Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Let me bring everything up to speed since I haven't written in a bit. After feeling aggravated on Monday, I decided to go out for a ride on my bike again. I headed the opposite way of the main road and found some more shops – like an office supply store, a book store (awesome! I wonder if they sell any books in English?), some more convenient stores, etc. I really just explored more on my bike and then went back to my house and changed and went out for a run. I got back from my run pretty late and changed back into clothes. After my dinner attempt, I decided screw it, I'm going to a restaurant. I attached a flashlight to my bike and decide I'm going to find somewhere to eat. As I'm pulling out of my driveway, Yosco pulled in and asked where I was going. I explained to her my oven story and she told me to come over to her house and she would make me dinner. That she did! Thank you Yosco.

Tuesday

I was contemplating whether or not to get out bed in the morning since no one came for me yesterday and Yosco had no idea what I should be doing. I made the right decision, I got out of bed and ready. Thank goodness for being responsible because Saijo-san showed up at 9:00. I was dropped off at my base school and there I stayed until 3:00. Of course, I didn't do any real work – I goofed off on the internet and then one of the teacher's purchased me a rice cooker so they showed me how to use it. We made rice and onigiri (rice, vegetables or some filling on the inside covered by seaweed). The women at my school are so kind. They think I'm a baby since I'm 22. It's weird because in some aspects they treat me like I'm strange since I'm 22 and not married and on the other hand, they treat me like I'm 5 and like I don't even know how to tie my shoes. I did need to learn to use the rice cooker simply because I can't read kanji, katakana or hiragana (the 3 japanese reading and writing systems). I invited Brian over for dinner via the internet and I also invited Yosco to come over. I biked to the grocery store after school and picked up a few more ingredients to make another recipe work with the weird foods i purchased the day before.

Now, when I was over at Yoscos for dinner on Monday, she informed me that it was her birthday and not a single person in her family remembered. I don't know if birthdays are a big deal or not in Japan but I figured it must have meant something to her since she brought it up to me. So, I wanted to find a way to celebrate her birthday and also thank her for everything she has done for me. I went from shop to shop trying to find a cake. I couldn't make my own because I don't have an oven. Finally, I stopped in this one store and tried my hardest to ask the cashier woman where i could buy cake. My message got through!!!! Although, she couldn't speak English to explain to me where I could get it, we actually figured it out. She called a few people for me to make sure that where she was telling me actually sold it. She talked slowly so I could look words up in my dictionary and finally I realized she said ride your bike 5 minutes up that way and on your right there will be a woman standing outside in an apron. Of course, the way she communicated this was – point at my bike, point at the direction i need to go, imitation of riding a bike, holding 5 fingers out and sputtering out how you say minutes in Japanese, which i looked up in my dictionary to translate.. Then, I asked her in Japanese “left or right”. She pointed to the right of the street and then said “girl” and then pointed to her apron and then said “outside”. Of course at this point, I wasn't positive I understood what she was trying to communicate to me but I went for it. And there she was, a woman 5 minutes away standing in her apron waving to me. And it wasn't necessarily a cake like you think it is – but slices of really fancy delicatessens. I picked out 3 that looked good. When i got home I put candles on Yosco's piece. This whole process took me at least an hour.

I started chopping my onions and finishing chopping my green peppers when Brian arrived. I informed him of Yosco's birthday and continued to cook. I made this dish that involved, onions, minced garlic, green peppers, corn, tofu, and half dozen spices that you put over rice (the rice i made at school). It wasn't terrific, but it wasn't a total flop either. Both Yosco and Brian said it was good – but they could have just been polite. I think it needed more cayenne spice. I wasn't really sure how to measure because i don't have measuring spoons, so Brian and I kind of just made a guess. After dinner, I told Yosco she had to close her eyes and I put the cake in front of her and I also had picked up flowers for her. I had her open her eyes and told her happy birthday. I put candles in her piece 5 + 1 = 51. Brian and I lit her candles and sang to her happy birthday. She was so happy (or embarrassed?). I think she truly appreciated it though. She left a bit after that and Brian and I just hung out for another hour. It was so nice to have company in this big house I have to myself.

I am pretty sure I am going to ride my bike tomorrow back to the bakery and pick up a piece of cake and give it to the woman who helped me find the bakery in the first place. I have learned the art of giving gifts here. Everyone is so keen in gift giving – and since I can't speak the language to express my gratitude – I am going to try to be as polite as I can and bring gifts! Remember, I'm an ambassador of all Americans – and in my travels I have experienced much hostility being an American. But what if I am the only American some of these Japanese people meet? I can change that view – I can do it with one person at a time. I had a neighbor in Australia, he was from New Zealand. He said his impression of Americans were that they were fat, loud, lazy and arrogant. One of my last days there, we went to go get a kebab together and sit on the beach. He had said that thanks to living next to me for 6 months – he realized he only believed a stereotype and that Americans aren't bad people after all. It made me happy to think that I made some difference in the way we are viewed.

So, this brings me to today. Saijo – san picked me up for some ceremony that I had to go attend in Ishinomaki City. It was the ceremony called the Notice of Issue Certificate Appointment. Now, since Saijo-san and I can't communicate with one another, he gave me this sheet that is in English that I thought was the itinerary. Under “contents” it said self – introduction. It also mentioned that some pretty important people were going to be there. Last night I practiced and memorized my self introduction:

“Mina Sama, Hajimemeshte” - “Nice to meet everyone”

“Watashi wa Sara desu” - My name is Sara

“Watashi wa Amerika no New York Sho kara kemeshte” - I am from New York State in America.

“Watashi wa Nihon hajimete desu” - This is my first time in Japan

“Watashi no shumi wa haikingu desu. Nihon no karate ni kyomi ga arimasu” - My hobby is hiking and while i am in japan i would like to learn karate.

Yoroshiku Onegai Shimasu – I look forward to working with you and hope our relationship is a happy one.

Yea, it doesn't look like much, but it's very hard to pronounce correctly. I also dressed up in a business suit. I get there and the building isn't air conditioned. Basically, this “very important” ceremony consisted of our name being called, saying “hai” aka yes, standing up, walking to a podium, bowing to some people, grabbing my “official notice of issue certificate of appointment” paper and walking back to my seat. The whole ceremony took 20 minutes. I guess it's pretty important because now I am like an official government employee. Afterwards, saijo-san went to go take care of my health insurance (since i still don't have it). I got to go hang out with some of the other ALTs, which is a change for me because I am a lone soul out in the boondocks. They see each other everyday, eat together, living in the same apt. building and what not. So, I'm pretty much like the odd one out. They are all so well informed about things and I'm like eto, nani? Uhhh, what? It's difficult because if I have a question, too bad, cause Saijo-san and I can't communicate. I read the USA today too. I haven't read a newspaper in over a week. Not too much going on – I am happy to see that the courts are ruling Bush's policy of (in my opinion, an infringement on our rights) monitoring people's phone calls post 9/11 as illegal.

After that, I hopped back into Saijo – sans car which is always a treat. It's like mystery ride for me! He says “kuruma” which means car. I go into his car and it's like ohhhh, where am i going now!!!? Yesterday, I ran into a woman on the street who was talking my ear off in Japanese. I understood three words from her “saijo” “san” and “sobo” aka grandmother. I don't know what she was saying; I assumed she was telling me that she was Saijo's grandma. She pointed to a house and I figured that was her house. Today on the way home, I tried communicating to Saijo that I met his grandma. I spent probably 15 minutes explaining that “yesterday street meet your grandma” That was how i put the sentence together, because I don't know any grammar. He had no idea what I was saying. Saijo began talking about “mother, father, saijo, kid, 5 altogether” I think he thought I was asking about his family. I don't really understand if he meant there were 5 people in his immediate family or if he has 5 people in the family if he is married. I dropped the subject after that. Usually, we just sit in the car in silence. I decided to show off because I didn't even need to have that stupid introduction memorized. He tried communicating to me something along the lines that I have to do my self introduction at my Junior High School on Monday. I don't really know if that is what he was trying to say so I just started blabbing on my speech that I showed you earlier. Saijo – san seemed very proud and then started teaching me more things – like “hiragana to katakana benkyo” I am studying hiragana and katakana. “watashi no kozoku wa go-knee desu” There are 5 people in my family. “Watashi wa nihong ni nineng imasu” I want to stay in Japan for two years. I suck at Japanese.

I went back to school after that and had lunch. Mitsue was there; I haven't seen her in over a week. We discussed very slowly in English what we have been doing. She is so kind – I want to be her friend. I helped Hiromi write a speech for a student. I then helped that student today actually speak it. Problem words for Japanese:

Word How they pronounce it

See She

Brought Blought

Experience Some thing way off

thought taught

crane cake ? ( i dont get it)

Pronunciation

participation

We worked over and over on those words. I taught brought by explaining in America when we are cold we go brrrrrrrrr and then rub our arms. So, we did bbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr --- ought. It actually worked!!!!! Can you believe how silly something like that worked? Then i explained saying See like a snake goes ssssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeee. That worked too! It was hard doing experience. I broke it down as best as I could and she eventually got it. It felt good to actually do some teaching, especially 1 on 1.

I ran into Kocho Sensei (principal) - I didn't recognize him at first and then i realized after he said hi to me that it was him. I felt like an idiot and then i couldn't speak any Japanese. What an ass I am. I tried making it up to him but blah, kocho-sensei's scare me.

After school, I changed and hopped onto my bike. I rode for hours – probably like 6 miles, maybe more, maybe less. I stopped and took a lot of pictures on that bike path thing i found yesterday. It's not a total bike path because occasionally a car does come down it (in which case, i have to like get off the path and halfway downhill). I reached the end of the path and then saw ahead of me a path that looked like it might lead up to one the hills that protect my village. I had to walk my bike because it wasn't paved just made of stones. The closer I got to the woods, the more dragon flies came out. They scare me because they bite – and they did get pretty bad, swarming me almost. I made it to the hill...to my left was a path, to my right was no path. I left my bike and my bandanna (that clearly sticks out, it's tie dye and bright colors, if i ended up missing, they would know it was mine) and headed down the path. Even more dragon flies!!!! I ended up at someones house....boring. I walked back to my bike and was gonna go the other way until BATS! So many NASTY bats were coming at me! EWWWWW! I've never actually seen a bat before. Are bats rabid? For some reason, i thought so...I freaking grabbed my bike and walked fast. Abort plan. I then decided to take another bike path. I came across the bridge that you cross which divides the villages. I've actually always wanted to get to this bridge because it appears there is a walking path that follows the river. I go one way...it ends, I head the other, it ends. Pretty boring. I said “konbonwa” aka good evening to a woman with an inu (dog). She starts rattling off Japanese. I have no idea what she is saying, but i know she's asking me a question because any sentence ending with a “ka” means it's a question. I just started rambling off my self introduction. Changed it a bit of course. Told her my name, where I'm from, and that I'm Eigo sensei in Monou – an english teacher in monou...she then starts asking more and more questions and i dont know what she is saying so i just say “sumimasen, nihongo ga wakarimasen” I'm sorry, I dont understand Japanese. I then tell her Jaa matta – i will see you later. She was adorable. I went down by the river, probably a spot to fish. I was hoping it would be peaceful, but it surely was not. The river was really dirty and you could hear kuruma (cars) all around you. I headed back home. I decided to go to those trails I found behind my Junior High School my first week here to go swinging. I found this beautiful flower and photographed it and then found frogs...little cute frogs. I harassed the one and kept trying to get it to stay on my hand long enough to photograph him/her. After feeling bad for bothering it for so long, I went on the swing, decided it was too rusty, didn't want a tetanus shot and headed home. I got home, had leftovers from last night and here I am.

I loved my bike ride...it was so peaceful, so fulfilling, relaxing, etc.

Life's good.