Last weekend, I went on a trip with people from Town Hall. In Japan, I think you go on trips with your office twice a year, once in late fall or early winter, and once in in spring or summer. I think we also have a section trip (just for us in the Planning and Coordinating Division) in mid-winter. There were two groups for the general trip, and I picked the one that would happen while I was in Japan (obviously). Everyone else in Town Hall who I knew chose the second trip, but I figured it would be a good chance to spend time with new people. There were only twelve people on our trip (I think the second "half" has forty!). I was the only person under 30, and probably one of three under 40. Which isn't really a problem, but I think relationships are often defined by age here, so I was a bit nervous. As soon as the bus started moving at 8:00 am, the men started calling out, "Mia-chan! Come back here and sit with us!" Which I did, and they expected me to start drinking. I put it off as long as I could, and then grudgingly accepted a Chu-Hi, which is like alcohol soda and usually doesn't have much of an effect on me - but even though I drank it slowly, after I finished it, my whole body began to ache. Oh, it was painful. For the rest of the trip, I kept the same empty can in front of me so I wouldn't have to drink any more.
I liked being with the rowdy guys in the back of the bus, but a few of them did the job for everyone, and I think I have filled my quota for cigarette smoke for the next ten years of my life. Another drawback was that some of the guys (well, just one really, the same as the top smoker) were a little too flirty with our poor young tour guide. She was good humored about the "KEI-CHAN! Come back here!" every few minutes. Sometimes it was "It's too hot/too cold," "Can you bring us some tea?" and stuff that was nominally part of her job, though it wouldn't have killed them to be a bit more polite about it, but other times, it was, "Sit next to me honey, and have a drink," which she couldn't do, of course. Like I said, she giggled a lot and didn't seem offended, but it sort of reminded me of my short time as a waitress/bartender on Cape Cod. Same age as when I did that too. Anyway, the old guys seemed to have a good time, and she seemed happy enough to flirt with them.
I went through the whole trip pretty much not knowing anyone's name. I had seen them all, and I am sure I had heard the names of everyone at least once, but that's not always enough. One of the younger guys sort of took me under his wing, and had even brought along a trendy English phrase book, probably less to communicate with me and more as a conversation piece. The guys had a great time learning, "It's now or never," "Love at first sight," and "Are you trying to pick me up?" One guy was actually pretty good, which he said was due to having some distant relative who was an English teacher. Can't say that I understand the reasoning behind that. The guy who brought the book was someone I saw all the time at the pool, but I couldn't remember his name, and I had no idea what section he was in. I heard other people calling him Kanji-san, so I figured it could be a nickname or something. When the group was splitting up in Kobe City, I took the tour group leader's number, and Kanji said we should exchange numbers too. As I entered his name, I asked if I was using the right characters. He said, "Oh, it's those characters, but... Just use Takahashi." I felt really embarassed. I'd been calling him by his nickname when I should have been using his last name, since he was my superior. The next day, at work, he stopped at my desk to give me some pictures. After he left, I asked my coworker Yoko something about him, and she couldn't figure out who I was talking about. "Kanji-san, kanji-san, you know, he was just at my desk - Takahashi!" She burst out laughing. Kanji apparently means "Person in charge of planning the trip." Uh, oops!
Not nearly as bad as the unfortunate and accidental way I described a tomato, but that's a story for in person, and not appropriate for general audiences! So ask me about it.
In other news, Ben comes back to Japan this morning, and I am off to America in a few weeks.
Saturday, November 27, 2004
Thursday, November 18, 2004
I've got a round-trip ticket to Gaikoku
I have a ton of work to do, but I wanted to post this before I forgot. Today, a first-grader asked me:
I'm not sure I'll ever be able to stop laughing. I think the answer would have to be Foreignland (Gaikoku)!
(The PC term for a non-Japanese person in Japan is Gaikokujin, or other-country-person, and foreign language is gaikoku-go for other-country-language, so it's a term that comes up around me quite a lot. He must have thought I had dual citizenship!)
Which is farther, America or Foreignland?
I'm not sure I'll ever be able to stop laughing. I think the answer would have to be Foreignland (Gaikoku)!
(The PC term for a non-Japanese person in Japan is Gaikokujin, or other-country-person, and foreign language is gaikoku-go for other-country-language, so it's a term that comes up around me quite a lot. He must have thought I had dual citizenship!)
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Hearty Goldfish
Last night there was a gaijin gathering at Matt's apartment in neighboring Toei, and I was driving Hamish and Ed, Schwa's brother who is WWOOFing in Japan. Hamish was bringing games and movies, as well as some goldfish he had won at a school festival that day but couldn't take care of.
Hamish put his stuff down in the back seat before he got in himself. As he ducked into the car though, he yelled. The goldfish water was spilling onto my backseat. He handed the bag to Ed, already settled into the shotgun seat, for safe keeping. As everything calmed down, and we started to drive, Hamish asked Ed if there were only two goldfish in the bag. There were, and Hamish frantically searched around for the third, which he found on the seat. It wasn't moving, but they plunked it into the bag.
All three goldfish were seen eating happily in Matt's tank last night.
Hamish put his stuff down in the back seat before he got in himself. As he ducked into the car though, he yelled. The goldfish water was spilling onto my backseat. He handed the bag to Ed, already settled into the shotgun seat, for safe keeping. As everything calmed down, and we started to drive, Hamish asked Ed if there were only two goldfish in the bag. There were, and Hamish frantically searched around for the third, which he found on the seat. It wasn't moving, but they plunked it into the bag.
All three goldfish were seen eating happily in Matt's tank last night.
Monday, November 08, 2004
Yuki the Samurai
This is a picture of my friend from town, Yuki, doing a samurai dance at the town's Cultural Festival (Bunkasai).
Creative Kids
For Halloween, one of the exercises I did was making a class monster on the board. I would tell them the body part I wanted them to draw in English, and they would draw it. After it was complete, I'd have them name it and give some information. I tried to get them to use english vocab. I don't know if they'll remember any of it.
This monster is named Ben Rabbit. He lives in Italy. He eats cockroaches. He doesn't like carrots or steak. He weighs one ton. He is smelly but not scary.
The white writing to the right says, "Important picture, do not erase." I think one of the kids added that message during the lunch break.
This monster is named Ben Rabbit. He lives in Italy. He eats cockroaches. He doesn't like carrots or steak. He weighs one ton. He is smelly but not scary.
The white writing to the right says, "Important picture, do not erase." I think one of the kids added that message during the lunch break.
No, I'm the Tooth Fairy!
Despite the evil glare in my eye in this picture, I'm a good witch. This is a Halloween costume that I thought would make my parents proud. I'm not sure if you can see it, but I also have a toothbrush wand.
I got to explain about the tooth fairy. I think there was one kid who'd heard of the custom, but no adults had.
When children lose their teeth here, if it's a lower tooth, they're supposed to throw it over the roof of their house for good luck, and if it's a upper tooth, they throw it under (?) the floor. They also say a special prayer.
I got to explain about the tooth fairy. I think there was one kid who'd heard of the custom, but no adults had.
When children lose their teeth here, if it's a lower tooth, they're supposed to throw it over the roof of their house for good luck, and if it's a upper tooth, they throw it under (?) the floor. They also say a special prayer.
Chouchou
This is our Mayor, on a rainy day, wearing the hat I gave him. (NYPD)
Pretty cool, I think.
You can also see the corner of my desk in the foreground.
Pretty cool, I think.
You can also see the corner of my desk in the foreground.
Aichi Gaijin United
The victorious team at Awaji-shima. Yep, we won the plate. But it wasn't very plate-y.
Aichi Gaijin, Rah Rah Fuck! (The end of the cheer I borrowed from my frat. Even if we couldn't win in the first tier tournament, we sure had the best down-and-dirty cheering squad!)
Aichi Gaijin, Rah Rah Fuck! (The end of the cheer I borrowed from my frat. Even if we couldn't win in the first tier tournament, we sure had the best down-and-dirty cheering squad!)
Hamish and Mr. Nanahara
The Damine folks met Hamish at the field day, many for the first time. A lot of people assumed he was my boyfriend.
This is the dad of my former host family, showing off his toe socks with Hamish.
This is the dad of my former host family, showing off his toe socks with Hamish.
Having fun at Damine
After the crazy relay obstacle course at the field day at Damine the other day.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Some things do turn out well
Ballroom dance was good, it was just me and one other guy and the weird teacher and his partner. He didn't make me feel like too much of a dance failure! Woohoo!
Let's talk about something positive!
So, a special present for anyone who can send me some good news from America.
It's Thursday. That means I have ballroom dance tonight. I'm not really looking forwards to this lesson.
Yuki originally asked me to come along with her because she was a beginner and there were no other young people in the class. Considering the utter dearth of goings on in town on Thursday nights, I figured it wouldn't hurt to check it out.
On the whole it's been great. It gives me a reason to hang out with Yuki and an opportunity to dance (although it's ballroom, so not really my specialty). The regular teacher, Mrs. Kumagai, is very sweet. She gets really uncomfortable when I call her sensei, because I guess she hasn't passed the sensei level of the ballroom dancing exams. (Not joking. It is, in my opinion, the most ridiculous thing to have exams in dancing, and I don't know if it's just Japan, or everywhere.) She just focuses on routines, and we pretty much waltz around the room for the hour and a half class. I really like her classes.
Tonight, we have the real sensei. In my opinion he's a real ballroom snob, too. Last week, he spent the first hour lecturing us. I don't think it was because of my level of Japanese that I found it boring and hard to understand. Yuki and I agree - we go there to dance, not for lectures. I don't think anyone in the class is planning to go on to become world class dancers. The real sensei is also the kind of guy who, two steps into a dance will just stop and bight his lip, as if thinking how to explain proper form to such a simpleton. At first I thought he was flustered with me because I wasn't a native Japanese speaker, but he does it to all of the students, except for one lady who has been doing this type of dance for several years. Yuki said the other day when I was dancing with him, she could see him scrutinizing my posture to find something to criticize. He's really annoying, but I generally amuse myself by acting childish and making puzzled faces at Yuki.
Unfortunately, Yuki's in Thailand with her family and the other beginner (Mayuki or Mayumi?) is with the delegation that went to Samoa for the week.
Aaaaaaaaah!!!!
Well, at least with just me there, he probably won't bother wasting his breath with a lecture. Or will he????
It's Thursday. That means I have ballroom dance tonight. I'm not really looking forwards to this lesson.
Yuki originally asked me to come along with her because she was a beginner and there were no other young people in the class. Considering the utter dearth of goings on in town on Thursday nights, I figured it wouldn't hurt to check it out.
On the whole it's been great. It gives me a reason to hang out with Yuki and an opportunity to dance (although it's ballroom, so not really my specialty). The regular teacher, Mrs. Kumagai, is very sweet. She gets really uncomfortable when I call her sensei, because I guess she hasn't passed the sensei level of the ballroom dancing exams. (Not joking. It is, in my opinion, the most ridiculous thing to have exams in dancing, and I don't know if it's just Japan, or everywhere.) She just focuses on routines, and we pretty much waltz around the room for the hour and a half class. I really like her classes.
Tonight, we have the real sensei. In my opinion he's a real ballroom snob, too. Last week, he spent the first hour lecturing us. I don't think it was because of my level of Japanese that I found it boring and hard to understand. Yuki and I agree - we go there to dance, not for lectures. I don't think anyone in the class is planning to go on to become world class dancers. The real sensei is also the kind of guy who, two steps into a dance will just stop and bight his lip, as if thinking how to explain proper form to such a simpleton. At first I thought he was flustered with me because I wasn't a native Japanese speaker, but he does it to all of the students, except for one lady who has been doing this type of dance for several years. Yuki said the other day when I was dancing with him, she could see him scrutinizing my posture to find something to criticize. He's really annoying, but I generally amuse myself by acting childish and making puzzled faces at Yuki.
Unfortunately, Yuki's in Thailand with her family and the other beginner (Mayuki or Mayumi?) is with the delegation that went to Samoa for the week.
Aaaaaaaaah!!!!
Well, at least with just me there, he probably won't bother wasting his breath with a lecture. Or will he????
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Bunka no Hi
Today, having mostly slept off my cold, and with results of the election not yet in, Hamish and I set off for the Bee Summit. A lot of JETs went last year, and they talked it up so much, I have to admit I was surprised (disappointed) in its small scale. But we did get Hebo-goheimochi (mochi on a stick with a sauce made from bees), and then we watched them smoke bees out of their hives and then weigh the hives. I think they then sold the honeycomb at high prices. My friend (acquaintance, I guess) Rei was manning the goheimochi, and she was also selling her pottery. I didn't buy any, but I plan to when I go to her house next time.
We headed out to Damine (in the mountains of Shitara, and also home to one of my favorite elementary schools) because I'd heard there would be a festival there. There was nothing doing at the temple, so we got fortunes. I couldn't read much of them. Apparently the person I am waiting for is on his or her way, but they are going to be a little late. I think I'll find the thing I lost. That's good news, I guess.
At Damine Elementary, we could see a crowd. They were having a community field day. They offered us food and beer, while we watched. It turned out to be great fun! Like a regular Japanese field day, the kids were grouped into Shirogumi and Akagumi (White and Red), but since the school is so small (only 19 kids), everyone was participating. The first event we watched was a relay. The kids would run halfway around the track, then pick a piece of paper out of a hat and do what was written on the hat. One girl had to do Janken (Rock-Paper-Scissors) with someone, and then both people had to run the rest of the track. She ran over to me, and I lost as rock to her paper. As I ran around the track, my left sandal broke and fell off. Everyone was impressed that I continued to run with one shoe I went back to my seat, and then another student got me to skip around the track with her. After that, Hamish and I participated in tug of war (one win, one lose), competitive Janken, and finally, an obstacle course relay which I did barefoot and came out of really dirty. One of the obstacles involved shooting over a box of matches with a water gun. There was something wrong with my team's pistol, and it wouldn't shoot with enough force. The guy after me was a police officer, and after everyone started jeering at him, he just started shooting all the kids. They also had water guns, and it was a full shoot out. The opposing team had a lead on us towards the end, but the guys holding the finish line started running away. As the old man running towards the finish got tired and started to give up, our guy sprinted passed him and won. Ha!
After every event, participants could pick out a prize. Among the prizes, it wasn't only candy and plastic trinkets, but useful stuff like socks, garbage bags, and sponges. Wow! Bizarre, but really practical!
After that, we headed to the Nanaharas', my former host family and watched kendo and the election on t.v. A lovely day. (Besides the election.)
We headed out to Damine (in the mountains of Shitara, and also home to one of my favorite elementary schools) because I'd heard there would be a festival there. There was nothing doing at the temple, so we got fortunes. I couldn't read much of them. Apparently the person I am waiting for is on his or her way, but they are going to be a little late. I think I'll find the thing I lost. That's good news, I guess.
At Damine Elementary, we could see a crowd. They were having a community field day. They offered us food and beer, while we watched. It turned out to be great fun! Like a regular Japanese field day, the kids were grouped into Shirogumi and Akagumi (White and Red), but since the school is so small (only 19 kids), everyone was participating. The first event we watched was a relay. The kids would run halfway around the track, then pick a piece of paper out of a hat and do what was written on the hat. One girl had to do Janken (Rock-Paper-Scissors) with someone, and then both people had to run the rest of the track. She ran over to me, and I lost as rock to her paper. As I ran around the track, my left sandal broke and fell off. Everyone was impressed that I continued to run with one shoe I went back to my seat, and then another student got me to skip around the track with her. After that, Hamish and I participated in tug of war (one win, one lose), competitive Janken, and finally, an obstacle course relay which I did barefoot and came out of really dirty. One of the obstacles involved shooting over a box of matches with a water gun. There was something wrong with my team's pistol, and it wouldn't shoot with enough force. The guy after me was a police officer, and after everyone started jeering at him, he just started shooting all the kids. They also had water guns, and it was a full shoot out. The opposing team had a lead on us towards the end, but the guys holding the finish line started running away. As the old man running towards the finish got tired and started to give up, our guy sprinted passed him and won. Ha!
After every event, participants could pick out a prize. Among the prizes, it wasn't only candy and plastic trinkets, but useful stuff like socks, garbage bags, and sponges. Wow! Bizarre, but really practical!
After that, we headed to the Nanaharas', my former host family and watched kendo and the election on t.v. A lovely day. (Besides the election.)
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