I've always been a fan of the fall, and growing up on a rice farm, the smell of fresh cut rice in the air and the lingering odor of smoke bring back childhood memories and make me feel at home. I love the crisp cool air in the morning that returns in the evening after hot, sunny afternoons. I love the strong sweet aroma of autumn blooming flowers as I bike by. I love seeing the landscape's palette change day by day as splashes of red, orange, and yellow color branches and carpet the ground.
Most mornings I bike my way from my apartment in Saidaiji to Miato Junior High or Miato Elementary across the Heijo Palace Site, or 平城宮跡 (Heijo-kyu-seki). Tall pampas grasses sway in the breeze, the train rushes by, the palace gates, newly remodeled for Nara's 1300th anniversary next year stand tall and majestic against the skyline. I pass by some of my students, shout hello to them, and see them double take and bow hello. The braver ones shout greetings back and giggle, and others slow down and look the other way, terrified that I'll try to actually converse with them.
At the school gates, I am greeted by several mothers from the PTA or the principal (校長先生Kouchou-sensei) and some teachers. We exchange 'おはようございます’ (ohayou gozaimasu! or good morning) and I park my bike. As I enter the school, I change into my indoor shoes and store my shoes in my cubby. Entering the teacher's room, I call out good mornings again and receive a chorus of them in return along with nodding. Even though there are still times when I feel a little awkward proclaiming my entrance and exit like the other teachers do, its something I really appreciate. Everyone is greeted to the work place and it fills me with a sense of camaraderie with the other teachers. There are many times when I feel like I'm on an island in the teacher's room, when I have no idea what's going on or what is being said, and I feel totally isolated. Somehow though, these greetings make everyday feel like a new day and they serve as a reminder that I'm part of the team and that we're all in this together. Throughout the day, many more of these types of greetings are exchanged. As teachers leave the teacher's room for class, they often exchange words that I was taught in Japanese class are used for coming and going from home, like 'Ittekimasu!' (I'll go and come back) and 'Itterasshai!' (Please go and come back), and 'Tadaima!' (I'm home) and 'Okaerinasai!' (Welcome home). It makes it feel like we're a team and we give each other encouragement as we step out of our safezone of the teacher's room and into the children's domain. They also often say 'otsukaresama' which means something like thanks for your hard work or thanks for working hard together. I hear this alot when I pass teachers in the hall or when I return from class and try to say it to them as well. I think that these small gestures make a big difference. Everyday is not wonderful and I've had many moments where I just feel distanced from the other teachers and the school in general due to communication and cultural barriers, but little things like this pull me back into the group and motivate me to keep trying and remind me that I am not alone in this.
Its not always a struggle though! There are great moments when a lesson goes just right, when a student or a teacher really tries to speak English, when other teachers have the time and willingness to sit and talk with me and we start really getting to know each other, when students run up and hug me or tell me they'll miss me when class is over, when teacher's tell me how happy they are that they can communicate with me and tell me they've started studying english again because they want to talk to me more...when I'm biking home from a great day at work, smiling to myself, nodding hello to runners in the palace site, watching the sunset behind the palace gates...
Every day is a new experience here. I am learning so much, about Japan and people and myself, and still there is so much more to learn. So far, this has been more difficult for me than any other experience I've had abroad, and ultimately I think this will make it more rewarding.
A hundred times a day I notice little things that I want to remember and share that I think give insight into Japanese culture, or are just funny quirks of the teachers and students I work with or the community I live in. I'm trying to keep better track of them and write them down so I can share them with others and also perhaps gain some larger understanding when I can look back on them all together. For example, I got my first haircut in Japan last week. My friend Aiko, who is studying English and doing well, but still has a lot to learn, took me to the hairstylist she goes to. She helped my fill out an application for a card for the shop, which included questions about my allergies, how I style my hair and for how long, and my blood type. Then she had to go and Aizawa, my new hairstylist, took me over to wash my hair. He speaks almost no English, so we had a lot funny moments, nervous laughter, and apologizing over the next couple hours. I sat down in the chair, and he lay a fleece blanket over my legs, leaned my chair back to the sink, and placed a cloth over my face. I was trying not to laugh and didn't understand, but my best guess is that the cloth is to keep it from being awkward when the hairstylist is leaning over your face to wash your hair. When he was done I got up to walk to the chair and heard a chorus of 'Otsukaresamadeshita!' (the polite from of 'Thanks for your hard work' basically) from all of the hairstylists in the shop. During the time I was there I realized they all say this each time a customer in the shop stands up. Hairstylists don't get tips in Japan either. I think the little differences like this, for something commonplace like getting your hair cut are so interesting, and also are the kinds of things you only learn and experience from actually living in a new place, in a new culture. You generally can't learn those things from books. I want to remember the feeling when experiencing and noticing these things for the first time before they become everyday to me.
That's all for today. I'm off to do some cleaning, lesson planning, and study Japanese. Tomorrow I am heading to Osaka with some friends to get the rest of our Halloween costumes in preparation for the big JET Halloween party next weekend. All next week is Halloween for me, as I'm doing Halloween lessons for all of my classes, as well as going to one of my teacher's homes who runs her own English classes to help her throw a Halloween party for her students. I'm really looking forward to it as Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I even bought a pumpkin that cost about $20 so I can carve it, show it to my students, and set it outside my door at night. Expensive, but worth it to share some of my culture, and make myself feel a little more at home.
I hope you are all well and that you have a great Halloween too!!!
Much love,
Katie
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