Son of Higashi

Looking Ahead

2011-11-06T22:58:00.002+09:00

With just under nine months left on my contract with the Higashi Village Board of Education, I have started putting a lot of thought into what I am going to do next year come August. I have two lists, one full of things I want to do and one full of things I will probably be able to do. I want to use these next nine months to move items from the "want" list to the "be able to" list.

To give you an idea of what I've been thinking, here's a short list:

spend some months cycling across Japan, north to south, performing something of a farewell before figuring out what comes next;
get back into music, specifically voice;
learn to program, because I like computers and want to be able to utilize them more so than I am now;
perhaps obtain an English teaching certification in a country where I could also spend time learning that country's language; and
most importantly, make sure that whatever I decide to do I enjoy it and look forward to it everyday.

Nine months is such a short amount of time, but it's a great time. Looking ahead to what comes next is exciting, though I do sometimes feel a little trepidation about my uncertain future. A good state of mind helps, though, realizing that no matter what I choose, as long as I work hard at doing what I love, I will enjoy it.

Four Years Ago

2011-06-11T07:47:00.003+09:00

It's been four years since I've been back to the US since coming to Okinawa.

I'm heading back for a combination of reasons. The impetus for the trip came from my friend Dougal who is getting married on June 19th. Before and after the wedding, I will be meeting up with family in a couple of different locations. It's going to be fun!

I leave for the airport in a couple of hours and I can't help but think about how different my hometown will be or what it's going to feel like to be surrounded by English for a full two weeks.

While I'm back, I will be taking lots of photos and video to document the trip. I plan on showing my students a little bit of what it's like in the US through this amateur documentary. Of course, as I get the time, I'll upload some of what I capture for your enjoyment as well.

Alright, off to Naha!

Akashobin

2011-06-09T15:37:00.006+09:00

Today, there was quite a ruckus after fourth period class right before lunch. It turns out a bird (known here as akashobin, or ruddy kingfisher) had flown into the school, smacked against a window, and found itself not so much capable of immediately flying back out. Students and teachers gathered around, nobody willing to take the first step in getting the bird to safety.

I offered to pick the bird up and carry it outside (I have done this before at the same school with a different bird), but the bird kept nipping at my fingers and flying around a bit. He ended up in the entrance to the men's bathroom. I eventually borrowed a student's towel, lightly grasped the bird, and carried him outside to a large platform surrounded by potted plants. I'm not sure if he made it away, but I hope so. It was quite a beautiful bird to see up close (can you see the purple on it's back?)

Here's a shot I took before picking the bird up and getting him out of the men's bathroom.

Monday, May 23, 2011 @ 8:29 in the evening

2011-05-23T21:03:00.002+09:00

The problem with having no idea about what to write is that writing comes difficultly (and reads like shit). I stare at the screen and I see a huge white swath of nothing and it intimidates me. Am I to fill that entire space with coherent prose and something worth reading? Is it enough just to type until the white is lessened and the black is increased? How presumptuous of me to assume that the text would be entered in black and not, say, a much more vibrant color such as green or purple. Though I suspect green would be harder to read. I’m not sure if there would be much of a difference between black and purple.

Would there be anything really different about words typed in purple as opposed to words typed in black? What if I were to type the words in black and then change the color of the text in its entirety to purple with a few clicks of a button? Who could tell, other than a key logger, that I had not entered all the text in purple? An easy deception it would be, one that could only be discovered if I were to grant access to the truth of my method.

I can’t remember the last time I wrote anything of significant length. Perhaps the last document of such volume was my statement of purpose that I submitted as part of my application to the JET Programme back in 2006. That was so long ago. Almost five years since I took my trip around the world. Almost five years since I got back to Chicago and realized that a future in banking regulation was not the path that I wanted to follow. Almost five years ago when I submitted the successful application that eventually found its way to a board of education willing to hire me with little more than a hunch about what kind of person I was. I wonder if they realize how much I polished and perfected that essay. I wonder if any of the contracting organizations understand what they are getting themselves into when they extend that offer of faith to an unknown future employee.

How well it did work out in my case. When I came to Japan as a participant of the JET Programme, I promised myself that I would stay at least two years. One year seemed too short of a time frame to get to know the place. Two years would be better, I thought. Oh, the unexpected occurrences and the uncertainties about what I was spending my time here doing! Who knew that my decision to stay a third year would be decided on a whim, simply because my boss had caught me off-guard with the question of whether I wanted to stay or not? Who knew that my situation – rather, my state of mind – would improve to the point where even though I was working 15-20 classes week, I enjoyed them more and found a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment? Who knew that I would stay the maximum length of time allowed by my contract, only to enter into the final year with uncertainties as to what comes afterward? I certainly didn’t.

I can’t tell if I’m in one of my annual lulls right now, bringing me down a bit. Not to mention the poorly timed development of a new interest that might just conflict with other interests. One would think that with all the free time afforded me by my relatively lax schedule, that I would be taking advantage of all sorts of growth opportunities. For example, studying Japanese seems like a worthwhile goal, doesn’t it? I’m in the perfect place for learning it. Not a day goes by where I don’t use Japanese. How many people would enjoy the privilege of being in my position? I get paid well, my work is not stressful, my expenses are low, and I live on a subtropical island whose natural beauty is readily accessible, whose culture relishes an easy pace of life, and whose traditional martial art of karate has inspired me to do more than just show up to practice a few times a week.

So what’s my problem? What is it about this recent emotional funk that is so hard for me to get out of? Is it the fact that I live so far away from large populations of people? I don’t think so. Living in a city would not automatically solve the problem that is my current discontent. Is it a recent loss, and the frustrating situations that follow? Is the lack of a distinct purpose overshadowing me and making it seem like the future has nothing in store for me? What am I going to be doing a little more than a year from now? What if I choose something that seems interesting now, but in a year turns into drudgery? I know I’m not the first person in the world to face these problems, this lack of self-confidence. But it’s the first time for me.

For Northern Japan?

2011-03-29T21:21:00.004+09:00

Tonight (Tuesday) I went to the store after karate, as always. I slowly made my way through the aisles, picking out some fruit, tofu, and a few other things. I made my way over to the dairy section and saw this card covering up the prices for certain items that were no longer stocked on the shelf.
At first glance, I thought perhaps it was an announcement about how the store had pledged some of their supplies to the communities up north in their time of need. What a noble cause that would be, to sacrifice profits for the good of those in a situation many of us would hope to never find ourselves.

Here's what it actually says:
"To our dear customers...

Regarding Grocery Supplies effected by the North-Eastern Japan Pacific Earthquake.

We thank you shopping with us today. We'd like to inform you that as a result of the recent earthquake, some of our groceries will not be re-stocked on time. We kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation and we will pass along the information regarding their arrival as soon as possible."

So it seems my hope in humanity wasn't completely fulfilled. It's just a simple announcement that some of their goods weren't going to be arriving for a while. It did make me stop and think about what I really needed, about the daily "needs" I have and how important I think they are.

Over one hundred thousand people are homeless and in temporary living arrangements in one of the coldest regions of Japan. I don't think anybody would argue that when compared to a situation like that, a few dozen people in Okinawa can go without their yogurt for a few weeks.

Friday, March 11th Northern Japan Earthquake

2011-03-12T12:46:00.009+09:00

Edit: live streams of Japanese news channels, for those interested.
Ustream
News

As you know by now, a high-magnitude earthquake occurred in Japan on Friday afternoon. At 2:46 p.m., about 130km (~80 miles) off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture (宮城県), and located 10km beneath the earth's crust, the quake registered a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale (edit: the quake is now reported as an 8.8, the largest quake in Japan's recorded history). Japan uses another scale to indicate the severity (damage potential) of quakes, ranging from 1 to 7, in ascending order of severity. This was a 7.

[Don't worry about not understanding the Japanese - the illustrations are accurate]

Immediately after the earthquake struck, tsunami warnings were issued and soon all television channels were broadcasting warnings of an imminent tsunami that would affect most of the east coast of Japan. Locations nearest the epicenter were warned to expect waves up to 6 meters, and in at least one location, 10 meters. In addition, aftershocks of fairly high intensity continued throughout the rest of the day and into Saturday morning, making it hard for anyone experiencing the quake to find any sense of real comfort.

[The quake map, showing just how widespread the shocks of the quake were]

[At the time of this post, the latest tsunami warning had been issued at 3:20 a.m.]
(× = epicenter, red = 3 meters+, orange = 2-3m, yellow = 0.5m)

Japan has learned well from experience. Living on the edge of so many tectonic plates means that Japan is one of the most seismically active locations in the world. Aside from the physical protections offered by tide walls and automatic gating systems that can be closed to further protect vulnerable locations, they really excel at getting people to safety.

As we have fire drills in the U.S., Japan runs earthquake and tsunami drills. Each village, town, and city has designated evacuation routes and gathering spots. The municipal announcement systems (large-scale PA systems) are also extremely useful in disseminating crucial information to residents quickly. These systems surely save lives. Unfortunately, there is no foolproof way to predict the nature of a tsunami, especially one caused by one of the largest quakes in Japan's recent history.

Today the news is covering the destruction caused by the tsunami. Prefectures located on the eastern seaboard of northern Japan (Iwate, Miyagi, and Ibaraki) are reporting increasing numbers of dead, injured, and missing persons. The latest reports predict over 1400 casualties and/or missing persons. Many thousands of people are in evacuation shelters, households are without power (and will be for many days), and transportation in some areas has been brought to a halt.

[Iwate prefecture reports 215 dead, 214 missing]

A nuclear power plant in Fukushima prefecture has reported a radiation leak and has been shut down. Though the shutdown leaves many without power in one of the countries colder regions, it is a necessary step to prevent the spread of radiation.

The effects of this earthquake and tsunami are going to be felt by many for a long time. Power must be restored, damage must be repaired, and cleanups must be performed. The burden this is going to place on the affected towns and cities is heavy. But the financial and the monetary loss cannot compare to the loss of life and the suffering that many will be experiencing due to the deaths and injuries caused by this disaster.

31

2011-03-03T23:24:00.002+09:00

I am a little disappointed in myself that my last post was over a month and a half ago. January 14th. Really?

There are no excuses.

Today, I turned 31. Well, at least according to the timezone that I'm currently living in. If you were to find yourself in the timezone in which I was born (EST), I would still not be born (but my mother would be going through some early labor pains, I'm sure).

Busy is a word that I would use to describe my day. An almost full day of classes, though three of them were less like class and more like a celebration - a number of last classes for several of the kids I teach. There was a scrabble game / wasabi treat game (everyone picks a cream puff, some of which are loaded with wasabi - deadly!) / brownie-eating class (one of the boys in that class shares my birthday). There was the special student class, where he prepared meals by himself for himself, his teacher, the Japanese teacher of English, and me - a final celebratory meal if you will. And there was the elementary class that didn't go as planned, but turned out to be more fun than what the plan called for.

This evening, I met up with a great group of guys at the Nago A&W, chilled for a few hours, ate two scoops of Baskin Robbins 31 flavors ice cream (this year's goal - eat all 31 flavors for all 31 years of life!), and had a good number of laughs, many of which were definitely not safe for use in public, but such is the benefit of speaking English in a country where English is not well known.

And now, just before bed, I am looking forward to the remaining 18 months or so on the JET Program here in Higashi. If things go well, I will leave Higashi satisfied with my time spent here, an advanced level of ability in the Japanese language, a solid grasp of the fundamentals of karate (and the black belt as indication), and a heartfelt appreciation for the five years spent here and the countless little paths and influences that came into my life before now to make this experience possible.

So with 31 years accrued in this body, I can look back at what I remember and be happy and content. And with, what I hope are, many more to come, I can look forward and imagine all the joy waiting to be had.

PS - Happy Birthday to Shan, my 3/3 birthday friend. I hope you had as great a day as I did here.

About Higashi

2011-01-14T12:00:00.002+09:00

I've been in Japan for almost three and a half years. And I realized I have never really given a good overview of some of the more basic aspects of my daily life. For example, what each of my three schools are like, how they differ. Or a mention of what kinds of activities I get involved in during my free time.

So for the start of this year, I've come up with a list of topics I'll be touching on over the next several posts. Here's a list, in no particular order at the moment:

Higashi: what kind of place is it?
My Schools: Higashi, Arume, and Takae
My Perspective of Life as an Assistant Language Teacher
Living in the Inaka (or rural area)
Okinawan Karate: Shuri Sho-Rin Ryu (首里少林流）
Studying Japanese (And How to Keep if Fun)
Okinawa vs. Mainland Japan: how are they different?

It's my hope that through posts like this, you'll get an idea of - very brief as it may be - of how things are going in Higashi.

Aside from that, Happy New Year!

Cold Outside

2010-11-16T23:30:00.003+09:00

Woohoo! 200th blog post.

Anyway, it's gotten cold in Okinawa. What's cold?

There's no official measure, but to me it's the feeling of having to wear long sleeve shirts and long pants to stay warm, even in my own home.

Granted, the temperature is more likely somewhere around the lower-60s, but in Japan (especially in my teachers' housing) lack of insulation and heating systems makes even mild temperatures sometimes feel downright cold.

In a few weeks, I'll probably break out the little electric stove heater I have. It's not very effective at heating much space, but it will keep a pair of feet hotter than you can imagine. There's always the food angle, too. Hot tea, hot oatmeal, and hot cooked foods.

Despite welcoming the mild chill, there's one thing I don't miss that much - snow. I don't mind visiting places where it falls, but I currently prefer not to have it fall where I live.

Changing of the Seasons

2010-11-01T18:44:00.003+09:00

The season has changed noticeably in Okinawa. It's gotten cooler here in the past week or so.

Some other things have changed as well...

It was the lynchpin of my Halloween costume.

No Longer Indebted

2010-10-29T09:13:00.003+09:00

I am happy to report that, as of today, October 29, 2010, I am debt free.

Supertramp Loan Servicing:

First Disbursement Date	Loan Program	Current Balance
2003-07-02	SUBSIDIZED CONSOLIDATION LOAN	$0.00
2003-05-13	UNSUB CONSOLIDATION LOAN	$0.00

Total Current Balance:		$0.00

The payment scheme I adopted for my student loans has varied over the past few years. When I worked in Chicago, I paid more than the minimum payment. But I put a lot more of my money into investment accounts, since the interest rates back then meant that I was earning more money than I was paying on my loans.

After coming to Japan, that changed. Interest rates crashed, investments were losing money, and in a practical sense, investing from abroad became harder to do. So I shifted my priority to paying off my debt. I slowly ramped up the payment amounts, looking for ways to squeeze my budget to make it happen.

When I passed below the $10,000 debt mark, I made a concerted effort to pay the loan off as quickly as possible. I was helped by the rise of Japan's yen against the dollar, meaning that a transfer for 100,000 yen, typically understood to be about $1,000, would turn into something closer to $1,200 or $1,250. These little "bonuses" helped the loan drop more quickly than expected.

And so last week, I submitted my loan payoff payment of $1,233.55 and eliminated my debt.

There were no fireworks. No special feeling, really. Just the realization that from now on all the money I was paying to a lender I can now pay to myself. And the savings are going to be fantastic.

Brown

2010-10-12T21:11:00.004+09:00

初段
準初段 (black)
１級
２級 (brown)
３級
４級 (green)
５級
６級 (yellow)
７級
８級 (orange)
９級
10級 (blue)
初級 (white)

証

二級　ヴォーン　ワーイス
右の者頭書の通り允許す
平成二十二年　九月二十九日
首里少林流空手道円武館
名護道場
館長　平良英世

Certificate
Level 2 V. W.
This is to certify that named
has achieved the stated rank
September 29th, 2010 (Heisei 22)
Shuri Sho-Rin Ryū Karate-Dō Enbukan
Nago Dōjō
Master Hideyo Taira

茶色帯
Brown belt

Green Flash

2010-09-28T21:25:00.003+09:00

Monday evening, I drove down to Yomitan to meet up with a Couchsurfing friend who I had the honor of meeting for only 10 minutes some months ago. We've been keeping in touch through email and she invited me down for an evening of snorkeling on her dad's boat, dinner afterwards, all with the company of a cool Brazilian couple who I hosted a few nights before.

View Larger Map

We boated up the coast from the port to Cape Zanpa. It was on the way that I saw the green flash.

It took me almost two hours to get from Higashi to Yomitan, so the sun was pretty close to setting when we left the port. But that was perfect.

As the sun was getting close to the horizon, my friend asked me, "Have you ever seen a green flash?" No, never. Is it real?

And I soon found out. As the sun touched and melted into the horizon, it only took about a minute or two for the sun to get close to completely setting. Luckily, we had a very clear day with so few clouds in the sky, none of them obstructing the horizon. As the last part of the sun started to dip out of view, it happened.

A Green Flash.

It was amazing. It was brighter than what I would have imagined it to be. It was also very clear and very distinguishable. Something I had only seen in a movie I had finally seen with my own two eyes. And it was beautiful.

So I recommend that you, if you get the chance, watch a sunset on the water on a clear day. Chances are good that you'll see what I saw, a brilliant green flash, a crystal of sunlight, lasting just a moment, before disappearing. You won't be disappointed.

We also went snorkeling after sunset, which didn't allow us to see much in terms of fish or coral, but did give us a great view of bio-luminescence. Simply by moving your limbs in the water, the living organisms react to the motion of your hands and feet and illuminate briefly, swirling in dark water with dim green flashes. I had one little organism swirling in front of my mask for a few seconds - what a sight.

Back to School

2010-09-11T10:48:00.002+09:00

While students in the US are heading back to a new school year, students in Japan are returning from their summer break as well. But instead of starting a new year, they are simply starting their second term.

As it relates to me, coming back to school after the longish summer break (at my schools, it's just over a month) is refreshing. The kids are energetic, they've had a summer of putting off homework, having fun with friends, sometimes traveling to see relatives and whatnot. And during that first week or so of school, English classes seem to go really well. There's a residual energy that seems to carry over. For some reason, the image of a solar powered battery comes to mind - my kids are like solar powered batteries. And summer is the optimum recharge period.

Same for me. I didn't go anywhere "special" this year, rather spent my time in Okinawa doing things I really enjoyed. I participated in Higashi's eisa dancing for the second year in a row. I visited my friend Dave on Zamami, met some new JETs, and got to enjoy a great festival. And I got into a nice workout rhythm.

One thing I noticed recently was how fast time at school was passing. This past week seemed like a blur. Before I knew it, the week was over. I don't mind time passing quickly (it's often preferable to time dragging along). I just hope that I don't let too much of it go by without pausing to notice the good stuff. While it may seem like I've been in Okinawa for a long time (3 years already), and that I've got the potential to be here for a little while more (2 years), I bet whenever the end of my JET tenure comes around, I'm going to look back and think, "Was it really five years?"

So here's to making the best of my time here, with the kids, and with all the people I meet along the way.

Powerfull

2010-09-02T20:51:00.002+09:00

The power stuttered on and off today a couple of times this evening, before eventually coming back on tonight at around 8:15pm.

The power outage in my part of the village lasted 2 days, 5 hours, and 30 minutes. Everything in the freezer melted or thawed, and a few items in my refrigerator have been added to the compost pile.

Despite having full access to all the lights and appliances I own, I am actually preferring to sit here with a candle burning (for atmosphere) and a very small light on overhead, just enough to keep me from tripping over something on the floor.

Tomorrow's school will have power now, as well. I'm just not sure if they've got the water up and running yet.

Powerless

2010-09-01T17:06:00.002+09:00

Yesterday was the first real typhoon I've ever experienced. Things started getting pretty intense somewhere in the late afternoon. Power was stuttering on and off a few times, before finally giving up around 2:44pm (the time the clocks showed when I went to school this morning).

Yesterday, I took a nap when it started getting dark, after an early dinner (had to make use of the electricity early), woke up around 7:30, lit some candles, and practiced a little music in the dim light. Before lighting the candles, though, I was struck by the absolute darkness that enveloped my house and the surrounding neighborhood. Usually, the streetlights are on and the neighbors homes leak light of their own. But last night was just pitch. It was a cool feeling, one that reminded me of the week I spent kayaking in Palau with my buddy Dave. And it was actually really nice to fall asleep around 10pm without any distractions to keep me awake.

This morning, showing up at school, things were all over the place, mostly trees and the branches that had been ripped off of them. We had a ceremony to open school for the second term, then we went straight into cleanup. School had it a little worse than my apartment - the water wasn't working. Not only a health risk, but also just unpleasant, students were picked up at 11:30 and that was it. I came to the village office, which while only 1.5km from my house, has full electric output. Clearly, a tree somewhere between here and home took out the power lines.

I'm heading home in a minute to get ready for tonight's karate practice (in Nago, which didn't lost much power either, or at least not for very long). I'm intrigued to see if they got the power back up at home. If not, then I'm going to have to accept a fridge of spoiled foods - mainly milk and maybe a few meat items in the freezer. I just hope they haven't started stinking.

And to give you an idea of where I was in all of this, the passing storm yesterday, here's a picture for you (pulled from Dave's site). See that little orange spot in the big red spot? That's about to touch down in my neighborhood.

EISA - Taira Eisa/Kudaka

2010-08-30T13:40:00.003+09:00

平成２２年度　東村平良区青年会とパインツアーのエイサー

曲名：平良エイサー／久高（ショット）

Hi-Def Version: click here.
HDバージョン：こちクリックして下さい

EISA - Day

2010-08-24T11:54:00.003+09:00

I'm off to the community center in a few minutes to prepare for tonight's eisa - singing and dancing meant to send the spirits of families back to rest for the next year.

It's going to be a long night, lasting at least five hours at least. At the moment, my lower back isn't cooperating (I always get hurt this time of year!), but I've got some medicine and I'll see how it goes.

In addition to doing my best for the sake of dancing, I'm going to try to capture some photos and video when I get a chance (hopefully my friends who are coming up tonight can do it for me). So check back tomorrow for an update.

いやささ！
はいや！

Okinawazumo

2010-08-07T09:41:00.002+09:00

Friday marked this year's 海神祭 (kaijin matsuri), a small festival held to pray for a year of good catch for the fisherman. Several events were lined up for the festival, such as...

ハーリー (ha-ri-), a kind of old-style boat racing where teams use (relatively) small paddles to propel their vessels;

グラウンドゴルフ (ground golf), a cross between miniature golf and croquet, played by old and young all over Okinawa; and

沖縄相撲 (Okinawa zumo), a hard-to-place wrestling style that relies not just on strength, but also on skill (video was pulled from Youtube and has no connection with the tournament I participated in).

Quiet unexpectedly, I was asked to participate in the sumo tournament that afternoon. I was one of ten wrestlers, ages ranging from 23 to 30 (I think I was the oldest).

Okinawa sumo pits two people against each other in a sandy ring. The contenders hold on to cloth belts wrapped around their competitors waist and utilize strength, balance, skilled moves, or a combination of the three to get their opponent on their back, scoring one point. The first contender to score two points wins the match.

I watched the first few pairs wrestle and kept note of some things, like foot placements and what moves the guys tended to use to get their opponents down. When it came time for me to wrestle, I still had no idea what to expect. I was nervous leading up to my first match. Once we started, though, that nervousness passed.

My first opponent and I started off equally, both of us hitting our shoulders on the sand at the same time, resulting in no awarding of points. It was during that first throw, however, that my back got pretty well stretched (I'm still feeling it as I write this, five days later). We reset our holds and started again. This time, I did my best to keep him from moving, mostly by staying low and maintaining a firm grip. When he tried to move, I pulled him in and placed my right leg behind his left knee. I pulled my right leg toward me, hooking his leg in the process, then pushed him over and won my first point. The second point came through sheer pushing and I moved onto the second round, winning 2-0.

My second match went faster and I came out with a 2-0 win again.

The final match put me up against a co-worker at the board of education. He scored the first point, I scored the second. So it came down to the last. I didn't want to rush, so I just held my ground. When he moved a bit, I'd firm up my grip and stop him. I'd move a little to test him, too, not really changing stances much. Figuring that either way the outcome went, I'd had a good time and a respectable tournament, I went for the throw. We tangled a bit and I landed on my back, smiling at my opponents well-deserved win. I received 5kg (11 lbs) of rice; he received the same, plus a 1.5L bottle of 泡盛 (awamori, an Okinawa liquor). In that sense, I'm glad he won, because I never would have drunk the stuff - it's just too much alcohol.

I had a great time and I was excited to participate in an event that was so closely related to the community. Often times during the summer, I do lots of traveling or hanging out with friends in other parts of Okinawa and miss these kinds of opportunities. Perhaps out of many of the things I've done in Okinawa, this sumo event, held in the small neighborhood of my small village, will stick with me for a while. It didn't hurt to have my students coming up to me and congratulating me on - not my second place finish - buy my strength ("Wow, you are strong!").

It's events like this that also make me realize how powerful the JET Programme can be in enabling interaction between people that otherwise never would have met.

3 Years

2010-08-01T13:12:00.002+09:00

Today marks my three year anniversary in Okinawa.

I was talking with a friend last night who's been here just as long and it does not seem like it's been three years at all. The timeline of memories blurs together and it's hard to tell sometimes just how long it's been.

But it feels good, too. My handle on Japanese is getting more and more solid everyday. I'm enjoying karate and the other cultural exposures I get on a daily basis. And depending on the spot, Okinawa can be breathtaking.

I'm here for at least another year and there's the option to stay for a fifth. I have no idea what I want to do yet. There are so many other options, too, like heading to Taiwan to learn Chinese. I'll have to figure it out in the next year or so, but until then, I'll keep enjoying where I am now.

Sea Creatures that Sting

2010-07-24T11:38:00.003+09:00

Yesterday, I had a very interesting first experience: I was stung by a venomous creature in the waters of Higashi.

During the summer, groups of students from two villages on the mainland of Japan come to Higashi to participate in an exchange program of sorts. While only lasting for a few days, one of those days is always spent at the beach. The kids swim, canoe, snorkel, and ride a banana boat (seen below). It's really great fun.

Picture is NOT of the actual exchange students, sadly.

So there I was, snorkeling in the water, making sure the kids didn't venture too far from shore, when it happened. I felt the sting on my face first. I went to swat at whatever it was, which only got me stung on the arm as well. Not realizing what was going on, my constant movement only served to get me stung in a few more places. It wasn't until I got stung from my right chest to my right shoulder blade that I realized I was in the grasp of jellyfish (actually, what stung me isn't technically a jellyfish, rather four independent creatures living symbiotically that resemble a jellyfish). This one, to be exact:

In Japanese, it's called カツオノエボシ (katsuo no eboshi). In English, it's known as a Portuguese Man of War.

I started backing up only to notice the body of the thing trailing after me, the stingers still attached to my arm. Luckily, I had a pair of goggles with me, so I swung them to sever the connection. The stingers that were left over in my arm, while very painful, upon later inspection were actually quite pretty. The blue of the stingers was so bright it was hard not to be a little amazed at the color.

A kind fellow at the board of education pulled the stingers from my arm. Another guy came over to help, only to pull the stingers off of me and get them all over his own finger (they stung, he said). We learned a valuable lesson, too. And that is that vinegar should NOT be used for a Man of War sting. Cold water or sea water is the best remedy. Given the nature of the poison of the Man of War, vinegar only serves to make the pain worse, or in some cases cause increased swelling.

The pain lessened quickly but I could still feel it about an hour later. A few hours later I didn't notice anything at all. Today, there are some red marks where the stingers were, but nothing serious.

I have always been told that there are jellyfish (or things like it) in the ocean near Higashi, but this was my first run in. I'm just thankful I didn't run into one of these suckers. My day would have very likely been over, at best.

Proof of Practice

2010-07-08T16:43:00.002+09:00

Bruises left over from last night's bo practice (棒術). Pretty soon, I won't be able to feel anything on these spots.

Cool

2010-06-27T14:40:00.003+09:00

Today, it's 31° in Okinawa.

But it's not hot.

I just took a nap on my couch at my apartment in Nago. The sliding door of the balcony facing south is open, the windows too. The breeze is pretty steady, the curtains blowing back and forth as the wind changes. Shorts and towels from this mornings ocean swim flutter on the clothesline. I've got a fan set to medium. The afternoon sun is just creeping onto the ledge of the balcony, creating a thin strip of sunlight on the concrete.

Yeah, Okinawa isn't hot at all. In fact, it's pretty cool.

And They Advance!

2010-06-25T10:02:00.003+09:00

I woke up this morning at 3:25 am to connect to the internet and find a live feed for the Denmark v. Japan game. I'm a little tired right now, but the catching the game was worth the effort.

Coming into this final game of the group, Japan had a 1 goal advantage (in terms of points) over Denmark. That means that all Japan had to do to advance to the Round of 16 was to tie. It didn't seem likely that the game would be scoreless, because the idea of settling for a tie is very close to just waiting for the opposing team to strike one in.

And so Japan went on the offensive, as did Denmark. But at 17' into the first half, Keisuke Honda, with the help of a smooth set piece, sent in a brilliant free kick that the Danish keeper had no chance of touching. From that point on, things seemed good for Japan. And they continued to head that way. At 30', Yasuhito Endo put another in the back of the net (again, off of a set piece) to put Japan ahead 0-2 before the half.

The Danish answered with a goal with just under 10 minutes left to play, but Japan sealed the match when Shinji Okasaki tapped in an assist from Honda, Japan's third goal of the game, with just a few minutes left to play.

Watching Japan solidify their game was great, especially coming off the previous 0-1 loss to the Netherlands. This World Cup has witnessed Japan winning its first two games outside of their own country, not to mention progressing into the Round of 16. I'm excited to watch them in action again. I'll be cheering heartily for them.

In other great news, the USA and Germany also advanced. The USA's Landon Donovan saved the day with a goal in the first minute of stoppage time in the second half of the game against Algeria. And it was Mesut Özil who scored in Germany's third game, against Ghana. Both teams advance as the leaders of their group, which means they will play the second seeded teams from opposing groups.

I'm looking forward to all the games and hope to see my three favorite teams do as well as they can.

Welcome!

2010-06-22T10:57:00.004+09:00

We have a new secretary at one of my schools. She's young, very nice, seems shy. Yesterday (Monday) we had a welcome party for her. There was a short speech by the vice principal, some good food, introductions from each of the teachers and staff, and finally a few words by our newest member. She was moved by the welcome she had received from everyone here at school (moving her to tears, even).

Of note was the vice principal's speech. He starts off by saying,

"Hello, everyone. Well, I think the person happiest about N-san's arrival...is Sonofhigashi."

Oh, shame!

It's only funny 'cause it's true. Just a few weeks ago, I was talking with the vice principal, telling him how I would appreciate whatever he could do to fill the secretary spot "as best [he] can." He asked me, "What, was something wrong with the old secretary?" No, no, not at all, I replied. She was great. But nobody's perfect and there is always room for improvement.

So, N-san, welcome!

Daily Routine

2010-06-18T12:05:00.004+09:00

School is about teaching. But it's not just about teaching the kids different facts and ways of thinking. It's also about teaching the kids society's rules - how to talk, how to act, to take responsibility, etc. Whether or not you agree with the specifics is not the point. Governments, Boards of Education, schools, and teachers all have their own way of doing things (and it's a good thing, too! I hate to imagine the homogeneity of everyone following the same exact curriculum and lesson planning to a T).

At my schools, in an effort to mold socially functional kids, there's a phrase used a lot. This phrase is 生活リズム, seikatsu rizumu, or to put it loosely, "daily routine." The model I've seen consists of the following basics:

Wake up (early);
eat (a healthy) breakfast;
study (hard);
clean up after yourself;
pay due respect to others, including proper speech and etiquette;
participate in extracurricular activities;
do your homework; and
get to bed (early).

This isn't a model set in stone, but it's a very typical model. Most all of the students at one point of another have to map out their daily routine and then each month, rate themselves on how well they followed it (Japan uses a the following rating system: ◎ excellent; ○ good; △ satisfactory; and × suck). Leading up to the summer break, teachers stress the importance of protecting one's daily rhythm, so that when school starts back up in September, there won't be lots of late, sleepy students spending the entire month getting back into a "good" rhythm (good for school, but what if you hate school?).

Anyway, with this years World Cup in full swing, I briefly reflected on my own daily routine. I can sufficiently say that it's pretty out of whack. Who in their right mind stays up to watch 11:00 pm start (1:00 am finish) soccer games a few too many nights in a row, and then because a favorite team is playing at 3:30 am a few days later, goes to bed at 5:00 pm (less by choice, more by sheer exhaustion) to wake up and catch that early morning game? I do. But let's be honest, throwing my routine a bit out of whack for a few days this month (it's not like I'm watching all the games) is worth it to me, because I enjoy soccer, especially at such a level as the World Cup offers.

When it's all over, I'll be on the verge of summer break. And in true anti-establishment style, I'll spend my summer days sleeping in and setting my daily routine the way it should be - the way school will never teach you to live.

Mini

2010-06-17T09:42:00.003+09:00

Mini ice cream cones. Perfect for when you don't want to eat 300+ calories of worthless crap.

Actual size. Bite count may vary.

Dropped Cherries

2010-06-06T23:50:00.003+09:00

I went food shopping on Sunday night and this was the first time I saw cherries for sale. I picked up a pack (they come in plastic containers, which is frustrating for my eco-sensibility), turned it over to check that the ones on the bottom weren't rotting or anything funky, and as I went to put it back, the container opened up and the cherries spilled all over the floor.

Great.

I let out a sigh and resigned myself to picking up several dozen of the little fruits. Tack this on to the fact that my phone stopped working that morning, I took a nap in the parking lot of the AU (phone provider) store because I was so tired from the previous night, and then upon waking I started driving too soon and in a misty state ran a red light, it was just one more thing that I didn't necessarily need.

But it wasn't so bad. Because a fellow shopper crouched down to help me pick up the fallen cherries. It was a small and simple gesture, but so kind. So to whoever you were, thanks for saving a little bit of my day.

Perks

2010-06-04T00:21:00.003+09:00

As mentioned, I started tutoring a former student of mine twice a week. Today was a special first, in that when the girls mom came to pick her up, she was bearing a plate of some delicious taco rice. I may not be getting paid, but I am reaping benefits.

The sauce was made by a local woman who won a national sauce competition. Yes, it was that good.

Read While Standing

2010-05-27T14:26:00.002+09:00

I'm sure you've seen it. A bookstore, people inside browsing, taking their time to read through a little bit of a book before deciding to buy it or not. Maybe some bookstores even stretch into a bit of mild luxury with some nice furnishings for their customers to take a break. But Japanese bookstores are different.

There's a term in Japanese, 立ち読み tachiyomi, meaning to read while standing. If you ever walk into a Japanese bookstore, you will invariably see people standing in front of a row of books, heads bent, perusing (especially in the magazine section) or even full-out reading books that they may or may not buy.

(tachiyomi)

I had my first interesting brush with tachiyomi the other day. I'm tutoring a former student of mine and I went looking for some good reference books for her vocabulary building. I picked up two books and wanted to compare words using the index, but I had a hard time trying to flip back and forth between the two, one in each hand. I happened to be standing near a desk with a chair (probably for clerk use), so I rolled the chair out. I hadn't even started to lower my body when a clerk came up and told me, "No sitting."

Now, to be honest, he simply might not have wanted me to sit in the chair since it looked like it might be for use by clerks. But my first thought was, "Oh yeah. No sitting in bookstores here." So I crouched next to the desk and flipped through a few pages, settling on one book over the other.

Tachiyomi can be a good thing, too. Say you just want to check out an article in a magazine that just came out (but you don't want to waste the paper or your cash), you can just stand and read. Say you just have 30 minutes to kill before you have to meet a friend, you can just stand and read. And I bet if you were even a cheapskate, you could find enough time to finish a novel.

Tutor. Me?

2010-05-20T21:35:00.002+09:00

Just this Monday (May 17th), I started tutoring a former student of mine (currently a high schooler) for one hour, twice a week. It's going well!

I-chan (as I'll call her) is currently a second grade high school student (or a junior by US standards) and has dreams to use English in the future. While her ambitions might be currently future-career oriented, I also hope to instill in her the idea that English can be rewarding in and of itself. Not just as a tool for work, but also as a part of one's lifestyle.

We had our second lesson today and I'm amazed at how short one hour is. We start at 7:00 and before I know it, 8:00 has rolled around. Today, we went a bit long, but it was good. We focused on conversation today and she's doing really well. She's got the basics down, so I see our future lessons focusing on increasing vocabulary and listening comprehension (because there are so many ways to say just one thing, I think it's helpful to teach her multiple expressions). I'm also encouraging her to speak English to as many people as possible, to whoever will listen.

Her first goal is to pass the English Proficiency Test Level Pre-2 in October. I think it's plenty of time. I really want her to do her best. And I've discovered that through teaching her, my own volition to get better (and eventually master!) Japanese has been strengthened.

Brownies

2010-05-10T13:59:00.003+09:00

I'm making brownies tonight, partly for the hell of it, partly for my neighbor's boy who turned 8 today. The last few times I made brownies (for a neighbor's daughter's graduation party and for our dojo girl's tournament win), the 8x8 inch pan was clean in under 5 minutes. So I must have done something right (or maybe I should give credit where credit is due).

Check back this evening for pictures (and 3D smell!) of the delicious baked goods.

***

Rainy Season

2010-05-07T16:44:00.002+09:00

It seems like the long stretch of rainy weather has arrived. Today started with a pretty heavy downpour all morning, with continued rain through this afternoon. The forecast (here) shows it going on all weekend, moving into cloudy/rainy weather next week.

This has motivated me to finally buy a dehumidifier (除湿機), since many of the clothes I own, if not taken well care of during this season (i.e. frequently worn, frequently washed) will begin to harbor mold. And once that happens, there's little that can be done to save the garment. The plus side of this is that it makes me hold on to less stuff. Over the past couple of months, I've been shrinking my wardrobe and getting rid of things I don't wear/use enough to make them worth keeping. All of which ties into a goal of mine to one day be able to live and travel lightly, but I'll save that for another post.

Rally Memories - Clutch Boy

2010-04-20T23:35:00.005+09:00

After spending about three weeks on the roads between London and Mongolia, we lost the ability to operate the clutch pedal of our 1983 Seat Marbella somewhere in Kazakhstan. Determined not to be put off by this minor setback, we installed a hand-operated clutch, so that while the driver managed the gas pedals and the shifter, the passenger could operate the clutch (after a couple hundred kilometers, I realized the power of leverage, and got the clutch working quite smoothly).

That's Dom giving the introductory explanation. And yours truly with the operational instruction.

Another video, actually our first successful attempt at getting the Seat going with a cable and rebar. Truly exciting.

Shooting for 1006

2010-04-20T11:34:00.003+09:00

With no classes this morning, I was spending my time preparing materials for classes I have later this week. I was waiting for the laminator to warm up when I came across a couple of books sitting on a shelf near one of the computers in the teachers` room.

The book was a 漢字検定過去問題集, or a book of previous years` Kanji Kentei questions. For those of you not familiar with the Kanji Kentei, let me do my best to explain how it works.

Upon entering elementary school, Japanese students begin learning most of the written characters they will ever have to use in their life (I say most, because specialized fields of study require use of characters not deemed appropriate for everyday life; a poor example would be like learning the word "moderation," but not the word "abstemious.")

Starting their first year, students learn 80 kanji. In second grade, they learn an additional 160. By the time a student graduates 6th grade (the final year of elementary school), they will have officially studied 1006 kanji and a good portion of the words that can be created using those kanji. Junior high school students learn up to around 1600 kanji, and by the end of high school, all (currently) 1945 kanji are introduced. Eventually, someone had the idea of charging money for a test that would "certify" a students comprehension abilities as relates to kanji. Hence, the Kanji Kentei.

When I first came to Japan, I challenged myself with taking a few tests. I took Level 9 and Level 8 and passed them handily. I then took a break from testing, partly because I never found out about the tests being offered until it was really too late to do any worthwhile prep; and I also just don`t like tests that much (or paying for them).

But I`m going to take a few this year. Why? Why not. I enjoy it for pretty much one reason - bragging rights. You see, I take the tests with my students and they are always happy to see me sit for the same tests they are taking. They are amazed when I walk out of the test room with 20 minutes to spare. And they are quick to congratulate me for passing. With their support, I`ve set out my goals for this school year:

July: Level 7 (640 kanji / think 10 years old)
October: Level 6 (825 kanji / 11 y.o.)
February: Level 5 (1006 kanji / 12 y.o.)

Obviously, in the goal to obtain proficiency in Japanese, I`m not comfortable settling with some certificates from a test I took, especially when these tests only measure kanji proficiency. There is a lot more to Japanese than just being able to read lines on paper. But I think the foundation helps, and the motivation to learn words I might otherwise pass over isn`t so bad. But that`s the great thing about this self-study that I`ve been doing - I can do what`s fun and learn what interests me.

Beer, Wine and Awamori

2010-04-12T22:11:00.002+09:00

I was talking with one of the new vice principals today (a former English teacher) and we got onto the topic of alcohol. I told him I don't drink that much (this past weekend an exception), partly for health purposes, but mostly for allowing myself to think clearly at all times.

My favorite part of the conversation was his take on three types of alcohol: beer, wine, and awamori.

"Beer makes people dumb.
Wine makes people smart.
Awamori makes people crazy."

Oh, Okinawa.

Challenge!

2010-04-06T23:11:00.004+09:00

This (new school) year's goal is to read this book...

In Japanese...

I'm five pages in and the list of words and phrases that I don't know has already grown to 186.

The book is 462 pages. I'm glad, that at some point, new words (will have to!) run out and I can start relying on memory, and not my Japanese dictionary.

photo credit

A Champion

2010-03-31T23:55:00.004+09:00

Last Night in Sapporo

2010-03-30T01:28:00.004+09:00

It's 1:34 am at the start of this post. I justify staying up this late by thinking of the several hours I'm going to have to sit on two planes tomorrow as I make my way back to Okinawa. While it's true that I could make use of the flight time by studying or reading, I prefer to sleep most of the way, converting normal travel time into a sort of "teleportation."

I've had a good time here in Sapporo. The short trip has reminded me that my time in Okinawa is both valuable and impermanent. I look forward to renewed determination in certain aspects of my life when I return - notably the pursuit of karate, fitness, and Japanese. And in fact, I've started to think of these three things as more than just a hobby, a healthy way of life, and a nice skill to have (especially in Japan), respectively.

Thoughts like, "When I'm done with the JET Programme, are their opportunities out there for me that involve karate?", "Are fitness and health only nice things to have, and not actually very important to my quality of life?, and "Why am I not devoting myself to being better at Japanese, considering all the options it could open up for me?"

So as I stood at the window of my hotel room, looking over a part of Sapporo's lit streets and dark buildings, I could only help but to think that despite whatever small piece of land I find myself on, I should do everything I can to make the most of my time on it.

You Read It Here. First.

2010-03-28T20:44:00.004+09:00

The results are in.

Our dojo's girl placed 1st in this year's 4th Annual Hamanasu All Japan Junior High School Karate Elimination Tournament.

Amazing! She truly did an amazing job. Her performance was solid and steady, winning several rounds by a margin of 5-0, others much closer at 3-2. In the end, she came out on top, this year's national champion. It's an understatement to say that everyone is pretty psyched about it.

Karate in Hokkaido

2010-03-25T21:54:00.003+09:00

Tomorrow (Friday), I'll leave for Hokkaido to support one of the girls from my karate dojo. She placed 1st in a tournament held in Okinawa some months ago. That placement qualified her for this upcoming national tournament - The Hamanasu 4th Annual All Japan Junior High School Elimination Tournament.

Below is a portion of the 1st grade junior high school girls bracket (and a link to the full bracket).

http://www.karatedo.co.jp/jkf/04jr_hs_senbatsu/index.html - she's number 37

That's 122 competitors in total. To win, she'll need to win seven rounds of kata (performing various sets of moves). Considering it's a national tournament, I think the fact that she's participating is pretty incredible. A placement - let alone a win - would be amazing.

Blue

2010-03-24T16:53:00.003+09:00

What`s the occasion?

2010-03-19T12:15:00.008+09:00

Today, I received a bag of sweets (I`m assuming as a late (late!) Valentine`s Day gift) from a 6th grade girl who graduated today. This bag brings my total Valentine`s-related score to 9...I think. I promptly ate it, even though it was only an hour before lunch time.

So cute. They died a quick and tasty death.

UPDATE:

As I was typing this, the junior high 3rd grade homeroom teacher (9th grade) came in and announced that one of our students made it into the hard-to-get-into Futenma High School. As a small thanks, the family provided the teachers with a snack, donuts from a local shop.

I`m not sure I`m going to be able to eat school lunch now.

28th Higashi Azalea Marathon

2010-03-14T20:55:00.003+09:00

Today, I ran the 5k race at Higashi's annual marathon event. I signed up with a two other ALTs from down south (it was free for me, so why not?). I haven't been running recently and wasn't expecting much. But the adrenaline kicked in and I did pretty well.

I finished with an official time of 28'50", which I think is a personal record for me.

I feel good, a little tired, yet mostly excited that I ran without event or injury. I'm looking forward to getting back into good running shape this summer.

(Edit: Here's my certificate.)

Taipei: Pictures

2010-03-10T08:28:00.001+09:00

Oyster omelet - cheap and delicious festival food

It is said that if a lantern takes flight, the wishes of the people who flew it will come true.

Warming up

This person's wishes won't be coming true this year

Leaving Taipei

2010-03-08T04:20:00.002+09:00

It's early on my last morning in Taipei. I've had an incredible couple of nights and an amazing couple of days. I have met people who exhibited kindness that makes me want to become a better person. I have had the opportunity to share and participate in peoples' lives for mere hours, yet come away from those encounters with a feeling of such happiness (and hope for the happiness of others). By the time I board my plane this morning, I will not have slept for 24 hours. But the missed sleep has nothing against the great moments of these past few days.

I am grateful to my friend M for calling me from Osaka and suggesting we reunite in Taiwan (almost a year after our first meeting there). I am indebted to my new friend C who invited me along to the PingXi Lantern Festival, included me in her group that evening (despite the unlucky occurrence of my debilitating headache), and met up with me and friends tonight. I am thankful for D and S, two awesome people who hosted me via Couchsurfing.org last year during my second trip to Taiwan and welcomed me back today like no time had passed. Another thanks to R for taking me around Taipei last night and helping me find all the little things I promised to get for people back in Higashi (and for the help picking out some good Taiwanese music).

So I leave in a few hours. But I know I'll be back. Maybe as soon as May. Maybe not until next year. Whenever it is, I know for sure, just as I knew a few years ago that I'd be living in Japan now, that I'll be living in Taiwan a few years from now. It's a feeling I can't explain. And it's these feelings that have always worked the best for me.

Taipei

2010-03-05T08:34:00.005+09:00

This weekend (later today, in fact), I'm heading to Taipei, Taiwan for a weekend trip with my friend from Osaka. In preparation for this trip, I've been writing a few messages via Couchsurfing.org to some people who live in Taipei, just to see if they've got some time to hang explore the city or just have a cup of coffee or grab a bite. The response has been pretty amazing.

The biggest development from all these emails was getting an invitation to participate in National Taiwan Normal University's trip to the PingXi Lantern Festival this Saturday. It looks amazing (I'll have to keep myself in check with my camera and work to find the balance between enjoying the festival and capturing some nice photographs). The Couchsurfer who invited me to that event also extended an invitation for later in the evening to hang out with a group of friends in Taipei.

Sunday seems to be a more chill affair. There are a few Couchsurfers who have offered to meet up, though I will likely try to get in touch with the awesome couple that hosted me last year during my Golden Week trip (in an email I got last night, one of them said they were going to the same festival, so there is a chance we may just run into each other).

All of this hospitality and welcome has got me thinking. Last year when I visited Taiwan (two times) I felt so comfortable and welcome there that it planted in my head the idea of moving there after my JET appointment is over (currently contracted for a fourth year, which ends July 27, 2011; might do a fifth?). Traveling around the island also gave me a chance to see the diversity of the place - fog-shrouded mountains of the west, ancient gorges and rivers of the southeast, and beaches surrounding the island (surfing, anyone?). Not to mention the lively night markets of Taipei, the food (!), and the couple of friends that I have made there.

While there are no definite plans at the moment, I'll give you a basic outline of what's going through my head right now:

stay in Okinawa and complete 5 years on JET, which will allow me to continue to improve my Japanese ability and (most likely) obtain my black belt in Shuri Shorin-ryu Karate-do (首里少林流空手道);
figure out a way to start learning Mandarin without impeding my progress in Japanese;
participate in the Rickshaw Run Autumn 2012 (any takers?); then
move to Taipei and begin the next adventure.

Girl's Day and Turning 30

2010-03-03T10:01:00.004+09:00

Today is Girl's Day in Japan. What does that mean?

It is an annual festival held to pray for the health and maturity of girls. It's also the annual festival of my birth.

Today, I turn 30 (though technically not until 10:56 PM Eastern Standard Time). It's a great day so far! Unlike the assumed image of people turning 30, I have been looking forward to this day. Why?

Why not?

There's nothing wrong with getting older. I hear a lot of people say the body slows down, it shrinks, it starts to die. Well, that's fine with me. I'm not going to live forever, so what's the point of worrying? Instead, I focus on everything I've come to learn so far and all the things I continue to learn (maybe I'll call these possibilities). There are so many possibilities - who knows where I'll be in a few years.

Today, I'm working at my middle-sized school for the morning. We'll have a group lunch (all students and teachers - it's a coincidence, not for me). This afternoon, I'll head to my large school for elementary class. Tonight I'll do karate as normal. And after that, I'll meet up with some friends for a good curry dinner at a small restaurant in Nago. If I get the time, I'll make some Skype calls to family and friends in the US, but I won't make any promises.

This weekend, I'm heading to Taiwan with my friend from Osaka. We met last year in Taiwan and hit it off. I stayed with him in Osaka for a few days when I had visa issues getting into Palau last year. His birthday is tomorrow (March 4th), so it should be a fun birthday weekend (my friend Shan, from Taiwan, and I share birthdays. Shan, if you're reading this, Happy Birthday, too!).

Now, to steal an idea from my friend Dave, here are some basic facts about me on this day:

Height: 181.6 cm (5'11.5")
Weight: 75.80 kg (167 lbs., clothed)
Wake up time: 5:30 a.m.
Second wake up time: 6:57 a.m.
Time in Japan: 2 years, 8 months, 5 days

Lastly, I asked one of my teachers to take a picture of me. So here I am, 30 years old and smiling like an idiot. Peace!

I showered and shaved today.

A Day in Review: Valentine's

2010-02-26T23:22:00.008+09:00

I really enjoy Valentine's Day. In Japan. It's different here, in case you didn't know.

In Japan, Valentine's Day is celebrated (that's right, celebrated!) when females give gifts of chocolate to males. These chocolate gifts range from friendly chocolate (tomo choco), chocolate given to co-workers and the like (giri choco), and then finally the real deal, chocolate that's given as a sign of liking someone (honmei choco).

Last year, timing was perfect. I was at my biggest school in Higashi on Valentine's Day and I received chocolate from 15 girls. It was really nice, the attention - I'd be lying if I said otherwise. I was also really surprised, because if you were to watch some of my classes (especially when the kids are having a bad day), you'd wonder why so many girls would even want to give me chocolate (I figured it out - they like me more outside of class, when we don't have to do the business of studying).

This year, at first glance, Valentine's seemed like it was going to be a flop. For one, it fell on a Sunday. No school basically means no kids. Second, I was at my smallest school that week, with a total of 13 students (3 of whom are girls and apparently don't celebrate this awesome commercial holiday).

But I was happily surprised to find a package in my mailbox on that Saturday. Delivered from the US and containing homemade chocolate (which was really really good, by the way), it was my first Valentine of 2010 (Shan, thank you!).

My first student chocolate came as I was getting into my car, when I crossed paths with one of my students who lives near me. She gave me a carefully wrapped Valentine with a cookie, brownie, and a small sliver of cheesecake. It was delicious!

The lighting isn't great, but you can get the idea.

Later that week (I always go to my big school on Wednesday afternoon), there were a few girls who were waiting to give me some chocolate. I happily accepted it.

And then at the start of this week, I was hit with the effective Motherload of a Valentine's Day gift. A few of the girls must have gathered what was left from their stash and put together this package of sweets. It caught me off guard (coming 9 days late), but I gladly accepted it as well.

Life was beautiful then!

This isn't all of it - I had about a dozen pieces before taking this shot.

But that wasn't the last of it. Two of my students, who also happen to be immediate neighbors of mine, one day on the way home from school asked if I was going anywhere that night. I said no, I'd be home making bread. They were happy with the answer, because they told me they were going to make some treats and bring them by later. Sure enough, about 9 o'clock that night, I had two more gifts.

Think cornflakes rolled in chocolate.

And that was the last of it. I savored my way through it, trying not to get too crazy with all that chocolate laid out on my kitchen floor.

Lest you think that Valentine's Day is just a day for me to be spoiled, don't worry. White Day (March 14th) is the followup, where males who received chocolate on Valentine's Day reciprocate with their own batches of sweets. Last year, I made dozens of cookies. This year, I'm thinking either fudge brownies or sticky ginger squares. Either way, it will be fun to give back to the girls who made my day (several days, actually) this past week.

Bleh...

2010-02-17T08:31:00.002+09:00

This weeks weather forecast.

Cloudy, rainy, and relatively cold. It's not that bad, I'm just looking forward to a day where my laundry will dry out a little faster than over the course of two days (most people don't have or use dryers here). My karate counterparts will probably be most happy when that day arrives. I think it's been a week since I washed my karate dogi.

二枚ずつ (ni mai zutsu)

2010-02-12T15:58:00.003+09:00

It's Friday afternoon and the teachers are in their weekly meeting.

Just a moment ago, one of the older male members of the community entered the teachers' room - he's the basketball coach for the elementary school boys team. He handed the office lady two sheets of paper. He then asked her to make two copies of each. He was standing maybe eight feet from the copier.

I can't decide if (1) he doesn't know how to use a copy machine (he is an older fellow), or (2) he's just being old school and having a woman do his work for him. At first, I assumed it was (2) and got a little pissed off. Then I realized the whole interaction didn't really affect me in anyway. Nor did either of the parties involved - the old man or the office lady - come away from it in any worse of a mood. In this case, it was very interesting for me to observe my reaction to the situation and the way I thought it should have gone (him making his own copies) versus the way it did.

Ultimately, I realized that the only person who was affected by the whole exchange was me, based on my conditioned expectation about who should do what (man with paper makes his own damn copies). It's a small but significant realization, because when I'm faced with a much more serious situation, it will be nice to have the peace of mind and awareness to prevent myself from being ignited by any certain reaction, to face whatever whatever is happening and just accept the situation as is.

Rain

2010-02-10T10:06:00.003+09:00

I washed my car yesterday. It was raining. Every neighbor that walked by (except the guy who stole a Zamami-salvaged vegetable planter from me) told me that it was raining. I nodded and told them that it helped me save on water use, as the rain would rinse the car for me.

There's something about being out in the rain. It's refreshing. So many times people hide from the things they find unpleasant - rainy weather, cold breezes, humid days. But these are natural phenomenon and experiencing them can be a great feeling. The sound of raindrops on my hood, the small stream of water that found its way into my pants, the smell of wet earth - all of these sensations that I would have missed had I simply sat in my apartment.

Just last week, on a walk back to my apartment from one of the local stores, I realized how much I enjoyed being outside, being in touch with the earth, having a connection to nature that many people seem to have lost. Sometimes, when I think ahead, about what is going to happen after JET, I realize that I don't want to work some soulless job in a sterile building with a/c and elevators. I'd rather spend all day digging in the earth, working closely with the place that I will ultimately return to one day.

Test Results

2010-02-05T08:43:00.005+09:00

A boring post with a suggestive title...

In December, I took a test called the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (日本語能力試験). It is, from what I understand, one of the older (oldest?) proficiency tests for foreigners who wish to measure their grasp of Japanese, so its clout tends to come mostly from its longer existence (I hear there are other tests, more capable of measuring a students ability at things such as writing and speaking). Anyway, ...

I took Level 2, which is summed up as "mastering grammar of a somewhat high level, knowing 1,000 kanji, 6,000 words, able to discuss and read about things of a general nature, and being pretty awesome." (parts of this description might not actually be accurate).

I passed. Out of 400 points, I didn't get 400 points. There is definitely room for improvement, especially as the test really doesn't measure speaking or writing ability (writing is the worst for me, because I don't do much for it). Out of the three parts of the test, listening was best. I guess all those hours of Japanese music, podcasts, movies, TV and conversations with my students are paying off!

Paying For It

2010-01-29T15:37:00.004+09:00

I was browsing the web some time ago and I decided to wander over to my alma mater's homepage. I graduated from Washington University in Saint Louis in 2002 (approximately 70 years after my grandmother graduated from the same school).

Anyway, I was curious about two things:

how the school ranks (despite it's ranking, as you'll see below, when I was a senior in high school applying for universities, I had never heard of Wash. U, and especially not as a top-tier university);
how much it costs to go there these days (I'm slowly chipping away at the remainder of my student loans, which I plan to have paid off by the end of this year at latest - September is the official goal barring the arising of unforeseen expenses).

Here's what I found:

"In U.S. News’ undergraduate category for 2008, Washington U. is ranked 12th among national universities." (link)

Educational costs, 2009—2010 (link)

Basic undergraduate tuition	$37,800
Student activity fee	$378
Student health fee	$686
Undergraduate room and board (average)	$12,060

Total cost: $50,924.

I guess they're doing all right in terms of rankings. And it seems they're doing even better in terms of ... raising funds (I jest).

I took a look at all this because of this years main financial goal - eliminating my student loans. Yes, by paying them off, not by faking a death or anything. It will be nice to be done with the only (and largest) debt of my life so far.

It's Okay to Fail

2010-01-29T12:19:00.003+09:00

Every once in a while, I have a good idea (lol). Also, every once in a while that good idea doesn't turn out exactly as I want it to. Take, for example, today's 1st grade elementary class.

When I was a little younger (college days), I learned this fun little activity that I'll call the "Belly Haha" game. Starting with one person lying on the floor, the next person places their head on the first persons belly, and the line continues like that. The first person laughs "ha," the second laughs "ha ha," and so on. The goal is to get to the end of the line with each person properly laughing their number of "ha's." If at any point laughter gets out of control, the team has to start over.

If you can imagine this properly, the childish nature of the activity and the fact that the rules indicate "don't laugh" makes it hard not to laugh. It's really fun, it builds a little bit of trust (placing one's head on another's belly is kind of intimate) and it can be refreshing (laughter works wonders!).

So I explained this activity to the 1st grade homeroom teacher before class and she seemed to like it. In class, we practiced our numbers first, did some general review, then broke the class up into two teams (thank goodness for having pretty much even number of girls and boys). Me and one of the not-shy boys showed the class how it was done - they all started laughing! So once they lined up, we started the activity. But it wasn't going as planned.

First of all, little belly doesn't move as much as my example belly, so there was less motion to cause laughing. Second, some of the kids are kind of shy, so some of their laughs were almost inaudible. Third, not everyone gets along in the class, and when it came time for certain boys to laugh, they were too distracted with a minor squabble to remember their number.

All in all, it was a good effort and I think with a little more maturity, the game could be pulled off pretty well. That's why I'm thinking of using it in a junior high school class if I think the kids could use a good laugh.

10 Days in Kyoto

2010-01-08T08:23:00.007+09:00

I've been back in Okinawa for a few weeks. I spent almost two in meditation in Kyoto. There have been a few people who've been asking me what it was like, and I shall do my best to relate my experience of the meditation. While I'm sure the experience is similar in some ways for people, I'm also very sure that it is different in others. So whatever you read, please regard it as my story and not an explanation of what anyone else might experience.

First, a little about the location. The meditation center is used solely for that purpose, meditation. The center was constructed around 8 years ago and currently holds two meditation courses a month. The remote and quiet location also suits the activity quite well. There really were no distractions and very few reminders that a society existed outside the grounds (such as the occasional car, maybe just a few every day). The room and board was simple, yet fully adequate. We slept in group rooms with futons spread out at night (this was instrumental in me getting over my aversion to other men snoring) and ate vegetarian dishes prepared for breakfast and lunch by "old students," people who had previously completed at least one meditation course and chose to assist this time.

Upon arrival on the 23rd, we handed over any type or reading or writing material we had. The point of this collection was so that there would be no distractions during the 10 days. And with no distractions, one must really pay attention to all the things going on during meditation (more on that later). So I entered into this 10 day course with no books, no paper, no pens, just me and my clothing and toiletries and a futon in a room with six other men. That day also marked the first evening meditation. We took a vow of "noble silence," meaning we were not to speak with, gesture to, or make contact with anybody else (except the teacher or the course manager if we had questions or issues) for the entire 10-day course. The purpose of this is to further reduce distractions one may encounter.

Starting on the first day, we were woken at 4:00am. "Free" meditation began at 4:30 and lasted for 2 hours. I call it "free" meditation because we were not required to sit for the entire two hours. If needed, we could take breaks, go for a walk, stretch, things like that. Breakfast and break time ran from 6:30 to 8:00, followed by a 1-hour group sitting from 8:00 to 9:00. Group sittings differ from "free" meditation in that all participants are expected to sit together in the meditation hall for the entire hour. "Free" meditation periods, like the two hours in the morning, could be done either in the hall or in ones own room.

9:00 to 11:00 was another two hour free meditation period. Lunch ran from 11:00 to 1:00pm. The four hour stretch from 1:00 to 5:00pm was all meditation, with a 1-hour group sitting in the middle. Tea time from 5:00 to 6:00 (fruit and tea for new students). The last group sitting came at 6:00 to 7:00, followed by a videotaped discourse about the meditation we were experiencing. Once the discourse ended, there was a final meditation until 9:00, with lights out coming at 9:30.

At first glance, it may seem like there's a lot of time and not much to do. But in fact, I found out that meditating was a lot of work for me. Within the first few days, I developed a very clear idea as to what parts of my body meditation causes to hurt: knees and upper back. I also came to realize just how scattered my train of thought really is.

The main focus of this meditation technique is one's own breath. So for the first three days our objective was simply to observe the breath that came in and out of our noses. There were many moments where I'd be focusing on that subtle feeling, only to realize a few minutes later that my mind had wandered onto the most random and unrelated topics. I traced my train of thought back and was simply amazed at to how I reached such randomness. But the wandering mind isn't something to be upset about - it's just a fact, our minds wander. Once I noticed that I had lost concentration of my breathing, I simply had to bring it back into focus and resume paying attention. Over and over I had to bring it back. Perhaps I'd only get 3 or 4 breaths in before the mind wanted to jump away. But over time, I noticed the length of time I was able to concentrate increased.

But there was pain. I don't remember where it started first, probably the knees. Sure, there is lots of sitting in Japan, but often it involves moving around, shifting positions, etc. During the meditation, emphasis was placed on not moving, allowing the body to just be. I found that soon after the pain in the legs came, numbness followed, mostly in the feet and lowers legs (though this did lend to an interesting feeling I like to refer to as "turning to stone," as if one were rooted in the earth...in fact, just this week when my foot went numb, I tried to see if I could move my toes - I couldn't, but I could recognize that the nerve in my toe was firing and that the muscle was incapable of doing so - a very interesting feeling).

The middle of my back also caused me some issues, until I learned on the last day from a veteran meditator that sitting up straight is the best thing to do. Leaning forward puts a lot of stress and weight on the support muscles of the back, so sitting up straight, even though it sounds like it would be more difficult, is in the long run much easier.

There were some really interesting thought processes going on in my head at that time, too. Perhaps contributed to by the fact that we couldn't talk to anyone, I started developing ideas about what kinds of people my co-meditators were. These ideas ranged from very pleasant (someone was a good meditator, seemed peaceful and respectful) to angry (someone was seemingly taking more food than others, being lazy, not respecting the quiet nature of the meditation).

The man toward whom I felt the most animosity was a guy in my room. The first night, I had trouble sleeping due to his snoring. I tried my best to ignore it and even thought of covering my head with my pillow. But I started thinking that covering my head with the pillow was just running away from the problem. Men snore, some loudly. I figured it would behoove me to accept it and see what happened. So each time he started snoring, I focused on my breath. There were a few times, however, where the thought of pulling him out of his futon and smacking him in the face crossed my mind. And all this thought did was to serve to keep me awake longer, because I would lie there and imagine how angry I would get. Not ideal. So I'd go back to focusing on my breathing, and while I don't have any idea how long it took (I don't wear a watch, and my cell phone had been collected for the duration of the course), I eventually fell asleep. He snored every night and I had my own little battle, but I think now I can handle snoring much better than I could have before the course.

But it didn't end there. At meal times, I somehow got a glance of his plate (though now I could probably admit that I was looking for reasons to justify how I was a better person that he was...yes, this is the kind of stuff that was bubbling to the surface for me). I kept noticing that he would not only take lots of food, but he'd go back for seconds (and probably thirds). And he always waited in the dining hall until everyone else was gone (probably to stuff his fat face!). One time, he took three bananas at tea time! How dare he!! Couldn't he see that everyone else was taking at most two and being respectful of others?! And he drank his tea too loudly! I started thinking of him as a freeloader, someone who came just to have a nice 10-day break from work and stuff his face full of vegetarian food.

I hope this reads as ridiculous as I'm trying to make it sound. Because it absolutely is. I had never talked to this man, never really seen his face (remember, we're avoiding communicating with each other, and eye contact is one type of communication), had no idea what kind of person he was like. But my mind decided he was a loser. My mind, based on all its experiences so far, made this man seem to be less than me. But what's the point? What did I have to gain from all this anger and righteousness simmering within? Nothing. Nothing but more anger. Nothing but more suffering for me. And to think, we do this kind of thing everyday without even realizing it. And we don't know better, we don't know how to make it stop. But I have an idea how to stop it now. It's not easy, but it's there.

(It turns out, the Freeloader is actually making his living as a musician, which I think is pretty cool, being inclined toward music myself. I started thinking about how maybe if gigs weren't happening that often for him, how he might need to eat a little more than the rest of us, assuming some pathos-inspired "starving artist" image. Even this thought isn't necessary. The fact is he ate what he ate. Nothing special about it.

I still don't have any idea what kind of person he is, and there's still this (totally imagined!) negative experience of him in my head, but now I can look back and see why his actions were just actions and not attacks against me or anyone else. I also stopped to think about how I might have been doing things that bothered other people - a humbling thought).

So, the results of this meditation? On the last day, when we were allowed to resume conversation, my friend Roy and I had lunch together in the dining hall. It was one of the happiest conversations I've had in a long time. The peaceful energy in him, in me, in everyone at the course, was so apparent. I had trouble not smiling for a few days after that (imagine me walking around Osaka and Kobe with a grin on my face - people probably assumed I was a brand new foreigner amazed at the sights and sounds of urban Japan). Even now, I find myself simply happy at the way things are going, neither remarkable or amazing, simply full of peace and a happiness that is hard to explain right now. I am also much more aware of things these days, such as my reaction to events, my train of thought, my breathing. It's a fascinating web, this body and mind thing we've got.

Some of my co-teachers have jokingly asked me if I'm enlightened yet. I simply shake my head, smile, and tell them I'm working on it. A few have even asked for information about the meditation and I happily directed them to the website, even printed some information out for the two of them.

I'm not claiming to be a better person now. And it's not like I've had amazing realizations about the universe or life as we know it. I simply sat and focused, listened to and followed the instructions of our teacher, and now I am doing my best to keep the experience a daily practice. Sometimes it's hard, but that's ok. I just accept that it's not easy and find ways to stay motivated to meditate. Living alone in a quiet village helps (laughs), but not necessary. I feel very good these days, which is perhaps the hardest thing to explain.

Things As it Is

2009-12-22T22:34:00.003+09:00

Tomorrow, 12/23, I'm heading to Kobe. From there, I will catch some trains, pass through Kyoto Station, and end up in a seminar house in the middle of a rural county in Kyoto prefecture. There, I will spend 10 days sitting in silence, not only of speech, but also of mind and body. The purpose?

Peace. Happiness.

Having never done this kind of meditation before, I can't say what I'm going to experience. Nor can I say what I think I'm going to experience. I am heading into this meditation with no expectations. And I will come away with ... I don't know really, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

The goal? To be constantly present. What does that mean? Perhaps it's time for us all to do some reading:

http://www.dhamma.org/

This website can only explain so much. From what I understand, you'll have to do it for yourself to find out what it's really like. I'm not sure how well I'll be able to explain my experience when it's all over. Again, ahead of myself.

Be back on the 4th of January.

Christmas Cards

2009-12-15T16:51:00.003+09:00

For the past two weeks at my schools, we have been making cards for the holiday season. Today, I visited my small school for my weekly English lesson. Below are some cards made by two of my 3rd grade elementary students.

Published Photographer

2009-12-10T10:43:00.008+09:00

You may remember me mentioning a photo I took a while back. Well, last week, I received a shipment from Tokyo. I opened the box to find this year's 2010 JET Programme Calendar.

(It's official!)

The box contained around 15 copies of the calendar. I took as many as I would need for friends and family and then gave the rest to members of the Board of Education (I found out yesterday that the BoE received their own stash of around 10 calendars in a separate shipment, so I took a few from that stash, too).

I'm planning on getting the calendars out to a few people within a week. Please be patient. And if I could make a recommendation, don't actually use it - just keep it on your desk with my photo always showing. That's the downside of a cover shot I guess. I don't mind, though!

Tops

2009-12-05T18:08:00.006+09:00

I spent today supporting a girl (let's call her K-chan [*note: the videos below are not her - they are only examples of the kata that she performed]) from my karate dojo (空手道場) as she competed in the 12th Okinawan Junior High School Karate Tournament. Cliff and I had gone to a previous (and unrelated) tournament a few months ago, but we arrived after she had already participated (she also didn't advance as far as she did today). I made sure not to be as late today.

I arrived at the tournament and made my way to the gymnasium seating just as K-chan was beginning her second kata (形, a series of moves done in succession).

Tournaments work like this: two (competing) participants perform a kata of their choice (starting from the second round) on an 8m² mat. One wears a red belt, the other blue. Surrounding the mat are five judges (審判), seated at each of the corners, with the head judge seated in front of the participants starting position. Each judge holds a red flag and a blue flag. When both participants have completed their kata, the head judge blows a whistle and all five judges raise their flags. The participant receiving the most flags out of the five moves on to the next round.

K-chan is very solid in her kata. Our sensei, Taira, works with her closely at each of our practices. She's serious, dedicated, fast and strong (she's also only 12). So the result of her second round was a unanimous 5-0 victory. For her third round, she scored the same, which meant she advanced to the semi-finals (準決勝), or the "Best 4" as it is called here.

K-chan performed the kata Suparinpei, スーパーリンペイ (below), for her fourth round.

The result was another 5-0 victory. Her victory here meant that she advanced to the final (決勝).

The final varies in two ways. First, the participants - instead of performing their kata at the same time - perform them separately (I believe this is to allow the judges to closer scrutinize). Second, there are seven judges, not five. The two additional judges sit to the side of the participants starting position.

Today, K-chan went first. She performed solidly in the kata, Anan, アーナン.

(The woman performing the kata in the video is Azusa Tomishiro. K-chan and her have some striking similarities - hairstyle, a few facial features, and speed come to mind. Not to mention, they're both Okinawan.)

So solid was her performance today that she scored a 7-0 victory, placing 1st for the tournament.

As a result, K-chan will be heading to Hokkaido (北海道) in March to participate in an All Japan (全国) tournament. Of course, her family, along with Taira-sensei will be going. Surprisingly, Taira-sensei asked me...actually, politely told me...to come to Hokkaido to support her there. So that's my spring break plan - head to northern Japan to support our dojo's number one.

International Exchange

2009-11-27T14:53:00.005+09:00

When I left Chicago to come to Okinawa, the exchange rate between the dollar and the yen was around $1:¥125. So let's see what happened to the $2,500 I exchanged before departing for Tokyo:

$2,500 x 125 = ¥31 2500

(While in the US, we split numbers into thousands (000), Japan splits them into man (0000)).

Today, the rate listed by my money transfer service was $1:¥88. Let's see what happens if the exchange rate, at the time I left for Japan, had been what it is today:

$2,500 x 88 = ¥21 8250

Then: ¥31 2500
Now: ¥21 8250

That's a difference of ¥9 4250! Let me put that in perspective for you. I would have lost out on the following:

- 18 months of rent; or,
- 23 tanks of gas (at today's current price); or,
- 3-4 months worth of groceries (food is expensive); or,
- 22 round trip bus trips from Nago to Naha (it's ridiculously expensive!); or,
- 2-3 round trip flights from Okinawa to mainland Japan (depending on the season).

As you can see, it's not a trivial amount of money. Granted, the change has taken place over the course of two years. How about sending money the other way, from Japan to the US? I'll show you (using the same amount of money that I started with in Japan):

Then: ¥31 2500 / 125 = $2,500
Now: ¥31 2500 / 87.3 = $3,580

Sending money from Japan to the US is much more beneficial now than it was two years ago. It's a perfect opportunity for me to focus on paying off my loans in large amounts, as other friends are now considering doing. The exchange rate would also be beneficial if I was in a situation where I would be returning to the US to live or travel.

Day to day, however, the drop of the exchange rate really hasn't affected me all that much. My salary is the same as it was when I first got here (in fact, there has never been a salary adjustment since the start of the JET Programme 21 years ago). For those with intentions to visit Japan from the US, you're money won't go as far. But if you know someone that lives here, at least you won't have to worry about accomodation costs.

Cooling Off

2009-11-17T12:19:00.003+09:00

It's not really cold today, somewhere around 20°C (68°F - my friends in Chicago would laugh at this), but it's enough to make me wear a long-sleeve shirt. I think this morning's lingering clouds, blocking the sun's rays, are keeping things cooler than normal. There's also a slight breeze through the school, which can make sitting at a desk or standing in a classroom slightly chilly.

At home, I've started using my thick comforter again. At this point, waking up isn't hard because it's cold; I'm just staying up too late (re-)watching some of my favorite Japanese movies and TV shows.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining about the cool weather. In fact, it reminds me of the autumns that I used to love in Chicago, minus the changing leaves. But the Japanese custom of a hot bath* at night more than makes up for that. There is simply nothing like warming oneself up before going to bed. It really makes those last few minutes of consciousness all the more pleasant.

*Before entering a bath in Japan, one showers thoroughly, making sure to be clean and that no suds get into the bath water. Once clean, one simply submerges in the hot water and enjoys the relaxation.

Cost of Gas

2009-11-12T00:53:00.003+09:00

I was filling up the other day...actually, that's not exactly right. In Japan, full service gas stations are the norm. Only in the cities will you find stations where you can pump the gas yourself (but after living here for a few years, I've realized how unpleasant it really is). Regardless, it doesn't really change the cost of gas, whether you do it yourself or have someone do it for you.

The other day, after I had my tank filled up for me, I took a closer look at my receipt. Here's what I found:

Volume of gas: 36.1 liters (9.5 gallons)
Cost per liter: 126 yen ($1.40)
Total cost: 4551 yen ($50.57)

This is pretty noteworthy, because the car I drive is nothing special in Japan. It's not big, it's normal. I spent a few minutes thinking about it afterwards and I realized that this is a huge sinkhole in my budget. I'm thinking of ways to reduce gas expenditures, such as riding my motorcycle more or maybe even getting a new car (though this really depends on how many more years I want to stay in Japan...which currently is quite a few).

4

2009-10-29T16:48:00.004+09:00

初段
準初段 (black)
１級
２級 (brown)
３級
４級 (green)
５級
６級 (yellow)
７級
８級 (orange)
９級
１０級 (blue)

Nature's Candy

2009-10-27T11:14:00.002+09:00

Pardon the cliché, but I've been taking careful steps to watch what I eat. After reading Michael Pollen's In Defense of Food, borrowed from Dave, I took a look at some of the standard foods I've been keeping in my apartment.

Let's examine my morning staple: cereal. Turns out, the crap I was eating (up until a few weeks ago) read more like a list for a chemical experiment than it did for ingredients. I switched to a much more basic cereal with six ingredients, down from the 20+ I found in my original cereal (and if you give the book a read, you'll find he recommends keeping ingredient lists shorts, under five if possible). I definitely didn't need all the sugar they were pouring into it.

There are times when it's necessary (yes, required!) to eat something outside of the realm of mostly healthy. My after-karate bakery item is a good example. Since I only do that three times a week, it's not bad. But what about times when I'm feeling hungry and seem to have no other choices besides fast food or convenience store items?

The key: cherry tomatoes. They're sweet, they're delicious, and they're healthy. I bought a pack of them a few days ago before sitting down with friends at Mr. Donuts (rest assured, you'll get some stares). I just ate a pack a few minutes ago, prompting me to make this post. So the next time you're wondering what to have for a snack, why not reach for something more natural. You'll enjoy it and your body will thank you for the natural ingredients.

One of Those Weekends

2009-10-25T09:26:00.002+09:00

Lying in my slightly old apartment, the I can hear the wind howling outside. It sneaks through the small gaps in the windows and whistles from time to time. The rain is also coming down pretty steadily, nothing violent, just constant. But being Okinawa, the weather doesn't really get cold, it just gets colder than normal.

And so I'm here, not really wanting to do anything today. And it's a great feeling.

I can remember some of my most relaxing days in Chicago were of the very same sort - bad weather, warm blanket, a cup of tea, and a good book (these days, good Japanese material). The tea has been upgraded and I tend to drink more of it now. The reading is a little slower, but not all of it. I can remember a time when 「日本人の知らない日本語：なるほど爆笑の日本語”再発見”コミックエッセイ」 would have taken me a long time to look up, then pronounce, then finally understand. Now, it's easy (and it means "Japanese (language) that Japanese (people) don't know: a comic essay on the rediscovery of hilarious "Oh, I see." Japanese"). It's a good book, too.

But now I'm feeling hungry, so Cliff and I are going to head to my second favorite type of spot - a small breakfast cafe in Nago. I'm not sure what I'll have, but a cup of coffee and a relaxing morning are going to be part of that order.

Slow and Steady

2009-10-16T13:49:00.002+09:00

The results are in: I'm not perfect.

The advancement test on Wednesday went well, but not perfectly. There were several instances during the kata (a series of moves designed to teach basics, as well as continuity) where I made a mistake. Not severe, more of a detail issue, partly due to nerves, party due to not regularly performing the kata, as I should be doing.

Taira-sensei's words were encouraging, though. And for me, taking a simple look back at where I started over two years ago, I'm content with the progress I've made - stronger, faster, more comfortable. There is still so very far to go, however, and even achieving a status of 初段しょだん black belt, is really only the beginning.

As Taira-sensei likes to tell us, 空手からて karate is a life-long activity. Proof? Just ask Taira-sensei's sensei, Nakamura-sensei. He's 84 (at least?) and still strong.

Present

2009-10-13T00:50:00.002+09:00

Been busy.

Also, trying to keep the title of this post as my state of mind.

空手昇進級審査 (karate advancement test) on Wednesday. Not so present, but hey, that's not my fault.

Ride Out the Storm

2009-10-08T09:26:00.003+09:00

A few days ago, Typhoon #18 passed between the mainland of Okinawa and the outlying Daito islands*. It was apparently a pretty wicked storm, but I think a lot of luck was had (at least from the mainland Okinawan perspective) when it traveled over mostly ocean.

The whole experience was made a little more interesting because I've got a friend from the US in town right now. She's borrowing my car during the days so she can get around the island, while I'm using my bike to get back and forth from school. Most days, the bike is great - it's small, it's fast, and it saves gas. But on a pre-typhoon day, things get interesting.

Of greatest effect was the wind. Strong gusts from the side would hit me and the bike. I lowered my speed to keep any surprise gusts from blowing me and my bike into the woods or the sea or oncoming traffic. Combine that wind with sea water, however, and you get some wicked waves. Waves big enough to crash over the sea barriers placed along the coast, making roads slick and helmet visors hard to see through. Both of these caused me to take an inland route back to my house on Tuesday. But the typhoon winds even made life hard there, when I came across a tree that had been blown over and was obstructing my lane (thank you, emergency braking practice!). Having passed that obstacle, random debris and rain slowed me down the rest of the ride.

I made it home just fine, but I definitely wouldn't have tried it if the typhoon was any closer.

And lest you think it was all bad, not so! Today, the skies are clear, the wind is pleasant, and I had a great ride to work, though I suppose I can start worrying about the weather getting too cold to ride now. Maybe it's time to invest in a "winter" jacket.

*I want to put up a link to Google Maps or something similar, but the connection here is so slow, it's timing out. If you want, copy and past the following Japanese into the search bar to see where the islands are: 沖縄県北大東島

First Steps

2009-10-02T08:29:00.002+09:00

Thursday, after Japanese class, I stopped by Nazca, a salsa-dancing bar in Nago. A few of my friends have been going there for quite a while now, and my interest was piqued enough to check the place out for myself.

I first visited Nazca about a month ago, to meet Cliff, who was hanging out there for a night. There were several people practicing for an upcoming (and now passed) salsa-dancing event. As I watched them practice, I would notice things that were similar to swing-dancing; the step is not similar at all, but basic moves, such as turns and passes, looked familiar.

A few weeks after that first visit, Cliff, David and I tagged along with a few ladies to the aforementioned salsa-dancing event. Eight groups performed that night, amidst an open floor for those in attendance. While I was not at all in the mood to step on to the floor without knowing how to dance, I was convinced after practically being shamed for resisting.

So last night, I had my first lesson, given by none other than the owner (he's a good dancer) of the bar. We practiced three basic steps and the two basic turns - right and left. I also got a chance to practice the moves with an ALT friend of mine who was there. I'm happy to announce I can lead two simple turns and have a good feel for the bachatta, a simple left-right step. I'm heading to another lesson on Sunday and I feel good about it, knowing what to expect.

One Half Ninja Turtle

2009-09-28T17:06:00.003+09:00

Not quite six months ago, Cliff and I started practicing bo. I still remember the excitement of being told by Taira-sensei that if we bought our own, he would teach us. And so for the past few months we have been practicing, smoothing our movements and thickening our calluses. While far from proficient, we feel capable. We have also memorized our first kata, 徳嶺のこん, Tokumine no kon.

Some weeks ago, sensei informed us that he'd be willing to expand our abilities in 古武道, kobudo, or Okinawan weapons fighting. Taira-sensei told us that if we brought these to practice, he would teach us.

Sai. Not at all like I imagined, these are used much more for deflecting attacks than actually penetrating an opponent, though that possibility still exists.

I was practicing a very basic move at home last week, when one of the sai slipped out of my hands and fell to the floor. It left a very noticable wound in the tatami, one that I'm going to do my best not to show off when it's time for me to leave Higashi.

A (Last) Day at School

2009-09-22T10:12:00.007+09:00

Several weeks ago, after an elementary school lesson, one of the teachers at my small school told me that two of the boys were leaving Higashi. Their father was getting transferred for a work assignment and they would be gone by September 18th. As luck would have it, I was scheduled to be at that school during the boys' last week, so I would have plenty of time to say my goodbyes.

The thing about these two boys is that their father is American, so they're English comprehension is well above that of the other students. They didn't speak much or any English to me, but when I talked in class, they often understood what I was saying and would help the other students out. I will miss their funny Japanese interpretations of English...and of my "accent".

For their last week, there were a few special events to bid them farewell. We played basketball and kickball. After the kickball game, the brothers were presented with hand-made mementos, to remember their friends at the school. The boys even made short speeches, and both of them teared up. It was touching to see that their short time at the school had been so good for them.

I made sure to have my camera with me, and took pictures whenever I could. I thought five days would be a long time, but it was over before I knew it.

Post Rally Syndrome

2009-09-15T23:30:00.006+09:00

My dad sent me a few DVDs of photographs, ones left on my computer in the US and a bunch that he found and scanned in my grandmother's house. While I plan to put up a few of those old photos (you'll even get to see me when I was only a few years old), here's one that I made after getting back from the Mongol Rally. I sent it to one of my new international friends about a week before I had to go back to work.

Go Cubs!

2009-09-15T23:26:00.002+09:00

It turns out, even the Cubs have fans in Okinawa.

I'll buy a can of beer for anyone (in Okinawa) who can guess what player's name was listed on the back. Two beers if you get the number correct, too.

himawari: sunflower

2009-09-13T20:52:00.005+09:00

While different eye color is not at all uncommon in the US, it's quite rare in Japan. People will often refer to the color of their eyes as "black." It's pretty accurate. There are some people, however, whose eye color more closely resembles a brown (and in cases where this brown is light, it's really shocking).

Lately, the younger kids of my elementary schools have taken a liking to my eye color. Brown? Green? Hazel? A little bit of everything, they've decided to call it something new entirely.

Himawari, or sunflower.

It's not an exact representation, but I like it. There's brown, there's green, and there's even a little something between where the brown and green blend together.

It's kind of nice, especially on those feeling-down days, to have a kid ask me to see my eyes, then to have her utter, 「お～、向日葵（ひまわり）だ。」(Ooh, sunflowers!)

Photo sourced from 花の壁紙写真ブログ.

Blood Pressure

2009-09-08T16:33:00.001+09:00

When I showed up to my afternoon school today, there was a blood pressure monitor (among other things) on my desk. Rather than get pissed about how my desk is the "go to" place when the teachers need to leave things lying around, I decided to use it. Here are the results:

Time: 16:27
Systolic pressure (after contraction): 113 mm/Hg
Diastolic pressure (before contraction): 62 mm/Hg
Pulse: 61 bpm

113/62. It seems like it was a much better idea to keep chill than to flip out about something that doesn't even really matter anyway. I'll take that as my lesson for the day.

Obon

2009-09-05T17:47:00.003+09:00

A week and a half ago, I was heading to Nago when I passed by the athletic field in the center of Higashi. All the lights were on and there were a bunch of people doing eisa (a type of traditional Okinawan dance). I stopped by that night to see what was happening. It was a great choice.

Almost two weeks later, I had one of the best nights of my time here in Japan.

Obon is a yearly holiday where people pay respects to their ancestors. They call the spirits of the dead from the sea for a few days, sending them back a few days later. While I'm unsure as to how things are done on mainland Japan, in Okinawa, eisa (as performed on Obon) seems to be a sort of celebration/thanks to the spirits.

So starting at 5:00 pm on Thursday, we danced at various locations throughout a part of the village and we did that until midnight. We took breaks between performances and were even treated to lots of food and drink by the people who were hosting Obon parties (who I found out later, had paid to have us perform for them - this itself is a huge fundraiser for the youth group that organized the eisa).

The event almost didn't happen for me. Over the week and a half of practice, my right knee started to bother me a lot. I went to a doctor on Tuesday and he said, "Stop all stressful activity." Me: "Even eisa?" Doc: "Even eisa." I was crushed.

So I showed up on Thursday with the intent of just taking photographs and video. But when the first round of practice was called for, I jumped in and gave it a shot. No problem! Nothing hurt (I was also using the left leg to compensate for a lot of the up and down movement). We made our way to the first performance spot and by the end of the fourth song (out of five) my left knee started to hurt more than the right one ever had. I sat out the last song and regretted my bad luck.

The next location, I didn't dance, I just took pictures. It felt so lame! Everyone dancing and me standing off to the side in full outfit wishing I could dance. Upon reaching the third location, I decided to let adrenaline run its course for the night - and I danced. I didn't bend my knees as much as everyone else, I didn't spin as fast, doing whatever I could to keep the stress from getting too intense. A little bit of alcohol also may have helped. But before I knew it, we had reached the last location of the night, just around midnight. The longest set of the night, I kept getting encouragement from those around me, a great boost. We sent Obon out with great energy and made our way back to the community center to celebrate our two weeks of hard work and one of the most enjoyable nights I've had here in Okinawa.

A Roll a Day

2009-09-01T10:24:00.002+09:00

September 1, and school has started again. It's the second term of the school year, and if today's opening ceremony was any indication, the students are wiped out from their 45 days off. The principal remarked more than once about how sleepy the assembled mass of students looked. If they're anything like I was, they spent last night doing all the homework they put off until the last minute.

There are no English classes today (check that: at my morning school - afternoon school might surprise me with two), so I have some time to prepare for tomorrow's six classes in a row! Since a school day consists of only six classes (for a total of 4.5 hours in the front of the classroom), it is going to be busy. And since it's hot, it's going to be sweaty. And I'm pretty sure I'm the only teacher in the school who gets scheduled for a full day of classes (even elementary teachers don't spend all day teaching - there are specialist teachers that take over for math, science, and phys. ed.).

That gripe out of the way, today is also the start of my new project - A Roll a Day. For the next four months, I'm going to do my very best at taking a roll of photographs a day. 36 exposures per day (day being loosely defined as "a period of time between waking up and going to sleep that includes enough light for decent photographic exposure"). By combining this with the resumption of school, I figure there should be plenty to capture.

A sub-goal of this is to get people used to - in fact, bored with - me carrying a camera everywhere. A lot of people here shy away from cameras with lenses; they're just not used to them unless photos are being taken during formal events, which means they have plenty of time to primp and prepare. But on a normal day, people feel unprepared to have their image captured, and so they hide or put on a photo front (if you smile or pose at cameras, you are putting on a front). I want to get past that, to get the photos of people as they are, not as they want to be seen.

Now, off to prep for tomorrow.

Palau: North

2009-08-25T23:35:00.004+09:00

Having arrived a few days before the first-born ceremony for Dave's friend, we had quite a bit of free time. During one of our free days, we decided to rent a car and take a trip up north.

Dave had three homes when he was in Palau: a home in Koror for the times he came into the city for conferences and such, a home on a southern island, and a home on the northern mainland of Palau. Part of our drive was to get back to the northern area and meet up with some people Dave hadn't seen in years. On the way, we spent a few hours exploring, including hiking a trail to a waterfall.

The start of the path to the waterfall, seen in the distance on the left.

Our path took us down into a valley and along a river leading up to the waterfall. Walking sticks in hand, we took our time and jumped in a few pools that had been carved into the rock by the river.

Dave holds onto his walking stick - we were required to take one despite our insistence that we'd be alright.

A few rivers crossings later, we came to a clearing and it was easy to tell we had arrived.
Unlike the two or three waterfalls that I know of in Okinawa, this one was impressive. The sound, the spray, and the invigorating feeling on our shoulders as we stood under the roaring water made the hike well worth it. It was also a small foreshadowing of our immersion into nature that we would experience the next week during our kayak trip.

Dave and the waterfall.

After plenty of time in the cool water, we continued on. We drove to and hiked a somewhat neglected trail (that Dave helped design) near Micronesia's largest fresh water lake. During that walk, we came across a Palaun boa. Not liking the fact that it was being handled, it defecated all over Dave's hands, which became an issue later on, when he had to constantly wipe spider webs out of his face.

The poopy boa.

One of our last sightseeing stops was the Palaun government offices. Modeled after the Capital Buiding in Washington, D.C., this recreation couldn't have been more out of place. We discussed how a modernization of traditional Palaun architecture would have been ideal, but in a move that seems to have been a cheap flattery of the U.S., the president at the time decided on the current design. Needless to say, we had to document its ridiculousness.

Those chandeliers cost approximately $10,000 a piece! We counted at least 15 around the premises, and those were only the ones we could see.

After sunset, we had what I would describe as a "Palaun Rally" experience - trying to get a small-sized car past roads and obstacles not meant for normal traffic. Dave's skills were solid, though, and with a little precision and despite the sounds of undercarriage distress and crushed coconuts, we passed the roughest roads in Palau and had a good laugh after it was all over.

Palau: Ngasech

2009-08-20T23:16:00.003+09:00

The main reason for the trip to Palau was for my friend Dave to visit his friend Emadh who had given birth to her first child some months ago. As a Palaun, Emadh was celebrating this birth during a week or so of cleansing (Palauns used to deliver babies via C-section, and the ensuing cleansing was performed to ensure the survival of the mother).

Dave got a rare chance to take some amazing and quite memorable pictures (you can read all about it on his site - just follow the link). As a friend of a friend, I mingled and took part in some of the celebration. I managed to take a few photographs, but the feeling of the celebration can't be recreated at all.

An intricate fruit display, all of which is taken by participants after the party's over.

Friends of the mother, contributing dollars as part of the ceremony.

Palaun singer. This woman had a seriously strong voice.

VIP bento, which I was very surprised to receive. The nuts in the middle are served only on special occasions and are delicious.

The baby, Coco Bella, father (right), and various family.

Palau: Getting There

2009-08-20T08:43:00.004+09:00

My trip to Palau started on August 3rd, when I began the two day journey to get there from Okinawa. While there are direct flights from Okinawa to Palau, there were none available when I made my reservations some months ago. To get around this problem, I figured out a route that took me to Osaka, where I spent the night, flying to Guam then Palau the next day.

Who wouldn't want to get to a place like this as fast as they could?

That was the plan anyway.

As I checked in at Kansai Airport en route to Palau, things seemed to be taking longer than expected. I asked the check-in staff if there was a problem. There was.

Palau requires that incoming travelers have at least 6 months validity remaining on their passports. I had 5 and a half. I stood there, elbow on the check-in counter and my forehead resting on my palm while I thought of all the ways I could convince the staff to let me get on the plane. Nothing worked - they knew I wouldn't get into Palau, so they didn't let me board.

I asked them for the phone number to the U.S. Consulate in Osaka, gave them a ring, and told them my situation. The man on the phone said it would take about a week or so to get a new passport - no good, since I was only going to be in Palau for a week or so. At this point, I really thought my trip to Palau was canned. The man on the phone suggested I come in and meet with staff to talk about it. Luckily, the people at Passport Services knew their stuff and were able to issue me a temporary 1-year passport within a few hours, which then allowed me to rebook my flights just two days (and a good bit of money) later.

I spent an additional two days with my buddy Mac, a Japanese I met in Taiwan this past April. And not wanting to waste my time sitting around waiting for planes, I took a day trip to Kyoto, rented a bike, and got to one of the famous temples I was not able to see when Brent was here last year.

清水寺, Kiyomizu dera, or the "clean water temple", Kyoto.

Two days later, I approached the same check-in counter with high hopes. They accepted the new passport and everything went smoothly from there.

Good News While Away

2009-08-17T20:39:00.003+09:00

I got back from Palau tonight, after 17 hours of travel. I can sense myself missing the adventure of such a naturally beautiful place already. And while I'll have much more to say (and show) over the next few posts, I thought I'd share a little bit of good news I got during my time away.

I submitted some photographs for the 2010 JET Programme calendar and one was chosen! Here's the email:

Hello Vaughn,
Congratulations!!!
One of your photos has been selected to appear in the 2010 JET Programme Calendar. The attached photo will appear in the 2010 desk calendar as the cover.

As I told Dave (who was sitting right next to me and also had a photograph accepted for the contest), "I have officially entered the world of amateur photography."

Title: Shisa

Taking Off: Palau

2009-08-03T07:25:00.002+09:00

It's 7:25, sitting in Nago waiting for the 8:20 bus that will take me to Naha Airport. In a few hours, I'll be in Osaka. Then tomorrow, around 11:00, I'll board a flight that will pass through Guam and take me to Palau.

In case you were wondering just exactly where Palau is or what it might look like, try following this link: http://www.visit-palau.com/

I'll be back in two weeks.

A New Look

2009-07-30T22:38:00.003+09:00

Wednesday, July 29th marked my 2nd year anniversary in Japan. Yay!

As the third year of my existence in Japan starts, I figure it is time to update the blog. The green was getting old and the overly long expanse of nothing but words started to wear on me as well.

Tomorrow, students from Yawata City (I forget the prefecture) will be arriving in Higashi for the 15th Annual Higashi-Yawata Exchange Program. This program's goal is to foster friendships between students of Higashi and Yawata, giving both groups a different perspective of life as they're used to. For instance, Higashi's students get to go skiing and see snow for the first time in their life, while Yawata's students get to experience the uniquely Okinawan ways of living.

A student leaps from a pole, 8 meters off the ground, at Higashi's PA (Physical Adventure).

I'll be busy this weekend, but it's not really work. My job for the next few days entails things like hanging out with the kids and keeping an eye on them when we go swimming. Basically, it's a lot of fun for a couple of days. String that right into two weeks in Palau, and I think this summer vacation sounds pretty good.

I'll be sure to share some stories when I get back, though. So enjoy your summer (or winter if you're down south) and check back mid August.

Leaving the Windows Open

2009-07-11T20:22:00.002+09:00

Sometime last year, I was inspired by Dave to stop using air conditioning at home. Having spent several weekends on Zamami and realizing that I was surviving there without a/c, I came home and tried it. And it was fine! I went the whole summer of 2008 without a/c, even when my brother came to visit (he slept with a fan next to his futon, full power).

This year, it's the same - not once has the a/c been used. In fact, it's been unplugged for maybe close to a year now. I should try and find out how much I can sell it for, assuming it's not owned by my board of education.

Anyway, because I'm not using the a/c, I have to rely on wind to keep my apartment cool. And this means leaving the windows open when I'm home (and trying to do so even when I'm not). The air is fresher, there's no shocking temperature change upon leaving my apartment, and the energy bill is a lot lower (as is my contribution of pollution).

But today, I finally realized the best benefit of all - being available to the kids in my housing block. I was messing around on my computer, sitting in boxers (gotta stay cool!) when four of them opened up my screen, swept away the curtain, and poked their heads inside. The first thing they asked was, "yakyu shiyou?" or "Wanna play baseball?," followed by, "Oi, Bon-sensei kinniku kakko-ii," or "Wow, Vaughn-sensei has muscles, cool!"

So it was, that from 2:30 this afternoon until 7:30 this evening, the eight of us played baseball, then moved on to the beach and swimming, followed by burying them all in the sand, and finally heading home tired and with a day well spent.

Tomorrow, I'm making lemonade with two or three of the boys - it should be fun. I told them we'd make a lot of money selling it to the bikers and tourists that come through the village. Maybe one day, we'll set up a stand and raise some money for a good cause. It's days like these that make me want to stay on the JET Programme for as long as I can.

Want good sleep? Make yourself tired.

2009-07-09T08:23:00.002+09:00

A couple of months ago, me and a few friends here in Okinawa committed to participating in this year's Izena 88 Triathlon. As a team of three, each of us will be completing a leg of the race, either the 2km swim, the 66km bike, or the 20km run (for a total of 88km). I will be biking. And to get in shape for this race, I've been doing a lot of exercise recently.

Mainly, this exercise involves biking. I don't do much and I don't do it very fast, but I'm just working on a base for now. My legs aren't used to biking so there's no need to push, especially since doing too much too fast can lead to quick injuries.

I've also been swimming at school. While I try to join the elementary kids during their lessons (because it's so much fun!), I also try to get into the pool when there's nobody else there. 45 minutes of uninterrupted swimming is a great thing and is a really good use of an otherwise mostly unproductive free period.

Lastly is the running, but I've been holding off on that for a while. I'm waiting to see how my knee handles the biking (pretty well so far) and then will start off very slowly with a jogging routine. My hope is that the three varieties of exercise prevent another overuse injury by balancing each other out.

So aside from feeling better and getting a little bit stronger in my physical pursuits, I sleep really really well now. Just last night, I got my first night of 8+ hours sleep and slept like a rock. I've regained my voracious hunger, too, which is fine by me because I love food! (I just need to find a natural peanut butter supplier and I'm all set)

The triathlon is on 10/25. So when the day rolls around, wish us the best. And rest assured that I'll be sleeping like a king when the day is over.

Palau

2009-07-03T12:24:00.003+09:00

In just one month, I'll be on my way to Palau, a tiny country located north of Papua New Guinea. I'll be joining my friend Dave, who is the reason for the trip. Dave was a Peace Corps volunteer some five years ago and spent two years on Palau. This will be my first time to Palau and Dave's first time back since he ended PC service.

You can see Okinawa, just above the 25th parallel and west of 130°, 4th square from the top-right

I started looking for reasonably priced flights a few weeks ago, but I only finalized my plans yesterday. Unfortunately, the more direct paths out of Okinawa were unavailable, so I had to book two separate segments. First, I'll fly from Okinawa to Osaka, spend a night there, and then fly via Guam to Koror, Palau. The return trip will take place all in one day, but the trip will begin with a departure time from Palau of 01:45. It will be a long day (I arrive in Okinawa at 17:25), but well worth it.

Coming from a sub-tropical island, I'm wondering just what I'll think of this new tropical island experience. I hear that there's a fair number of Japanese who make their way to Palau, so I may even have a chance to work on my Japanese while there. All this wouldn't be possible without the flexibility of my board of education, so of course I've promised them some nice omiyage (a gift for coworkers, usually food, purchased during a trip) and the superintendent is awaiting a bottle of the local liquor.

We'll be there for two weeks. It sounds like our first week will be spent with friends of Dave's reconnecting and such. The second week, we'll take off for the wild on kayaks, camp out, and (I can almost guarantee that we'll) fish - generally enjoying the beauty of the place. Very excited!

A Weekend Away

2009-06-28T16:43:00.001+09:00

I spent this past weekend on Zamami, perhaps one of my favorite short travel destinations in all of Okinawa, even Japan. I met up with my friend Dave on Friday night and we slept on a sailboat in Ginowan harbor. Saturday was the 32nd Zamami Yacht Race, and rather than spend money on a pension or a hotel, the boat served us really well. The cool breeze also kept things from getting stuffy inside.

So Saturday was my first sailboat race ever. I didn't do anything other than act as ballast (keeping the boat balanced), but it was sometimes hectic when the captain would call for a tack and we'd have to make our way to the other side of the boat while the sails were shifted from one side to the other. It doesn't sound tough, except that about half-a-dozen people were all trying to get from one side to the other, without getting cracked in the head by a swinging boom. It was a new challenge and I enjoyed it.

Saturday night was marked by a party for the yacht race, but mostly to encourage people for the event going on Sunday - the sabani boat race. These boats are completely crafted of wood in a style that I can only assume is old-fashioned. With relatively primitive sails and only six members on the boat at any one time, the team must combine wind power and rowing to complete the 25km trip from Zamami to Naha. Fast teams take 3 hours at best. Slow teams, perhaps much longer.

The start was at 8 am, so the teams are likely to finish around midday. Support boats will be tailing the sabani boats the entire way, and team members will rotate as they tire.

*picture to be inserted here*

Anyway, coming to Zamami reminds me of the difference in culture between it and my village, Higashi. As the captain of the sailboat was saying, while Zamami is strong in culture with all things boat, sea, and fishing related, Higashi is very much focused on farming. Different cultures. Unfortunately, farming culture doesn't lend itself to interesting festivals at sea, boat races from island to island, or celebrations of welcoming and farewell every time people move to or from the island village (Higashi is not an island, in case you weren't sure). I'll concede that the pineapples are delicious, but if you've ever eaten more than a quarter of one, you quickly find your tongue and cheek unable to handle much more.

What this means is that I am developing an idea of the kind of place I want to live next. Wherever it might be, it's going to have to be warm, near the ocean, and involve sea-faring activities as part of one's daily life, including things like fishing, snorkeling, diving, and boating. This "requirement" should make narrowing down the places I want to live a little easier. I've got a year left on my JET Programme tenure. I think it's time to start thinking about where I will go next.

Stillness

2009-06-24T17:36:00.001+09:00

This week, it's a whole new feeling. The air in Higashi has stopped moving (not entirely, as I'm breathing as I write this) and while the dampness may have receded, the heaviness of the warmth of the season seems to really be getting underway. Mind you, this is not a complaint about the current weather in Okinawa, just an observation. I was cleaning the apartment today trying to think of a way to think of how things were feeling. "Still" was what came to mind (the ants, however, are anything but).

I suppose for many ALTs on the JET Programme, stillness is the last thing that comes to their mind. With July quickly approaching, many ALTs will be entering their final month on the Programme. I imagine some of them can't wait to leave, while others are not wanting to face the thought of either returning home or moving on to something else. Within those two extremes lie most of the people I'm sure and I can't help but wonder what kinds of things are going through their minds now. They made the decision to leave (or like me, to stay) over four months ago. But maybe it seemed like there was plenty of time left then.

I myself look at the fact that I only have 13 months left on JET as things stand. Sure, come next February I could decide to stay a fourth year, but I'm not going to get ahead of myself in either direction. There's plenty of time for that evaluation once the re-contracting papers come in November. I can sometimes hardly believe I've been here for almost two years already. Yet at the same time, I can't really see myself anywhere else in another year or so. This, as you can imagine, might seem to put me in a tough spot about what to do. But I've done a lot of discovery for myself this year and I realized that just being here now it what matters.

In that sense, no matter how rocky things may get, how shitty one day may seem, while the next could be quite amazing, there is a sense of stillness about it all. And I'm not talking about the humid stillness that envelopes me like a warm cloud. I'm talking about the pervasive feeling of tranquility that runs underneath the good, the bad, everything.

Dampness

2009-06-17T16:32:00.001+09:00

There's a humidity in Okinawa that's covering everything with its damp embrace. Clothing doesn't dry as quickly, shower rooms don't air out as quickly, and books and magazines lying around the apartment seem to take the dampness in for themselves. I have even purposefully delayed doing laundry for the sole reason that the clothing won't dry properly or, in the worst case, will mold. That's what lots of rain with a lingering humidity will get you.

This past week, what sounded like a small waterfall coming from my roof was in fact a waterfall coming from my roof. The water had built up and started pouring over the front of my flat roofed apartment, crashing down on the sidewalk in front of the window to my office. I'm thankful that my current roof is stronger than that of an apartment I lived in many years ago during college. During one particularly bad storm, a large chunk of ceiling came down all over my desk and dresser. Okinawan concrete seems to live up to its sturdy reputation, as far as being tested by heavy rain goes.

The sporadic nature of the rainy season has also affected me in other ways. For one, I'm taking fewer rides on my motorcycle either because the rain is too much to bear, or because I don't like the thought of having to ride home in an unexpected rain storm. I am sticking with my resolution to never use my air conditioning unit in my apartment, however. While I used the a/c during the first few months here in 2007, since my first winter, the machine has been experiencing some serious neglect. Fine by me, and my wallet and the environment are better off for it. I think my body appreciates all the fresh air, too.

Despite the rain and the humid nature of the season, the evenings have been really cool recently. So cool that I find myself bundling up with a blanket or two in the middle of the night. That's not to say I can't feel the damp around me, it just takes on a different feeling when the sun goes down. As long as it stays cool when I'm trying to sleep, all will be well. So here's hoping for nice breezes and cool evenings for a few more months to come.

Rolling

2009-06-10T18:42:00.002+09:00

Rolling. That's what this school year has been doing. Checking the calendar, it's a little hard to believe that it's been two and a half months since school started again. Even more bewildering to think that we've only got about a month of school left before the long summer break.

And of course, the approach of August means I've been in Okinawa for almost two years. When accepting my role on JET, I promised myself I'd stay two years, mainly because I'd heard stories that one year was too short. One-year ALTs had told me that just as they were getting the hang of living and working on JET, they had to leave. So here it comes, two years down.

I'll be sticking around for a third in my small village named Higashi. It's not bad, but it's also not a place I want to spend more than three years. While the experience has been great, there are a some disadvantages to living in a rural community where I don't quite get the whole picture of things, primarily because of my language inability. There are a couple of options I'm considering, all relating to what comes after my time here, but since none of them are more than ideas, I'll refrain from posting them just yet. There is one main question that underlies all my future decisions, though, and it is this: "Will I return to America?"

I can't say, you'll just have to wait and see. I have been thinking about doing a winter visit back to the States, though the logistics aren't going to please everybody. There's just no way I can see everyone in the limited amount of time within a reasonable cost. I'll do my best. Of course, there is one easy solution that saves me the trouble of having to pick who to see - you just have to make the trip over here for yourself.

Taiwan

2009-05-22T11:49:00.005+09:00

Pardon the overdue post, but a couple weeks ago, I went to Taiwan. It was my second trip there, the first occurring back in late February, when I met up with a friend to celebrate our 29th birthdays (we share March 3rd as a day of uterine expulsion [classy, yeah?]). While that trip was only three days, this one - taking place during the Japanese holiday known as Golden Week - lasted a week. It was great!

By chance, a former JET, still friend, suggested I check out a home-stay called Small Swiss Home-stay on the west coast of Taiwan. He went there the year before and had a great experience. So I got in touch with the owner, a kind man named Charlies, and it turned out a fellow JET from Okinawa was planning on being there the same time I was. We worked it out and I ended up joining their 3 day/2 night tour.

Charlies started a home-stay on his family's property in the Ari-shan mountains of western Taiwan for people to experience the beauty of Taiwan. Like any country, while the cities might be the centers for commerce and progressive culture, the parts that lie away from the metropolises allow for some great experiences. It was here that Charlies shared with us his way of life, his passion for teaching people about the Chia-yi region of Taiwan, and his seemingly unending kindness. Whether it was the amazing food recommendations at local eateries, the delicious early morning breakfasts delivered to us, or relaxing while drinking fragrant tea on our last night there, Charlies was never without a smile and a lively attitude.

Workers at a tea farm in the Ari-shan Mountains

My ambitious 7-day trip had me leaving the west coast and getting to the other side of the island. Had I been a little more familiar with Taiwan before I went, I might have tried to catch a bus or a train across the island. Instead, I joined my group of new friends on a trip back to Taipei for a night. It was good to have some downtime on the trainride back and a night without worryin about getting anywhere.

The second part of my trip took me to a county called Hua-lien, on the east coast of Taiwan. By chance, I inquired about housing at a local hostel that some other Okinawa friends had stayed at just a night before, by coincidence. The owner, a 30-year old woman named Ya-chen, had started the hostel 5 years ago with some help from her family. She owns and operates the place by herself (I didn't see any staff, but it's likely they work during the day when most guests are out). One of the cool things about Ya-chen was how much she has learned from her guests. Not only English, but also surfing (Hua-lien is a surfers hangout, it seems). Her business got me thinking about how hostels - as far as I know - don't seem to be that big in the US. Perhaps there's a business opportunity there, as well as inter/intranational exchange.

Hua-lien is renowned for the Taroko Gorge, a natural wonder and national park area, especially considering the relatively small geographical size of Taiwan. The gorge has been carved slowly by a river, cutting through a predominantly limestone base. The composition of the rocks, and the erosion that takes place, turns the river water into a silvery-grey color. It was pretty amazing, especially coming from the turquoise seas of Okinawa. It was a great day trip, having rented a scooter and hiking through the various trails and caves scattered throughout the park.

One thing that's hard to express is the wonder of looking up a cliff face that reaches over 1200m. Even the pictures I took don't evoke the same feel of when I was standing there, the wind pushing through the gorge at high speeds, my head leaned back, taking it all in. I also can't tell you how much of a rush it was to have rocks falling from overhead (at the Tunnel of Nine Turns), landing only meters away. Even with the mandatory hardhats, the crack of a falling rock on paved road was enough to get my heart beating very quickly.

I spent my last two days in Taipei. I also made my first real step into the world of Couchsurfing, where people around the world host travelers and stay with hosts offering couches. It's a cool way to meet some interesting people (though you do get the occasional mooch/jackass). My first night's hosts were a very cool couple, the second night a college student who helped me with some Mandarin music selections. We even made it to the top of Taipei 101, the world's tallest building with the world's fastest elevator.

Taipei 101 from street level

I'm glad I went. Taiwan proved to me that it is a place worth checking out as the next place to live. Of course, studying Chinese would be a good idea. I've still got a year and a half left on my contract here (and the option to apply for another year in February), so I'm not going to decide on anything just yet. I'll see what happens.

Good Choices

2009-05-20T17:25:00.003+09:00

Tuesday is a regular karate day, as is Friday. This Tuesday, I had a few more classes than normal and a headache decided to kick in sometime in the early afternoon. The mild tiredness and aching noggin got me to thinking about how it would be nice to just sit around at home and do nothing in particular.

I wrote my friend Cliff an email, something along the lines of "can't decide whether to take it easy or battle through it." He responded, "battle!"

And it's a good thing I did. Because Taira-sensei brought bo. It sounds a little strange in English, but all you have to do is imagine the ninja turtle Donatello.
Remember him? The one with the purple color scheme? Ok, the weapon that he used is a bo. According to sensei, the ones they use in competition (which doesn't apply to me, it's just a standard) are 1.8m long and 900g. Let me assure you, this is a very sturdy weapon.

We worked on basics, we worked up some nice bruises, and when practice was over, sensei told us to buy our own and bring them next time. I am very much looking forward to this type of practice.

He also assured us that once we get bo skills down, we can move on to another weapon: nunchaku.

晴れ　はれ　ha-re

2009-04-30T11:48:00.002+09:00

It means "clear weather" in Japanese. And what clear weather it has been for the past few days.

I spent my weekend on Zamami with Dave, just hanging out and making a few social rounds on Saturday night. Sunday we took off on a mid-day bike adventure to one of the lesser visited parts of the island, a little hamlet called Asa. We visited the nearby beach, and since the tide was out, we walked around more so than we would have been able to otherwise. I got a little sunburned, too.

Monday was Higashi school's annual 海の体験学習 Sea Learning Experience Day. I made sure to cover my face well and apply thick layers of sunscreen to keep from repeating the exposure on Sunday. In general, it was a much better day than last year, with only occasional clouds and wind. It was a perfect day for getting into the water and herding fish into a net (追い込み), cleaning and cooking our fish on the beach (this years catch was much better than last), and just generally enjoying being outdoors for a day.

The weather has held up well this week and it has been sunny so far today. The forecast also shows sun tomorrow and even into this weekend. Here's hoping the skies decide to stay clear for me as I make my way to Taiwan next week for Golden Week. I'll be heading to Alishan, a mountain famed for its delicious tea; Taroko Gorge National Park for some exploring and hiking; and two nights in Taipei staying with Couchsurfers who have graciously decided to host me. One of my hosts is a couple who love to bike and compete in triathlons. Seeing as I'm doing the Izena 88 Triathlon (biking portion of 66km), I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about.

Deep Blue

2009-04-16T23:20:00.010+09:00

This past weekend, I went deep sea fishing for the first time. Several weeks ago, my friend Dave sent out an invitation to join the trip on a charter that he was organizing. I jumped right on the chance to go. It had been so long since I’d done any sort of fishing and I was really looking forward to what I heard was supposed to be a great time.

Okinawa at 5:30 in the morning.

And it was. For about half of us. Seven of us started the trip out to sea on Saturday morning, leaving port at around 5:30 am. The sunrise was beautiful, the sea was calm, and the weather turned out to be fantastic ? clear skies and warm weather. Unfortunately for some, the inner calmness didn’t last. While four of us were doing just fine, the other three were alternating between lying on the deck, leaning over the side of the boat, and in one case, fighting sickness long enough to pull in a few fish.

Eric with his first catch.

We fished for about 8 hours and, though I stopped counting, pulled in lots of fish ? mostly tuna, but also some smaller bonito. Kerri even managed to snag a flying fish, but threw it back (I learned a few days later than they are apparently really tasty).

Dave cleans the first fish on our way back to port.

It was a blast! My freezer is now full of thick fish fillets. I made a nice dish last night. I roasted tomatoes, onions, olive oil, garlic, and seasoning for about 10-15 minutes at 200 C, then added the fish for another 10-15. Topping that off with a bowl of rice, it was a nice dinner.

At the very least, I learned something important about myself ? I like providing my own food. Granted, we chartered a boat and had to travel pretty far out to sea, but the feeling of reeling in a fish by myself was something I needed. It’s got me wondering what other sorts of things I can do on my own.

Money...well, spent

2009-04-02T09:30:00.002+09:00

Don't be fooled - not all of Japan has access to the latest internet technology (I'm talking about hi-speed fiber optic networks). While this technology has reached as far north in Okinawa as Nago, it has not come past there into the villages of Higashi, Ogimi, and Kunigami. The reason? Perhaps, revenue versus cost. It's my guess that there are not enough people up here that would use internet to make it worth building a network. Which leaves me confused as to why some of the outer islands have better internet access than we do - who decided to build networks out to those islands?

But speed is only part of the point here. I've come to accept my slow internet. During downloads and page loadings, I do other productive things, like study or run. The other aspect of my internet service, one that I'm reminded of monthly, is cost. I pay around $90 US a month for slow ass internet. It's more complicated than that, so let me explain.

I use what is known as ISDN, the technology that emerged after the introduction of the dial-up modem. For some of you younger readers, you might be thinking, "what's a modem?" or "what's dial-up?" I remember talking to my friend Cliff one day about how I used dial-up modems and bulletin board systems (BBS) back in high school - he had no idea what I was talking about. Anyway, it's not fast and it requires a phone line. And this is where NTT (the phone company) makes a killing (I assume).

The internet connection fee is around $25 US a month. The phone line rental is $65 US. So with about twice the money it took to wire my Chicago apartment with relatively fast cable, I get internet that kind of sucks.

This doesn't really bother me anymore, except when I can't connect. Yesterday, the phone line refused to connect despite all my attempts to get it to dial. I eventually gave up and during errands in Nago stopped by the internet cafe. But I was starting to get a little pissed off at NTT and I had this months bills on my desk, ready to call them with threats of cancellation and a loss of revenue. So of course, this morning, I connected and everything's back to normal. Close one, NTT. If it wasn't for my study habits, which require internet resources, you might have one less reason to build that network in Higashi.

Zamami

2009-03-30T16:26:00.004+09:00

My friend Dave lives on an island village off the west coast of southern Okinawa. It's called Zamami.

Over the past year and a half, I've made it to Zamami around half-a-dozen times, twice for whale watching, other visits just to see Dave and hang out on the island. This past weekend was the second whale watching visit and it was really fun. A number of ALTs from the southern part of Okinawa made the trip as did a few of their Japanese friends.

The great part about this weekend, besides the whale watching, was the festival that was held on Saturday. Starting at 5:30, there were all kinds of musical presentations ranging from taiko and eisa (traditional Okinawan dance) to a really cool trio of sanshin, piano and percussion. After the last performance, we headed back to the apartment and played a random assortment of card games and discussed as many dirty Japanese words as possible before going to sleep.

Sunday, it questionable weather, we all head out for the main event. And it turned out well. Though we didn't see as much activity as we did last February, for a few of the people on the trip who had never seen whales, it was still very cool. And so I recommend, that if you ever get the chance to take a whale watching trip, that you do. It's something you'll really enjoy (just be sure to take your sea legs with you).

Photo credit: David Clumpner

Fiestavus

2009-03-23T21:16:00.003+09:00

The adventure isn't over. Check out the video and support some awesome dudes at Fiestavus.com.

And in case you really want to add your name in support, sign their petition.

Graduation

2009-03-13T16:04:00.002+09:00

Today, the schools of Higashi celebrated graduation. The 3rd grade junior high students and the 6th grade elementary students received their certificates and are done with school.

The ceremony at Higashi was really nice (I only attended one ceremony today, rather than jumping around the village). The most touching portion of the event was the 送る言葉, or the "words of send off." The 6th grade class stood and faced the entire elementary school. Grades 1 through 5 then began to name each 6th grader and recount admirable traits or things they had done during the past year that the younger students wanted to thank them for. After that, the 6th graders then reciprocated their thanks. Each group also had a song prepared and sang them well.

The junior high portion of the 送る言葉 consisted of speeches from the 1st and 2nd grade representative and from one 3rd grade representative. Their speeches were much in the same vein as the elementary pronouncements, offering thanks for support and friendship, looking forward to whatever may come in high school and beyond.

The energy of the day was really great. Out of all the schools' graduation ceremonies I could have attended this year, I'm glad they sent me to Higashi's. When I first came in the summer of 2007, the recently graduated class was the hardest class for me to teach. They never responded to questions, they seemed really disinterested in participating, and I didn't know what to do to get them motivated. I found out, over the course of a year and a half, that time was what they needed. We became closer (though some of the boys were still reluctant to do much in class) and our time outside of class is where we bonded; I even found out how to make them laugh and smile and class, too. So as today ends, and though I will miss some of their faces come April, I know they're on their way to choosing a life of their own. And I wish them the best.

Adjustments

2009-03-08T19:23:00.003+09:00

This is the last week of school for the 3rd grade junior high school (9th) and 6th grade elementary students. Friday is graduation, though school will continue for another week and a half for the other grades. I don't understand the logic of the extra 8 days of school, but that's okay. I've accepted that I don't need to understand everything, especially something that doesn't really impact my life one way or another.

With graduation approaching, I started looking through my selection of suits. I was extremely disappointed. It's not that the suits I brought with me are bad. Rather, they were cut for a different build of person, an American size. No, I haven't shrunk (at least not vertically), but I have gotten slimmer. I'm not really sure how to describe it, because I've hovered around 75kg (165 lbs) for years now. Anyway, after putting on my suit jacket only to feel like I was preparing for a cross-ocean venture, I decided it was time to buy a new suit. And I came home with two.

I went to the local "western suits" store in Nago and was helped by a salesman there named Nishi. He was happy to help me figure out exactly what kind of suit would fit on my current build and we started going through a series of designs. I had the great luck to want to purchase a new suit during a very good special they were running. With the purchase of one suit, the second (２着目) was only going to cost me 1,000 yen (or about $10). Nice. I got two suits, a new shirt, and a slim pink tie for just under 60,000 yen ($600). I'm picking them up Wednesday after the pants have been hemmed to my liking.

They're really slick. My favorite part about them is their slim cut. I'd always felt a little "lost" in suits that I had picked up in the states. Understandable, since my build back then didn't fit the average build of an American. These suits are cut for style, slim and athletic, and I'm really happy to have spent the money on them. Now that I've got them, I'm going to have to look for reasons to wear them.

So, anybody have any ideas?