Reflecting Upon August 2009

This is the story of my twenty-second August. This is where I am now:
(Scroll down for more photos)
Since the end of August is now approaching us, I am going to finally write another entry in this new blog. I've just been lazy to write and busy doing other stuff, but right now I am free and feel like bloggin'. I've finished watching NTV's 24 Hour Television (not all 24 hours) and I don't feel like doing anything else (I also read a few mangas) at the moment, so here goes:

This month has been full of ups and downs, smiles and tears, excitement and exhaustion, heat and humidity and sweat, adjustments and mistakes, many encounters (meeting so many people and visiting places for the first time ), endless cleaning and shopping, and appreciation and confidence. Each and every one of these I've just mentioned describe not only my month of August of 2009, but also the many changes/transitions that I've had to undergo from leaving my hometown of San Francisco to arriving and settling down in Kishiwada (of Osaka Prefecture).

I've started a new life in an area fairly new to me: Kansai (west of Tokyo, further away from Aichi Prefecture, where I did my internship 2 summers ago). Even though I've met so many other foreigners (I am a foreigner too) this month, who have come to Japan for their very first time or have only been here a few times, I still feel new to Japan after having been here for 16 other times, because I am in a new location. Even though I'm bilingual and bicultural in English and Japanese, I am not perfect and do not speak the Kansai dialect, so I found myself struggling to get used to the train system (it took a really long time for me to get the hang of it... maybe cuz it's been 2 years and I didn't travel SO much in Kansai last time) and other matters.

I've also made a huge mistake: forgetting my PIN number to my new ATM card. I had to pay 1000yen (~$10) to get a new card. This is something I'll most likely remember forever. There's other mistakes I've made this time in Japan despite having been raised with the Japanese culture.

And to be honest, no offense to anyone, but I've been tired of going out. I've felt like there's too many JET-related events going on, and that I need a break from it. It's definitely been nice meeting others this past month and getting to know them more, but all these events felt endless and I went to some when I didn't feel like going. I kind of felt pressured or obligated to attend most of the events, but at the same time, there were a lot of new things I wanted to see and do, so I went, but I grew to be more tired than satisfied.

Maybe I just needed a break and this weekend was awesome for that. But this weekend was a weekend of recovery for me. Not only from all the "going-outs" but also from my illness. I don't know what's been wrong with me, but I'm recovering right now. Since the following day after returning home from Rinku Town (for the semi-pointless Japanese language seminar), my tonsil areas of the neck/below my jaw were like throbbing but my throat itself wasn't sore. And the back of my neck hurt for a few days. I just felt groggy or something. With my contacts in, I felt even more dreadful and tired. At the malls I'd be so tired of waiting for others to finish shopping and would often need to sit down. I had to leave early too. I was like a madwoman biking home hella freakin' fast for a long distance just so that I could hurry up and take a nap. I also went to a Hanshin Tigers (5) vs. Tokyo Yomiuri Giants (1) pro baseball game for the first time and I couldn't have as much fun because I was feeling tired and a little sick.

It was so odd... my room is so freakin' hot that I sweat a lot too, but I felt cold like once or twice with this sickness. I also thought that it's not a good idea to have the AC or fan on so much, so to save energy, I've mostly had my window open but closed with the screen to have air circulation. So I've figured... the reasons for my sudden and unknown sickness must be due to:

1) Exhaustion from going out to so many JET-related events (that are supposed to be fun, but not always for me, no offense), dealing with the confusing train system, and shopping, etc.

2) The heat in my room, causing me to unconsciously pull off my covers at night, and maybe my stomach/back/neck areas aren't securely covered sometimes when I move around in my sleep

3) The dust in my room... I think the main culprit for all the damn dust is from the damn carpet. I also don't have a VERY nice vacuum cleaner, so I can't vacuum anything. I need to buy a new one because my predecessor's sucks. Today I just took the carpet off my floor and threw it onto the clothes lines outside so that hopefully the dust and lint would come off. There was soooo much dust underneath it that I had to wash/wipe the floor before dinner. So my cleaning wasn't done yet after all.

4) The lack of supply of fruits and vegetables good for the health. Back home, I'd eat so many fruits because they were reasonably cheaply priced and I LOVE FRUITS. Fruits in Japan are so expensive that I only buy them once in a while. I've only bought Kyohou grapes and Fuji apples so far this time. Fruits jelly don't count I guess. I need to go grocery shopping again once I get more cash. I've also eaten out a lot this month because of all the events and gatherings, so I've only cooked at home sometimes, which was probably less than how many times I've eaten out. This weekend I've mostly been cooking and eating what I have at home though, like curry rice and soba and spaghetti, because I'm out of cash (not completely though). Hopefully things will be better soon as I go to the bank, go shopping, and eat better. At least I don't drink everyday though. I can't drink that much alcohol because I'm light-weight/weak. So I'd be a cheap date.

5) Although I'm sweating every day here in HOT Osaka and I bike almost everyday, I'm not really working out. I need to find a karate dojo real soon!!!!!!!! I should've swam at the central park pool too, but didn't wanna get into the huge crowd of people and get sunburned. I don't have proper shoes to run in either. Ugh, more shopping to do!!!!!!!!!! :/ I've lost weight but I need to get fit and healthier.

Guess that covers it. Anyway, in short, it hasn't been easy adjusting to this new setting. I've had my own room for many years, but this is my first time living alone (even though I know someone in my apartment building). So I have to take care of everything by myself and be more responsible. As a 22 year old, I could be, I should be, and I am. But I need to be more of what I just said.

Also, it's been really nice not having to teach or work yet and still get paid, but I guess part of me has been tired of waiting. For JET, you need to play a long waiting game (I'm not playing around though). I'm finally going to be teaching at my junior high school starting next month. I'm sort of nervous and still feel unprepared to teach yet, but I feel like it's time to START!

I miss my family and friends back home, but I'm not really homesick yet. I will be though. I'm gonna be on my own, but my new friends here in Japan will hopefully keep me company. I appreciate everyone who's been helpful in my transition to my new life in Japan. I am no longer just the daughter of a Kanagawa-n couple visiting her relatives (whom only reside in Japan); a tourist or traveler; an intern at a children's home in Toyokawa, Aichi; a Japanese American returning to her ancestral roots/motherland. I've started something new in my own life. As a 2nd generation bilingual and bicultural Japanese American with desires of someday becoming a human bridge between Japan and the USA (something I wish I included in my NorCal Cherry Blossom Queen Program speech but didn't because I happened to read some bs news article saying that we Japanese Americans shouldn't wish to become 'bridges'), I have made my first real step toward my dream of something heading towards internationalization/international relations.

If you haven't read my previous entries, please do so, if you'd like to know more about what being in the JET Program means to me. I've been wanting to participate in this and teach English in Japan as an ALT since I was a middle school student. And real soon, I will be teaching junior high school students. I wish to give motivation to learn English, broaden closed/narrow minds, and teach what I know about the world and my country to my students. One of my challenges would be to pretend like I don't speak/know any Japanese in front of the students.

This month, even though I haven't started teaching yet, my fellow new ALTs and I have been helping out some junior high school students (JHS) with their recitation contest practice. We're going to be judging them next month at the contest.

So, to sum it up, I'm still adjusting to my new life in Japan, but have gotten used to things over the past few weeks. I hope my teaching experience will start off well and be successful throughout. Please wish me luck. Thanks for reading this long "essay."

Here's some photos with captions of some things I experienced this past month:

JET Program Tokyo Orientation, 8/2-4 (I'm glad I also got to reunite with some friends and cousins while in Shinjuku)

Traveling from Tokyo to Osaka via Shinkansen after the Orientation with fellow new Osaka JETs, 8/5

Welcome Party for Kishiwada JETs hosted by Mindy and others (Thank You!), 8/7

Yodogawa River Fireworks Festival, 8/8

The day we got our "written assignments" at the BOE (we coincidentally wore shirts that make the colors of the American flag!). I also visited my JHS for the first time. 8/10

At the famous Shinsaibashi Dotonbori area, 8/11

At Nara Toka-e (candle light illumination thing), 8/11

Rina-san's Housewarming Party, 8/12

Kadee's Belated Birthday Bash, 8/14

Bread-making class at the community center, 8/15

Bowling at Round 1, 8/15

2-year reunion with recent Hokkaido JET alumnus, Taiki-senpai, hanging out at the Koshien (watched 2 HS baseball games), 8/16

At Hard Rock Cafe Osaka after the Osaka Orientation, 8/18

Long walk to the Mino-O artificial waterfall, 8/20

dinner at a restaurant which serves each dish/drink for 294 yen each (tax incl.), 8/21

Clubbing at Club Pure, Shinsaibashi, 8/22 midnight-23 early morning (sorry, never going again)

Japanese Language Seminar, Rinku Town (excluding karaoke, shopping photos, etc.), 8/24-26

community Calligraphy class at Namikiri Hall, 8/27

Hanshin Tigers vs. Tokyo Yomiuri Giants Pro Baseball Game, 5-1 Tigers' victory, 8/28

I bought this T-shirt a few weeks ago, and wore it to support NTV's "24 Hour Television," a charity program, 8/29-30... me recovering while watching the show.

May our September be another great, better month for all of us. One more day of August to go.