Funions

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I just returned from a day-long trip to Wakayama, the prefecture south of Osaka. I woke up at 6am tired and disappointed at the rainy weather. But within a few hours, my mood had reversed. The clouds were a blessing in disguise, preventing me from needing sunscreen or a big goofy hat. It only sprinkled (creating a lot of mud), and the worst of it was when we were inside eating lunch.

I went with about 20 others from Ikoi Shokudo (the "cafeteria" where I make onigiri on Wednesdays). I am still unsure as to why this group goes onion farming 2-3 times a year. Perhaps they are volunteering just to help a community/farmer? Maybe it's a fundraiser? Not sure. Either way, I am glad I went because when we arrived (after an amazing car trip through the mountains and bamboo forests), there was a bus load of kids awaiting us. Despite the onion fumes and array of insects (2 of my least favorite things in the world), I was in heaven.

Basically, we were on our hands and knees picking the bulbs, trimming off the roots, and then sorting them into large/small bins. Sounds tedious, I know, but imagine being surrounded by goofy old men (who refuse to accept that I can't speak Japanese) and cute little kids...takes the focus off the spiders and watery eyes. While I spent most of the morning alone, by afternoon I had an entourage of old men and little girls trailing me to learn/showcase their English. Just before the girls left, I was invited to a game of tag (which only reminded me how fat and slow I am compared to the Japanese, despite my advantage of leg length).

I returned with a bag of onions, leg and back aches, and smelly/muddy clothes. I could not have spent my Saturday any better.

2 months

I relocate in 2 months. I have no idea where the last 8.5 months went...

From here on out, I will be especially busy. Tomorrow I will go to Wakayama to pick onions with the church group I make onigiri with on Wednesday nights (long sentence, sorry). On Sunday, the Roberts tour group will arrive. I'll have the whole week off from teaching so I can explore and take pictures with them (poor me!). We will be going to Kyoto, Hiroshima, all over Osaka, and conducting an English camp at the hostel nearby. On Friday, I begin my new adult classes (my favorite classes! and I have at least two students returning from the last term).

In the months to come, I will be spending more time touring Osaka with students, hopefully climbing Mt. Fuji, visiting Tokyo, saying goodbyes, and figuring out what to do with my life. I like to think that my options are endless (but that is CMC talk for "I am indecisive"). I would love to get an exciting journalism gig (like for NG or a nonprofit piece) or work PR for a non-profit. If not, I am open to teaching (though it would require more school to get certified).

I guess I'm getting ahead of myself. First I have to find a stupid, overpriced wedding dress.

Don't look under the vending machines

I just saw a rat the size of a small cat.

Good ol' Kobe

Environmental Exhibition

Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum

Chinatown

One of two man-made islands

Harborland

Port of Kobe Tower

Meriken area

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Yesterday I visited Kobe for the first time since Meg, Natalie, and I went there in March. I wanted to attend an Environment Fair, an event leading up to the G8 Summit this summer in Hokkaido. I learned never to assume that all stations have tourist maps (like my station). But regardless, I found the site with no problem. It seemed it was targeted to businesses...company booths (like plastic factories) expressing their green protocol and hoping to be contracted by big businesses. I was in flip flops, capris, a t-shirt, and pony tail. As if I didn't stand out enough for being a foreigner, I was the only one in the building not in a black business suit. Regardless, it was interesting and exciting to be there. My favorite part - hidden away in the 2nd floor corridors - was a gallery of children's art work depicting environmental problems. I may have taken too many pictures.

Afterward, since I had mostly just observed and not so much learned anything, I decided to go to the Earthquake Museum to make my trip more worthwhile. On my way to the station, I was followed (One of the typical red haired, skinny pants, cowboy boots, glitter-wearing boys this country is famous for). After quiet pursuit (maybe he thought I didn't notice I had passed him heading the opposite direction?), he finally engaged in conversation and we had a nice talk. He said he'd help me find the station. He spoke barely any English, so there were plenty of misunderstandings. Suffice it to say (I will spare any moms the details), the only English he did know was not very edifying. After 10 minutes of pleasant culture sharing, things got ugly. Long story short (yeah right!), he asked me to go to a love hotel (a hotel where the sole purpose is to have sex). He proceeded to make many crude remarks and questions. He even tried leading me past the station (presumably to a love hotel), but when I pointed it out he took me back. He didn't give up easily, but he did give up eventually. We shook hands and I never saw him again, though I did feel like I was being followed the rest of the night - constantly looking over my shoulder. Have no worries, I could have totally taken him down if it came to that. He was barely my height (with the extra inches his hairstyle supplied) and a good 20 lbs. less than me. And I doubt he would have wanted to mess up his outfit in a fight.

That being over, I made my way to the museum. It was really interesting...a theater that simulated the moment of the quake from many perspectives and locations, a set that looks like the aftermath, tons of photography and wreckage, and even a science lab demonstration of why the destruction was so severe. The downfall? I was the only guest there. Literally. So I sat in theaters by myself, was followed by almost all the staff with nothing better to do (making me feel a bit rushed), and when I did arrive at the last room - the lab - the demonstrator spent just as much time interviewing me as conducting the demonstration. He was my favorite part, however. He kept bragging about his English skills (they were impressive) and forgetting about the topic at hand. Eventually, I did learn how to earthquake-proof a building.

All the clocks were set to 5:46 (time of the quake), so I had no idea of the real time. But by the time I left the museum, it really was about 6pm, so I was already late for movie night with the Parry's. So I thought - might as well spend the rest of the night here then, right? My legs will never forgive me, but my eyes already have.

I somehow made it to the harbor (again, no map...but the giant orange tower is a dead giveaway). I walked the same path the girls and I walked (after Natalie's notorious fall over a anchoring post). This time, it was pitch black so the buildings were lit up and the water was glowing. I visited the same tiny wine shop and even took some of the same shots (Meg, remember the window reflection shot of the tower?). It made me realize my aloneness...but I felt more content than sad. I am homesick...but seeing Kobe without the girls almost gave me a sense of possession and belonging...like this is my city, not just a tourist spot I saw on a trip with friends (though it will always be that, too). Am I making any sense? I mean to say...Going there alone made me feel like less of a tourist and more at home. I just took my time and soaked it in, with no agenda in mind, knowing it might be the last time I ever see it. By the end of my walk, I almost missed Kobe more than America - and I hadn't even left yet.

But I did have to leave, eventually.

Just me?

[Extremely delayed photos (last Saturday) totally unrelated to the entry]

My cutest friend, Keiko, dead asleep

Anpanman assembly line

I taught young grasshopper how to solve the rubick's cube

Mitsuko san gave me a yukata!...but she made me put it on myself :(

This week was not one of those weeks (see previous post).

All my students were genki and enthusiastic. Instead of blank stares, there were smiles and probing questions (okay...not probing, but much deeper than the usual blood type/hobby routine). "Do Americans drink only juice?" "Can you introduce me to your brother?" "What English music do you recommend?" "Why don't you like Avril Lavigne?" This may seem surface level to you, but it's progress to me. These simple questions are a big step for them. You don't learn "Why don't you like Avril Lavigne" in a textbook, and therefore they constructed it all by themselves and were brave enough to ask it.

I was invited to have family dinner with the Parry's, I received candid feedback at Bible study, I made some new friends at the onigiri kitchen, and I was appointed unofficial RWC Tour photographer. Again, simple things. But these simple things are what transform a job into an unforgettable opportunity. These are things that make me feel like a part of this big collective bundle, and not just a temporary guest.

Kelly and I talked a bit about our eventual return and reverse culture shock. Would it really be worse than when we arrived in Japan? Would the comforting familiarity outweigh the nostalgia? She brought up a good point: One of the biggest shocks will be blending in (that's right...we thrive on celebrity status). We will just be 2 of a million blonds with curves and freckles. I will no longer be the tallest or fattest. I'll no longer be the guest of honor at school or the exotic gaijin on the streets. I will no longer catch old men staring at me on the train (hopefully) or little children with their mouths gaping open as I ride by the kindergarten.

Will that be a relief? Or will I crave the attention? I'm not sure yet. It's nice to blend in, isn't it? But it sure is nice to stand out every once in a while. Now that I am finally starting to be a friend to my students, with a bit of fame on the side, I'm not sure if I'll be ready to go back to being just me in America.

One of those weeks

The worst feeling is spending an hour trying to improvise and improve upon a lesson plan failure - fighting those blank stares. I wasn't sure if they wanted to cry or laugh at me...either would have been better than blankness. I was under the illusion that I was a more powerful, effective, and likable teacher this time around. But the newbies' enthusiasm is beginning to taper off, revealing that I am in fact not spontaneously better this semester - still the same desperate, procrastinating, speed talker who will have to deal with those blank stares. And it's only Wednesday...

Golden Week

Why didn't we have nice things growing up??

Yukie, world's coolest telephone

Mandy, world's other coolest telephone

Nobu with "banana" mochi

Japanese cemetery

Kelly at the beach with mountains in the distance

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Today was the first day back to work since "Golden Week," a long string of holidays (and "substitute holidays") in Japan. I spent the first few days behind my laptop trying to compile random HIV/AIDS facts into a coherent presentation suitable for both ESL students AND naive teenage girls. Tricky. I can't really mention homosexuality, condoms, or abstinence... so instead I eventually decided to focus on stigmas (and not the science...since it is the least of Japan's problems when it comes to HIV/AIDS). In other words...I am going to address the stigma without breaking it. Ironic.

On Sunday, I took the train to little old Himi, Japan. Never heard of it? Most people haven't (none of my students believe I went there...). But Kelly has heard of it!! And she is proud of it, for good reason. Her little, cozy town is nestled between the Sea of Japan and the snow-capped mountains of Toyama (or whoever they belong to...). I spent ~2 days exploring the many parks, gardens, and stores in Himi and the nearby cities. We ventured to Myoryuji Temple (or Ninja dera) where there in fact were never any ninjas. But it was amazing nonetheless. This temple, with the outward appearance of a typical two-story temple, has a secret suicide chamber, 7 layers, 23 rooms, and 29 stairways. There are secret passages and booby traps everywhere, making it an ideal place for samurai to protect important lords - and providing an underground passage to and from the castle. It was incredible...unfortunately the was no photography allowed.

The best part of the trip was meeting many of Kelly's Japanese friends. Not only were they our age, but she even knows boys!!! Crazy. My Japanese interaction is limited to teenage girls and old women. To say the least, when I returned (after standing 3 hours on the incredibly crowded train...a reminder of my destination), I was homesick for the country side and my own friends in New York.

The best part of Golden Week? Omiyage. Today at school, my students presented me with souvenirs. My shyest student of all took about 5 minutes to muster up the courage and the words to explain that she'd gone to Disney Land and brought me back a Minnie Mouse towel! In that moment, I didn't regret being in Osaka one bit. It's good to be home.