shingata influenza

I've got it. Shingata Influenza. H1N1. Type A. The pig flu. I can't believe it!

It's probably because I couldn't read the Japanese on the approximately 113 pages-- to date-- of cautionary notices, hand washing procedures, gargling instructions, and temperature-taking schedules that have been put on my desk at school. These have come from my principal, my school nurse, my supervisor, the board of education in my city, the prefectural board of education, the national board of education, local and national health agencies. Repeat again and again and again. I really wish I had realized at the beginning that this was gonna turn into national mayhem, then I would have saved and bound these documents as evidence. Even though American, Australian, and Canadian summer home stay programs for jr. high school students were canceled city (nation??) wide...even though 9th graders' trips to Kyoto (where there were three (THREE!) confirmed cases of the flu) were postponed-- some just 12 hours before departure, after the luggage had already been sent...despite everyone gargling more than usual (well maybe that's just me...everyone else already seems to gargle on a regular basis)...even though there's antibacterial gel in every classroom and at the entrance of every grocery store now...despite the 5-day-long quarantines of Assistant Language Teachers who've gone home to Canada and Singapore (which at the time didn't even have a single case of Swine Flu!), LOTS of people are still getting sick. Honestly, I think the hundreds of thousands of yen that have been spent creating, printing, copying, and distributing all those Shingata Influenza notices could have been spent much more effectively. There's still no decent soap in the school bathrooms. I mean, it's great that antibacterial gel is now being supplied, but why can't we just get some soap? It's so backwards. That stuff is supposed to be used as the "next best thing" when soap and water are not available. The manufacturers who make that 60% alcohol hand sanitizer have just hit the jackpot in Japan. Move over hanging-nets-of-slimy-soap-bars! You've got competition! Although, it would be most advantageous to create a partnership, because the antibacterial gel is probably needed most immediately after touching the soap nets.

I felt very loved today when my assistant principal took the initiative to find a doctor near my apartment for me and then had the school nurse make me an appointment and then sent a teacher to my house to pick me up and take me to the appointment. :) It was so nice to feel cared-for. Apparently she also told the teacher who came to get me, "Mya is dying." Whaaaat?! Unbelievable!

Another "I can't believe this is my real life" Moment

In schools in Japan, teachers and students all brush their teeth after lunch. The progression of my thoughts and experience with this reached an unexpected peak last week. When I started working here, I was surprised to see everyone brushing their teeth at school. It was especially interesting that teachers were all standing around or sitting at their desks in the staff room. In the staff room?! It seemed strange that they didn't go to the bathroom. At first I thought, 'I don't need to brush my teeth after lunch. I don't usually...so why now?' But then, I realized that there's really no reason not to. I mean, why not? It makes your breath smell good, which it should if you're going to be teaching and talking to a bunch of students all afternoon. So, I joined the club and brought an extra toothbrush and tube of toothpaste to school! BUT, I felt self-conscious about public tooth brushing (when I brush my teeth, there's always toothpaste foam on my face!) so I just brushed in the bathroom. I thought it was so strange, yet entertaining, whenever students came into the staff room and teachers had conversations with them while they were still brushing their teeth. I'm talking about teachers with toothbrushes hanging out of their mouths and toothpaste nearly dripping while they murmur something about homework or the volleyball tournament to students. Whaaat?! Who does that? At some point I decided it wouldn't be so bad to brush my teeth in the staff room with everyone else...and more convenient. 'Now I'm one of them!!', I thought. Ha! THEN, one day I had my first verbal interaction with a student while I had a mouthful of toothpaste! ??!! I couldn't believe it! Did I really just do that? Who does that? (me!?) I was so amused at this. I thought I had gone as far as I could go in this progression of my Japanese school tooth brushing experience. I mean there are those teachers who talk on the phone while brushing their teeth, but I don't talk on the phone in the staff room...so I'd never join that club. However, I couldn't have anticipated what would happen last Thursday.

I'm standing next to my desk brushing my teeth. I've been brushing for awhile at this point, so my mouth is FULL of toothpaste...when unexpectedly this businesswoman-- who I've never met before, but who has been hanging out in the staff room intermittently for the past couple days-- walks up to me and says, "Mya San?" Eh?! (How does she know my name?) "はい　Hai", I nod. She introduces herself, so I bow and smile and mumble, "よろしくお願いします。Yoroshiku onegaishimasu" (nice to meet you). Then she pulls out a small package of Kleenex like ones I'd seen her give to other people. (Oh, she's just gonna give me Kleenex.) Wrong!! She shows me that the Kleenex are in a Hello Kitty package and asks me in Japanese if I know of Hello Kitty. "Hai." She tells me that Hello Kitty is the mascot for blah-blah-blah. I don't know the last few words she said, so I ask, "それは何ですか　Sore wa nan desuka?" She tells me that it's the name of her company. "ああわかりました　Aah, wakarimashita." She proceeds to tell me that Hello Kitty is famous. I concur and tell her, "アメリカでもゆめいです。　America demo yumei desu." It's at this point that I wonder if any of the surrounding teachers have noticed this conversation. It's so comical to me all of a sudden. I begin to chuckle as I realize that I'm taking a survey about Hello Kitty IN JAPANESE while brushing my teeth (and trying to keep the toothpaste from running down my chin)! Who walks up to someone while they're brushing their teeth at work to ask them about anything, let alone Hello Kitty?! Besides that-- who walks up to the obvious foreigner and assumes that she can, not only, understand and speak the foreign language, but that she can do so well enough to be understood with a mouthful of toothpaste? This is my real life. Next, she pulls out her clipboard to record my answers, then puts the Kleenex back into her bag, thanks me, and walks away. Whaaaat?! I really wanted those! Are you kidding?! All this, and I don't even get the Kleenex?

Finally Some Pictures

This past year has passed faster than any other I can recall. Still there are more stories to tell than any other year I can recall. I can't keep up with them all; they come like wave after wave of the tide washing up on the shore. There's no way I could ever recount all of them here, but I really wish I could! My good friend Sarah just moved to Japan (30 minutes from me!), and already she's posted more pictures and blogged more than I have!-- claims my dad. ;) With a few pictures she's already revealed much of her Japanese experience. I'm not a photographer like her, and actually I don't really like taking pictures. But these from the past year show some of my favorite moments, experiences, places, and people here (minus my students, whose pictures-- sadly-- I'm not allowed to post, and teachers who may not want me posting their pics). This is for you, Dad and Sarah!

trying out a shamisen during orientation with other JETs

views from my 3rd story apt

my school! :)

a couple of the many tambo (rice fields) surrounding my school

my landlords' relatives' pear storehouse; mmm...Japanese pears are SO delicious!

udon noodles hanging out to dry...one of the MANY steps in the process of making handmade noodles; I think this is so cool! I was simultaneously alarmed-- at the questionable sanitation-- and awed-- at experiencing this authentic Japanese tradition.

In the end my awe (and hunger!) won out, and I so enjoyed my meal here with my landlord, Mrs. Sekiguchi.

at Kiyomizudera when I went to Kyoto with several friends for a long weekend last fall

Maiko! (Geisha in training); Everyone says they're rare to see...but we saw several!

We happened to discover a monkey park in Kyoto.

The monkeys roam free...if you want to feed them, you have to go into a cage for protection.

my favorite place in Japan! Arashiyama bamboo forest

"Team Takasaki": Dave, Chris, Lesley, James, and me

Fushimi Inari

Kinkakuji

my smart, funny, kind, thoughtful, beautiful friend, Shiyo

homemade (yes! HOMEMADE! can you believe it?!) bread made by Fukuyama Sensei's wife and delivered to me one Saturday morning =) What a pleasant surprise!

Valentine's Day...Uno, the write-a-quote/draw-a-picture game, homemade chocolate in the great Japanese tradition, Lesley wishing random people 'Happy Valentine's Day' and giving them candy

Sakura!

hanami (flower viewing) with Tsukamoto Sensei and his family

This is the day Mischa and I were temporarily paralyzed; this picture was after we'd only been sitting through one tea ceremony in this style...you can see we're still smiling. If only someone would have had a camera handy an hour and a half later...!! you'd have seen us on our hands and knees, literally incapable of standing!

hiking day in Ota with Team Takasaki and Matt and Mischa

I got to go to watch and "help" (sorta) in Chieko Sensei's family's tambo (rice field). Her husband is driving this very useful tractor that has rotating claws that grab and drop the seedlings...making perfect rows across the field.

One of the most authentic and memorable Japanese experiences I've had! My fascination with this process had been growing as I saw the fields surrounding my school changing day by day, so I was thrilled when Chieko Sensei invited me (well, maybe I invited myself...??) to join her and her family for this Saturday morning undertaking!

koi no bori streaming down the mountain and over the river commemorate Boys' Day, May 5th.

Gunma's beautiful mountains surround.

dinner with friends on my birthday; I'm SO thankful for these friends!
Shie, Daisuke, Yoko, Sayoko, and her daughters Yuka and Aika

The staff at my fav restaurant made my birthday SO fun! Tatsu, Shimada, Manami

We had 4th of July fun despite not being in America...watermelon, polish sausage, corn on the cob, frisbee, a flag waving, sparklers, singing America the Beautiful and God Bless the U.S.A. (well, that was only me...I couldn't convince anyone else to sing along)...SUCH a great day! We even let James, our Australian friend, come along, but he was forced to wear red, white, and blue bling, as well as a pin that said, "I heart the U.S." ;)

This park is the best! We jumped and ran around on these trampoline-like domes for hours!

back to Kyoto when my friend Sarah Lichtwardt came to visit...DOWNPOURED for more than an hour! Thankfully Sarah's smart and convinced me that we should buy 300-yen (about 3 bucks) umbrellas...just 4 minutes before the rain turned torrential! whew!