I am participating in the JET program in Oita, Japan in the small but homey city of Kitsuki and this is my record/journal for the events leading up to and included in this experience. Meant mainly for my friends and family but of course future JETs and the like are welcome readers. Enjoy.
It's hot and I'm sleepy – The story of
summer as an ALT in Japan
In accordance with a previous pledge to try
and write more about my job here rather than numerous other random travels in
my life, I am posting this as a testament to all of my fellow ALTs, and those
aspiring to become one themselves. Summer in Japan is a mix of amazing and
horrible, boring and highly entertaining. It is like waking up bipolar every
day. Someone told me once in college while I was studying Japanese that over
here they have year round school. Either I completely misunderstood what that
meant, or they were mistaken but Japan actually runs on a trimester system. The
school year begins in April with the first trimester running until mid-July, at
which time the students have summer vacation. The second trimester begins in
the first week of September and runs until the end of December when everyone is
released for winter break (New Year’s is a big deal over here). Beginning
around the second week of January, everyone is back for the third trimester
which ends in the end of March.
That being said, students do not really get
a break. They come to school pretty much every morning to practice club
activities. For students who chose not to be in a club... well they get to fart
around at home like a normal American kid. There are not really summer camps or
YMCA places out here for the students to attend (though that being said there
is sometimes weekly and daily camps at special times during the break for those
who wish to attend). So, since the students are here every day, teachers must
also be here, including ‘fake’ teachers like me. Thus, here I am sitting at my
desk on a warm summer day in a teacher’s room filled to the brim with only 4
other teachers (just because they have to work doesn’t mean they can’t take
paid leave) with a fan spinning languidly beside me and the TV a low hum in the
background while the Olympics plays on the news.
It would be an understatement to say this
was boring, but of course although there are things I would like to do, I am
lacking in motivation to do them. Cue world’s smallest violin. There is plenty
of quiet meditation time and lots of freedom (until only a few weeks ago I
would split for a couple hours to the pool here at school so I could swim off
some energy before twiddling my thumbs further) so some of the teachers are
really productive... on the novels they read at their desks. No, seriously
though, some people actually get a lot of work done – lesson planning,
preparing tests, etc. But most are like me and sit behind their desks stifling
yawns and trying not to sweat through every layer of their clothing (no sense
in using the AC if the temperature is less than 32 degrees Celsius – a
statement I completely agree with and hate myself for saying so sometimes). At
least we have a breeze most days.
So, although my job is typically pretty
booked up with classes and planning, I get a few weeks of the summer to relax
and chill at work (although I would rather be chilling at home) – though who
can complain too loudly since I am still getting paid. In fact, I also get more
than the swim time I mentioned earlier, we can leave for “lunch breaks” during
the afternoon - 2-3 hours ones being completely acceptable as long as they are
not more than once a week. So, picnics in the park with the boyfriend for an
afternoon? OK. Going home on a breezy day for an afternoon run and load of
laundry - no problem. Having a BBQ party outside the teachers room with the 4
other staff members (including the vice principal) at noon on a Tuesday – why
not? Yeah, this is an easy job... now if only I was one of those people capable
of relaxing... Love.
This is a bit of a random post, and I know I owe you all a lot more better informed ones but I got a few emails today and over the past few days that have inspired an entry. This month will be rough for me. I have to say goodbye to a lot of friends I have made over the past few years because they are leaving. It is kind of strange to think that two years ago at this time, I was freaking out about coming to this country, and now I can't imagine ever leaving it.
B sent out this amazing newsletter filled with some of the awesome things she has learned here and I was almost in tears reading it to think she, and some of my other close friends, would be saying goodbye to me to move on with their lives. Does that make me less successful because I am not seemingly moving on with mine? Well, let me inform you, I plan on taking the entrance examination at Oita University in the upcoming weeks so I can begin graduate school in Microbiology next year. I will be applying to a few schools back home (hopefully my GRE scores are still acceptable), but my not so secret wish is to stay here. I have come to love everything about this country, and feel very sorry to see my friends leaving. While I selfishly want them to stay to be with me, I also want them to stay because I feel so loved here, and I keep thinking those feelings apply to everyone.
Well, turns out there are some people here who hate it, and others who love it, and still others who want to move on. Part of separating ourselves from our childhood is making decisions that make us happy, as individuals, versus pleasing those around us. And this brings me to the main point of this discussion... my personal decisions for the future and how they relate to the job.
Teaching children is a lot of fun. But, it is very tiring. As a friend of mine said very clearly, Japan lives by the book. By this I don't mean the bible. I mean a giant instruction book filled with clauses and situations and the answers to them. If you want to do something that is not in the book, it can't be done. Thus when I want to teach my students phonics and how to spell while they are still in elementary school, the book is consulted. If I want to attend a seminar for teaching English in Tokyo during a break, the book is consulted. If I want to study Japanese with an outside program or go to a doctor's appointment using sick leave instead of vacation time, the book is consulted. You get the idea. Making changes in anything here usually leads to a brick wall because your request is either immediately denied because it is not in the book, or discussed with a group of people outside of your knowledge and then changed or denied later. I am not saying this to be particularly negative but it is just how it is a lot of the time. This is not to say change is impossible but you have to be very creative and persistent.
Seeing my friends leaving Japan who have been pushing and pulling in all the same areas I have is a little depressing because it feels like I will be making these strides alone from here on out. Trying to plant my own small seed in this side of the world while I watch over the seedlings of others. Up to this point it has always been a small relief to be able to bitch and whine to my friends about the small things that get us down and then laugh about some of the really hilarious things that come up in our lives. I know that new JETs are coming and I will form relationships with some of them as well but I think with the changing of the ALTs, a change will occur in me as well. Part of me knows that if I plan to make a life here, I need something more permanent than the constant flow of foreigners who will rotate out like the changing of the moon, so I too need to find my own path. This is truly one door closing while another door opens.
The inspiration for some of this deep thought came from an email I got from an old friend. Not a lot of people know this, but I got fired from my very first real job. I was a 14 year old junior camp counselor at a 6-week overnight camp. The day before we were scheduled to go home (pay would be delivered upon completion of the full term), I stupidly decided to follow some of the more convincing staff members to make a midnight run to Wal-mart (although we all knew if we were caught it mean we were fired). Sure enough we were caught and fired and I spent the next week in my room crying out my shame in myself. I think it is enough to imagine that I punished myself far more than my parents or grandparents (who got me the job) could have done and the lack of an entire summer's pay would remind me of my mistake for months to come.
I taught you this information to give you a slight background on this friend who mailed me. Suffice it to say she was one of the people who helped convince me to tag along, and wanting to impress her, I quickly acceded. As a teenager I was most definitely one of the girls who tried pretty desperately to get into the popular group and this girl was one of those popular people who just inspired followers in her every footstep. It took me until the middle of high school to realize it was a wasted effort and I then pledged to use that energy I was putting into impressing others into improving myself. It took a while to get used to, but I managed to build a bit of a foundation for a strong me, who I proceeded to build and construct upon. The foundation is still there and I use it to this day, with a little tuning up here and there from self-reflection. The point of all this is, I feel good about myself and the person I am becoming, and it was really flattering to receive an email from this girl I thought was really 'all that' saying she had been following my facebook all these years and wanted to hear a little more about the things I am doing. The words 'impressed' and 'proud' really got my attention and caused me to think a lot about the big choices I have coming up in my life.
Regardless of how the people in my life move around or change, I always hope to have the same foundation in our relationship that I have in myself. An unbreakable layer of brick from which to build upon and expand. I hope to have this relationship with Japan, my job experiences, and America as well. I am so lucky in my life to have the opportunity to have these adventures and to have some really amazing choices ahead of me for the future, and I want everyone to see the doors in front of them as well. So although life comes with a whole lot of downs (like you friends moving away, passing away ( ;-( ), or missing opportunities), remember to keep your eyes out for the big uphill, because it is not far ahead. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Love.
Welcome to Japan. Everything in this land is going to seem foreign at first, and a lot of things are going to be amazing... or terrible. I don't often write about the negative side of this country because I like to think I am an optimist, but it is more likely that I simply don't feel a lot of negativity in my Japan life. Lucky me? On that note, I experienced something the other day that really honed in a concept about Japanese people, women in particular, that I find both outrageous and heartbreaking.
The word in Japanese is 恥ずかしい (hazukashii) and it translates roughly to 'embarrassing' although the meaning goes a bit deeper in my opinion. You will hear it a lot in this country. Women will complain about feeling hazukashii when their skirts roll the wrong way (although the irony of their ultra-mini skirts as the dark line of their stockings pokes through is not lost on me) and men will ask it of women if parts of their shoulders are showing or they drink alcohol too fast. For a long time I just attributed it to a culture of men having subconscious control over women by implementing in their heads the idea that feeling embarrassed is sexy. You can especially see it in this countries pornography where all the women are featured being practically assaulted by men and crying out, often in mock pain, by the onslaught. I still have trouble wrapping my head around women being so submissive, especially in a field where historically women have been in control, but I realize more and more now that women in this country have learned to use hazukashii to their advantage. Take the example earlier of the women with the VERY short skirt pointing out how embarrassed she feels while she readjusts. This clearly only draws attention to her choice of apparel and thus brings all eyes to the assets she is co blatantly trying to flaunt. Power to her! Use what womanly strength you have to overcome the disadvantages you are given because of your sex.
But there is a lot of negativity that comes from this image, especially when it comes to children. This idea of 'embarrassment' has pervaded not just through men to women, but has existed so long that women, mothers, older sisters and friends will ask it of one another without a second thought. 'Aren't you embarrassed?' becomes more an off collar greeting than a serious discussion and people are constantly thinking of ways to hide themselves (aside from those who have figured out the ins and outs of the system). This leaves us with a culture of people who feel uncomfortable both with their bodies, and with those of other people. The outrageous contradiction between this sentiment and their fully naked public bathing culture is best left to another day.
The point I am trying to focus your attention on is a solid example of this hazukashii culture that I experienced with some of my students the other day. Now I do not have particularly high self confidence but I am comfortable with my body most of the time (which is very lucky, I know) and when I am in my one piece for swimming in a lap pool, I am in my element. Participating in swim teams my whole life has left me with an immunity to paranoia in a one piece and instead puts me on a very comfortable level, especially once I get going in the water (I am like a fish!). So when I was invited to join my students for swim class I grabbed my one piece and a board shirt cover up (so no one had to worry about my tattoo) and jumped right on outside. The teachers all exclaimed how weird it was to see legs (most of them wear shorts over their swimsuits) and to make sure my apparel was appropriate I asked the vice principal. Approval came without a second thought and thinking nothing more of the matter I went outside to join the students.
Immediately I was confronted with 2 fourth grade girls who asked me directly 'aren't you embarrassed?', pointing to my exposed legs. I looked around and noticed that all of them were wearing shorts and a board shirt over their swimsuits. Now I am no stranger to adolescent self-esteem issues, having been around the block on every end of the spectrum between my sister and I, so I can understand when a young girl feels uncomfortable about her body. But I don't ever remember feeling that way as a nine year old child. Nor do I recall anyone else around me expressing that sentiment from such a young age.
I am aware that times are changing and even back in America children as young as 7 and 8 are beginning to feel and understand body issues in a negative way, but hear me out for a moment before you bring that up. These two girls, who in my opinion are at the androgynous age of children until they reach puberty (with boys and girls differing only in society's display of their sex via color preference and toy choice) not only felt uncomfortable about their own bodies, but felt those feelings strongly enough about the bodies around them not only to feel uncomfortable about my legs, but enough so to comment on it to me. Completely taken aback, I explained that we are all human and that we all have the same parts, especially being that we are the same sex. I also said they would very soon have the exact SAME body as me, in terms of woman bits and thus, why should I feel embarrassed?
Catching them equally off guard, they thought for a moment about what I said then walked away. I was not confronted further about the subject, but it stayed with me for the rest of the day and into today as well. My first thought was, 'how sad?' Memories of my own struggle with my body throughout childhood and the stress it caused me and those around me surfaced unexpectedly. All I could think was, who would put a child through that stress at such an early age? Surely the idea of embarrassment and the urge to hide your body is completely influenced by society, because if you look at the case of feral children and those people raised in small tribes, they do not feel sensitive about bodies in the same way those of us from the first world do, if they feel any sensitivity at all. Thus I am drawn to the conclusion that these children were taught, for who knows how long, to be hyper-aware of their own bodies and those of the people around them - and to feel ashamed of that awareness. That in itself is heartbreaking to me. Causing the undue stress on a child in terms of their body image, and multiplying that two fold to include feelings towards the people around them seems a cruel and sad fate for a child.
I spoke earlier to the school nurse at my middle school about the experience, thinking perhaps it is a cultural difference that I am unable to comprehend this concept or overcome my negativity towards it. She listened to all I said and then looked at me with very sad eyes while she processed my thoughts on the matter. Once she was ready to shed some light on the matter, she came to same conclusion that I have. That these children are being subjected much to soon to a culture of anxiety that they are going to inevitably become a part of in the near future. And she agreed that it is heartbreaking. She also said she would think on it more and wants to hear my opinion on other matters I observe in her country as well. Interesting.
So today is one of the
most dreaded days in my Japanese school life. Every year at this time
(end of March) some of the teachers get transferred. I list this in the
passive tense because they do not choose this uncertain fate, rather it
is "bestowed" upon them. Japan does a lot of things different from
America and this is certainly one of them. There can be good reasons and
bad reasons behind this mandatory job change the most obvious of which
being changing the people you are working with - because I can imagine
there are times when you either want the change or dread it. Regardless,
as what I like to consider a cousin to the normal sibling relationship
shared by the teachers, last year I was caught completely off guard
pertaining to this big event. This time around, however, I was ready for
it.
Let me try to summarize this experience for you,
because if you have never been involved in it, it can be quite confusing
and - for the teachers being transferred - scary. Basically the school
year over here runs from April to March (year round schooling is how we
refer to it in America, however the students do get long breaks
in-between each trimester, much the same as our summer and winter
vacation) as do virtually all businesses and government operations. Due
to this system, March is a very busy time for the country while year-end
summaries are completed, pay-roll updates and bonuses are distributed,
and jobs are finished up. Think tax time?
The banquet at the going away party...
Anyway,
teachers are no exception to this system on account of education follows
the same pattern. So, while the students are getting ready to graduate
to the next level of schooling, teachers too must prepare for the new
school year and prep themselves in case they are transferred. Every job
over here is like this (or so I have been told). The big bosses at the
top of the food chain have the freedom to redistribute their employees
as they feel necessary, and the underlings have little to no say in this
matter.
So to summarize, the end of March means teacher rotation, which
means lots of drinking and oddly enough, gifts. To signal the end of the
school year (and just about everything else) there is a big enkai, the end of which is followed by an announcement about who will be leaving our lovely establishment
(last year the teachers had not even been told privately before the
announcement was made and thus this year they tried to tactfully inform
each teacher prior to the rest of the staff finding out) and which
school or public office they are being transferred to. Those who have
the (mis)fortune [depends on the party I guess] to be transferred are
then huddled into meetings all day the next day (and perhaps those
following) in between the time they are given to collect everything out
of their desks and classrooms. It is a fast process and caught me completely off guard the first time it took place.
I don't get it - they get forced to transfer and I get gifts?!
You see, when the 'old' teachers leave, they give
everyone in the office something special (usually a food item) and we
are expected to provide something for them in return. Then on the their
last day, we go out drinking again to celebrate them. Needless to say, I
was caught completely off guard and missed this entirely last time.
Determined not to make the same mistake, I spent the whole weekend prior
to this day baking so I wouldn't look a fool. In return I actually got a
lot of really cool presents. It was really sweet.
Once we were out with the old, it was time to welcome
in the new. In a matter of days the teachers switch out and suddenly
there is a whole new crop of names to remember and people to place in
vacated desks. This perhaps would not be such a problem if you only had
one school - but I have nine. This means that although I am only
intimately connected to my junior high school, the other eight
elementary schools also undergo this change. Basically the first two
months of the new semester are a big adventure for me since I never know
which teacher I will be working with, or which school they ended up at
(assuming they are still at one of mine). Just something that keeps me
on my toes! Haha.
Banquet for the new teachers
New teachers come in and within days (and lots and lots of
meetings), desks, sports clubs, school counsel and inter-school
activities as well as subject and grade level teachers have been
decided. It is quite the flourish of activity. Basically the ALT (me)
becomes all but forgotten (which isn't really a problem because who
wants to go to all those meetings anyway?!) and once everything is
settled down a bit and the welcome party is planned (yes, more drinking)
my existence is recognized again. Man I am glad I was prepared with a
good book and lots of studying material this time around. ;-) Well, hope
you enjoyed a little dip into some more strange but intriguing cultural
tidbits! Love.
I just realized today as I was planning this blog entry at work that I have not been updating much about my work life or the things I do in this country pertaining to my actual job (which was honestly the initial purpose for this blog) and I will make it more of a priority to do so... as soon as I tell you about Sunday.
Me dancing... many years ago
So April 22, 2012 has been a set date on my calendar from as far back as October of last year. The reason being because my dance teacher had finally decided I knew enough basics to perform in the annual recital hosted by her teacher (who is 86 years old, mind you). In the months, weeks and days leading up to the performance there were not too many events of note but I am going to lead you through the process as it went for me because, having never been any kind of performer in my life (besides playing cello decently in orchestra and a rock band - which might be a bit closer of a comparison), it was a real treat.
I have been studying nihon buyo (traditional Japanese dance) since January-ish of 2011. But my experience with this form of dance actually began during my home stay in 2006 when I was still a high school student. While I was living in Sendai, another host family invited me to join their host daughter for a weekly dance session during our stay in town. This amounted to six sessions all in all, and one -mini- performance at our sayonara-party. It was impromptu and scary as far as I can remember but it didn't make much of an impression on me.
The stage during rehearsal
During college, and returning to Florida, it proved impossible for me to continue studying this kind of dance and I didn't really have much interest in other forms (besides the less organized club dancing my college roomies and I were known to be fluent in). A few times during my reign as Japanese club president I was able to put on little dance events where, with the help of a Japanese/American friend's mom, I was able to teach some other members basic moves.
Basically, all of this led to a dormant interest in something that I knew I would try hard to continue once I took up residence in Japan sometime in the future. Once I got here it proved to be a greater challenge than I anticipated. I found plenty of teachers but most of them rejected me claiming I was too tall. (I am 5'4" or 164cm). It took me about 6 months into my stint to finally find a teacher and once I got started learning it was all I could do to leave after class every week. I wanted to learn everything!
Months passed and then almost one year when, as I mentioned, my teacher (sensei) determined I was ready to perform. When she made the decision it was still many months from the date but unlike all the other concerts I had been in (and I only have orchestra and the rock band to compare this to - where the whole group is on the stage together, even when you have a solo) I would be doing my dance as a duo. There would be no one else on stage with us.
By January, she and her teacher had selected a song. I found out quickly that song selection itself was quite the hassle because no one can perform the same song and there is a limited selection of songs in the amateur repertoire to select from. I assume there are typically not so many amateurs in the group? Anyway, once she had selected the song I began learning it earnestly. Up until that point I would learn one or two or even three dances at once to get down certain movements and techniques rather than learn each dance perfectly. This changed with momiji no hashi (The bridge of autumn leaves) which was the song I would perform. Every week I came to my lesson (which is private) to an eager teacher ready to teach me another portion of the song, and once I had learned every step, how to perfect it for a crowd. This was actually the hardest part for me. I had always been dancing for myself so it was difficult to wrap my head around the fact that I would have to remember the other people watching and most especially - to turn my head and eyes and body, in their direction constantly. There were a few bumps along the way, particularly when about a month before the performance sensei changed my music and some vital dance steps. Oh and 2 weeks before the dance she told me I would be dancing alone. Yeah, that was quite the bump in the road. While I refrained from freaking out completely, I consoled myself by just completely ignoring the upcoming event at every opportunity. Well, besides practicing.
A week before the dance, on Saturday morning, I had my first ever dress rehearsal. I mean first... ever. My sister was always the thespian. It was scary and a little rough around the edges when I stepped onto the stage the first time. It seemed giant and even though there were only a few scattered people standing about, with very few of them paying me any attention, I was sweating bullets from nervousness. Guess I have stage fright. I made a few mistakes and tumbled out apologies to my sensei while trying to gather the courage to make another attempt. She just laughed and said it was completely fine, while assuring me this is what rehearsals are for. I had promised myself I would not act like a child during rehearsal by asking her to sit on the stage with me and guide me through the moves - and I am proud to say I managed that much. But it took a lot to manage even that.
After that, the week flew by. I had my final dance practice on Tuesday before the Sunday performance and it went fine. Very small touch-ups, like reminding me to keep my head up, butt tucked in, and hands at the correct level. Actually nihon buyo is very technical since there is not a lot of movement, so every step must be very precise with strong control over your body and muscles. I found out quickly on Sunday just how difficult that can be when your legs are quivering from nervousness but we will get there.
On to Saturday night. I had no plans in the evening and rather than continue to stress myself out about the upcoming recital, I decided to go visit my friends B and J in the nearby town. It had been a while since I had managed to get myself out there since we had all been so busy recently, so sitting down to dinner together with wine and a movie was really a nice change of pace. Well, until the gale force winds swept by all night... But that is completely unrelated to my performance. Out of nervousness, I woke up around 5 and couldn't get back to sleep so I played some phone games and tried not to wake up my friends. We all got up and moving around 7:30 and after a small breakfast and shower, I headed out to sensei's house to get ready. The wind had not slowed down and neither had the rain so I honestly felt like I was driving through a hurricane which did help to distract me from the slight cramping in my gut and the sweaty palms.
Sensei was all ready to go when I got there so we loaded up the car and got on our way without further adieu. Once we arrived at the community center we were lucky enough to get a parking spot out front and unloaded to a very ...empty... hall. Turns out we were the second ones to get there, next to my sensei's sensei. But that did not stop anyone from getting on the way to prep time.
Now, I don't know what recitals of this kind are like back in America, but this was all very strange for me. See, as a performer, I was expected to pay a certain amount of money in order to be able to participate. This is pretty common in Japan where people always put out a lot of money for their hobbies - even when they become professional level (in fact it only gets more expensive from there). So I kind of thought there would be backstage crew and the like to help organize everyone and get things set up. Well... that is what I had always heard happens at these bigger events. Turns out this event was like most things in Japan that I had come to experience. People just kind of knew where they were supposed to be and when, what was expected of them and were otherwise free to do as they pleased. Everyone managed to get everything done without any seeming guidance over the process as a whole.
Luckily, my time in Japan has prepared me to approach everything with very open ears and eyes because people often forget I have no idea what I am doing. That being said, the event proceeded something like this... *cue the movie style cut scene*
Once we unpacked the car I was baffled by the way people moved about seemingly connected by an invisible string to a list of tasks that needed completed. Sensei led me behind the stage to the dressing room and explained that there was the room for everyone, then the room for her sensei set off to the side so people could come in and give her gifts and the like. When we arrived the audience floor had been completely empty, along with the stage, but when we went back out, the cushions had been placed on the floor and the shamisen area had been created on the stage. I found out this had not been done by the staff of the center (those people had been prepping the sound equipment and lighting) but rather by the performers and their, as I like to call them, support teams (parents, friends, teachers, etc.). Each performer, or group of performers, had a small group of people who came with them to help get their kimono prepared, make-up on, save an area for their guests and numerous other things I had not even thought of. My support team was my fellow dance student's mother and grandma (I call my fellow student imoto senpai [meaning roughly senior little sister] when I don't use her name because she is actually one of my students at elementary school but has been doing dance longer - complicated relationship).
K-chan (imoto senpai) pulled me away from the stage long enough to get us backstage again. They told me we should do our make-up and hair now before the other performers started to arrive since the mirror space would quickly become limited, so I started putting layer upon layer of creams and colors on my face hoping it would resemble the stage make-up I had seen applied on the internet (yeah I researched stage make-up on youtube). The end result was not too shabby and since my sensei's daughter would be doing my hair later in the afternoon, I was finished up relatively early. Having volunteered the previous day to do up K-chan's hair, I got to work on pulling this poor 9-year old girl's hair into some semblance of cute braids so we could clip in apprentice geisha accessories and hair-spray the crap out of her head. By then other people had started to arrive and so K-chan got into her kimono since she wanted to get in one last on stage rehearsal before she lost the stage to the more experience dancers. This is where the individualism of the whole thing started to hit me. People were mingling about everywhere - dancers, support teams, audience, half dressed shamisen players, and stage assistants all with their own personal agenda and time frame - but magically not getting in anyone else's way. K-chan did her rehearsal to limited fanfare, since as I mentioned everyone was focused on getting their laundry list completed, and then we were released to our own devices while sensei focused on getting her supplies in order.
Lunch was a bento box which had been delivered for all of the performers and it was a very informal affair with people coming to the area, grabbing their box and then eating whenever and where ever they felt. I was beginning to get concerned about where my friends would be able to sit once they arrived so I started asking around about saving a place for the "foreigners" who would begin to trickle in shortly after lunch time. K-chan's mom took care of saving them a place where they could 'stretch out their legs' (as they had requested I try and get for them) and they even went so far as to inform the stage staff and entrance team (other dancers who were unable to perform in this event for one reason or another and were thus in charge of distributing programs and handling receiving gifts for the performers) of my guests. It was actually turned into such a big deal that they made a special place in the announcement later about how happy they were to have such a broad, International audience at the event. But that is Japan for you.
I had no appetite and was starting to get lost in the midst of everything that was happening around me (comes with not being connected to the invisible cord list I guess) so I started following sensei like a lost puppy. She didn't know what to do with me and I finally confessed I wanted to get one onstage practice in before lunch was over. She kindly dressed me in my kimono and led me to the stage, where the curtain had been set in place so no one could see the last minute prep going on onstage. Sensei got them to turn on the music and sat with me while I ran through the routine. I messed up a few times in places I have never messed up in before, sensei laughed and gently asked me to try again from the top, correcting a few last minute poses and trying to soothe my quickly fraying nerves.
We grabbed our lunch and went to meet her daughter, another of my senpai's and K-chan so we could all eat lunch together. My stomach was completely tangled up and I couldn't really get anything down so I mostly sat, twiddling my thumbs, while everyone around me carried out empty conversation trying not to think about their own fears. Once lunch finished it was almost 1 o'clock (the scheduled start time of the show), so I went back stage to wait for my friend M to come and do my hair. Now comes the part of the day where I got really confused/amazed/lost. Haha. The show started right at one, but I didn't get to see much of it. It took about 30mins just to get my hair done up. M had researched on the internet how to style my hair like a maiko (apprentice geisha) so we sprayed and pinned it until my life-less, thin brown hair turned into a voluminous, red-accented masterpiece. She really did an excellent job. During this time, various performances were under way and, having no idea what time I was suppose to go on, I made my way out to the area where my friends were supposed to be sitting.
Time was something I was really confused about the whole day actually. People had been asking since I started talking about this event, 'what time will you be performing' and no matter how many times I asked sensei the answer was always, 'when it is your turn.' I am not normally the kind of person to run on a strict timetable but I kind of expected, apparently my friends did as well, that there would some kind of time outline for when people should be ready to go on. There was nothing of the sort. You prepared to go on when you felt like it was the right time and lined up at the place where you enter the stage (each person was different) once the person before you had gone out to perform. I watched other people for this information, because no one told me, and gradually became aware of the timing of events and who the people performing before me were. K-chan would go on three people before me and my teacher would come on about three people after me. I planned with my teacher to meet her at a designated place backstage once K-chan had finished her dance and she was there to help me breathe while she set me up backstage to prepare to go on. I was shaking by then and sweating bullets but I tried really hard to man up when I saw that she was shaking too. As was just about everyone backstage - even the people who had finished! She held my hands while we waited for the person before me to get set-up then left me to find her own seat. I had about 3 minutes to myself trying to calm my nerves but it felt like 3 seconds. I tried doing a few of the less rehearsed moves to myself behind the curtain and a few of the other dancers (all of whom are senior to me and know my dance by heart) looked on and gave me last minute pointers in an attempt to calm me down.
I never actually saw this until now...
my bow was cool!
Once the woman in front me finished and exited the stage, it was time. But as I lined up in my place and tried to still my knees someone tapped me on the shoulder and told me there was going to be a speech before I performed. I can honestly say I did not listen to anything he said because the pounding of my own heart was too loud, but I found out later he did the normal Japanese bit - thanking everyone for their patience and hospitality while honoring us by observing our humble dances - then added a lengthy bit about how happy he was to have foreigners in the audience, not just supporting me (the foreigner who would be performing following his speech) but also observing and honoring the other performers. Thankfully I didn't pay any attention to this because I think I would have just died of embarrassment.. As it was it was all I could do to stop the completely unbidden tears from falling down my face. I have never in my life felt anything like that. It was horrible. And once the music started I thought I might get into a zone - but then the music stopped unexpectedly. Not knowing what to do, I hurried backstage and waited until it began again. Thankfully everyone laughed (they told me later I looked really endearing skittering away in my kimono) but once they got the problem sorted out and started the music again seconds later, I wasn't feeling any better.
I just pushed myself through it, feeling the whole time like all I had to do was look up above the people and perhaps they would disappear. I got about halfway through the routine before my knees finally stopped knocking together and pulled through the whole thing without any major mistakes. I am sure sensei will tell me today I was late in one section and moved too quickly through another (something I had no choice but to ignore once I messed them up for fear of continuing to make mistakes), but I don't feel terrible about my performance.
Smashing cultural boundaries with a smile!
The rest of the show comes as a blur now. It took me about an hour to get control of my body and mind again while my body slowly cycled through the endorphins it had been forcing my adrenal glands to produce. I sat with my friends, watching a few other people perform and receiving congratulations as was expected of me. I gave my share of compliments as well, and once all the performances had been finished we all gathered backstage - apparently led by that same imaginary string we had been connected by the whole time since miraculously everyone was there without anyone having been told - to give one final bow. We sat in a line, the curtain went up and there was a final speech and a lot of clapping. It was pretty cool because by then I was really feeling myself again and even in good enough spirits to have a secret tickle fight with the adorable 10 year old sitting next to me.
The adorable children
People began to clear out after that with people going so far as to put away their own cushions, sweep the stage and carry around garbage bags to grab anything people had missed. I got everything into my car, took a ton of pictures, and headed home. Pretty uneventful way to end a crazy day full of new experiences. Here is a link to the video if you feel inclined to watch it, and I added a bunch of pictures to this entry so you can enjoy them at your leisure.
Flowers and gifts... for me?!?!
I want to say thank you to everyone for being wonderful for me. Most of the people who helped me the most, like sensei, are never going to read this, but I really would have failed miserably without her, and everyone else's kindness. I feel really lucky to have been able to have an experience like this and I will practice hard for next year so I can hopefully do it one last time before I end my time here. I also put up a picture of some of the stuff people gave me. I am so grateful and a little astounded at the kindness shown to me, some of which was presented materially by people I hardly knew, and thank you all again. Love.
Guess I am back to a couple more late ones. Gathering pictures from people takes time! <3
People lined up to enjoy the koto
September and October are purportedly the most apt times of the year to view the night sky in Japan. The moon shines brighter, appears larger, and more often than not, there is no cloud obstruction. Because of this, and the wonderful weather, there are many festivals and activities that occur around this time of the year.
Getting silly and pretty!
Yesterday (10/16) was one of those events. Specifically the otsukimi (moon viewing). My tea ceremony group was elected/selected/requested to serve at the festival so we became guest participants. I said yes because they told me I could wear a kimono. To that end, Saturday, although I took a train all the way out to Fukuoka (a two hour trip each way) to watch a baseball game and eat dinner with the biggest gathering of Kyushu JETs in years (about 90 of us), I came back that same night to get some rest for the festival.
Turns out I didn't have to be there until 1:30 so I could have stayed out later but we will let that go. Ended up running in the morning while my training partner slept off his hangover (looking for a new running buddy since mine has become slightly unreliable - though maybe he will improve with the New Year). This "morning run" became 10:30 even for me because I was exhausted but once I finished, showered and scarfed down lunch it was off to Yamaga to meet the tea team. The event was to be held at the kouminkan (community center) but when we arrived it was filthy so we got down and scrubbed. Between the seven of us, we finished much earlier than planned so we had a little extra time for getting pretty.
nihon buyo performance
My dance teacher (the local kimono shop owner) was not available to help us dress so we had to forfeit the idea of wearing kimono since there simply was not enough time for the one member available to tie my kimono and hers as well. Instead, my tea friends and I mixed and matched. I wore one of my friend's yukata but as the fabric was silk synthetic it was more like a kimono than a yukata so I got to use the special undergarments around my shoulders to make sure the fabric stood up correctly. The obi was the same as those of a yukata so I guess you could say I was 1/3rd of the way in real traditional garb. Because of weekly dance practice I can put on a yukata with ease so I had a little extra time to help out my friends with their ensembles.
Once we were ready it was back to the community center (kouminkan - if you remember) with bentos in tow. They put an apron around me so I wouldn't spill all over myself the proceeded to dote on how much I look like a Japanese wife. My tea members then spent dinner trying to convince me to marry a Japanese man. I confess, the thought of staying in the this country had crossed my mind more than once but that is for another day. It really comes down to how much of my life goals my family and I would be willing to sacrifice. To dream, however, is sweet.
You guessed it ... The fabled apron
After dinner we were on the fast track to tea as we prepped the sitting and serving areas for the flood of people that was predicted. Once the festival began to the sound of the electric koto, however (yes, a keyboard and a traditional koto combined into one instrument), there were hardly any people there. It really turned out to be a real shame because throughout the night there was barely a trickle of people although the events and performers were outstanding. An a capella group followed the electric koto and they recited a poem (tanka) to a rhythm then there was the ocarina players, bamboo flutist, harmonica player and lastly a nihon buyo performance (Japanese traditional dance like I study). This was not my teachers group but instead a professional performer who has a small dance school in the area. One of my middle school students actually performed that night and danced beautifully.
The festival ended around 9 but we had to clean, pack-up, unload everything at sensei's house then sit down for some tea and sweets before she would let us go home so I actually didn't get home until around 11. Pretty late for a Sunday but overall a really good experience.
Ota village 濁酒祭り Doburoku festival 10/17/11
On the following Monday (10/17) I was scheduled to visit one of my village schools but a few days prior had received a fax mentioning that there was a local festival in the village and asking me not to drive. Well because of a long weekend and just plain forgetting, I ended up driving to work only to be greeted by a long line of cars parked as far as 2 miles from my school while people crowded the streets from there up the playground of my school frequenting the various shopfronts that had popped up that morning. They were preparing their kiosks for the shrine/sake festival that would be taking place that afternoon.
Because of the festival many of my classes were cancelled but I did get to go out and enjoy the festival with my students while we sold rice they has grown and cut then packaged up real pretty. I was kind of honored when they asked me to come along. and thus also felt obligated to purchase a bag for myself. [It was just finished this morning and was quite delicious by the way] they were selling 1kg bags of the rice for 300yen and although they started with over 100kg of the stuff, it sold out in about 15mins between the cute factor of the children themselves and them yelling and hollering "buy our home grown rice".
Prior to selling the rice, however, we visited the shrine where the main part of the festival was to be held so we could receive our free sake samples. Being as I had driven to work that day (against their recommendation) I was unable to partake in the ceremonial drinking of the alcohol but as I am not accustomed to drinking at 11 in the morning anyway, it was almost a welcome reprieve. They did give me a small sample container to bring home and I did get breathalized (for the first time ever) on my way home as the po-po were out in full force to make sure grandpa didn't drive himself home after praying. The booze was very grainy and did not suit my pallet very well but here's to new experiences!
Yamaga Area 文化祭 Culture festival 11/20/11
My tea group post-culture festival
On account of I am so late with this entry I thought I should go ahead and include another tea event in this part of the blog. About a month after the aforementioned festival, we were invited to serve tea again at a local festival. This time, however, it was a huge event and we literally spent 5 hours serving tea to hundreds of people from all reaches of the area. While it was fun, it was very exhausting and I will detail a little of what I think is important...
We had to arrive pretty early this time, getting dressed in kimono by 8 so we could begin setting up as soon as the tea group from the day before cleared out. I am getting ahead of myself though because I neglected to mention that we had to prep the day before by bringing in many MANY boxes of tea cups (茶碗）and all the other tea supplies. Anyway, once we arrived at the culture center (which doubles as the city office/board of education out here in rural Yamaga) and got set up, things were really beginning to get popping. I then spent the next five hours (until around 3:30) serving tea numerous times not just on stage in front of an audience, but also to the waiting crowds while other people performed for the public. It was a combination of tiring, embarrassing, and amazing.
Me, doing tea.
It has been a while since I thought about this festival but I still vividly remember how difficult it was to serve tea on the stage while people looked on. I guess I don't thrive solo under the pressure, well I should not say it quite like that since I only messed up a little bit during the ceremony, but it was far from easy.
All of my tea teachers and me
During the new year I attended an お茶会 (tea ceremony meeting), like the one I went to a year ago with the fancy candies and the kimono, and I watched one woman pour tea. This time I was a lot more invested in the actual tea ceremony portion of the meeting (the year before I had been a lot more concerned with making sure I didn't spill anything on my kimono or do something stupid) and I noticed how serene and peaceful the server's face looked while she was performing the ceremony. I took multiple pictures for reference to myself later because she simply looked completely zen. I decided I would try from then on to reach that kind of relaxation from tea. I think that is what they originally created it for anyway. Perhaps it wasn't for the sweets and the company after all. haha.
Delicious tea sweets
One of the tea rooms - Western style
Once the tea was done, we ended a little early and changed from our kimono into normal clothes so we could clean up. It wasn't until around 6 that I finally got home after spending a little time at sensei's housewhere she fed us makizushiand yet more tea. I don't think I have ever consumed so much tea in my life and once I finally got home I simply had to run on account of being so hopped up on caffeine.
There are a few more festivals I had attended since starting this entry. One was the 鬼ｰE (demon calling) festival in Bungotakeda/Kunisaki (January 29th) where we spent a very late night in a temple watching while monks danced around fire and called forth a demon dressed like the dark version of spiderman. When another demon came out and started fighting with the black demon the fire got intense and the temple quickly heated up while people began to clear out. Epic demon fighting festival - check. (I may make a movie about this later, so be on the lookout).
Monks dancing to call the demons
And here they come
Even demons respect monks
Epic demon fire fight.
A few short days before that (January 14th) I was going to tea in the afternoon when A and M mentioned I should come into Yamaga early if possible. A wanted to wear kimono to tea and M wanted me to see a small festival taking place literally right outside her house. I did both and the festival was a little ridiculous. A man invoked a god and then took a bath in a boiling tub. People stood around to watch and get blessed by the god incarnate while he literally beat them with fern leaves dipped in boiling water. I remarked to A that Japanese people seem to be pretty masochistic. She laughed and agreed.
There were a few other festivals I missed after those big ones since I took a few trips here and there but that about sums up New Year's and year end festivals for me. Since it is almost 桜 (cherry blossom) season, be prepared for more entries yet to come concerning Spring festivals and the like. Love!
As another Better Late Than never post ends, another begins. This time we are flashing back to my triathlon last summer which took place on the small island of Oshima in Nagasaki prefecture.
July 17, 2011
It started out like any other weekend. Friday evening I hung out with K and S around my house then woke up early Saturday morning to begin my road trip with S (this one is Japanese) toward Nagasaki prefecture where the race would take place. Before I talk about the race though, I want to preface this major check on my bucket list with a little background information.
For those of you who don't know, my arrival in Japan in August of 2010 was surrounded by turmoil in my life. I look back at pictures of myself then and think I must have been pretty unhappy. In March of that year I broke out of a four and a half year relationship, in May I graduated college and in July I moved home to throw most of my tangible memorabilia away and pack for a journey I was both excited and scared to take. It's no wonder I wound up with some ulcers in October of that year. These factors, combined with a generally change-friendly (flexible) personality made my transition back to "sportsman" (how my Japanese kids describe me now) a relatively easy to follow course (although a big boost from K really got me going on the process).
That being said, when I finished up the marathon in December and finally began to compete again starting around March (winter hiatus), it was all I could do to stop myself from running all the time. I had become an addict. My sister and mother will tell you that addictive personalities are a family trait and be it booze, gambling, smoking, or working - we quickly latch onto addictions when they make themselves available. So when I tell you that I am addicted to “いい汗をかく” (working up a good sweat) maybe you will understand a little better. It's more than the runner's high or hitting your stride because I have found that I can hit these states in other sports as well, but it has really become a type of meditation for me. I have presented this sentiment to two of the most spiritual people I know before essentially posing the theory out loud so hear me out.
I mentioned before I associate with no set religion. But, I have been meditating for years for the purpose of relaxation and self awareness. In college when I didn't have the solitude or drive to meditate regularly I tried to channel that energy into a semi-private yoga class I participated in once a week. Sometimes I actually felt like it was working. When I came to Japan in the midst of the aforementioned turmoil, I found myself so overwhelmed with my new environment that even if I had the drive to meditate, I found I couldn't clear my mind enough to find release.
Once running became routine, I found my mind beginning to wander on the longer runs to the point that I would no longer need to consciously think. My breathing became natural, almost relaxed and the sound of my own shoes tapping the pavement became no more than a whisper as my mind cleared and I released myself into the run.
Needless to say, after a few times of reaching this almost ethereal state, I had found my new meditation. Now, this doesn't happen every time that I run, and I can't even say that it happens sometimes. Rather, I could probably count its occurrence on my fingers. But you do begin to wonder if there are other ways to reach this state. I had a friend from college who I met up with recently describe a similar feeling while fighting kung-fu. He said of course it rarely happens but the sensations described were so similar to mine it was uncanny. You become one with yourself, time and your surroundings as much as you become separated and move beyond these things.
So you may be beginning to wonder how my triathlon has anything to do with this alleged nirvana. Well, I have always loved swimming. I anxiously await swim season here in Japan to the point that the gym teacher has actually made me a calendar outlining the cleaning, opening and closing schedule of the pool for this year and next. I am truly an ocean child. Water practically calls to me and Japan is torture for me once the public pools close for winter, and in April when I ran my last race of the running season it was all I could do to keep my clothes on until the pools startes opening again.
Knowing I wanted to maintain my current level of fitness but also curious still about whether I could reach my trance state in any other way, I began a rigorous training program for the triathlon. It gave me a break from the daily grind of studying for MCAT (which I might actually have been better off studying more for) and the chance to enjoy the beautiful weather outside after a winter of isolation.
Having never competed in anything like a triathlon before, I trained the only way I knew how - swimming, biking and running as much as possible. I swam in the school pool on breaks, ran when I got home in the afternoon and biked on weekends when I could get my hands on one. The trip home helped me a bit too since I didn't have to work and could study and exercise all day.
Overall, by the time the triathlon rolled around I felt pretty good about my preparation (more than I could say about the MCAT a few months later) and so when I got into the car with S on our way out to Nagasaki I was in a good place. We drove uneventfully to Oshima island where the event was to be held and with the remainder of daylight, drove the course. That good feeling I was talking about evaporated. The bike course (40km) was twice around the island. Up and down and up again. Considering most of my training for the bike section had been in Florida (NO MOUNTAINS) I about cried when I say all the hills (which looked like mini-mountains in my trembling mind).
We slept a fitful night in the car, both out of nervousness and because it was damn hot and woke up early the next morning to a slowly filling parking lot and a bright, shiny sun. Thinking about it now almost makes the snow outside my window as I write this feel welcome... almost. By the way, as I write this, the first snow of the year is falling.
After a quick dip in the water to get my wetsuit on, a few encouraging texts from family and friends and some juice for energy (I couldn't keep any food down because I was simply too nervous) I felt about as unready as possible when the gun finally fired. My tummy was rolling, head was reeling and I was feeling failure all the way down to my toes.
Just so you know, triathlons (Olympic distance anyway) have time limits. Thus part of the reason I was so nervous. The swim portion has X amount of time, bike - y, and run -z. If you don't finish each section within the time limit you are disqualified and unable to advance to the next stage. If you finish early, however, you can add that time to the next section. For my race, the 1.5km swim (about one mile) had one hour, the 40km bike (about 24 miles) an hour and 45 mins and the 10km run (about 6 miles) was given an hour. I finished the swim early which was good because I went a little over on the bike but overall finished with time to spare. It was far from easy, however, and I found out later that of the 500 or so participants, only me, S and about 15 others were tri-beginners. The rest ran from veterans to ironman competitors and all of them told us we did an excellent job just finishing. Of those 500 people only about 30 were women.
Yeah, the race was tough. The swim was in a bay in the middle of jellyfish season and thus every stroke had me pulling not just water but a small jellyfish. I wouldn't notice every inch of my skin left exposed by the lines of my wetsuit would be covered in jellyfish stings until a few days later. The bike, as I previously mentioned, was up big hills that I was untrained for, and the run was in the middle of summer heat where dehydration hit me like a brick. I look back and think I could definitely have worked harder because now I know it was my mind that bricked and not my body (I wasn't sore the next day), but you learn from these mistakes and the experience. There is always this summer.
And someday... I too will be a veteran and an ironman. Someday soon. Love.
By the way, I have much better control of my body and mind than I did then. Meditative/trance states come more often and I can hit it during swimming and biking as much as running now. There really is power in the mind.
Also, I have no pictures from this event (I think both S and I forgot to bring our cameras) but here is a link to the results page if you are interested. My name is listed in Japanese as ファイフ ニコール: http://www.osy.co.jp/triathlon/results01.php
Hello world. I am here, I promise. But I will need to ask your forgiveness again for an undetermined amount of time while I get things sorted out here. I just got back from Hokkaido for my first ski trip, am juggling training for a marathon which is in three short weeks, studying for the MCAT, spending time with friends and actually doing the job I am paid to do. Japan has been so busy for me this year, which I am infinitely thankful for because I am getting the most wonderful opportunities to experience things here, but it gives me less free time than I need to keep up on this blog as I would like. Gah, it was so much easier in the beginning.
Don't fret though! I am keeping a written journal of all my great adventures and trying to keep on top of pictures and the like on facebook and my google album so everyone can keep abreast of my comings and goings... but as concerns my awesome entries, I will update as often as I can. I am so far behind now you may be getting doses of the past intermixed with the present but all I ask is patience and love.
Thanks friends (and family) and I will be back soon!
Where to begin? This was a huge ten day trip that I took with my neighbor S who is featured in many other blog posts, 3 other male teachers in Oita and a male friend from college. I am back in Japan now and even at work today (it is January 4th) but I keep getting asked to talk about the trip which in some ways was amazing and in others lonely and unfulfilling and in still other ways, enlightening. I tried to keep a journal throughout the journey so I could remember all the details but even that proved fruitless as we traveled, drank, played and explored so much that when I wasn't sleeping in my free time, I was shutting my eyes in the hopes of sleep.
On that note, I will try to go in chronological order of events but knowing myself, I will likely get sidetracked and lost in memories so bear with me because this is going to be a doozy!
December 23rd - Day One
S and I woke up bright and early to meet our ride to the station so we could set out on our adventure! We took a train to Fukuoka so we could catch our 11AM plane to Bangkok. After a short 5.5hour flight and lots of (free) booze to keep the jitters away [not to mention the best airline food I have ever had - fly Thai airlines!], we touched down in Bangkok in the late afternoon. Grabbing a taxi from the airport we headed straight to the hostel to meet up with JB, a friend from college who flew from Osaka the night before. Once the 6 of us were finally together, we checked in, settled in then immediately headed out for dinner. This first meal in Bangkok marked the beginning of a theorem we would try hard to find evidence of the in the days to come, as well as the first of many "inside" jokes which S would later turn into an entire album of songs to describe our, as they referred to it, 'epic journey'.
But, I am getting ahead of myself. We grabbed delicious local Thai food from a loosely defined 'restaurant' on a street corner (they threw up plastic chairs and collapsible tables in the evenings and cooked on a hot plate for a profit a few nights a week) and the boys broke into ceremonial beers to mark the start of the trip. Thailand sells beers pretty cheap (about 1 dollar for an ～800mL bottle with 5-6% alcohol) so this also marked the start of a continual state of drunkenness for most of my male company. Hey, it was vacation after all! My dinner was simple (rice noodles, bak choi, various sea animals and peanut sauce) but was simply delicious. The result of everyone's happy bellies was the plastic chair theorem mentioned earlier. The more plastic in the restaurant (versus metal or wooden furniture), the more delicious the meal. I think we only ate at a restaurant once where the chairs were wooden which hit the spot like its plastic chaired counterparts.
Khao San road
Post-dinner, S planned for us to meet up with an old friend of his from high school who happened to be in Thailand visiting a girlfriend for the holiday. Although they were so late we almost gave up, but when they finally showed up at the hostel and we took off for a night on the town, it turned out to be a blast They introduced us to Thai nightlife by taking us up a pretty famous street which caters to the foreign population and those Thai people interested in foreigners. We grabbed some Thai sweets (which I was too distracted to take pictures of), did some shopping and grabbed some plastic chairs at a bar patio in the sea of people to enjoy a bucket of drinks. Khao San (which I later realized is the name of this area) is renowned for its hopping night life any night of the week and was a very nice introduction into how much the Thai economy caters to and relies on foreign buyers and travelers to their cities. There were people advertising super strong and cheap bucket cocktails, English-speaking street vendors and tattoo parlors (thanks to Angelina Jolie and her traditional Thai tattoo, people have flocked to Bangkok to get the latest fashion in body ink and thus forced the locals to offer more of the service for cheap).
It was on this night as well where S got assaulted by a small girl selling roses and another showed up a short time later to do my hair. it was all very strange and poor S looked about ready to die between the embarrassment and the alcohol.
D and my's bucket of beverage
We eventually ended the night at a ping pong show where I bore witness to items being removed from vaginas that I had never even imagined as being possible (and honestly don't know why anyone would want to). <disclaimer> If sexual imagery and/or grotesquires (sp?) are offensive to you, please skip this paragraph. </disclaimer>
So, a ping pong show is called such because one of the acts involves a woman shooting ping pong balls out of her vagina. The other acts included smoking cigarettes, pulling out strings of decorations and drawing pictures, all using a vagina (which we should now just call the woman pocket). The most grotesque award was easily won by the woman who removed razor blades from her woman pocket (and smiled almost gladly when she proceeded to use the razors to cut up a sheet of paper) while most Guinness-like involved opening a non-twist top Coke bottle (she passed it around for the audience to try to open) using vaginal lips. [I am pretty convinced she had a can opener stowed away up there but still impressive and disturbing...] While most parts of the show were disturbing, some were also impressive. One woman pulled blacklight party streamers from her woman pocket to the thump of rock music and neon lights which was followed by a couple who had sex on stage (he wore a dildo with a condom on it) in a fit of crazy acrobatics. He literally did what we would later refer to as a 360 degree f#ck. Oh, I neglected to mention that this ping pong show (and what I learned later, all ping pong shows) was filled with older, chubby, unattractive women who looked as though they were like to either hurl or fall over from boredom while completing their acts on the stage. Although I can't blame them since they are literally cycling though the exact same stage events all night every night, it just added a whole new level of depression to the whole environment.
um... yeah.
Once the show was over I was ready to go home and although D (S's high school friend's Thai girlfriend) had told the cab driver to take us back, he still tried to get us all to a Go-go bar. The boys were pretty drunk by this point so I just told him I did not want to go so take me back first and if they wanted to go, fine. He still overcharged us to get back (Thai price vs foreigner price will be mentioned in a bit) but we all made it in one piece and of course the boys climbed out after me into the hostel.
December 24th - Day Two
Waking up pretty early the next morning, S and I headed out for a bit of exploring and ended up grabbing breakfast at an American diner not too far from our hostel. Although I had not envisioned waking up on Christmas Eve morning to a tomato Swiss cheese sandwich, it provided a very nice settler for an upset stomach and got the two of us started off right. S's high school friend from the night before (and the girlfriend D who I got along really well with) were planning to meet us in the afternoon to take us to the weekend market so we could get started off right in the city (and because most of us had not brought enough clothes to last the trip knowing things would be cheaper on this side of the world) so once the rest of our party got up and ready we headed out for the day. I got to do public transportation in Thailand (taxis and trains are so much cheaper than Japan!) and we spent most of the remaining afternoon haggling with shopkeepers and munching on Thai goodies and fruit.
Thai snacks - egg pancake
This seems like as good a time as any to mention haggling and pricing in Thailand. Everything is pretty cheap. 100 Thai baht is roughly equal to 3 dollars and one beer (for example) costs about 25 baht from a convenience store. Our hostel cost about 1,000 baht for three nights (30 dollars) to give you a more accurate scale. Now if you can get into a taxi and get him to turn on his meter or go to a shop where there are listed prices on items, you will likely get the same price for things as a Thai person. But, if you are in pretty much any other situation (including locally owned convenience stores and restaurants) they will likely charge you a higher price just for being a foreigner (or perhaps for not speaking Thai). When I went shopping with D, I received a noticeably cheaper price off the get-go (ie before haggling) and was thus able to negotiate down the price much lower than when I was shopping alone. She also got us more discounted cab fare, food items, and entrance fees than if we had simply walked in by ourselves. Interesting.
I still can't get over the special sign for the monks :-)
D's family invited us to dinner in the evening for Christmas eve and so S, JB and I went while leaving the other three boys to their own devices for the night. We had KFC, spaghetti, Thai curry, unrefined rice (long grain version of brown rice) and Thai pasta. We followed that with a bottle of vodka since everyone decided we were going to relax and I thought I might enjoy my vacation. Once we finished with dinner the six of us decided to hit up downtown Bangkok, particularly Patpong night market. D and I dropped the boys off at a strip club while we did a little more girls time (snacks and shopping) then when we were headed back on our way to another end of the market about an hour later, we found the boys drinking on the side of the street along with JC (another of my Oita boys). They said they had been kicked out of the club for not tipping enough (a pretty common experience here as like I said, the locals really try to get as much money from foreigners as possible). We decided then to go and meet D's sister at a club in another part of the city for a Christmas party. Clubbing for Christmas? My kind of fun!
The place turned out to be amazing! The girls got us into the club for a great price and it included two drinks a person so everyone was feeling buzzed and happy in time for the clock to chime in Christmas day. Santa even made an appearance and threw out little gifts. The night passed swiftly from there and before I knew it, we were headed back to the hostel, exhausted and happy.
Christmas eve dinner party
December 25th - Day Three
Although I woke up pretty early (I had planned to go for a run in the park), Aunt Flow kept me crippled in bed until early afternoon which was around the time the boys started getting up and moving. After the late start we all got going toward the dock where we had planned to take a boat tour around Bangkok for the day. The boat was fine and we got the tickets and boarded no problem. But once we got off the boat and headed toward the palace the complications arose. Apparently was had moved a little too slowly because by the time we arrived at the palace (3:30) it was closing/closed. Next to a sign warning us to be wary of 'wily strangers', a stranger dressed like a palace official offered us a ride in a tuk tuk for the "cheap money" price of 20baht (about 50 cents) which would take us to three major hotspots in the city.
Boat ride to palace - this monk was on facebook.
A quick interlude here to mention that the previous day another person staying at the hostel mentioned how he and his friends took a cheap tuk tuk ride to some sightseeing hotspots (sound familiar?) and ended up in a really expensive clothing store getting measured for suits they did not want to buy [look out for James' fashion]. It took a lot of effort and many angry threats before they managed to escape the store and this was not before being physically 'encouraged' to stay and buy a suit.
Long story short, the tuk tuk driver took us to a famous big Buddha statue in the city then once we finished looking at it (and in the case of JB, S, and the rest of the boys, defiling it) and got back to meet the driver she insisted on taking us shopping next. I told her to skip that because I did not want to go then when she kept arguing it would only take a few minutes and that she could get a gas stamp [it was just like that guy at the hostel said! - alarm bells ringing] we knew it was a tourist scam. I asked her the name of the place just to confirm and when she said James' fashion the boys and I hit the streets throwing the pre-determined amount of money into the tuk tuk. Well, it was not exactly thrown but we did high tail it out of there when she refused to skip out on the fashion visit.
Video of tuk tuk ride
Giant gold Buddha
Not having a map handy, we just meandered along the streets moving from street vendor to street vendor searching for the river and subsequently our boat but after about 30 mins we finally gave up and got directions. While we never actually made it back to the boat, we did accidentally wind up on the foreign road (Khao San) just in time for things to be picking up for the evening. I got a massage while the boys got some drinks at a bar (Thai massage is AMAZING and so cheap!) and after a bit of lounging around, we made our way back to the hostel to get ready for the evening. We did happen to spy Thai Elvis belting it out on stage as we made our way through the thicket back onto the street to hail a taxi. he was surprisingly good!
That evening the hostel had promised us free Christmas dinner for those who wanted to partake so while S and most of the boys (SH stayed behind with a bit of hangover as I recall) left to entertain themselves for the evening, I enjoyed a quiet night of fireworks and sweets at the hostel with the other misfits who had no other plans for Christmas day. I actually went out with a couple of my fellow backpackers to a movie just to make the celebration complete (No, I am not Jewish but usually my family gets sick enough of each other that once I was able to drive I would be forced out of the house with my sister and cousin to reign terror down on the cinema instead of the family). I discovered later that S and JB had met up with D and spent the evening doing actual fun stuff but I think I might have been better off for the rest since the next day...
December 26th
... we woke up pretty early to catch a flight to Surat Thani so we could begin our jungle adventure.
Thai Elvis
Our Guide, Rainy (I can include her name because you will never find her, haha), met us at the airport with a wonderful sign with my name on it (I really like it when there is a sign with my name on it - makes me feel special) and we exchanged formalities and money and got ourselves loaded into the car. Turns out it was a completely private tour just for the 6 of us so we had a private taxi bus (already paid for) to drive us wherever we wanted to go as well as an English speaking guide to help us out with anything and everything.
We embarked on our jungle adventure to limited fanfare but as the Japanese would say, with 'high tension' (we were excited). On the way to the dock where we would depart for the river hut where we would spend the night we stopped at a small street-side market to pick up snacks and parkas for the boys since it looked like rain. Rainy introduced us to some local fruits (Lychee, Rambutan, Langsat and Dragonfruit) and showed us how to peel and eat them so we could munch in the car and on the boat (she ended up buying us way too much and we were left with fruit stores for the rest of the trip which despite my best efforts eventually had to be thrown away).
Once at the dock we met our boat driver who would replace the bus driver as our primary means of transport for the next day and a half and there we were introduced to his boat which was fashioned in the traditional Thai style but had a strange engine clipped onto the back. Despite our reservations about riding in a 'vehicle' which looked to be propelled by half of a car engine missing some torques, the ride was pretty nice. The area of the river where we were staying was about an hour away from the dock and although it sprinkled and was cloudy most of the way, there was a lot to see.
Some of the mountains rising from the remains of the jungle
Rainy informed us that about 22 years ago, they moved all the villages out of this rain forest and then built a dam in order to provide power via hydroelectricity to the neighboring cities. Before that time, the area we were currently floating on was a sprawling, wild rain forest complete with lions, tigers and bears. Since the dam was built and water flooded into the area, the architecture of the land has undergone a complete metamorphosis. Now there is over 30m of water (much deeper in some parts) and all that remains of the rain forest is the mountainous areas and higher elevation plateaus sprouting up throughout the river. As you looked down over from the edge of the boat you can see the steadily decaying outline of the higher trees which once reached toward the sky but now reach only for some escape from the water as they brush gently against the bottom of the boat.
One hour and many pictures later, we arrived at the river huts to find a cute floating island of huts, toilets and kayaks complete with small dining area and snack counter. The boys saw to immediately buying beer while S decided to take a short nap until dinner time and our next adventure. Over the course of the rest of the daylight hours I explored the neighboring areas in a kayak, helped a local woman cut down and transport a tree, swam in the river and met a huge group of Thai college students. The latter occurred more out of coincidence than anything I did personally since the boys were hanging around and came to talk to me when I smiled at them, but it led to vast cultural exchange (see picture) and a couple of new facebook friends. Keep in mind the boys stayed out of all these activities except for the final one (I introduced the Thai boys to my Japan boys :-P) so I spent most of the day in personal mode.
Dinner time came and the boat house really impressed. They brought out this gluttonous feast for the six of us ranging from fresh caught fish fried in egg to huge bowls of rice and curry to sweet fresh fruit. It was incredible and easily the most delicious thing I ate in Thailand. [Sorry there are no pictures of this dinner but JC took them that night and his camera got lost before we made it back to Japan).
After dinner we were relaxing on the patio when I had to make a bathroom trip (this is quite a hike) and thus had to walk past the students sitting outside their communal hut (we had three two-person huts). they hollered greetings to me and invited me over for a drink. I conceded and then they invited the boys over for some partying and liquor. JB fit right in grabbing the bottle of rum and swigging it down and the night passed pretty quickly from there. Once the booze began to run dry we moved back to our table where we talked over lightly playing music from JC's ipod until I got too tired and eventually retired (well I also was not intoxicated and the boys had begun to take a route in their conversation I found distasteful - mainly the idea that woman don't deserve rights). I found out the next day that the boys got yelled at about their music being too loud at too late of a time by a German couple which would eventually also be added to S's growing list of musical literature to be made into a song. December 27th
The next day we planned to wake up around 5 for a boat safari but Rainy came later than planned due to the sun rising pretty late and cloudy weather. We still got to see some cool stuff including lots of monkeys, really fast but beautiful kingfishers and a small bear. Also got to enjoy the sunrise over the mountains and a happy morning on a boat in the water. Man I am really at home on the water.
We saw a bear on safari
After breakfast we took off on another adventure, this time to a nearby 'coral' cave, so named because the stalactites and stalagmites resemble underwater coral. It was a pretty cool cave and so we spent a while there taking tons of pictures.
Waiting on our boat was a monkey to guide us back. In case you didn't know (I didn't), Thailand is full of monkeys. They are simply everywhere. On roofs, in houses, in boats, on and under cars... I could go on. This particular monkey ran away after another group of tourists tossed it a banana and then we headed back to the boat house for what was sure to be a delicious last meal before setting off into the jungle.
With full bellies, full hearts and full luggage we began our boat ride back to the dock where we would grab our car and head to the new location about 30 minutes away (our guide and the car driver all came along and slept in the river huts with us). Before arriving at the tree houses we stopped first for a kayaking trip through the Khao Sok National park. It was less eventful than I thought it would be considering the most exciting thing we saw was a baby river monitor (it's mother ran away from us) and a couple of Kingfishers, but the boys got the chance to nap on the river and I got some eye candy in the form of the guy who paddled S's canoe. Tehe. About an hour into our ride we stumbled upon a rope swing hanging out over the water. Of course S and JB wanted to play so we stopped for a bit so they could jump in. Much to my delight, their kayak paddler also jumped in, yay!
Boat men!
Once we arrived at the end of the river, Rainy was waiting to pick us up in the van and after a short stop at a waterfall, (it was pretty dry on account of it being summer time but not rainy season) we finally got checked in. The tree houses were pretty awesome and included such amenities as a huge, cold shower (as in no hot water) room, three beds (I shared the room with JB but three was still a little unnecessary) and mosquito nets. They also came complete with monkeys who enjoyed jumping on roofs and cicadas whose mating calls sounded like the screams of fighting monkeys. Because it was a little late by the time we got settled in, we were forced to eat dinner at the lodge (although it did not have plastic chairs) and the boys sent Rainy on a beer run in the van since she had to get a few things anyway.
We passed the night playing cards and drinking (tea in my case) until everyone finally was tired enough to block out nature. Well, I say that but actually I loved the sounds of the trees blowing, monkeys jumping and bugs hollering but I could see how some people would find it annoying and the boys mentioned many times how it was quite difficult to fall asleep for all the noise. Lucky for me I have a few videos of the noise that I can hopefully listen to when I am feeling nostalgic.
The tree house
December 28th
After a short run with S to get our blood pumping, we got started on our day pretty early so we could be there first since this was the much awaited elephant riding day! I would love to go into immense detail about the feel of the elephant between my thighs while I clutched onto his coarse skin prickled with rough, plastic like hair in place of any discernible rein. But, I don't have the vocabulary or the stamina. Haha. Regardless, the trip consisted of two parts - there and back. I rode on the elephant's neck on the way there and SH had it on the way back. Otherwise, we sat in the saddle on his back. Riding an elephant bareback feels much the way I would imagine riding any other animal bareback would feel. I tried my best not to put my knees all over his ears and keep my feet away from his legs (my inseam spanned the whole of his head such that my sandal fell just below his leg joint) but the position took some getting used to. As did having nothing to grab onto!
I am so happy I got to have this experience because it was really wonderful and I thanked the elephant profusely with lots of banana's when we finished the trip. I also tried to thank the trainer but found out later I was supposed to thank him with money. Oops.
Once we got back to the tree houses, we trekked to a cave not too far away. A guide from the lodge led the way and the path took us through plantations and fields in what looked to be some banana tycoon's backyard. I got my first and last injury on the trip there when I got caught by a vine around the ankle and couldn't escape before it tasted my blood. That sounded a little carnivorous but since I saw my first real live carnivorous plant (see video) while on this walk, the imagery felt appropriate.
The cave itself was pretty dark and dank offering nothing too special except once you descended to the bottom. There we found an underground pool which the guide said stretched for miles underneath the mountains but due to the possibility of flash floods (a group of tourists, guide and all, died just a few years prior in a flash flood when they got trapped in a cave) and the temperature of the water, no one can explore the water. I suspect discovery channel will get in there with their fancy cameras and cave divers someday.
Outside the cave we found some very tame monkeys and when we purchased food from a nearby stand at Rainy's request, we proceeded to feed and pet them. I immediately fell in love with the adorable baby monkey hanging onto mommy's tummy who I managed to get two pictures of before she was whisked away.
Although we had planned to spend the rest of the afternoon swimming, when I touched the water at the swimming area, I changed my mind and decided instead to wander off by myself and get a massage. It was everything I had hoped for and an hour later I went off to explore a bit of the area around our hotel that I had run by in the morning (mainly searching for a flower I had been hankering to take a picture of). I eventually stumbled upon the boys at a convenience store/restaurant/massage parlor getting a treatment of their own and helped myself to a smoothie waiting for them. We stayed there for dinner and the plastic chair theorem held true yet again as we enjoyed wonderful, homemade food and company before returning to our pleasantly noisy rooms.
I again excused myself early since I prefer sleeping to drinking on vacation and found out later the boys stayed up late talking.
Elephant Riding!
December 29th
The next morning we checked out of our adventure tour and took our bus on it's final journey to drop us off in Phuket. Rainy suggested a few touristy places that the guys jumped right on so we ended up spending the day with her again while she told the bus driver where to take us. We saw the giant Phuket Buddha (which was actually a gift for the 60th anniversary of the King of Thailand's rule) and went to a gift shop where they sold more expensive versions of local made products, then we dropped the boys off at a gun range and cobra show while Rainy and I sat outside.
The students and CT!
During the time the show was going on (about an hour), Rainy kind of broke down and told me the long and sad story of her life up to now. Not knowing what to say or how to react I simply listened and did my best to respond with all the expected small talk I had learned from studying Asian culture. I won't repeat the things she told me because that is her private business but suffice it to say that she reminded me of some principles I knew as a child that I find difficult to keep at the forefront of my thoughts. Basically that 'everything really does happen for a reason' and 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'. These phrases are so cliche but so true. She has been through a lot of things I can't really relate to, and she continues to fight against enemies both real and imagined to carve a place in her harsh landscape of inconsistency but overall she maintains that she is and will continue to be happy. Both for herself and her daughter.
Expensive but pretty lunch
The sum of this conversation came down to me wishing my sister could be there to hear all of this. I won't lie and say we had a rough childhood because after seeing some of the things I have seen in life up to now and the story I heard from Rainy and other people I have met, it was pillows and rainbows. But people are usually blindsided from things they don't experience so as children, my sister and I thought we were incredibly unlucky. In hindsight, I would not have my childhood any other way because I learned so many lessons in life that I think have made me a better person and set me on the path I am on now (which I am biased in thinking is the right path). Regardless, I look back on those times when I was younger and laugh at how silly I was pitying myself or being down on my luck. I literally laugh sometimes. My sister is not so lucky as I am. She still thinks she is on the outs. That life could not get any worse and the world is out to get her. I look back toward my adventure in Thailand in particular and know that I have more material wealth than 2/3rds of the population of that nation (and although JET pays pretty well I am far from wealthy) - but if I can be 2/3rds as happy as those poor, impoverished Thai people, I will count myself blessed.
The Big Buddha Phuket
I wish I could teach my sister (and I am sure many other people I will meet/have met in life - some of whom are in the teacher's room with me now) how lucky she is, how lucky we all are. As an adolescent I was always reminding myself that there was always someone who had it worse than me - but I now I coming to realize that perhaps some of those people actually have so much more than me. In America we are told it is the land of dreams where we can be anything and anyone we want. Will Smith would have us believe we can also come up from nothing in our own 'pursuit of happiness.' Well, perhaps it is our lack of poverty and our clean lives that take us father away from our own happiness but I for one will not let it stop me. Sister, listen up! It isn't about what we have or don't have (even my Japanese students remind me of that when they say they don't want or need anything for Christmas because they have more than they could ever want now - and they are all poor farmers) - it's about how we choose to see the world around us. So here's to having all the love I need, and the love and good wishes I am sending Rainy's way.
And, back to topic... the boys finished their cobra show while I was swallowing down my epiphany and we headed out to lunch. I think Rainy wanted to get a little bit more out of us before she dropped us off so she took us to an expensive seafood restaurant where she got to eat downstairs in the kitchen. the food was not even very good though as the pictures will show you, at least looked pretty. We are still pretty convinced she must have gotten a gas stamp and this trip was somehow related to our dodging out on the tuk tuk/James fashion scheme.
The water was a beautiful below as above
After doing a few more errands with the van, mainly money changing, we said our goodbyes to Rainy and got all checked into our hotel in Phuket. The night passed uneventfully as we were all pretty tired and most of the shops and the like outside our hotel closed pretty early.
December 30th
As Rainy's final favor to us, she helped us book a beach tour for this day. It was an all day boating adventure which would take us around to a couple of major tourist spots and let us snorkel and relax on the beach. Or so we thought. It turned into this horrible tourist driven time trial where every location had an exact time table and hundreds of people crowded onto the beach at the same time to soak in the tropical sunlight.
Despite the boats it was incredibly beautiful
While the beach was really beautiful, I had trouble enjoying it for the crowds and it more often than not turned into me and one of the boys swimming far out into the swimming area and floating around on the particularly salty ocean water. The weather was beautiful and as my sun blistered nose can attest, there was plenty of vitamin D to go around but it just was not the same as I had pictured it in my mind. I was even depressed by the coral which was really beautiful and nice until a nearby tourist kicked furiously (and unknowingly) at a patch with his fins and I swam away a little depressed. [They really should warn stupid tourists to avoid touching the coral at all costs].
Anyway, after a long and surprisingly stressful day, we got back to the hostel full of nothing more than fruit and tainted pictures of other tourists in time to shower and take a quick nap before our night out - watching Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing).
As a side note real quick, S still found it in his heart to make the trip complete by offending the most German looking man and his family such that the man cornered him in the bathroom and confronted him about it. Sigh, boys and their imaginary fight with Germans (if you recall it all arose from the raft house when they got scolded for having their music too loud).
The famous Maya Bay beach
Muay Thai was pretty interesting. It was my first time ever seeing real fighting and I can honestly say I really hope I never find myself in a situation where I have to defend myself physically. Suffice it to say that I am glad I went and had the experience (you can see a collected video here) but I would not like to go again. The most interesting part of the experience for me was chatting with a couple of professional fighters while we waited for our tickets. They were in Thailand training and wanted to see the fight because there was a foreign woman fighting a Thai woman as the headlining fight. Prior to the main event though were various aged children kicking the crap out of each other which was honestly just not my thing.
Muay Thai
December 31st
Shopping at a Thai market
Sleeping in a bit for once, while one of the boys went off to do a cooking class, me and some three of the others went for a long walk to the weekend market which turned out to be expensive and filled with foreigners. It all about summer up our observations that Phuket is just really not the place to go if you want real Thailand. Or at least not during the winter high season. All the shopkeepers spoke English well enough and there were no plastic chairs. I even was so upset about the price of a shirt that I mentioned too loudly that I could find the same item for half the price in Bangkok. The shopkeeper actually laughed and said he was aware because that was where he bought it from.
Leaving the market with lighter wallets but not much fuller bags, we went back to the hostel to make plans for how to ring in the New Year. The boys all voted to ditch the beach idea because of the fear of fat, speedo-clad tourists lounging on the beach and instead hit up a local Thai hotspot to ring in the new year. CT (the last of my boys who I have not mentioned by initial yet :-P) returned from his cooking class with directions to a local Thai New Year's party where foreigners would not be going. We arrived after getting a ride from a guy who worked at a convenience store beside our dinner restaurant (no plastic chairs but still a pretty delicious dinner complete with mushrooms the Thai call 'Jew's ears'). After joining the swarming flood of Thai people in what looked to be a huge night market, we let ourselves get lost in the smells and crowds, content to simply let Thailand be.
As the New year approached, we found ourselves thankful for S's friend making skills, as he had made friends with people in a shop down a less crowded street where we ended up celebrating the beginning of 2012 with their adorable little girls who ran circles around us with sparklers. Although I would have been happy to hit the beach after that for a last minute dip in the ocean, due a ridiculously early flight the next morning, we opted to head back.
January 1st
After negotiating a ride in the back of a stranger's van, we spent the majority of our last morning singing S's new album (he wrote an entire album about our trip in Thailand) outside the hostel. I left the boys pretty early (past 2 AM) to get a little shut eye since we had to catch our taxi at 5:30 in the morning to get to the airport for our plane.
It seems as though someone was out to get us because I didn't wake up (miraculously no one's alarm went off) and we would have completely missed the taxi and our flight if it had not been for the hostel lady who pounded on our doors for a while until I eventually left dreamland behind and instead dashed off in all directions getting the boys together to depart. I will never forget S's face as he sprinted down the hallway in his underwear to make sure the boys were awake (I didn't have the heart to tell him I had already done much the same thing about 2 mins prior). To our great fortune, we made the plane with plenty of time to spare after heartily tipping the taxi driver (since we were over an hour late meeting him) and got into Bangkok uneventfully.
Once we arrived into Bangkok, we saw JB off for his morning flight then headed into the city to pass the day at D's place with her sister and mom. Although I had hoped to be able to visit the castle for the day, I was still unable to do so because it was closed on account of it being a weekend. Bummer! Instead, I did get to spend some time with D while we did a bit of last minute shopping and gluttony. I even got to ride a bike taxi for the second time (the first was when me, S and JB took one to D's place to Christmas Eve dinner)! Since everyone was pooped, once D and I got back to the house we just played a couple of board games with whoever wanted to play and passed the time munching on food provided by her mom and talking. It was a nice way to pass what would have otherwise been a likely poor final day in Bangkok.
January 2nd
Because we had a 1AM flight we technically left D's house on the 1st but I wanted something to write here. I slept the entire plane ride back to Japan and woke up in time to watch the sun rise over the land of the rising sun. Nice way to begin the year and a nice way to end this incredibly long blog entry! Love!
I am a recent college graduate who is currently residing in the small city of Kitsuki in Oita prefecture, Japan for 3 years to teach English. I have a degree in Japanese as well as one in Microbiology but I will be teaching English. I am using this blog as a means to keep my family and friends updated but also to help future JETs on their journey. Enjoy!
Year two down and year three looking bright. I miss my friends who have already headed home but I am working hard to make a life for myself here or back home as my paths are laid out for me. Here's to tough but fulfilling decisions!
