This is reality!

Hi!

So, I've been meaning to write about my trip but the last month since I got back to Japan has been so hectic that I haven't had time.

I will publish my travel diary soon. Promise!!!

This is about death and dying across cultures, namely my reaction vs the Japanese reaction to the sudden death of my colleague in the small hours of Friday, August 28, 2009.

My school secretary had been having a constant headache since last Monday morning and had used annual leave to go the doctor three times before she collapsed on Thursday night and was no longer with us come 2am Friday. It was a brain aneurism.

On Friday morning I arrived at school, where I hadn't been for 2 days whilst visiting my primary schools, only to find the school principal on the phone in the teachers' room. I had barely sat down when he called us all to attention and talked about how she had died. All I understood was sore head so I assumed she'd had the flu or something and that we all needed to be on alert. But no when it was translated for me by the head of English who was told as soon as she entered the school I found out that the most happy go lucky member of staff in the school had died suddenly from what my mother tells me is quite the quick way to go.

For me, Friday was spent with my tissue box and bumbling around in a state of shock, I was almost catatonic apart from the sudden leakage of tears every time I thought about it. I also spent the day trying to find someone who would give me a ride to the pre-funeral.

For my colleagues it was spent holding it together after the initial look of shock. I think for them it was deciding which to go to, the pre-funeral or the funeral. The funeral is so formal and intimate that only the closest people and most high ranking, I guess, go. I had to find myself an English teacher to take me to the pre-funeral because I loved that lady even though I had little interaction with her. I believe my reaction to the lack of emotion shown by my colleagues that were at school that day was one of anger 'why aren't they showing any emotion?!' etc, but I now realise that they have their way and I have mine and the students didn't know yet so it was better not to wear their hearts on their sleeves in that instance.

I was on my way to another event, where I did my best to hold it together while I hung out with some Japanese friends of mine, when the call came that I could go to the pre-funeral with my old supervisor who is very good at teaching me about the cultural stuff. I was allowed to go to the 2nd most intimate and solemn event these people have and I felt incredibly honoured.

Yesterday, I was numb. I had some things I needed to prepare for the funeral. 5000yen in an envelope with my name on it and some other kanji that I couldn't read. A black shirt to wear with my suit and a belt because I thought my suit pants looked terrible without. I needed to mentally prepare myself.

At 6pmish I was picked up by my colleague. She asked me if I'd gotten the envelope. I said 'yes and Mama in Nara told me on the phone to put the money face down, but I need you to help me write the kanji, I got a plain one because I didn't know what kanji was best'. She wrote on for me when we parked at the venue.

The ceremony was short, only about 40 minutes. 15 minutes of incomprehensible chanting and singing by 2 priests followed by a couple of eulogies, one by her husband who talked about what a wonderful person the deceased was. Then it was everyone in the room's turn to file past the coffin, pray and place incense in urns in front of it. Then we filed out, receiving gifts of tea and rice crackers as we left.

It was so solemn and so calm. It was nothing like a western wake where you drink to the deceased and get rowdy to check that they're good and dead. It was a wonderful experience and I told my colleague how grateful I am to her for taking me. I found it very therapeutic and think, hope, it has helped me to process the sudden death of someone very special.

On the way home my colleague and I talked about what would happen at the actual funeral and then talked about western funerals. She then told me what when I get in the house I should throw salt on myself to keep the evil spirits away. I did that when I got in and feel better now than I have in days. May it worked. Who knows whatever at least I know that the pre-funeral helped me get over the death of my colleague and am feeling much better about it all now.

Suppressing one's emotions seems to be the Japanese way and it seems to work for them. I don't think it would work for me but I'm a heart on sleeve kinda girl.

Now, for the next couple of weeks, no more drama, no no no more drama. ;-)
Please!

I love you all, life is too short not to.

**Rae**

London is BUSY!!

So, I've been in London a little over a week now and have done a heck of a lot. However, it is incredibly busy. Busy both in terms of what I've been up to and in terms of the number of people that are around London at that this time of year. The weather is nice so it's tourist season. There are people everywhere!

It's been busy almost everywhere I've been. Last week I went to The Tower of London; Tower Bridge; St Pauls Cathedral; The Winston Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms; The Florence Nightengale Museum; The Globe Theatre Exhibition and Hampton Court. The only 2 places that weren't busy were The Florence Nightengale Museum and Hampton Court. In saying that everything was amazing and it was fantastic being in these places where so much has happened that has influenced the way we live today. Be that influence on architecture, lifestyle, language or just plain freedom; London and the places nearby is a place that is full of influence. It has and will be for centuries and it's amazing to see the places where that influence has been formed or played out.

Last Thursday I was in Paris for the day. It was also busy, so I rushed around and did what I needed to do then came back to London. I saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, Le Arc du Triumph, Notre Dame, Le Trocadero and The Eifel Tower. I went by Eurostar so I also saw some of the French countryside by train. It looks really cool.

Friday I got my haircut, shopped, shopped, shopped, had an NZ style coffee, shopped some more, then went to a show. Priscilla was awesome. Drag queens, music, dancing, fantabulous. We had crappy seats but that's ok because the music was actually fantastic anyway and so long as we could see the shoe.... I was happy.

Since then I've had a few relaxing days. We went to Oxford to catch up with a friend for the day on Saturday. We went punting and checked out a science museum there. Sunday was just a chilled out day. Went and saw a movie but wished we hadn't. That movie should not be allowed to screen in theaters... eeeeew. Bruno was one of the worst movies I have ever seen!

Yesterday it was back to walking in the footsteps of historical figures in Greenwich and at the Bank of England Museum. I stood one foot in the eastern hemisphere and one foot in the west. I held a gold bar. I saw the clock that made navigation possible and enjoyed spending the day with my sister's boyfriend.

I've been having loads of fun and have a busy day planned so I am off to eat my breakfast now. :D

Holiday!!!

Hi all!

It's been a while since I last wrote something here because I am a lazy bum.

The past few months in Japan have been really hard on me. I was in a show for charity in which I had a speaking role, minor but significant enough to make me just a little stressed. It also got really hot in Japan all of a sudden about the time I last wrote something here. I kid you not the temperature lept up from about about 24 degrees celcius to 28 with much more humidity within the space of a week. It took its toll on my health and am now very much so enjoying the relative cool of London on my 2 week vacation.

Needless to say, the show was a success. Reports from other ALTs indicate that it may have been the best one in a while so that's good.

Before I came on holiday school was winding down for the summer break and not much was going, except my stomach but that is another story that shall be resolved in due course, roll on September when temperatures will be approximately what they are in the UK again.

Currently, I am on the holiday that I had been planning for months before I came here. It is a relief I can tell you to finally be on holiday in a place where English is the principal language and where things are at least similar to home. The temperature here is much more like what I'm used to and I'm not sure that I'm looking forward to returning to the heat in 10 days time but I might be sick of my sister by then and actually want to go back, who knows.

I've been in London for 4 days now and have successfully managed to be a tourist.

On Sunday, my sister took me for high tea with her close friend. It was one of the most extravagant things I have ever done. £43 for champagne, a fruit platter and an assortment of cakes designed based on actually dresses, shoes or handbags. For example there was a green handbag made from mint marzipan with chocolate something inside. It was amazing. We also got tea on top of all that. I had the chocolate mint, it was divine I tell you! So there I was in London all dressed up with nothing to do, so my sis and I took some random photos and went for a random walk past Buckingham Palace, through St James's Park and on to Westminster. I had been in London less than 24 hours and was in complete awe of the place. These were places that I'd seen on TV and are significant for anyone from a Commonwealth country but that I had always just assumed were on the other side of the world and too darned expensive to get to. 4 days on I still can't believe that I am here.

In the last 4 days I have managed the amazing feat of doing a few things in depth as opposed to a million things superficially. Bearing in mind that all but one of these things was included in my London Pass I shall give you a run down on where I've been in the last few days and possibly, though unlikely, will elaborate later.

I have been to: The Tower of London; St Paul's Cathedral; The Globe Theatre; The Florence Nightengale Museum; The Dali Exhibition (not on the London Pass!); The Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum; and last but most certainly not the least, in fact I'd say one of the most important to have seen, Hampton Court Palace.

It was all 100% worth it and I really recommend the London Pass. Not sure if I recommend the Dali Exhibition so much, though, it was £14, if you like Dali but don't love him it might not be worth the money. That's just my honest opinion.

So far I am loving London and sitting here eating corn thins is doing wonders for my sanity. :D

Hope all is well for all of you. I'm going to go and watch English TV now. :O

Photos to come later!

Of sports days and charity shows…

I remembered what else I was going to write about that I forgot in the last entry. The other reason why I’ve been so busy lately, Charity Show. But I will have to write about that after I write about Sports Day because Sports Day is interesting.

Sports Day for my school is held in May when the weather comes into one of the most stable times of the year. A lot of other schools hold it in September too but most of the primary schools hold it in May, as does my Junior High and a couple of other Junior Highs in my town.

This past weekend I was rudely awoken by the sound of the mega-phones and announcement system of the nearby primary school holding its Sports Day. Apparently, my friend’s child was supposed to be running but it rained in the afternoon and I missed it. I am a little bit gutted but at least I got a shed-load of sleep on Saturday and was vaguely productive this weekend.

What’s been interesting me about sports day lately though is the sheer amount of practice these kids do for it. Also the sheer amount of classes that get cancelled so that they CAN practice for sports day. This week I have taught a total of 6 classes at Junior High and erm only 2 at Elementary School (but that’s because I got a stomach bug and spent much of the day sleeping in the nurse’s office after I nearly collapsed trying to teach the little ones). I was due to teach 4 classes at elementary but only wound up teaching the 2 because one class was cancelled for sports day practice. At Junior High not much has happened this week but Sports Day practice, and we’re all praying that it doesn’t rain on Saturday! These kids practice so hard for Sports Day and I guess I’ll find out on Saturday what the fuss is all about.

As for Charity Show…
Every year for the last 18 Toyama’s JETs have put on a show to raise money for charities in Toyama, Japan, as well as international charity, Heifer International.

This year is the 19th time JETs in Toyama have put on a show such as this and I convinced in the week leading up to auditions to do so.

The show we are putting on this year is called Alice in Wonderland but it has a twist. Alice is from Toyama and wonderland is Tokyo. It’s all in Japanese, written by some local ALTs (ie not Japanese people) and translated into Japanese by some friends of ours, or translated by said writers, I’m not 100% certain. The songs are new takes on old favorites from back home and are awesome. I play Cat Maid, a maid at a maid café in Akihabara. I get to wear one of the best designed costumes I have ever seen and prance about the stage like the ditz that I am. :D It really is the perfect role for me. Now, if only I hadn’t gotten sick with whatever it was that has caused me to feel vile for the past couple of days and been able to make it to rehearsal.

Rehearsals are more or less every Thursday night and Sunday afternoon for the past month or so and is really putting my body through its paces, all this dancing and singing and remembering lines, phew, it’s a bit of a mission really. At least I’m not the girl playing Alice, she has to attend absolutely every rehearsal and remember her lines for the WHOLE show in Japanese when she doesn’t really speak much of anything Japanese really.

So anyway, this year’s charities are really awesome and I think it’s a great cause. If you live in Japan and wanna come… wink wink, come check out Toyama in the process! … the shows are on the 13th of June and the 20th of June. Tickets are selling now!

Hope all is well with all of you!

R

Family comes then 6 weeks later bike accident!

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It be update time!

I seem to be becoming my slack old self. But all good. I do in fact have reasons for that. One is that I have been incredibly busy lately and the other is that I had a bicycle accident last week (car vs me on my little pink bike).

So, I’ve been meaning to write about Mum, Dad and the big sis coming but to be honest, I think they’re the only ones that read this and they know what happened when they were here. :-P But anyway that was in March. They came to primary school with me one day and were treated like royalty. The next day we headed up to Nagano for a spot of the ol’ skiing, which resulted in a tiny bit of wind related stress and a couple of bruises on Mum. We also cruised off to the snow monkeys and Nagano City, that was a day trip from Hakuba well worth it. It was great having them in the country and I do miss the free calls to the Softbank cellphone that Dad rented for their 12 days in Japan!

Here's a photo of me teaching when they were here. I wish I had a photo of the whole family here but unfortunately the closest I have is four snow monkeys in a hot pool and that's not on my computer, it's in my phone, sorry.

I decided last night that my darling big sister deserves a decent present when I go to see her and am working on it. She’s going to be getting an email from me soon asking exactly which suitcase she wants and which doll it was that she saw in Tokyo and wanted. Or at least she was, I just found pics on her facebook page…. Kat those Blythe dolls are expensive but I shall see what I can do!!!!!!

Now to my ‘jiko’ (accident). Hit by a car on my way to work when I was already running late and was horribly damp because a friend of mine had told me that it wouldn’t rain and I went for a cycle in the rain didn’t I.

So, what happened? I was going straight. I had right of way, same rule on that here as the rest of the world I do believe, unless Japan completely has no common sense. She was pulling out of a side street and only looked right; I was coming from the LEFT and could so easily have been a pedestrian. I was also carrying my big green bag on my right shoulder. Yes, my green bag, the same green bag that I had my eye on for 6 months before leaving Wellington and bought only a few days before I left from Fruitti (see above picture from September 08 in Kanazawa). The green bag protected me and is now known as ‘protector’. It left a big dent on her bonnet and a green line. The bag fought the car and won! I fought the pavement and came off with a few nasty bruises, a grazed elbow and more adrenaline flowing through me than I care to think about. I also got ordered by a doctor not to drink coffee for 3 days… a fate worse than death? I though so, but no, I survived that too! That was a week ago and I’ve had little time to rest since but all good, I’m a Kiwi, I can handle anything!

The latest on the accident is that the insurance company of the lady who hit me is going to handle everything and give me some extra moolah for having been hit, how nice of them, not expected at all, I love Japan! They did not HAVE to do that! Actually, I think that legally they don’t, my colleagues are like ‘wow, you’re lucky, I bet it’s coz your foreign!’ (Yay for being a different colour in Japan!). Or maybe it’s because I’m just such a wonderful person and they love me enough to just give me money. ;-P

Seriously though, all I wound up with was a big bruise on my hip, that graze on my elbow and a slightly munted up, now replaced, bike. I’m tracking the bruise with photos and am thinking of buying myself a helmet, I don’t care what the Japanese would think of me, it’s about time someone set a new fashion trend and since my students all live in the areas that I cycle in and (mostly) they love me why not let it be me? I want a helmet from the oh so incredibly fabulous UK based Cycle Chic (google their online store, they are amazing!).

Bicycle law in Japan is something that intrigues me greatly and I am yet to find a decent (English) source of information on it. It seems to be that the basic rule of thumb is:

"behave like you would if you were driving a car (watch out for hazards, avoid them and what not) and exercise caution and common sense. If you are over junior high school age a helmet is not necessary, you will not hit your head on any pavement if you follow the above rule about common sense.'

"Oh and you can ride on the footpath too, it's safer than the road, mostly. "

"If you do have an accident you must go the hospital for a CT Scan of your head and x-rays of places on legs and arms where it hurts even if you can move everything." :S

I had something else that I wanted to write about but I can’t remember what it was just now. Will remember later and write it up tomorrow, maybe.

Until then... don't forget to wear your bike helmet!!!!

Rae

A week of drama!

And so here I sit.

It’s raining outside, snowed yesterday and it will snow again tomorrow.

It’s been ages since I wrote one of these because I’ve been run off my feet and/or extremely tired.

My family came a few weeks ago and that was awesome. I will write about that in a later entry, however, because this entry is about the past 2 weeks.

Oh my goodness!!! These last 2 weeks have been INSANE!!!!!!

Last week consisted of graduation ceremonies, post graduation parties and lots of tears. It was a display of nationalism and perfectionism like nothing ever seen in New Zealand. Those kids practised hard for their graduations and when they finally happened they cried the whole way through. It was an amazing, if extremely emotional, week of firsts for me. I had no idea what graduations in Japan were like prior to coming but now I know and I was amazed. I was also highly impressed. Those kids worked hard, tried hard and put on a good show.

Public holiday for the vernal equinox on Friday, nice.

Saturday, went to Himi, found New Zealand in Japan. I love that place and that beach and am going to be going back as soon as I get the chance.

Church on Sunday, awesome! Didn’t understand a thing. :D In saying that I did understand what the old ladies were saying to me after church which was quite the feat. I am most pleased, though, because it means my listening is getting better.

Monday, uneventful, spent it colouring some things for school.

Tuesday, sigh, Tuesday. Closing ceremony closely followed by the announcement of the teachers who will no longer be working at my base school from next month and the names of the teachers they are being replaced with. One of my favourite teachers has been switched out and a few others of my colleagues are leaving that can speak English, that makes me sad but, hey, can’t do anything about it right, the Japanese system is the Japanese system. I went to Yacchin’s that night to have them cheer me up. It didn’t work. I got a message from my friend saying that she had been switched out of my favourite school along with 4 other teachers and one more retiring. I burst into tears and sat there staring at my okonomiyaki for a long time, it got stuck to the hot plate. I felt like someone had died and proceeded to devise a plan to make presents for those who were leaving from that school.

Wednesday, rather uneventful apart from a slight cut created somehow in the A/C Adaptor of my laptop which I noticed in the evening after I had been shopping for the final touches to my gifts.

Thursday. Dear goodness! My adaptor is still broken, I thought that was a dream. HP New Zealand told me that they can’t send a replacement adaptor to Japan, I was not happy, but what made me more angry was that they suggested that I try the Japanese HP website. I tried that! It was all in kanji, I can’t read kanji, I’m not Japanese and I am not that good at Japanese. I later got the phone number for HP Japan and found out that they actually do not stock my adaptor here anyway.

So, I go to school and spend the day looking at the newly introduced English Note (notebook/textbook) thing the primary school 5^th and 6^th graders will be using from the start of the new school year in a couple of weeks time. It’s mostly review for my students so they’re going to have a great time, they may even get through it in just 2 weeks if they’re onto it.

I got taken out for lunch by one of my favourite teachers who is retiring with 2 other teachers which was lovely. Later on I got driven home an hour early by the vice principal who’s been switched into an office job. Sho asked me if I will stay for three years. I’m really not sure. I’m not sure how badly people back home want me to come home and I’m not sure how strong the pull home will be when it comes to signing that form in January next year. The next question was ‘what will you do if you do go home?’. Ummm…! Mum has her ideas, I have my ideas, I really don’t know. It’s not really something I want to think about right now, though I did think about it a lot on Thursday evening when I was cycling all over town trying to find a way to fix my adaptor.

Today was a normal day at work. Just plodding along. One of the science teachers fixed my adaptor for me. Who knew a science teacher could solder? I was soooooo scared when he chopped the cord off the adaptor, but he did it, it’s fixed now and I am incredibly happy.

Tonight, though, that was tough. We had the ‘sayonara’ party for the 15 teachers for whom this week has been their last week at Shikino. I was doing fine with the not crying until I gave the vice principal who is leaving to become a primary school principal a DVD that I’d made with the video from my first day at the sushi restaurant on it. I started crying and couldn’t stop. She also asked me what's next after being an ALT, if I knew I'd have told her but I really have no idea. So, due to crying and the tough questions, I didn’t go to the second half of the party. I thought it’s safer for my emotions that way. Came home and bawled my eyes out instead. I still am a bit emotional but that should settle down with some good sleep.

27 March 09 2330

28 March 09

I slept till 10 this morning. I am happy! But, I did kind of forget something, Mum understands... that forgetfulness means that I need to go out asap though so I best get onto it.

An External Entity in Japan

On Wednesday, I was walking to school from the bus stop clambering over ice and snow and nearly falling on my bum, at least 3 times it might have been 10 I don't know, when I realised that I had in fact slept 6 months and one night's worth of nights in Japan and that it was the start of my second 6 months in Japan.

I just realised, literally 2 minutes ago, that whilst I have been here for 6 months, I have yet to write an entry about being a foreigner in Japan.

To be honest, after 6 months, I don't so much feel like a foreigner anymore. On Friday, I was walking to school minding my own business not looking at anything in particular when I saw a ute, a flatbed truck used often on farms for those who don't know what I am referring to, and noticed that the driver was a Japanese man wearing a suit. That's when I realised that I had in fact forgotten what country I was in that morning. I find myself established in a routine of going to work, going to the supermarket, cooking, eating, going out for food, and not thinking anything of it.

Occassionally, though, it does dawn on me that I am an external entity in their world. Japanese who have lived their whole lives in Japan and have had no desire to go abroad and frankly didn't want to study "Ingurishu" at school sometimes give you that look. It's the 'ooooh, it's a foreigner look'. It's the look that reminds you where you are, it's the look that reminds you to be on your best behaviour, you don't want them to think foreigners are all terrible do you. Or it's the 'uhoh, the foreigner has noticed me coughing without a mask on' look, quickly followed by the digging out of a mask from bottom of the old lady's hand bag. I am often all too aware of my foreign-ness when I'm on a train, or a bus, or even in the staff room and it's not through any ill-will from the Japanese, it's just that I am foreign.

Like I say, I usually don't notice it. I didn't even notice when an elderly man came up behind me and peered into my basket at the supermarket recently, my friend chose to point it out. I don't really even notice it at work when they ask me to work late or when 'alterations'/out right breaches are made to/of my contract.

I think it might be because I'm a kiwi and don't really care, I happily do whatever I can to help my schools out. I have heard, though, that some Americans don't like the fact that more is expected of them than CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations) made out when hiring us. I think, and this is no offence to the Americans that are here or Americans in general, I get more feelings of being foreign from them than from the Japanese. I find this interesting considering that English speaking foreigners are considered one entity in Japan and having lived in The States when I was small I didn't think I'd notice it. I do, though, and that's the truth. Americans are great, they're entertaining, full of surprises and generally lovely people but there's something about the majority of them, something about the attitude that I just can't figure out. But it's all good, I know where it comes from, I watch American TV, I get it and like every Kiwi, I'll GET OVER IT. Can someone get me an L&P to help me with that? Oh, I know, I have a Dairy Milk chocolate bar in my handbag, I'll go eat that!

So, anyway, 6 months in, I am happy as a clam, loving being an external entity in Japanese society and have signed on for one more year.
Sorry folks, not moving home until at least July 27, 2010 now. But, I might come home for Christmas, would be nice to come back to school looking like a tomato after New Year. :-) And to see everyone of course!

Have fun everyone!

Rae