a season of change

The leaves are changing colors here. At first I thought someone was going around Oshima painting the leaves for fun! But no, apparently this happens every year, at around the same time. Amazing.

I never imagined having to put on a thick jacket, socks, and long pants just to hang up my clothes outside. The other night my apartment thermometer read 13 degrees Celsius (55 degrees Fahrenheit!) And so now I type this while my legs rest under my kotatsu (a heated Japanese-style table). I tried hooking up the gas heater in my apartment the other day, but when I turned it on, my whole place smelt of kerosene. I nervously approached the heater, ready for it to explode in my face at any given second. Luckily, for me, it didn't. But I decided that freezing might be better than dying of gas poisoning or a possible fire breaking out. I have about 4 thick blankets that I sleep with. On top of that, I wear a jacket, socks, and stockings to bed.

I close my eyes and think back to my tropical island home, further down south than the islands that make up Japan. I see myself sprawled out on my bed, with the screen windows in my room letting in the cool island breeze. I have a thin quilt that my friend's mom made for me covering my legs. My TV is on, but I can still hear my mom and dad watching TV in the living room. As eco-friendly as I may be, I would always fall asleep to the sounds of a favorite movie playing through my sound system. My mom would come in to turn it off as quietly as possible so as not to wake me.

This will be my first holiday season away from my family and friends. It's funny how some of the things I miss the most since coming to Japan aren't the obvious things I would have thought of back at home.

Things I miss the most (not in any particular order):

1. Eating dinner with my family at our dining room table with the drapes pushed back so that the neighboring grass fields and mountains can be seen in the background.

2. Watching movies with my brother in my room on my couch at 12am.

3. Seeing my friends on campus or walking into Bale to see friends hanging out at the bar.

4. Going to Walmart for no particular reason and leaving Walmart with a bag of stuff.

5. Watching a movie at an actual movie theatre.

6. The ability to drive to wherever I need to be at whatever time I want. (So dependent on the train here!)

7. Netflix

8. Cranium/alcohol nights at Heather and Brandon's house.

9. Wearing slippers

10. Yogurtland (there's only ice cream here!)

11. Running with my dad in shorts and a T-shirt (I now wear an undershirt, shirt, jacket, gloves, hat, stockings, and pants whenever I run!)

12. My mom's 10 million chicken recipes.

13. Getting text messages from my friends. (I can only use Facebook, gmail, or skype now.)

14. Church services at New Hope.

15. The ability to read the instructions on the back of food products. (I now guess what the instructions are saying by interpreting what the pictures mean.)

16. My pillow

17. Studying at Sinclair Library until 1am with my friends. Searching for a vending machine. Going on 711 food runs. And taking random naps on my cell&molec biology book.

I know this is not the extent of my homesickness. I know it comes in waves. I know that it will get worse as Christmas approaches. But for now, I'll just close my eyes and picture myself sleeping in my own bed. I feel closer to home when I do it.

sumo + onsen = pure joy :)

sumo: the art of balance

sat nov 21, 2009

I was given the greatest opportunity of a lifetime: going to a sumo tournament in Fukuoka with my friend Dustin. It was an amazing experience that I would definitely do again if given the chance. You'd be surprised how many local Japanese people have never been to an actual sumo tournament. I learned so much about this great sport, deeply rooted in Japanese history. The tickets were about 47,000 yen (about $50) per person. Our seats were awesome too! Thanks again Dustin for putting everything together!

Me and Dustin about to undertake an all-you-can-eat yakiniku dinner ;)

So the basic gist:

Sumo wrestlers are organized into 3 main classes: the beginners, the juryo class, and the highest of them all, the makuuchi class. Within these classes, there's a division between wrestlers of the east (higashi) and those of the west (nishi). A sumo tournament lasts for 15 days. Everyday, an eastern sumo will face-off against a different western sumo in their division. That's it. You only get one shot for a win per day. They keep track of your wins and losses. We went on the 7th day of competition. The day starts off at 8:30am with the beginner sumos and concludes at 6pm with the yokozunas (the highest ranking sumos in all of Japan). Pretty exciting stuff. It was a one-time entry sort of deal, so Dustin and I stayed in the arena from 9am to 6pm!!! 9 hours of sumo!!! YAY!! :) The stadium was pretty much empty when we arrived, but was packed with people by 5pm.

This is what the arena looked like at about 5pm. Super crowded!!!

Main idea of sumo, don't step out of the circle. The first person to place any part of their body outside of the circle (or over the line marking the circle, or inside the circle) loses. It was interesting to see the different strategies of sumo. Some would try to lift up the other sumo's belt and hoist them out of the circle. Others would use their size. And others would use their quickness and flexibility. I saw many smaller sumos defeat their larger-set counterparts. Amazing! Oh, and E. Honda's 100 hand slap move really does exist! Some of the fighting was pretty intense!

Check out this low-quality video of a sumo match! I call it "The Walk of Shame"...you'll see why ;)

These were the makuuchi division sumos. That thing they're wearing was specially made for each of them.

It was awesome when the yokozunas faced off against their opponents. I learned that in order to get the ranking of yokozuna, you have to meet a whole bunch of requirements. In the past 300 years of sumo since the title was made, only 69 sumos have received such a ranking. I think it's amazing how such a sport has been maintained throughout the years. I saw many young people at the tournament holding up signs for their favorite sumo. Simply awesome :) I would definitely do this again. There are 6 major sumo tournaments held every year, so maybe I'll get a chance once more!

my trip to hell

sat nov 21 - mon nov 23, 2009

The girls (Kris, Me, and Hozumi) after an awesome time at the onsen!

Following sumo, I proceeded to Beppu, Oita on Kyushu via the Sonic Expressway. There, I met up with my friends Hozumi, Kris, Ryan, and Eric. We had a great time exploring the city of Beppu. We stayed at the Koraku Hotel, which had an amazing outdoor onsen on the roof. Good times :) They served us a super delicious nabe dinner on the second night. On Sunday, we went to the "hells" (jigoku) of Beppu, which are actually 9 hot springs situated near each other (well, 2 of them are a bit aways) and maintain their own unique characteristics. One was known for providing good conditions for crocodile breeding, another had a blood red coloration to the water, another made a rumbling sound like a "sleeping demon", and another one is like a geyser that shoots up water every 30 min. Check this out for info on the others! http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4702.html

Me, Eric, Kris, Hozumi, and Ryan in front of hot spring #1.

Unfortunately for me, they were just for viewing and picture taking, as they can reach temperatures of over 90 deg Celsius. A little too hot for my taste ;) I originally had thought we would be partaking in each hot spring, so I wore pants that were easy to take off and opted out of wearing stockings, as it would be easier for me to dry off between hot springs. To my dismay, there was no need to dry off, as we just walked around and did the touristy thing. Although it was raining that day and an onsen would have felt amazing, we managed to have an awesome time! One had a zoo, another had a mini aquarium filled with non-colorful and scary looking fish, and another had a huge crocodile collection!

On Monday, we decided to play tourist and went to Umitamago Aquarium and Mt. Takasaki. The aquarium was great! It's way bigger than Hawaii's mini aquarium. They had an exhibit dedicated to sardines. We saw a dolphin show, the cutest little sea otter, and a whole bunch of colorful fish! At Mt. Takasaki, right next door to the aquarium, there was hundreds of wild monkeys! They walk about freely, and every hour, the staff feeds them food. It was cool...for about 10 min...then I just started getting scared that they were gonna organize themselves and attack us.

The dolphins were sooo cute! My most favorite animal!

I swear, them monkeys were organized!

I also got to see my friend Sunny, a cool Canadian kid that I met at Tokyo orientation. Great seeing you Sunny!!! We ate Japanese food w/everyone before heading off for the aquarium. Aquarium = EPIC WIN!!! :)

Me and Sunny after our onolicious (delicious, for all you non-Hawaii people!) lunch!

All in all, it was a very eventful, long, weekend. I'm so glad I went! Can't wait for all the other adventures Japan has to offer!

matsuyama adventures and marathon fun :)

matsuyama adventures!

mon nov 2 - tues nov 3, 2009

Me and Rachel on the ferry bound for SHIKOKU!!!

So my friend Rachel and I had this semi-spontaneous idea to go to Shikoku for a 2-day, 1-night adventure. We awoke Monday morning bright and early in time to catch a ferry from Yanai Port to Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku. Roundtrip for 2 people and 1 car costed about $220, so we ended up paying about $110 per person. Not bad at all ;) The first sight we decided to hit up was the Kotohira Shrine in Konpira (a 2.5 hour drive from the ferry port!). The cool thing about this place is that you need to hike up 785 steps to get to the shrine. Crazy stuff. It took us about 30 min oneway. The stairs are lined with cool little stores and things, so it wasn't too bad of a trek.

A journey of a thousand miles (or 785 stairs) begins with a single step. Confucius knew his stuff.

So there's this cool service for old people (and I guess lazy people), that if you pay about $36, you can get carried up the stairs by a team of men! ($56 round trip...it's more expensive going up and down...go figure) An amazing feat, seeing as how the guys carrying people aren't the youngest. They literally carry you on poles resting on their backs. Extraordinary!

On our way back to the car, we stopped off at this little cafe place for some ice cream!!! They had a mini hot water bath for your feet! It felt soo good considering it was freakishly cold outside! Getting our feet out and putting our shoes back on (soaking wet) was the downer part :( But it was a neat experience!

Me and my green tea ice cream. My hands were FREEZING but my feet were warm :)

After, we drove back west to Matsuyama and went to Dogo Onsen...a bath house famous for being the model for the main building in Hayao Miyazaki's movie "Spirited Away". And to tell you the truth, while we were inside, it really felt like I was in the movie. For some reason, Miyazaki was able to capture the essence of that bath house. Simply amazing. It was my first experience in a public washroom. I had to take my glasses off so I didn't see any naked women up close and personal...but it was awesome! Outside was freezing, so when I went into the hot, cleansing waters of the onsen, all my worries and cares literally melted away.

Dogo onsen...a spectacular sight!

Rachel and me in our hoppy coats, all clean and happy ;)

We then had dinner in Matsuyama and then spontaneously drove down to visit our friend Pete (cool kid from New Zealand!) who let us crash at his place for the night. Thanks Pete for the AWESOME accommodations! You are an awesome host! The next day we checked out some cool sights around his town and then drove to Uwajima to have lunch with another JET, Travis, who's from HAWAII!!! It was cool seeing another 1st year Hawaii JET. Glad to know I'm not the only one freezing in this autumn weather ;) On the way there we drove through a small little town...a freaking AWESOME town called "YOSHIDA"!!!!! I wonder if I'm related to anyone down there....?

Pete, me, and Rachel hanging out at a cool, secluded shrine up in the mountains.

This is where little Yoshidas are made!

All in all, an amazing trip! We got to see all kinds of cool things and ride a ferry! Lots of fun...I hope to do it again soon!

marathon fun

sun, nov 8, 2009

Daryl, Rachel, and me getting pumped up for the race the night before!

So my friends Daryl, Rachel, and I decided to participate in the 2nd Annual Shimonoseki Kaikyo Marathon. Daryl did the full marathon (just under 5 hours! SWEET!!!) and Rachel and I did the 5K. It was an awesome experience...I'm so happy we did it! The night before, Rachel's uncle and aunty took us out to eat at this great little Japanese restaurant. We ate soooo much food! The sukiyaki (kinda like nabe, but you dip the food into a bowl of raw egg) was freaking amazing! Then we went back to their place, crashed, and woke up at 5:30 AM!!!! Got to the starting site, registered, changed clothes, and then got ready for the race! There was over 9,000 people competing in the different events! When the 5K event was ready to begin, Rachel and I got to our places and waited for the horn to blast. After what seemed like an eternity, the horn blew and we all started running like crazy. When I was running, I was really touched by the support of the community. The streets were lined with people who came to cheer on the participants. Store owners stood outside their stores, waving and shouting "Gambatte!" While we were waiting at the starting line, an older lady motioned to Rachel and I and said "gambatte". So cute :)

Got our numbers on...bring on the run!

Didn't do as well as I had hoped...as I was aiming for under 25 min. I ended up with 26:59, which is pretty much 9 min miles. I placed 39th in my age class...out of a total of about 253 people. All in all not a total fail...just means I gotta do better next year! Rachel did AWESOME! She placed 13th in our age class! Fast like the wind ;) Daryl did awesome too...he ran the full marathon (his first marathon ever too!) in just under 5 hours. Pretty awesome in my book!

There were some pretty famous characters running that day...Mario was one of 'em! He may seem slow in the video game, but in person...he's runs like the wind.

It has been a great and memorable couple of weeks in nov thus far. Can't wait for thanksgiving! ;)

Me and my 600+ Kids :)

So you may be thinking, "What do members of the JET Program actually do??" This is a very good question, as it varies for each individual. I am an 'assistant language teacher' (ALT). I assist 'Japanese teachers of English' (JTE) in the classroom. I, unlike most ALTs, have 19 schools at which I teach at. I travel to a different school on the island everyday. Some are a 5 min walk from the BOE, while others are a 30 min drive away. 2 of my schools are located on totally different ISLANDS, and so I must wake up early and take a 20 min ferry ride to get to them. While this may be tiring to some, I think that it's an AMAZING ADVENTURE! My atmosphere is constantly changing and I get to meet many, many people! It's hard to memorize all 600+ students on Suo-oshima Island, but the students are very friendly and genki (lively)!

I visit 14 elementary schools, each 3x a year. Some JTEs will have me run games and activities whereas others will just use me as a human CD player, saying words in the native English tongue and having the students repeat after me. Sometimes I will just stand in the back of class and gaze off into space because I have nothing to do. I guess some teachers don't really know how to utilize an ALT? But I'm fine with it. I do whatever I can to support the JTEs and the students. For the past 2 months, I've been introducing myself at the various schools. I'll start off by showing pictures of my family and friends back in Hawaii, then I'll play pictionary using my hobbies as cues, then I'll teach some Hawaiian words and talk about life in Hawaii, then I'll dance the hula to a Keali'i Reichel song, and finally I'll answer any questions the students may have. I've got some crazy questions, ranging from "What is your favorite animal?" to "Are you a virgin?" (at Jr. High schools only!) LOL...awkward is what it is :P The elementary kids are SUPER cute and energetic! They are always asking questions and trying to speak English. Whenever I leave, I can see them peeking out of the classroom window and waving goodbye :)

There are 5 Jr. High Schools that I visit. These kids are a little less energetic, but some really do like learning English. Others don't. Some will sleep in class and others will talk to their friends...while the teacher is talking!!! In this way, the work of an ALT is difficult. It's hard to motivate a student when you can't effectively communicate with them. I find it hard to connect with them on certain levels. This is why I try my best to get to know them during less academic times...such as PE! One day at Towa Jr. High I joined them for a PE session of volleyball and running. It was great :) I think in this way, the students can see that I really am a "kid at heart" and just want to work with them and teach them English...that I am no threat.

Aside from all the grammar questions and "CD player-like tasks," I also get the "privilege" of eating school lunch! School lunch usually costs around 230 yen (about $2.50) Every meal usually consists of a bowl of rice, a bottle of WHOLE milk, vegetables, and a main dish (fish, meat, curry, etc.) Me not being a big fan of fish has proved quite the dilemma. I've been forced to overcome my dislike of fish and have eaten everything from bony fish (bones and all!) to rice w/tiny fish hidden inside. BLEH :P I've also tried new things like NATTO!!! Stink stuff but not bad when gulped down with rice and milk!

(Taken from kennethgbevan.blogspot.com)

Lunch is treated almost like a big ceremony or production. Students rotate who serves lunch on which day. They dress up in these smocks and a mask that covers their mouth. Sometimes you'll see kids with a piece of scratch paper scotch taped to their faces because they forgot their mask at home! They take turns placing an equal portion of food into each bowl and distributing it amongst their classmates. One day one tray was missing a bottle of milk, and everyone was frantically searching for it! They are really serious about lunch I tell ya! If someone is missing a banana, the class goes into almost a chaotic whirlpool until it is resolved. Good times :) And I have observed that it is bad to waste food. No leftovers. Kids will be kept inside the classroom away from recess outside until they've finished all their food. If you know beforehand that you can't eat, say, all your rice, you are expected to pass some off to a friend before you begin. This is what I've noticed at least. I will often pass off half of my rice or my packet of mayonnaise to a nearby student. Gotta watch the carbs and calories :P

Teaching at the elementary and Jr. high school levels has been a very interesting transition for me. I don't think I could see myself teaching English...maybe biology? At the high school or college level? I've learned so much about teaching within my 2.5 months here in Japan and I can't wait for the lessons yet to come!

Partying the "Japanese way": Enkais and Silver Week

Enkais = PARTY!!!

The coolest cats of Suo-oshima's Board of Education! (I had them do shaka's!)

In Japan, it’s customary for your new workplace to take you out to a fancy dinner and drink with you well into the night, a custom known as an “enkai.” I went with my coworkers at the Board of Education to a nice all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink Japanese restaurant. It was excellent; the food was AMAZING and the drinks kept coming and coming! It was fun to see people in my workplace, usually quiet as a fish (?), getting all crazy and talkative. Even my supervisor was a bit tipsy! Empty sake and beer bottles filled the tables and my coworkers’ laughter could be heard throughout the restaurant. I learned a lot of new Japanese words…words that can’t be mentioned here :P Nicknames were made for everyone…I can’t actually remember mine ;) Someone was called “Buso baba” and another guy was called “sukebe”…I’ll let you all look up those in the dictionary!

Beer, sake, shochu...you name it, we drank it! (Well, I only drank some sake...)

Culture note:

In Japan, there is a zero-tolerance alcohol law for driving. If they find even 0.01% of alcohol in you when they pull you over, your license is revoked. For JETs, this means getting kicked out of the program. Not only do you feel the hit, but people who may have been around you that night are also subject to a penalty, such as the bartender serving you and even your friends drinking with you. Accountability is key here in Japan. If you see your friend about to drive home drunk, it is your responsibility to stop them or else you yourself may be in trouble. With this in mind, my coworkers arranged for a bus to pick us up from work and take us to the restaurant. Then a family member would pick them up, drunk, after the party. So awesome I tell ya!

Silver Week = SHOPPING + MONKEYS + DEER

Silver Week is a string of holidays in September, which happened to fall consecutively this year (Sept 19-23). It was an awesome break to a busy month.

 

The Kamikubo's were the greatest EVER! (L to R: Mika, Shinji, Mina, Uncle Shoji, and Me!)

The Kamikubos are the most hospitable, friendly people EVER!!!!

Some friends and I stayed over at a family friend’s house, the Kamikubos, in Hiroshima from Saturday to Monday. They were so welcoming and hospitable! My father once did a home stay with the YMCA program back when he was in college. He stayed with the Kamikubos and became friends with their son, Shoji. My father and Shoji have been friends ever since, and it was Shoji (now Mr. Kamikubo) who let us stay at his house. He has three children: Mika (29), Shinji (27), and Mina (24). His wife made the best food EVER! We had such a great time seeing all the sights of Hiroshima, including the Peace Memorial Park, the Atomic Bomb Dome, and even Miyajima Island!!! We ate at an enormous kaitenzushi (rotating sushi bar), went futon shopping (hooray!), and did a lot of sightseeing.

By folding 1,000 paper cranes, it is said that one wish of yours will come true. Sadako Sasaki was a little girl who suffered from cancer following the A-bomb. She began folding 1,000 paper cranes in hopes for a full recovery. She did not reach her goal, and passed away on Oct. 25, 1955. Her classmates persisted and finished folding all 1,000 cranes.

The Peace Memorial Park was an amazing experience. I think everyone should go to it at least once in their lifetime. When we were walking in, a kid was running out screaming; the images can be quite traumatizing--especially for little kids. It was really crowded, it being Silver Week and all, but I managed to see a majority of the exhibits and displays. I thought it was incredible that they were able to salvage things from that dreadful day. The walls were lined with stories, stories that gave life to the antiques encased with glass. Looking at a tiny worn-down shoe, I had to remind myself that a little girl or boy was wearing that shoe when the bomb hit. Thousands of people died instantly, some suffered from unimaginable burns and wounds, others suffered with the pain of searching for lost loved ones, and many suffered from diseases decades after that faithful day. It was a true blessing to go and pay respect to the life of Hiroshima.

 

In low tide, you can actually walk to the torii gate!

In high tide, it's a little harder to get to on foot.

We also went to Miyajima, a small island off the coast of Hiroshima, which is known for it's famous torii gate (it's built amongst the ocean!). It was AWESOME fun, complete with wild deer and MONKEYS! We took the rope ways up to the top of Mt. Misen, where the monkeys were waiting! Apparently you're not suppose to look directly into their eyes, or else they'll charge! There were so many! Seb and I hiked it 0.7km up to the top and when we came back down the monkeys had disappeared! I still don't know where they went to this day...

I caught this guy giving his friend a massage :)

This was my first time seeing a deer in person! This guy was munching on a pack of cigz...hope he's not addicted.

The Kamikubo family is amazing! They took really good care of us and were really generous. THANK YOU SO MUCH KAMIKUBO FAMILY! I HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN SOON! :)

 

My cool travel buddies: Sebastien (Canada) and Daryl (England)!

On Monday, Daryl, Seb, and I REGULAR-trained it to Kawatana, Shimonoseki (Daryl’s part of town), instead of Shinkansen-ing it, which was a BIG mistake because it was about a 5 hour transit! We all passed out on the train after a “deep bonding conversation.” Once we got to Kawatana, we ate at Joyfun (kinda like a Denny’s) and then went to a nearby snack bar (which meant alcohol, karaoke, and snacks!) It was a great night full of Green Day, shochu, and “Barbie Girl.” Daryl and Seb can truly “rock the mike” so to speak. Green Day watch out!

 

We were cruising it in Hakata and saw another haole guy! He was standing outside this chicken restaurant...odd?

On Tuesday, we trained it to Kokura for some shopping with Rachel and Ryan! We ate at an Indian restaurant (they even had an Indian guy making Indian bread in a glass room!) and explored the enormous department stores near the station. Kokura has this super cool monorail system stretching out of the train station, making the town look like something in Back to the Future or the Jetsons. Hawaii is so behind the times man!

 

Wednesday was used for recuperation and laundry ;) It was a great Silver Week, which yielded 2 coats (one of which I bought for 990 yen—about $10!), an uber comfortable futon, a hairdryer, and some omiyage for home and work. Now it’s time for me to save money for the next big vacation: Thailand! :)

Living it up in FUKUOKA

It's Tuesday night and I'm still recovering from this past weekend! My legs are sore from clubbing and I've lost my voice from screaming on the roller coasters in Spaceworld. Worth it? I would redo it all in a heartbeat ;)

So on Sat, Sept 12, 2009 I hopped on a train to Fukuoka (a prefecture on the north tip of Kyushu). 3.5 hours later, I arrived at Hakata station only to be met by my BEAUTIFUL friend Lena (2nd year JET from Hawaii). We went shopping all across town, stopping off to have some DELICIOUS ramen, and checking out every mall we came across. It was every shoppers dream :) We had dinner at an Italian restaurant and topped off an entire bottle of white wine with another Fukuoka JET, Jon. It was the beginning of an unforgettable evening.

The amazing team of Jon, Tiff, and Lena that took Fukuoka by storm!

We met up with a great band of Yamaguchi JETs at the "hottest club in town" called HAPPY COCK. (No worries Mom, the mascot is a chicken...) It's located on the 9th floor of downtown Tenjin. And get this: 2000 yen (about $20) for women ALL-YOU-CAN-DRINK. It was $30 for guys...but again, ALL-YOU-CAN-DRINK!!! That covers drinks, cover, and a souvenir towel! Hilarious :) Why can't Hawaii have deals like that?! We partied the night away with local Japanese kids and foreigners alike. It was packed! I thought I was gonna get swallowed whole by the crowd. Cyndi, Callie, and I joined some other local Japanese girls on this raised platform and danced our little hearts out, while hyping up the crowd. We should have got paid...I hate to admit it...but we were a hit :)

Cyndi, Me, Jamie, and Callie (and Christina's in the corner!) celebrating Happy Cock's 14th anniversary!

5 hours and one-too-many-drinks later, we left the club...tipsy...but with the taste of sweet victory on our lips. We had conquered the club.

One of the cool roller coasters. You can see this huge replica of a NASA spaceship from the train!

The next day Lena, Jon, Caitlyn (yet another cool Fukuoka JET!), and I hit up Spaceworld--a slightly lower equivalent to Knott's Berry Farm in California. Their version of Mickey and Minnie Mouse are these two rabbits dressed in astronaut suits. Don't believe me? Check out their website at www.spaceworld.co.jp/english/ The overall feel was pretty tacky/corny, but it was a lot of fun! We rode a couple of fun coasters and had some ramen (surprised?) There was even a mini Splash Mountain (which was about 1/4 the size of Disneyland's!) that yielded an interesting photo op. (I'll try to post that on my facebook later!) The loss of my voice is evidence that it was an awesome day!

Lena, Caitlyn, Jon, and Me about to embark on our Spaceworld adventure.

I LOVE Fukuoka! Everyone I met was super nice and fun to hang out with. THANK YOU LENA FOR EVERYTHING!!! You are the coolest ever!!! I will definitely be back for another great time in Fukuoka :)

Stopping to Smell the Mocha

A reflection on where I've been, where I am, and where I'm going...

The orange juice in my cup is almost gone. I turn to the fridge and realize that I just finished off my 2nd carton. Then it hits. I'm on my own. I can't just add 'orange juice' to the grocery list for Mom to get on her next trip to Foodland. I need to go to the market by myself. Realization sinks in. Whoa...I really am on my own.

Not only do I need to go to the grocery store on my own, but I've also had to cook for myself, clean the apartment, take out the trash, wash the dishes, and do laundry; luxuries that I easily took for granted back at home. (Yes, I suppose you could say I was spoiled.) I've learned to fend for myself in the presence of large, black, Japanese roaches and have learned how to tell when milk in the fridge is bad. (If I have to rush to the bathroom 15 minutes after drinking a glass, then I know it's time to throw the milk out.) Living on my own, I have come to appreciate this new stage of my life...a transition towards adulthood.

Me, Mom, Dad, Luke, Grandpa, and Grandma at my college graduation :)

The JET Program has introduced me to so many new experiences, sights, smells, personalities, and lessons. 3 months ago I was sitting in a library at 12 am, reading over some powerpoints and notes that I had taken in my biochemistry class. Between chapters I would sip on some coffee, joke around with friends (who were also in the same boat as me), and gaze off into the distance wondering what new adventure life was going to throw at me next. My main concern was passing my final exams. My logic was: pass final exams --> graduate from college --> JET Program. For me, the JET Program was a long ways away because without a diploma JET would not even be an option (ie. fail an exam = fail a class = be shy 3 credits of graduating). I was so relieved to have made it this far...finally bringing my GPA up to a level worthy of graduate school, passing the interview stage with JET, finding a job with the ACE Program at UH that offered exciting challenges and experiences...little did I know that I would be embarking on an adventure of a lifetime.

Coming to Japan has opened my eyes to exactly how big this world really is. Hawaii's diversity, in all its beauty and excellence, cannot compare with the diversity on an international level. This may seem obvious to most, but I was blown away at the representation of countries at the JET orientation in Tokyo. I had never been in a room with so many people of different cultural backgrounds. Just to initiate a conversation with people of varying accents and dialects was a milestone in itself. (I may be coming across as an uneducated, ignorant "islander"...but just know that I am extremely sheltered, and most people from Hawaii are not as naive as I am.)

Yamaguchi JETs hanging out at Oshima Beach

(L 2 R: Al, Whit, Kris, Michael, Isaac, Erin, Sarah, Sarah, Me, Chris, Cyndi)

I have met the greatest group of JETs here in Yamaguchi. Everyone has their own backgrounds and stories; experiences and friends back home. This is what makes each and every one of them unique. I love learning about their traditions and cultures, as well as their interests and hobbies. I think we all get along well because we acknowledge that everyone is different; everyone brings something special to the table. Maybe it's the fact that we're thousands of miles away from our loved ones and loneliness is what's keeping us together. Maybe JET has a good system of finding exciting and personable people to participate in the program that our personalities just mesh well. Maybe it's because we've only been here for a month and a couple more months down the line we're all going to engage in 'Battle Royale'. Whatever the reason is, I can truly say that I appreciate the relationships and friendships that have been established thus far here in Japan. I learn new things everyday, and my perspective of the world continues to grow.

Yamaguchi JETs watching the Shimonoseki fireworks

(L 2 R: Al, Dustin, Chris, Tom, Amy, Tiff, Zile, Sarah, Erin, Me, Chris, Isaac, Callie, Rachel)

I know that it is going to be an amazing ride, despite where this new perspective takes me. Whether I end up going to film school in New York, getting my Master of Science degree in Educational Technology in Arizona or California, or backpacking in Europe after my stay here in Japan, I know that I will be that much stronger of an individual. There may not be any orange juice left in my fridge, but I know I'll be okay. I'll just get some in the morning ;)