidently said, "I'll have it tomorrow." He smiled, nodded, and kept on walking back to his desk. What in the what just happened?? After all the phone calls and excuses I made, I was expecting a full interrogation! (and was prepared for one too). Instead, I simply went back to the doctor's after work to get the note. On my way I felt a little bad because I thought that telling the doctor that he had sent me away for my condition to only worsen over the week might feel like a failure on his part. But a second cheeky surprise of the day came when he heard of my continued illness and told me <b>I</b> had misdiagnosed myself as having food poisoning instead of what obviously must have been a virus (this in spite the symptoms I listed and the medicine <b>he</b> prescribed?) So for the second time that day I gaped at someone, but recovered my composure and said that he must be right, silly me. NOW GIVE ME THAT DOCTOR'S NOTE.<br />
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Success!! Doctor's note in hand I handed it over to my boss the next day and without further incident, I had managed to have a trip of a lifetime instead of keeping my seat warm at my desk without jeopardizing my standing at work. <br />
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I've never thought my school to be the cruel aggressors who make the rules for prefectural JETs, only the ones that enforce them. Remember when I said my JTE was on to me? I like to think that the cheeky admission that was made to me afterwards was an acknowledgement of sorts that said as long as I work within the rules of system (getting a doctor's note to excuse my absence), they didn't mind that I took the break into my own hands. Besides, it fits with the known paradigm of Japanese people to turn their faces away from things that are unpleasant to deal with or discuss. An ambiguous policy of theirs, but in my case it read, no harm, no foul! <br />
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The moral of the story I want to highlight is that this is <b>your life</b> and it shouldn't be dictated by anyone's set of rules. You might miss out on something that can change your life. As long as you don't affect other lives negatively, go after the things you want and don't take no for answer. Where there is a will there really is a way.spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-5756588147846808492013-04-29T22:23:00.000-07:002014-11-08T02:34:25.182-08:00Second-Year JET reflectionsI had always planned to stay on the JET Program for two years. That plan was nearly derailed early on after my bumpy start and the surprising, overwhelming homesickness I felt. However, I had hope that things would get better, and boy did they ever. With much trepidation I signed the contract for my second year in February 2012, but by the time I was making my way back to home in August 2012 for a visit, I knew I had made the right decision. <br />
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I had made some amazing friends, traveled to amazing places, and only <i>just </i>fully settled into my life in Japan. One year is simply not enough to properly fit in the experience or to even make the hassle of moving your life to a new country worth it. To make this post easier, I'm going to categorize my reflections.<br />
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Work:<br />
I mentioned in another post how I enjoyed knowing what was expected of me and that the upheaval that comes with the new school year every April is jarring. Be that as it may, it is still infinitely easier to merely adjust to these changes than it is to find your groove when starting out. This second year meant that from the start I was confident in teaching, giving presentations, and communicating effectively with my students and teachers. It's an ease that can only come with time, so after about seven months of struggling to find the balance, the remaining seventeen have been a breeze.<br />
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Living Space:<br />
When you're not certain about how long you'll be staying in place, certain purchases become questionable. Buying a car, or a TV, or some kitchen appliance for example. I hate investing in things that I won't get a significant return on, so this was plaguing me the first couple of months. After signing my contract though, I made a couple of 'comfort' purchases that I had decided I could live without for a year, but throughout have made all the difference. They tell us at orientation to make your apartment someplace you feel comfortable in as a means of escaping the every day stresses, and they were spot on. Not having to use the mental and physical energy to do this for the first few months in my second year was refreshing. <br />
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Friends:<br />
The nature of the JET Program is that people come and go. They make their mark on their communities and then become a memory. Luckily, six out of nine of us were new to our town when we arrived and we all decided to re-contract for a second year. We were definitely a dysfunctional bunch of misfits when we got here, but this second year solidified them as my family away from home. Unlike friends back home, I've relied on these people for my sanity. Friends back home do that too but it's not the same. This was survival in a foreign environment and it's because of them that I have not only survived, but prospered. When we received one new person our second year, we welcomed her with open arms and extended help the way it was done for us. Being a second year JET means you reciprocate what previous JETs have done for you and help them navigate through all the changes. The camaraderie among JETs and built in support groups are some of the best aspects of the program in my opinion. <br />
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Travel:<br />
Within Japan and Asia, there are more places than I could ever hope to have visited even after two years. Within the confines of the school schedule and carefully placed PTO, I have managed to travel to most everywhere on my personal list and then some. It's just a no-brainer that a second year in Japan meant that I'd once again have the cycle of holidays and PTO to travel. I was quite enthusiastic in my first year and traveled to most of my destinations within Japan so the second year was all about going abroad. It's just as expensive but more time consuming so not traveling as often has also meant I have saved money. This brings me to my next point..<br />
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Money:<br />
Moving to a new country is ridiculously expensive! JET pays for your flight to Japan (thank God) but there are still a million things to buy in preparation and then upon arriving. Basically, you're broke until your first paycheck, and then traveling like I have means that I was constantly (but happily) broke in my first year since I'd blow my paycheck on weekend excursions to the furthest reaches of Japan. What you spend your money on and how frequently you travel are up to you, but this next part isn't: your contract. I was in the lucky last batch of JETs to have a contract with a stipulated consistent salary throughout my time in Japan. The next year we learned that new JET contracts work on a pay scale with each year adding more money to your salary as incentive to stay since bringing in new people is a hassle for everyone. In their first year, they make less than I do, in their second, the same, and then a little more in their third year. For me, staying a second year meant that sure, I could save money, but for a new JET it could possibly make a world of difference in supplementing their financial needs.<br />
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This program was my dream come true. After many years of waiting to apply and then being accepted, I'm so glad I stuck it out through the hard times in the beginning to see the best times of my life. Like I thought, after two years I'm ready to come home, but if you're on the fence and don't have immediate plans, consider staying a second year. It makes all the difference in the overall experience.spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-79279949164572112182013-04-29T20:38:00.000-07:002013-07-25T18:32:35.744-07:00SING! SING! Singapore!!<br />
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Ever since I came back from my vacation in Miami, I've felt the need to
'take mental breaks' from Japan. The culture is so rich here is almost
suffocating. I sometimes need to remind myself that there's a great big
world out there where people from all different cultures live in harmony much like the place I'm from.<br />
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Singapore has always struck me as this rare gem in the middle of South East Asia. Being one of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Asian_Tigers">Four Asian Tigers</a>, I had read how modern, clean, and advanced it was compared to its neighbors. Pictures alone are cause to allure you. So despite how much more expensive it was to vacation here in comparison to other nearby choices, I ponied up and had my plans for Christmas. <br />
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After some skillful planning, we were off. Part of the reason the flight was so expensive was because it was direct, but I was happy I paid it to avoid a full day of travel. We were leaving freezing cold Japan for warm, tropical Singapore so that first breath of air off the plane was humid but welcome. We weren't in any rush so when our eyes spotted a Quiznos at the airport we wordlessly wandered in that direction...but then remembered we didn't have any cash so we exchanged money and THEN went. haha! Our fast food chains aren't transposed to these new places without some changes to the menu, but it didn't matter. It was a toasted fresh sub so I was ecstatic. We then made our way to our hostel via the metro. Like many of the other places I've been in Asia, they're metro was fast, cheap, and very convenient. The only part that wasn't fast about this metro was the ticket dispensing. I'm an impatient person, but this was obviously slow. Each time we'd go down to use the metro in a popular place, the line to purchase a ticket would be about 5 minutes long. It doesn't sound terribly long, but in most other places I've been, I walk right up to a machine. If you don't want to wait, I recommend buying an all day pass or metro cash card. <br />
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We stayed at a hostel that I switched to last minute because I was sold on the pictures. It was the Concept Hostel Singapore. I'm not going to give it a bad review. It was conveniently located near the center of town, the staff was friendly and helpful, and the place did match the pictures. My only gripe was with the bathrooms. I hated the showers. And although I've stayed in hostels before, because I booked last minute, I had to sleep dormitory style instead of getting a private room like I always go. I was not a fan of it at all. That's just the prissy girl in me though since I know many people who don't mind dormitory hostels at all.<br />
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With way too many options of things to do in the next few days, we showered and immediately head out to hit the town. The obvious choice since it was already night time was the beautifully decked out Orchard Road. The pictures I captured truly don't do it justice. I have never seen public spaces more fully cloaked in Christmas garb than I did in Singapore, and especially Orchard Road where it went on as far as the eye could see.The road sits on top of a huge underground mall. The stores were getting ready to close so we moseyed about making mental notes of shops to return to.<br />
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The next day we intended to make our way to Merlion Park (pictured at the top) and the conspicuously famous Marina Bay Hotel. Along the way we were severely distracted by yet another huge underground mall. I'm normally a woman on a mission when I'm traveling, but although I said the humidity was welcome, it was also just plain hot to be out in. That said, walking around a cool mall eating all the western food we could find became a blur over the rest of trip. Once we did force ourselves outside the comforts of the mall, we found it was overcast anyway. Yay, because it wasn't as hot, but boo because I wanted amazing lighting for pictures (oh well). I worked my magic and the final shots were adequately lit. Merlion Park isn't big at all with it's focal point being a two story tall fountain of the lion fish. He is the guardian god of Singapore and so he's the mascot representation for the city-state (even some of my students recognize him as Singaporean). He faces the bay where directly across sits the Marina Bay Hotel. A marvel to look upon as it appears to have a boat sitting atop its three towers. The hotel is practically new and has only been around for a couple of years. Once we snapped some photos of us with Merlion, we took a taxi (oh yes we did) across the bay to the hotel. <br />
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The inside of the hotel was as magnificent as the outside. So luxurious! That famous infinity pool you've probably seen a picture of without even knowing it is for hotel guests only (again, boo!), but with four floors of endless mall, I wasn't too fazed. There's even an ice rink in the food court! Once it started getting dark, we walked outside of the mall onto a connecting bridge that would take us to the Gardens by the Bay. You can go during the day to see all the gardens or just at night to just see the Super Trees pictured below (with the Marina Bay Hotel in the back). Remember when I said the pictures alone could lure you to Singapore? Well, these are the pictures that did it for me. The Super Trees are the main feature of these gardens and something about them just mesmerized me. They were so alien like yet beautiful with their pulsating glow. We walked around until the light show. A story was being told while these Eco-friendly wonders danced with light to the music. Besides being able to actually feel the Christmas spirit this year, this was definitely the highlight of the trip for me.<br />
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The dedicated the next day to heading out to the Night Safari, an aspect of the popular Singapore Zoo. I was slightly disappointed to learn that we needed tickets that were sold out to see the newest attraction, a pair of Chinese pandas, but still we went. The Night Safari was recommened to us by some friends so that was the main event. It was a ways away, but more relief from the humidity while riding the bus was not so bad. At the zoo, I had the most delicious chicken platter (maybe it was delicious or maybe I was just really hungry) and we were able to watch a fire-dancing show while we ate making for an impromptu dinner and a show. Fun stuff! Then came time for the Night Safari itself. Like at other zoos, we waited to get on a tram and then went off onto the prearranged trail with a guide telling us about the animals. In the end, I was not impressed. I suppose I've been to enough zoos that the usual animals are not really exciting to see again and again. An elephant?! A tiger?! Yippee! Not.. The best zoos I've been to have been small but with the most unusual animals. <br />
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On our last day, we found a beautiful temple and food market near our hostel that we enjoyed lunch at before heading out to Sentosa Island. This place had good potential on paper and if you're between the ages of 10-16 you'll love it! I'm not being mean with that quick review, but it's definitely a family place, so as a couple, we walked around and enjoyed the scenery, but most of the activities available - butterfly garden, ziplining, a mini Universal Studies, the beach - were things we either weren't dressed for or weren't interested in because we have such attractions where we're I'm from in Florida.<br />
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We relished in our last Western food dinner (yup, more Quiznos and Cold Stone) and made our way back to freezing cold Japan the next day.<br />
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Overall, I really enjoyed Singapore. I was floored by how modern and rich a place it was while literally being surrounded by other places in Southeast Asia that I had visited and were the complete opposite. In my mind, I think of places that are either worth a visit, worth multiple visits, or worth living there. I would rate Singapore as a place worth multiple visits, although I don't see myself going back for many years to come with so much else to explore, but thank you for saving Christmas 2012 Singapore!spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-55644648774223229002013-02-28T17:17:00.001-08:002014-11-08T02:29:00.059-08:00What Happens When You Live Abroad<span style="font-family: inherit;">Since my blog here is to help others and give them an idea of what living and working abroad might be like, I'm re-posting this article from Thought Catalog because I love how perfectly someone has been able to articulate what it's like (source link at the end). It takes a certain personality, a certain kind of person, to be able to do this and I've seen many people fall short. I definitely think it shapes a person in a unique way which they can relate to others who have lived like them. <br /><br />I am forever changed by my time living in foreign culture, a foreign land, and I love it.</span><br />
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What Happens When You Live Abroad </h1>
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<span class="timestamp caps">May. 21, 2012</span>
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<a href="http://thoughtcatalog.com/author/faganchelsea/">
Chelsea Fagan</a></span></div>
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A very dependable feature of people who live abroad is finding them
huddled together in bars and restaurants, talking not just about their
homelands, but about the experience of leaving. And strangely enough,
these groups of ex-pats aren’t necessarily all from the same home
countries, often the mere experience of trading lands and cultures is
enough to link them together and build the foundations of a friendship. I
knew a decent amount of ex pats — of varying lengths of stay — back in
America, and it’s reassuring to see that here in Europe, the “foreigner”
bars are just as prevalent and filled with the same warm, nostalgic
chatter. <br />
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But one thing that undoubtedly exists between all of us, something
that lingers unspoken at all of our gatherings, is fear. There is a
palpable fear to living in a new country, and though it is more acute in
the first months, even year, of your stay, it never completely
evaporates as time goes on. It simply changes. The anxiousness that was
once concentrated on how you’re going to make new friends, adjust, and
master the nuances of the language has become the repeated question
“What am I missing?” As you settle into your new life and country, as
time passes and becomes less a question of how long you’ve been here and
more one of how long you’ve been gone, you realize that life back home
has gone on without you. People have grown up, they’ve moved, they’ve
married, they’ve become completely different people — and so have you.<br />
<br />
It’s hard to deny that the act of living in another country, in
another language, fundamentally changes you. Different parts of your
personality sort of float to the top, and you take on qualities,
mannerisms, and opinions that define the new people around you. And
there’s nothing wrong with that; it’s often part of the reason you left
in the first place. You <i>wanted</i> to evolve, to change something,
to put yourself in an uncomfortable new situation that would force you
to into a new phase of your life.<br />
So many of us, when we leave our home countries, want to escape
ourselves. We build up enormous webs of people, of bars and coffee
shops, of arguments and exes and the same five places over and over
again, from which we feel we can’t break free. There are just too many
bridges that have been burned, or love that has turned sour and ugly, or
restaurants at which you’ve eaten everything on the menu at least ten
times — the only way to escape and to wipe your slate clean is to go
somewhere where no one knows who you were, and no one is going to ask.
And while it’s enormously refreshing and exhilarating to feel like you
can be anyone you want to be and come without the baggage of your past,
you realize just how much of “you” was based more on geographic location
than anything else.<br />
Walking streets alone and eating dinner at tables for one — maybe
with a book, maybe not — you’re left alone for hours, days on end with
nothing but your own thoughts. You start talking to yourself, asking
yourself questions and answering them, and taking in the day’s
activities with a slowness and an appreciation that you’ve never before
even attempted. Even just going to the grocery store — when in an
exciting new place, when all by yourself, when in a new language — is a
thrilling activity. And having to start from zero and rebuild
everything, having to re-learn how to live and carry out every day
activities like a child, fundamentally alters you. Yes, the country and
its people will have their own effect on who you are and what you think,
but few things are more profound than just starting over with the
basics and relying on yourself to build a life again. I have yet to meet
a person who I didn’t find calmed by the experience. There is a certain
amount of comfort and confidence that you gain with yourself when you
go to this new place and start all over again, and a knowledge that —
come what may in the rest of your life — you were capable of taking that
leap and landing softly at least once. <br />
<br />
But there are the fears. And yes, life has gone on without you. And
the longer you stay in your new home, the more profound those changes
will become. Holidays, birthdays, weddings — every event that you miss
suddenly becomes a tick mark on an endless ream of paper. One day, you
simply look back and realize that so much has happened in your absence,
that so much has changed. You find it harder and harder to start
conversations with people who used to be some of your best friends, and
in-jokes become increasingly foreign — you have become an outsider.
There are those who stay so long that they can never go back. We all
meet the ex-pat who has been in his new home for 30 years and who seems
to have almost replaced the missed years spent back in his homeland with
full, passionate immersion into his new country. Yes, technically they
are immigrants. Technically their birth certificate would place them in a
different part of the world. But it’s undeniable that whatever life
they left back home, they could never pick up all the pieces to. That
old person is gone, and you realize that every day, you come a tiny bit
closer to becoming that person yourself — even if you don’t want to.<br />
<br />
So you look at your life, and the two countries that hold it, and
realize that you are now two distinct people. As much as your countries
represent and fulfill different parts of you and what you enjoy about
life, as much as you have formed unbreakable bonds with people you love
in both places, as much as you feel truly at home in either one, so you
are divided in two. For the rest of your life, or at least it feels this
way, you will spend your time in one naggingly longing for the other,
and waiting until you can get back for at least a few weeks and dive
back into the person you were back there. It takes so much to carve out a
new life for yourself somewhere new, and it can’t die simply because
you’ve moved over a few time zones. The people that took you into their
country and became your new family, they aren’t going to mean any less
to you when you’re far away. <br />
When you live abroad, you realize that, no matter where you are, you
will always be an ex-pat. There will always be a part of you that is far
away from its home and is lying dormant until it can breathe and live
in full color back in the country where it belongs. To live in a new
place is a beautiful, thrilling thing, and it can show you that you can
be whoever you want — on your own terms. It can give you the gift of
freedom, of new beginnings, of curiosity and excitement. But to start
over, to get on that plane, doesn’t come without a price. You cannot be
in two places at once, and from now on, you will always lay awake on
certain nights and think of all the things you’re missing out on back
home.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/what-happens-when-you-live-abroad/">Source</a>spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-47981049287279682892013-02-04T19:15:00.002-08:002013-02-28T17:11:25.691-08:00Teaching update!Wow, so it's been more than a year since my <a href="http://spjetsetter.blogspot.jp/2011/11/update-on-teaching-experience.html">last update</a> on the teaching experience. I was quite blunt about it last time and will continue that now since, I wouldn't want to give anyone the wrong impression of JET (like I had). But do keep in mind that the JET motto is, 'every situation is different.'<br />
<br />
I wrote my last post in November of 2011 and a big change happened between that post and this one - the new school year in April. Several things were a complete surprise to me since I had no idea about the changes that accompany the new school year in Japan. The biggest surprise was the giant game of musical chairs the teachers play (not actually, but I muse about it a bit in <a href="http://spjetsetter.blogspot.jp/2012/04/enkais-all-in-days-work.html">this post</a>). When I got back from my spring vacation (time I used PTO for since teachers are expected to come to work even when there are no classes), I found new faces and a new desk placement waiting for me in the staff room. After 8 months of getting used to my role in this school, it was all about to change. Naturally I started to feel a bit nervous. Re-reading my last update, I might have sounded a bit dejected about how I'm used as an ALT, but actually I became comfortable knowing what was expected of me. New jobs always bring about challenges, but as long as you know what they want from you, it shouldn't be so bad. So new teachers, new schedules, new students, and probably some new responsibilities. At my base school, Hikami, the only change that affected me was the addition of a new JTE. Fortunately, she is the sweetest thing ever. Her name is Yamashita-sensei and although she replaced a younger, male teacher that I got along with, she is a far better teaching partner than he was. She's soft spoken, but knows how to put those freshmen in line. She doesn't necessarily make learning fun for them, but she teaches the material in a way they understand, so at least it keeps their interest. She observed a lesson with my usual JTE, Taniguchi-sensei, and now uses me much in the same way he does - to write out the exercises on the board, pronounce words, correct papers, give special lessons, get insight on confusing English, and the like.<br />
<br />
At Hikami Nishi (HN), my visit school, everything changed. I even go there on different days than before. Before I came in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but now I come on Mondays and Thursdays. My weeks used to drag, but now since I change up my environment more often, every time I turn around it's Thursday and only one day away from the weekend! Another plus is because I don't prefer my visit school to my base school (for many reasons), whenever we have Monday off as a holiday (which is quite often), I miss a day at HN. Woo hoo! As for the actual teaching changes, two out three JTEs were replaced. All three were pretty incompetent, so I traded up for sure. Since my last post, I did realize that the reason these incompetent JTEs always had me come up with the lesson plans was because they just wanted a break. Nothing wrong with that, but they wouldn't tell me what the kids were learning so those lessons were not all that beneficial for the kids. I can tell though that under the new JTEs the kids have actually been learning. I am used more like I am at Hikami and so, although my job is easier, I'm at least being effective on their studies. The only problem is that for some reason, the new young female teacher doesn't seem to like me very much and so I only go to class with the other male teacher. We definitely have more in common anyway and even talk outside of class, so I don't mind. The third JTE (part of the original three ) was made into a part-time teacher so he's not at the school on the days that I am - bliss! <br />
<br />
These are the actual changes that happened, but how about my attitude? It was pretty bad when I first got here, I'll admit. I hadn't been around that many kids in long time and considering some other messed up circumstances with other aspects of JET life, I let it seep into the teaching experience as well. Now though I am perfectly content and confident playing my role in both my schools. It's not personally fulfilling or challenging, but I do understand the impact I'm having on the education of my students and so I take that role seriously. I provide them with a positive, non-threatening experience with a foreigner (you may underestimate how important conidering how homogenous the Japanese society is). I gently correct their English in class and encourage them to continue their studies beyond high school. I give them an idea of how other people in other parts of the world live, whether it be by presenting my opinions on a subject, or with my occasional cultural lessons. I don't tolerate any inappropriateness you'll hear other JETs complain about so hopefully that communicates a respect for women and people in authority. Just my appearance is literally something to make their day a little different and more exciting. Outside the class, students will call at me from every direction just so they can wave at me. At restaurants in town, I'm sometimes spotted and am pointed out to their family. And most precious to me the unspoken bond we share: When they catch me making a face because I didn't know they were looking, or I when try to be funny behind my JTE's back and it works; When they want to stand next to me at assemblies; When they point out my hair, nail, or eye color and just stare; When they shyly come to my desk with a drawing, origami, handmade cards, or other stuff for me; And even if I (still) don't know their names, I'll always remember their faces as they are now.<br />
<br />
So yea, now instead of annoying little brats, now I think my students are adorable (even if they are high schoolers already). I'm genuinely sad, but happy for my seniors who are going to graduate at the end of this month since they are the students I'll have had the longest. I'm happy to go to class knowing exactly what I'm suppose to do and being completely comfortable with my students and JTEs. I know other JETs got to experience this right away, but it took until almost the end of my first year for me to get it. Ironically, that is exactly the amount of time our liason at the Japanese consulate said it took her when she was giving us a pep talk at our pre-departure meeting.. It's one argument she made for us to consider staying a second year and now I can totally agree.<br />
<br />
So unless much changes in the next new school year this coming April, I think this will be it for my teaching experience updates. From my friends, I know a little about the experiences of JHS and elementary school teachers, so please feel free to ask any questions about my or their experience if you're considering being an ALT in Japan!spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-2040163593493026762013-01-24T17:47:00.003-08:002014-11-08T02:35:15.150-08:00A Seoul*ful Experience<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAC9FXnTenPqpDnGivcXpOljYMxP7XmMrYmF7I7K2rIyWVyZS1a8steEwFKVEidVV_C838uCjLph-MKgteTsiP4-Z2zAJZNSh07tyaIBb4ebZEGiZgIQASsvHVepock2LYCveZ83NCJHU/s1600/285785_10100721044118788_2118608555_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAC9FXnTenPqpDnGivcXpOljYMxP7XmMrYmF7I7K2rIyWVyZS1a8steEwFKVEidVV_C838uCjLph-MKgteTsiP4-Z2zAJZNSh07tyaIBb4ebZEGiZgIQASsvHVepock2LYCveZ83NCJHU/s640/285785_10100721044118788_2118608555_n.jpg" height="358" width="640" /></a> <br />
<br />
*Don't worry, I won't make any more puns on the name <br />
<br />
Seoul! I don't know about you, but Seoul was the place I'd heard about as being amazing and thought of how much I'd like to go, but never actually made the plans. Well, this second time around the JET block means I'm finally having the time to go to these places I only ever thought of in passing. I'm really grateful for this chance since now some of these 'wish-list' places have become my favorite travels. <br />
<br />
Seoul is a city full of vibrant people who are unfazed by the foreigners who visit. It is international while retaining it's culture. It is fashionable, yet gritty. If it were a person, it would be like talking with the most fascinating person you just met, but while you are absorbed by their every word, they aloofly glance at their phone. It was such a fresh breath of air for me compared to Japan. As great as Japan is in many regards, I feel stifled me from time to time and constantly like an outsider by the all the homogeneity. Thus, it is through these glasses that I give you insight into my Seoulful experience...and that pun doesn't count since I already used it. <br />
<br />
While Japan was still sweltering away in mid-September, my friends and I found a good flight deal via Peach Airlines and bounded off to the land of <i>kimchi</i>. The weather while we there was beyond agreeable with only the slightest chill at night. Our hostel was excellent too; It had a great complimentary breakfast in the morning, was nicely decorated, conveniently located, and had cheery helpful staff. It was located near a university so it had a great night life. Each night, we'd return from sightseeing with every intention of turning in, but the buzz of young people coming in and out of bars, restaurants, shops, and clubs kept us out exploring. Our feet did not thank us for the extra work! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7oks44ImKDEqQSuVN56zzCbBh5J7Z9V76l56hAbyuvOuvCuBIl10vhqVUx0O-PM41iSTEGbYo2OtSlcUdfeN1-DuVac74Qco0miemIW0bT_sWAFcUD8QYPEz1CKEE4Yg1nKKQ5uV8tU/s1600/430018_10100721041349338_1125937036_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7oks44ImKDEqQSuVN56zzCbBh5J7Z9V76l56hAbyuvOuvCuBIl10vhqVUx0O-PM41iSTEGbYo2OtSlcUdfeN1-DuVac74Qco0miemIW0bT_sWAFcUD8QYPEz1CKEE4Yg1nKKQ5uV8tU/s320/430018_10100721041349338_1125937036_n.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vOE70-J2IgMmiPNkt6g39XewuEQH43ggGH0GI_26h0aPstBXu-UvN-HSdcEnbsIqR2GV9InOBOquOTFxbhqrKjwsfmC0FicffjR4E-bU-KLXIadrDg0t7lCyMivWtZaddZGlz61-D54/s1600/559447_10100721042197638_350991246_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vOE70-J2IgMmiPNkt6g39XewuEQH43ggGH0GI_26h0aPstBXu-UvN-HSdcEnbsIqR2GV9InOBOquOTFxbhqrKjwsfmC0FicffjR4E-bU-KLXIadrDg0t7lCyMivWtZaddZGlz61-D54/s320/559447_10100721042197638_350991246_n.jpg" height="176" width="320" /></a>Traveling in groups can be tricky. Everyone has priorities when they travel whether they realize it or not. Their focus can be on relaxing, shopping, sightseeing, eating, or some other quirky thing (I don't know, maybe you have an affinity for hanging out with the locals). Seoul can satisfy all these aspects and more, but with only a long weekend to work with, we merely dabbled a bit in each. Some notable places we skipped were the Korean War Museum and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). No loss on my part there, but instead we walked along some of the famous areas eating street food and laughing at odd findings, did some awesomely cheap shopping in Asia's largest underground mall, and saw sights old and new, namely, two of the famous palaces (Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung), North Seoul Tower and even went to fake Disney aka Lotte World!<br />
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<br />
Foodie or not, you gotta eat so we had the famed Korean BBQ a few times. One night, we went in search of a place where you supposedly eat on top of barrel drums. If this sounds strange it's because I can't accurately describe it since we never found the place. The foodies on our trip were quite sad and still talk about it to this day (they really have to let it go..), but I was happy with any meat and kimchi place. I will say though as a big fan of <i>yakiniku</i> places in Japan that I found the wait staff at Korean BBQ places to be... too involved in your dining experience (for my preference). They'd bring plates of raw meat and then rearrange our grill to fit the new pieces, flip some over, and even cut up the big slices for us. It was just kind of awkward to keep a conversation going with the waitress leaning over my friend, so we just sat there and watched before resuming. At Japanese places, they bring the goods and let you do the rest, coming only when called. Small gripe, but in any case, the food was excellent. Interesting observation on my part - I didn't find the kimchi to be any better than anywhere else in the world I've had it. Maybe my palette isn't sophisticated enough to tell the difference? Or maybe the dish isn't hard to mess up? I don't know. I'm curious though so let me know in the comments if you have any thoughts.<br />
Overall we had as much Korean food as we could pronounce save for the time
we got excited and detoured to eat at Quiznos and Jamba Juice. Well, honestly I think I was the only one who was excited since back home in the States I could live on subs and smoothies - both of which I am sadly
deprived of in Japan.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdOZZ3v_6d584QDUmIAivcW8ETw0h7as5i1c0e3sm0YaRxqN7tMmAtJxvkvcw0rZOj9lo2_FjJjTQrkC9dhs7l3L7AcFmeM3QF6JBJuZb4Z2h-xa6eCgMvcDu6jrnWlz2hAOECufPDag/s1600/251261_10100721049762478_321253345_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdOZZ3v_6d584QDUmIAivcW8ETw0h7as5i1c0e3sm0YaRxqN7tMmAtJxvkvcw0rZOj9lo2_FjJjTQrkC9dhs7l3L7AcFmeM3QF6JBJuZb4Z2h-xa6eCgMvcDu6jrnWlz2hAOECufPDag/s640/251261_10100721049762478_321253345_n.jpg" height="356" width="640" /></a> <br />
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As a graduate of Asian Studies, seeing my studies come to life in my travels, via something like the unique style of temples and palaces in different countries, has been immensely interesting. But like it is said of churches in Europe, eventually they do all start to look alike. I think for that reason, the North Seoul Tower was my favorite sight this trip. Probably a combination of the things actually. We arrived at the tower in the evening just as the city was transitioning from twilight, to dusk, to nighttime. The popular 'love locks' gimmick (where a couple combines two locks on a fence thus sealing their love) lined the periphery which made for an interesting stroll along an otherwise boring fence as people often leave notes and messages as well. The gift shops had the cutest souvenirs of the tower and other Korean items (I'm a sucker for nicknack shopping). And then as we were just about to start heading back, we heard an announcement come on and announce that a light show on the tower would start. We hadn't known there would be one, so from exactly where we were standing, ready to leave, we had the perfect place to sit and watch the show. Instead of a typical light show, they used the side of the tower to get creative with cylindrical objects. For example, filling a glass of water, as an aquarium, pulsating with music, and so on. Oh, and did I mention that this was after we had the subs and smoothies? That probably also had something to do with my elevated mood and this being my favorite sight<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALdL6JHDDiFxu8Swqaclt31UB4gmSuJeq-JgvOb25u21QlYL8UQDeg93oMnXoAa59w8q1WYbDM9Sh1hWaeQxAMrFcZ9bNWCH5sajoeXSkC4jVF4ubObebMPMvWa_wJ1b4VixmqboXYWk/s1600/430018_10100721043994038_362528489_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALdL6JHDDiFxu8Swqaclt31UB4gmSuJeq-JgvOb25u21QlYL8UQDeg93oMnXoAa59w8q1WYbDM9Sh1hWaeQxAMrFcZ9bNWCH5sajoeXSkC4jVF4ubObebMPMvWa_wJ1b4VixmqboXYWk/s640/430018_10100721043994038_362528489_n.jpg" height="358" width="640" /></a><br />
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If you get the chance to go to Seoul, be open to interesting sights and tastes in a bustling atmosphere and you'll enjoy it immensely! I'd love to go back to this wonderful city, but alas, I find myself
filling up my limited time here with even more points of interest. I guess this might've been my Seoul opportunity to see one of Asia's best cities. (oh, shh! that one was too good to pass up!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtS_2u4q5TAlgdT-Z2fYDdl5lNYoDDDRfxflxQKy3KN6U5VO8jYzVVbIOCPMbZRg0VpkGEabIKchOJdmK0Az8mkMNFvH_0GqizXBLteF82DLCnE2Ary6-uZy18wVSSQWgjiVFPzrDlYJs/s1600/269065_10100721044717588_154698334_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtS_2u4q5TAlgdT-Z2fYDdl5lNYoDDDRfxflxQKy3KN6U5VO8jYzVVbIOCPMbZRg0VpkGEabIKchOJdmK0Az8mkMNFvH_0GqizXBLteF82DLCnE2Ary6-uZy18wVSSQWgjiVFPzrDlYJs/s640/269065_10100721044717588_154698334_n.jpg" height="358" width="640" /></a> spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-41800234855791373722013-01-06T22:30:00.001-08:002013-06-23T20:15:48.963-07:00Mt. Fuji.. never again..<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5vFVHjHotw6x33sIZuvwzb-KX6b04D7f1rSMVGtFE9tJfp3tVg9y77gsl4ZGEWB21bfvaBVHkIs_fP7vvKFH3I8HchydT7hRNRbdkzh1SwI-SdVciEQj1rQ__quCOBzaZXs43NQ1MP4/s1600/182184_10100644888510238_1431757956_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5vFVHjHotw6x33sIZuvwzb-KX6b04D7f1rSMVGtFE9tJfp3tVg9y77gsl4ZGEWB21bfvaBVHkIs_fP7vvKFH3I8HchydT7hRNRbdkzh1SwI-SdVciEQj1rQ__quCOBzaZXs43NQ1MP4/s640/182184_10100644888510238_1431757956_n.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br />
I have been wanting to climb Mt. Fuji ever since I laid eyes on the thing in 2005. Later of course, I learned more about the significance, difficulty, and admiration associated with climbing the tallest mountain in Japan. Let me lay out some of those points:<br />
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<b>Significance</b>: Mt. Fuji is not only Japan's tallest mountain, but also it's most revered. It's literally the symbol of Japan along with cherry blossoms and the rising sun. <br />
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<b>Difficulty</b>: At 3776 meters (12,389 feet) high, it cannot be climbed in a day. Don't even try. In fact, most people (including myself), start at the 5th station (2,305 meters) and some still don't make it to the top because of altitude sickness, fatigue, or an underestimation of the difficulty.<br />
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<b>Admiration</b>: Don't quote me, but supposedly less than 1% of Japan's population
climbs Mt. Fuji and even those who attempt it don't always succeed. Saying that you made it to the summit always yields some form of accolade from Japanese people. If they've done it themselves, then an instant camaraderie is formed.<br />
<br />
My journey to the summit began in May 2012. After much research and an assessment of my permitting circumstances, I decided I would go about mid-climbing season with only a few friends who were up to the challenge. I also decided that despite being a former athlete, the days of being in my optimum endurance condition were behind me and I needed to train my body for this. The way I saw it, I only had one chance to make it to the top, so I couldn't leave things to chance - not leaving things to chance is something I should've stuck to..<br />
<br />
Together with my friend who was part of the trip, we climbed mountains in the area and built up our endurance. Leg strength, breathing techniques, power snacks, element control, equipment management were all aspects we improved on that really did help once we entered the dark side of the moon, also known as Fuji.<br />
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With an impending trip home in August, my time to plan to the logistics of the trip was falling behind. At this point, my friend suggested going with a preplanned tour that would get us there with less hassle and take care of all the planning (transportation, accomodation, etc). With my to-do list so full as it was, I agreed. This was first mistake, because as it's said, if you want something done right, do it yourself.<br />
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The day came in mid-July, and our group of 4 headed out to meet up with the tour that would take us to Shizuoka Prefecture. We were meeting at 8 in the morning in Osaka which meant that I left Tamba at 5:30 am. The bus was comfortable enough, and the first two hours were spent introducing ourselves to the 50 plus other tour members. Around noon or so, I was really starting to feel the hunger pangs having had no breakfast since waking. The problem though, was that so far each rest stop only had souvenir type food (cakes and cookies) or convenience store food (I know, seriously?). The last rest stop had an eatery with not a thing I liked on the menu. It was like someone was playing a joke on me. I like plenty of Japanese food for there to have been nothing appealing. Not even a side bowl of rice! In the end, I had some chocolate for it's caffeine benefits and chips to satisfy the carb cravings. Chips and chocolate, people - all the fuel I had to climb my formidable opponent. Even if I had bought something at the eatery, the tour guides told us we had 10 minutes at the stop. Ten minutes to wait in line, buy food, and choke it down and if that was your plan of action, then forget a bathroom break. So, trusting the tour would make time to get us brunch since they hadn't told us to pack a lunch: Mistake number two.<br />
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We arrived at the Fujinomiya 5th station around 1pm - an hour later than schedule. It immediately started to drizzle which was likely to happen at any point during climbing season, but woe is you when it does. I proceeded to buy a walking/stamping stick and a poncho. For whatever reason I found myself at the back of the pack as we started climbing in one long line. But, I actually didn't mind it because I knew I'd be stopping for pictures and annoyed if someone were constantly on my heels, trying to set my pace. What I didn't expect was the constant "encouragement" I got from the guides that came with the tour. They thought I was having a hard time keeping up and would yell "Ganbatte! Hayaku! Mousukoshi!" (C'mon, hurry! a little farther!) every 5 minutes. I'd just look up at them and use my stick to point at my camera with a smile that could only be interpreted as, "Can ya SHADDUP?!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AjBwq6vHcyDH7KkCwW_mq_ykGGhIweCm0QfBOCNQpk3dWP10l51acM34WOWUN0KfUknn9nWAuXCc5G0zHxkHsZwZrvB5AzgTblzuTmOn3vVNEU5w4VCIGRCtd_JAeKP0EFvYsxKvohc/s1600/527186_10100644888595068_1852416960_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AjBwq6vHcyDH7KkCwW_mq_ykGGhIweCm0QfBOCNQpk3dWP10l51acM34WOWUN0KfUknn9nWAuXCc5G0zHxkHsZwZrvB5AzgTblzuTmOn3vVNEU5w4VCIGRCtd_JAeKP0EFvYsxKvohc/s640/527186_10100644888595068_1852416960_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hear you guide! I just don't care! </td></tr>
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The Fujinomiya trail is one of several trails you can take up the mountain. This one happens to be the steepest, but shortest route to the top. From the 5th station there are stations 6, 7, 8, 9, and 9.5 before you reach the summit. We were stopping at station 8 to spend the night before waking at 2am to resume our hike and make it to the top by sunrise. Now, three stations doesn't seem like much to cover, but when you're on the trail, you think that next sign post will never show itself! Climbers are climbing up and down the same trail and the trail is roped off by tiny steel rods. This means that if you were thinking of sprinting up the mountain head on, think again. Being careful with the people coming down and climbing within the rods means it's dangerous to try to pass other climbers. The terrain itself is as I described - like being on the dark side of the moon. I was warned before that it's not a "pretty" hike like many other gorgeous ones throughout Japan. Instead of lush forest, rivers, and forgot relics of Shinto tradition to surprise you along the trail, Fuji is nothing but red rocks, small and large with twigs sprouting out here and there. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What did I sign up for?!</td></tr>
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<br />
Being at the end of the group, by the time I would reach each station they had been there for their 10 minute break and were ready to move on. Us at the caboose though would lag behind and catch our breath for 5 minutes before that last guide would "encourage" us some more. So with little food and rest, in the rain, it was forward ho! Around the station 7, the next obstacle presented itself... <br />
<br />
The mild asthma of my youth never stopped me from playing sports, but it did mean that I had to take care to know my limits. On only a few occasions did I nearly pass out from over-exertion, but having no experience and little knowledge about it, I was quite worried about getting altitude sickness, something that affects those with strong lungs but definitely has it out for a previously pre-asthmatic kid. Luckily, they sell oxygen cans with built in masks just for this kind of thing and were readily available. Actually, most essentials are available on the trails, but for no small fee. Basically, they know you need it, so get ready to pay at least 3x the price. For example, the 600en (8 dollar) can of oxygen I bought in a sports center in my town, cost 2000en (30 dollars) on Mt. Fuji. It was like that for everything too - snacks, water, heat packs, etc. So back to my climb. Somewhere approaching the 7th station I noticed that I wasn't feeling sick, but that I was starting to take in less oxygen and needing to stop more frequently than my group to catch my breath. The first burst of oxygen from the can felt like a cool breeze on a spring day had wafted in through a window and into my lungs. I don't know if I was ever close to getting altitude sickness, but I can only imagine this helped fend it off because from then on I was taking oxygen shots often until the descent. Don`t worry, I`m off the stuff now. haha! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjuHJyx2U7xcNLWC4nTdbQNO3lzmCGJBftVheA2pcxxUzeJMbrk74x0fiefyRQyInw6Ni4utWQ3_QRHhB_UrxdbfV669HM0Tp5imwma2LsW8Ae_IHKWXgYHJ-96puSh9yTnndsbI3kSFY/s1600/599268_10100644889593068_1625267737_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjuHJyx2U7xcNLWC4nTdbQNO3lzmCGJBftVheA2pcxxUzeJMbrk74x0fiefyRQyInw6Ni4utWQ3_QRHhB_UrxdbfV669HM0Tp5imwma2LsW8Ae_IHKWXgYHJ-96puSh9yTnndsbI3kSFY/s640/599268_10100644889593068_1625267737_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puff, puff, pass...</td></tr>
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<br />
At this point it had stopped drizzling but was still overcast. Now, I anticipated it being cold of course, but one tends to forget how amplified the cold can be when you add sweat to the equation. As long as I kept moving , I was ok, but once I stopped at our bunker for the night at the 8th station it was a different story..<br />
<br />
Our end group of about 12 people made it to the 8th station at dusk. Between all the head starts at the other stations, we heard others had been there for over half an hour at that point and had already chosen their "beds." I didn't imagine much for sleeping quarters, but I wasn't expecting a wooden floor with only enough room to lie on my back either. But that`s exactly what I got. Last choice meant I was near the door where rude and inconsiderate people coming in and out would open it wide and let cold air gust through every time. Oh, and I forgot to mention that our cabin was literally next to a glacier. Cool to see, but totally ominous at the same time and of course, freezing! Needless to say, the 4 hours of "sleep" we were suppose to get was more like 4 hours of quiet time in sweaty, cold clothes and a hard wooden floor with strangers being close enough to breathe on you. Ya. At least I had my boyfriend that I could face, but that breath on the back of my neck was still unnerving. I did finally have something to eat though. We were given some Japanese curry and rice. It was hot, so okay by me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZXpAnwQ3feSFW-WpNeRD7vYGXar_4iEpc4xeGgCLOZanH9BuvnVFjz4koTSXD8tk3QO26z-FcnVrZSxc42ocq3eytQwhfEYBp-zBWMhTUXnyAGKNET3y7NZxa2mQsiK80lwklZgHcB4/s1600/389022_10100644890870508_1534034837_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZXpAnwQ3feSFW-WpNeRD7vYGXar_4iEpc4xeGgCLOZanH9BuvnVFjz4koTSXD8tk3QO26z-FcnVrZSxc42ocq3eytQwhfEYBp-zBWMhTUXnyAGKNET3y7NZxa2mQsiK80lwklZgHcB4/s640/389022_10100644890870508_1534034837_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is that what I think it is?!</td></tr>
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~~~<br />
2am, rise and shine. I was given some bread with custard in the middle and sent on my way up to the summit. But! before that, we were treated to the most spectacular and unexpected surprise - a view of the Milky Way! It was so clearly visible and filled with tons of stars! We stared in awe for a few minutes, re-charging ourselves with cosmic energy. It was amazing to be made to feel so small, but in a good way.<br />
<br />
Now, maybe you're wondering how I hiked a mountain in pitch darkness and I was wondering too until I stepped outside of the cabin. A trail of lights shone beneath and above me. Upon closer inspection I saw these were other climbers and their head lamps! They had stayed at stations lower on the mountain and had gotten up earlier to start the climb to the top! Even with lots of headlamps all around me, it was challenging to look down to where I wanted to point my light, and then up to not crash into things. Back and forth I did this for the next 2 hours.<br />
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Previously, three stations had taken me 6 hours and with 2 more to go with sunrise deadline, I had my work cut out for me. However, like I said, this was my one shot, and that motivation kept me going as I wanted nothing more out of my time in Japan than to see the sunrise over Mount Fuji. At one point I did get nervous because the sky was turning blue in the east and I was only shortly past station 9. In my panic, I did the dangerous thing and started passing people by darting in and out of the marked trail. At one point, the crowd was at a standstill as people were goose necked into a thin part of the trail. Suddenly as I was darting, two other foreigners (surprisingly) stopped us by sticking out their walking stick and nearly tripping us just to say, "Guys, there's a line." My friend and I exchanged glances momentarily with looks of disbelief before he shot the best line back - "Ya, well this isn't Disney World and we're not waiting in line." HA! and onward we went with their grumbling behind us. And it's true. As dangerous and ill advised as it is, if we want to go outside of the trail and pass them, it's on us. If they think it's not allowed to butt someone in line while we're hiking a mountain then they missed the fine print of this trip that read 'every man and woman for themselves!' I don't think they made it to the top by sunrise either considering how many people we passed to get there in time. Hope they thought following the crowd was worth it to miss what could be a once in a lifetime view. <br />
<br />
So despite my worry, we make it to the top with some time to find a spot to view the sunrise. Being completely stationary and sweaty at the peak of the mountain was intense. For 20 minutes I sat at the top of the world and contemplated how long I had dreamed of this moment. It was a quite a journey I was recounting in my head, but to others I must have looked like a frozen gargoyle waiting for the sun to come out to reanimate her. Finally, the sunrise started to send its rays over the horizon and although it wasn't as spectacular as some photos I had seen, it was <i><b>my </b></i>sunrise on Fuji. And it was one of the most gorgeous things I'll ever see. <br />
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I wish I could end the post there, but that's not where the story ends. In fact, the worst was yet to come. After being at the summit, snapping pictures, stamping my stick, and gazing upon Fuji's crater, we began the decent. I thought we'd be going down the same manageable Fujinomiya trail that we'd gone up and had seen others go down, but I was wrong. Instead, this idiotic tour picked the dreaded Gotemba trail. This trail is supposed to be the fastest way down, but hmm... how can it be faster than Fujinomiya is that's the shortest trail? BECAUSE YOU RUN DOWN IT!! At a 45 degree angle in a sandpit of small red rocks that you sink in with every step, you have no choice but to jog as gravity drags you down. Also, the sandpit is dotted with huge boulders that with any misstep could have you suddenly breaking to stop if not crashing into it. And at that angle it means you could fall head first into the sandpit. Thank God I had some snow boarding experience where leaning your body back parallel to the terrain is what keeps you upright. However, even good snowboarders (which I am not) fall, but instead of fluffy snow it would a face full of lava rocks! LAVA ROCKS! (at least it's minus the lava...)<br />
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I was beside myself with rage at this tour at this point and later we were all apologized to by the Facebook group that booked this tour, admitting that they were unhappy with the way things had turned out as well. But at the time I was just trying to get off this god-forsaken mountain. It really puts you in a desperate mood to know that you can't give up. If you give up, no one is coming to save you. You <b>have </b>to climb down yourself. I was also not expecting that unlike the stations on the way up, the way down had a different set of stations. Station 9, 7.5, 6.85, 5. This really made the climb seem longer since we couldn't anticipate the next time we'd see a station or get a break. The craziest part about this climb down was that at one point we were climbing UP again! And it started drizzling again! Argh!! So much rage!<br />
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Finally we got back to the Gotemba 5th station. After nearly 2 days of straight climbing there was nothing better than to look forward to than the onsen we were taken to (the only redeeming factor of this tour. Nearly two days of climbing, exhaustion, malnourishment, being wet and cold just melted away in the onsen.<br />
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Plainly said, it was an experience. One that I would have to be crazy to do again, so that seems unlikely for me (or likely depending on who you're talking to). I certainly don't regret it, but I do regret going with this tour that seemed to cause most of the irritants that I had. If I still had the same experience without them, then I'd have no one to blame but myself, but since that's not the case, I blame them. lol. Also, I wouldn't ever in good conscious recommend for anyone to climb Mt. Fuji. If you don't have the desire and will-power to do it on your own, then you'd only hate me for putting you through it. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58m4ZB2rO4G49rtgpeW3NlW324GDbcHfC0IAuJNcAvtsJpxdpLPNdqCOZdjk3pCFmGUPTcTBpPiSuvv8qliKSt-1CPZsCRcYRhhEGpmqRet4YqSZHoe9BKjc3gaEdgv59lGX-xKSF6dY/s1600/582113_10100644892033178_1215260633_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <br />
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Climbing Mt. Fuji was at the top of my Japan bucket list and now it's been checked off. <br />
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A Japanese proverb says that if you don't see Mt. Fuji during your time in Japan, then you are destined to return.<br />
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I saw more of that mountain than many and so I am no longer destined to return to Japan.<br />
My <span class="st">大和魂, my Japanese fighting</span> spirit can be finally be at ease.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58m4ZB2rO4G49rtgpeW3NlW324GDbcHfC0IAuJNcAvtsJpxdpLPNdqCOZdjk3pCFmGUPTcTBpPiSuvv8qliKSt-1CPZsCRcYRhhEGpmqRet4YqSZHoe9BKjc3gaEdgv59lGX-xKSF6dY/s1600/582113_10100644892033178_1215260633_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58m4ZB2rO4G49rtgpeW3NlW324GDbcHfC0IAuJNcAvtsJpxdpLPNdqCOZdjk3pCFmGUPTcTBpPiSuvv8qliKSt-1CPZsCRcYRhhEGpmqRet4YqSZHoe9BKjc3gaEdgv59lGX-xKSF6dY/s640/582113_10100644892033178_1215260633_n.jpg" width="640" /></a> spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-59984132893166618672012-09-26T23:21:00.001-07:002012-09-26T23:21:22.968-07:00Summer in Japan<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;">The final season in my review of the seasons of Japan! This what I have to say: <br /><br />Summer in Japan is not fun. The End. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;">…</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;">..Ok ok, so maybe I’ll get into more detail..</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Summer is from mid-June to mid-September and while I can only speak from
personal experience about the Kansai Region, friends in other parts of
Japan agree that summer is unbearably hot at times. I've also had conversations about how the sun just feels hotter in Japan (and wondering if this is our imagination), but whether it is or not is compounded by Japan’s
energy conservation practices. Incidentally, it's also the easiest way to prove that they are a
masochistic people (just kidding…sort of). The most common practice is although air conditioning is available in many
places (even if in the form of wall units), they refrain from using
it to conserve energy and keep energy costs low. If they do use it, it's to maintain the temperature at a "cool" 25 - 28 degrees Celsius (about 77 - 82 degrees Fahrenheit). Consider that, and now
consider that I arrived in Japan during an energy crisis, 5 months after the 2011 Great
East Japan Earthquake. Now if at this point you’re remembering that I’m from Miami, that warm beach
paradise in South Florida, I’ll just stop you and say that this is NOT like
living in Miami. Where I live in Japan is a constant sauna whereas Miami is like a warm hug when you’re walking from one frozen tundra of an
establishment to another. Yes, in Miami, if you’re indoors for a period of
time, you’re most likely going to get cold because like in most Developed Nations,
A/C is not a burden but a gift to be used in excess. <br />-sob, sob- Oh, how I miss it.<br />
<br />
I could on and on and on about why this aspect of Japanese culture baffles and frustrates
me, but I’ll digress. The perks of summer in Japan include the return of kakigori (like
snow cones but better), more seasonal flowers (fields of
hydrangea and sunflowers this time), summer festivals (a good time to see
Japanese people relaxing and having fun), and best of all, summer vacation for
schools! <br />
<br />
The longest of the school breaks, summer vacation is six weeks of no formal classes
and although most JETs in Japan still have to report to school for “work” (staring out in space for 8 hours), some will have kind overlords who will let them
leave mid-day or other special allowances. I say formal classes, because many students get stuck in their version of summer school and have to go everyday (sucks!) Others still go everyday for extracurricular club activities while others in my particular school have to come to attend to the livestock since mine is an agricultural school (double suck!) Because of this, some ALTs may be asked to help tutor students or various other things during the summer. Besides that, this is also the most acceptable
time for JETs to travel! Something I encourage enthusiastically whether it is
in Japan, the surrounding area, or even back to your home country. <br />
<br />
Regardless of what your co-workers are doing or commenting as you take your
time off, know this: Your time here is limited so part of your experience
<i>should </i>be cultural exchange <i>outside </i>of the classroom. I take this to mean that
you should learn more about the culture you’re living in or one nearby. But if you
feel like you need to go home to recharge your batteries instead, that’s fine too. You
are not your school’s slave nor should you feel subject to any guilt just because
you have a contract and take advantage of your nenkyuu days! That's what they are there for, not for possible emergencies! <br /><br />
–gasp!!- <br /><br />
ah…ok… That last part was a bit of a rant but I’ll stop now, hehe.<br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;">So if it wasn’t obvious, I chose the last option and went home, because as
I recalled from last year, August was the worst month of summer in terms of
heat and humidity, so I did not a repeat of that. As a result I
don’t have any new festival or sunflower pictures, but enjoy the rest! </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Did I mention I went paragliding?! It was such a rush to jump off a mountain and swing in the sky!! </span></div>
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spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-74902178137022424232012-09-26T21:55:00.000-07:002012-09-26T21:56:26.599-07:00Hikami High School's Sports Day<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;">[Published date does not reflect any proximity to the event date as I was
being uber lazy about finishing this post but was finally motivated since my
fellow ALTs had their Sports Day recently. This happened back in early June.]</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> </span>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;">I finally had Sports Day! [henceforth SD] , aka Sports Festival to some
Japanese schools and </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span class="st">called undōkai (運動会)</span> in Japanese. I attended my base school’s SD since, conveniently, it was
during the school week which meant I could watch my students battle it out in
the schoolyard instead watching them fall asleep in class. When and what events are in it vary, but elementary and junior high schools in town like to coordinate and
make them all one weekend while high school just does their own thing.
The students and teachers really take this day to heart and even go as far as to
cancel classes the week prior in order to seriously practice the events
beforehand. Kind of extreme when I think back to Field Day (same thing) at my
high school which was merely a half-day with no practice beforehand, just fun
competitions and silly ribbons for prizes.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;">I had high expectations for this day since I had attended a JHS SD and saw
some really creative competitions, pep rally type stuff, and just lots of excitement from the students. I let myself down. I don’t know who comes up
with the schedule for these things, but the events weren’t all that exciting or
original. We had a five-legged race (five instead of three because it adds to
the hilarity when they fall?), jump rope competitions, relay races, and lots of
tug-of-wars. Yawn.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;">I did find some things interesting though. For example, before they
started, they all spread out and did a series of stretches that everyone in
Japan seems to know as a standard set. Even some of the parents that came to
watch were doing them in sync with the students from the sidelines. Also, the
opening ceremony had the students walk out and around the field Hunger Games
style grouped in their homeroom classes with a leader carrying their homemade
class flags. Some flags were pretty creative while others were like, um, sure
good job.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;">ALTs have varying levels of involvement or even assigned duties associated
with SD. My school doesn’t ask much of me even when I make myself available, so
I just sat under the teacher tent or walked around taking pictures. As a side
note, I was the only one wearing sunglasses despite it being a bright, sunny
day. This led to some parents coming up to me to say I looked like a movie
star, hehe.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> </span>But, I’ve actually noticed this in other settings and wondered if
there’s a cultural reason behind this. For now I’ll guess that it’s probably considered
rude to not know where someone is looking when speaking to them. Let me know in
the comments what you guys think it is or if you know the answer.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;">So at the end of the day, the class with the most points (from individuals, groups, or
classes winning events) gets the big trophy that they then keep in their
homeroom class for the rest of the year. This year, my all-girls 3-3 class snagged
the prize and I was quite proud of them for showing some awesome girl power
(especially as they owned the boys in the tug-of-war contests, haha!).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Let the Games begin! <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-58508640125614998932012-07-11T19:59:00.000-07:002012-07-11T19:59:44.212-07:00When Worlds Collide: The Update!So I left this post off with two WTF situations in full swing. I now have dramatic conclusions for both. DUN DUN DUN! If you don't know what I'm talking about then read the first post <a href="http://spjetsetter.blogspot.jp/2012/07/when-worlds-collide.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Well wouldn't you know it, my VP said, "NO." The night of my first post, I got a call from my JTE saying that the VP had said no to my use of nenkyu because I cannot leave Japan until August 2nd which is when my new contract goes into effect. Wait, so now the issue is with my new contract and not the nenkyu? It's like they're just looking for reasons to keep me here! At this point my patience is running thin with this situation, so the next time I meet with my JTE, I remind him that I have already bought a plane ticket and explain again how I'm properly using the nenkyu. No go. He proceeds to ask me if my plane ticket is refundable to which I say, "I don't know" out loud and "Not a chance that's happening buddy" in my head, which is then followed by him "suggesting" for me to contact the Hyogo Board of Education for support which MIGHT sway the decision of the VP. Commence the emailing. Three days and ten emails later of catching the BoE up on the situation and explaining my reasoning, I am told that I am in the right. Thanks for confirming what I already knew, BoE. Back to my JTE. I print out the emails and although this particular JTE's English is pretty good, he sits there for a whole class period worth just burning holes through the paper trying to comprehend all the colloquialisms. Finally, he tells me that the VP is on a business trip so let's take it to the Principal. Now, this may sound like a worse situation, but my VP is new to the school whereas my Principal has known me since I got here and has always been pretty chill about my comings and goings. With emails in hand, my JTE explains the situation to the Principal. Pretty quickly it's met with a "those emails are in English, I can't understand them," (fair enough) "call the head of the BoE." In my head I'm screaming "DO IT! Resolve this non-issue already!" The call was made, the emails confirmed, case closed. My JTE turned and said to me, "Congratulations!" like I had won a court case. I smiled weakly because I wasn't looking for a fight in the first place and didn't feel like I had won anything. I was put through a lot of worry and stress about a situation I knew I had handled correctly.<br />
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The other situation with my neighbor escalated to involve two more JTEs and a big dose of American freedom fighting. Since the original post, I was approached again on two separate occasions. The first time was by a JTE who side-saddled up next to me as I was walking to the staff room and proceeded to ask about when I would give my neighbor the money. Although I knew it wasn't an official tax, I told him that my JET contract states that these kinds of extra taxes are covered for me or I'm exempt from them completely. He tries to tell me again that it's not a tax and that my neighbor ALREADY PAID FOR ME. -WTF?!- "Why did she do that??" I asked as calmly as I could. "Because it was due," he said. UGH. I told him I'm sorry she did that and voluntary tax or not, I don't have to pay. We parted ways once we got into the staff room.<br />
Two days later (today) I am deliberately approached by just my neighbor. She has a receipt in hand and a pleading look in her eyes. Now, don't let the receipt fool you into thinking this is now an official tax. I even get a receipt for fruit I purchase on the street. So after three minutes of the most broken Japanese I've ever spoken because I am full of blind rage at being cornered like this, the JTE nearby finally comes over and tries to explain it to me again. Upset as I was, in a very calm, cool, and collected way, I cut him off and said, "I know this isn't a tax. I know she has already paid. Regardless, I am exempt from paying these kinds of fees and I don't appreciate these efforts to coerce me into paying them." My JTE looked taken aback and said "But don't you feel bad for her? Besides, this money goes into the community." I said, "I'm sorry, but I didn't ask her to pay for me." He and my neighbor have a brief discussion and she ends it with, "I should have asked her first. <i>Daijoubu </i>(It's ok)." She walks away and my JTE says to me with downcast eyes that he feels bad for her and I have a strong American mind. Yeesh. Well, as a woman with firm beliefs and strong sense of justice, I'm used to being called worse. So once again, I'm in the right and don't feel like a winner.<br />
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Next, I'm going for a trifecta of Japanese bureaucratic BS as I continue the process of getting my Japanese driver's license. Fun, fun, fun! Thanks to the BS, that story won't be complete for a while.spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-50308284655615339272012-07-03T23:46:00.001-07:002012-07-04T16:58:55.800-07:00When worlds collide<br />
Today is one of those days when the Japanese workplace is really frustrating me:<br />
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First! After a few months of lamenting about how I'm going to be able to go home for the summer. I gave in to the only option I had that I thought wouldn't ruffle too many feathhers - to use up my entire nenkyu for next year with a couple of ::ahem:: extra days, at the beginning and the end. Fortunately for me, the lamenting I did earlier spearheaded a movement within the Board of Education that gave all high school ALTs in my prefecture an extra 5 days of summer-time only nenkyu (you're welcome, lol). So safe right? The extra days I took wouldn't be a problem now! Doubly awesome was that I heard I would get another five days due to the logistics of having 5 new summer holidays for this year's contract AND 5 summer holidays starting next with our next contract period which starts August 1st. YAY! But wait..I already booked my flight home and am only using 2 days in the month of July, so maybe I can have them roll over into next year like my regular nenkyu does? I asked my JTE and he said no. Great. Well, either way, I'm safe for my impending vacation home. Then I gave me JTE my flight schedule and even broke down how my nenkyu will be used to show that I'm within boundaries (well, at least now I am thanks to the last minute addition of summer holidays). He tells me that he'll check if it's -ok- with the Vice Principal. What? I know that it's customary to get the approval from your higher ups, but the notion that it could -not- be ok would leave us at an impasse. The reason it might not be ok is because after all is said and done (and because I can't roll over my newly given 3 days of nenkyu from July), I will only have 2 days of nenkyu for the year which is about 18 short of what they're comfortable with (an exaggeration but not far from the truth..ugh).<br />
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Second! My fellow teacher and apartment complex neighbor wants me to give her 15,000en (more than $150) for a 'community fee.' I originally understood this to be something official I'd receive in the mail, but today I was asked for it directly. I simply stared at the poor JTE who was translating what she was saying in a mingled look of 'are you kidding me' and 'kill me now.' My American mindset understands something labeled as a 'community fee' to mean a tax. If it's not a tax then it's a voluntary donation. So this is basically how the conversation went on my end: <br />
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Oh ya that, I never received anything in the mail.<br />
I should just give her the money? Ok, but where's the official notice/statement? <br />
Oh it's not coming? I'm suppose to hand it over to you because you're a community official? <br />
Oh you're not? You're going to take it to the next town hall meeting where it will be collected? <br />
Oh.. ok, so what services are being provided? <br />
...None that apply to me..<br />
...OH, this fee is voluntarily?? <br />
No, not voluntarily..just expected.. so I'm -supposed- to give this.<br />
Ya, my mind isn't wrapping around this concept. <br />
Yes, I get that it is all for the good cause of maintaining our community. <br />
Yes, I get that everyone chips in. <br />
Yes, I understand this is a local thing. <br />
But wait, then who decides on the amount of 15,000en then? <br />
Oh, the town hall meetings (that I have zero input in)..<br />
So, if this is for community maintenance, why doesn't anyone cut my grass, like, ever?<br />
Oh, because that's my school's property..<br />
So, what should you tell her you ask? Tell her I feel conflicted about this. <br />
Yes, I understand this is the Japanese way.<br />
Yes... Yes, Yes.<br />
::stare at each other awkwardly::<br />
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Besides all that, I had four very long classes today, plus interview tests. Needless to say, it was a long day..<br />
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I think this has made me appreciate the Land of the Free a bit more on my first Independence Day away from the States. Speaking your mind and making sense of a situation are not so much of a hassle or frowned upon there.<br />
<br />spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-13045157815105178652012-06-05T22:23:00.003-07:002012-07-06T20:34:51.107-07:00Spring in Japan!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Spring is officially my new favorite season. It used to be summer, but I realized that was an antiquated notion of mine from a time when summer meant freedom from school for three months to play video games all morning, swim all afternoon, and watch anime all night (oh, sweet sweet childhood). Now though, the events, weather, and foliage of spring have made it my new favorite time of year. And lucky for me, Japan in spring is absolutely gorgeous!<br />
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I knew this because I have already seen springtime in Japan during my stint as a study abroad student. But this time was so much sweeter after enduring a frigid winter in Tamba. First, finally being able to wear shorts and shirts again was enough to put a huge smile on my face, but then I remembered that place I was avoiding all winter - outside! Everywhere I looked were gorgeous flowers in bloom: tulips, irises, daffodils, petunias, lilies, etc. And then of course are the more popular ones that generate whole <i>matsuris</i> (festivals) and special viewing events just for them. The popular events I attended were for plum (<span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">梅</span>)*, cherry (桜), and wisteria (<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; text-align: left;">藤</span>) blossoms. There are waaay too many places in Japan that have spectacular scenery surrounding seasonal flowers, so I just stuck to my area and was not disappointed.<br />
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In addition to the natural beauty, spring has, like other seasons, seen new seasonal products (probably the most famous being products flavored with plum or cherry, obviously) and also presented some opportunities for vacation! My previous <a href="http://spjetsetter.blogspot.jp/2012/05/spring-break-and-golden-week.html">entry</a> covered my travels during spring, so check that out!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Some people might consider plum blossom viewing to be a winter occasion since they start in February. However, I'm grouping seasons into three month periods with spring being March, April, and May. Plum blossoms blooming through the March thus I include it in my springtime adventures since that's when I saw them.</span><br />
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<b>Plum Blossom Viewing (梅見):</b> In the Osaka Castle park grounds is a massive plum grove that attracts visitors from all over. If you're unfamiliar, there are several types of plum blossoms with different colorings to accompany them. During my first spring in Japan, I hadn't realized that what I was seeing in March were plum blossoms and not cherry blossoms. They can be easily confused at first glance, but I think I've seen enough now to be able to pick them out from a line up - you know if it ever came to that, hehe. As you can tell from the pictures, it was still a bit nippy even in late March, but what you can't tell is that walking through grove had an intoxicating smell. <br />
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<b>Cherry Blossom Viewing (花見):</b> I visited several places this year and adhered to the fun tradition of having picnics under the trees with friends; first at Sakuranomiya in Osaka, and then at various parks in Tamba. Kyoto is one of the most famous places to see cherry blossoms since the flowers coupled with the ancient shrines and temples creates amazing scenery to behold that sends the Japanese into a frenzy and has them flocking from all over the country to see. Fortunately for me though, I did the Kyoto circuit back in my Gaidai days and avoided the crowds this time.<br />
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<b>Wisteria Blossom Viewing (藤見):</b> Wisteria season took me by surprise. I was so preoccupied with preparing for my Golden Week plans that when I got back, I was lucky to hear about an event and then was barely able to make time to go to it. I went to Byakugoji Temple in nearby Ichijima which apparently was not a secret spot considering half my town was there. Parking was a nightmare, and the temple was quite crowded, but it was breathtaking nonetheless. I've heard of several other impressive sites for wisteria viewing in Hyogo that I'll be sure to check out next time!<br />
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<br />spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-7647410690802462232012-05-24T22:36:00.001-07:002012-05-26T19:52:51.842-07:00Spring Break and Golden WeekI think it's pretty apparent by now that I love to travel. One of the best opportunities about the JET Program IS the opportunity to travel - and not only Japan, but all of Asia and the Pacific! (which is huge if you didn't know, hehe). However, because of school schedules and limited amounts of <i>nenkyuu </i>(PTO), you really have to do everything in your power to take advantage of those opportunities when they present themselves. Spring Break (the time between the end of the Japanese school year and the beginning of the next school year) is two weeks long and it is usually an expected time for JETs to request time off to travel. Golden Week comes a month or so later and although the schools don't have the whole week off, again, JETs are usually allowed to take necessary days off to make it a whole week without a problem. I carefully considered my options of places to go factoring in budget and nenkyuu months in advanced, but I also heard of people who managed to whip up a trip last minute. I could go into great detail about every facet of these trips, but I'm going to give more of an overview that would jog my memory for future references and yet still give my readers an idea of the place, as well as my experiences there.<br />
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<b>SPRING BREAK!</b></div>
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Who: My good Aussie friend and fellow JET in Tamba.</div>
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What: Travel-mode! </div>
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Where: Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand.</div>
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When: March 25th, 2012 - April 2nd, 2012.</div>
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Price: Around $1,300 USD each.</div>
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Knowing that I wanted to explore several places in a short amount of time, I was lucky enough to rope my friend into joining me on a whirlwind tour through Southeast Asia. We both agreed on our itinerary while keeping in mind safety and a loose budget. Discussing this beforehand really helped ensure our trip go smoothly especially considering the madness surrounding three countries, four cities, four hostels, and six plane rides in eight days. We stuck to the strictly tried-and-true tourist attractions for safety reasons, and understanding that we didn't allot enough time in each city for losing ourselves among the locales. We spent $1,300 each (including everything!) which is great in my opinion since we never once had a moment where we couldn't do/buy something because of money. In fact, we went shopping, took taxis, and went on tours as often as we pleased. The trick to this is booking early with LCC (low cost carrier) airlines like AirAsia and booking hostels (with good ratings and reviews) on sites like Hostelworld. We got some great deals on flight prices and booked the most 'expensive' private rooms in hostels (which were still only $25/night total). Something else we had to do beforehand was look into tourist visas needed (which we did need for Vietnam) and currency exchange information. If done properly and with enough time, these are not a big headache. </div>
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<b>Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia</b></div>
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We didn't originally plan to go to Malaysia, but it turned out this way when KL was the stop-over for all of our AirAsia flights anyway thus, we worked in a day to see what we could. After arriving at our hostel and showering, we headed out to lunch before seeing a popular nearby religious site, the Batu Caves. It was a straight shot from the main train line and less than a 5 minute walk from the station once we got there. The country is mostly Islamic but the caves are sacred to the Hindu faith. There is a great imposing, golden statue to greet you before you ascend over 150 steep steps to the cave. Along the way are wild monkeys who go from being cute one moment to screeching at you the next. I was nearly attacked for just glancing at one, but I screeched as loud as he did when he chased me so I maybe that stunned him long enough for me to escape. (Words of caution: don't look them in the eyes...) Once at the top, the wide open cavern is filled with Hindu artifacts in statue and painting forms. Ironically, in Japan I find all aspects of religious sites interesting to look at, but in this site I was less than impressed with the blue people in the paintings and instead was completely taken with the intricacies of the cave. It was a really cool place and fun time that set the tone for the rest of our trip. Later that night, we made our way to KL's famous Petronas Towers. There is a huge mall at the bottom of it that we wished we had more time to spend in, but at least we did see the main attraction: the twin towers. I'm a fan of popular city towers in general, but the twin towers of KL were the first to leave me in awe. In every sense of the word, they are spectacular and when those two are lit up at night, people stop and stare. The people we met were incredibly nice, but some guys were a little too comfortable approaching strangers for chit chat. Whatever their intentions, some people need to realize how creeper it looks to approach two younger women when you're a 40-something-year-old man just wanting to 'practice your English.' Overall though, we really enjoyed our short stay in Malaysia and want to come back just to shop!<br />
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<b>Hanoi, Vietnam</b></div>
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Hanoi is known as the old city in Vietnam, especially when compared to Ho Chi Minh City, the ultra modern capital. Right out of the airport we were approached by a slew of taxi drivers asking us to ride with them. We arranged a pickup but they were no where to be found so we just picked a cabby and hoped for the best. Our hostel here was the best out of the four. It was more a hotel than a hostel since it had a complimentary buffet breakfast, wood floors, and a flat screen television in the room. At breakfast and other places, I was surprised to find that Vietnamese food turned out to be my favorite food during the trip (when I thought for sure it would be Thai food). We were staying in Hanoi's Old Quarters, a well-known touristy part of the city. Venders would run up to you balancing their goods in baskets and unless you just walked away, telling them "No thank you" was not enough to deter them. Here, we also had to re-learn how to cross the street. Besides not really having any driving lanes, pedestrians embrace the notion of 'right-of-way' since they walk out into traffic and people just have to avoid them. There are no crosswalk signals and few traffic signals that you can actually go by, so this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlyOom0bwwY">walking in traffic</a> (vid with the link!) technique was our only option. It goes against all instinctual feelings but it really works. For the next two days, we booked a tour through our hostel to the World Heritage Site, Ha Long Bay. Simply put, it was amazing. This place is made up of thousands of small islands that stick up out of the water like icebergs, all jagged and close together. They looked like green-carpeted icebergs to me, but the name actually means 'descending dragon bay' so I guess they're supposed to look like scales on a dragon's back. Anyways, we went out on a Junk Boat (a traditional Vietnamese boat) and stayed overnight with only a few other travelers. We ate all of our meals together, family dining style which allowed us to share our experiences and make friends. The tour included kayaking on the bay too. Stopping in the middle of the bay, just looking around and feeling the silence on your ears was one of those moments that made me step back and realize where I was and how awesome it was. The next day we went to one of the many caves found in the bay. This one was the biggest and most impressive hence it's name, 'The Amazing Cave.' The rock formations and size of it were most impressive and colored lights made the whole place very ethereal. The tour on Ha Long Bay was probably the best highlight of the trip for me.<br />
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<b>Bangkok, Thailand</b></div>
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Before going to Bangkok, words that I heard used to describe it were crazy, hot, and dangerous. I can confirm all three are true, hehe. The security at the hostels were tightest in Thailand and we heard of a terrorist incident on the train lines after we left. Even being from Miami, the heat in Bangkok was no joke. There isn't a lingering sea breeze in the air for relief like in my hometown; instead hot air just blows in your face most of the time. On such a day, we set out to see the three most famous temples via water taxi on and both agree that The Grand Palace, The Temple of Dawn, and The Temple of the Reclining Buddha are just as beautiful and best remembered in our pictures. lol. Way more fun for two girls living in the countryside Japan were the amazing malls! They are the largest, most intricate, most diverse malls I have ever seen! One night, we went to the <a href="http://www.siamparagon.co.th/v9/">Siam Paragon</a> mall who's slogan is accurately put as 'the shopping phenomenon.' It was nine floors of every store and brand you can imagine with the top floor being a movie theater that has an IMAX and 4-D theater. After deciding on a place to eat out of the hundred provided in the food court (not an exaggeration), we eagerly went to see <i>The Hunger Games</i> in 4D. Not only for the experience but also because Japan is incredibly slow at getting any movie I want to see. Yes, specifically whatever *<b>I*</b> want to see. (why, Japan, why?) The experience was like having the rumble pack for the N64 console combined with being the in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stitch%27s_Great_Escape%21">Stich's Great Escape</a> ride at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. My friend found it distracting, and maybe I would have too if I didn't already know the plot of the movie. The next night, we went to another huge mall called <a href="http://www.bangkok.com/shopping-mall/terminal21.htm">Terminal 21</a>. This one had the bargains Thailand is famous for as well as winning the best themed mall award in my book. The mall is styled like an airport with escalators being the arrival and departure gateways. Each floor is a different global destination with the whole floor being decked out in the theme of that country. They went above and beyond capturing the feeling of each of the destinations as I can confirm 3 out of the 6 cities. On the last night, I got a Thai massage mostly because I wanted to be able to confirm if they were all they are talked up to be - they're not. Maybe if you're a guy you'd enjoy it, but I was less than impressed with the quality of the massage and quite.. in shock by the experience in general. I guess you could say I got what I was looking for but we'll just leave it at that, lol.<br />
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<b>Phuket, Thailand</b></div>
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Although we were all about traveling and seeing the sights, we did want to have some typical spring break activities. In Phuket, we made it a point to do two things: ride an elephant and go the beach. What we didn't specify was how good of an elephant ride or how long at the beach we wanted to go. The elephant ride was not what we were expecting. 'Jungle Trek' in the tour pamphlet meant walking around someone's plantation and the other 'features' of the tour were campy as my friend put it. However, for the time that I was actually riding on the elephant's head, rubbing his ears, and being totally vulnerable to his power so it was worth it, but I'd do it again for a better overall experience with the elephant. That evening, I went to Patong Beach at sunset and just people watched. There again, while in paradise, I had another moment of profound reflection of where I was and how awesome it was to be there. The next day we did a tour out to Phi Phi Island. After the intimate feel of the Junk Boat tour in Vietnam, I found this tour boat to be overcrowded and full of snobs. One guy even took our seats (ours because our stuff was on them) and shamelessly smirked the whole time while talking to his friends like we weren't even there. It's ok, I'm comforted with the knowledge that karma is always on my side and had a great day. The tour itself gave us a good mix. We stopped at a bay made famous by its appearance in the movie, <i>The Beach</i>, snorkeled in some of Thailand's world famous snorkeling/scuba waters, and then got to stretch out on a gorgeous beach in the middle of nowhere for some much needed tanning. Getting a tan on spring break was a high priority for me, so I was quite happy about that (the little things, lol). Phuket, as naturally beautiful as it was, could also lower itself at times to be like any other tropical destination that I've been to - Cozumel, Bahamas, Grand Cayman. I tire of the ultra-touristy feeling spots in favor of some authentic local surroundings like what we saw in the Old Quarters of Hanoi. I can't begrudge the availability of smoothies in this tropical location though..since returning I have been craving them non-stop!</div>
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Arriving back in Japan was bittersweet. It meant I was no longer seeing new and exotic places but it also meant I wasn't worried about safety, sanitation, or speaking the native tongue. However, I can't wait to see more of Southeast Asia one day! Only this time, I'm going remember to make time for sleep!<br />
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<b>GOLDEN WEEK!</b></div>
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Who: Lover boy.<br />
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What: Vacay-mode! </div>
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Where: Okinawa, Japan.</div>
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When: April 30th, 2012 - May 4th, 2012.</div>
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How much: About 80,000 YEN each.</div>
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Okinawa for Golden Week, along with Sapporo for the Snow Festival and Climbing Mt. Fuji are the top three on my 'to-do list' for Japan this time around. If you're keeping track, I now have 2 out of 3 completed - woohoo! After the whirlwind that was Spring Break, I knew I wanted some real R&R for Golden Week. With that in mind, I planned to see the local sites but also left whole days open to wandering. Since Golden Week is a specific week it leaves little flexibility in terms of planning, so I just had to hope for good weather and decent prices. I was a little bummed when I found out most of the week would be cloudy and rainy, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Remembering how hot Bangkok was, I couldn't imagine the humidity coupled with bright sunny days. If that had been the case, we would have just wanted to be inside in the A/C instead of wandering around. And it worked out perfectly, because we were fortunate enough to have one perfect beach day while at gorgeous Ama Beach on Zamami Island. Okinawa is a different world from the rest of Japan. Their dialect is unintelligible to standard Japanese, their cities feel, again, like Caribbean port towns, and the American military influence is apparent as well. Their train system for getting tourists around the island is lacking (as in non existent), but at least in the capital of Naha, they had a great train line. Because of that, the trip Churaumi, a world-renowned aquarium, set us back 3 hours each way. However, Churaumi was amazing and is a must see! It has one of the largest aquarium tanks in the world that houses 3 huge whale sharks! The aquarium is part of the Ocean Expo Park so we also went next door to the Tropical Dream Center. It had the most beautiful orchids I've ever seen and a was a beautiful romantic stroll through the gardens. To see some Okinawan culture, we also went to Shuri Castle which, unlike other castles in Japan, is unique for being styled after Chinese architecture and one of the few remaining relics of the RyuKyu Kingdom (the inhabitants of Okinawa before Japan took over).<br />
For two days, we took a ferry to nearby Zamami Island as I read on all the sites that it was not to be missed - they were right. The island has only 500 inhabitants and is (of course) centered around the tourism it receives. As a side note, there's actually a JET placed on that island - crazy!! It's a famous location for whale watching, but unfortunately whale watching season had ended back in March. No matter, we greatly enjoyed lounging on their famous beaches, Furuzamami and Ama, seeing some incredible views from the cliff side, and, in my case, scuba diving for the first time! I was surprisingly nervous for this even though I love thrill seeking experiences, but passed with flying colors as the instructor said I did perfectly as a diver. I also had fun walking the beach by myself collecting some of the most incredible shells I've ever seen (in a store or on a beach). We were out there so long on the nice sunny day that we got sunburned but it was totally worth it. Zamami was also a perfect example of a tropical destination that doesn't feel like all the rest. Its local culture shines through without any of the touristy gimmicks. It was a perfect holiday.<br />
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I know that when I look back on this time, I will be happier about the things I did than the things I didn't do. You have to take the good with the bad and these experiences have made every time I've been homesick or frustrated with work so worth being here. Until the next adventure! (hint: it's last one on the list!!)</div>
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spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-31006629751067762472012-04-24T19:29:00.003-07:002012-04-26T17:56:14.756-07:00Enkais: All in a Day's Work<span style="font-family: arial;">An important feature of JET life that I haven't talked about yet is the enkai (宴会). Literally, meaning 'banquet' these are equivalent to a workplace office party. I don't really have a choice in the matter concerning payment for these big parties. Even if I expressed that I didn't want to go (perhaps in the interest of saving money), it would still be taken out of my paycheck. Even if I couldn't go for a legitimate reason like being sick or having another commitment, it would still be taken out of my paycheck. My attendance however is optional. Actually in most companies, attendance isn't required, but in Japan, a lot of things are "not required." However, as a foreigner, it isn't actually expected that I must go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">All enkais follow a general format of encouraging speeches, flowing alcohol, and lots of laughter. There's always a "kampai! (cheers!)" at the beginning which is led by the principal and a "banzai! banzai! banzai!" (hip hip hooray! or hurrah!) at the end. There's also the common practice of going around with bottles of beverages and filling each other's glasses. At an enkai, one should avoid pouring for themselves but instead pour for a coworker and wait for them to return the favor. In this case, seniority doesn't matter like it does in other aspects of Japanese culture. The only things that change are associated with the reason for having the enkai. i.e. holiday parties, beginning of the school year, farewell/welcome parties. Some special features I've seen at enkais so far include karaoke, speeches by honored individuals, giveaway games, special recognition given to individuals, and a game of London Bridge - with a twist. To elaborate on that last one, the teachers made a long chain of London Bridge with the teachers who were being recognized going under it. At the end, some of the stronger male teachers hoisted them up one at a time and tossed them up in the air. I was definitely surprised to my proper coworkers THAT loosened up, haha! But it really is great to see them relax and take a well-deserved break.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">I don't know about other workplaces in Japan, but at my high school, a ¥3,000 (USD 37.00) enkai fee is taken out of my paycheck every month which goes towards paying my share of the party. This goes for everyone at my school, so considering we have two major enkais a year, I estimate about ¥12,000-21,000 per person. It's quite pricey if you think about it, but at least it holds its weight. With almost 80 staff members, my school has to rent out a large dining hall to accommodate us all. ($$$) Either this includes a bus service or they pay extra, but this bus takes us to and from school. ($$$) This is provided 1) for convenience and 2) so that people can drink to their heart's content (since Japan has a 0% tolerance policy on driving and alcohol). Also, so far it's been the case that the food is top notch even if <i>I'm</i> not a fan of everything. ($$$)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">At my first enkai in December, right before the winter holidays, the organizers used part of the money to go towards gifts for everyone which they then made a game out of for entertainment. Everyone received something. ($$$) The game was to have our seat numbers chosen at random and then the person selected one of the wrapped gifts at the front of the room. The most expensive gift in the pile was an iPod and the cheapest couple of gifts at the end were boxes of fancy chocolates. To everyone's amusement, I picked out an electric shaver for men and acted like I was thrilled. Later, I traded it with a male teacher for a personal massager - win/win.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">At my second enkai in April, after the start of the new school year, we had a 12 course sit down meal. In reality it was too much food, but I wanted to try everything. (I later paid for my gluttonous ways, but I regret nothing!) Unbeknownst to me, this was also the farewell party for some of my teachers who were being transferred to new schools (I'll explain this shortly). Usually if this were the case back home, some sort of goodbye card would have been passed around beforehand for everyone to sign or we would have pitched in for a surprise farewell gift; thus when I realized what was going on, I was lamenting the fact that I didn't get anything for some of my favorites. But then I was saved by the enkai fund! Each of the teachers who were leaving received a bouquet of flowers, a plaque of recognition, and a gift card that they knew came from everyone's pockets. ($$$)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">So this farewell party came as a surprise to me because it is commonly known in Japanese schools that in the short time between the end of the school year in March and the beginning of the new term in April, several teachers will be transferred and new arrivals will come in. I was away for a week during the spring break and in that week, my teachers had been replaced with new ones. We also switched desks around in the staff room and I'm not particularly fond of my new place, but oh well. I was extremely uncomfortable for a about a week with all of the changes. After eight months of adapting to a new work environment and becoming confident with my place in this Japanese school, I suddenly I felt unsure about what was expected of me all over again. Once more, I gave my self-introduction</span><span style="font-family: arial;">, met the new teachers, and adapted to the classes. I also was sad to say goodbye to people I basically just met and really liked. They had helped me get settled in and were friendly, familiar faces that I may never see again. At least I got to say a proper goodbye thanks to the farewell enkai! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">I intend to find out, but at the moment I still don't understand why teachers are transferred - do they put in a request? Is it random? Can they say no? From the speeches at the enkai, I know that all of them had been at my school for different amounts of times. The shortest was two years and the longest was twenty-two years. So it's not a matter of "your time has come." Also, many of them seem to be really inconvenienced by <i>where </i>their new school(s) are (sometimes up to two hours away from their home). So better said, I don't know <i>why </i>certain teachers are transferred, but I do know what the thought process is behind this madness. It's considered a way of spreading the talent. Japan isn't an individually competitive society, but instead likes to make sure there's more of a mutual benefit going around. The theory is if there's a bad teacher you can hope that they'll be replaced by a good teacher soon thus sharing everyone's strengths and weaknesses in the education system and making sure no one becomes complacent. I see a lot of flaws in this but have been enlightened to the benefits as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">That last part was a bit of a rabbit trail from the original purpose of this post, but relevant all the same...</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Banzai! Banzai! Banzai! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Here are some pictures that I snapped with my phone (Already being a <i>gaijin </i>in a sea of Japanese people, I didn't want to stand out more with my shiny red camera, hehe)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span>spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-35686024559190746502012-03-21T21:28:00.002-07:002012-03-21T21:28:37.525-07:00It's the Most Wonderful Time of the YearI'm talking about the end of the school year here in Japan. If you're not familiar, the school year in Japan is very different from what we have in the States (and elsewhere I'm sure). There are three semesters per school year with several smaller breaks in between (the shortest being 2 weeks and the longest being 6 weeks). Comparing this to the three month summer students back home are accustomed to, these smaller breaks are probably better for retaining subject matter since your brain doesn't have much time to stuff it in a back drawer. However, having cherished these three months of bliss every year during my primary education, I can't approve of this in good conscious. Plus I think it makes the end of the year more exciting instead of, "oh, I'll be back in two weeks. whatever." <br />
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However, as a teacher, it's been pretty great. Especially in this third semester which is broken up into two parts by the winter holidays. Before the holiday break, everything was normal. After the break though, everything has been a drawn-out process of winding the semester down. The kids have review classes, then a week of tests, more review, college entrance exams, rehearsals for graduation, special assemblies, and best of all, half days! I'm not needed fore most of this which has left me to my own devices at work and early afternoons back home. Others may have similar situations, but this has been mine and is not indicative to what the average JET experiences, even in my immediate area. Some reasons may be because:<br />
1. I have high school (whatever unique set of circumstances that entails)<br />
2. I can hit my apartment with a rock from the school (thus I go home for lunch <strike><i>and </i></strike><i><strike>NEVER COME BACK</strike></i>)<br />
3. Pure luck! (Some other JETs I know have great perks, so this must be mine).<br />
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My fellow teachers are of course running around doing things but even they've been more relaxed in general just hanging out, browsing websites, reading the newspaper, or chatting. In any case, this is definitely my new favorite time of year since I can't foresee class in the blistering heat of summer and lack of air conditioning trumping this cozy, undisturbed time in the staff room.<br />
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Just to add some color, here is a picture from the aforementioned graduation ceremony.<br />
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<br />spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-58927552460995128932012-03-12T19:50:00.000-07:002014-11-08T05:18:40.739-08:00Winter in Japan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I did a <a href="http://spjetsetter.blogspot.com/2011/11/fall-in-japan.html">Fall in Japan</a> post and hadn't intended to follow it up with the other seasons but here we are. I rather enjoy expressing my reactions to the seasons in Japan, because I come from a place that only knows 'hot' and 'hotter' for seasons.<br />
Just like in fall, Japan's select winter foods, products, festivals, and clothing are everywhere. Conversations turn to heaters, <i>kotatsus </i>(heated table), <i>nabemono </i>a.k.a <i>nabe </i>(stew)<i> </i>parties, snow festivals, holidays, snowboarding and skiing, crab season, and <i>onsens</i> (hot springs). I've found that when activities become available for a limited time (i.e. snowboarding), it makes the activity that much more fun. Like where I'm from in Miami, we can go to the beach anytime so ironically we hardly do (sorry, that's kind of a misconception for people who don't live in Miami). But in Japan (and other places with proper seasons I suppose), the activities associated with that season become something to look forward to and gives you something to do every weekend. I'm really enjoying that aspect of having real seasons.<br />
These pictures capture most of what I talked about above as well as typical fun in the snow stuff that I never did growing up. All except for the last two snowboarding pictures were taken around my apartment. The Japanese landscape covered in snow, especially in the countryside is breathtaking. I've excluded pictures from my trip to the <a href="http://spjetsetter.blogspot.com/2012/03/sapporo-snow-festival.html">Sapporo Snow Festival</a> since I dedicated a whole post to that.<br />
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<br />spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-86282188857068177272012-03-04T21:28:00.002-08:002012-03-04T21:28:54.192-08:00Sapporo Snow FestivalThe was so excited to go to world famous Sapporo Snow Festival, known in Japan as the Yuki Matsuri. It was near the top of my things to do/places to go list during my time in Japan. I went with my bf and had plans to meet some other friends once we got up there. This is such a popular event that many JETs will most likely make their way there in early February, so it's a good time to coordinate some hang out time with friends from other prefectures.<br />
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Before arriving, I made all of my plans through Skymark airlines (a low cost domestic airline in Japan) and Rakuten Travel (great travel site in Japan since they don't require a Japanese credit card to reserve a booking). This is a huge festival so I made sure to do my research beforehand and asked others who have gone to give me some tips. This kind of preparation makes the most of trip and limits your expenses. Also, being from Miami, I was actually scared of how cold it would be on this northern most island of Japan. So I went out, bought the proper winter gear (thick socks, feather-jackets, hats, gloves, snow boots) and hoped it was enough. Thankfully, this was enough to keep me from freezing but at no point was I warm really. One day was so cold that I had to insert hot packets in my gloves and shoes which helped a lot..<br />
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This was the 63rd Yuki Matsuri and as usual, it was spread over 3 sites. The main Odori Site is where the largest snow sculptures are along with food and vendors. The Susukino Site had ice sculptures and is located in Sapporo's lively downtown district (very close to the Odori Site). And last, the Tsu Dome site is farther away and requires a shuttle bus (or a couple of train rides) to get to. This site is a family friendly place with lots of snow slides and other activities for the whole family. It took my friends and I a whole day just to cover the Odari Site for three reasons: 1.Sapporo T.V. Tower sits at one end so going up it provides a nice view of the park. 2. We wanted to see the sculptures both during the day as well as lit up at night and 3. It was so unbelievable cold that we just had to take breaks indoors every once in a while. The other two sites could both be covered done in a day.<br />
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Aside from the festival, I wanted to see more of Sapporo and Hokkaido while I was there. If you didn't think of it already, Sapporo is has a famous beer brand by the same name, so we ventured out to the Sapporo Beer Museum. I was surprised to find that it was more of a compound than just the museum. The museum portion was great. It was free to get into, not crowded, and short enough to keep your interest the whole time. In another part of the compound were the dining halls. I had read about Genghis Khan style dining being popular in Sapporo, so how much better can mounds of meat get than with some Sapporo beer? It can't. There were several halls but we happened to pick the best one - the Genghis Khan hall. The layout is that of a great medieval mead hall and the food was amazing! This dining style is all about the grill. It's a helmet-shaped, iron skillet where you drape the meat over the elevated middle portion and scatter the vegetables off to the side so they cook but not burn. Between three of us, we tried all kinds of meats, veggies, and side platters. Needless to say, we left there full and happy.<br />
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Another deviation from the snow festival was to a nearby town called Otaru. This small, coastal town is known for a beautiful snow light up they do at the same time as the Yuki Matsuri. We took a fairly inexpensive train ride (800en) that got us there in 45 minutes. Going back to what I said about preparation, my friend had talked to someone who had done some glass blowing in Otaru. Glass souvenirs are in all of the shops but without this knowledge, we never would have know that you could have this more unique experience of making your own glass souvenir. Although you need a reservation for this kind of workshop, our pretty faces got us in on the same day (It was either that or because we are <i>gaijin </i>(foreigners) who had that hopeful and confused puppy look). I expected to do more than what we actually did, but I guess it's understandable considering how much skill is necessary for this kind of thing. Our instructor did all of the work with the molten liquid magma stuff while we blew the air that stretched it out and eventually cut if off the pole it was attached to. They needed time to cool so they were shipped to us later that week. I was happy to find that it indeed did have that wabi-sabi, personal touch to it that makes it my beautifully unique, imperfect creation.<br />
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The light up itself was enchanting. At first it was snowing pretty heavily which was not ideal for pictures and walking without being pelted in the face, but it stopped after about 20 minutes. People were casually strolling through the scene, stopping to take pictures and being considerate of others by waiting in make-shift lines at popular spots. I especially liked how many of the scenes were set up with photos in mind. Otaru was probably the coldest I was the whole trip but definitely worth it.<br />
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The last place we ventured out to was another recommendation that I never would have know about otherwise. It was a Northern Safari that was about 1 hour and 30 minutes outside of the city via train, bus, and then shuttle bus. At first, my feelings were slightly conflicted about this place because many of the animals we saw there were completely out of their element and out in the cold just for our enjoyment. However, this kind of set up is nothing that I would ever get to experience in America and they all looked to be in good health. You were allowed to just approach the animals at your own risk without supervision. You could pet them and feed them with food that was left there (paid for on the honor system). We saw different types of owls, foxes, goats, rabbits, and monkeys. Also, other animals like a snake, piglets, ponies, meerkats, an alpaca, a giant raccoon, capybaras, a zebra, an ostrich, emus and an armadillo. Now, before you get all animal rights activist about this place, all of the animals had shelter and those that were completely out of their element were in heated enclosures. The safari wasn't crowded so we had as much time as we wanted with each of them. All in all, I had a great time going around petting and feeding animals that I never expected have such a close encounter with.<br />
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Hokkaido is known for it's great food, especially seafood and dairy products, but there weren't enough meals to try everything unfortunately.. One of the local delicacies we did get to try was butter ramen. It's much like the usual ramen except for the quarter stick of delicious Hokkaido-churned butter on top and a few added ingredients. I was very glad to try this as we were basically on our way out waiting at the train station.<br />
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I would recommend for anyone, anywhere to go to Sapporo and the Yuki Matsuri, but especially ALTs who are in the perfect position to do so. It's worth your precious nenkyuu (paid leave) and whatever amount you need to spend. I guarantee that it will be always be remembered as one of the highlights of your time in Japan.<br />
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<br />spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-85172289360241632502011-11-29T22:35:00.001-08:002012-03-11T23:28:05.267-07:00Update on the Teaching ExperienceWe are now in January and I am back to sitting on my round rump here in the staff room. At the beginning, I faintly promised an update on how I've adapted to teaching English to my Japanese students (you know? the whole <i>reason </i>I'm here).<br />
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I went back and read my original post on the matter and unfortunately, not too much has changed other than my getting accustomed to it. Sadly, I haven't learned all of my students names. Not even ten to be honest. In something of a defense, they are NEVER said aloud! I could tell you some of their last names though since that's how they call on them. I am though a bit more structured since my first couple of lessons and know what the teachers expect from me now. At my base school, Hikami, I am basically a human tape recorder and someone to bounce ideas between. In most of my classes here, I prepare very little and just do as I'm told in class which includes: writing sentences from the text book, talking about my weekend, thinking of easier synonyms to help the students with a difficult word, having them repeat vocabulary after me, etc. The times I've been able to plan a lesson on my own have been for holidays, my self-introduction, and a presentation on my volunteer trip to Tohoku. My JTE seems to enjoy those times but is content with leaving it at that. When I'm not teaching, I've been asked to grade papers, tutor students, and coach the speech contest contestants. I was also asked to join a commerce class I would ordinarily never go to, but because they were doing a class project on creating a company and dealing with foreign investors, I was the choice foreigner to have mock meetings and practice formal emails with. When I'm not doing any of these things I'm at my desk doing, well, this. Some people would rather be put to good use, but I really appreciate having a lot of down time to catch up with my own interests. My fellow ALTs nearby at ES/JHS have an average of five classes a day while I usually have three.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Where I spend some of my time</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Where I spend most of my time</span></td></tr>
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At my visit school, Hikami Nishi (HN), I play a more active role. I'm not sure if it's because the teachers there want the pressure taken off of them a bit or if they were told to use me as much as possible, but I definitely work harder at that school. Again, an average of three classes when I'm there but each one is a challenge on its' own. The school is very small (85 students) and has a low level of English language skills thus I sometimes teach the same kids twice in a day and have to come up with separate lessons while trying to keep it in context with the textbooks. I teach all three levels here as opposed to my predominantly second year (10th grade) students in Hikami. These kids are also... less inclined we'll say...to learning English and are usually disruptive during my lessons to a point. In efforts to keep them interested, I try to mix up my lessons. For Thanksgiving, I even played a Charlie Brown special to do something different but they still talked through most it. They're not bad kids, just a bit skeptical about how practical English will be for them in the future so put very little effort. I had been warned about this attitude before arriving in the countryside. I had been told that these kids are most likely going to stay in their towns and take up their family's business or farm, so they see little value in learning English. Sad, but I'm sure we were all just as stubborn and naive when we were their age.<br />
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In both schools, I've added some fun elements here and there where I can. For example, I had them help me make hand turkeys to give away to the kids I was visiting during my volunteer trip. They seemed to enjoy that. I also gave out candy for Halloween and Christmas, making them say 'trick-or-treat' for the former and getting all the answers correct to a word scramble for the latter. I've put stickers on their papers which I then see them remove and attach to their pen cases. I've played pictionary and hangman with a couple of classes. I interact with them when they ask me what movies, actors, singers, anime, manga I like. I visited each of their classes stalls during the cultural festival and bought something. I have no doubt that they are fond of me but I do doubt how much English they're retaining.<br />
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So far I would say that this experience has taught me a lot about patience, resourcefulness, and adaptability. I honestly don't feel built to be a teacher but have had my fun experiences during this time. As the school year progresses, I also learn more about the Japanese school system which was somewhat of a gap in all my collegiate studies. In April, the new school year will start bringing in new students and changing my schedule completely. If much changes, I'll update again!spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-25629350731566697742011-11-29T22:34:00.003-08:002012-03-11T23:29:23.182-07:00Volunteering in TohokuWhen I first heard about the events of March 11th in Japan, I was in shock. This wasn't happening in my country but in one that I loved just as much. The sheer devastation and loss of human life was being transmitted to me from all directions - the news, YouTube, photos, iPhone apps, and friends who were being directly affected.<br />
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I wanted to do something even though I was far away, so with help, I was able to organize a bake sale fundraiser that was a big success on a small scale. When I learned that I would indeed be coming back to Japan via the JET Program, I knew that I eventually wanted to travel to Tohoku to see it all for myself. <br />
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Unfortunately, many of the volunteer trips either took place in the summer before I had arrived, or required too many days. I knew I could always make a trip for myself but I didn't just want to see it, I also wanted to help in some way. Just as I was about to give up until the spring, a post in one of the many JET affiliated Facebook groups gave me the perfect opportunity. An individual by the name of Naomi Murakami acts on her own to help the people of Tohoku. All the way from Hyogo Prefecture, she contacts groups and organizations on her own and offers to be of service. She enlists the help of others who are also interested and together, they put up their own time and money to plan different excursions and ways to volunteer.<br />
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On this occasion, we were introduced and the three of us traveled together to Sendai, Matsushima, and Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture. We were only there for a total of two days, but I really felt like we accomplished what we set out to do and contributed, albeit in a small way, to the recovery efforts. </div>
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We headed out early Saturday morning from Itami airport in Osaka and two hours later were in Sendai Airport. From the air, we could see how the coast was completely flattened, but once we got closer, we could see that it was a bed of trees that had been completely bent by the force of the tsunami. Upon seeing the distinguishable wavy architecture of the Sendai airport roof, I was immediately reminded of a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_6iDBoOvb0">YouTube video</a> I saw that showed the airport being completely inundated and large aircraft carriers being swept away like toys. The interior though portrayed none of that as rebuilding modes of transportation were a top priority in the weeks following the disasters. </div>
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We rented a car and met up with Naomi's friend, Reiko Kamisaka who is a copy writer<span style="color: red;"></span> in Natori city. She led us just outside the airport where the devastation was immediate. The airport and the immediate surrounding area were among the hardest hit in Sendai. The sheer emptiness of the place makes you almost feel like you're on a construction site, but instead of partially built homes, you see partially destroyed ones... Also, now that I am a teacher and because most Japanese schools look similar, seeing schools in the damage was especially difficult. </div>
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From this point, we headed to a Natori City's important cultural property that dates back from the Edo Period of Japan (1603-1868). The couple that maintain's the building is a friend of Reiko's and so she offered to give us a private tour. The building is an amazing relic from a time long ago that was fortunately spared but not without some damage.<br />
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Although we went to Tohoku to volunteer, I was glad we had some extra time to see things like this in order to gain a full appreciation for where we were and how these areas were affected. Next though we did head out to where we were scheduled to volunteer; at the Sendai Shichigou Shimin Center, a kind of day care for kids. We were joined by another volunteer group who happened to be there the same day called Bouken Hiroba and Smile Japan. Many of these children were from nearby Shichigou Elementary School where we heard from the adults that many of them watched their friends be carried away by the tsunami. I say heard from the adults because the kids don't like to talk about it. Not that we were prying, but when they asked why we were there, we would explain. Trying to add to the conversation, they would make a comment about where their mom or dad was, but when we would ask about themselves, they would change the subject. Reminding them of that day was not what we were there for, so we proceeded to have a full day of playing games, eating snacks, singing songs, and giving them little presents. </div>
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For me, the <i>whole point of this trip</i> was that even if the people we came across didn't put it into words, I hope that somehow they internalized the message that they're not alone. People from other parts of Japan, even us from the other side of world, want to see them recover they best they can and have a happy life.</div>
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A story that has stayed with me since I left, is that of this man pictured here in the red jacket. His name is Makoto Suzuki and he is a worker for Sendai City Hall. He lost his wife and his wife's family in the tragic events. He told us this over lunch which he insisted on treating us to. His work now is primarily trying to relocate people and re-appropriate the damaged areas. However, he is constantly met with opposition from the people themselves because they are reluctant to leave and want to rebuild instead. On the weekends he lends his time to doing this kind of volunteer work as well. Naomi commented that since she last saw him, the weight of his burdens seemed more apparent on this shoulders. <span style="color: red;"></span>If this is is true, I fear for this man in a different way that need not be said. He is in my thoughts, and we plan to send him a Christmas card to continue the 'cheering spirit' we brought there.<br />
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Pictured above are some Thanksgiving hand turkey cards I had my students make for these kids. Although both the givers and receivers where not entirely sure what a turkey was, my high school students enjoyed coloring for a change and these kids enjoyed laughing at the "creative" cards they saw. I mean, do these look like turkeys to you?! haha! At least they got the 'cheering' message across..</div>
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That night, we went to dinner by Sendai Station. While in search of a Starbucks in the station, I came across a most fitting exhibition showcasing before-and-after and recovery effort pictures from the disasters. Although I couldn't read the descriptions, I knew enough kanji to figure out where and what was happening in the pictures. I had seen pictures like this on the internet before, but now that I had actually been to some of these places, it was even more shocking. From looking at these pictures I realized a couple of things that I hadn't realized before - the extent of the damage and the incredible progress. Some before pictures showed islands and inlets of the area that are just <b>gone </b>now - not damaged, but underwater. Also, I mentioned before how modes of transportation were the top priority to be repaired, but it was amazing to see the kind of efficiency with which this was carried out! The example below shows that in <b>two days </b>this mangled road was brand new.<br />
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The next day, we woke early to head the two hours north to Ishinomaki. Although the tsunami's damage spread across three prefectures and many towns, Ishinomaki experienced the most damage and <a href="http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105788">loss of life</a>. We set out to a temporary housing facility called Higashi Matsushima Hibiki Kasetsu Juutaku to make ourselves of use in any way possible. We arrived and after surveying the grounds briefly, we were asked to help move kotatsus (heated tables), blankets, and heaters from the storage room to the place where residents could pick them up for use. Afterwards, we went about cleaning the community center of the facilities since the people who work there are much too busy with other things. Another small volunteer group was there offering free facials and other spa-like treatments to the women tenants. I think little things like that help take people's minds off of their troubles and makes them feel good, even if only for a little while. We noticed on the map of the grounds that some houses were bigger than others. We figured these must be for families while smaller rooms are for couples or singles. Either way, the houses are not that big or allow for much privacy as they are paper thin. November is not the coldest month but we were already distributing the kotatsus and such because the temporary homes also do little to keep out the cold.<br />
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These people are the ones that lost everything. They are starting from scratch. Many have been asked to go live with family in other parts of the country if they can, but understandably, many don't want to leave their town or be a burden to their other family members. Most of these people used to work along the coast and their jobs are now too far away to commute to. They get meager stipends (¥40,000 or about $515 for three months) of relief from the government that are not reasonable at all to actually live on, just maybe to get by. Naomi explained to us that a lot of the donated money is still sitting with the charities that collected them as they are still finding the best way to distribute it evenly and use it most efficiently. Like I said, this disaster affected a very wide area. It is not as simple as giving it to one town or community. We're talking huge cities like Sendai down to small fishing villages like Minamisanriku. These are also some of the problems that Makoto is faced with. It is a daunting task, but these people need help if they are to move on with their lives.<br />
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Above are pictures of people work there (with the exception of the tenant who is picking up supplies). The older man in the green vest is affectionately called 'Otousan' (Dad) and we were essentially working with his group, Yappshi Tohoku, that day. The bottom picture shows Naomi with an older couple who decided to reopen their grocery store on the housing property for the convenience of the residents. Seeing that we were volunteering, they gave us figs and tea. They really didn't have to but it goes to show how generous these people are even with the little that they have.<br />
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From there we had some time before we were scheduled to go to anther day care, so we were told that we should see some of the coast nearby. We headed to areas that were once known for their beautiful beaches, but are now devastated. Very near to each other were two extreme examples of tsunami preparedness. In the area of Oku Matsushima, the story had always been known of the tsunami that came and wiped out the town many years before. Heeding the moral of this well-known story, the residents waited for no warning after the earthquake before heading to high ground. <b>No one</b> in this village died. Close by though, many villagers in a town were not so fortunate. Littered beaches, piles of rubble, over-turned houses, people taking refuge in caves, lasting faith, hope to rebuild, four-legged survivors...these were just some of the things we saw on the coast.<br />
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The day care we went to in the afternoon, Chibikko, had few kids since it was a Sunday afternoon, but that allowed for more one-on-one time with the kids to be able to have snacks and play UNO. These kids are a true example of resilience. Because they are children, I will not say their names, but they were laughing and smiling with us when only a few months before, each of them had lost a parent and/or grandparents. Two of them were students of Kadowaki Elementary School where a fire had broke out during the earthquake and was then flooded by the tsunami. Seven of the classmates perished and they were forced to spend the night in the school since the flood waters hadn't receded. Throughout the night they heard pleas of help from other victims outside that gradually went quiet. Like a friend of mine said, no child should have to go through something like this but at least their time with us was spent laughing and being a kid. After we left the day care we were going to head straight to the airport, but they had told us that their former elementary school was close by so we went to take a look for ourselves. It is completely surreal to think of the terror those kids felt and then to see the place where it actually took place. I saw a couple with their arms around each other walking around the school grounds. I couldn't help but think that maybe they were the parents of one of those lost children or had maybe known them.<br />
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As the sun set, we made our way back to Sendai to get on a plane and head back to our reality where neighborhoods are intact and people are not weighed down by the memories of these most horrific events. Even in the same country, it's easy to forget about these people who have suffered so much while we go on about our daily lives as they struggle to do the same. My time there is one that I will carry with me and already value greatly, but I hope sharing my experience sheds light on the current state of things and spreads awareness of the ongoing need for recovery. For more pictures not seen on this blog, click <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100259034559648.2485046.18717114&type=1&l=0343891ef2">here</a>.<br />
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頑張ばれ東北!がんばるぞニッポン!!Do you best Tohoku! Do your best Japan!!<br />
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</div>spj's musingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046949645638418825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4771780701158852757.post-91367521610251596852011-11-29T22:34:00.001-08:002012-06-03T20:23:12.944-07:00Fall in Japan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Before we are any further into winter, I'd like to take a minute to comment on fall in Japan. It is beautiful!! Japan is often remarked as being a country that truly experiences all four seasons. Japan is well aware of this and thus there are many indications of what season you are in when you're in Japan. Seasonal foods, products, festivals, and clothing are just a few of the indicators that would let you know what season you're enjoying.<br />
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This was my first time experiencing a real fall season. I could feel the warmth slip from the days and realize I needed to start carrying a jacket around. The first time I had to bring out the heaters had me nervous since it was only November! How will I survive winter?! Anyways, although fall is literally happening everywhere, from the trees at my schools to the mountains in the distance on my ride home, Kyoto is one of the most popular places for autumn leaves (known as <i>koyo </i>in Japanese). The colorful trees are breathtaking enough but coupled with Kyoto's old corridors and ancient temple halls, it becomes a postcard in front of your eyes. See for yourself! I went to Tofukuji, Mt. Takao, Eikando, Shinnyodo, Manshuin, and Enkoji over a span of two days.<br />
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