walking nobly

mandy sent this quote to us last weekend. it still hasn't lost it's appeal to me...

"My mother is very sensitive to fashion. I can't reveal her age because she is mind about aging. She isn't so much young. Still, she is wearing miniskirts [insert hand-drawn picture of miniskirt here] and walking around crowded street nobly. Her way of life is ageless, so I respect her in terms of this. She has not cooked so often, but she is trying to cook as long as possible lately."

on that happy note, it's the weekend. i'm thrilled to sleep in tomorrow and then spend some quality time with cool people. tonight, before ann came over to watch a movie, i booked 3 nights of hostels and this amazing kayak tour for THAILAND* in exactly 3 weeks time i will be on my way to osaka. and 24 hours later cassie and i will be on our way to bangkok. it's definitely sinking in and i'm totally jazzed.

this morning i had a spectacular view of toyama's mountains. if i can get myself up early enough tomorrow i'll have a photo shoot from my balcony. seriously, i know now why himi people are so crazy about this place we live!

pursuit of trivia

i like random facts & details. it's one of my favorite way to know and be known. the nitty gritty of people are what makes us whole. and the nitty gritty of my life here continues to bring me great joy and fascination. i am definitely in pursuit of trivia.

i decided it's much easier to eat salad with chopsticks than a fork. i think i'll eat it that way whenever possible after leaving japan.

sometimes i think something is hysterical. and i laugh and laugh. and even minutes later, in the middle of teaching pronunciation, i laugh and laugh some more. it happened today when a kid said "the united station" instead of united states. my class was in stitches at my uncontrollable laughter :)

last night i rode the train home across from a super old lady who lives in my neighborhood. she has barely any teeth and consistently sucks her gums/ lips.

sometimes kids make me fall in love with them. and they have no clue they're doing it. [for example, the little tyke in the red shirt below!]

one of the things i miss most is english magazines. they cost about 16 bucks at the book store here. i just can't splurge.

every night i sleep with a hot water bottle at my feet. it takes the chill off my bed so i can fall asleep in my frigid apartment. the hot water bottle reminds me of being little at grandmom's house, for some reason.

many days i don't eat all of my school lunch. i'm no longer a polite guest of hokubu chugako.

i always want people to start a conversation, but i can very rarely understand even a tiny bit of their first sentence :/

i had no idea how strongly i felt about fall foliage. if winter never starts i'll be a happy camper.

4 exams

thanksgiving [yesterday for me] started out pretty sad. i was in a horribly lonely mood and wrote the following during first period at school.

... for as long as i can remember, the first snow was something worth celebrating. i'd go out, catch the flakes, make a wimpy snowball or two, and dance around like a kid. here there's no such luck. despite feeling and being treated like an ignorant child, i am a grown-up. i'm expected to sit solemnly at my desk doing nothing of consequence. all while my new world is being covered in white. when i was little, i'd have killed for snow on Thanksgiving. because even though it's meaningless here, today is Thanksgiving... i continue to be a walking contradiction. i teach my kids to speak English, but except on wednesdays, i make little attempt to learn the language which surrounds me. i hate feeling like a kid but i'd much rather hang out with students than teachers. i treasure the beauty of this place, but often feel trapped and somewhat stifled. some days i'm bored and underused; others i'm working like crazy from start to finish. and while i live for adventure, i desperately long for home...

the day got much better in the afternoon. my crazy teacher was asking me a question about my future goal of teaching elementary school. she said "in japan, it is not easy to be a teacher. we have to take a test. there are many people who want to be teachers, but they cannot." i said "oh, yeah, in new york it's difficult to be a teacher. you have to take a test, too." she said "but you cannot be a teacher when you go back to new york... you have to take a test to get certifications..." i was like "yeah, i can be a teacher immediately." she looked doubtful, so i explained "i have already taken 4 exams. i am certified to teach in new york. as soon as i go home next year i will be able to teach." she was SHOCKED!!! she told my other JTE and he was surprised as well. they both said "wow, you are very smart!! that's wonderful. wow!" [i was like, DER you crazies... i've been telling you all this time that i am a certified teacher! perhaps i should be irritated that they have refused to understand up till now, but mostly i was just glad. i'm glad they recognize i'm a well-educated, capable human being. i'm glad they see that i'm serious about teaching and am not just here for kicks. there may not be much change in how they utilize me in the classroom, but i think it makes a difference in mindset.]

* it was beautiful to be a part of virginia thanksgiving today. i talked to nearly all my extended family! <3

soon i'm off to a major thanksgiving-ish food fest, for which i attempted to make pasta salad.

how about it?

on tuesday, my crazy teacher was driving me to a demonstration lesson. she had to present in front of a bunch of teachers, and was really nervous. she started applying more makeup than she was already wearing, and we had a short conversation about the "use of cosmetics". i casually mentioned that my face has been breaking out more now that it's winter. without flinching, she said, "how about taking a shower?"

10 things i [love] about [japan]

10. cutie face kids singing & dancing around in costumes
9. nearly all adjectives in japanese end in the "i" sound [amazing!]
8. the mountains of my prefecture!!!
7. insanely gorgeous fall leaves
6. ethnic food in our capital city [nepalese, specifically]
5. the way my lack of a car encourages exercise & fresh air breathing
4. cute guys, whose ages i cannot determine unless they are wearing uniforms. in which case, they are way too young and i should be put in jail if i looked at them*
3. only getting stared at 1/2 the time on the train, instead of all the time
2. an amazing old-navy-esque clothing store called UNIQLO
1. my bike being left at the station, with the key in the lock [accidentally], and still being there more than 24 hours later!!!!

[want more evidence of my beautiful life? see "a few more photos"]

their true thoughts

... here are some more of my favorite excerpts from today's 3nensei diaries...

"i don't have a brother or sister. i'm a little lonely. i want to have cats or dogs. but the family opposes it."


"i went to AEON. i saw kelly. she was very cute!" <3

"my dog is full of energy. but i am tired and have no energy to do anything"

the next few are from the same guy; he's amazing! --the last is my absolute favorite. it made me want to die! i was cracking up and crying at the same time...

"I had a leisurely bath"

"I'll introduce my friend. my friend's name is Mr. Yubata (3-5). I'm friendly with him. And he's wise as an owl"

"I had a dog. My sister named her Purin. She was very cute. But she died in September 4th. I cried with grief. Purin, Thank You Very Much!!"

!!!!!

sashimi, please

[before...][after.]
[master of the demonstration!]
[me trying to avoid eating the lovely soup they made for us out of the chopped off fish heads.... mmmmmmm.... oishi.... & meanwhile, i'm wearing an apron that went to about my belly button]



soooooo today was the day i prepared you all for with yesterday's blog. please enjoy the photos from today's sashimi preparation time! [i'm leaving for manyo in a few minutes; i'm not sure how well my stomach is going to do after spending an hour cutting up my own giant fish this afternoon!]

as i read through the prepared speech for an elementary school teacher, the following line caught my eye: "i think we must help old people because they are dangerous"

one of my own students wrote this in her diary: "today i cuted a forelock. i was sad, but my friends said 'it is cute!'!!"... yep...

*i like*

i had a pretty positive day in the area of my school life.
["let's enjoy school life!"]

i spent hours upon hours preparing a diversity lesson for 3-nensei. it was sort of a conversational review, but my goal was to have the kids see names and faces from around the world. my co-teacher, mr. takehara, seemed a bit unsure of its effectiveness, so i started the day a tiny bit discouraged. but then after the first class, he goes "i think we taught that class really well. the activity was good for them. they had good motivation! :) it feels great to put hard work into something unique and have it recognized as quality.

i taught the special ed class by myself this afternoon; as the teacher walked with me to class, she said in japanese that she was sorry, but she had to go to toyama for a meeting... fortunately, i had an awesome activity planned. the kids were SO into it that there was no silliness or behavior issues. i brought pages from two american magazines. they had to make collages using pictures of the things they like. they then presented their collages, saying "I like ______" all 3 are super creative and really like doing art-based stuff. what a HIT*

tonight my phone rang [a rare occurrence here!] it was my fav teacher, ms. himashita. she is absolutely cute and always super sweet. PLUS she's a solid teacher who works hard and can communicate effectively with foreigners. anyway, she called to tell me that tomorrow afternoon, her class is having a special fish cooking session. "can you join us?!" she said that we will be cutting sashimi so i should bring something to cover my clothes... "there will be a lot of fish blood. it could be very smelly" :) -what a darling-

in class this morning, i was giving out stickers to the students who stood up to read their answers in english. i gave one funny guy a light purple mini mushroom and he goes "i like purple very much" i was like "oh, really?!" and he said "it's a joke", with a big grin! <3

i love this crazy tragic

jam packed weekend.

essie & abby came to sleep over on friday night. we wandered the streets of himi and had an awesome photo shoot at the cutie playground. we also caused quite a ruckus in sunstage apartment building with our wild dance party.

yesterday i did some solo shopping. i ended up with two awesome things: 1. brown, warm, incredibly high knee socks, so i can look like a japanese schoolgirl. well, at least under my jeans. 2. cool beads, earring hooks, and all sorts of tools to begin my new hobby: jewelry making! i decided as i looked around the craft store that this winter will be far more tolerable if i have something to occupy my evenings other than hours of facebook stalking. the ladies at the store were incredibly sweet... they explained that a start up kit was much cheaper than purchasing two individual tools. they also patiently helped me fill out a shoppers card which saved me about 15 bucks! :)

yesterday afternoon, my favorite toyama girls and i began a relaxing overnight at our friend rebecca's house. she lives way out in the boonies, sort of in a valley amidst the mountains. last night was filled with hilarity of engrish. mandy brought some essays her students wrote and we had a gigantic laugh fest. you seriously wouldn't believe some of the quotes... one student, for example, wanted to trade places for a day with a gate at disneyland. another wanted to change lives with ann sullivan so she could "fight helen keller" [!!!!] we decided she must mean fight for helen keller, but that make the quote any less hysterical*

today, as you can see from the first picture above, we got a glimpse of beautiful fall in japan. it was thrilling to be outside, far from busy city life, and see some traditional ways of life.

after visiting the gassho houses, the girls initiated me into real japanese culture: the onsen. i've sort of been putting it off because i was sure the relaxation of hot springs could not outweigh the awkwardness of sitting naked in water with a bunch of other women. i was wrong. the whole thing was beautifully peaceful- we had a gorgeous view of the mountains and the water was piping hot like a cozy bath at home. there was no awkwardness about it, after the initial fleeting feeling of weirdness. i left feeling warm and refreshed. and proud of myself for taking hold of another japanese life experience.

*summary of my weekend: while there are things in my daily work life which drive me nuts and make me want to holler in frustration, i truly love it here. japan is absolutely gorgeous at this time of year. there is such a rich culture and appreciation for the beauty that surrounds me. i'm also incredibly blessed by my friends; it's great for my emotional health to swap work stories and laugh with them about the pure ridiculousness that IS our lives. this year is truly going to be one of my grandest adventures...



[if you want even a taste of the ridiculousness i hear/read every day, please watch this video. it's absolutely NUTS!! :)]

----> chan

i must be weaseling my way into some hearts here... the last few days i've noticed hints of a change in the way some people at school interact with me.

1. one of my favs is a man who i don't think teaches anything. he sits in the staff room with everyone else, but i'm pretty sure he does all the maintenance, repairs, garden stuff, etc. he also serves up teacher's lunch trays. so he always says "kell-san, dozo" as he hands me my tray but LATELY he has been saying "kelly-chan, dozo" instead. i guess that could be b/c he has realized how much like a child i am in this country. but i would rather assume that it's because he has realized i'm a pretty nice person, not a scary foreign monster.
2. the same guy was coming out of the staff room as i was going in. i paused outside the door and said "dozo" so he could go through first. he walked out, said "dozo" and slid the door shut before i could go in. i cracked up! i was shocked but obviously thrilled* we exchanged grins and i continued feeling content that he knows i'm not a scary foreign monster.
3. on my way to eat lunch with class 2-1 today, the teacher said "what do you think of my class?" i was really impressed with his effort. he's a super quiet man and really doesn't have much to say in japanese, let alone english. i think he probably practiced that phrase for 5 minutes before we walked to lunch. [*i'm honored!*]
4. i was leaving a class today and maeda-san showed up in the doorway. lately i haven't even been getting a smile out of her, so i'm never sure what to expect. i gave my usual greeting. she grinned, and grabbed onto my hand. i didnt want to let the moment pass so i said as much random english/ japanese as i could. basically, asked in both languages if she was genki. she nodded, smiled again, and let go of my hand. amazing how 7 seconds can change my whole day around.

it's getting to be quite cold here. this morning i wore my winter hat to school and i've been wearing gloves for the last week. i realize snow will make my routine a bit more complicated. i obviously can't ride my bike if the streets are covered. maybe i'll have to give up my addiction to the one grocery store that [every once in a blue moon] sells glorious wheat bread...

my heart beats for kids

i had an amazing, kid-filled day. i spent hours at jyunicho, which included eating lunch with san-nensei. i could actually communicate a little bit with them because they speak simple japanese. after lunch i played soccer with some boys. they were wicked sweet and always passed to me and said "SHOOT!!!" then cheered when i scored. of course, the goalies weren't doing anything really, so it wasn't any great accomplishment to get a goal :)

i absolutely adore elementary days. the school is just so peaceful and kind-hearted; the staff attempt to speak english and are understanding of my imperfect japanese.
THEN when i arrived home i had a bright red envelope in my mailbox. i recognized the handwriting and grinned with joy. i could hardly wait till the elevator got to floor 6 to open it up. eleanor and gordon sent me a cutie card, with their little names signed at the bottom. YAY! :)

i'm from america, but i live in toyama-ken

here's a taste of my weekend sightseeing. check out the photo blog for more :)

cassie and i attracted a ton of attention as we toured kyoto on saturday. people always said "where are you from?!?!" i stubbornly replied, "well, i'm from america, but i live in toyama-ken" everyone seemed shocked... "OH you live in Japan?!" YEAH, take that, clueless.

some random highlights of the past 3 days:
-hanging with nate at some of his fav kobe spots
-being interviewed for a local news station [talk about pressure!]
-successfully getting around via train and bus [;) cassie, thats for you]
-hints of gorgeous fall colors on my bus ride home today
-THE OCEAN!!!!
-talking to students of my friend mandy on the train. *kawaiiiiii*
-a girl saying "hello" to us, then putting her finger right in cassie's face and stating: "you have blue eyes!" then she wanted to pose with us for a picture. like i said, clueless. but still cute :)
-speaking english
-an incredibly needed break from my routine at hokubu. last week i was pretty miserable at school so this weekend was a perfect getaway.