As my Language Teaching and Learning internship has ended so has this blog, inevitably. But that doesn't mean the end to my blogging. I am now keeping a blog about my life called Writing Pictures. I am hoping it will either make my life more interesting or I will realize that it actually is. My main inspiration for this blog came from my History of Creativity class. It made me feel not so creative but inspired to try and be more creative. I think its working, but I'm not sure. Anyway, since this blog is about my internship I should throw in some concluding words.
I have mixed feelings about my internship, but if I had to choose between reliving my experience or never having it I would definitely choose to relive it. I think I had some profound changes of heart and learned a few life lessons that I will never forget. And I think my Japanese improved some, though I am still bad at reading. Maybe some of those life lessons will appear in my new blog as themes or something. I could spend time writing about things that I wish had or hadn't happened, but I don't want to dwell in the past. "Never look down to test the ground before taking your first step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road." (Hammarskjold) I hope to see you all in my new blog, I've enjoyed all your comments!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Turkish Ice Cream
Yeah, it's been awhile. So last Saturday, on the 10th, I went to the closing social for institute. Three different institutes around the Kansai area came, so there were a lot of people there. After a little devotional we played a game called 百人一首(hyakunin issyu). The kanji literally mean 100 people one neck, but it actually means 100 poems by 100 famous people. To play the game you have 100 cards all with the last half of a waka(a Japanese poem with a 5-7-5-7-7 meter) written on it. Then there is someone who reads a poem, at random from the 100, from the beginning and your goal is to find that card. If you have all the poems memorized, or even just a few, you will have an advantage because as soon as the first word of the poem is read you will already know which card to look for instead of having to wait for them to get to the last half of the poem.
Because there were a lot of people there we played an extreme version of this game. Usually you use normal sized cards, but at the social they wrote all the poems down on paper and pasted those to cardboard. I think they were 3 feet by 2 feet? I don't know. But it made it really fun because everyone was running around to try and find the right card.
After the social I went with Shingo, Naoko, Hoku, and Ken to Umeda and window shopped for a bit. There was a special summer sale going on at the mall we went to so it was super crowded. So crowded that there was someone who directed the line to the escalators at the entrance. Quick side thought, in Japan they call both elevators and escalators elevators. It was fun walking around just looking at the different shops. We stopped at a perfume store and smelled the different perfumes and colognes. It was interesting, sometimes the most expensive perfumes weren't the best smelling. We walked past a dessert shop and one of the desserts they had was a parfait about 26 cm tall. Sometime I want to get a group of people together and get it.
Ken and Hoku came home with me because we were throwing a goodbye party for Mari, Ken's sister. She left for Southern Virginia University this morning. But Megan made brownies that her mom sent her. While we were waiting for the brownies to cool we went to the fair that was being held around the castle. Mari and Ken played a game where you use paper paddle to scoop as many bouncy balls out of water before the paper breaks. Usually it's fish, though. Mari was able to get over 60! We went back for brownies and finished off the night with youtube videos. I will miss you Mari!
On Tuesday we went to the Danjiri Festival museum with Sister Sato and the Yukimotos. Kishiwada is the most famous in Japan for it's Danjiri Festival. I think the Danjiri Festival is thrown to celebrate the history of a town. A float carved with images from history is pulled around the streets. I think there are about 60 people pulling the float. Then there are people sitting on the float playing a flute and drums and then one person dancing on the roof of the float. It's hard to explain and it's a lot cooler if you actually see it. The festival is in September so we won't get to see the actual festival. But it was cool being able to go to the museum.
On Wednesday Megan and I got to try on kimonos! It was so fun. There are two main types of kimonos. Ones with short sleeves and ones with long sleeves. Before you get married you wear kimonos with long sleeves. After you're married you wear short sleeved kimonos. I got to try on Sister Sato's kimono that she wore before she got married. I think she bought it when she turned twenty. In Japan, your twentieth birthday is your most important birthday because that's when you become an adult. When you turn twenty you buy a really nice kimono and take pictures. Also, you wear it on Adult Day if you turn twenty that year, or if you have already turned twenty or something like that. It was raining, so we couldn't really go outside, but I still had fun just wearing it.
Today I made plans to go to either Umeda to get the really tall dessert or Namba to get Turkish ice cream. I invited Megan, Meg, Hoku, Shingo, and some of our students, but in the end only Megan, Shingo, Hiroharu, and I were able to go. So we decided to go to Namba to get Turkish ice cream and do Umeda another time. I had a lot of fun. The best part was trying to find where the stand was that sold the ice cream. The directions we got were: it's on a street perpendicular to a main street and has a bunch of banners with cats on them. We did eventually find it. It involved looking it up on HIroharu's cell phone and asking people if they knew where it was. After eating Turkish ice cream we took some purikura then went to a make-it-yourself takoyaki restaurant. It was really fun making them and they were so good! Shingo and I want to open up a takoyaki restaurant next to the crepe shop that Megan and Hoku are going to open.
Because there were a lot of people there we played an extreme version of this game. Usually you use normal sized cards, but at the social they wrote all the poems down on paper and pasted those to cardboard. I think they were 3 feet by 2 feet? I don't know. But it made it really fun because everyone was running around to try and find the right card.
After the social I went with Shingo, Naoko, Hoku, and Ken to Umeda and window shopped for a bit. There was a special summer sale going on at the mall we went to so it was super crowded. So crowded that there was someone who directed the line to the escalators at the entrance. Quick side thought, in Japan they call both elevators and escalators elevators. It was fun walking around just looking at the different shops. We stopped at a perfume store and smelled the different perfumes and colognes. It was interesting, sometimes the most expensive perfumes weren't the best smelling. We walked past a dessert shop and one of the desserts they had was a parfait about 26 cm tall. Sometime I want to get a group of people together and get it.
Ken and Hoku came home with me because we were throwing a goodbye party for Mari, Ken's sister. She left for Southern Virginia University this morning. But Megan made brownies that her mom sent her. While we were waiting for the brownies to cool we went to the fair that was being held around the castle. Mari and Ken played a game where you use paper paddle to scoop as many bouncy balls out of water before the paper breaks. Usually it's fish, though. Mari was able to get over 60! We went back for brownies and finished off the night with youtube videos. I will miss you Mari!
On Tuesday we went to the Danjiri Festival museum with Sister Sato and the Yukimotos. Kishiwada is the most famous in Japan for it's Danjiri Festival. I think the Danjiri Festival is thrown to celebrate the history of a town. A float carved with images from history is pulled around the streets. I think there are about 60 people pulling the float. Then there are people sitting on the float playing a flute and drums and then one person dancing on the roof of the float. It's hard to explain and it's a lot cooler if you actually see it. The festival is in September so we won't get to see the actual festival. But it was cool being able to go to the museum.
On Wednesday Megan and I got to try on kimonos! It was so fun. There are two main types of kimonos. Ones with short sleeves and ones with long sleeves. Before you get married you wear kimonos with long sleeves. After you're married you wear short sleeved kimonos. I got to try on Sister Sato's kimono that she wore before she got married. I think she bought it when she turned twenty. In Japan, your twentieth birthday is your most important birthday because that's when you become an adult. When you turn twenty you buy a really nice kimono and take pictures. Also, you wear it on Adult Day if you turn twenty that year, or if you have already turned twenty or something like that. It was raining, so we couldn't really go outside, but I still had fun just wearing it.
Today I made plans to go to either Umeda to get the really tall dessert or Namba to get Turkish ice cream. I invited Megan, Meg, Hoku, Shingo, and some of our students, but in the end only Megan, Shingo, Hiroharu, and I were able to go. So we decided to go to Namba to get Turkish ice cream and do Umeda another time. I had a lot of fun. The best part was trying to find where the stand was that sold the ice cream. The directions we got were: it's on a street perpendicular to a main street and has a bunch of banners with cats on them. We did eventually find it. It involved looking it up on HIroharu's cell phone and asking people if they knew where it was. After eating Turkish ice cream we took some purikura then went to a make-it-yourself takoyaki restaurant. It was really fun making them and they were so good! Shingo and I want to open up a takoyaki restaurant next to the crepe shop that Megan and Hoku are going to open.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Time to get back into the swing of things!
Today was my last day teaching the night class, at least for two weeks. It's so hard switching schedules! For over a month I was teaching the morning class. I would get up at 6am, go running, have breakfast, and then go and teach. After class would always vary depending on the day, but I would either study or go play. Then we were all informed that we were switching classes so that the students could experience different teaching styles. We hadn't known about this before we left, so it was a little of a shock. I am by no means complaining about having to teach different students;I love the night class! But changing schedules is super hard.
The morning class goes from 10am to 1pm while the night class goes from 7pm-10pm. So while I was teaching the night class I would get home around 11pm every night. The first week I only missed a few days of running, but this week was impossible for me. It's also been really hard just to get up, get ready, and get things done. The only thing I did today was plan today's lesson. Plus, since Sister Sato goes to the morning class I didn't really get to talk to her until dinner. So, I'm excited to go back to teaching the morning class. I am so much more productive that way.
Last Saturday Megan, Hoku, Sister Sato, Sister Sugimoto, and I went to Kyoto. Meg didn't go because she wanted to catch up on her sleep. We left a little late because Watabe Sensei wanted to have a meeting in the morning and Saturday was the only day that we could do it. He's in Provo right now so we had to do it over the computer. So we didn't arrive in Kyoto until noon. It was raining that day and I thought it would ruin our trip, but it made it even better. Kyoto is so pretty in the rain! I've been to Kyoto a lot so it was nice seeing it in a different light. Plus, since it was raining it was so much cooler.
At Kiyomizu Temple we got to go inside a Buddha. I'm not sure if we actually went inside one, but there is this story, I think, about a guy who get's swallowed by a Buddha and it's pitch black. But then he sees the light or receives enlightenment and is able to get out, or something. haha. Sister Sugimoto was explaining it to us in Japanese, but it's like Jonah and the whale. But we went down some stairs and went into this pitch black corridor, and we had to hold onto the railing the whole time because you can't see anything! Halfway through we saw a light shining on a stone that probably had some significance and then it's pitch black again until you reach the end. It was a pretty cool experience. It's really cool to see how the truth of the gospel can be seen around the world in different religions, but has just been interpreted differently.
Before going home we stopped by a yaki niku restaurant for dinner. Yaki niku is where you are given a plate of raw meat, like beef or pork that has been thinly sliced or sea food, and you sit at a table with a small grill in the middle and cook the meat yourself. That way you can eat the meat fresh off the grill. Then you have different sauces that you can dip your meat in. It was all you can eat and Sister Sugimoto did the ordering for us. I was so full after wards! But it is delicious!
Megan is in Hiroshima this weekend visiting friends, but tomorrow Sister Sugimoto and Sister Sato are taking Meg, Hoku, and I to an Onsen in Kobe. I'm really excited!
The morning class goes from 10am to 1pm while the night class goes from 7pm-10pm. So while I was teaching the night class I would get home around 11pm every night. The first week I only missed a few days of running, but this week was impossible for me. It's also been really hard just to get up, get ready, and get things done. The only thing I did today was plan today's lesson. Plus, since Sister Sato goes to the morning class I didn't really get to talk to her until dinner. So, I'm excited to go back to teaching the morning class. I am so much more productive that way.
Last Saturday Megan, Hoku, Sister Sato, Sister Sugimoto, and I went to Kyoto. Meg didn't go because she wanted to catch up on her sleep. We left a little late because Watabe Sensei wanted to have a meeting in the morning and Saturday was the only day that we could do it. He's in Provo right now so we had to do it over the computer. So we didn't arrive in Kyoto until noon. It was raining that day and I thought it would ruin our trip, but it made it even better. Kyoto is so pretty in the rain! I've been to Kyoto a lot so it was nice seeing it in a different light. Plus, since it was raining it was so much cooler.
At Kiyomizu Temple we got to go inside a Buddha. I'm not sure if we actually went inside one, but there is this story, I think, about a guy who get's swallowed by a Buddha and it's pitch black. But then he sees the light or receives enlightenment and is able to get out, or something. haha. Sister Sugimoto was explaining it to us in Japanese, but it's like Jonah and the whale. But we went down some stairs and went into this pitch black corridor, and we had to hold onto the railing the whole time because you can't see anything! Halfway through we saw a light shining on a stone that probably had some significance and then it's pitch black again until you reach the end. It was a pretty cool experience. It's really cool to see how the truth of the gospel can be seen around the world in different religions, but has just been interpreted differently.
Before going home we stopped by a yaki niku restaurant for dinner. Yaki niku is where you are given a plate of raw meat, like beef or pork that has been thinly sliced or sea food, and you sit at a table with a small grill in the middle and cook the meat yourself. That way you can eat the meat fresh off the grill. Then you have different sauces that you can dip your meat in. It was all you can eat and Sister Sugimoto did the ordering for us. I was so full after wards! But it is delicious!
Megan is in Hiroshima this weekend visiting friends, but tomorrow Sister Sugimoto and Sister Sato are taking Meg, Hoku, and I to an Onsen in Kobe. I'm really excited!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Lotteria
Today was so fun! Megan and I met some of our students, Shiho, Sachi, and Ken, at Kishiwada station then walked over to the Bayside Mall. While we were waiting for Hoku, Hiroto, and Ayaka we walked around a little bit. There was this place on the second floor where you could write down your name on a piece of paper then tie it to a bamboo plant. It is a tradition for the Tanabata Festival. It's going to be coming up soon in July. So Sachi, Shiho, Ken, and I all wrote down a wish we had and tied it to a bamboo.
When everyone else arrived we went and ate at Lotteria, one of the few American style burger places in Japan. I got a tandoori chicken sandwich that was super delicious and spicy (you usually don't find spicy food in Japan). After we ate we went back to the station where we met up with Meg then walked to a nearby karaoke place. Before starting karaoke we all took some purikura (purikura is like a photo booth but a hundred times better!). Karaoke is super fun because they have karaoke boxes, or small rooms, that you and your friends can go into so that you don't have to sing in front of strangers. Plus you get to sing a ton of songs that way because it's just you and your friends.
Megan had to leave early because she left her stuff at home, but I was able to stay for a bit longer. Though, I stayed longer than I intended and so did Hiroto (he's in the night class on Fridays). So we both had to hurry to the station. We left with only 10 minutes before our train was supposed to leave, so we jogged all the way there. I was wearing sandals so I couldn't really run that fast. Though we didn't make it in time. We missed our train by one minute! Luckily there was a train in the next five minutes.
After class I got to talk with Naoko and got to know her a little better. She's super cute and fun! Then at Suwanomori station we ran into Haruka, another one of my students. On the train I talked to her and got to know her a little better as well.
When Megan and I were walking home Shiho, Ken, Meg, and Hoku surprised us at the shrine by our house. They had all been hanging out since karaoke. We all walked down to Kishiwada station and hung out for a little bit. There is a group of people that gather there to dance at night, so we watched them for a little bit. Then we went and got some ice cream from a nearby convenience store before heading home. I really just love hanging out with my students. They're all so fun!
When everyone else arrived we went and ate at Lotteria, one of the few American style burger places in Japan. I got a tandoori chicken sandwich that was super delicious and spicy (you usually don't find spicy food in Japan). After we ate we went back to the station where we met up with Meg then walked to a nearby karaoke place. Before starting karaoke we all took some purikura (purikura is like a photo booth but a hundred times better!). Karaoke is super fun because they have karaoke boxes, or small rooms, that you and your friends can go into so that you don't have to sing in front of strangers. Plus you get to sing a ton of songs that way because it's just you and your friends.
Megan had to leave early because she left her stuff at home, but I was able to stay for a bit longer. Though, I stayed longer than I intended and so did Hiroto (he's in the night class on Fridays). So we both had to hurry to the station. We left with only 10 minutes before our train was supposed to leave, so we jogged all the way there. I was wearing sandals so I couldn't really run that fast. Though we didn't make it in time. We missed our train by one minute! Luckily there was a train in the next five minutes.
After class I got to talk with Naoko and got to know her a little better. She's super cute and fun! Then at Suwanomori station we ran into Haruka, another one of my students. On the train I talked to her and got to know her a little better as well.
When Megan and I were walking home Shiho, Ken, Meg, and Hoku surprised us at the shrine by our house. They had all been hanging out since karaoke. We all walked down to Kishiwada station and hung out for a little bit. There is a group of people that gather there to dance at night, so we watched them for a little bit. Then we went and got some ice cream from a nearby convenience store before heading home. I really just love hanging out with my students. They're all so fun!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Public Baths = Awesome. Expensive Karaoke = Not So Awesome.
It's been awhile since I last updated. Sorry everyone! So two weeks ago on Wednesday we had a review day for the 101 class (the conversation class that I teach) and I wasn't entirely sure what to do mostly because this is my first teaching experience. But after giving it a little thought I decided to divide everyone into groups and have them write their own skits. That way I can kind of tell what grammar they understand and what they are still struggling with. Then I just told them to look over the last two chapters and come to class prepared with questions on grammar they didn't understand. They all did such a great job! Since nobody really had any questions about grammar we played "Do you love your neighbor?" for the rest of the class.
Then after class I had to rush to the station so that I could start heading towards Kyoto. Scott wanted me to show him around. I was able to get there without getting lost. Well, I did get on a train that was going the opposite direction I wanted to go, but I just got off at the next stop and backtracked. So I took him to Heian Jingu then Kiyomizudera. After seeing Kiyomizudera it was already around six. I didn't want to get back to Osaka too late and I wanted to visit my host mom from when I stayed in Kyoto. It takes about two hours to get from Osaka to Kyoto. So hopefully he didn't feel rushed or like I didn't want to hang out with him.
I remembered how to get to my homestay house even after a year! I was pretty excited about that. My host mom, Sister Shibata had dinner prepared. So we ate while we updated each other on what we have been doing. My host dad was working late and my host brother Shingo was at cram school, so I didn't get to see them. Hopefully when I go to Kyoto this Saturday I will be able to.
On Friday, the 11th, I went with Shiho, Sachi, Meg, and Hoku to a public bath/spa. There was a sauna there heated by rocks that was about 70 degrees...Celsius! I don't think I have ever sweated that much in my life. But it felt so good! After sitting in the sauna you go and sit in what's called the snow room that is about 11 degrees Celsius to cool down. Then there are also a variety of baths each with a different temperature. You wash before you get in so that the water is clean for everyone. There is also a salt sauna where you can rub salt on your body while you sit in the sauna. It makes you skin so smooth! We all spent a couple hours just relaxing. Then Meg and Hoku had to leave so that they could get ready to teach the night class. Sachi, Shiho, and I left shortly after that. The public bath/spa only cost around 900 yen! That's not a bad price for pampering yourself, I think.
Sachi went home but Shiho and I went to Namba where we met Scott, Yuko, and Shiho's friend. We went and ate okonomiyaki (so good!) and then sang karaoke. It was fun, but the karaoke cost 2000 yen (around $20) for 2 hours!! I was so surprised because I didn't think it was that expensive. Though, later I found out that the area around Namba is just expensive and you can find karaoke for a lot cheaper.
This post is getting a little long so I will finish updating in the next post!
Then after class I had to rush to the station so that I could start heading towards Kyoto. Scott wanted me to show him around. I was able to get there without getting lost. Well, I did get on a train that was going the opposite direction I wanted to go, but I just got off at the next stop and backtracked. So I took him to Heian Jingu then Kiyomizudera. After seeing Kiyomizudera it was already around six. I didn't want to get back to Osaka too late and I wanted to visit my host mom from when I stayed in Kyoto. It takes about two hours to get from Osaka to Kyoto. So hopefully he didn't feel rushed or like I didn't want to hang out with him.
I remembered how to get to my homestay house even after a year! I was pretty excited about that. My host mom, Sister Shibata had dinner prepared. So we ate while we updated each other on what we have been doing. My host dad was working late and my host brother Shingo was at cram school, so I didn't get to see them. Hopefully when I go to Kyoto this Saturday I will be able to.
On Friday, the 11th, I went with Shiho, Sachi, Meg, and Hoku to a public bath/spa. There was a sauna there heated by rocks that was about 70 degrees...Celsius! I don't think I have ever sweated that much in my life. But it felt so good! After sitting in the sauna you go and sit in what's called the snow room that is about 11 degrees Celsius to cool down. Then there are also a variety of baths each with a different temperature. You wash before you get in so that the water is clean for everyone. There is also a salt sauna where you can rub salt on your body while you sit in the sauna. It makes you skin so smooth! We all spent a couple hours just relaxing. Then Meg and Hoku had to leave so that they could get ready to teach the night class. Sachi, Shiho, and I left shortly after that. The public bath/spa only cost around 900 yen! That's not a bad price for pampering yourself, I think.
Sachi went home but Shiho and I went to Namba where we met Scott, Yuko, and Shiho's friend. We went and ate okonomiyaki (so good!) and then sang karaoke. It was fun, but the karaoke cost 2000 yen (around $20) for 2 hours!! I was so surprised because I didn't think it was that expensive. Though, later I found out that the area around Namba is just expensive and you can find karaoke for a lot cheaper.
This post is getting a little long so I will finish updating in the next post!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Everybody likes parfaits!
Sunday evening when I was working on my homework and making preparations for my class, I left the "computer" room (since we can't catch internet upstairs in our room we use the playroom in between the bathroom and the kitchen when we need to use the internet) to get the cord for my laptop. When I walked through the kitchen I noticed that Takeshi, Sister Sato’s son, was making something. I decided to ask what he was making. He said that he was making scones for his wife. Then he explained that today was her birthday (maybe he forgot) so he was making them to take to her tomorrow. He was saying that he wasn’t really sure what he was doing because he had never made anything like scones before, but that he wanted to try. I just thought it was so sweet!
Yesterday during class, Mari let me know that Scott (his actual name is Myungho Kim), my friend from Korea, was coming on a later plane than planned. But Mari and I still left after class to go meet Yuko at Tennoji Station. Mari wasn’t planning to come to Kobe with us, she just needed to pick up her passport in Tennoji. After she did that, all three of us went to a café and had all-you-can-eat desserts. This was a first for me. It was all really good, though, only after two parfaits and some purin (or flan) I couldn’t eat anymore. Maybe if we had some time to sit and talk longer I maybe could have eaten more. It was still really fun.
Anyway, after stuffing ourselves with ice cream, Mari went home and Yuko and I went to pick Scott up from the airport. Yuko had me buy a ticket for the station right next to Tennoji, where we were going to go after we picked Scott up so that I didn’t have to pay the fare to get to the airport. So I rode with her all the way to the airport, I just didn’t leave the station. So I just waited while Yuko went into the airport to get him.
It wasn’t weird for me seeing him for the first time in 2 years. For me it’s sometimes hard to keep in touch with people. But it’s also really easy for me to pick up from where we left off, even if it’s been awhile. Just something that I’ve noticed.
Well, anyhow, Yuko’s friend Kentaro met us at Namba Station then from there we helped Scott find his hotel. Scott doesn’t speak any Japanese so I was wondering if someone helped him make a reservation at a hotel. It turns out that in Namba there is a Korean owned hotel called Osaka House. So the owner speaks Korean. So Scott dropped his things off in his hotel room, then we all left for Kobe.
Kentaro lives in Kobe I think, so he drove his car to Namba so that we could all go in his car. It was around 8 when we got to Kobe so a lot of things were already closed. We first went to a shrine and took pictures outside, since it was closed. Then we went to China town. We found a restaurant that was still open then ate there. Actually, Yuko and I were still too full from lunch so we sampled some of the food. Scott and Kentaro ate most of it.
After they were finished eating we went to the area around the Kobe Radio Tower (I think that's what it's called) and walked around the harbor for a bit. I took a few pictures, but since it was already late we couldn't stay long. Maybe I'll have a chance to come back again or at least see more of Kobe.
I got home around midnight and didn't get to bed until 1:30, but I wasn't too tired today. In class I had everyone prepare their skits for the review day tomorrow. I'm really excited to see what they have put together. I haven't had a chance to talk to Meg about what she is doing for the review day, so hopefully this is what she had in mind. I'm going to record them so that I have a record of their progress. Also, tomorrow I am going to Kyoto to show Scott around since I've been there before. I invited everyone else to come, but the didn't really seem interested so it looks like I am going alone. But it looks like I will have a chance to see my host mom from when I did home stay in Kyoto! My host sister is on her mission and my two host brothers and host dad aren't coming home until late, so I won't get to see them, but maybe I can see them another time. Hopefully I can remember how to get to their house!
Yesterday during class, Mari let me know that Scott (his actual name is Myungho Kim), my friend from Korea, was coming on a later plane than planned. But Mari and I still left after class to go meet Yuko at Tennoji Station. Mari wasn’t planning to come to Kobe with us, she just needed to pick up her passport in Tennoji. After she did that, all three of us went to a café and had all-you-can-eat desserts. This was a first for me. It was all really good, though, only after two parfaits and some purin (or flan) I couldn’t eat anymore. Maybe if we had some time to sit and talk longer I maybe could have eaten more. It was still really fun.
Anyway, after stuffing ourselves with ice cream, Mari went home and Yuko and I went to pick Scott up from the airport. Yuko had me buy a ticket for the station right next to Tennoji, where we were going to go after we picked Scott up so that I didn’t have to pay the fare to get to the airport. So I rode with her all the way to the airport, I just didn’t leave the station. So I just waited while Yuko went into the airport to get him.
It wasn’t weird for me seeing him for the first time in 2 years. For me it’s sometimes hard to keep in touch with people. But it’s also really easy for me to pick up from where we left off, even if it’s been awhile. Just something that I’ve noticed.
Well, anyhow, Yuko’s friend Kentaro met us at Namba Station then from there we helped Scott find his hotel. Scott doesn’t speak any Japanese so I was wondering if someone helped him make a reservation at a hotel. It turns out that in Namba there is a Korean owned hotel called Osaka House. So the owner speaks Korean. So Scott dropped his things off in his hotel room, then we all left for Kobe.
Kentaro lives in Kobe I think, so he drove his car to Namba so that we could all go in his car. It was around 8 when we got to Kobe so a lot of things were already closed. We first went to a shrine and took pictures outside, since it was closed. Then we went to China town. We found a restaurant that was still open then ate there. Actually, Yuko and I were still too full from lunch so we sampled some of the food. Scott and Kentaro ate most of it.
After they were finished eating we went to the area around the Kobe Radio Tower (I think that's what it's called) and walked around the harbor for a bit. I took a few pictures, but since it was already late we couldn't stay long. Maybe I'll have a chance to come back again or at least see more of Kobe.
I got home around midnight and didn't get to bed until 1:30, but I wasn't too tired today. In class I had everyone prepare their skits for the review day tomorrow. I'm really excited to see what they have put together. I haven't had a chance to talk to Meg about what she is doing for the review day, so hopefully this is what she had in mind. I'm going to record them so that I have a record of their progress. Also, tomorrow I am going to Kyoto to show Scott around since I've been there before. I invited everyone else to come, but the didn't really seem interested so it looks like I am going alone. But it looks like I will have a chance to see my host mom from when I did home stay in Kyoto! My host sister is on her mission and my two host brothers and host dad aren't coming home until late, so I won't get to see them, but maybe I can see them another time. Hopefully I can remember how to get to their house!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Bike Riding, Getting Lost, and USJ
On Monday the missionaries brought Taku, an investigator, to observe my class. It was really fun and I even had Elder Drake participate in class. He spoke Japanese during class so he had to do the hokey pokey with everyone else that broke the rule too. It was a lot of fun. I feel bad because Taku wants to come more but since he's not registered for the class he can't. I just really hope he didn't get offended.
Tuesday Sister Suzuoki from the evening class took us to a kaitenzushi place called Sushiro. She was really nice and paid for all of us. Though, it wasn't expensive so I didn't feel bad about letting her pay. Kaitenzushi is a sushi restaurant where sushi on plates rotates around on a conveyor belt, and you can just pick whatever you want to eat from there. In addition to sushi they also have different juice and desserts rotating around on plates as well. It's probably one of my favorite type of restaurants. Too bad they don't have them in the United States.
After class on Thursday Megan and I ended up staying at the church after class to practice a song we are going to sing for the Sakai Stake Young Single Adult Sunday, where it will be all the YSA doing their own church service. Kind of like single wards at BYU. Anyway, after we practiced Meg went to the park with Hiroharu and his sister, both students from my class, and Megan, Hoku, and I ended up hanging out with Ken, Shiho, Ayaka, Tomoe, Naoko, Hiroto, and Sachi (I hope I didn't forget anyone!). Ken usually works, but he had Thursday off for some reason, so we wanted to go and do something. We decided to go and get crepes at a "nearby" mall. It took us about a half hour to get there, so it wasn't too far, but it definitely wasn't close. The shoes I chose to wear that day weren't getting along with my feet(wearing high heels all day is hard!). Shiho was nice and let me ride on the back of her bike. Though, she made Ken be a gentleman and ride the bike. It was a little scary at first because I have never ridden on the back of a bicycle before, but after I got used to it it was really fun!
When we got to the mall I decided not to get a crepe (I was still really full from the McDonalds I had for lunch and dinner was going to be soon) and instead shared shaved ice and ice cream. We were short on time so we couldn't stay long. Ken and Hiroto showed us the way to the JR station (we usually take the Nankai line) and then Ken went with us most of the way home. Hoku, Megan, and I ate a hurried, but delicious dinner of chirashizushi. Then Hoku left to teach the night class and Megan and I left for institute.
We usually meet with the girls from our class and walk to institute together, but this time Megan and I went by ourselves. We were able to get to the station okay, but for some reason we couldn't find our way to that familiar street that takes us to the church where institute is at. So Megan and I ended up walking around for an hour and a half before we figured out that we had to walk through this subway station and go out the other side. We got to institute with only a half hour left. It was a little embarrassing because everyone looked at us when we came in and Shiho, Sachi, Ayaka, and a few others asked us if we were alright. We explained to them that we got lost but were completely fine. Then we found out that the teacher arranged a translator for us. I felt really bad coming in late, even though there was nothing we could do about it. I'm just glad that we were to go for that last half hour. Megan and I weren't scared when we were lost because we knew where the station was, just not where the church was. It was fun.
I was sad when I got home because I wanted to watch Himitsu no Arashi chan, a weekly television program that has the band members of Arashi as hosts. I thought I had found it last week, but maybe they were just starring on another show. I hope I can find the right channel next week!
Saturday was really fun. We went to Universal Studios Japan with Sister Sugimoto and Sister Sato. I've never been to Universal Studios in the U.S. before, so I have nothing to compare it with, but it was still awesome! It was cool having all of these characters from American movies speaking Japanese. Everyone's favorite ride was the new attraction Space Fantasy. It's kind of like Space Mountain. We stayed from open till close and got to see the light parade. After we left we went and ate at an Italian restaurant. I got a bacon and cream pizza with a poached egg on top. It was so yummy! I forgot to take a picture though. I think I still need to try actual Japanese pizza, because I think the one I ate was Italian.
I really hope that I am doing a good job teaching and that my students are having fun learning. It's just that I am not as outgoing as Meg and I can't bring myself to do all the crazy stuff she does in her classes. It's just not my personality. I'm having fun teaching, I just hope I'm not a boring teacher, haha.
So I found out on Thursday that my friend Yuko from institute knows one of my friends from BYU. He's been in the army for the past two years, all men in Korea have to serve in the army for two years, and now he has a little break before he leaves on his mission. So he's coming to spend part of it in Japan. Talk about a small world! Yuko was just telling me if Megan and I could show her friend around since he doesn't speak Japanese and it turns out that it's someone I know. It's really late right now and I am going to hang out with him, Yuko, and Mari, and probably some other people, in Kobe tomorrow. I'll see if I have time to update my blog more than once a week so you guys don't have to read a novel!
Tuesday Sister Suzuoki from the evening class took us to a kaitenzushi place called Sushiro. She was really nice and paid for all of us. Though, it wasn't expensive so I didn't feel bad about letting her pay. Kaitenzushi is a sushi restaurant where sushi on plates rotates around on a conveyor belt, and you can just pick whatever you want to eat from there. In addition to sushi they also have different juice and desserts rotating around on plates as well. It's probably one of my favorite type of restaurants. Too bad they don't have them in the United States.
After class on Thursday Megan and I ended up staying at the church after class to practice a song we are going to sing for the Sakai Stake Young Single Adult Sunday, where it will be all the YSA doing their own church service. Kind of like single wards at BYU. Anyway, after we practiced Meg went to the park with Hiroharu and his sister, both students from my class, and Megan, Hoku, and I ended up hanging out with Ken, Shiho, Ayaka, Tomoe, Naoko, Hiroto, and Sachi (I hope I didn't forget anyone!). Ken usually works, but he had Thursday off for some reason, so we wanted to go and do something. We decided to go and get crepes at a "nearby" mall. It took us about a half hour to get there, so it wasn't too far, but it definitely wasn't close. The shoes I chose to wear that day weren't getting along with my feet(wearing high heels all day is hard!). Shiho was nice and let me ride on the back of her bike. Though, she made Ken be a gentleman and ride the bike. It was a little scary at first because I have never ridden on the back of a bicycle before, but after I got used to it it was really fun!
When we got to the mall I decided not to get a crepe (I was still really full from the McDonalds I had for lunch and dinner was going to be soon) and instead shared shaved ice and ice cream. We were short on time so we couldn't stay long. Ken and Hiroto showed us the way to the JR station (we usually take the Nankai line) and then Ken went with us most of the way home. Hoku, Megan, and I ate a hurried, but delicious dinner of chirashizushi. Then Hoku left to teach the night class and Megan and I left for institute.
We usually meet with the girls from our class and walk to institute together, but this time Megan and I went by ourselves. We were able to get to the station okay, but for some reason we couldn't find our way to that familiar street that takes us to the church where institute is at. So Megan and I ended up walking around for an hour and a half before we figured out that we had to walk through this subway station and go out the other side. We got to institute with only a half hour left. It was a little embarrassing because everyone looked at us when we came in and Shiho, Sachi, Ayaka, and a few others asked us if we were alright. We explained to them that we got lost but were completely fine. Then we found out that the teacher arranged a translator for us. I felt really bad coming in late, even though there was nothing we could do about it. I'm just glad that we were to go for that last half hour. Megan and I weren't scared when we were lost because we knew where the station was, just not where the church was. It was fun.
I was sad when I got home because I wanted to watch Himitsu no Arashi chan, a weekly television program that has the band members of Arashi as hosts. I thought I had found it last week, but maybe they were just starring on another show. I hope I can find the right channel next week!
Saturday was really fun. We went to Universal Studios Japan with Sister Sugimoto and Sister Sato. I've never been to Universal Studios in the U.S. before, so I have nothing to compare it with, but it was still awesome! It was cool having all of these characters from American movies speaking Japanese. Everyone's favorite ride was the new attraction Space Fantasy. It's kind of like Space Mountain. We stayed from open till close and got to see the light parade. After we left we went and ate at an Italian restaurant. I got a bacon and cream pizza with a poached egg on top. It was so yummy! I forgot to take a picture though. I think I still need to try actual Japanese pizza, because I think the one I ate was Italian.
I really hope that I am doing a good job teaching and that my students are having fun learning. It's just that I am not as outgoing as Meg and I can't bring myself to do all the crazy stuff she does in her classes. It's just not my personality. I'm having fun teaching, I just hope I'm not a boring teacher, haha.
So I found out on Thursday that my friend Yuko from institute knows one of my friends from BYU. He's been in the army for the past two years, all men in Korea have to serve in the army for two years, and now he has a little break before he leaves on his mission. So he's coming to spend part of it in Japan. Talk about a small world! Yuko was just telling me if Megan and I could show her friend around since he doesn't speak Japanese and it turns out that it's someone I know. It's really late right now and I am going to hang out with him, Yuko, and Mari, and probably some other people, in Kobe tomorrow. I'll see if I have time to update my blog more than once a week so you guys don't have to read a novel!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Shocking News
The beginning of the week was pretty routine. On Monday Megan. Hoku and I had planned to go running, but it ended up raining so we didn't go. But it was nice sleeping in. I didn't have to worry about planning a lesson because Meg taught my class so that I could observe and she could see what level the students were at. Together in class we made up rules with the students. One of them is no speaking Japanese during class. Meg enforced the rule by writing the name of the students who spoke Japanese on the white board. At the end of class, those who had their name on the board had to do the Hokey Pokey as a “punishment.” I will probably be doing this from now on.
After class Megan and I got lunch and bought snacks for the ward family home evening that night. We looked around in the shops a little before going home. I wanted to buy shoes and an outfit I could wear outside of class because all I have right now is high heels and business clothes. Wearing high heels all day is harder than it looks. But we were short on time. When we got home I helped Sister Sato make dinner. I was able to learn how to make miso soup. After dinner, Megan and I went to ward family home evening. I couldn't stay for the whole thing because I had to teach the night class. But it was fun.
Tuesday Meg taught my morning class and I just observed. I was able to get some more teaching ideas. Then after class I went home right away because I really needed to study and work on some things for the English curriculum. Megan stayed and did the yoga class. I wanted to stay but I had promised myself that I would get a few things done. Plus, I told Meg I would teach the night class again so I needed to get the lesson ready. I got off one stop early at Kishiwada station so that I could figure out how long it takes to walk from there to the house. Meg and Hoku live just down the street from Kishiwada station, so I wanted to find out so that we can meet up on the weekends. It was a nice little walk. They weather was nice and cool and the sun was out. When I got to Kishiwada castle I stopped and took some pictures. It's so cool having a castle right by my house!
Wednesday was pretty rountine, just teaching and studying. Thursday I went to institute. We did a little shopping before and I was able to buy some flats, finally. So far from the shoe stores I have been in there are only four shoe sizes: S, M, L, and LL. Anyway, I was able to understand a lot more in institute this time because I read the chapters before hand in English. At first it seemed like Thursday would be a typical day, but when I came home from institute all the lights were on which is unusual because it was already 10 at night and everyone is usually in bed. Sister Sato was awake because she had to tell Megan and I what had happened. First, I just want everyone to know that nobody got hurt. The was a fire at the Yukimoto's house, where Meg and Hoku stay. It destroyed half of their house. And police are saying that it might have been arson. But what is really amazing was that only the part of the house that nobody lives in got destroyed. The house is over 80 years old and most of it is made out of paper and wood, so it should have all burned down. But the fire literally stopped at the door that leads to Meg and Hoku's room and where evryone else lives. God was truly watching out for them. I didn't take pictures of all the damage that was done, but Meg Bush as videos and pictures on her facebook from when it actually happened. Everyone seems to be doing fine and Meg and Hoku are staying with Megan and I until the Yukimoto's get the electricity and plumbing fixed.
On a lighter note there was a ward barbecue on Saturday. The food was great and I got to meet a lot of people from the ward. My student Hiroharu came even though he is not in our ward. He brought his friend Keisei from Kobe and Meg and I hung out with them. It was nice getting to know Hiroharu outside of class and his friend was pretty cool. We spoke mostly in Japanese. Some other people from the ward got a game of frisbee going and that was fun to watch. It was a really beautiful day; no clouds and a cool breeze. So I didn't notice that I was getting sunburned. Though, I only got a little on my arms. Meg got it a lot worst. Her face, chest, and arms are really red right now from the sunburn. After awhile Hiroharu drove Meg and I back to the church. It took us awhile because he kept taking wrong turns, but it was fun and we eventually got there.
At 5pm I went with Mari Takogawa to a missionary fireside at the church where we go to institute. She translated most of it and the talks were all interesting.
Today was Stake Conference so after church there was a potluck. The food was all really delicious! When I got home we all took naps until dinner. For dinner we had tempura donburi. After dinner all four of us took a walk around Kishiwada and discovered there were a bunch of stands out around the castle. When we asked Sister Sato about them she said they do that on certain days before the festivals in the summer. It was fun looking around at the food and the games they had.
This last picture is of a really cute prayer that we saw at a shrine. A rough translation is "I want to be with someone special/important always."
After class Megan and I got lunch and bought snacks for the ward family home evening that night. We looked around in the shops a little before going home. I wanted to buy shoes and an outfit I could wear outside of class because all I have right now is high heels and business clothes. Wearing high heels all day is harder than it looks. But we were short on time. When we got home I helped Sister Sato make dinner. I was able to learn how to make miso soup. After dinner, Megan and I went to ward family home evening. I couldn't stay for the whole thing because I had to teach the night class. But it was fun.
Tuesday Meg taught my morning class and I just observed. I was able to get some more teaching ideas. Then after class I went home right away because I really needed to study and work on some things for the English curriculum. Megan stayed and did the yoga class. I wanted to stay but I had promised myself that I would get a few things done. Plus, I told Meg I would teach the night class again so I needed to get the lesson ready. I got off one stop early at Kishiwada station so that I could figure out how long it takes to walk from there to the house. Meg and Hoku live just down the street from Kishiwada station, so I wanted to find out so that we can meet up on the weekends. It was a nice little walk. They weather was nice and cool and the sun was out. When I got to Kishiwada castle I stopped and took some pictures. It's so cool having a castle right by my house!
Wednesday was pretty rountine, just teaching and studying. Thursday I went to institute. We did a little shopping before and I was able to buy some flats, finally. So far from the shoe stores I have been in there are only four shoe sizes: S, M, L, and LL. Anyway, I was able to understand a lot more in institute this time because I read the chapters before hand in English. At first it seemed like Thursday would be a typical day, but when I came home from institute all the lights were on which is unusual because it was already 10 at night and everyone is usually in bed. Sister Sato was awake because she had to tell Megan and I what had happened. First, I just want everyone to know that nobody got hurt. The was a fire at the Yukimoto's house, where Meg and Hoku stay. It destroyed half of their house. And police are saying that it might have been arson. But what is really amazing was that only the part of the house that nobody lives in got destroyed. The house is over 80 years old and most of it is made out of paper and wood, so it should have all burned down. But the fire literally stopped at the door that leads to Meg and Hoku's room and where evryone else lives. God was truly watching out for them. I didn't take pictures of all the damage that was done, but Meg Bush as videos and pictures on her facebook from when it actually happened. Everyone seems to be doing fine and Meg and Hoku are staying with Megan and I until the Yukimoto's get the electricity and plumbing fixed.
On a lighter note there was a ward barbecue on Saturday. The food was great and I got to meet a lot of people from the ward. My student Hiroharu came even though he is not in our ward. He brought his friend Keisei from Kobe and Meg and I hung out with them. It was nice getting to know Hiroharu outside of class and his friend was pretty cool. We spoke mostly in Japanese. Some other people from the ward got a game of frisbee going and that was fun to watch. It was a really beautiful day; no clouds and a cool breeze. So I didn't notice that I was getting sunburned. Though, I only got a little on my arms. Meg got it a lot worst. Her face, chest, and arms are really red right now from the sunburn. After awhile Hiroharu drove Meg and I back to the church. It took us awhile because he kept taking wrong turns, but it was fun and we eventually got there.
At 5pm I went with Mari Takogawa to a missionary fireside at the church where we go to institute. She translated most of it and the talks were all interesting.
Today was Stake Conference so after church there was a potluck. The food was all really delicious! When I got home we all took naps until dinner. For dinner we had tempura donburi. After dinner all four of us took a walk around Kishiwada and discovered there were a bunch of stands out around the castle. When we asked Sister Sato about them she said they do that on certain days before the festivals in the summer. It was fun looking around at the food and the games they had.
This last picture is of a really cute prayer that we saw at a shrine. A rough translation is "I want to be with someone special/important always."
Sunday, May 23, 2010
めっちゃ忙しい！(So Busy!)
So the reason I haven't posted in awhile is because all my time has gone to teaching and lesson planning. Since I have never taught before things are a little hectic. But it's starting to get easier now. Besides going to church today I mostly slept. I don't know but for some reason I was so tired! It pretty much rained all day so I'm blaming it on that, haha. Well, I'll post the entries I was intending to put up a few days ago. Enjoy!
5/17
This morning Megan and I got up at 6:00am to go jogging. At first we got a little lost, but we eventually found where we wanted to go. I probably mentioned this before but there is a castle right by our house called Kishiwada Castle. Sister Sato said that a lot of people jog around this area so that’s where we decided to go. I wasn't expecting a lot of people to be up this early, but there were a fair amount of people up and about.
There were people jogging, walking their dogs, and even fishing by Kishiwada Castle. Many of them would greet us with ohayou gozaimsu or good morning so we started greeting everyone else as well. We came across a park by Kishiwada castle and stopped to look because we saw that several people were gathered around. We then realized they were doing the radio morning exercise or razio taisho. We asked if it was ok then joined in with them. Maybe we will join them tomorrow as well.
Around 8:30am Sister Sato drove us to Kishiwada station so that Sister Yukimoto could help us buy a month train pass. Sister Sato was really nice and took all the textbooks with her in the car so we wouldn’t have to carry them with us on the train.
Today we just had our students take an English proficiency test. Overall it went smoothly. We were able to get all the tests graded and the students divided into their sections.
5/23
I’ve been so busy this week! Having never taught before it takes me awhile to plan a lesson. But I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. I went to observe Meg’s class on Friday and got more of an idea of how I am supposed to teach. So I think things will start to go a lot more smoothly. Today I actually had time to study Japanese a little and to take a nap. I slept in until 7 this morning, then after making breakfast I studied and did my laundry. I got to skype my family too which was a lot of fun. I introduced my host family to my parents and Sister Sato got a chance to practice her English.
Before lunch, Sister Sato took Megan and I on a little tour of the town. She showed us where the post office and the bank was and also a place where we could jog. She showed us a small road that was the original road that Shoguns would use when traveling back and forth between the castles and temples in the Edo period. It’s paved now and there is a little traffic, but there are still houses from the Meiji Era that are still standing. I took a few pictures today, but I want to go back and take a few more. Sister Sato then showed us a little shopping street that she goes to when she needs to buy groceries and such. She also introduced us to a few people from the neighborhood. After that we went back home to eat lunch. We had ramen with bean sprouts and pork cutlets.
Tonight we went to the church for a sports night. Shiho, Naoki, and Mari from our class were there as well. We played soccer volleyball. The rules are you can’t use your hands; only your feet, head, and chest. We really didn’t keep track of points but it was still a lot of fun. There was this 11-year-old boy there (I didn’t catch his name) that was a lot of fun. He kept yelling heta kuso! which basically means you’re really bad at this! And he kept calling me and Megan by different names. Megan was Marrissa (emphasis on the arrr) and I was Melissa. He was just really fun and energetic. We then played four square for a little bit, but we ended up having a discussion about how to use ageru, kureru, and morau. The first two mean to give and the last means to receive. If you know any Japanese you know how confusing these can get.
Megan, Hoku, and I went home together. At Kishiwada where Hoku gets off at, we all went to the McDonalds by the station and got something to eat. We got it to go and on our way back to the station we stopped and listened to some street performers. There were two guys singing and one playing the guitar. They were pretty good from what we heard, though, we didn’t stay and listen to the whole song because we had to catch the train home.
Hopefully I will be able to post more often this week. Meg, the graduate student in charge of us, is teaching my class tomorrow. I guess it's for her to see what level the students are at and how I can best teach them. I hope it's not because I'm so bad at teaching that she has to show me how, haha.
I'll be going to Institute every Thursday. It's all in Japanese so It's hard to understand what's going on, but it will be good practice I think. Megan and I went this Thursday with our student and friend Shiho. She is going to be serving her mission soon. On Thursday after class she took us to a bookstore because I needed to buy a book for my Japanese class called Baka no Kabe or The Wall of Fools. They didn't have it so Shiho is letting me borrow her copy. But I bought The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Japanese That Japanese Don't Know. They are all in Japanese, of course. These are just the rough English translation of the titles. Anyway, we went and ate crepes at a little shop before joining up with Ayaka and Tomoe to walk to Institute together. There were a lot more people at institute than I expected. When I went to Institute in Kyoto last year there were only a handful of people.
Until next time! (That's a banana, custard, and chocolate sprinkle crepe. So yummy!)
I almost forgot! Sister Sato explained the about the shrine next door. The house we live in is the house her husband grew up in and I think it's been in the family for awhile. I'm not sure if her husband owns the shrine, but I believe his family has been taking care of it over the generations. Surrounding the shrine are small stone pillars with names of people and towns written on them. These are people, towns, and businesses that have contributed donations to the up-keeping of the shrine. It's a Shinto shrine so people come to offer prayers I think. Let me know if you have any questions because I can always ask my host-dad.
This is the view of the shrine from my window. I plan on taking more pictures.
5/17
This morning Megan and I got up at 6:00am to go jogging. At first we got a little lost, but we eventually found where we wanted to go. I probably mentioned this before but there is a castle right by our house called Kishiwada Castle. Sister Sato said that a lot of people jog around this area so that’s where we decided to go. I wasn't expecting a lot of people to be up this early, but there were a fair amount of people up and about.
There were people jogging, walking their dogs, and even fishing by Kishiwada Castle. Many of them would greet us with ohayou gozaimsu or good morning so we started greeting everyone else as well. We came across a park by Kishiwada castle and stopped to look because we saw that several people were gathered around. We then realized they were doing the radio morning exercise or razio taisho. We asked if it was ok then joined in with them. Maybe we will join them tomorrow as well.
Around 8:30am Sister Sato drove us to Kishiwada station so that Sister Yukimoto could help us buy a month train pass. Sister Sato was really nice and took all the textbooks with her in the car so we wouldn’t have to carry them with us on the train.
Today we just had our students take an English proficiency test. Overall it went smoothly. We were able to get all the tests graded and the students divided into their sections.
5/23
I’ve been so busy this week! Having never taught before it takes me awhile to plan a lesson. But I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. I went to observe Meg’s class on Friday and got more of an idea of how I am supposed to teach. So I think things will start to go a lot more smoothly. Today I actually had time to study Japanese a little and to take a nap. I slept in until 7 this morning, then after making breakfast I studied and did my laundry. I got to skype my family too which was a lot of fun. I introduced my host family to my parents and Sister Sato got a chance to practice her English.
Before lunch, Sister Sato took Megan and I on a little tour of the town. She showed us where the post office and the bank was and also a place where we could jog. She showed us a small road that was the original road that Shoguns would use when traveling back and forth between the castles and temples in the Edo period. It’s paved now and there is a little traffic, but there are still houses from the Meiji Era that are still standing. I took a few pictures today, but I want to go back and take a few more. Sister Sato then showed us a little shopping street that she goes to when she needs to buy groceries and such. She also introduced us to a few people from the neighborhood. After that we went back home to eat lunch. We had ramen with bean sprouts and pork cutlets.
Tonight we went to the church for a sports night. Shiho, Naoki, and Mari from our class were there as well. We played soccer volleyball. The rules are you can’t use your hands; only your feet, head, and chest. We really didn’t keep track of points but it was still a lot of fun. There was this 11-year-old boy there (I didn’t catch his name) that was a lot of fun. He kept yelling heta kuso! which basically means you’re really bad at this! And he kept calling me and Megan by different names. Megan was Marrissa (emphasis on the arrr) and I was Melissa. He was just really fun and energetic. We then played four square for a little bit, but we ended up having a discussion about how to use ageru, kureru, and morau. The first two mean to give and the last means to receive. If you know any Japanese you know how confusing these can get.
Megan, Hoku, and I went home together. At Kishiwada where Hoku gets off at, we all went to the McDonalds by the station and got something to eat. We got it to go and on our way back to the station we stopped and listened to some street performers. There were two guys singing and one playing the guitar. They were pretty good from what we heard, though, we didn’t stay and listen to the whole song because we had to catch the train home.
Hopefully I will be able to post more often this week. Meg, the graduate student in charge of us, is teaching my class tomorrow. I guess it's for her to see what level the students are at and how I can best teach them. I hope it's not because I'm so bad at teaching that she has to show me how, haha.
I'll be going to Institute every Thursday. It's all in Japanese so It's hard to understand what's going on, but it will be good practice I think. Megan and I went this Thursday with our student and friend Shiho. She is going to be serving her mission soon. On Thursday after class she took us to a bookstore because I needed to buy a book for my Japanese class called Baka no Kabe or The Wall of Fools. They didn't have it so Shiho is letting me borrow her copy. But I bought The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Japanese That Japanese Don't Know. They are all in Japanese, of course. These are just the rough English translation of the titles. Anyway, we went and ate crepes at a little shop before joining up with Ayaka and Tomoe to walk to Institute together. There were a lot more people at institute than I expected. When I went to Institute in Kyoto last year there were only a handful of people.
Until next time! (That's a banana, custard, and chocolate sprinkle crepe. So yummy!)
I almost forgot! Sister Sato explained the about the shrine next door. The house we live in is the house her husband grew up in and I think it's been in the family for awhile. I'm not sure if her husband owns the shrine, but I believe his family has been taking care of it over the generations. Surrounding the shrine are small stone pillars with names of people and towns written on them. These are people, towns, and businesses that have contributed donations to the up-keeping of the shrine. It's a Shinto shrine so people come to offer prayers I think. Let me know if you have any questions because I can always ask my host-dad.
This is the view of the shrine from my window. I plan on taking more pictures.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
First Sunday
When we left for church today, Sister Sato had us leave from the main genkan entrance. A genkan is basically the doorway except that it is lower than the rest of the house. You take off your shoes here and then step up to the main house. I haven't been able to upload my pictures yet, but hopefully sometime tomorrow I can. When Megan and I first arrived we entered the house through the genkan and then when our friend Hoku came over to wait at our house until her host mom got back from shopping, Sister Sato had her come through the genkan entrance. I am guessing that the genkan is only used for special occasions like when people first visit or, maybe on Sundays when leaving for church. Just a little observation.
Church starts at 10:00am which I don't mind at all. I got to sleep in until 6:30am today. It's weird, I wake up at 6:00am and I don't feel tired at all. Though, I don't mind at all because I don't want to waste my time here sleeping more than I need to. Anyway, today at church I was surprised by how much I understood! I didn't understand everything, but I was definitely able to tell what was going on. Right after church we had a meeting with Watabe Sensei about some last minute preparations for the English course and the proficiency test. Sister Sato packed some bread for us to eat and Sister Sugimoto was really nice and made lunch for everyone as well. I should have taken a picture... She made us fancy tuna sandwiches and hot dogs. The bread here is so good! I want to go to a panyasan (bakery) so bad!
After the meeting there was an orientation meeting for the students where Watabe Sensei explained the teaching method and how everything was going to work. After all that we didn't end up leaving church until 5:00pm. We drove to church with Sister Sato but we left with Sister Yukimoto, where Hoku and Meg are staying, so that we could figure out how to get to and from the church by train since we will be teaching at the church everyday.
When we got home we helped Sister Sato with dinner. We made a pasta with a sort of pesto sauce. Sister Sato mixes olive oil, basil, garlic, and pine nuts and then freezes a whole bunch in molds (she uses cute teddy bear ones) so that when she makes pasta making the sauce will be quicker. It was really delicious. Our host dad didn't eat with us today, probably because he had already gone to bed. He goes to bed early so that he can get up around 4:00am or earlier to clean the shrine next door. I was talking to Sister Sato and I found out that that shrine belongs to their family so they are the ones to take care of it. I thought that this was pretty cool. I can't wait to hear more about the history of this town; especially about the castle just down the street.
Church starts at 10:00am which I don't mind at all. I got to sleep in until 6:30am today. It's weird, I wake up at 6:00am and I don't feel tired at all. Though, I don't mind at all because I don't want to waste my time here sleeping more than I need to. Anyway, today at church I was surprised by how much I understood! I didn't understand everything, but I was definitely able to tell what was going on. Right after church we had a meeting with Watabe Sensei about some last minute preparations for the English course and the proficiency test. Sister Sato packed some bread for us to eat and Sister Sugimoto was really nice and made lunch for everyone as well. I should have taken a picture... She made us fancy tuna sandwiches and hot dogs. The bread here is so good! I want to go to a panyasan (bakery) so bad!
After the meeting there was an orientation meeting for the students where Watabe Sensei explained the teaching method and how everything was going to work. After all that we didn't end up leaving church until 5:00pm. We drove to church with Sister Sato but we left with Sister Yukimoto, where Hoku and Meg are staying, so that we could figure out how to get to and from the church by train since we will be teaching at the church everyday.
When we got home we helped Sister Sato with dinner. We made a pasta with a sort of pesto sauce. Sister Sato mixes olive oil, basil, garlic, and pine nuts and then freezes a whole bunch in molds (she uses cute teddy bear ones) so that when she makes pasta making the sauce will be quicker. It was really delicious. Our host dad didn't eat with us today, probably because he had already gone to bed. He goes to bed early so that he can get up around 4:00am or earlier to clean the shrine next door. I was talking to Sister Sato and I found out that that shrine belongs to their family so they are the ones to take care of it. I thought that this was pretty cool. I can't wait to hear more about the history of this town; especially about the castle just down the street.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
I made it!
I finally made it to Osaka! Taking a plane probably would have been faster, but just flying into Narita was a lot cheaper. When I got through customs at the airport Watabe Sensei was already there waiting for me. He had suggested that I send my luggage to where I was homestaying which turned out to be a really good idea. For two bags it's around 3500 yen from Tokyo to Osaka. We then took the train from Narita to Tokyo Eki. Watabe Sensei paid for my ticket and even got me some dinner at Tokyo Eki which was really nice of him. We went to a sushi bar where the sushi rotates around on a conveyor belt and you just take whatever you like. The plates are a different color to indicate the price. The plates have chips inside them so when you are done eating the waiter scans the plates to get the total.
After we were done eating, Watabe Sensei helped me find where the bus was going to pick me up. It took awhile, but we eventually found it. Watabe Sensei still had to get back to Yokohama and it was already late so he had to leave. I was fine by myself and there were still a lot of people around so I wasn't worried. I just wandered around until it was time for the bus to come.
The night bus wasn't too bad and I was able to sleep a little. The seats are small and they don't recline back very far so it was hard to get comfortable. After eight hours the bus finally arrived in Osaka. The bus dropped everyone off by a tunnel that led to Namba Eki. From there I rode the express train to Kishiwada then changed to the local train and rode it to Takojizou Eki where I used a public telephone to call Sister Sato, my homestay mom. The station is really close to the Sato's house so she just walked there and led me back to the house.
I love their house! It's an older Japanese style house. Mine and Megan's room is upstairs (the stairs are really steep!) where there is a great view of the garden and the shrine next door. We can even see the top of Kishiwada castle! I think I'm going to like staying here.
The first thing I did was eat breakfast and then after that I took a few hours nap. Once my luggage arrived I unpacked a little and had a late lunch of instant ramen with added ingredients of meat and gyouza. I then finally got to take a shower! After traveling for two days it felt so good! Around 6:30pm I went with Sister Sato to pick Megan and Hoku up from the airport. Hoku is staying with the Yukimoto's with Meg Bush. I found out that one of my TA's was Sister Yukimoto's son! When we got home I showed Megan around a little before we decided to go to bed.
Today I woke up around 6:00am and wasn't feeling tired at all so I went downstairs. I made my own breakfast and did my own dishes which I never got to do at my other homestay families. At 10:30am we went to a picnic with the relief society at Sakai park. It was really perfect weather for a picnic. Before we ate we walked around the rose garden for awhile. We just got back a few hours ago and Sister Sato is making dinner now. Tomorrow is Sunday and I'm looking forward to going to church and meeting new people.
After we were done eating, Watabe Sensei helped me find where the bus was going to pick me up. It took awhile, but we eventually found it. Watabe Sensei still had to get back to Yokohama and it was already late so he had to leave. I was fine by myself and there were still a lot of people around so I wasn't worried. I just wandered around until it was time for the bus to come.
The night bus wasn't too bad and I was able to sleep a little. The seats are small and they don't recline back very far so it was hard to get comfortable. After eight hours the bus finally arrived in Osaka. The bus dropped everyone off by a tunnel that led to Namba Eki. From there I rode the express train to Kishiwada then changed to the local train and rode it to Takojizou Eki where I used a public telephone to call Sister Sato, my homestay mom. The station is really close to the Sato's house so she just walked there and led me back to the house.
I love their house! It's an older Japanese style house. Mine and Megan's room is upstairs (the stairs are really steep!) where there is a great view of the garden and the shrine next door. We can even see the top of Kishiwada castle! I think I'm going to like staying here.
The first thing I did was eat breakfast and then after that I took a few hours nap. Once my luggage arrived I unpacked a little and had a late lunch of instant ramen with added ingredients of meat and gyouza. I then finally got to take a shower! After traveling for two days it felt so good! Around 6:30pm I went with Sister Sato to pick Megan and Hoku up from the airport. Hoku is staying with the Yukimoto's with Meg Bush. I found out that one of my TA's was Sister Yukimoto's son! When we got home I showed Megan around a little before we decided to go to bed.
Today I woke up around 6:00am and wasn't feeling tired at all so I went downstairs. I made my own breakfast and did my own dishes which I never got to do at my other homestay families. At 10:30am we went to a picnic with the relief society at Sakai park. It was really perfect weather for a picnic. Before we ate we walked around the rose garden for awhile. We just got back a few hours ago and Sister Sato is making dinner now. Tomorrow is Sunday and I'm looking forward to going to church and meeting new people.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Taking Off
I am finally on my way to Japan! I had planned on visiting my uncle before I left but packing took a lot longer than I thought it would. But I did have my friends Jaimie (she went with me to Japan last year), Jim, and Joey over to watch the first Death Note movie and that was fun. After they left I didn't get to bed until three because I had to finish packing my suitcases and everything in my room. No one has bought my contract for the summer yet, but I packed up my things just in case.
I usually take the shuttle to the airport but I've never liked doing that. So I asked my friend Jim to take me. Thank you Jim! Not taking the shuttle is so much less stressful. I think that I can say I was successful in actually packing light. I decided in the end to bring both big suitcases, but they are both under 50 lbs. Instead of two big suitcases I could have done a big and a small one, but I wanted to be sure I had room for the things I plan on bringing back from Japan.
I was reminded that in Japan there is a takkyubin (express delivery)service. I can send my luggage from the Narita Airport in Tokyo to my host family's house in Osaka for only about 2200 yen a bag (that is around $22 more or less with the exchange rate). So now I don't have to worry about walking around Japan with tons of luggage!
My roommate Erika (she's from Tokyo) is so nice! She hemmed all of my pants for me and she wrote directions to get from Narita airport all the way Osaka (she also helped me reserve tickets for the night bus that is going to take me to Osaka). I am really hoping that nothing goes wrong because I am on kind of a tight schedule. When I get to LA, I only have an hour to get to my next gate if my plane is on time. I am supposed to arrive in Tokyo around 5pm, then hopefully customs doesn't take me too long so that I can get on the Narita Express to Tokyo Station before 9pm. Before I do that I have to exchange money and send my bags to Osaka. We'll see how that goes.
I usually take the shuttle to the airport but I've never liked doing that. So I asked my friend Jim to take me. Thank you Jim! Not taking the shuttle is so much less stressful. I think that I can say I was successful in actually packing light. I decided in the end to bring both big suitcases, but they are both under 50 lbs. Instead of two big suitcases I could have done a big and a small one, but I wanted to be sure I had room for the things I plan on bringing back from Japan.
I was reminded that in Japan there is a takkyubin (express delivery)service. I can send my luggage from the Narita Airport in Tokyo to my host family's house in Osaka for only about 2200 yen a bag (that is around $22 more or less with the exchange rate). So now I don't have to worry about walking around Japan with tons of luggage!
My roommate Erika (she's from Tokyo) is so nice! She hemmed all of my pants for me and she wrote directions to get from Narita airport all the way Osaka (she also helped me reserve tickets for the night bus that is going to take me to Osaka). I am really hoping that nothing goes wrong because I am on kind of a tight schedule. When I get to LA, I only have an hour to get to my next gate if my plane is on time. I am supposed to arrive in Tokyo around 5pm, then hopefully customs doesn't take me too long so that I can get on the Narita Express to Tokyo Station before 9pm. Before I do that I have to exchange money and send my bags to Osaka. We'll see how that goes.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Preparations
I decided to be smart and not pack the night before I am supposed to leave. Last year when I went to Japan I was doing everything the day before and I ended up not sleeping at all. Right now I am mostly done with my packing and already have arrangements where I am going to store my things while I am gone. Though, I still need to find a ride to the airport...
I am going to be doing an internship in Japan called Language Teaching and Learning. Basically, I will teach English classes in the morning and then study Japanese the rest of the time. I am a little nervous because I have never taught before, but at least I am not the only one going. This internship is sponsored by both Brigham Young University and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan. The program is run by Masakazu Watabe (I call him Watabe Sensei) with graduate and undergraduate students working under him. I am one of the undergraduate students and I will be with the group stationed in Osaka. There is another group already in Yokohama that started a week before we did.
Language Teaching and Learning (from now on LTT) interns have taught in Yokohama in previous years, but this is the first time that the LTT program will be in Osaka. Even so, there are more students signed up to learn English in Osaka than in Yokohama.
There is only three more days before I leave and I feel like there is still so much more to do! Tomorrow I will mostly be shopping for gifts for my host family and buying a few more things that I need. Today I mostly packed. I tried to fit everything into one suitcase but that was impossible without going over the weight limit. But I think I packed lighter than I did when I last went to Japan.
Well, next time I post I will be in Japan!
I am going to be doing an internship in Japan called Language Teaching and Learning. Basically, I will teach English classes in the morning and then study Japanese the rest of the time. I am a little nervous because I have never taught before, but at least I am not the only one going. This internship is sponsored by both Brigham Young University and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan. The program is run by Masakazu Watabe (I call him Watabe Sensei) with graduate and undergraduate students working under him. I am one of the undergraduate students and I will be with the group stationed in Osaka. There is another group already in Yokohama that started a week before we did.
Language Teaching and Learning (from now on LTT) interns have taught in Yokohama in previous years, but this is the first time that the LTT program will be in Osaka. Even so, there are more students signed up to learn English in Osaka than in Yokohama.
There is only three more days before I leave and I feel like there is still so much more to do! Tomorrow I will mostly be shopping for gifts for my host family and buying a few more things that I need. Today I mostly packed. I tried to fit everything into one suitcase but that was impossible without going over the weight limit. But I think I packed lighter than I did when I last went to Japan.
Well, next time I post I will be in Japan!
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