So, I have an idea!
Actually, it's a combination of three thought bunnies, as Sally might say.
1. My mom likes to read the articles I write/translate (Hi, Mom!), but they're hard to find on the hokubei.com web site, so I've been emailing her the links. I've only been there three weeks, so that really isn't very hard or very much to send... but wouldn't it be nice if Mom could just see my work all compiled for her whenever she has time to look?
2. This thought involves my mom, too (Hi again!). Mom Post has been telling me I should keep a portfolio of my work and the feedback I get (see the entries below) to have on hand for future jobs or promotions. I definitely agree, but my original thought of clippings and file folders seemed so... tedious. The procrastinator/lazy traits of my personality came out and so while I was saying, "Definitely, Mom. I'll get started on that," the reality is I was going, "Yeah, right." Then I thought, isn't there an easier way to do this?
3. The third inspiration comes from my good friend Raiman, stylist extraordinaire, whom I mentioned a few posts ago. He's working toward his dream of being a stylist in Japan, and blogging along the way. In addition to writing about his own adventures and journey, Raiman often shares tips, quotes, ideas, links, advice, etc on creating successful relationships and businesses, getting organized, and other helpful topics. Now, I'm not starting a business or anything like that, these posts are interesting and informative, and without realizing it, I've learned a thing or two from them (more on that another day). Anyway, to get to the point, one of the things he has been exploring recently is creating an online portfolio as a way to show potential clients the looks and styles he's created. Brilliant. So, why don't I do that?
And so, if you haven't guessed where I'm going by now, I plan to create a new blog/online portfolio for my writing and translations. I'll be doing it on a different site because I want to keep that as something professional, and that way I can keep it separate from the fun, personal posts on this site.
I'm really excited about this project, so hopefully I'll get it up and running as soon as possible.
Of course, I'll post here and let you know the address when I get it set up!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Reader Response - UPDATE!
I just got another reply from the person!
----UPDATE 2----
I replied again telling them, yes, I'm new, and got this back.
Thanks for the quick response with the link.I made subscribers happy! That's good! We need happy subscribers! (We actually need any subscribers we can get, but happy ones are great because maybe they'll tell their friends how happy they are and it'll spread...)
I put in the exhibit's name in the "Search" box, but it didn't come up. Thanks for the link!
Happy subscribers!
-The ***** Family
P.S. Are you new to the staff? Or did I just miss your past bylines?
----UPDATE 2----
I replied again telling them, yes, I'm new, and got this back.
Welcome!I forwarded it to the main editor. :D
GREAT start! (What a way to start! A very interesting story that you got to have an inside look! Looking forward to more of your stories!
Take care.
Nagafuji
P.S. Tell your boss we're glad you're on the staff and that we're looking forward to more of your articles since this one was so well-covered.
First Letter from a Reader!!
(Background: In case you haven't heard, at the beginning of June, I began working as an editor/translator/reporter/photographer/designer at a tiny bilingual English/Japanese newspaper in Japantown called the Hokubei Mainichi News.)
I got my first reader response today for the article I wrote about the opening of a samurai exhibit at the Asian Art Museum. (You can read the article here)
I was forwarded an email by the main English editor this morning (the two of us do the two-page English section everyday) from a reader who wanted to know if the Nine-Planet Crest, the family crest of the Hosokawa (samurai lord) family, is based on a Hindu symbol called navagraha.
After I a little googling, I replied:
Then, this afternoon I receive the person's response:
(and I sent them the link.)
Isn't that cool?? I'm so excited!!
P.S. I'm going to try and start blogging again. My friend Raiman inspired me with his great blog, raamenchan.com
I got my first reader response today for the article I wrote about the opening of a samurai exhibit at the Asian Art Museum. (You can read the article here)
I was forwarded an email by the main English editor this morning (the two of us do the two-page English section everyday) from a reader who wanted to know if the Nine-Planet Crest, the family crest of the Hosokawa (samurai lord) family, is based on a Hindu symbol called navagraha.
After I a little googling, I replied:
My information on the Hosokawa family crest came from Mr. Morihiro Hosokawa, the current head of the family. He told me the crest was bestowed upon his ancestors by Oda Nobunaga and that he believed the "Nine Planet Crest" came from India, so it does seem to correspond with the Navagraha you mentioned.
Assistant Curator of Japanese Art Melissa Rinne, of the Asian Art Museum agrees with this assumption. She said on the Asian Art Museum Blog, the crest "design actually derives from a concept in Indian cosmology known as the nine grahas." You can read the rest of the blog here
I hope this information helps.
Then, this afternoon I receive the person's response:
Thanks for your quick response and the great article on "Lord of the Samurais."
Since our grandparents came from Kyushu, we're especially interested in the exhibition.
Could you, please, put the article on the online edition of the Hokubei? It wasn't on there this morning. We'd like to share your article with others.
Thanks again for the wonderful coverage of the new Asian Art exhibition.
(and I sent them the link.)
Isn't that cool?? I'm so excited!!
P.S. I'm going to try and start blogging again. My friend Raiman inspired me with his great blog, raamenchan.com
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Let's Get Polictical, Political!
(That was to the tune of Olivia Newton John's "Physical". Did you get it??)
I'm going to take a bit of a detour from my usual commentary today, so if you're simply looking for whimsy world observations, come back another day. Usually, I avoid political-type blogging because I don't want to polarize my audience and I don't really feel the need to broadcast my opinions on the Web (even though I'm happy to share if you ask). I'm making an exception today because I feel so strongly about this issue, I need to speak up. ("It is a sin to be silent when it is your duty to protest" -Abraham Lincoln)
California's Proposition 8 - A Civil Rights Issue - Vote NO
Next month, as many of you know, the California ballot will contain initiative Proposition 8, titled "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry" - a measure to AMEND the California state constitution to state:
Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.
If passed, the constitution will be amended, and all Californians (particularly thousands of same-sex couples) will STRIPPED of the right to equality under the law.
I understand and respect that there are varying opinions on gay marriage, especially those coming from a religious standpoint. Let me assure you, the marriage practices of religious institutions (aka your church) have not and will not change based on state law. If your church opposes same-sex marriage, they are under no obligation by law to perform those marriage ceremonies.
This is NOT specifically a gay rights issue. This is a CIVIL RIGHTS issue. Presently, in California, ALL couples (homo- and hetero-sexual couples alike) are afforded the equal right to marriage. By passing Prop 8, we will be ELIMINATING that right - as the title says. In the almost 250 years of our country's history (and 160 of California's), our constitutions have been amended several times -- and those amendments were used to EXPAND and PROTECT the rights of the individual. You are familiar with so many of them - including the first ten, aptly named The Bill of Rights - the right for non-whites to vote; the right for women to vote; the right for blacks and Native Americans to be counted as whole people; etc. We have expanded the rights of the individual to protect and defend minorities. That is what America is about, is it not?
Regardless how you feel about homosexuality, how do you feel about being treated equally under the law? How do you feel about discrimination? What if, next year, there was a proposition to Eliminate the Right for Interracial Marriage? Would you vote for that? Would you TAKE AWAY the right for a couple to get married purely because they happen to be of different races or ethnicity? Would you not care because you're not an interracial couple?
This is about basic civil and human rights. All people should receive the same treatment by the law. Discrimination is simply wrong. Separate is NOT equal.
It is so important that we vote "no" on Prop 8 and protect the civil rights of ALL Californians. We should never disregard the rights of the minority for the whims of the majority. There's this saying (spuriously attributed to Thomas Jefferson), "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where 51% of the people may take away the rights of the other 49%"
Let's not be that mob. Let's be real, patriotic Americans and do our duty to protect the rights of the individual.
Protect civil rights. Vote No on Prop 8.
I'm going to take a bit of a detour from my usual commentary today, so if you're simply looking for whimsy world observations, come back another day. Usually, I avoid political-type blogging because I don't want to polarize my audience and I don't really feel the need to broadcast my opinions on the Web (even though I'm happy to share if you ask). I'm making an exception today because I feel so strongly about this issue, I need to speak up. ("It is a sin to be silent when it is your duty to protest" -Abraham Lincoln)
California's Proposition 8 - A Civil Rights Issue - Vote NO
Next month, as many of you know, the California ballot will contain initiative Proposition 8, titled "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry" - a measure to AMEND the California state constitution to state:
Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.
If passed, the constitution will be amended, and all Californians (particularly thousands of same-sex couples) will STRIPPED of the right to equality under the law.
I understand and respect that there are varying opinions on gay marriage, especially those coming from a religious standpoint. Let me assure you, the marriage practices of religious institutions (aka your church) have not and will not change based on state law. If your church opposes same-sex marriage, they are under no obligation by law to perform those marriage ceremonies.
This is NOT specifically a gay rights issue. This is a CIVIL RIGHTS issue. Presently, in California, ALL couples (homo- and hetero-sexual couples alike) are afforded the equal right to marriage. By passing Prop 8, we will be ELIMINATING that right - as the title says. In the almost 250 years of our country's history (and 160 of California's), our constitutions have been amended several times -- and those amendments were used to EXPAND and PROTECT the rights of the individual. You are familiar with so many of them - including the first ten, aptly named The Bill of Rights - the right for non-whites to vote; the right for women to vote; the right for blacks and Native Americans to be counted as whole people; etc. We have expanded the rights of the individual to protect and defend minorities. That is what America is about, is it not?
Regardless how you feel about homosexuality, how do you feel about being treated equally under the law? How do you feel about discrimination? What if, next year, there was a proposition to Eliminate the Right for Interracial Marriage? Would you vote for that? Would you TAKE AWAY the right for a couple to get married purely because they happen to be of different races or ethnicity? Would you not care because you're not an interracial couple?
This is about basic civil and human rights. All people should receive the same treatment by the law. Discrimination is simply wrong. Separate is NOT equal.
It is so important that we vote "no" on Prop 8 and protect the civil rights of ALL Californians. We should never disregard the rights of the minority for the whims of the majority. There's this saying (spuriously attributed to Thomas Jefferson), "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where 51% of the people may take away the rights of the other 49%"
Let's not be that mob. Let's be real, patriotic Americans and do our duty to protect the rights of the individual.
Protect civil rights. Vote No on Prop 8.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Goooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllll!!!!
It's Saturday afternoon - my first Sasturday I'm actually spending in SF! Ross, the visiting Australian (Stephen's friend), has been staying with me since Wednesday, but he's off today to continue his US tour. I was a bit hesitant when Stephen called me two weeks ago and begged asked me host Ross for a few days. I mean, who wouldn't be when it comes to letting some guy you never met crash in your tiny apartment for three/four days? But, as it turned out, Ross and I got along quite well and I had a really enjoyable time during his visit. He mostly went off on his own for various touristy activities (shopping in Union Square, Alcatraz, Pier 39, cable car ride, etc.), but the bit of time we spent together was fun.
Yesterday, I took him to the Sutro Baths, where we walked along the headlands to Land's End for a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
After that, we walked back to the Baths, and had lunch/dinner (it was 4pm) at Louis' Diner. It was built in 1937 (according to the LONG story on the back of the menu), and the interior doesn't look like it's been updated since! Kind of funky, but it was Ross's first "American diner." He asked where the jukebox was... :D Since he was going for the all-American experience, he decided on the Chili Burger (an open-faced burger with heaps of chili con carne, and cheese and onions to top it off - it looked DISGUSTING~! - but probably tasted great), which came with fries, and a rootbeer float! Apparently, they don't have rootbeer in Australia, so this was his first try. I suppose it was a success, though I think he liked the ice cream better than the rootbeer.
Yesterday, I took him to the Sutro Baths, where we walked along the headlands to Land's End for a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
After that, we walked back to the Baths, and had lunch/dinner (it was 4pm) at Louis' Diner. It was built in 1937 (according to the LONG story on the back of the menu), and the interior doesn't look like it's been updated since! Kind of funky, but it was Ross's first "American diner." He asked where the jukebox was... :D Since he was going for the all-American experience, he decided on the Chili Burger (an open-faced burger with heaps of chili con carne, and cheese and onions to top it off - it looked DISGUSTING~! - but probably tasted great), which came with fries, and a rootbeer float! Apparently, they don't have rootbeer in Australia, so this was his first try. I suppose it was a success, though I think he liked the ice cream better than the rootbeer.
Anyway, totally bloated and sleepy, we continued our quest to "view the Golden Gate Bridge" by driving aimlessly in the direction of the bridge until I miraculously guided us exactly where we wanted to go: Fort Point. We took some more pictures with the bridge and hit the gift shop. (I took a really good one of him with the bridge! I should be a pro photographer!)
It was a nice visit, and I enjoyed showing him around SF a bit, even though I don't know it that well myself.
Now Ross is gone, and with nothing but the lingering scent of products for men (after-shave/deodorant/hair gel, etc), I find my apartment feeling empty. I'm at a loss for what to do. It's Saturday, I should go out and do something, but I'm not sure where to go or what to do.
It's too cloudy/cold to read in the park... my Berkeley friends are busy/in Berkeley... my brother and Holly have gone camping... hm...
Goals for the near future:
1. Make a list of things to do in SF.
2. Make friends in the city.
If you have any tips of things to do, leave a comment!
...maybe I'll go upstairs and play with the kitties...
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Fuji Photos!
My photos from the Mt. Fuji climb are now posted!
Check them out in this slide show:
Or, click here to see the album.
Check them out in this slide show:
Or, click here to see the album.
One Month Later...
Hi, I sort of fell off the blogosphere there for a while.
A lot has happened in a month, so I have an excuse! (not a very good one)
Well, as you might have gathered, I'm back in California...
Travelwise, my return went very smoothly - no delays or mishaps. My friends saw me off at the Akita airport, I flew to Tokyo (domestic), took a bus to Narita (Tokyo international airport), and flew back sitting next to my friend Lisa (who was studying in Tokyo for the year). My parents met me at SFO and we went first thing to sign the lease on my apartment in SF (and see my brother)!. Then it was back to Chico for two and a half weeks of R&R - mostly spent watching Michael Phelps win gold medals and wishing Shawn Johnson won more. Oh, I also went to Lake Almanor my first weekend with friends, which was great. On Aug 22nd, I went to orientation at SF State, and officially moved into my apartment. The weekend before we went on a MAJOR Ikea shopping spree and built furniture, so when I moved on the 22nd it was all ready to go.
Let's see, Ilana came down from Portland for some business in SF so she was my first non-family house guest and we had a really nice time exploring my new neighborhood together. (Good luck in France, Ilz!) The next day (8/26), I officially started my grad school career! I also made a trip over to Berkeley that week to reunite with some buddies.
Then, for Labor Day Weekend, I flew down to visit Sally in Camarillo, which was a blast. We hung out on the beach (Zuma Beach, in Malibu - apparently it's well-known? Looked like Bay Watch to me!) and got to see some wild dolphins playing in the water. We also went to Solvang, a bit north of Santa Barbara. Have you been there? It's quite cool! It's this little Danish colony/theme-town (like Epcot, but better!), so it was really neat and we went to the Hans Christian Andersen "Museum" (more a collection of his books, but still cool!). Since Solvang is also conveniently located practically on top of Mission Santa Inez (the 19th and best preserved in the state!), I convinced Sally to have a look at it with me (she doesn't enjoy Calif mission history - crazy, I knoooow! But she didn't grow up in CA and have to build a model mission in 4th grade, so it's okay). The gardens were really pretty.
Anyway, back in SF, last week was busy with classes (haha not really) and hanging out with former roommate Jean Louise in Berkeley (she was up visiting from LA). Good times! :D And after a weekend in Chico watching my students test for second degree black belts, now it's another week in SF. But, still no time to settle, because I'm due back in Chico on Saturday for Megan V's wedding!!
I wasn't kidding when I said I've been busy!!! In a month I've been in Akita, Tokyo, SF, Chico, Lake Almanor/Chester, SF, Chico, SF, Berkeley (3X), Camarillo, Malibu, Solvang, SF, Chico, SF...
On the SF apartment:
It's a "Studio Plus" -which means I have and area that can close off to be my bedroom with additional room for sitting/dining areas, plus kitchen and bathroom- in one of those cute looking "San Francisco" houses, located in the Inner Sunset district (one block from Golden Gate Park!). It's conveniently located in the same building as my brother's apartment... actually, directly below his! The neighborhood is great - safe, friendly, lots of restaurants/shops nearby, close to the park, etc. Also, it's a simple commute to school, as I just have to ride the train to 19th AVE and catch a bus to SF State. On a good day when the connections work out, it takes about 25-30min. The apartment itself was recently renovated so everything's clean, nice, hardwood floors, etc. I think I'm really lucky to live in such a great place. I still don't quite feel like I live here yet, but as you've seen, I haven't spent much time here, either! Hopefully I'll get settled in soon and I'm looking forward to enjoying SF life.
On graduate school:
I'm working toward a master's in Japanese at SF State. This semester, I'm taking three classes (full-time load), which all meet only one a week. That means I only have class from 4-7pm M/T/Th! But don't get too many ideas, the classes are pretty difficult and it seems like I'm going to have a lot of homework-type things to keep me busy. The classes are: Second Language Acquisition, Translation Workshop, and Consecutive Interpretation. They're pretty interesting, and the professors are really top-notch, but each class is challenging in different ways. Also, I am looking for a part-time job though, to fill up my days AND hopefully, my pockets (a little anyway, SF life isn't cheap!!!).
So, that's the update! My journey in Japan has come to a close - for now, anyway. ;) As much as I would like to give you all one lasting summary/opinion/etc on my life for the last year, there's no way I can put it into words.
Life isn't meant to be summarized anyway... I'm still living it! :)
I'll try to get some pictures posted up soon. I have ones from my Fuji climb and good-byes, etc. that I'd like to share with you all, so check back here for updates.
Also, I think I'll keep up this blog (no promises to posting frequency though!) with the adventures of my new experience living in SF. So, if you'd like, stay tuned! :D
Take care, and thanks for experiencing a taste of Japan with me.
A lot has happened in a month, so I have an excuse! (not a very good one)
Well, as you might have gathered, I'm back in California...
Travelwise, my return went very smoothly - no delays or mishaps. My friends saw me off at the Akita airport, I flew to Tokyo (domestic), took a bus to Narita (Tokyo international airport), and flew back sitting next to my friend Lisa (who was studying in Tokyo for the year). My parents met me at SFO and we went first thing to sign the lease on my apartment in SF (and see my brother)!. Then it was back to Chico for two and a half weeks of R&R - mostly spent watching Michael Phelps win gold medals and wishing Shawn Johnson won more. Oh, I also went to Lake Almanor my first weekend with friends, which was great. On Aug 22nd, I went to orientation at SF State, and officially moved into my apartment. The weekend before we went on a MAJOR Ikea shopping spree and built furniture, so when I moved on the 22nd it was all ready to go.
Let's see, Ilana came down from Portland for some business in SF so she was my first non-family house guest and we had a really nice time exploring my new neighborhood together. (Good luck in France, Ilz!) The next day (8/26), I officially started my grad school career! I also made a trip over to Berkeley that week to reunite with some buddies.
Then, for Labor Day Weekend, I flew down to visit Sally in Camarillo, which was a blast. We hung out on the beach (Zuma Beach, in Malibu - apparently it's well-known? Looked like Bay Watch to me!) and got to see some wild dolphins playing in the water. We also went to Solvang, a bit north of Santa Barbara. Have you been there? It's quite cool! It's this little Danish colony/theme-town (like Epcot, but better!), so it was really neat and we went to the Hans Christian Andersen "Museum" (more a collection of his books, but still cool!). Since Solvang is also conveniently located practically on top of Mission Santa Inez (the 19th and best preserved in the state!), I convinced Sally to have a look at it with me (she doesn't enjoy Calif mission history - crazy, I knoooow! But she didn't grow up in CA and have to build a model mission in 4th grade, so it's okay). The gardens were really pretty.
Anyway, back in SF, last week was busy with classes (haha not really) and hanging out with former roommate Jean Louise in Berkeley (she was up visiting from LA). Good times! :D And after a weekend in Chico watching my students test for second degree black belts, now it's another week in SF. But, still no time to settle, because I'm due back in Chico on Saturday for Megan V's wedding!!
I wasn't kidding when I said I've been busy!!! In a month I've been in Akita, Tokyo, SF, Chico, Lake Almanor/Chester, SF, Chico, SF, Berkeley (3X), Camarillo, Malibu, Solvang, SF, Chico, SF...
On the SF apartment:
It's a "Studio Plus" -which means I have and area that can close off to be my bedroom with additional room for sitting/dining areas, plus kitchen and bathroom- in one of those cute looking "San Francisco" houses, located in the Inner Sunset district (one block from Golden Gate Park!). It's conveniently located in the same building as my brother's apartment... actually, directly below his! The neighborhood is great - safe, friendly, lots of restaurants/shops nearby, close to the park, etc. Also, it's a simple commute to school, as I just have to ride the train to 19th AVE and catch a bus to SF State. On a good day when the connections work out, it takes about 25-30min. The apartment itself was recently renovated so everything's clean, nice, hardwood floors, etc. I think I'm really lucky to live in such a great place. I still don't quite feel like I live here yet, but as you've seen, I haven't spent much time here, either! Hopefully I'll get settled in soon and I'm looking forward to enjoying SF life.
On graduate school:
I'm working toward a master's in Japanese at SF State. This semester, I'm taking three classes (full-time load), which all meet only one a week. That means I only have class from 4-7pm M/T/Th! But don't get too many ideas, the classes are pretty difficult and it seems like I'm going to have a lot of homework-type things to keep me busy. The classes are: Second Language Acquisition, Translation Workshop, and Consecutive Interpretation. They're pretty interesting, and the professors are really top-notch, but each class is challenging in different ways. Also, I am looking for a part-time job though, to fill up my days AND hopefully, my pockets (a little anyway, SF life isn't cheap!!!).
So, that's the update! My journey in Japan has come to a close - for now, anyway. ;) As much as I would like to give you all one lasting summary/opinion/etc on my life for the last year, there's no way I can put it into words.
Life isn't meant to be summarized anyway... I'm still living it! :)
I'll try to get some pictures posted up soon. I have ones from my Fuji climb and good-byes, etc. that I'd like to share with you all, so check back here for updates.
Also, I think I'll keep up this blog (no promises to posting frequency though!) with the adventures of my new experience living in SF. So, if you'd like, stay tuned! :D
Take care, and thanks for experiencing a taste of Japan with me.
Monday, August 4, 2008
I'm Alive!
I just realized I never updated this and thought perhaps you might be worried I'm still lost somewhere on Mt. Fuji. Worry not! We made the climb (got the the top at 4am to watch the sunrise), stood around freezing on the top for a while, and then basically slid back down. It was looooooong and difficult, but we did it! It was totally worth it. The sunrise was AMAZING! Pictures coming soon!
We bussed back to Shinijuku, hung out for a little while and I managed to lose my contacts. They were in a case and I accidentally left them somewhere... oh, and I wear hard lenses, so I only have ONE pair (plus my old pair for back-ups, but one of the lenses is damaged so it hurts). Long story short, I'm wearing glasses till I get a chance to see my doctor in Chico. Anyway, I had dinner with my friend Marie who moved to Tokyo in April. It was nice to see her, but sad to say goodbye. I'll definitely see her again (she wants to work/school in CA in a year or two), so it's okay.
Then we finally made it home at 1am. Which means I was out and about for 43 hours straight. AND I climbed to the highest point in Japan! Very cool!
The rest of the week was a series of goodbye parties and late nights packing. Lots of pictures from those, too (not the packing part), so wait excitedly!
Last night (Sunday) I finished packing/boxing up everything, and today I sent it all off. I mailed 4 packages (a poster tube, 1 small amazon.com box, a big envelope, and a medium sized box) via Japan Post (the post office) and it cost about $150. It sounds like a lot, but I really think it's a good deal. Those things were heavy! I hope everything arrives okay. My favorite lady at the post office, Kawamura-san, helped me get everything packaged and ready, and I trust her to make everything alright. Next I shipped my two big suitcases straight to Narita Int'l Airport, so I don't have to deal with them when I change from the domestic airport (Haneda) and I can just walk up to the check-in counter and they'll have my bags (COOL!). It cost about $35, but I think it's totally worth it.
Now that that's all done, and the stuff for my carry-on bags is set, the only thing left is to clean my house! I've been working on it little by little, but it's really hot and humid, so I have to keep taking breaks (like right now) to sit under the AC in the livingroom. I want to finish tonight (it's 6:40pm so that's totally possible), so when the board of education people come tomorrow to "help me clean" and pick up the garbage bags they can be in and out in a flash. Tomorrow's my last day!!!! Right now I have planned to get a haircut at 10, meet the BOE people and get them out asap, cancel my cell phone service, get dressed in my yukata, and go to Kanto Festival in Akita City with all my friends!
Wednesday morning, I'm leaving here at about 10:40am and a bunch of my friends are seeing me off at the airport. Nice! I'll probably cry.
I'm really going to miss it here!!!!!
But, I'm also excited to go home. Wish I could have both! =/
We bussed back to Shinijuku, hung out for a little while and I managed to lose my contacts. They were in a case and I accidentally left them somewhere... oh, and I wear hard lenses, so I only have ONE pair (plus my old pair for back-ups, but one of the lenses is damaged so it hurts). Long story short, I'm wearing glasses till I get a chance to see my doctor in Chico. Anyway, I had dinner with my friend Marie who moved to Tokyo in April. It was nice to see her, but sad to say goodbye. I'll definitely see her again (she wants to work/school in CA in a year or two), so it's okay.
Then we finally made it home at 1am. Which means I was out and about for 43 hours straight. AND I climbed to the highest point in Japan! Very cool!
The rest of the week was a series of goodbye parties and late nights packing. Lots of pictures from those, too (not the packing part), so wait excitedly!
Last night (Sunday) I finished packing/boxing up everything, and today I sent it all off. I mailed 4 packages (a poster tube, 1 small amazon.com box, a big envelope, and a medium sized box) via Japan Post (the post office) and it cost about $150. It sounds like a lot, but I really think it's a good deal. Those things were heavy! I hope everything arrives okay. My favorite lady at the post office, Kawamura-san, helped me get everything packaged and ready, and I trust her to make everything alright. Next I shipped my two big suitcases straight to Narita Int'l Airport, so I don't have to deal with them when I change from the domestic airport (Haneda) and I can just walk up to the check-in counter and they'll have my bags (COOL!). It cost about $35, but I think it's totally worth it.
Now that that's all done, and the stuff for my carry-on bags is set, the only thing left is to clean my house! I've been working on it little by little, but it's really hot and humid, so I have to keep taking breaks (like right now) to sit under the AC in the livingroom. I want to finish tonight (it's 6:40pm so that's totally possible), so when the board of education people come tomorrow to "help me clean" and pick up the garbage bags they can be in and out in a flash. Tomorrow's my last day!!!! Right now I have planned to get a haircut at 10, meet the BOE people and get them out asap, cancel my cell phone service, get dressed in my yukata, and go to Kanto Festival in Akita City with all my friends!
Wednesday morning, I'm leaving here at about 10:40am and a bunch of my friends are seeing me off at the airport. Nice! I'll probably cry.
I'm really going to miss it here!!!!!
But, I'm also excited to go home. Wish I could have both! =/
Monday, July 28, 2008
Here We Go!
We're having dinner at the 5th station (Subway!) and going to head out at 8pm!
Great views already!
Subway!
We scouted out a Subway in Shinjuku and I just paid 1300Y ($12) for a footlong Subway Club. You may be thinking, "That's a dollar an inch! Ridiculous!" and you'd be right.
But it was stuffed with meat and veggies AND delicious! Plus, now I have a delicious 6" sub for midnight snack! :D
Sunday, July 27, 2008
And we're off!
We're on the shinkansen to tokyo! I remembered my camera this time! Things are going much more smoothly this time - but I'm on guard, don't worry. :)
More updates later!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
101 Dalmations (and posts - not Posts)
So we went back at 12 for our train only to find they were now stopped until 2pm, which means we'd definetly miss our bus and wouldn't make it to Fuji until really late. Plus, there's no guarantee it would actually go at 2.
We decided to postpone our trip to Monday. We were able to change our tickets and get the bus reserved to Mon. No sweat.
It's not an adventure without bumps, I said to Christian this morning. Too true.
Fuji climb attempt #2 - coming Mon!
What's an adventure without snags?
Thanks to the earthquake last night, all the shinkansen from Akita are stopped until 12pm! We were supposed to arrive in Tokyo at 12!! uh oh...
We got our tix changed to leave Akita on the noon train, which puts us in Tokyo at 4:08pm - which means will probably won't make it to Shinjuku for our bus to Mt. Fuji at 4:50pm. Maaaaybe if everything magically works out...
We're working on a backup plan as I write. Worry not! :)
p.s. this the 100th post on this blog! cheers!
Shake, Shake, Shaking - Shshshaking!
I felt another earthquake tonight. I was lying in bed trying to sleep and it went all shaky like last time. Not as violent this time, but still enough to scare me out of bed. I got up and sat in the doorway until the shaking stopped.
I checked the news to make sure there wasn't going to be another one, and they said to relax (also, no tsunami warning). Apparently the epicenter was in Aomori (neighbors to the north) and a 6.8M or something. I'll have more details tomorrow (but I won't post them because I'm climbing Mt. Fuji!!!!).
Anyway, no worries here, and I hope everything is alright everywhere else. Good night.
I checked the news to make sure there wasn't going to be another one, and they said to relax (also, no tsunami warning). Apparently the epicenter was in Aomori (neighbors to the north) and a 6.8M or something. I'll have more details tomorrow (but I won't post them because I'm climbing Mt. Fuji!!!!).
Anyway, no worries here, and I hope everything is alright everywhere else. Good night.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
TWO WEEKS!!!
I'm leaving in two weeks and I'm kind of (totally) freaking out.
Of course I'm excited to go home and see everyone, but it's really hard to feel that in the midst of saying goodbye to all these really great people!!
TWO! WEEKS! That's such a short time!!!! I'm not ready!!! (emotionally or practically - though, I did start packing today)
Here are pictures from this weekend:
Of course I'm excited to go home and see everyone, but it's really hard to feel that in the midst of saying goodbye to all these really great people!!
TWO! WEEKS! That's such a short time!!!! I'm not ready!!! (emotionally or practically - though, I did start packing today)
Here are pictures from this weekend:
 |
| Party Weekend! |
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Last day!
Tomorrow (well, today now) is my last teaching day in Japan! (for now) I finish at Yama-chuu with four classes in the morning, and then a farewell ceremony in the afternoon. I'm really happy with the speech I wrote because I said a lot of things to the students I've always wanted to say but haven't had the chance (or guts) to. I hope I can deliver it all right. I haven't really practiced. I'll work on it in between classes tomorrow.
I can't believe in about 14 hours, I will be finished!!* It's been a tumultuous year, but an outstanding one!! More on all of this later.
(*I still have 'work' for two more weeks - it will consist of going to the board of education and sitting at my desk all day reading/writing letters/studying)
I can't believe in about 14 hours, I will be finished!!* It's been a tumultuous year, but an outstanding one!! More on all of this later.
(*I still have 'work' for two more weeks - it will consist of going to the board of education and sitting at my desk all day reading/writing letters/studying)
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Where have you been??
Sorry bloggy buddies, I haven't been very good about updating this lately. I'm still here, alive and well! There are two main reasons why I haven't been keeping this updated, and neither are very good excuses (but true!). 1. I have been SUPER busy the last three weeks, and will be for at least another week. 2. I've been doing/experiencing so many things, I have waaay too much to write about, and when I get overwhelmed with a task like trying to record it all, I procrastinate. Sorry.
I was going to recap the whole thing now, but that will take too long, so I'll do it in installments over the next little while. Here's the first one:
Sally's Visit
If you don't know who Sally is, you should - she's a good friend from Berkeley (now lives in southern California), and she's been one of my biggest supporters and closest friends (someone I talk to everyday) since I've been in Japan. This summer, she was lucky enough to be able to come to Japan for about a month to visit with her grandparents, and she spent about 6 days of that vacation up here, with me. The following are some highlights from that visit.
-Akita Castle
After meeting Sally at the train station, and a little Starbucks time, I took her on a tour of Senshu Park and the Akita castle ruins. Nothing super exciting, but the park was pretty and it was nice to talk and walk around. We had dinner and headed home to relax and watch Gilmore Girls dvds. Great!
-school
The first full day she was here, we went to Shimoiwakawa Elementary School, and since it was my last visit to the school, we played games in class and did A LOT of running around at recess. (More on school good-byes in the next post)
-karaoke!!
From about 10:30pm-2:30am, we sang everything from Grease's "Summer Nights" to J-Pop, to Mandy Moore, to My Chemical Romance, with my friend Moto and his friend. Exhausting, but soooooo much fun!!
-Oga Peninsula tour
We visited the Namahage Museum, and had a picnic by the lighthouse while enjoying views of the Sea of Japan.
-BBQ!
That night, there was a big BBQ at Christy's house, so Sally and I went and I was able to introduce her to most of my friends. She met Yuta and Tsuru - the guys with whom I always go bowling/play sports/karaoke, etc -, and all of my (and Christy's) English conversation class family. Sally got on especially well with my high school student/friend Izumi, and they decided to wear yukata together the next day to the dance festival.
-Yatose Modern Dance Festival (Akita City)
I don't think I've mentioned it on here, but I returned to dancing with the macarena ladies back in April, and Christy and I practiced with them twice a week to prepare for the Yatose Festival. It was a pretty big, two-day festival (we only danced on Sunday though) with teams from all over, 155 in total. We preformed our dance five times throughout the day in our silly
costumes, crazy make-up, and ridiculous hair. Sally, Izumi, and Moto hung out together watching performances and I joined them every time I had a break. It was a long, tiring day, but SO much fun!!! Dancing for crowds of people was great, and having Sally there watching made me put even more into it! In the end, our team earned second place in both the Viewer's Choice and the over all competition!! So great!! After we all changed back into normal clothes, we had dinner together and headed home. Sally and I watched a movie and stayed up late, despite being wicked tired (well, we did that EVERY night she was here!).
-Tazawako, Kakunodate, and mountain driving
We got up early, and headed out on a crazy backroads drive through the mountains down to Tazawako. The mountains were beautiful, and with Sally being a great DJ/co-pilot (feeding me snacks and water as well as reading the map!), the the two+ hour drive went by quickly. We drove around Lake Tazawa, stopping for pictures and souvenirs at all the appropriate places. It was a gorgeous day and the lake was craaaaazy blue! Next we headed to Kakunodate, where we ate
lunch at a great little cafe, toured a samurai house, and ended up in a park outside a museum. Neither of us felt like visiting the museum, so we sat in the park, napped on the benches, and took lots of silly pictures.It was a really relaxing afternoon. For the return trip, Sally opted for an even longer mountain route home, so we drove through the pretty pretty mountains on the border of Akita and 
Iwate. It was great. When we cut back west toward the coast and my house, we drove on this tiiiiiny windy road with NO traffic on it. It was slow going, but we had fun. Parts were a little scary, because there was construction going on, and we'd drive past it to see that part of the road had collapsed/landslid down... Luckily, we arrived home safely (even though I had to stop the car at one point because we were laughing so hard, I couldn't drive). We stayed up REALLY late again.
-train station
Sadly, the last day had come. We drove to the station in the morning, leaving enough time to take purikura (those little sticker pictures), which turned out great. Saying good bye was sad, though. We had SOOOOO much fun in such a short amount of time, when I got home, everything felt so quiet and empty.
-the aftermath
You can't tell from these terse descriptions (or maybe you can), but we played waaaay hard while Sally was here. There wasn't a lot of sleep combined with a LOT of activity. The day after Sally left, I went back to school (exhausted and sore all over), but about halfway through, I started to get reeeeally shiver-y and I almost fainted. I finished my classes for the day in the morning, so the rest of the day I sat at my desk going from shivering cold to sweating hot. I definitely had a fever. I finally made it to the end of the day (I had refused the teachers' offers to go home early and stuck it out), and I passed out for a few hours. I woke up, and since it was Wednesday, my autopilot kicked in and I went to Ikawa eikaiwa. Everyone in class was saying I didn't look well and they too, decided I had a fever. My friend/student Hisashi is a pharmacist, and after class he offered to take me to get some medicine. He set me up with some fever reducers, and one sleep-inducing muscle relaxant. I got home, took the medicine, and slept aaaaaall night. The next day, the fever was gone, the soreness was gone, and I was just little tired. Besides the tiredness I was fine, and recovered fully in the next few days. I don't know if I caught some strange flu or what, but my theory is that I just totally, totally exhausted myself during Sally's visit and my body needed to recoup. hahaha not many people can claim they've played so much they gave themselves a fever!! :D
I was going to recap the whole thing now, but that will take too long, so I'll do it in installments over the next little while. Here's the first one:
Sally's Visit
If you don't know who Sally is, you should - she's a good friend from Berkeley (now lives in southern California), and she's been one of my biggest supporters and closest friends (someone I talk to everyday) since I've been in Japan. This summer, she was lucky enough to be able to come to Japan for about a month to visit with her grandparents, and she spent about 6 days of that vacation up here, with me. The following are some highlights from that visit.
-Akita Castle
After meeting Sally at the train station, and a little Starbucks time, I took her on a tour of Senshu Park and the Akita castle ruins. Nothing super exciting, but the park was pretty and it was nice to talk and walk around. We had dinner and headed home to relax and watch Gilmore Girls dvds. Great!
-school
The first full day she was here, we went to Shimoiwakawa Elementary School, and since it was my last visit to the school, we played games in class and did A LOT of running around at recess. (More on school good-byes in the next post)-karaoke!!
From about 10:30pm-2:30am, we sang everything from Grease's "Summer Nights" to J-Pop, to Mandy Moore, to My Chemical Romance, with my friend Moto and his friend. Exhausting, but soooooo much fun!!
-Oga Peninsula tour
We visited the Namahage Museum, and had a picnic by the lighthouse while enjoying views of the Sea of Japan.-BBQ!
That night, there was a big BBQ at Christy's house, so Sally and I went and I was able to introduce her to most of my friends. She met Yuta and Tsuru - the guys with whom I always go bowling/play sports/karaoke, etc -, and all of my (and Christy's) English conversation class family. Sally got on especially well with my high school student/friend Izumi, and they decided to wear yukata together the next day to the dance festival.
-Yatose Modern Dance Festival (Akita City)
I don't think I've mentioned it on here, but I returned to dancing with the macarena ladies back in April, and Christy and I practiced with them twice a week to prepare for the Yatose Festival. It was a pretty big, two-day festival (we only danced on Sunday though) with teams from all over, 155 in total. We preformed our dance five times throughout the day in our silly
costumes, crazy make-up, and ridiculous hair. Sally, Izumi, and Moto hung out together watching performances and I joined them every time I had a break. It was a long, tiring day, but SO much fun!!! Dancing for crowds of people was great, and having Sally there watching made me put even more into it! In the end, our team earned second place in both the Viewer's Choice and the over all competition!! So great!! After we all changed back into normal clothes, we had dinner together and headed home. Sally and I watched a movie and stayed up late, despite being wicked tired (well, we did that EVERY night she was here!).-Tazawako, Kakunodate, and mountain driving
We got up early, and headed out on a crazy backroads drive through the mountains down to Tazawako. The mountains were beautiful, and with Sally being a great DJ/co-pilot (feeding me snacks and water as well as reading the map!), the the two+ hour drive went by quickly. We drove around Lake Tazawa, stopping for pictures and souvenirs at all the appropriate places. It was a gorgeous day and the lake was craaaaazy blue! Next we headed to Kakunodate, where we ate
lunch at a great little cafe, toured a samurai house, and ended up in a park outside a museum. Neither of us felt like visiting the museum, so we sat in the park, napped on the benches, and took lots of silly pictures.It was a really relaxing afternoon. For the return trip, Sally opted for an even longer mountain route home, so we drove through the pretty pretty mountains on the border of Akita and 
Iwate. It was great. When we cut back west toward the coast and my house, we drove on this tiiiiiny windy road with NO traffic on it. It was slow going, but we had fun. Parts were a little scary, because there was construction going on, and we'd drive past it to see that part of the road had collapsed/landslid down... Luckily, we arrived home safely (even though I had to stop the car at one point because we were laughing so hard, I couldn't drive). We stayed up REALLY late again.-train station
Sadly, the last day had come. We drove to the station in the morning, leaving enough time to take purikura (those little sticker pictures), which turned out great. Saying good bye was sad, though. We had SOOOOO much fun in such a short amount of time, when I got home, everything felt so quiet and empty.
-the aftermath
You can't tell from these terse descriptions (or maybe you can), but we played waaaay hard while Sally was here. There wasn't a lot of sleep combined with a LOT of activity. The day after Sally left, I went back to school (exhausted and sore all over), but about halfway through, I started to get reeeeally shiver-y and I almost fainted. I finished my classes for the day in the morning, so the rest of the day I sat at my desk going from shivering cold to sweating hot. I definitely had a fever. I finally made it to the end of the day (I had refused the teachers' offers to go home early and stuck it out), and I passed out for a few hours. I woke up, and since it was Wednesday, my autopilot kicked in and I went to Ikawa eikaiwa. Everyone in class was saying I didn't look well and they too, decided I had a fever. My friend/student Hisashi is a pharmacist, and after class he offered to take me to get some medicine. He set me up with some fever reducers, and one sleep-inducing muscle relaxant. I got home, took the medicine, and slept aaaaaall night. The next day, the fever was gone, the soreness was gone, and I was just little tired. Besides the tiredness I was fine, and recovered fully in the next few days. I don't know if I caught some strange flu or what, but my theory is that I just totally, totally exhausted myself during Sally's visit and my body needed to recoup. hahaha not many people can claim they've played so much they gave themselves a fever!! :D
Friday, July 4, 2008
I went to school on the fourth of July for the very first time in my life today.
I also didn't watch/use fireworks for probably the first time on a fourth of July.
I didn't even see an American flag!
Nor did I hear any of those uber patriotic slightly red-necky country tunes (a la God Bless the USA or whatever that song's called).
Buuuuuut, I'm okay with it. In fact, I didn't realize any of this until just now, and it's 11:27pm. Oh well.
Happy Birthday, America!
I also didn't watch/use fireworks for probably the first time on a fourth of July.
I didn't even see an American flag!
Nor did I hear any of those uber patriotic slightly red-necky country tunes (a la God Bless the USA or whatever that song's called).
Buuuuuut, I'm okay with it. In fact, I didn't realize any of this until just now, and it's 11:27pm. Oh well.
Happy Birthday, America!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Shake, Rattle, and Roll!
Earthquake!! Well, first, let me say I'm totally fine, there's no damage to my house or anywhere in my immediate area, so don't worry!
As you may (or may not) know, there was a 7.2 magnitude
earthquake in northern Japan this morning. The epicenter was right across the southeast border of Akita in Iwate Prefecture. It seems most of the shock went further southeast, so up to the northwest, where I live, the shaking was less severe. On this map, you can assume I live pretty much where the little "Akita" box is indicating Akita City. As you can see, while the news articles mention the shaking in big city Sendai and even in Tokyo, I'm a lot closer to the epicenter than them.
It occurred at 8:44am, and being Saturday morning, I was still asleep. I woke up to my whole bed vibrating and shaking, and the walls rattling and making noises. It took me a second to figure out what was going on. My bed is in a room where two "walls" are non-safety-glass sliding doors, so my first thought was I should get away from those. I jumped out of bed and did what I'm sure was a cartoon-y, arms-flailing run to the next room where I stood in a doorway, because I remember that's what I was taught in elementary school (kudos for all the earthquake safety lessons, CA public schools!). Anyway, the shaking stopped after a few seconds (this whole ordeal was probably less than a minute, but it felt long), and aside from some papers and books sliding off my desk and table, there was no damage.
Click here to see a video posted by the BBC showing the quake and some of the damage.
It was definitely bigger and shakier (and scarier, to be frank) than any earthquake I've felt before (in Berkeley). Oh, plus, after it ended, I thought I better turn on the TV and make sure there wasn't a tsunami warning, because Akitans always tell me about how earthquakes cause dangerous tsunamis and give me all kinds of scary examples - in the 1980s, a post-quake tsunami killed several people on the Akita coast, including a foreign missionary lady, so I think they think foreigners should be extra careful. Thankfully, no tsunami warning this time. My house is probably not really in danger of a tsunami anyway, but how would I know, I'm from Chico.
From what I'm reading and seeing on the news, there have been four deaths, numerous injuries and missing people. :( Rescue workers are on the job though, so hopefully people will be found an helped. Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of structural damage, and though landslides have blocked/destroyed some roads, the trains are running fine. Some areas lost power when the nuclear plant preventively shut-down, but I believe it's mostly been restored now.
I had plans to go hiking tomorrow with some Japanese friends, but due to recent rainfall and this quake, the landslide danger is too great, so we're going bowling instead. Safety first!
Alright, that's it for the earthquake update. Thanks to those of you who called or emailed to check on me. I appreciate your concern and I'm really happy to report that I'm A-OK. :)
As you may (or may not) know, there was a 7.2 magnitude
earthquake in northern Japan this morning. The epicenter was right across the southeast border of Akita in Iwate Prefecture. It seems most of the shock went further southeast, so up to the northwest, where I live, the shaking was less severe. On this map, you can assume I live pretty much where the little "Akita" box is indicating Akita City. As you can see, while the news articles mention the shaking in big city Sendai and even in Tokyo, I'm a lot closer to the epicenter than them.It occurred at 8:44am, and being Saturday morning, I was still asleep. I woke up to my whole bed vibrating and shaking, and the walls rattling and making noises. It took me a second to figure out what was going on. My bed is in a room where two "walls" are non-safety-glass sliding doors, so my first thought was I should get away from those. I jumped out of bed and did what I'm sure was a cartoon-y, arms-flailing run to the next room where I stood in a doorway, because I remember that's what I was taught in elementary school (kudos for all the earthquake safety lessons, CA public schools!). Anyway, the shaking stopped after a few seconds (this whole ordeal was probably less than a minute, but it felt long), and aside from some papers and books sliding off my desk and table, there was no damage.
Click here to see a video posted by the BBC showing the quake and some of the damage.
It was definitely bigger and shakier (and scarier, to be frank) than any earthquake I've felt before (in Berkeley). Oh, plus, after it ended, I thought I better turn on the TV and make sure there wasn't a tsunami warning, because Akitans always tell me about how earthquakes cause dangerous tsunamis and give me all kinds of scary examples - in the 1980s, a post-quake tsunami killed several people on the Akita coast, including a foreign missionary lady, so I think they think foreigners should be extra careful. Thankfully, no tsunami warning this time. My house is probably not really in danger of a tsunami anyway, but how would I know, I'm from Chico.
From what I'm reading and seeing on the news, there have been four deaths, numerous injuries and missing people. :( Rescue workers are on the job though, so hopefully people will be found an helped. Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of structural damage, and though landslides have blocked/destroyed some roads, the trains are running fine. Some areas lost power when the nuclear plant preventively shut-down, but I believe it's mostly been restored now.
I had plans to go hiking tomorrow with some Japanese friends, but due to recent rainfall and this quake, the landslide danger is too great, so we're going bowling instead. Safety first!
Alright, that's it for the earthquake update. Thanks to those of you who called or emailed to check on me. I appreciate your concern and I'm really happy to report that I'm A-OK. :)
Monday, June 9, 2008
Reverse/Re-entry Culture Shock
Most of you have heard of “Culture Shock” – the emotional ups and downs of living in and adapting to a foreign culture (I think it’s less about the culture itself and more about how you deal with a different lifestyle. There are phases and the lengths/severities vary by person and experience. If you weren’t aware of it before, you’re probably more familiar with it from reading this blog. I am a poster child for Culture Shock! I covered every little down-tick and up-tick, and every phase on the Culture Shock graph to a T. In fact, you could probably predict my current mental state based on the Culture Shock timeline (currently, I’m in the “I love Japan and don’t want to say goodbye!” phase).
However, I’ve found that, unless they’ve experienced living abroad and its after effects themselves, most people haven’t heard of Reverse Culture Shock (or Re-entry Shock), so I thought now might be a good time to fill you in.
-Nearly two-thirds of JET alumni say they experienced some kind of Re-entry Shock.-
...so, what is it? Responses vary, but...
[excerpt from Living Abroad by Cathy Tsang-Feign http://www.psychinternational.com/abroad/abroad10.htm]
Re-entry Shock – Fitting right in to the “home” circle and returning to “normal” life doesn’t happen overnight. The fact is, a returnee will feel very different from everyone around. This will make him or her feel delighted and special on one hand, but on the other hand it brings confusion and a sense of isolation.
For example, the returnee may be eager to point out that “I’ve just returned from a year in Japan!” By doing so, he or she knows s/he can draw others’ attention and reassures him/herself that s/he is unique, interesting, and different. It’s easy to overdo it, though. Excessive comments like, “I forgot that’s how they do things here! ha ha” to cashiers or servers, for example.
*In a questionnaire given by CLAIR [aka the organization that hires JETs] every year to JET alumni, many state they no longer feel they have a lot in common with people back home. This is a symptom of reverse culture shock. According to many JETs, everybody will inevitably ask, “So how was Japan?” That’s a difficult question. Can you encompass your entire JET experience in a 10-second reply?
*Many JETs say even close friends and family aren’t so interested in what happened “over there”. They often say, when asked about Japan, you get a half a minute into talking about it before the listeners eyes glaze over. Many listeners can’t relate, even if they’re really close. Most people want to hear, “It was great!” and then be done with it, while you want to share what you have been through and how you have grown.
[*credit to The After JET Preparation Guide, 2004 Edition, prepared by CLAIR]
Family and friends will demonstrate interest in the retunee’s adventures, anecdotes, and little comparative comments, but only for as long as their attention span can tolerate. At a family dinner, a returnee may find that the relatives are not nearly as fascinated at hearing about the temples in Kyoto, as they are in hearing Auntie Martha describe Uncle Joe’s hernia operation. To many returnees, this apparent disinterest is a great surprise. It is also a disappointment that leads to feeling disoriented and isolated.
In some cases, returned expatriates carry their feeling of being special too far. They may tend to pick on friends and people in general for being narrow-minded about the world, or unsophisticated. They will repeatedly draw comparisons between home and Japan. For example, saying at restaurants: “This isn’t real sushi,” or constantly remarking, “You know how cheap this would be in Japan?” Such commentary will eventually anoty and bore others, who will take it as showing off. These actions will keep people at a distance and make it difficult to readjust to the old circle.
Most people are oblivious to whatever changes may have on inside a person from living abroad. For the most part, friends and family believe that you still think and act the way they do, as if you’d never left. The returnee may therefore feel inhibited from saying or doing anything that could appear “show-off-y”. He or she may be reluctant to discuss any feelings of disappointment or disorientation at being back, for fear nobody will understand.
Faced with the day-to-day routine, they often begin to long for the favorable lifestyle once enjoyed in the foreign land. The travel, climate, cultural experiences, mingling with an international group of expatriates, as well as the social status and “special treatment” they usually received are missed. A returnee may begin to think back to “the good old days” or refuse/resent readjusting to the lifestyle of the home country.
Given time, returned expatriates will re-familiarize themselves with their home environment and appreciate what is there. They finally accept what they have given up in the foreign society and are happy to settle down. Remember, this will be a gradual process rather than a distinct stage that the person goes through.
A Few Ways to Reduce Re-entry Shock (what I’m doing)
-Expect and prepare for it. (that’s today’s blog)
-Keep family and friends informed while overseas so they have a frame of reference for your stories later. (I try to do that with this blog and posting lots of pictures, and I think I stay in pretty good touch with friends/family via phone, email, IM, Facebook, etc.)
-Keep busy, be active, get involved - don’t just sit around. (No matter what, I’m going to start school, so I’ll be busy with that, and I definitely plan to get back into karate and hopefully, yosakoi, too.)
-Find sympathetic friends who have returned from living abroad and can relate to your re-entry shock. (I’ve got a bunch of friends who have studied abroad, including Erin, who’s been doing the whole culture shock thing with me all year, and will be living close-by)
-Keep in touch with Japanese language/culture/food (That’s what I’ll be studying, plus I’ll be a skip away from Japan Town in SF, plus, thanks to my NSU days, I have plenty of friends to help me out with this)
Who knows how I will react when I return to California. I may be totally fine, or it may take me a while to adjust, so please be patient, and try to be aware that I may be going through this.
Oh, and you have two months, so PLEASE think of something other than “How was Japan?” to ask me when I get back. If you don’t, I’m telling you now, my answer will be, “It was a great experience.”
However, I’ve found that, unless they’ve experienced living abroad and its after effects themselves, most people haven’t heard of Reverse Culture Shock (or Re-entry Shock), so I thought now might be a good time to fill you in.
-Nearly two-thirds of JET alumni say they experienced some kind of Re-entry Shock.-
...so, what is it? Responses vary, but...
[excerpt from Living Abroad by Cathy Tsang-Feign http://www.psychinternational.com/abroad/abroad10.htm]
Re-entry Shock – Fitting right in to the “home” circle and returning to “normal” life doesn’t happen overnight. The fact is, a returnee will feel very different from everyone around. This will make him or her feel delighted and special on one hand, but on the other hand it brings confusion and a sense of isolation.
For example, the returnee may be eager to point out that “I’ve just returned from a year in Japan!” By doing so, he or she knows s/he can draw others’ attention and reassures him/herself that s/he is unique, interesting, and different. It’s easy to overdo it, though. Excessive comments like, “I forgot that’s how they do things here! ha ha” to cashiers or servers, for example.
*In a questionnaire given by CLAIR [aka the organization that hires JETs] every year to JET alumni, many state they no longer feel they have a lot in common with people back home. This is a symptom of reverse culture shock. According to many JETs, everybody will inevitably ask, “So how was Japan?” That’s a difficult question. Can you encompass your entire JET experience in a 10-second reply?
*Many JETs say even close friends and family aren’t so interested in what happened “over there”. They often say, when asked about Japan, you get a half a minute into talking about it before the listeners eyes glaze over. Many listeners can’t relate, even if they’re really close. Most people want to hear, “It was great!” and then be done with it, while you want to share what you have been through and how you have grown.
[*credit to The After JET Preparation Guide, 2004 Edition, prepared by CLAIR]
Family and friends will demonstrate interest in the retunee’s adventures, anecdotes, and little comparative comments, but only for as long as their attention span can tolerate. At a family dinner, a returnee may find that the relatives are not nearly as fascinated at hearing about the temples in Kyoto, as they are in hearing Auntie Martha describe Uncle Joe’s hernia operation. To many returnees, this apparent disinterest is a great surprise. It is also a disappointment that leads to feeling disoriented and isolated.
In some cases, returned expatriates carry their feeling of being special too far. They may tend to pick on friends and people in general for being narrow-minded about the world, or unsophisticated. They will repeatedly draw comparisons between home and Japan. For example, saying at restaurants: “This isn’t real sushi,” or constantly remarking, “You know how cheap this would be in Japan?” Such commentary will eventually anoty and bore others, who will take it as showing off. These actions will keep people at a distance and make it difficult to readjust to the old circle.
Most people are oblivious to whatever changes may have on inside a person from living abroad. For the most part, friends and family believe that you still think and act the way they do, as if you’d never left. The returnee may therefore feel inhibited from saying or doing anything that could appear “show-off-y”. He or she may be reluctant to discuss any feelings of disappointment or disorientation at being back, for fear nobody will understand.
Faced with the day-to-day routine, they often begin to long for the favorable lifestyle once enjoyed in the foreign land. The travel, climate, cultural experiences, mingling with an international group of expatriates, as well as the social status and “special treatment” they usually received are missed. A returnee may begin to think back to “the good old days” or refuse/resent readjusting to the lifestyle of the home country.
Given time, returned expatriates will re-familiarize themselves with their home environment and appreciate what is there. They finally accept what they have given up in the foreign society and are happy to settle down. Remember, this will be a gradual process rather than a distinct stage that the person goes through.
A Few Ways to Reduce Re-entry Shock (what I’m doing)
-Expect and prepare for it. (that’s today’s blog)
-Keep family and friends informed while overseas so they have a frame of reference for your stories later. (I try to do that with this blog and posting lots of pictures, and I think I stay in pretty good touch with friends/family via phone, email, IM, Facebook, etc.)
-Keep busy, be active, get involved - don’t just sit around. (No matter what, I’m going to start school, so I’ll be busy with that, and I definitely plan to get back into karate and hopefully, yosakoi, too.)
-Find sympathetic friends who have returned from living abroad and can relate to your re-entry shock. (I’ve got a bunch of friends who have studied abroad, including Erin, who’s been doing the whole culture shock thing with me all year, and will be living close-by)
-Keep in touch with Japanese language/culture/food (That’s what I’ll be studying, plus I’ll be a skip away from Japan Town in SF, plus, thanks to my NSU days, I have plenty of friends to help me out with this)
Who knows how I will react when I return to California. I may be totally fine, or it may take me a while to adjust, so please be patient, and try to be aware that I may be going through this.
Oh, and you have two months, so PLEASE think of something other than “How was Japan?” to ask me when I get back. If you don’t, I’m telling you now, my answer will be, “It was a great experience.”
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