I ♥ Typhoon!

Image courtesy of Space.com

Classes were cancelled Thursday due to heavy rain in the wake of Japan's first typhoon of the season. As soon as the public announcement sirens sounded, the second years students began to cheer, shouting "Yay! Lucky! I love typhoon! I love rainy!" as they jumped off their chairs and threw their pens and pencil cases into the air in celebration. A rumble of joy erupted throughout the school, echoing through the corridors and courtyard as students shouted similar sentiments from the balcony of their classrooms (except in Japanese). It was a wonderful way to begin 3rd period, and you can imagine how productive a period it was. The students had to stay in school until 1:30, wasting time in a special homeroom waiting for lunch. When the time finally came to send them home, the rain miraculously stopped, as it always does.

School is often called off in Japan for heavy rains associated with typhoons, even here in landlocked Ena, buffered by a barrier of mountains on all sides. Although students are often sent home after lunch or told not to come to school at all, teachers are required to report for duty and stay for the remainder of the day. This is especially fun for ALTs who have little or nothing to do to begin with, let alone when there are no students in the school to entertain. Luckily for me I was asked to give a "video letter" farewell speech to be broadcast on the school TV system during lunchtime next week. I only had about a half hour to pull it together, but as I sat there writing entirely in Japanese,without hesitation, complete with kanji, I realized how much I have learned just from being here for the past three years...

My Last Elementary Visit

A thousand tiny paper cranes and books full of letters from my Oi Elementary students. Usually students write short messages on shikishi, but my 5th and 6th grade classes insisted they needed more space. Instead they wrote me letters which the teacher bound up into little books.

After bursting the flood gates during my last day at the Beautiful Mountain School, I knew my last day at elemntary would be tough. When I first came to Ena as an ALT, I visited 16 different schools. Usually I went to a different school everyday, which made getting to know the teachers and students very difficult. I mostly visited elementary schools, which was fun at first, but soon became very taxing. Often the teachers at the school forgot to prepare for my visit, without asking me to prepare something, and I was thrown into classrooms of almost 40 students with minimal Japanese and no teaching ability. Many times the teachers walked out, sat down and read a book, or stood in the corner , completely detatched from the chaos that would ensue.

For the past year and a half, however, I have been assigned to 3 main schools, including one elementary: Oi Sho. I've always loved it there. The teachers are kind and cheerful, helpful during and interested in the lessons, and the students are genki and adorable. Before I began my lessons there, the students would see an ALT maybe 2 or 3 times a year. I was fortunate enough to begin teaching there once a week, and the incredible progress the students made before my eyes astounded and encouraged me. I learned a lot during my first year as an elementary ALT, and from the start at Oi I planned my own lessons and activities. I was always in charge of the class, and the students always participated and enjoyed the lessons. I really began looking forward to my visits, even though I would continually stress about the lessons and activities I planned. Students would often come talk to me during free time, recess and after school, trying to use the English they had learned. I realized that just having an ALT in the school on a regular basis makes a huge difference to the students, motivating them to speak in English and giving them a genuine chance to do so. The relationship the ALT has with the students is the biggest motivating factor of all. If the students like the ALT, and feel close to them, regardless of how little interest they have in English, they will try to learn and use it.

My experiences at Oi Elementary have been some of the most challenging, rewarding and fun of my JET career. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know the children there and to make so many beautiful little friends. I will never forget them.

The Oi's Outdoor Soji Crew, including the famous "Monkey Man" (front and center).

5th graders... 3rd graders...
2nd graders...

Last Day at Kindergarten

Yuuta, Takumi and Haruka, just a few of super cute kids of Ena.

The first in a long line of lasts, I suppose. It wouldn't be so sad if they weren't so cute!

Postcards From Ena

Freshly planted rice rice fields in the shadow of Kasagi mountain as the sun sinks beneath the smokey blue hills.

It didn't take me long to learn that my lens and I were less than capable of capturing the beauty of landscapes, and so for the past three years, I've smiled over sunsets reflected in flooded rice fields and tides of blue mountains fading into evening, content to be blessed with the privledge. With less than two months to go and the nagging suspicion that there's a very fortunate pre-JET out there searching for info on this mysterious "city", I decided to take my camera along with me for one of my "walks in the rice fields". Yokoso, Ena! Welcome to Ena!

Disclaimer: Actual objects are a million times more beautiful that they appear, especially when complimented by the soundtrack of cicads, choruses of croaking frogs, the steady giggle of running water and the appearance of an occasional fire fly.
One of many traditional houses, surrounded by flooded rice fields.
The Nishio Minshuku, a traditional Japanese bed and breakfast nestled at the foot of the mountains.
A view of the rice fields from the top of a hill behind my apartment.

A Day in the Life...

A la "Stick Figure Masterpiece Theatre"...

In a cruel twist of fate... a la excellent English of Beautiful Mountain School's second year students.

Oshi (close)! I am pretty delicious, if I do say so myself (^-^)

Alive and well, uneaten by unagi (eel) and enjoying every last minute with my super-cute students. God bless them. Every one!
Kickin' it with the kings of the jungle gym. Ena-san, R E P R E S E N T!

Beautiful Mountain School Sakura

A peak of the Kiso River through clouds of soft, white cherry blossoms at my Beautiful Mountain School. Whenever I visit this school, I realize how blessed I have been to be placed here. To think that I only have 3 more months in this beautiful valley, encompassed by rolling, green foothills and snowcapped mountains, a brilliantly blue-green river winding gracefully through it, following me wherever I go...

I wonder if my successor knows how lucky they`re about to be. There isin`t a day that goes by that I don`t thank God for placing me in Ena where Mt. Ontake greets me every morning and the snow-covered southern alps welcome me home.

The Ghetto School: On Ice!

***The Higashi Chu Crew Proudly Presents***

The Ghetto School: On ICE!

They are so freakin` cute! Hugging....

Holding hands...

Gion and Guacamole

Geiko and maiko of Gion Higashi performing the Gion Higashi Kouta during the finale of the fall dance.

This is just one of the many images from my trip to Kyoto over a month ago that I still haven't managed to upload. More will be coming soon, assuming blogger will eventually allow me to add images to the blog again post haste. Come to think of it, I never even finished writing about my latest adventures in Cambodia, not to mention my trip to Vietnam almost a year ago! I'm working on it... In the mean time, feast your eyes on this: My third year elective English class' Guacamole extravaganza. Ole!

Etsuki, Nao, Chikako, Ami, and Shin diggin' in to the guacamole.

I have often expounded upon the virtues of guacamole to Kachi sensei, English teacher extrodinare of the Beautiful Mountain School and friend to many an ALT. During our humble Thanksgiving Fiesta, she experienced it's deliciousness for herself, promptly declaring it our sacred duty to share the gospel of guacamole among the Japanese people, begining with the youth. Thus, the concept of Guacamole 101 was concieved and carried out with great success.

No tortillia chips? No problem! Ole!

All of the students had eaten avacado before, but only in sushi form, with mayonaise and soy sauce (>.<)As they say, 'Soy sauce, seaweed and mayonaise do not guacamole make."

Not only were the students impressed with its deliciousness, but with the ease with which it is prepared. They all vowed to make guacamole again for their families. We made an extra batch for the teachers room, which, at first sight, seemed to scared many a sensei. It was, however, quickly gobbled up with shouts of "Umai!" and "Oishii ne!" immediately followed by "Wow. This would be perfect with beer or sake!" Even Kocho sensei (principal), staunch supporter of the superiority of all things Japanese, declared it to be delicious, followed by a rather spirited rendition of "La Cucaracha". The guacamole revolution has begun! Ole!

Autumn in Ena 恵那の秋

Fallen leaves
Come flying from elsewhere
Autumn is ending.

~Matsuo Basho

Along this road
Goes no one,
This autumn eve.

~Basho

The road to my beautiful mountain school.

The view from the Beautiful Mountain school (^-^)/

Mountains Make Me Happy...

And Ena has plenty of Mountains!

The beautiful view just up the road from my apartment. The impressive, snow covered peak of Ontake-san, rising 10,049 feet (3,063 m) over the borders of Gifu and neighboring Nagano, is the first thing I see every morning as I walk out my door. Ontake is an active volcano (erupting last in 1980) and one of Japan's holy mountains. The humid haze of summer makes the peak almost invisible. I know that when I stumble out of my door to be greeted by it's graceful, Fuji-esque slopes covered in snow, autumn has arrived.

Whiter than the rocks
Of Stone Mountain
Autumn wind
-Basho

The Southern Japanese Alps. Just a few of the many reasons I'm thankful to be in Ena (^-^)/

Japan!

Things I'm thankful for...

My elementary school students. Love them! Kawaii-sugiru (too Cute), and so much fun!

Ena Update: Fall has Arrived!

Beautiful! Lovery!

Dusk in the mountain top town of Akechi, a newly acquired tributary of Empire Ena.

I am much more than a geisha chaser. I am an Assistant English teacher. Behold, the fruits of my labor!

Kana is a third year junior high school student, which is the equivalent of 9th grade in the US. If you can't read it, click on the image and a larger version will pop up. (^-^)

KAWAII! How cute is this? Written by a second year (8th grade) student who does not like a lovery boy named Kazunori (^_<)

These are just a few of the smile-inducing journal letters my Beautiful Mountain School students write me every week. Although it is optional, most of them try to write at least once a week, and many even write three times a week. I'm always excited to see a huge stack of letters waiting in my mailbox when I visit, and spend more time writing back then I do preparing for class (>o<). I've learned so much about my kids through these little letters, and they've learned a lot about writing! The improvement we've seen is incredible, both in their vocabulary and sentence structure (although is obviously still far from perfect). Having the opportunity to write about anything they want, without the pressure of being graded, keeps the students motivated and keeps me up to date on everything about them, especially since I don't get to visit as much as I used to. This connection to my students, and the relationships that it has fostered, is what makes being an ALT worth all the hours of absolute, brain-numbing boredom.

Japan Update: Kasagi Conquered!

All that remains of my former life as a cheerleader...
And Abbey Sensei's former life as a martial arts master. Good thing the pirates don't know about her Ninja-esque past!

The Daily Commute

Snow-covered persimmons, dangling over the shivering surface of the Kiso River like tangerine tear drops of sunshine. This is the view from my beautiful mountain school, North Ena Junior High. (Click on the photo to see a larger version).

Nothing says "Saftey Driving" (as our Japanese friends say) as operating a motor vehicle on a slippery, winding road through the mountains with one hand out the window taking pictures! The ride to work, this morning was just too breath-taking. The pine covered slopes, frosted with a fresh cover of over-night snow, seemed to rise higher on every side as I headed towards my beautiful mountain school. The blue sky, the warm sun, and the way the sugar powdered mountains melded with the fluffy, frosty, clouds hanging low with heavy snow was like a dream...a winter fantasy. Before the snow started falling, I could have sworn I would be happy to skip winter all together, but i will never be able to forget the way the mountains look blanketed in snow, or seeing Ontake's pristine peak rise over the southern alps that embrace my town. Yay for winter!

Snow in Ena?

In totally unrelated news, its been snowing for two days in my sleepy little town nestled at the foot of Mt. Ena. The snow began falling shortly after I had snow tires put on my car, and did not stop until some time last night. Usually the snow stays in the mountains, avoiding the slide down their slopes into the rice fields, but this morning when i awoke everything was covered in snow! Its going to be a long winter...