Shanainagins!

My lovely friend Shaina came to visit over Golden Week at the beginning of May. It was awesome having a little slice of home with me for 10 wonderful days in Japan! Now that I think about it, maybe one of the reasons I haven’t really been homesick is because every couple months someone from California has been able to visit me. Regardless, it really is nice having a familiar face around!

Since she was here for Golden Week-the busiest travel and holiday time in Japan- I didn’t have to work much and we went on a little mini vacation together. In the end, I got to cross 2 things off my Japan Bucket List!

One of the first things we did was take an overnight bus to Hiroshima. The parks and museums dedicated to peace and nuclear disarmament are beautiful and thought provoking. The energy of Hiroshima is relaxed compared to Tokyo, but it hasn’t completely forgotten the horror that befell it 70 years ago
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The best way to relieve the heaviness of Hiroshima, in my opinion, was going to Bunny Island! During the war, the island functioned as a secret poison gas making factory (in clear violation of the Geneva Convention buuuuut that’s a completely different ranting story). With the Occupation, the factories were destroyed and rabbits soon overran the island. Rumor has it that they are the offspring of released test bunnies, but others say they descend from school rabbits. Either way, the result is smile inducing cuteness!

 Shaina was brave enough to sample all the food I threw in front of her, including Hiroshima’s local specialty: raw oysters!

Miyajima-a UNESCO World Heritage site

The remainder of our time together was spent nosing around Tokyo and enjoying a few relaxing days together. We trekked out to the foothills of Western Saitama for the annual Shibazakura blooms and were stunned by the gorgeous carpet of flowers.

 The super “Japanese” thing we did was kimono rental in Kawagoe with a few other friends! For 2100 yen ($20 USD), we were outfitted in kimono, socks, shoes, hair accessories and bags and allowed to wander the surrounding area for almost 8 hours. Those things are surprisingly difficult to walk in, and the shoes aren’t  helpful either. Still, it was fun, even if we did have to get a bit vocal about not having cameras rudely shoved in our faces. Ah, the allure of being a non-Japanese person in Japan doing something Japanese. It’s so….mythical. To the Japanese, that is.

Oh my word, I have a job?

The fun thing about teaching overseas is usually the funny things my students write on their papers.

Things like “My father, who likes cheese, makes me happy”. For a while, I kept track of every silly and hilarious non sequitur I came across but I soon realized that I would spend more time logging them than actually instructing.

I enjoy my job, although sometimes the slow months wear too slowly and I find myself frustrated at “the system”. It’s particularly tough because there is absolutely nothing I can do to change it or influence it.

However, as I’m sure anyone in the teaching profession will tell you, the students are what make the days of tedious grading, planning, and desk warming worth it. 

The current fad for school kids is to take photos like this, recreating an attack from the popular anime "Dragon Ball"

 I teach at 3 senior high schools in Saitama Prefecture. One is within walking distance from my apartment in Iwatsuki which is great for the snow days we had this spring. It focuses on International Culture, so there is a 3 year course dedicated to furthering internationalization. Additionally, there are more foreign-born and mixed raced students at this school.

My second school is a Commercial High School located a few stops down my train line. When the weather is nice I usually bike the 25 minutes or so to that school. Most of the students enter the workfield straight after graduation, so English isn’t necessarily a priority for them. They are all excellently behaved and the staff is quite laid back at that school. Plus, there is a friendly calico kitty that hangs out around the houses across the street from the school. Seeing her before or after class always cheers me up.

My third school is a standard, run of the mil high school. Most students don’t go on to university, but they don’t enter white collar jobs either. It’s the farthest away with a 20 minute train ride and then a 10 minute bicycle ride from the station. There isn’t much else except rice fields, a convenience store, and a few fast food joints around. This is the school I’ve had the most problems with during my time on JET; I am expected to come up with games and lesson plans without the aid of a computer or internet, some of the staff blatantly take advantage of having me in the classroom and don’t lift a finger to help or participate, and the communication so poor that I often have no idea what I’m walking in to.

This spring, the staff at the school shocked me by acting incredibly friendly and outgoing towards me. There is a new principal who likes to chat occasionally in English, and the art teacher and I have become friends. In fact, he encouraged me to come to the art club after school! So, for the first time in a long time, I am painting again. It’s so wonderful. I wish I was there more often!

Ladies and gentlemen, how we get to school. We fly.

Next up, Golden Week shenanigans! Or should I say Shanainigans…?