All About Ms. World's World

My Champagne Soiree

   
 
   

Don`t be jealous! It was an all girl thang. Don`t be pissed! It was for leaver`s only too. Just take delight in browsing my photos of a fun night!

I have a confession to make. I like champagne or sparkling wine as proper wine lovers call it! In fact, I can`t think of anything better besides the indoor sport starting with S and ending with X or laughing with my crazy and loveable family or even with my crazier friends, than sipping on some Moet & Chandon and nibbling on good imported cheeses. My upcoming departure from Japan is a huge moment in my life. I feel like these last 2 years of living and playing in Japan have been a very intense experience. And I felt a great need to celebrate surviving it all in my own Ms. WORLD way. So, I had a champagne soiree because everyone can use a little champagne in their lives (unless their recovering alcoholics). My party got started late but once it got started it was loads of fun! I LOVE CHAMPAGNE!

Life Through My Camera Lens!

                                                   

15 Things You Didn't Know

1. The last two weeks of my life have been harder than the previous 6 months.

2. I have consumed more beer in the last two weeks of my life than in the previous 6 months. (Please note I don't drink beer, so it isn't that much.)

3. I'm realizing that the most difficult parts of my Japan journey will be the beginning and the end.

4. I got into an argument with a senior teacher in front of a classroom of students this week. The senior teacher disrespected me by yelling at me. I told him in a very calm yet harsh tone that he couldn't yell at me and he needed to show me the respect that I accord him. I don't think this Japanese man was used to having a woman tell him off. The students were shocked. The senior teacher has been on his best behavior ever since.

5. If I was in a similar situation 10 years ago, I wouldn't have stood up for myself.

6. I can't believe I'm really going to do what I'm planning to do as of July 31st.

7. I'm finally feeling more excitement as opposed to fear when I think about traveling around India.

8. I'm very blessed because I always seem to find great friends wherever I go in the world.

9. Japan feels like home to me.

10. I thought living in Japan would make me very self conscious about my body issues but it hasn't.

11. I marvel at how comfortable I feel in my skin these days. It took me 12 years to get to this point.

12. I miss my mother.

13. I wish my father really knew how much I love and appreciate his role in my childhood.

14. I don't miss my maternal grandmother because she is "always in the wind." 

15. I'm really into babies & kids.

Frequently Asked Questions From New JETs; Info/Advice You May Need To Know

This information is for all incoming JETS (participants on the Japan Exchange & Teaching Program). I thought I'd give you gals and guys a heads up by giving you my 500 yen on some frequently asked questions (FAQs).

1. My predecessor wants to sell me their home telephone line. Should I buy it?

My immediate impulse is to scream, "NO." However, as you newbie JETS will discover "every situation is different." Here are some different situations. If your predecessor wants to sell you their home telephone line for 10,000-20,000 yen ($100-200USD) it might be worth buying, especially if you would like to get Internet access in your home. But if your predecessor is trying to unload the home telephone line for 40,000-50,000 yen ($400-$500USD) or even more, you are getting screwed. Unfortunately, your predecessor may want to screw you over because they were screwed over.

A long time ago in Japan (about 20 years ago) getting a telephone line as a non-Japanese citizen was a big f*cking deal. It cost an arm and a few fingers. However, it is 2005 and you can easily get one of those amazing Japanese cell phones (keitai as the natives call it) that will allow you to send e-mails, surf the web, listen to music, and play games. I have one. I'm rolling with Vodafone for about $55-$65USD a month. My friends and I text like fiends at school.

I will note that making a lot of international phone calls on a cell phone can get expensive (even using phone cards because you will get less time). Therefore if you are planning to make tons of international phone calls, then it may behoove you to get a home telephone line. However, you can RENT a home telephone line from NTT (Japan's national telephone company). I do. I pay about $25USD a month. (Please note that if you chose to buy a home telephone line you will still have to pay a monthly charge.) I have a home telephone line because I wanted to get Internet access. I asked my supervisor at the Board of Education to help me get the telephone. If I can rent a home telephone line, I'm quite sure you can too.

2.My predecessor wants to sell me their stuff. Should I buy it?

This is a difficult question to answer because every situation is different. I paid my predecessor $500 for a very nice fully furnished apartment. I feel like I got my monies worth because my predecessor invested her money redoing the apartment. However, I did end up buying a new luscious sofa/bed when my old sofa/bed collapsed on Christmas Eve. Overall, I`m a very happy customer. Unfortunately, I know people who didn't get their money's worth. I would suggest that you ask your predecessor to send you photos of the apartment and specific items they are trying to sale. If they won't send you any photos, I think that says something.

Basically, you need to figure out what is important to you, your comfort and convenience. If you don't like the idea of sleeping on the floor, then buying futons off your predecessor makes little sense. If the idea of walking into a house or apartment that is pretty empty makes you nervous, then you may want to buy some things off your predecessor or from another JET in your area. If the idea of walking into an empty house or apartment gets your creative juices running with decorating items, then you may not want to spend $400USD on someone else's hand me downs. Please know many JETS are trying to sell you items that have been handed down from one JET to another. I suggest you may want to ask how old the items are that your predecessor or other JETs are trying to sell you. I also want to add that many contracting organizations will provide a TV, refrigerator, electric heater or kotatsu, cooling fan, and washing machine. So, if your predecessor is trying to sell you the TV, feel free ask if it belongs to your contracting organization. Usually if you want a VCR/DVD player, pots & pans, dishware, tables, chairs, microwave, sofa, dressers, book cases, desks, toaster oven, and music system, you'll probably have to spend yen on it.   

3. Can I get Internet access in Japan?

In many Japanese cities, you will be able to get high-speed Internet access. However, you may have some problems getting high-speech Internet access in rural areas and on islands. You should consult your predecessor about the Internet issue or inquire about it in person when you arrive in your assigned city. I have great high-speed Internet access through Yahoo BB!. They have an English application process. I applied for Yahoo BB! services by myself (I think I had a teacher write my name in katakana on the application form though).

4. Can a JET really manage in Japan without decent Japanese language skills?

I believe the answer is yes but I know some people would disagree. I can barely speak Japanese. I've taken group and private classes here. The only kanji I know is for my city. However, I have been able to get everything I need and more during almost two-years adventure in Japan. I think attitude is very important. My Japanese skills are minimal but I believe that human beings can communicate without the noise of language. I believe if you are willing to embarrass yourself using a Berlitz Japanese phase book, broken Japanese, and gestures, that you can reserve a roundtrip train ticket to Tokyo, you can make a dentist appointment, open up a savings account at the post office, and you can get the postman to re-deliver the big package from Mom. Of course, I had to endure being stared at oddly, spending 30 minutes trying to explain myself to a sales person, or even being laughed at but I eventually got what I wanted accomplished.

I must say that the more Japanese language skills you have the easier your transition may be. I also think it makes making friends a little easier. I must add that I believe that it is harder for JETS of Asian descent to maneuver the language issues if they have minimum Japanese fluency. In my experience, many Japanese people assume that JETS of Asian descent are Japanese therefore they should know the language. I honestly don't know if my Asian-American, Asian-Canadian, and British Asian friends could get away with my lack of Japanese language shenanigans.

5. Is there anything I can do to prepare me for life in Japan?

Honestly, learning any Japanese is very helpful. You can also read books on Japanese culture like Culture Shock Japan. If you haven't had any teaching experience, you may want to try to do some tutoring. However, I don't know if anything can actually prepare you for your JET experience except Japanese study abroad. Please make peace with the fact that sooner usually than later you may freak out. I came to Japan with a bevy of European travel experience under my belt, plus I traveled Egypt on my own. I really thought I had the traveling chops and maturity to conquer Japan. Once my supervisor and vice principal left me alone in my apartment for the first night in my new home, I freaked out badly. Then I unpacked and freaked out some more. I was too stressed to eat anything but the chocolates I had brought as gifts for my new colleagues. I drank tons of Coke from the vending machine. I vowed never to leave my apartment because I couldn't fathom the idea of going to the shopping center across the street from my apartment. Did I add that I'm in my 30s and lived in London? Try not to have many expectations and be as open as humanly possible.

6. Do you have any other advice?

What kind of question is that? Of course, I have advice for you. I love giving advice!

1. Be prepared to give a number of speeches in Japanese and English upon your arrival to your assigned city/town/village.

2. Bring some gifts to give your principal, vice principal, and Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs).

3. Try to get as much information as possible about your work situation from your predecessor or JETS in the area.

4. Try to have little expectations but also brace yourself for anything.

5. Try to suspend judgments about the Japanese culture for an extended period of time. It really is very different. I don't think it is better or worse than my culture just different.

6. Be friendly!

Please note all of the information is coming from my own personal experience. If you have specific questions, e-mail me and I'll try to help you.

Listening, Students, & Nepalese Soul Food Help Cure Ms. World's Weird Tuesday

I had a weird Tuesday. It started out well. I was feeling grand, as my Cousin Jo likes to say. I had slept well because I finally went to bed early. I made it to school on time. I didn't have any classes scheduled, so I was planning to read and do some lesson planning for N. Junior High School.

I sent out a slew of e-mails and tried to organize a cherry blossom party. I read some weblogs on my Addictions list. I checked my e-mail accounts several times. I was sailing along. Then I hit a bump.

I found myself swimming with in the blue. I started feeling prickly, emotional, needy, etc. etc. I really don't like feeling this way so I started searching for a way out of the sea of blue. I decided that waiting around to see if anyone was interested in a cherry blossom party was too stressful for me right now. I cancelled it. My instincts told me the neediness was stemming from me not wanting to be alone which means that I need to be alone. I sent some friends an e-mail letting them know I was taking 2-3 day break from socializing. I started feeling lighter after I sent the e-mail.

I spent the last hour of school playing sports and hanging out with my students. The kids at K. Junior High School have real love for me. I don't know why though. I'm into being the best English teacher I can in the classroom. I do care about my students very much but I don't feel like I can actually express it because of the language barrier. Therefore I was shocked when my name was announced last week at two different assemblies and I received roaring applause from the kids. I left school with a big smile on my face.

I went to the gym and unspectacularly ran 6 laps. Then I decided I needed some soul food! My departed grandmother and mother are the best cooks. However, I'm in Japan, so the closest thing to soul food is Nepalese food at Chatori Katori. The Nepalese food served at Chatori Katori is closely related to North Indian cusine. I had the Harmony set meal which is pictured above. It was sooo yummy! Then I went to Toyama Castle Park and enjoyed more sakura. Now I feel back to my happy self!

My Japanese Junior High School Lunch

This is the first in a series of photos and weird essays on Japanese school lunch.

This is Tuesday's lunch at K. Junior High School. It consisted of two slices of white bread & blueberry jam, milk, half slice of pineapple, a tin of some cheesy potato dish, and a stew of carrots, daikon (Japanese vegetable), potato, beef, and onions. I actually ate it all which is very unusual. I didn't drink the milk because I don't drink milk (even in the U.S.).

Japanese school lunch is a loaded topic for me. I hate cooking, so I spend about $53 U.S. Dollars a month to eat school lunch. The lunches are pretty healthy. The lunch usually consists of a serving of protein, fruit, maybe a dairy product, and 1-3 servings of carbs. The Japanese are protein and carbo eating people. Lunch is pretty fresh too.

However, I have a few problems with Japanese school lunch. My first issue is that the food is usually cold. I hate cold food. I've eaten cold wieners, spaghetti, fish, and chicken. My second issue is that the food can be scary! The Japanese eat every part of the fish, including the baby eggs inside the fish. I'm not eating a fish with eyes that is cold! My third issue is that I don't love rice. Therefore I usually eat 1/2 to 3/4 of my daily school lunch. There are days when I have bread, banana, and some rice for lunch because I won`t eat the rest of the meal. This used to puzzle my co-workers because they thought I was a big girl who eats a lot. WRONG! I'm a big girl who eats a lot of sugar and pastries. I'll never pig-out on rice and seaweed.

I also think my co-workers were slightly insulted by my lack of school lunch consumption. But I can't stomach squid without some Asahi Extra dry beer nearby. So I usually give away food or throw it out. I have no guilt about this because I pay for it. However, I would never go to a person's home and not eat food prepared for me.

Shocking Japan

Two co-workers informed me that a few of my students saw a died body on their way to school today. Basically, a man committed suicide by hanging himself on one of the bridge rails near a local river. My students who are in the equivalent of seventh grade along with some elementary school students saw the died body hanging from the bridge this morning. The students have spent time with the school nurse and now have been deemed fine.

I`m speechless! I`m horrified! I`m shocked and left with a lot of questions about this society. I love my experience here in the Japanese countryside. However, Japan can be truly bizarre. Everything seems so normal on the outside but there is a lot of sadness, unhappiness, and societal decay lurking in the inside if you start peeling the layers off.

Japan doesn`t have a huge problem with crime. If there are problems with crime, they like to blame the Korean and Chinese immigrants and citizens (They aren`t enough Black people here to blame anything on us!).

My experience with Japanese people are they aren`t very expressive. They are models of politeness and muted emotion. Unfortunately, when they get act out sometimes it is an act of suicide which is viewed as a way to maintain ones honor in face of hardships.

Japan has a very high suicide rate. They commit suicides like I devour cakes and it is truly sad. They go on the internet to find partners or groups to commit suicide. A very popular way to commit suicide is to jump on the train tracks and wait for the train to roar by. My Cousin Jo noted if you are on a Japanese train and it stops suddenly and you are held up for a very long time that usually means that someone has committed suicide.

I`m only writing about this because I think there is so much about this society that I don`t get and won`t ever understand but I`m dealing with its children everyday and these events are footprints on their collective souls.

All about Ms. World

I`m desperately trying not to become an Internet/blogging fiend. I`ve been spending way too much of my time on Internet/blogging related things, such as reading blogs like newspapers or books, working on my blog, and listening to National Public Radio on the Internet.

I don`t like this behavior because it is making me a little anti-social. I always like my me time and make sure that I have enough of it. However, lately I`ve had way too much of me time sitting in front of a computer.

Last night, I made myself watch old episodes of the Apprentice TV show. I watched the episode when Ivana, the Asian-American chick, freaks out about an assignment. Then she solicits men to dare her to drop her skirt for $20 and a candy bar. I was completely horrified for her. Did she have a clue what image she was projecting of Asian-American women? Maybe I`m the only colored girl who thinks I`m representing the race in all of my interactions (because I know I am). It was painful for me to watch her.

Spring holiday, or break as it is known in America, is drawing near. Most of my friends are off on exotic excursions outside the land of the rising sun. I`m Toyama bound due to financial reasons.

I`m basically saving all of my money for my great Southeast Asia, India, & Africa tour commencing in August 2005. I`m motivated to hoard my money for a dream that I`ve nurtured for 26 years but sometimes delayed travel gratification can be a bitch! I have a little case of `I wanna go to!` blues. But I like to balance my whining with the fact that sooner than later I`ll be traveling so much that I might actually get sick of it. Is that possible?

I am going to take 4 days off from work and scamper around Toyama. I need a break from the school scene. I have no classes next week but I still have to show up and kill 7 hours. My Addictions/blogroll comrades may see a lot of comments from me about anything and everything. Is that possible?

I really want to watch some N.C.A.A. tournament basketball but I don`t know anyone with satellite TV in Toyama City. :(

Did I mention it is suppose to snow again? URGH! Yesterday, it was cold but I was able to leave my coat in the closet. I dread having to put back on my coat, gloves, thermal underwear, and snowboots.

What is the upside? There is always a lot of upside in my life because I`m Ms. World and I have a happiness gene. Hopefully, this evening I`ll drink up in honor of St. Paddy`s Day and eat yummy Japanese styled fried chicken with my Cousin Jo. I`ll get to watch more American TV with Chinatown Spice and the Miami Diva on Saturday. We will also get some writing done and break bread too.

I can do more work on planning my post-JET travels. China or Hong Kong? How long do I want to stay in Vietnam? Where should I get my Indian visa, Bangkok or in Japan? Should I really pursue my plan to travel to Iran or Lebanon due to the fermenting political situation involving the U.S.? Should I spend more time traveling around Japan?

I`ve been involved in some more food porn. Please enjoy the fray at Diva Saffron`s hot-spot!

Graduation Day in the Land of the Rising Sun

   

 

   

   

 

 

Tuesday was graduation day for all the junior high schools in Toyama City. Graduation is a very formal ceremony with lots of bowing and muted emotions. The students, parents, teachers, and other attendees only become expressive at the end of the ceremony when the graduates take their last walk out of the school. Many times the graduates return to school grounds immediately and a orgy of picture taking and joy burst forth. It was my favorite part of the ceremony. I went wild taking photos with my former students.

I Have A Drink

Today I taught my Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and American civil rights movement lesson to the san-nensei (9th graders) at my base school. I created this discussion-based lesson last year with the help of my supervisor, Ms. K. She is an amazing teacher but a weak administrator. However, I`m impressed with her familiarity with African-American history. She is a big fan of Toni Morrison and knows about Oprah Winfrey.  (This may not seem impressive to some of you but most of the Japanese people I know only view Black Americans as athletes and music artists.)

The lesson is a very basic introduction to the civil rights movement and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Some students recognized a photo of Dr. King that we displayed, but a few students thought it was Ray Charles due to the film recently being released in Japan.

I`m always very interested in the reactions to my lessons and teaching. Today I was very attuned to the classroom energy and dynamics. Last year, a few students were snickering throughout the lesson which pissed me off. I take this very seriously because it is my history. I would never snicker at a presentation on Japanese history or culture.

I started the class by making students with eyeglasses or braces stand-up, walk to the back of the classroom, and face the wall. Then I verbally harassed the selected students for about a few minutes, while the others go about their business. (Please note the head teacher has sanctioned this activity.)

The students laughed at first but the more I berated and bullied them, the more scared and pissed they got. They were very confused about the situation. Ms. K. told me when I could stop. I told the students to sit down. We began the lesson. The students who were selected were upset about the opening incident. Ms. K. and I led a discussion, mostly in Japanese, about the incident which flowed into our main lesson.

The students were very attentive and interested in the lesson. I thought a few class clowns would try to crack a joke but the atmosphere remained serious and contemplative throughout the entire classtime.

The students also started giving me this funny look which I read as the `Oh, that`s part of your story.`  I`ve been at my base school for 18 months but many students know very little about me. They don`t know the real me because I have to waterdown my personality, interests, and voice to suit my work environment. All they really seem to know about is that I`m American, female, big, not-white, have very short hair, like to travel, can`t speak Japanese very well, and love the J-pop group Chemistry.

In the main lesson, I discussed Dr. King`s famous speech, ``I Have a Dream,`` but I soon realized that to my students ears it sounded like," I have a drink." I was horrified and slightly amused to see this written on many students worksheets. I made a loud clarification of the title and had Ms. K. translate it into Japanese. I couldn`t have Japanese junior high students thinking that Dr. King was the author of a speech called, ``I Have a Drink.``