Fall

It's finally starting to feel like fall!  Best. Season. Ever.  I love everything about it...the leaves changing color, the crisp, cool air, pumpkin flavored things, hot apple cider, hayrack rides, pumpkin patches, coats, Halloween...aaahhh.  Most people I ask say that summer is their season of choice..I just don't understand why.  I hate summer. 

I'm looking forward to breaking out the sweaters and actually going outside.  It's been over 100 degrees (Fahrenheit) here on a consistent basis until this week, which is not conducive to spending a lot of time outdoors.  I'm hoping this fall will be a good one.  I didn't really take advantage of the atmosphere last year.  I think a lot of it was because we had just moved here and I still hadn't quite settled.

I hope it doesn't pass by too quickly.  It's already been a month since the summer program ended and it doesn't feel like it at all.  Time has been flying.  I've kept myself busy with school and work.  One thing I have enjoyed that I never really enjoyed before is cooking.  It's one of those things I've never had the patience for.  I have a tendency to burn things because I can't bring myself to stare at something on a stove.  I  usually get distracted and start doing other things.  According to Dakota, "the smoke alarm is my timer."  But I've been actually doing a decent job lately.  I even made up my own recipe for empanadas and they turned out really well! 

I've also been working on my sewing.  I came up with these little ballerinas recently.  I think they're my favorite thing I've made so far. 

I hope I can travel somewhere soon.  I've been feeling restless lately.

It's Been Awhile...

So...I haven't blogged in awhile. 

It's something I just kind of forgot about...mostly because I've been so busy.  I worked over 60 hours last week. 

I am back in my apartment now, which is nice, but I miss the students terribly.  I spent all of last week helping move in the new international students for this semester.  We had 200.  It was a busy week.  I even had to work some 3 AM shifts. Loooooong week.

School starts up again on Wednesday.  I can't decide if I'm ready or not.  I think it will be a nice change of pace after working my butt off all summer...but we'll see.  I'm a little bummed out...we recently found out that we won't be able to go to the Czech Republic.  Turns out there were some financial details we overlooked and there's just no way for us to come up with the money to go.  Instead, we are going to search for an internship...that way we might get paid for our international experience.

On the bright side, this gives me time to focus on learning some Japanese, which may come in handy since I'm kind of leaning towards a TESOL internship in Japan.  (Japanese and Czech at the same time might have made my head explode.)  Also, there are some new french speakers this semester, so I'll have some good opportunities to enhance my French skills.  

I'm hoping to have some more interesting posts in the upcoming weeks.  I'll be starting some cooking lessons and I've been making some pretty cute stuff lately.  For now, I just wanted to acknowledge the fact that I am still alive (even though I don't really have any readers) 

Sayonara

Friday was an emotional day.  We all got up at 4:30 to go to the airport and say our goodbyes. 

I had written a letter for each student.  I went to hand my letter to one of the students and he looked up at me with the saddest face I'd ever seen and burst into tears.  It broke my heart.  Before we boarded the bus, several of the students presented me and the other two PA's with gifts.  I received a fan, a beautiful Japanese teacup, some macha green tea, a hairbow, a card, and a Japanese magazine.  The gift I loved the most was a red folder that was signed by each of the students on the inside.

All 3 of us got one, but mine was particularly special because it was written in English.  The Japanese PA and the American PA both speak Japanese, so the students were able to write theirs fairly easily.  I was told that some of the students spent nearly an hour perfecting their message to me.  It's something I'll never forget. I will proudly display it in my living room.  

The students were on several different flights, so there were tears at every terminal.  Saying goodbye certainly wasn't easy.  After two months of living with the students and being with them everyday I made some very good friendships.  It's something I will always be grateful for and never forget.  This job was tiring, stressful, long, and involved, but it was completely worth it. 

Luckily it's easy to stay in touch with Facebook and Skype.  Now it's time for another year of school and new kinds of adventures.   

For now, here are some pictures!

<3

The End

Well, there are only 3 days left of the program.

I'm so sad.  : (  I'm looking forward to moving back home with Dakota, but I'm going to miss these guys so much.  I know they have great things in store for them and will have a blast at their universities, but I still wish they would stay here.  I've learned so much...not only have I learned a lot about their culture and intercultural communication, but I have also been inspired to start learning Japanese and possibly look for a job in Japan next summer. 

There's tension in the air.  Everyone is torn between being excited and sad.  We'll have a goodbye dinner on Thursday...with a surprise video that me and the other PA's put together.  We have pictures from the very beginning, all the way to the end.  Hopefully I'll remember to post it on here after it's over.  It's been a great summer, despite the constant fatigue and stress.  I definitely need to dye my hair. 

We will be leaving bright and early Friday to take them to the airport.  I sincerely hope they had a good time here.  So many memories...  I hope to see them all again someday. 

Week Six

I still can't believe it's almost over.

I think at this point I'm ready.  The lack of sleep from the past six weeks is finally catching up with me.  I'm exhausted all the time anymore.  A day off will be nice. 

The students have been busy with tests and studying lately.  We had a lot of Japanese food this weekend and watched the Women's Soccer World Cup:  Japan vs. USA.  I thought the screaming would never stop when Japan won.

I have a lot of adventures ahead of me still.  On the 29th I will say goodbye to all of the new friends I've made this summer (except the one student who is staying).  I'll have a few days' break before all of the international students come for the fall semester.  Then classes start.  I'll be spending most of the semester preparing for my trip to the Czech Republic in the spring.  I also have a small bucket list of things I want to do that semester.  I'm definitely going to be getting a tattoo, taking some Japanese cooking lessons from my friend Aki, and visiting Sunflower Mountain, the highest point in Kansas.  I'm looking forward to it.  Fall is my favorite season. 

In the meantime, I have 12 more days with these students.  They've inspired me to try to learn a little Japanese and possibly spend a summer in Japan.  If I can find a summer teaching English job there, I'll definitely go for it : ) 

Week Five

Well, this post is a bit late considering we're halfway through the 6th week, but oh well.

Better late than never, eh?

Last week was actually pretty relaxing and mostly uneventful.  But personalities are really starting to show.  In Japanese culture, students are reeeeeallly babied.  Their parents do EVERYTHING for them, all the way through school.  They don't have to worry about anything.  This is a pretty noticeable contrast to American culture.  It's every man for himself here.  Once you're 18 or 19, your parents loosen the leash.  This idea is clearly very difficult for some of the students.  They don't want to have to solve any of their own problems, but they have to learn how if they want to survive here.  I just wish I knew how to make them realize that. 

We went to the pool on Saturday.  Despite the fact that I applied sunscreen twice, I got burnt to a CRISP.  It's been four days and it's just starting to heal.  I'm far too white for the sun.  I didn't even get a tan.  I also got to taste some Oyakodon.  The name means "parents and children", which is kind of clever because the dish consists of chicken and egg.  And rice.  It's pretty delicious. 

Last night they put on a miniature concert and it really had a big effect on me.  There were two professors who played and they were amazing, of course.  And then some of the students played instruments.  Two of them played the piano, and one played the saxophone...and they were so GOOD!  It's inspiring to see such talented people, but also somewhat depressing for me.  It makes me feel so inadequate...like I've wasted so much time.  I'm honestly not extraordinarily talented at anything.  The finale of the show was the students singing "Let It Be" by The Beatles.  It was so amazing and adorable.  It made me realize how much I'm going to miss these students when they leave.  As much as I am looking forward to having a day off and sleeping in my own bed, it's going to be tough to say goodbye to them in a couple of weeks. 

MMORPG Love

So...I'm kind of a fan of video games.

My favorite game hands down is World of Warcraft.  I've been playing it for years now.  For those of you who are familiar with the game and might care, I play Horde.  : )  I'm a level 85 Undead Shadow Priest. 
I don't get a lot of time to play it right now because I'm so busy, but this weekend I've managed to cram in some WoW time.  However, one of Dakota's friends at work suggested that he try the game Rift, another MMORPG, so we tried it today.  

I just thought I might put in a little review of the game, despite the fact that chances are nobody will read this and even if they do, they probably don't care about video games at all.

Oh well.

Anyway, I enjoyed Rift, even though it largely ripped off WoW.  Almost every command is the same and the layout of the basic functions (spells, bags, etc.) is the same.  However, I think I prefer the graphics in Rift.  It has a much darker, more fantasy-oriented design the WoW, which tends to look more cartoon-y.  I also really like that you can choose a combination of 3 specs rather than 1.  This was probably the main thing I liked about it that was different.  It was refreshing.  You can go so many directions with your character.  I chose to be an Elementalist, with Pyromancer and Stormcaller as my secondary abilities.  Basically, it's like a combination of a Mage and a Shaman on WoW, plus you have an elemental pet that does not have a time limit on it.  It stays with you unless it dies.  It was pretty cool.  You also make money much faster on Rift.  Questing is pretty much the same.  I haven't gotten far enough to do any instances or raids, but I'm looking forward to it. 

Anyway, if you have been considering downloading the trial, I certainly recommend it.  I still think I prefer WoW (maybe just out of loyalty), but Rift is definitely a nice change for those times when you are in the mood for gaming, but kind of sick of WoW. 

I'm sorry if this post was completely pointless.  My nerdyness took over today.  : )  I should get some sleep..we have to get up and go to the water park tomorrow. *Sigh*

Week Four

Well, it's halfway over.

It's really gone by fast.  I'm not sure how to even feel about it.  There's part of me that is so ready to have a normal life again...to be able to have a day off and go home and sleep in my own bed.  And then there's a small part of me that feels like I haven't learned enough yet...I know I will miss these students very much when they leave.  I wish they were all staying here.  Out of 24 students, only one is staying.  The rest will go to the east coast. 

It's been an interesting week.  I've learned a lot more about their culture.  Mostly because culture shock is starting to set in for some of them. 

The director of the program came this week.  She talked with all of the students about their plans for after the program.  During these interviews, the students raised several concerns, none of which had ever been brought to our attention.  They were pretty minor things...wanting different breakfast items, wanting us to post a bulletin board for announcements...little things like that.  But they never mentioned those things to us. 
 
Turns out this passiveness is very prevalent in Japanese culture.  They are so used to being told what to do and never given a chance to express themselves.  They are also used to having a group to fall back on. 

That's not how things work here.  You're expected to be responsible for yourself...nobody to fall back on, really, and nobody to tell you what to do.  If you have a problem, you have to confront it yourself to make it better.  I think this is hard for them to understand.  I had to tell them that they need to let me know if they have a problem so we can fix it. 

Here are my observations this week:

1) The students have a hard time comprehending that participation is important in classes.  In American universities, it's usually part of your grade.  In Japan, participation is not required.  Students are never asked their opinion, so they are not used to having to speak in class or raise their hand to answer questions.

2) The students are soooo shy.  I'm a very shy person, but I guess that only works on an American scale because I am outgoing in comparison to these students.  This explains a lot of their passiveness.

3) Japanese students seem to be afraid of making mistakes.  They will spend hours just staring at their textbooks.  I tried to tell them to grasp concepts and ideas rather than try to study things word for word, but it hasn't seemed to catch on yet.  They either want to speak grammatically correct or not speak English at all.  This is a major setback for language learners.  You have to get used to the idea that you WILL mess up and that it's ok because you will learn from it.  Some students have gotten better about this and have improved...others are still too afraid to speak.

4) They slurp their food really loudly.  I have pretty extreme noise anxiety, especially with eating noises, so when I ordered Chinese food one night and they were all slurping lo mein I thought I was going to set the entire building on fire.  It drove me INSANE.  I found out that it is a cultural thing.  The slurping noise is to make other people around them think that they are really enjoying their food.  It made it impossible for me to enjoy mine. 

5) The idea of food coloring disgusts most of the students.  I tried to explain that it doesn't change the taste of the food...they still didn't go for it.  They cringed when I mentioned making blue rice.

6) Christmas is very different in Japan than it is here.  With children, it is celebrated somewhat similarly...you spend the day with your family and decorate the tree...et cetera.  When you get older, however, it is celebrated much more like Valentine's Day.  Usually you spend the day with whoever you are dating, exchange gifts, and eat KFC.  The girl I was talking to about it was shocked when I told her that KFC was not traditional Christmas food...haha.

7) A lot of Americans would consider Japanese guys to be somewhat feminine.  It's normal for them to spend a lot of time styling their hair and to wear pink.  When we went to the mall last weekend, several of them were sampling Victoria's Secret scents.  When we got to the bus, I noticed one of them carrying the familiar pink striped bag.  It's actually kind of a nice change.  I think American men are way too preoccupied with advertising their masculinity, which usually results in them having no personality. 

We went to Worlds of Fun yesterday.  I wasn't overly impressed.  Some of the rides were a lot of fun, but it was waaaaaaaay overpriced and the weather was terrible.  I felt like I was in an oven. 

It just doesn't feel like 4th of July.  No fireworks, no cookout food, no family.  I at least hope we can see some fireworks from the dorms.  I also hope that next week goes by fast.  We'll see.

Letters

Lately I've been admiring paper.  It sounds odd, but it's true.  I've been seeing a lot of interesting stationary and paper products.  I've also been writing notes for the past month.  All of this got me thinking about how I used to write letters to my great aunt who lived in a different town.  I would always look forward to receiving a letter back in the mail.  There's just something so charming about snail mail. 

Which got me thinking...I would really like to start writing letters again...but I have nobody to write to. 

I know that very few people read this blog at the moment...but if anyone does happen to stumble across this and is interested in having a pen pal, let me know!  I think it would be really fun to have someone to write to and to get letters back.  I think it would also be fun to make my own stationary to do so.  We'll just have to see. 

Also, I can write in French and Spanish, so if I have any international readers I would love to hear from you as well...plus it would be good language practice for me. 

Felt

I've been working on these little felt guys off and on for the past few weeks.  They actually turned out much better than I expected and they're really fun to make.  Sitting around in the dorms can be extremely boring sometimes.  These little projects definitely make it more bearable.

It sounds odd, but making these has been excellent for stress relief...and if nothing else, I'll have a large stock of goodies by the end of summer for all of the kids that I know.  Dakota's sister is expecting twins and I think these could make a really cute mobile.  I'm just waiting to find out if they are boys, girls, or both.

I'm so glad it's the weekend for me.  I'm definitely going to bed early tonight.  I feel like a zombie. 

A Small Rant...

This post is actually a little overdue.  One of the events that sparked it happened a couple of weeks ago...but better late than never, eh? 

What actually finally inspired me to do it was when one of my co-workers said that America is the greatest country in the world. 

Well, ok.  I'm all for patriotism...but how do you rate the "best" country?  And how can you say that if you've never lived anywhere else?  It seems that all of the people that are so quick to say it's the best don't really know much about any other culture...or can produce any solid reason as to why they think that way. 

My theory is that it's ingrained in our culture in an unflattering sort of way.  A little boy, no more than 7 or 8 met some of the Japanese students a couple of weeks ago.  After chatting with them for a few minutes, he innocently asked, "do you have pencils in Japan?" I could not believe what I had just heard.  I don't blame the boy by any means...I know that he was being perfectly serious.  But it made me think back to my own childhood.

 The idea that America is the most advanced, best, and richest country in the world is shoved down our throats the minute we hit school.  I remember thinking that America was the only country where women had rights...because that's exactly how it was presented to me.  Several female presidents are currently in power in Europe and South America.  And guess which country has never had a female president? 

You guessed it. 

This young boy actually seemed to believe that other countries were so low tech that they couldn't figure out how to make a pencil.

And who makes most of the most advanced electronics and cars in the world?

Japan.

I don't despise America or anything, but being around another culture makes me realize how arrogant Americans can really be.  The ingrained sense of superiority and lack of respect for other countries and cultures really bothers me.  You can be proud of your country...but there is a big difference between patriotism and ignorance. 

Week Three

I'm surprised it's been three weeks already.  It seems like I just posted about the second week.  O.o  Time flies when you're busy.  It's been a pretty normal week, I suppose.  I guess I haven't explained my daily routine yet. 

I get up at around 6:30 every morning.  We all go to breakfast at 7:15 to eat some sub-par cafeteria food.  The students go to class at 8:00 and I go to the International Office to work the front desk.  At noon, I leave the office to eat lunch with the students, and then I go back and work until 3:00.  3:00 is such a glorious time of day...I don't have to be back until 5:00, so this is when I go to my apartment and hang out with Dakota for awhile.  Unfortunately, he has to be at work at 4:30, so I don't get to take advantage of the whole 2 hours.  : (  We all eat dinner and then head back to the dorms where we hang out until study hall.  I only have to run study hall on Mondays and Wednesdays, so I get a break every other evening (again, to spend with Dakota.)  It's usually from 7:00 to 8:30.  After that, we just hang out in the dorms.  That's when I usually take the time to browse around the internet, Skype with Dakota, or just relax.  I usually crash around midnight.  Rinse.  Repeat.  At least Monday through Thursday.

Fridays are typically free days.  We all just hang out in the dorms and relax.  Saturdays are activity days.  This weekend we went to a baseball game:  Chicago Cubs vs. Kansas City Royals.  I'm not a sports fan, but it actually wasn't too bad.  I at least somewhat understand the rules of baseball.  I also tried a ballpark hot dog called "El Diablo."  It had chili, hot sauce, jalepenos, chili powder, and pico on it.  Mmmmmmmmmmmm.  I'm not normally a fan of hot dogs, but this one was pretty good.  I think the students really enjoyed it...especially when they saw Kosuke Fukudome on the screen when he went up to bat.  They were thrilled to see a Japanese baseball player. 

Before the game, we went to the mall.  At least the girls liked it...not so sure about the guys.  It was nice to actually get out and shop...I don't get to do it very often anymore because of things like bills and responsibility, but I decided to treat myself.  : )  I got me some cute new dresses, some necklaces, and a pretty awesome pair of oxfords.  It was nice to get out of town.  That's for sure. 

Today I woke up and was surprised to find that one of the students who RARELY talks to anyone bought doughnuts for all of us.  It was soooo nice!  I'm glad he's starting to get to know people now.  We also made some onigiri and miso soup for dinner.  Onigiri are little triangles made from rice.  You can add various things to them, but the most common are tuna, pickled plums, mayonaise, and seaweed.  There are also various spices you can add.  To make it a little more interesting, we decided to turn it into an English-speaking activity.  We broke the students into 4 groups.  In each of the groups, the students had to explain how to make onigiri, but they could only do so in English.  Also, everyone in the group had to talk.  Any student who spoke Japanese or didn't talk had to face the penalty:  giving a one minute speech in front of everyone in English on a topic of our choice. 

There were only 2 who suffered the penalty.  It was pretty funny.  We had the first guy talk about his favorite shoes and the second guy talk about his favorite music.  Definitely a good way to incorporate some learning.  Although it was fun to make the onigiri, I gotta say I wasn't a fan of the flavor.  Seaweed just kind of tastes like dirty lake water to me.  Good thing I had Subway first. 

I'm not looking forward to tomorrow...or the rest of the week, for that matter.  Soooooooooo much to do.  I just want it to be the weekend again!  We're going to WORLDS OF FUN!! Yay!  Another week of not enough sleep does not sound appealing.  No sleeping in until next Sunday.  *sigh* 

Stargazing and Such

Last night Dakota and I were feeling a bit restless cooped up in the dorms.  Since we (or rather, I) couldn't really leave, we decided to walk around campus and get some fresh air.  It was a beautiful evening...not too hot, not too cold, not too humid.  After a short walk and some failed attempts at some handstands (don't even ask...I don't know either) we ended up laying on the asphalt on the basketball court and looking at the stars. 

While we were laying there, we noticed a particularly bright light in the sky that was moving.  At first we thought it was a plane, but it was moving too slowly and irregularly to be a plane.  Our next guess was that it might be a shooting star, but the way it was moving was just so odd.  So of course I jumped to conclusions and suggested that it was a UFO.  And then I remembered that I have an Android which has an app on it (Google Sky Maps) that allows you to point your phone in any direction and it will map out all of the stars, planets and constellations that are there.  It's incredibly awesome.

Turns out it was the star Arcturus, and after doing some research we read that it often appears to be moving.  We also learned that it's waaaaay bigger and brighter than the sun.  It was actually pretty interesting, if not quite as interesting as a UFO would've been.

Space is honestly such a fascinating thing to me.  I need to start stargazing more often.  Dakota's parents have a telescope we might be able to borrow, so I think we just might add it to our list of hobbies.  Google Sky Maps doesn't hurt either.  Seeing all of the planets, constellations, and galaxies....and knowing that there is so much more out there that we don't know about makes me feel so small and insignificant.  It's a crazy feeling.  Who knows...maybe someday I'll spot a UFO.   

I Won!

I recently entered a giveaway from Saratops, hosted by Moorea Seal.  I was so shocked when I opened up her blog to read it and saw my name and my picture on it!  I never win anything and I'm really new to the blogosphere, so it was pretty exciting to me.  : )  I'm super excited to pick out some things in Sara's shop.  I think I'm leaning towards some of the city map and woodland topography notebooks and some gift tags.  The notebooks would make cool travel journals and I love wrapping pretty presents, and those gift tags are beautiful. 

Big thanks to Sara and Moorea!!   

Oh, Anticipation

This one is for my fellow Harry Potter fans.  As you may have guessed, I'm more than a little obsessed with the series...I have been in love with it since I started reading it when I was 8.  No other series has ever topped it for me. 

Anyway, JK Rowling has recently launched a new website, Pottermore.  At the moment, it just says "Coming Soon", but if you click on the owls, it takes you here.  This video is a countdown until JK Rowling makes an announcement.  What this announcement could be, however, is a mystery. 

It's exciting, consdering I've already forced myself to cope with the fact that the series is over.  There could be more after all.  Personally, I'm hoping she is writing background stories for some of the characters we don't know as much about, like Dumbledore, Voldemort, or even Harry's parents.  But it could be a new series.  Or it could just be a hoax...who knows.

We'll find out in about 11 hours, 24 minutes, and 7 seconds.  : )

Bowing Protocol

I had a really interesting conversation with some of the students the other day and I thought I'd share it.  As you might know, bowing is very common in Japan.  What you may not know (I certainly didn't) are the rules of said bowing.  It all started when one of the students addressed me as "Brittany sa ma."  I was somewhat confused by this because they usually call me "Buri chan."  When I asked them about it, they told me that "sa ma" is the polite form. 

Of course this led into an entirely different conversation about the levels of politeness and formality in Japan, which is seen in how you address people and how you bow to them.  Buri is kind of a nickname.  They pronounce my full name Buritany because in Japanese every consonant must be followed by a vowel sound.  The "chan" is just a way of addressing someone (like Miss, Mr. Mrs., etc.) except it's a very casual way of doing so.  You only use it if you are talking to a friend.  The next level is "san."  You would use this if you were talking to someone a little bit older than you, a co-worker, or someone else you are familiar with, but is not exactly your friend.  The highest level is "sa ma."  You would use this form when addressing a politician or your boss...someone you must be very respectful to.

There is a somewhat similar concept for bowing.  You should ALWAYS bow to someone that is not your friend when you greet them.  If it is at the acquaintance level, you may just nod your head a little bit as you pass them.  If it is someone that your are a little less familiar with, you should bow at a 45 degree angle.  Males should keep their hands at their sides and females should put their right hand over their left hand.  NEVER look at someone while you are bowing to them.  It's considered rude.  The highest level of bowing, which is of course reserved for those you would refer to as "sa ma," is a very deep bow, almost a 90 degree angle.

I really admire the immense respect that is present in Japanese culture.  While I also admire the concept of individuality in Americans, I think that sometimes we take it too far and forget to have respect.  The way the Japanese treat each other and really anyone they come in to contact is...well, classy.  They thank me for things that don't even deserve a thank you.  I'm very humbled by it and I've started to think twice about my actions.  I think I'm generally a polite person, but these students blow me out of the water.

Anyway, I hope you find this as interesting as I did.  I challenge anyone who reads this to bow to the next person that they thank.  It'll definitely throw them off.  ; )      

Week Two

This second week of the program has gone by a bit more smoothly than the first.  I'm starting to get into a routine, which helps a lot.  The sleep schedule isn't the greatest, but it's been a lot more fun.  Now that I've gone on 2 weekend trips, I feel a little bit more relaxed about the planning aspect of everything.  Now I've gotten to focus a lot more about learning about Japanese culture and sharing American culture. 

The weekends are by far the most fun.  During the week, the students don't get a break until at least 9:00, and it's not much better for the PA's.  On the weekends, besides the trips (which are pretty fun, anyway), we have a pretty open schedule to just hang out and relax.  AND SLEEP IN.  One of the instructors for the program has a house on the lake, so we got to spend Saturday swimming, playing volleyball, riding pedal boats, and just relaxing.  It was very refreshing.  After that, we went to a pow wow so the students could see a little bit of Native American culture.  There were some dances that the crowd could join in.  Most of the students were shy to join at first, but after me and a few others joined, they eased up.

Sunday was your typical lazy Sunday.  One of my fellow PA's, Aki (who happens to be Japanese) made some Japanese food for dinner for everyone.  After two weeks of foreign food, the students were thrilled to eat something familiar.  I can sympathize...I went to France for two weeks in high school and I missed American food after the first couple of days.  Anyway, the food was AMAZING.  She made some curry and rice and there was not an ounce left by the end of the night.  She said she'd teach me how to make it.  It basically tastes like vegetable stew with rice...except it's at least 20 times better than any vegetable stew that I've ever eaten.  I don't think I can ever go back to it now.

Mmmmm.. 

I feel bad because I intended to post a lot more than I do.  I just get so busy!  I'm hoping to post a little bit about some of my crafting next week...I've been working on a few projects : )

For now, I'll give you a few more of my cultural observations:

1) The students are FASCINATED by lightning bugs.  They came out at the pow wow and I think they took more pictures of the bugs than they did of the dancers.  It was kind of amusing for me.  Apparently they are rare in Japan.

2) I have a very sarcastic type of humor.  This is not always well understood by the students.  One of the students asked me where his passport was and I told him we had to burn it for security purposes.  His jaw dropped...I had to tell him I was kidding.  I think they're starting to catch on, though.

3) One of the students explained to me that American students tend to be much more adult-like than Japanese students of the same age.  Part of this may be that many American college students have to pay their own way through school and life, whereas the Japanese students are still mostly taken care of by their parents. 

Well, it's almost time for study hall.  Konbanwa!

 

Keeping in Touch

Even though Dakota and I are living in the same town, we really don't get to see each other that much.  I was a little down about this, so Dakota came up with a great way for us to keep in touch with each other...every day we write a note for each other and we exchange notes the next day that we see each other.  It may seem a bit cheesy, but I love it.  Dakota has been hanging all of my notes on the wall above our bed, as you can see in the top picture.  You can't really stick stuff to my wall at the dorms, so my desk will just have to do for now.  At the end of the summer, I will add his notes to me to our wall.  I think it'll look pretty cool.  ^_^

Nostalgia

I'm not sure why, but summer always makes me feel nostalgic.  Perhaps it's because summer is always the time where you make the most memories...not that you can't do that during school, but it's easy for school days and even years to blend together because it's so routine.  Summer's not quite like that.  Though I hate summer weather (way too hot), I love having the break, and I think maybe it's the lack of a break that's getting to me. 

There are so many wonderful things I associate with summer:  cookout food, last minute plans, hanging out with friends, visiting family, sundresses, Tropical Sno (look it up if you don't know what it is...it will change your life)...and most of all, just not being stressed out.  This summer won't be like that...I made a huge committment, and though I'm having a lot of fun, it gets to me every now and then.  There are times when all I want to do is hang out in my apartment and watch back to back episodes of The Office or Modern Family...and then I realize that I can't.  I never realized how much I took the freedom to do what I want for granted.    

What really brought all this about was watching the trailer for the upcoming Harry Potter movie.  I know that seems odd, but it reminded me of last summer, when Dakota and I first moved here. I reread the entire Harry Potter series.  It was amazing...though when I was finished, I felt a little sad because I had to face the fact that the wizarding world does not exist.  I realized this morning that that's what I really want right now...a temporary escape, if only for a little while. 

I've even felt a little homesick...as much as I don't like my hometown, the summers there were always wonderful.  I could really go for some Tropical Sno right about now. 

Week One

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted something.  I've been extremely busy.  This job is pretty much 24/7, so it's rare that I have any time to myself.  I'm sure it'll get easier once I get into the routine of things, but this first week was a little bit rough.  There is just so much to do all the time.  Not only am I working the camp, but I also have to work in the office during the day.  Monday through Thursday the students are in class, so I try to take care of any reservations that need to be made during the office hours.  I've already decided that I hate planning meals.  It's a real pain.  We also go on weekend trips, which can be stressful with so many people and things to keep track of.  Despite the stress, I'm learning a lot and I LOVE the students.

I seriously couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with.  They are so eager to learn and so much fun to be around.  It's tiring most days, but it's worth it.  I was a little down those first couple of days because it was so hard to spend the day without Dakota.  After 2 years of living together and seeing each other everyday, it was rough to spend that first night alone.  The students have cheered me up considerably.  On the second day, one of the girls came up to me and handed me a package.  She wrote me the sweetest note thanking me for helping her during this program and saying that she hoped I could understand her English (which I can just fine.)  She also enclosed some adorable goodies from Japan:  a beautiful flowered fan, some scented rubber bands, a mechanical eraser, and the tiniest set of sticky notes I have ever seen in the shape of little weiner dogs.  I was honestly speechless.  It made my whole day.

Everyone here has been so incredibly friendly.  It's only been a week, but I've already learned some interesting things about Japanese culture.

1) Knowing your blood type is a big deal in Japan.  It's common when introducing yourself to someone to ask what their blood type is or tell them what your blood type is.  They were asking me at lunch one day and were shocked when I told them I had no idea. 

2) The sweets here are waaaaaaaaay too sweet for them.  I'm not much of a sweets person myself, but they have a really low tolerance for the amount of sugar that we put in our food. 

3)  Japanese poker and American poker are not the same.  They invited me to play cards and I asked what they were playing and they told me it was poker.  I honestly don't know how to play poker, but I know this game is not what we typically refer to as poker.  All of the cards in the deck are distributed among the players.  Before the game begins, you should put down any number pairs that you have.  When you begin, you will take a card out of the person to your right's hand.  The objective is to get a match from them.  You want to run out of cards before the others. 

4)  Japanese scissors have a cover on them to make them safer.  I definitely think that idea should carry over here to the U.S.

5) I know I've already mentioned how nice the students are, but I can't emphasize it enough.  They are so polite and respectful.  I had made some brownies for one of the girls' birthdays and the next day she handed me the containers I had brought the brownies in.  She had washed them for me.  It's just little polite things like that that catch me off guard. 

6)  Nicknames are very common among Japanese students.  They've already given me one.  They call me Buri chan. 

Well, I'm pretty much exhausted for the night.  We had our first weekend trip today.  I'm ready for some sleep.

Summertime

Well, it's finally here.  This is the last weekend Dakota and I will get to spend together before I have to move out of our apartment to help with an ESL summer camp.  It's been over a year since we've gone even a night without at least sleeping in the same bed.  Though it is only for a couple of months, I think it will be hard for me to sleep without him for at least the first couple of weeks.  We'll still be in the same town, so I'll at least get to see him here and there on my breaks, but it will still be weird after living together these last couple of years.

Aside from that, I think that I will learn a lot this summer.  The students I will be working with are from Japan and I am anxious to learn more about their culture.  Living with your boyfriend has its perks, but it can also make you more isolated.  Because I will be living in the dorms with the students, I think there is a lot of potential to make good friends.  I've been in the planning process these last few months, making reservations for everything, and it has been pretty stressful.  I'm glad I am finally moving toward the DOING process, which I think will be much more fun.

I'm sure it will be rough for some of the students when they first get here, considering the tragedy that recently occurred in Japan, but I hope that I can make their experience here a good one.  I'm excited to hear about their impressions of the U.S., what they like and what they don't like.  I also hope to gain some insight on their culture...and maybe I'll even get to try some of their cooking, which I hear is pretty awesome.  Who knows...perhaps there will be someone there who knows how to do amigurumi (a Japanese art) that can help me.  I've been trying to figure it out for awhile, and I'm getting better, but I'm sure having someone who can show me how to do it face to face would be helpful.

It's only a week away and I'm so nervous, but so excited at the same time.  My first ESL experience will be a pretty in-depth one, which I anticipate will be very valuable for my future. 

Happy Birthday, Dakota!

I forgot to mention that today was Dakota's Birthday. 

(I love this picture of us.  It was taken after we got off the train in St. Louis coming back from our trip to Chicago.) 

We had a pretty good day minus my horrible attempt to make him breakfast.  I burnt his croissants quite badly.  I made up for it by ordering pizza and wings.  We had a relaxing day playing World of Warcraft and watching the Office.  My two weeks of being older than him are officially over.   

Happy Birthday!

Česky

As you might have read in my introduction post, I am planning on studying abroad in the Czech Republic next spring.  One of the reasons I decided to make this blog was to document my preparation process, as well as my adventures once I get there.  At the moment, I haven't done a whole lot of preparation.  I won't be able to apply for another couple of months.  However, I have been trying to learn some Czech.

I am figuring out that learning Czech is NOT like learning French or Spanish.  The grammar is WAY more complex and it doesn't help that there is nowhere for me to take Czech classes, let alone practice with a native speaker.  When I first set out to learn, I was relying on random YouTube videos and grammar sites.  Though some of the videos did help me learn some of the basics (Hello, How are you, etc.), there wasn't much to go off of as far as grammar is concerned.

And then I discovered Livemocha.  It is a free language learning website and it is AWESOME.  The lessons involve reading, speaking, writing, and listening, all of which are essential to learning a language.  The best part is that you can submit your writing and speaking practices onto the website to be reviewed by native speakers.  The only downside is that the lessons don't really explain the grammar...they just kind of expect you to figure it out by watching the patterns.  Nonetheless, I highly recommend this website to anyone thinking about learning a language.  It's also a good resource for anyone going into TESOL or ESL because you can give feedback on the English submissions. 

I am hoping that my Czech will at least be able to get me around once I get there.  I don't expect to be carrying on elaborate conversations.  I'm mostly going for the practical stuff, like ordering food and asking for directions.  Though most of my program is taught in English (I am doing a TESOL program), there is also an opportunity to take Czech lessons, which I most certainly will take advantage of.  Maybe after I spend a semester there I'll be able to have a conversation.  I certainly hope so.

For now, it looks like greetings and numbers will have to do.

Dobrou noc!

Squishy

I'm sure you might be wondering what the thing standing next to me in this picture is.  This little guy's name is Squishy and he is by far my most prized possession.  He is a pillow that I've had since I was a baby and has undergone many transformations as far as his appearance is concerned.

He was originally a white birth certificate pillow, but he was kind of falling apart, so I put two new covers on him;  the black one, which you can kind of see as his "face" and the brownish-grayish-tannish color that is his "hair."  Unfortunately, those also started falling apart, so I started using patches to cover up the holes.  Later on, I decided to add on this polka dotted cover for extra protection, which is perfect because I can still see his face : )

Having been with me for my entire life, he's developed quite the personality.  His favorite color is green, he LOVES pizza, and enjoys dancing.  Yes, he has a personality.

I remember my parents telling me from the time I was about 12 that I was going to outgrow him and throw him away.  Well, here's to another year of proving them wrong.  I bet they are just thrilled.  Luckily, my boyfriend, Dakota, is very supportive of my quirky pillow love.  In fact, he's grown quite fond of the little guy himself.  A lot of people think it's odd that I'm still so attached to a stuffed companion from my childhood, but I don't mind.  I think it's nice to have a small piece of that time of my life still with  me.  I'm glad that adulthood hasn't completely wiped out my imagination.

Salutations

Hello!  My name is Brittany, and since I decided to start this blog, I figured I might as well tell you a bit about myself.  Firstly, I come from Kansas.  I do not live on a farm, my name is not Dorothy (see above), and I do not have a dog named Toto.  Lets just get those stereotypes out of the way now.  Living in a small town in Kansas certainly has its perks; it's cheap, there's virtually no traffic, it's usually pretty safe, and people are generally friendly here.  Oh, and the barbecue.  I can't forget the barbecue. 

However, overall, it's really not my cup of tea and I look forward to the day I can leave here forever.  Again, not that it's a terrible place...it's just not for me.  There is a general closed mindedness here that I am not a fan of and it's mostly a cultural wasteland.  Unless you want to drive to Kansas City, there's not much to do.  Also, if you have been reading the news, you'll know that a Midwestern tornado can destroy your life in minutes.  In fact, Joplin, MO (which has been devastated by a tornado) is only 40 minutes away from my  hometown.  Scary to think about.

On a much happier note, I will be starting my third year of college in the fall.  I am working on my BSE in French and an endorsement in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages---possibly the worst acronym ever.  TEFL makes more sense to me.)  Learning language is my passion and my eventual goal is to move overseas to teach English or French.  I'm so excited to travel.  I'm not even picky about my destination.  With the exception of certain areas in Africa and the Middle East, I don't care where I end up.  I just want to go.

As for now, I am preparing to work for an ESL summer camp and start applying to study abroad at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic next spring.  Though I often tell myself that I wish I could just graduate tomorrow, I know that there are experiences out there for me right now that I don't want to miss out on.