I loves me my students!

     Even though there are those days that you can't stand some students and they make you question why you do this job at all (I mean, let's be honest here!) there are other times when your students make you feel awesome and feel that you're doing your job right and that extending your contract is a good thing.  
     I teach 2 grandmas, both in their mid-60s.  They are very low-level and one  is just terrible.  She tries really hard but she's so flustered and disorganized and can't remember what I teach her.  She spazzes out and rambles on and I have no idea if she's using English or Japanese.  The other one, however, is organized and a little better and tries so much harder to add to the language pattern.  I suggested they take lessons with the Japanese teachers but they really like me (obviously ;) and want the experience of speaking with a foreign person.  I get that but they have to understand that they need translations so their nervous ramblings are understood and can be answered and corrected in English. But I'm off topic!
     Anyway, one day the worse student was on vacation and the other came prepared.  I walk in, put my supplies on the table and ask how she's doing.  She answers and asks me.  I told her I'm a little hungry b/c my breakfast was really small and she asks if I've eaten lunch.  I told her no and she pulls out this Starbucks bag!  Then she takes out a tea and coffee, hot sandwiches, and a box of chocolates and tells me to choose 2 sandwiches and a drink.  Then we ate lunch.  She also came prepared with questions to ask me about living in Japan so far and so on.  She was worried about me after my anaphylactic attack and asked if I had friends in Japan (hahaha!) so that I had someone to help me - I assured her I did.  And we just chatted - or tried to...She did pretty well and gave me the box of chocolates at the end.  It was so sweet and I was so touched.  The rest of my day was awesome.
     Another time we were talking about foods and movies that we liked.  I said there was this amazing mochi filled with red bean and different flavours of mousse downstairs beside the grocery story.  After class she came back 10 minutes later with a variety pack of them!!! I was ecstatic!  And last week, the other student was on vacation again and the other one brought me lunch again!!!  Such a sweet lady!  
     Another day, a baby mama came in and we chatted for about 15 minutes b/c the other was absent before realizing the time.  Then we ended talking for the rest of the class (while doing some activities for the kid :).  The poor mom was so stressed and just needed some adult talk time and I was more than happy to oblige.  Since then we've talked some more and she really enjoys coming to the class b/c her daughter is really improving and we get to talk and she can practice her English.  Win-win!
     For Christmas I got postcards from some of my kids with their pics or family pics on it.  They're pretty popular to give to people around the holidays.  I was so happy b/c they all looked so cute in them.  Although, I did wonder how the hell the mom got my 2 rowdiest students to sit still for a perfect picture.  She said it was a split second shot the photographer got while dangling something from the ceiling. Hahaha!
    Today I got a little bag of YUMMY chocohip cookies for Valentine's day from one of my teen students. She gave them to all the girls in the class.  I was so happy b/c these are my emo teens!  But they do seem to be enjoying themselves more so score!
     And yesterday was the BEST!!! I started class for my 5 year olds and one of them came in late.  He's been my fave literally since day 1.  No lies!  He came in, started rummaging in his bag for what I thought were some cards we use and I told him to put the bag down.  He persisted and finally pulled out a drawing he made.  I was almost certain it was me but didn't want to jump to conclusions.  He handed it to me and I asked who it was.  "Kalai sensei!" Aaahhhh!!! Love it!  Then he chattered away in Japanese and then pointed to my glasses.  He wanted me to see he had even drawn my glasses - as if I could miss every detail of that awesome portrait!  Later, when I went to high five him he started to then stopped and kissed my palm instead!  I LOVE HIM!!!   Hahahah!!!! He's so cute!
     BUT I think I might have some competition though because one of the little girls seems to have taken a shine to him too.  She used to be really quiet and rarely smiled but recently the little boy has been doing funny actions during the drilling and she's been laughing more.  Now she looks over to him to see what he'll do next.  Uh oh!  I better keep my distance ;)  Oh, young love...
     So yes, sometimes I want to kick something...or someone...but then I think of my adorable kids that are so funny, so unique, so happy, and who try to teach me Japanese and it only makes me wanna kick something a little.

Food for thought?

            And so I ate Fugu!!! Blah! No great shakes.  I was hoping for a waiver to sign, some tingles, or SOMETHING!  I might as well have just had something that said, “May contain nuts!” 

We had a set menu and had fugu in all shapes and ways.  We started with fugu skin in a green onion salad with a spicy puree.  Not bad but very chewy.  Then we had sashimi and THAT was really chewy.  But the fried fugu was delicious.  Anything fried is delicious to be fair :)

The shabushabu was also tasty and there was so much of it.  Cooked fugu is very good.  It’s softer and has a mild taste and not chewy at all.  I quite enjoyed it.  The cooked fugu skin is disgusting though.  I gave it a try twice but I’ve done my part.  At first it just has a slimy texture but then it coats your mouth and throat with the slime and you need some serious carbonation to cut it.  Ugh! Not for me.  Then they made porridge out of the left over fish stock with rice, soy sauce, salt, and egg.  It was good but not great.  We finished with tea and yuzu sorbet.  It was a lemon/lime sorbet and really helped get rid of the slime.

Overall, the experience was...okay.  Not great, not bad.  It was different and another thing to cross off my list.  The staff was AWESOME though.  They were so sweet and tried to speak English and so polite and patient.  I would go back just for that reason.  It’s a good thing tipping is not done here b/c I would have dropped $50 on them!  Cute!!!!

I also ate a whole fish.  I was at an izakaya (as per usual) and there were these small fish about the length of your middle finger.   It was fried and still had the head on.  My friend and I had never eaten it so we decided we would try it together.  It took a lot of fucking nerve b/c the gross eyeballs were still on it.  Of course this was caught on camera as one of our friends was shoving the teeny little head, eyeballs and all, in my mouth.  I bit it and chewed and felt the individual eyes crunch between my teeth. AAAGGGHHHH!!!! And the fish was a little dry to boot.  I finished the whole thing and then discovered my jerk friend ate everything EXCEPT the damn head! What a jerk! LOL!

That same friend and I also ate raw horse meat at an izakaya (surprise surprise!) just to try it.  Meh.  It was flavourless (of course) and just tasted like a really chewy piece of raw steak.  I think thinner slices would have been better OR if it were fried or grilled or at least seasoned with something.  Nope - raw horse meat is nothing great.  But at least I did it!

Before I came to Japan I never would have tried a fish head with eyes or raw horse meat.  Not to toot my own horn but I’m pretty proud of myself!  What’s next? Dog in Korea?

Sumo Sumo Sumo!!!

            My friend asked if I wanted to go a sumo tournament on January.  Her friend had gotten the little 4 person tatami mat seating area and of course I said yes! Sumo is not really my thing, I see nothing great about it but it’s supposed to be an amazing experience and is very Japanese.  And I actually ended up really liking it!

We started off with the traditional soup the wrestlers eat daily that was being sold in the stadium.  It was realy good but tasted the exact same as this soup both my parents make with the leftover turkey carcass and all the fixings.  It brought back some good memories.  Then we went to our little area. It really was tiny and we barely fit.  We shoved our shoes and coats into this little hole under the tatami mat behind us. I sat in the front with my friend so we were able to lean our legs over the railing when our legs fell asleep.

I was really surprised about how many non-Japanese wrestlers there are.  Many from Eastern Europe - men from Bulgaria, Czech, Russia, and more.  We were trying to figure out how they came to be.  Did they watch sumo at home as kids and think – yes, I will do that?  Anyway, they were all really good.  The Czech guy was actually pretty good looking and was thin compared to the others.  More muscled than fat.   He stood like he thought he was a Greek god and had a nice butt! Both my friend and I were very impressed ;) Hahaha!!!

The bouts themselves are really interesting.  They spend all this time getting ready, crouching down, throwing salt, walking around in a huff, and the fight lasts less than 1 minute – some less than 30 seconds.  Some just go down. Some are thrown off the mat onto the audience members with the closest seats beside the judges.  One wrestler just stepped back and the one that lunged at him face-planted! HAH!

The higher up their status and skill the longer it takes between bouts.  They crouch, put their fists down and then one gets up in a huff and they both go to their corners, towel themselves off (from what, I don’t know), throw salt, and do it again 3 more times until they finally lunge.  It’s pretty awesome and funny to see how they act and how they fight.  It’s not just fat guys pushing each other around.  There is skill to it (more than I obviously know) but it was entertaining and very interesting. 

I was surprised I liked it so much and will probably go again next time it comes around.  Totally worth it!  Maybe next time the cute butt Czech guy will be there… *wink wink*

Organize that Shit!

The day after I got back from my trip I spent it rearranging and organizing my tiny apartment.  I had been complaining for a while that it was too dark and small and just not flowing properly.  So I moved the furniture around, wrapped my suitcases in big bags and put them on the small balcony and bought some 100 yen shelves to organize clothes, foods, and randoms. It feels SO MUCH BETTER.  I picked up a little rug for beside my bed hung some things on my wall. 

Whew! Done and I feel more comfortable and happier.  The hideous brown and beige colour scheme still pisses me right off but I can’t change that.  Otherwise, it’s better, more open, and less depressing.  The bright purple throw my sister bought me for my bed also helps.

Now if I could only do something about the insane condensation on my windows.  Sometimes they are just dripping with moisture.  I picked up a humidifier b/c I desperately needed it but of course that made it worse.  Eep! I hope I don’t get molde! 

So I leave the windows open during the day, run the fans, and am praying for best.  Any suggestions?

KKO – Kobe, Kyoto, and Osaka

This year-end we got 10 days off work! It was great! My friends came to visit me from Kobe and Okayama. They stayed a few days and we checked out Sakuragicho, we rode the Cosmo Clock ferris wheel, and had melt-in-your-mouth malasadas from Leonard’s. YUMMY!!!!

We took it easy for the most part because we were all so drained from working.  Late nights, late mornings, and just hanging out was great.  My friend got pretty sick so we stayed in for NYE and went to Shibuya on NY day.  I have NEVER seen that city so empty before!  It was unbelievable.  The busiest intersection in the world with tumbleweeds rolling through it. Who’d have thought?  The bonus? We were able to go shopping without being mobbed by people. And the Disney Store was having a crazy sale so we went nuts :)  Great New Year’s!

After that we made our way to Kobe and on to Kyoto.  It was magnificent.  We didn’t see a lot but we did see some amazing places.  Kinkakuji was gorgeous. It’s a golden temple surrounded by a lake and lush trees.  It was a sight to see for sure.  I’m so happy I was able experience that place. It was so picturesque and somewhere I’d like to visit again.  Next we went to Sanjusangendo – the temple with 1001 figures (almost life size).  It was huge.  The grounds were plain, save for a small pond area surrounded by plants and greenery.  The statues, however, were wonderful.  Just row upon row of these figures that all looked unique in their armour and adornments in a looong hall. In front of every 10 across or so there were other statues representing the gods and those worshipped for various reasons.  It was interesting to see that all the Buddhist gods derived from Hinduism.  Maybe I should have known that but I’m okay learning about it in such a phenomenal place. 

After that, we went on to Gion – home of the Geisha and Maiko. The area was packed and there were lots of shops and beautiful things to buy that were out of my price range…next time.  Anyway, in Gion, we saw an actual geisha walking down the street.  It so cool, it was like a celebrity sighting.  No pics were taken as that would probably be rude but we got pics later at a show!  We went to Gion Corner for a show that showcases many of the traditional Japanese entertainments.  We saw flower arranging, women playing the koto, a pretty funny comedy show with 3 men. Even with the language barrier the simple plot was easy to understand.  The show ended with a beautiful maiko dance.

BUT the beginning of the show began with a traditional tea ceremony. I had only been to a little high school one where the tea maker messed up and it was a little embarrassing.  This time, however, I had been saying to my friends that I wanted to do a tea ceremony but we never found one.  THEN the announcer at the beginning asked for 2 volunteers and I was chosen from the audience!!!! AMAZING!!! I was so excited! It was so intricate and beyond my understanding of following each move of the napkin, spoon, bowl, etc.  It was a great experience and I was left feeling ecstatic.  Then we got to take pics with the maiko after the show, which was fantastic!

Kyoto also has a ginormous triain station.  It’s an architectural work of art and such a spectacular place to see.  I won’t do it justice by explaining it so I suggest you look up “Kyoto Train Station” and see what you get.  You won’t be disappointed.  The stairs on one side light up with different images that can be seen from the other side of the station. We got some great photos.  We also went for waffles in the station mall.  The BEST Belgian waffles I’ve had.  Mine had crème caramel, whipped cream, and caramel sauce.  The menu also had some cute misspells.  “Calamel” – caramel, “plane” – plain, and “Lemon Squash.”  We spent a long time trying to figure what that meant.  Finally, my friend was like, “SQUEEZED!!!!”  It was for a fresh lemon squeezed drink! HAHAHA!!! Too funny :)

We headed back to Kobe and checked out Osaka.  Nothing big happened there because Osaka is just another Tokyo.  There was the big Osaka tower but we didn’t get there.  I did find a delicious omiage in Kobe, however.  We walked into the shop and didn’t see anything we liked.  Just as we were leaving the clerk brought a little tray with tea and a sample of this sweet for us.  So we were, "Well we can't leave now..." and grudgingly tried the sweet.  I'm glad I did!  It looked really strange.  It was whole red bean encased in a sugar mold. The texture throws you right off but then you’re like “Yeah. Yeah. This is good!”  You bite into it and you get this sweet, almost crystallized sugar texture but a little jelly at the same time.  Then you get the starchiness of the bean.  Sounds strange but it’s wicked!

Anyway, that was the end of my trip.  I took the shinkansen back home and back to work I went.  Overall, it was a great week and I was so happy I got to see my friends and experience so many new things.  Hmm…what’s next?

The leaves they are a changin'

It’s been a long time since I wrote last and, again, lots of stuff has happened.  Time to update!

           

I went to Oyama to see the leaves change colour in the fall. It was beautiful and I met some new people again.  We went at dusk and saw the sunset and the moon come out. We walked around the small area and I rang the giant bell! It took more strength than I had to make that huge gong sound but I did my part :) We got a free hot lemon drink that tasted like neocitron but worked well to warm us up.  It was bloody cold up there! Then the lights came on along these stone steps in front of a shrine.  It was beautiful and golden and very warm looking.  There were stone statues along the stairs and gorgeous views from the top of the stairs.  But the stairs! Very steep and broken and I thought I was gonna break my face – or worse – my camera! 

After the stairs we took the trolley up to the top for more views and a promised tofu soup.  The soup was delicious.  We ate outside in front of a huge bon fire.  The soup had lots of root veggies, tofu, and pork in it.  We weren’t sure if it was so good because we were hungry and freezing or because the cooks were awesome.  Either way we were very satisfied.  2 bowls each satisfied!

We decided to walk down the hill because the wait for the trolley looked to be over an hour.  I had been warned before that the walk down was a tad dangerous.  Poor lighting, broken steps, etc.  I didn’t think it would be that bad.  I. Was. Wrong.  I was scooting on my butt down most of the stairs and fearing for my life the rest of it.  The stairs were broken, uneven, and steep.  The lighting was really bad and some people had a couple tiny flashlights that did little to help.  It took a while and we passed an old man that had fallen and had a gash on his head.  Poor man.  We passed the rescue workers on our way down who were running up on their way to take the man down on a stretcher.  Very scary.  We hiked for what seemed like hours and kept thinking the halfway point was coming up and we could take the trolley down.  It took forever but finally most people agreed we would catch the trolley asap.  Good decision because I was ready to quit. 

After the trolley we had to go down hundreds more steps to the bus.  We had to walk up them before but there were lots of shops open and things to see.  By this time, the shops were closed and our legs felt like jelly b/c of the hike down.  But we did get this freshly made hot pastry in the shape of a fish with red bean in it.  So worth it!

Anyway, the trolley was great and we went to a seafood izakaya and I ate crab guts! Not too bad.  The next day, however, I got ridiculously sick b/c of the cold weather and sweating during the hike.  It was fantastic – lost my voice for  a few days, was too weak to teach but had to anyway, and ate a whole bag of Halls.  I blame it on all the fucking stairs.  They are the bane of my existence!  They defeated me at Mt. Takao and at Oyama.  If they’re at Mt. Fuji – I’m done!  On the plus side, the view was beautiful :)