Ginger Vertican's Web Site

Saturday, September 20, 2003

Hello friends and family. What has Ginger gotten herself into now? Teaching. Again. You'll never believe where though. I am Adjunct Professor of English at Liberty University. It's going along pretty good, although it's a lot of work. Not nearly as much fun as romping around Japan as a JET. Even now, stacks of grading peer menacingly at me from across the room. I'm ignoring them for now. I have to go write a song on my guitar and contemplate life. When I've figured it out (or at least asked some good questions) I'll come back and grade the infernal things. I actually have to work hard for a paycheck now. Bummer. Ha ha. On the bright side, I don't have to hang my laundry all over my apartment to dry. I have a washer and a dryer. I have a roomy, two-bedroom apartment, with hardwood floors and a nice porch. I miss Japan terribly most nights, but I'm slowly adjusting to being in America again. I have grafted pieces of Japan into my spirit and it bends and grows around it like a beautiful bonsai. It can't be trimmed away. It's all a part of who I am now. Miss you all.
posted by Ginger 4:37 PM

Wednesday, July 30, 2003

Nearly 17 hrs of an airplane ride later accompanied by a Shichi-Go-San (7-5-and 3 yr. old) Brother and 2 sisters behind me (kicking on my chair and bouncing off the back of it the entire flight) I finally landed in D.C. to the happy arms of my sister Gaylyn who was sporting a sign that said "Ginger-San" on it. It was totally hilarious. I'm still drugged with Jet lag now. But, I'm home. Or is it home? Feeling a little disconcerted....East and West both inside of me now. Both sides of me. And many parts of me. It is a small world after all. : )
posted by Ginger 7:20 PM

Thursday, July 10, 2003

DAY 2
I woke up to a clear and sunny day - with just a whimper and hint of rain in the air. Although it stayed clear and warm all day. I took the owner up on his offer to rent a bike for a mere 600 yen, stored my suitcase in the front hall, collected my maps and camera and was wheeling down the road in no time at all. Goals for the day Kinkakuji Temple - argueably the most visited spot in Kyoto, Ryoanji - brilliantly famous garden/park/lake and zen rock garden, Kyoto University National Peace Museum, then catch the 45min train to Nara where I would see the Todaiji Temple and the Daibatsu (Great Buddha). Train back to Kyoto. The hour long limosine bus to Osaka - catch my plane ride home. All in one day....are you ready for this?

A SIDE ROUTE
For the most part, even though my map was in Japanese, I didn't have a hard time finding Kinkakuji temple. I stopped once, at a corner I was unsure of and a lady pointed me in the right direction. I was pedaling up long, wide sidewalks in the heart of Kyoto, so the city and traffic throbbed around me. The buildings and roads were washed clean by all the rain, so everything smelled fresh and clean and the air hitting my face was a perfectly cool temperature to fight off the sun overhead. I stopped in at a Kombini (Convenience mart) and bought an oni-giri (rice ball with chicken inside - yummy) and an orange juice and a big, bottle of water. I put the food in my back-pack, but opened the water and started drinking it, until it proved too awkward while maneuvering through traffic - wherein I tossed it into the front basket. Now, I was cruising!

One can't help but be drawn in by the myriad of temples and shrines along the way, seemingly on every street. So, I did stop in at a towering wooden structure on quiet, peaceful grounds. There's no charge for places like this, since they are regarded as similar to churches here. The inside open-hall looked exactly as every other temple I'd seen in Japan. Except about 10 times larger. It had the large, centered altar where sometimes old Japanese people were kneeling quietly on small, square cushions. The entire floor was made of tatami - which gives these places a sweet, earthy smell I will always miss and never forget. Incense is usually burning on a square stand or table with apples or oranges surrounding it. There is always a Buddha with a meaningful story sitting cross-legged with one of his hands in the air -middle finger to thumb - making an "o" and his other hand on his lap doing something similar. The meditation pose. I have to admit, the shrines were always quiet and peaceful but I felt a little sense of sadness hovering in the air - the kind of unspoken sadness of some old people who know they are growing old and worse.... are forgotten. Visited on vacations, but not really ever lived-with anymore. That's what many of these places felt like to me. I tried not to be too much of a tourist when entering...instead...I tried to think of the stories behind the buildings. What the men must have been thinking when they built it, or what children wished for when they went there. Were they any different than American children praying for things they wished for in a church? Like me, when I wanted a purple BMX bike in 6th grade....or later, less selfishly....when I prayed that the church people wouldn't argue and fight and split up the church, but they did anyway....and the result was a hollow, ornate church that a mere handful of people visited afterwards. How those places held thousands of huddled homeless women and children during the great war...and many other wars. I wondered whether any of the monks I saw from time to time, even the young ones, had ever really found a sense of rest there. And if so, who was he? What did he think about? What did he do? Did he hope good things for the world? Like me? And so, it was with thoughts like these, that I took my first picture inside of a shrine, by the altar, so I could try to explain to my friends back home what a Japanese temple is like. After, I walked across the quiet grounds, once smiling at a young monk who looked happy to see a visitor so early in the morning, and then I retrieved my bike from behind the massive entrance gates and continued on to Kinkakuji.

KINKAKUJI TEMPLE
Arriving early was a good idea, but there were already a hundred or so Japanese Jr. highers on a school trip scouring the grounds. I was stopped by more than a few completing an English assignment in which they asked me questions about themselves and then had me sign their little notebooks. As soon as a group would see me, a Gaijiin, they jun-ken-pon'd (paper, scissor, rock'd) to see who was elected to ask me in English "Excuse me, may I ask you a question?" I'm a teacher, a jr. high English teacher, how can I say No? So, my schedule was slowed down a little stopping to talk to the random group of jr. highers. And take the requisite pictures. One group of Jr. High boys were elated to have a picture with me - but each wanted his own. Guys are the same everywhere, I guess. So, I stood for, like, 7 separate portraits with beaming Jr. high boys. Made their day, I suppose. : ) Maybe they'll work on their English so they can talk to Gaijin girls and look cool! haha Sooooo, the temple. Overlaid in gold. really. It was surrounded by a pond, well a small lake actually. Was a summer resort for a ruling family. Turned into a temple after they died. You can't actually go in or anywhere near this temple. But you can view it from across the lake, and I can see why so many people enjoyed it. It was truly beautiful. It even had a small wooden boat tied behind it, as if the owner would wake from a nap and go for a row on the pond. Feeding his coy carp and ducks along the way. There were some turtles sun-bathing on rocks in the pond, and a lovely path through the forest around the temple. After leaving the area, I think I missed another exhibit because I took a wrong turn, but I DID find a spot in the forest with large red umbrellas and wooden tables covered with red cloths where the weary traveler could stop and enjoy a cup of green tea before they continued. With the sun shining down through the morning mist and trees, the startling red umbrellas were a pleasant surprise. I finished off my water, since I can't drink hot teas on a sunny day - I can't understand how the Japanese do it. I exited the grounds and made my way back to my bicycle.

The PEACE MUSEUM
I found this site listed in the Lonely Planet. It is off the road and hidden away. So, it was a little difficult to find, but I am so pleased that I did. What I saw and read there, I will carry with me forever. The museum was built by University students that were actually employed by the government to protect National Treasures and surrounding Temples during WWII. They have dedicated their entire museum to one cause: peace. They have a very unbiased collection of information, photos and relics regarding the Japanese, Americans and Coalitions involved in WWII. They also have added some information regarding other conflicts like the Vietnam War, African wars, etc. They hope to show that "only the dead have seen the end of war" like Plato said. I have had the privilege of what I would consider an excellent education and upbringing. But, I have somehow missed the devastation and clarity of an atom-bomb and war in general. Aside from my trip to a concentration camp in Germany, 4 years ago, the reality of it never sunk in so deeply. Causing me to despise war, value the art of negotiation, honor peace and reaffirm my decision to do anything and everything I could in this small body of mine to bring peace, love and justice where I could. Perhaps I can do that through education. Since the educational experience of events such as these chiefly influenced me in the first place. I can't really describe what I saw and read there. But, here are some of my thoughts I had while inside the museum.
"I didn't know Japan used every available resource in the war. Children built ammunitions and worked in factories. The soldiers in that picture aren't any older than my Jr. high students. The boy that 4 other boys are carrying who has a gaping wound in his side can't be older than 13. I didn't know that a few buildings were left standing where the atom bomb was dropped. Or that shadows could be burnt on walls from things that were there - like the handle to that door. I didn't know there were survivors, horribly burned and deformed after the bomb hit. I thought everybody died. Apparently, after surviving for hours or days...most of them did. Those Kamikaze pilots - maybe in their 20's - eating their last meal....what are they thinking? Look at their faces. They were following an order that was passed down from the emperor. They have the same despondent, resigned look I have seen on a thousand business-mens faces on the subway in Japan. They are just doing their job. Fulfilling their place in society. I didn't know hundreds of women and children lept off cliffs to their deaths when the Americans (hey, that's me.) landed in Okinawa. They thought they'd be horribly tortured, because of what they'd been taught so they took their children with them and committed suicide in massive groups, leaping into the ocean or off of steep cliffs. I hadn't considered that some Japanese people defied their country's war. I also hadn't considered that 1 nay 2 bombs were probably, definitely not necessary. Some Japanese people define WWII as part of a war they had started in China some seven years earlier to try to dominate Asia. They thought they could win there and become a dominating power. Hence, they joined forces with Germany and attacked America - expecting to divide the spoils. The Japanese people were very obedient. They followed their government and their societal roles. American people are very different when it comes to "following orders", but we also regard power, rule, and wealth as almost holy pursuits. We call these holy pursuits "rights". We are not very different from the rest of the world. There must be ways to share everything and not have to continually fight for it. There will always be people who are willing to share. And people that always want to take more than their share. So, there will probably always be war. Imagine how good things could be if there weren't. Imagine if everybody acted like neighbors and shared what they had? Imagine if you could invite, like Mexico, to come to supper. I like identifying myself as a human before I identify myself as an American. I want to do something good, even if it's small, for the world. Life goes by really fast. I'm already 29. I don't even have a family of my own to love and care for. To teach good things to. I love travelling and learning new things. I wish I had somebody to travel and learn new things with. And hope good dreams with. Maybe I'm supposed to be a writer. I will never be able to tell people about this museum. Maybe I should just think about it for a while."

So, that's why I hadn't written in a while. The pictures, some of them grotesque and horrific (like the monk who immolated - lit himself on fire - to protest the war, or the soldier that was holding just the head and a mangled piece of arm of some Vietnamese person whom a grenade had ripped to pieces - with the tip of his gun - and smiling) opened my eyes to the world scene of pain and suffering and the vast need for education and communication among all cultures. So, maybe then there could be peace. It's amazing how many wars are fought in the name of God. God can fight his own wars. If God wanted to, certainly he could fight his own wars. And perhaps He has....and we just don't see it. Because He doesn't fight "our" way. Maybe He fights with love. Maybe God thinks that love, a lot of patience and self-sacrifice wins all. Ghandi's way. Mother Theresa's way. Martin Luther King's way. Jesus way. "We must become the change we seek in this world" - Go ahead, Ghandi. (yes, i know i referred to God in the masculine sense, but I mean the Creator and ruler of all things, and I don't want to write "it" as it seems a little off and not what I'm trying to say. And yes, I do believe there is a God, a Creator. A good one.) Humans can't and shouldn't use God (or the absence of God) as an excuse to make war on each other. They might as well just own up to their own base desires and say "I want to fight and rip this person's head from his limbs, etc. etc." and leave God completely out of it. Because God certainly is. I don't see a "Creator's" presence in the middle of so much destruction. That's all I have to say about that for now.

RYOANJI KOEN - Garden and Park

After the trip to the museum I am so glad I had nothing to do but bike to the park. My poor mind couldn't take much more of anything else. The lake was covered in lily pads and flowers. There were many paths going in all different directions. I took the one around the lake and over a bridge. I met a French guy about my age there, and we took pictures for each other. Surprisingly, after walking among the quiet flowers and hidden bridges, I felt completely rejuvenated. Almost estatic. Maybe it was the thrill of so many adventures in two days. Maybe it was the weather. Or the happiness to be alive and able to enjoy such beautiful moments in peace. I met two elderly Japanese ladies and snapped a photo for them. We chatted happily for a couple of minutes in Japanese and then I moved on. The Zen rock garden, which I was anxious to see, was full of Jr. highers and their notebooks. Thankfully, they were quiet and enjoying it in peace. I found a free spot on the wooden platform and plopped down for a few moments to enjoy the quiet. It was a lot smaller than I thought. And I do appreciate a rock garden now. There is something very aesthetically appealing about them. I would like to include a rock garden among other things around a house I'd own one day. There was a perfectly rectangualar area of raked, white stones. Among these at, perhaps, random positions were Larger dark rocks. With the stones raked in circles around them. The arist that had created it hundreds of years ago didn't leave a message detailing its meaning. But, as someone on the platform next to me commented. "Isn't that the point of Zen?" To remove meaning and achieve a sort-of state of "nothingness" in the mind. Hence, no hinderances or hang-ups (like attacking other people because you want their stuff, etc.) I chuckled at his whispered comment. Since I was the only English-speaking person who could appreciate his comment and hiked my way around the rest of the park. My time was drawing to a close. I pedaled my bike, downhill for the most part, as fast as I possibly could back to the hotel. Retrieved my suitcase and caught the bus for the train station. At the station, I locked up my goods in a locker, checked to make sure I could catch a train back in time to get the Limo Bus for the airport and then treated myself to an Ice coffee-latte before the train came. All 45 minutes I enjoyed a cheerful conversation with a 20-something Japanese girl in front of me - who helped point out where to get off the train AND gave me a schedule of trains to catch on my return trip. She was so kind to a stranger! When you count the amount of strangers who helped me on this trip, from directions, to umbrellas, etc....I couldn't have done it without them- their help was immeasurable!

TODAIJI TEMPLE AND THE DAIBATSU.
Hoping to enjoy the temple for an hour and a half before going back, I didn't expect the walk to it to be so exciting. There are wild deer - domesticated, I guess, that just live in the area in front of the Great Temple. They lie in the park, walk down the street with the tourists, loiter around the food stands, and gather in the fields for afternoon chats, I guess. I was so surprised! You can just walk up and pet them. No, you can push past them as you make your way to the temple. They were everywhere! I bought some of the "deer cookies" for sale while a Japanese Jr. High girl took my picture and then ran for my life as a herd of deer came rushing over to get snacks. One deer from behind me was tugging on my shirt as if to say "hey! back here! me too!" After feeding some directly to the "cute" little deers, I flung the rest of them up in the air and made a run for it. I hadn't anticipated their excited response - and was all alone with noone to defend me. It certainly provided for great entertainment for the bystanders. Amused humans and deer alike.

Then, there was the temple. The most immense, towering, massive wooden building I have ever seen. A world treasure. I can't even explain how dwarfed I felt standing before it. Everything I had hoped for in the hall that housed the Great Buddha. The "father" that started them all. Because of its immense size, even the crowds of people seemed to be few in contrast, and I felt at ease. I walked inside and enjoyed the smell of the wood - thousands of years old - and incense burning. The Gold Buddha sat upright and held massive stacks of oranges in his lap. I had to back OUT of the building to try to fit him in the picture. When cleaning, just the people standing on the fingers show up! Amazing, isn't it? There were fountains outside and so I walked back out to take a few more pictures then returned to the hall. Towering above me were the most massive doors I had ever scene, and can only imagine the work it must be to close them. If they ever do. I sat for nearly my entire hour just enjoying the sights and smells of the Buddha, the hall and the people passing through. On my way back to the bus I bought a Japanese slushy. It's like a slushy in America but is topped with vanilla ice cream. A very tasty treat. I enjoyed it all the way back to Kyoto, caught my Limo bus, and the airplane home. Carrying pieces of Kyoto forever with me in my mind.





posted by Ginger 11:52 PM

Sunday, July 06, 2003

TWO DAYS IN KYOTO

So, I had a couple of days free after Chu-So-Tai (Japanese Jr. High Sports Festival) and decided to hop a plane for Kyoto in the South of Japan. Kyoto is the cultural heritage spot in Japan with relics and memoirs dating from ancient times. It was passed over in the bombings of WWII precisely because it had such a depth of culture and ancient heritage that the prudent American diplomats at the time decided it would deeply offend the inhabitants and make any pursuing occupation of Japan after the war very difficult. An accurate assumption. And I am so pleased my country preserved so many important historical places in this one. Okinawa wasn't spared the same damage, and was the only sight of actual land-fighting. I'm going to be visiting there before I leave Japan too. Even though it is years after WWII and America officially handed over Japan in 1972, there are still over 50,000 soldiers in Okinawa. Just chilling, I guess. I suppose my daughter will be writing the same thing about Iraq one day in a conflict that began in my generation and will most likely be on-going in hers. "Only the dead have seen the end of war." - Plato Sufficiently said.

THE TRAIN STATION
With that beginning, I have failed to mention what a delight and pleasure it was to stay in Kyoto for two days. The ruling families have lived here for thousands of years and thus the entire city is full of shrines, temples and museums. It is also home to three of the World's Cultural heritage sights (which shows Japan`s age and appreciation for preserving art and history.) When I entered the Kyoto train station I was shocked and delighted by the modern architecture. It is in stark contrast to the surrounding historical area, but an amazing Japanese triumph nonetheless. There were escalators going up some 20 floors. Or more. I couldn't count. And the sky is mostly open, no ceiling, just glass reflecting light at different angles and floors and floors of high-class shops and eateries. I took the escalators on the South side of the Station all the way to the top of the bell tower. In the rain. I stayed up there and took a few pictures of the sprawling city and enjoyed the surprising quiet that surrounded me. I could even hear the rain hitting against the escalator as it made its long descent back to the Station below. No human sounds. Just rain and the view of the cars and buses below - too far off to hear. One other guy had made the journey skyward with me and he was slowly videotaping the beautiful building. As he curved around to where I was standing by the belltower in the rain, he smiled and let his camera rest on me a moment then turned it towards the long escalators.

AFTERNOON TEA
I was hungry because I had already taken a plane and then a bus to get to this Station, so I decided to go in search of a nice little place to eat. I found a cake restaurant (most of the eateries have themes here and this one was built around french cakes). It was tucked away in the back of a floor of children's clothing. The department was overpriced and smelling new and starched, and occasionally I saw a pregnant mom dressed in khakis and a brand-name shirt strolling through the aisles. The people here dress a lot more like Americans than the people in Sendai do. And they have more money. I wound my way through the expensive and colorful displays to a back corner of french paradise. The little cafe/restaurant was adorable with pastel and natural toned photographs of gardens, flowers, and strips cut from martha stewart living magazines hanging on the walls, bamboo plants welcoming the guests at the front and delightful little tea sets awaiting the weary traveler on every table. I sat down and was promptly greeted by a slim little japanese girl and a full-photo menu. "Irishaimasse" (welcome). They are accustomed to Gaijin travellers and so have an entire menu of photographs for the non-Japanese readers. After salivating over my choices I chose the Cake and Sandwich Set. I forget its name. Most restaurants in Japan serve "sets", something I have grown to appreciate while living here. While I waited for my lunch I helped myself to some of the tea from the dainty little tea pot and then added sugar and milk to the delight of six older Japanese women who seemed to be having a late brunch and were trying to watch me without "watching" me. The Japanese don't sweeten or milken their tea. But, it's a habit I haven't been able to break - even after 11 months in Japan. And it tastes good. So, while I enjoyed my lunch and the Japanese ladies enjoyed watching me have my lunch I read my "Lonely Planet". Since I only had two days and was already half way through this one I had to make a bulleted list and highlight all the places I wanted to see.

THE UMBRELLA AND FRESH BREAD LADY
First stop after the French cafe was my hotel. I stood in the rain (hadn't packed an umbrella, since I fully anticipated it to be steaming hot ) and struck up a conversation with two sweet little Japanese ladies in front of me. They watched my suitcase in line while I ran to a machine to buy a day-pass bus card. The best investment I made my entire trip. For 500 yen i got to take any bus anywhere I wanted all day. Considering that every trip is about 200 yen alone I certainly got my money's worth. I hopped off the bus where the hotel manager had told me on the phone to get off and one of the old ladies got off at the same spot. She went inside the bakery we had stopped in front of and greeted the woman as if they were old friends, paid for a bag of fresh baked bread and then came back outside, where I was struggling in vain to read my map. She rummaged through her bag and brought out an extra umbrella. In Japanese, she told me it was old and she had just bought a new one. To emphasize her pleasure on her purchase she opened a lovely flowered umbrella and propped it on her shoulder while smiling back at me. Then, as if it were her duty, she took me by the arm and walked me to the corner. Pointing out the direction I should go and speaking such fast Japanese I really didn't understand her, she jovially bowed a couple more times then disappeared into the rain. I slushed through the side streets and only once ducked into a pharmacy to ask for the "Guest Inn Kyoto". To my surprise, the woman came over with a cardboard drawing in black marker of the directions to the inn, let me read it, looked at me to see if I understood, then returned behind her counter. I had to laugh as I left, the poor woman probably got a lot of Gaijin in there asking for directions. I saw about 6 other cardboard maps hanging on the wall behind her. I promised myself I would buy something from her store the next day to thank her for her help.

THE GUEST INN KYOTO
The Guest Inn is on a corner, narrow and tall. After depositing my umbrella in the tin outside (always present in Japan) I removed my shoes and greeted the owner. He was just as pleasant as he could be, but a business man through and through. He wrote my receipt and gave me a key. Immediately, he asked me how much time I had and if I had travelled anywhere else. Sensing my time constraints, in 30 seconds time, he had whipped out a map and circled in red marker exactly where I would catch a bus and how to do a loop of the most interesting spots on the map today. And a suggested itinerary for tomorrow. He slid the map towards me with an assuring nod and flipped open a journal he had under the desk. It had different opinions of neighboring inns from other travelers written in it. In English, of course. After giving me a moment to appraise it and recognize the fact that his Inn was, indeed, the best deal and comfort for the Yen, he zipped around the counter, hefted my suitcase up five steps of stairs (pretty spry for a skinny guy) and opened my room for me. It had tatami mat floors (my favorite- they especially smell good when it's raining) a futon, small desk with a tv on it, a window and a small bathroom with a tub! He slid the window open for me and said "only room with view of Kyoto Tower - look!" After appreciating the view and smiling and thanking him profusely he told me that hot water was available from six p.m. till nine a.m. It wasn't on during the day - when most people were out sightseeing. He recommended that tomorrow I rent one of his bicycles to see the city if it wasn't raining. Then he left as quickly as he came. He was a busy man. The few times I saw him he was bustling and busy. So, I dropped off my suitcase, changed clothes quickly, grabbed my camera, journal, wallet and lonely planet- stuffed them all into my backpack and hopped back down the stairs. The owner's head snapped up from the computer where he was working on his website and he flashed me a smile and a nod that said he appreciated my haste. As if efficiency alone was a virtue. I waved and said "Arigatou Gozaimashita!" snapped open my umbrella from the old lady on the bus, and lept into the rain.

KYOTO - DAY 1
Kyoto is the old and the new. The highrises and houses have crept up between the ancient sights like weeds in a garden. Rice fields grew next to glass buildings stitching the landscape together like a large patchwork quilt. My first stop was San-Ju-San-Gendo where pictures were strictly forbidden. The gods inside were ancient statues, several hundered of them covered in gold, in a long wooden hall at least the length of a football field. In the winter there is an annual event where archers come and stand at one end of the building and try to shoot the length of the building and hit a target at the other end. This was commemorating an event, a battle, that took place long ago when archers had to do that very thing while protecting the temple. Every god had a story and the stories were written in Japanese and English. Japanese Jr. high students sat beneath many of the statues, writing in their notebooks (most likely dutifully completing a homework assignment while on a field trip). Japanese students, in uniform, were present at every sight I went to. These kids wear the same thing every day for their entire school life. Even on field trips! The uniformity in Japan is amazing. Their outfits are exactly the same as my students in Sendai. Practically at the other end of the country! I suppose efficiency, IS a virtue. I went outside and enjoyed the small pond, carp and trees growing on the grounds. The rain hushed everything, although, Japan always seems quiet to me, and I sat on a large, square wooden seat for a while, under the temples roof. After trying unsuccessfully to capture a glimpse of the golden gods on my camera through the open doors (and slightly ashamed at myself for trying to disobey the rules) I took off my shoes and went back inside. I bought a journal from one of the monks and watched as he gracefully inscribred it in shodo, with the wet charcoal ink. Then I headed across the street to the Kyoto National Museum. I, once again, was happy for the rain - as it seemed to have deterred all the other sightseers; except of course another pack of jr. highers. The museum was so immense though, I hardly had to see anyone else. My wet sneakers were squeaking against the marble floors and echoing up to the arched roof, so I deftly removed them and kept walking in my socks. In America, I would surely have been stopped and told to put my shoes on (and continue making the irritating "squeeej-squeeej" sound) but in Japan, I can take off my shoes with immunity! So, I strolled through the floors admiring artwork from over 500 years ago, kimonos and other painted fabrics on grand display, pottery, calligraphy on long rolled scrolls that were older than the birth of my country - by two times! After quiet thought in a basement room with my knees tucked to my chest in front of an enormous statue of another god, I slipped into the souvenier area and bought some postcards. At the table, I sat down and put my shoes back on, checked the clock and my map and decided if I hopped a bus now I could make it to Ginkakuji Temple before it closed. I would have to skip Kyomizudera Temple which was lauded as one of the greats - but I particularly wanted to see the garden-forest walk at Ginkakuji. So, I took a picture of the fountain and the japanese version of "the thinker" (because pictures were allowed outside) and then hopped the bus for the north of the city.

The row of stores on the way to Ginkakuji are shoulder to shoulder selling little good luck charms with bells and hello-kitty's attached to the end of ktai straps, wallets, purses, bags, candies, "angko" sweet bean foods, native to Kyoto, ramen shops, icecream shops and more and more souvenier shops. After resisting the enticing displays but amusedly watching the jr.highers pawing through the piles of bright trinkets, I headed for the gates of Ginkakuji With it's back pressed against the mountain and trees towering over it, it doesn't look like a place millions of people visit every year. It looks too small and too natural for that. After paying my entrance fee, and turning a corner, I came upon a group of foreigners I assumed were Americans but soon learned were Lithuanian. They were sitting on the wooden temple steps watching the rain and the silent rock garden in front of them raked into smooth lines. The rocks sort of hummed and pattered as the rain splashed against them. I nodded and smiled at the Gaijin and then continued into the forest. I was really going to enjoy this! The path through the temple grounds was rejuvinating. Apparently, the royal family that used to live there, built the path and the little lakes and bridges as a rustic get-away. The dark brown strip of earth under my feet was nestled between forests of green moss as it curved through the forest - like a stroke from a Buddhist monks Shodo pen. There were a few places where large rocks had been pressed into the mountainside to help the climber ascend the mountain. Pine and Cedar trees (wasn't that what I smelled?) stretched their long limbs to the sky and were rewarded with the falling rain. Once or twice I crossed a bamboo bridge with a small river running below me. In the distant fog, once, I saw a girl standing on another bridge with a red umbrella. I snapped a picture. It was too beautiful. I heard two English men on the overlook above me, talking about carrying wine and a picnic lunch up here once. I don't often listen in to conversations here, because I can't understand them. Maybe thats why Japan always seems so quiet to me. I stopped and enjoyed a small waterfall into a pond where a thousand people had made wishes and colored the bottom of it with silver and copper coins. With the rain forming graceful circles on the surface and the coins glittering from below, the effect was enchanting. My shoes padded their way up and over the mountain path where I stopped to try to take a picture of myself. A girl from Lithuania (not connected to the other foreigners I saw) cheerfully offered to take a picture for me, if I would take one of her. She had a beautiful accent - almost imperceptible since she had been living in Canada for so long. She was now teaching in Tokyo. After another round of the forest (it was too good to walk it ony once) I headed back for the bus stop - to try to see if I could make it to Kyomizu-dera. It was there that I met the Lithuanian family. They were headed back to town too. We all immediately recognized that we couldn't speak each other's language, but their son, who was in college there in Kyoto, came over and stood next to me and shyly interpreted his parents questions. I told them I had just met another girl from Lithuania and they too, were surprised. Their son, who was in his 20's and embarassedly attracted to me, kept shyly looking at his feet, then at my face. Incongruently, we kept waiting for the bus while we chatted. Commenting to his parents that the buses were never late in Japan. Not ever. And that this was very strange indeed. Until he scrutinized the schedule and realized the buses from Ginkakuji stopped earlier than the rest of the buses. Now I was embarassed, for not having read the schedule and realizing it sooner. His parents were adorable: the mom in capris pants and a tshirt and the dad in shorts and a t-shirt, with a headfull of curly hair sticking straight up as if shocked by the Japanese rain. Very cool parents, if you ask me. But the Lithuanian boy was still embarassed. They asked me to dinner, but I explained my plan to try to make it to Kyomizudera before it closed - and Lindt (wasn't that his name?) bravely agreed that I should make a run for it. So, we sloshed through a few blocks of rain and caught another bus into the city - where we parted ways. The parents brimming with smiles and awkwardly saying "goodbye" in English.

NOT KYOMIZUDERA
The Kyomizudera temple is at the top of a very steep hill. Maybe I should have taken a taxi up it. It was easily 10 min. full run. And I did it at my top speed. Met with the shocked glances of all the people leaving that hadmade it there on time. Pressing past the rows of souvenier hawkers and jr. highers playing in the rain I arrived at the foot of the temple with 7 min. till closing. But, the Japanese custodian of the grounds was already lacing a rope with lightbulbs across the entrance and pretended not to see me. I walked up the steps anyway where he was tying off the rope and made a point to look at the large clock towering over his head that read 7 min. till 6pm. I looked at him again. He was unimpressed. By the millions of people he must turn away every year at 7 minutes till 6 p.m. He gave me a look like, "don't you hop that rope" and then hurried off to his right where people were supposed to be exiting and motioned for them to move along towards the exit. I suppose I couldn't have seen the grandeur of the place in 7 minutes. But, I WAS huffing and puffing at the top of the stairs, drenched from head to foot in the rain. He could've had a little mercy! A group of breathless, sopped Jr. High students came up behind me just then too. I heard them exclaiming in Japanese how it wasn't closing time yet and expressing their shock, dismay and then hilarity at each other for the state we all looked. To compensate for their troubles they began splashing the puddles at each other and all the girls screamed and shrieked with laughter and turned to run down the hill. The boys too. Mostly to keep the girls attention and company, if nothing else.
I took one last look at the Temple towering above me, just out of reach, snapped a photo and followed the group of giggling jr. highers. I should've taken a taxi. On the way back down I sampled all the angko-sweet-bean "omiyage" that was on display and bought about 7 packages for my friends back in Sendai. Then I remembered I hadn't eaten anything since that morning and I was starving. On the walk back to the city I decided I had to see the central park. Lit up even at night. So, I ignored my stomach, searched in vain for a Melon soda in the umpteen vending machines, and settled for a bottled water. Since it was sunset, noone was in the park. I was able to enjoy a lovely stroll over bridges and ponds and watch the ducks and carp playing in the water. I stopped into one of the toilets, and noted to myself that in a month, I'd be using "normal" toilets again and thus endured a rainy, public "squat-pot". When my feet were sufficiently aching from all the walking I had done, and my toes were shrivelled into wet little prunes insidemy shoes, I headed back for the main drag where the red lanterns with black writing were strung for miles inviting the passerbys in for a hot meal. I stopped in to one of the shops to buy Travlyn some Japanese candy, because I promised him on the phone for his 5th birthday. Then, I settled for Indian food - in a downstairs restaurant - because I wanted nothing more than food I recognized after a long-day of cross-cultural appreciation. After shivering through 45 minutes of air-conditioning (but delicious and spicy food) I returned to my room exhausted, steamed in the bath for about an hour then drifted off to sleep on my futon with the sweet smell of tatami in the air.
posted by Ginger 8:31 PM

Wednesday, June 04, 2003

LEAP GOES LIVE!

To all the friends and family who have been waiting for this....it looks like I am going to do a live conference in November for 20,000 Youth in Houston!!! I wanted you all to know that a website is being set up where you can buy my music right online and the CD will be sent right to your door! I will get that link added here when it is finished! Please feel free to browse the site for the conference I'll be doing - and wish me luck! Grace and Peace to you all!
Love, Ginj

http://www.nfcym.org/v3/conf/2003/index.html
posted by Ginger 10:53 PM

Tuesday, May 27, 2003

Quoted from World News.com
Strong Earthquake Hits North Japan, Shakes Tokyo
Mon May 26, 2003 06:15 AM ET


TOKYO (Reuters) - A strong earthquake hit northern Japan near Sendai city on Monday afternoon, causing house fires in the downtown area and rocking buildings as far away as Tokyo 302 km (189 miles) to the south.
National broadcaster NHK said the quake measured six on a Japanese scale of seven in some areas in the north, and seven on the open-ended Richter scale, about the same strength as a devastating quake in the Japanese city of Kobe eight years ago.

NHK said the quake, which struck at 6.24 p.m. (0924 GMT), was centered just off the northeast coast of Japan at a depth of 60 km, but there was no danger of a tsunami, or giant wave.

There was no immediate news on casualties.

Television showed pictures of at least two buildings on fire in central Sendai and fire trucks on the scene. Sendai has a population of just over one million and is the largest city in the mostly agricultural northeastern Touhoku region.

"I was surprised because it shook so strongly," an official in Morioka city, about 500 km north of Tokyo, told NHK.

"It shook strongly enough to make you want to hang on to something," said the official, who was on the sixth floor of a building when the quake hit.

In Tokyo, buildings swayed strongly and lamps swayed from side to side, sending workers scurrying to the doors. In supermarkets in the capital, products were shaken from shelves, although activity in the streets was normal.

The Cabinet Office in Tokyo said the government had set up an emergency task force.

East Japan Railway said it had stopped operations of bullet trains in the area and NHK said highways in the area has been closed. Tokyo's Haneda airport suspended flights.

Telecoms firms Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp and NTT DoCoMo Inc said they were checking to see whether the earthquake has caused any disruption to the nation's telecommunications networks.

The yen fell in European markets on news of the quake, which came after Tokyo markets closed.

The strength of the quake, which lasted about a minute, was about the same as the one that hit the western city of Kobe in 1995 leaving 6,430 dead.

A quake that hit Algeria on May 21 measured 6.7 on the Richter scale.
posted by Ginger 2:27 AM

Monday, May 26, 2003

World - AP Asia

Strong Earthquake Hits Northeast Japan
Mon May 26, 3:45 PM ET

By GARY SCHAEFER, Associated Press Writer

TOKYO - The strongest earthquake (news - web sites) to hit Japan in more than two years rumbled across the main island Monday, causing fires and landslides along its northeastern coast and rocking skyscrapers hundreds of miles away in Tokyo. Dozens of people were injured.


The quake registered a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 but its impact was limited, possibly because it was so deep, the nation's Meteorological Agency said.


The quake was centered 44 miles below the sea floor about 12 miles off the coast of northeastern Miyagi state, the agency said.


Thousands of travelers were stranded as officials suspended rail and road traffic to check for damage.


At least 54 people were hurt, most by falling household objects and broken glass, said Tomoki Sano, a spokesman for the National Policy Agency in Tokyo. Only six injuries were described as serious.


Media reports quoting local officials gave slightly higher estimates of the injured.


Monday's quake was felt across Japan's main island of Honshu. It cracked foundations and emptied store shelves in cities near the epicenter and caused skyscrapers to sway in Tokyo, 260 miles away.


Sano said 31 houses were damaged, all in the northern states of Miyagi, Iwate, Akita and Aomori, where most of the injuries occurred.


The quake set off 19 landslides in the region and caused three fires, one at a substation and two at houses, the police official said. About 35,000 homes lost power for about 45 minutes.


Meteorological Agency official Noritake Nishide described the epicenter as "relatively deep" and said there was no danger of tsunami, powerful waves that can be stirred up by seismic activity. More than 90 aftershocks were recorded Monday.


The quake was the strongest here since a magnitude-7.3 quake hit southwestern Tottori state in October 2000, injuring more than 130 people.


A magnitude 7.0 quake can cause major damage over a widespread area. More than 6,000 people were killed in the western city of Kobe when a magnitude-7.2 quake struck there in 1995.


Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries and has accordingly adopted tough building standards.

YEAH, THAT'S ME! SENDAI CITY, MIYAGI PREFECTURE, JAPAN. I WAS RIGHT HERE IN THE EPI-CENTER. IT'S GOTTA BE THE MOST MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE I'VE EVER LIVED THROUGH - AND I'M FROM CALIFORNIA!

So, I was at my favorite Tea shop with a friend enjoying a Royal Irish Milk Tea and Chocolate Muffin in the downstairs salon. It's a beautiful salon with large mirrors and a long/wide water tank that blows bubbles to the ceiling creating the affect of a waterfall. I was sitting right next to it - when waves began to splash against the sides. I was showing my friend pictures from my mom and dads trip to Sendai (incidentally, why I haven't written in a while - sorry) and the room just started rolling.

At first we just sort of looked around like "cool" - we've gotten a lot of earthquakes here this year. Then walls started to rattle, clinking dishes were heard and our chairs started shaking up and down. Melissa looked at me and said "Whaaaat is thiiiiis??" Being the experienced Californians we were - I snapped my laptop shut - and we ran across the room to the closest doorway. Where the manager of the store was running out of the bathroom. We told her to stay there with us. People were leaping up and trying to run up the stairs. Not a really good idea. We were just standing there listening to the earth-train carve a new path through the city. The water splashed and rolled against the side of the tank and we just kept thinking and saying "Oh God. Keep us safe. Oh God, please keep this building standing." I was like, this building is going to crash down on us and we are downstairs. Below street level.

I wasn't keeping track of details - something told me this was one of the biggest quakes I'd ever see, so I was just holding my laptop to my chest thinking "my friends and family are definitely gonna be reading about this tomorrow". I felt relatively safe though, because Japan is so used to having earthquakes they have invented a sort of ingenious method of building their large highrises and buildings. They are built to bend and flow with the earth, which kind of pitches you around a bit - but its the inflexible/rigid buildings that come crashing down. Which says a lot for Japanese ingenuity (if you didn't already think so) - because a quake of the same magnitute hit Algeria last week burying, burning and killing over a 1,000 people.

So, the rumbling went on and we just sort of watched wide-eyed from the door way. When it stopped - Melissa and I were like, "we're out of here! The basement is NOT where we wanna be right now." We ran upstairs, with the rest of the coffee shops guests - everyone was leaving and walked outside. I was in the heart of the city, so I truly expected to see massive damage. We only saw 1,000 people on their cell phones and people kind of walking around dazed. Or looking up at the skyline. The first thing I noticed was the smell of sewage. I wonder if sewage lines cracked or if they were just moved around so much that they were really smelling up the streets. There must have been immediate fires and injuries, because for the next half hour while we stood there (it didn't really occur to us to go anywhere else- it was so bizarre) we heard ambulance sirens and saw police cars pulling up. When I tried to catch the subway home I suddenly realized "this is taking a long time". In Japan, the lines are so fast and efficient, a new train comes every 6 min. The commute from the city to my apartment is a 10 min. ride. An hour and a half later I walked in my apartment door........(I dont know if there was damage to the subway lines or what but they were operating reallllllly slow out of precaution, I assume.) I opened my door and the affect of the quake washed over me again. "oh my goooooooosh, ooooooh my gooooooosh!" I just kept saying over and over. I am soooooo glad I wasn't in my 2nd floor "aparto" when it happened. I had left stacks of dishes and gifts next to the door to be mailed to America the next day as gifts....they had apparently made a mad dash for the living room as they were strung out in a line across the kitchen floor. All my spices and dishes and anything on racks were in a colorful disarray on counters, in the sink, on the floor....My microwave had shuffled to the edge of the refrigerator and sort of slumped down to the right - on to the trash can - like a disgruntled old pot-bellied man. Of course, pasta holders and wine bottles and the coffee maker, etc. which had enjoyed a nice view of the kitchen from atop the microwave had made a circus of my kitchen as everything seemed to tumble northward towards the living room. I picked up one of the bowls, don't ask me why, and wandered into the next room. The phone was on the floor off the hook, the tv had shlumped forward and landed with a sigh on my futon. Thank God. Plants and pictures had danced around in fiendish delight then threw themselves off my window sill and shelves for a climatic finale. The clock was lying face down - poor thing - it's hands were frozen at 6:35. I put his battery back in and fixed the time. I tried calling friends and family - but the phones were down for hours. Oddly, the Internet was working, and friends 20 hrs drive away in Southern Japan had written me asking if I was okay. So, I started emailing. Thank God and the internet cable-gurus for ADSL. I believe these lines are buried and not connected to the phone lines. Which was very convenient. Too keyed up to cook and a little nervous about using the gas stove - I ordered pizza - i was happy to see that they were open - since a lot of places had cleared out and were closed. I finally got a hold of my parents around 10:30 my time - 6:30 am theirs. (sorry, guys!) It was really something. I hadn't even started cleaning up yet. i was just soaking it up for a story to tell the kids one day. My really good friend is a fireman here, he came knocking at my house and said "right when the earthquake hit - i came ringing your door bell - i was soooo nervous for you! It's my holiday today - but I got emergency call and had to go put out fires and evacuate buildings that had cracked. We've been on emergency call for the last 3 hrs." We sat on my floor munching pizza telling each other our stories. A few more large after-shocks came while we sat there and it was a little nerve-racking. By then, we couldn't help but giggle. Perhaps the earth is just chuckling as well, and like an over-sized opera singer - doesn't mean to knock things about when she laughs - she sort of lets out that belly-laugh and the room rolls with her.


posted by Ginger 4:43 PM

Tuesday, April 08, 2003

SPRING BLOOMS AND ROCKETS BOOM.

While War continues to thunder in Iraq, the rain has begun to fall in Japan after a long, cold winter. Things are as normal as possible in Japan. What does normal look like? It's election time. So, on every street corner, dressed in neon yellows, greens, pinks and blues, supporters for various candidates stand with flags and wave and bow to all the passing cars. It's really something to see. Large vans and small buses wtih loud speakers strapped to the tops, also carry these colorful candidates around the neighborhoods. Speakers blaring the high-pitched female voice that is an irritating staple among Japanese commercials, broadcast the candidates platform at all hours of the day, while neon arms extend from every window in the vehicle waving to all the people passing by that are NOT looking. Except for me. I stand amused and wave back at the loud, colorful land-octopus making its way up the road.

That is not all that Spring brings to Japan either. It is Hanuma season, cherry-blossom-viewing season, it is Spring! The Japanese LOVE themselves some Cherry blossoms and whole hours are dedicated to observing the little blossoms on TV coverage every night. They are about to bloom in Sendai and the whole city is preparing for it. There are artificial cherry blossoms strung from every sign and store entrance, decorating the streets and even yesterday I went to buy a coke from one of the (3 million-plus in japan) vending machines and by golly, there were cherry blossoms wrapped around the cans behind the plexi-glass display! Offices (yes, you and all your co-workers) take an afternoon or evening and have picnics and drink sake under the trees, and families take a vacation day and drive into the country to watch the pink and white trees blossom in their moment of glory.

Children in hats, uniformed suit jackets, skirts, slacks and matching backpacks are all popping up like new blossoms along every bus stop. The new school year started this week, and squeaky clean children in pigtails and combed hair wait for the bus to take them to their new world. High Schoolers all sport their new hair do's (and yes, I would say nearly 40% of my students all changed their hair over break) and model their schools new fashion. It seems my neighborhood's Blue Blazers have been replaced with Forest green this year. They sure look smart. We had our opening ceremony yesterday - which usually consists of long speeches by one representative from each class, assuring the Sensei's and Principals that they will study hard and do their best. The Gym is still cold, so my frozen hands were stuffed inside my suit jacket as I endured another hour of Japanese speeches I couldn't understand but clapped and bowed at the end anyway. Once outside of the gym, the straight and serious students transform back into my genki kids that I love so much and slapped me high-fives as they headed back to their classrooms. Ahhhhh - Spring. That great reminder of new life. Makes even this jaded-gaijin believe there is hope for a world slightly muddled in conflicts, small and great, - as long as the human Spirit can endure and we follow those words of wisdom: Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly with Thy God. Peace to you all.
posted by Ginger 6:11 PM

Wednesday, March 19, 2003

"SENSOO" WA EEIGO WA NAN DESU KA?"

Today my 8th graders interrupted my class at 10 am shouting in Japanese and wide eyes, pointing at the clock and making guns with their fingers. Bush! Bush! They said. At first, I had no idea what they were doing or saying. The language barrier rippled between us for a moment. The students leaped across it. One buzz-haired boy made machine gun sounds to show me that they meant that an invasion would begin. "EE-Rok, EE-Rok" said group 1. They are only 13 and 14 yrs old - but they already know (and were quite aware) that it was the deadline for a war. "Sensoo wa eeigo wa nan desu ka?" "How do you say war in English?" They surprised me. There was a brief moment of wide-eyed looks and lots of child-like japanese shouting and excitement??? Anxiety. Wonder? We paused for a moment looking at the clock. As if it were the silent hands of a god, redeeming or revenging at its will. Then, we resumed playing Grammar Basketball. A boy in group 2 stood and read his sentence. "I want to go to the movies. I don't want to go to Iraq." He crumpled his paper, took his shot and missed. In the end, Group 5 won. With 8 points. The way most battles finish: By chance and the most points. I handed out stickers to the winners, who eagerly accepted their reward. Astonishing that war and stickers can simultaneously capture the attention of 14 year olds. We stood and bowed and I left the class, pondering the irony that today is the last day of the year in the Japanese semester. The last English class I would teach... until they return to school for a new school year 2 weeks from now. What English class, what world, what students would I come back to? I cannot say.....in Japanese or English.
posted by Ginger 6:24 PM

Wednesday, February 19, 2003

PHOTO JOURNAL ONLINE!!

IF YOU ARE ENJOYING A "DAY IN THE LIFE", go check out the WEB PhotoJournal I am building. SEE WHAT THAT LIFE LOOKS LIKE. I WILL CONTINUE TO ADD PICTURES NOW THAT I HAVE A DIGITAL CAMERA AND INTERNET SERVICE AT HOME!
posted by Ginger 5:53 AM

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ALT IN JAPAN

630 am. Get up! Unless I’m feeling adventurous, and sleep in till 7. Which of course inevitably sends me into a whirl of excitement as I have to get dressed, eat some yogurt and out the door by 720. That’s gotta be close to a world record.

720-740 Walk to the Yaotome bus station conveniently located near my apartment. Kinda fun. Busy City streets.

740 Catch the Chomeigaoko Ni Chome Nishi BUS!
Japanese Buses are incredibly punctual. To the second. If I come around the corner at 741 it is VERY likely the bus will be pulling out. In which case, I have to catch the 750 bus and risk being a little late for work. These are the only 2 buses within the next 2 hrs that go near my school – so I gotta make them.

740-800 Ride the bus. Think pleasant thoughts. Listen to the umpteen high school girls chattering away in Japanese. Japanese education system does not provide the lovely, yellow school buses that America does. School kids here ride the regular city buses. Which makes sense to me actually, since all the tax money is going to the same city – why pay twice for the same destinations? Japanese are smart. And efficient. I have to hand it to them. So, the cute little elementary school kids get on about the second stop. They all have adorable matching yellow hats and blue jackets. Everyone here wears uniforms. All the way up through high school. The little kids are the cutest. It’s all I can do not to pinch their cute little smiling cheeks. The youngest ones have really round, red cheeks. And they are way too smart. Who lets 5 yr. olds ride city buses anywhere they please? It’s amazing. But, they maneuver themselves on and off the bus quite nicely. The high school girls all wear blue or grey skirts (depending on their school) and matching blazers. Very English. I’m sure you can figure out who they were influenced by. Boys uniforms are the same. Except they wear pants. The high school girls skirts keep getting shorter and shorter. It’s the fad. And they wear these big, baggy white socks all they way up to their knees. They glue them to their legs to stay up. It’s true! These poor creatures pay in flesh to the pop culture gods. They are very fashion conscious. All ages of Japanese women are very fashion conscious. Although, some of these current trends are VERY scary. Some kind of Laura-Ingalls-Wilder skirt-over-jeans –fashion gone terribly wrong. But, that’s after school. Getting back to the bus…

800 am Arrive around the corner from school and join the jr highers making their way to the building. The neighborhood is so quiet and peaceful – retro America 1950’s. It’s comforting. The jr. high uniform is the same as the high school. But more conservative. And they don’t wear the baggy white socks. Those are strictly observed as high-school fashion. Though not technically part of the uniform. Jr. Hi Skirts go to mid-calf unless its club activity (P.E.) day. Then they all wear matching blue sweat uniforms. I have to say – I feel for the kids on the blue-sweat uniform things. They are hideous. They have aqua stripes going down the sides and elastic cuffs on the sleeves and ankles. Everyone knows jr. high is the age you grow OUT of your clothes – but these kids have to keep the same uniform with their names sewn into them for the 3 yrs they are here. 7-9 grade. Some of these 9th graders have high-waters that you can’t imagine. I go inside and take my shoes off at the door. We each have assigned little cubbies where we keep our indoor shoes. Mine are a nice pair of brown leather JCrew shoes. They conveniently go with just about anything I wear – and they are never allowed to set foot outside the school doors. The kids change shoes here as well. They head to their home rooms, I head for the teachers room. At the bottom of the stairs the elected representatives for each grade are standing politely and chime “Ohayo Gozaimasu!” as we pass. I nodd my head and say the same. In Japanese and English. Hey, I’m an English teacher – I gotta get it in where I can.

805-815 I get settled at my desk and sit down to enjoy my cup of green tea. Unlike American classrooms, the Japanese all have their own desk in the Teachers room. Where all our supplies, computers and resources are as well. The Kyoto Sensei (Vice Principal) also has his desk in this room (or she if you are one of the few ALT’s who might have a female Kyoto-sensei) The Kocho-sensei (principal) has his own office directly off of the teachers room nicely stocked with a cable tv, couch and chairs for the visitors he might entertain. Or himself. Kocho-sensei’s don’t do much in the education system (as it seems to be the consensus that they have earned that position from years and years of service) save entertaining guests that visit the school. And do Japanese schools ever have some guests! I know…totally different than America. Read my former blog on THAT subject. It’s very interesting. Also in this room are the Secretary – who does everything from accounting to managing bank portfolio’s (yes, they do EVERYTHING for the teachers here) running copies and fixing computers. Ours is a lady – actually a girl younger than me – but whom I admire immensely for the amount of work she accomplishes alone and with ease. We also have the tea lady. Every teacher’s room in Japan has the tea lady. She gives us green tea at our desks at least two times a day. Once in the morning when we arrive and again at lunch. She waters the plants, refills the kerosene heaters (because of course, there is no indoor heating or cooling system in schools in Japan) waters the plants, makes bank ATM runs, orders food, washes dishes, cleans the teacher area and copy room, serves goodies to us and the visitors in Kocho-sensei’s office, and decorates the school depending on the season. Cool Job. The tea lady and I are friends and get on quite well. Of course, during the hrs that she may not be occupied she plays Solitaire on the computer. It is perfectly acceptable to do anything at your desk, so long as you are there, in Japan. In our teachers room the desks are divided by rank. The teachers of 7th grade, 8th grade, and 9th grade. I sit with the 8th grade teachers (odd, because my actual JTE –japanese teacher of English is a 9th grade sensei) But, there is another English-speaking JTE in the 8th grade section – so that’s cool. There are 6-8 teachers in each section in my school. And it’s small. The school nurse also sits in my section. Most schools are bigger, I think. We have 2 English teachers – and I am the ALT – the Assistant Language Teacher or the JET – Japan English Teacher. It’s a great job.

815 The first bell rings. Everyone rises and bows and says “Ohayo Gozaimasu!” (Good Morning!) and for the most part, I think these teachers mean it. Everyone seems pretty happy. Busy, but happy. After the teacher whose turn it is to call out the day and date announces that the morning meeting has begun, Kyoto-Sensei and Kocho-sensei (who has a desk in our room and sits at it for the morning meeting and lunch) make their announcements. If they don’t have any – the “caller” announces that each section will then begin their small group meetings. We then all turn to our group (me – to the 8th grade teachers) smile, bow and say “ohayo gozaimasu” – just to be sure no one was missed and that everybody has been greeted. We then sit down. After this, the teachers ramble and discuss in Japanese at such a rapid rate that I usually dream off into my green tea and go about my plans for the day. This usually entails making some last minute photo copies of my worksheets or skipping over to the computer to check my email. Nobody expects me to listen because they know I can’t understand. Even when I try. In fact, they act a little shocked when I appear to be listening in. As if I have mastered the Japanese language in under 6 months. Yeah, that could happen. So, I go about my merry business.

830 Home room Yeah. The students, until now have been unsupervised. Amazingly, these kids are well behaved. I have heard of some horror stories in some schools where kids are punching each other and throwing chairs and the like. Strange. But, most schools, mine included, are chill. I think my school is particularly well maintained. So, the kids are hanging up their jackets and doing last minute homework or getting a few minutes of flirting in before the bell rings. Flirting in Jr. Hi mostly consists of giggling and looking. This age group in Japan still seem deathly afraid of actually touching, nay, nearing, the presence of the opposite sex. Even in class the unspoken motto seems to be “never the twain shall meet”. I remember Jr. Hi though. So, I am happy for them. Adolescents can be incredibly cruel. It’s better that they pal off with their buddies. Speaking of.…the boys here are not inhibited by touch. Meaning they hang off of each other a lot. In ways that would shock, surprise and scandalize western-jr. hi boys. Ha ha. They just wouldn’t think of touching girls, that’s all.

845 1st period. I never teach a first period class – so I usually spend the 50 minutes getting ready, thinking up activities, eating breakfast, drinking green tea and checking email. Oh, and I “hanko” place my stamp in the teachers attendance book. So I can get paid. ;) Hanko’s are as good as signatures in Japan, for banks or any legal document. They have the Kanji or Katakana for your name embossed on a rubber stamp. This would surely be corrupted and exploited in America. But, in Japan it works just fine.

945 2nd period I only have about 8 classes to attend a week. I wish I had more – but that’s the story at my school. Some JET’s have 20+ classes. Some have less. The accepted average at my school is to teach each class in each grade at least one time a week. There are 8 classes –so you do the math. I have weasled my way into more, just because I like teaching.

1045 3rd period We’re gonna pretend this is a day I have a class – so I grab my props (I always have props) worksheets (nearly always have some form of worksheet or guide) and stickers (almost always have some form of bribe –err- reward.) Shameful, I know. The students should enjoy learning for the sake of knowledge, but sometimes you gotta bribe ‘em with stickers. I am not above this. I employ it to its maximum value. I have also used small gifts from the 100Yen store.

1046-1130 Arrive at say, 1-2 (ichi-nensei, second class) These are the 7th graders. 40 of them packed to the walls with bright shining eyes, pigtails and eager attitudes. I love them. They are so far tainted and painfully aware of peer pressure by the time they reach San-nensei (9th grade) that one has to love the Ichi-nensei’s while they can! The student whose turn it is to call the class to order says “kiritz” which means stand up (as far as I can tell) the class, depending on how their teacher has coached them, bows and says either “Yoroshikou Onegai Shimasu” (roughly translated means “please teach us” but, can mean nearly anything you want it to) OR they say “Good morning Mr. Monzen or Ms. Ohuchi” (either of the 2 JTE’s I teach with) In this case, it would be Monzen-sensei, my actual Co-JTE. To which he replies “Good morning” Then they say it to me “Good morning Ginger-sensei” (though lately, this has degenerated to Miss Ginger. Weird.) I ask(because I was told I had to) “How are you today?” They chime “I’m fine. Sank-you” Thankfully, there are always the 1 or 2 mavericks that reply “I’m cold. Or I’m hungry” For which I am always grateful. Then, they ask me “How are you?” and I always try to say something OTHER than “I’m fine.” This usually throws them off, because it’s not in the system and they look a little panicked, like “will that be on the test?” I always smile and say “please sit down” Every once in a while one of the kids will get what I say, like “I’m tired and could use a nap. Anyone wanna go home?” and that kid will laugh. And we will smile and have our own special joke.

Then we commence with the lesson. We have to follow the book – so depending on the grammar point being taught that week, I will base an activity or lesson plan around that grammar point. For me, I follow the general guideline of the 3 P’s. Present it, Practice it, Produce it. My main focus is to get these kids talking English, because they never do. They write it and they read it, but they are loathe to speak it. So, it is my task to make this fun and educational. “Edu-tainment” is the goal. I will usually work with the JTE to Present the idea of the grammar point. By a short skit, asking them a question, or telling a short story. When their curiosity is peaked (translated: when they are sitting staring blankly ahead pencils ready in-hand) the JTE will either explain in Japanese what the point is – or ask one of the kids to figure it out. This is the most painful part of the lesson. Japanese students would not raise their hand if the roof was caving in during a 9.0 earthquake. They’d rather die. Plus, this just isn’t cultural. So, the teachers usually have to call on a kid (usually the one that can be relied on to answer). I usually have stickers at the ready and for some reason this works. They like getting stickers. Collect them in their books. Otherwise, minutes could pass in silence. It’s weird. Teachers would never allow it in the States, but Japanese teachers are completely comfortable with allowing several minutes to go by in painful silence while students “contemplate” the answer. But, refuse to give it. Ichi-nensei are pretty cool about this, plus they love stickers so generally a few of them will offer their interpretation of what grammar point we are presenting. Then we clarify. I have these great pictures that I have enlarged to the size of posters of popular people in America and Japan. Movie stars, cartoon characters, and Musicians. These are my subject cards. I also have Verb Cards. Obscure funny verbs, with pictures to match like “Ride Roller Coasters”, “Eat Pizza” “Skateboard” “Surf” “Play Shogi” (a Japanese game) etc. We will then plug in whatever grammar point to the sub/verb posters.

Example: Godzilla didn’t eat pizza yesterday. (Grammar point would be covering “did not and did” ) He did eat Mel Gibson, though. (Laughs all around as they figure out what it means.) Michael Jordan didn’t play basketball yesterday. He did play video games! Anything to make it interesting. After we have practiced on the board with the posters – out loud – repeating ME, of course, (the indigenous speaker of English) we usually play Activity number 1 – some kind of speaking game. Like, asking 3 friends “What did you do yesterday?” and having them answer. I like to have them ask each other truthful questions – that might help them understand or get to know each other better. Esp. since they very rarely talk to one another during lessons. Afterwards, we will attempt to Produce that grammar in a game/activity. I try to involve as much speaking as possible. This week we played a great game of “hangman”. Actually, we had 6 men hanging from parachutes I had taped to the board. There are 6 rows of each student – so we made them the teams. Attached to each parachute was the character of the teams choosing. Examples were : Jordan, Godzilla, Hello-Kitty, J.Lo, Spiderman, Doraemon (famous Japanese cartoon character) etc. The parachutes had 7 strings attaching them to the character. (1 string per student in the row) and underneath each character’s dangling feet were man-eating sharks. Drawn by myself and the JTE with great gaping mouths full of teeth!
: ) The JTE and I wrote underneath each parachute something SECRET that Jordan, Godzilla did last week. Ie. – he spoke English, ate pizza, played baseball. The teams competed against each other to SAVE their character by each student taking a turn guessing “Did so-n-so eat pizza last week?” (or whatever verb they choose) If he didn’t, then one string got erased from the parachute. All the poor suckers on our board DIED this week. Which, to our surprise, was great fun for the students as the JTE and I drew body parts with shark bites in them all across the bottom of the board. It was good fun and practice. Usually, I design activities where more than 1 student is talking at a time – but this is just an example. The winning team usually gets applause (and stickers)
We bow and say “Arigatou Gozaimashita” (thankyou very much) and leave the classroom. This is so much like theater sometimes it’s frightening.

1145 4th period class. This goes thru 1230. surprising, because Jr. Hi students are usually starving by the time noon rolls around. Nonetheless. 1230 it is.

1230 LUNCH The students all make lunch groups (pre-assigned) about 6 people each. Whichever lunch group whose turn it is to serve lunch puts on aprons (I’m not lying!) white hats and gloves. They go out to the corridor where the ladies from the lunch van are waiting with large rolling crates of lunch-food and roll it into their classroom. The students do everything in this 1 classroom – all day. Even eat lunch! The teachers come to them – they don’t move around. Unless it’s for an elective like Cooking or Band or Computer Class. Everyone in the school eats the same lunch. No one is permitted (or would risk the social isolation that would come with NOT eating the common lunch.) to eat anything else. Even the teachers! And Kyoto and Kocho sensei! We all retire to the teachers room and sit at our desks. The tea lady brings our lunch (and green tea) and we say “Itadekimasu” (I will now eat – polite version) We then get out our chopsticks and eat. I am great with chopsticks now and can’t imagine eating without them. Even at home I eat with them now! Of course, they are called “Hashi” here. I can remember the first month I was here, I had such bad thumb cramps from trying to eat everything from large hunks of fish to tiny beans with 2 thin sticks! I was forever dropping and flipping them all over the place. I surmised that they should be called “drop-sticks”. But, now I am dexterous and nimble and will have to display my Hashi-skills when I come home! As to lunch…well, there is always a cup of soup, a serving of rice, something resembling fruit or a slice of it, and fish. Sometimes chicken, rarely beef. The fish usually comes with head and fins attached. And bones. I know I’m showing my Americanism now – but I just CAINT (yeah, I meant to spell it thatta way) eat the eyeballs and bones of any creature. No matter how cooked and battered he might be. So, maybe that’s the secret to my diet success. Otherwise, some kinds of fish are pretty good to eat – its just picking around the bones that takes forever. I’ve already hacked 2 x when I accidentally ingested them. It’s awful.
And Milk. There’s always a carton of whole milk. The Japanese have just recently instituted this into their diets because they are severely lacking in calcium (no accounting for the bones) so their women are bent and disfigured as they get old and the kids are pretty anemic. And I have yet to meet a Japanese with really great teeth. Sorry about this. But, as you will see in my next entry all about Japanese dentistry, Japanese people are in serious need of fluoride in their water (and toothpaste) since they do not have it, and calcium in their diets. They are trying to address this situation by adding whole milk into all the lunches and the next generation will prove if this is effective. I hope so. So, we scrape off any uneaten bits of food into the CORRECT pile (there is no communal trash can) and place our bowls and trays back in the carts. The lunch ladies whisk them away. On the whole, I don’t mind school lunch. After lunch, tea lady usually brings around any “omiyage” gifts that teachers, students or businesses might have left. These are usually cookies or some kind of treats. Nothing like what we would call a cookie in America, but a “treat” just the same. It usually contains some kind of bean paste (they sugar it up and whip it to a cream) and put it in everything.

130 This is usually gym time or 5th period. Sometimes both. I like to go and watch the kids and cheer them on. Esp. if they are playing basketball. That’s my game! The boys are really quite adept and seem to work together pretty good. The girls are hopeless. I’m not sure if it’s because sports like basketball have just recently been introduced to females or what, but watching them “play” is a trying exercise in patience and self-discipline for me. Japanese girls are BRED to act dainty and fragile. They scream if the ball comes anywhere near them, continue to scream (or laugh) as they carry/ sometimes-dribble the ball down the court. When they get anywhere near the basket they lob it up in the air (mystically expecting it to guide itself toward the basket) and all watch it fall to the ground. There is very little passing, no rebounding and it is the unusual girl who will actually aim or look before she shoots. But, they seem to be having fun, so I sigh and scream along with the girls on the side-line “Gambatte!” (do your best – or good luck) They use this phrase for everything. When I cut my finger and was afraid to have the nurse fix it “gambatte”, when some student is trying to think of an answer that’s at the tip of his tongue “gambatte” when a kid isn’t feeling well and has just tossed his cookies in the middle of a ceremony “gambatte”. So “gambatte” it is. Of course, every 3 months or so, they seem to change sports in P.E. – and the girls are avid Badminton and Volleyball players. These are considered girl-sports in Japan. And they are allowed to be good at them. This sorta irks me. Girls should be good at whatever they like. Some of the girls have told me that they love basketball and I can see that they would love to play (and be coached!) to be excellent at it. But, that’s just not gonna happen in their lifetimes. Bummer, too. Because the boys seem to get excellent coaching. But the culture hasn’t extended it’s favor for females in many areas still.

230 SHOJI Cleaning time. At this time students all have assigned areas that they clean. It’s their school and their mess. So they have to take care of it. The sweep and mop the floors. Take out the trash. Clean the classrooms. Refill the kerosene heaters. Etc. American students enjoy your luxury! The Japanese kids take great responsibility (and pride?) in their environment. I think this is a Japanese trait in general though. Which I really appreciate. Japan is neat and clean and skillfully designed and decorated. Something these people can be proud of. I will miss this the most of all when I come home.

300 depending on the day and the schedule (and I can never quite figure this out) students begin after school club activities or have meetings, etc. This is usually badminton, ping-pong, baseball, volleyball, brass band or art. Some other sports too. Seasonal, I guess. I usually go surf the net, or plan the next days activities. Also, once a month I change my Bulletin Board and try to decorate according to whatever American Holiday season it would be and include interesting photos from home. This is also the time I try to orchestrate my Pen Pal Program. I have over 40 students writing back and forth to my Sister-n-laws class in California and a bunch of girls at Jefferson Forest Middle School in Virginia. It takes some effort, and the English is always difficult for my gang. We are making good progress though and they really enjoy hearing from live people!

400 Finished! Yep, JET’s day is over by 400 and I catch the 408 bus. It gets me home about 440 and then I walk home. In house by 500. Then I’m usually off to the gym or a movie or some other excursion. But more on my personal life later. For now this should be enough to ponder. Thanks for joining me for a day at Chomeigaoka Chu Gakko (jr. high school) Please come again.

posted by Ginger 5:51 AM

PHOTO JOURNAL ONLINE!!

What? I can't believe I haven't written in over a month! I am currently making up for that - i have been writing a Day in the Life - to be featured VERY soon. Meanwhile, go check out the WEB PhotoJournal I am building @ http://community.webshots.com/user/gingspics It is taking a little bit of time to upload a bunch of pics - but currently I am trying to give some flava of all the roles I play here in Japan. Go now and enjoy. (or I'll be ticked that I worked so hard for nothing and won't be able to justify the nice digital camera I bought ; )
posted by Ginger 12:11 AM

Tuesday, January 07, 2003

SUNSHINE DIVERS RESORT

I rolled my suitcase through the sand, relishing the feel of it on my feet, finally abandoned the case in a corner, stepped over 3 dogs and walked to the quiet, bamboo counter where a Thai man sat relaxing in the afternoon sun. "Hi, I'm Ginger Vertican. I'm supposed to have a reservation here? Made it on the internet with the JET Scuba group?" Looking around at the ocean, the hammok and the wooden picnic benches, I began to doubt the plausability of internet or digital-anything here. His questioning eyes and silence made me worry a little further. He pointed in the direction of another porch, closer to the water. I could see a man's tanned feet sticking out from around a corner. The feet belonged to a tall, vibrant Dutchman named Stephen. Eyes as blue as the ocean. He was to be my Scuba Instructor. He greeted me with an enthusiastically, friendly hello and dragged my suitcase to a bungalow. After explaining that the accomodation was free as long as I was taking the Scuba course and that the island only had cold, running water (no hot -but not needed in Koh Tao!) he told me to show up around dinner to watch the first video.

I pulled out the coolest clothes I had, peeled my rusty-colored-formerly-white pants off and enjoyed a soapy, cold shower! With a gekko. Yeah, he surprised me too. Afterwards I strolled out to the ocean, ordered a coconut and flopped down in the hammok. A young 20-something couple from England was passing through and I heard them chatting with one of the instructors behind me about the possibility of taking one of our courses. (instead of those wannabe's down the shore) I realized they'd be in MY class if they stayed so I decided to convince them - and leaned over in my hammok to offer unsolicited opinions. : ) Actually, I think they were glad for a friendly face and Dan and Nina decided to stay. They were to become my favorite people on the island and we had a lot of great memories, dinners and conversations before the week was ended. Our gang consisted of 9 people. There was Dan & Nina of course (who were the "dogs bullocks") travelling the world for a year with fascinating stories to tell about careening buses in India and Rhinos in Nepal. There was Ulie-the-coolie from Germany. (I dubbed him so I could remember his name and it just caught on) Short for Ulrich, Ulie was really a cool guy - also travelling the world for a year ("for me, I sink zis is a good idea") with all sorts of interesting insights to add to a conversation, a warm heart, friendly spirit and (yes Ulie!) good English! There was also Daneen-the-machine. A gorgeous (30-something?) brunette from Vancouver who worked in the film industry. She could spin fire on chains called Poi and was just taking time off life to live.... life! She was headed to India to see the Dali Lama (sp?) after our scuba course was done. There was "King James" from England. Our Cambridge Alumni whose math skills helped us all pass the more difficult parts of the written exams. (and who got as motion sick as I did on the boats - so I had a friend in misery!) There was another German couple Anya and Mario, I really liked Anya and I give her and Mario props for suffering through a difficult scuba course in English when they didnt hardly speak it! I always tried to help with my limited German skills and it was good for a laugh if anything else! And last but not least was my friend Darryl from New Zealand. She goes to my church here in Sendai and was returning for her second trip to Thailand. Of which I can't blame her, I already want to go back! And of course we had Steve and Ruthie as our instructors. So, we had people from all over the world represented in our Scuba class and although we all had strong personalities, we quickly bonded. We learned that as the pressure increases the deeper you go under water, the air molecules get denser and closer together. Well, that is what our little group did. As the pressure mounted and each new challenge (whether underwater or on-paper) was overcome, our group got tighter. From learning to survive without masks or without air to buddy-breathing, clearing our water-filled masks, finding our neutral balance and exploring the amazing under-water life of Koh Tao we experienced a lot of personal challenges and triumphs that I will always remember. The whole course takes 4 days to finish. Which was perfect, because we took our final exam and last underwater dive on Christmas Day! Party to Celebrate afterwards! Ban's resort (our big-brother resort) floated hundreds of candles out into the ocean on Christmas Day - and every islander with fireworks set them off over the water. Every resort had buffets and bars open and we wandered up and down the shore line all night entertaining ourselves. Later Nina, James, Darryl and I went for a Thai massage at something like 2 in the morning. Although its a little like getting tied in a knot and twisted into strange shapes, it really can feel wonderful with the right woman doing it. It did feel a little weird to be (mostly) naked and massaged by strangers (didnt it Nina?) but I got over it. I loved the Thai massage pants - so light and loose and comfortable - I bought 2 pairs and some for Gaylyn and Travlyn too! (my nephew is gonna be so cute in those pants! Every time I go to another country I send him clothes. He is the most multi-cultural dressed kid I know. I love you buggabear : ) So, we finished all of the exams and under water exercises. The last day were my two favorite dives. I saw beautiful parrot fish, a stingray with its tail glowing bright blue, many other multi-colored fish and so many beautiful kinds of coral! I got stung by a little jellyfish, so now I know what that feels like. Not pleasant. For those of you who have not tried it...Scuba diving is the only way to go. You cant get anything but seasick and water in your snorkel from the surface! You have to try Scuba for yourself - its like floating in space, only you can breathe, and take your time seeing what you like! Down where all the action is! I can't believe all the life and beautiful colors that are under the water where just a few days before I had been worried about dropping my suitcase in! You never imagine that a whole other world is just going on living while you are sipping a cold Coke on deck. So, I am PADI open-water Scuba Certified Diver now and can't wait for another chance to go down. Mexico anyone? The trip was full of many delicious dinners, walks on the beach, and swimming in the water. I am so happy to have gone. I am now back in Japan with all the regular land-issues to deal with. Classes begin again tomorrow, so I gotta go work on some lesson plans now. My love to all of you.
posted by Ginger 9:23 PM

Monday, January 06, 2003

TRIP TO THAILAND!

The temperatures in Japan have turned arctic, and since they are an economically savvy people, they do not build heaters or say, insulation into their housing. (Never mind that the housing spaces are small and shouldn't cost a lot to heat - that's what blankets and wool underwear are for.) So, I treated myself to a 10 day trip to Thailand. Really 8 days - 2 spent travelling back and forth and recovering from the shock thereof.

BANGKOK - I fell in love with Thailand here. I must have mused a dozen times "this is the Mexico of Asia!" And certainly the economy, climate, and corruption would strengthen my assumption. BUT, it is lovely. The people are vibrant with wide, welcome smiles. It has every color woven into clothing, tapestries, boats and buildings and the personalities to match. The food is spicy, delightful and a category all its own. I fell in love with Coconut curry seasoned with lime - and my mouth waters even now at the thought of a freshly thatched coconut served raw with a straw. : ) So, I spent 2 days in Bangkok shopping along Koh San road, visiting the temples and the Grand Palace and enjoying my first Thai massage and then following it up the next day with another. (just to make sure they were every bit as good as they said) One funny note and cautionary tale for any potential travellers to the Grand Palace - bare legs and ankles are not permitted. I knew about the bare feet so I had put my tennis shoes on. I was wearing capri pants that literally went half-calf. But, upon entering the gate I was pointed out by a determined woman, herded into a pen with other "ankle-streakers" and asked to don a wrap-around skirt. They were nice enough about it though, and I got to pay 100 baht for the pleasure. It made me feel like I blended with the culture, so I didn't mind. I wasn't confident in my skirt-wrapping abilities and surmised that one tug in the right direction could definitely relieve me of the brightly painted maroon sarong. So I left my pants on underneath - just to be sure. Boy, was THAT hot! With temperatures reaching into the 90's, it made the day and task a little tedious. Other than that though, the palaces and shrines are beyond description here, so I put together a disc of pictures to do the talking for me. The detail and dedication the Thai people have put towards achieving sheer beauty and serenity is well noted. I am fortunate to have made the trip. I didn't even finish visiting the Grand Palace because I had just enough time to catch my train to Koh Tao....my purpose for going to Thailand. After an anxious tuk-tuk ride and picking up my luggage at my hotel, I zipped off to the train station by taxi to travel in style!! By Train!


THE TRIP TO KOH TAO
After having my tickets checked by Train Station personnel (it seems anyone in a t-shirt and feeling important is personnel in Thailand) I took on the most interesting and arduous journey of my vacation travels so far. (and have the pictures to demonstrate.) I boarded a train for Koh Tao, Thailand: A small island off the Southern Pacific coast (far off) to get my open-water Scuba Diving license. Woohoo! (and to my brother, Garnet: nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah - I got my license before you did! Who's da champ? Who's da champ?) Pardon my temporary lapse into some much needed sibling rivalry, now that I have my Pro-Mountain-Bike-racing brother under my thumb I can continue. : )

By the way, I bumped into some Scottish guys at my hotel and they gave me their first class train tickets for free, since they weren't heading back, which I must admit in hindsight was more a blessing than I realized. I was extremely grateful, and even more so when I realized what the regular seats were by comparison. I took my life in my hands, i'm sorry, I mean my suitcase, and hopped into the "first class" cabin. Before you have any illusions of cushiony seats, drink bars, shiny floors and adjoining restrooms - think again. I had a long, narrow seat that folded out into a bed, a sink, and a singular hook on which I hung my purse. Mind you, I'm not com-plaining...I'm ex-plaining. The car was comfy, though sparse. The "bathroom" was down the corridor. You gotta love Thai toilets. They are mounted up high (other than making the best use of gravity, I'm not sure of the reasoning behind this) and they are a small round "target" with two grip-pads/stirrups on the sides for you to put your feet in. These grips are necessary even when you AREN'T riding in a rickety, wobbling train....watching the rails pass by underneath.
The Japanese guy in the cabin next to mine continuously used this mounted porta-potty for his ash-tray about every 45 minutes. Although there were signs brightly painted of fines up to 20,000 baht for smoking in the non-smoking car, I don't think anyone ever expected to have to reinforce it. When I rung for the steward because the smoke was choking off my will to live and the windows were welded shut...it took him 45 minutes to respond. And that may have been first class service! I finally walked down the corridor (there were only 5 cabins in the whole car) and he was on a bench reading the newspaper. He looked a little startled (indeed, interrupted!) to see me out of the cabin. So, he tipped his paper down, grinned and asked if he could help. I asked him if indeed it was a non-smoking car and if the (multi-lingual) sign painted in bright red in several areas of the car said "no smoking". He smiled and continually nodded "Ahh. Yes. eetz no smoking, dees car." "Yes, but there's smoke", I brilliantly surmise. "Lots of smoke". "Ah, yes. No Smoking Cah--" A brief moment of language ambiguity passes between us. I asked him to follow me to my cabin where you could SEE the smoke, much less smell it. Fire alarms should have been going off. "ah. yes" he says. I think he was failing to appreciate what I was asking though... "There's smoke here you see, and I can't breathe." "Ah, yes. No smoking in theese car." "yes" I agreed. That's right. "Can you please ask the gentleman in THAT car to stop smoking? Especially in the toilet which is right next to my room and shares a vent??" Nodding. "Yes,Yes". Etc, Etc,. This little charade occured no less than 3 times before I gave up hope and acquiesced to the idea that noone was really expected to follow the sign and no attendant or security guard was expected to actually enforce it. I had a mind to tempt the attendant by saying "why dont you go ahead and charge him the 20,000 baht and pocket it? It doesn't say WHO is going to fine the person!"

Nevertheless, there were other things to think about. The men peering into my window, for instance. Stopping for a view and amusing themselves. My dinner showing up over an hour or two late. This might amuse you. When I went to check on it, the steward was happily enjoying HIS dinner and reading the paper again. This time, he struck up a conversation with me about what movies were playing. "But, my dinner? Is it coming?" "Ah, yes. Your dinner. 7 pm." "Yes, its like, 9 pm??" "Ah, yes. Your dinner. 7 p.m." Smiles and nods. I sigh and retreat to my smoky cabin.

I did enjoy the view from the window and saw how real Thai people lived and it was pretty amazing. They always seem happy, which is a nice change! Little children painted brown by the sun were jumping naked off of wobbly wooden beams into waters as dark as they were. But, they seemed to be enjoying it. In the heat, I might have joined them. It was great to have warmth after the cold of a Japanese winter. Don't let the pretty, wintery pictures fool you - Japan does not insulate or heat their homes and people across the country go to bed curled up tight under covers and wake up with stiff, frozen toes and noses with their frosty breath christening the air. My little kerosene heater has an auto-shut off valve and refuses to actually heat my little room and stay on. (I think it has a little Japanese in it and is just economically conscious that way) So, the warm weather and the hot food were incredibly inviting. I've never had such delicious food and said aloud that I hope the cooks in heaven are Thai. I think coconut is one of the most delicious foods in the world and is certainly under-utilized in cooking!

After 8 hrs on the train ride I was set down at the Surat Thani Bus Station. Where I had to wait for the earliest bus to the pier which didn't come until like 3 am, of course. I couldnt sleep on the chairs (although even my suitcase and the dusty bus station, minus the flea-scratching dog, was looking inviting by this time. Some 24+ hours withouth sleep) After a futile effort of stretching out on some curved seats, (which contributed in large measure to my need for Thai massage) I dragged my suitcase across the road and up a few blocks to a small cafe that had its lights on already. Here, the man of the house prepared me Banana pancakes, a typical Thai breakfast - the best I have ever tasted. (sorry mom- it was the freshly plucked bananas that did it!) Did you know that Bananas grow upside down? Yes, they do! I saw it for myself. There they were thrust toward heaven in large groups like over-sized yellow gloves. If they fell on someone's head I don't think they would survive! But, anyway. After my pancakes I paid the man a 100 baht to use the internet upstairs! (Computers with internet can be found in the most astounding places in Thailand!) I had to email a few family members quick because something with the stench-of-death was dying outside the back window. (my kingdom for a smoky train car!) After a quick kap-kum-kah (thankyou) I went back downstairs to do some Olympic sport-peeing on the mounted squat-pot (as my sister has inspired me to call it) and went in search of the bus tickets I was supposed to buy. No small feat. I purchased them from the pancake man, of course. Where else could one expect to find bus tickets for sale??) I boarded a safe-enough looking bus for the pier. The other passengers (including the large-flying cockroach on the chair in front of me. Yes, they fly.)... all seemed friendly enough and I relaxed my shoulders and caught bits and pieces of a nap.


THREE FERRIES

When the bus arrived at the Pier I had the humiliating experience of realizing that everyone (even rickety looking old men) were all sporting back-packs. And not suitcases. I looked like a right Diva towing my large black suitcase behind me toward the ferry. (hey, I didn't have anything else with me in Japan) Other than issues with my self-esteem (to be sorted out later), was the daunting task of actually getting the rolling "tourist-beacon" on to the ship. They have these 2 wooden planks (sometimes 1) that you have to walk across from shore to the deck. I had visions of my suitcase plummeting over the side and sinking like a black vault to the murky bottoms. I'd never get it back. And the possibility of this happening was very real. A Thai ship "personnel" (teenager making a buck) helped me lug it on board, deftly moving over the planks. With a sigh of relief I slunk into the anonymity of the crowd thinking that was the last of my worries. I found a nice place on the upper deck where I planned to watch the waves and enjoy the serenity of the ocean. The deck was iron and rusty and muddy. Really rustic and just the sort of thing I usually enjoy. A getting-back-to-nature kind of a thing. But I still had on the white pants I was wearing at the Grand Palace. (Yeah, I still hadn't showered or slept either!) At first I tried sitting on my shoes, but you can imagine how comfortable that was. After a couple of valiant hours of shoe-sitting, I gave up and eased my white-end onto the deck. I never did get any sleep though. I met an interesting German named Tobias, pronounced "two-bee-ahs" (whose Aussie friends called him "Six-pack" because they are always thinking about beer : ) This ferry was headed to Koh Samoi. The large island. There are three or four islands in a row - all decreasing in size the further you go. After a few hours, we were disembarking and I discovered I had to change boats. Oh woe is me. It's worse than you think. Because there were so many boats at the pier, they just pulled up next to a couple other boats and tied themselves on. All the other passengers grabbed their packs, grinning, and leaped over the sides of the boat and trumped across the other two to the pier. There I stood with my black anchor in hand realizing I was about to be plunged to my death in between ships. We did get that blasted thing over all three ships though; shoving and grunting and lunging: To a pier packed to the splintery edges with hundreds of passengers waiting to embark on one of the three ships we had just got off of! Needless to say, I did the humiliation march and corkscrewed my way through the crowds who were clinging to pylons and each other so me and my black Nemesis could pass. We waited there along with other would-be scuba divers for our next boat. Which eventually came, and thank God, pulled up to the pier this time! Some guys helped me hoist the suitcase up (nearly dropping it - I swear it would have pulled them to their deaths) and tied it to the upper deck. Only 1 more ferry to go! This one was stopping at Koh Phang Nang. I think I spelled that right. Finally, several hours and a nice sunburn marking the collar of my tshirt later, we reached Koh Tao. This time there was only 1 board from the boat to the pier, but I think it had become a betting challenge of who could get it over the planks without getting wet, so I had help. So here we were - Scuba Divers Paradise!


DESTINATION: KOH TAO

Koh Tao is a lovely little island not quite as commercialized and economically plundered as the other islands. (which made the sales-ladies really tough barterers). Hundreds of Coconut Palms and Banana Trees thrust upward from the shoreline create a lovely curtain, hiding the splendid botanical theater going on behind it. Flowers of all variety and names I do not even know were growing around every curve. The terrain is still, mostly undeveloped so "taxis" are actually 4x4 trucks (driven by small Thai men with Indi-Grand-Prix-ambitions). A silver Toyota with two benches welded down the sides of the bed lurched and bounded its way over the roads; playing chicken with the umpteen motorcyclists coming from every direction. They say the number one cause of death to tourists in Thailand is due to motorcycles. Hair flying in the breeze, eyes drinking in all the sites and wonders of a community on the rise, I finally arrived at Sunshine Diver's Resort! Nearly 72 hours-and no-sleep later. But, I was ready for action! Let's Play!





posted by Ginger 10:37 PM

Tuesday, November 19, 2002

2 KOREANS AN IRANIAN AND AN AMERICAN
Sound like the beginning of a good joke? Nope, it�fs just par for the course in my adventeer (adventurous career) here in Japan. Next week, Thursday, I will walk to an elementary school nearby and present (out of my vast indigenous experience) how Americans serve rice.

My Kyoto-sensei (boss) gives me this Bansho (permission of leave slip) in Kanji yesterday, so I�fm all excited �gwhat does it mean, what does it mean?�h He and I converse in Jap-lish and I discover that I will be representing the entire American population at this International food day coming up next week. The last line on the Bansho informs me that I will be accompanied by 2 Koreans and an Iranian. Can you picture this scene? Truth is stranger than fiction.

So, if anyone wants to airmail me a box of �gRice a Roni�h I would be eternally grateful.
Miyagi-Ken, Sendai-Shi Kuromatsu 2-12-5 Alpha Heights 206 Japan 981-8006

Also, since we have such an ethnically diverse country, I can�ft really imagine what to tell them about how we eat rice. My mom used to make chicken and rice with mushroom soup. Don�ft have any of that here either. Mushroom soup that is. Any suggestions? Email me at gingervertican@yahoo.com. How does your family eat rice? Any cool recipes you wanna tell me about? I can�ft just tell them we get takeout at the Chinese Restaurant or that it comes on the side with Enchiladas from La Carretta. (Although that's TRUE.) : ) Please Help me ! �gTasukete Kudasai!�h Waiting to hear from you�c.Ginj.

posted by Ginger 3:50 PM

Tuesday, November 12, 2002

GRAMMATICALLY SPEAKING

Japanese is a very sensible language. It has no articles, no prepositions and seems to be straight and to the point. Cutting out any unnecessary colorful details. This can make it really easy to learn syntax (hurray to all you linguists reading this entry!) sentence-structure is relatively simple. "Me - you - bank - go". You don't even have to conjugate the verbs. Ever. My apologies to all those of you lost in the effluvia of Spanish or German conjugations. Oddly, you DO conjugaTe Adjectives. It's cold. "Samoii desu". It was cold. "Samuikatta desu" Strange right? But, don't worry. As far as I can tell there aren't a LOT of adjectives. This is LESS of a blessing than you would like to think. Japanese (and I refer to the people in tandem with their language) is somewhat more rigid and unflexible than English. In English we can "adjective-ize" almost anything we want. (or verb-ify something like I did in the previous sentence). English is a fluid, acrobat-ish, adventurous, Einstein-ish language. (Props to the Germans.) Japanese is sensible. Japanese is hard-working. One word works really hard to mean a lot of things. Japanese is sparse. One must really listen when being spoken to in Japanese because it doesn't spell everything out for you. It gives you the minimum necessary. You have to figure it out for yourself. It utilizes both deductive and inductive reasoning. Perhaps this makes it a kinetic language. One must "discover" the relationship that each word has to each other - which sparks a kind of idea and then suddenly "aha! wakarimashita" (I get it).

The English language would seem to be congruent with American/English-speaking people. We like the new and exciting and seem to be flexible and ready for adventure. The Japanese are somewhat more content to speak exactly the same as they have always spoken, since like, the Edo period, or maybe before, without adapting their language to new and improved ideas. For instance, and this annoys the crap out of me and every other JET in Japan, there is only 1 (possibly 2) words to describe the same type of thing over and over again. "Ka-wa-ii" means cute. I cannot even utter the word without cringing anymore. Yet, ev-er-y-thing is ka-wa-ii in Japan. Letters from the Bank. TV Commercials. Babies. Girls uniforms. Cell phones. High-tinny voices singing hello to you from ATM machines, stores, banks, parking lots, obscure automated machines doing god-knows-what on the side of the road. This is a well-kept secret by the Japanese people. That they are so cute. In fact, they are so confident and content in their ka-wa-ii-ness (see, isn't English great?) that it does not even occur to them to invent a NEW word for themselves. So, while I am enjoying the straightforward structure of the Japanese language "Now-Us-Car-Go!" ("Ima, kuruma ikimasho!") -- I wish I could splice some "derivational morphology" (that one is just for YOU, Dr. Tiner) into their language.

It is sooooooooooo boring to have to say "kawaii" for everything that is nice, cute, adorable, beautiful, interesting, etc. and not be able to differentiate between say, "how" cute someone/something is. Do you mean Julia Robert-ish or Drew Barrymore-ish? English allows you to make more distinctions with less words. Individuality. It allows you to be singular in your definitions. And not general. Wow, does that say something about our culture, or what? As I learn more Japanese vocabulary I am able to make more colorful sentences, but I woefully recognize the rigidity of Japanese and inherent inability to invent new words from old. It's a beautiful language and I love it and I recommend that EVERYONE should try to learn it or another foreign language. It will broaden your perspective and appreciation for your own tongue. And if it doesn't help you understand yourself, it will certainly help you to understand others. Bizarre how our language often affects (reflects?) our personalities! "Now-I'm-go!" "Iki-masho!" Sayonara!
posted by Ginger 11:18 PM

Thursday, October 24, 2002

FOOTBALL WEATHER

It sounds so foreign to talk about "footbal weather" here :( Noone here plays "our" kind of football. Leaves are changing, the days are brisk and cool and my breath puffs slowly out in front of me in foggy clouds as I pedal my bike up the hill to my house. I could really go for some good tackle football about now, and a fat, roast turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy. This time of year is soccer-weather in Sendai. I ride past our Stadium pretty frequently, as it is just up the road from me. It is outdoors and I can hear the support for the home-team soaring over the neighborhood when the local team is playing at home. Soccer is enormously popular in Japan (maybe even more than baseball now) and I hope to be lucky enough to score some tickets for upcoming games in the city stadium. I live in a really big city and we have our own national team which the locals seem to support enthusiastically. It's really hard to get tickets. Their name is "Vegalta" - which, from an enthusiastic charade session with one of the other teachers in the copy room, I have come to assume means the "Comets". :) Yellow and blue banners, scarves, sweatshirts and t-shirts fill the grocery aisles around here. The team colors can be seen displayed on nearly anything with room enough to spell "Vegalta". Cups, keychains... small children. Last week I was riding home from Ju-Jitsu practice and a game was just letting out. Yellow and blue rivers of people were happily trolling home across the bridge and through the streets chattering about the game. If it wasn't in Japanese, I may have felt as if I were right back at home listening to friends and families discuss a really intense Homecoming Football game. I couldn't help smiling as I weaved through the crowds. There were families here and it made me feel a little more like home.

TOKI-TOMBO WEATHER
I would like to teach some of my students football here. That would go over well, I think. It's almost Halloween, and as my students have never experienced a holiday where you get candy given to you for FREE, they are all very excited about the Halloween Pen Pal program I have coming up next week. They keep peering in the windows to see my decorations as I have stuffed a witch and suspended her from the ceiling on a broom and scattered skeletons and spiderwebs about. Yesterday, after school, most of the students went home early, but teachers have to stay and work. (Hey, this is Japan - you work if you're sick and dying) I was using the time to catch up on my decorating when four students beckoned to me in fairly good English that they "wish to go to the (unknown Japanese word)". They had to write it on the board in chalk first, because, as I explained before - Japanese schools have an enormous emphasis on the written language and hardly any practice on the spoken. After they figured out what they wanted to say, they read it aloud. I was enormously amused that they couldn't think of the words before writing them down first - but it was immediately overshadowed by my sheer joy and appreciation of their initiative! They were holding little, delicate, hand-made toys that looked something like tops and dragonflies. They pointed to the field outside (the COLD field outside because it had rained earlier) and motioned for me to follow. Masasaki (as I later learned his name) is a really sweet boy. He raises his eyebrows when he is about to say something in English, and at this moment he turned to me, eyebrows raised - eyes twinkling - and said "Are you busy? Follow me!" I dropped the spiderwebs I had been busy hanging and grabbed my coat. I felt like a truant teenager sneaking out of school early! We went down to the field and they taught me how to fly a Toki-Tombo. (Tombo is the word for dragonfly, and I was so excited that I knew an obscure word like that and thus understood them when they told me the name of the toy!) It turned out that Machitoshi, one of the other boys, had made them all by hand and was planning on selling them at a festival this upcoming weekend. (Are you impressed? I learned all this information by communicating in Jap-lish. However dysfunctional it might be :) These toys are really amazing. You rub your hands together as if you were cold (and since it WAS cold, I liked this part best) with the long, thin stick between your palms and then you sort of Zip your hands really fast, one towards your chest and the other away from it. The little wooden wings fly up and away from you like startled dragonflies. They flutter, slowly back down to earth and you can catch them if you are really good. It takes some skill to get them to fly straight up. I am fascinated with them - they are simple yet must take some skill to get the exact level of "lift" on each side of the little propellers. And if glue or paint was unevenly distributed, they wouldn't fly right. Thus, I enjoyed my Toki-Tombo weather in Japan and walked home satisfied that afternoon comforted with the newfound friendship of four more students and the addition of four names to my mental register.
posted by Ginger 10:03 PM

Wednesday, October 09, 2002

SICK IN (NOT OF) JAPAN

I have been sick with a cold for 5 raging days. Geez, was that miserable. I finally went to the doctor (I was afraid because its pretty standard procedure to stick this little scope up your nose and down your throat to confirm that "aha-yes-indeed" you have a soar throat) - But I took a translator/friend with me and she assured me she would spare me from the doctor's scope. (Incidentally, Jen, if you are reading this - thankyou ever so much for your help and companionship. I'm pretty sure between the two of us, we could have taken ANY scope-wielding Japanese doctor had there been a need! :) This last trip was not to the hospital, but to a small clinic. Overall, it was a quick, may I accent "painless" visit. Another JET recently detailed to me her horrifyingly, humiliating "exposure" to Japanese gynecologists. They simply do not have the same idea of privacy that American medicine seems to hold as an inalienable right. The poor thing was run around the open-air room naked (stand up, sit down, lay here) and then had her face covered by a curtain while her better half was extending greetings to the wide world. We laughed. We cried. I have overheard doctor's explaining symptoms etc. out loud in the waiting room while the other patients looked on with interest. In fact, while we were waiting for MY medicine, the Pharmacist was trying to be kind to an elderly woman sitting behind me, by not asking her to get out of her chair. However, she asked her questions from across the room as she motioned to the stacks of "depends" and other fluid-absorbing items on the shelves. Pointing out their various qualities. I tried to pretend (for the sake of the old woman) that since I was Gejin, I was indeed deaf and entirely oblivious to what was going on - as some Japanese have long suspected foreigners to be. Anyway, they assigned me 5 different medicines (no - they have not discovered the convenience of stuff like the "aching-sneezing-coughing-so-you-can-rest-easier medicine", like Nyquil, that treats multiple symptoms at a time) Also, the medicine here is really weak. Hardly any potency, and I don't think the doctors take into account my "genki" American-frame. My bodyweight ratio to a Japanese girls has GOT to be fairly skewed. Thus, the proportion of medicine should probably be increased. However, I don't feel the need to humiliate myself any more at the doctor's office by pointing out the fact that Geijin girls are....heavier.....than Japanese girls. So, I went home with a sackful of pills. So, my throat is raw - but healing. My nose is still stuffed up. But, I was getting terribly bored with nothing to do and no strength to do it. I'm glad to be back at school doing as much as I was doing while I was sick at home. (okay, I exaggerate. I finished my really cool English Bulletin Board about Halloween!) While I was sick, watching Japanese TV only made me sicker - the programming is so low-budget, maudlin, over-emotionalized, and super-simplified that animals should balk at it in disgust. I found myself snorting out loud. (no, it wasn't my cold, that would be described more like a goose honking and an old-woman hacking) It's really that bad, TV I mean.

JAPANESE TELEVISION

Japan has weekly programming of women knitting, cooking, and discussing god-knows what for H-O-U-R-S without tiring. DURING PRIME TIME ! (I do NOT exaggerate) These people talk for hours about items we would find trivial, uninteresting or would lack the discipline and attention span for in America. The show I particularly hated was a group of ex-patriates getting Japanese lessons - and speaking REALLY BAD English while they were at it. Thus, humiliating thousands of intelligent JET's (and other English-speakers) across Japan with their sheer stupidity and lack of ability to repeat the simplest phrases. On purpose! They were acting (poorly, I might add) like little kids - I mean, these people are 40 years old. One is only left to wonder why, indeed, they are ex-patriates. I found myself hurling throaty and cold-infested insults towards the screen. On the other channel ( I get 3 at my house - ha ha) was this girl playing a soccer goalie. Since it actually had a story line, (girls don't play many sports here) I watched for a while. I should have been content to shut off the TV and listen to the drivel my nose made whilst reclining atop my futon. (my apologies -and sympathy - to Japanese television lovers) It seems this girl couldn't get the hang of being a goalie. Her team (the rest of which was all male) was in a competition and they kept showing shot after shot of her "missing" the ball when she was supposed to be blocking it and the other team scoring multiple points. It was really pathetic though. Horrible acting. She would throw her body down on the grass only AFTER the ball had already passed. Or open up her arms really wide so the ball could pass through them. The director didn't even make an effort (by adjusting the camera angle or firing the bad actor) to make it LOOK like she was actually missing the ball. Then, near the end, one of the other boys INSULTS her. That does it. She gets all "genki" all of a sudden and the next ball that is thrown toward her she cries out something (considerably weight-worthy) in Japanese and kicks the ball! It flies across the entire length of the field and with a little help from her teammates - makes it in the goal. Immediately, (hold on to your lunch), "We are the Champions" began playing in the background. It was soooo emotional, I was really touched. Never mind the fact that the other team had a 100 points before she ever scored one. They seemed to overlook that. AND to make it even cooler - the boy who insulted her came over to ask her out afterwards (it was probably her superior athletic ability that attracted him) but she turned him down. After all (aside from her inability to play soccer or act) she had some self-respect. So, needless to say I am disgusted with Japanese TV and refuse to watch it. I spent most of the 126 hours I was sick in peace and quiet. I only left the house when I was forced to go buy kleenex because I had used up 4 rolls of toilet paper on my nose. And now, I have to go take my arsenal of medication. I will write more later.
posted by Ginger 12:05 AM

Thursday, September 26, 2002

FINAL EXAMS IN JAPAN.
It is entrance exam season for students all over Japan. Since students here graduate in March, while American students are just beginning their school year fresh (with the latest cool notebooks and pencils from Wal-Mart), Japanese students are winding down to the end of their school year. This is their "second" semester. I work in a Junior High school - and I have noticed some odd things. Well, odd to me anyway. High Schools vie for incoming Junior Highers the way that Colleges compete for the brightest, most-talented High School students. You see, in 8th grade, students get the chance (and it is usually only ONE chance) to take an entrance exam to the High School of their choice. However, their homeroom teacher (who, given the amount of time 8am-6pm everyday, is more like a surrogate parent) advises them on which High School they have the best chance of getting into. Or are best suited for. Hence, a better job, or a career that interests them.

HIGH SCHOOL IN JAPAN
Students do not go to school in their "district" since districts only apply to elementary and junior high school students. They might board a bus for H.S. an hour or more away every day. Or go to a Boarding School - growing up away from their family - except on holidays and maybe weekends. (There are two boys in my Jiu-Jitsu club that do this. One boys parents actually moved to Thailand, and he sees them twice a year. wow. He doesn't seem to mind at all and is a well-adjusted guy.) Some students might get into a High School nearby, but they have to pass that school's entrance exam. These exams are usually all held on the same day - so it would be difficult to prepare or even take more than one. So, they have to be pretty certain which one they want to get into before they start preparing. If they fail, they might be able to get an alternate test - but usually to a lesser quality school or perhaps one that may not have appealed to them. Interesting right? It's even more interesting if you are a foreign "Gaijin" like me - watching from the outside.

STARTLING EVENTS INSIDE THE SCHOOL
About a week ago random people started showing up at the school and in the staff room. This alone is not unusual....as people seem to drift in and out as they please. Schools here are not the fortresses that they are in America. I guess they are sort of considered public property - since the citizens all pay to have them built. I don't know. Anyway, Salesmen and women from all types of places wander quietly into the staffroom - displaying their wares (I particularly like the juice lady - I buy a pineapple juice from her every Wednesday). Most of the time they just leave us brochures or brightly colored handouts on our desk. I have seen everything from Chinese food deliveries to women selling Kimonos. (I kept the Kimono brochure because it is so cool, maybe I can buy one later.) The teachers in my school seem to be pretty jaded by this practice. I think it's kind of tolerated the way we endure phone salesman or door-to-door salespeople. Usually, they try not to look up from their desks ("If I dont see them, they don't see me"). So, a few men in business suits have begun to show up around the school. Nice gifts (like chocolate waffle-cookies) etc are found on our desks (bribes to sweeten the deal on the best high schools) - and bulletin boards with stacks of brochures from competing High Schools have been displayed outside of the teacher's room. In a few months, half my students will leave this school and a whole new class will enter. I can't believe it. Once, when I was just beginning my job here, there were some high school students who had travelled back to visit Kyoto-sensei (the Vice Principal) and the school. Kyoto-sensei was very excited to introduce them to me. All but two of them still had their original hair color (which often determines the level of integrity or intelligence they wish to convey to the world). So, I think I work at a really great school. The student's all seem to be really "genki" (happy, healthy, well).

THE TEACHERS ROOM -
The teacher's room is a BIG staff room where we all have a desk (much like an office in American businesses) I like this convenient arrangement. Instead of 100's of students streaming through the halls and dashing for their lockers when the bell rings, the teachers gather their books from their desk and head out of the office to the designated classrooms. Pretty cool, right? The Secretary/Accountant, Tea Lady and Custodian are always on hand and keep desks in the same room. We never need excuses to leave class and gather around the coffee machine (or green tea pot), as we all work together in the same room (and gossip over a cup of tea anyway) : )

THE JAPANESE CLASSROOM -
The students also stay with a group of individuals throughout the day, indeed throughout the year. They are labeled by their year. What we call 7th, 8th and 9th grade is called Ichi-Nensei (7th) Ni-Nensei (8th) and San-Nensei (9). For instance, the same 30 students are in 3-1. While a different set of 30 students is in 3-2. They have different subjects in the same classroom all day (the teachers come in and out). This way, they sort of establish their own territory and take ownership over 1 desk. They take great pride in their class (usually) and the students here recently had a "design your class flag" competition. One of the Ni-Nensei classes won. But all the flags are displayed across the back of each classroom anyway. They have lunch groups (six tables to a group) They eat and serve each other lunch in this room. Gasp - yes that is right American teenagers - they SERVE their own food! But WAIT, THERE'S MORE! They CLEAN this room together. At the end of the day they move all the desks, sweep, mop, dust and clean the bathrooms. Teenagers all over America are shuttering in their repugnance. It makes sense to me though. Why should someone else have to clean up their crap? Literally. You'd be amazed how well they police each other into keeping the school clean. I never see trash on the floor. Never. Not one gum wrapper. (maybe because if you threw it on the floor, your samurai desk-buddy who had to sweep that day might wreak vengeance on you later.) After a solid game of Jun-Ken-Pon (Paper, Scissors, Rock) the losers trudge off to clean the rest of the school too - the floors by the entrance way where we take off all our shoes, the gym -etc.

THE REST OF THE SCHOOL GROUNDS
From 230 pm to nearly 6 pm the students leave the classroom. They take things like wood carving, art, pottery, kendo, basketball, tennis, ping-pong (they are incredibly serious about this sport) Brass band and English club! To name a few. School is like a second home for students. They are usually on their way home for dinner. They seem to like spending the afternoons at school - doing the activity of their choosing. They are nearly always still at school going strong when I leave around 5pm. (although I am allowed to leave at 4) Our school has a swimming pool, tennis courts, a big gym, theater, Band room, Baseball field, Art room etc. There is a separate building in which they practice "honorable" martial arts such as kendo (this judo-with wooden sticks sport). This building is made of bamboo wood, is wide and open, with large sliding paper doors and is up on stilts. (To keep it free from the rain, I assume) It is a perfect replica of the Japanese homes with Tatami mat floors - you might imagine in Asia. I think this will become a sanctuary for me. I am looking forward to sneaking over there when it is empty and just having a quiet moment to myself. Often I am too busy doing things like this: writing about Japan or making a Bulletin Board about America to have time to indulge myself. So, that is that. It is really something to experience and I am glad to have the opportunity to live and be here and see it first hand. It allows me to absorb the experience in a different way than a visitor or tourist might see it.
posted by Ginger 11:27 PM

Monday, September 23, 2002

Japan is full of strange pairs. Yin and yang are fully exemplified here. Give you an example? Okay, yesterday, I visited a shrine. You know those places you saw in movies and National Geographic with incense burning and large bells to gong and monks praying? Right next door �EI mean, not two feet away was a 7-11. Soooo, bizarre. How did they make all those Karate movies and block out the slew of convenience stores? (Which, granted, are shrines to American convenience culture if nothing else.) Anyway, let me tell you about my favorite strange pairs: Every day about noon, Japanese people in businesses, at schools, or post offices �Eyou name it �Estop what they are doing to have lunch. In my experience it has been a uniform lunch where even the school teachers are eating exactly the same thing. A small bell chime rings "ding-dong-ding-dong�Eand then Christmas music comes soaring in over the intercom. Everyone quietly gets out their chopsticks "hashi�Eand puts away their computers "Personacom" completely oblivious to Jolly Saint Nick and his reindeer that have just come tromping into the staff room fresh out of the North Pole. The first day I had lunch at my school I looked up slightly bewildered. It was some appalling number in the Celsius, but even an American who thinks in Fahrenheit knows it't just too dang hot to do anything but sit at your desk and sweat it out. It was blazing hot �Eand public schools in Japan do NOT invest in air conditioning. Hardly any of the businesses do either. So there I was, with ink tattooed on my forearm because I had leaned it against a stack of papers �Eand it was so humid that the ink hadn't dried and so it stuck to my skin. Nice�Eand the intercom is singing "Come on it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you.�E I just sort of laughed. Out loud. I didn't even put my hand over my mouth like a good Japanese girl would do. I balanced some rice on the end of my chopsticks and sort of looked out of the corner of my eyes at everyone else in the room. They were intent on eating their lunches, heads down, mouths chewing quietly. No one looked as if they knew anything strange was going on. And that's precisely it. As Christmas, per se, is not celebrated here, they are never barraged with Christmas music in the department stores; they are never serenaded with Yuletide hymns around December (or, let's face it, around Thanksgiving�End sometimes Halloween.) So, how would they know? Most of the music is performed by a famous orchestra or band, so they enjoy it for the beauty �Eand have no idea they have taunted the wilting-American with-no-air-conditioning with dreams of a Winter Wonderland. So, there you have it. Every day I am serenaded by Christmas Carols, and yet I will NOT get Christmas Day off this year.

But, Japanese people aren't they only ones mixing strange things together. Take me, for instance. Up until last week, I have been washing my clothes in a sort of Plumbing Detergent and Fabric Softener. Hey, they both had pictures of clothes on the front of the bottle �Eso what else was I supposed to guess that they were? And they smelled really good. The plumbing detergent actually had a picture of a washing machine and a sink on the front (but it is supposed to be poured down the drains of these items in order to clean out any clogs.) I have been here 6 weeks. Mom, are you dying-laughing yet? So, it cleaned my clothes real good though, I think.
Not nearly as bad, but almost as funny is my mistake about Japanese cows. There is so little available land here; I assumed they were feeding their cows rice, or something. I haven't seen any sprawling pastures anywhere. Hence, I assumed that whatever they were feeding their cows, was the reason the milk tasted so strange. I am in Japan�Everything tastes strange. But, no. One of my new Japanese pals informed me last week that I was drinking cream. When I tried to serve her some with cookies she looked a little shocked. Nervous, in fact, that Americans simply were as weird as she had been told. I have been drinking this stuff on cereal, scrambling it with eggs, etc. Ha ha. I don't mind if you're laughing. I have many good qualities as well. I know how to use chopsticks and you don't. And I can read the 71 characters of Hiragana. Now all I have to do is learn Katakana and the 6,000 some characters of Kanji. I'll drink to that. 2%, mind you. : )

posted by Ginger 10:08 PM

Thursday, September 05, 2002

It is just days before the anniversary of September 11th. Experiencing it outside of the states, in Japan, is a difficult and lonely venture. Last year I remember walking to breakfast early so I could study for a class later on that night. The leaves at Lynchburg College were just beginning to change and I breathed in the brisk air as I walked to the Cafeteria early. The best thing about getting up early at LC was that it was quiet in the morning. I missed out on most breakfast's at LC because I was always trying to catch up on some sleep after late nights in Tate. When I arrived in the Cafeteria it was strangely empty and quiet. There was a feeling of something odd in the air. A television had been rolled out on a cart in the far right corner of the room, oarnge extension cords extended to the wall. I was going to grab some cereal and go sit down; but I was pulled toward the television. Something was wrong. A woman sat perched on the edge of a chair - glued to the screen. I think she was a teacher, maybe a cafeteria worker. She turned to look at me with terror and confusion in her eyes. I walked over and sat down. The first tower had just been hit and the newscasters were discussing whether or not it could have been an accident or intentional. It was horrible. Suddenly, the newscaster's tone changed as he nearly shouted that the second tower had also been hit. They waited a few moments and then new pictures rolled. Smoke filled the sky and the camera wobbled and lurched as the cameraman ran for his life. You could hear the stunned silence in the news studio. I remember the newscaster mumbled over and over again "no words, no words to describe this scene". I was completely numb. I was angry. I was filled with grief. I couldn't watch in public anymore so I retreated from the Cafeteria to the solemnity of my room. With the doors locked tight I sat and watched the TV ~ and the pictures, the horror filled me with grief. I was expected, as a Hall Director, to go out and make sure the residents were okay, every lounge on every floor had CNN running. Small groups, bigger groups, angry individuals huddled together and watched the news unfold. I didn't expect them to be okay. I expected us to grieve.
That is the story of how I remember this time last year. A world away....literally. I am writing this memorial from a Kanji/Hiragana computer. I am in Japan. I am the only American here where I work and I am proud. A Canadian JET recently told me that she didn't think Canadian's really had any patriotism. I'm not slighting her, but I recognized the difference right away. Americans love America. Even when we are far away.
I sit here at the internet, my only connection to my culture, my people, my home. I read stories and memorials. I cry at the photographs. I long for my home country. I long to DO something in memory of my brothers and sisters at home. This coming Wednesday, school will go on as usual in Japan. I won't see flags flying. I won't see women dressed in black. I will not have moments to observe in silence the loss of many of our people. I will not have moments to yet be reminded of the grace, the goodness, the GIFT that it is to live in America. I want to hold someone's hand. I want to sing "our" song. I want to wear an American t-shirt. I want to pray. I want to sing. I want to cry. I want to remember America, the truly beautiful.
I am 13 hours ahead here in the Orient. So, I will face September 11th before the rest of my friends and family do. I will face it alone. I will meet the sun in the east as an American. As she passes over head I will bless her. I will thank her for shining so graciously on my country. As she crosses China I will ask her to reveal freedom and light to all people there. As she crosses Russia and the Middle East, I will ask her to bring peace and healing to the many people longing for it there. As she dawns on Europe I pray the true light of brotherly love and of God will smile down. As she spreads herself across Africa, I pray she will warm and comfort the wounded and the angry there. As she crosses the ocean I will pray she remembers with rolling thunder the wrongs men and women have done to each other and to cast her tears into the sea. As she brinks the tip of South America I pray the birds, the children, the people, will rise up in song to greet her with yet another day of life and yet another chance to love. And when she touches the corner of America, I pray she will pause over the Eastern seaboard. I pray she will look down into the hearts of New Yorkers and the people of Washington DC. I pray that she will warm and not burn us. I pray that the tears of Americans crying there will be absorbed in her rays and carried off to heaven. I pray she will begin another journey around the weary earth with renewed interest in healing mankind, with renewed hope in the illumination of all people lost and looking for good...for God. And finally, I will ask her to rest in peace as she sets on my home that night. And as she fades across the shores of California, where my family is, and she draws her shadows across Washington and Oregon, I pray that all America will sigh in relief as we release our grief to the West and turn to face a new day. This is for you America. I remember you. I love you. From your longing child in Japan.
Ginger Vertican
posted by Ginger 10:48 PM

Monday, September 02, 2002

Just when you all thought I was doing nothing but sight-seeing here, I've decided to include a little bit about my teaching experiences so far (lest you think I'm getting free Yen for nothing!)

The Japanese Method for teaching English to Jr. High students (As I See It)

It seems to be strongly rooted in Reading Comprehension. ALT's (assistant language teachers - like me) are being incorporated into every school, in every English classroom in Japan. The number 1 reason is supposed to be to improve the SPOKEN quality of English. Secondly, we are to share our culture. As one author named his book about the JET program "Importing Diversity". So, if English is the "ship" that brought all of us foreigners to Japan, then transmitting diverse cultures to Japanese youth (i.e. American, Australian, British, etc.) is the "cargo".

However, I find (granted I have only visited classes for 2 weeks) that the majority of classroom time is still spent in reading and then responding in writing. The writing is very basic (usually true or false, or small fill in the blank answers) I can see the need for making English appear practical. To many Japanese students it seems to be an extranneous and difficult task. Some students (usually the younger ones) face it with gusto and adventure, but many are very hesitant to actually speak English out loud.

Surprisingly, the main JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) usually teaches the class in Japanese - no wonder the students can't speak it! They never hear it! The challenge I face is getting the students to try the words out loud, and to actually listen - comprehend/translate the basic English sentences I speak, without relying on the JTE to translate it for them moments later. Also, because some sounds like "th" and "L" are difficult for the students - the teachers don't usually ask the students to try. One of my JTE's said today "It is a very difficult sound for Japanese students". So, it seems the students are good at rewriting English words they read on the paper, but not able to voice the sounds that appear before them. Since spoken English is a high-priority and main-goal of the English classroom (according to the mission statement of the JET program) I will have to be very creative in helping the students realize the necessity and the enjoyment of speaking English.

posted by Ginger 12:05 AM

Wednesday, August 21, 2002

Grocery List of Miscellaneous items to cover:
CELL PHONES (Called K-tai's here)
SUBWAYS
FESTIVALS
...more to follow later.


So, for all of you who are checking in....a few items of interest for you.
CELL PHONES: K-tai's - virtually everyone owns them. I got on to a crowded city bus to go to school this morning (with 70-some jr. highers on their way to school- they don't have public school transportation like we do in America) and even the jr highers around me were all checking their email. These little phones are very interesting. I'm sorry to report - but I think everyone in Japan uses pink or white "pearly" looking cell phones. I told you everything was cute here. They all have cameras built in, and come email ready. Every where you walk or turn, someone is looking at their email on K-tai. I don't see a lot of people talking on them, which is weird. They are basically used as little mini-email machines. So, they are extremely convenient. Most people get them with a necklace attached, and wear them around their necks - or with a clip. the men like to clip them to their shirts or sleeves etc. I haven't seen any on a belt clip like we do in the states. It's just not their thing, I guess. These little phones can also do other amazing things. Like buy you a Coke. Okay....so there about a billion vending machines selling an unusual amount of variety coffees, hot and cold, sodas and juices. You can point your phone at it, and the vending machine will delete 120 yen (or so) from your bank account and dispense you a refreshing beverage - all without having to get out coins or remove your wallet! Also, you can point and zap info to each other on your phones. Like, say, I wanna send you my address, but you don't have it on your phone. Instead of me telling you or you typing it back into your email list or address book - I can just point my phone at yours, they converse for a nano-second and then presto - there is my address in your phone! I think this will help the dating scenario in Japan by leaps and bounds. "Hey cutie, ZAP, gotcha" Matchmakers all over Japan are scrambling for work. So, pretty soon I'll probably get one of my own. (K-tai's not matchmakers - although either might be a good idea :)

SUBWAYS and FESTIVALS
I love the subway. I miss my car - but nothing can get you where you're going fast like a Japanese subway. Japanese subways are notoriously on-time. But, if you miss one, another one comes along in about 5-10 minutes. Getting in and out of them during rush hours is another story entirely. How the death toll is so low in Japan is beyond me. By my accounts, hundreds of people should die of suffocation, lost limbs or crushing every day. The sheer amount of people that can fit into a subway car during holidays and rush hour is something to see. See or experience? Maybe it's something you'd want to watch - safely from the curb- it's a little bit hysterical for the even slightly-claustrophobic. Okay, so i was on my way to an O-bon celebration by Matsashima (the ocean) where we were going to watch fireworks (and inebriated Japanese people) who are quite nice I'm happy to report. As I waited on the platform with another billion, eager festival-goers the crowd kept pressing closer and closer to the edge of the platform. The metro roared into the station just in time to save me from falling to my death. But, only in time to crush me to death instead. I got in and stood with my back against the wall like the other passengers. Thirty or so other people got into the same car. Then, another 30, and another. The air began to squeeze out and the people began to JAM themselves in, against the people behind them to fit inside. I kid you not. The people in front were literally clinging to the door frame and slowly pushing their buttocks into the waists and children and umbrellas and handbags behind them. Once we had just enough people to declare a world record, the doors shut and the train swept away from the platform - stifling those of us inside. One of the men in front of me had just come from the gym - I won't tell you how I knew, but with the small amount of air in the car already...I thought this was one adventure i should have watched from a window. Speaking of windows - they were sealed shut. We tried to open them... But, not one to experience life from the sidelines, I crammed myself onto the Shinkansen for the 30 minute ride to the Matsashima islands and waited out the long ride. It was quite an enjoyable experience. The festival - not the train. The boats were moored along the waters edge and appeared against the ocean's backdrop when the fireworks hit the water. My little crew of Gejin (foreigners) were huddled together on a blue tarp arcing our necks backwards to watch the display. After a while I wandered (should I say "waddled"?- the crowds were so thick) to the vendors - who were selling everything from chocolate and green-tea dipped banana's to (thank God!) Coca-cola, the biggest hot dogs I'd seen in my life, squid, fried fish, some kind of Japanese pizza with seaweed on it and octupus-on-a-stick! After I plundered the more interesting of the stands I fought my way back to the blue tarp. The display of fireworks lasted something like 2-3 hours non-stop. Sometimes the smoke in the sky over the water was so thick, you couldn't see the next batch of fireworks bursting in the air. But you could hear them - and the appreciative crowd cheered anyway. Japanese people are REALLY great crowds. Then...it began to rain. It's monsoon season here - so I don't know how to explain the rain - I lived in Virginia, so I know what a pretty good rainstorm is - but they cannot be compared to a Japanese one. It's something like being sloshed with buckets from above, beside, underneath....every which direction. God's water-parade. It's wonderful. It's wet, but it's wonderful. :) It sucked having to huddle and waddle back to the station though. The people were packed in so tightly you'd think that if we all leaned forward at once, we could move at a pretty good pace - but we all sort of stood there landlocked arm to arm, elbow to elbow, umbrella to umbrella. Pretty soon I realized that the umbrella was merely asthetic in purpose and took mine down. Not that it mattered. Six other umbrellas squeezed into place above me, so it kept the rain off me in spurts as we lurched forward every once in a while. Two hours. Well, okay, an hour and a half -of lurching, and laughing, and stopping and moaning. I was soooooo tired and my feet could barely stand for the 30 minute sardine-session home. We exploded out of the car onto the platform and I'd never been so glad to see an escalator. One interesting note about the escalators in subways. They are very true to their name in Japan. They "escalate" only. They do not descend. You`d be hard pressed to find an escalator going down in Japan. Or, at least, In Sendai. I guess they figure that its the most useful direction. I agree. And, this is the best part, they call them " esu-karata" Isn't that great? On a happier note, during the off hours the subways are very nice to ride in. I often find an empty seat and the stranger next to me inevitably starts a conversation in broken English with me. These usually consist of the names of songs sung in karaoke bars. A man last night looked at me straight-faced and suddenly said "you get your kicks on Route 66?" I couldn't help but laugh. We proceeded to tell each other the names of American singers and songs and nod our heads and smile. That was the extent of our entire conversation. But, hey...he was friendly. Even when they're drunk they are usually pretty friendly. And funny. So, all in all, I enjoy the subway...it whisks me away to the store, the post office, bank or the ocean... whenever I need. And it smells like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. If you've been there, you know what I mean. : ) Goodbye for now.


posted by Ginger 11:51 PM

Wednesday, August 14, 2002

So, you want to know what my apartment is like, right? Well, its basically 2 rooms. Its really cool and modern, with a Japanese twist. Remember the camper trailers your mom and dad took you and your brothers and sisters on family vacations in? That's pretty similar to what my little flat looks like. You walk in the front door and (after removing your shoes) you will see along the left wall the following items: a mini-stove w/ 2 burners and a little tiny oven big enough to cook a fish in (but definitely not big enough to cook a turkey in, or even a ham.) It's fish-friendly. :) Next to that is a little sink, a mini-fridge (like the one's you used in college) and a tall/slim washing machine. No dryer, everybody hangs things on the line here. Saves energy. Oh yeah, and my 4 part trash can. Recycling (read: trash) is a very particular business here. Everything down to the caps of soda bottles has to be recycled according to its genre, plastic, aluminum, paper, produce. It takes a bit of getting used to. (actually, its a pain in the neck) but, hey...it's saving the world and definitely the only way to get your trash picked up in Japan. You have to put it out on the right day, and so far I haven't figured out which day is which yet. I dont fancy picking through the neighbors bags - so Im going to try to decipher the pamphlet they gave me instead. Okay, so on the right side of my Kitchen/bathroom/front room is....you guessed it a tall bath, which doubles as the shower and a mirror and sink. This room is sealed off, so in case you flood or spill water it won't harm the rest of the room. Very cool. And the door slides open. There are no shower curtains, so everything runs off the floor down the drain in the middle. Pretty convenient. On the other side of the wall is a small toilet with a really cool invention. When you flush the toilet, it automatically turns on a small faucet above the toilet tank in which you can wash your hands. That water is consequently flushed down the basin/tank with the toilet water, so you dont have to use double the water. Its a little shocking at first, and one wonders if it is sanitary, but its quite convenient and I've gotten pretty good at whipping around and washing my hands in time with the flush. Ha ha - you laugh now, but it's an acquired skill. So, the second room is basically what they call the Tatami room, because nearly every house in Japan has these tightly woven tatami matts in this room. I have thin carpet though. Which is okay. I would prefer the matts because they are more authentic and they smell really good. So in the corner I have my computer and a little desk the size of a tv-dinner tray in America. Its just the right size for me though. Next is my favorite part of the apartment:a big window - in which I have placed a picture of my family and a tall bamboo plant i bought at the market. I hope to eventually fill this with flowers. Below the window is my mini-stereo and cd player and a bookshelf. In the left corner is a wooden chair (like our camp chairs) in blue. Which match my blue curtains. Along the far wall is sliding doors that lead to the outside hmmmm....um....porch. But its REALLY small. Its actually good for hanging your clothes to dry and thats all. But I like to go outside and view my neighbors garden from it. Then in the right corner is my mini-tv (do you see a trend with the "mini" thing?) and a vcr on top of another small bookshelf. Along that wall is a mini-red couch. Just big enough for one girl to curl up and read a book - or two lovers to sit and watch the sunset all squeezed together. Its really comfy and I like to sit in it and gaze at the red Japanese sun going down at night. Of course, on the back wall is my closet/set of drawers where i store a vacuum, clothes, iron & board, my futon (which I pull out every night to sleep in). In the middle of the floor is my kutatsu table. Its really flat and you have to sit on the floor to eat. I like this. Except my back or my bum gives out first and I usually retreat to my red couch for comfort. During the winter you plug a large electric blanket into this table to keep yourself warm and do all your work at it, if you're a regular Japanese family. I dont have any heat, (OR air conditioning - bah!) so Im sure I will be using this come winter. So, thats my place. Thanks for coming to visit - and I hope to hear from someone soon.
posted by Ginger 9:14 PM

Sunday, August 11, 2002

Sensei Monzen can only be 32 by my calculations. He is young, very tanned, handsome-even and constantly says he speaks "junya high engrish". I think he means to say he doesn't speak it so well, but I'm so happy to hear English and to know I will be teaching with him that I tell him over and over he speaks great English! He tells me he doesn't like to teach too much in Japan because younger teachers (like him) are expected to teach after school activities like sports, etc. Mandatory. He motions to his tan. His only pay for all the overtime he has to put in. :) Monzen Sensei and I take off from the hotel so he can get my life up and running in Sendai. It takes us nearly 45 minutes to repack my suitcases and bags into his "jeep" - Think small car with an inflated ego. So, after cramming and stuffing and squeezing things in around us, we manage to pull out of the driveway. Today we will visit my school, city hall, immigration, the bank, and i will see my apartment for the first time. About 15 minutes out of the city I realize I still have the Hotel key. Soaked in our own sweat, we sat quietly contemplating what to do. I had to return to the city in the morning to meet the Mayor, but no telling what could happen between now and then. So, we turned around and drove back. Finally, we headed out for my neighborhood called "Kuromatsu". Items on the agenda: get a Gejin card. We filled out the necessary paperwork and got me signed up to be a bonafide foreigner in Japan! Now, I can just flash my card and make apologies when I get too American on people and all will be forgiven. No, really, its like my passport for Japan basically. One task down. Next stop: the 77Bank. To do: bank account, change money. I've noticed all the shops or banks that want to cater or include Gejin have cutesy American-ish names. Like "Family-likes Resteraunt" or "Bar, isn't it?" etc. So, anyway, the hardest part about the 77Bank was that they had to pull out a machine to count my foreign money - they were vary wary and asked me if I had any 100s. I didnt. (im a TEACHER for goodness sakes, not Brittney Spears) They were very worried about me offering them counterfeit hundreds. So, they hook up this machine (i dont know why - they counted it by hand afterwards anyway - 3 times) and they feed every last 20 dollar bill i give them into it. Like a good little machine it spit it back out and the man behind the counter seemed pleased. After carrying my money around for a while, he finally disappeared and came back with some Yen. Yeah Yen! It's like 117 yen to 1 dollar here. Pretty good deal. Except that everything is so incredibly expensive. They wrap every apple in separate cushions and they are almost 5 dollars apiece! In America we just stack 'em up in rows - but here i think it is a special treat to get a big fat red apple!" The fruit is extremely tasty here though. Yet, i digress. So, we exited with my fat stack of Yen and my new "Hannko" Hannko's are an interesting Japanese tradition. You basically use your Hannko anytime you would write your signature in the states. Its a little wooden stamp that comes in a cool case and you take it with you everywhere. So you hannko for things, instead of sign. A system like this could only work in Japan where most of the people are still honest. These stamps would be sooo easy to copy or duplicate. Mine is really cute and I wish I could type the kanji out for you. Speaking of cute.....EVERYTHING is cute here. EVen in government buildings, like where we applied for my Gajin card, cartoon characters announce important items on signs or tv. Its pretty funny. In America you can kinda tell when a kids item is being marketed, but everything is advertised by sweet female girly voices and cartoon characters here. You never know. So, i have my Gejin card, Hannko, Bank account, Yen, so we went to Chomeigaoka - my new school! I will be teaching "Engrish" to junior highers here. It's going to be great. I took off my shoes and followed Monzen sensei in. Everyone is on holiday right now for something called Obon - where they go and pay respect to their ancestors and elders. So, there weren't many people around but I got to see my desk, and meet the office lady.Every school in America should have an office lady. She greets you when you come in and always brings you tea or kohi (coffe) and helps all the teachers do their busy work. Like a secretary but cooler. Im definitely going to leave her some Omiyage. Every time people go away or come back from some place they bring little gifts as Omiyage. I brought American type things for all my fellow teachers and made separate items for Monzen Sensai and Kyoto Sensai - the principal and the vice principal. I will give these out next week when I meet them for the first time. Omiyage is great, because just about everyone has gone somewhere at sometime so about 3pm everyday, the office lady Naoki, brings a gift, or a cookie or something to your desk from someone else who has just returned. It is a really nice Japanese custom that basically says "thanks for covering for me while i was gone". The only trick to omiyage is that it has to come from where you were. and every area in Japan has something really particular from that area - so people know where you went. and also know if you bought the right kind of omiyage. I think my american flags will give me away - but just in case i also brought them a bunch of American candy to sweeten the deal. Im out of time for now, so I'll tell you about my first experience in my new apartment later. bye for now. sayonara.
posted by Ginger 11:05 PM

Once in Sendai we were checked into the Sendai Plaza Hotel. This time I got a room to myself and I was so happy! Also, my computer was with me so I was excited to listen to some CDs and work on some lesson ideas. No internet though. Not yet. We had the rest of the afternoon to orient (no pun intended) ourselves and so I ventured outdoors because it was the last day of the Tanabata Festival - which is native to my town. (Actually, Sendai is the 4th largest city in Japan - over 1 million residents - and YES, we have a Starbucks!! Several in fact!) So, once outside armed with various maps and dictionaries I followed the drums and the crowds to the city center. By my Gajin self. Gajin is the word they call all of us foreigners. Tanabata is the only time during the year that the two constellations - one for girls and one for boys - are alligned. So, it is like a "lovers" festival. A tradition for the Tanabata Festival is to hang these large pinata type things with loooong streamers from bamboo poles over the streets. It is so fun, because you walk through the middle of these streamers and you cant see what/who is on the other side. Everyone is taking pictures (its not just a japanese-tourist thing) and eating foods etc. There were bands playing - particularly these large drum bands. It was so enthralling to watch. This one Japanese man dressed in like a white bathrobe (although these are really just their summer kimonos) was pounding away on this drum that was twice as tall and wide as he was with such fervor and joy one couldn:t help but stand and cheer. I'm glad I'm not too tall, because I would scare the crap out of some of these TINY people - but then again, i couldnt see over the big crowds all the time either. So, I did what everybody who gets lost in a crowded festival does....I went shopping. I tried a banana type cake and bought some cedar, hand-painted chopsticks. And looked around in many of the shops. The 100Yen shops here are amazing. They are like the dollar stores back home, except they are like, 4 and 5 stories high. You can by anything - i mean it- anything here. I was lost there for hours. At the end of the day i came home and slept. Like a baby. Jet lag still killing me. I wake up at 5 in the morning every day. without an alarm clock. Its so dang humid here you cant help but get up early so you can breathe for an hour before the city is soaked in its own sweat. So......in the morning we woke up and went to a banquet room where we were going to meet our Sensei's. Our supervisor's at the school we will be working at. Sensei Monzen - new story.
posted by Ginger 10:35 PM

Hello everyone! Ohiyo Gozaimasu! I am in Japan! Well, lets see. I have been here 8 days and there is far, far too much to tell. So after 16 or so hours on the plane we finally touched down at Narita Airport. It took us another 2 hours to go through customs, etc and then they loaded all of us JETs onto buses headed for Tokyo. An hour and half ride. Through traffic. I was staying at the Hilton, so it was quite nice. One thing that struck me right away was how CLEAN the city was. Im not kidding - i didn't see one piece of paper on the sidewalks. Our first night out we went to a little Japanese resteraunt and i ordered kani chozuka - which was like a crab and rice soup. pretty good. i was pretty exhausted, so i headed back for my bed. It was more like a cot. very comfy though. the rooms were really cool. we were 23 floors up and there was a lightning storm the first night - so my 2 roomates and i sat entranced at the window. we each had little bathroom-style kimonos and slippers, because you pretty much dont wear shoes anywhere here. okay, well you wear them outside. but everywhere else, you take them off and wear something else. every resteraunt, hospital, bathroom, etc has little brown plastic slippers that you can slip on if you dont bring your own. so. the jet lag was severe to say the least - i still feel like im spinning or falling sometimes, it:s really strange. The next 3 days in Tokyo we went to seminars about travelling, how to throw away trash (a very precise process, i assure you) eating, etc. There are 1300 new JETS in my group, and 6000 of us total this year. We met all kinds of dignitaries, etc and its quite a big deal here, when the new JETS arrive. The last night we went to the *Shinjuku* shopping/eating district in Tokyo. I was absolutely amazed because even the walls of the buildings are covered in lights - so that they look like billboards or advertisements. We ate in a real Japanese sit down place - which means *kneel down* place. I ate a radish type salad, yakatore - teriyaki flavored chicken on sticks, tofu with Ginger on it - all very good to my pleasant surprise! Then, on Thursday, the 11 people that were moving to Sendai and myself got on the Shinkansen. Its the bullet train from Tokyo to Sendai and it only takes 2 hours. Amazingly, You couldn:t feel it move. It was that smoothe. So....on to Sendai - my new home for the year.
posted by Ginger 10:21 PM

Tuesday, July 16, 2002

Currently, my tiny room in McWane is a wreck. There are assorted boxes and suitcases lying open with gaping mouths ready to swallow what belongings I can cram inside. I have moved from a 3 room apartment to a single room to a 5 by 10 storage space. I received the following excerpt from a girl named Tracy who lives where I'll be living and works where I'll be working. Her words made me excited about SENDAI, the city I'm moving to:

"Hello, I'm Tracy, the current ALT at the school you will be coming to next year. Jennifer gave me your e-mail address. Wow, you will be leaving for Japan in little over a month. I can imagine that you are a ball of energy and anticipation. I will have plenty of information ready for you when you arrive, but for now if you have any questions about preparation or specific to the apartment or school please feel free to ask.

You are lucky in that you are coming to such a good school. The students are wonderful and the other teachers are friendly. Also, Sendai is one of the better placements in Japan with a strong support structure and many perks other ALT's are jealous of."

ISN'T THAT NICE TO KNOW?! . You may find this interesting or amusing, but the Ministry of Health in Japan is requiring us to have permission to bring any medication into the country. I asked for permission to use Ibuprofen and Benadryl. Most products we are used to in America are outlawed because the stimulants or ingredients are considered above the acceptable limit. These illegal items include Nyquil, Tylenol Cold & Sinus, Alka-Seltzer Cold Plus medicine, anything with ephedrine or stimulants in it. Cough syrups etc. I guess I will have to switch to herbal therapy! This is really going to be an adventure! Bring it on! :)
posted by Ginger 6:14 PM

Thursday, July 04, 2002

Hello friends & family. I am in my first week of Hall Directing for Governor's school - plus I've just finished moving out of my old apartment. It was a lot of work and really scary to try to figure what I wanted to leave out for Japan and what I wanted to store for a year. I decided the couch was over the weight limit, so I left that and packed it's weight worth in clothes. But, I just received a letter from JET saying, basically that I can't bring very much with me on the first trip - and so I will need to do a lot of repacking and shipping. I suppose Wes was right. I need to leave my favorite Beach Rocks from California here. I thought it might be good chi to bring them. They make me happy to look at. It's strange the things you feel the urge to bring. A little piece of culture, a little slice of home. I need to leave enough space in my luggage ( and my heart) to fit experiences and memoirs from Japan in. So, I think I will opt on the lighter side of packing and free myself up a little. I have been talking to a few girls that already live/ have lived there in Sendai Japan. It sounds like it's one of the better/ more envied places to be stationed in Japan. I am becoming more at ease with myself for going, and the tension eases as the day grows closer. 1 month from today I'll be there!!!!
posted by Ginger 3:37 PM

Monday, June 17, 2002

For all those anxiously awaiting their CD, the short delay is that there are 2 songs I want to add, and rather than send you incomplete CD's...I'm trying to finish right now and then it will have 13 of my best songs. The CD currently has 11. I am sure you will enjoy the newer version. Give me a couple more weeks and it will be finished. Thanks. - Ginj
posted by Ginger 9:07 PM

Tuesday, June 11, 2002

I have been enjoying California with my family. Wes also flew out for a few days. It was great to have him here - the whole Vertican Clan went down to Santa Monica Pier and took over for a while. We had a great time watching the break dancers, fishermen, sunbathers, and generally weird people wandering around. I have a couple of more days here before I return to Virginia for one last month. I will be working with Governor's School and then leaving for Washington D.C on AUGUST 1ST. I feel enthusiastic and a little apprehensive about leaving for Japan - but, hey...you only live once! I can't wait to see what lies ahead!
posted by Ginger 11:53 PM

Tuesday, May 28, 2002

I am getting ready to head out to California. The CD is in its final cuts! It sounds great - thank you all friends past and present who have loved me and my music - THIS MEANS YOU!
posted by Ginger 12:23 PM

Friday, May 17, 2002

I am finished! Yes, I have a Master's of English Education. I also am compiling addresses of my friends and family who want a CD of my music sent to them. so please email me at GingerVertican@yahoo.com if you would like to be included. Thanks for visiting. I should be in California on June 2 for a couple of weeks visiting family. I will be back In Virginia for the month of July doing Governor's School again like last summer. After that....Japan! :) Keep in touch.
posted by Ginger 10:13 AM

Tuesday, May 07, 2002

Ginger Vertican's site is now open....
Welcome Friends and Family. Thankyou for exploring my site. I will attempt to keep weekly journal's about my preparations, travels and adventures in Japan. I don't leave until August 2nd, but I'll keep you posted on other events in my life. Like.....GRADUATION!! Yes, I am graduating from Lynchburg College on May 11th with a Master's In English Education. Hopefully, my new CD "Leap" with a collection of 12-or more songs will be finished by that day too. Many thanks to Tim Altman for helping me create the site and the many residents of LC, friends, coworkers and family that have loved my music and listened in field, dell, cave, farmhouse, coffehouse, and anywhere else I could woo them into listening. Thank you - this CD is for you guys - helping me take this great leap of faith and adventure in the next stage of my life.
"And the people came together and the people came to dance and they danced like a wave upon the sea" -- William Butler Yeats
posted by Ginger 6:06 PM

Welcome to the life of an American English teacher and musician in Japan.

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