Nicole's Adventures in Japan

Well a few people have been dropping hints that perhaps I could up load some pictures and write a new Blog. The last four weeks have flown by, Holidays and School festivals have broken up my work weeks nicely, last week was my first full week of classes. My mother has already shared her opinion with me about that. Mostly she doesn't find it very fair.
Friday the 19th was the beginning of a week full of Festival craziness. Friday the 19th and Saturday the 20th were big culture festival at the Kinjo where I am teaching. The festival was full of events, shows, food, and fun. Friday was kick off with a long speech in from the school principal, the bad teacher that I am I skipped out to our office to do some work. During the day many clubs would be doing performances on the stage in the auditorium. I watched part of the Orchestras performance, and the rhythmic gymnastic club dance. Hanae on of the teachers and I have become friends in one of the clubs leaders. Friday was also the day of speech competitions at the school.
Over the past couple weeks and before summer vacation each of us English teachers had been helping some of the girls with speeches for different competitions. Each of us had been coaching 2 girls that would compete at the schools Cultural fair. One of my girls took second prize, I was really pleased. She did a good job, but I think Justin's student who took 3rd did a better job.
The cooking club had been busy all week fixing food for the festival. We could smell all the good food wafting down the hall. Friday they were busy cooking and serving food all day. From our office you could hear all the comings and goings I popped my head out and took a couple photos.

The Festival continued on Saturday. (Aren't lucky, I got to get up early and go to work on a Saturday!) Actually it was good day.

This is a view of the Courtyard from the third floor where I was helping the English club get ready for there activities during the morning. The third year (seniors) girls didn't really plan anything, which annoyed us teachers because they had 3 months to prepare something. Maybe they had gotten a touch of Senior itis, I don't know. The 2nd year (juniors) had a game requiring visitors to use simple english words to progress around a half circle, in the end getting a balloon. However the first year (sophomores) stole the show, they did a great little puppet show that Justin had helped them with of the Gingerbread man. They did it three times, the first one was really rough but okay. The second time they did a great job, and my the last time they had all gotten really rather silly so they kept making mistakes, but it was still really cute.

During the day Saturday many different groups performed, on the stairs in front of the school that was being used as a stage. First there were bands playing they did a really good job and I was impressed. At lunch time many school clubs performed like the choir. After that came the dance competitions each 3rd year class had come up with a dance that most or all of them performed in. Some were really well choreographed. Others were okay. The girls worked really hard.

Monday we had no classes as the students were getting ready for the Sports Festival that would start on Wednesday the 24th. On the 23rd was a Holiday and my birthday, which was nice and relaxing. I went shopping in Kanayama, got a Chai latte at Starbucks, It had been about a month since I last had one, and it tasted really good. Later I met the Mike and Justin for dinner at a great little cafe that serves really good food.

On the morning of the 24th all the students and teachers from the middle and High school descended upon the gym/auditorium near the Nagoya Castle. It was kind of amazing to see them all walking and a few riding their bikes to the gym. I am not sure I would have wanted to be walking on the street if I wasn't headed the same place as the girls. Even for me it was overwhelming.
I spent most of that day was standing around and listening to the junior high PE teacher yell at the girls about how to do things. Really the yelling was nessecary, imagine I don't know maybe 2,500 girls all in one building sitting in the bleachers of a gym that is designed to seat maybe 4,000. The start of the day was practice of open ceremony where about a 1/4 of the girls are either sitting on the floor in the shape of the school number 119 or they they are part of the procession bring in the flags for the school and each of the classes. Then we slowly progressed through the day practicing the different events and pieces of the sports day events. Most of us teachers didn't do much, but I was tired at the end of the day. Sitting around trying not to look to bored kinda zaps your energy.

Finally Thursday the 25th roles around and once again the mass that is Kinjo girls descends upon the gym, but this morning there are also many parents lining up at the doors to come and watch the festivities. At first there were not a lot of parents and both Crystal (middle school English teacher from Portland) and I were worried that there wouldn't be more parents. We didn't have to wait much beyond the opening ceremony for all the seats to be taken and parents to be standing so they could watch.

The teachers joined in many of the activities. One of the events that each of the classes competed in was jump roping maybe 15 people trying to group jump rope, I think the most we counted was 10 by one of the classes. The teachers gotto try this event and I believe they got five jumps in.

Another event was what us English teachers were calling dry land chicken fighting. Three people hold up the fourth person, who's job is to steal as many of their opponents hats as possible.

( teacher student relay)
(kendo Club)

Today as I was sitting reading my book, it hit me that I couldn't remember the last time I wanted to stay hidden under the covers of my bed, an read a book because it was to cold to get out of bed. Actually my covers, or my comforter has been hiding in my closet for three months and probably will remain there till the end of the month.
This morning when I woke up around 7am it was only one degree cooler then when I had gone to bed around midnight. Fortunately the clouds stuck around for a while so now at noon it is only 84 in my apartment. Really I should stop complaining since it is starting to cool down.

On another note, school is off to a good start this semester, I have been really busy all week with speeches. My 1st (Sophomore) and 2nd (Juniors) year girls were given the assignment to write speeches. 1st years are about themselves and are pretty easy to read and correct. However the 2nd year girls are writing about famous people, like Julius Caesar, Tiger woods, and Marie Antoinette to name a few. One of my girls wrote her Julius Caesar speech about Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, needless to say I was a mean teacher and I am making her redo it. The funny thing is I handed it to Justin (one of the other English Teachers) and asked him to read it and his first reaction was it was good and then I pointed out to him that it was about the play not Julius Caesar.
Many of the girls have used a translation program to change there speeches from Japanese to English and it just turns the information into a mess of words that totally make sense so you have to make a guess at what they are trying to say, and rewrite it. So wikipedia and I have become good friends why I try to guess what the girls are trying to say. I am learning a lot about many famous people.
Another thing I find interesting is the Japanese slant of history. I remember being in Australia and studying history and specifically WWII. In Australian History books the role they play in the war is much different then the role American history books portray. One of my girls chose Thomas Edison, many of her statements and even a quote were about how he influenced people in Japan. I don't doubt he may have, but I am not sure is influence over Japan was as great as she made it out to be. I would dearly love to know where the girls are getting their information, and how much the translation effects what they are writing.
Anyway I have been grading and average of 5 speeches a night, plus I have three speech student I meet with after school and at lunch as they prepare for speech contests. Two will be giving there speeches at the culture festival this weekend and the other one is for a contest outside of school on the following weekend. So that has kept me busy as well.
Oh I am actually teaching classes somewhere in there. They are going better also I don't feel so in over my head, last semester when we started I was still in culture shock and overwhlemed by it all. Now with one semester done and learning from that experience I was actually excited to head back to school an start teaching. Basically my classes are the same as last semester. No big changes.

So yeah that is what is going on, I hope everyone at home is good and off to a good school year!!

Walking home in the lightning storm last night from the Festival at Nagoya Castle was a little scary. The lightening was really lighting up the sky it made me a little nervous. I took several short videos this was the best.

On Monday the 21st I caught the Shinkansen into Tokyo, to meet my parents. I got in early so I wondered around. Our hotel was on a Man Made Island, it was really nice. A park right down in front of the hotel which was very close to the water. But considering all the industrial companies around you probably don't want to go swimming. Monday was holiday in Japan so the streets and the park were filled with people. So was the rides park over by the station. Just tons of people.
My parents arrived about 3 hrs after I did and it was so great to see them. After they settled in a bit we wondered over to the 7 story shopping center across the way. Since it was there first night and it sounded good to me we went to an American Hawaiian Restaurant. It was really good and the first bread resembling wheat bread I had eaten in over 3 months. So that tasted really good.
Tuesday morning we woke up early which we have been doing ever sicne. That is why mom keeps calling this a great trip, but not a vacation. The hotel in Tokyo was amazing with a beautiful view, it spoiled all the other hotels. Plus sleeping in a realy bed was a nice bonus.
On Tuesday we visited many sights in Tokyo. One was the Meiji Shinto Shrine in Yogi Park which I saw on my second weekend in Japan. It was amazing all the craftsmanship that goes into the shrines and temples here in Japan. I learned that all Shinto Shrines have Torii Gates at there entrance and I just wish we had a little more time to wonder around. There is a wonderful forest surrounding the Shrine that I got to wander around the first time. It would have been nice if the others on the tour had gotten a chance too.

Blog continued later but here are some pic.

Okay I know I haven't written but school has been crazy here are a few more pics.

This weekend was amazing. It was great to get out of the city and enjoy the great outdoors. Aaron took us on a hike in the a gorge on Saturday. It was beautiful, it was like being home it was so green.

Then off to a BBQ on Sunday, in a beautiful park. However I could have done with out the bug bites.