Free Talk

Today in one of my Oral Communication classes, there were a few extra minutes left at the end of class so I decided to do free talk with the students. I told them they could ask me questions or tell me anything they wanted, like about how they spent their winter vacation. I should have expected what came next.

After thinking for a few moments and then collaborating with each other about how to ask the questions, the students asked me if/why I lost weight and how I manage to apply my eyeliner so perfectly. I was hoping for something more like "Marie-sensei, how did you spend your winter vacation?" but I wasn't surprised when I didn't get it. Last time we did this, I was asked if I had a boyfriend. I'm pretty sure that when it comes to free talk with the ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) the students think, "enough with the small talk, let's get down to business!" Luckily, this time, I was saved by the bell.

Too bad gardening gloves weren't on my 'to buy' list for JET

Usually, my Sunday mornings consist of sleeping in late, having breakfast and talking on Skype.  Nothing out of the ordinary.

But this morning was a little different. From 8:00a.m. to 11:30a.m. I joined my neighbors in the front of our apartment to pull weeds. This reminded me of how kids in Japan clean their own schools. Everyday at 3:15p.m. when the school bell rings, students move to their assigned cleaning areas. Mine is a hallway right outside the teachers' room, where a handful of students and I sweep.

But anyway, this is how weed pulling day went. My friend Jen and I started out by spraying each other with some bug spray that everyone was using.  After that, we waited while some men from the apartment sharpened our tools on small blocks.  Finally, we were handed old gardening tools and began to work.  I didn't have time to buy gardening gloves and Jen only had one pair, so she lended me a glove and we both worked with one hand for the whole morning.

The garbage area outside my apartment

Pulling weeds didn’t sound too appealing when my alarm went off at 7:50a.m. this morning (not to mention I stayed out last night at a local bar in Hitachi watching the Japan vs. Holland World Cup game with friends). But it actually wasn’t as torturous as I had imagined, mainly because Jen and I stuck together the whole time. It was nice to get some exercise for a change and even see some neighbors that I rarely get to see.

Everything went smoothly except for one little accident (plus our occasional “mushi” (bug) run-ins). My friend June cut his finger pretty bad half way through the morning and ended up going to the hospital to get it looked at.  This was after Jen and I convinced him that it probably wasn’t good that his finger tip had turned blue. And the paper towel and black electrical tape he had wrapped around his finger just didn’t look right.

We came together for a break at about 11:00a.m. and the man who led the weed pulling handed out Aquarius drinks to everyone and asked us to work a little bit longer. Our apartment is surrounded by several huge weed patches and I knew that there was no way we’d conquer the masses of weeds, but it felt good to know that we were helping a little bit.

Finally, we were told that we could stop, but nobody had left yet so Jen and I joined a group of other neighbors to finish bagging some branches. Once all the garbage bags were tied and piled, we were handed a new container of drain cleaner, thanked for our hard work, and dismissed.

While pulling weeds may not sound like the most exciting way to start the day, today I realized that good company can make even the most dull-sounding task more enjoyable.

10 Months Later in Japan

My Apartment

My apartment looks 100x better than when I first arrived in August of 2009, but there is still plenty that could be done to make it cleaner and more comfortable.

I never forgot what one JET alumni said at orientation in San Francisco last year when asked what the most difficult part of living in Japan was: figuring out the trash system. At the time, I had no idea what he meant, but now I completely understand. See the chart below? I understand about as much of it as you do…and I’ve been here for 10 months.

In Japan, you can’t just throw something away whenever you want. For example, recycle day for paper and plastic products happens only once a month. You can imagine how annoyed I am when I miss that day, which actually happens a lot! And there’s a similar day for other items (light bulbs, pots and pans…), which I have yet to figure out. No wonder why there are trash bags and random odds and ends piled in the corners on the porches of most apartments here. There are even special bags you have to buy for your garbage. The bags I have are blue (for burnable trash), green (not sure what for because I never use these bags), and orange (again not sure what for). On top of that, you can’t just throw a water bottle into your recycle bag. First you have to remove the wrapper on the outside and put that in with the burnable stuff, and then toss the cap into a different bag. I’m still not sure where the caps go, so I have an old blue garbage can filled with them in my kitchen. I could go on forever about the complexity of the garbage situation here, but I feel like the picture says enough.

Other than the excess garbage I have lying around my apartment (which also includes old musty futons in my closets, probably from predecessors long, long ago), things look pretty good! I’ve managed to cover up some of the bad spots on the walls with nice Japanese cloths, a world map, and photos. I’ve learned to get past the fact that my apartment is really old (over 30 years) and will never be as clean as I want it to be.
 
I’ve come to appreciate my apartment for what it is. I’m usually a perfectionist and I need everything to be clean and in good condition, but now I realize it’s not the quality of where you live that matters, it’s what you make of your situation that really counts. 

Japanese Culture

I think Japan is as foreign as it gets for someone like me, who grew up and spent her whole life in California. Before coming here, I thought that one year would be plenty of time for me to become acquainted with the culture and learn the language. But having lived in Japan for 10 months now, I realize that that’s not the case.

I can get around pretty easily now, meaning I know how to ride the bus and the train (and I even have a bus card and a train card!) And my Japanese is good enough to order a pizza over the phone, eat at restaurants, go shopping, etc. So for now, I’m satisfied!

Side note: I find it interesting how seasonal everything is in Japan. There’s even a special time (“Koromogae Day”) when Japanese people put away their winter clothes and take out their summer clothes. On June 1st, students all around Japan begin wearing their summer uniforms to school, which are different from their winter ones. For example, at one of my high schools the girls’ uniform changes from navy blue and brown plaid skirts, white blouses, and red ties to a lighter gray skirt and vest with white blouses. My wardrobe has also changed because of how drastic the temperature change is during each of the seasons.