JAPAN HOMESTAY

NOV 15TH, MON	Today, Ben and I visited a school in the country in Kokubu City Kihari elementary school). We played games in two different classes, one 3rd/4th grade class and 5th/6th grade class. I taught them a game I play in my son, Dannys, class. The games are called silent ball and 4 corners. The kids had fun. We had to take our shoes off before entering the school and wear these slippers. As we were driving someone stopped us and asked us to help them catch their loose cow. We stopped in the middle of the road (left car running) and we all got out to catch cow. Then we had lunch and visited a private high school, only 400 students, all in uniform and again had to take off shoes and wear these very uncomfortable slippers. I am having a good time here and it is very beautiful and everything is very green. My host family is great and the kids are adorable!!
NOV 16TH, TUE	Today was a very long day. I spent the WHOLE day at an elementary school and introduced myself and helped teachers teach English I think 6 times!! My face hurts from smiling so much and my brain hurts from trying to communicate. I followed the English teacher, Yuka, around to different classes teaching English. Nishi sho school seems to teach a lot of English. Yuka is very pretty and very nice. She is 25. We taught English to 5 different classes, the teachers were very nice, too. One class gave me a big card thanking me for my visit with some origami glued all over it, I will keep it FOREVER. I have still not seen much else but inside and outside of schools. But I am learning a lot of school life. It is very different from American schools. Lunch is served inside classrooms and is brought to the classroom and served by students. Then everyone brushes their teeth together. It seems in Japan there is no gray area, all black or white. A rule is a rule and cannot be bended. They almost bite your head off if you touch the floor with your shoe, even though the floor is hard wood or tile. I do like the food, even school lunch was excellent. Although I think I have already lost 5 pounds, because of course, it is less food than in America. All the kids eat the same lunch and nobody complains, that is way different than American. Today at my Japanese home Tamami taught a bunch of neighbor kids English, she speaks very good English. I played games with kids at school and it was very fun. I am missing my family so much that my heart is aching. I wish, since I am the chaperone, that I could touch base with the American students here, I hope they are doing fine. Well I feel like I am learning the Japanese culture very fast since I am the only American around. My host family is great and reminds me that we are all the same American or Japanese. one of Tamami:s friends. I am looking forward to that.
NOV 17TH, WED	Today was a great day. I did not have to be at Kokubu elementary school until 10:40, so I was able to relax a bit this morning. Kokubu school was so much fun. The kids loved learning English from me. The teacher was a great teacher and had great ideas for the kids to learn English. After class students from all over the school ran over to me to get my signature (autograph). Now, I know you are laughing, I was too. I felt a bit like Britney Spears (too bad I don't look like her). It felt very odd to be signing my name a zillion times. I am just a mom from Manteca, Ca. Keigo, the boy whose home I am staying, later came home from school with a c.d. that the principal had made with a bunch of photos of my day. What a great gift!!! After my school day, Tamami and I went to the 100 yen store, just like our $ store. Then we went out for sushi! Oh, the sushi was awesome!!! I loved it all and tried everything that Tamami selected. It was quite an experience, it is served on a conveyor belt and is common for sushi to be served this way. I hope all students are trying different kinds of food. I have loved all the food I have eaten (quite nice not to be preparing it, either). Then I came home and went for a walk with Keigo, Mitchan, and neighbor girls, they were very cute and are trying to teach me to count in Japanese. Then Tamami had more kids over for her English class, she is a good English teacher and the kids love her. They also love American candy that I have brought them. I still miss my family something horrible, but am adjusting. I love you Mike, Lia, Danny and Steve!!!! and miss you all, just wait till I am home and cooking tofu and spinach and fish.
NOV 18TH, THU	I have learned a lot I also always thought Japanese men did nothing but work. Misconception. The father in this home does same things as my husband, dishes, laundry, helps with
NOV 19TH, FRI	Today was a great day. I felt like I was on vacation. I did not teach any English today. Just vacationed. My family here and I went to Kagoshima City today. The father took the day off work and kids took off of school. We went to Mt. Sakurajima island. It was so incredibly beautiful, steam was spewing (sp?) out. I took some beautiful pictures. Then we went on a ferry across the bay to Kagoshima City. Our car went with us. That was so cool to me. I have never seen anything like that, although I think we do have ferries like that in America, I have never seen one before. The weather was beautiful. We shopped around tenmon kan. I bought some presents to bring home to my kids. I had a mocha at a coffee shop, oishi (very delicious), it was just like I make at home. Much smaller, though. I think most people here drink instant coffee, at my home here they have drip coffee, but it is coffee in a tea bag. Very interesting. I am bringing some home to show my friends. I gave the boys 200 yen each to buy a slushie, the cola flavor looked way different than 7-11. We then took pictures from this beautiful hotel that was high on a hill. This evening the city of Kokubu had a welcome party for Ben and I. It was very nice, lots of good food and very nice things said. There were teachers and principals from the schools I have visited there in my honor, very nice. Now that I see how much the Japanese teachers work at helping students learn English, I am so thankful and feel privileged that I was able to come help. The teachers I have meant seem to love teaching and care for their students very much. Japan and the people here are teaching me things that I could not have learned on American you MNCC.
NOV 20TH, SAT	Today was so so fun. My host family brought me to Sendai City for me to take the Shinkansen to Yatsushiro. The Shinkansen was so cool. It goes 200mph!!! Wow, it was so smooth, and fast. At first I was scared because there were no seat belts, but did not need. It was a great experience. Then Yohko and her family picked me up at the station and we drove to Kumamoto. We went to this department store that must have had 10 stories, Yohko had me get my makeup done at Chanel counter, I asked the girl if her name was...Tsuruya (it was the stores name!!) It was the biggest store I have ever been in. Yohko's mother bought my family some beautiful and very nice presents. I am so happy I got to meet Yohko's family, I have known her now for 6 years and never imagined seeing her in Japan. We then traveled to Fukuoka and went to Toys R Us and we had coffee at Starbucks, I now know what a short is, it is very small. In America our smallest drink is a tall. We had burgers at Mos Burger (popular burger place in Japan). It was actually best burger I have had. Now I am at Yohko's house. She has the cutest little dog, a chihuahua. It is so beautiful to drive through Japan, lots of mountains and beautiful countryside, but it makes me car sick!!! At least while I feel sick I can look at beautiful surroundings. I am staying overnight with Yohko and sightseeing tomorrow.
NOV 21ST, SUN	Today I woke up at Yohko's house in Nankan, (Kumamoto prefecture). We left the house around 9:30 and headed toward Saga prefecture. We stopped at a rest area, a place to park off the highway, that sells food and souvenirs. We picked up some breakfast to eat in the car. I ate a bread roll that was filled with sweet curry. Oishii!! Very delicious. The drive to Saga was beautiful. Very mountainous, with tea and oranges growing everywhere. In Saga we went to this theme park that had a lot of Japanese history. They had a ninja/samurai show, that was very cool. At the end of the show they had the audience have a treasure hunt for hidden paper shuriken. I found one (probably cause it was hidden high and everyone else was very short!). So they had me wear this shield and said I had to wear it the whole day at this park to receive free games and presents. Hee hee. Then I had my picture taken with a Japanese Princess kimono. The kimono was very heavy. I was glad I went to this ninja place, because I saw a lot of Japanese history. Then we drove back to Kumamoto prefecture and shopped some more in You Me Town (little mall), stopped had a rest area and had nice sit down lunch. I had spicy bean curry. Oh it was great!! Too spicy for Sayoka and Yoko, but great for me!! Then it was time for me to head back to the shinkansen station. It was sad to say goodbye to Yohko but I am SO glad that I got to see her. At my welcome party someone asked me what was the one thing that I wanted to see in Japan, and I had to say that it was Yohko!! My train was leaving at 5:50. Oh, the train is SO fast that when we pass another Shinkansen, we can;t even see in the windows. Tamami picked me up from the station and we went to her parents house in Sendai City for dinner. What a beautiful dinner. Tamamis sister and family was there also. Everything was delicious and beautifully prepared. Then Tamami had me try on Her yukata, it is very pretty and she GAVE it to me. That was so thoughtful and I am very appreciative. Everyone here has been so gracious here to me. Tamami told me that Keigo (age 7) wrote in his journal today that he missed me. Is that so sweet!! Then RiRisa (age 1) saw me and started saying, nose, eye, because I have been teaching her English words. Now it is after 11 so I need to get to bed because I have a very long day tomorrow at Nishi sho.
NOV 22ND, MON	Yesterday at Tamamis parents house they had this square shaped rice with beans in it called Seki-han. It is a special dish made for special days. It is a different kind of rice. Today I went back to Nishi Sho school. Sho means elementary school. Yuka is the English teacher there, I followed her around helping teach English to fifth graders. One class did a very special performance just for me, they sang a song, played Tequila with brass instruments, and played a song on recorders. The recorder song was cool because I have been missing my church and the song was the a Christian hymn (they did not know that and it is the second time I have heard the same hymn). The next class did another great performance for me, card tricks and a cheer/dance to the "hey Mickey". One little boy in the class did a speech for me all about Japan and he memorized it in English. And of course, I helped teach English in all the classes. It is very interesting to me how much Japanese want to learn English. I had no idea. It is interesting that in Japan it is common to be asked your blood type. Oh, if you to know about Japanese food, just watch Anpanman, it is a cartoon that is ALL about Japanese food, they rice bowlman, currypanman, salt & pepper man, oh it is very funny and all little kids love it. Oh a rice bowl is a triangle shape of rice with dried seaweed wrapped around it. They are told in Japan that we only do laundry on weekends, not so. Tomorrow we are going to an ancient house called jomon-no-mori.
NOV 23RD, TUE	Today we went to Jo mon-no-mori (archeaolgical museum). It had a lot of ancient history of the Japan. We tried on ancient Japanese clothes, saw the houses they use to live in. We watched a movie explaining ancient Japan times (everything was from 9500years ago) the movie was funny because the people looked like Americans!! We picked up a box lunch and went to this very nice park. My lunch was great, tonkatsu, oh it was very good and a lot of lunch. I think it is Japanese fast food. Later in the evening I was asked to visit this conversation class, mostly woman, 2 men. It was very interesting, the people were diverse. They were happy to have an American to practice their English on. We talked for 2 hours, I enjoyed myself. They brought some good goodies, too, Shoro (Japanese mushroom cake), traditional steamed cake and green tea candies. I loved all of it. And of course, green tea was served. I enjoy listening to their ideas of America. I have learned many things, but a few of them are; Japanese do not wear sunglasses, they believe that your blood type determines your character, all public school teachers HAVE to change schools every 7 years, movies cost $20, on special days it is $10. Oh, and this afternoon, I heard someone shouting and the Ono boys came running in wanting money. There was a truck with a loud speaker selling baked sweet potatoes!! Very usual here in Japan. I guess a truck with a loud speaker goes around in the a.m. selling tofu. and in the p.m. selling ramen!! No ice cream trucks here.
NOV 24TH, WED	Today, from 9:40-1:00 I visited Kokubu Sho school. I visited two different first grade classes. First graders here are 7 because school goes from April-March, with vacations in between. The first graders were very cute and enjoyed looking at my pictures from home. They all thought Danny was so so cute!! I played fruit basket and musical chairs with them. I also helped them learn their colors in English. I played dodge ball with another class and taught them 4 corners. They sang me a nice song and played it on their little pianos. I had lunch at the school, again. It was ok. some kind of meat soup, broccoli with BACON, bread with frosting to put on it and a little package of something that looked like trail mix but with little tiny dried up fish in them. There seems to be many breaks in the school day. They always have to change their clothes for p.e. and they all change in front of everyone, even 6th graders. We had to then go pick up Ririsa at her friends house. I used her friends, Kazues , computer. I am missing my family so so much, I cannot wait to go home. Tamami had her English lesson today, so I took her kids out for a walk. That was fun. I visited the grocery store this evening. I could not believe my eyes when I saw that cantaloupe was $35!!! Wow, that is very expensive. I think on the short drive to the store I counted how many soda vending machines there were and I counted to 10, but probably more and a few cigarette vending machines also. Maybe every 400 yards there are vending machines selling soda, mostly coca-cola products. I heard a trucks loud speaker and ran outside to buy sweet potatoes, but this time the man was selling rod to hang clothes out to dry. I had some Japanese ice cream that was so so good, it was kinda like an ice cream sandwich, only the sandwich part was like a cone smashed down. Tomorrow I have no school to go to, so I guess I get the day off. Don't know what I will do.
NOV 25TH, THU	Today I had no schools to go to. So I got to have a bit of a relaxing day. I went shopping to several stores. It is extremely hard to find clothing without American words on them. And it is surprising how much gang clothes are here. I think Ecko is their number one brand. Other clothes too, the print on them is gang type print. Btw, back home I need to tell all our Japanese restaurants that they are NOT Japanese. It is funny, I now know what Japanese food really is. There is no fried rice in Japan. Nobody has wasabe in soy sauce and dips. Which I love doing back home. The stores all open here around 10 not earlier. Oh, I had diet pepsi twist twice now and it is much sweeter here. I went to visit a shrine today, it was very beautiful. I almost bought this little prayer backpacks (cause they look like the only backpack in Japan). It had a prayer for safety. I did not buy cause it seemed like a lot of money $10. And my God follows me everywhere I go. I am so thankful that I do not need anyTHING to keep me safe. Anyway, it was funny how many good luck type items they sold there. It was funny there was this big drinking water thing and Mitch-an found a little baby frog there and carried that thing around for a very long time. I wonder if he is still alive. When we got home Mitch-an wanted me to go for a walk with him. We played frisbee (flying disc) and soccer. I have a lot of fun with these little kids. A bunch of neighbor girls came out and played with us too and took pictures of me and I of them. They are so so cute. Tonight Tamami was very nice and for MY thanksgiving dinner, she bought kfc (ok, not turkey, but chicken, but hey) and a very yummy chocolate cake that said "Happy Thanksgiving". She said she had to write on the cake herself because the bakery did not understand thanksgiving.
NOV 26TH, FRI	This morning I went to Kawahara Sho school. There were three other foreign teachers there also. Simon was from England, Liz from Chicago, and TeTae was born in Berma, lived in Japan, Canada and San Francisco for one year. Simon and Liz are what you call ALT`s, assistant language teachers. They do not need any credentials because they are considered assistants, however I think they probably do as much as full fledged teachers. They work for the government here so their housing is FREE. The principal of Kawahara Sho was great. She introduced each of us and played all the games that we played with the kids. It was a very small school, maybe 6-10 per class and they were combo classes. Kawahara Sho is located in the mountains and it is beautiful. Being in Japan is like being in a constant lake Tahoe area at all times, very beautiful!! Tamami brought me a picnic lunch and the three of us ate lunch near the school. She brought my favorite-anman and curryman!! I was informed from the ALT`s that every school and the city council of Kokubu City received my e-mail that I had written specifically for my host family. I thought that was weird, I was told to write a letter to my host family, so it was personal. Anyway, again had I known that I was coming here to teach English, and not be a chaperone, I would have been more prepared. So I feel I did the best I could and I enjoyed myself even though I did not know what I was doing. This afternoon Ono family and I went to Tamami's friends house with another friend and kids there, also. It was very nice, I felt like I was home cause I was visiting with women and their kids. Tomoni made a great pizza (she also gave me some chopsticks for home), Atsuko made some sweet potato cookies and had this great cold tea that tasted just like my sun tea from home. Oh, if I did my calculations right (1gal=3.8liter) then gasoline cost equivalent to about $4.50/gallon!! wow, must be why I have not seen a suburban in Japan!! It seems like almost all cars come with GPS system/dvd/tv thing on the dash. Cell phones are as light as a feather and I think every single one has camera/video and GPS is wanted. The Japanese Maples here are by far the prettiest I have ever seen and the sago palms (have tons of pics to prove it to you).
NOV 27TH, SAT	Today is my last day here and I have mixed feelings, I am sad to leave but also so very happy to be back with my family. This morning Tamami had her English lesson and the kids were so cute, they all drew pictures of me. I gave them each a penny and they seemed so happy. We went out to lunch to a restaurant named 1-2-3, and had Shabu Shabu. Ok, that is it, that is definatelly my meal in Japan, it was so so good. Quite an experience, also. I am going to find out if there is anywhere in America that serves Shabu Shabu. I also had this excellent rice (my favorite) Tsilashi-zushi. Oh my gosh, it was so good. Did you know that the rice in sushi has vinegar in it? That's why I liked this rice so much, there was rice vinegar in it. We had this very good tea called Soba tea. Then after lunch we had sweet potato ice cream. It was very good. Did you know that Kagoshima is famous for their sweet potatoes? They have sweet potato everything and so far everything with sweet potato I have eaten I have loved!! Then we drove up this mountain to Kirishima. Oh, it was beautiful there. Wonderful foliage everywhere with the most beautiful Japanese maples and beautiful waterfalls. We stopped at a souvenoir shop and there was a hot spring for feet and then there was a place where the steam was coming out and it stunk so bad (sulfur), and to top it off they were steaming eggs to eat. I was watching t.v. in the car and it was so funny, there was a commercial for something like diapers for old people and they had this lady putting one on her husband, a pull up. I don't know, it was funny. What a surprise I had when we got home, about 7 neighborhood kids were there waiting for me to give me presents. It was so cute, a few of them wrapped up a 1 yen, since I was giving them all pennys. I don't know how I am going to be able to haul all this stuff back to America, but there is nothing that I want to part with, so I will make it work. I have had a great time and will miss Japan and think of you all often!!

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