1:43pm Friday, Oct 12
my supervisor ben gave me until this weekend to decide if i will leave or stay.
i would like to go home. but i'm afraid it'll seem like i couldnt cut it. And it's not as if i think being home will be perfect either. i just can't figure out if it would be more mature to stay or to go.
my relationship with my counterpart amy is nominal. it seems she hasn't been able to bond with anyone canadian or chinese. but as her counterpart the onus is on me to support her. and i recognize its my duty to do so, but i'm having trouble connecting with her. i seriously think she has mental health issues. not in a dangerous way to herself or to anyone around her. but she's very socially awkward. like she's emotionally stunted. You would think she was 14 and not 22. but she is the way she is. despite the idiosyncrisies she does need help. and i need to be more patient and understanding. i know this. not just with amy, but with all my relationships.
things aren't going well with my host family either. my host mom complained during a hostfamily meeting that i was coming home too late, and so now there's a curfew for all the CWY participants. 11 pm on weekdays and 2 am on weekends. it's not a major deal. i'm sure most famlies won't impose it and i'll be changing host families in a week anyways. 3 famlies in 1.5 months. i feel like a foster child!
my work placement at rogers cable is going well though. i've shot a few pieces that have aired. and i'm pretty much being given creative freedom to shoot anything i want. i'm gonna do a few pieces on CWY. unless i leave first of course...
i don't want sympathy by saying i was dealt a bad hand. i am being challenged. and i don't know if it's my age, or just the way i am. but i'm having trouble adjusting. i dunno. i mean, in any bad situation there can be something good about it. and maybe if i tough it out to the end, i'll be transformed in ways i can't even fathom now. and if i quit i'll never know!
or maybe... i'm just wasting my time.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
woa bu xiao
3:25pm Friday, Oct 5
i feel so confused. cwy is not what i expected it to be. i expected it to be a challenge. i expected it to be difficult. i expected it to be a learning experience. and it is. but not in the way i expected.
since the day i arrived, i've thought about quitting. and there were quite a few times, especially in the past week, where i came very close to leaving. and yet, everytime i feel i can't take it anymore...something tells me to wait and see. i don't know whether or not i'll make it to china. it really is one day at a time.
it's difficult because there is such a divide between the chinese and canadians. not everyone is being problematic, but the few that have issues are infecting the rest of the group. and i'll be honest, i'm one of the people with issues.
i'm very strong willed, and as some of you might be well aware of, blunt :-P and that doesn't necessarily translate well between cultures. and it's something i'm aware of, and i'm taking the effort to soften my rough edges.
in the month i've been here, i've learned a lot about chinese people. yes, they do not think the same way as canadians. yes, they come from a different culture where they do things differently. but what i think is the most important lesson i've learned so far, if i can use the cliche, is that deep down we are the same.
we all have the need to be respected. we all want to be happy. we all want to love and be loved. whenever the canadians and chinese clash, some of the chinese people say that "this is how we do things in china. you do not understand our culture." and while this may be true, this does not mean we don't want to learn and understand.
and personally, i feel like i understand them more than they realize. i was raised in a chinese household. i went to chinese school. i only spoke chinese for the first 5 years of my life. most of my friends growing up were chinese. i don't celebrate christmas, i celebrate chinese new years. i eat chinese food everyday at home. and while i admit i am not chinese in the way that a person born and raised in china is chinese. their culture is still very much alive in me and all chinese canadians who live here whether by birth or immigration.
i don't want the chinese people in our group to feel like they need to live in this box while they are in canada. where no one understands them, or is even capable of trying. it's one day at a time.
i feel so confused. cwy is not what i expected it to be. i expected it to be a challenge. i expected it to be difficult. i expected it to be a learning experience. and it is. but not in the way i expected.
since the day i arrived, i've thought about quitting. and there were quite a few times, especially in the past week, where i came very close to leaving. and yet, everytime i feel i can't take it anymore...something tells me to wait and see. i don't know whether or not i'll make it to china. it really is one day at a time.
it's difficult because there is such a divide between the chinese and canadians. not everyone is being problematic, but the few that have issues are infecting the rest of the group. and i'll be honest, i'm one of the people with issues.
i'm very strong willed, and as some of you might be well aware of, blunt :-P and that doesn't necessarily translate well between cultures. and it's something i'm aware of, and i'm taking the effort to soften my rough edges.
in the month i've been here, i've learned a lot about chinese people. yes, they do not think the same way as canadians. yes, they come from a different culture where they do things differently. but what i think is the most important lesson i've learned so far, if i can use the cliche, is that deep down we are the same.
we all have the need to be respected. we all want to be happy. we all want to love and be loved. whenever the canadians and chinese clash, some of the chinese people say that "this is how we do things in china. you do not understand our culture." and while this may be true, this does not mean we don't want to learn and understand.
and personally, i feel like i understand them more than they realize. i was raised in a chinese household. i went to chinese school. i only spoke chinese for the first 5 years of my life. most of my friends growing up were chinese. i don't celebrate christmas, i celebrate chinese new years. i eat chinese food everyday at home. and while i admit i am not chinese in the way that a person born and raised in china is chinese. their culture is still very much alive in me and all chinese canadians who live here whether by birth or immigration.
i don't want the chinese people in our group to feel like they need to live in this box while they are in canada. where no one understands them, or is even capable of trying. it's one day at a time.
all i meant to say
9:05pm Friday, Sep 21
Yesterday I caused an international incident!
On Thursday our CWY group met up to discuss international development. Our supervisor split us up into pairs, and assigned us each a topic to research like neoliberalism, marxism, export led growth, etc. Mine and Francis had to read an essay by a certain Ivan Illich called "To hell with good intentions" look it up online to read the entire article, but i'll give a summary.
Illich basically argues that oversea volunteer programmes are not a good thing. he sees programmes like Peace Corps, CWY, Youth Challenge International, etc. as middle-class exporting programmes. Where middle-class people go into poor countries, trying to save the poor, but are only (consciously or not) promoting middle class values. Teaching the poor that in order to be happy they must be like us. They must embrace the capitilistic machine. And by going there we are re-affirming the status quo, in the ever increasing divide between the rich and the poor.
Illich calls these overseas volunteer projects "mission-vacations". the majority of volunteers are not capable of helping, because we don't have the proper training, we most likely cannot speak the language, and the only people we will meet are middle class people like us. In fact, we are making more problems than we are solving by being there.
That's the gist of what i was going to present to the group. Although a controversial string of thought, not necessarily something the chinese in our group would get upset over. Unfortunately i chose to lead our presentation with a skit. Unfortunately i chose to use China as the example developing country. Unfortunately, the chinese did not understand the concept of satire.
In my skit, francis and i played the ignorant and idealistic overseas volunteer who have come to rural china to save them from poverty. we said things like "wow, china is so poor! And how lucky they are that we are here to help!" I chose to present ourselves as exagerated caricatures of the kind of people Illich was railing against. Unfortunately, the chinese people assumed that this was mine and Francis' personal opinion. They got pissed. They interruped with comments like "China is NOT poor!" and they got extremely defensive. one of the chinese girls started crying!
woah! i tried to explain myself, but they were not in the mood to listen. Then they started blaming Ben for even giving this topic for us to research. And Ben said he refused to apologize for discussing criticisms of volunteer projects like CWY.
The stupid thing is, that if i had chosen ANY other country besides China to use in our skit, there wouldn't have been a problem. It was a blow to their nationalistic pride. The chinese people do not see themselves as poor. They do not seem to understand the concept of a developing country. They think Chairman Mao was a good leader. They do not think the government censors them.
We're all getting ready to go home, and Summer (the chinese girl who cried) stays behind to argue with Ben. And I go outside and see some other chinese people arguing with some canadians. No one is in the mood for listening. Only arguing and believing what they want to believe.
I go home, and i'm eating dinner with my host family. and my counterpart amy does not say a word throughout dinner. Then at the end she looks at me and asks "karen, can i ask you a question?" I say "yes" Then she says, "Why do you hate China?"
Two hours later, Amy understands what i was trying to say. And tonight i saw a bunch of the other chinese people and they seem to have calmed down. But summer still gives us canadian cut eye. the girl with the best english out of all the chinese is the one who refuses to listen.
there is so much more to say, but that will have to wait for another day. there is a lot of good that CWY does, but it is not a perfect programme. A realization that has been nagging me from day one.
Yesterday I caused an international incident!
On Thursday our CWY group met up to discuss international development. Our supervisor split us up into pairs, and assigned us each a topic to research like neoliberalism, marxism, export led growth, etc. Mine and Francis had to read an essay by a certain Ivan Illich called "To hell with good intentions" look it up online to read the entire article, but i'll give a summary.
Illich basically argues that oversea volunteer programmes are not a good thing. he sees programmes like Peace Corps, CWY, Youth Challenge International, etc. as middle-class exporting programmes. Where middle-class people go into poor countries, trying to save the poor, but are only (consciously or not) promoting middle class values. Teaching the poor that in order to be happy they must be like us. They must embrace the capitilistic machine. And by going there we are re-affirming the status quo, in the ever increasing divide between the rich and the poor.
Illich calls these overseas volunteer projects "mission-vacations". the majority of volunteers are not capable of helping, because we don't have the proper training, we most likely cannot speak the language, and the only people we will meet are middle class people like us. In fact, we are making more problems than we are solving by being there.
That's the gist of what i was going to present to the group. Although a controversial string of thought, not necessarily something the chinese in our group would get upset over. Unfortunately i chose to lead our presentation with a skit. Unfortunately i chose to use China as the example developing country. Unfortunately, the chinese did not understand the concept of satire.
In my skit, francis and i played the ignorant and idealistic overseas volunteer who have come to rural china to save them from poverty. we said things like "wow, china is so poor! And how lucky they are that we are here to help!" I chose to present ourselves as exagerated caricatures of the kind of people Illich was railing against. Unfortunately, the chinese people assumed that this was mine and Francis' personal opinion. They got pissed. They interruped with comments like "China is NOT poor!" and they got extremely defensive. one of the chinese girls started crying!
woah! i tried to explain myself, but they were not in the mood to listen. Then they started blaming Ben for even giving this topic for us to research. And Ben said he refused to apologize for discussing criticisms of volunteer projects like CWY.
The stupid thing is, that if i had chosen ANY other country besides China to use in our skit, there wouldn't have been a problem. It was a blow to their nationalistic pride. The chinese people do not see themselves as poor. They do not seem to understand the concept of a developing country. They think Chairman Mao was a good leader. They do not think the government censors them.
We're all getting ready to go home, and Summer (the chinese girl who cried) stays behind to argue with Ben. And I go outside and see some other chinese people arguing with some canadians. No one is in the mood for listening. Only arguing and believing what they want to believe.
I go home, and i'm eating dinner with my host family. and my counterpart amy does not say a word throughout dinner. Then at the end she looks at me and asks "karen, can i ask you a question?" I say "yes" Then she says, "Why do you hate China?"
Two hours later, Amy understands what i was trying to say. And tonight i saw a bunch of the other chinese people and they seem to have calmed down. But summer still gives us canadian cut eye. the girl with the best english out of all the chinese is the one who refuses to listen.
there is so much more to say, but that will have to wait for another day. there is a lot of good that CWY does, but it is not a perfect programme. A realization that has been nagging me from day one.
introduuuucing...
3:51pm Saturday, Sep 15
i figure i should introduce the members of my CWY group, as im gonna be talking a lot about them.
Ben (30) - canadian supervisor. hes been a CWY supervisor with the china programme for 4 years now. a bit disorganized, but a pretty funny guy.
Sarah (22) - from calgary, AB. she's taking a break from her uni studies in geography. shes a competitive orienteer who just came back from the world orienteering championships in the ukraine. for those of you who dont know what orienteering is, its where you get thrown in the middle of the woods with nothing but a map and a compass, and you have to find all the check points in the fastest time to win.
Luwam (23) - from Mississauga, ON (mississaugaWUT!!!). she just graduated from york university with a degree in criminology. this girl loves her r&b, hip hop and chinese girls with num chuck skills. awwwww yeah!
Stephanie (24) - Eskasoni, Nova Scotia. Steph is a native american from the migma tribe (aka. mic mac, but thats not pc). she lives on a reserve and its part of their culture to ask a lot of questions. ie. steph comes over to my house yesterday, and she asks my host mom as soon as she walks in "do you live in a bad neighborhood?" shes so funny she doesnt even know how funny she is. this girl deserves her own reality tv show.
Brigette (22) - from Ottawa, ON. she has acadian french roots, so she rocks the bilingualism (ii na?) super friendly and optimistic.
Fabiola (2?) - shes a francophone from montreal, who speaks a bit of english. i dont understand what she says to me in french cuz she speaks way too fast. so i nod and say "oui" or "n'est pas?" (the japanese equivalent of so desu ne?)
Patrick (23) - from fort langly, BC. he graduated from forestry school, and keeps his eye on the lumber prize. we step off the bus in New Brunswick and he points to some trees and says "those are the first trees ive seen so far that have been worth logging"
Francis (22) - from Quebec City, QC. he is, as the french say it, very fer-anch. very quebecois. nuf said.
Kevin (22) - also from Montreal. see above.
The chinese:
Cash (30) - the chinese supervisor. okay english. doesnt seem to do much, but thatll prolly change in china.
Summer (25) - the oldest of teh chinese. teaches english in china. unofficial team leader and translator for the chinese.
Nandy (23) - aka. numchuck girl. surprisingly funny girl. shes one of those people who are so funny without realizing it. she says whats on her mind, which isnt always the most tactful of things. but because shes chinese, its funny.
Amy (22) - aka. the ball and chain. she just graduated from uni in english tourism (which explains why she tries so hard to learn english). her english isnt that good. its good compared to most of my japanese students, but the other chinese participants have better english than her.
Shirley (20) - super exagerated mannerisms. you know the kind of person that gets excited over everything. honestly, it sounds like shes orgasming all the time when she talks. ill have what shes having.
Alyssa (20) - the only girl in teh chinese group that drinks. she gets wasted off two beers, which is good seeing that we only get $15/week. sometimes it pays to be a cheap drunk.
James (20) - hes working with me at Rogers cable. strong silent type, but easy to get along with. he pronounces his name as Jims, so i have to tell people afterward he meant to say James, cuz people think Jims is his chinese name.
Sheng Yi (2?) - his parents are government officials, which means hes loaded. hes probably richer than any of teh canadians. but hes not terribly friendly or talkative towards us...
Strong (2?) - yes, he named himself strong. in chinese, his name means strong. pretty cool name i reckon. he has very little english, and he got paired up with fabiola who also has little english. but they get along great despite that.
Nick (2?) - the best english speaker of the chinese guys. hes cool and laidbacked. altho he really likes taking pictures of himself...
i figure i should introduce the members of my CWY group, as im gonna be talking a lot about them.
Ben (30) - canadian supervisor. hes been a CWY supervisor with the china programme for 4 years now. a bit disorganized, but a pretty funny guy.
Sarah (22) - from calgary, AB. she's taking a break from her uni studies in geography. shes a competitive orienteer who just came back from the world orienteering championships in the ukraine. for those of you who dont know what orienteering is, its where you get thrown in the middle of the woods with nothing but a map and a compass, and you have to find all the check points in the fastest time to win.
Luwam (23) - from Mississauga, ON (mississaugaWUT!!!). she just graduated from york university with a degree in criminology. this girl loves her r&b, hip hop and chinese girls with num chuck skills. awwwww yeah!
Stephanie (24) - Eskasoni, Nova Scotia. Steph is a native american from the migma tribe (aka. mic mac, but thats not pc). she lives on a reserve and its part of their culture to ask a lot of questions. ie. steph comes over to my house yesterday, and she asks my host mom as soon as she walks in "do you live in a bad neighborhood?" shes so funny she doesnt even know how funny she is. this girl deserves her own reality tv show.
Brigette (22) - from Ottawa, ON. she has acadian french roots, so she rocks the bilingualism (ii na?) super friendly and optimistic.
Fabiola (2?) - shes a francophone from montreal, who speaks a bit of english. i dont understand what she says to me in french cuz she speaks way too fast. so i nod and say "oui" or "n'est pas?" (the japanese equivalent of so desu ne?)
Patrick (23) - from fort langly, BC. he graduated from forestry school, and keeps his eye on the lumber prize. we step off the bus in New Brunswick and he points to some trees and says "those are the first trees ive seen so far that have been worth logging"
Francis (22) - from Quebec City, QC. he is, as the french say it, very fer-anch. very quebecois. nuf said.
Kevin (22) - also from Montreal. see above.
The chinese:
Cash (30) - the chinese supervisor. okay english. doesnt seem to do much, but thatll prolly change in china.
Summer (25) - the oldest of teh chinese. teaches english in china. unofficial team leader and translator for the chinese.
Nandy (23) - aka. numchuck girl. surprisingly funny girl. shes one of those people who are so funny without realizing it. she says whats on her mind, which isnt always the most tactful of things. but because shes chinese, its funny.
Amy (22) - aka. the ball and chain. she just graduated from uni in english tourism (which explains why she tries so hard to learn english). her english isnt that good. its good compared to most of my japanese students, but the other chinese participants have better english than her.
Shirley (20) - super exagerated mannerisms. you know the kind of person that gets excited over everything. honestly, it sounds like shes orgasming all the time when she talks. ill have what shes having.
Alyssa (20) - the only girl in teh chinese group that drinks. she gets wasted off two beers, which is good seeing that we only get $15/week. sometimes it pays to be a cheap drunk.
James (20) - hes working with me at Rogers cable. strong silent type, but easy to get along with. he pronounces his name as Jims, so i have to tell people afterward he meant to say James, cuz people think Jims is his chinese name.
Sheng Yi (2?) - his parents are government officials, which means hes loaded. hes probably richer than any of teh canadians. but hes not terribly friendly or talkative towards us...
Strong (2?) - yes, he named himself strong. in chinese, his name means strong. pretty cool name i reckon. he has very little english, and he got paired up with fabiola who also has little english. but they get along great despite that.
Nick (2?) - the best english speaker of the chinese guys. hes cool and laidbacked. altho he really likes taking pictures of himself...
a wise rabbit once told me...
11:48pm Friday, Aug 31
hey guys!!! i made it to moncton safe and sound! OMG, these past 3 days have been CRAZY you would not believe. i arrived in halifax, nova scotia on july 28, and i met the other 8 canadian participants in my group at the airport, as well as 9 other canadian participants doing another exchange with canada world youth (CWY). we all went to a training camp in halifax for 3 days. seriously, if i could have a camera crew follow me around, you guys would all be laughing your asses off.
when i said CWY would be complete opposite of JET, i was not exagerating. instead of the swank keio plaza, CWY rented out a BIBLE camp in the middle of nowhere for our orientation. so there were all these posters and drawings on the wall, with inspirational sayings like "don't be like bill. bill doesn't know god. mike knows god. be like mike" and the food was typical camp food. for lunch i had cheese and tomato sauce toasted over hamburger buns. swank
and while i expected myself to be the oldes participant at age 25 (tech the programme is only for ppl aged 17-24), i didn't expect there to be so many TEENAGERS. ok, i should clarify. there are two CWY groups going to china. one is my group (moncton/yichang). we're all aged 21-25. and theres the younger one (charlottetown/yichang) and they're 17-20. so the first 3 months we won't be together, but in china we will. i have never felt so old in my life as i did during those three days at orientation. i just kept thinking...what have i gotten myself into? it's like i'm hanging out on the set of boy meets world or something. god, what a dated reference, i'm so out of the teenager loop.
anyways, on the second day our chinese counterparts arrive. when i say day, i mean 3 am. so the chinese girls going to moncton slept with us in the same cabin. one of the chinese girls, nancy (she pronounces it lancy) pulled something out of her suitcase. she asked us "what do u call this in english?" i didn't have my glasses on, but i was like "are those num chucks???!!!" they were.
we hadnt decided who would be paired with who yet, but we were given temporary partners just to show them around the camp. i got a girl named chen man (she gave herself the english name andy). her english is how we say...not so good. anyways, she clung to me like glue! at breakfast she's like "where's karen" and when i get up to go to the washroom she looks really panicky and asks where i'm going. i had to fill out my visa application, and i told her to do her own thing. she told me she'll wait for me. umm...okaaaay.
right, so yesterday morning ben (our project supervisor) decided the fairest way to decide permanent partners was to do a random draw. me and luwam (she's also from mississauga!) were joking around saying that she'd get num chuck girl, and i'd get the superclingy one. i think we jinxed ourselves cuz thats who we got!!! lol...its okay. i think its funny more than anything. but one thing i do have to teach andy, apart from alone time, is personal space. shes one of those close talkers. u know the type, every time u take a step back they step forward. i gotta be tactful about it just cuz my mandarin is shit, and her english is shit, and i dont wanna insult her.
today, we got assigned our host families. mine is a single mother named gina, who has a 14-year old daughter thats there every other week. she's francophone but speaks really good english. and she's a dietitcian! which hopefully means i'll be eating really heaithy! she's away this weekend running a marathon, so i'm staying with a temporary host family. i'm really looking forward to working on my french, because moncton is a bilingual city. but people have warned me that they speak acadian french here. it's a mix of french and english called chiac. ex. "je vais parker mon car"
these next 6 months will be a challenge to say the least. while i have had my doubts, i do feel this will be a very transformational experience. it's a once in a lifetime deal sure to be full of surprises. i'll find out my moncton work placement by friday. oh, and i already know what i'll be doing in china. you'll never guess. teaching english. lol. figures :-P
man an! (good night)
"Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out alive." -- Bugs Bunny.
hey guys!!! i made it to moncton safe and sound! OMG, these past 3 days have been CRAZY you would not believe. i arrived in halifax, nova scotia on july 28, and i met the other 8 canadian participants in my group at the airport, as well as 9 other canadian participants doing another exchange with canada world youth (CWY). we all went to a training camp in halifax for 3 days. seriously, if i could have a camera crew follow me around, you guys would all be laughing your asses off.
when i said CWY would be complete opposite of JET, i was not exagerating. instead of the swank keio plaza, CWY rented out a BIBLE camp in the middle of nowhere for our orientation. so there were all these posters and drawings on the wall, with inspirational sayings like "don't be like bill. bill doesn't know god. mike knows god. be like mike" and the food was typical camp food. for lunch i had cheese and tomato sauce toasted over hamburger buns. swank
and while i expected myself to be the oldes participant at age 25 (tech the programme is only for ppl aged 17-24), i didn't expect there to be so many TEENAGERS. ok, i should clarify. there are two CWY groups going to china. one is my group (moncton/yichang). we're all aged 21-25. and theres the younger one (charlottetown/yichang) and they're 17-20. so the first 3 months we won't be together, but in china we will. i have never felt so old in my life as i did during those three days at orientation. i just kept thinking...what have i gotten myself into? it's like i'm hanging out on the set of boy meets world or something. god, what a dated reference, i'm so out of the teenager loop.
anyways, on the second day our chinese counterparts arrive. when i say day, i mean 3 am. so the chinese girls going to moncton slept with us in the same cabin. one of the chinese girls, nancy (she pronounces it lancy) pulled something out of her suitcase. she asked us "what do u call this in english?" i didn't have my glasses on, but i was like "are those num chucks???!!!" they were.
we hadnt decided who would be paired with who yet, but we were given temporary partners just to show them around the camp. i got a girl named chen man (she gave herself the english name andy). her english is how we say...not so good. anyways, she clung to me like glue! at breakfast she's like "where's karen" and when i get up to go to the washroom she looks really panicky and asks where i'm going. i had to fill out my visa application, and i told her to do her own thing. she told me she'll wait for me. umm...okaaaay.
right, so yesterday morning ben (our project supervisor) decided the fairest way to decide permanent partners was to do a random draw. me and luwam (she's also from mississauga!) were joking around saying that she'd get num chuck girl, and i'd get the superclingy one. i think we jinxed ourselves cuz thats who we got!!! lol...its okay. i think its funny more than anything. but one thing i do have to teach andy, apart from alone time, is personal space. shes one of those close talkers. u know the type, every time u take a step back they step forward. i gotta be tactful about it just cuz my mandarin is shit, and her english is shit, and i dont wanna insult her.
today, we got assigned our host families. mine is a single mother named gina, who has a 14-year old daughter thats there every other week. she's francophone but speaks really good english. and she's a dietitcian! which hopefully means i'll be eating really heaithy! she's away this weekend running a marathon, so i'm staying with a temporary host family. i'm really looking forward to working on my french, because moncton is a bilingual city. but people have warned me that they speak acadian french here. it's a mix of french and english called chiac. ex. "je vais parker mon car"
these next 6 months will be a challenge to say the least. while i have had my doubts, i do feel this will be a very transformational experience. it's a once in a lifetime deal sure to be full of surprises. i'll find out my moncton work placement by friday. oh, and i already know what i'll be doing in china. you'll never guess. teaching english. lol. figures :-P
man an! (good night)
"Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out alive." -- Bugs Bunny.
here we go again
2:41am Tuesday, Aug 28
today i'm flying out to new brunswick to start my time with canada world youth. i'm just so used to moving around, that i'm acting very non-chalant about this. i mean, this is not going to be an easy experience. it'll be a complete 180 from my time in Japan. for one, i won't be making any money. second, i will be living with a host family for 6 months (3 in NB, and 3 in china). i'll have a chinese counterpart attached to my hip for those 6 months. i won't be allowed to drive (i love driving!). i won't even be allowed to leave my host community without asking my supervisor for permission! but for the most part, it hasn't even hit me i'm starting this new adventure in a few hours. i mean, i haven't even PACKED yet. procastinator to the end, and it's my fault i've had to cancel a few dates with friends. sorry guys!! i wish i had more time...
this week i'll be at orientation camp getting to know the other 8 canadians and 9 chinese that will be in my group. and our host families will be there. i won't know who my counterpart, who my family will be, or what job i'll be doing until the end of camp. i'll try to update often. gambatte ne!
today i'm flying out to new brunswick to start my time with canada world youth. i'm just so used to moving around, that i'm acting very non-chalant about this. i mean, this is not going to be an easy experience. it'll be a complete 180 from my time in Japan. for one, i won't be making any money. second, i will be living with a host family for 6 months (3 in NB, and 3 in china). i'll have a chinese counterpart attached to my hip for those 6 months. i won't be allowed to drive (i love driving!). i won't even be allowed to leave my host community without asking my supervisor for permission! but for the most part, it hasn't even hit me i'm starting this new adventure in a few hours. i mean, i haven't even PACKED yet. procastinator to the end, and it's my fault i've had to cancel a few dates with friends. sorry guys!! i wish i had more time...
this week i'll be at orientation camp getting to know the other 8 canadians and 9 chinese that will be in my group. and our host families will be there. i won't know who my counterpart, who my family will be, or what job i'll be doing until the end of camp. i'll try to update often. gambatte ne!
honey i'm home!
Sunday, Aug 12
ahoyoy!
i've been back in the m-dot for three days now, and i am def experiencing reverse culture shock! i never thought i'd happen to me! first off, i keep wanting to drive on the left side of the road (canada u drive on the right). second, i keep wanting to holler sumimasen to waiters in the restaurant, and i've had to stop myself from saying arigato a few times. i can no longer sleep 8 hours consecutively but take naps in 2 hour intervals throughout the day. and i am always always sleepy (which did not bode well when my friends tried to take me out clubbing on my second day back). i went downtown toronto today, and was simply amazed by the ethnic diversity. and the general tallness of people. i had forgotten how short i am here! i've actually come to realize what a cool city toronto really is. it's ghetto, but its vibrant and alive. there are real people here with real emotions. they show anger, happiness, sadness and general lunacy without the societal mask imposed on japanese people. i have two weeks left in mississauga before i leave again, and i'm wishing i had more time to rediscover this place i call home. komattana?
ahoyoy!
i've been back in the m-dot for three days now, and i am def experiencing reverse culture shock! i never thought i'd happen to me! first off, i keep wanting to drive on the left side of the road (canada u drive on the right). second, i keep wanting to holler sumimasen to waiters in the restaurant, and i've had to stop myself from saying arigato a few times. i can no longer sleep 8 hours consecutively but take naps in 2 hour intervals throughout the day. and i am always always sleepy (which did not bode well when my friends tried to take me out clubbing on my second day back). i went downtown toronto today, and was simply amazed by the ethnic diversity. and the general tallness of people. i had forgotten how short i am here! i've actually come to realize what a cool city toronto really is. it's ghetto, but its vibrant and alive. there are real people here with real emotions. they show anger, happiness, sadness and general lunacy without the societal mask imposed on japanese people. i have two weeks left in mississauga before i leave again, and i'm wishing i had more time to rediscover this place i call home. komattana?
Thursday, June 28, 2007
my life as i never know it
and it never does seem to get any easier. i'm 25 now, and as confused with what i want as i've ever been. i've matured in a lot of ways since i've been in japan, and grown more comfortable with who i am. at the same point, it's a comfort that grows out of complacency than actual spiritual awakening. but in a month i'll be waking up from this japanese dream, and that's no time at all is it?
last night, i dreamt that i went home to canada. but it was a unexpected trip home, and although i was excited to be back, i realized i had forgotten all my things back in japan. i was anxious and needed to come back to kagoshima for my things. my parents said you don't need them. you can buy new things. and i'm like no, i have to back. i have unfinished business. i need to say good bye to japan. and then i woke up to the sound of pouring rain and heavy winds pounding against my window.
it doesn't take freud to figure out the meaning of that dream. i'm afraid of leaving japan. worried that i'll have forgotten something here. japan and canada are halfway across the world from each other. it's not an impossible distance, but they are such two worlds apart that they might as well be on separate planets. after this august, i don't have any immediate plans to return to japan. the way i've spent my two years here, trying to do everything i can, experience everything i can, go everywhere i can, it's almost as if i'm planning to never to come back.
i'm excited to go home, because...it's home. but i'm afraid i'll go back and it'll be like these past two years never happened. it'll all feel like a dream, and i'll forget faces and names. i'll forget everything i've learned, and the person i am now. i love who i am. i love who i was. but i'm looking forward to who i will become as well.
i'm not reluctant to leave japan, i'm having an awesome time, but it's time to move on. it's been a haven of sorts. no responsibilities, free time to persue anything i want. and yet i feel suffocated by it sometimes. like nothing here counts in the real world. like a two year vacation. i need to get back on track. whatever that may be.
last night, i dreamt that i went home to canada. but it was a unexpected trip home, and although i was excited to be back, i realized i had forgotten all my things back in japan. i was anxious and needed to come back to kagoshima for my things. my parents said you don't need them. you can buy new things. and i'm like no, i have to back. i have unfinished business. i need to say good bye to japan. and then i woke up to the sound of pouring rain and heavy winds pounding against my window.
it doesn't take freud to figure out the meaning of that dream. i'm afraid of leaving japan. worried that i'll have forgotten something here. japan and canada are halfway across the world from each other. it's not an impossible distance, but they are such two worlds apart that they might as well be on separate planets. after this august, i don't have any immediate plans to return to japan. the way i've spent my two years here, trying to do everything i can, experience everything i can, go everywhere i can, it's almost as if i'm planning to never to come back.
i'm excited to go home, because...it's home. but i'm afraid i'll go back and it'll be like these past two years never happened. it'll all feel like a dream, and i'll forget faces and names. i'll forget everything i've learned, and the person i am now. i love who i am. i love who i was. but i'm looking forward to who i will become as well.
i'm not reluctant to leave japan, i'm having an awesome time, but it's time to move on. it's been a haven of sorts. no responsibilities, free time to persue anything i want. and yet i feel suffocated by it sometimes. like nothing here counts in the real world. like a two year vacation. i need to get back on track. whatever that may be.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Fresh on the boat
HOLY FRIKAMOLY BATMAN!!! im going to CHINA!!! canada world youth just emailed me to say ive been placed on the China/Atlantic programme. which means ill be living in some atlantic province for a few months, and then get shipped somewhere in China.
at first i was kinda disappointed cuz i was really hoping for a placement in Africa or even India. thing is they did offer me a placement in Mali but it started too early, and it really wasn't feasible for me to go. and i guess this is a good chance for me to connect with my chinese roots. and the clincher was the realization that, hey, i get to eat chinese food 24/7!!! i hope. ive heard horror stories of other cwy participants who dont get fed for days. i hope i get to learn some kung fu, play with pandas, and party with jet li.
anyways, the programme starts august 28 until march 12 or sumshing. wow...from japan to china. this'll be interesting to say the least.
at first i was kinda disappointed cuz i was really hoping for a placement in Africa or even India. thing is they did offer me a placement in Mali but it started too early, and it really wasn't feasible for me to go. and i guess this is a good chance for me to connect with my chinese roots. and the clincher was the realization that, hey, i get to eat chinese food 24/7!!! i hope. ive heard horror stories of other cwy participants who dont get fed for days. i hope i get to learn some kung fu, play with pandas, and party with jet li.
anyways, the programme starts august 28 until march 12 or sumshing. wow...from japan to china. this'll be interesting to say the least.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Learn to speak chinese in 5 minutes!
(You MUST read them out loud)
1) That's not right..............................Sum Ting Wong
2) Are you harboring a fugitive? ...........Hu Yu Hai Ding
3) See me ASAP.................................Kum Hia Nao
4) Stupid Man....................................Dum Fuk
5) Small Horse...................................Tai Ni Po Ni
6) Did you go to the Beach? ................Wai Yu So Tan
7) I bumped into a coffee table..............Ai Bang Mai Fa Kin Ni
8) I think you need a face lift...............Chin Tu Fat
9) It's very dark in here.......................Wao So Dim
10) I thought you were on a diet...........Wai Yu Mun Ching
11) This is a tow away zone................No Pah King
12) Our meeting is next week................Wai Yu Kum Nao
13) Staying out of sight.......................L! ei Ying Lo
14) He's cleaning his automobile............Wa Shing Ka
15) Your body odor is offensive.............Yu Stin Ki Pu
16) Great..........................................Fa Kin Su Pah
1) That's not right..............................Sum Ting Wong
2) Are you harboring a fugitive? ...........Hu Yu Hai Ding
3) See me ASAP.................................Kum Hia Nao
4) Stupid Man....................................Dum Fuk
5) Small Horse...................................Tai Ni Po Ni
6) Did you go to the Beach? ................Wai Yu So Tan
7) I bumped into a coffee table..............Ai Bang Mai Fa Kin Ni
8) I think you need a face lift...............Chin Tu Fat
9) It's very dark in here.......................Wao So Dim
10) I thought you were on a diet...........Wai Yu Mun Ching
11) This is a tow away zone................No Pah King
12) Our meeting is next week................Wai Yu Kum Nao
13) Staying out of sight.......................L! ei Ying Lo
14) He's cleaning his automobile............Wa Shing Ka
15) Your body odor is offensive.............Yu Stin Ki Pu
16) Great..........................................Fa Kin Su Pah
relationship advice
Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl "Will you marry me?"
The girl said, "NO!"And the girl lived happily ever after and went shopping, dancing, camping, drank martinis, always had a clean house , never had to cook, had sex with whomever she pleased....did whatever the hell she wanted, never argued, didn't get fat, travelled more, had many boyfriends, saved more money, had all the hot water to herself, never had pubic hairs under the toilet seat lid, watched girlie movies, never had football on, never wore fricken lacey lingerie that went up your ass, had high self esteem, never cried or yelled, felt and looked good in sweat pants and shirt, and burped, swore, & farted all the time. THE END
-------------------------------------------------------
"remember karen just because he buys you ramen noodles that aren't instant, doesnt mean you owe him/her anything. unless it's @ a restaurant, and the him/her in question is a server hehe...then you owe moneys. none of that dine and dash." - Hanah Amin
-------------------------------------------------------
Five tips for a woman...
1. It is important that a man helps you around the house and has a job.
2. It is important that a man makes you laugh.
3. It is important to find a man you can count on and doesn't lie to you.
4. It is important that a man loves you and spoils you.
5. It is important that these four men don't know each other.
The girl said, "NO!"And the girl lived happily ever after and went shopping, dancing, camping, drank martinis, always had a clean house , never had to cook, had sex with whomever she pleased....did whatever the hell she wanted, never argued, didn't get fat, travelled more, had many boyfriends, saved more money, had all the hot water to herself, never had pubic hairs under the toilet seat lid, watched girlie movies, never had football on, never wore fricken lacey lingerie that went up your ass, had high self esteem, never cried or yelled, felt and looked good in sweat pants and shirt, and burped, swore, & farted all the time. THE END
-------------------------------------------------------
"remember karen just because he buys you ramen noodles that aren't instant, doesnt mean you owe him/her anything. unless it's @ a restaurant, and the him/her in question is a server hehe...then you owe moneys. none of that dine and dash." - Hanah Amin
-------------------------------------------------------
Five tips for a woman...
1. It is important that a man helps you around the house and has a job.
2. It is important that a man makes you laugh.
3. It is important to find a man you can count on and doesn't lie to you.
4. It is important that a man loves you and spoils you.
5. It is important that these four men don't know each other.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
bali baby!
chickachickachickachickachickachicka BALI WUT!
okay dokay. so i just got back from bali three days ago. i had an omoshiroi time doing omoishiroi stuff. on my first day i flew into seoul, korea for a FIVE hour layover. but the airport was pretty swank so it wasnt too awful...unlike my 6 hour layover in bangkok airport sleeping on the god-knows-what-stained-carpet. i ate some oishii korean food, and then i checked my dang ding email, and after i meandered over to the korea cultural learning centre where i made my very own handcraft! YAY! i made a box, it was very sexy. finally i caught my transfer flight to denpasar, bali. i spent that five hour flight chatting to a korean lady sitting beside me. she spoke no english, i spoke no korean, but we managed to communicate our life stories and hobbies in the wonderous world of nihongese. she was fluent in japanese, and i just made sounds like bucka bucka bucka.
anyhoo, i arrived in bali at 11 pm and took a taxi to the beach city of kuta. famous for the surf, and seemingly endless hordes of tall, blond, tan, ripped surfers. my hotel had a pool which came complete with the entire von trapp family. all the balinese people assumed i was japanese (japan is the number 1 source of tourism for bali). so im walking along and all these stall workers and taxi drivers are shouting at me "konnichiwa! doko iku no?" and to be fair, i would think i was japanese too but it got annoying after awhile. so when i told them i was from canada, always, ALWAYS, the next thing out of their mouths would be "but you have a ASIAN face". and i would have to explain that my parents are from china, but i was born in canada rah rah rah. a few times i said i was from mexico for the heck of it. hola senor. adonde es el cesto? (hello sir, where is the garbage can? two years of spanish and thats all ive got. me and that garbage can...we bonded)
i spent thursday shopping and spent nearly $200! mainly on clothes (rashguard, surf shorts. if u cant actually surf, mite as well look like u do). then friday i signed up for a bountry cruise boat tour. such a waste of money. for $65 i got shuttled out to a plontoon off the coast of lembongan. there was a hour village tour, followed by some banana boat rides, and gay ass water slide. the only reason i signed up for it was cuz i thought there would be a submarine ride!!! turned out to be a SEMI-submarine ride. which is basically a glass bottom boat the extends further into teh water. u couldnt even see anything :-( fortunately, that was the last of the crappiness. the rest of my vacay went relatively hitch-free.
on saturday i met up with my friend jon, and we went horseback riding together. it was my first time horseback riding too! horses are pretty scary animals when u dont know what to do. my horse kept doing its own thing, munching on the grass at her own leisure. and im like, if we were in japan, this horse wudve been sashimi by now. anyways, it was a really beautiful experience. horse back riding along a pristine white sand beach, with the sound of surf punctuating the silence, while the setting sun illuminated the sky in brilliant hues. we ended the ride with dinner at a really nice resort restaurant right along the beach. picture perfect evening. aside from the dorky helmet and leg guards we had to wear. come on. even i cant make this look cool >___<
on sunday, i had my grand reunion with MICHERU!!! she was one of my closest friends last year in japan, and she had returned to new zealand last summer. so it had been nearly a year since i last saw her. despite that time gap, we got on like we had never parted ways. as soon as she arrived at our hotel i told mich she had half an hour to get ready, cuz we were going to catch the sunset at ulu watu (seaside shrine in the southern peninsula). we arrived just in time, but barely got to absorb the moment cuz we were whisked away to a traditional balinese dance called kachuk. theres an ensemble of some 20 men going chickachickachikcachicka and various other noises throught out the narrative dance. then our driver took us to the famous seafood restaurants in jimbaran bay, where we had oishi seafood on the beach. we were even serenaded by a 4 piece band who played us cool reggae tunes.
on monday we hired a driver to take us on a tour of the bali mainland. we went to see mount agung and batur, two volcanoes. we had a gorgeous view from the restaurant where we had our lunch. then we went through ubud, and it had really amazing craft shops. balinese art is just really amazing. the woodwork is so detailed. i just wish i had a proper house that i could furnish with all the amazing pieces we saw. then we finished our day by driving on the western coast to see the sunset at tanah lot, another seaside temple. we just sat on the cliffside cafe, sipping our bintang beers and coconuts, while taking in teh crashing waves and the elegant temple beneath the sun.
tuesday, we got up pretty early to go white water rafting down the telaga waja river. it was fun, we got to go down two tiny waterfalls, and kept getting whacked by low hanging branches and bridges. michelle nearly had her face smashed in by a rock face. good thing im into her for her personality! ho ho! after we got back from rafting, we hightailed it out of kuta, and drove into sanur. whats in sanur? the port! we were gonna catch a boat to lembangan island teh next day, and we just wanted to get away from kuta and all the von trapps.
the trip to lembongan was about 1 and a half hours by local boat. we were crammed in with skinny wooden planks to sit on. very uncomfortable...for the average mortal that is. thanks to my superior genes, evolved from generations of mongol warriors and rice farmers, i managed to fall asleep on what basically amounted to a 2x6 plank of wood. but wutever, you dont see me going on about it. we arrived by about 11 am, and we settled into a bungalow on teh beach. we hired some scooters to take us to dream beach. and there were these boys who were surfing in the water, doing really well i might say considering they couldve easily went smack into a cliff. the next day we went scuba diving and it was amazing. my first dive i didnt really enjoy that much cuz i had problems with my dive mask...as usual :-( but the second one i got it together, and saw some really cool marine life. me and mich were gutted cuz we wanted to go to manta point to see the manta rays, but the current was too strong that day. even more gutted to find out the next day they took another group out to manta point and they saw 12 rays!!! oh well...one day...
on our third and last day on lembangan, we headed over to mushroom beach, and just worked our tans, and did a bit of snorkeling. that night we went to scooby doo bar, and chilled with the locals. we met this one balinese guy, who had spent his entire life on lembongan, this tiny little island. we told him we lived in japan, and he said he could speak a little japanese. i expected him to spout off the usual stuff -konnichiwa, transporto? rahrahrah. but then he goes all out nihongo on us. even michelle (who studied japanese in uni) was impressed. apparently this guy had only been studying a year, by himself, from books! puts my efforts to shame! but then michelle was like, yeah, hes really gifted at languages, but its sad cuz u know he wont really be able to do anything with it. and i see her point. i mean, he's never gonna go to japan is he? the average balinese person makes like $100 a month. if its any consolation, bali gets wack loads of japanese tourists. there are twice as many japanese visitors than australians! go figure.
on saturday, we reluctantly make our journey back to kuta. michelle had a plane to catch that afternoon, so we spent the final few hours together doing some souvenir shopping. and at 1 pm we said adieu once again :*( that night we and jon went down into the southern peninsula to benoa to a famous balinese restaurant run by a pretty famous chef. alas i cant recall what its called, but 15 fabulous courses. kebabs, lamb coconut curry, balinese cakes. droooool.
sunday was our last day before jon and i returned to japan, so in the morning we went surfing at kuta beach. i mean, who goes to bali and doesnt surf right?! anyways, i was getting pounded by the waves, so after an hour i kinda gave up and switched to a boogie board. caught some awesome rides into shore with that! and later that afternoon we decided to do a final trip to ubud, the cultural center of bali. ubud is so much more than we initally thought! we ended up perusing the markets, then saw some different types of balinese dance at Ubud palace, and finished with dinner at Katuk's place. Katuk has an amaaaaazing compound. there's a inner courtyard with garden, swimming pool, which overlooks a river. and the architectural detail! sumptious as the food. im sad michelle couldn't have joined us for what was definitely the best two meals ive had in bali.
interesting trivia. in bali, all the children are named one of 4 names depending on birth order. 1. Wayan 2. Made 3. Nyuman 4. Katuk and if you have more than 4 children, it starts over at Wayan! so really, you can go up to any balinese person, and have a 25% chance of guessing their name right! i like those odds! and there ya have it! 13 days in a nutshell. doncha knowit ;-)
okay dokay. so i just got back from bali three days ago. i had an omoshiroi time doing omoishiroi stuff. on my first day i flew into seoul, korea for a FIVE hour layover. but the airport was pretty swank so it wasnt too awful...unlike my 6 hour layover in bangkok airport sleeping on the god-knows-what-stained-carpet. i ate some oishii korean food, and then i checked my dang ding email, and after i meandered over to the korea cultural learning centre where i made my very own handcraft! YAY! i made a box, it was very sexy. finally i caught my transfer flight to denpasar, bali. i spent that five hour flight chatting to a korean lady sitting beside me. she spoke no english, i spoke no korean, but we managed to communicate our life stories and hobbies in the wonderous world of nihongese. she was fluent in japanese, and i just made sounds like bucka bucka bucka.
anyhoo, i arrived in bali at 11 pm and took a taxi to the beach city of kuta. famous for the surf, and seemingly endless hordes of tall, blond, tan, ripped surfers. my hotel had a pool which came complete with the entire von trapp family. all the balinese people assumed i was japanese (japan is the number 1 source of tourism for bali). so im walking along and all these stall workers and taxi drivers are shouting at me "konnichiwa! doko iku no?" and to be fair, i would think i was japanese too but it got annoying after awhile. so when i told them i was from canada, always, ALWAYS, the next thing out of their mouths would be "but you have a ASIAN face". and i would have to explain that my parents are from china, but i was born in canada rah rah rah. a few times i said i was from mexico for the heck of it. hola senor. adonde es el cesto? (hello sir, where is the garbage can? two years of spanish and thats all ive got. me and that garbage can...we bonded)
i spent thursday shopping and spent nearly $200! mainly on clothes (rashguard, surf shorts. if u cant actually surf, mite as well look like u do). then friday i signed up for a bountry cruise boat tour. such a waste of money. for $65 i got shuttled out to a plontoon off the coast of lembongan. there was a hour village tour, followed by some banana boat rides, and gay ass water slide. the only reason i signed up for it was cuz i thought there would be a submarine ride!!! turned out to be a SEMI-submarine ride. which is basically a glass bottom boat the extends further into teh water. u couldnt even see anything :-( fortunately, that was the last of the crappiness. the rest of my vacay went relatively hitch-free.
on saturday i met up with my friend jon, and we went horseback riding together. it was my first time horseback riding too! horses are pretty scary animals when u dont know what to do. my horse kept doing its own thing, munching on the grass at her own leisure. and im like, if we were in japan, this horse wudve been sashimi by now. anyways, it was a really beautiful experience. horse back riding along a pristine white sand beach, with the sound of surf punctuating the silence, while the setting sun illuminated the sky in brilliant hues. we ended the ride with dinner at a really nice resort restaurant right along the beach. picture perfect evening. aside from the dorky helmet and leg guards we had to wear. come on. even i cant make this look cool >___<
on sunday, i had my grand reunion with MICHERU!!! she was one of my closest friends last year in japan, and she had returned to new zealand last summer. so it had been nearly a year since i last saw her. despite that time gap, we got on like we had never parted ways. as soon as she arrived at our hotel i told mich she had half an hour to get ready, cuz we were going to catch the sunset at ulu watu (seaside shrine in the southern peninsula). we arrived just in time, but barely got to absorb the moment cuz we were whisked away to a traditional balinese dance called kachuk. theres an ensemble of some 20 men going chickachickachikcachicka and various other noises throught out the narrative dance. then our driver took us to the famous seafood restaurants in jimbaran bay, where we had oishi seafood on the beach. we were even serenaded by a 4 piece band who played us cool reggae tunes.
on monday we hired a driver to take us on a tour of the bali mainland. we went to see mount agung and batur, two volcanoes. we had a gorgeous view from the restaurant where we had our lunch. then we went through ubud, and it had really amazing craft shops. balinese art is just really amazing. the woodwork is so detailed. i just wish i had a proper house that i could furnish with all the amazing pieces we saw. then we finished our day by driving on the western coast to see the sunset at tanah lot, another seaside temple. we just sat on the cliffside cafe, sipping our bintang beers and coconuts, while taking in teh crashing waves and the elegant temple beneath the sun.
tuesday, we got up pretty early to go white water rafting down the telaga waja river. it was fun, we got to go down two tiny waterfalls, and kept getting whacked by low hanging branches and bridges. michelle nearly had her face smashed in by a rock face. good thing im into her for her personality! ho ho! after we got back from rafting, we hightailed it out of kuta, and drove into sanur. whats in sanur? the port! we were gonna catch a boat to lembangan island teh next day, and we just wanted to get away from kuta and all the von trapps.
the trip to lembongan was about 1 and a half hours by local boat. we were crammed in with skinny wooden planks to sit on. very uncomfortable...for the average mortal that is. thanks to my superior genes, evolved from generations of mongol warriors and rice farmers, i managed to fall asleep on what basically amounted to a 2x6 plank of wood. but wutever, you dont see me going on about it. we arrived by about 11 am, and we settled into a bungalow on teh beach. we hired some scooters to take us to dream beach. and there were these boys who were surfing in the water, doing really well i might say considering they couldve easily went smack into a cliff. the next day we went scuba diving and it was amazing. my first dive i didnt really enjoy that much cuz i had problems with my dive mask...as usual :-( but the second one i got it together, and saw some really cool marine life. me and mich were gutted cuz we wanted to go to manta point to see the manta rays, but the current was too strong that day. even more gutted to find out the next day they took another group out to manta point and they saw 12 rays!!! oh well...one day...
on our third and last day on lembangan, we headed over to mushroom beach, and just worked our tans, and did a bit of snorkeling. that night we went to scooby doo bar, and chilled with the locals. we met this one balinese guy, who had spent his entire life on lembongan, this tiny little island. we told him we lived in japan, and he said he could speak a little japanese. i expected him to spout off the usual stuff -konnichiwa, transporto? rahrahrah. but then he goes all out nihongo on us. even michelle (who studied japanese in uni) was impressed. apparently this guy had only been studying a year, by himself, from books! puts my efforts to shame! but then michelle was like, yeah, hes really gifted at languages, but its sad cuz u know he wont really be able to do anything with it. and i see her point. i mean, he's never gonna go to japan is he? the average balinese person makes like $100 a month. if its any consolation, bali gets wack loads of japanese tourists. there are twice as many japanese visitors than australians! go figure.
on saturday, we reluctantly make our journey back to kuta. michelle had a plane to catch that afternoon, so we spent the final few hours together doing some souvenir shopping. and at 1 pm we said adieu once again :*( that night we and jon went down into the southern peninsula to benoa to a famous balinese restaurant run by a pretty famous chef. alas i cant recall what its called, but 15 fabulous courses. kebabs, lamb coconut curry, balinese cakes. droooool.
sunday was our last day before jon and i returned to japan, so in the morning we went surfing at kuta beach. i mean, who goes to bali and doesnt surf right?! anyways, i was getting pounded by the waves, so after an hour i kinda gave up and switched to a boogie board. caught some awesome rides into shore with that! and later that afternoon we decided to do a final trip to ubud, the cultural center of bali. ubud is so much more than we initally thought! we ended up perusing the markets, then saw some different types of balinese dance at Ubud palace, and finished with dinner at Katuk's place. Katuk has an amaaaaazing compound. there's a inner courtyard with garden, swimming pool, which overlooks a river. and the architectural detail! sumptious as the food. im sad michelle couldn't have joined us for what was definitely the best two meals ive had in bali.
interesting trivia. in bali, all the children are named one of 4 names depending on birth order. 1. Wayan 2. Made 3. Nyuman 4. Katuk and if you have more than 4 children, it starts over at Wayan! so really, you can go up to any balinese person, and have a 25% chance of guessing their name right! i like those odds! and there ya have it! 13 days in a nutshell. doncha knowit ;-)
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
this crazy lil island
i forget how strange japan is sometimes. at my girl's highschool, one of my students got caught at restaurant. what was she caught doing there? working a part-time job. in japan, students are not supposed to have jobs while they're in school, because they believe school should be number 1 priority. you're supposed to ask the principal for permission if you want to work part-time. which she didnt do. so now she has to spend a week in a classroom all by herself, doing self-study. that is so ridiculous!
these kids have every hour of their lives structured. they go to school for 8 hours everyday. then they spend an extra three after school doing some club activity, everyday. depending how academic a school is, these kids might even go to school on the weekend. i see students in their uniforms all year round, weekends, holidays, summer vacations...
i wonder what would happen if japan was ever deprived of uniforms. chaos i tell u. utter chaos.
these kids have every hour of their lives structured. they go to school for 8 hours everyday. then they spend an extra three after school doing some club activity, everyday. depending how academic a school is, these kids might even go to school on the weekend. i see students in their uniforms all year round, weekends, holidays, summer vacations...
i wonder what would happen if japan was ever deprived of uniforms. chaos i tell u. utter chaos.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
twiddling my thumbs
because it's exam time at my schools, i havent been teaching very much. i did some calculations, and worked out that for the 80 hours im scheduled to be at my boys highschool this month (where i teach the most), i am actually teaching only 5 of those hours. so that leaves me with 75 hours of sitting at my desk bored out of my freaking mind.
i only have 5 months left in japan, and i know i should really appreciate the opportunity i have to live here. and when i am teaching the students i love it! its just the many many many hours of downtime where i have nothing to do, no one to talk to that gets to me. its so frustrating that sometimes i wonder if i'll even survive the last 5 months. i end up spending a lot of my time online, blogging, or planning my next vacation. and i feel kinda shit, cuz i feel i should be doing something useful. like um...teaching english?!
it's 10:15 am. only 6 hours to go...
i only have 5 months left in japan, and i know i should really appreciate the opportunity i have to live here. and when i am teaching the students i love it! its just the many many many hours of downtime where i have nothing to do, no one to talk to that gets to me. its so frustrating that sometimes i wonder if i'll even survive the last 5 months. i end up spending a lot of my time online, blogging, or planning my next vacation. and i feel kinda shit, cuz i feel i should be doing something useful. like um...teaching english?!
it's 10:15 am. only 6 hours to go...
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Sakuragaoka Impaired School.
I had a great day. I spent the past two days teaching at sakuragaoka impaired school, and the children and staff there are fantastic. I really appeciate the opportunities i get to teach at specialized schools. I've taught at kagoshima deaf school, blind school, iojima island, suwanosejima island, aira orphanage and now the impaired school. These students might not have the same advantages as my regular highschool students in the city, but they always have the brightest smiles on their faces!
Most of the Sakuragaoka students have problems with their legs, and have to wear these leg braces that hold their legs in this v-shape. Luckily for most of them, after a few years their legs improve enough that they can return to regular school. it's not a huge school, only about 18 students ranging in age from 6 to 14. But i can only imagine what it must be like to have to live apart from your family for so many years, and have hospital visits be part of your daily existance. Sakuragaoka even has a hospital attached to it.
Further down the road is Kagoshima University Hospital, which i also got to visit today. I spent two hours playing with 3 children aged 6-9. These children really touched my heart. Ruta, Nami and Yoshiya don't have physical handicaps as such. Ruta and Yoshiya have cancer, and Nami has a blood disorder. Nami is the sweetest little girl, who's spent the past year attached to an IV stand three times the size of her. The teacher i was working with, Mr. Yamamoto, told me that they are getting better. those are the happy endings. He's had several students pass away during his five years working with the hospital. I asked him if he liked his job, and he said at the beginning it was very hard, but he's grown to love it.
Before meeting the children at the hospital, the teachers asked me if i would make a special entrance, i.e. dance. if teaching english in japan has taught me anything, it's how to perform like a trained monkey :-P i just ran in doing a little jig, and started shaking all the kids hands. it was great. i felt stupid, but hey, it's only as stupid as u make it.
i do it for the kids. i love em :-) Hopefully, I'll get to see them again next month.
Monday, January 22, 2007
i dont wanna sing a normal song
ok so my supervisor nishihashi comes today to observe one of my classes. i totally forgot she was even coming. but i rolled with it. i had to improvise some things. so i played a warm-up game with the kids asking questions from the textbook. i knew my jte was nervous, and had prepped a lot for this class. and he looked so relieved everytime the students managed to answer the questions i asked. i was pretty impressed too. you mean these kids actually understand english!?! theyve been fooling me all this time! but now that i know they understand me, i decided to ask more and more difficult questions and my jte gave me this look like what are you doing?! i'm like hey, i wanna see what these kids can do! i asked a question which one boy got right, but he was just reading it out of the textbook verbatum. so i ask him to translate into japanese what he just read. and he actually got it right! anyways, nishihashi leaves after like 20 minutes. then one of the boys says "relax!" and puts his head down to sleep T___T
Friday, January 19, 2007
So you wanna teach english?
Welcome. Here's a quick, yet informative guide to teaching in Japan.
I'm currently in Japan with the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. In my humble opinion it is the best teaching exchange programme out there. I wouldn't be out here otherwise.
Who its geared towards: university grads between the ages of 21-40, although it seems most people are in their early 20's when they arrive.
General info: JET participants are placed in any of Japan’s 47 prefectures and designated cities. Contracts are renewed on a yearly basis for a maximum of three years. The salary is 3.6 million yen per year (after tax), and participants typically get 20 days off per year in addition to national holidays. Visas, flights, living accommodations and health insurance are arranged by Japanese government agencies.
you can request 3 places on your JET application, but there is no guarantee you will get any of them, or even be put in the same vicinity. I put Nagano (middle of Japan) as my first choice so i could snowboard in the winter. I got Kagoshima (bottom) where it snows on average once a year. it has not snowed at all this year. If you are applying with a significant other you can request to be placed in same area, but again no guarantees. i know married couples who got placed in seperate towns an hour apart, and they were lucky!
Where you teach: local government organizations as well as public and private primary, junior high and senior high schools. I only teach at 2 senior high schools, but depending where you are you could teach all levels. Some of my friends have like 20 schools, so they might see a class on average 1/month. Work hours are 8:15-4:15 Mon-Fri. Occasionaly you work weekends, but you get compensation days. And in my contract, im not allowed to teach more than 3 classes a day. a lot of downtime, hence me writing this post for all you lovelies :-)
My position: Assistant Language Teacher (ALT)
This position is by far the most numerous, with over 90% of the Programme's total participants working in this type of position. ALTs are placed mainly in local boards of education or publicly run primary, junior high and senior high schools and are engaged in language instruction under the guidance of Language Teachers Consultants or Japanese teachers of foreign languages. In a very limited number of cases, participants are placed in private primary, junior high and senior high schools through prefectural or designated city offices.
Eligibility:
All applicants must:
• hold a Bachelor's degree in any subject by July of the year of departure;
• be a citizen of the country where the recruitment and selection procedures take place;
• have excellent skills in the designated language (both written and spoken). (For English-speaking countries this is English, and for non-English speaking countries it is the principal language);
• have a keen interest in the country and culture of Japan;
• in principle, be under 40 years of age;
• not have lived in Japan for 3 or more of the last 8 years, nor be a former participant in the programme for the last 10 years.
(for more detailed information on eligibility criteria, please refer to official application documents).
For ALT applicants in English-speaking countries:
• TEFL qualification is helpful, but not required.
your chances: There are about 6000 JETs at any given time in Japan. turnover rate ranges year to year. i dont have stats on hand, but they hire around 500 canadians...maybe.
deadline: end of november each year. click below link for timetable.
http://www.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/ExchangeProgram/jetweb/page15.html
other quick links:
http://jetprogramme.org/
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/jet/index.html
http://www.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/ExchangeProgram/jetweb/index.html
chances to travel: i have 21 paid vacation days a year. in conjunction with national holidays, i can stretch out my holidays fairly long. you make enough money to travel, depending how well you budget and what your priorities are. i know a lot of people on the JET programme come here to pay off their uni debts.
Q&A:
1. What is the interview process like?
The application process is quite long. Several months long. After you apply, and are successful, JET will contact you for an interview. It's a fairly competitive process. JET held in-person interviews over two days in Toronto. There are several interview rooms, each one with 3 interviewers (including one native Japanese person). they go over your application, and ask you trivia about Japan (population, whos the prime minister, etc), and then hold a mock classroom session where they pretend to be Japanese students, and you the teacher.
2. If I apply to your school, would you be able to put in a good word for me?
You cannot apply to specific schools. i would otherwise! :-)
3. Are there positions for other languages other than english?
I know there is a French CIR (Co-ordinator for International Relations - also under the JET umbrella). I actually don't know that much about it. you'll have to contact your local Japanese embassy.
Additional advice: if you've missed the deadline, and don't want to wait. or you didn't get accepted into the JET programme fear not! there are other avenues to teaching in Japan.
other teaching programmes:
GEOS
AEON
NOVA
These are the 3 main private english teaching companies. instead of teaching in schools, you teach students one on one.
pros: varying age range of students from toddlers to the geriatric. most students are female in their 20's-30's (giver). cuz the students pay to be there, they're usually very enthusiastic about learning. and you have full control of the classroom.
cons: perks aren't as good as JET. you dont get paid that much less than JET, but you do have to pay for your own plane ticket to Japan. weird work hours. usually noon to 8-9pm at night. You have to work Saturdays, but get Monday off.
Some people use these companies as a jumping point into other teaching jobs. so there are definitely more options than what ive included here.
that's all i have for now. will include more if i think of it. feel free to ask any questions i havent answered.
I'm currently in Japan with the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. In my humble opinion it is the best teaching exchange programme out there. I wouldn't be out here otherwise.
Who its geared towards: university grads between the ages of 21-40, although it seems most people are in their early 20's when they arrive.
General info: JET participants are placed in any of Japan’s 47 prefectures and designated cities. Contracts are renewed on a yearly basis for a maximum of three years. The salary is 3.6 million yen per year (after tax), and participants typically get 20 days off per year in addition to national holidays. Visas, flights, living accommodations and health insurance are arranged by Japanese government agencies.
you can request 3 places on your JET application, but there is no guarantee you will get any of them, or even be put in the same vicinity. I put Nagano (middle of Japan) as my first choice so i could snowboard in the winter. I got Kagoshima (bottom) where it snows on average once a year. it has not snowed at all this year. If you are applying with a significant other you can request to be placed in same area, but again no guarantees. i know married couples who got placed in seperate towns an hour apart, and they were lucky!
Where you teach: local government organizations as well as public and private primary, junior high and senior high schools. I only teach at 2 senior high schools, but depending where you are you could teach all levels. Some of my friends have like 20 schools, so they might see a class on average 1/month. Work hours are 8:15-4:15 Mon-Fri. Occasionaly you work weekends, but you get compensation days. And in my contract, im not allowed to teach more than 3 classes a day. a lot of downtime, hence me writing this post for all you lovelies :-)
My position: Assistant Language Teacher (ALT)
This position is by far the most numerous, with over 90% of the Programme's total participants working in this type of position. ALTs are placed mainly in local boards of education or publicly run primary, junior high and senior high schools and are engaged in language instruction under the guidance of Language Teachers Consultants or Japanese teachers of foreign languages. In a very limited number of cases, participants are placed in private primary, junior high and senior high schools through prefectural or designated city offices.
Eligibility:
All applicants must:
• hold a Bachelor's degree in any subject by July of the year of departure;
• be a citizen of the country where the recruitment and selection procedures take place;
• have excellent skills in the designated language (both written and spoken). (For English-speaking countries this is English, and for non-English speaking countries it is the principal language);
• have a keen interest in the country and culture of Japan;
• in principle, be under 40 years of age;
• not have lived in Japan for 3 or more of the last 8 years, nor be a former participant in the programme for the last 10 years.
(for more detailed information on eligibility criteria, please refer to official application documents).
For ALT applicants in English-speaking countries:
• TEFL qualification is helpful, but not required.
your chances: There are about 6000 JETs at any given time in Japan. turnover rate ranges year to year. i dont have stats on hand, but they hire around 500 canadians...maybe.
deadline: end of november each year. click below link for timetable.
http://www.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/ExchangeProgram/jetweb/page15.html
other quick links:
http://jetprogramme.org/
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/jet/index.html
http://www.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/ExchangeProgram/jetweb/index.html
chances to travel: i have 21 paid vacation days a year. in conjunction with national holidays, i can stretch out my holidays fairly long. you make enough money to travel, depending how well you budget and what your priorities are. i know a lot of people on the JET programme come here to pay off their uni debts.
Q&A:
1. What is the interview process like?
The application process is quite long. Several months long. After you apply, and are successful, JET will contact you for an interview. It's a fairly competitive process. JET held in-person interviews over two days in Toronto. There are several interview rooms, each one with 3 interviewers (including one native Japanese person). they go over your application, and ask you trivia about Japan (population, whos the prime minister, etc), and then hold a mock classroom session where they pretend to be Japanese students, and you the teacher.
2. If I apply to your school, would you be able to put in a good word for me?
You cannot apply to specific schools. i would otherwise! :-)
3. Are there positions for other languages other than english?
I know there is a French CIR (Co-ordinator for International Relations - also under the JET umbrella). I actually don't know that much about it. you'll have to contact your local Japanese embassy.
Additional advice: if you've missed the deadline, and don't want to wait. or you didn't get accepted into the JET programme fear not! there are other avenues to teaching in Japan.
other teaching programmes:
GEOS
AEON
NOVA
These are the 3 main private english teaching companies. instead of teaching in schools, you teach students one on one.
pros: varying age range of students from toddlers to the geriatric. most students are female in their 20's-30's (giver). cuz the students pay to be there, they're usually very enthusiastic about learning. and you have full control of the classroom.
cons: perks aren't as good as JET. you dont get paid that much less than JET, but you do have to pay for your own plane ticket to Japan. weird work hours. usually noon to 8-9pm at night. You have to work Saturdays, but get Monday off.
Some people use these companies as a jumping point into other teaching jobs. so there are definitely more options than what ive included here.
that's all i have for now. will include more if i think of it. feel free to ask any questions i havent answered.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
where does time go?
wooooo...holy slackage batman! what's it been since i've posted? 4 months? bad blogger karen, BAD! gomen nasai. time is just flyyyyying by and so much is always happening. where do i start?
so today is pretty warm. which is nice, cuz i broke my heater yesterday. technically i have 3 heaters. one is attached to my wall which is a fancy AC/heater combo. unfortunately, my kanji-less ass cant figure how to switch it to the heating function. and im too lazy to figure it out. my 2nd heater uses keroscene, which has run out of keroscene. but i'm too lazy to walk down the street to the gas stand to get more. im sensing a trend here. to be fair, a tank of keroscene is not light! and im fragile >___<
uh oh. time for class. gotta teach some kiddies english. continue this later. promise!
so today is pretty warm. which is nice, cuz i broke my heater yesterday. technically i have 3 heaters. one is attached to my wall which is a fancy AC/heater combo. unfortunately, my kanji-less ass cant figure how to switch it to the heating function. and im too lazy to figure it out. my 2nd heater uses keroscene, which has run out of keroscene. but i'm too lazy to walk down the street to the gas stand to get more. im sensing a trend here. to be fair, a tank of keroscene is not light! and im fragile >___<
uh oh. time for class. gotta teach some kiddies english. continue this later. promise!
Friday, October 13, 2006
and were back
yosha!
long time no update. doubt anyone is reading this puppy anymore, but vateva man. so ive returned from 3 awesome weeks in sapporo - 3 weeks of beer gardens, encounters with sapporo police, meeting the randomest people on earth (including a former pimptress from LA), and of course a lil of the old japanese studying.
i came back to kagoshima city, and to a different existence. my best buds anna, emma and mich have flown away, and i am again left to my own devices. ive managed to occupy my time with random adventures. i went paragliding in miyazaki, surfing in tanegashima, and am currently trying to decide where i want to go for christmas. maybe cambodia, but im also tempted to go to england and see the girls. so many choices, and not enough. thats the way it always with me aye!
sigh...so much has happened in such a little time. and yet...time seems to have no meaning for me here. i had a weird dream last night. it involved characters who are long gone, and i wonder why i suddenly have them in my thoughts again. i believe dreams have meanings, and i do believe in destiny.
hmmm...
long time no update. doubt anyone is reading this puppy anymore, but vateva man. so ive returned from 3 awesome weeks in sapporo - 3 weeks of beer gardens, encounters with sapporo police, meeting the randomest people on earth (including a former pimptress from LA), and of course a lil of the old japanese studying.
i came back to kagoshima city, and to a different existence. my best buds anna, emma and mich have flown away, and i am again left to my own devices. ive managed to occupy my time with random adventures. i went paragliding in miyazaki, surfing in tanegashima, and am currently trying to decide where i want to go for christmas. maybe cambodia, but im also tempted to go to england and see the girls. so many choices, and not enough. thats the way it always with me aye!
sigh...so much has happened in such a little time. and yet...time seems to have no meaning for me here. i had a weird dream last night. it involved characters who are long gone, and i wonder why i suddenly have them in my thoughts again. i believe dreams have meanings, and i do believe in destiny.
hmmm...
Thursday, June 15, 2006
ka-BOOM!!!!!
Kagoshima made national news again! twice in one year...that MUST be a record. first time was because a ship ran into a "whale-like object" and now...(drum roll)
quick facts about sakurajima, one of japan's most active volcanos:
- About 7 thousand people live at the foot of the volcano, and Kagoshima city with a population of about half a million is located 10 km west.
- The area within 2 km from the summit is "off-limit zone".
- Maximum range of flight of volcanic bombs: 3 km (volcanic bombs?! sounds sexy)
- Maximum flow length of pyroclastic flows: 1.2 km (pyrocastic flows eh? this is turning into a porno)
- Ashfall: 3 to 30 million ton/year)
Eruption warning in Kagoshima
KAGOSHIMA (Kyodo) The Meteorological Agency issued a special bulletin Monday warning of the strong likelihood of an eruption at one of the vents on Sakurajima, an active volcano in Kagoshima Prefecture.
The agency's Kagoshima bureau said volcanic activity around the Showa vent was intensifying and warned of the heightened possibility of an eruption similar to that at the Minamidake peak vent, which has been active for several years.
The agency raised the activity to level 3, or "active," from 2, or "relatively moderate," on its scale of 5.
There was a minor eruption at the Showa vent Wednesday, spewing volcanic gas around 1,000 meters high.
"It will probably not be a major explosion like the Taisho eruption (in 1914), but minor eruptions like the current ones could continue," a bureau official said.
The 1914 eruption released enough lava to close the strait between the volcanic island in Kagoshima Bay and a nearby peninsula.
The Showa vent is about 200 meters southeast of the peak on a slope of Minamidake, which has been active since 1955.
quick facts about sakurajima, one of japan's most active volcanos:
- About 7 thousand people live at the foot of the volcano, and Kagoshima city with a population of about half a million is located 10 km west.
- The area within 2 km from the summit is "off-limit zone".
- Maximum range of flight of volcanic bombs: 3 km (volcanic bombs?! sounds sexy)
- Maximum flow length of pyroclastic flows: 1.2 km (pyrocastic flows eh? this is turning into a porno)
- Ashfall: 3 to 30 million ton/year)
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