October already...

It's raining very hard outside right now. It's pouring. I wonder when the rain will let up. It has been surprisinigly cold these days and it has rained everyday for the past 3 days? (I miss Shirahama Beach, see below.) The Japanese are surprised too. They keep saying how this summer has been especially hot and that it has become very cold really quickly too. We all blame Global Warming. How fitting that the topic of my Free Writing Class this week with the 3rd years is Global Warming. It is a difficult topic even for native speakers to write about their opinion of the environmental crisis we are facing right now. So I am very proud of them for being able to express their opinions in English.

Speaking about being proud, another wonderful thing happened this week! To update you, for the past month, I've been coaching a student from my Nursing Vocational School with her speech as she entered a Speech Contest. She passed the first round and then went to the National competition in Osaka this past Sunday. I met with her about 6 or 7 times in total to go over her speech, to work on natural intonation, stress, hand gestures and facial expressions. I listened to model tapes, watched the winning speeches from last year on video and recorded the speech in my own voice so she could practice listening to a native speaker. So the good news is that she called me on Sunday night, after the competition, and she won 1st prize! Which is a 3-week trip to Hawaii! Isn't that awesome?!! I am so proud of her. Honestly, when I first started coaching her, I didn't know what to expect. I just thought that it will be difficult to win 1st prize because there are a lot of great contestants from what I saw from the video last year. Their speeches sounded very natural and their pronunciation was almost like a native speaker's. When I first met Yuri, I thought the same about her. Her drive really motivated me to do my best to help her. I don't think I actually did too much to help her. She really did work very hard to improve her speech to make it the most natural as she could. Everytime I would tell her to work on some part of her speech like changing the word stress or sentence stress, the next time I met with her, she had it fixed. So I know she worked very hard and just knowing that she listened to my suggestions made it very easy to coach her. I think the most important lesson I learned from this is that I CAN be a good teacher. This experience has been very rewarding and motivating for me to become a even better teacher. I really want to teach my students something that is useful for their lives. Whether it is for travelling abroad or just helping foreign visitors like me. Because I have met very helpful Japanese strangers so I know this is possible. I admire Yuri-chan because she wants to become a nurse who can speak English, so she can help foreigners like me. This is very important b/c when you get sick in Japan, it's very hard to find a doctor who can speak English. I can testify to that. So it is very encouraging to be able to communicate with a nurse who can speak English. Just to know that everything will be okay. Ganbatte Yuri-chan! I know you can do it! (On a side note: Hawaii! That's so great. Secretly, I wish I could go with her... =P Actually, it's not really a secret...LOL)

So there is so much to update on. I have been doing some travelling in Japan, but only within the Kansai region, which is pretty big actually. Two weeks ago, I went to visit my friend in Osaka, like I said I would in the last post. It took about 3.5 hrs to get there by train. And then we didn't even stay there. Funing and his friends wanted to go to Shirahama in Wakayama Prefecture because they heard that the beach was amazingly beautiful and they wanted to try surfing. So we headed out for another 2 hour train ride to Shirahama. So no surfing, but I must agree, the small town of Shirahama is AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL. Some of God's most beautiful nature is there. The water was a bit cold because it was the end of summer. Actually that was the weekend of the Autumnal Equinox holiday. I was so glad that Funing convinced me to go to Shirahama. I had an amazing time with them! I wanted to see the kawaii pandas at Adventure World zoo, but we didn't get a chance... Maybe next summer? And I would like to try wind surfing! It looks like a lot of fun! I took a Nenkyu day (paid vacation day) b/c I had no classes on Tuesday so I thought I would stay in Osaka for one more day to explore. So I went to Namba and the famous street called Ebisubashi with all the shopping. Then I realized, hey!, I've been here before! LOL Osaka was one of the stops on the 5-day tour of Japan we took from HK in the summer around June. But I forgot the name. So I knew my way around (sort of). Osaka was just as crowded and lively as before. It's nice for awhile, but the feel of my small city. When I came back that night, I was walking around my city at night and just enjoying the quietness and the nature around. If I want to visit a big city, I could always go to Sakae in Nagoya right? ^__~ Anyways, it's hard to remember some things when you post about past events. I'll try to post more often and shorter.

So next weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada. And I'm starting to miss home when I think about how I'm going to miss Yee Cheung's turkey, Yee Ma's homemade gravy and chinese food, Grandma's spring rolls, Richard's mashed potatoes and of course, Mimi's delicious desserts. This makes me sad, but I know that you guys are still thinking about me and that makes me smile =) I have my own long weekend holiday here in Japan! It is called "Health and Sports Day". I am going to Nara Prefecture for the JCF Fall Retreat! I hope I get to see the famous Shika (tame deer) there! (*wink wink* for Jason ^__^) So I hope everyone enjoys their thanksgiving weekend with their family any way you celebrate it because we ALL have much to be thankful for, right? I will have many stories to tell once I come back! Take care!

Kuwana SHS Cultural Festival and Birthday Weekend "(o^__^o)"

Last weekend was an eventful one - filled with fun and laughter. And of course, new experiences! ^__^

On friday, I headed off to Yokkaichi city for the first day of my high school's culture festival. I got lost on the way to Yokkaichi Civic Centre so I ended up being a little late. Fortunately, I met 2 of my students, who were also late. They recognized me and said let's go together! So we finally found the place. The first day of the cultural festivities was more like a big talent show - showcasing the talents of my exceptionally bright and "genki" students. The programme included:

1. Presentations by the Film Club about school life at Kuwana SHS

2. A Fashion Show (strange... O__o" the boys were dressed in kimonos and there were teachers dressed up in Doraemon suits... funny! LOL)

3. Musical Wine Glasses ("sugoi!" ichi-nensei (1st years) played "A Dream is A Wish Your Heart Makes" with just glasses filled with water and their wet fingers accompanied by piano)

4. "Soran Bushi" Dance (This is the most awesome song and dance ever! If you've never seen it, I'd recommend searching on youtube for this and watching it. You will see a really great traditional Japanese dance practiced by many high school students across Japan. Plus, it pumps you up!)

5. Brass Band Concert (Again, my students are amazing. I can hear them practicing everyday after school. And it pays off in the end. They played the theme song to Harry Potter and 2 other songs.)

Friday night, Funing, my university friend who lives in Sakai city came to visit me for my birthday weekend. I will be visiting him next weekend.

Saturday was my birthday as well as the second day of the cultural festival. My friends and I headed out early in the morning to my high school. The second day was really like a HUGE open house for my school. It's open to the public and many junior high school students and families in the area join in the festivities. Unfortunately, the weather was really bad. It was raining for most of the day and my students who were cooking and hosting games under tents had a hard time selling their food and getting ppl to participate in the activities. During the pockets of time when the rain let out, we tried some of the food and games prepared by my students. I was a little worried about trying my students' cooking, but I didn't need to worry at all! The food was delicious! My san-nensei (3rd year) classes cooked many things such as: okonomiyaki, mexican tacos, curry rice, sweet shaved ice, japanese mochi, chinese dumplings, etc. Each class had on their own "class shirt" which was very cute ^__^ There were also different rooms set up in the school for class plays and games. Different clubs such as "doujinshi" (fan art) club and "chado" (tea ceremony) club had rooms set up where ppl could come in and experience a part of Japanese culture. It was nice to see the ppl at tea ceremony club again. They did a good job in creating a place to relax and enjoy tea and sweets admist the noisy festivities outside. I took many pictures with my students that day. I think the most memorable thing about the festival was when my 3-1 class presented us with free handmade okonomiyaki (one of my faves! ^__^) and sang "Happy Birthday" to me! They remembered! That was so sweet of them. So I truly enjoyed Kuwana koko's "bunkasai" (cultural festival). What a great day!

At night, my friends and I went to Nagoya city for my birthday dinner. We ate at Outback Steakhouse, which is strange because when you go in, you see a whole bunch of foreigners. LOL For awhile, you don't feel like you're in Japan anymore. That's what happens when you live in a small town and the people you see everyday are Japanese, Japanese, some Brazilians, and more Japanese. It's strange to see people of other nationalities. And because I'm like a ninja foreigner (JET of East Asian descent) in my city, I don't attract too much attention. I had ribs... mmm... ^__^ not as good as my mom makes though LOL.

Sunday morning, Funing and I went to my home church (while in Japan) for the first English service ever! It was exciting! Oyamada Christ Church finally has an English Worship service! They have worship services in Japanese and Portuguese already, but they never got an English one started. But when I came, they were like, let's start! "We feel that God has brought you here to give us a push to start this up". I am currently the Praise and Worship leader for this service. I was a bit nervous, but everyone said that they didn't notice. I truly enjoyed the Worship, being in the presence of God and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, even though all of our first languages are different. Oyamada church has members from Japan, Germany, Korea, Brazil, Italy and now Canada! The English meeting is held every 3rd Sunday. There were more people than we expected at the first meeting. Praise the Lord!

Monday was a public holiday (Respect for the Aged Day) so no school. I decided to show Funing around my small city because he said he wanted to see some nature. Apparently, in his big city, there aren't many chances to see the beautiful nature of Japan. Mie-ken has many natural landmarks and I would like to visit as many as I can before I leave Japan. We wanted to go to Rokka-en, which is a beautiful mansion donated to the city by a wealthy merchant after he died. The mansion is interesting because one side is traditional Japanese-style architecture, while the other side is western-style architecture. But the most beautiful part is the spacious garden and pond/waterfall at the back of the mansion. I've been there before and I wanted to show Funing, but it was closed (probably b/c it's a public holiday... ^__^") So instead, we went to the riverside (Ibi River) in my city and Kyuka Park. We saw many children by the river fishing with their grandparents. It was very peaceful just watching the water and people catching fish. Then Funing had to leave. I was grateful to have a friend from back home in Toronto visit me during my birthday. I bid him farewell, but then I also said "Ja ne! See you next weekend when I visit you in Osaka!" ^__^

School Activities

Today I got to see one of the special things about Japanese high school life. Preparation for the upcoming school festival (known as Bunkasai in Japanese). The students of each class usually prepare a dance/song/skit, etc. for these special 2 days. I was invited to watch one of the 2nd year classes practice their dance - a traditional Japanese festival dance. They are so good! I wonder how much they practiced to be in sync with the music and each other? I can't wait to see the actual performance on Friday! One thing that surprises me about Japanese students is how everyone works together and has a positive attitude. The group dynamic is amazing. When I was in high school, we never had such willing participation from students. But here, everyone works hard together and so they enjoy the reward/praise together when there is success. ^__^

After school, I joined the tea ceremony club. One of my 3rd year students brought me to the traditional tatami mat room in the school. I was a little nervous because I know that tea ceremony is an intricate artform and I didn't want to do anything that might offend the instructor or the whole concept of "serving tea". My thoughts after my first lesson? It's harder than it looks! Mostly because I'm not used to sitting for so long with my legs folded like that... I wonder how they do it! It hurts after getting no circulation to my feet. :( I think there must be a trick to it or some way to cheat in order to kneel comfortably. It's also very precise with a specific order to everything. I learned many new terms. Good thing I wrote them down! The traditional Japanese sweet they served was delicious. I think it's made from Japanese chestnut. The matcha was warm and frothy. Not bitter at all. Many foreigners don't like it, but I enjoy it very much ^__^ Most of the members of tea ceremony club are girls, but there is one guy. He reminds me of Soujirou from Hana Yori Dango LOL. He is very skilled at tea ceremony. I watched him make tea for us all. Everyone is so kind and understanding even though I have no clue what I'm doing ^__^"0 They even gave me a gift! A holder for the "kuromoji", which is the utensil to eat the Japanese sweet. There's a special case to hold the materials you need to bring during a tea ceremony. I hope I can find a nice one to encourage me to work hard and master this artform. Everything about tea ceremony is so beautiful. Too bad the next meeting won't be until a whole month later because we have so many public holidays coming up. It's good because we have no school, but bad because I don't get to enjoy learning tea ceremony.

The First Post...

So it's now September, a whole month into my JET adventure, and this is my first post. It took awhile to get internet access at my apartment and then I just got lazy... Rather, I wanted to explore my city and the surrounding area. Yes, that shall be my excuse. ^__^ I guess I will have to backtrack and update for August. I will add some August pics and tell you about my first month in Japan! But right now, I should sleep because I need to wake up early for school tomorrow morning. Teaching Lesson 2 to 2-5 class. I will explain my teaching schedule later. It's rather complicated, but it makes it more interesting I guess. So it's all good ^__^ Miffy-chan says "Hello friends!"