email

Hello and good day to everyone! The day started off rainy and then turned to sleet and now to snow. And to think I thought the relentless winter was over! Cherry blossoms are blooming in Tokyo and 80% of the snow had melted when I returned from my spring break but now it feels like the spring of the last couple of weeks was just a dream. I’m going skiing tomorrow too, which will further prolong the onset of spring in my mind. Spring is definitely in the air at school though. The students graduated March 3rd. It was a very touching ceremony although I didn’t understand most of it, I felt the emotion in the students. I went into their classroom to say goodbye to a few of them after the ceremony. They had written on their chalkboard in paper flowers “go away”. I thought it was really funny because they obviously didn’t understand the English connotations of “go away”. I wrote in many of their yearbooks and they all said “wakaranai” ( I don’t understand). I hope they will someday. I am sad to see the 3rd year students go because they were my favorite and smallest classes (around 20 students per class compared to the 40 some students in other classes). Very few of these students will go on to college. Maybe 50% will go to trade school. I’m also very sad because every spring there is a changeover of teachers and administrators. They go by the lottery system and the prefectural government randomly decides who will go and who will stay. The teachers who must leave are given just under 2 weeks and are told they have to change to said school in said location. Usually they also have to move from their apartment. This is done ostensibly to prevent corruption in the school system that could occur if one person remains in the same location for too long. I think it is both good and bad. It sucks because the teachers don’t get much say in the matter. I think they can put in a request if they want to leave, but sometimes it is not granted. It also sucks because some teachers are very well established and do well at their current school. However it is good because it gives the teachers a chance to work at a variety of schools that they might not otherwise get to experience. In Japan they group schools by high academic, low academic, technical, agricultural, and industrial. So if you are at a low academic school for your entire teaching career you are bound to become a little jaded. I went to both going away parties for the teachers and administrators who were leaving. I’m very sad because my 2 closest Japanese friends at both schools are leaving. Also, the cute science teacher is leaving :(. One friend who is leaving is my supervisor and my lifeline. We have built up a very strong relationship over these past 8 months and it is hard for me to see her go. But its good because she is going to a high academic all girls school and I think it will be really good for her. Also, both Kyoto sensei (vice principals) are moving and changing jobs. This is also sad because I really like both Kyoto sensei. One of them will be promoted to Kocho sensei (principal) which means I won’t see him as much since he won’t be working in the staff room. The Kyoto sensei is the supervisor in the staff room who okays everything and with whom I clean the staff room after school everyday. The Kyoto sensei at my technical school keeps everything playful and fun. You can always count on him to slurp down a huge bowl of ramen with the other teachers at lunch. Unwittingly I got myself into the dangerous realm of sake wars at the going away party. I would pour Kyoto sensei some sake (because that’s what you are supposed to do at these parties) and immediately I would have to drink the next cup he presented to me. But he kept wanting more so I kept having to refill and the cycle continued. My Japanese magically got better.

Onto spring break and the penis festival. I wrote a little about this in my blog already and posted some pictures. I will also post this email in my blog. At the penis festival there were drunk men, free sake, and wooden penises abound. Nuf said. The farm was fun and I think I might find another one to work at during golden week but I hope I get to speak more Japanese for the next one. I learned a lot at the farm but want to learn more.
pics that are sometimes and randomly updated: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rwickizer/

penises, farms, sakuras

What a week! Haru yasumi is over and I am sad. Its cold back home! The shink back to Nagai was ridiculously packed. Even the aisles of the unreserved cars were filled. Anyways, vacation. Its difficult to retell everything that happened because there was so much.
I'll start with the penis festival. There was a 2 meter, 620 pound phallus and a group of men paraded it through the town to the shrine with the waiting female counterpart, i.e. vagina. The festival was orginally celebrated to herald new growth and fertility. Regeneration, new growth, substenence for survival, all encompassed in penis and vagina. The paradigm of reproduction.
I will put some pics up of the festival. When I arrived in town, it was very early because I had taken the night bus to Nagoya. It was almost like a ghost town, but by 1pm, the town was full of gaijin and Japanese people waiting to catch a glimpse of the phallus, chow down on choco penis banana, penis sautee, yakisoba, penis pops, and food on a stick. When the crowds were starting to grow, a man wanted me to pose with him in a picture with the penis and all of these huge nikon lenses and expensive looking cameras popped out of nowhere. I have no idea why, but he wanted me to put his yellow cloak over my large pack too. I had to stand there for almost 5 mintues while numerous pictures were taken. Other Japanese people who were waiting to have there photo taken with the phallus were visibily annoyed. I still don't know why there were so many pictures of me with this man and the penis.
Nagano ken rocks! Other stuff happened like a party at Logan's with a very interesting keg. It was good to see where Logan lived. He has some nice inaka life going on there.
Then it was on to the farm in Yamanashi ken. I thought I would be staying with the Farmer's mother who only spoke Japanese. But apparantely there had been problems with that in the past so all current Woofers stay at his house. So, it ended up just being me and the farmer hangning out one on one all day for 4 days straight. I was dissapointed because he spoke mostly in English and I didn't get to practice nearly as much Japanese as I would have liked. Also it was a bit strange hanging with this old dude who kept calling me cute because of my blonde hair. All in all, it was good though, planted some grapes, learned a few things, went to a winery, strawberry farm, etc. He also had a really cute hyper black retreiver. Not golden, black. So I got to walk/run the dog every morning.
The night hike for wednesday night was canceled because of rain. I was really dissapointed. Then the alternate hike for thursday fell through too because of weather. Bummer again. But I met a random Yamanashi JET and we went to a nice Italian place, then to Tokyo.
Later, in Tokyo, I met up with Erin and Gengo. Went to the museums, Ueno, tokyo tower, harajuku, etc. The usual Tokyo fanfair. This is ending now because I'm going to bed.

graduation, etc

Recently I started remembering why I decided to stay in Japan for another year. I want to watch the seasons change again. Its beautiful watching spring come. Some days winter seems to resurface with a vengeance. But then the melt of spring quickly overtakes. Clare, Joey D and I went to Zao on Saturday, most likely the last ski of the season. The end of my first year is quickly approaching.

So graduation was the other day…It was weird to be on the other side of graduation, watching all the students graduate instead of being the one graduating. Some of the girls cried and I felt for them. And afterwards some students came up to me and actually told me “Rebecca, Thank you” It was very touching. Then, I went into one of their classrooms to find they had written “Thanks” and “Go away” in paper flowers on one of their chalkboards. It was hilarious. Shows how much English I have taught them over the past 6 months. Then I got to sign all the yearbooks and make the peace sign repeatedly for numerous pictures. I will really miss the san nen sei, they were my favorite students. Today, the new students are in for testing which means the teachers are really busy but of course…not me!! I got rid of 3 years worth of Bang the Drum ALT publications, old contracting procedures, and tons of other paperwork that my predecessor never bothered to clean out. Yay cleanliness!!! Lets see…what else has happened lately? I woke up at 6 to go see the swans and sunrise with Kyoko Koyama. It was beautiful. We fed them, watched them squawk and pur, I saw a fox. It was a good morning. Ill put some pictures below….maybe.