Kyushoku

After yesterday and today's school lunch I have realized that I have not paid enough homage to these culinary creations. As you will read in "A Day in the Life..." entry I touch base on this subject, but for the audiences' sake I need to add a little more detail to this phenomenon we call "school lunch".

You thought your school lunch from middle school was bad, you have no clue what these poor students go through. They don't even have the option of bringing their own lunch, they eat what is set in front of them. No options at all, no chocolate milk, no ice cream, no chicken nugget or pizza day. The reason for this post is to tell you that yesterday and today I had to have help deciphering what I was putting in my mouth. I couldn't tell if I was eating a plant or an animal or a starch. The first item was thin and nearly transparent white. It looked like the rice noodles that you can get in the Asian food section. I thought, "Hey, I like these noodle things". One of the teachers asked me if I knew what they were and I said, "Of course, noodles". Much to my dismay one of the students did the motion of something swimming in the ocean. So I think it was a type of fish (or fish tentacles) that I was eating. Hum, shocking. Today's school lunch offered nothing even remotely appetizing. I am really getting used to my 'bucket of rice' that they feed me. What a great filler when you have such peculiar things on the side. Today's mystery food looked like a spring roll. I got very excited. When I bit into it it had a spongy, rubbery texture. It was shaped like a cylinder which cheese in the middle. This creation could have been a plant, animal or starch as well so I continued to ask my students. "Sakana desu ka" (is this a fish), is what I asked. They looked confused and again did the motion of something swimming in water. Scientists aren't kidding when they remark on the hundreds of thousands of millions of species living in the ocean. I think since I have been in Japan I have sampled about half of them. Served with the spongy spring roll item was this salad dish. I will call it salad for lack of a better word (although it was cooked). Black stringy leaf looking things accompanied by the fish/rice noodle with beans, carrots and a surprise item which only I was lucky to get. This surprise item looked like a cross between a clam, mussel, and fried tofu. I was not brave enough to sample this and I was too embarrassed to ask my students what it was. That baby went in the burnable gomi (trash) for sure. One more salad with cabbage, peanuts and cucumber made the lunch complete. Needless to say, there was much to be desired.

A Day in the Life of an Unqualified ESL Teacher

You are probably fairly curious about what school life is like. I will explain my typical day in the junior high. I arrive at school at about 8:00. The students have already been at school for about an hour practicing sports and just hanging out. At 8:05 everyday there is a teachers meeting. The children retreat to their classroom (each grade has one classroom and they never switch rooms unless they are doing art, band, science, or gym). I sit in the office and attempt to listen to the meeting, but I end up zoning out due to lack of understanding. School begins at 8:30. I usually teach 3 English classes a day. Usually they are at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30. Class lasts 50 minutes which gives the students 10 minutes between classes (that would have been nice at Lakewood High!). I usually do the warm-up or an activity at the beginning of class. My 1-nen sei (6th grade) students are probably the most average. They aren't too comatose or too genki (lively, frisky). 2-nen sei (7th grade) is another story. The boys are extremely genki when I am trying to talk in class and they mock everything I say. They all chose the name Charlie as their American name. They are starting to become "cool". However, when the other teacher is talking or they are doing a worksheet they all fall asleep. So Japanese students aren't as well behaved as you may think. 3-nen sei (8th grade) just stare at me. They never get lively, even if they are playing a game. I guess this can be a good thing, but then it makes class unexciting. After I do my activity, Ito-sensei, the JTE (Japanese English Teacher) conducts the rest of class.

Then comes lunch. I eat lunch in the classroom everyday with the students, rotating grades each day. The students serve their own lunches (they wear face masks, hair nets and aprons) and all sit down. The teacher folds their hands and says "Itadakimasu" before anyone eats. It basically means thanks for this food. Then we eat. Everyday there is rice (sometimes with things in it, small fish, veggies etc.), then there is some sort of boiled vegetables or weird salad (not very tastey), and a plate of fish with coleslaw type salad. I hear there is bread day once a month. Warm, gross, Japanese milk is served for a beverage, I choose not to drink it. After the meal we fold our hands again and say "Gochisosama deshita" which means thanks for all the makers of the food (the people, the earth, the rain etc).

After lunch I retreat back to my desk and find ways to keep busys. Plan lessons, make bulletin boards, email, study Japanese. At 3:30 the students clean the school and at 4:00 I get to go home. These past few days I have been staying a little later because I have two students competing in the English Speech Contest next week. They have to memorize a speech and present it in front of judges. They are doing an excellent job though! And finally, at about 7:00, after practicing their sports and clubs, the students get to go home.

Brief comment on Shogakko (elementary school): I love it. Everytime I am there it reminds me why I have chosen this job. The kids are so excited to see you and play with you. They greet me as soon as I walk in the door with hugs. They climb all over me like little monkeys. They call me sarada (salad) and think my last name is McDonalds. They love to play every silly game. We have so much fun and they are absolutely sweet. I am at two shogakkos Ogawa has 35 students total in all 6 grades, and Tama has about 80 students. Ogawa is my favorite.

Aren't I lucky? This is my beach in Tamagawa. 5 minutes from my house. Gorgeous, if you ask me! 

Dan and John (both Kiwis, from NZ) singing karaoke in Yamaguchi-shi. They both live in Hagi, which is very close to me! 

This is me doing the Bon Odori (dance) in my yukatta (summer kimono). Bon Odori is the celebration of the deceased. 

Before approaching a shrine you are to wash your hands and mouth. You pick up one of the ladles leaning on the side of the basin and wash and spit.  

This will probably be the only Catholic Church you will see me in while I am in Japan. Notice the tatami mats instead of pews. My grandpa would be proud! 

The shrine in the mountains in Tsuwano. 

This is Victoria (from NYC) on the rickety chairlift we took to the top of a mountain. We were able to have a wonderful view of Tsuwano, the town below. 

This is in Tamagawa at the Bon Odori festival. This is the flamenco club I have joined and they did have me go up on stage and attempt to dance. 

Dan and Rosie in Susa. The man in the striped shirt is sending noodles down this bamboo shoot and you are supposed to catch them with your chopsticks and then dip them in sauce and eat them. Very refreshing treat! 

My JET friends and I in Kuga (southern coast of Yamaguchi) having dinner at Sanzoku Toride (bandit fortress). The specialties are chicken on a stick and onigiri (rice wrapped in seaweed). 

Hiroshima Toyo Carp baseball game. These are the cheerleaders. 

Hiroshima Peace Park. This is a memorial to the Atomic bomb, in the center you may be able to see the eternal flame and in the far background is the Atomic Dome. 

Stop the Violence

I have been very lucky that in my life I have been able to experience 2nd hand (I won't say first because I wasn't there when these tragedies were occurring) the Holocaust and the Atomic Bomb of Hiroshima. It really enhances the experience to be present at the exact place these events have taken place. Both of these events have killed hundreds of thousands if not millions of people. I don't want this site to be controversial but I feel it is extremely important to stop the War in Iraq and all wars so many more innocent people aren't killed.

Walking down the streets of Hiroshima is amazing if you take the time to realize that 60 years ago it was NOTHING. And when I say nothing, I should say negative nothing because nothing was even supposed to be able to grow there for 75 years. Science was once again proven wrong. Hiroshima is a city bustling with business, people and life. The main attractions are the Atomic Bomb and Peace Memorial Museum, the Peace Park, and the Atomic Bomb Dome (the only remaining existence from before the bomb). The museum is full of information about the bomb and its effects. Some interesting facts are, Albert Einstein was the first to mention building an atomic bomb and he knew the consequences that it could demolish an entire city. Second, the mayor of Hiroshima writes a letter to the leader of a nation any time they are building or going to test an nuclear weapon. To this day he asks them not to test the weapon due to the consequences of the city in which he lives. When the bomb was dropped temperatures reached around 3000 degrees Celsius. It is amazing anyone lived. Skin hung from the bodies of victims and many people died of thirst and lack of help. The museum contains articles of clothes and items found on the street as well as skin and deformed fingernails of the victims. It was a tragedy that people are still living with today.

On a related note I was able to go out and about in the city. This included going to bars where many marines hang out. There is a base in Iwakuni which is actually in Yamaguchi-ken. I apologize if any of you readers are military men or have friends/family in the military. This is a generalization and I know generalizations are bad. I am proud of what soldiers are doing to defend our country but the men I met this weekend were anything but good. They first of all they were obnoxious and didn't pay any regard to the culture they are living in. Secondly, I mentioned to a bunch of them that I live in Yamaguchi which is where they live and they had no idea they lived there. That is like not knowing you live in Texas or Ohio. I understand that they aren't in Japan by choice and probably don't want to be there but it is important to familiarize yourself with your surroundings. They weren't having a hard time going out and having a good time in Hiroshima. Isn't one of the main marketing techniques that the military uses to recruit people are "you can see the world!", so if this is why some have joined why don't they take interest in the culture? Sorry I had to mention that but I think it is important for those of you that are back to home to know how your country men are behaving, those who are defending us.

Here is a neat story. Walking through the peace park I was stopped by a man to sign a petition to end the use of nuclear weapons and of course give a donation. This man was a 2nd generation bomb victim, which I thought was amazing. Of course, I signed the petition and emptied my wallet of all the change I had. I continued to walk through the park and an old woman stopped me. I believe she had lived through the bomb, I didn't understand all of her Japanese. She asked me if she could pray for me. Now, I was thinking she wanted money and I had just gotten rid of all my change. But I continued to close my eyes like she asked and she raised her right hand in front of my face and prayed for me for about a minute. I was very confused, why was she doing this? What did she want from me? I had no clue. When I opened my eyes she said "Arigatoo gozaimasu" and I went on my way. She had just wanted to pray for me. That's all, no strings attached. The people in this culture continue to amaze me.

Unusually Mezurashii

Today I learned a few new words. The first being mezurashii meaning rare or unusual and the other being kokoro which means warm hearted. I was called into the office of the kocho-sensei (principal) and he told me exciting new plans in Tamagawa. We are going to have a new junior high school! He described the layout of the high school and told me it was very mezurashii. This is when we pulled out my trusty friend, jisho-san (Mr. Dictionary) and I realized the meaning of the word.

Traditional Japanese schools are basically one long building, usually with two floors. There, width of the school is only one classroom deep (where in America there are usually classrooms on both sides of the hall). I think this allows for better air circulation. Anyways, students remain in the same classroom all day and teachers move from classroom to classroom. All subjects are taught in the same room. The new school however is going to be more like an American or Western school. There will be separate classrooms for each subject plus a base classroom for the students where they will have homeroom or where they can convene between periods. There will also be several lounges through out the school and a section where anyone in the town can come and learn. It will bring together students and adults. This is when I learned kokoro (warm heart). Instead of having 1st grade, 2nd grade and 3rd grade (roughly translates to 6,7, and 8th grades) the grades now have names like "easy", "warrior", "blue skys" etc. Each of the kanji (Japanese characters) contain the kanji for kokoro. The title of the school is Tamagawa Chugakko (Jr High) a warm hearted school. From what I understand this is a very different style of education. My principal takes a lot of pride in this school. To make this even more amazing is that there are only 30 schools like this in all of Japan. Why Tamagawa you ask? I have no idea, I asked the same question and I got an answer stating that Hagi is a famous town and many famous people come from Yamaguchi-ken. But still, I have no clue why they chose Tamagawa. The day the school opens (January 11, 2004) there is supposed to be tons of press and a big ordeal at the school.