oct. 24, 2006
i am so close to having internet i think i am going insane. i am taking a half day of nenkyu (paid leave) on friday to wait for the NTT guy to come and do something--i have no idea what... and ideally my modem will be delivered the same day. ideally i will be able to call someone this friday. ideally i will be able to post photos, and even this blog, from the comfort of home. ideally i will then be able to solve the dilemma that is literally driving me insane. ideally i will breath a giant sigh of relief and be able to relax and enjoy life in japan. ideally i will not go on a murderous rampage when i, as will of course happen, do not have internet on friday and am told that it will be another week before the modem shows. ideally i will be able to regain a monochrome of concentration so my newspaper lesson will not suck this afternoon. and finally, ideally i will be able to enjoy my halloween weekend no matter what happens.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
mid-term exam week: day two.
oct. 18, 2006
i think i'm going to die. either because the repetitous banging of my head on my desk kills me, or because the shear boredom that is onerwhelming me now will simply stop my heart. i am too bored to read, my limited internet access is tapped out, and i've already napped all i can nap. to think i have another day of this? thank gawd it wasn't a full five day week: my guts would be dripping off the cabinets of my office, because i would have of course explored of frustration by now.
i think i'm going to die. either because the repetitous banging of my head on my desk kills me, or because the shear boredom that is onerwhelming me now will simply stop my heart. i am too bored to read, my limited internet access is tapped out, and i've already napped all i can nap. to think i have another day of this? thank gawd it wasn't a full five day week: my guts would be dripping off the cabinets of my office, because i would have of course explored of frustration by now.
i'm more japanese than i thought.
oct. 15, 2006
looking around me i see everyone dressing like i do. and it's not even my attempts to dress japanese that prompt me to say this. if you know my fashion sense at all, you know i like to ear clashing outfits, t-shirts with floral skirts, dresses over pants, and bright colors. so bright colors only reflects a small portion of the japanese population (or much of the osaka population), but the rest of that surrounds me everyday. i don't know if my trip to japan two years ago influenced me more than i thought or i just am in tune with japanese society, from across the ocean, but my fashion is here and it is popular. besides this i ahve noticed that the long winded answer, that i know i give, is something that is repeated here. i ask students, and teachers, 'how was your weekend' and they go in to an account of what they did, not answering, 'it was fine'. i am probably reading too much into this and simply seeking out comfortable simularities, but still, creepy. i think i'm turning japanese, i really think so....
looking around me i see everyone dressing like i do. and it's not even my attempts to dress japanese that prompt me to say this. if you know my fashion sense at all, you know i like to ear clashing outfits, t-shirts with floral skirts, dresses over pants, and bright colors. so bright colors only reflects a small portion of the japanese population (or much of the osaka population), but the rest of that surrounds me everyday. i don't know if my trip to japan two years ago influenced me more than i thought or i just am in tune with japanese society, from across the ocean, but my fashion is here and it is popular. besides this i ahve noticed that the long winded answer, that i know i give, is something that is repeated here. i ask students, and teachers, 'how was your weekend' and they go in to an account of what they did, not answering, 'it was fine'. i am probably reading too much into this and simply seeking out comfortable simularities, but still, creepy. i think i'm turning japanese, i really think so....
JET is a dating service.
oct. 15, 2006
anyone who argues with the title of this blog needs to take a closer look at what goes on around them in the JET program. the program starts with over two thousand people in a hotel in tokyo--okay, sure there are pre-orientations and orientations that happen in the participants home countries, but that's not where this starts. back home we all feel safe and have our people. once in japan, we are confused, lost, surrounded by strangers. in tokyo we are all exhausted and looking for people to fill the holes that have just appeared in our hearts, our lives. quickly we make eye contact, we begin conversations, we ask 'so, where have you been placed', we exchange contact information. i'm sure a little hooking up happens, despite the exhaustion, but mostly i believe tokyo is a hunt for the bootie calls that will happen in the following year. followed by this, in my prefecture, is an annual prefectural orientation for all JETs in hiroshima. second, third and first years gather fro a three day conference in downtown hiroshima. there are hotel rooms for those outta towners and the locals spend a lot of time there, too. i feel like the second and third years only show to get a look at the new crop, to decide if there are any perspective candidates for dates. many have cell information now, many are smiling and winking at each other. by then end of the three days there is some hand-holding, and shared glances that indicated decisions have been made and people have broken off into paris. to extend the opportunities for dating there is one more orientation. here it is only the first years, but they are all trapped in a hotel for a solid week, away from downtown and outside influence. here is where we see some serious shit going down. waking up in strange beds i'm sure happened, along with drinking too much and not actually learning anything at the mandatory japanese language and culture classes. by the end of august most relationships or potential relationships, have been established. who is a possible mate or bootie call has been lined up, and those returning JETs have made claims on the fresh meat. from here we see the pairs forming, the couples appearing and the impressive quality of the 'JET dating service'.
anyone who argues with the title of this blog needs to take a closer look at what goes on around them in the JET program. the program starts with over two thousand people in a hotel in tokyo--okay, sure there are pre-orientations and orientations that happen in the participants home countries, but that's not where this starts. back home we all feel safe and have our people. once in japan, we are confused, lost, surrounded by strangers. in tokyo we are all exhausted and looking for people to fill the holes that have just appeared in our hearts, our lives. quickly we make eye contact, we begin conversations, we ask 'so, where have you been placed', we exchange contact information. i'm sure a little hooking up happens, despite the exhaustion, but mostly i believe tokyo is a hunt for the bootie calls that will happen in the following year. followed by this, in my prefecture, is an annual prefectural orientation for all JETs in hiroshima. second, third and first years gather fro a three day conference in downtown hiroshima. there are hotel rooms for those outta towners and the locals spend a lot of time there, too. i feel like the second and third years only show to get a look at the new crop, to decide if there are any perspective candidates for dates. many have cell information now, many are smiling and winking at each other. by then end of the three days there is some hand-holding, and shared glances that indicated decisions have been made and people have broken off into paris. to extend the opportunities for dating there is one more orientation. here it is only the first years, but they are all trapped in a hotel for a solid week, away from downtown and outside influence. here is where we see some serious shit going down. waking up in strange beds i'm sure happened, along with drinking too much and not actually learning anything at the mandatory japanese language and culture classes. by the end of august most relationships or potential relationships, have been established. who is a possible mate or bootie call has been lined up, and those returning JETs have made claims on the fresh meat. from here we see the pairs forming, the couples appearing and the impressive quality of the 'JET dating service'.
decisions.
oct. 15, 2006
so i'm sittin' on the bus, leaving kannbe, appreciating the fact that i have a laptop (thanks mom and dad) and listening to some nifty music (thanks sandi). kate and i just had an amazing weekend of gilmore girls, a beautiful onsen and too much chocolate...and a little spaced and crepes and hot cakes. the tension in my shoulders is almost gone; and i've nearly forgotten that i have to go to the horrible doctor's tomorrow, where i have no idea what will happen. this weekend was exactly what i needed. so non-productive we didn't even get to planning our trip to south korea, that's happening in three weeks. and i just passes a sign with a photo with what looked like two boys either about to kiss, or just finishing kissing. japan is a little confusing...
my mind has been on the question of how long am i going to stay in this beautiful country that can be realy frustrating and oxymoronic. my heart says that i need to go home to portland for my family and to continue the friendships that i made and solidified during my senior year. my mind says that all of that will be there if i stay for two years and that living in japan will not happen again. this is only once in a life time. and that if i want to do the traveling that i want to do, india, nepal, vietnam, cambodia, and possibly europe, there's no way if i only stay a year...and my heart kinda agrees with this last part of travel. to see the world in a lifetime is an immense task, and i have been given the head-start of a free ticket to asia. how the hell can i not use this for all it's worth. and the more i think along these lines i the more that i know i have to stay for two years. and the more i know that i have to stay for two years the more my heart breaks for what i am now missing in portland, which is of course is ridiculous, because shit, i'm in fucking japan! a country tha many americans, many of the people i know, will never get to. any pain and sadness that i feel is just payment for this opportunity. just thinking about it now i know this to be true. but then i go on to the thoughts of, why do i think i need to punish myself to experience life? why do i think i need to punish myself to find myself? but misery breeds strength, and strength breeds a happy and fulfilling life. i know i'm on the right path, i just sucks sometimes. and i have met some amazing people here. i am creating friendships that will be important, at some level or another for the rest of my life.
it will all come down to how much i desire to be in portland in february.
so i'm sittin' on the bus, leaving kannbe, appreciating the fact that i have a laptop (thanks mom and dad) and listening to some nifty music (thanks sandi). kate and i just had an amazing weekend of gilmore girls, a beautiful onsen and too much chocolate...and a little spaced and crepes and hot cakes. the tension in my shoulders is almost gone; and i've nearly forgotten that i have to go to the horrible doctor's tomorrow, where i have no idea what will happen. this weekend was exactly what i needed. so non-productive we didn't even get to planning our trip to south korea, that's happening in three weeks. and i just passes a sign with a photo with what looked like two boys either about to kiss, or just finishing kissing. japan is a little confusing...
my mind has been on the question of how long am i going to stay in this beautiful country that can be realy frustrating and oxymoronic. my heart says that i need to go home to portland for my family and to continue the friendships that i made and solidified during my senior year. my mind says that all of that will be there if i stay for two years and that living in japan will not happen again. this is only once in a life time. and that if i want to do the traveling that i want to do, india, nepal, vietnam, cambodia, and possibly europe, there's no way if i only stay a year...and my heart kinda agrees with this last part of travel. to see the world in a lifetime is an immense task, and i have been given the head-start of a free ticket to asia. how the hell can i not use this for all it's worth. and the more i think along these lines i the more that i know i have to stay for two years. and the more i know that i have to stay for two years the more my heart breaks for what i am now missing in portland, which is of course is ridiculous, because shit, i'm in fucking japan! a country tha many americans, many of the people i know, will never get to. any pain and sadness that i feel is just payment for this opportunity. just thinking about it now i know this to be true. but then i go on to the thoughts of, why do i think i need to punish myself to experience life? why do i think i need to punish myself to find myself? but misery breeds strength, and strength breeds a happy and fulfilling life. i know i'm on the right path, i just sucks sometimes. and i have met some amazing people here. i am creating friendships that will be important, at some level or another for the rest of my life.
it will all come down to how much i desire to be in portland in february.
peanut butter.
oct. 14, 2006
i never peanut butter was all that important. now i am in japan. now eating peanut butter straight out of the jar seems completely resonable. adding chocolate ships (that cost 268yen for a handful) makes perfect sense.
strange things are happening.
i never peanut butter was all that important. now i am in japan. now eating peanut butter straight out of the jar seems completely resonable. adding chocolate ships (that cost 268yen for a handful) makes perfect sense.
strange things are happening.
i smell trouble.
oct. 12, 2006
i see a nasty trend beginning at my base school. a couple of the teachers have decided to cancel my lesson 8 class today. i am slightly forgiving because midterm exams are next week, BUT that means i won't be meeting with these kids till novemeber--next week is tests and then i start my rounds in the 2nd year class. my predessor taught maybe one lesson a term with each class and there is no way in hell i am going to stand for that--i just hope i get a say in it...
i see a nasty trend beginning at my base school. a couple of the teachers have decided to cancel my lesson 8 class today. i am slightly forgiving because midterm exams are next week, BUT that means i won't be meeting with these kids till novemeber--next week is tests and then i start my rounds in the 2nd year class. my predessor taught maybe one lesson a term with each class and there is no way in hell i am going to stand for that--i just hope i get a say in it...
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