Brian's Japan Adventure

Wow! Things had been going so well until today. Oh well, if this is as bad as it gets, everyone will still leave happy.

The original plan was simple enough; after English class we would go to the Dayton Art Institute for a few hours and then go see the local baseball team, the Dayton Dragons, play this evening. It didn’t quite work out that way.

We found out this morning that the Art museum is closed on Monday. Fortunately, we learned it before driving all the way there, but it was still pretty late to think of alternatives. We gave them a choice of what to do until the ballgame.  Some chose to go back to their apartment and sleep (they had been up till SEVEN IN THE MORNING playing cards), some chose to go to the local Barnes & Noble bookstore, and others wanted to go back to the mall.  My group went to the mall. While we were shopping, it started raining. Then it started pouring. I learned a new Japanese word today. Za-Za, or  “heavy downpour.”  It’s now nine-thirty in the evening and it’s still za-za’ing outside.

After the unexpected shopping trip, we all gathered together to eat at Chipotles, a place a few of the students had requested. That went well, and everyone left very full.  Here they are literally stuffing their faces:

While we were eating, we called ahead to check whether or not the baseball game had been canceled. They told us it had been delayed an hour. To kill na hour, we went to the local Dollar Tree store (where everything costs $1) and they went berzerk in there.  If they have exchange students next year, the dollar store should be on the list for the very first day.
After another call to the stadium, and another hour delay, we went to Wal-Mart. They liked it and bought a few things, but seemed “shopped out” for the day. Finally we called one more time and thy said the game might start at nine. At that point, enough was enough, and we said just forget it and took them back to their apartments.  They were planning on having a little birthday party for two of the girls tonight, and they were perfectly happy to go home and prepare for that.

Overall not much went as planned today, but no one got upset. Tomorrow we’re doing another indoor activity, and maybe go to the ballgame afterward (we have the tickets from tonight after all). It’ll be a VERY long day for me, since I’m classroom teaching tomorrow too. Let me be blunt; I am NOT a baseball fan. I’m somewhat hoping for rain tomorrow night too

The Japanese students are still with their host families, so for today I will give an update on just about all the other behind-the-scenes stuff::

I’ve been busy for a while with the exchange students, but in the background things are still moving forward on my trip. The visa is ready in Japan, so I had to fill out an application to get that and supply yet another picture. If you ever try teaching overseas, plan on getting at least 6 copies of your passport photo just to save time later.  I hope they hurry up and get it sent over here soon. I’m not especially worried, but I see no reason to cut it too close. I also had to provide proof of insurance for the time I’d be there too. If you are under 30, the insurance is $7.50 a week, which isn’t bad. For a 40-year-old geezer like me, it’s closer to $21 a week. Still not bad, but paying in advance in a lump sum was not fun.  The insurance is also only good for a six-month maximum trip. That’s fine for this trip, but I wonder how it would work for a longer-term assignment?
The last I heard my Japan partner had not signed his paperwork so his visa wasn’t being processed yet nor had he turned in anything for insurance.  He wasn’t answering the teacher’s emails either. I am just not sure what to think about him at this point. I know he really really wanted to go, but he’s just not making any real effort.  I know he bought a ticket on the same flight as me, but I bet I wind up going alone.  For a long time I thought it would be good to have an American go along, especially one that I know, but I have gotten to the stage where I am completely ambivalent about it. Whatever happens, happens.

Grades for the summer are mostly in. I got three A’s for sure (two from TEFL classes and one from the Memoir class) but two more classes are still waiting for grades. One of those two (the practicum) I won’t actually get a grade until November.

As far as my own preparation goes, I finally bought some suitcases, two big 26″ wheeled monstrosities and a carry-on bag. They’re nice, but I probably paid too much.  Maybe not- safety is important, and they do have a long way to go.  I was able to find my baggage requirements at the United Airlines site. I also found this neat site, seatguru.com, which shows “maps” of various styles of airplanes. I can look at my e-ticket to read my seat numbers and see on the map where I am going to be seated.

My laptop’s wireless functions are extremely flaky and I think the internal wireless card is wearing out. I’m told the apartment in Japan does have a weak wireless signal, so I want to be able to use it. After a week or two of worrying and indecision, I just ordered a new laptop. I had a hard time deciding whether to go with a sub-$500 “cheapie” laptop that I wouldn’t have to worry about much, or get a good reliable laptop that I really wanted, but would have to watch like a hawk over there. I went with the latter, and my new Apple Macbook should be here later in the week.  I’ve used Apple before, and I know their service, even worldwide, is excellent. Plus I got a student discount and a free iPod (it’s still expensive though).

Laptop. Plane Tickets. Luggage. Insurance. Ouch! This affordable educational trip has snowballed into quite an expensive little move, but I wanted a new laptop anyway and the luggage should last practically forever.  Without the laptop, what I’m getting paid for working with the exchange students this month would have covered it all, but the laptop put it over the top. Argh!

On the small side, I bought a bunch of clothes, and a couple of neat books, Dirty Japanese and Survival Japanese. The Survival book is a tiny little phrasebook that I can easily carry in my pocket. I had hoped to learn enough Japanese over the summer that it wouldn’t be necessary, but that hasn’t happened. As far as describing the “Dirty Japanese” book, I’ll let you check the link yourself. heh-heh. Actually the book has some very simple grammar instructions, so it will be useful.

I still have to verify my mailing address over there and print up mailing labels for the folks back here. I have to figure out what to do about my prescriptions. I still need to pick up some supplies. I have to verify my return date and buy a return ticket. I’m sure there are plenty of other things to do, but it’s all coming together so quickly I’m getting lost.  The Japanese students are going home next Friday morning so that leaves me half a day on Friday, plus 5 days after that to get everything together and tie up ALL my loose ends.

Today was about as easy for me as it’s going to get.

I arrived after the English class and lunch and took the students to the nearby shopping mall. They were buying whatever they needed for their weekend homestays. Each student is going to spend the weekend with some volunteer and stay in their homes and go places and do things with that volunteer. Some are people who have been to Japan in the past, and most of them are faculty or people related to faculty, so they are familiar with the program. The bottom line is that all the homestay volunteers were a good match for the individual student that they were assigned. It’s a Japanese tradition that they must buy a gift for their hosts, so it was an absolute necessity that we go shopping before they left.

After the mall, the students returned to their apartment to pack up whatever they would need for the weekend, and at 6pm, everyone got to meet their homestay people for the first time. In most cases, the students had not previously met the person they would be staying with, so they had to be a little nervous. It all seemed to go very smoothly, and I really think they’ll all be happy with their matches.  Day Ten and Eleven will happen with their host families, so I won’t be reporting on those.

So what about me? I get the weekend off…sorta.  I still have to clean up and finish my Master’s paper this weekend, as well as prepare my classroom lesson for next Tuesday. It’s nothing especially difficult, but I find that I’m procrastinating more than I should.  I still have some shopping to do for my own upcoming trip, and need to fit in some family time as well before things get too much crazier. From Monday till early Friday, I’ll be doing the Japanese students again just like last week, so it really cuts down on my preparation time.

Today we went to the Dayton Peace Museum.  This is situated inside a 19th century house located on Monument Ave. in Dayton. The house was moved to this location in 1977, and their website has pictures of the house being moved along the downtown city streets. Pretty neat!

They had little exhibits with signs & placards with pictures of Nobel Prize winners and displays about various peace efforts and things of that nature. For the most part, the students did not seem very interested, as there was little to actually do there, just lots of stuff to read. Most of the people with signs and pictures were unknown to the students. One of them pointed to a picture of the Dalai Lama and asked who he was. I realize the Dalai Lama is from Tibet, but Buddhism is big in Japan, so I had just assumed they would recognize him.  Several of the students read the display about Martin Luther King Jr. and I think several of them did in fact recognize him, but for the most part, the displays were not of much interest to the students.

Except for one. They had a set of rooms devoted to Hiroshima & Nagasaki, and the students spent the majority of their time studying these displays. One of the students is from Hiroshima and he was able to point out on a huge display of devastated Hiroshima where his house is today. They have rebuilt the entire city over the old one with the exception of one building which is now a memorial. Just for this part of the museum, I’d say the trip was worth it.

Afterwards, we all went to see a movie in an American movie theater, which was something they were all looing forward to doing. We saw Rush Hour 3, with Jackie Chan, and they all seemed to have a good time. I’m not sure that anything surprised them orif they actually learned anything new at the theater, but it was a nice break for them.

After the film, we went back to the university and met up with a group of American students just to talk and eat pizza. Up until this point, the Japanese had really only been exposed to a handful of people associated with the exchange program, and they wanted to talk to “regular” American students. They got their chance tonight, and they really enjoyed it, too. Eventually the building closed and the cleaning crew threw us out, but I bet if they hadn’t we all would have gone on for another hour or two.

Here are some photos from this evening:

And lastly, a picture of the entire group. The photo was taken by the Japanese Advisor, who always insists that it’s his job whenever there is a big group photo to be taken.

Today after class we went to the Underground Railroad museum, also called the Freedom Center.

I’ll be honest; I really thought that the history of slavery in America would bore them half to death, but they really surprised me. At one point in the afternoon one of the girls said it “makes my heart hurt” and another said it made her feel sad. I guess they understood it pretty well after all. They don’t allow flashbulbs inside, so my indoor pictures were somewhat limited. Here’s one that I was able to get that I thought was interesting:

One of the students just didn’t understand it until I explained that slaves were sold in a market “just like a cow or a chicken.” He understood that just fine.

Despite all the hurting hearts, sadness, and depressing mood, they had a great time. So did I. Check this out: I’m not sure, but I think they made me an honorary slave-trader!

Just so nobody thinks I’m a bad guy for associating with slave traders, here I am with Ghandi too. Anyone who poses with Ghandi can’t be bad, right?

The view from the outside balcony is an excellent overlook of the Ohio river and nearby Kentucky. Notice the riverboats:

And here’s the whole gang in front of the best view: