News from the Rice Paddy: May 2009

ONEGAISHIMASU!

SHAMELESS PLEA…. So, I am returning to the U.S. of A in September, just in time to be competing with all the recent graduates for the quickly depleting jobs. I would like to be involved with an international education/volunteer program; a place that promotes and enables diverse people to have an enriching experience abroad. My time abroad has been the most impacting in my life so this is something that I want to encourage others to experience. I would appreciate any suggestions, leads or other ideas that could get me in this field (job offers also welcome). THANKS.

hot stuff.. comin this way..

This month also witnessed the beginnings of summer- hot weather, BBQs and trips to the river. Almost every weekend consisted of some kind of BBQ, picnic or outdoor adventure and so.. yes.. this is a happy Laura writing. Also this month were school trips. Sadly, and I personally think unjustifiably, the 9th graders trip to Kyoto and Nara were canceled due to INFLUENZA!! This influenza swept through Southern Japan, infected 300 hundred. It lead to mass hysteria- top news on every program, masks selling out, and yes, anyone planning to visit the area canceling their visits. So the field trips for the thousands of school children were canceled. Luckily for me, I was going to Tokyo with the 8th graders so we went- masks in hand. Like last year, we arrived in Tokyo and the students were on their own until we met up later that day. And so were the teachers. My English teacher and I shopped around Ginza, waited 20 minutes for a famous cake, and ate Vietnamese food with her friend. Everyone reconvened safely at the appointed time and we were back on the bus for Katashina. For some reason I feel like if me and my friends were let loose on Tokyo in Junior High School it probably wouldn’t end up like this…

School Trip

On the bus...

Crazy kids...

Didn't really know what to do here.. apparently it was promoting a new TV show..

Notice the face mask..

Waited in line for 30 min for a special roll cake...

It was good.. but just confirmed the idea.. .The Japanese love lines.

Window Cleaning at School

They usually have a few less smuges than when they began.

Go Kart Racing

Team Awesome kicked ass

Found a Shrine

Cool Carvings

Ate some cucumbers..

お母さんが来ました！

So this month began with a WONDERFUL visit from my WONDERFUL mom. For two weeks we had a girl’s day out, enjoying Japan city to country, mountain to ocean, rain to snow to sun. We first met in rainy Tokyo, meeting up with my cousins and his adorable children. Next to Katashina, where we stayed at my friend’s pension in the mountains and ate amazing food including pizza from his homemade brick oven. Mom came to school for a day, met my kids, played some games, and was taught about Japanese culture. They kids loved her (“mother very cute!”), the teachers thought she was very stylish (they are used to my wrinkled pants and sweatshirt outfits) and she even got a handful of gifts (origami, sembei, onigiris!) on her way out! Also in Katashina we had dinner with my organic farmer friends. We made fresh udon and tried a little bit of every vegetable found in Katashina. The next leg of the trip took us to Shikoku, the 4th largest and most rural island of Japan. Yes, you are probably wondering why I decided to take a vacation from my rural-ness to more rural-ness but it’s been on my list of places to check out so, I went. And it was AMAZING. The people were wonderful and laid back, the valley was absolutely breathtaking with lush greens and a clear blue river in the gully, and the roads.. well the roads were horrifying. One day, for over 6 hours, we drove along these roads barely a car-width thick. A car approaching from the other side meant pulling over to the rocky wall/drop into the forest and inching your way by. At one point both me and the other driver had to pull in our rearview mirrors so that we could pass each other without encountering a scraped up rental car / tumbling off a cliff. But we survived unscathed and actually relaxed after a trip to a beautiful hot spring. We also learned a little bit of the traditional dance, Awa Odori, ate famous udon, and pretty much wore through our sneakers from the amounts of walking we were doing. We returned through Kobe (missed out on the beef) back to Tokyo to stay with our good friends for the rest of the week. This week was packed with meals with friends and relatives, trips to Yokohama, Kamakura, and Asakusa and buying enough souvenirs to fill a separate bag. The week finished up, exhausted, getting on each other’s nerves a bit, but happy from such a swell trip. THANKS MOM!