host family stay

As the day of staying with the host family grew nearer, the more frightened I became. Having stayed with a host family while on study abroad in Mexico, I knew what to expect which had a slight...well, discomforting feeling about it. It's sometimes awkward staying in someone's house and definitely weird when you don't know them and certainly don't know the language either. So we all met in the lobby of our hotel to be picked up by our families. We felt like orphans and kept wondering who would be the first one adopted (it was me). 30 hours to spend with the family seemed like a long time but it went by rather fast. The mother & father were there to pick me up and between the two of them speaking broken English, we managed to get by. They have 3 children, but they were at school (it was Saturday!!!) and I couldn't wait for them to get home. In the meantime, we went to another family's house for an impromptu tea ceremony and I was able to try it out and actually made my own green tea (green tea powder + hot water and spastic stirring does the trick). Then we headed to the grocery store to get lunch and dinner. They let me choose our meals, which of course I picked sushi and shabushabu which are definitely my favorites. After lunch, we went to the Iris Festival which was absolutely gorgeous and then to the "beach" to see the Pacific Ocean. When we got back the children were at home and we were able to communicate more, through the use of an Internet translation site and sign language. As I've mentioned before, bathing is an art in Japan, and they insisted that I too, experience the hot bath. I tried to refuse and pretend like I didn't know what they were saying because the son had just taken a bath, and by the way, the water doesn't get drained after each use, which kind of grossed me out. They think that because you shower before bathing, that it's economical and totally fine to use the same water. Anyway, I gave in and took a bath in the "used" water which was absolutely scalding and I couldn't stay for long. I was sweating when I got out and felt faint though the family was there waiting to dress me up in a kimono and take pictures. It was actually quite fun but I was burning up and they don't turn the a/c on for anything. After a fondue party with the family and gift giving, they prepared my futon on the tatami mats and I was off to sleep. The next day, Sunday, we visited Kashima Shrine (my 2nd visit) and then to the host sister's kyudo (Japanese archery) practice (yes on Sunday which meant she had been to school 7 days last week!!! insane!!!). The family was beyond nice and I was so grateful to have seen a part of Japan and experience the home stay. Boarding the bus with the rest of my group was such a reunion and I've never been so glad to speak English again in my life!! We then headed to the ryokan where more bathing awaited us which is a great story for another day. The pic is me in the kimono (see how red my face is from the bath) posing with the host sister and Mom. They were so cute and so much fun!

Junior High & High Schools

The visits to the junior high and high schools included much of the same responsibility by the students. At both of the schools, I expected more seriousness by the students and the teachers, but it was a very laid back atmosphere, with humor and respect by both. The schools are very similar to the schools in the United States though students seemed to focus more on their studies as they prepare for high school and college entrance exams. Discipline is not a factor at either schools, as they do not even have the concept of detention or in-school suspension because there is not a need for it...the students just behave and that's it. What a foreign concept to us American teachers!! We were really shocked when we learned this!! We were welcomed by a school-wide assembly at both schools and the high school band even played the Star Spangled Banner and Hollywood as we entered. The formalities shared here are so incredible and I can not say enough about the hospitality and interest displayed by the students, teachers and administration. We have received numerous gifts made by the students that I'm not sure how to even get them back home. The middle school students were eager to sign autographs, but our "rock star" status meant nothing to the high school students...I didn't get 1 request for "Sign, please". At the high school we made chopstick covers on the computer which was a great lesson that I hope I can use when I return. In the English class, the teacher asked us to help with role plays and gestures and then I gave him the cards my students at HCHS had made, for which is was very grateful. We hope to get a penpal group started with the students at HCHS and Hasaki High School. We also participated in after school club activities, for which Japan does a great job of preserving traditions. We had a chance to go to a Japanese tea ceremony and an ikebana "flower arranging" class. Everything here has its rules and formality and is very structured. Due to the language barrier, I'm not sure what went on these clubs, but I will definitely read more about them when I return. I'm getting packed for my home stay on Saturday which should be an interesting experience. On Sunday we leave for a stay at a ryokan, the traditional Japanese inn, where we will wear our yukata and use the communal hot bath. Unfortunately I won't have internet access until Monday when I get back to Toyko, so in the meantime check out my plethora of pics from the slide show (click on the picture of the slideshow, then click "view album" on the new screen to see the thumbnails of the pics)!

elementary school visit...the best day yet!

Today we visited Kamisu City Fukashiba Elementary School (say that 5 times fast) which was an incredible experience!! As a high school teacher, I forget how much fun the little kids are, though it was an exhausting day, to say the least. We arrived in time to see the kids arrive at school. Everyone walks to school and the 6th graders lead the younger kids to school for safety reasons. There is little to no supervision by teachers during this time and for most of the time during the day, especially during recess. After changing into our slippers, the school had an assembly for us and the students sang a song, which almost brought a tear to my eye because it was so cute and so special for us. The school has open classrooms which seems a little distracting to me, but the students didn't seemed distracted at all and actually seemed very mature about everything that happened at school. Here are some of my observations:

1) students take pride in their school and are responsible for cleaning the school after eating lunch. The school does not employ custodians as the students (not even the teachers) clean everything!!! I was amazed that they didn't even need to be reminded to start cleaning, they just did it and seemed to have alot of fun doing so.

2) at recess the teachers did not go out with the students. We went out to play with them and were immediately bombarded with requests for autographs (sign, please). I felt like Paris Hilton for a day and would have lines of students waiting with their notebooks and markers.

3) there seems to be a mutual respect between teachers and students. At the end of each class the students thank the teacher and bow.

4) teachers are there to guide, not lead. Routines are followed without reminders.

5) peers correct one another and want the best for everyone

6) there is not a cafeteria on site at the school. Food is prepared at a central location within the district and then brought to the school. The students serve the food in their respective classrooms, so there is not the chaos of a cafeteria. I had a chance to eat with a 3rd grade class and they kept waiting for me to finish eating so I could begin signing autographs again...they were so cute!!

7) the school is very formal, yet the students are given a lot of freedom because they are so mature and responsible about everything!

8) the school does not require a uniform, but the students change into "school shoes", called uwabaki and they all have the same leather backpack, called a randoseru. All children in grades 1 through 6 in public elementary school use a randoseru to carry items back and forth from home to school each day. Very often the schoolbag is a gift to the student from his/her parents or grandparents. This gift carries an important meaning to the student--now you are of the age to study very hard.

9) Students and staff change from outdoor to indoor shoes when entering the school building

10) Paper, rock, scissors is an universal solution to any problem or challenge

10) The only complaint the teachers had was the classroom size: most classes have 35-40 students!!

welcome & sightseeing

The Japanese really have customer service down to an art. Everything has been so well prepared and we are always greeted with a bow around each corner, directing us where to go for our next meeting. Even when we leave the hotel (I've stayed in 4 different hotels since last Sunday!), they come out and wave & bow goodbye to us. It really makes us feel special with all of the formalities that I think are sometimes missing from the United States. The City of Kamisu hosted a welcome reception for us today and we met our host families with whom we will be staying on Saturday night. I'm kind of nervous and excited all at the same time about this unique insight into the Japanese culture. Then we went sightseeing around Kamisu via a boat ride around the port. We then were given a tour of Kao Corporation which makes soaps, detergents and other household products. It was like a scene straight from the Discovery Channel. After a long day, Laura wanted to visit the beach and watch the sunset so she asked some of the public officials that were with us on our tour. One man (I feel bad that I never caught his name) was kind enough to take a few of us to the river to see the sun set and then took us to his house which was a neat experience. His wife didn't know we were coming but she didn't miss a beat and brought us green tea and melon to enjoy while sitting on the tatami mat floor. The people here are really kind and are excited to showcase their country to us.

salad for breakfast?

Looking back over my latest blog entries, I feel like I've haven't been as detailed due to lack of sleep and just mental & physical exhaustion. This morning began with breakfast at our hotel. Before we went to sleep last night, we had to tell the front desk what time we wanted to eat breakfast and what type of breakfast we would like to have: western or japanese. Our breakfast is Tokyo was buffet, with both types & a wide range of food available, so I always combined the two. However, I chose to have the Japanese breakfast this morning because I'm trying to take in as much Japanese culture as possible. The western style breakfast consisted of coffee or tea, eggs, salad, rice and toast. Salad for breakfast? Exactly what I was thinking. The Japanese breakfast that I had today was a very elaborate meal (as they all are) and the presentation of every meal always warrants a photo, and included grilled salmon, salad, pasta, miso soup and rice. There are always "extra" things on the tray that I taste but I cannot get used to the pickled sour plum. Check out the photo of my breakfast today.

After eating, we boarded the bus yet again, and headed to a panel discussion with some parents of students that attend school in Kamisu City. One thing that interested me was the fact that bullying is common in Japanese schools. Hardin County implemented a bullying program this year that I hope to share with the Japanese schools that we visit this week. Talking with the parents also gives us a chance to compare the schools in the US as there are 16 teachers in my group who come from all types of schools...Mark teaches at a Juvenile Correction facility that he calls the "gated community" and has students as old as 20! We are learning from each other and from the Japanese people as well, which makes this such a unique experience.

on the road again...I just can't wait to get on the road again

Needless to say, we have not stopped since we got here last Tuesday. During my free time, I make sure to pack it with everything I can possibly see, hear, eat and feel about Japan so today was no exception. We boarded the bus at 8 am and headed to Ibaraki University in Mito where we met with the President of the University. The school has around 9000 students and is divided into 5 colleges: Humanities, Education, Science, Engineering and Agriculture. The school year begins with the 1st semester from April to August and 2nd semester from October to March. We had a chance to ask him questions about the University and found out that it's really not that much different from the schools in the US. We then met with the Department of Education and had a panel discussion with some professors about teacher education and the current educational system. It was interesting to hear how the average school size in Japan is 40. Last year my largest class was 23 and I thought that was large! Elementary schools even have 40 per class here. At the end of the discussion, someone from our group asked the panel their opinion of US schools. I was surprised to hear that they have a good opinion of our schools and think that US students are more well-rounded in their learning. One thing that surprised me is that Japan's schools are not as technologically advanced as US schools are. Then, we met with some Teacher Education students and got a chance to talk with them in small groups. Everything about our day was planned to the minute, so we had to leave, board a bus yet again, and head to Kamisu City where we will be staying for the remainder of the week. However, on the way, we stopped at a Shrine and had 20 minutes to look around (see pics) before meeting with the mayor of Kamisu. We met with the mayor and the deputy mayor and then with the Superintendent of Education. I was given the chance (ok so I volunteered) to give a thank you speech to the Superintendent before we had a discussion with him. Everyone has been so nice and everything has its own formalities and rules. We exchanged meishi (business cards) with everyone and then all posed for a group photo. Finally arriving at our hotel, we had dinner and sake at a traditional Japanese restaurant at the hotel and then to karaoke which was a blast!!!

food faux pas

Today we took a short bus ride to our hotel in Mito, Ibaraki. Mito is the capital of Ibaraki prefecture and we will be visiting Ibaraki University tomorrow. On the way to the hotel, we stopped by Kairakuen Park which is 1 of the 3 most beautiful gardens in Japan and was built in 1841 by the ninth Mito Clan Lord Nariaki Tokugawa. The park contains 3,000 plum (ume) trees of 100 varieties. The name of the garden, Kairaku, means "to share pleasure with people". I had some plum ice cream that was delicious! We then dropped off at our hotel and then went to eat dinner. This posed a challenge as we had no idea where to go so we just started walking. Some people stopped at a cafe with hamburgers and pizza, but I wanted real Japanese food, so Stacey and I found a cute little restaurant. We were a little apprehensive to go in because no one was in there, but a woman came out so we sat down. The menu was in Japanese and it obvious that there was not an English version. Most menus in Tokyo had been in English & Japanese, so we knew we were in trouble trouble this time. The lady pointed outside, and we followed her, where we made our selection from the glass case of plastic food by pointing. I had read about this happening in books, but I never thought it was for real. It was so funny to communicate only through hand gestures and nodding our heads. She brought our food out in a bento box (see pic of Stacy with our lovely mean) which was so neatly prepared. It was obvious we didn't know where to begin eating the soba noodles as there were so many containers and sauces and we weren't sure what dipped where. She showed us what to do and told us in Japanese, though that didn't help at all. I shook my head like I understood so she went away, and Stacy and I just looked at each other and laughed hysterically because we didn't know what else to do. She came back and did the same thing again, but gave up and just poured everything into the correct bowls for us. She laughed at us for quite some time and sat down to drink tea and watch us at the next table. It really was a funny spectacle and I'm sure she told everyone about the "stupid Americans". Who knew eating could be so difficult?

funny video of Yoyogi Park painter/dancer...enjoy!

Tokyo Sightseeing

I feel so fortunate to have Lori around to be my Tokyo expert and such a fantastic tour guide. She has really done an excellent job leading me around and I feel like it has really made my trip so unique. Yesterday on my free day, our "cram session" began with the earthquake and then we went out and visited so many parts of the city. Tokyo seems to be a place of contradiction on many levels, but I am really surprised at the way modernity and tradition live so close together. A shrine or temple seems to be nestled right between two modern buildings as if they have always lived in harmony. We started off with lunch at a spaghetti restaurant and had spicy noodles that had a raw egg on top. I was really apprehensive about the raw egg but it was absolutely delicious.. We did some shopping in Shinjuku and then went to Harajuku, which is where the hip fashionable teenagers hang out on Saturdays. The Japanese people are really fashionable and crazy dressing people, but some outfits I saw were insane! The trend-setting teenagers were outside the Meiji Shinto Shrine and we were so fortunate to see several weddings there as well. The Meiji Shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. The Shrine was crowded and seemed to have provided peace and tranquility in such a busy part of the city. We then went to the Ginza area, which is the 5th Avenue of Japan and then on to a train over the Tokyo Bay area where all the buildings are very futuristic. We ended our busy day of walking with dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant and then crashed for the night. I took this video at Yoyogi Park...enjoy!