New School Year

In Japan the New School Year begins with Spring! I love spring. And summer.
Anyway, this year is really nice. I love my new English Teacher coworker, and am looking forward to working with her. I am also happy to be seeing the same students, one year older. They are so cute. With each year, and all of the "Shikis", or "Ceremonies", the students have grown just a bit. It is really interesting to me. I was commenting on the fact that there are so many ceremonies, when the new principal came in. He told me that in order for Japanese people to feel like they have gone up a level, they need the ceremonies. If not, they will stay the same forever... in the US and MExico, we just have a graduation ceremony. On the new day of school, if I remember correctly, there is no ceremony. But we still feel exited about the new year. And we still go up a year. I have two theories. One is that in order for the people to trust the rigid heirarchical system, they need to feel as though without the system they cannot survive. If people feel free, then they don't need anyone, they feel like they can do anything, they won't listen to those above them, or might make their own decisions more rapidly. Another reason is that the Japanese people want to feel supported by their society, and want society to help them along. These thoughts are obviously related, although I'm sure that the former is not widely conveyed to others, or even recognized. There are a lot of things here that are not recognized, simply because people are involved so deeply. From an outsider's perspective, things always look different. I have heard a lot of perspectives about US culture that might shock people over there, or which are not widely accepted points of view in the US, but which make complete sense. For example, why is whale meat not eaten? I myself do not eat whale meat, because I grew up in the states and find it disgusting. There is something stupendous about the animal, it is very intelligent, and that harpooning is cruel, etc, etc. OK, so then they come back at me and say, ok, why do you eat lobster by boiling it alive? So then are pigs not smart, or is it just the whale's size? If you really cared about animals, you'd stop buying from huge farms where they don't treat the animals humanely, etc. etc. The defenses and rebuttals go on forever. Let's go ask the Chinese and Koreans what dog tastes like.
Anyway, there was my agro rant for the day.
Today, I did some gardening at the JHS. I trimmed the trees again. I got to teach the new 1st graders and the 2nd graders English. They were so cute and excited. And then I came to JHS and taught 1st grade here (7th grade).
The weather is great today. Warm and humid. I LOVE IT. If only it was this way all year round. But then we wouldn't see the cherry blossoms in the spring!!

Google Image Searches in Different Languages

I recently gave this lesson to my students, but it really could benefit anyone doing image searches on the net if they have knowledge of the their own culture and another culture.
I had to relearn this myself today while looking for cake images online. English Google really doesn't have much as far as nice photos of cakes. I don't know why. But the Japanese are rather obsessive about their food, and have somewhat of a food fetish nationwide. This is easily proven by the fact that 60% of the TV shows are about what restaurant has the best food in a certain area. Anyway, they like to photograph food as well. You can find BEAUTIFUL photos online. I searched for cake in Google Japan, and lo and behold, there was a huge selection of excellent photos to choose from. Perfect lighting, put into a perfect scene. It was great. Highly recommend it. www.google.co.jp
When it gives you the option to choose Japanese letters below (katakana), choose the ones closest to the search bar.
Here is the direct link for what I found. Just copy and paste into your address bar.

http://images.google.co.jp/images?hl=ja&source=hp&q=%E3%82%B1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AD&btnG=%E7%94%BB%E5%83%8F%E6%A4%9C%E7%B4%A2&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

If you want to compare what is available on the English Google, just go to your regular google search page, go to images, and search for cake. The results, compared, are dismal. However, the interesting thing is that depending on what you are searching for, your results can be better on the English site, for example, any Japanese Animation earch will give you better results in English. If you search for the colors of the rainbow in each, the results are very interesting and show differences in what is appreciated by each culture, or the history of the use of the color by that culture. Try green. Or blue.
If you want another interesting experiment in culture, go to the Wikipedia home page. Then in two corresponding windows, select the Japanese Page, and the English page. Search for anything.
The results will be completely different. It makes me wish I knew ten languages.

Spring is finally here!!

Spring is finally here, and I'm sooooo glad. The cherry bloosoms are in full bloom. The mountains of Nishimera are full of flowering trees. Two weeks ago it snowed more than all year, though! I have been taking cuttings of all sorts of plants, and planting vegetables. I have cuttings of three different kinds of plum trees and planted some pumpkin, tomato and pepper seedlings yesterday. I have flowers and berries and spinach growing already.

Bali Island

I recently wrote a review on Bali Island, and decided to put it in my blog. Bali was probably my favorite vacation spot during me years as a JET. Thus, I recommend Bali as an inexpensive vacation location rich in culture and things to do.

Flying there:
Flying to Bali is not very expensive. It costs about 5 man yen / $500US, or less. If you don’t get a package, you can stay for a week and a half. Tour packages might be less expensive, but you are limited to 3-7 days, and the longer it is, the more expensive.
So my recommendation is to get the chapest flight you can find, and then stay in hotels. This will allow you the greatest freedom.

Staying there:
Hotels range from extremely cheap to expensive. I stayed in nice hotels, which included breakfast, for 300 to 400 yen / $3-4 per day. Get a Lonely Planet to get a list of hotels and prices. Once you are in the country, you can find more places to stay. For 2500 yen you can stay in a VERY nice place.

Traveling Around:
The best way to travel around Bali is probably by Taxi. You can rent a taxi for about 1000 yen / $10 per day. They will not only drive you around, they will recommend hotels and restaurants, and be your own personal tour guide. It was a great experience to rent a taxi. The way to do it is to ask the concierge at the hotel for a taxi, or to look for one on the street. You might even just ask at a little market. The whole feel of Bali is very small, so you probably won’t have problems finding one.

Omiyage-Souvenirs:
Hmm. I would have to say that in my experience, the Japanese school teachers are very picky about their omiyage. I don’t see it disappear very quickly from the break room. The best things to buy them are things with individually wrapped candies or things like that. I found an energy drink, in powder packets that was so good and you can’t find it here. It was a hit in Japan. Sorry, I can’t remember the name. For your own souvenirs, I recommend that energy drink, and Balinese coffee mix in packets (delicious!).

Places to Go, Things to Do:
Dolphins
The most fun I had was in Lovina, in Northern Bali. My taxi driver insisted that we go see the dolphins. He said “The dolphins like it! And for $5 you should really go.” I had read a bad review in the Lonely Planet. The review said that the boats chased the dolphins, and that the poor dolphins couldn’t get away. This review was obviously written by someone lacking a few brain cells, or at least someone who didn’t think for themselves. As far as my observations went, the dolphins are free to roam where they wish, they appear when the wish and the leave when they wish. It seemed almost ritualistic, and if dolphins are as intelligent as they are famed to be, I am certain that they are conscious of their interaction with the observers. We left the beach at about 6:30. We waited in a certain area. 45 minutes later, the dolphins appeared to one side of the boats. I assume that these are their morning feeding grounds, if not, they are just there for fun. We would chase after their leaping forms for a while and then they would disappear, reappearing in a different area. There, they would begin leaping once again. We would chase them, they would swim with us for a while, and then hide again. This happened several times in a matter of an hour and a half. Then they were gone, they did not resurface. I suppose that they went to go about their daily feeding in some other area. Apparently, they appear in about the same place every day. I would assume that if they were fishing, the fish would be seasonal. If they didn’t like it, they would find another place to fish, as they are free to come and go. But the dolphins appear every day of the year at the same time. I can only assume that they are playing some sort of hide and seek with the humans, who get very excited and happy when they see them. It is a wonderful experience, and if this kind of tourism begins to dwindle, the dolphins might lose their playmates. So much for animal rights. Well, that’s what I think, anyway.
Massage
Traditional Balinese Massage is really nice. It costs about 2,000 yen / $20 per hour, but its good. Even better, get lessons! I spent two days studying with a woman who taught traditional Balinese massage, and it was fun. I would like to study Thai Massage, too…
Durian
Eat durian. Get it from a fresh fruit vendor, preferably with someone who knows what the tastiest ones look like. A bad durian is very bad. But good durian is a flavor you will never forget (so is a bad one!).
The Volcano
I ate at a buffet overlooking a crater lake. It was beautiful and though the buffet was about 800 yen, it was really tasty, and the view was awesome.
Shopping
There are great things to buy. Barter, barter, barter!!
Kechak
Watch the traditional dances. I saw a wonderful rendition of the Kechak Dance at Uluwatu, where the surfing is famous. It was an amazing place, on cliff overlooking the ocean.
Ubud and Sightseeing
Ubud is a beautiful art town. I highly recommend it for shopping for art and textiles. Also, the surrounding area is very picturesque. The ancient temples are amazing, too.

Spring is on its way!

Yesterday it was pretty warm. Today too. As compared to the horrible chill before. The winter is passing, and its always shocking because its almost like it goes from being horribly cold to being very very warm in a matter of weeks. How is that!?!?!

Anyway, Jan and Marisol finally had their baby. The sight of her was a shock...Its so hard to explain. Like seeing my brother as a baby girl? Or seeing my blood that I had never seen before but knew was somewhere? Very strange feeling.
One of the great things about the past few weeks, too, is that for Valentine's Day, my grandma, Mama Nene, went to her friend Karen's house. Karen let her use her computer and camera, and Mama Nene was able to talk on Skype for the first time, and see the new baby, her great-granddaughter, Aisha. It was perhaps a huge jump, I hopefully imagine, from being totally isolated, to realizing that we are all still around, somewhere, and eager to see her. I thank goodness for internet video communications.

I have been working on my garden, which is an increasing assortment of pots. Most recently, I have been trying to sprout a variety of citrus seeds. Yuzu, Tangerine, Orange, and Kumquat(金柑). I also puchased my first large plant, a pineapple guava. I love tasting the flower petals, and the fruit is yummy.

Immigrants' Stories

We have been watching The Sound of Music in the JHS 2nd grade class. First, I would like to say that I think this movie is amazing. What a great film. It has a bit of everything very well orchestrated into it. It is funny, sad, happy, elegant, down-to-earth, and very well composed. The directing, acting, and camera work is great. And the plot is really good. I saw this movie when I was about seven, but I was too young to know enough about life to appreciate it.
It constantly reminds me of my father in Mexico when we watch it. He is Austrian, and the movie is about Austrians. It shows us the culture before the second world war. It is a culture that I know he yearns for, a beautiful culture of elegant waltzes, classical music, quiet mountains, and many other things. I am sure, if I were to see a movie about Cuba, the same thing would happen with regard to my mother.
It makes me realize that I have chosen the same path. The path of the immigrant.
The other night I had a dream. I was in the mountains somewhere in California. I had met some people at the store. A young woman, a young man and an older woman. They were laughing and talking in the checkout isle. The man began to sing a short song, an addition to what we were talking about. And then the young checkout woman said to me "Why don't you stay here? It is fun, the people are nice. You would probably be happy here." I began to cry, and I woke up crying. It had been a long time since that happened. I realized how much I still missed being in the US, the way the people so freely greet strangers, and treat people like they are important, even if they don't know them, how easy it is to make real friends. But all of these feelings and this nostalgia are meaningless. The fact is that I am an immigrant. I have married a foreign man and moved to a foreign land. No one understands or cares, why should they? They didn't leave their homeland. I have chosen a lonely path, perhaps. Or perhaps it takes years to build a life, and most people have started from childhood, but I started 5 years ago, as an adult. I am not lonely with my husband; he is a lovely man, and very masculine and very proud. He is always at my side, if I should need someone, he is there for me. So I have the seed of a life here, and slowly, little by little, am meeting people and learning the language to a point of semi-literacy. And I am learning what it means to be Japanese, not in the obvious ways, but the ways that I am sure the Japanese Immigrants miss so much when they have left their home to live abroad. The quiet nature of homelife. What it means to be proud of yourself because you have really tried and prevailed at something, and then to keep going. Patience. The art of focus. And littler things... that I might not notice until I left, to go back to my homeland, and then looking back, realized how they had struck me so deeply. This may also be the plight of the Immigrant. That time and space always move forward, but that your become a part of that moving sphere, and once separated, are lost, in some part, forever. We can never go back. To where we were born, or to the place where we lived for some years.

Immigrants never forget their homeland. They never forget the way that people interacted. They never forget the little things, like how the place looked, the shapes and styles of things, when people smiled, when people connected, the sounds, the smells, the tastes. Those things may fall away with the years, changing, but for the immigrant, and perhaps, for the elderly as well, the nostalgia of a life never goes away. It lives forever in their hearts.

I am planting a garden. There is a Pineapple Guava in it. It is a rare ornamental here. I am also planting all sorts of citrus fruits, which are very popular here. I hope that my garden will flourish. It resembles my hopes.

Merry Christmas!

This was our first present from Shinpei's coworker's family! We were very surprised and happy.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas！