navigating nihon
| Navigating Nihon #11 � Time fly�s when�.
|
9.22.2003 |
Hello Everyone!
It feels like forever since I have written about my exploits but I�ll try to keep this email a manageable length!
I attended the conference for renewing JETs at the end of May in Kobe, 30 min from Osaka. The conference was 3 days long and I am happy to report, quite useful! The purpose, aside from spending taxpayers money, was to exchange teaching ideas and address issues specific to the demands placed on JETs in Japan. I attended a number of interesting lectures and gained a lot of valuable information - seriously. Also, I was able to catch up with some of my other friends who are also here on JET. Of course, it was a great excuse to live-it-up in the big city! That being said, the gang and I headed to Osaka the day before the conference for an evening of dinner and dancing! It was nice to be in a big city again with �.. people!! Shock! Horror! Gasp! When I�m in Ehime I sometimes doubt that there are 130 000 000 people living in a country smaller than NFLDJ
Even though Kobe is a �city� it is more like a continuation of Osaka and Kyoto. All three cities are next to each other and morph into one huge mess of urban sprawl � known as the Kansai Area. Surprisingly, each manages to maintain it�s own character, Kobe being the most eclectic and funky of the three. In comparison, Osaka is big, bright and modern while Kyoto is traditional and rich in culture. It you want to go sightseeing and temple hopping, Kyoto is the obvious choice! If you want a night out on the town, head to Osaka! If it�s small town flavour with big city attractions Kobe is it!
Earlier this month two good friends from McGill, Gavin and Lesley came to visit! After travelling around Japan and seeing all the big sights on their own, they stopped by for a few days to see the rural expanse that is Ehime! It was great to have them here and to show them around Mikame. I also took them to school for a day and they helped teach the 3rd year JHS students. They did all the teaching and celebrity appearances and I get paid � not a bad deal I�d say! :p We also went out for Kaiten Zushi � conveyer belt sushi! Gavin finished a stack of plates that almost touched the ceiling! We also went out for a night of Kareoke in Mikame with Yuki, Mari and Okono. It was a blast!
It is also the end of term and the students are now on summer �vacation�. I say �vacation� because at the JHS level the students still attend school every day!!! There are sports activities every day and often competitions on the weekend, which are mandatory for both students and teachers! The students also spend a good deal of time getting ready for the sports festival in the fall. I sent you pictures of it last year - - the one with the huge crazy rolling ball races, the �muscle dance� etc!
There is also a group of 10 students that will be heading to Australia on a home stay in August. I will be helping them fine-tune their English for the big trip! Mikame is one of the few schools that didn�t cancel the trip due to SARS, so these kids are especially lucky!
With the end of term I have a break from teaching for the next 5 weeks. It�s a nice rest and a chance to study Japanese and work on some new teaching materials. I will also be able to spend lots of time with my sister who is coming out to visit next week! We will visit a few sights around Japan and then head off to Vietnam for 10 days! I can�t wait!
Ohhhh, perhaps the most exciting news since I last wrote is my new found activity! I had been doing ikebana but with the rotation of jobs, my sensei switched schools! So I set out to find something else that would keep me busy and hopefully, be related to Japan and Japanese culture. I had never been interested in martial arts, ever! But, after a friend made a comment about my ability to kick quite high (I won�t tell you how this even occurred, only that it took place late on a Saturday night in Kobe), I started to give Karate some thought! I spoke with my teachers to find out if there was anywhere I could take lessons. Funnily enough, there was � right here in Mikame! I have been attending class twice a week with Clare, an ALT from the next town. The classes are so much fun and great to relieve stress! Oh, and did I mention that our sempai is a cutie� Classes are about 2 hrs long and quite challenging, though I think I am getting more flexible� slowly but surely! It is great practice for my Japanese but at times I am thoroughly confused, not being the most coordinated (read clumsy) person in the world. Regardless, our sempai and the other more advanced students are more than patient with us, always offering help and encouragement. I am currently a white belt and would be THRILLED if I moved up even one level before I leave Japan. Gambaru!
This past year has just flown by! I have no idea where the time has gone! The past few weeks have been filled with numerous goodbye parties and dinners for the JETs that decided to return home. Most of my good friends will be here for another year, with the exception of Meredith who I will miss a lot! One thing I have learnt is that you often make some of the best friends overseas�. Unfortunately, you almost never will live in the same area again�.but on a positive note, it just gives me more excuses to travel! J
With all the old JETs leaving, the newbies will soon be arriving! The first group of them will arrive in Ehime next week and the second the week after that. It appears that this area is getting a lot of Canadians this year � finally I�ll have someone to back me up with I tell the Scots that �J� is pronounced �jay� not �jyeee��. I am also in charge of planning the welcome party that introduces the current and new JETs. Now that is going to be a challenge for my Japanese! J
Tomorrow I am off to a Yukatta party put on by Clare and Dave�s town office. Yukatta are best described as summer Kimono that are much cooler and less formal. It will be an evening of �internationalization� according to the schedule we have been given! Many of our Japanese friends will be there, along with numerous people from the local government. Sounds like a blast! I can�t wait - - as it will be my first time to wear a Yukatta at a proper function, rather than just being all dressed up with no where to go! I�ll be sure to update you all afterwards.
Here's a pic of the party:
Ok, so I tried to keep this one short! I hope that you are all well and enjoying your summer holidays, if you are lucky enough to have them!
Much love,
Emma
emma found her way @ 5:54 p.m.
It feels like forever since I have written about my exploits but I�ll try to keep this email a manageable length!
I attended the conference for renewing JETs at the end of May in Kobe, 30 min from Osaka. The conference was 3 days long and I am happy to report, quite useful! The purpose, aside from spending taxpayers money, was to exchange teaching ideas and address issues specific to the demands placed on JETs in Japan. I attended a number of interesting lectures and gained a lot of valuable information - seriously. Also, I was able to catch up with some of my other friends who are also here on JET. Of course, it was a great excuse to live-it-up in the big city! That being said, the gang and I headed to Osaka the day before the conference for an evening of dinner and dancing! It was nice to be in a big city again with �.. people!! Shock! Horror! Gasp! When I�m in Ehime I sometimes doubt that there are 130 000 000 people living in a country smaller than NFLDJ
Even though Kobe is a �city� it is more like a continuation of Osaka and Kyoto. All three cities are next to each other and morph into one huge mess of urban sprawl � known as the Kansai Area. Surprisingly, each manages to maintain it�s own character, Kobe being the most eclectic and funky of the three. In comparison, Osaka is big, bright and modern while Kyoto is traditional and rich in culture. It you want to go sightseeing and temple hopping, Kyoto is the obvious choice! If you want a night out on the town, head to Osaka! If it�s small town flavour with big city attractions Kobe is it!
Earlier this month two good friends from McGill, Gavin and Lesley came to visit! After travelling around Japan and seeing all the big sights on their own, they stopped by for a few days to see the rural expanse that is Ehime! It was great to have them here and to show them around Mikame. I also took them to school for a day and they helped teach the 3rd year JHS students. They did all the teaching and celebrity appearances and I get paid � not a bad deal I�d say! :p We also went out for Kaiten Zushi � conveyer belt sushi! Gavin finished a stack of plates that almost touched the ceiling! We also went out for a night of Kareoke in Mikame with Yuki, Mari and Okono. It was a blast!
It is also the end of term and the students are now on summer �vacation�. I say �vacation� because at the JHS level the students still attend school every day!!! There are sports activities every day and often competitions on the weekend, which are mandatory for both students and teachers! The students also spend a good deal of time getting ready for the sports festival in the fall. I sent you pictures of it last year - - the one with the huge crazy rolling ball races, the �muscle dance� etc!
There is also a group of 10 students that will be heading to Australia on a home stay in August. I will be helping them fine-tune their English for the big trip! Mikame is one of the few schools that didn�t cancel the trip due to SARS, so these kids are especially lucky!
With the end of term I have a break from teaching for the next 5 weeks. It�s a nice rest and a chance to study Japanese and work on some new teaching materials. I will also be able to spend lots of time with my sister who is coming out to visit next week! We will visit a few sights around Japan and then head off to Vietnam for 10 days! I can�t wait!
Ohhhh, perhaps the most exciting news since I last wrote is my new found activity! I had been doing ikebana but with the rotation of jobs, my sensei switched schools! So I set out to find something else that would keep me busy and hopefully, be related to Japan and Japanese culture. I had never been interested in martial arts, ever! But, after a friend made a comment about my ability to kick quite high (I won�t tell you how this even occurred, only that it took place late on a Saturday night in Kobe), I started to give Karate some thought! I spoke with my teachers to find out if there was anywhere I could take lessons. Funnily enough, there was � right here in Mikame! I have been attending class twice a week with Clare, an ALT from the next town. The classes are so much fun and great to relieve stress! Oh, and did I mention that our sempai is a cutie� Classes are about 2 hrs long and quite challenging, though I think I am getting more flexible� slowly but surely! It is great practice for my Japanese but at times I am thoroughly confused, not being the most coordinated (read clumsy) person in the world. Regardless, our sempai and the other more advanced students are more than patient with us, always offering help and encouragement. I am currently a white belt and would be THRILLED if I moved up even one level before I leave Japan. Gambaru!
This past year has just flown by! I have no idea where the time has gone! The past few weeks have been filled with numerous goodbye parties and dinners for the JETs that decided to return home. Most of my good friends will be here for another year, with the exception of Meredith who I will miss a lot! One thing I have learnt is that you often make some of the best friends overseas�. Unfortunately, you almost never will live in the same area again�.but on a positive note, it just gives me more excuses to travel! J
With all the old JETs leaving, the newbies will soon be arriving! The first group of them will arrive in Ehime next week and the second the week after that. It appears that this area is getting a lot of Canadians this year � finally I�ll have someone to back me up with I tell the Scots that �J� is pronounced �jay� not �jyeee��. I am also in charge of planning the welcome party that introduces the current and new JETs. Now that is going to be a challenge for my Japanese! J
Tomorrow I am off to a Yukatta party put on by Clare and Dave�s town office. Yukatta are best described as summer Kimono that are much cooler and less formal. It will be an evening of �internationalization� according to the schedule we have been given! Many of our Japanese friends will be there, along with numerous people from the local government. Sounds like a blast! I can�t wait - - as it will be my first time to wear a Yukatta at a proper function, rather than just being all dressed up with no where to go! I�ll be sure to update you all afterwards.
Here's a pic of the party:
Ok, so I tried to keep this one short! I hope that you are all well and enjoying your summer holidays, if you are lucky enough to have them!
Much love,
Emma
emma found her way @ 5:54 p.m.