Awkward Goodbyes are 照れ臭い

Here's a good word to know: 照れ臭い or "terekusai." Basically, "awkward" or "embarrassing." Learn it. Commit it to memory. Come to Japan, it'll be your best friend. Not that that's a bad thing, of course! As I said before, "Learn sumo by losing." The silliest thing you can do is feel embarrassed for messing up on something that you're completely ignorant about.

For me (this time) it's how to bid farewell to a school.

On Monday, I said my final goodbyes at いい中学校. I'll really miss this school. But I'm glad I got to spend my last day with the third year students: the very kids who are leaving for high school in April. The head English teacher (also the head of third year) had the students pose with me after class for a picture. I can't wait for my copy! At lunch, I talked to them about the Sochi Olympics and which high schools they'd all be attending. Seems a few will be in my town, so maybe I'll see some familiar faces in the streets!

The day started pretty rough. F.K. came over to my desk for our morning exchange...and he informed me I'd be asked to give a little speech during the teacher's meeting. Oh, great, I thought. "Of course," I said.

My face has this ridiculous habit of turning into a big freaking tomato when I'm embarrassed and of course, after the requisite "Sorry that my Japanese is so bad" opening, I started thanking them for being so kind to me. Immediately, all the blood from my toes flew to my face and all the emotions started coming up. I could feel myself losing it so I wrapped it up and sat down and quickly got to the vital business of fiddling with my worksheets while the meeting continued.

At the end of the day, once I'd finished checking the worksheets I'd assigned them all for the day (and leaving an encouraging little note on each), I packed it in for the last time. I handed off the stack to the English teacher beside me and we exchanged meishi so she could send me the picture and we could stay in touch! Then, I stood and thanked her for everything. We were a little shy around each other at the start, but warmed up gradually. So I told her I appreciated it and enjoyed working with her all year.

She stood and said, a little startled, "Oh, you're leaving, a no...." and looked around. A few other teachers started standing, then the gym teacher grabbed a stereo...checked it's contents and asked us to wait a minute. She ran out into the hall with the stereo, I heard some clicking, then the English teacher led me out to the hall. The stereo was plugged in on the floor, with the gym teacher kneeling by it. F.K. and the principal arranged the attending teachers in a sort of semi-circle around me, with my back to the entry way where the shoes are kept.

Then the music started. It wasn't Vitamin C, but it invoked the same feelings, whatever it was. But then the feeling of awkward fondness and unsureness was compounded when the teachers started clapping. I wasn't sure what to do, so I played the default card and just started bowing. They kept clapping and started bowing. Unsure what to do next, I looked to the English teacher for a clue. She sort of gestured for me to move around the semi-circle....and do what? Shake hands? Clap at them? I had no idea, I just wanted out of the hula-hoop from Hell.

So I promenaded like Dorothy following the Yellow Brick Road before the Munchkins. Awkwardly, quickly, and made for my shoe cubby. The kept clapping as I changed my shoes (thank goodness I wore the nylons without toe holes!) and they kept clapping as the principal and English teachers all bowed to me as I bowed back, trying to open the door and juggle my books. Backing out of the door, I figured it was finally safe to turn my back and start walking to my car.

Good old F.K. He opened a window in the hall adjacent.

"Goodbye," he said, waving and smiling behind his mask.

"See you later," I said, waving my shoes.

And with that, the ungainly little foreigner took her leave.





*Here's an update, by the way! I will be working at two other junior high schools in Hanamaki. I'll sign my contract next month and probably do my school visits in early April. I'm looking forward to meeting new staff and kids and trying some new enterprises.

All Good Things

Well, nine days. That's it. Nine days and I'll have completed a school year in Japan! Hard to believe, isn't it? A year ago I was racing around DelMarVa getting together a visa, an international driving permit, stuff to bring into my classes to teach Japanese middle schoolers what it means to be from Maryland...and of course freaking out from a complex combination of anxiety and excitement.

And now, a year later, here I am. Limor and I had an onsen day (possibly on the busiest day Hanamaki Spa has ever seen) and we reflected a little on how far we've come. We both speak a fair bit more Japanese than when we arrived and we're both pleased as peaches about being accepted for another contract. And yet, we're both a little sad. Why? Changing contract means a changing of the guard.

Last week I found out a few of my schools are changing. Why? Oh, don't ask me that. Between my company's policies, Japan's teacher budget and the Japanese saving-face strategies, I have no real idea why. All I know is that I won't be going to my two Kitakami schools anymore. Now, the head English teacher at one told me it was something to do with the budget. Another teacher said they'd be getting another ALT. So I don't know the full story, but in Japan, teachers move around like the snowflakes up at Geto. They get little say in how long they stay at one school: some stick around for years, others only a year at a time.

Personally, I don't think it's a real ideal method. I think the idea is that even if the teachers develop a strong relationship with their students, the kids are moving on to the next grade, so they won't exactly miss their first year science teacher, right? But what if that teacher taught a club? The kids stay in their elected club for the remainder of their school career so they'd be crushed to lose a beloved teacher then. And what about the teacher? School teams are tight-knit communities: they go on trips together, have parties, they know just about everything about each other.

Being a nomad is hard. You have to do your best at your job and be wary of getting too attached. If you're asked to move, you have to be willing to up and go. You just do what you can to enjoy what you have while you have it...

...and that is really the basis of Taoist thinking, isn't it?

Quick Kanji Lesson and A Little Tenderness

The Japanese pronunciation of my name is rather ungainly. It's downright offensive, even. "Maruta." It's just a Japanese accent "katakanizing" a Western name, and it happens to us all. James becomes "Jai-muzu." White becomes "Howaito." Chris becomes "Kurisu." You get the idea.

But at my first school, I was greeted with some awkward glances when I introduced myself, "Marta." Towards the middle of the day, one teacher told me in short it means "log." The history is ugly and it was actually a codename for a project for human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Experiments were performed in a secret facility under the guise of a lumber mill, so the human subjects (prisoners of war) were referred to as "logs." Authorities would inquire about progress by asking "How many logs" had fallen that day.

Yeah. It's the ugly side of history. Fortunately, nobody brings it up. Most students and teachers call me "Ma-ta" and some of the more advanced kids can actually manage the tricky "r" and call me "Marta sensei." Still, my ugly name nagged at me. In Japan, parents name their children based on their features or the qualities they hope their children will have. Names like that are written with kanji where each character has a meaning...

See, kanji is like if math and Pictionary had a kid. Each character has a meaning. You add that to other characters and you get a new meaning which relates to the characters involved. Watch this:

a character for person + yama (mountain) = 仙　 hermit / wizard
alcohol + demon = 醜い    ugly
tiger + sword + pig = 劇　drama

The character for "horse" ( 馬 ) is actually in "gallop" : 駈ける   Can you see it!? How cool is that?

Well anyway, last week at わが中学校, I was having a free talk time with one of the third year class so they could practice asking questions. I won't be returning to this school, sadly, for the next school year, so I think as an act of kindness, the English teacher asked the students to write my kanji name! I was really touched: it's another step into their world. They spent some time thinking and writing, then handed in what they came up with. I spent my next free period translating them.

Maru Ta   丸田　Round rice field

Ma Ru Ta  真流多　True flow many  or  Many flowing truths

Ma(i) Ru Ta  舞ルタ　Dance "ru ta"

Ma Ru Ta   魔ルタ　　Devil "ru ta"

Other translations were a bit loose including     麻ル田　Read as "Maruta" it uses the character "asa" for "ma" and translates (kind of) to "Hemp Field."

I'm going to miss these kids.

Influ-Paranoia

I am starting to get a little anxious about this whole influenza thing. Japanese people, as I've said before, usually will show up at work even if they're sick...unless it's "influ." Have a cough? Wear a mask. Hanamizu (literally "nose water")? Use that hanky. But not "influ." They are serious about this! Entire schools can be closed if too many kids are out and the season is upon us now! A couple of my schools already have had a few cases...severe ones at times. I practice my Japanese by listening in on office conversations and a few times now, the tea lady has answered the phone and I've distinctly heard "influ," "taipu-A/B," and "byouin," or "hospital!"

At my current school, the second year English teacher has been out with the flu. And it's no shocker: last week, 8 students in second year were out with influ! The fact that he has missed at least two work days-- not to mention the typical weekend club activities he supervises, so technically, four days-- shows you just how serious they are about quarantining cases.

Though it sometimes isn't that effective. Teachers still eat with their kids, their own children are surrounded by contagious peers at other schools...sometimes, there's just no avoiding it. On Thursday, the English teacher was out. On Friday, the teacher who sits next to him was out. I sit two desks away have have two more days left before I leave. I just expect to go in tomorrow and the Social Studies teacher who sits next to me will be gone and then, BOOM: Tuesday I'm infected. It's a terrifying domino effect.

The P.E. teacher and math teacher were laughing about it, pointing at the empty desks and telling me, "Danger Zone!" And making large "Xes" with their arms. I think it's great they were able to laugh it up with me: lets me know they care. The teachers at な中学校 were especially worried, asking if I'd gotten my shot, asking if I was OK with shots...it's sweet!

Eating healthy helps :)

Fortunately, I've been healthy all winter. We'll see how that goes. If I get sick, I can take it or leave it. I love an excuse to drink tea and sleep all day (though it's just not the same without someone to bring you chicken soup and crackers). But if I must be ill, let's schedule it for late March when I'm done with classes and have a few weeks free, OK? Have your viruses call my anti-bodies and we'll work something out.

Meanwhile, here are some pretty pictures.

A Serious Second

Northern Japan is snow country. Plain and simple. They get snow up here and they usually get a lot of it. People are used to the cold, white stuff...and they've readily made living with it a part of their societal makeup. There are festivals devoted to snow, ice sculptures at said festivals and of course the beautiful and exciting ski resorts! It's not uncommon when you're on the hill to be dodged by chibi-size small fries! Toddlers on skis, by the way, is about as precious as it gets.

Of course, just because they're so used to snow up here, doesn't mean everyone really likes it. In the halls, when I have conversations with the students, I try to bring up something relevant, and as boring as it seems, the weather is always relevant. So I ask my students if they like winter, if they can ski or snowboard and if they will go to any snow festivals. And of course, "Do you like snow?"

About half of the time, the answer is an emphatic, "No, I don't." Hey, cold is cold. I can't blame them. Snow is fun, winter brings plenty to see and do and eat, but after three months of it, I'm so ready for sunshine and flowers and warm spring evenings!

Unfortunately, for some people, spring won't be coming again. Down in Tokyo, the weather is usually a bit more mild than it's been. The surprising and deadly snow in Tokyo is a sobering reminder that both Japan and America have had freak winter weather this year.  

http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/106516.php

The details are a bit unclear, but I just wonder how it could have been avoided. Ice? Exposure? The same site has a story about men who fell off a temple roof while clearing snow off the shingles.

New country, same hazards.

Kawa of Consciousness Part 2

"The time has come," the walrus said. "To talk of many things:" to let the stream of consciousness encroach and rhyme some things. I'll type my thoughts and let them flow and ebb upon the tide of laptop keys and cups of tea and the thoughts that form inside. 

March is coming, oh March is coming, but still the winter snow is falling through the frozen air and creeping to my door. I carve a path, say twice a night, on times that come and go, and every time I reemerge, 

the snow,..the snow,..the snow!

It's funny, odd, a little queer that time has gone so fast, and I have been here- yes, a year- and all these days have passed. Matsuri, now there's a word, and one that's commonplace in Japan: each season's turn has festivals and something new to learn.

The beat of drums and tempo'd feet that rush into your ears and through your core and to your soul and through the long gone years. Shishi, oni, kagura, these words I love, imbibed like strongest sake: 

warm and light and heady on the side. 

And don't forget the outside world, the riches past Horizon. Who knows what else I haven't seen but soon I'll be describin'!

Japanese Items As Explained by Third Year Junior High Shoolers

The school year is rapidly careening towards the end and third grade junior high schoolers are feverishly preparing for graduation in March.

There's a cheesy "time marches onward" pun in there somewhere.

With the end nigh, my third years are just about finished with the text book. So my lessons have mostly been general grammar reviews in the form of Jeopardy, Partner Interviews and Syntax Puzzles. Good lord, when did I turn into Aunt Josephine from "A Series of Unfortunate Events?"

One such grammar activity I made for my kids last week was to practice passive tense: "was made by...," "is a kind of...," "is used for..." I know, I know. This nails-on-chalkboard kind of grammar tears at the soul of every English major, but it's a big part of the curriculum for third years. So here I was, composing an activity so the kids could practice writing about how something is made, what it's for and who it's enjoyed by.

A shiver just went up my spine.

I needed something they could do quickly, so I turned to Japanese culture. It's something they're familiar with and so could easily write three or four sentences about. I brought a few items to class in a paper bag and let six kids grab a random item. Then groups wrote about one of the six things. At the end of class, I collected their worksheets. I actually learned a few things from their explanations! So here you have it: a mini culture lesson courtesy of my students.

Seiro

It is used when you steam nikuman and syuumai.
It is used to make a steamed bun.
This seiro is made in VIETNAM. (I later realized the "Made in VIETNAM" sticker was on it)
It is made of bamboo.






 
Kadomatsu

In the west, it is believed kadomatsu feet bring good luck.
It usually stands by the porch.
It is made of take and matsu and ume.
It is made of pine brances and Japanese apricot twigs.
The evergreen symbolizes longevity and celebration. (Yeah, a student wrote that!)
Be careful. If you don't have a business, don't touch kadomatsu. (Well, dang. Did I just get told?)





 
Ikura (relax, I brought in a key chain of plastic ikura)

Ikura is a kind of traditional Japanese food.
It is made of salmon roe and nori and rice.
Ikura is a kind of fish egg.
Ikura is salmon roe preserved in brine. (Again, a student!)
It is eaten by many.
It is enjoyed by some.
It's usually spherical. (Look at that!)
The ikura usually shakes on the rice.






 
Sushi (just brought in toy sushi, not the real deal)
 

It is a kind of traditional Japanese food.
It has a good taste.
If you eat sushi, you should use shouyu.
Raw fish is used in sushi.
Sushi is the representative food of Japan. (Look at these guys go!)
There are many kinds of sushi in Japan.
Delicious! Delicious! (Agreed, agreed)


 
Sensu
Sensu is a traditional Japanese item.
It is usually used when we are hot.
They usually have very cool designs.
Some of them are very beautiful.
Sensu is used when we fan.
It is used by old people.
It usually isn't used in the winter.








Makisu 

This is used to make maki sushi beautiful.
It is usually made of bamboo or wood.
It is usually made by hand.
It is made by a craftsperson.
Makisushi is made with rice and laver.
Put nori on the makisu and put rice on the nori and bind it with the makisu.






Class dismissed!