Day 34 - 一期一会～

April 30, 2011

This was Day 2 of our volunteering in Natori. Sigh.....I was sooooo bad...I missed the train..=( So we arrived the centre about 15 minutes later. Same as yesterday, we sat in the volunteering centre and waited to be called for jobs. Ha, it was interesting that the coordinator remembered us. He specifically came to us and said something like "you are here again! ご苦労様でした". Yesterday, because we sat on the wrong side, so we got called pretty late. Today, we sat on the right side.... There was a job of cleaning the roads that requires 30 people. We put up our hands for the job. Including my friend and I, we would make 29 people; however, the coordinator stopped right before us and called other people. Ha....very interesting. Thus, we, along with a few other people, stayed in the centre to do something that's quite inefficient - hand sew a stack of rags. Those were probably for cleaning the floor. They were a big piece of towel, and you would have to fold them in half, sew all the sides and make a cross. I wasn't sure where the towels would be used. It would have been nice if there was a sewing machine... =P It would just be a lot more efficient and more secure. It took us an hour or more to do 1 towel. ha! interesting. It was very nice for the big guys to be willing to do any tasks that were given to them. There were two other men who were all prepared to do some heavy stuff. They looked strong; they had gloves, boots. We thought it might have been better if they were put to do other heavy duty stuff...? They might have had put into more use.... Oh well. I guess it was truly an easy day for us and for them. ha!

Yes, 一期一会. It is a Japanese saying. It means there's only one time in doing something in life, so we should make the best out of it. This phrase is more towards meeting people. A lot of times we don't know how many times we would meet someone. We would perhaps just meet someone once in our life. I think this phrase means something like being able to meet a person is 緣份, so we should treasure and make the best out of every encounter we have with people. I guess that's another reasons why the Japanese are and were really willing to help each other because every encounter is "precious".

When we were sewing those stuff, I talked about one of the questions during my JET interview. I still remember one of the last questions that the embassy representatives asked me was "What is your motto in life?" Ha, I think I didn't really answer his question.....or perhaps I did. I remember I said something along the line of "getting the most out of every opportunity". I think it's true. There are many times when things don't work out as expected or as good as it could be....well, at least for my life. However, I guess if we try to get the most out of every opportunity, we would probably be able to learn something valuable from the experience. It was actually quite sad mentioning my failure during my education job hunt... Yeah, I bet something went wrong... Man, mentioning failure can be tough. I guess yea...getting the most out of every opportunity. Yeah, I guess another way of saying it is "when u can't get what's ideal, then you have no choice but to suck up your alternatives..." Ha, sounds kinda sad. However, I did like the "you can never succeed if you don't try" mentality. I will remember that. Thanks my friend. Perhaps the communication part of it made the making towel more..interesting..ha! XD Wish you the best!! =)

In the evening, it was very nice to meet up with Emily, Winsy, and Amanda again. We got some bento and 1/2 off Mister donut to Amanda's. We were going to watch a movie, but we ended up sharing some lesson ideas and just chatted about random stuff. It was a great night. =) I am glad I have you girls for me to chill and stuff. I am definitely comfortable w/ you girls. You are like my family here. =)

Yes, I do enjoy my every encounter w/ people here, especially those people whom I have talked with, done stuff with. Like Hung said, ALTs leave and go, but I really treasure all my encounters here with all of you. No matter if we will ever meet again, I will never forget the time spent together...supported each other especially after the quake.

一期一会,I truely treasure my encounters with all of you....everyone.

Day 33 - ...this is disaster...ね

April 29, 2011

Today was the first day of my 7-day Golden week holiday. Not having to work on Monday made me feel my work last Saturday was WELL worth it~ =)

As planned, I went to Natori (名取市）with my friend Hung to volunteer. Luckily we went to together...or else I don't think I would have been able to find the volunteer centre. We got to the centre at about 9...9:10. Since I was a first-timer, I registered myself as a volunteer and got an insurance card. That was to make sure if I got hurt during my volunteer experience, the city would cover for the cost. This city was pretty good that it provided people with things like boots, gloves, rubber gloves, masks, goggles. Haaaa, stupid me....I got the wrong masks... sorry my friend!! =(

We got placed at a person's house to help with removing the mud in her garden. It was very itneresting to see the difference between the city that's away from the ocean and near the ocean. The house we helped at was about 2 km from the ocean. According to some stats about the tsunami, after the 9.0 earthquake, tsunami went as far as 10 km and 800km/h!!! It was CRAZY!!! Luckily the people in the house were ok. Her house was half built before the quake so it was pretty new. She was in the house during the tsunami. She went upstairs so that she didn't get flushed away. a team of 9 volunteers basically helped her to get rid of the mud in her garden. My main role during my time was to transport carts of mud to another place. We piled up the mud in one place so the bigger machines can pick up the trash. Man, those mud was heavy! Well, it was good. It was a good work out. After my lunch break, I somehow couldn't really feel my left arm....but I'm still good. =)

Our work ended at around 3:30pm. It was sort of a good time to end because it started to rain. As an appreciation to the volunteers, the centre offered us with free curry rice in a restaurant in the city, a towel (they were new and cute towels!), and multi-vitamins. Because it was raining, we didn't go for the curry rice. Well, taco was tasty!! thanks! =)

It was quite a tiring day. When I got home at around 8, I felt soooo tired. I went for a shower, checked my e-mail and stuff, then I was off to bed. However, it was a nice day. I felt productive. It was nice that I had the opportunity to do a little something something for this place. While I was on the bus, I could still see many places with piles of trash, broken cars everywhere, and boats on the field. However, I could see that a lot of things were cleared up.

As an aside, since the tsunami was so serious, one of the ALTs actually found a "little surprise" when she was getting rid of the mud....... IT WAS A BODY! Yes, that's right. She found a body that was covered by the thick layer of mud in someone's backyard... I would be soooo terrified...but I didn't find any "surprises"... Good.

Yeah....in a few years, if things don't get worse, the city will be a new city! Hopefully things would pick up soon! =)

I got home at around 8. I was sooooo tired. I went for a shower, checked my e-mail and stuff, then I went to bed.

Natori day again tomorrow. Good night.

Day 32 - 合気道 101~

April 28, 2011

Today was the last day before our 7-day holiday~~ yay!!! =) It's Golden week!! Golden week is a consecutive days of public holidays in Japan. They are "Showa day", "Constitution Memorial day", "Greenery day", "Children's day". Well, next Monday is actually not a stat holiday, but since my school had our PTA observation day last Saturday, we have Monday off. (Yay!!!) Before my Aomori trip on Tuesday - Thursday, I'll have a 4-day long weekend. I love long weekends~

Since there was no club activity today, Mr. Sakai gave a few other teachers and myself an intro to aikido lesson. Aikido is a very traditional Japanese martial art. People usually use a sword too. We had our lesson in the kendo/judo room. It's one of those traditional tatami room. According to my supervisor, not many people are so good and so pro in Aikido. I am very lucky to have a free lesson in it. =)

Soooooo we started our first Aikido lesson. Since it's the first lesson, we learnt mostly the basics. We learnt how to sit, where to put out hands, what our mind should be like, how to bow. We are supposed to bow to a certain degree that you can still see the person in front of u, but not very obvious. When you're standing up, you're supposed to lift your right leg first; and when u're sitting down, you're supposed to put down your left leg first. That's the way to do it because in the old days, the sword would be on a person's left side. The person standing up would hit the sword if the left leg was lifted up first. Ohhhhh...なるほど。。。 Interesting. We then had a bit of "warm up", which was half rolling our bodies. It was very interesting. We also learnt how to stand.

Next, we learnt how to roll. Yes, roll. Wow, Mr. Saki was very very good at rolling!!!! He looked pretty cool rolling too! Hmm, I don't think I rolled properly. U're supposed to use your arms to support you. We spent some time rolling. It was interesting. Afterwards, we learnt how to get away if someone grabbed you on one of your arms, or 2 arms. How we place our fingers was also important. When we put our fingers a certain way, it will affect how we walk. Wow, that is so detailed.

It was very interesting. I hope I can learn more. I heard in the near future, we will have more lessons. Yay! I like free Japanese culture lessons. Although I didn't understand everything, I sort of knew what was going on....ish..!?

Tomorrow...time to go to Natori. Hopefully I can be somewhat helpful...

Day 31 - This is my show and tell~

April 27, 2011

"Hello everyone! My name is Joyce. This is my show and tell. His name is Quatchi. It is one of the mascots in Vancouver winter Olympics 2010. It is cute and soft. I like it very much. When my sister came to Sendai last year in November, she gave it to me. She gave it to me so that I won't be lonely in Japan. Thank you everyone."

In the 2nd years, we are doing show and tell. The teacher is getting the students to do show and tell. To give the students an example or to motivate them, I did my show and tell....IN JAPANESE! Well, of course I got some help from my supervisor...or else I bet the students wouldnm't understand what I said. They laughed when they heard me saying Japanese. XD It was interesting. One of the classes did their show and tell. It was actually pretty good! They did their lesson during the parent observation day. Some of the show and tell were very cute and sweet!! Haha, thanks sis for giving me that Quatchi. The students seemed quite interested in the thing. After my show and tell and when the students were doing their write up, I was walking around helping the students. Many of them seemed quite interested in my Quatchi.

It's intersting that just a month's difference, this bunch of 2nd years (once 1st year) seem to be a lot more relaxed in front of me. They would take the initiative to ask me questions or talk to me. I am happy. =) Haha, after their show and tell, I told my supervisor that I want them to do some sort of poster and presentation!!! =P I hope I can do the pen pal thing too......I'm just not sure how to go about it... Good. I like these 2nd years. They are funny!!

Woooo, one more sleep til Golden week!!! AND I'm gonna learn 合氣道 tomorrow. I have no idea what to expect...but I am really looking forward to learning new things. =)

Sakura, I'm coming!!!!!! ARrrrrrr!

Day 30 - Uncertainties...

April 26, 2011

Somehow...I felt like I don't belong anywhere. I didn't even know what picture I was taking...or what I was traying to take. I don't know why...somehow I felt like I'm in no where.... I felt like I've left "home" for a long time...wherever that is. It's not even a year, and I feel like I don't know where I am. I couldn't really see the end. Well, stupid statement. No one can see the end unless we are there.

I'm not sure what makes me thing of that. Somehow feel lost...feel like I'm out of the loop...I'm no where. I'm not sure if it's because I was kind of busy and nervous at work.

It's good to have something that would almost last forever. Now I see the importance of close family. I think (and hope) my family wouldn't leave me out of no reason. We don't have to always be together, but I know we have a place in each other's heart no matter where we are. I was talking to a friend on Monday and I totally agree with what he said. It is definitely sad....very sad to see relationships (whatever kind..) end. It is true when we are attached to something/others. God will never leave me right? I envy those......

Hmm, where am I? What's ahead? Where's my place?

Day 29 - Club open house

April 25, 2011

Ha, it's Monday again. It was a really sunny day in the morning!! =) I still remember asking my first class "how's the weather?", and they answered "It's sunny" which was true. In the 3rd period, it started to rain with lightening and thunder... I asked the same question to the students, and the answer became "It's rainy.." Ha, mother nature. You are very interesting.

Today was the official club open house. The deadline for signing up for club activities will be tomorrow. Again, I visited different clubs. Since my interest lies on music, I first visited the brass band. During my 4th period in the 2nd year, the students were writing up their show and tell. I was walking around to help out. One of the students wrote about her flute. When I saw that, I said, "I like the flute too! but I think clarinet is better~" Then the student invited me to their concert after school! It was cute. =)

After the concert, I went to the choir room. There were not as many people as I thought. I went in the room and listened to the students singing. They sang well. =) However, it seems like they're not so confident in winning anything in those upcoming contests. I heard our school's choir had always been pretty good. At last, all the 1st year visitors and the teachers stood up to sing the school song!! I was singing w/ them too~~~ =) Although I didn't know how to say all the words, it was very very very cool singing with them! Hmmmm, perhaps I should join choir...HA! =P I am also determined to learn the school song! hehe..

Ok, back to the picture. The sun came back out after school which was nice. A bunch of students were playing soccer and baseball outside. I also saw some students and we took pictures. Haha, these students are too cute. =)

Somehow the atmosphere in the classrooms feel different in this new year. I hope this year will continue to be a good year...for the students, for ppl my know, for Japan, etc.

Hmm, I wonder what the new bunch of new JETs will be like... A friend mentioned that because of the incidents, the JET programme may change from now on....... Hopefully it wouldn't be as bad as I imagine...

Oh well, I'll just try my best to do the best for these ppl, possibly for this country. hehe. =)

Take care everyone~~ =)

Day 28 - Happy Easter!! =)

April 24, 2011

Happy Easter!! イースターおめてとうございます！ =) It was pouring yesterday and the day before. However, it is interesting how nice the weather is today!!! I guess because Jesus was risen from the dead, so it was a nice day. hehe! Amanda and I went to church for Easter service. Although we didn't really understand the sermon, it was nice going to church tho. =) Because it was Easter, we all had Easter eggs! Lunch was more like a feast tooo!! There were some nimono, meatball, fish paste thing, pickles, banana, strawberries and oranges. Of course there was some good rice too. =) It was very nice chatting with those people in church. Amanda, Thomas and I used our limited Japanese to communicate with the ladies. =)

After church, it was nice that Amanda and I could go to Nishi koen to have a mini hanami. =) It was tooooooooooooo bad that there was no Starbucks on Jozenji dori!! I can't believe. I was telling her that you know you're not in Vancouver when you actually have to think where a Starbucks is... We were both craving for Starbucks... Oh well, I got some sort of watered down coffee thing from Lawson. It was a nice afternoon. We saw many people gathered at the park to enjoy the sunshine and sakura. がんばって！ my sis in Christ! =)

Then I saw a little emsemble playing different songs to cheer ppl up. It was nice to just sit there and listen to their songs. It was very chilled...sunshine, a bit of wind, and music. Ahh...too bad there was no Starbucks.. XD

It's Monday tomorrow again. There's still a lesson that have yet to be planned... very scary and nervous......

Oh well, this is the day that the Lord has made, so I shall rejoice and be glad in it. =)

cheers!

Day 27 - ランドセル and more...

April 23, 2011

I've always thought the back pack that Japanese elementary students use very cute. I guess I've seen too much cartoon like chibimaruko. After coming to Japan, I found out literally every single elementary kid uses this kind of back pack!! This type of back pack is called "ランドセル". Today, I seriously thought of getting the bag. It is so cute.

In Japan, girls usually use the red/pink ones, and boys usually use the navy/black ones. However, I love the red one. I think the red one is the cutest~ =P I once told my sister, IF she ever has a kid, I would get the back pack for her kid. I wonder if it would be wierd for a boy to have a red back pack...haha!

These bags are actually on the expensive side I find. The cheapest one I've seen is about $80 cdn. I've also seen ones that are about $500... Well, these are supposed to last for the duration of the entire elementary education. Most of these bags have a warranty of 6 years. These are made of leather most of the time since leather is generally more durable. Supposedly, the manufacturers have expected the packs being "tortured" by the kids...so they are supposed to be quite durable.

Haaa, again aside. It was nice that the day was over. It was nice that my improvised comparative/superlative review worked well...I think..haha! In the evening, although I was really really tired, I wanted to go somewhere. It was nice to listen to a raggae band (is that how you spell it...?) in the evening. It was interesting to go to a "typical" Japanese bar.... It was super small and many people just had to stand. It was interesting nonetheless...

Well, I want to get a ランドセル. It's cute eh? =)

Day 26 - Congrats, class 2011

April 22, 2011

Although the graduation ceremony was back in March, each teacher received this "congratulations class 2011" cloth today. I wasn't sure how this piece of cloth was supposed to be used...so I am just sticking it on my sliding door.

Nothing much actually happened today. I was just really tired because I had a lot of planning to do. I was still not done. Also, I was not looking forward to working on Saturday. There was a lesson that I was a bit nervous about. Also, I had to do an observation lesson on Saturday as well. Luckily I was just an assistant that day. haha! =P I went home a bit late, but after eating, I still went for a walk. It was nice chatting w/ sis tho. =)

K, really..nothing much today...just tired.

ciao everyone.

Day 25 - Gotta be prepared!

April 21, 2011

We had our earthquake drill today. Since we did the opportunity to really evacuate from the building not so long ago, it was extra important for all of us to know exactly what to do when we had to evacuate. Some assigned teachers first made sure all the exits that the students would use are cleared before the students came out. During an emergency situation, every milli-second have a big impact; thus, one of our vice-principals timed all the grades the time they used to get out to the field. The vice-principal also made a little speech about the incident on March 11th. From my limited Japanese, I think he was talking about what happened that day, where the students were, and what we did. Since the 1st years are new to the school, it's important to know what to do if emergency arises.

I still remember when I used to be student, I never really took these kind of drill seriously because I always thought...."what are the odds for something so serious to happen???" Ok, I think I'll never say that again... I guess it's always better to be prepared...better to be safe than sorry. Well, I definitely hope we don't need to evacuate because of emergency situation again....certainly not...

Haha, here's another aside. I really wish I can be more efficient in lesson planning. I am always stressed about the upcoming lessons. This week seems sooooo long!!! Why are there so many lessons to plan??? ha!

well, がんばります！ファイト！

I am soooooooo ready for another vacation..........already.

Day 24 - Japanese study shall resume.

April 20, 2011

Haha, well, I had prepared to study, so that's why I took this picture. Hmm, at last, I didn't study as much as I anticipated. Well, I try and I don't want to think of work at home. I somewhat know what I'll be doing in the next little bit in school (well, not really..ha!), so I decided to go back to my Japanese study. I should go back to my "serious" study with Kikuchi sensei... Hmm, perhaps after golden week...

These tests are both overdue. Ha, whatever if I don't get that certificate of complement... I just wanna finish them. They are starting to be confusing... =S I really wanna have better Japanese, but I don't speak a lot...if at all...! Gotta try harder!!!

Ha, well, since a majority of my time is spent in school, I do have more to say about school than perhaps other stuff. (hmm, not sure if this is good..ha!) It's interesting that it seems a bit easier to teach the now 2nd year kids. They seem to be more willing to try saying things to me...or try understanding what I say. It is interesting that many kids have not travelled before. Many of them have never ridden on a plane before! They are even scared of riding on a plane. This is very interesting. I guess it's because I was fortunately enough to be able travel at a young age. When I was a kid, going on a plane was not super extraordinary, but I certainly enjoyed riding on a plane. =)

Haaaaa, I really wanna see when these kids become adults!!! I can see some kids would be pretty cute~~~~ boys and girls alike.. haha! =P Although some boys are kind of short time, they are still going to grow. Even though if they don't grow much, I think they would still look pretty cute/cool when they get older. haha!!! =P It was intersting what some students would say. Yesterday after a 3rd year class, one of the boys talked to me. Haha, he's one of the boys whom I think would be pretty cute when he gets older..haa! Well, he's still a bit on the short side, but he'll grow. Ok, anyway, when class ended, he asked me, "did I grow taller? yeah? A little bit (すこし）?" HAHA! I was like.....that's random. To be honest, I didn't really notice if he grew taller or not. He's still a bit shorter than I am.. hehe. =P Well, but I still said, "oh! hmm, yea! I think a little bit!" =) It was actually very cute for him to ask me that. haha!

I like how the students are all in different classes now. Now, there are genki students in all the classes~ (at least the 3rd years)

Anyway, hope the lesson planning would go ok tomorrow.

Dear family and friends wherever you are, you are in my heart. I miss hanging out/ chatting/ spending time with all of you. Whatever's happening in your lives, you are in my prayers.

cheers my friends. =) Add oil!!!!! がんばれ！ Cheering for you!!! \(^o^)/

Day 23 - Club recruitment~

April 19, 2011

Since the students had been officially welcomed and classes have officially started, all the school clubs started to recruit new members. It was interesting seeing the "senpai"s teaching the 1st years. It's a bit unbelievable that the 1st years a month ago have all become senpais! The now 2nd years are more comfortable with me I think. Unless I am super busy with planning and stuff, I try to walk around the school, "visit" different clubs after school. It was fun chatting with the students or just "hello".

Haha! I like how some students try to communicate with me. They would sometimes use Japanese, and I would ask them to teach me Japanese. A few kids in choir are soooo funny!! They were singing for the 1st years. When they saw me walking near the choir room, some of them were jumping and waving at me...! XD Haha, they seemed somewhat nervous when I was sitting in the room listening to their singing. When they were finished, they were like.."Joyce sensei!!!! blah blah blah blah!!!!" One of the girls (now in 3rd year) had been saying "Joyce sensei, how beautiful...!" XD Ever since I got my haircut (or perhaps they have "grown" to 3rd years...), she has been super genki when she sees me...XD sooooo funny and cute!!

I really like how much the Japanese school system trains the older kids to help/teach the younger kids. I sometimes feel a bit sorry for one of the kids. I can tell that she's not the popular kid in the school. I think she sometimes lacks self confidence. However, it was very nice to see her teaching trumpet to the 1st years. =) It was very cute seeing all these "kids" teaching other kids!

Haha, I really enjoy seeing the kids outside of class time. They are extra funny and they are more willing to try communicate with me.

Well, as for lessons, I guess I'll just try my best to do engaging and interesting lessons with them. Some of them (mostly from the not so genki classes last year) still seem bored, uninterested in whatever we do. Oh well, I guess I can only do so much. However, one of the boys who was one of the shy boys was more engaged in today's lesson! I guess the lunch group he was in had many genki students. It's interesting how the group atmosphere can affect one's performance.

I love interacting with the kids. They are an interesting bunch. =) They make me genki too.

Cute bunch. =)

Day 22 - School lunch is back...! (sort of)

April 18, 2011

Yay! school lunch is back!! Haha, well, for those who have seen my other pictures of school lunch, you might think a lot of substances are missing from this school lunch. Haha, yea, we are having "simple school lunch" now because the earthquake damaged many of the school lunch kitchens.

Well, milk will always be a part of our lunch. As for the "main" meal, we are on a rotation of 3 buns: a regular hot dog bun, cheese bun, and chocolate bun. The one on the picture is a cheese bun. We will be getting chocolate buns tomorrow. Most kids and teachers brought extra food as well since a bun with nothing inside seems a bit bland. It's also not a nutritious meal. Well, I didn't bring any extra food and I suffered my own consequences. I was soooooooo hungry when I got home!!! Well, just to aim for a somewhat nutritious meal, I drank the milk. I am totally not a big fan of milk, but I just drink it as water. Since my sis said milk in Japan is the most expensive milk in the world, I should treasure this thing of milk.

Well, today was also my first day teaching for this semester. Some worked ok and some didnt' work very well. Hope things will get better!

yup everyone. Please treasure your food. haha! =) I am awaiting for our regular school lunch. Well, we are a lot better off than a lot of people who are in the badly hit areas.

Haha, something random. From fb, I saw one of my acquintances has become single. It was interesting that she posted something like this: "don't cry because it's ending, but smile because it happened". =) I think it goes for at least most things in life. There are many times when we can't control what will happen. There might be lost...but yea, this might sound cheesy...在乎曾經擁有. Memory lasts forever. Just remember the happy moments. =)

Thank you.

Day 21 - Great to be back "home"

April 17, 2011

It's Sunday today. I haven't gone to my "home" church in Sendai for a while. Today, I decided to go again. I was glad that my church buddy, Amanda, went w/ me as well. =) It was very nice to see everyone again! It was good to be with everyone worshipping again. I really wished I knew more Japanese tho!!!! 日本語がペラペラなりたい！！！！ Today, we also met two missionaries who came to this church 30 years ago. It was nice chatting with you!

Yay! since gas is back, we have our usual lunch after service thing! This is a picture of us eating lunch together. I brought some of those green bean cake...ish thing from tw for the church bros and sis. Hehe, just wanna "cheer everyone up". =) Well, I have no idea how it tastes...but it was interesting translating the flavours.. ha Church has been forming volunteer groups to help clean debris in some seriously hit places. Well, I still haven't had the time to go volunteer yet. I really want to take a part in helping! Since God put me here, I think I should do something.

I've always thought that it's very interesting that I happen to be in Japan this year. Haha, I still remember during the earthquake part of our orientation, someone asked if the ALTs had ever experienced huge earthquake that actually required us to pack our stuff and go. I still remember our advisor said they had a big-ish earthquake a few years ago...Ha, and guess what happened this year! BAM! Oh well, I guess it's a "good" experience to have afterall. Perhaps I would have better balance after all these shakes..AHAHA! (jk)

It'll be Easter next week. See you church. I will be back. =)

まだ来週！

Day 20 - Spring is here! =)

April 16, 2011

After a stressful day at work, I decided not to think of school AT ALL and just chill for the day. =)

It started with a super beautiful day! Sunshine...w/ a bit of wind. =) Well, it was actually pretty windy and it suddenly rained for a bit! I stayed at home til the afternoon and was ready for a sakura hunt. Since it was such a beautiful day, I felt I had to go outside! =)

This is a picture of Nishi Koen in Sendai. From fb, I saw that many places in Japan have been starting to have blossoms. Since Sendai is a bit up north, I didn't expect the blossoms to bloom as much as down south, but I decided to hunt for some early bloomers. I guess I might have missed the bigger Nishi koen sakura viewing places. The place I saw was smaller than I thought, BUT I did manage to hunt some sakura here and there! Some people were doing their hanami already! Like those summer festivals, the park was filled w/ food stalls along the side. Ah, festival food~~

I liked my day w/o thinking of work. It was chillaxing. =) I am definitely looking forward to the real hanami, whether in Sendai or at Hirosaki castle! =)

I like spring. Spring = hope (sort of) haha!

Day 19 - Advice for new students: "English is difficult"...

April 15, 2011

Today was the welcoming "party" for the 1st years. Like the good bye party for the 3rd years a month ago, the 1st years were welcomed with arches when they were entering the gym. Today, the teachers gave the students a tour around the school. They all entered the staff room to see where the teachers sit.

Ok, back to the welcoming party. It was a party put together by the student council. It was the ceremony where the clubs introduced themselves so that the new students may get a taste of the clubs available in school. The student council also used powerpoint and skit to tell the students the rules, and what to expect in jhs. The picture was from one of the scenes of the skit. It totally made me laugh!!! XD Well, since these are advice given by the student council, so I guess some of them reflect what many students think. I didn't take a very good picture of this scene. This scene was bascially an English class scene. Hahaha! seeing my students said the greetings and gestures we always do, i laughed.!!! XD I wonder if they were trying to mimic anyone....ha! Well, bascially the advice that the student council gave to the newbies was "English in junior high school is difficult!" (中学校の英語は難しい！) HA! I guess so....since students don't really officially learn how to write the alphabets until jhs... I really enjoyed this welcoming party. It was interesting to see those club activity performance. Man, I really wanna join band, but I know I will be pretty busy this semester...possibly busier than before...

Yeah, as an aside, I feel stressed with all the work already! It's only the beginning of the semester! Man, that's not a good sign.... =S Sometimes I just don't know how to design/lead educational but engaging activities for the students. I am not so keen of doing the activities on Monday because some of them are just... not super interesting I think. Well, I'll somehow "hynotize" myself so I'll have a more positive attitude towards what I'll be doing.. ha!







I don't know why I suddenly want to go back to 604...

Day 18 - Brain dead...

April 14, 2011

Ohhhhhhhh....SOOOOOO frustrating!! Why do I still need to spend soooooooooooooo much brain power thinking of what to teach.....think of different activities.......?????!!!!! Maybe I shouldn't be a teacher...... or I need extra long training to be a good one. I am not there yet....for sure. =(

I'll be teaching an "elective" class for the 2nd years with one of my JTEs. I had been thinking of different possible activities that would be interesting and perhaps beneficial for the students to do..... but I DON'T KNOW WHAT!!!! Since the students' level really vary, it is very very hard to design something for everyone. Wait, didn't I learn how to plan/design lessons for various learners before???? Why am I soooo stuck now?? I don't know. I was thinking..."oh! maybe we can start getting the students to write simple sentences...! Something like journals so they can have more practice expressing themselves in English." "Ohhh...perhaps later on, we could do some sort of simple research project or some sort of poster talking about their own country, surroundings!"

Um...nope. Some students don't know how to write alphabets or read simple words.... Oh no. I am stuck. I don't know what to do. There must be ways...but I don't know what.... Perhaps I'm stuck..



I am stuck...



I don't know how.

Day 17 - JR, I love you. =P

April 13, 2011

Actually not much to say today... Well, I do love the JR...as lease for my daily life here.. Because of the aftershock on April 7th, the train stopped running again. I had always travelled to work by JR. The station is like 4-min walk from my house. I usually take the 7:30 train, and I would get to school at 8:00. The cost of transportation for me would be around 330 yen/day since I get monthly pass. Well, I get my transportation reimbursed too.

However, since there was no JR, I had to bus. The bus stop is about 20-min walk from my place. The first bus ran at 7:15. Because it was the first bus, it was PACKED! Yes, it was very packed for all the days I took the bus. By the time I got to school, it was 8:20. It was even later the first day I took the bus! I was supposed to get to school by 8:15....but I had no choice. Because I walked to the bus stop, my trip was cheaper. However, with walking, it still costed me 1000yen/day. It is very interesting that a transportation that's slow and somewhat more inconvenient would cost more. haha! Well, I guess it's another cultural thing..? Not sure.

Well, I wouldn't say I'm complaining or anything. I didn't mind that few days when I had to take the bus because I bet I was not the only person who found that inconvenient. I don't mind "fighting" with the locals.. ha! =)

JR is operating again. I am happy. =)

Day 16 - 入学式 (entrance ceremony)

April 12, 2011

Today was my school's entrance ceremony for the new 1st years. Like the graduation ceremony decoration, attention to detail was key. Man, when I was sort of setting up the gym with the students, the picture of the earthquake appeared in my mind. Well, I wasn't terrified, but I was somewhat "anticipating" another earthquake when we were setting up.

Ok, the ceremony has started! With the entrance music and the entrance of the homeroom teachers followed by their corresponding "newbies", I regretted not being able to attend the graduation ceremony....=( Well, I guess as some had said, there would probably be regrets either way. True that. Anyway, back to this entrance ceremony. Some of the first year teachers were 3rd year teachers a few weeks ago. It was interesting to see them leading other groups of students into the gym. They were leading school-leavers a few weeks ago, and now they are leading school-comers. When the teachers were leading the students, I was telling myself, "I want to be a teacher! It's so 偉大！". Haha, Yeah, I was in my own little world, as usual. I suddenly felt by setting up the ceremony like that, teachers have such big roles in students' lives! Teachers often bring students to their next stages of lives! Wow.....what an impact. It's amazing seeing these kids going through their next stage of life. They are going to learn a lot, change a lot, perhaps see a lot. Hopefully I can bring something interesting for them... Seeing them entereing a new stage made me all emotional (i am weird..i know..ha). I guess I wonder for myself.....

when and where is my next stage?


What's next?

Day 15 - 1 month... (and let's meet my sister, Grace!)

April 11, 2011

Ok, I cheated a little bit... It's not April 11 today, but whatever.

Hmmmm, I was going to post something else since April 11, 2011 is the 1 month anneversary of the Tohoku 9.0 earthquake. However, I couldn't seem to find a picture for it... Yeah, it has been a month. This month was definitely not the easiest month for many people in the Tohoku area of Japan, especially for those who have lost...something during this catatrophe. Up to today, we've had almost 1000 aftershocks after the initial shock...and the number is still raising. Haha, I am starting to be able to "hear" earthquake before it happens... Although I wasn't here for the entire month, but even the week after the quake gave me a lot of struggle and seeing. It is true. Even though I've only been in Japan for less than a year, I do feel I am somehow a part of this community. I am glad I am back. I do want to somehow help this community. It is sad to see all these happenings... I was watching a special edition show on tv about the quake etc. events. My heart hurt when I saw how helpless and pretty much hopeless the people who live close to Daiichi were... I was talking to our eductational advisor earlier and he said that many of them are coming to Sendai for school, jobs, etc. I hope God will continue to provide the best possible under this sitatuion. May Japan recover soon. I have not had enough of Japan yet!!

Wait wait...yes, my photo of the day. I actually wanted to put this photo as my photo of the day anyway, but I suddenly realized it was a month since 311, I thought I should write something about it. Anyway, back to the pic. Well, students are back to school, but there are no classes yet. Recently, I've been thinking of lesson ideas. Video conferencing was one of items in my list-to-try. Now I love my mobile internet! =) Although reception isn't as great as many stable internet is, it usually does the job. =) In the new school year, I might try skyping someone back home with my students to make an English lesson more interesting. In the lesson, they can practice speaking, listening. It is also a fun way to do some cultural exchange! Well, I guess video conferencing is not new anymore, but I think it still is somewhat unfamiliar in the Japanese classroom. I hope I can utilize this technology into the classroom. I would be fun!

Grace, say cheeeese! =) Haha, isn't my sister cute~~~!!! =P

Day 14 - Getting back to normal...

April 10,2011

I went to town today to grab some food and just to walk around. It is encouraging to see that stores are starting to open again and there were definitely more people on the street. I really liked the feeling of "standing up and walk again" kinda vibe. Well, not all stores were opened, but seeing more stores opening brings a greater sense of hope. =)

I was in town in search of food. I was really craving for 牛肉麫...something I missed when I was in Taiwan. Boooo! One of the Chinese restaurants that has been famous for their gyoza was opened! They had a "cheer everyone up" special today. It was quite a good deal!! You would get 6 pieces of gyoza, a bowl of rice (whatever size), and a BIG bowl of veggie ramen for 480 yen! =) Deal! so I got that. The staffs still provided their good hospitatlity as usual. It was good.

Actually a few stores provided "cheer you up" sale. It was interesting of the ways Japanese people use to bring everyone back together, to cheer people up, and to tell people to be strong. Well, I guess it is also a kind of business tactic..haa! whatever...I guess building up the team spirit is quite important in such situation.

I like their team spirit and their willingness to help each other. =)

がんばろう仙台！

Day 13 - Let's rebuild!

April 9, 2011

Today was just a chilled and normal day. It was nice to see some of the fellow ALTs. I am excited about the possible projects. I definitely hope some or at least one of them would work.

I was walking along ichiban cho and saw a bunch of newspaper for people to read. Tanabata festival, the biggest festival in Sendai, is still going to take place as scheduled! =) In fact, Sendai has the most elaborated tanabata festival in Japan. I was fortunate enough to experience it last year when I came to Japan. It was very festive! Initially I thought all the festivals would be cancelled because 青葉祭り which was supposed to take place in May will be cancelled. This was the festival that I was going to play taiko... =( Oh well, there's still time next year. =)

I am looking forward to this year's tanabata! It will mean so much to the people here! especially the ones who are greatly affected by this catastrophe. Instead of a pure celebration and tradition, this year's tanabata theme is to "revive.." and something else. Well, I guess the basic idea is to bring everyone together and fight this tough time together. There has been a lot of "cheer you up" commercials (or propaganda) on tv. Well, I certainly hope Japan can fight through this tough time too.

add oil.

Day 12 - 東北がんばろう！！！

April 8, 2011

There was another big earthquake yesterday at around 11:50pm. It was a 7.4 aftershock. The epicentre was, again, quite close to Sendai. It was a 6 at Sendai. I was at home...on my bed. I planned to sleep early yesterday because I think I caught a cold. Well, the earthquake totally woke me up. Initially I thought it's just another strongish after shock, BUT it started to shake like crazy!!!! I started to hear things dropping at my apartment...

Hmmm, you might be thinking..."what did you do during the quake? dig and cover?? open the doors???" Haha, um...nope. I..um...continued to lie on my bed. I figure unless the house collapses, my bed might actually be a pretty safe place...XD There's nothing heavy on top of me. Hmm, well, I guess next time (but I certainly don't want a next time...) I will open the doors so if I had to leave, I could. Immediately after the quake, I went to turn on the light, take out my important stuff once again, move some of my furnitures again, and turn on the tv. Man, this tv is tough!!! I got it for free before I arrived Japan. From the last quake, the tv dropped on the floor w/ the screen facing down. Yesterday I actually found out some cracks on the side of my tv, BUT it still worked fine!!! =) I instantly saw the news talking about the quake. It was the strongest after shock so far (and I centainly hope it will be the only one...). However, I was fortunate enough to continue to have power, water, and gas.

Again, it was very hard to make phone calls, so I went on fb using my phone to update my status. Haha, I was actually pleasantly surprised that I still had gas! I went to take a shower immediately because i didn't know when would be the next time I could do that. It was my first time washing my hair and body in 4 minutes. Luckily I live by myself. Just in case another if another huge after shock would happen, I didn't close the washroom door. It was a goooood 4 minutes tho. =) Soon after I finished taking a shower, both my sis and supervisor called me to make sure I was safe and sound.

Ok, I guess back to my photo of the day. I was going to work this morning and found out the train was not operating, so I could stay home for the day. I was glad that I could rest today because I was sooooooo tired (!!)...from the quake and my trip. Yes, add oil arrrr, Tohoku! I really wish all these quake, tsunami, radiation problem will end soon!!!! 東北がんばろう!! Signs like this are everywhere in town. Every other commercial on tv was about telling people to trust Japan's strength and to go through this tough time together. I like this team spirit building aspect. I guess that's one of the reasons why people are willing to help each other, and patiently wait in line for things instead of complaining.

Another realization from the quake:

do what you want/need to do when you still have the chance because you never when you will lose the opportunity.

Well, I guess this can be a food for thought for me and everyone. =)

東北,がんばろう!!!! 日本，加油！！

Day 11 - 不倒翁

April 7, 2011

so I'm back to my Sendai home and it means I'm back to my photo a day thing. I was going to take one of those "がんばろう東北！！" signs that are everywhere, but I was too lazy. Well, this is a good photo too. I got this from a friend and I totally love it! =) No matter how you put this, it will never fall and it will stand staight again. That's why it's called "不倒翁". I hope Japan will be like this (well, I think Japan will be like it.) Well, it is also to encourage all of us to be a 不倒翁. No matter what happens to the circumstances, just stand up again.

Well, just an aside, Sendai is a lot better than the week after the quake. Many stores have opened. Although they don't have as much stock as they used to, or they tend to have shorter hours, food and water are a lot more accessible now. I went back to work today. I was glad that the staffs were very nice and they were worried about my well-being than any other thing. Initially I was a bit afraid to "face" them because I seemed to have left during their down times, but I was pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere in school today! =)

Seriously, I can only say I am a very blessed person. I had such a great time w/ amazing people in hk and tw. Now I'm back to Japan, and I found out that all my utilities and means of transportations have come back!!!! How fortunate I am!!!!! God is soooo good to me. Tooooo good in fact. =) Gas was actually back ON THE DAY that I came back.

Hmmm, there's a possible exchange project that would be very interesting; however, I guess I was a bit tooooooooo ambitious. Well, doesn't hurt to try eh? =) Let's see how it would turn out. =)

take care everyone. Remember to be a 不倒翁~ =)

Back to real life.

I'm about to head back to sushi land. Let's start documenting my adventure there in a bit! It was an awesome vacation and I am truly blessed with all the people I have seen and met. I love you all~ =)