Things As it Is

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.