Honkies in Kimonos update

...Yes, the Yukata was donned, just like in the video!

The fireworks festival was splendid fun, all in all. There was little wind so the smoke did not clear between fireworks, making visibility difficult, but also adding an interesting soft effect. Here are a few photos...

(click to enlarge)


See the full photo set on flickr.

Since the Amagi Fireworks festival, was one of the first events I attended after I arrived last summer, it made me very nostalgic to be back again at the same riverbank, now understanding it in a completely different way. Just like last year, we went under the bridge where I met the new OISCA people.

Hard to believe I've been here a whole year! Frankly impossible really. It always seems like there is so much I don't yet know-- and yet comparing myself to the new batch of ALTs who just arrived, even those whose Japanese level surpasses me from years of college study, i realize how far I've come and that I've learned a lot in Japan.

When I arrived last summer, I was basically an infant. I couldnt even take out the garbage for fear that I would not sort it correctly. It was a very frustrating experience for the first few months with no predacessor, no local community, and little help from my Supervisor, but I feel like over the course of one year, I have really come into my own.

Dontaku photos

(click to enlarge)

The Americans:"Grassroots internationalization" at work:

Indonesian boy:

We are the world:

Taking pictures of people taking pictures of me.

The parade begins:

Attended by over 2 million people-machines:

We are the world

While I have a few seconds to write, I wanted to mention that, as I began to talk about in my video below before getting cut off at the 10:00 mark, my friend from Elementary School was visitting me during Golden Week. We had been best friends in Elementary School, but his family moved in 3rd grade, and I had seen him only on brief intermittant occassions over the last 13 years. How trippy it is that we have both ended up teaching English in Fukuoka and Seoul. I mean he is only about an hour away by plane, and Korea is just 2 hours by BOAT. Far closer than Tokyo, for instance, to give you some perspective.

Anyway he was visitting with a couple of his friends, other English teachers in Seoul and seeing them captivated by the magic of rural Japan gave me fresh eyes on my situation, and kind of rekindled the magic which I have been becoming desensitized to slowly. Hosting first time visitors always has that effect in a way, doesn't it? Japan made such a good impression on them that a couple of them are considering applying to JET next year.

To be fair, they had absurdly good timing. They were right in time for Dontaku, a giant festival that takes place in Fukuoka and is attended by 2 million people. I had signed us up to march in the parade as part of the "International Troupe" to fulfill the requirement of wearing our country's "traditional clothes" I donned an American flag tshirt and bags from McDonalds. Ben didn't have time to change from the night before, which ended up being great because he was wearing a stained white tshirt and green gym shorts. Very American college student, indeed. As the first American to sign in at the event, I was granted the privilege of carrying the big "AMERICA" sign to represent us in the parade (every country represented had a huge picket sign). So there I am, marching past 2 million people, bearing the America sign and waving my giant McDonald's bags gleefully.

Grassroots internationalization, indeed.

I've been writing fewer articles lately. But not because there is less going on, my dear readers, i assure you. In fact the problem is that there's too much happening to keep up with. I am getting more invitations than i can accept and for the first time in my life, I am literally finding myself with too few hours in a physical day. My apartment has been only "the place i sleep" lately and I am feeling a little burnt out. I am going to make an effort after this weekend to tone things down a little bit and schedule some "me time" amidst all the really fun engaging activities i have with new friends. A lot as been happened so i'll catch you up a little bit, moving backwards from today.

Today- I woke up around seven today, despite it being saturday, because my apartment building had its monthly "weeding" session. Every month all the men in the apartment don coveralls, weed-whackers and rakes to combat the overgrown grass that regerates every 30 days. So i spent the morning raking cut grass into piles and throwing it into a heap in one corner of the Jutaku parking lot. It was actually kind of fun to have a manly bonding experience with the few other residents of my (mostly abandoned) building. I was silly and wore short sleeves, so i am now plagued by cuts from rough grass and bug bites.

Around ten i was picked up to go to festival in Haki (even more rural than amagi by about five-fold) with Mizuki san, the 61 y/o super energetic and active office lady who is like my best friend at school. The festival was really cool; with a focus on organic farming and eco-friendly living. They had an electric car by mitsubishi on display and several stalls not selling, but simply informing passersby of products they could by for their homes like recycled rubber garden substrate and super-efficient LED light fixtures. There was also an assortment of farm-fresh fruit and vegetable stalls, and homemade ceramic-ware (i stocked up on these).

Mizuki san was working the ticket booth, so i spent most of my time wandering around with my camera like the creepy foreigner i am, and hanging out with kids and chatting to people in very very bad japanese. I can pretty much get by enough just to say my basic stats like "i am ....amagi. I am an english teacher at Asakura High school. My home is in Chicago in America. What is your name? Where do you live?" stuff like that, and of course the usual array of "thank you" "thank you very much" thank you very very much" "Are you okay?" "it's okay" "it's delicious" and other conversation smoothers.. It's really exciting because even though my japanese is by NO means developed and i have little to no grasp of grammar, my key phrase use is getting smoothe enough that people have been telling me i "speak japanese well" for the first time. It's important to note that this doesnt mean they think i have any talent, but recognize that i have made an effort. Before i was making an effort and it wasn't even noticable. NOW THATS WHAT I CALL PROGRESS!

Mizuki san sang karaoke on the stage and there were lots of other singing and dancing events. I spent most of my time hanging out with Mizuki san's 11 y/o grand daughter and her two friends. there was one area that had a giant pool with fish swimming around in it, and kids would jump in and try to catch the fish with their hands. If they got one, the "ride" operator would bag it up for them to take home, where, i guess they would be cooked cause those fish were way dead by they time they made it to the too-small bag. I shot some really great photos of that whole event. little kids holding up live fish victoriously.

Around 3:30, Mizuki san dropped me off at the Jutaku after a ride home talking about the names of fruits in english and japanese with her granddaughter Ana. I found a praying mantis hanging out on my bike, so i ran upstairs to my room and brought down a blender. I caught the mantid in the blender where it's now sitting in my kitchen. Later i will buy a critter keeper and start catching insects to feed it. Who can say "first pet"?? yay! i hope it's the first of many exotic pets from the local ecosystem. the cool thing about living in the "inaka" is that the bugs are huge! (ok that is mostly scary, but somewhat cool). Only a few of them are extremely poisonous. the others are just interesting to see. there are giant wasps that can apparently eat birds and hand-sized spiders, and 6" long centipedes that can send you to the hospital with a single bite. Anyway, i'm happy with my mantis friend.

Now i am on my way downtown to meet some other ALTs, Chris, Laura, Patrick and Laura's b-f walter. We are having thai food for dinner and tomorrow some of us are going to a metal show downtown too. I am hoping to convince some of them to come hang out at my apartment tonight in Amagi to play wii and hang out. thatll more likely happen tomorrow or monday though.

Moving on backwards, Last night was another celebration with my friends at OISCA. These are the international kids that i described in an earlier post-- my Captain Planet friends. OISCA is a live-abroad scholarship program that has participants all over the world learning agriultural techniques. I had been exchanging emails with Mahmood from Pakistan regarding our second meetup:
___________________________________________________

Dear Michael Seidman

we r very glad to read your mail.Thankyou very much for remember us.we should make new friends in this life because this life is very importent for human. it would be good experience for us that we may become close friend.I hope u come to my center as soon as posible. Thank you

Yours Friend Mahmood Pakistan

Dear Mahmood,

Thank you for your email!

I am doing very well and I was very grateful for the opportunity to meet all of you yesterday. I had a really great time and being with so many wonderful people from around the world, was truly a special experience for me.

I hope we can spend mroe time getting to know each other in the future. I am certain that we will become close friends.

I am quite busy being a new teacher in Japan, but i would like to make trips out on Sundays to see you soon. Mizuki-san has offered to take me, so I hope to be seeing you again soon!

Take care, and please give my best wishes to everyone at OISCA

Michael Seidman

My Dear Mike Goodevening

how r u.we r very happy to meet u.maybe next time we will togeater again.we r very importent students in japan and u for us. pls send mail us.

thank u

Mahmood Pakistan

Fukuoka

Thanks Mahmood,

good to hear from you again.

I would like to join you at the center someday soon. I will ask Mizuki san when her next trip will be. Perhaps i can go with her.

Mike, United States.

My dear .i thank u forget us ,May be u r busy.how r u .pls tell me.

thank u

Mahmood Oisca

Dear Mehmood,

Of course i have not forgotten about you! Since we met two weeks ago, I have been somewhat busy, and I know that you are only free on Sundays. Unfortunately my last few sundays have been occupied by my school's Sports Festival, and I have not been free. This weekend I will be in Kumamoto Prefecture, but perhaps next Sunday we can do something.

Are there any events i can attend?

I have been asking Mizuki san about OISCA events. She said that there was going to be an OISCA event on Friday, September 9, but today she told me she cannot attend. Can you give me information about what is happening on Sept. 9? Maybe I can join you.

Mike

My Dear

sorry so sorry my dear sep9 we will work.we can ,t attend you,pls next time we will try for other program.Pls don,t mind . thank u

Mahmood Oisca

Dear Mahmood

No problem! Just let me know when and where an OISCA event will be happening in the future, and I will do my best to attend.

Michael Seidman

My Dear

we will be there on amagi on 11th. sept. as per our shedule, we have some official programmes and home stay.

the programme starting from the Asakuracity office at 9 O clock morning. on that day we will stay in amagi and in the next dayalso we have tight schedule. but we have a party on the same day at 6 O clock. i dont know the venue of the party. please ask to Mizuki san the name of the place where the party is going on....

nothing more at this time... take care... bye....

regards

mehmood and syam.....OISCA......

sugoi!

perhaps i will see you at the party! i will try to ask mizuki san for details.

Mike

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I found the event with only minor difficulty and it was even more PBS Special than the first celebration, and equally fun. OISCA was in amagi for some training which culminated in the celebratory dinner. They are halfway through their one year stay in Japan. This time everyone was wearing traditional clothes representative of their culture. between chinese silk dresses, embroidered pakistani vests and flourescent printed shirts from fiji, it was unreal. In case the clothes werent enough, after dinner they all got on stage and sang together. one boy from the phillipines played accompaniment on the guitar while everyone else swayed arm in arm and sang in Japanese. Quite the "we are the world" moment. I loved it. Afterwards there was japanese dancing with people in creepy masks and more back patting and hand shaking

I was talking to one of the japanese girls there, having the same conversation to be had with everyone else (I teach english at asakura koukou, I havent been studying japanese very long. it's difficult) and outta the blue she asked me for my number! seriously, flirting is so easy here. even accidentally. I cant even begin to imagine what itll be like once i know even semi-decent Japanese. My friend pat is constantly chatting up Japanese girls and has a fair bit of success even in his stained "patrick star" spongebob tshirt and cargo shorts. it's like for foreigners there are no standards. we just look foreign, and some people are inherantly drawn to that. somewhat unfortunate in the long-run perhaps, but most definitely exploitable

well this is getting long so i'll cap it off here. you can see the photos on flickr (click the link on the right) and please remind me to add some of the extra successful images later. when i have a private life again. Being an English teacher in the inaka really is like being a public servant. they told us this during orientation but only now can i really understand it. It's a big honor to be such a "representative" but at the same time, it's difficult and exhausting.

keeping up the pace! signing out.