Japan and UFO's

12.19.07

Lauren found this article in Daily Yomirui (a Japanese newspaper), and passed it onto me. I hope you will enjoy it; especially if you've watched Steven Spielberg's ET recently.

I would like to post some pictures of the Christmas parties we've been having at school, but I seemed to have left my camera there. Sorry! In other news, my lessons went well today and let's hope the last two days of class go just as well. Wish me luck (say "ganbate")!

I really have to mention two last things! First, I really surprised Lauren yesterday when I blurted out in Japanese "abunai desho?", which means "Isn't that dangerous!?". (She was talking to a friend who was riding their bike while speaking to her on the phone. Since I was sitting at the table with her, it was easy to hear her laughing at the way their wheezy voice was emanating from the cell phone speaker.) She looked at me like she had seen a ghost and then said "Wow! Sheila! That was great!".

Secondly, I have recently fallen in love with crossword puzzles. Lauren downloads high school level puzzles off of the New York Times Learning Network Website for her more advanced students and has been giving me a copy every week for the past three weeks. I have tried crossword puzzles in the past, but until lately, it has always been too frustrating for me to complete one in its entirety. The level of Lauren's puzzles are just right. However, once I start getting a little better at the high school level puzzles, I should graduate onto bigger and better things/levels. I'm on my way to Stamford, CT! Or maybe not...

:)

Random Side Note: I was talking with one of my students today, and he assured me that most people don't eat KFC for Christmas. There are a few people who do partake in this tradition, but it seems to be more of something you see more commonly on television; Japollywood (Japan + Hollywood) style if you will.

The Holiday Seaon in Japan

What is the holiday season in Japan like? Pooh-san (for his picture see my 12.16.07 blog entry) graciously accepted my request for a personal interviewed so that, as a foreigner here in Japan, I could learn how the people in Japan traditionally celebrate the holiday season.

Sheila (S): Hello Pooh-san! Thank you for joining me today. I hope you don't mind answering a few questions about Japanese traditions during the holiday season.

Pooh-san (P): Well hello and it's a pleasure to help!

S: Great! Well first I would like to ask you how Christmas in Japan compares to Christmas in America?

P: There are actually several distinct differences now that you mention it. Because the majority of people in Japan aren't Christian, the holiday is mainly focused on the more commercialized aspects of Christmas. In this way, Christmas in Japan is very comparable to the American holiday of Valentines' Day. Basically, gifts are giving to immediate family members and prospective partners (girlfriends or boyfriends). Usually it's very rare to see friends giving one another presents; although it does happen occasionally. As far as comparisons go, Christmas decorations in Japan can be just as elaborate as those seen in the United States. Many American's in Japan will also recognize Christmas decorations right after Halloween; this is the same in the United States.

S: I agree, it always seems as if Christmas decorations in the states come out earlier and earlier each year. Is there any unique traditions that the Japanese people are sure to partake in around Christmas time? I heard they eat some special food?

P: Oh right! I'm such a silly old bear, I forgot to mention the food! Since it is a couples holiday, it is customary for each couple to buy a Christmas cake (note: please scroll down after clicking on the "Christmas cake" link to see a picture of the cake), which they eat together after a special meal. It can be any kind of cake, but the most popular is strawberry shortcake. You will also see people buying Yule Logs (French chocolate cake roll).

S: What is so special about the meal, Pooh-san?

P: Many of you might be surprised to know that the meal usually comes from Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Since there is no turkey in Japan, the people here go for the next best thing: American style chicken.

S: Oh right! Lauren told me that you can actually purchase a "Christmas Bucket" complete with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and a bottle of sparkling champagne (1% alcohol) for 5,220 yen (about $52.20). Wow, I wonder how that tradition came to be?! What about New Years, how is it different?

P: New Year's in Japan is more like Christmas as it's celebrated in America. In fact, Japanese people give out New Year's cards rather than Christmas cards called "Nenga-jo" cards in Japanese. The entire family will get together and celebrate the coming of the new year; a time to start fresh.

On December 31st (New Year's Eve is called "Omisoka" in Japanese), most families will spend the whole day thoroughly cleaning the house. It's almost like "spring cleaning", except they're getting ready by removing all the dirt from the previous year. Most families will spend the evening together cleaning, eating dinner (They eat "Toshikoshi Soba" noodles also knowns as "Goodbye to the passing year Soba", which "symbolizes the longevity of family members". ) and watching special New Year's Eve programs on television. After eating dinner the family will also listen to the nearby temple bell tolling 108 times. The bell rings 108 times because the "Buddhist teaching considers that is the number of bad intentions and desires a person has".

January 1-3rd is knows as "Oshogatsu" in Japanese. January 1st is known especially as "Gantan" in Japanese. On "Gantan", Japanese people will wake up early to see the first sunrise of a new year. They also eat special food called "Osechi-ryori", which is usually a three piece box set made up of many traditional Japanese foods. Each food in the "Osechi" set has a meaning. For examle, the "kazunoko" or herring roe (eggs) symbolizes "the hopes that the family will be blessed by just as many children as the eggs of the herring roe". "Oshogatsu" is also a time for families to visit shrines and temples to pray for good fortune in the coming year. According to the Japanese Times, about 70% of the Japanese people will visit shrines at this time (Jan. 1-3rd).

S: Thank you so much Pooh-san! It's been a pleasure talking to you! I have one last question. How do you say "Merry Christmas!" and "Happy New Year!" in Japanese?

P: You're very welcome! Oh that's very easy. Merry Christmas is almost just the same; the Japanese will say it like this: "Mari Kurisumasu!". Happy New Year is a bit different; just say "Akemashite Omedito!".

S and P: Mari Kurisumasu and Akemashite Omedito!




Some information was gathered from the November 30th, 2007 issue of The Japan Times.

Christmas Party Day 1

12.16.07

On the first day of the Hands On English Christmas Party my true love game to me: 1 Pooh-san (At school we call Pooh, Mr. Pooh) with jingly reindeer antlers.

Poohさん (Mr. Pooh also known as Pooh-san)

For my lesson, I reviewed what I had been teaching for the past two months (seasons and time) and asked my students write letters to Santa Claus. Between the three of them, they wanted video games and a dog. At the end of the lesson, I went over some new Christmas vocabulary and we played a game of Go Fish to help them remember what they had learned. Go Fish is a great game to play because it allows the students to practice speaking while having fun.

I gave some of my private students candy cane reindeer and they thought they were very adorable. I can't remember when I first made them around Christmas time, but they are still just as funny as they were when I was little.

From left to right: Akihiro, Hibiki, Shoichi, me, and Pooh-san

Here are some pictures of the school after Lauren and I decorated it. I made the tree in the window and it was Lauren's idea to put the lights at the bottom of the window.

This is the front window of Hands On English decorated for the holiday season. I was a little surprised when I realized that pansies are a winter flower here in Japan. (Sorry about the reflection of the buildings in the glass.)

This is a picture of our cute little school decorated for the holidays. All the snowflakes hanging from the ceiling were made by our students!

I also wanted to mention that a week ago I went to a holiday Christmas concert. They sang many popular Christmas carols and songs including everything from "O Come All Ye Faithful" to Mariah's "All I want for Christmas is you!". It was fun to spend time with friends; especially during the holiday season when family is so far away.

There were three beautiful trees near the concert entrance.

Azusa eating a make-shift s'more (Ritz, Meiji chocolate, and an "All American Tradition" marshmellow) as we wait on line to get into the concert.

Azusa and Lauren

It's about to begin...

11.14.07

Tomorrow marks the first day of my week long Christmas Party! Just like our Hands On English Halloween Party, we will be having a Christmas Party for all our classes before the two week long break (starting on December 22nd and lasting until Jan 4th). I have some fun activities planned and I hope all goes well; even though I'm sure it will. I will be sure to post some pictures of the festivities.

Oh of my students was saying "Ho ho ho" after everything he said today. It made me laugh.

Please Watch!

12.11.07

My cousin sent me the link to this youtube video and asked me to please pass on the word. Her co-teacher's stephfather is living with ALS (also called Lou Gehrig's disease), and the family is trying to win a home remodeling contest through Home Depot. The more viewer hits they get, the better their chances at winning will be. Please just take 1 minute and 57 seconds to watch!

I promise I will write something soon about Japanese Christmas traditions. In the mean time please enjoy this little Mutts comic. We don't have dryers here in Japan so it gave Lauren and I true feelings of nostalgia.

Trying New Things...

12.9.07

Today is Sunday, also known as the day of rest. Lauren and I stayed home this morning and made snowflakes to decorate our apartment. After we were done making and stringing up our delicate little flakes of snow, we sat down to a breakfast of toast and eggs. Lauren is a very good maker of breakfasts. Oishii desu!

After about four months of living here in Japan, I am increasingly gaining the courage to go out and do things on my own. This past Tuesday, I went to Tokyo to get some tourist information. I had to stop and ask questions a few times, but I eventually found the tourist office that was tucked away in a corner of some random building in the center of Tokyo. I know I've said this before - about going around Japan by myself - but I must always refer back to the feeling of accomplishment that comes from doing things on your own in a country where your first language is not the first language of most.

So anyway, I met up with my friend Johanne in Shibuya just outside the Hachiko-mae exit, and we walked a little ways until we found our dinner destination; a teeny vegan restaurant called Vegan Healing Cafe. We had to walk up a little stairway lined with people waiting around, and just when we thought we were lost, I saw the restaurant's sign. It was a small little place, sitting about 15 people at the most. The inside was warm and the air was perfumed with the smell of seasonings that reminded me of the Food Coop at Binghamton University. I had felafel burg and Johanne had a Hawaiian dish. As we enjoyed our delicious food, we talked about life and all its amazingness.

I figured out how to take the metro home all by myself. Since metro is cheaper for long distances, I had two reasons to feel as if I had overcome a challenging race; I had saved money and I had deciphered the complexities of the Tokyo metro network.

BOP Letter

12.4.07

I have a lot to write about this past weekend, but I just spent a majority of my free time writing this letter to the Binghamton University Administration. I hope I'm not too late in sending it and I hope the issue gets resolved. I cannot believe that they are actually thinking of canceling all the Outdoor Pursuits classes this coming Fall 2008. Hearing that made me extremely sad. Here's the letter I sent in it's final form. If you haven't sent a letter yet, please do so as soon as you can! If you need any information please leave me a comment and I will email you as much about the current situation as I know.

President Louis DeFleur and Administrative Staff:

I am writing this letter in regards to the possible cancellation of all Binghamton University Outdoor Pursuits activities and classes this coming Fall 2008. I was deeply disappointed upon receiving the information that the administration, like yourself, would be considering such a disheartening change in curriculum.

As a recent alumna of Binghamton University (Class of 2007), I cannot even begin to explain how important these classes were to my education. The education we obtain should prepare us to be creative in competitive situations; creativity sets us apart from the rest. Classes such as those offered through the Binghamton Outdoor Pursuits Office allow students to expand their worldly knowledge by exposing them to atypical environments that cannot possibly be simulated in a classroom. With a broader knowledge base, students will be able to creatively bring disparate ideas together for the benefit of themselves, our global society, and their alma-mater. For this reason, I hope you consider maintaining all Binghamton Outdoor Pursuits classes including and not limited to: Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Fly Fishing, Backpacking, Hiking, Cross Country Skiing, Bicycling, and the Canada Canoe class.

As a student in the Spring 2007 Hiking class offered through the Binghamton Outdoor Pursuits Office, I had the privilege of learning a vast amount of information concerning local Binghamton wildlife, basic survival skills, how to identify several plants and animals, and had the opportunity to meet university students outside of my major. Besides learning many new things, I enjoyed the physical challenges that the class offered; I exercised both my mind and body. Prior to taking this class, I had ever used snowshoes, but had the chance to use them on on-campus and off-campus hikes.

I strongly hope you consider my request to maintain all the Binghamton Outdoor Pursuits classes. These classes allow students to develop life skills that are immensely important for a well rounded education. If Binghamton University hopes to achieve the highest standard of education, it is necessary to fund classes such as those offered by the Binghamton Outdoor Pursuits Office.

Thank you for your time. Please do not hesitate to contact me at the address above or email me.

Best Regards,

Sheila M. Saia
Binghamton University Class of 2007

Mao Man

11.30.07

Mao Man, Dog Man, and Sleepy Man. These are the three people "living inside" my 13 year old student's mind (not really though so please don't worry). He is one of my most creative students and also tends to be one of the most fun/silliest. Getting back to the three people in his brain: Because of them, he will forever teeter on the edge of internal stability. Mao Man is my student in his normal form. Dog Man, "knocks on his brain" and makes him run around, scream, and shout. Sleepy man, the last of the three people, "knocks on this brain" and persuades him to go to sleep.

For one of my classes today, my students had to arrange a cut up sentence. Instead of organizing the letters to say "He is buying an apple at the store.", the sentence said "He is an apple...". During this same class, they thought I said "baby hotel" and couldn't stop laughing for a good two minutes. Hiroko had to come over to calm them down and explain to me what was doing on. It was silly. I don't know where they got "baby hotel" though since I had only asked them if they could tell me which season was their favorite and why.

Random Side Note: More about ryokans. Yes, there is usually an alternative western style breakfast available (depending on the ryokan), and they usually offer western style beds as well. The ryokan I stayed at in Nikko gave guests the option of having either a western or Japanese style breakfast and a western or Japanese style room. To be honest, sleeping on the tatami floor is really quite comfortable. I've slept on the one in my apartment a few times. I should also explain that you don't sleep directly on the tatami; you sleep on a futon mattress that is laid on top of the tatami. All the rooms in my apartment have tatami flooring except for the kitchen, bathroom, and entrance. It's hard to imagine something made of woven bamboo would be comfortable, but it is. If you're used to a soft mattress then it may take a little getting used to, but even western style beds here in Japan seem to be rather hard; at least in my apartment that seems to be the case. Most ryokans are quite accommodating, but there are also some rules that are not flexible. For example, you're not allowed to wear sneakers or shoes around the inn and you have to change into special bathroom shoes. Also curfew times must be strictly adhered to. Overall, I would really recommend staying in a ryokan if you want to experience a taste of what Japan is like.

Tomorrow is December 1st! Yikes stripes!

Oden

11.29.07

Tonight Lauren made me a hearty dinner, which consisted of oden. For those of you who are not familiar with oden, I will attempt to explain it as best that I can. Oden is a traditional Japanese winter food that is basically made from processed fish. The fish is made into soft little "cakes" and soaked in a special soy broth. The cakes are soft and puffy. Around this time, most convenient stores carry oden pots of their own. If you're in a rush, and don't feel like eating a cold sandwich for lunch, you can stop in your local conbini (convenient store) and ask them to dish you up some of this tasty food. It's surprisingly very filling and is usually eaten along with rice.

But a funny thing happened while I was eating my oden tonight. I took one of the cakes out of the pot of broth and put it into my dry little dish. When I went to pick up the cake from my dish, a stream of soy broth squirted forth from the squishy, fishy perplexity that is oden. I was so surprised that I almost dropped my chopsticks. Lauren and I stopped talking very abruptly and laughed about it for a good five minutes. It was the silliest dinner, I've had in a long time.

Random Side Note: An anonymous reader (Mrs. Marge?) asked me to explain Japanese ryokans. Ryokans are traditional Japanese hotels. 1) Rather than sleeping on a western style bed, you lay on a futon on the tatami floor. 2) Rather than enjoying a continental breakfast, a traditional Japanese breakfast is served. This usually includes: tea, rice, fish, salad of some sort, and miso soup. 3) Rather than taking a shower in your room, there is a common bath for all of the hotel guests to enjoy. Yes, the men and women's quarters are separated.

You read that ryokans are referred to as "spas", and while this is somewhat true due to the last difference to western hotels that I mentioned above (see number 3), it is not entirely true. The large bath is basically a spa in itself; it is exactly the same set-up as a Japanese onsen or public bath. I guess you could equate it to a spa where you could also stay over night, but there is really no western equivalent to a Japanese ryokan; they are unique to Japan.

There are other differences between western hotels and ryokans. For example, many ryokans also have a curfew that the guests must adhere to; it's usually around 11pm. Usually, ryokans are smaller than hotels; they may even be attached to the owner's house much like a bed and breakfast. I stayed at a ryokan with only 5 rooms when I visited Nikko, and it was a great way to learn about traditional Japanese customs.

Ririka's Last Day

11.26.07

Yes, a teacher should show an equal amount of care and patience towards each and every student. However important this cardinal rule may be, it is extremely difficult not to become attached to a particular student who exhibits a willingness to learn. As sad as I was to see one of my "favorite" student's leave today, I knew that she would succeed wherever life would take her; in this case, she would be moving to America. I gave her a little going away present (an English Snoopy sticker book with translations in Japanese) and made sure to give her mother my email address in case they needed to get in touch with me, and I really hope they do.

Before class started Ririka handed me a card. She had added her own message that said, "Dear Sheila Thankyouverymuch" and printed her name. Even though it was simple, it was all she needed to say.

I will miss her.

One of my short term students, who had just been staying aboard in Oxford, England with a host family, returned to say hello and show me some pictures from his trip. It was good to see him, and I was surprised to find out that he had brought back some English tea for me! I tried it tonight with dinner and it was very delicious. Thank you Tomohide!

Random Shout-outs: I would like to wish my sister a very Happy 19th Birthday! I hope you enjoy every waking moment because it's your last year as a teenager! <3

Tokyo Disney Sea

11.23.07

At 6:30am my alarm went off to signal the start of a day filled with fun and good times to be had all around. I quickly got dressed and signed onto Skype just in time to have a nice long chat with my family. It was good to see that Mom, Aunt Rita, Momma, Papa, Sarah, Dr. Ed, and Mrs. Marge were all doing well. In the back of my mind I wanted to be there enjoying the American Thanksgiving traditional feast with them, but I knew that I was meant to be here in Japan. After talking to them I signed offline, ate a quick breakfast, helped Lauren make lunch, and brushed my teeth. Brushing your teeth is very important, don't you know?

Lauren and I left the house around 8:30am and took a taxi to the station in order to make it to Maihama at 9am. It was planned that we would meet everyone outside the Maihama station at 9am sharp. Since we already had tickets to Tokyo Disney Sea so all we had to do was exchange them at the entrance. We found Azusa in the ginormus crowd of people, and waited for the rest of our group (Min Soo and his friend named Ryoma). Everyone finally arrived and we headed towards the monorail station.

Azusa had warned us to buy tickets in advanced because today was a public holiday called Labor Thanks Day. As a result, tickets for both the Disney Land and Sea parks were sold out by 9:15am; the park had opened at 8am, an exception for the holiday. My insides were bubbling with excitement as we rode the monorail into the park. This would be my first time in a Disney Theme Park ever! It was rather ironic that my first time going to Disney would take place in a country foreign to my own.

We made our way towards the Tower of Terror to see if we could get a Fast Pass. To our surprise the sign near the ride informed us that the Fast Passes for the entire day were sold out! We decided to make our way to the back of the park and see if we could get on some other rides. By the end of the day I had ridden on three of the four major roller coasters: Raging Spirits, Indian Jones, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Out of the three I rode, I liked Journey to the Center of the Earth the most. It was scary, had really great effects, and the whole concept of the ride was very well designed. I will have to go back to ride Tower of Terror another day. From what I hear, the Tower of Terror ride is also in GM studios at Disney World. If I can't make it to the ride here, I can always go when I come back to the states.

It was also really great to spend time with good friends. I had not met Ryoma before, but he was very funny. It was great that Azusa and Min Soo could also join us. We all got to know each other very well; especially after standing in line for a few hours. But I shouldn't complain, it was well worth the wait! After going on rides all day and walking around the park, we stopped into a cafe to warm up a bit before heading outside again to see the firework display. The park looked completely different at night! It was so beautiful to see all the Christmas lights and hear Christmas music playing all around us.

Even the monorail handles scream "Disney!".

Me, Lauren, and Azusa

Welcome to Tokyo Disney Sea!

Ryoma, Min Soo, Lauren, and Azusa waiting in line to ride Raging Spirits.

Ariel's Underwater Castle in the Mermaid Lagoon area was one of my favorite sites. Some of the other main areas included: American Harbor (New York City in the 1940/1950's), Arabia (think Aladdin), Mystery Island (it was inside the volcano), and The Lost River Delta (think Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom).

Our lunch consisted of egg salad onegiri made by Lauren and I. Our friends said that our choice of onegiri filling was very innovative, but they really enjoyed it.

When I become a mad scientist I hope my laboratory looks like this (taken at the The Journey to the Center of the Earth ride).

On Aladdin's Two-Story Carousel I rode a griffin.

"Land Ho Matey!"

Happy Merry Disney Christmas!

Me and Lauren kissing Mickey and Minnie Snowmen/women.

The entrance looks completely different at night.

Thanksgiving Dinner

11.22.07

Since today was the first of our two days off, Lauren and I had time to do chores around the house and have a nice Thanksgiving Day breakfast. Around 11am we left the house and headed to meet our friend Johanne for lunch in Harajuku. We were really excited to finally see Johanne in the never-ending stream of people that were coming out of the turn-styles at the Harajuku station. We decided to go across the street from the station at this very nice Italian restaurant. I think out of all the Italian restaurants I've eaten at in Japan, this one was one of the best. We had a delicious oven-baked pizza with whole basil leaves and perfectly melted mozzarella cheese. It was so yummy. We also got some other food to share. We talked for a long time about life and just enjoyed the restaurant's bird's eye view of the busy streets below.

Johanne had to go back home to prepare some food for the Thanksgiving Day party so Lauren and I walked around for an hour or so before heading off to help prepare for the party too. I'm sure I mentioned this before, but Lauren and I made very simple dishes to pass at the party. I made mashed potatoes just like my mother makes them; except I had to mash them with a rice cooker paddle. Lauren made tuna, pasta salad that turned out to be very tasty as well. Johanne made a popular Fillipino dish called Adobo (She used fish so I could eat it. Thanks Johanne!). There was also chicken (It is hard to find turkey here in Japan.), stuffing, Korean kimchi (spicy cabbage), rice, sushi, salad, and special cakes made by my friend Jenny. Here are some pictures of our Korean style Thanksgiving Party!

Abe is digging in!

Joe and Mike

From left to right: Asuka, Josh, Josh's friend, and Johanne. They have A LOT left to eat :)

From left to right: Emma, Jenny, Grace, and Ken

Me and Johanne!

Thanksgiving Vacation

11.21.07

As of this current moment (Wednesday night), Hands on English, will be closed for the next two days. Normally, my vacation days do not necessarily coincide with holidays; however, since there happened to be five Thursdays and Fridays in the month of November, the remaining days are considered vacation days. This is mainly because our students only pay for four lessons each month.

Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Japan, but there is still a national holiday this Friday. A few of my students were excited to have Friday off from school. My older class of boys told me what they how they were going to spend their day off. One was going out to lunch with his Grandfather, the other was going to play tennis, and the third was going to stay up all night long at his friends house playing video games. Sounds good to me!

Getting back to the matter of Thanksgiving. Besides the fact Japan does not have a Thanksgiving story involving Squanto and the Plymouth settlers, most homes also lack an oven which is a necessity when preparing a Thanksgiving meal. I'm not even sure if you can buy a turkey. Actually, if I remember correctly, Lauren and I saw 10kg (about 5 pounds) turkeys for sale; which is considered big by Japanese standards. Compared to a 15 pound turkey that my family back in America buys, 5 pounds is pretty small. I was trying to think of what I could bring to the Thanksgiving Party that I'm going to and all I could come up with was mashed potatoes. Lauren is making tuna and macaroni salad. Let's hope for the best.

Overall, I am excited to get together with friends for a Japanese Thanksgiving Meal, but I think I'm going to miss all the American foods like cranberry sauce (with out the berries), mashed potatoes, my mother's stuffing, salad, and Mom Hensen's pumpkin/apple pie. I would be missing turkey if I ate it, but it's more likely that I will miss The Binghamton University Food Coops' Quinoa Loaf!

Tomorrow before I meet up with friends for Thanksgiving Dinner, I'm going to Harijuku to meet my friend Johanne. She offered to show Lauren and I all of her favorite shops. Hopefully I'll be able to find some unique Christmas gifts. On Friday, I will be heading to Mihama to spend the Day with 5 friends (Lauren, Azusa, Min Soo, and two of Min Soo's friends) at Tokyo Disney Sea! We are all really excited to spend the entire day there!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is a list of things that I'm thankful for. What are you thankful for?
- my family and friends
- my health and the health of family and friends
- laughter and smiles
- tuna onegiri
- people that are dedicated to changing the world for the better i.e. Al Gore
- trees, plants, and living things in general
- sleep
- being given the opportunity to work and live in Japan for a year

Random Side Note: There was a cat walking around the school neighborhood today. Hiroko and I first saw him by the restaurant next store around 1pm and then at 6pm he came to the door of our school. He was meowing so loudly just like Mitzu, my cat at home in Buffalo, NY. He had the exact same meow as Mitzu. I wanted to scoop him up and pat his little head like I do when I come back after being away from home, but I had a lesson so I couldn't leave. Later on Lauren filled me in on what had happened. At first Hiroko thought he was cold so they (Lauren and her) actually brought him into the classroom in a box. When that didn't work they took him back outside and Lauren fed him bread; apparently he ate quite a bit of it. Poor kit kat.

Teaching the Teacher

11.18.07

After a few days of not checking or replying to any of my emails I figured that it was time to sit down and play a little game of "ketchup". I must interject a comment here: Japanese ketchup is very different from the ketchup that many of us are used to back in the United States. It is much sweeter tasting (less vinegar maybe?) and reminds me very much of tomato paste that you can buy in the cans at home.

Anyways, it has been a while since I had some down time to just "surf the web". Here are some of the sites that I have been taking a gander at:

(1) Relative Speed (Thanks to Heather, I spent some quality time on Threadless.com just looking at the astonishing creativity of some of the people that I share this humongous planet with.)
(2) My favorite (This was my favorite t-shirt on Threadless.com. I also liked the giraffe one that's titled "What makes it work?")
(3) Kenn sent me this music video a long time ago, but I didn't have time to watch it until now.
(4) If you want to build/test your vocabulary while helping feed starving people around the world please check out this site!
(5) Yay Disney! Double yay!
(6) A lesson in entrepreneurship and seizing opportunities: Natto to the Rescue
(7) I think those are all the interesting ones. I'm also listening to some music sent to me by my good friend Jon Newman.

Lately, the winter weather is beginning to show itself. Everyday I see more and more Japanese people sporting colorful scarfs and trendy boots. Perhaps my blood has thinned due to the extremely warm weather we had here this summer, but the number of layers I wear has seemed to increase linearly over the past few days. Thank goodness for mothers that bite the bullet to pay the shipping for warm blankets from home so that I can at least be warm when I'm falling asleep. Yesterday I purchased a black and white checkered scarf that was calling my name. I also picked up some "Meri Kurisumasu" presents for family members :)

Speaking of Christmas, since there is no Thanksgiving holiday in Japan, Christmas decorations come out just after Halloween. Maybe this is also beginning to occur in America too? I have noticed that most stores and buildings are decorated for the quickly approaching X-MAS season.

Japanese Politics Discussion

In my lesson this past Saturday with one of my older students, I learned a lot about Japan's current political scene. My student had intentionally chosen a lesson topic that I knew little about, and I was very thankful for it. I did some basic research before the lesson, but it was a great opportunity for my student to practice his English while explaining something interesting to him. The article concerned a piece of legislation that had recently expired as of November 1st. Different parties were drafting (or not drafting) their own versions of the new bill so that they could be proposed in front of the Diet; the Japanese Congress made up of the upper House of Councilors and lower House of Representatives.

Sidenotes: Currently, Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has control of the House of Representatives (Prime Minister Fukuda is also a member of this party) and the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has control of the House of Councilors. My student went to explain that a precedent was set in July 2007. Never have two different parties controlled the Diet like this before; to quote Wikipedia, "In the Upper House election of 2007 [July 2007], the DPJ won 60 out of 121 contested seats, with 49 seats not up to the election, causing the LDP to lose its majority in the upper house for the first time since its inception." The LDP was first formed in 1955 while the DPJ was formed much more recently. LDP and members from other parties united in 1998 to form the DPJ; they wanted to stand up against the dominant LDP party.

Getting back to my lesson, we talked about how the DPJ has been asked to draft it's own version of the bill in response to the government's bill (LDP?), but they continue to make excuses and fail to take action. Their have been several recent scandals that are being used to sidetrack a decision about the bill which allows the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force to supply oil and other supplies to international bases stationed in the Indian Ocean. The government's new legislation is looking to reestablish this refueling mission but the DPJ's does not. From what I understand, many Japanese people are looking forward to the possibility of having a choice between one proposal and the other; however, that could be an incorrect assumption.

Bioengineering Article

11.14.07

I found this article today while trying to get my daily dose of world news. I thought it was pretty appropriate considering the degree I just obtained.

From Ants to People, an Instinct to Swarm (New York Times)

Affirmation

Yes, I was told that I did most certainly feel my first earthquake on Sunday. The proof: a friend told Lauren that the trains where stopped for a brief time period on Sunday evening.

From what I understand, there is actually an earthquake season here; a period from mid-summer to the beginning of fall when there is a higher probability that an earthquake will occur. Usually the earthquakes are relatively small; the trains will stop for a few seconds and then continue on to their destination.

Random Side Note: The trains here are ALWAYS on time. I remember reading this about the trains: If you look down and your watch and conclude that the train is late, you should look again because your watch is probably wrong.

On that note, it's a sunny day with not a cloud in the sky and I have to head off to class!

Grand Prize Winner

11.11.07

There are two explanations for the movements that I just felt as I was just sitting and typing emails to friends and family back home. Explanation number one: Due to my hunger (I'm waiting for Lauren to come home so I can eat dinner.), my brain is playing tricks on me. More specifically, I imagined the movement that just traveled up through the floor, through my cushion, and wiggled both my body and computer ever so slightly. Explanation number two: We just had an earthquake.

Let's hope the everyone else is ok; especially in taller buildings. I live on the first floor of my apartment building.

Yesterday from 3-6pm Lauren and I volunteered after our classes for the first annual (biannual?) Hands On English Open House. We had seven student volunteers show up to help us out. It was a lot of fun even though we only had one visitor. Luckily, her father was also looking to take lessons in order to keep his English up to par. They just returned two weeks ago from Europe. The little girl was only five years old, but Lauren and I were shocked when we discovered that she could read on her own; we often get excited about this kind of thing.

At the open house we watched a 30 minute video clip from the Cartoon Network show Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends. I don't know why I didn't watch this show more when I was home in the states. It's hilarious. The episode we watched was called "Who let the dogs in?"; not to be confused with the Baha Men hit that rocked the charts way back when I was in middle school. We also sang songs (I'm a little teapot, The banana song, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, etc.), played card games (Go Fish because it makes them talk, Spoons, and War), and did a turkey craft for Thanksgiving. It was really nice to hang out with some of my students outside of class. Mao (my student) and his sister Megumi (Lauren’s student) joined us. We played Hot Potato together and it was really fun. They are both really great kids; very inquisitive and silly. I taught Lauren’s older student named Yukina how to play war and even though she had to leave early, I think she won.

At the end Hiroko passed out homemade peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies and ordered five pizzas from Pizza Hut. We had way too much food, so Hiroko gave us “doggy bags” as my family would call them.

Random teaching stories from this week: (1)Rather than expressing feeling with the typical “I am happy/sad/so-so.”, I decided to teach Ririka a wider array of emotions this past Saturday. I asked her if she was feeling angry, surprised, or silly. For each, I demonstrated an exaggerated imitation as I pointed at the Garfield poster. It took her some time, but she eventually fell back to the well accepted standard: “I am happy.”. I had her ask me how I was feeling and when I couldn’t decide, she pointed to “silly”. I repeated in agreement saying “I am silly.” My students know me so well, either that or I look like Garfield standing on his head wearing a mask with a big human nose and thick, black rimmed classes. (2)I was going over Eiken (a standardized English test for native Japanese speakers) practice questions with Mao this past Friday. Every time he would get a question correct he would hold his hands up in the air and cheer. The first time he cheered, rather than saying “I’m a grand prize winner!”, he said “I’m a grandpa winner!”. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing just before correcting him. He also thought it was funny and continued to say it despite it being absolutely ridiculous. My students are the best.

On Wednesday, Lauren and I took a day trip to Roppongi to do a few things. First, Lauren had to cash a check that she had received from her father that was drawn on a Japanese bank. Let’s just say that it took a lot longer to take care of then we expected. They wondered why Lauren came all the way to the Tokyo branch to cash the check (they were suspicious) and she simply told them that she was following the directions on the check; it was written that she come to the Tokyo branch. Crazy. Next, we made our way to Bongsen, a Vietnamese restaurant that our friend Min Soo works at. He served us for lunch and we chatted with him as much as we could. He was very glad that we came to visit him. He wouldn’t let us pay so we left him a surprise note on the table that said “We <3 style=""> He liked it; he told us so in an email he sent to our phones after we left. Before leaving for work we walked around Roppongi. It is known for being home to some of the most upscale stores and housing complexes in all of Tokyo. If you live in an apartment in Roppongi Hills, you’re paying close to $9000 per month for a two bedroom apartment. Lauren who was helping me by looking up prices found a four bed apartment there for $26,000 per month. Evidently the deposit for the apartment includes the first four months rent. No thank you.

Roppongi Hills Tower

Bike parking anyone?

Random Shout Outs: I would like to congratulate my mother and father on their 30th wedding anniversary, which they celebrated today! Thirty years! Sheesh! I would also like to wish my dearest mother a HAPPY BIRTHDAY (yesterday)!

Japan & Daylight Savings

11.5.07

I've had several emails and comments asking me one very simple question. To paraphrase: Does Japan partake in the setting back of the clocks that so many of us Americans look forward to come autumn? Mostly because we are given an extra hour to sleep, run around, or hang out with friends. In this case, the simple question brings a very simple reply: No, the Japanese people either change their clocks back nor ahead (nor sideways). Consequently, lately it has been starting to get dark here around 5 or 5:30pm. It's all very strange, but what are you going to do. To be honest, it's nice not having to worry that I'm going to be an hour late/an hour early for a lesson or appointment.

I was just looking up information online and found that daylight savings time (DST) was first introduced by Ben Franklin in 1784 as a means to reduce the money spent on candles used to light the home. Evidently, Japan is one of three OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries that does not participate in turning back their clocks. One of the most popular Google links was a 2006 article in The Japan Times. It criticizes Japan for being the site of the Kyoto Protocol and yet it fails to convert to DST, a move that could potentially save the country money and reduce its "environmental footprint". On the other hand, there are many complexities involved in coordinating train schedules and bus schedules; especially in a station as busy as Tokyo.

To make a long story short, Tokyo is now 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

SPAM

11.4.07

I forgot to mention that Lauren ate Spam for on accident today during breakfast. She didn't realize it was Spam until we saw the spent can in the sink. I couldn't help but giggle. Evidently Korean people love to cook it.

Yum!?

Sleep Over

11.4.07

I can't believe how quickly time has been passing me by. It's already November! Yesterday after work, Lauren and I made our way to church. We finally got there around 6:30pm and practiced for today's performance until about 10pm. I stayed at the church until about 11:30pm because a friend had asked me to edit a paper she had written in English.

Because we had to wake up so early to prepare for our performance this morning at 9am, we were invited to stay overnight at the pastor's apartment. If you don't remember, it takes us about an hour and a half to get to church so in order to get there on time we would have had to wake up at 6:30am to have enough time to get there (leaving an hour to get ready). Additionally, we would've not been able to get a train back to our house last night since the trains generally stop running around midnight.

The pastor lives about two minutes from the church. Around 11:30pm we walked there and were welcomed by one of her roommates. In general, the living conditions here in Japan are generally quite cramped. Amazingly enough, the apartment is about half the size of our (mine and Lauren's) apartment and yet twice as many people live in it. There were three rooms (kitchen and two connected rooms both about 5ft x 7ft each) and a bathroom. Lauren and I were stunned by their ability to store possessions in such an organized and sophisticated looking manner. I was also surprised this morning as I watched our host pick up the futon mattresses (the trademark Japanese bed) and pull out the two, foot tall breakfast tables. As we all knelt around the breakfast table eating sunny-side-up eggs and toast with milk tea honey (it was my first time trying it it), I felt so warm inside. For the first time I can remember while being here I was honestly called "Sheila-chan", which is generally only used when refering to good friends. I'm sure no one else thought anything of it, but I felt a surge of joy flow through my veins and arteries; if that is at all possible considering the fact that it's usually blood that flows through them.

Last night Jenny, Lauren, and I slept on two futons in one of the spare rooms. I was so warm that I woke up in the middle of the night sweating and had to toss off my down blanket. It was cozy and Lauren and I memorized our songs just before nodding off to sleep.

Right now I'm eating the Oreo Dunkers that Mom Hensen sent me in a care-package with some milk. What a brilliant combination. I had some sushi a few hours ago when Lauren, Kozue, Azusa, and I all decided to go walk around Shinjuku. Azusa and I took the train home together and we talked about all sorts of good things.

Today was a good day, but now I have to go clean the bathroom, read Amy Tan for Peggy's lesson on Friday, and make some tea. Oh! I almost forgot to mention that I bought my first
"J-Pop" album today. The band Spitz has been around for a while, but when Harumi brought in their new CD the other day, I decided that I liked their music.

Random Shout-Outs: Thank you Aunt Rita for the card! I received it this past Friday. I can't believe the Buffalo Zoo has two tiger cubs! I'm going to have to take a field trip there next August when I come home.

Kaiten Sushi Fridays (KSF)

11.2.07

It's really late and I should be in bed, but for the first time in a while, teaching really made me happy today. Sure there were a few difficult spots, but overall, I really enjoyed teaching today. I was teaching all of my kids how to tell time. For example, someone asks "What time is it?" and in reply the other person says "It is two-forty-five.". I tried to be a little more organized and I think it worked out for the most part. Now I just have to stick with it and keep up the hard work. The last student I had today was so tried that he could barely think. I felt so bad for him and just wanted to let him go home and sleep. Sometimes I wish kids could just be kids. When I was his age I spent my after school hours playing outside and pretending I was Timon the meerkat from Disney's The Lion King. Maybe that explains something? :)

I also had my second Japanese lesson today. Ms. Ogino agreed to meet with me on Friday's to teach me some basics. She said that I was her first student that writes in Japanese hirigana rather than romanji (English characters rather then Japanese ones). That comment made me blush. Let's just say I have A LOT more to learn.

Friday means, kaitensushi. We asked Harumi if she wanted to go with us and when she said that her husband was picking her up we decided to head back home. A few minutes later when Lauren and I were about half way to the station, she called us back to invite us out to dinner with her and her husband, Masato. We had a great dinner and laughed a lot. I was really full at the end. I love fish!

The Tokyo Motor Show 2007

10.31.07


Today Lauren and I took a field trip to the Tokyo Motor Show. The great thing about the Tokyo Motor Show is that it's conveniently located in the convention center in Kaihin Makuhari; about a 15 minute walk from my school! Consequently, we could spend all morning at the show easily make our way back to school just in time for our first class. We arrived at the convention center around 10:15am (it opened at 10am), parked our bicycles, bought our tickets for 1300 yen (about $13 USD), and walked through the entrance gates. It was pretty busy for a weekday, and I couldn't imagine what the show would've been like on the weekend.

We walked into the first of four enormous halls and were greeted with the glimmer of chrome and the sparkle of freshly waxed cars illuminated by the fluorescent glow of stage lighting. The Tokyo Motor Show isn't just for the public. Several days before the show is actually open to the public, representatives from major companies all over the globe come to see the new innovations presented by major motor companies. It was really exciting to see some of the new concept cars; many of which were designed to reduce their impact on the environment. Some of the major motor companies that stuck in my mind were Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, GM, Ford, Ferrari, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Citroen, Volkswagen, Lotus, Porsche, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and many more.

This one is for Dad, the Jeep Extrordinaire.

Nissan's Piyo2 that talks to you and can move laterally with a 90 degree slide of its wheels.

Honda's Puyo (sounds similar to Piyo2) that has a cushy exterior shell and really cool windows.

Toyota's concept car that uses a combination of hydrogen fuel and solar power. It comes with two little solar powered mini-bikes that sit in the trunk.

Hyundai's concept car. The windows were really interesting.

This was the first time I ever saw a RR.

Some of the many BMW motors on display. There's a hydrogen one if you look close enough.

Lauren <3's VW.
I can't remember the name of this company because it wasn't familiar, but the car reminded me of the Bat-Mobile.

わたしのなまえはシーラ・サイやです。わたしはにじゅにさいです。わたしはばかです。hehe

Happy Halloween!

10.31.07

Today was the last day of Halloween parties at school, and it went very well! From time to time my students can be a handful, but I've come to realize how much I care about them all. Everyone of them looked absolutely adorable in their costumes. When I opened the door dressed in my cowboy hat and bandanna, they would always smile and dart excitedly into the classroom. I think out of all my students, the most memorable costume was warn by one of my little ones (4 year olds); her name is Michika. Michika dressed up as Stitch from the Disney movie Lilo and Stitch, which is very popular here. She really played the part and even made Stitch eating noises as I gave her her candy at the end of the lesson. I also had some Jack Sparrows, many witches, a ghost, a few cats, a few devils, Mr. Incredible, and some others. Here are some of my favorite class pictures.

Michika, Masakatsu, Yuki, Hana, and me.

My class: Narumi ("Cute Lovely Girl"), Mai, me, Momoka, and So.

Pinning the nose on the pumpkin.

Takeshi (and mom), me, Satoshi as Mr. Incredible (and mom).

Yay for donuts on a string!

Half of the lesson was normal and the second half was filled with Halloween related games. We played pin the nose on the pumpkin, and let the kids eat dangling donuts without their hands. The kids really enjoyed both. We also played musical chairs and Halloween BINGO to help them remember some of the Halloween vocabulary. Oh and I can't forget, we also taught them how to be expert trick-o-treats; with good manners and all.

Next post....THE TOKYO MOTOR SHOW 2007!

More Halloween Pictures! (posted on 11.21.07)

My cute little Wednesday girls. Oh how I love them all! (Right to Left: Yuka, me, Mirena, Ririka, Sayano, Nao)

My second class of girls on Wednesdays. (Right to Left: Marina, Chihiro, and Arisa)

Lauren's Birthday & The Hamakaze Festival

10.28.07

I survived another typhoon! Not too long ago, Lauren explained to me that it's not customary for the Japanese people to name their typhoons; the United States almost always names each hurricane that develops along it's Gulf Coast. This typhoon (“taifu” as they say here), Typhoon Number 20 was definitely a handful. Or should I say, it did a good job of getting me and several of my friends soaking wet. Random side note: I just taught the idiom "soaking wet" to one of my students yesterday morning.

It had been raining all day yesterday, but a good portion of the day was spent teaching inside. At the end of the day when it was time to head home, Lauren and I were finally forced to brave the weather. After twenty two years of living, yesterday was the first time that my umbrella has ever flipped due to strong winds. Not only did it happen once, it happened a second time! It flipped the first time when we (Hiroko, Lauren, and I) were walking back to the school after Lauren's birthday lunch at the little Italian restaurant two doors down from our school.

Despite the typhoon, Lauren’s 25^th Birthday Party/Our Hip Halloween Hooplah went on without a hitch. We had invited about fifteen people to our little apartment, but in the end only about six could make it. A few more probably could have made it if it weren’t for the bad weather. When it gets really windy here, one of the major train lines called the Keiyo line that goes over the water always has to close. To make a long story short, five of my friends from church traveled a very far distance and one of Lauren’s friends from Purdue was also able to join us for some silliness. To clarify, Laurens’ fried is studying in Tsukuba (about 2-2.5 hours north of Tokyo) for a year.

On Friday night, Lauren and I slaved over vegetable curry and cleaned the house to get ready for our visitors. The kitchen smelled so good as it was filled with the spicy aroma of Japanese curry. I think this batch was our best one yet; maybe it was filled with extra love and happiness.

On Saturday afternoon, to our surprise, Lauren and I were able to leave earlier than we expected. We got a ride from Hiroko so we wouldn’t have to walk home in the rain and finished tiding up the house. Around 6:15pm we took the bus to the Tsudanuma train station where we met up with our friends from church. At this point we were all wet. We rode the bus back to our apartment and welcomed our first apartment guests ever! Everyone was hungry so we dished out the curry, drank some Mitsu Lemon Cider (it’s like Sprite), and had fun. We decorated “pumpkins” (we had to use tangerines because they were easier to find), ate birthday cake, played the game Spoons, and laughed.

From left to right: Me, Amber, Haeji, Lauren, Jenny, and Joe. Not pictured: Kate (hadn't arrived yet) and Alison (taking the picture). I forgot to mention that we are all sporting edomame and I believe you can see our beat up curry pot on the stove too.

Tangerine pumpkins! Can you guess which one is mine? Try Jack on the far right.

Happy 25th Birthday Lauren!!

Birthday cake candle embers.

We knew our game of spoons was becoming too violent when a helpless spoon lie in two pieces on the table top.

One bad thing about parties is that they always have to come to an end. Since all of our guests except Kate, who was sleeping over, had to catch the train they had to be sure to leave in order to catch the last one before it was too late. We all said goodbye and thanked them for coming.

On a brighter note, the one great thing about typhoons is the day after the storm. It is always absolutely beautiful. Today, Sunday, there isn't a cloud in the big blue sky, and I would say the temperature is just around perfect.

I saw many great things today, including, my first eyewitness account of a Japanese subway rat. Until now, I hadn’t ever seen one because everything here is immaculately clean. Some guy looked at me on the train and said “Hello, how are you?”. Since my parents taught me not to talk to strangers, I politely answered and then continued reading my book. After church, I met my friend Kozue at the Makuhari station, which is not too far from work.

I met her because she had invited me to her university’s festival. She introduced me to here two good friends Azusa and Nobue. The festival called Hamakaze took place at Konda University (known for its English program); Kozue and all of her friends are studying English as part of their International Communications major. It was an international festival celebrating countries all over the world. Many of the festival booths were selling a variety of ethnic foods. I went to a student run fashion show called “No Brand Fashion Show”. I hadn’t ever been to a fashion show, and I really enjoyed it! Afterwards, Kozue, Azusa, Nobue, and I all walked around looking for good foods to try. Just before we stopped to get some Korean style Okonomiaki (like a vegetable or seafood pancake), I passed a both selling Buffalo chicken wings “all the way from Buffalo, NY, USA”. This world is so small. Nobue recommended that we try some tempura ice cream (fried ice cream) so we headed to get some. It was very interesting and I had to eat it fast before it melted on me. I also tried some Thai noodles that were very spicy. Both Nobue and I agreed that our lips were on fire after eating the noodles and broth.

Before I left to go home, Nobue introduced Kozue, Azusa, and I to her English teacher. They told me he was Jewish and taught them Jewish History. I introduced myself and he asked me where I was from. He was very surprised that I was from Buffalo, as he was born there, but moved to North Carolina when he was only two years old. Nobue said he was a great teacher and he reminded me of a few LCLC friends; a little on the wacky side. Personally, I think being wacky is definitely a good thing. I said my goodbyes and both Azusa and Kozue said they were looking forward to doing something together soon! Azusa said that she is very interested in history and museums, which made me very happy to hear. Lauren is not really fond of museums so I was relieved when she told me they are very interesting to her. She was very sweet; she said if I’m ever in trouble, I should give her a call because getting around in Japan can be very difficult for those of us non-Japanese people. Her sincerity and kindness really touched my heart. Even though it made me long for my good friends at home in the states, it also reminded me that I should be grateful for the people who care about me here in Japan.

During all of this Lauren was hanging with her friend Kate; showing her around downtown Tokyo. She bought some new clothes with birthday money and they were all very cute. It was great to meet Kate and get to know her too!