Going on a Holiday
Ok. Tomorrow is the start of Golden Week in Japan. This means that I will be going away and won't be posting again until after I get back. I think only about 5 people read my blog and those 5 people know that I am going away anyway... but whatever...
I'm going to Chugoku (the region not the country). It's the westernmost region of the main Japanese island Honshu and includes Hiroshima (I'm not really going to Hiroshima because I've already been there but it's the only city most people have heard of).
I'll be seeing Kintai bridge
and Amanohashidate (2 of the 3 famous views in Japan).
In the meantime, I leave you with a
bitter, bitter man
The company you keep...
You spend enough time with them... you become one of them...
| You Are a Schoolgirl! |
You're not quite as wild as a "kogyaru", but with your short plaid skirt
and silly white socks, you're still a sexual fetish object.
You can usually be seen hanging out in the girly section of the video game places,
collecting photobooth stickers of you and your friends. You may not be as innocent as you look.
Did those vending machine panties once belong to you? |
Google Earth gets 2 thumbs up!
Are you an ALT searching for acceptance in the office? Are you just dying for people to talk to you on those lonely days of sitting in the teachers room with nothing to do? Have I got the solution for you... GOOGLE EARTH.
Google Earth? Really? Yes! You know it! I'm talking about the cool software that allows you to see into your own backyard!
How can Google Earth work for you? Just turn it on and start zooming in and out of an area (preferably somewhere in Japan)... Pretty soon, half of the teaching staff will be hovering around you asking if you can find their house! I'm telling you... IT WORKS. Show them the "tilt" function by zooming in on Mt. Fuji; show them your country, show them your town, show them your house if you want; and then, as a community activity: try and find the school together!
Google Earth: Your ticket to instant popularity.True story. I was bored Monday afternoon so I started messing with Google Earth. Matsumura-sensei, the young geography teacher (who everyone tries to set me up with at enkais), saw me and thought it was the coolest thing ever. I said maybe it might be interesting to show topography and stuff in his geography class... He thought that was a great idea. Then he started calling all the other teachers over... Pretty soon I had half the teaching staff standing behind me asking to see the Pyramids and the Great Wall of China... I spent an hour and a half explaining and demonstrating this wonderful software. It was fun and do you know what the best part of it was?!?!? People were talking to me... IN ENGLISH!!!! d(^_^)b
I wonder if Google will give me money for advertising...
Pictures
It's hard to follow Friday's post. So I won't say anything. I will just post pictures from the weekend. I went to Toji, in Kyoto. Another of Kyoto's World Heritage sites. It has the largest 5-storey wooden pagoda in Japan... only a few metres taller than the one at Kofukuji in Nara.
View from across the street
Pagoda and sakura
Toji gardens
Reflection in the water
Kanchi-in gate
Picture of the Kanchi-in sign. I am lazy. Click image to read.
Zen garden telling the story of Kobo Daishi's return from China. Kobo Daishi (Kukai) was the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism in Japan
Sketch of the garden explaining the scene (ignore my reflection in the glass)
Garden inside Kanchi-in
Cuteness beside Kanchi-in
Cuteness close-up
View of Toji from the West
Friday...
One would assume that Friday, with it being the end of the week and all, would be a happy day.
Not today...
This morning, at 11:00, Matsui-sensei says to me, "I have news". Then she tells me that one of my students died in a motorcycle accident this morning. She had no details, she didn't even know who it was. I asked her to keep me posted.
After 4th period, Kyoto-sensei called a meeting for the teachers and informed everyone of the accident. An emergency Generel Assembly was called... the students had no idea why they had all been summoned to the gymnasium. Kocho-sensei gets up and says "Miyahara Kazuki was in an accident today and died at the hospital. Third-year, 17 years old." Whispers of disbelief, then came the realization that it was true and then tears, tears and more tears... It wasn't very nice. One girl collapsed in a complete panic. She had to be taken outside.
Of course, the diciplinary dean took this opportunity to lecture the students about road safety. "Think about your lives"; "Do you want to end up like Miyahara-kun"; "Don't ride motorcycles"... But for the first time ever, everyone was listening. When the Assembly finished, everyone walked out of the gymnasium and the only sound to be heard was the shuffling of feet and the tears of devastated classmates.
Kyoto-sensei cancelled classes for the rest of the day. In fact, Kyoto-sensei said, "Classes, cleaning and club have all been cut". Then Wakai-sensei (who I liked up until about 30 minutes ago) says, "there are games this weekend, you can't cancel club"... So today there is club. It made my stomach churn. Why can't they just let these kids be sad?! One of their friends died?!?! They are kids for crying out loud!!!!!!! Not robots...
In other news, Okada-san, the payroll lady in the office, the nice lady who used to go to the bank for me and pay my rent... The nice lady who ensured that we all got our paycheques at the end of the month... also passed away this morning... cancer.
The school year started 10 days ago... so much for starting the year off on the right foot.
Please keep Miyahara-kun and Okada-san in your prayers.
The new OC
OC as in Oral Communication. I finally started class this Monday and I guess it's going as expected. I've had 4 classes so far and 3 of them were with the WGJTE (World's Greatest JTE). Oh I love this man so much!!! The way he doesn't read my lesson plans, the way he sits at the empty chair in the class while I teach, the way he says 3 words in English and thinks that's team-teaching, the way he runs out of class the second the bell rings... Oh he's FANTASTIC!!! I'm so sad that I only have 4 classes with him. I think all 8 of my classes should be with him. Yeah!
But it's Wednesday today. My day of "rest". No classes. Time to catch up on my celebrity gossip. In the news today:
Tom Cruise is gross... but hey, what else is new?
How Appropriate
This is just too easy...
Which Sex and the City Player Are You? Find out @ She's Crafty
That's better
Thank you Helen for providing a few minutes of amusement
Who's Your Inner Buffy Bad-Girl? Find out @ She's Crafty
Cordy? Really?
Right then... At least I'm not Dawn...
Which Buffy Girl Are You? Find out @ She's Crafty
Hanami Pics
It's a lazy Sunday afternoon and I'm waiting for my laundry to finish so I guess now is the perfect time to post some pics. I spent most of last weekend having picnics under the cherry trees with some friends. Japan at this time of year is so pretty...
Saturday in Yoshino
Erin and Corey in Takada on Sunday
Angie and Aaron in Takada
Takada "river" looking very pretty
The moon through the cherry blossoms
Takada river at night
Long Time No Blog
Ok... I feel now that it's my turn to update since everyone else is doing it. Yes, if everyone else jumped off a cliff, I'd do it too... No one wants to be left out ;)
Anyhoo, I have been AWOL because my sister Jennifer was visiting for 2 weeks. It was lovely. I'm so happy that she was able to come to visit since everyone else was able to visit and it would have sucked if she had been the only one not to have seen Japan. But she did. And in the 2 weeks that she was here, she got to see tons. She arrived the 26th (Sunday night) and Kimiyo and I went to pick her up at the airport. Kimiyo was making fun of me because I couldn't keep still. So sue me for being excited...
Monday I had to go into work because I had to meet the new exchange student. She is a lovely girl. Smart too. She speaks like 5 languages. She's from Estonia and she sticks out like a sore thumb at the school since she's tall and blond. And get this! Her name is Kati (pronounced Kaa-tee not Kay-tee). I know I said that I wouldn't like her but that was me being an idiot. I was kind of put in charge of her because the teachers she was originally placed with were transfered...
Speaking of transfers... Monday was the day of the transfers and it sucked. We lost 11 awesome teachers, including Uesugi-sensei... I was so upset I almost cried. I'm sure the new teachers will be really nice but I lost my best friend at the school... and to make matters worse... she ended up at Oji Tech... stupid transfers.
The 28th, we went to Nara. Nice day until the thundershowers came.... My sister paid a tribute to my Dad's old friend O-Jizo-sama... In the evening we went to the Moritanis. They threw a party for Jen, for my birthday and for my passing the JPLT. I got cake. I like cake.
Jen and me at Sarusawa no Ike
Jen's tribute to O-Jizo-sama
Blowing out the candles on birthday cake #2
The 29th, I had to work. It sucked. All the teachers that had been transfered were cleaning out their desks. Meanwhile, Jen was in Kyoto with Kimiyo.
We went to Tokyo for the first weekend in April. The sakura were PERFECT! Weird seeing as Tokyo is further north and Nara's blossoms had barely started by that time. We went to the National Museum, Asakusa, the Imperial Palace, Yasukuni shrine (I didn't pray, I just wanted my stamp) and we spent a beautiful day in Kamakura.
Jen and me at Engakuji in Kamakura
The sakura at Kenchoji in Kamakura. Absolutely gorgeous.
The best part of the day. An unexpected sighting of Fujisan from the top of the mountian behind Kenchoji.
The Daibutsu in Kamakura
Like I said... the cherry trees were PERFECT!
There are a lot of people in Tokyo.
Jen's second week went by really fast. I went to Himeji again because I wanted to see it when it wasn't raining. We went shopping (a lot) and we went to Osaka castle and the aquarium (3rd time for me.... the place is awesome!) And then last Saturday morning, Jen went home... Boo...
Himeji Castle
Himeji Castle art shot ;)
Kokoen. The gardens next to Himeji Castle.
Jen doing the "Exit" pose at the Aquarium.
Weird giant spider crabs at the Aquarium.
Osaka castle.
Osaka castle art shot (I was messing with Picasa)
But it wasn't the end for me... As soon as I dropped Jen off at the bus stop, I got on the train to Yoshinoyama for Hanami... 2 hours later I arrived in Yoshino to meet up with my friends. I did Hanami in Takada on Sunday (since the cherry trees in Yoshino weren't ready yet). Takada was beautiful. Unfortunately, I haven't uploaded those pics yet. Will get on that right away.
School started again Monday. We've had 3 full days of ceremonies... Monday was the farewell ceremony for the teachers who left. It was sad... I cried when Murata-sensei, the music teacher, sang a song... (sorry, I'm a sap). Tuesday was the welcome ceremony for the new teachers. And today was the entrance ceremony for all the new first years. The format of it looks exactly like graduation except about 10 times more boring.
I'm looking forward to teaching this year though. I know that I have less than 4 months to go but I may as well make it a good 4 months, right? Go out with a bang. We have a new textbook which is much more appropriate for the level of the students. It's also more interesting than the old one. The only thing that puts a damper on my last term in Japan is the fact that for 50% of the lessons, I have to teach with the JTE from hell... the word "with" being used very loosely of course... some of you may remember me talking about the "Class of Doom"... yeah, well... here we go again. OOOOOOK OK OK. (*_*)
I'm going to Chugoku (the region not the country). It's the westernmost region of the main Japanese island Honshu and includes Hiroshima (I'm not really going to Hiroshima because I've already been there but it's the only city most people have heard of).
