Every day, Kelsey begs us to put on Finding Nemo. Whenever we do, we skip the tragic first scene and start with Nemo's first day of school. On his way to school, Nemo somehow strays from the rest of the class. Today is my first day of school. Since we're living in a new house in another part of town, I had trouble finding the path that leads up to the school. With some help, I was able to locate the right path. Ethan, my predecessor here in Uoshima, had warned me about the hike up to the school. All the teachers came to school dripping with sweat every day because of the long, steep concrete path that weaves through the cemetery and up to the school. I had walked it a few times with the kids, and hadn't had any trouble with it. For some reason, today was different. That hill is a beast. My whole outfit was drenched in sweat by the time I made it up to the school this morning. I need to carry a sweat towel with me to school.
Up until now, I worked at the Yakuba (town hall) here in Uoshima. Since I don't really do much outside of teaching, I have spent the last month sitting around and trying to help out with paperwork filled on my behalf. I didn't have any tasks to complete, so it was really just a place to put me until I was truly needed. The teachers were out of town, too, so I wasn't able to communicate with anybody about what the students understand or how I can help meet their needs. I still have no idea how I am going to teach these kids. One of them has a text book that I can use, but the others are all my responsibility.
I teach Tetsuya, the 2nd year junior high student, starting tomorrow. This week, I teach Tuesday during 6th period, Wednesday during 1st and 3rd period, Thursday during first and fifth period, and Friday at the kindergarten. This week is nothing but Tetsuya. Starting next week, Thursdays will be my class for Kana (usually during 5th period). Once a month, I will teach the other three kids who are in elementary school. I still don't know when that will start. If you include my four kindergarten students that I teach for 20-30 minutes every Friday, I actually have 9 students. Even with 9 students, I don't do much teaching out here. 2-3 hours a day, max. Some days I teach for as little as one hour.
When I got to the school, I put on my clean, new inside-shoes (you can't wear shoes inside that have ever been worn outside) and walked into the staff room, greeting everybody as I entered with a healthy “Ohayou gozaimasu”. I shuffled over to my desk--bowing slightly as I passed the principa--and plopped myself into my seat, wedging my western hips into a non-western-size desk chair. After sitting for a minute, the morning meeting started. One of the teachers stood up and said something, after which all the teachers immediately stood up, arms to the side. Surprised by the efficiently violent way in which they all stood up, I tried to do the same. The chair stuck to my hips as I tried to get up, so I half-stood there for a second and yanked the chair away so that I could stand fully upright. They laughed and brought me a wider chair. The morning meetings are extremely formal. It's hard to know how to react. I'm afraid to move my arms from my side to wipe my sweat away, as it might be a sign of disrespect. I don't really know.
Today is my self-introduction in front of the school. I will do it in English, because that is much easier. Besides, I'm supposed to bridge cultural barriers and all that jazz. I'm not quite sure what I'll say.
…
We just got back from the first assembly of the school year. The self-introduction was short and sweet. I just said a few things and sat down. After the Japanese teacher of English (JTE) translated for everybody, we went on with the rest of the meeting. We went up to the fourth floor of the school building (it's a full-size school with only five students) and stood around while the students set up chairs for the teachers (after being commanded to do so by one of the teachers). The five students sat in the middle of the room (facing the chalkboard) while the six teachers sat in chairs facing the sides of the desks. The principal sat next to the teachers while the vice principal made announcements from behind the teachers. Apparently on behalf of all the students, Tetsuya made a formal introduction to me and we bowed at each other. Each of the students then got up and gave a speech that apparently stated their goals for the year.
There were some moments of silence, one at the beginning and one at the end of the assembly. Since I didn't understand what they were saying, I didn't know how long the silence would last. There was a lot of bowing. Everybody sang the Japanese national anthem, as well as the school anthem. After the assembly, we went to clean the school for about twenty minutes. The JTE told me where to clean and showed me some rags. Everybody else had brooms, so I didn't really know where to start. I wet down a rag and just started wiping things, hoping that I wouldn't seem foolish.
After cleaning, we came back to the staff room and sat around for a while. All of a sudden, we had to get up and evacuate the room and go outside in some kind of earthquake drill. When we got to the front door, I asked if it was okay to wear my shoes outside. They said yes, and we all ran out to a designated spot in the schoolyard. The students stood still while the principle gave them instructions for possible future emergencies. Or maybe he was talking about how delicious octopus is. I guess I don't really know.
The day is long. I'm sure I'll have more stories to tell. Or not. It looks like my first day is a half-day. Whee!
Before I go, I just want to mention that our neighbor gave us a raw half-octopus the other day. I had no idea what to do with it, but didn't want it to go to waste. I fried it up with some soy sauce and seasoning and tried to eat it. The small pieces weren't that bad, but it got pretty hard to stomach as I got past the tentacles and up to the fat part of the arm. Awesome.
Oh, also--we won't have internet at home for the next two weeks. While I can reply at work, Stef won't be able to check her e-mail and the Vonage phone won't work.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Oh, what a night
Unicorns. All the video games in the world. The ability to fly. Hitler in a tutu singing theme songs of 80's sitcoms. These are the things that dreams are made of. Stef went to bed last night at at 7 after a tiring day. While she was dreaming of Almond Roca-paved streets, I was hunched over the computer, fervently typing code for a friend's website. After a grueling day spent verifying table cell widths and CSS properties, I was ready for dreamland at 10. But I didn't get to hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth, save the world from the jellyfish men or miss every three-point shot while my teeth fell out. Not at 10, anyway.
We're moving to a house in town that's got more rooms and more privacy. Yesterday, an electrician from another island came to our apartment to remove our air-conditioner and install it in the new house. No longer able to enjoy cool air in the apartment, we tried to compensate by spreading the hot air around with an oscillating fan. I tossed and turned from 10 until about 12, when I finally got on the escalator to dreamland. An escalator to nowhere!
I was awakened by the sound of Kelsey whimpering. Stef and I moved the porta-crib from Kelsey's room into ours, and she went back to bed--for a few seconds. Suddenly, she started groaning again. Stef got up and soothed her with a soft back rub. Every time Stef took her hand away, Kelsey cried. It wasn't clear if Kelsey was awake, but Stef thinks she might have had her first nightmare. I can see it now: dancing and twirling around in a land of plentiful toast, where the juice flows like water, and every wall and window is a TV with an endless loop of Finding Nemo. Without warning, the toast disappears. Water flows like water. Nemo runs away with another fish (..and his name was Lamar!).
Lucky for me, Stef was willing to help Kelsey through her rough night. I boarded the slow train to bliss and eventually made it there. As I enjoyed my bottomless rootbeer float in heaven, I started sinking into the clouds. The sky abruptly opened and I torpedoed back to Earth.
"Wake up!" Stef said. It's 7:45 and you have to leave for work in a half-hour. Crap. I felt like I could have slept for another hour. In a daze, I hurriedly showered, threw my clothes on, and wolfed down a bowl of corn flakes. I heard a ferry horn in the background, which was odd for that time. I thought that I had heard a coworker say yesterday that most people wouldn't be at work today. Maybe that horn was for some special kind of ferry, like one that had come during the week from another island. A half-hour later, I remembered that it was Thursday, and that I had to take the non-burnable trash to the trash plant. Three massive bags festered on our little back porch. The next day for non-burnables was next Tuesday. Tuesday was not an option.
I jumped into my shoes, gave Kelsey a kiss, loaded the trash bags onto a dolly, and started running to the trash center (which is in the opposite direction of the town hall, where I'm working). I tossed the bags into the disposal truck and walked briskly past the apartment, throwing the dolly against the fence as I passed. A few minutes later, as I neared the town hall, I glanced up at the town clock to see how late I was. Being late is much worse in Japan than in America. People really look down on you for it. It was :28 after, so I was looking okay. I turned the corner and walked through the automatic doors at the town hall, and greeted the only other person there. "Nobody's here today, eh?" I asked, assured that I had understood what my coworker said the day before. "Oh, they're all coming in today, my coworker said. At 8:30. It's 7:30 right now."
When I opened the unlocked door to our apartment, Stef jumped. I ignored her quizzical look and approached her. I pointed to the clock, my head tilted to the side and my eyes staring off into nothingness. "I'm so sorry!" Stef said. "I swear I thought it was an hour earlier!" So that's how she gets me to take out the garbage. John Wayne will just have to wait until tonight to twirl that red-licorice lasso while riding through the sky on a twinkie.
We're moving to a house in town that's got more rooms and more privacy. Yesterday, an electrician from another island came to our apartment to remove our air-conditioner and install it in the new house. No longer able to enjoy cool air in the apartment, we tried to compensate by spreading the hot air around with an oscillating fan. I tossed and turned from 10 until about 12, when I finally got on the escalator to dreamland. An escalator to nowhere!
I was awakened by the sound of Kelsey whimpering. Stef and I moved the porta-crib from Kelsey's room into ours, and she went back to bed--for a few seconds. Suddenly, she started groaning again. Stef got up and soothed her with a soft back rub. Every time Stef took her hand away, Kelsey cried. It wasn't clear if Kelsey was awake, but Stef thinks she might have had her first nightmare. I can see it now: dancing and twirling around in a land of plentiful toast, where the juice flows like water, and every wall and window is a TV with an endless loop of Finding Nemo. Without warning, the toast disappears. Water flows like water. Nemo runs away with another fish (..and his name was Lamar!).
Lucky for me, Stef was willing to help Kelsey through her rough night. I boarded the slow train to bliss and eventually made it there. As I enjoyed my bottomless rootbeer float in heaven, I started sinking into the clouds. The sky abruptly opened and I torpedoed back to Earth.
"Wake up!" Stef said. It's 7:45 and you have to leave for work in a half-hour. Crap. I felt like I could have slept for another hour. In a daze, I hurriedly showered, threw my clothes on, and wolfed down a bowl of corn flakes. I heard a ferry horn in the background, which was odd for that time. I thought that I had heard a coworker say yesterday that most people wouldn't be at work today. Maybe that horn was for some special kind of ferry, like one that had come during the week from another island. A half-hour later, I remembered that it was Thursday, and that I had to take the non-burnable trash to the trash plant. Three massive bags festered on our little back porch. The next day for non-burnables was next Tuesday. Tuesday was not an option.
I jumped into my shoes, gave Kelsey a kiss, loaded the trash bags onto a dolly, and started running to the trash center (which is in the opposite direction of the town hall, where I'm working). I tossed the bags into the disposal truck and walked briskly past the apartment, throwing the dolly against the fence as I passed. A few minutes later, as I neared the town hall, I glanced up at the town clock to see how late I was. Being late is much worse in Japan than in America. People really look down on you for it. It was :28 after, so I was looking okay. I turned the corner and walked through the automatic doors at the town hall, and greeted the only other person there. "Nobody's here today, eh?" I asked, assured that I had understood what my coworker said the day before. "Oh, they're all coming in today, my coworker said. At 8:30. It's 7:30 right now."
When I opened the unlocked door to our apartment, Stef jumped. I ignored her quizzical look and approached her. I pointed to the clock, my head tilted to the side and my eyes staring off into nothingness. "I'm so sorry!" Stef said. "I swear I thought it was an hour earlier!" So that's how she gets me to take out the garbage. John Wayne will just have to wait until tonight to twirl that red-licorice lasso while riding through the sky on a twinkie.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Quick notes
Stef has updated the family blog with a couple posts about her first few experiences out here. You can read them at jessenstef.spaces.live.com.
Loren Noel, the driver of the car that Kaleo was a passenger in, wrote about the accident. It's a heart-wrenching and touching account. I also recommend reading the other post on that blog.
My prayers are with the families of those involved.
Loren Noel, the driver of the car that Kaleo was a passenger in, wrote about the accident. It's a heart-wrenching and touching account. I also recommend reading the other post on that blog.
My prayers are with the families of those involved.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
They're finally here!
Japan loves Sarah Jessica Parker. Don't ask me why. Soda cans, posters, commercials, plastic fans--her image is plastered over all of them. She appears to be seen as the consummate American beauty, which is strange, considering the fact that I've never met someone who thinks she is attractive. Okay, I lied. Bryce does. But that doesn't make it any less weird to me.
Last week, I had a conference in Matsuyama. It had nothing to do with Sarah Jessica Parker, which is good. I took the ferry to Imabari, after which I had my first solo train ride. I understood the symbols for both my departure and arrival cities, so I had an idea of what I needed to buy. When I got to the ticket machine, there were three kinds of tickets that I could buy, so I wasn't quite sure where to start. The three options: non-reserved express ticket, standard ticket, and both tickets. I wasn't sure if there wouldn't be room for me on the express train, so I just bought the standard ticket. The express ticket was actually cheaper than the standard ticket. When the standard train arrived, the conductor stood by a window next to the entrance. I walked up to the door, but it didn't open. The conductor pointed to a button, which I pressed to open the train door. For the next hour-and-a-half, I rode the train through the coastal countryside to Matsuyama. It turns out that my 90 minute train ride would have been a 30 minute trip had I bought the express ticket. You buy both tickets if you want to ride the express train. They sell the express tickets separately in case you already have a standard ticket and want to upgrade. I saved about $5 and got some nice views, so I don't regret taking the slow train.
I wandered around Matsuyama and explored some of its many electronics shops. There's a store called Hard Off, which causes me to chuckle every time I see it. I found my hotel and checked in. When I got up to my room, I opened the door to a dark room. I frisked the wall for some kind of light switch, but nothing I did turned on the lights. I opened up the curtains, which were actually much closer than I had anticipated--the room was not much bigger than the bed it housed. The room had a remote-controlled air conditioner, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to turn it on. I sat and watched TV in the blazing heat, but eventually grew tired of making sweat angels in my bedsheets. As I searched for some way to turn on the AC, I found a mysterious little slot near the front door that contained no instructions. I stuck my card in the slot, and the lights in the room magically turned on. I was finally able to turn the AC unit on as well, though I didn't quite understand it. After accidentally turning the heater on for a minute or so, I figured out how to get it to blow cold air. Finally comfortable with my room controls, I changed my clothes and set out for a bite to eat.
I found a McDonald's restaurant in one of the long, covered shopping centers in Matsuyama. I ordered my food in Japanese and took it up to the second of three floors. Some teenage girls sat in kimonos, eating fries and texting their friends. As excited as I was to try McDonald's in Japan, I found that it still is just McDonald's. It wasn't nearly as good as I had anticipated.
The girls were dressed up in kimonos because of the continuing celebration of Bon. In Matsuyama, the shopping centers (long covered streets with shops on both sides--like outdoor strip malls) were roped off on the sides, while hundreds of groups of youth paraded in the middle, performing elaborate dance routines behind slowly-moving, amplifier-toting trucks. Thousands of people came out to see the festivities.
I checked out some more shops. I eventually found a book store with a small selection of English-language books. I bought all four Frog and Toad books in English for under twenty bucks. It'll be nice to have these when Kelsey gets old enough to really appreciate them. After checking out the shops, I went back to the hotel and watched some TV before going to bed. Has anyone else ever noticed the striking resemblance shared by Billy Ray Cyrus and George Michael (the singer/songwriter, not the Bluth)? It's uncanny.
I also ate at a little bakery in Matsuyama, as well as a little joint called Freshness Burger. Both places' offerings were pretty tasty. I saw a Baskin Robbins, and can confirm that they still sell the Daiquiri Ice flavor here.
Friday Morning, I skipped out on the second day of the orientation to pick the girls up from the airport in Tokyo. I left on a bus at 7AM, and flew from Matsuyama airport at 9:30. The plane took me to Haneda, the airport that's in the middle of the Tokyo metropolis. Stepping out of the airport terminal, I saw buses ready to take me anywhere I wanted. The bus to Narita airport (where Stef and Kelsey were arriving) was directly in front of me, about ten feet away. An hour and a half later, when I arrived at the airport, I rushed around the airport looking for all the places we'd need to go before switching planes. I found the baggage shipping service, the check-in counter, and the arrival lobby. I grabbed a drink and waited at the arrival lobby for my girls to come through. In my mind, I played and replayed the scenario of Stef and Kelsey walking out the door, seeing me, and us running to meet each other with big bear hugs. I looked at the arrival screen to see if their plane was on time, and to my surprise, it was about an hour early. They would be coming out those doors within the next 15-30 minutes. 15 minutes passed. 30. 45. I asked one of the American-looking people if they were coming from San Francisco, and she confirmed my hunch. After having waited an hour, there was still no sign of Stef and Kelsey.
I began to ask myself if they'd missed their flight, and if they had, how I would possibly know. I thought about going to an information desk to ask if they could check flight records to confirm that they made it on the plane. She wouldn't know how to contact me, and I had no way of contacting her. Suddenly, I heard my name over the public address system, and began walking around looking for the information desk to which I was being summoned. As my eyes scanned the room, they passed a pair they recognized: Stef's. They were filled with tears, showing the stress of being in a foreign place, unable to find her husband who should have been waiting for her. She had apparently come out another door that was completely unmarked, separate from the "arrivals" door where everybody awaited their loved ones.
From the moment she got her luggage off the baggage carousel, she had to push a cart full of suitcases, push Kelsey in the stroller, and pull a suitcase, car seat, and a bunch of carry-ons (basically, the luggage capacity for two adults, with a baby and a car seat to boot)--all by herself. Poor Stef. I gave her a big hug and kiss. Kelsey looked up from her car seat at me, and stuck her arms out toward me. I picked her up, and she wouldn't let me put her down, even though I had a lot to take care of. We took the luggage over to the shipping service and shipped all but a couple things. We then checked in for our next flight and waited a couple hours to board the plane. Though layovers are usually annoying, it was nice to finally spend time with Stef and Kelsey. We really missed each other. After some good conversation, we finally boarded the plane to Hiroshima.
A family from Mexico city was on the same plane. Chatting with the dad, I found out that they have lived in Hiroshima for the past 5 years. They have a few kids, ranging from 7 to 16 years of age. We talked briefly about the Spanish language, after which I told him of my desire to learn Japanese. He thought that Japanese was easier to learn than Spanish. As an English-speaker, I have to disagree. I understand a lot of what is said out here, but I took 3 semesters of intense Japanese courses. My 3 years of high school Spanish don't even equal one semester of university Japanese. Still, my Japanese is pretty rough. I feel like I could transcribe what people were saying, but that I don't know what the words mean. I hear each syllable and pick out phrases and grammatical structures, but I just don't have the vocabulary I need. I guess I shouldn't expect to after only 3 weeks.
The flight landed in Hiroshima and we took a taxi to the hotel. We were famished. There weren't any restaurants around, so we had food brought up to our room. It was expensive, but worth it (since Stef was so exhausted). Kelsey somehow managed to be hyper and spry, even though she hadn't slept much and it was 4AM to her (we went to bed at 8PM or so). We set up her portable crib and put her in it, and she fell asleep pretty quickly.
The next morning, we had the hotel's delicious breakfast buffet and set out for Uoshima. From 9AM until about 2PM, we rode the buses, admiring the beautiful green landscapes along the way (when Kelsey let us). After our last bus stop, we went grocery shopping and then waited for the ferry to Uoshima. We caught the 3:30PM ferry and arrived in Uoshima at about 4:30. Exhausted from all the travel, we went home to rest. Stef and Kelsey were asleep by about 6PM.
The next morning, we got up at 5 to get ready for church. Four more hours of travel. As exhausting as it was, it was really nice to go with the whole family. They made us get up in front of the congregation for ten minutes and share self introductions and our testimonies. The Japanese have a "thing" for impromptu speeches. Everywhere I go, I find myself having to do a formal introduction. I'll have to get used to it.
We're back on Uoshima now. Today's our first real day here. We'll keep everybody posted with all the details. I'd love to take some time to really describe our new home.
Last week, I had a conference in Matsuyama. It had nothing to do with Sarah Jessica Parker, which is good. I took the ferry to Imabari, after which I had my first solo train ride. I understood the symbols for both my departure and arrival cities, so I had an idea of what I needed to buy. When I got to the ticket machine, there were three kinds of tickets that I could buy, so I wasn't quite sure where to start. The three options: non-reserved express ticket, standard ticket, and both tickets. I wasn't sure if there wouldn't be room for me on the express train, so I just bought the standard ticket. The express ticket was actually cheaper than the standard ticket. When the standard train arrived, the conductor stood by a window next to the entrance. I walked up to the door, but it didn't open. The conductor pointed to a button, which I pressed to open the train door. For the next hour-and-a-half, I rode the train through the coastal countryside to Matsuyama. It turns out that my 90 minute train ride would have been a 30 minute trip had I bought the express ticket. You buy both tickets if you want to ride the express train. They sell the express tickets separately in case you already have a standard ticket and want to upgrade. I saved about $5 and got some nice views, so I don't regret taking the slow train.
I wandered around Matsuyama and explored some of its many electronics shops. There's a store called Hard Off, which causes me to chuckle every time I see it. I found my hotel and checked in. When I got up to my room, I opened the door to a dark room. I frisked the wall for some kind of light switch, but nothing I did turned on the lights. I opened up the curtains, which were actually much closer than I had anticipated--the room was not much bigger than the bed it housed. The room had a remote-controlled air conditioner, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to turn it on. I sat and watched TV in the blazing heat, but eventually grew tired of making sweat angels in my bedsheets. As I searched for some way to turn on the AC, I found a mysterious little slot near the front door that contained no instructions. I stuck my card in the slot, and the lights in the room magically turned on. I was finally able to turn the AC unit on as well, though I didn't quite understand it. After accidentally turning the heater on for a minute or so, I figured out how to get it to blow cold air. Finally comfortable with my room controls, I changed my clothes and set out for a bite to eat.
I found a McDonald's restaurant in one of the long, covered shopping centers in Matsuyama. I ordered my food in Japanese and took it up to the second of three floors. Some teenage girls sat in kimonos, eating fries and texting their friends. As excited as I was to try McDonald's in Japan, I found that it still is just McDonald's. It wasn't nearly as good as I had anticipated.
The girls were dressed up in kimonos because of the continuing celebration of Bon. In Matsuyama, the shopping centers (long covered streets with shops on both sides--like outdoor strip malls) were roped off on the sides, while hundreds of groups of youth paraded in the middle, performing elaborate dance routines behind slowly-moving, amplifier-toting trucks. Thousands of people came out to see the festivities.
I checked out some more shops. I eventually found a book store with a small selection of English-language books. I bought all four Frog and Toad books in English for under twenty bucks. It'll be nice to have these when Kelsey gets old enough to really appreciate them. After checking out the shops, I went back to the hotel and watched some TV before going to bed. Has anyone else ever noticed the striking resemblance shared by Billy Ray Cyrus and George Michael (the singer/songwriter, not the Bluth)? It's uncanny.
I also ate at a little bakery in Matsuyama, as well as a little joint called Freshness Burger. Both places' offerings were pretty tasty. I saw a Baskin Robbins, and can confirm that they still sell the Daiquiri Ice flavor here.
Friday Morning, I skipped out on the second day of the orientation to pick the girls up from the airport in Tokyo. I left on a bus at 7AM, and flew from Matsuyama airport at 9:30. The plane took me to Haneda, the airport that's in the middle of the Tokyo metropolis. Stepping out of the airport terminal, I saw buses ready to take me anywhere I wanted. The bus to Narita airport (where Stef and Kelsey were arriving) was directly in front of me, about ten feet away. An hour and a half later, when I arrived at the airport, I rushed around the airport looking for all the places we'd need to go before switching planes. I found the baggage shipping service, the check-in counter, and the arrival lobby. I grabbed a drink and waited at the arrival lobby for my girls to come through. In my mind, I played and replayed the scenario of Stef and Kelsey walking out the door, seeing me, and us running to meet each other with big bear hugs. I looked at the arrival screen to see if their plane was on time, and to my surprise, it was about an hour early. They would be coming out those doors within the next 15-30 minutes. 15 minutes passed. 30. 45. I asked one of the American-looking people if they were coming from San Francisco, and she confirmed my hunch. After having waited an hour, there was still no sign of Stef and Kelsey.
I began to ask myself if they'd missed their flight, and if they had, how I would possibly know. I thought about going to an information desk to ask if they could check flight records to confirm that they made it on the plane. She wouldn't know how to contact me, and I had no way of contacting her. Suddenly, I heard my name over the public address system, and began walking around looking for the information desk to which I was being summoned. As my eyes scanned the room, they passed a pair they recognized: Stef's. They were filled with tears, showing the stress of being in a foreign place, unable to find her husband who should have been waiting for her. She had apparently come out another door that was completely unmarked, separate from the "arrivals" door where everybody awaited their loved ones.
From the moment she got her luggage off the baggage carousel, she had to push a cart full of suitcases, push Kelsey in the stroller, and pull a suitcase, car seat, and a bunch of carry-ons (basically, the luggage capacity for two adults, with a baby and a car seat to boot)--all by herself. Poor Stef. I gave her a big hug and kiss. Kelsey looked up from her car seat at me, and stuck her arms out toward me. I picked her up, and she wouldn't let me put her down, even though I had a lot to take care of. We took the luggage over to the shipping service and shipped all but a couple things. We then checked in for our next flight and waited a couple hours to board the plane. Though layovers are usually annoying, it was nice to finally spend time with Stef and Kelsey. We really missed each other. After some good conversation, we finally boarded the plane to Hiroshima.
A family from Mexico city was on the same plane. Chatting with the dad, I found out that they have lived in Hiroshima for the past 5 years. They have a few kids, ranging from 7 to 16 years of age. We talked briefly about the Spanish language, after which I told him of my desire to learn Japanese. He thought that Japanese was easier to learn than Spanish. As an English-speaker, I have to disagree. I understand a lot of what is said out here, but I took 3 semesters of intense Japanese courses. My 3 years of high school Spanish don't even equal one semester of university Japanese. Still, my Japanese is pretty rough. I feel like I could transcribe what people were saying, but that I don't know what the words mean. I hear each syllable and pick out phrases and grammatical structures, but I just don't have the vocabulary I need. I guess I shouldn't expect to after only 3 weeks.
The flight landed in Hiroshima and we took a taxi to the hotel. We were famished. There weren't any restaurants around, so we had food brought up to our room. It was expensive, but worth it (since Stef was so exhausted). Kelsey somehow managed to be hyper and spry, even though she hadn't slept much and it was 4AM to her (we went to bed at 8PM or so). We set up her portable crib and put her in it, and she fell asleep pretty quickly.
The next morning, we had the hotel's delicious breakfast buffet and set out for Uoshima. From 9AM until about 2PM, we rode the buses, admiring the beautiful green landscapes along the way (when Kelsey let us). After our last bus stop, we went grocery shopping and then waited for the ferry to Uoshima. We caught the 3:30PM ferry and arrived in Uoshima at about 4:30. Exhausted from all the travel, we went home to rest. Stef and Kelsey were asleep by about 6PM.
The next morning, we got up at 5 to get ready for church. Four more hours of travel. As exhausting as it was, it was really nice to go with the whole family. They made us get up in front of the congregation for ten minutes and share self introductions and our testimonies. The Japanese have a "thing" for impromptu speeches. Everywhere I go, I find myself having to do a formal introduction. I'll have to get used to it.
We're back on Uoshima now. Today's our first real day here. We'll keep everybody posted with all the details. I'd love to take some time to really describe our new home.
I hope they have salsa dancing in heaven
So, Stef and Kelsey are here. There's a lot to write about, but I'm having trouble gathering my thoughts. My friend and former coworker, Kaleo, died in a tragic car crash while on vacation in Georgia on Saturday. Kaleo was a really good guy. He got back from his mission in Brazil not too long ago, and seemed to have a tough time adjusting back to non-mission life. I would often give him a hard time when he would sing Peter Breinholt songs at work, or playfully call us to repentance in his own mix of Spanish and Portuguese. The more I got to know him, though, the more I realized how good his heart was. I remember one day when Stef dropped me off at work. Everyone was anxious to leave after a long, stressful day. As I walked out to the parking lot, I remembered that I didn't have a car with me. Not sure what I would do, and not wanting to make Stef come out to get me, I asked my coworkers for a ride home. Nobody was going towards Provo. Kaleo volunteered to take me home, even though he lived in Lehi--a half-hour away in the opposite direction. I don't know if I would have been willing to do that for someone at the end of a long work day.
I remember when Kaleo had his heart broken by a girl that he had really grown attached to. When she let him go, he fell hard. Kaleo was a really giving person who would have given himself and all his efforts to someone. The saddest part of all this to me is knowing that he passed away without getting to enjoy life with a wife and children. Last week, I felt prompted multiple times to send Kaleo an e-mail telling him how everything was going out here and asking him how we was doing. I kept putting it off, telling myself that I'd do it later. I deeply regret not following that prompting. I never got to tell him that I appreciated his friendship.
I am comforted to know that Kaleo will soon get the chance to do all the things he couldn't do here. In a way, it seems like he'd be much happier in a place where he can be constantly doing missionary work. Thank heavens for temple work.
I remember when Kaleo had his heart broken by a girl that he had really grown attached to. When she let him go, he fell hard. Kaleo was a really giving person who would have given himself and all his efforts to someone. The saddest part of all this to me is knowing that he passed away without getting to enjoy life with a wife and children. Last week, I felt prompted multiple times to send Kaleo an e-mail telling him how everything was going out here and asking him how we was doing. I kept putting it off, telling myself that I'd do it later. I deeply regret not following that prompting. I never got to tell him that I appreciated his friendship.
I am comforted to know that Kaleo will soon get the chance to do all the things he couldn't do here. In a way, it seems like he'd be much happier in a place where he can be constantly doing missionary work. Thank heavens for temple work.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Video update, as promised
Here's the other video from Bon. I need to learn how to upload good quality streaming video. I'm excited to take some video of Uoshima with my new camcorder.
It's the final countdown
4 more days.
That's how long I have to wait until I see my family. Kelsey and Stef have been in Napa since I left, and it's been miserable without them. While Japan has been great, being away from Stef and Kelsey is taking a toll on me. Skype has made it a bit easier, but I could use a good hug from Stef and some Eskimo kisses from Kelsey.
I said I'd write about Bon. I don't know much about it, except that it's a holiday where people honor their departed ancestors. I'll defer to Wikipedia on this one:
"Obon, or just Bon, is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the departed (deceased) spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. Also called the Feast of Lanterns, it has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.
...
Bon Odori originates from the story of Mokuren, a disciple of the Buddha, who used his supernatural powers to look upon his deceased mother. He discovered she had fallen into the Realm of Hungry Ghosts and was suffering.[3] Greatly disturbed, he went to the Buddha and asked how he could release his mother from this realm. Buddha instructed him to make offerings to the many Buddhist monks who had just completed their summer retreat, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. The disciple did this and, thus, saw his mother's release. He also began to see the true nature of her past unselfishness and the many sacrifices that she had made for him. The disciple, happy because of his mother's release and grateful for his mother's kindness, danced with joy. From this dance of joy comes Bon Odori or "Bon Dance", a time in which ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated."
Each region from Japan has a different type of Bon dance (usually based on local traditions), and the same dance can even have different renditions. When I was at the school, they danced clockwise in a circle to various songs. Each song had a series of moves that were repeated for about 5 minutes. They repeated each song again after it ended. I watched attentively until I felt I understood what was going on, and then jumped into the circle (with some prodding from several villagers) and started dancing. Since I was dancing, I couldn't get a picture of me. But I did get a couple videos with my little point and shoot camera. The quality's low, but you can get an idea from watching this one.
They paused for a bit after about four or five songs (each played twice), and then they started up again. The second time, the kids grabbed swords and danced with the sword in one hand and the sheath in the other. The two oldest men had big resonant drums that they pounded rhythmically: boom-rest-boom-rest-boom-rest-rest-boom-boom-rest-rest-rest (repeat for about 5-10 minutes). A recording of an old man singing(reminiscent of native American tribal music) played over the speakers, while the rest held two thin little wooded blocks in each hand, clicking them together in a similar rhythm to that of the drums. I just closed my eyes and soaked it all in.
Apparently, the real festivities are on Thursday and Friday, but I won't be able to see them. I'm going to a post-arrival orientation in Matsuyama on Thursday and picking the fam up from the airport on Friday. That's a shame and all, but I get to see my family!
If you want to read more about Bon, just check the article at Wikipedia. If I have time, I'll upload another video of a Bon dance.
That's how long I have to wait until I see my family. Kelsey and Stef have been in Napa since I left, and it's been miserable without them. While Japan has been great, being away from Stef and Kelsey is taking a toll on me. Skype has made it a bit easier, but I could use a good hug from Stef and some Eskimo kisses from Kelsey.
I said I'd write about Bon. I don't know much about it, except that it's a holiday where people honor their departed ancestors. I'll defer to Wikipedia on this one:
"Obon, or just Bon, is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the departed (deceased) spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. Also called the Feast of Lanterns, it has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.
...
Bon Odori originates from the story of Mokuren, a disciple of the Buddha, who used his supernatural powers to look upon his deceased mother. He discovered she had fallen into the Realm of Hungry Ghosts and was suffering.[3] Greatly disturbed, he went to the Buddha and asked how he could release his mother from this realm. Buddha instructed him to make offerings to the many Buddhist monks who had just completed their summer retreat, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. The disciple did this and, thus, saw his mother's release. He also began to see the true nature of her past unselfishness and the many sacrifices that she had made for him. The disciple, happy because of his mother's release and grateful for his mother's kindness, danced with joy. From this dance of joy comes Bon Odori or "Bon Dance", a time in which ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated."
Each region from Japan has a different type of Bon dance (usually based on local traditions), and the same dance can even have different renditions. When I was at the school, they danced clockwise in a circle to various songs. Each song had a series of moves that were repeated for about 5 minutes. They repeated each song again after it ended. I watched attentively until I felt I understood what was going on, and then jumped into the circle (with some prodding from several villagers) and started dancing. Since I was dancing, I couldn't get a picture of me. But I did get a couple videos with my little point and shoot camera. The quality's low, but you can get an idea from watching this one.
They paused for a bit after about four or five songs (each played twice), and then they started up again. The second time, the kids grabbed swords and danced with the sword in one hand and the sheath in the other. The two oldest men had big resonant drums that they pounded rhythmically: boom-rest-boom-rest-boom-rest-rest-boom-boom-rest-rest-rest (repeat for about 5-10 minutes). A recording of an old man singing(reminiscent of native American tribal music) played over the speakers, while the rest held two thin little wooded blocks in each hand, clicking them together in a similar rhythm to that of the drums. I just closed my eyes and soaked it all in.
Apparently, the real festivities are on Thursday and Friday, but I won't be able to see them. I'm going to a post-arrival orientation in Matsuyama on Thursday and picking the fam up from the airport on Friday. That's a shame and all, but I get to see my family!
If you want to read more about Bon, just check the article at Wikipedia. If I have time, I'll upload another video of a Bon dance.
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