Put the kettle on...

A bit of a sentimental one for you tonight, guys. A week ago a parcel appeared on my desk at work. It was a package my mum had sent me from England with various bits and pieces including Maryland cookies, salt and vinegar flavoured crisps, sachets of instant porridge, and a box of tea bags.

I tidied my desk, emptied the parcel out, admired my spoils, then put everything but the tea bags back in the box. My lesson plans had already been done for the day anyway so all I was doing was going over my Japanese study notes. I could concede myself a tea break. With more care than is normally paid to tea packaging, I opened the box and made a cup of tea, sitting back to breathe in the smell of it and think of home.

Now, I’m not the kind of girl that cries normally. It takes a lot to make me blub, and when I do it is normally the result of huge stress such as money worries or dissertation stress. But I was struggling a little as I stared into my cup of tea. I didn’t have a breakdown at work, I’m pleased to say, but I had to force myself to hold back a couple of tears as a wave of homesickness engulfed me. Sometimes smells trigger memories for me, which seems perfectly normal to me but I don’t know if it’s true for anyone else. Certain spices, for example, remind me of when my cousins and I used to play hide and seek at my grandparents’ house, and I always made a beeline for the pantry. The smell of freshly baked pastry puts me back in the café of the university campus in France where I used to buy my breakfast on cold days.

The smell of tea unlocks more memories for me, and not necessarily distant ones. It makes me think of funny cups of tea with an amazing friend of mine in my final year at university. It makes me think of those post-essay class gatherings I used to have from time to time in my student flat with other Frenchies. It reminds me of second year when another close friend would often come in for a cup of tea and a chat on the way home from lectures. More poignantly it conjures up cups of tea on lazy mornings, on the sofa and watching bad TV with someone. As strange as it is (and stereotypical this might be, as an English person), I can probably name a moment spent with everybody important to me where tea was present, despite some of my best friends not being tea-drinkers themselves. That morning then, when I finally had my first cup of tea after almost a month away from home, I suddenly felt very far away from everyone.

So I’m not quite sure what JET has done to me exactly, or why I’m feeling this sentimental. Small things are triggering homesickness at unexpected moments and in unexpected places. But I’m pushing through, helped largely by the fact that since my internet was installed I am only ever a skype call away from seeing or talking to most people. Just so you all know, if I have ever had a cup of tea with you… I miss you.

Cakes, celebrities and question time

It’s been a random week or so with not a great deal of news or discoveries. I’m settling into something that resembles a routine now, waking up at 6am, going to work, churning out lesson plans and photocopying handouts, spending the weekends at Nishinomiya Gardens pigging out on doughnuts.. You get the idea.

This weekend I took a trip to Kobe to meet up with another JET for shopping and cake. Sounds like a good plan, right? Fortunately this happens quite often. There are various things about Japan which I dislike (or, it’s fair to say, about being a million miles away from home that I dislike), but there is a very long list of stuff which makes up for it all. One of these is the fact that the Japanese seriously know how to do desserts. I’d even go so far as to say that they beat the French hands down. Sorry to any Frenchies reading this but you have to trust me on this one - head to Japan and try desserts, cakes, pastries… Kobe sweets in general are just divine. I will start taking pictures of the desserts that I eat out and about. Part of the reason I haven’t so far is that I feel a bit rude taking pictures in cafes and stuff. The other (bigger) part of the reason is that I would feel like a fat pig if I started to amass photos of every treat devoured. One week’s worth alone would probably take over this blog.

The trip in question developed into a long shopping trek, pit stop for coffee and cake (ok, one of these days we’ll talk about the coffee - or lack thereof), more shopping, and meeting up with another JET for dinner in a restaurant where the entire menu was in kanji and the food a little overpriced. Still, good times, good company, and beer. Weekends are getting better all the time!

At work the dynamics are changing quite rapidly. Yesterday was the day of the opening ceremony, in which I had to give a speech to 1200 students. I guess it goes without saying that in the two days leading up to this event I slept very little and studied a huge amount. Fortunately I had to give a speech to the teaching staff in the teachers’ room first, which I did solely in Japanese, thereby boosting my confidence a little. Most of them have never heard me speak Japanese before but all of them knew that I couldn’t speak a word when I arrived a month ago. For that reason perhaps they were all incredibly friendly to me after I had spoken - I have been quietly studying by myself for the past month, determined to break down the language barrier. Now they can see how much effort I have been putting in, even the teachers who can’t speak English have been coming over to say hello.

It’s not just the teachers either. Students at my base school and my visit school have been filtering through the teachers’ room over the past week or so, eager to speak to the new ALT, the one from England with the ‘small face’ (ah, Japanese compliments - I think). My new found celebrity is somewhat overwhelming - it’s certainly small scale, but it’s still unnerving to know that you’re being watched all the time. It turns out nothing is sacred in a country where bowel movements and menstrual pain are freely discussed between colleagues.

A student approached me in the teachers’ room today and told me he wanted to talk to me, but that he had class. We arranged for him to come back at lunchtime, at which point he took me up to his classroom where all of his classmates were eating their packed lunches. I won’t deny feeling awkward. There’s something very bizarre about sitting in a classroom surrounded by teenagers, knowing that you’re now a teacher and thus on the other side of the glass. Anyway it was a very pleasant half hour. The student spoke very good English and I enjoyed speaking to him. Some of his classmates interrupted from time to time, asking personal questions and trying to get reactions from me. At all of our orientations we had been warned about this but it still came as a bit of a surprise - though I don’t know what I was expecting from a group of teenage boys who actually weren’t all that much younger than myself! One lad in particular, goaded on by a friend, asked me my name and then if I had a boyfriend. Smiling sweetly, I replied ‘yes, I do, he’s English’ [snorts of laughter from friend, followed by what was probably a crude comment, judging by the response it got], then I added ‘do you have a girlfriend?’
The laughter died down a little as the student who invited me into the classroom pointed at a girl at the back of the room. ‘He doesn’t have a girlfriend, but he has a serious crush on her.’ Red faces ensued. The nosey boy’s friend thought this even more hilarious than the question itself, but I got no more personal questions (to my great relief) as the boys realised I was going to probe them as much as they probed me. Situation saved. I really wasn’t ready for the ‘experience’ questions.

My first lesson is actually tomorrow. I am absolutely scared out of my wits. 27 students all looking at me and wondering how far they can push me. Fingers crossed they’ll be kind and participate!

Small victories

Living abroad and trying to find your feet in a new culture is really tough. Some people go on about how difficult it is (and we all know I do my fair share of moaning, it hasn’t all been Kit Kats and grape Fanta you know!) whereas others seem to be having the time of their lives all the time. I think it’s your perspective. You can dwell on the things that drag you down (like when the sales assistant at the local convenience store makes you look like an idiot because you can‘t read kanji) and you can loudly boast about the amazing places you are seeing and the crazy new things you are experiencing. This makes for a bit of a roller coaster and I find that can be a bit exhausting. Still, everybody has a way of getting them through the culture shock of being in a new country and having to learn new words, new customs, and even new facial expressions.

My way is by counting the small victories.

The small victories are the tiny little things that might happen once a day, or once every two days, or maybe once a week. They’re the moments which disappear as quickly as they came and risk being forgotten completely when you have a negative experience. So when I get to the end of the day I think about the small victories of the past couple of days, and it helps give me some perspective when I’ve had a bad day and want to book a flight back to London. To give you an idea, here are the small victories from the past 48 hours:

- I asked the vice-principal for permission to go to the shop, in Japanese, and was understood.

- I learned to dance at the local ‘Bon Dance’ festival of my supervisor’s home town - in front of everyone and wearing the tightest tied kimono known to womankind.

- I went to the convenience store and paid an electricity bill. By myself.

- I asked for two customs labels at the post office, in Japanese, and was understood.

- I spent over half an hour in the supermarket looking for dashi stock, miso paste and tofu, then came home and made a really good miso soup first time around.

Individually these things don’t look like very much at all, but every single one of these experiences felt like overcoming an insurmountable obstacle. That’s not to say I don’t have a long way to go of course, but reminding yourself of the small things helps you to keep a grip on the bigger picture; it makes those misunderstandings, those wrong trains, those frustrations at having bought the wrong item at the supermarket seem like mere blips on what is ultimately a slow but steady journey.

So, having put in my two pence worth for the evening, here is a picture of me in a yukata.



I wasn’t joking about it being tight by the way, but I couldn’t tell the kind lady who tied me in that she was being a bit over eager. I’m not sure I would have even if I did possess the necessary linguistic abilities - as it turns out, putting on a kimono is a lot more complex than wearing a bathrobe with a big sash. Also, it is just as hard to get out of as it was to get in, so I would probably still have left her to it. Learning Japanese is one thing, learning how to put on a kimono properly is an entirely different thing altogether! That won’t stop me buying one to bring home by the way. I can’t come home from Japan without a yukata. It just wouldn’t be right.

The Kit Kat Challenge

There are many worthwhile things to do in Japan. My prefecture, for example, runs an event once a month where JETs go and play games with the children at the local orphanage. And I intend to do this.

But in the meantime I have taken up The Kit Kat challenge.

Kit Kats change fairly regularly in Japan, it would seem. So I have decided to try each and every flavour available on the market. Here are the first three of my challenge:

Green tea Kit Kat



I had my reservations about how much a Kit Kat could possibly taste like green tea.. But it really did. It tasted a bit like white chocolate had been mixed with the dregs of a cup of green tea and put on the Kit Kat instead of normal chocolate. A little strange.. but not bad if you’re not put off by just how green it is.

Banana Kit Kat




As soon as I opened this I was overwhelmed by the smell of banana milkshake. It was bright yellow, too! It tasted like a delicious banana milkshake with the crunchiness of wafer. This is one that I would definitely have again.

Salt and Caramel Kit Kat



I was a bit dubious about this one as well actually… it is a bit difficult to describe the taste. It wasn’t overly salty but it definitely tasted more savoury than other Kit Kats. I don’t think I’d have it again. It’s like the Kit Kat that can’t make its mind up.

And now, as an added treat, some photos I took in the supermarket of the frozen desserts, just in case you wanted to see how they did haagen dazs in Japan:


Maple Cookie flavour and Strawberry flavour (so far, so normal)


Tahitian Vanilla Caramel flavour (sounds nice! But what is Tahitian about it, exactly?), Milk Classic flavour (I’m confused) and the standard Green Tea flavour.


Finally, Cookies and Green Tea flavour (eh?!), Cookies and Sesame Cream flavour (what?), Almond Praline Cream flavour (ok, a little more normal) and Honey Milk flavour (actually this one sounds quite nice.)

I would love to take up the Haagen Dazs challenge, but alas my funds do not stretch that far. Kit Kats are probably better suited to my budget!

Japanese for beginners

I couldn’t let too much time go by without writing something about the Japanese language. Whilst learning it is genuinely the most difficult task I have ever undertaken, I am truly fascinated by it. Now seems like right time to write about what I have learnt so far as I recently unlocked the Japanese IME on my computer and learnt how to type in Japanese - so I can show you exactly what I’m talking about!

Ok, for those of you who know little / nothing of Japanese: There are basically three writing systems - two alphabets (where each symbol represents a syllable) and kanji (ancient Chinese characters where each one has a different meaning and pronunciation.

The first two alphabets are called hiragana and katakana. Hiragana is derived from the Chinese characters and are pronounced more less as they are read (unlike English where words are often spelt differently from their pronunciation). Hiragana are slightly more rounded, cursive symbols, and can look like this:
わたしは　(I am)

Katakana is used in a similar way but is employed for foreign words and onomatopoeia:
マイケル　(Maikeru - Michael)

It’s slightly more angular.. I prefer hiragana.

Kanji is used for many words, and there is a basic foundation of about 2000 kanji that will help you get by in daily life. In newspapers about 40% of the words are actually in kanji. They are so difficult to learn for foreigners, especially as there is no true way to look them up in the dictionary. You can look them up by stroke order (so the number of lines you use to write them) or by radical (a smaller kanji within a kanji). The concept of a radical might be easier to explain with an example.

火　this is ‘hi’, meaning fire. It sort of looks like a little flame. This can be used as an element of bigger kanji, making this a radical in some cases.

炎　this is ‘honoo’, meaning blaze. A double fire! Makes sense I guess.

災　and this kanji means disaster. If you use your imagination you can see a destructive fire doing some real damage in the symbol.

So, many kanji are symbols which represent ideas. Reading names of people and places is really fascinating as the kanji that make up their names portray different ideas and aspects of the culture. Take the common surname ‘Yamashita’.

山下　‘yama’ is the first symbol and it means mountain. It looks like three mountains in a row. Or three Diglett. But mountains for the sake of this explanation. The second, ‘shita’, by itself means to come down. When part of this name, however, it means ‘person who lives under the mountain.’ So, ‘a well balanced person.’ At least, this is how it has been explained to me.

I live in Nishinomiya.　西の宮。The first symbol means West. The final symbol means palace. The middle one is a particle which is often dropped when the name is on signs.. It links the two together. I like the name more now that I know the meaning!

I realise that this is the most basic of summaries so I hope my Japanese friends won’t think I’m simplifying things too much. I have a long way to go yet. Of the 2000 or so kanji, I have thus far memorised… 30 odd. Of these 30 odd I can only remember the pronunciation of about… 10. Of these I can probably reproduce half on paper; I am only capable of recognising the rest. It’s going to be a long year of flashcards!

Orientation

20-08-2010

Time for an update again! For the past three days I’ve been in Yashiro having the final orientation with Hyogo Board of Education. I have to say it has been a strange few days. In all we had about 10 seminars based on life in Hyogo, the educational system and various team-teaching techniques. Some of the information was really useful, but the rooms we were in for the seminars didn’t have air conditioning and there was no supply of fresh drinking water between meals for the first day, so everyone struggled to concentrate in the 34 degree heat. Japan is a beautiful country but the heat is unbearable, and in all honesty the only humidity comparable to the Japanese climate is that of a sauna.

And I don’t last very long in saunas.

We had an opening ceremony where our notice of employment was presented to us. The Japanese are big on ceremonies, even for small things, so when I arrived (on time! Woohoo!) and forgot to change out of my canvas shoes with bright pink laces (D’oh!) I thought I had set myself up for a fall. I seem to be the queen of bad impressions. In fact, the day I arrived in Hyogo I was dressed in my scruffs for the long journey as one of the group leaders gave the impression that we wouldn’t be meeting anyone important… but when I was collected by one of the English teachers I was taken straight to school to meet the two vice-principals and the staff. In any case the orientation staff weren’t the slightest bit bothered by my shoes, and I even checked with one of the Japanese ladies organising it beforehand, so the ceremony had a bizarre feel to it.. semi-relaxed but definitely a formality. It was pretty cool to get an official notice of employment anyway. The Japanese take such pride in a lot of things, their work in particular, and it’s such a nice change when you contrast this with Britain and its nation of job-hoppers.

The ceremony wasn’t the only part that had a bizarre feel to it. In one of the opening speeches the main supervisor from the Board of Education listed the rules of the institute and joked that previous JETs referred to the place as Yashiro prison, reassuring us that this was not at all the case. I suppose it depends on your perspective - to me it felt like being on a school trip with a twist. We were allowed to drink alcohol and even encouraged to do so, but requested not to get so drunk that we would set off the fire extinguishers in the toilets. We could go out if we wanted but there was a curfew of 10pm. Lights went off at 11pm and anyone who was caught wandering the halls was sent off to their dormitory (four JETs to a room, men and women on separate corridors.) In the morning, the tannoy played gentle piano music into the dorms at 6.55am, followed by a wake up announcement at 7am. After this, the music switched to ‘I like to move it move it.’

I think I can safely say that this is the one part of my Japanese experience so far where I have truly woken up and thought ‘where… on Earth… am I…’

So it’s been a change of scenery, to say the least! But I feel much better for having done it. I had no idea there were so many JETs close by - there are even some in South Nishinomiya! I got to meet loads of other people from the surrounding areas and I feel so much better for it. For the past few weeks I really have felt like the only gaijin in the village. This was not a good feeling! Yet it seems I have struck the right balance - whilst I have JETs close enough to meet up with if I want, I am still living around Japanese people, so I have the incentive to learn Japanese.

All I have to do now.. is learn Japanese.
Uh…

SoftBank

15th August 2010

The quest to get my keitai (mobile phone) lasted two whole days. I now have a beautiful black shiny phone with a pretty good deal through the company AU - the internet is too expensive to access through my phone but I can send and receive email for free! Actually it blows my mind a bit that you can receive email without having to open an internet connection.. but I guess I’m just a bit behind the times.

The first company I tried was called SoftBank. At the Tokyo orientation all the Jets had been talking about how text messages between Softbank phones were free, so it seemed like the obvious choice - except my application for a contract got rejected. After we spent nearly an hour filling out paperwork and waiting for an answer from their central office. Natch.

Whilst we waited for the decision, Sensei explained the advertising campaign of SoftBank to me.


The dog is the father of the family. There is a mother, daughter and son. In various adverts on TV the Japanese can see the family life of these characters as the dog tries to look after everyone and keep them in line.

The dog also graduated from the Sorbonne University and speaks fluent French. Who comes up with this stuff??