Transfer = No

Today I received my transfer request decision. I was told by my vice-principal that Tacchi wanted to see me. So I head over to the town hall and I'm ushered into the superintendent's office. Tacchi and the superintendent are standing there with their head's lowered and they say, "Cliff, I'm sorry..." I thought someone had died. Ends up I got the big NO to Fukuoka. No reason was given, only the No box was checked instead of the Yes one.

I have a kindergarten job setup for Apr. '09, so not all is lost. But I do need a job from Aug '08 until then. There is a company that gives 6-month contracts to teach at the university level. So I may do that from Aug-Dec in a place no where near Fukuoka.

Then from Jan-March, I may move to Fukuoka and work on an organic farm. The program is with wwoof, and I would receive only board and food. I'm gonna make exploitation of foreign workers look cool.

Anything could happen, though. I could get that call from the Coen Brothers, saying they saw my robot music video and want to work with me.

I had my first karate test on Saturday. Showed up with everything but my money and gi. Classy. But I was able to borrow money from Vaughn and Taira sensei loaned me his jacket. Too bad his skills didn't rub off. I'm almost positive I passed, since I'm only a white belt. It would be sad, if next Friday, Taira sense said, "Everyone, even this cute little 6 year old, passed...except Cliff. Sorry."

Next week is my Kanji test with the 3rd graders! I'm not quite ready, but I think I will be by next week.

Violation

Japanese children are infamous for a game called kancho. The game is simple: you sneak up behind your victim with both hands formed as if you are having a make-believe gun fight, and you ram your index fingers up the person's butt. A Japanese enema, if you will. Honestly, it's hilarious...until it happens to you.

I'm on my 6th month here, and it has happened to me numerous times. I found the best way to react is not to react at all. So far, this tactic has worked well, I just swipe their hand away and they quit.

Until today.

2nd period. 8 1st graders. They see me once a month, and I could hear them as they ran to my room. They get to the door, shout, "Cliff sensei!", and rush me. This is the standard greeting. However, instead of giving a my a high five, or whatever, and leaving, they all surround me, jumping up and down to get my attention. I thought it would be funny if I play fall over, so I land on my back. They're crawling over me like ants. This is where I make my mistake: I roll over onto my stomach.

Time stops.

I can almost hear the neurons in their brains firing in excitement. My heart begins to sink as I realize what I have done. All at once, 16 hands with 80 fingers begin to kancho me like I've never been kanchoed before. Keep in mind, I wear only a t-shirt and track pants to work. I freak, and try to wrestle them off. So much for not reacting, this is more of an reaction then they had hoped for. But it's difficult to get up when you have kids sitting on your arms, legs, back, and head.

I finally get up and slap them away as they chase me. But they're not done. Next thing I know, my pants are around my ankles. I got pantsed by a first grader, in front of all the first graders. I wanted to throw the kid out of the class by his neck. They probably thought they looked cute rolling on the floor laughing. Thankfully, the other teacher wasn't there yet.

That incident behind us, we started class. The kid who pantsed me is actually a really cute kid. I think he's in the running for being My #1 Fan. But today, when we were sitting in a circle, he starts bawling. I have no idea why, but through my little experience, I just ignored him and kept the class going. He ends up leaving and not coming back. I found out from the teacher that every class, it's always him that sits right next to me. Today, some girl decided she was going to sit next to me instead, and moved him out of the way. Accepting defeat, he cries and leaves. Good to know I'm popular among the 1st graders.

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Had another fire drill today at a different school. I got to shoot the fire extinguisher at a target that popped a balloon. It was cool.

Tests and Results

The next few weeks will consist of taking tests and receiving results.

Tests:
Karate - I have been been a 'white belt' since August. My first 'level-up' test (don't know what it's called) is Jan. 26th. I have to perform two kata and some basic kicks and punches.

I am nervous about the test because the kata are difficult to memorize. But because of the test, I had to purchase my own Karate gi! Now I have a slick outfit with a patch that says, "SHUREIDO - Made in Japan, Okinawa, The World Famous Brand From The Birthplace Of Karate".

For those who might be interested, the style of Karate I am learning is called Shuri Shorin.

Kanji Kentei - A Kanji test with the easiest level beginning at 10 and the hardest at 1. The test is designed for native speakers, but foreigners can take it, too. Level 10 represents the kanji learned by first graders up to Level 5, which is the kanji learned by 6th graders. Native speakers have difficulty in the Level 2 range and you have to be part-genius to pass Level 1.

I will be taking Level 8 with the 3rd graders on Feb. 8. If I pass, I think I get a certificate and bragging rights to the 1st and 2nd graders. Actually, I'll be taking the test with some of my 6th graders, who still don't know all the kanji they should.

Results:
JLPT - Took 3-kyu back in December. Because I bombed the listening, I'm not sure if I'll pass or not. Should find out in February.

Transfer Notice - What I am the most impatient about. I have requested to transfer out of Okinawa to Fukuoka. I applied back in November and will hear the results by the end of the month. I am not expecting to get the transfer, because the percentage rate of an out-of-prefecture transfer is very low. But one can dream, right?

If I don't get the transfer, I will not be re-contracting with JET and will have to search for another job come August.

Organic farming, anyone?

Back at Work

I left for Tokyo on Dec. 20 and returned to Okinawa on Jan. 6th. Total travel time: 18 days. The time went by at a normal pace and I never really felt like I was traveling. Probably because I was in Tokyo and Fukuoka each for a full week.

My mom and sister arrived on the 24th. Not much happened on that day. I did laundry. Christmas Day was hectic. They had one day in Tokyo and I was determined to show them as much as possible. Bad idea. We made a complete loop on Tokyo's main train line, hitting almost every stop. Try to imagine walking to a train station and going up and down stairs with about a thousand other people. You jump on the train, ride it for 3 minutes, jump off, and climb up and down stairs to get out of the station. Go see the attraction at that train exit, go back to the station, do it again. By the end of the day, my mom and sister were half dead. So the rest of the trip (1 week) became a recovery session.

After Tokyo, we headed to Kawaguchiko, which has a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji. When I was taking pictures, they came out like all the other pictures of Mt. Fuji. This was disappointing because words can not explain how awesome this mountain is. At around 10,000 feet, it just devours the horizon. Best part of the trip.

Next came Nagoya, which acted as a half way point between Fuji and Kyoto. It has a mediocre reconstructed castle. Nagoya also is famous for miso katsu. It was yummy.

Then we went to Kyoto for two days. The first day, I left my mom and sister to see friends in Osaka. Then the next day was a Tokyo-lite touring of Kyoto. Kiyomizudera is alright, but Kinkakuji is amazing!

The last part of the trip was in Fukuoka, hanging out with Yuka's family for the New Year's holiday. On New Year's Eve, we braved the cold at midnight and walked to the local temple to ring the gong at midnight. We were all bundled up and the monks were only in robes. Hardcore.

My mom and sister left on the 2nd, and I just relaxed in Fukuoka until the 6th. I was taken out shopping on the 2nd, which is the equivalent of Black Friday in America. The department stores were jammed. There were lines to ENTER the stores! We would take the elevator up one floor and barely be able to move. I did my duty and waited by the elevator holding the bags.

Pictures soon.

The Cold Manifesto

In Okinawa, it's 20 C, or for the people in America, 68 F. People are wearing long pants, jackets, and talking about how cold it is.

Right now in Tokyo, it's about 8 C, or 46 F. People are wearing long pants, jackets, and talking about how cold it is.

Well, with both temperatures being above freezing and having a difference of about 20 degrees, I've decided that not only is Okinawa NOT cold, but neither is Tokyo. Sorry.

I think about an English teacher here who is from Alaska. She told me how at her university, the heaters would stop working at -10 F. She said it would suck cause it would be too cold to think, and you couldn't do your homework. That's cold.

So I have come up with one rule for determining if it is cold or not. If this rule does not apply, you are not allow to say it is cold. The rule is: the temperature has to be at or below freezing.

Just because the sun is behind a cloud doesn't mean it's cold...Okinawa people.

My Okinawan kids know this. They know the words hot, warm, cool, and cold. But they are most familiar with hot and cold. Everyday I ask, "How is the weather?" Everyday (even this month), they responded, "It's hot!". And they're saying this while wearing Florida winter clothes: jacket, shorts, and sandals.

Just because you want to wear a jacket doesn't mean it's cold...Tokyo people.

If it's COOL enough to wear a jacket, but I'm sweating after walking a block, then it's not cold. And what's with blasting the heater on the trains and in the stores? People are coming from outside wearing jackets, hats, and gloves, and then they end up sweating like a pig after standing inside for 5 minutes.

Cold weather was last night when it was -3 C and raining. When I couldn't warm myself up by walking. I met a man from Singapore named Sean (who introduced himself as Sean Connery) at my hostel. I told him it was 20 C in Okinawa and he asked me if he could fly there for under $500. He just wanted out of the weather. I told him Okinawans find 20 C cold and he told me they're crazy.

****

Tokyo has been a blast. After my first day of confusion, I quickly readjusted to a non-rural life. Been hanging out with people who went to UF and have made some new friends. I've decided that if you are a lone tourist, there really aren't that many interesting attractions. The fun has been in the abundance of places to go to to socialize.

My mom and sister arrive this afternoon. We'll take it easy this evening and begin our tourist adventures tomorrow, starting with the Tsukiji fish market!

1st Day

It's kind of funny that the thought of going to Tokyo a year ago would have felt like the biggest trip in the world, and now it's only a 2 hour flight away (and I get to stay in the same time zone!). However, landing in Tokyo this time gave me a different impression of the city from the last time I was here 4 months ago. The first time was filled with wonder and thank-God-we-finally-landed. This time, I felt a little like Gong Li in The Story of Qiu Ju, the country-bumpkin who travels to the big city. First thing I noticed was the smog. When I arrived in Shibuya, I was dumbfounded by all the people.

I looked the complete tourist, too. Had a small suitcase and a 40 L backpack, plus a map telling me how to get to my hostel. Add in the deer-in-the-headlights look, and there you go. The great thing about my journey to the hostel is the help I got from the locals. I asked one guy for which train I should take and he looked it up on the internet with his phone and told me. Then as I am wandering around Asakusa, I was approached TWO different times from people, who asked me in English, "Can I help you?" I must have looked really lost. The last person was actually a group of three people, and they walked me to the hostel. I told this to some Tokyo friends later and they were all surprised because people from Tokyo have the reputation of being mean.

I brought a large sack of shekwasas with me. I've been handing them out randomly in the holiday spirit. I was about to give one to a homeless man, but I was stopped by my friend. He told me he's seen that guy before running around in circles spitting. No shekwasa for you if you can't behave.

Fire Drill

Had a fire drill in the afternoon! Exciting enough for a blog post! I was given a little notice as to what was expected from me. My job: grab a fire extinguisher and mime releasing the trigger and spraying.

In America, we are given no advance warning on a fire drill. Just that loud alarm and you run for the hills with the teachers...while the school burns.

What happens in Okinawa is the kids run away, and the teacher's fight the fire. I'm assuming to buy time until the real fire fighters show up. The fire department was actually there with a smoke machine, to simulate the school burning. Some teachers grabbed long hoses and pretended to spray at the fire, while me, the tea lady, and the vice-principal saved the kitchen. All in a day's work.

Tomorrow morning I leave for Tokyo. Will be returning to Okinawa on January 6th! May get to blog while on the trip. If not, また来年！