| Thursday, September 21, 2006 |
| Are this news? |
 Old news, but still news. Besty somehow convinced a newspaper reporter to interview our clique at an international villa back in February. In Okayama, gaijin hanging out with each other ARE NEWS. Let's stay together, yeah, yeah, YEAH! I am proud to say that I am quoted saying things I didn't exactly say. Example:
Reporter Trained At Journalism School of Leading Questions: So, you are really interested in Japanese culture, aren't you?
Miss Rachel: Um, okay...I like onsens.
RTAJSoLQ:Ah! So you say you spend much of your time studying the traditional ancient art of Japanese bathhouse! And flower arranging. Sumo?
MR: ...um... I like to be clean...
And so it went. I am not exactly a poster child for the traditional culture of this country: ikebana bores me, I've never worn a kimono, can't speak keigo, am picky about Japanese food, don't bother with Japanese music in any form, and am more fond of the modern spa-world bathhouses than the ones with traditional 100-year-old floaty things swirling in the water. (But I do like kaitenzushi and Shinkansen, and enjoy my secluded life with the nice Kamogawan townspeople just fine.)
On the left, Vicky and Rach2 and I are admiring the exotic foreign cuisine like the hip, international socialites that we pretend to be. Bob-san is grating Toblerone for his famous mousse au chocolat, while hiding his combini Sake Cup behind his back. Sarah-yaki is squeezing fresh lemons and crumbling imported feta over lentils, while inevitably declaring, "And I call this Poop Soup!" (Are this culture?) On the right, Bec, DJ Herbal and I are arranged in faux conversation, lamenting the fact that we have not showered since touch rugby practice. This actually is the 2nd time I got my picture in the paper this year, unshowered and post-rugby, which leads me to believe that I should give up the onsen habit, be sweaty all the time, and fall into the lap of fame. Yes, friends, this are news. |
posted by Raychaa @ 11:28 PM  |
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| Monday, September 18, 2006 |
| "Every plan is a tiny prayer to Father Time." |
This long weekend was spent making plans, and two big things have fallen into place:
1) Thailand for Christmas! I've talked with the orphanage, the dates are set, and I'll be back at Baan Unrak in 3 months! I think my sister is coming if our plans align, so I'd get to have real family and Baan Unrak family at the same time. Baan Unrak means "House of Joy", and I can't wait to be back there. Asobimashou!
2) My friend Natalie and I are going to be leading a PEPY trip to Cambodia for next Golden Week! Come with us! There are many reasons I want to do this, but one of them is a rather sad one. Many of you know how much my trip there in May affected me, and it was one of the most intensely emotional weeks of my life. Something many of you don't know is that a good friend from our volunteer group, Noah Simring, committed suicide in July.
 My favorite memories of Noah are from this day, when he and I were running around with these kids at Bayon Temple. It was blazing hot, and the first time for all of us to see Angkor Wat, and the experience was magical by any account. This day and all the others are so vibrant in my mind, and images of Noah are strong in every single one: the afternoons building the houses, the cool evenings out at bars, the sickening drizzly day at the Killing Fields, muggy mornings lounging over banana shakes, the night we all spent dancing and laughing at the wedding. The memories haven't changed, but the pain and joy with which they're associated has intensified, and I've woken up shaking and crying some mornings thinking about Noah. When you know someone only in an intense burst of time/ place/ circumstance, you don't always realize how little you know about what they must be going through in their everyday life. There isn't much I can say beyond that I wish Noah could know how much he is loved and missed by his family and friends. Even if being back in Cambodia won't reduce any of the sadness, it's the tiny gesture that we want to make in memory of an amazing person. |
| posted by Raychaa @ 10:30 PM |
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| Wednesday, September 13, 2006 |
| New Kids On the Block and In the 'Chuo |
Though I can't fill the Adam-D-shaped hole in Kibichuo, I've strapped a torch on my handlebars and done the Road of Death home from Takebe thrice in the dark and have yet to be eaten by a boar! It's only a matter of time and colder weather before I will bundle up and become "Blackfaceman" for the new generation. My first weekend back, Britt took me along to legendary Pizza King, less-than-legendary fireworks, crepes, and late-night gossip over at Jon's in Wake-cho, and I met lovely new kids on the block. Several of us headed to Bob-san Park 'n' Park the following night to belatedly celebrate Bob's 23rd birthday with an onsen, Trivial Pursuit, and French toast in the morning. A whole weekend of sleeping on futons and having men do all the work in the kitchen... beautiful.
Some people I'm fond of:
 Sarah, Bruttney, Bob-san, Boone, Mochidani's forehead, me, and Jon K Gogh at our post-onsen yakiniku/ yakisquiddu/ yakivegetaberu dinner.
 Bruttney and I both work at Yoshikawa (she at the elementary, myself at the junior high and for sporadic/special elementary lessons), and the schools are heaven on earth. At last weekend's sports festival, that's our PE teacher (preceded with capitalized definite article if we must), Miki-chan, and Sora, waiting for the relay.
 Britt and I with Misako, the Yoshikawa dietician, who speaks great English and spends all her holidays backpacking around Asia.
 At the enkai at our town's lone hotel that night, Britt and I were seated in an English quarantine zone initially, but ended up attracting all of these sweet elementary teachers, plus the principal on the left. He said he visited Switzerland when he was young, "before the world blew up" (pre-WWII). Had our board of education chief, aka The Mummy, said that same thing, I would have assumed he meant the First World War, or possibly something Napoleonic. But then again, I don't understand a word the Mummy says due to too-large wooden (I think) teeth. Do I need to give up on kanji and start learning hieroglyphics? |
| posted by Raychaa @ 8:07 PM |
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| Sunday, September 10, 2006 |
| Requisite Sports Day Photos |
Junior high sports day, take 3:
 
As this was my 3rd round of sports festival days, none of it seems that novel anymore, but it has still been all-consuming at work. The first time I watched the sports days at my junior high schools, I was thrilled. It was so impressive that the kids and teachers could pull off such a polished performance, and I still remember how nervous I was making a speech in Japanese at the staff party that night. By the end of the following spring term, I realized that the reason it looks so well-rehearsed is because they start practicing in June/July, practice all through summer holiday, and don't hold proper classes in fall term until the festival has been completed. At the start of my second year, having already watched every event practiced multiple times, I was bored silly by the day itself and spent most of the afternoon playing with my elementary students that were present to cheer on their older siblings.
 Kamogawa Brass Band: Best known for painful renditions of the national anthem and school song, and jovial oldies medleys that includes "Pretty Woman", "You're Just Too Good to Be True", and "Yankee Doodle"
This year, feeling either more Japanese or completely jaded, I oscillated between awe, smug satisfaction at being (almost) part of a society that places such high emphasis on physical fitness and teamwork, and inevitable boredom. The supposedly hilarious "horse" relay, where one of the smaller boys runs along the backs of crouched classmates from one end of the field to the other, just looked painful, and the hat-grabbing "camel fight" turned a bit malicious, resulting in one bloody nose and one twisted ankle. The events went overtime and the day was blazing hot, as usual. What struck me the most this time was how every single student, regardless of height or weight or appearance, is held the same standards of ability level. Even the chubbier or less coordinated or special ed students run relays and do the group dance and calisthenic routines, and everyone is cheered equally. There are no individual awards or races. It's quite fantastic, really, that it's not a competition, but an expectation of capability.
The highlight of the teachers' relay (which we lost, as usual) was waiting for the handoff from my 65-year-old vice principal, dressed head-to-toe in white, speeding along without losing an inch to the kids he ran against. In contrast to the unspoken teacher uniform of trackies and a polo shirt, he looked quite dapper and ready to play a round of cricket, but he sure could run! I would like to see more people that age back home still be in such good shape. In reference to being "almost" a part of the sports day culture, this year I helped out with the girls' dance, was asked to do simple (yet very important) tallying duties, and was in general treated more like a teacher. In my first year, I was some novelty English-monkey act, being pushed into all the PTA events, getting shooed away when I tried to help clean, and I was periodically ushered into the "honored guests" tent with all the local politicians, the postmaster, the mayor, and the headmasters of the nearby elementaries. I couldn't say much in Japanese besides "I'm going to the supermarket!... I went to the supermarket!", so our interaction consisted of a lot of head-bob/bowing like those little felt birds that "drink" water from a cup. My feelings of being so teacherly and semi-included this year were squashed a few days before the event when I was apologetically uninvited to the staff party, due to the fact that it was at a yakiniku restaurant with an all-meat set course that could not accomodate my difficult, pescatarian self. Enkais are all about being social and relaxing with your colleagues, and as I'm only at the school 2 days a week and am probably more of a curious nuisance than anything else, the tiniest hint of being shunned concerns me. Sure, all the other teachers would be having a great time, with the convenient absence of the lazy ALT? Feeling rather like an outcast, it was a stroke of luck that my other junior high randomly invited me to theirs on that same night, so I got to at least bond with one of my staffs.
 A few of my favorite 3rd years: Hayato, Riyu, Shota, and Mao
As for battling the "Jaded/ When I Came to Japan At Least a Million Years Ago..." Syndrome, I love my schools and my town and all the great and tiny things I experience on a daily basis, but I'm often struck by the uniformity of the ALT experience in Japan. Of course everyone wants to feel special and that they are having such a unique experience, but in truth ALTs all across the country have nearly identical situations and nearly identical pitfalls. Were I placed one town over, or one prefecture north, or on the opposite end of the island, I would still have sports day, probably still be amused by the same things, and would still have the same types of kids to adore/abhor for the same reasons I do now. That sameness is what makes Japanese schools so different from the school system in the US, but also make the individual impact seem insignificant. Even that vicious thought cycle in itself is pandemic, but a proud-parenting approach seems to work pretty well. Sure, I could be anywhere, but I'm here. Those kids could be any kids at any junior high across the country, marching in just that way, carrying that flag. But, it's my town, and they are my kids, and aren't they adorable? |
| posted by Raychaa @ 9:44 PM |
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| Wednesday, September 06, 2006 |
| Last Days of Food, Family, and Disco |
 For a girl that has refused to wear dresses her entire life, almost-cousin Becky picked a perfect wedding gown for the ceremony 2 weeks ago. She could have walked right off the cover of Bride's magazine.The wedding was on a blazing Sunday afternoon, but considering that Becky and Dennis spent last year serving in Iraq, it probably didn't seem that hot to them.
Laura and Livi were beautiful bridesmaids in blue. The ceremony was short and very pleasant, and the man administering the service read a passage by Kahlil Gabran. Alex wore Becky's desert fatigues for the entire reception. A-belle wore gold shoes. And we even got the parents to come up on the dance platform for a few songs!
 Self-shot spree #1 of 25: I dot and Vegas cruising the strip in Sumner
Most of the extended Chapman family came over to our house the night after the wedding, which was my final night in the US. For my Last (BBQ) Supper, I tried to get one last taste of my favorite quasi-exotic foods (Hummus! Artichoke dip! Pitas! Sharp cheddar! Veggie bratwurst! Chik'n!) before returning to Japan-land cuisine. Aunt Heather, Uncle Michael and the boys were in from NZ, and it was the first time I've seen them all in 7 years. Harley and Kristiosis trekked over from Seattle and filled me in on Robbinswold gossip, but sadly Kristi's and my Busty La Roux glamour shots were all blurry.
 Shirley (grandmother of the bride) and Debbie (as in Debbie's Famous Carrots, which I pine for every Easter) -- I think Shirley wore at least 4 different jackets and sweaters throughout the course of the evening. I almost expected her to come out wearing one of my hoodies. She isn't sure who my sisters and I are anymore and general memory seems to be getting trickier in recent years, but she's still as smart and funny as ever.
I love that family is what you decide it to be-- this was very much a family BBQ, even though I hadn't met some of the folks from Alabama and Germany before that weekend and technically we're not related. It was the perfect way to say sayonara (again) to Redmond, but I ache to be back if I dwell on thoughts of home too much. If nothing else, I know the Dork Patrol (and his pride-and-joy 10-foot sunflower) will be waiting with open arms...and leaves... and claw.
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| posted by Raychaa @ 11:08 PM |
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| Friday, September 01, 2006 |
| Worth Seeing in Seattle |
After ten days in Seattle, the best way to describe my trip would be pictures of my house (where I lounged... a LOT), but I also shopped a destructive path to every Macy's, Nordstrom, Express, and Starbucks in a 30-mile radius, and dabbled in tourist photo-op spots.
A few things worth seeing:
 1) Po-po on horseback. All three have cups of Seattle's Best Coffee. The horses abstained, lest they get too skittish in traffic, but I saw them eyeing the Godiva cafe menu.
 2) This place was no fun. Sure, the patrons make it look so-- Jenni, watch out for the velocimargoraptor behind you! And beware of Sasha and Sam and their math jokes! The inaccurately-named Funhole was out of veggie dogs as well as soft ice cream.
 3) My favorite Russians-- Sasha and Lenin. One with abs of steel, and one who just is steel... or maybe bronze.
4) The troll. Ideal for glamour shots (left) or staring contests (right). Troll lives under an overpass and is crushing a VW Beetle in his... hand. (Paw? Claw?) It's probably some sort of hippie anti-car, pro-forest-dwelling-mythical-creature artistic statement, but I don't really know. Are trolls going extinct because of the VWs driving all over their natural habitat, or is it the Beetles going extinct because they keep getting snagged by giant concrete trolls? Damn those hippies, always trying to protect the mythical beasts.
 5) Pretty people who make you smile. Margs and Jeni and I hanging out at Norm's, known as the Dog Bar because they have pictures of canines on the wall, statues out front, and let the leashed variety come in and cruise around. Really, though, picking up anyone here could just end up as the punchline of a self-image-crushing joke.
Person A: "So, where you'd meet her?"
Person B: "At the dog bar."
A: "...well, I hope she at least has a good personality..."
B: "No, no, it's called that because they let dogs come in! Like, on leashes?"
A: "... leashes?"
See where this is going?
I'm now back to my considerably smaller aparto in Japan with no reason to shop, and lounging alone holds much less appeal than doing it in the company of family. Nice to have my car and easier access to tofu from the shops, but sadly there's no one here to buy and cook my food and do the dishes afterwards. (My mom loves serving us!!) |
| posted by Raychaa @ 3:43 PM |
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| So wrong it's right. And then wrong. And then wrong again... welcome to the inaka. |
| About Me |
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Name: Raychaa
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About Me: “No man, not even a doctor, ever gives any other definition of what a nurse should be than this - 'devoted and obedient'. This definition would do just as well for a porter. It might even do for a horse. It would not do for a policeman.” (Florence Nightingale)
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