Snow Flowers

This weekend I went to Kumamoto Castle for a picnic, celebrating the cherry blossom leaves as they flutter and swirl around like snow; soft cherry snow. Hanami is a special time in Japan, where the dead-looking trees bloom with color-explosion flowers, looking like the living dead, since there aren’t any leaves on the trees yet. Blooming flowers on a dead stick. It was so lovely, I can’t think of anything like that in the States; the closest things being Fall, when dead leaves fall off. When I saw Memoirs of a Geisha, I thought the cherry blossom scene was a dream that only movies could produce. But, these cherry trees are dumping rose-colored petals in the wind like confetti; like I’m continuously at a wedding or royal ceremony. It makes me want to shout, “Long live the King”. I keep thinking, there is no way that this is real, it’s like a dream.

What should I do with pigeon eggs?

I hate pigeons, I hate pigeons, I hate pigeons! Today I kept hearing pigeons outside of my bedroom window. Now this is strange because it's covered in netting to prevent pigeons from entering. I look outside my window, and low and behold, the little rascals found a way into my covered balcony. I shooed them away. A few hours later I heard them again. So this time when I went outside, but the pigeons weren't afraid, they just kind of hung in midair watching me. AAAHHH The Birds!! I got scared, so I grabbed the first thing I saw, a bike pump, stuck one arm outside the house and shook it furiously at them. They finally flew away after almost flying in my apartment, and that's when I saw it, DUN DUN DUN! A NEST!! They built a nest on my balcony AND it has TWO EGGS in it!!! I immediately went online to research pigeon removal while pondering: What should I do with these eggs? I have made a list of the possibilities:
1) Throw the eggs out in the trash. I don't know if this is the most humane thing to do.
2) Eat the eggs. Pigeon eggs are technically a food.
3) Let the baby pigeons grow, then eat them. My research confirmed that they taste like Cornish hens and are best eaten just before they leave the nest. In fact, they were once a popular food until chicken meat became more popular.
4) Let them grow, then make one of them my pet pigeon. I like this idea. I would call it Pete, Pete the Pigeon.
5) Put the nest outside somewhere and hope the parents find it. This might be the most rational idea.

Japanism

re-li-gion
Spelled Pronunciation [ri-lij-uh n]
–noun
1.
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2.
a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3.
the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.

I’ve discovered that Japan is highly religious, contrary to what any study or book will tell you, and if their religion had a name it would be called Japanism, with the members being called Japanics. I’ve observed many outwardly religious acts throughout the year and I have finally come to some sort of understanding about the nature of this religion. Take yesterday for instance, the final day of the school year. The students were cleaning up the school (since there is no janitor), and before they started cleaning the teacher’s lounge, they stood in a line as usual and waited for the formal blessing before cleaning. The vice-principal usually says something to the effect of, “On the 25th of March 2009, the final cleaning of this school will occur. Let’s do our best!” I half-expected bells to ring and holy water to fly out of his hand. He is fantastic at making anything unimportant into a ritual demanding his ever present “blessings”. Oh, are you about to affix your official signature to some document or begin a class meeting? Let’s call vice principal over to invoke his blessing so we can begin, “On this day, the 26th of March…” To further demonstrate the Japanicity of everyday life, a formal gathering, of which there are many, is typified with the congregation sitting down in straight neat rows facing the altar (stage) on which there is a giant religious object (Japanese flag). Before someone ascends to the altar (stage), they must bow to the priest (principal) and deacon (vice principal), then the sanctuary (Japanese flag), bow to the congregation. Next is the formal sermon speech, usually invoking the “blessing”. Then it ends with the same ritual in reverse order for every person that ascends to the altar. At the end of the sermon, we sing a hymn (school song), which of course is formally accompanied by a piano and an altarboy/girl (student) who leads the entire school in tempo as a conductor . Everyone sings their hearts out in worship of the school and then we leave quietly. Throughout the sermon, if there is a child out of place in any way (murmuring, not sitting up straight, etc) he will provoke the religious wrath of the teachers who will swiftly descend upon him and heartily rebuke him. I finally understand why, out of all the formal events I’ve been to, people would rather attend the formal ceremonies and fall asleep during the sermon, than not attend at all. Don't be fooled, Japanism is the heart and soul of this country and Japanics are zealous in their religious observances.

Who's in the Doghouse?

There was once a doghouse worth 50 bones. My doggie friend, Morty Broker, decided to buy it and sell it for 100 bones to Connie Sumerdog who really wants to raise her puppies in a doghouse not a doggie apartment. It’s kind of overpriced and Connie doesn’t know if she can afford it, but Morty tells her this is how things are done. The catch is, she can only pay 1 bone a year, so it will take her 200 years to pay Morty back with interest (which doubles the price). But Morty needs to be paid back by the time he’s in doggie retirement in 30 years. So Morty tells Connie that she can pay 1 bone a year for 2 years. Then, she can sell her doghouse or get another loan for another 2 years. If she doesn’t sell her doghouse, then she has to pay 6.6 bones per year in the third year. But it’s ok because she should get a raise in bones from her job by then, right? Morty tells Connie that she can also sell the doghouse in a few years and make money because someone will always want to buy her doghouse. After all, who doesn’t want a doghouse? Some dog will always want to buy it. Connie feels like such a lucky dog!
Morty comes to me, The Bone Bank, and says to me, “Hey Ms. Bone Bank, Connie Sumerdog's really cool, I checked her out and she has a job digging bones. She can’t really pay for this doghouse, but it doesn’t matter because she is going to sell her doghouse in a few years and make money. Over 30 years she is going to pay me 200 bones for a doghouse worth 100 bones, do you want in?” Oh yes, I diggity dog do! I buy that piece of canine paper that says Connie will pay me 200 bones over 30 years. Then I give Morty some bones for finding it for me. Morty comes back to me with different pieces of canine paper for other lucky homebuyer dogs. I keep buying these pieces of canine paper. This is so great! Connie and the other dogs are paying me and everything is going well.
Then I realize that I can make more bones for my Bone Bank self by putting some of these pieces of paper together in cute doggie packages and selling them. The Doggy Credit Agency comes in and says, “Bowwow this is cool, and safe and every dog should do it.” I ask Innie Vesterdog if he wants to buy some of my bundled pieces of canine paper to help him in doggie retirement and he says yes. Then I find a European Innie Vesterdog and an English Innie Vesterdog and Innie Vesterdogs all over the world that want to buy my bundles of canine paper.
Then, all of a sudden, Connie wants to sell her doghouse, but no dog can afford it since it’s too expensive. Doghouse prices are now 150 bones! No way! The doggie renters decide it’s better to live in a dog apartment than a doghouse. But it’s been two years and Connie still doesn’t make enough bones to pay me back. She was paying 1 bone and now she has to pay 6.6 bones. She thought Morty Broker was trustworthy and was helping her. But Morty just wanted money. Morty wants to sell me more pieces of canine paper, but I don’t want them anymore. I’ve heard that the other dogs have stopped paying bones to Innie Vester dogs since they couldn’t afford their doghouses anymore.
Then I hear my friends, Lehman Bone Bank and many others went out of business and I lent them bones! I heard that they bought lots of Morty’s worthless pieces of canine paper. My other dogbank friends want to borrow bones from me, but I don’t want to give them any more bones. I don’t know if Morty has sold worthless pieces of paper to them too. Then I won’t get my bones back from any of them! The Doggie Government comes in and gives me some bones and tells me to lend them out. But I don’t want to because I don’t know if my doggie friends are in trouble. It’s a dog eat dog world. The End.

What happened to me?

Is it strange that I don't think drinking collagen is weird? When did I start expecting rice and green tea at every meal? How is it that I eat sesame seeds every night? When did I stop thinking that the small bubble showing Japanese people's reactions to the same TV show I'm watching on TV was strange? How is it that when I see an American movie, it looks like they're driving on the wrong side of the road? When did I start covering my laughter with my hand? Why do I feel naked if my collarbone is exposed? When did I start half-running when someone is waiting for me? How is it that I think chopsticks are easier to pick up food? When did I start peppering my vocabulary with Japanese phrases like daijobu (ok), ne (right?), eeeh (surprise sound) and ii yo (don't worry)? How is it that I can sit on my legs for hours without moving? When did I start thinking fish, rice and soup with other random seafood sounds kindof good in the morning? What is going on!?

I drank milk :(

So at Starbucks today, these random Japanese people stopped me and bought us drinks and cakes. WHOA! How cool is this country that these people want to talk to us for no reason at all? The thing is, I chose chai tea, but it has milk (which I gave up for Lent)!! I ate cake (which I didn't give up, but it is normally made with milk)! AHHH!!!!! I even looked up the ingredients to double check and the verdict is: Tazo Chai, hot water, steamed milk! Why did I do that!? Can't I give up one little thing for 40 days!!? It's not about not drinking milk, it's about self-discipline. Why don't I have any? It upsets me deeply.

"We all must suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment." - Jim Rohn

Eat Drink and Be Merry?

It's all fluff. I eat it all day long and it makes my mouth dry and my stomach unsatisfied. No matter how much I eat, I am still hungry. Sweet cotton, light and unfilling, it tastes like candy and melts in my mouth. It sickens me, although I secretely crave more of it. After I eat too much of it, my teeth rot. I try brushing my teeth, but it's not enough. The cotton candy has spread inside me and I am full of it. Then it pours out of me and I give it to you to eat too. Then we eat together and destroy ourselves, because the cotton is rotting us inside. Why do we crave fluff when we know what it is? When I am finally away from its cloying taste, I realize I don't want it and I never did. I want real food, but where can I find it?

Two Graduation Letters

Can it get any better than this? I LOVE MY STUDENTS!

Hello.
Thank you for celebrating a graduation ceremony today.
Though it leaves the junior high school, sometimes it please e-mail me anytime that you want to talk to me.
I try English study hard in the senior high school.
Because more talks are possible with you.
And I want to have various talks together.
It seemed to be so, and today's shopping was failure a little.
The purchase of the rainy day is hot.
Then it is this neighborhood today.
I look forward to your answer.
I will fight with a dictionary. SEE YOU !

From Your student Akane(茜)　Nishida(西田)

Hallo,Cassandra！　Ｍｙ　name is Mituki. Ｔｏｄａｙ　ｉｓＴｈａｎｋｙｏｕ very much! I am very happy and little sad today…(T_T)　 but…May this joy last forever！ and You are great english teacher！ I am very proud of you！！ I am looking forward to your reply！
Seeyou！ Mituki

I scream for IceCreamChocoBread

So did I tell you I gave up chocolate, bread, and ice cream (milk) for Lent? This past weekend at a Japanese bingo party (lol), I saw my ultimate temptation: Chocolate covered bread topped with creamy ice cream! It was calling my name over and over: Eat me! Cassandra eat me! Good thing I was distracted by matchmaking friends or it would have been hard to ignore its beckoning. This bingo party was pretty cool, we had to write names of the people we met in the bingo squares and then our names were randomly called out and of course we had to get a bingo. So if the name was Yuki, I had to confirm with a Japanese speaker that it was Yuki and not Yuuki or Miyuki or something that I couldnt quite catch. I didn't win any of the bingo prizes, but after the bingo game was over, I realized I had a bingo. ARRGHH!! If only I could understand faster! Oh well, someone gave me their coffee prize (yay) so I was happy. Afterwards we went to a karaoke bar, and my friend's co-workers were SO excited to talk to a foreigner. One guy said he had never talked to a foreigner before and was entertained that Bob Marley was NOT pronounced Bobo Mururee. Another guy was using his cell phone to talk to me; he got the dictionary to speak English and would put the phone to my ear to listen. When it stopped working, as technology inevitably does when needed most, he asked my friend to translate what it said on the phone for me IN ENGLISH. He forgot that communication isn't always verbal. I laughed when I saw that and told him, "Hey, I can read." He laughed when he realized how not smart that was. I was a little tired though, since the night before we had gone to a big city called Fukuoka, getting back at 9 am that morning. It was a blast drinking wine, eating birthday cake on the train and entertaining the attendant. Dancing all night at normal-ish bars not feeling so stared at was also a relief. It must be SO HARD to be a star; I would NEVER want to be famous. You always have to be "on", and there's no such thing as running to the store in your pajamas. I almost want to wear huge glasses and a big floppy hat like I've seen done in LA. But then I would stand out even more (*sigh*). Good times in Japan.

Spice Up Your Life!

Life is like salsa. From the juicy tomatoes to the pungent onions, each ingredient is an important part of the spicy goodness. Sometimes it burns and makes you cry. Most times it is deliciously flavorful and makes everything worth it. What good is a bland salsa? Be passionate. Be daring. Be spicy!

I look like a horse?

Crazy story. So yesterday a junior high girl asked me, "What animal do I look like?" At first I thought I misunderstood or something, so I had her repeat it. Then we brought the teacher in on the conversation and the teacher repeated, "What kind of animal does she look like?" WHAA!? How do I answer that question? I don't generally classify people into animal groups, so I didn't have an answer for her. Animals don't look like people! Unless the owner and the animal are both old and have lived together forever, then MAYBE.... So I asked my teacher about it, and she said friends sometimes tell each other they look like ____ animal. So I decided to try it today. I told her, "You like like a panther." (Since she was wearing Puma brand, lol) She just laughed, so I asked her, "What do I look like?" And she said, "You look like a horse." WHHAAATT!! I almost died of entertainment shock, I was SO amused. A HORSE!! I asked her, "Why?" She said because my hair was in a french braid and it reminded her of a horse. So therefore I look like a horse. Hmm, I think if I were to run with this horse idea, I would be an Arabian stallion because stallion is a cool word and I love anything Arabic. As a side note, Arabian stallions are powerful, intelligent and spirited. Yay me! What animal do you look like?

Stupid Trainpole!

Did I mention that a trainpole hit my car as I was going over the traintracks the other day? Is it a trainpole? I don't know that that yellow-and-black-bar-of-obnoxiousness's real name is, but I think trainpole is a good a name as any. There weren't any red flashing lights or noises going off, by the way, before I crossed the tracks. I semi-ducked in my car to avoid the trainpole, but it hit my car anyway, even though I was going as fast as I could over the tracks. I have NEVER seen a trainpole hit a car before. I wish I could have seen it from the Japanese-guy-whose-eyeballs-were-about-to-pop-watching-me's perspective. The warning signals and the trainpole came down at the same time. How stupid is that!! Stupid Trainpole! I wish I could hit you too! I think you did it on purpose just to embarrass me!

Junior High Games

Today, for the first time, I taught all of my junior high 2nd years (all 4 classes) [8th grade equivalent] for the entire class period. I usually teach by myself at all of my other schools, pre-school, elementary and adult class, but this is the first time that the teacher let me run the show for the entire class in junior high. It was awesome and I am glad that I was finally given the chance to prove myself. To be perfectly honest, it had been grating on my nerves for a good 4 months that I wasn't given the opportunity to actually teach junior high by myself. Then I came to terms with it, and for the past 2 months, I contented myself with writing letters back and forth with the students, since I didn't feel I had adequate interaction with them. Now the tides have turned and I have taught 1st years (for about 10 minutes) and 2nd years. We did a Mission Impossible Game where the students, in teams, had to solve each problem, then hand it to me to get the next problem to solve until all 6 were done. They loved it...and they loved my computer most of all. They kept touching it and wanted to know what music I had on it and were BLOWN away that it was all in English. Hello kids, I teach English! It was pretty entertaining. Although, I don't know why I am laughing at them, because I was blown away when I first came to Japan that the keyboards were different and everything was in Japanese. I see myself in them all the time, which makes it really entertaining....wait, that DOESN'T mean I act like I'm 13, by the way (to you sarcastic commenters, you know who you are)!! I am starting to learn their names now...they don't sound so foreign anymore. 1,000 Ayaka's, Momoka's, Ayana's (girls); Takahiro's, Ryuu's and Kenta's (boys) later, I can tell which is their first and which is their last names. It wasn't always so. They can't tell which is my first and last name either.