The Aerobics Instructor

今日はエアロビのクラスに行きました。楽しかった。

Some of you may wonder what I spend my time doing after school. Unlike most of my Japanese co-workers, I DO NOT stay at work and pretend to be busy until 7 or 8 at night. I go home at a reasonable hour and between 7 and 9 you can usually find me at the gym!

I went last night and took the aerobics class. I take the aerobics class about once a week now, as it provides a break to the monotony of weight lifting. In the summer time, I run outdoors, but during Japan's cold winters, I'm stuck on a treadmill. So I thought that I would be able to do some of that cardio excersize doing silly dances with a bunch of giggly middle-aged Japanese women. A couple of the single middle aged men do the aerobics, but I suspect their motives aren't as noble as mine.

The gym I go to is actually quite small. They have a very crowded weight room with a set of circuit trainers, some stationary bikes, and 5 treadmills that are ALWAYS being used. Like all Japanese gyms, you have to change your shoes before you can go inside. There is a pool with 5 lanes that is 13 meters long on the first floor. One must turn around after only 4 strokes. You have to wear a swimcap or they won't let you in. There is also a room where they do aerobics, dance classes, and yoga. It really is too small to properly do aerobics, but we do it their anyway. Because I find the other instructors really annoying, and I don't care so much for their taste in music, I only go to Aerobics on Tuesday nights. I went yesterday only because I had nothing better lined up.

I suppose it isn't much different from an aerobics class in the states, except that its all in Japanese. The aerobics instructor is too thin, too energetic, and too happy, even for someone of her chosen profession. My biggest problem is that my Baptist heritage and heredetary skin color severely inhibit dance moves and rhythm. Sometimes its quite difficult for me to coordinate my legs and arms with the speed of the music. I can do legs OR arms, but I can't seem to do both at the same time. A couple times, the instructor looked at me during the class and started her counting and instruction in English (she isn't very good at it), probably thinking I couldn't understand her. I could understand her Japanese just fine, I JUST COULDN'T DO IT!

That class was particularly difficult, as I can usually hold my own. Here is a video you may find amusing. Rest assured, my workout is much more intense and lacking in lame English lessons! The Amusing Video

My Weekend in Japanese

週末は岩手県へ行きました。私の友達花巻市に住んでいます。大学の同級生です。ブレンデンさんは日本で３年めに入りました。私も３年めに入りました。祭りのために岩手県にいきました。ブレンデンさんとブレンデンさんの彼女は御輿をかつぎました。　たくさん生そばと焼き鳥を食べました。

This is a much abbreviated summary of my weekend in Iwate for my Japanese students who might be reading this. Not entirely sure how many of my students are reading this, but I figure I better write something in Japanese if I want them to read it. Its also great writing practice.

I can also use chopsticks.

I thought you all might enjoy some new links to play around with.
これは新しいリンクです。

The first is Ryan's website, who teaches here in Koriyama. He wrote a good website with a lot of information, both funny and serious, about what life is like for a foreigner in Japan, and covers it all pretty well.
このリンクは私の友達のウエブサイトです。彼は郡山市の英語の先生です。


The second is HomeStarRunner, which is a bunch of crazy cartoons and games I used to watch when I was in college. The old school stuff is the best.
これは面白いアメリカのアニメです。大学の時に見ました。でも今まで人気があります。

Festival in Hanamaki

During the weekend, I traveled to Iwate-Ken, which is North of Sendai. Like most of Northern Japan, Iwate-Ken is abundant in rolling hills and mountain ranges covered in green forest with terraced rice fields growing up in the basins and valleys between them. The rice appeared slightly yellower up north than it is here in Koriyama, as the crop that defines this landscape and culture edges toward another harvest season.
And just as Americans prepare to celebrate another Halloween and Thanksgiving, the Japanese also mark the harvest season in their own way, with local festivities and events in their areas.

I went to Iwate to visit an old friend from Northern Arizona University. He invited me up because he, his girlfriend, and a couple friends were going to carry one of the many portable shrines (mikoshi) through the parade in the streets. He and two other Americans had joined the team last year, and apparently had such a good time they were going to do it again this year. They payed a fee for their uniforms and the cost of food and drink that was provided to the group. Their group provided everyone with drinks and food before and after the 2 1/2 hours of marching through the streets of the town. Not carrying the shrine, I showed up for the preparation. Dozens of different groups, comprising schools, civic groups, companies, and other organizations all carried their shrines through the streets on their shoulders. A similar festival takes place in my city in October.

While I didn't carry the shrine, my friends had fun carrying it around. I left shortly before they started to carry the shrine off, and got lost in the labrynthine mess of streets in this town. By the time I finally found my bearings, I couldn't find their shrine to photograph! Regardless of this minor disappointment, I did enjoy the food that often accompanies these events, which includes yaki-soba (fried noodles), yaki-tori (grilled salty meat on skewers), and choco banana (take a guess). The first two taste great with beer.

The shrine carriers often try to make a show of being very dramatic, often lifting, pulling, spinning and dipping the shrine around to entertain spectators. The carriers of the mikoshi shrines also yell out cheers and chants, directed by the rhythm of old men blowing whistles in 3/4 time. Fueled with the stamina and energy of Kirin Lager beer, they sometimes get a little carried away, and wind up trampling the spectators lining the streets! I witnessed this a couple times as the whistle-blowing directors failed to steer their shrines away from unsuspecting spectators. I don't think anybody was hurt.

After this, I met up with them again at the after-party, where we had more food and drink. The entire group then rented out a karaoke place somewhere else in town, where we all went. It was a spectacular event with all the trimmings. While I had the luxury of taking a day to recover from the evenings' merriment, many of the participants have to carry the big thing on Sunday night as well. As in Koriyama, the festival is a 3 day event. In fact, they are probably marching through the streets in Hanamaki as I write these words!

The next day, Brenden cooked pancakes and eggs and we talked about our jobs, politics, and our two favorite professors from Northern Arizona University. In fact, I think I'm going to drop them a note sometime soon and let them know what we're up to.

The Motomiya Song

Today marks the return to my new Japanese class. As some of you may know, I stopped taking classes in my own city and now go with a neighbor to a nearby "suburb" where I study with a group of volunteers, most of whom are really wonderful folks.
Being quite groggy from the endless insomnia I have been experiencing, I was dreading classes because in this class, you work with a tutor and I hadn't prepared anything to study that day.
Having spent two years in Japan, I shouldn't have been at all surprised to discover the entire 2 hours would be spent doing an opening ceremony, self introductions, and learning to sing the town's anthem. They handed out sheet music for Motomiyamachi's official song, and we went through it 3 times, doing all 4 verses each time.
I'm not sure how to describe the song, except that it could have been written in the 19th century, with the express purpose of putting elderly people to sleep. Sheet music is almost always written in Hiragana (the easy script) so my usual iliteracy excuse failed. It was the kind of song that evokes nostalgic images of one's hometown, the Japanese countryside, and Motomiyamachi. Due to my still somewhat limited Japanese, and unfamiliarity with local references, I couldn't understand the entire song. But it repeatedly mentioned the seasons, the the rice and some traditions of the local area.
Perhaps I was supposed to break down and start sobbing about 'mom and apple pie,' but I wasn't particularly moved.

Pictures from Pisa and Mons

Here are two more pictures for everyone to look at. The first is me at the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Like my Dad said, I found the place to be somewhat tacky. A beautiful Romanesque Church and accompanying Baptistry sat in what could have been the most beautiful Piaza in all of Italy, save for 2 big flaws. The biggest flaw was the endless row of hawkers and vendors selling kitsch garbage and souvenir junk to all the hapless tourists. The second imperfection was the lean in the tower itself, damaging the pristine aesthetic effect of the other 3 buildings. I was a little more forgiving of the latter.
The second is a statue in a large Gothic Cathedral in Mons, Belgium. Mons is the town where my friend Pat lives with his partner Heike, and is very close to France. We visited this Cathedral in Mons shortly before I concluded my trip to the continent. It was quite nice, and I wish I had spent more time in Northern Europe touring these beautiful Gothic Structures.

I will try to put some more pictures out tomorrow or Friday. If you have any requests for pictures from my trip, I will see if I can accomodate you. If I went there, I'll put them up.

Google Earth Disclaimer

I just wanted to say, I looked for many other friends' houses and things in Google Earth, but couldn't always locate them! Until I learn to use it properly, (and not gingerly grabbing, scrolling, and skipping my way across the 2 dimentional semi-omnicient digital model of planet earth). I'll be looking for everyone's house soon enough, so clean up your yards please!

Today at School

Well, today was another day at Asaka-chu, which is now my largest school. I only had three classes, so I decided to wander into the "Industrial Arts" section, where a bunch of kids were making wooden spice racks and boxes. They were quite industrious, and most of them were making some really cool stuff. Nevertheless, there were several students I noticed who followed the "measure once, cut twice or thrice" doctrine of woodworking.
Anyways, I had great fun helping the kids cut with the saw and sanding around the edges. Things were going just great. Until I realized that the "Industrial Arts" classes are 2 periods long instead of one, making me five minutes late to my next class! Not good in Japan. Two other teachers were looking for me when I realized my mistake. So, I have a new policy: NO Industrial Arts until all the classes are done for the day, and the next day's lessons are all planned.
Also, I found Google Earth on the Computer at school! I asked the teachers if it worked and I was able to show them where my parents live in CO, except that on the Google Earth picture, there is no house there, only empty lots covering the block! I could see Chatfield Reservoir, Wadsworth, and our old house on Ottawa Drive.

With mild astonishment, and of supreme importance to my ego-centric self, I also found the following:

1. What I think is my Uncle David's place in Tempe.
   
2. What I think is the Hanson's House in Scottsdale (They all look the same from the sky).
   
3. Couldn't find Jonathan and Jessica's place, but I found the route 60 and the 101 freeway overpass.
   
4. My old summer Camp in Julian CA, YMCA Camp Marston. (The lake was bigger in the picture than it was in real life)
   
5. My friend Pat's old Summer Camp, YMCA Camp Surf in Imperial Beach (the parking lot gave it away)
   
6. My Old house at Redbud Trail in Memphis. (All the Japanese people were excited to see, and now think that everyone has their own pools in America. Should've shown them a trailer park.)
7. My Alma Mater, Houston High School. Go Mustangs.
   
8. The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
   
9. The Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House in Sydney.
10. The Coluseum and Vatican in Rome.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find much of anything in Northern Arizona. I looked for Prescott and Flagstaff, but the photos were not that detailed. I had heard about Google Earth, but unfortunately my computer doesn't have the capacity to run the program.
For awhile, I was able to entertain some teachers with what I could tell them of the pictures, which was fun. Most of the Japanese were especially shocked at the size of parking lots in Phoenix, often thinking grocery stores were entire malls. Commercial Buildings do tend to be smaller here in Japan, for a variety of reasons I think. Anyways, if you haven't already, check out Google Earth.

Belly Button Weekly Caption Contest

Well, here we are again. Skilz won the last competition, which leaves him undefeated for 2 contests in a row! Come on people, help participate!! I know, I should practice what I preach. Anyways, you may now behold this week's photo. Again, make a caption. No rules, anything goes but let's keep it PG for the kids.

New Pictures

Here are some more pictures of my trip in Italy, this time in Cinque Terre and Porto Fino, where I went with my Dad. As you can guess from the size of the yachts, Porto Fino was a ritzy place.

Daily Belly Button Lint Back in Action!!

Hello everyone,
Well, it turns out the fix to my blog was simpler than I thought it would be!! I'm back in action now!! Unfortunately, since my blog has been out of commission, a great deal has happened here.
Perhaps the most exciting news is that I'm now working at two new schools. I am relatively pleased with both of them. I will try to have some new pictures up soon enough.
But all is not well in Japan, as I have tried again, and failed, the Japanese Driver's License exam. Dealing with the Japanese DMV has truly been one of the most frustrating experiences of my life, and I cannot think of anything positive to say. It is quickly leaving me with a very negative impression of this country.
As for some other business, the winner of the Daily Belly Button Lint Caption Contest is: Skilz, with "Hush little baby don't you cry, grandma's gonna smell like formaldehide." Goes great with the picture of the dead grandma with the screaming toddler doesn't it?
Anyways, here is a picture from my summer vacation in Italy. These two shots are of the Island of Capris, which is Southwest of Naples. Capris was very nice.

Technorati Profile

Caption Contest and other Sundry Business

Hello Everyone,
I think three vacation pictures is enough for today. But stay tuned because there are many more to come. Our dear friend Skilz corrected me in the comments section about the Coluseum and the World Cup. He tells us that the World Cup takes place every four years like the Olympics. Am I the only American who didn't know this? Or does every American simply need to pay more attention to soccer? Whenever the World Cup is held, I have a feeling they won't be holding figure skating or hockey matches at the Coluseum in the near future.

I am also reviving the caption contest. All you have to do is go to the comments section, find the appropriate link and sign up for a free account. You have to use your name and password every time you sign up, but it isn't too hard. If you have an idea, don't be afraid to email me either. The caption contest only works if people participate.

So here's the picture for this week. Let the posting begin. Let's not use any bad language as my students might be reading this. But, it is a screaming baby in a dead woman's lap. There's got to be plenty of good humor about that!

Somewhere on the Amalfi Coast

This is a picture of the Amalfi Coast as seen from the ferry that took me to the island of Capris. It is just south of Naples. Regular readers will know I didn't care for Naples, but the Amalfi Coast was quite nice (which is perfectly obvious from the picture.

While I work very hard to take good pictures, I don't feel any of my work is very good. It would be mediocre at best I think. However, I do value it personally and am very territorial about it being on the internet like this. So until I figure out how to do a watermark in Photoshop, I kindly ask that you not take these pictures and use them without my permission. If this small request doesn't deter you, my lawyers and prosecutors will make you stop. They probably won't be as nice about it as I am.
(All of which reminds me I should be better about citing the sources of pictures I use on this site.)

Mont Blanc

Here is a picture of Mont Blanc from Italy. Standing at 4810 meters, or 15,781 feet, it is the highest peak in France. I think it is also the highest in Western Europe, but I'm not certain. Either way, its a big one.

Cinque Terre

Here is a picture of Cinque Terre, which is where I went hiking with my Dad. Cinque Terre is one of the best places to go in Italy, and reminded me of the Amalfi Coast, except that the houses were much more colorful. Unfortunately, I can't recall the name of this place at the moment.

Back in Japan

Well, after 22 hours of flying and 5 hours of layover I am now back in Japan. Overall, my trip was a great one. I had a great time in Italy and Belgium and I even got to see 4 new countries: Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and France. So you can see my new updated map!
Overall, I thought Belgium was quite nice. It's a very laid back and unpretentious country. It isn't the most exotic or beautiful place I've ever been to, but it did have a tranquil rural landscape with productive agriculture. They make some pretty good chocolate too.

I only went to France briefly for one day, and I can't say I actually ventured very far. I only went there so I could say that I've actually been to the place. My friend Pat and I only went down there to look around and do some shopping.

I am also going to put up some of my other favorites. I am also republishing the smash hit "snake snacks" this time with the actual dog in question.

Last Day in Belgium

Today marks my last day in Belgium. Last night I went to a BBQ with Pat´s German friends, most of whom work around him on the NATO base. It was a good evening, with a very funny and interesting host. He teaches French and Dutch conversation lessons on the base, and also speaks fluent German and English. He also had a big boa constrictor that Pat and I got to play with during the evening. Unfortunately I didn´t have my camera to take pictures of the reptile.
Also, here is a picture of the stadium again, because most of my other pictures are inaccessible.

Real Mountains

The Italian Alps, looking in the direction of France.

Beautiful mountains, aren't they?

In Rome a month ago...

This is a shot of the big stadium in Rome. They´re gonna host the World Cup here next year.

First Pictures

Hello Everyone! I must apologize for the long wait, as I have been super busy here in Belgium. This is actually a very nice little country.
Since I have been here I have done a number of different things. My friend Pat and his girlfriend Heike took me to see the "Flower Carpet" which is an event that takes place in Belgium once every 3 years. Unfortunately it was raining and I didn´t get great pictures.
They also took me to see the Atomium, which is a giant 15 story tall silver model of an iron crystal. Again, the poor weather sabotaged my photographs.
Finally, my photographs were also sabotaged in Brussels at a site called the "Mannequin Pis" (yes, it is pronounced the way it sounds). For those of you not familiar with Belgium, the Mannequin Pis is a statue of a toddler urinating into a pool, and is one of the most famous sites in all of Belgium (I am not kidding). When a peeing baby is considered a national symbol (not joking here) by the people of Belgium, what does that tell you?
The day after that, my friend Pat and I drove to Amsterdam for the day. Amsterdam was a very exciting place. After getting a free map of the city at a coffee shop, we went all over town looking at the canals, parks, and all of Amsterdam´s famous sites.
I also went with Pat to an open-air museum in Belgium with his NATO summer day-camp. We had great fun.
And today, Pat and I went to the medieval Belgian city of Bruges. Like Amsterdam, it also had a canal system, although it was much smaller.

Pidgeons love Pistachios

My father and I finally left the rural utopia of Cinque Terre for the more cosmopolitan city of Florence. Unfortunately, we discovered that only 1 train a day goes directly from Cinque Terre to Florence. We made two unfortunate discoveries that day when we learned our connecting train would be delayed 45 minutes, turning a 15 minute layover into an hourlong ordeal.
So we sat around in this train station eating pistachios and talking about whatever, when this woman comes up and starts feeding the pidgeons little bits of her cracker. She was obviously not familiar with pidgeons, because as soon as she started feeding the two chubby little head bobbers, their entire extended families decided to join the feast. Before long, over 30 to 50 pidgeons joined the feast.
It was a hot day, and I was using my dad's towel to wipe sweat off my face as I was munching on the pistachios and beef jerky my dad brought from the USA. Soon however, as the army of pidgeons had devoured what little crumbs the woman had blessed them with, they began attacking the bag of pistachios at our feet. Much to our disgust, they certainly weren't shy about helping themselves to our meager lunch.
I tried kicking at a few of them and my Dad grabbed the towel on my lap and began flapping and waving it. He went a little crazy as one of the pidgeons, in an apparent effort to escape the fluttering of the colorful towel, wound up flying in his face! He jerked and threw the towel in the direction that the pidgeon had flown in retreat, screaming something in French at the little disease mongers.
Screaming myself, I started stomping around trying to get any of the little boogers I could. Most of them flew or ran just out of my reach, but I looked and saw my Dad's heavy beach towel with something fluttering and struggling beneath. Without thinking, I quickly ran over and began stomping on the heavy towel, crushing the filthy avian thief beneath. Within a half second I had wounded it enough to keep it from moving, In the other half second, I had crushed it.
People looked at us two Americans with very wide eyes and mouths.
So it wasn't the best day in Italy. The train was late, most of the day spent in transit. The pidgeons had stolen or defiled most of our pistachios. And to top it all off, my dad's brand new beach towel he bought in Cinque Terre had to be thrown away in a train station somewhere in Central Tuscany. We had to buy more snacks for lunch.

High Flying Snake Snacks

Because of popularity, I am adding the picture of the dog in question. This really is the dog on the boat that day. I don't know the smaller breeds very well, so if anybody knows what it is, you can post it in the comments section.

Because Italy has so many tourists, I'm learning more about French and German tourists than Italian culture and society. One thing I have noticed about the French in particular is their penchant for yippy little dogs. These dogs aren't capable of pointing, retrieving, sniffing for cocaine, or herding. In fact they don't seem bred for any task that anyone would consider economically worthwhile. But for whatever reason, Europeans, and the French in particular, seem to adore and worship these stupid things, even bringing them on vacation to the Riviera.
Today, my father and I boarded a ferry destined for Portofino (on the Italian end of the Riviera near Genoa), and an oddly large number of tourists on the boat decided to bring their beloved little canines. I'm not kidding. Most of the dogs were obviously frightened by the boat, dock, all the people and the stairs. After being seated for some time, the boat made another stop, and the crowded soon filled to standing room only.
One middle aged French couple had two little dogs, one of which looked like a pathetic mixed chihuahua/dashhund breed. Obviously the product of a breeder with a twisted sense of humor. It was an annoying little thing too. Obviously frightened and excited, it was making all sorts of pathetic shrieks and cries that perfectly complemented the screaming babies and low rythmic noise of the motors. The dog delivered a perfectly annoying virtuoso performance of irritation in a huge symphony of frustration.
Well, the ride went on for some time, with my Dad and I both exchanging looks at each other, the French couple, and the dog. It started to rain a little, and I could tell my Dad was getting a little impatient, as I'm sure most people in the boat were.
The next moment, I heard my Dad scream "Thing's peein' on my leg!!" Before I could look down to see the whiny little thing urinating all over the place, my Dad picked it up by its hind leg and flung it overboard. Just like that. My eyes tracked it for a bit, helplessly floating through space, head over tail into the Mediterranean horizon. Now, because we were on the second deck up on the roof, and because of the noise of the motors, we only heard a brief cry from the dog. No splash. The boat was going pretty fast too, so by the time it hit the water, it was probably pretty far away.
Again, before I could look or say anything, the French woman was in my father's face screaming all sorts of things in French. While French is a beautiful language, I'm certain she was saying things that weren't very nice. A number of other people around saw and started yelling things to crew members, no doubt informing them of what happened. The boat quickly slowed down and stopped after about a minute and some crew members came over and started asking my dad and the woman some questions. They quickly started yelling at my dad as well.
The boat started turning around, and several crew members had out big binoculars, in an apparent search for the dog. The boat started going slowly in the other direction, the whole time crew members and this French Woman yelling at my Dad.
Now the French couple was interesting. The woman had obviously received a very bad facelift and a complexion that bespoke of way too many martinis, cigarettes, and a life spent frying herself to a crisp in the sun. She was irate, screaming at the top of her lungs while the rest of the crew and passengers stared and waited for her to throw my Dad over. The French man however, seemed disturbingly calm, and even had a slight grin on his face suggesting that he probably didn't love the dog as much as his wife.
Finally the crew spotted the dog, and were able to retrieve it with a long pole-thing of unspecified purpose. The woman got her wet dog back and cuddled him, still uttering occasional screams at my father, who at this point is rolling his eyes and mocking every French word she yelled at him. This only enraged her further, as she threw plastic water bottles and a makeup applicator at him. Other crew were still yelling and questioning my dad. They finally got my dad and I to move away from the lady.
The shore wasn't far, and the boat was soon steaming strait for the nearest town. The boat slowed down as it approached a harbor and what was obviously not a scheduled stop. The boat stopped and the walkway extented, when some crew members ganged up on my dad and made it clear that he needed to leave. I quickly followed my Dad. We had to go to Portofino by Train.
Portofino was a nice place though, although it was kind of ritzy. It was the kind of place where the fabulously wealthy pull up in their yahts and buy overpriced jewelry and cocktails.

Stung by KILLER JELLYFISH!

Today, my father and I left Riomaggiore and went to Vernazza, which is the fourth village on this little course. We got on the train thinking it would take us to the stop right before this city. But it went right past that stop, and the next, and the next. Note to future travelers in Cinque Terre: Check train schedules.
So we wound up hiking back to the area. We hiked for about an hour and a half through some vinyards and olive groves clinging to this sheer cliff overlooking the West Coast of Italy. It was way too hot for hiking. Sweat simply dripped off my face, sending sweat and sunscreen cascading down my face and sunglasses to saturate the stubble accumulating on my unshaven face.
After the hike, we went swimming in the little bay in Vernazza, and I was stung by a jellyfish for the first time. It hurt! I have a little welt above my left tricep now. Fortunately it isn't too bad. Inform me of any home remedies, if you know any.
In the afternoon, I went hiking while my dad watched the ocean. We have quite a nice little communal patio from our hotel here.
I promise I will post pictures the minute I am in Belgium!

In Riomaggiore

Well, I am now in an internet cafe in Riomaggiore. I met my dad yesterday, and we caught up on things and came to the town of Riomaggiore. Its a nice place. The landscape isn't quite as spectacular as the Amalfi Coast, but the colors of the houses are really quite nice. Lots of pinks and yellows all stacked on top of each other. Cinque Terre seems a little less busy, probably because they don't seem to be allowing a lot of cars into the town.
They also make a very delicious wine here that my dad has been lecturing me about.
We've spent most of this morning hiking around and then went for a swim. I found a nice big cliff that kids were jumping off of in a neighboring town. It was only about 25 feet or so, but it was fun. My dad got some pictures of me diving in. The water was nice and warm and seems pretty clean. This is definitely a cool place.
Tonight I'm going to try some lemonchello? Somebody correct my spelling.

Also, who among my readers has been to both Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast South of Naples? Anyone? Leave your impressions in the comments section!

Leaning Tower of Pisa & David

Hey Everyone! I have been super busy today. This morning I climbed the Dome for 6 Euros. I just couldn't resist. It wasn't as good as the Dome in St. Peter's Basilica, although it was less crowded. Then I went to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was quite pretty. The tower was whiter and smaller than I thought it would have been. In the afternoon, I went to the famous statue of David. And he's buff. He definitely lived up to his reputation for greatness. The statue lives up to its reputation for, well, size. I tried to get some pictures, but I don't think the pictures turned out so well. Tomorrow, I meet my Dad and we get to go to Cinque Terre! Ciào! Tyler

Didn't go to France

Well, I decided not to go to France. The primary reason being, it was just too cold and rainy in the Alps. I was staying in a Valley at a town called Aosta.
The town I had to catch a bus in to Chamonix in France was a place called Courmayer, which is much higher up in the valley, and much cooler. So while you can wear shorts and a T-shirt in Aosta, Courmayer can be much cooler, and I was wishing I had brought my pants and a mid-layer. So I decided to make a quick retreat and just took the next bus back because I was so cold and wet from the rain. Oh well.
To give everyone an analogy, imagine spending a nice Autumn day in Durango or Idaho Springs, and then going up to Loveland or Silverton. It was just too cold and rainy for anything fun.
So now, I am writing from Florence. Its great. It doesn't seem as hot as Rome or Florence, but then again, it is night time. It also seems much cleaner. Florence also seems quite a bit greener. Must be a Tuscan thing.
I will talk to you guys later.
Bye

Hiking in the Alps

Yesterday, I went up to the tiny Italian border town of Courmayeur. This place was even less "Italian" than Aosta, where I'm staying right now. It was almost exactly as I would imagine Switzerland or Austria to be. Every building had flowerpots hanging off of stained wooden balconies. Unfortunately (fortunately?) there were no yodelers around. People were still speaking Italian for the most part. The mountains engulfing this little town were spectacular.
My plan for the day was to take one of the ski lifts up and do some hiking in the alpine meadows above timberline. Unfortunately, for whatever odd reason, the place proved somewhat difficult to navigate around. I spent 30 minutes trying to locate a couple of trails I had planned to go up, only to give up. I saw a few signs posted, but they only led nowhere! I asked around in my pitiable phrase book Italian, but nobody seemed able (or willing) to help me.
So I changed my plan and decided to go up this ski lift that according to Lonely Planet is open in the summer. There's even supposed to be a swimming pool way up at the top. But it was closed! So I had to save my pocket change and hike for 2 hours underneath a steel cable snaking its way above a clearcut gulley. Finally, I reached the top, only to hear the wonderful sounds of front-end loaders building retaining walls. Another hour of hiking uphill finally put me in the alpine meadows I had sought in the first place.
But it was so worth it! For my efforts I saw spectacular views of Mont Blanc, which lies on the French-Italian border. I could see Courmayeur, the Italian/Swiss village and 2 huge valleys to the North and South of the mountain I was on.
I did find that swimming pool, but it was also closed. Only an empty concrete hole surrounded by middle aged sunbathers frying themselves into prunes. Once I surpassed the ski resort area, it wasn't at all crowded.
Anyways, check in soon, because today I'm going to make my first trip into France and see the town of Chamonix!
Ciaò!

Feeling Better Now

I still have a bit of a cough, but a rough night of lousy sleep on a train up north seems to have cured 60 percent of whatever was bothering me.
Last night, I happily left the city of Naples to go north to Valle d'Aosta, which is near the Swiss and French border. This city is much cleaner, and much more charming than Naples. The fresh mountain air, blue skies and beautiful mountain valley remind me of Durango Colorado!
But its nothing like Durango. It seems to be about half french up here. I'm hearing a lot of Italian and French. Perhaps there are just a lot of French tourists.
Either way, the mountains are beautiful, and I have been exploring the town today. The town has a good number of Medieval Churches and Castles to Explore. I think I'm gonna take it easy though, as I want to get over this cold as soon as I can.
For now, Ciào!
Tyler

I don't like Naples

Hey Everybody,
I have concluded that I don't like Naples. Perhaps it was the heat. Perhaps it was the fact I had a cold, perhaps it was the river of trash I waded through to cross a street. Perhaps it was the obnoxious people who would hassle me to buy their fake designer sunglasses, chasing me down the street until I yelled and threatened to hurt them. Seriously, this one guy would NOT LEAVE ME ALONE. Perhaps it was the old bag lady beggars who also didn't leave me alone.
Either way, Naples came across as an old world version of Tijuana! The buildings were definitely more European, but were obviously succumbing to the natural forces of time, wind, and decay. They were also succumbing to the man made powers of neglect, graffiti, and a slow drowning in a river of dust, dog poop, and cigarette butts. I ate dinner at a nice Italian restaurant, only to have my dinner delayed by an hour when the power went out a total of 6 times! Ahem, cough cough... deteriorating public infrastructure..cough hack hack.
The only redeeming quality to the city was the food at this restaurant, but by the time my food arrived, it was too late. My opinion of this city had already been etched in stone (or spraypainted across three railcars)

The Amalfi Coast

Hey there everyone! Tyler Beal here with a description of the Amalfi Coast. I left Rome because it was too hot and dirty, and went south to Naples. From Naples I caught a train and a bus to the Amalfi Coast.

The Amalfi Coast was specacular. An ancient holiday retreat since Roman Times, it is the most charming place I have seen in Italy. Little whitewashed towns nestle between rugged limestone mountains and cliffs. Because the coastline is so steep, the houses are often built on top of one another. They burrow into the cliff sides just below a rocky Mediterranean Coast. Haphazard staircases, tunnels and passageways pour out from between the houses,buildings and churches. And the coastal road is spectacularly steep and dramatic, as it is built on top of storefronts, castles, and resorts. Transportation in this rugged area includes the one road, stairs, and boats.

I hope to include pictures soon. One day, I met some Australian travelers staying at the same place and we all went to the Island of Capri, where you can go into the Blue Grotto, a limestone cave formation of blue water. Unfortunately, due to the tides and global warming, it was inaccessible that day, so I could only get on a ferry around the island.

Evenings were spent eating pizza and watching the fireworks they set off each night for no apparent reason. The church bells also added to a very unique cacaphony of sights and sounds.

Today, I'm feeling slightly under the weather. I'm not certain why, but I have a sore throat and decided not to go to Pompeii and try and rest instead. Bummer, because I would have liked to see the Ancient Roman City buried in the ash of Mount Vesuvius. I'll just have to come back some day in the future.

Anyways, tomorrow I will be in the Alps way in the north. Should be fun if I can get over this sore throat and headache.

Signing out

Climbing the Dome

Well, I've concluded that St. Peter's deserves its very own posting in this blog because it is absolutely marvelous. This is the biggest Basilica in Rome and absolutely marvelous. The way the light comes in through the domes is spectacular.
And the scale is absolutely enormous! The place is huge! Despite my lack of adequate funds for the trip, I decided to make the purchase to climb the steps for 4 euros. You get to climb up and see the interior of the dome and also the exterior of the very top of the Dome.
Unfortunately, the interior viewpoint was covered by a protective grid to keep people from falling in. It also prevented me of taking any pictures that were decent, either of the dome or the floor below. Anyways, I continued to the very top, where I could see the rest of the Vatican City and most of Rome as well. It was the best view in Town.
The only problem was, it was STIFLINGLY HOT! Climbing through a VERY narrow passageway, one could feel the walls and floors were wet with the sweat dripping off the thousands of people fililng through the tunnels. Not a pleasant line to stand in!
But the view is definitely worth it at the top.
The interior of the church was also very inspiring. There isn't anything I can say that would truly do it justice. It definitely ranks as the greatest building I've ever seen, if not the biggest.
St. Peter's is DEFINITELY the highlight of my time in Rome.
Tomorrow, I'm gonna have a little change of pace, when I go to the sleepy little resort village of Amalfi, which is down south near Naples. I intend to catch up on all that sleep that I never get in Japan or anywhere else for that matter.

Climbing the Dome

Well, I've concluded that St. Peter's deserves its very own posting in this blog because it is absolutely marvelous. This is the biggest Basilica in Rome and absolutely marvelous. The way the light comes in through the domes is spectacular.
And the scale is absolutely enormous! The place is huge! Despite my lack of adequate funds for the trip, I decided to make the purchase to climb the steps for 4 euros. You get to climb up and see the interior of the dome and also the exterior of the very top of the Dome.
Unfortunately, the interior viewpoint was covered by a protective grid to keep people from falling in. It also prevented me of taking any pictures that were decent, either of the dome or the floor below. Anyways, I continued to the very top, where I could see the rest of the Vatican City and most of Rome as well. It was the best view in Town.
The only problem was, it was STIFLINGLY HOT! Climbing through a VERY narrow passageway, one could feel the walls and floors were wet with the sweat dripping off the thousands of people fililng through the tunnels. Not a pleasant line to stand in!
But the view is definitely worth it at the top.
The interior of the church was also very inspiring. There isn't anything I can say that would truly do it justice. It definitely ranks as the greatest building I've ever seen, if not the biggest.
St. Peter's is DEFINITELY the highlight of my time in Rome.
Tomorrow, I'm gonna have a little change of pace, when I go to the sleepy little resort village of Amalfi, which is down south near Naples. I intend to catch up on all that sleep that I never get in Japan or anywhere else for that matter.

Guy in Rome does as the Tourists Do!!

Hello everyone,
Your favorite Roman Holidayer is still reeling from the heat in this city! Its really hot here! If anybody reading this is considering coming to Rome, CONSIDER COMING IN MARCH. Yesterday I went on a guided tour of the Vatican City, where I saw just about everything there was to see in the Vatican. The Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's.They also took me to see the Basilica of St. Mary the Major and the Basilica of St. John.
I have to say, I was honestly a little disappointed in the Sistine Chapel. The paintings on the ceiling especially were quite a bit smaller than I had imagined them to be. I honestly thought they would be a bit larger and easier to see. I didn't think I would be squinting and wishing I'd brought my glasses. It didn't help also that there were WAY too many people crowded into the place.
But the Last Judgment definitely lived up to its reputation. Much easier to see than the scenes of Genesis on the ceiling, it was awsome. Perhaps its one of those places you have to see again and again in order to truly appreciate.
The Basilica of St. Mary the Major and St. John were honestly more enjoyable experiences. St. John's Basilica was especially great, with fantastic statues depicting all the Apostles. It was also equipped with an enormous Bronze door dating from the second century. The Basilica of St. Mary the Major had a fantastic gold covered ceiling and 2 beautifully decorated chapels off to the side. Both were much larger than the sistine chapel, and with imposing sets of pillars and columns both outside and inside, they were much more interesting to walk around in.
The tour took a turn for the morbid when we stopped at a complex of catacombs! This was another highlight, if only because it was nice and cool underground. I learned some interesting things about the catacombs, including that they were in use and being built much longer than I had originally thought. Even as late as the 7th century, people were still ocassionally being buried in them, although at this point it was an oddity. They were only in regular use until about the 4th or 5th century. They also were not the secretive places they have the reputation of being, where Christians would hide out to escape the persecution of the Romans. They existed before and after Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire.

They were not the scary places you see in Indiana Jones either. No spiderwebs and rats running around. They were tunneled through a type of volcanic rock layer. Some of the tombs even had frescoes painted into them.

Am I the only one who was slightly disapointed with the Sistine Chapel? Not to say that I didn't like the place, because I definitely was impressed. But I think maybe its a bit over rated. Perhaps I wrote one too many papers about the place in High School or College classes and brought all sorts of high expectations. What do you guys think? If you've seen the Sistine Chapel, was it overrated? Post a comment below or send me an email.

Stay tuned for my next day in Rome, which will include a viewing of Michelangelo's sculpture of Moses! And if this heat keeps up, an afternoon in the hotel taking cold showers!

Oh Yeah, and....Rome Is Pretty Dirty!

I forgot to mention, Rome is also kind of dirty. And everybody smokes all the time, everywhere, so you are constantly walking around in cigarette butts.

Jettlagged Day in the Eternal City

After a long flight I have finally landed in Rome, arguably one of the most interesting cities in the world. The flight was rather uneventful, consisting of a layover in Malaysia.

However, my first impressions of Rome include the following: 1. This city is extrordinarily hot! Its too hot to keep pounding the pavement and seeing sights. I managed to visit the Coluseum, the Palatine Hill, and the Trevi Fountain before giving up. I had to make 3 stops for water and 2 stops for ice cream to fight the heat. I think I may skip some sight seeing on my last day in Rome and make a trip to the beach.
I got yelled at by some fascist cop for dipping my feet in the Trevi Fountain (everybody else was doing it too). Otherwise, it was a very pretty fountain, in a very pretty area. The Colluseum would have been nicer, if it werent so hot!!

Anyways, I'll be on a guided tour of the vatican tomorrow.

Belly Button Weekly Caption Contest

Hey everybody,
In an effort to make this more exciting, I've decided to do a weekly caption contest! You have the option to post a response stating your proposed caption! I'm going to give you some examples for this one, so you all get the idea. The captions should be posted in the "comments" link that is just down below to the right of this post.

OK now, everybody write funny captions! Let me know what u think of this idea!

Everybody do the Visited Countries Listings!

This is a list of the countries that I have visited for more than a day. I stopped in the airport in New Guinea, but that doesn't count. Everybody do this and lets take a look at where everyone has been! Send your results to me! You can see the map! You can do it yourself on this website!

This was an idea I stole from Brenden Pitt. He's currently ahead of me, but I'll be catching up with him this summer when I go to Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. WHERE DO YOU STAND?

Ohse Park Cactus House

Yesterday, I went to the cactus house at Ohse Park to see a familiar site. I took my friend Kame there to see the cactus they have on display there. Here are some pictures of the cactus. Most of the cactus on display were from Mexico, but some were from South America and even a few from Africa. A few looked like they belonged in a science fiction movie or something. Here's some pictures for you.

Also, I've been getting ready for Italy Summer 2006! I'm going to Italy, Belgium and possibly Amsterdam. I'll spend 2 weeks alone traveling in Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and Valle d'Aosta near the North. Then I meet up with my Dad and we'll go through the Cinque Terra, hiking between different towns nestled in the cliffs on the West Coast. Should be good fun! After that, my Dad and I are going to see most of Florence.

When my Dad returns to the US, I'll be visiting my friend Pat up in Belgium. A German-American living in Brussels, Pat works for a NATO Day Camp program. In Brussels, I'm going to see the much hyped "carpet of flowers" festival, as well as visit the NATO base with Pat. Pat and I also have loose plans to go on up to Amsterdam for a day or 2.

Lazy Day in Koriyama

Today, I was happy to "park it" for awhile here at my house. The last 3 weeks or so have been rather hectic. This morning I woke up late, only to have the power shut off for most of the morning while some utility poles were fixed.
I called my mom, and then called my friend Pat in Belgium to discuss my upcoming tour of Belgium. He works with a kid's Day Camp on the Nato Base, and it looks like I'll be able to go on a field trip with him and his kids. He said its a very multi-lingual group, so it should be interesting.
Then, this evening, I went to the gym for an hour or so, and had ice cream afterwards with my friend Ikua. They have a Baskin Robbins here in town, and it was packed.

Anyways, since there wasn't much of anything interesting happening today, I thought I'd leave you with a funny picture or something, so here it is.

I'm also adding a couple new links to check out. You can now visit my friend Tom's website
or my friend Dan's blog. I bear no responsibility for the content of either of these websites, and have only just visited them myself. Seriously though, Tom and Dan are both English teachers here in Koriyama and might be of interest.

My 1/2 Marathon in 二本松!!!

これは私のブログです。私は時々日本語で練習して書きます。私の生徒のためにも日本語で書きます。７月２日では二本松町のロードレースをしました。ハーフマラソン２１㎞走りました。　ロードレースは難しかったよ。最初の半分は急な上りでした。疲れた。二本松は田舎ですね。雨が降りませんでしたしかし曇り空でした。二本松はすごい緑ですよ。

Well, I don't know if this is going to work or not, but the above is a brief description of my 1/2 Marathon in Nihonmatsu. While I can speak Japanese pretty well after two years, I still have very limited reading and writing skills. Japanese has 2 syllabary alphabets that I know well enough, but unfortunately they are only used for grammar and children's books. The writing system primarily uses characters derived from Chinese, and I've been putting off studying them for a long time. So, from time to time, for my own benefit in learning the writing system as well as any students that might be reading, I'm going to be writing some Japanese.

As for the 1/2 Marathon, It was a lot more difficult than I expected. I'll get the timesheet in the mail soon, but I finished 10 minutes later than my goal. I crossed the finish line after one hour and 41 minutes. It was a pretty good day for racing. Thick grey clouds threatened rain, but kept me cool during the run. Nihonmatsu is a very pretty area, filled with thick cedar forests and green rice fields over rugged rolling hills.
The problem was that the entire first half of the race was uphill!! It was exausting!! If it was flat, I bet I could've gotten a better time. Runners, is 1:41 a good time for a half marathon?

I'll have pictures soon.

Last Saturday's International Day

Sorry, I am so late with updating this, but I have been busier than I've ever been in my entire life.

Last Saturday, my friend Jake and I decided to go to Asaka Kaisei High School's International Festival. The school invites people from as many countries as they can to do seminars on games, cooking, culture, international and cultural understanding and other things. A number of the schools here have this festival.
Originally being promised an opportunity to teach students to make traditional American Deserts, My friend Jake and I were disapointed when we were told to do "games." Not knowing what they had in mind, we taught the kids poker. I was a blackjack dealer, and my friend Jake taught 5 card draw. Being my first time dealing black jack, I wasn't very good at it, but caught on quickly enough.

Following Lunch, they herded everyone to the gym were each group was supposed to give a description or demonstration of what they did or learned. We weren't sure what to say or do on stage, so Jake gave a brief description and handed the mic to me. Not sure what to say, I made a few jokes from the peanut gallery, and took a picture. I think it is the first candid picture of an audience from a stage that I have ever seen. It was quite funny, and all the students laughed, but I'm sure everyone was thinking "What's up with this weirdo?"

After the obscenely long set of speeches, I met up with Hazuki, who was one of my best students at Mihota Chu last year. I joined her soccer team for their practice after everything was done. Even on weekends, Japanese Middle School and High School students still go to their school clubs and practice for 2 to 4 hours every day.

Hazuki is pictured here, as well as the Asaka crowd, and Stephanie, Anila and Tracy, who teach in the local High Schools.

Yamadera Last Week

Last week, I promised to write about my fantastic trip to Yamadera, which is a Buddhist monastery in Yamagata, in the mountains north of me. Well, it was quite nice. It had that wonderful feeling of "I'm in some fantastic whimsical Martial Arts film."
The place is actually a Buddhist Monastery of some significance, but succumbs to tourists like many others wonderful places. Its still quite impressive though. You begin by climbing steps up the side of a mountain. Soon, you come out to the top to find all these buildings nestled into a steep ravine. One shrine sits out on a ledge, as you can see in the picture.
It would be a fantastic place to visit again. I'd like to photograph it early in the morning. Anyways, here's the pictures.

Crazy Weekend in the Cave!

Well, this has been a completely hectic weekend packed with nothing but fun.
As I have very little time now, I'm only going to describe my Saturday for the moment.

On Saturday, I went spelunking into a somewhat touristy, but nonetheless interesting cave. My friends Jake, Erika, Ami, and Kenji all came along. Our first stop was the hyakuen (100 yen, like a dollar store) and bought flashlights and glowsticks. Then Kenji drove us way out into the country where this cave is, and we each paid 1200 yen to get in. Unfortunately, the cave was far too wet to bring my camera inside. The first half of the cave was very touristy, with stairs, platforms and interpretive signs. However, about third of a kilometer in, you come to the good stuff!

We waded in our sandals through freezing water while making our way up this stream. Lots of boulders, tunnels. There was one section that was about 15 meters where we were on our hands and knees in the water, crawling up this thing. Several times we had to pause, because our companion Jake, was uncomfortably wide for the journey, and struggled to pull himself through some squeezes.

After an hour and a half, we finished the cave, which was maybe a kilometer as one walks, though less as the bird flies. Anyways, it was a very good time. We never did get lost, but I don't think the cave was big enough for that anyways. It was definitely the WETTEST cave I've ever been in. All the caves in Arizona (fond memories of the Lava Tubes) I've been in were dry as a bone.

After this, we came across the most curious restaurant, which serves some kind of soba noodles. They serve cold noodles that slide down this long half pipe and you have to retrieve it as it comes floating down the stream of water. See pictures. Unfortunately, I don't recall what this was called at the moment, but I will be sure to ask. It was lots of fun.

Tomorrow, I hope to enthrall everyone with a description of the whimsical mountaintop shrine of Yamadera and my visit to the Nikka Whiskey Distillery

All sorts of goodies

Hello everyone!

Not too much going on today. Today we Asst. English Teachers had a monthly meeting at the Board of Education. Which is usually very boring (and was this week as well). Apparently, the owners of my apartment complex changed. I had to go to a second meeting afterwards with the people in my apartment complex.

They gave us free towels and told us that our locks would be replaced with electronic number locks. They also said the location of our trash bin would change and they would add a parking space. Why telling us these 3 things would take over an hour is absolutely beyond my comprehension.

This evening I went to Baskin Robbins with my English Conversation Class students today and just got back. They really are a nice bunch of people.

Also, if anyone is interested, I've discovered the virtues of RyanAir, which is a discount air carrier in Europe, if anybody is heading to the continent. I managed to book a flight from Rome to Brussels for only about 114 Euros. Not bad in my book.

Anyways, since this was a slow day, filled with lots of obnoxious chores and nothing really special, I'll leave you all with another funny picture!!

Also, I'm looking for other ideas and suggestions for improving this blog, so if you have any ideas, you can write to me at Valaquenta8@yahoo.com or one of my other email adresses if you know them. You can also post a message on here. Also, if you are reading this regularly, let me know, so I can write stuff that you might find interesting.

A Day in the Office

Here's something people might find amusing.

Wedding Bells

No, I'm not getting married, but I DID go to a Bridal Fashion Show where I met this model here. I actually went there with some friends to see my friend Jen Mitten as the sole foreigner in the show. Astonishingly, Jen was too big to wear any of the western style bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses. So, she could only wear a kimono, which she described as "uncomfortable and hot."

I was a little surpised. It was a very good show, with good production values. Most of the models were professionals (with the exeption of Jen). Unfortunately, there was a very low turnout.

Only about 25 people came. I came with a group of about 6, leaving only 19 or so other people who came. It most certainly was not Paris or Milan, but it was a good time. I had fun playing with my camera.

Sushi Taisho

Yesterday Evening, I went out to dinner at a sushi place or sushiya. My friend Kame's parents owned the place. I figure just because I knew her, I got about 70-130 USD worth of sushi for free. (I did pay about 30 dollars US). It was a good evening, because her father, years ago, made sushi in New York City and lived there for a year. Had a lot of interesting things to say.

For anyone interested in learning about eating sushi in Japan, here is an informative video that a friend (Skilz) sent to me.

sushi video

You would laugh even harder if you knew what was true and what was nonsense.

Getting Warmer in Japan

Well, I've decided to add another student's blog to my little monkey house on the internet. If you are interested in learning Japanese, or reading about the lives of my students, this is a cool place to go. I think I'm going to get any student's web pages and see if they want to see.

Thursday, I started a new Japanese class in the nearby town of Motomiya Machi. I think it might be a little bit better. For one, they recently got a new teacher at my class in Koriyama, and she simply isn't as good a teacher. Also, the ratio of teachers to students in Motomiya is about 2 to 1, so I get a lot of extra attention and help. The only downside I see is that they focus more on grammar and reading than my other class. I'm hoping to focus almost exclusively on conversation. My new teacher wants me to learn a lot of new chinese characters, which I don't think is beneficial to me due to my plans of leaving Japan in a little more than a year.

As for Friday, I ate yakiniku ("grilled meat" that you cook yourself at the table) with my friend Jake and his girlfriend Junko. Yaki Niku is the best thing since sliced bread.

8th Grader with a Business Card

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, but at the moment, I'm extrordinarily busy.

I was at my larger school yesterday and was talking with a kid. Anyways, he mentioned in the conversation that he had a business card. Being a long-time business card collector (don't ask), my immediate thought was "I want one!" I have business cards from bosses, my Dad's bosses and clients, family, friends, pastors, and many other aquaintances. But I've never gotten a card from a STUDENT!

My second thought was, "Hey, what kind of 8th grader has his own business card?!" I knew that business cards (meishi) are far more common here in Japan, but sheesh. The Japanese even have their own etiquitte for handling and presenting meishi. But this was just funny.

Seriously though, the kid's name is Hikaru Endou, and he is extremely cool. He is one of a handful of students who earnestly desire and try to speak English. He's pretty good at it too.

Anyways, the card had a blog on it as well, which I will link to when I have a spare moment.

My English Conversation Class

Tonight I had the pleasure of teaching my weekly Eikaiwa, or English conversation class. I have about 15 students and once a week I teach them different ways of speaking or asking questions in English, and provide an atmosphere where they can use the English that they know.

My oldest student is 70 years old, while my youngest is 9. I'm enjoying it more than my classes in school, largely because they are more interested in learning English. I'm also finding most of the people in the class are very eager to learn, which makes teaching them that much easier and more fun

After the class, I went out for ice cream with a couple of them, and one of them is a volunteer in some kind of halfway house. Another man is retired and teaches about the history of Koriyama and the area around where I live.

I'm discovering that people often lead very simple lives here in Japan. People also don't say a whole lot, and its refreshing to speak to people who have lots to say.

Letter from Hazuki

Well, I heard from Hazuki, who was one of my best students during my first year in Koriyama.
She's a first year High School Student now, at one of the best High School's in my city. I met her from Mihota Chugakko last year, when she was in 8th and 9th grade.

A while ago I had met her mother at the sushi store, and gave her my email. I am a little suprised to hear back from her. I'll have to give her the address to this blog, and she can post comments and talk to people here.

So I invited her to Asaka Reimei's International Day Festival, which is a big event in July. My friend Jake and I have agreed to teach an American Cooking Class. Out of the kindness of our hearts, Jake and I plan on sharing the rich culinary heritage of the United States (Rice Krispy Treats).

Hiking in Sukagawa

Yesterday afternoon, my friend Mie drove me South of our city of Koriyama, into the mountains. We revisited a place we had been before, but had quickly left due to a rainstorm. Fortunately, the sky and temperature shined on us yesterday, and we were able to do some hiking. We went up this mountain trail, where we found a spring, and an endless number of ferns.
I tried to photograph some, and this is my first effort. I have a few with the ferns mixed in with the forest, but this will have to do for starters.

Anyways, my friend and I returned back to my place, where she taught me how to make Yaki-Soba (fried noodles). Most of the time we spent just joking around though. She's trying to learn English from me, and I'm trying to learn Japanese from her. So we occasionally hang out.

I also heard from my friend Brenden today, and we will be planning a trip to Korea together this fall. I've also been busy reading up on Italy, and trying to decide what to do with my time there. I heard from my cousin Allen Dyer, who suggested Sicily, which I'm going to see if I can fit into my plans. If any of you have been to Italy, and have some suggestions (besides the Colluseum and the Vatican) don't be afraid to let me know.

Further bulletins as events warrant.

Yesterday evening with Paipin

Yesterday Evening, I went out with Paipin, who is the sole Chinese guy in my weekly Thursday night Japanese as a Second Language Class. He's only been here in Japan for about 1 year, but his Japanese is already better than mine. I suppose it doesn't help that I'm stuck at school all day listening to people speak and practice english with (or at) me.
Anyways we went out to Kaiten Sushi, which for all you American types is sushi on tiny plates circling around a conveyor belt. Its like the luggage pick up circle at the airport, where the bags go round and round (except with sushi). Its actually kind of amusing at first, but one quickly grows accustomed to such things. I'll include a picture sometime.

We talked about many things, but mostly about the class we share and the challenges learning Japanese and what we think about this country.

I also met the mother there of two former students of mine. They wanted my email, but I have yet to hear back from them. The mother told me there was a problem sending the mail, and asked for the address again. If I hear from them again, I'll give them the address of this site. She'll be writing from a cell phone, as people here don't typically have home computers with internet connections. At least, they don't seem to be quite as common as they are State-side.

Tyler

Today

Today was rather boring at first, but slowly turned interesting.

School started off very slow (not one class) because most students are still competing in the sports tournament around the city. Right after lunch, the students went home, and we could leave, so the P.E. Teacher at one of my schools drove me down to a community center's sports complex so we could cheer for a student of mine who went very far in the badminton competition.

Unfortunately, she lost her match, but she was quite good. I felt bad for her because it was such a small school, she was the only person competing in badminton. There were four teachers in all watching her, and no other students with us. B
ecause the PE teacher, Sanpei Sensei, was apparently a professional soccer goal keeper back in the day, he was quite eager to see the matches in progress. So we went over there and watched a game until it was clear one team would win.

This evening, I went to my Eikaiwa, where I teach English to a group of people at the local community center. They are a nice bunch. I was a little concerned about teaching adults with such a mix of ages and ability, but its turning out to be easier than I thought. I'm having fun with them so far though. I teach them every Wednesday for 5 more weeks.

Chutairen

Today was the Semi Annual Chutairen, or the City Sports Festival, depending on how you would like to translate it. During this time, all the sports teams in my district compete in a daylong tournament. The winners go onto the kentaikai (I think that's what its called) or the prefectural tournament. Overall, its usually a pretty crazy day. As there are no classes, I'm allowed to go around to the various schools hosting various tournaments.

My first stop was the table tennis tournament, but I quickly left to go see the Katahirachu Basketball team lose their game, and be eliminated after the first round.

After this, I went back to the table tennis tournament. I watched it for awhile, and soon left to go see the Kendo teams play. Unfortunately, it was a rather disappointing time at the kendo tournament. The new music teacher (who coaches the kendo team) wasn't in the friendliest of moods, and was in fact rather cold. I'm not certain why. I don't think I've done anything to deserve it, certainly not that day. Not sure what was going on there. Regardless, I think most of my students were happy to see me.

I quickly left the stifling atmosphere there and went to go watch the Tomita tennis team play. By the time I arrived late that afternoon, I was only able to watch the Girl's team finish a couple of games. The Tomita Girls ALMOST won the city championship, but just lost. They put up a good fight though.

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so I cannot post any pictures of the day.

Me

Me again. Handsome Guy, wouldn't you say?

Me in Flagstaff

Here's Me in Flagstaff. I'm still trying to get a picture of myself into the side bar. After I do that, I'll be finished for the day. I may try and edit some at school tomorrow.

Picture test and Gasherbrum IV

I'm trying to put pictures and stuff on this blog, but I can't figure it out. This is a test of my ability to do different things. I repeat, this is only a test.

here's a link to yahoo.com

By the way, the mountain is Gasherbrum IV. Located in the Karakoram Range of Pakistan, it is among the world's most difficult mountains to climb.

The Beginning of the Blog

Here I am. It's a lazy sunday afternoon, and I'm watching the rain drizzle down from the sky onto my balcony door. I'm starting this blog as a means of keeping in touch with friends and relatives better, and also as a way of gauging my success at achieving certain life goals.

For the moment, I'm going to spend the next few days describing my life here in Koriyama, Japan as an English teacher, but utlimately I'll chronicle my travels and other life events for everyone to see, as well as give my unsolicited opinion on books, society, politics and anything else that I feel like talking about.

For today, I'm planning on going over some information about an investment scheme (mutual funds) I recieved in the mail, and then perhaps do some shopping, and go for a run.

I'll talk more later.

Recollections: Kevin Nissen

My Recollections are instances in my life that I fondly recall for any number of reasons and I've written all of them down on or after June 2009, although the events take place over a very wide time span in my lifetime. Everything you see below is an account of my memory, which can be fickle and unreliable, yet often yields the most important life lessons and records those crucial formative instances in one's life story.

I've had several bosses during my time in the working world, but I must say that none have inspired me to work so hard as Kevin Nissen. Kevin possesses a truly remarkable gift for bringing out the very best in those around him and inspiring those under him to go farther than they ever imagined.

He was funny and self depreciating in a hilarious way, but always managed to be taken seriously and earn a high degree of respect from everyone around him. He could be stern and demanding, but always managed to make you feel good about yourself, like you were doing a good job and that you could do a good job.

He managed to do what most managers would find nearly impossible: get a team of 60 random young people, get them to work 16-18 hours a day, 6 days a week, get 120% out of each and every one of them without threats, resentment, or any ill will. In the environment, he managed to create an atmosphere where everyone felt comfortable with everyone else. We should make him president.

Award of Special Magnificence

Today, at the Changwon Korean Class (창원 한글학당) I won an award for perfect attendance. Some teachers presented me with this special textbook. I was so proud.

But while my attendance may be impeccable, my Korean is not up to par yet. The more time I spend and the more I learn, I realize that Korean will be much harder to learn than Japanese ever was. Some reasons:

1. Korean is far harder to pronounce than I originally anticipated and filled with difficult tongue twisters.

2. While not always true, I'm finding that oftentimes the people I speak with on an everyday basis purposely make it more difficult to learn. One Korean friend of mine has observed the same, even going so far as to say that, "I'm embarrassed to say, but some Koreans like watching foreigners struggle with the language sometimes. They pretend not to understand, even if they speak it correctly."

3. My students and teachers often laugh at my mistakes, making me less willing to try and practice at school. I try to be confident and brush it off, but with 30 kids laughing at a slight mistake, its difficult sometimes. So I'm not practicing speaking nearly as much with my students as I should be.

Besides the great award, what made me especially happy was this picture of myself that I actually like (Thanks, Ja-Yeon):

Recollections: Perceptions about Prescott

My Recollections are instances in my life that I fondly recall for any number of reasons and I've written all of them down on or after June 2009, although the events take place over a very wide time span in my lifetime. Everything you see below is an account of my memory, which can be fickle and unreliable, yet often yields the most important life lessons and records those crucial formative instances in one's life story.

I don't remember exactly when this conversation took place (or even if it was 1 single conversation). Instead I remember being hurt and feeling insulted about the choices I'd made and I wasn't sure how to deal with it at the time.

On some Friday evening at the home of someone at the First Baptist Church college ministry at that time, somebody started a conversation about how boring Prescott, Arizona was and how much they couldn't stand Prescott, Yavapai College, or even Arizona.

I never took issue with what was said, but somebody else mentioned that I moved to Prescott willingly, to live with my grandparents so that I could gain residency and eventually move to Northern Arizona University. Upon hearing my situation, one of the main antagonists in the room expressed disbelief, harping me to explain, "How could you even KNOW about Yavapai College?"

The conversation took a nose dive from there. They knew from knowing me that I was very intelligent, and naturally they suddenly assumed Yavapai College was beneath me. Most of the people in the room attended either Yavapai Community College or Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

While all friends, most were either stereotypical "pilot types," sporting cheesy crew cuts and tearing around in red Camaros from California, or "redneck" types" who had a gunrack in their AZ plated Ford pickups. We socialized together at First Baptist Church, but often pilots would congregate to chat about 'touch-and-go's' while the others would gripe about how much they didn't like their hometown: Prescott. With my dopey naivete, obsession with rock climbing, and Tennessee plates on my plastic-sided Saturn and a sage-like grandfather everyone knew, I didn't fit either mold very well. I understandably often felt out of place with the group.

And while I was confident in my choices, and explained how I had a good plan and a good reason to be there, many of them (Prescott natives mostly) couldn't understand why I would come all the way to Prescott. I'm wishing I'd given a more impassioned defense of my choices and my chosen home. It got me down that they didn't like it there and made me wonder about things I'd previously thought were good. I was happy there. Why couldn't they be happy for me? I enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and the screaming good deal on a good education I recieved there. Why couldn't they appreciate how good they had it too?

Thinking back now, I realize there are a lot of class undertones going on in Prescott. I'm reluctant to say it, but Prescott is basically a former cow-town turned glorified retirement community for rich folks. Like a lot of small towns with abnormally high real-estate prices, the retired rich folks are more or less served by a working poor underclass, and there's a lot of resentment among locals and natives (who often take for granted the good things about the area).

I didn't really fit the schema of their little model of the world in many ways. The pilots didn't get me because they were often so wealthy and couldn't figure why I'd come out there, but I wasn't one of the working class local yokels either, who'd come from far and wide and specifically chosen what they saw as their only option in life.

From Northern Arizona, 2000-2001

Recollections: First Day at Yavapai College

My Recollections are instances in my life that I fondly recall for any number of reasons and I've written all of them down on or after June 2009, although the events take place over a very wide time span in my lifetime. Everything below is an account of my memory, which can be fickle and unreliable, yet often yields the most important life lessons and records those crucial formative instances in one's life story.

My first day at Yavapai College. I showed up early for my English Composition class. Wouldn't want to be late! Who else is there? A very attractive Hispanic girl about my age from the nearby town of Chino Valley, an agrarian community that lay to the North of Prescott.

If most of my coeds would be this pretty, I was liking it here already! I introduced myself, asked her questions and generally made awkward attempts at flirting, although thinking back, they would have been quite benign and more friendly, even just idle chit-chat. What other classes are you taking? Where are you from? What do you do for fun? Studying to be a legal secretary? Boyfriend? Yes on the last question. Shoot. Oh well, I guess it always happens that way.

I would see her from time to time, as she and I were often the earliest to arrive. I enjoyed talking with her, but had hoped for more. I suppose it made things easier that she was taken: I knew inside I wouldn't have had the guts to ask her out at that point in my life anyways.

Recollections: Hectic Week Before Arizona

My Recollections are instances in my life that I fondly recall for any number of reasons and I've written all of them down on or after June 2009, although the events take place over a very wide time span in my lifetime. Everything below is an account of my memory, which can be fickle and unreliable, yet often yields the most important life lessons and records those crucial formative instances in one's life story.

The week before I move to Arizona, I'm thinking and planning a hundred different things. I'm cleaning my room, I'm packing stuff and seeing what fits in my car, I'm budgeting a trip, and I'm closing bank accounts and quitting my job with Charles Farenkompf. I'm dealing with the Saturn Dealership as they drag their feet fixing a fender bender I was unfortunate enough to be involved in several weeks before. Long, awkward, melancholy conversations about coming of age and life choices with my parents fill my evenings on the patio by the pool and I spend my evenings renting movies, occupied by my odd new hobby: coin collecting.

That's right, of all the things on my mind before making my first big move across the country and starting higher education, coin collecting makes the top 5. Several factors play into this: I was originally drawn in by the 50 State Quarters program: A 10 year, US Mint celebration of the diversity, culture, heritage, and wonders of the United States of America. Also, I was cleaning out my room, and taking care of a big, heavy piggy bank. What better time to start than with a pile to sort through.

I started collecting the 50 state quarters, bought some coin folders, then went through pennies and dimes searching for different years and mint marks. Even the evening before my departure, I couldn't be bothered with the details of my trip, only sorting through new rolls of quarters and dimes acquired at the bank. Was I engaging in some kind of escapist activity, distracting myself from the changes about to happen?

I learned and realized much later that coin collecting, and collecting in general has a psychological component to it: someone mentioned that it was an unconsious attempt to turn order into chaos. Thinking back now in 2009, on times when my urge to collect was strongest, this makes perfect sense: I always collect the most coins at periods in my life where I'm in a serious transition. Will this always be the case?