eli. :D

2009-11-14T12:54:00.008-06:00

To anyone reading this right now:

This was a middle school class project. For my "real" blog, check out my adventures while I spent a summer in Japan on a homestay! kichisaburou.blogspot.com :) This was only a school assignment!

:D

Learning to Bow

2008-05-01T20:21:00.003-05:00

When I heard about juku, I was not fully aware of my reaction. I did not necessarily enjoy the idea of students having to study excessively, and did not think it was practical. Many other teachers and even some parents thing juku is somewhat impractical, but many students are motivated to do well in school as well as learning English. Juku cram schools use mostly the same textbooks as the students' schools, so the students get bored quickly in class since they have already reviewed the material in the juku schools. Yet, most students and children seem to enjoy them, or at least are motivated to learn English.

Graduation day has finally come. I will truly miss [most] students that I have taught, and that I knew well. Almost all the parents of children came to the school at promptly 8:00 am. Many people were bowing to each other, but everyone bowed to Japan's flag while the National Anthem played. The day before the graduation, students practiced for more than two hours straight on how to bow correctly during the graduation. I would not make my students do this if I were a teacher in the United States. Many speeches were said, although almost all of them were practically the same. I hope these students of mine are prepared for their futures and the real world.

Cho and I enjoyed spring in his hometown. At first, I thought the sakura trees would sprout cherries! But alas, I was wrong and they only sprouted blossoms. Yet, they were beautiful; I wish we had these sorts of trees in America. It was sad to hear that Cho was not marrying Cheiko. Cho told me this news, and yet he did not seem very upset. They both seemed to know that they were not meant for each other.

The death of Kenzo Saikawa stunned me. I would not think that a child of this school would commit suicide, no matter how depressed he or she would be. Denver and I discussed this matter, both in remorse. We agreed that the principal and main teachers should have enforced the rules much more, and not have let the other students torment Kenzo so much. It is good to hear, however, that Japan is still a very safe place. I wish the numbers of murders or other victims in the United States could be as low as the number in Japan. I have learned that students in schools are learning and incorporating much violence into their lives, however. I read in the newspaper recently that two students have killed their teachers! ;___; These students have sadly resorted to using the method of stabbing. It is quite late now, and I am feeling very sad to the recent news. Now, I shall depart, but I will be sure to write soon!

Learning to Bow

2008-04-28T20:31:00.002-05:00

I truly enjoy the tradition of getting up every morning, and bowing while proudly saying "onegaishimasu!" I have done it for approximately six months now, and I will continue to do it. I have noticed that as the year is progressing, less students are running around between classes and less students are late to school each day. I taught the students a few new phrases, such as "I eat lunch at..." and "I go to bed at..." They enjoyed this, but when we moved on to reading textbooks most of the students seemed bored.

When I started explaining to them about the racial problems in the United States and explained to them that we are all one people, they learned a new vocabulary word. "Same." I was very surprised that they already know this word, as I would think they had heard this word before if I said it. After explaining more about racial discrimination in various state in the US, we moved on to telling stories. I told the folk tale of "Paul Bunyan". The students enjoyed this tale very much and clapped and cheered whenever I spoke his name. After this, some of the students read to me the story of "The Peach Boy" while acting it out in a small skit.

Once again, I drew a sketchy map of The United States of America, and once again, the students mimicked me - "Thheeee United States of America". I taught them about the east, west and midwest areas and how my ancestors came to live in these areas. As I went over the story of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki while teaching the phrase "I think it is...", many of the students were very enthusiastic since they could relate to the story, as it was about their own country.

After school, I finally planned to visit Tokyo. Many of the teachers and other colleagues of mine discouraged this, but my college friend named Cho liked the idea. He had his friend Hara to meet me at the train station. I think Tokyo is a great city blossoming with youth, although it is changing the Japanese culture, which many people (especially old people) do not like. I went on a "go-con" with Cho Hara, and a couple of friends of theirs. Hara's friend was very rude and kept putting down American people, but I grew to live with it. It was quite fun to start out, but as we fought for twenty minutes and then after they deserted me, we all agreed it was not fun at all. We also have decided that we will have to come back to visit Tokyo and do this again, but make it much better!

After our "go-con", we went skiing. Tomo and I went down the easiest path as we are not too good of skiers, and I have never skied here, or anywhere in Japan for that matter. Now I am tired and I must go, but I will be sure to write soon!

Learning to Bow

2008-04-01T20:58:00.003-05:00

I did not like the hospital. Not at all. The crutches were too short, and they were only sticks from trees. The nurses were quite harsh, and demanded answers right away. When I asked for the help from another doctor, many were quite surprised. This truly embarrassed me, and many people are still asking me questions about it. After I was able to walk again, I was very glad that my friends would bring me food and accessories at my apartment. Another person asked me "can you use chopsticks?" though. ;_;

The idea of Trash Day in Japan, and at Sano Junior High is a great thing. I truly enjoyed picking up trash with the students; I had a very fun day. I think the students enjoyed it too. They enjoyed playing "trash games" as well as roaming the city. I hope this will occur more often throughout Japan, since this concept will help the country thrive.

I was very surprised when I received a spork instead of traditional Japanese chopsticks during lunch time. Although there were chopsticks available for use, the recommended utensils were sporks. The available chopsticks were made out of plastic, and shorter than others that I have seen.

Both the Shinto and Buddhist religions are both amazing. Although they have two different beliefs entirely, people can live in Japan with both of these without suffering. The shrines were very nice, although simple. The children were always at my side, asking me if I saw any ghosts. That night when I fell asleep, I saw Mt. Fugi. This hopefully means I will have good luck throughout the next year!

Learning to Bow

2008-03-30T20:47:00.001-05:00

I have many opinions of the school. My strongest thought is that their rules are too strict. If a student does not follow the rules and a teacher does not catch them, the ninth-grade boys will give them harsh punishment. Their required socks, hair and uniform regulations seem also too strict. The boys have to wear a black top with brass buttons and black pants. During winter, turtlenecks are unacceptable, although sweaters may be worn over the white shirts that everyone is required to wear. Girls must wear the same, but the shirt and pants must both be blue.

Another thing that bothered me about the school regulations is that only boys can be strong, and only girls can be pretty. Boys must do "boyish" things while girls must do "girlish" things. I think no matter who they are, they should have the opportunity to do whatever they wish.

The "Welcome Party" was very nice. The food was very good, and so were the drinks. Many people wanted to fill my glass with drinks of all sorts, and I was surprised how kindly I was treated. People no longer asked me "Can you eat with Japanese chopsticks?", but instead "Are you enjoying the food?". I have noticed that many of the people that I saw in the welcoming party when I arrived have become much less shy, and have talked a lot to me recently. The night clubs were the same as the ones in the United States, and I am glad that I only went [was forced] into one. Now I must go, as it is very late, and I must go to bed and prepare for tomorrow.

Learning to Bow

2008-03-27T10:51:00.002-05:00

As I arrived in Japan I was somewhat frightened. Their customs such as bathing with other people are quite different from what I am used to. I did not plan to give a speech either. Most people who I met were very nice, and the Director was also quite kind. I wish I didn't have to sit at a big metal, heavy, gray desk, however. Some of the children laugh at my name, but I don't think their names are easy to pronounce, though. I am getting prepared for school tomorrow, and I can't wait!

Japan

2008-03-13T20:29:00.001-05:00

Today, I will be traveling from Mexico to Japan. For some reason, I cannot use any electronic resources. I will be traveling by canoe, and will hopefully reach Japan soon. I also hope to stop in New Zealand since I have always wanted to go there. I'll update my blog after I get there!

Entering the Underworld

2007-10-30T13:14:00.000-05:00

Somehow, I have been taken back in time to the time of the Mayas. As I was looking for ways to get back into my own time, I came across a cenote, a large body of underground water. As I jumped in, I got taken into the underworld. A Myan who was also there told me that if I needed help I could ask a creature. I asked a creature how to get back, but it did not know. It had wings and slimy skin. Here is a picture of it:

The underworld is very dark and damp with a deep blue glow everywhere. It is somewhat like a cave, I think, except that it is much wider and longer. Sacraficed people are working and many strange creatures are roaming about. I finally got to one that knew how to get me back to my time. I suddenly fell asleep. When I woke up, I could tell that it was only a few hours later and I was in my own time.

_{Also, I think this blog is very fun to do and is a very good idea. I think it helps me invent ideas and hypothesize what would happen if I did a certain thing.}

The Nazca Lines

2007-10-23T13:33:00.000-05:00

I have just found the secret of the Nazca lines. My best theory, which is most likely correct, is that the Nazca Lines were formed by the ancient Nazcans as a invisible barrier to keep intruders out. They would put up that barrier and when an enemy tried to get in and attack them or conquer them, the gods would protect them from the enemy. I am sure this is correct because I have studied it for many years and I have found artifacts that highly support this idea. There were many dead bodies near the lines and only Nazcans in the inside area of the lines.

Machu Picchu

2007-10-09T13:13:00.001-05:00

I have reached Machu Pichu. I took a train from Cuzco, Peru. The train ride was about four hours. A bus went up the switch packs to get to the top, because the train ride was to the bottom of it. Instead of taking the bus, I walked up. It took about an hour and 15 minutes. There are many mountains and rocks, but a lot of flat land too. Here is a view for Machu Picchu. You can scroll by dragging your mouse of using the arrows on the top:

Iguazu Falls

2007-10-02T13:14:00.001-05:00

Today I reached Iguazu falls. In the first post (my trip plan), I said that I would travel to Angel Falls, but that is too far out of the way. Now I am in Argentina. Here is a picture of Iguazu Falls:

Here is a video that I took of Iguazu Fall when I was there:

Lake Titicaca

2007-10-01T13:18:00.000-05:00

Today I reached Lake Titicaca. The water is very blue and warm. There was a legend that there was a man-dolphin in th lake, but I don't believe that... Here is a picture of the lake:

Here is a pictue of the man-eating dolphin:

Amazon River

2007-09-24T13:37:00.000-05:00

I have finally reached the Amazon River. It is very big and murky. I am walking along the banks because I do not have a boat to carry me across in the water. I have seen a few huts alng the way and people making boats. There are lots of cool animals here. One of the most colorful is the toucan. Here is a picture of one that I saw:

Tomorrow morning, I will be heading out to Peru. I will update my blog when I get there. :)

Junkanu Band

2007-09-20T10:58:00.000-05:00

Today I saw the Junkanu Band in Haiti. It was really fun to watch. Then I got really bored and I went to a stand and had some beans and rice. They speak French here and since I know French I was able to speak with the people in the city. I shall now go and find a parrot to buy...

Oh, and heres a video of the Junkanu Band:

Airplanes :)

2007-09-19T16:47:00.001-05:00

Today I landed in Haiti. The plane ride was long and had a lot of turbulence. Once, the plane jumped so much that an man fell out of his seat and started rolling around the plane...

Haiti is very beautiful. Here is a picture of what I saw:

As I was walking along one of the beaches with my newly-bought video camera, I saw a UFO! Here is a video:

See the video HERE

Latin Amercia Trip

2007-09-18T13:07:00.000-05:00

I am taking a month long trip to Latin America. I am going to start out at the Caribbean, and then travel to Mexico and the rest of Central America, and then head to South America. In South America, I will travel to the Amazon River and Angel Falls. I think it will be very fun and exciting, and a new experience.

For the first week (or so) of my trip, I will travel to Peurto Rico and Jamaica. Then I will go to Mexico City and from then on, I have not planned the rest of my trip.