２００９年６月８日

In English: Life is going
When I talk to people these days, I feel like there isn’t much to talk about. I haven’t gotten into a routine per se. It’s just that I’m getting even more used to Japan and my life here. Things are rather ordinary, though of course everything is fun and good. Lately, I have an itch to learn karate, but I don’t want to take classes with mainly children. Having to spar with children would make me feel uneasy. What would be worse is if I were to get beaten up! As usual, I have lots of stuff I want to do but no time to do them all.

There are plenty of movies I want to see. I need to prepare my costume for the summer comiket. There are trips that need to be ironed out. Language application and learning is picking up again. I have a manga title I want to buy. These are recurring objectives, so there should be no surprises unless you are a complete stranger.

School is going well. The past few weeks have been busy, but most of the students are trying hard so I am happy. I’ve been feeling like my purpose in Japan to spread cultural awareness is being fulfilled. Here’s to providing a positive impact on everyone!

En français: Lire
Je lis le livre «Le Liseur». La prof de français dans le lycée me le prêtait. J’ai besoin du dictionnaire bien sûr. Pourtant, je suis content que je peux le comprendre. Est-ce que vous savez? Récemment, il y a un film anglais avec le même titre: «The Reader». Je ne regardais pas le film, mais je veux le regarder.

日本語で: ライブ
６月３日(水)にMONOBRIGHTのライブに行った。名古屋市矢場町のクラブクアトロにあった。MONOBRIGHTを知っている？JROCKのバンドだよ。矢場町に行った時ライブハウスを探さなかった。始めの１０分前だったから、やばいと思った。末に５分前に探した。デパートの中にある。吃驚した！とにかくライブは豪快だった。「アナタMAGIC」が好き。このPVを見て…



世界も涙も強さも忘れて
素敵なあなたに歌われたいよ

僕の歌の中にはありふれた嘘つきだけが
心を動かそうとしている
だけど知っているんだ魔物は心の中だよ
臆病な自分だけが答えか？

世界も涙も強さも忘れて
素敵なあなたに歌われたいよ

僕の歌の中には大人のような子供のような
不安をごまかそうとしている
だけど知っているんだみんなも同じ穴の中
一人じゃ探せないよ答えだ！

世界も涙も強さも忘れて
素敵なあなたに歌われたいよ
世界も涙も強さも忘れて
素敵なあなたに笑われたいよ
(2X)

メラメラしたいよキラキラしたいよ
僕には見えないアナタMAGIC

今週の聖書の詩: “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
- Psalm 95:1-2 (NIV)

今週の写真: Hiroshima Peace Park -- It was depressing indeed, but it was good to see. The park and the museum did not place any blame. There didn't seem to be any hatred expressed. All the exhibits tried to stay neutral. The focus was truly about peace and ending all war.

A-Bomb Dome -- After USA dropped the first atomic bomb, this is one of the few buildings with part of its structure left upright. It has been kept in this condition since the impact.

Paper cranes

Monument -- can you see the hands in the center?

8:15 -- the time the bomb was dropped

２００９年５月１７日

Disney:
Disney is awesome, isn’t it?! If you don’t think so, perhaps Japan isn’t right for you. Of course there are people who don’t really care about Disney, but I’ve come across many who share my love of Disney. Everywhere you go, you should be able to find some reference to the big mouse. I think the exposure of Disney might even rival franchises such as Sanrio. Picture all the Hello Kitty and Disney merchandise bombarding customers every day in all parts of Japan. Sometimes you may wonder how a store in Japan can be so colorful. Think about the red and pink of Hello Kitty, blue from Stitch, yellow from Pooh, and insert other cute lovable characters as you please. As one of my friends put it the other day, Japan excels in cuteness.

People here are getting to know me more and all my interests (some call them obsessions =/ ). Anyway, I bond really well with some students because of my love for Disney. My family bought me a Mickey watch from Disney World when they went a few months ago. I’ve been wearing it lately and all the Disney-philes in Japan spot it from a mile away. Sometimes I’m just minding my own business when I hear a student pointing at my watch and shouting, “Mickey! MICKEY!”

This is a fitting post to mention that I watched the trailer for the newest Disney animated film coming out during the holidays in the USA. I’m not talking about a PIXAR movie, but rather a Disney film going back to its roots. If you don’t know about The Princess and the Frog, you must watch the trailer NOW! I’m not going to be an ad for Disney, so if you are like me and love Disney, I'm sure you won’t hesitate to check it out.

Let Disney’s brainwashing continue!

En français:
L’AET, qui était ici avant moi, a revenu à Japon la semaine dernière. J’ai rencontré avec elle pour la première fois vendredi. Il était super parce que la communication avant vendredi était par l’Internet seulement. Je sais que des personnes ont voulu rencontrer avec elle. Alors, j’ai accueilli une fête aujourd’hui.

日本語で:
最近生徒は本当に元気だ！それから、毎日疲れて日本語を勉強してない。日本語でもちろん間違いがいっぱいあるけど、がんばります！　次回この新しいパートはもっと長いだよ！

今週の聖書の詩: “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”
- Titus 3:1-2 (NIV)

今週の写真: May 5, 2009 at Miyajima – This is the shrine that some of you may have seen pictures of. My friends and I went at low tide so that we can go out to the gate. Then we walked around, ate a lot, saw some of the deer in the area, and went to many of the small shops around the island. It was very beautiful. I didn’t think it was so great at first, but I warmed up to the shrine and the island. The deer were fun to see. They were quite friendly, although I have heard that sometimes the deer do indeed attack people. Miyajima is considered #1 of the 3 most beautiful scenic places in Japan. I don’t think you really need to think much of such a list as there are a lot of lists in Japan. Maybe this is the origin of why many people here seem to love standing in line. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a legitimate hobby… oh my… So without further ado, take a gander at my Miyajima pictures! =)

２００９年５月１０日

今週の漢字: 休み

Break:
I’m still here! I haven’t forgotten about my blog. I’ve been really busy. Okay, I’m sure I could’ve found the time to update my blog. My workload at school has increased compared to last year. Part of the extra work is due to my requests and offers. I want to be of as much use as I can to the school. Because of school consuming the bulk of my energy, I don’t have enough to motivate me to update my blog. Well, I hope all that can change with me trying to get back into the habit.

Some of you might be wondering what else I’ve been up to. I’m traveling a bit, hanging out with friends, talking to people from the states, exploring unknown territories, and trying to manage all my hobbies. I'd say my first year in Japan was more about exploring as much of Japan as I could. The second year was about accomplishing my theatrical needs and getting to know more of the local community. My third year seems like it'll focus heavily on travel. I also really want to continue with my language studies, but I just don’t have the time for it these days. My lack of energy does not help either.

So enough with my daily activities! Golden Week has just ended in Japan. This is a time of a few national holidays all within a week. Usually, companies would get a week or more off, but schools don’t. Also, I found out that most of my students had to go to school for clubs or studying. I feel sorry for them in that they can’t get the time completely off.

As many students had schoolwork and activities to do, I went on a trip with some friends to Nagasaki, Miyajima, and Hiroshima. Why not show you about those places through pictures?! I’m sure you must all be dancing with joy. Take a look at the pictures section for Nagasaki. I hope to update regularly again. Next time I will write about... whatever I feel like writing, but I’ll definitely also post pictures and my impression of Miyajima.

En français:
J’ai besoin de mettre à jour ce blog. Ils y ont beaucoup de choses que je peux écrire. Récemment, je n’ai pas l’énergie pour continuer les langues que je suis apprenant. Ils y ont des moments quand je ne veux pas parler en anglais. Pourtant, je dois essayer. Cette est une réussite que j’ai chanté un chanson japonais au karaoke. Il est super, n’est-ce pas?!

今週の聖書の詩: “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
- Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NIV)

今週の写真: May 2, 2009 to May 4, 2009 at Nagasaki…

Chinatown gate with friends (Natalie and Jack)

Another Chinatown gate at night

Map of the Nagasaki Chinatown. Don't you also think it's small?

Dejima: This was an artificial island made for the Dutch traders when Japan closed itself off to foreign trade except for with the Dutch. You should notice an East meets West style.

Oura Catholic Church: There aren't many Christian churches in Japan. If you walk around and see what appears to be a church, you're probably looking at a chapel of which is only used for what people term "Western-style marriages."

There are many shops near the church. Here's an entrance I just found too funny.

Giant catfish at the Penguin Aquarium (yes, you read correctly!)

Giant spider crab

Awww... look at the cute penguins

Penguin March

Penguin touch: This little dude felt sort of like rubber despite the feathers.

２００９年２月２２日

今週の漢字: 決定

Decision:
It’s that time again for me to inform the Board of Education if I intend to re-contract. I already knew that I would most likely stay for my third year. It has been my plan ever since I received my acceptance letter into the JET Program. Another factor that solidified my original plan includes a grade level I want to see graduate.

I still spent a lot of time thinking. It was mainly about my openness on staying for a fourth year when the next re-contracting period comes next year. Although I was always open to it, I had it set in my heart to return at the end of my third year. However, there are a few reasons that would keep me for a fourth. There has been a change in the program in my prefecture, but it’s something I can’t divulge to the public just yet. This change makes me wonder if I should just do one more year. I will write more about it when the cat’s out of the bag.

The economy has been another major factor, and I’m sure it will be a major factor next year too. The JET Program representatives advise against staying on the program solely for monetary purposes. It wouldn’t be my only or primary reason, but it’s definitely up there. With all of the mess USA has created for itself and the rest of the world, I think it needs to fall before it can pick itself back up.

(As a short aside, I’m amazed how Obama becoming president has immediately improved America’s image. I’m not surprised by the international reaction to Obama, but rather, I’m surprised by how instant people started to see a brighter America. However, this does not mean that the international view of America is good. It’s still, for the most part, very bad. Here’s hoping to the US bettering its public relations!)

I have accomplished one of my goals, which was to be involved with theatre in Japan. It was an open and vague goal, but I felt like my involvement with the Nagoya Players’ A Christmas Carol during my first year here wasn’t enough for me. After having directed a play in Japan, I really want to focus on acting. I haven’t been very forthcoming as to my dramatic passion, but it really is acting. I like directing (back in America) and I like writing (of which I haven’t done in a long while), but I find acting to be most rewarding and fun for me. I plan to focus mainly on this when I return home, which I do hope will be sooner than later.

That being said, I have goals that haven’t been realized yet. I have traveled to some of the major cities and areas in Japan. I have visited China finally, although not where in China I feel is a must for me. I plan on doing more traveling, especially in Asia and the other islands of Japan. I already have plans underway for this year. I hope they all come to fruition.

I go through stages of excitement and burnout in my learning of languages. Lately, I have been facing burnout more often than excitement. I focus a lot of my time on my job. Therefore, I don’t have as much energy for languages. As some of you may have experienced, learning a language takes up so much energy and effort. Of course after a certain level, less energy is needed, but I am definitely not there yet. I know that my understanding and speaking of Japanese has improved since coming here. I just need to set more defined goals for myself in all the languages I am learning.

There you have it. This was a tell-all about what’s going on in my mind. I know this post took a long time to be posted. My blog isn’t really on the top of my priorities, but I really do try to get it up weekly. As I get more responsibilities and do more overall, I don’t know how often I can update. Keep on the lookout for my next post where I’ll write about Japan and subtleties.

En français:
Le mois dernier, j’ai appris français à une élève du club d’anglais. Il était très difficile parce que j’oubliais beaucoup! Quand je l’ai parlé plus de rapide, j’ai parlé un peu de japonais et chinois. Alors, j’ai eu besoin de parler plus de lent. Je pense que ce blog est mon seulement exercice. Je ne veux pas oublier le français. Je veux continuer à souvenir!

今週の聖書の詩: “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”
- 2 Corinthians 4:1-2 (NIV)

今週の写真: 1) Two pictures of food from Shanghai. DELICIOUS! 2) A few weeks ago, I went to Arimatsu in my prefecture of Aichi. It’s famous for its fabric. There was an invitation-only kimono shopping event for the rich. The Aichi JET community was invited to learn more about Japanese culture rather than the spending. Take a look at all the beautiful kimono and gasp at the prices! (Note: currently about ¥93 JPY equals $1 USD)