There have been a lot of events, realizations and thoughts that I have had since setting foot once again in Japan. Some are hilarious, while others made me take a step back and reassess the situation. Here is a random assortment of experiences, realizations, thoughts and funny events that have transpired since that fateful day. I`ve laughed, been lost in thought or shocked into silence, learned diplomacy, and been rewarded many times over for pushing beyond my comfort zone. Follow me on some of these adventures.
Trash cans
My search for trash cans continues! Anyone who lives in Japan knows this very well: locate the trash cans of any area you`re in immediately. They`re difficult (or nonexistent) and incredibly necessary unless you want a banana peel stuck in your purse (it didn`t happen, but almost!).
The first time I heard it was my second day in Saiki. Alone in my apartment and lost in concentration as I sorted through the items left by my predecessors, I jumped out of my skin at the booming music that seemed to come out of nowhere. Later I found out that there was a speaker right next to my building, but at the time I thought I`d lost my mind. Since then, I`ve come to welcome and appreciate the sweet notice of the end of the work day.
2) If the student starts singing, sing with them! During one introduction class a student asked me what music I like. I listed off a few genres, but almost instantly after he heard, “musicals” he started singing loudly. Though taken aback for a moment, I quickly realized that he was singing the Japanese version of "Do you hear the people sing" from Les Miserables. Joining in with the English version, we sang together to the applause of the entire class. Scoring points with the students and nailing my first impression on that class for the win!
3) Hard to eat or open food is a fun way to get people to talk to you. I passed out honey sticks to my fellow teachers when I first arrived, and was able to start conversations with a lot of them about the flavors, and how to open/eat it. It`s a great ice-breaker for shy teachers, and to do a self-introduction.
4) When a bunch of students approach you and ask you to do something with them, if you have the time and the ability, do it. Not only is it a great way to get to know your students, but how often do you have the chance to goof off with them? Enjoy it!
Now I say this, but how I was learned this lesson was an experience in and of itself. Each year every school has a two day long Culture Festival. The whole school prepares for this for a couple months, with each class working really hard to make a special project or presentation to show the rest of the school. Outside of the projects, there are also student bands that play for a makeshift dance party, taiko drumming by the students, a calligraphy performance, games and various other forms of entertainment.
Blissfully unaware of how the Culture Festival would go at one of my schools, I was sitting in the audience and watching the performances when the students who were going to play taiko approached me. “Let`s play today!” They said. “Okay!” I responded, smiling and giving them a double thumbs up. Jumping up and down excitedly, they said while beaming, “Yay! Let`s play together!” A little confused, I asked what they meant. One of my fellow English teachers overheard, and started talking with the students. Turning to me, she explained, “They say you`re going to play with them on the stage.” Eyes wide with shock, I quickly started saying, “What? No, no, no, no no…” Their excitement changed immediately to disappointment. “No??” They practically cried. After some quick translation on the part of my colleague, we found out that another teacher had heard that I was interested in taiko and arranged for me to play with them. Their faces were so hopeful that I swallowed my embarrassment and stage fright and told them I would play with them. Instantly excited again, they bounced away to prepare.
There`s nothing quite like trying out an instrument that you`ve never touched before in front of hundreds of your students and colleagues. In the end, it was a lot of fun, we all laughed a lot, and the students in the group became a lot friendlier towards me afterwards. An additional lesson is that shame, embarrassment and self-doubt too often get in the way of great experiences. It`s not easy, but swallow them and do it anyway.
Though I`m sure many people don`t understand the words, and perhaps not the significance of flipping the bird in many English speaking countries, it still took me by surprise. Sometimes what you find offensive isn`t at all in another culture, and vice versa. You`ve just got to keep that in mind…
Only after they have left should you proceed to inconspicuously eat or drink something strongly flavored to wash away the taste.
2) Another class of 1st years were putting together two halves of a sentence. I had cut up the sentences and given them both the beginning and ending pieces to help them learn a grammar point. One group made such ridiculous sentences that I couldn`t help but snort with suppressed laughter. "Which is the chicken/wearing glasses?" and "Who is the girl/cooked in the oven?" were two of the gems. Their faces when I explained the sentences' meaning? Priceless.
3) For three different classes of 3rd years, I did a project where I gave them a strange Japanese invention (such as a fan attached to chopsticks or butter in a glue stick form) without explanation. Their job was to explain how the product worked, what it did, give it a name, and make an advertisement for it that they would present to the class. The results were creative, inventive, and hilarious. I`ll admit that there was one group which marketed flavored butter sticks that I thought might actually sell.
By far the best and most shocking/facepalm ads were the body pillow ads. The product is a pillow shaped like a torso with an arm, so that you can sleep while cuddling it.
Mind you, I had three different classes with one group per class who chose this product! They somehow all came up with the same idea: This pillow is created to keep you from being lonely or sad. You can “remember your ex-boyfriend” with it. “Don`t be lonely.” One group even went so far as to say that there were “male pheromones” injected into the pillow so as to make the experience more realistic. All said that it smelled like a boy, and that lonely girls everywhere should buy one. So ladies, don`t be lonely. Get this pillow right away!
Why is the world breathing?? Japanese spirits explained!
During my first month, I had one strong recurring thought: No wonder in Japanese mythology and Shintoism there are so many gods and spirits! How can you not believe that when everything around you lives and breathes? There are bugs, large and small, constantly underfoot, in the trees, and everywhere you look. You have to be careful when touching a railing outside because you might put your hand on a snail. There are crabs in the side streets, and geckos in the foliage. Ducks are in the river, there are tons of crows and falcons, fish are everywhere, cranes feed in the rice fields, and turtles in the canal duck their heads out of sight as you pass by. With such a constant array of life all around, I was in perpetual wonder at the fact that the air around me was literally breathing. That, and playing hopscotch on my way home so as not to step on cicadas or any other small creatures that might be there. How incredible to be surrounded by such life!
"What did I just put in my mouth?"
That wonderful feeling of, "What did I just put in my mouth?" never goes away. It can only get dulled over time. That being said, there`s nothing quite like that bite of fish cake that has little bones in it, or the fermented bean dish that looks like slime (and smells wretched) to really make you wonder what you just ate. Whether you`re eating a strange white gelatinous goo from the convenience store, being gifted with food from a friend or colleague, having food put on your plate while at a party, or simply ordering random food from a restaurant, this thought will always be there. Especially if you honestly can`t tell what it is… Just open up and go for it! Watch out for unusual textures and tastes though, and always, always, keep a bottle of tea or a cup of tea handy. |
| Natto anyone? |
"It'll come back."
"It'll come back." How many times have I heard this said since arriving in Saiki? It`s a saying that people who do something nice for me have said when I thank them. “Don`t worry; it`ll come back.” People understand that we all help each other, and that we are a community built upon one another. This saying expresses to me how interwoven this community is, and the compassionate nature of those who live in such a tight-knit area. People don`t do something nice for you because they`re only thinking about what they`ll get out of it. Instead, it`s more altruistic in that the saying is used to remind others that the help they are receiving is a gift that they should continue sharing. I suppose this is my area`s way of paying it forward.
5 o`clock BLARING MUSIC- otherwise known as the Saiki song
One of the greatest parts of living in Saiki is the Saiki song at 5 pm. Every day without fail, the theme song of Saiki city plays loudly on speakers throughout the whole city. It`s like a giant notification to everyone that the standard work hours are done for the day: “You`re done! Good job! Now, GO HOME!” The first time I heard it was my second day in Saiki. Alone in my apartment and lost in concentration as I sorted through the items left by my predecessors, I jumped out of my skin at the booming music that seemed to come out of nowhere. Later I found out that there was a speaker right next to my building, but at the time I thought I`d lost my mind. Since then, I`ve come to welcome and appreciate the sweet notice of the end of the work day.
Four great lessons from school (though there are many)
1) Being silent and staring works sometimes for quieting down unruly students. Ever realize how awkward it is for the whole class to become quiet and realize you`re the only one talking, while the teacher is staring at you and smiling? Thank you previous teachers for this lesson.2) If the student starts singing, sing with them! During one introduction class a student asked me what music I like. I listed off a few genres, but almost instantly after he heard, “musicals” he started singing loudly. Though taken aback for a moment, I quickly realized that he was singing the Japanese version of "Do you hear the people sing" from Les Miserables. Joining in with the English version, we sang together to the applause of the entire class. Scoring points with the students and nailing my first impression on that class for the win!
3) Hard to eat or open food is a fun way to get people to talk to you. I passed out honey sticks to my fellow teachers when I first arrived, and was able to start conversations with a lot of them about the flavors, and how to open/eat it. It`s a great ice-breaker for shy teachers, and to do a self-introduction.
4) When a bunch of students approach you and ask you to do something with them, if you have the time and the ability, do it. Not only is it a great way to get to know your students, but how often do you have the chance to goof off with them? Enjoy it!
Now I say this, but how I was learned this lesson was an experience in and of itself. Each year every school has a two day long Culture Festival. The whole school prepares for this for a couple months, with each class working really hard to make a special project or presentation to show the rest of the school. Outside of the projects, there are also student bands that play for a makeshift dance party, taiko drumming by the students, a calligraphy performance, games and various other forms of entertainment.
Blissfully unaware of how the Culture Festival would go at one of my schools, I was sitting in the audience and watching the performances when the students who were going to play taiko approached me. “Let`s play today!” They said. “Okay!” I responded, smiling and giving them a double thumbs up. Jumping up and down excitedly, they said while beaming, “Yay! Let`s play together!” A little confused, I asked what they meant. One of my fellow English teachers overheard, and started talking with the students. Turning to me, she explained, “They say you`re going to play with them on the stage.” Eyes wide with shock, I quickly started saying, “What? No, no, no, no no…” Their excitement changed immediately to disappointment. “No??” They practically cried. After some quick translation on the part of my colleague, we found out that another teacher had heard that I was interested in taiko and arranged for me to play with them. Their faces were so hopeful that I swallowed my embarrassment and stage fright and told them I would play with them. Instantly excited again, they bounced away to prepare.
There`s nothing quite like trying out an instrument that you`ve never touched before in front of hundreds of your students and colleagues. In the end, it was a lot of fun, we all laughed a lot, and the students in the group became a lot friendlier towards me afterwards. An additional lesson is that shame, embarrassment and self-doubt too often get in the way of great experiences. It`s not easy, but swallow them and do it anyway.
Oh Engrish…
Sometimes Engrish (or misunderstood English) is shocking. My most recent encounter with this happened while I was in a shop with unusual household items, cookware and trinkets. As I was walking around I kept on hearing a mechanical voice shouting English cuss words in a shrill voice. Confused, I finally saw a small child, perhaps four years old, walking around with a toy in his hand. The toy was a hand that was flipping the bird. The child was pressing the button that was emitting the sound over and over again, so that it kept cussing loudly. I was so shocked that I stopped dead in my tracks and just gaped at the scene.Though I`m sure many people don`t understand the words, and perhaps not the significance of flipping the bird in many English speaking countries, it still took me by surprise. Sometimes what you find offensive isn`t at all in another culture, and vice versa. You`ve just got to keep that in mind…
“What did I just put in my mouth?” Continued with diplomatic lessons attached
When offered food you don't like or that turns out to not be to your liking, and it would be impolite to refuse, you gain diplomacy points for being able to eat it without gagging. Extra points are achieved if you can do so while keeping a pleasant or neutral countenance on your face, and are able to respond favorably when asked how it was. "It was interesting. Thank you."Only after they have left should you proceed to inconspicuously eat or drink something strongly flavored to wash away the taste.
Spectacular Highlights from the Classroom
(Moments where I burst out laughing, was shocked, or did a mental facepalm)
1) For one class of 1st years, we did an exercise after they read a short article about “kawaii culture” where they had to make two sentences about kawaii culture. The sentence structure was “ I think ~~~~ is kawaii culture because ~~~~~” with the example being, “I think Kitty-chan (Hello Kitty) is kawaii culture because she has a cute bow.” I walked around the room and had each group read their example to the class. Many of them talked about Kitty-chan, Rilakkuma or various other figures. One group of boys came up with this sentence: “I think Hannah is kawaii because she is a beautiful woman.” Talk about shock! After laughing a little, I thanked them and continued with class; however, I`m sure I was a few shades redder.2) Another class of 1st years were putting together two halves of a sentence. I had cut up the sentences and given them both the beginning and ending pieces to help them learn a grammar point. One group made such ridiculous sentences that I couldn`t help but snort with suppressed laughter. "Which is the chicken/wearing glasses?" and "Who is the girl/cooked in the oven?" were two of the gems. Their faces when I explained the sentences' meaning? Priceless.
3) For three different classes of 3rd years, I did a project where I gave them a strange Japanese invention (such as a fan attached to chopsticks or butter in a glue stick form) without explanation. Their job was to explain how the product worked, what it did, give it a name, and make an advertisement for it that they would present to the class. The results were creative, inventive, and hilarious. I`ll admit that there was one group which marketed flavored butter sticks that I thought might actually sell.
By far the best and most shocking/facepalm ads were the body pillow ads. The product is a pillow shaped like a torso with an arm, so that you can sleep while cuddling it.
Mind you, I had three different classes with one group per class who chose this product! They somehow all came up with the same idea: This pillow is created to keep you from being lonely or sad. You can “remember your ex-boyfriend” with it. “Don`t be lonely.” One group even went so far as to say that there were “male pheromones” injected into the pillow so as to make the experience more realistic. All said that it smelled like a boy, and that lonely girls everywhere should buy one. So ladies, don`t be lonely. Get this pillow right away!
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