My Farewell Speech

I thought it would be fun to show you guys what I said to my students and co-workers this morning at my farewell speech. This is the English version. I actually did the whole speech IN JAPANESE and while wearing a yukata! Pictures to come.

Good Morning!

As most of you know, I have been in Japan for one year. Yesterday was my last day of teaching at Inabe High School, and I am sad to have to say goodbye to all of you. Living in Japan has been a great and memorable experience. Being a city girl my whole life, it was an adjustment to live in Inabe. But, seeing you everyday made living in the rice field worth it.

This year I had the opportunity to immerse myself in Japanese culture. I have learned to put on a kimono, tie my own obi, serve Japanese tea, and write calligraphy. Despite the language barrier, my small interactions with you everyday make me so happy. I love it when you say hi to me in the hallways, or come talk to me after school.

Some of you have taught me how to play badminton, or helped me dress in a kimono. The tea ceremony club has treated me not as a teacher, but as a fellow student, and I appreciate that as I learned the techniques of serving tea.

I’d like to give a few special thank-yous. First, can all the san-nenseis that have EVER taken a class with me stand up. You guys have made this year so amazing for me. I love your participation in class, and your interest in my life. I hope that you will continue to learn English and go abroad! Go travel the world! You have heard all about my travels this year, and now I want to hear about yours. I care deeply for each of you and I hope some of you will keep in touch when I leave.

To the baseball boys – even if I didn’t have you in my class, you still came to say hi to me and always made me smile. I really love your excitement and enthusiasm. Thank you for being so outgoing.

To Kobori-sensei – you are an amazing mentor and I can not thank you enough for all that you have done for me.

To the English staff – I am so lucky to have so many people that speak English around me. Thank you for helping me out with daily life and letting me join your classes.

To the other teachers – You made me feel welcome in a new and strange place. I loved playing soccer with you, and being able to joke around in the staff room. Thank you for being my friend this year and I hope you can continue to have more “Inabe Nabe” parties in my absence.

To the office staff – You guys are amazing. I can’t thank you enough for all the hard work you put in helping me sort out my daily life.

As for my life after Japan, it is still undecided. I will return home to San Diego after traveling around South East Asia. I hope to go back to graduate school in the future and pursue a career in politics or advocacy for women.

I hope that each of you will pursue your own dreams. You have the ability to choose your own path in life. If you choose to continue on with English, there are many tools and people to support your decision.

Out of all the things I will miss about Japan, I will miss you, the students, the most when I leave. But just know that purikura machines and hello kitty come in as a close second.

All my love and best wishes for your future,

Robyn

2 1/2 weeks

That's how long I have left in Japan.

Sometimes after my day is over and I'm coming back home from school or the gym, I think, wow look at all those interesting things that happened to me today. I should write it on my blog. Then I get lazy, come home, and watch a movie or TV show.

Not today! Well, actually, it was stuff that happened yesterday.

1. I've been going to my gym for 10 months now. Yesterday was the FIRST time someone said something to me in the locker room. This lady asked me, whilst we were both naked, if I liked the Japanese baths. Well, yes, I do like them indeed. Thank you for asking ;) (as opposed to just staring at me like I'm an alien).

2. I had a class of 14 students do a quick 25 minute collage using PEOPLE magazines from home, then they had to talk about it in English. As I walk around, a group of boys are looking at this one article/picture. It was a set of 4 pictures of the latest "Project:Runway" star showing you how he styles his hair. The first picture was him parting his hair, the second was him with a straightener, the third had a blowdryer, and the fourth ... I dunno, maybe hairspray. The boys are oogling over this picture going "Oh...Sougoiiiiiii..." (Cooooolllllll). Oh Japan. Here is a pic of the guy---
I guess I forgot to mention that the boys here spend more time on their hair than the girls. The girls spend more time on their makeup instead of their hair. But the "cooler" you are as a guy, that means the more feminine your hair looks. This includes colorful clippy things, sky-high hair, and other dramatic affects.

3. I got loads of cookies and cakes from my girls, along with cute letters saying how much they love me :) I am going to miss my students so much!!

4. Starting to pack up now. Packing is going to succck! I have one box done, and a few more to go ...

5. One of my students is one of the best junior golfers in Japan and he just left for Torrey Pines Golf Course this weekend for the junior world championships!

6. I am climbing Mt. Fuji this weekend. Pray for me.

I know there were other interesting things, I just can't remember ...

Oh, and its flipping hot here!!!!!!

What is quaff?

This morning I decided to delight in a milk coffee ... And as I walk back to my desk I read the English on the label. It says, "Let's take a quaff of milky mild coffee! This is big in size and rich in taste!!"

So I ask myself, what is a quaff? I've never heard this word before. Have you? (It'd be great for scrabble if it was a real word, I think to myself ... )

I proceed to dictionary.com where I learn that *gasp* quaff is a real word, although it is mostly used as a verb, which this bottle clearly does not. (Unless I am failing English again, in which case I am sure James will correct me!)

Here are the definitions:
–verb (used without object)

1.	to drink a beverage, esp. an intoxicating one, copiously and with hearty enjoyment.

–verb (used with object)

2.	to drink (a beverage) copiously and heartily: We spent the whole evening quaffing ale.

–noun

3.	an act or instance of quaffing.

4.	a beverage quaffed.

(These noun ones kinda just sound like verbs to me...)

So next time you sit down with your milky coffee, I hope you quaff it.

This Week in Review

Yup, been skimping on the blog posts again. At least I update more than Dan! Ha!

Speaking of Dan, The Philippines just got hit by a major typhoon. Dan didn't have power for 60 hours, but other than that and lots of trash and fallen trees, his area is okay. Other parts of the Philippines are much harder hit and I hope they can recover ... But after going there I know lots of people probably lost their homes and are displaced.

So, I just got back from my second trip to the Philippines. Dan and I met in Manila on Sat morning and headed to the island of Palawan for a wedding and some exploring. A total of 8 real days in the Philippines and we managed to hit five cities -- Manila, Puerto Princesa, Brooke's Point, El Nido, and Sabang. More on that trip in another post ...

As for this week, decided to give a little review.

Yesterday I made nachos and chocolate chip cookies with a group of 12 students. I had been wanting to do a cooking class the whole year so I am really happy that it worked out, even though there should have been more English usage and structure, but they loved the cookies and it was fun.

Since it is the end of my year here I have been getting much more leniency in what I want to do for my classes and if I want to show them something a little off color. For instance, a few weeks ago my daily english class watched "Mean Girls" to learn more about American high schools (they found there were little to no similarities between American and Japanese high schools). Today I showed "Hairspray" to my Oral II class. When the movie came out in Japan I had planned to go to see it with my group of 10 students -- all girls -- that were in my Oral I class. Well, it stayed in the theatre for one week and we missed our chance, but I wanted them to see it still. So when one of them informed me it was out in the rental shops, I asked my teacher if we could show it in class. Kind of like an end of the midterm thing but also I realized it is a really great lesson about America in the 1960s and racial segregation. I'm hoping my students enjoyed not only the music but the theme of racial integration and got a glimpse at American life, once again.

So, a cooking class and 2 movies later ... Back to the grind of real classes.

I bought my ticket to Thailand, so I will officially be in Thailand from July 29th to around August 10th, and then onto Cambodia and Vietnam until my flight back to Japan on August 28th. I am so excited!! (I will be traveling with my sister who I have not seen for over a year because she left to go to Israel at least a month before I left for Japan!)

This past weekend I pulled an all-nighter in Osaka. Starting off with Mexican food, a bar, a club, and ending in subconciousness in a karaoke booth, it was a great night. Street Ramen for Breakfast!!

Every weekend from here on out is booked up. This weekend we are having a Camp Inn down in the south of the prefecture. Week after I am going to a beach party in Tottori ken. Then it's the Sayonara Party and my own little picnic. Then, I take the big hike up Mt. Fuji. I've left my last weekend (July 26-27) for a little down time and well, PACKING!!

Be home anywhere from Aug 31 to Sept 2nd, depending. Be ready.

Hokkaido/Yuki Matsuri

In February I went on another big trip to Hokkaido for the Yuki Matsuri -- Snow Festival. I was there for five days, a long time, but it was awesome. I arrived by myself on Thursday night. I found my spa capsule hotel and went in search of the famous "Ramen Alley." Sapporo is famous for their miso ramen, and I picked a random shop to have my first of many ramens that weekend. I couldn' t have picked a cooler place. On the walls were old records from motown and jazz singers -- and the same was playing in the shop. The place wasn't more than the size of a smal bedroom with maybe 10 stools. I took my spot next to a salaryman and got the miso ramen, sans pork. My new friend started up a conversation, mostly in Japanese, so I only caught part of what we were supposedly talking about but he was drunk and it was fun. Then he wanted to take a picture with me. And then, finally, I had my first Japanese experience that foreigners are always talking about - he paid for my meal! He was a cute old man, and I enjoyed our dinner date very much. First bowl of miso ramen in Sapporo

My date with salary man!

By the time I got back to my capsule hotel it was almost midnight but the streets were bustling as this event, Yuki Matsuri, brings in thousands of people from all over. The capsule hotel had one of the nicest onsen/spas I've ever been to and all for free for guests. I tried all the baths, the personal jacuzzi, and the lavender smelling one. Too bad the capsule bed was tres uncomfortable - should have slept in the lounging chairs in the spa. Okay, enough about this onsen, as you will hear more about the other one I went to on this trip later.

The snow festival, or Yuki Matsuri, is held every year. The main allure of the event are the massive, building-size snow sculptures that are built in the middle of the city and the subsequent ice sculptures scattered around and mainly in the streets of the area Susukino.

Sculpture of Sapporo "Lamen", there is Ramen sitting on the top of the ice bowl.

Luckily, I got to spend a lot of time with Mikey and friends from Fukushima. We spent a day going to SATO land where we sat with these hundreds of little snowmen, went through a huge ice maze, and saw the Anpanman dance be performed. We were looking for more ice bars, as they were supposed to be there, but were out of luck. Overall, a fun but exhausting day.

Kjersten, Angie, and I each got flights that left a day later than all of our friends. We took this extra day and went outside of Sapporo to the area called Noboribetsu. It is famous for Oni (monsters) and the Hell Valley, which creats great onsens. When we arrived it was snowing, but we decided to take a walk through Hell Valley and check out of the volcanic steam rising through the rifts in the valley. Then we stopped at a hotel that had 19 different kinds of onsens, and hung out there for the rest of the day. The best ones were the ones outside while it was snowing, and the ones that made it easy for you to lay down in the hot, hot water.

And then I played DDR.

Shrine on the main street in Noboribetsu. Very beautiful.

Me in Hell Valley!

One of the nights we took a trip outside of Sapporo to the town of Otaru. It is famous during the snow festival for its ice lanterns, as opposed to the sculptures and buildings that are all around Sapporo. There is a canal where loads of ice lanters and regular lanterns are lined up. Beth and I got lost from the group so we only got to do one side of the canal, but the lanterns were really pretty, and all of my pictures came out crap. Then Beth and I found the all you can eat buffet and we all feasted magnificently.

Snow hearts in Otaru

Frozen hand-washing station at Sapporo Temple

Osaka Aquarium

Some snapshots from our excursion to the Osaka Aquarium!

Noteworthy links ...

This is a link to a news article about an incident that happened at my nearest "big" station. I find it kinda funny that the assailant used a fruit knife ... oh Japan.

Attack at Kuwana Station

A really great SNL skit that is so right-on about Japan, it is hilarious. Featuring Ricky Gervais and Steve Carrell.

The Japanese "Office"

Okay, okay. I'll write more blog posts.