the day where i planted rice yo!

hello!

i did promise i'd be back with something resembling a post, rather than just the dirty cop-out that was the last one... i mean, seriously, i know that no-one was satisfied... least of all me. i've been trying to establish a routine and a factor of that routine is regular blog updates. i'm getting there, slowly it would seem. i'm ok with that.

life is for living, right?

well... today, i went rice planting! the event was arranged by the lovely mamy (i'm not sure if she runs the kobayashi international centre or if she's just heavily involved?) and hosted by the extremely welcoming and hospitable tommy (think "really difficult japanese name" say "tommy")

i picked up miki at 8am (on a sunday!) and we headed off to kobayashi to meet up with mamy and a couple of the alts who work there (jono and ellen).

we headed off into the countryside (of which there is an abundance around these parts) to meet up with everyone else. i estimate there was about 20 of us? anyways. a fun day was planned for us and thankfully, a fun day was had by all!

we started off with some cold ocha and then had a welcome circle (apparently these are wicked popular here) where we each introduced ourselves and said a little something about our hopes or expectations for today! i managed to butcher the japanese language sufficiently for everyone to smile (i think i introduced myself informally, which seemed to go over ok. when theres like 213489 different levels of formality based on the person you're talking to, you can expect to miss the mark now and then) gave the circle a hearty "ganbatte!" and we were on our way to the rice field.

it was big. like. a big rice field. with no rice in it. and a group of really clean people standing at the edge. nervously.

however, it should be noted that our field wasn't as big as the field next to it which had already been planted... small mercies, eh?

now, i think a few folk know this about me, maybe not... i'm slightly mysophobic and fairly OCD when it comes to my hands and their state of cleanliness... today was a challenge. asides from the massive cultural exchange and immersion, today was about facing a fear. i mean, c'mon, i've emigrated 5000 miles out of my comfort zone... what's a little dirt? O_o

the first plunge was the hardest. let me tell you that much.

we were all lined up in the field, pretty much knee high in muck and dirty brown water. there were twigs that felt like snakes. i hope they were twigs. there were these white spiders skating on the water. to be honest, i have no idea how i enjoyed myself so much today - i've just described what hell will be like for me...

we were given a planting demonstration and set to task. off we went, this little row of muddy workers, shoving three stems of rice into the murky water. it was systematic and routine and uniform which is probably what kept me sane through the most of it.

i was working between two older japanese people - i don't speak japanese and they don't speak english. we got on like a house on fire. my towel kept dunking into the water, i almost lost my balance (a lot) and i smiled through the whole thing. they became my friends. i know this because they made sure i got plenty of melon to munch on after lunch. there were knowing nods, we were rice field comrades and even though we couldn't tell each other, we really loved each other. i'd take a rice bomb for those folk.

after we were hosed down (i'm not kidding, two of the little kids who were there decided that rice planting was for losers, old folk and stupid foreigners who don't know better decided to frolic in the field, head to toe mud. it was awesome if you can stomach that sort of thing)  we headed back for entertainment and hard-earned food!

there was traditional samurai dancing (very cool) and we made mochi from scratch which was ace - you pound rice with hammers until it turns into a rubbery jelly, you wrap it around red bean paste and eat! delicious! i helped pound the rice for a bit (after tommy cautiously asked me not to hit him with the mallet - he was responsible for turning the rice as it gets mashed up)

we then had a massive lunch, like seriously these japanese folk can eat. there was easily enough food for three times the amount of people. we ate and we ate. and we ate. then, it was dessert. we had ice cream with home made mulberry preserve, ice cream with green plum jam and two different kinds of melon.

melons, as i've told a few folk, are super expensive here so i was a bit shocked to see so much melon offered up to us. i was plied with the stuff by my comrades and forced, yes forced, to eat three slices. i asked a few of my friends and we think there was about £100 worth of melon on the table. easily.

so, full and tired and still a little muddy round the edges, we headed for home (after the goodbye circle - see "welcome circle" above and do it in reverse. i may have butchered the japanese language earlier but this time i gutted it and made sure it was dead. they still smiled. my work there was done)

we were treated to some omiyage (gifts/souvenirs) of the day: rice which had been harvested from the field we'd just re-planted, some flower bulbs (which i gave to miki to give to her father as i don't have a garden), mochi we had made and a map/pamphlet thing of the local area which is now proudly on my wall. i feel very lucky. very lucky indeed.

now, i'm tired and sunburnt (i covered everywhere but my legs in sunblock... i'm from scotland, we share a latitude with russia, this sunshine all the time thing is new to me but i'm learning) and ready for bed.

a good day.

peace.

photos of the day.

proof that i got my hands dirty.

i helped make that happen.

obasan (old lady) hands. they're mine, but its amazing what hard work will do.

samurai dancing. our host, tommy, is on the right.

so cool.

mochi making. the photographer guy lived in nyc for years and was really lovely.

mochi all stuffed with bean paste and ready for us to devour.

miki-chan pounding the mochi into submission.

enjoying the rice violence a little too much...

mamy-san turning her hands to rice violence.

pretty flowers.

lunch. oishii ne?

close-up lunch.

two different kinds of melon. talk about feasting like kings. tasted so good.

my spoils: a bag of rice which came from the field we just replanted, some of the mochi i made and a map of the area. i'm a very lucky boy.

lazy

i'm lazy.

here's a video until i can post a real blog...

peace.

kushimaaaaaa

word.

i’ve clearly been a little remiss this week but hey-ho… the nature of life for me now is to simply go with the flow. if i have the time, i’ll do it, if not… there’s always some other time.

lots to talk about, an entire week of stuff to be exact. but for now this post is about last saturday where i headed down south to hang out with some friends down there.

i hummed and i hawed about what to do – i’d been invited to drive down south from ebino to a place called kushima by some friends to spend the weekend camping and barbequing on the beach. my nature for some time has been to politely decline, to shy away. couldn’t tell you why i’ve been that way, it’s just always been my way. i’d promised myself (and various others) that this would change once i moved to japan. it had to, i couldn’t possibly live anything resembling a happy life if i did otherwise.

i’m slowly getting there with saying “yes!”

going to kushima with my new friends was the biggest step (maybe after going off the map a few weeks ago down in kirishima/kagoshima, that was pretty intense for me…) and i’m ever so glad i did.

the drive is about 4hrs (if you take the long road which i did…) but it’s a beautiful drive down so there was no complaining from me! after getting lost in shibushi (the city next to kushima) trying to find ben and rosa, i eventually met up with them about 35mins after i was meant to (yes friends, i’m learning the art of lateness and the fact that it’s ok).

we stocked up on supplied and headed off to the beach, a secluded stretch of golden sand. through fields and forests we went, my first time “off road” driving which was pretty epic. i did good, other than reversing into a bush slightly then driving into another one in my attempt to park up next to the beach… =D

we set the tents up – ben and rosa have a palace of a tent, it was epic. =)

we then got a call of from ben and another of the southern kyushu ALTs: their car had ended up straddling the road with both sets of wheels lodged in ditches. so, we hiked up our skirts (metaphorically, we were all wearing shorts) and headed out into the dark rice paddies to the rescue. between 7 of us, we lifted the car and set it back on the road. that’s how we roll down here. =)

the fire pit was lit, each of us sacrificing any scrap paper or car trash we had (glad to know i’m not the only one who has a trash car) to get the fire going. after we got it going, we chucked an animal load of meat on the grill and the feasting began.

full of meat, cookies and chicken wings (kindly prepared by another of the ALTs – oishi (delicious) to the max!) and booze, we had a flaming bamboo spear chucking contest. i was bolivia (the theme being south american countries) and i kicked ass – those years of frustrated javelin hurling during gym class at high school clearly paid off. < fat kid rage for the win >

the next day, we cleared up and hit a sushi joint: my first time at a conveyor belt sushi place. i passed out and slipped into a food coma it was so good. i asked for the bill in japanese (with coaching from the lovely ben and rosa) and all was good. the food was divine: aubergine in miso, shrimp and mayonnaise, shitake tempura, green tea on tap… i was in my element, stacking up various coloured plates and just being chilled. after eating here, my default position is to nap but instead, we talked about period costume dramas on the bbc and how we all had a shared affection for the gillian anderson led verision of dickens’ “bleak house”. like-minded company indeed – with complimentary senses of humour for good measure.

we then headed into shibushi and went exploring the international woods there. lovely place, really beautiful and with cracking views of the ocean. =) only downside was discovering that i was sharing the toilet with a massive brown huntsman spider (this thing was the size of a tea saucer, i kid you not…) but i coped marvellously and all was well. zooming about the forest roads was pretty fun, especially as none of us had much of an idea which way was the right way to go: but in an adventure, there’s no such thing as “the right way” so all was well.

ben and rosa put me on a different road home, via miyakonojo and the miyazaki expressway which * should have * cut about two hours of the drive home… unfortunately, i’m a new-ish driver who has never deviated from the tracks that my car was on back home. i got sensationally, beautifully lost. i drove in circles in downtown miyakonojo (it’s the second largest city in my prefecture) for a bit then found the expressway which i took in the wrong direction… i’ve been slowly getting my sense of direction back (back home, i’m practically a human compass) and i knew that i was heading in the wrong direction… i turned off the expressway at the first exit i came to and drove around the unfamiliar countryside, hoping for the best as my phone had died and i had no map…

i drove through a place called tano and figured out that i was heading north. i followed the road and eventually started to recognise stuff. needless to say, instead of cutting two hours off a four hour drive it took me over five hours to get home and i loved every beautifully confused minute. =D

i got home, had a wash and crashed out. just in time for school on monday… beautiful.

peace out. 

Also, a link to a video of kushima beach (mostly for my Dad cause he'll love it, but you're all free to watch... Dad, you click on the blue writing and the computer will do the rest ^_^)

some pictures of the weekend.

my favourite picture of the weekend. 

view from the beach out to the island.

and again.

golden sands... my bed for the night 

view of (another) island. potentially our next adventure.

the port at shibushi, taken from the heights of the international wood.

ferris wheel in shibushi.

adventure island again.

view.

so beautiful.

globe from the international wood.

three day feast of words

word.

today was pretty epic. but that’s not where we’ll start this post, oh no… we need to go back to tuesday to really have a clear idea of how good this week has been. i’m purposely avoiding monday because it wasn't fun. not even a little bit.

but i’m not talking about the bad because it doesn't register with me, it’s all about the good here. oh yes!

tuesday

ok. so. tuesday is when i teach at “favourite school” aka “the happiest most fulfilling place i’ve ever worked. ever.” =) i found out that my classes were cancelled which made me sad. but… the classes were cancelled for their undokai (sports day festival thing) and i got to go. * result *

there were games and races and children using other children as bridges. i pretended that there was lava (i do live on the side of a volcano so this isn’t hugely unimaginable) and all but one of the children were immune to the lava. so they made a wee bridge for that one kid. these kids are troopers and they make me smile a lot.

i was on the white team and i helped secure a win in one of the events: we were throwing beanbags into a basket atop a pole. my height made up for my general sporting incompetence and lack of hand-eye coordination.

the undokai wrapped up with lunch on the grass with two schools (“favourite school” and it’s Junior High School counterpart). * satisfied *

wednesday

i taught at “second favourite school”. in 12 different languages.

15 minutes of my lesson was in english.

then about 10 minutes of french.

then 10 minutes of mangled russian.

then greek, welsh, italian, portuguese, german, korean, chinese, spanish and some japanese for good measure.

it went over well. =)

thursday aka today

today i was almost late. i slithered under the pole and made it just in time. lesson learned: go to bed earlier and get up earlier. instant no lateness. =)

taught some classes. they didn't bomb but they could have gone better. these classes are reaching the end of a section in the curriculum which leads me to think they’re getting a bit bored with repeating, reusing and regurgitating the same sets of vocabulary. had two free periods before lunch where i was planning to revise for the test i had later in the day (more on this later…) but no, there was to be no revision for me…

the free periods were there for a special reason: this school (it hasn’t really warranted a nickname yet but i think it’ll eventually get one…) had some special guests! oh yes, i was treated to a brass band performance. they were really good. however, i was to earn this amazing little treat…

the leader of the brass group (there were two trumpets, a french horn, a trombone, a tuba and a drummer) was engaging the children in a little bit of witty banter, from which i gleaned (it was all in japanese of course): japanese people don’t really have the glottal stop needed to make “ch” noises like in loch. which makes singing Frere Jacques a little difficult. he had the kids attempting to make “ccccchhhh” noises with little success.

it gets interesting when one of my japanese teachers decides to tell the guy that i’m scottish and speak french –  two of the languages/dialects which make extensive use of “cccchhh”.

i may have ended up on-stage, leading an entire elementary school in a what i’d like to think was a rousing rendition of Frere Jacques in french…

as my wee granny would say: “it could only happen to you gavin…” =D

the japanese teachers and i were then hauled up on stage to perform the actions to a japanese version of “DoReMi” from Sound of Music. i belted out the song in english, much to the amusement of everyone.

a good day? you betcha!

it doesn't end there however.

off to “mountain school II” i go, to continue the adventure.

i mentioned a test earlier. i’ve been studying hiragana whenever i can during my free time at school – which has piqued the interest of any japanese person who happens to wander past my desk. “mountain school II” have taken a keen interest in my advancement, to the point that they’ve been quizzing me and getting me to complete worksheets etc. super sweet of them, to take an interest like that. today had been designated as the day where i should have fully completed my learning and revision and they felt i should be ready to be tested on all 46 hiragana.

i get to “mountain school II” and teach. lesson goes really well, kids smiling. none of them died of boredom, one came close to choking from overexcitement. all good.

lesson over, i head back to the teachers room only to be grabbed and dragged into an empty classroom with one wee desk in it (“mountain school II” have more students than “mountain school I” but they still have a lot of empty rooms). on this solitary wee desk is a test paper and a pencil.

20 minutes later…

i’m back in the teachers room, kyotou-sensei (vice-principal of the school) is rabidly marking my test paper, my palms are sweaty. this test is basically for five year olds. i’m a 25 year old with two degrees… the embarrassment would be visible from space if i cocked this up.

100%

i am showered with gifts (in the form of approx. 30 little cakes) and presented with a certificate they made on the computer. my certificate is on the wall in the teachers room, a testament to the fact that when i’ve just been sitting at a desk i’ve been doing something productive.

only friday left in the week, unsure of how it’ll go. i haven’t taught at this school a great deal and it’s weird not to have a feel for the classes or the teachers yet. it’s also frustrating that i’ve been doing my self-introduction lesson after being here for a few months. things will improve once i get into the swing of things, i’m sure of it…

i’ll leave you with some lyrics which have been floating in my head for the past few weeks (temporarily knocked out of my head by the Sound of Music medley today…):

It was the winter of '86, all the fields had frozen over

So we moved to Arizona to save our only son

And now he's turned into a man, though he thinks just like his mother

He believes we're all just lovers, he sees hope in everyone

And even though she moved away, we always get calls from our daughter

She has eyes just like her father's, they are blue when skies are gray

And just like him she never stops, never takes the day for granted

Works for everything that's handed to her, never once complained*

these lyrics make me think of my family. i don’t know why. i get a wee lump in my throat when i listen to the song, a good lump though. missing things and missing people is healthy, i’m enjoying it.

absence makes the heart grow fonder…

*the song is “the gambler” by fun.     listen to it. 

miyazaki city

hey!

yesterday i went to miyazaki city for company training. it was good in it's own way but nothing life shattering.

we went through company policy, again. we were given all the appropriate forms and guidelines, again.

the best part was a sort of diy brainstorm of teaching techniques and games that the other southern kyushu ALTs have used with success in the classroom. it was great to have a (sorta) informal time to see and hear from others who have been doing this a lot longer than i have, who have been in a classroom for more than six weeks. there were four of us who started together at the end of march and another ten who have been here longer so it was a good mix of "old" and "new". was also great to see krish and alex (guys from training) again and find out how they're getting on!

we went out for dinner afterwards which was nice. got a chance to have a chat with a few new people (and a catch-up with an ALT who i met previously). we had burgers. which was amazing. i've not been craving different foods as such but it was amazing to have a completely familiar food in a completely alien environment. the burger was immense. i have fairly low burger expectations to be fair so maybe it wasn't that great? but to me, it was tasty.

today, i've been lazy all morning but i'm off to a party this afternoon (leading in to this evening) which i should go and get ready for. i'm picking up a friend and we're heading through to kobayashi together (kobayashi is the next town over, about 20mins drive from ebino) i'm the designated driver, which is great, so no beer for me! which is a good thing because i'm stone broke.

roll on payday i say!!

more soon, hopefully with photos!

peace.

long time no speak...

hello little blog of mine... 

i'm sorry i haven't been that great at keeping you up to date. i've been busy... 

finally in japan. been here for almost two months now and it's quite weird to think that i live here... i've passed what i thought would be the serious "homesick" period: the time where everything would start to become too much as i realised i'm not here for a holiday. it went fine. don't get me wrong, i seriously miss my family and my friends but i'm here to do something amazing. 

i've made friends, not to replace my old ones. i've got a family set-up, not to replace my actual family. 

life here is slow and warm. it's nice to go to work, have fun (for the most part) and come home feeling you've actually done something rather than nothing. i like my job. i like my new hometown. i really like japan. 

i'm happy. 

now, here's the proof that i've been busy and not just lazing about, avoiding posting a new blog entry. prepare yourself for a visual onslaught... 

 me at the bishamon waterfall.

 the bishamon waterfall

 my local volcano. mt. kirishima (i think?)

 volcanic lake!

 the band.

 i was treated to a sashimi dinner by my japanese family. yum!

 sunset.

 bishamon waterfall again.

 kurason gorge.

my favourite place. the 100yen store.

 mt. sakurajima. an obviously active volcano. =)

 sakurajima again.

 and again.

 torii gate buried by sakurajima's 1914 eruption. the gate was originally 3 meters tall...

 i got closer to the erupting sakurajima. dangerboy!

 largest tree trunk in japan. in aira city, near kagoshima.

 one last look at sakurajima...

 omiyage given to me by the teachers at my favourite school. =)

 my green tea set. makes me happy, so it does.

 tanokansa. the diety of ebino. blesses the rice fields and stuff. =)

 shamisen players greeting the train.

 celebrating 100 years of train travel in ebino.

 mini tanokansa. they're everywhere around town.

 my japanese family's garden. =)

 these chickens gave me eggs. they're in my fridge. the eggs, not the chickens...

 japanese family's house. nice, huh?

 japanese family's garden again.

peruvian latin american music concert at the international centre in ebino. 

see, i told you i was busy. so far i've taken 973 photos. this is just a wee selection of them. hope you like them... 

more soon, when i can get my laptop in a more comfortable place. my charger has been acting up, so i have to do some serious manoeuvring to get the thing to charge. thankfully it's the charger and not the laptop... currently it wants to charge on the floor under my table so i'm leaning under there just now. =D

peace.