ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

The weather this week has been so amazing! I had the opportunity to go to the pier in Takamatsu on Monday night at sunset when the wind was strong and it was fantastic! The waves hitting the pier were huge! So many people were paying and photographing the waves! Even I did. There were two guys there who were riding their bikes through the splash zone so they could get hit with a wave on camera! I had a lot of fun there with my best friend! What an amazing time!.



  

The weather this week has been so amazing! I had the opportunity to go to the pier in Takamatsu on Monday night at sunset when the wind was strong and it was fantastic! The waves hitting the pier were huge! So many people were paying and photographing the waves! Even I did. There were two guys there who were riding their bikes through the splash zone so they could get hit with a wave on camera! I had a lot of fun there with my best friend! What an amazing time!.



  

Last week, I finally decided to pay a visit to the Shinto shrine that I pass whenever I go to work in Niihama. I’ve used it as a landmark to get home many times, and when I pass I always look up at the tree-shadowed gate, two solid stone posts strung together with slender rope. I walked through the gate and reached a short path lined with trees, and guarded at the end by snarling stone guardians. I wasn’t sure if they were dogs or lions, but they were beautiful, and I took their picture. Alongside the path was a stone horse carved in mid-gallop. A railing surrounded the statue, destroying the illusion of motion. This puzzled me, but I soon moved on. As I entered the shrine proper, I passed several buildings. The main shrine was sequestered by a construction barrier, but three smaller buildings that looked like tiny wooden houses on stone platforms were lined up in a neat little row. Further into the shrine, I found a board covered with small wooden plaques. I’m nearly certain that these were prayers, and I wondered briefly what the other visitors of the shrine have asked for. Then, looking beyond the prayer board, I saw a bright splash of color. Most of structures in the shrine are made of wood and stone, and have the earthen hues of those materials. But in the back was a red Torii gate. It’s as dazzling as love and audacious as luck. A blaze against the backdrop of the trees, but one that is contained and welcoming, forged into the strong, graceful lines of the gate. I smiled, and let the image of the red gate in dappled sunlight burn into my memory. When I left the shrine some minutes later, I was steadier and at peace.  

Hello!

Wow, the festival hits just keep coming! I promise next month, I'll be talking about something other than all the places I've been visiting for festivals, but it's just so much fun, I'm excited to talk about it! This past weekend, we had the chance to go with a friend to one of the local festivals here in Takamatsu (I believe it was the Kamihayashi town festival, but I could also be very wrong), and it was perfectly lovely. There were so many people in such a small area, it was shoulder to shoulder standing room while the fireworks went off! It was so much fun, I know I keep saying it, but I'm so in love with the summer festival season here, I'm always looking forward to the next one!  

I enjoy my downtime at home on the weekends. This past weekend was pretty nice actually because friends came to visit. The weather is getting better too because we are on the brink of fall. Once again windows can be opened and the fresh air can flow throughout the house. I had time to paint a little bit too. I feel refreshed. What do you do to chill at home? Chill means "to relax".



  

Last weekend a pair of friends got married after a long engagement.




The catch was that they are the owners of my favorite local izakaya! I've known Shinya and Chinami for almost as long as I've been in Japan, and they've always been super sweet to me.

When they Invited me to the wedding party, I was ecstatic. But I was a little worried about clothing - I dont have any really formal clothes here in Japan, and shopping for a suit here would be pretty expensive. Luckily, however, the dress code for the event was quite simple - A tshirt from their izakaya.

The whole event was extremely informal and fun, more like a big party with friends than a wedding. I had a great time, and I'm so happy for my friends.   

A student of mine went to Sydney in Australia. She was nice enough to bring me back some awesome food souvenirs!





We had talked about jerky a little before as a high protein, low sugar snack. So she brought me a bag of Kangaroo Jerky! It was interesting - more tender than normal beef jerky, and sweeter.




But the best part was the beer! A long time ago, another friend visited Australia, and came back telling stories about V.B. - Victoria bitter. I’ve wanted to try it for so long, and finally I got some fresh from Australia. It was delicious! Very light but flavorful and easy to drink. Very nearly a perfect summer beer.

Thank you so much!!
  

The other day in Kanonji we had some really dark clouds, and lots of really loud thunder! I was really happy to hear the thunder. I think that a thunderstorm is very exciting, and I love to read during them. Listening to the sound of the rain and thunder while reading a book and drinking a hot mug of tea is one of my favourite things. So I am very happy that typhoon season is approaching so that I will get to experience some thunderstorms soon!



  

Last Saturday I worked an event at the Utazu mall, the event dealt with The Very Hungry Caterpillar. What we did was make a giant butterfly with hand prints and foot prints of children. It was a very fun time, we first would read the book and then go on to painting!

Some children decided that I was also a canvas to be painted on. But then of course I painted them back!

Many kids did the activity and at the end of the day we had a beautiful butterfly! It was great!  

Hello everyone!

I've been busy the last little while with teaching and studying Japanese and Chinese, so I haven't had that much time to spend exploring Takamatsu tourist sites or Kannon-ji tourist sites. Since moving into the Shikoku island, I've been pouring over the 88 Temple pilgrimage that is associated with the Japanese Buddhist, Kukai. The reason I'm so interested in the 88 temple pilgrimage and seeing them in person, is that I did plenty of research on Chinese and Japanese Buddhism in University, so having the chance to see some of the 88 temples here in Shikoku will just be a pure treat for the senses!

Have you seen any of the 88 temples?
  

Last weekend I was able to continue my adventure in Kochi! I went with a few of my fellow Gem school teachers, and we had a great time! An unexpected storm caught us by surprise, which was interesting for our camping experience...but Kochi was absolutely beautiful! I loved the beaches and the mountains and the countryside. After the storm passed, the weather was beautiful. We had a nice time hanging out at the beach and swimming. I saw many crabs in the little caves by the sea! We also had great food and I took home some pet jellyfish! I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Kochi, and I can't wait to go back there again!
  

That picture can't be right? No no no, it must be fake, it isn't possible that they've made a mini Nintendo entertainment system that fits in the palm of your hand. But that's exactly what it is.

Nintendo, makers of video games and systems that we all know and love have recreated the original Nintendo Entertainment System, except smaller. The interesting thing is you don't use cartridges, or CD's or anything. It comes pre-loaded with 30 of the most popular games that have been released for the NES in the past. And the price tag? 60 dollars, or in Japan equivalent to about 6000 - 7000 Yen. I definitely want to get one of these because it brings back memories of when I was just seven years old and on Christmas I got my very first NES.

Great fun and great memories to be had, or revisited.

- James Barbosa  

This is Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, my number two and three favorite poets. (Again, there's no really ranking them, but hey, we got to have some order around here.) They were actually married for awhile, and though it was unhappy, its interesting to see how their poems talk back at one another through out their careers. Plath is the more famous of the two for several reasons. She's considered one of the big names of confessional poetry, which is probably my favorite genre. Plath was born in 1932, and she's an American girl like me. She traveled to England to study, and that's when she met Hughes. He was an Englishmen, born in 1930 and much of his poetry is kind of mythic, and very animal. Their meeting had a massive effect on both their poetry and their personal lives. Some of it is very strangely sweet, and kind of similar. Go a head and take a look:

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.(Plath, "Mad Girl's Love Song")

He wanted all future to cease
He wanted to topple with his arms round her
Off that moment’s brink and into nothing
Or everlasting or whatever there was
Her embrace was an immense press
To print him into her bones
His smiles were the garrets of a fairy palace
Where the real world would never come
Her smiles were spider bites (Hughes, "Lovesong")

I know I said I can't really rank my favorite poets, and I put Larkin in the first post. But honestly, reading through Hughes' "Lovesong" kind of makes me think he's me number one. His collection, Birthday Letters, is probably my favorite of all time. Sadly, I left my copy at home and can't find a kindle addition. It's also super hard to find the poems individually online. My absolute favorites are "The Panther," written about when he first met Plath, and "A Modest Proposal" (also about Plath) which starts like this:

There is no better way to know us
Than as two wolves, come separately to a wood.
Now neither´s able to sleep - even at a distance
Distracted by the soft competing pulse
Of the other; nor able to hunt - at every step
Looking backwards and sideways, warying to listen
For the other´s slavering rush.

  

A few months ago I started an instagram account, and one of my friends in America followed me almost immediately. After a few weeks, he started posting pictures of some delicious-looking Mexican food. It made me really Jealous!




So I challenged him using the hash tag #foodfight. Ever since, we’ve been exchanging food photos in an attempt to make the other guy jealous.










Do you like our photos? Who won?
  

Every so often I find these small little details that make me very happy to be living in Japan. It is the summer and the heat is killer. So we found these free umbrellas at the park. This concept would instantly be shut down in Miami. The umbrellas would all be stolen within the first day, maybe the first hour. The amount of trust in Japanese people never ceases to amaze me. Sure most people don't have the need to steal an umbrella but neither do the people in Miami. Seeing someone walk with an umbrella on a terribly sunny day back home is like seeing a Pegasus.

What little things do you see every day and take for granted or don't realize how different it is in other countries?  

On my last day of Obon, I went to Okayama to go shopping. I couldn't find anyone else who was available so I went by myself. The Okayama Aeon is VERY big so I knew it would at least be a fun shopping experience.

I saw a lot of shops that I'd knew, but most of the places to eat were unique. I tried a french toast thing and a specialty cheesecake. It was kinda weird because it looked like actual melted cheese over a cake.

I went to the game center, just looking around. I have no luck with crane games---you may remember that I tried REALLY hard to get a Sailor Saturn figure when I was in Tokyo-- but I tend to look around in case there's something worth trying for. Or begging my friend to try for!
Anyways, I looked around the game center and saw a...

big whale shark

I really like whalesharks. This summer I got a whaleshark keychain, and found whaleshark stationary. This beautiful stuffed animal was nestled in a crane game with only a penguin for company. I took a breath, threw down some 100yens and started playing. 500 yen in, the crane grabbed it....
and dropped it.

I learned that you can ask the game center attendants to re-balance the prize, which is something that is never done in America, so I gestured to the attendant to help me. She did, and I went for it again. 300 yen later

TA-DAH!

My first win! And I was SO excited, I was shouting and making people around me laugh. I decided to make things even sillier by rushing into a purikura booth.


I love my whaleshark!
  

Summers tend to be hot, and when it's hot, you sweat, right? Well, I tend to sweat a bit even when it's not too hot, but this summer was borderline dangerous with the heat. So, of course, I sweat up a storm. Now, I have been told that Japanese people don't have a smell, a body odor. How lucky you are, if that is the case. Someone like me tends to smell even when doing nothing at all, so I'm sure you can imagine how stinky I became during this summer. The nice thing about Japan is that they have a whole bunch of face and body sheets that you can buy even at convenience stores, to wipe off the sweat and even add a nice scent. It did confuse me a bit, about that, considering Japanese people tend to not have an odor to begin with. And although it does help some, in the end I still have to take at least 2-3 showers a day, so that I am not stinking up the room. Sigh, sometimes it is difficult being "brown", lol.   

My college mentor was in Japan to plan a study abroad class for my old university, and she invited me to Kyoto to meet and discuss some future educational opportunities.

I spent a pleasant afternoon with her and her friend Yuuki, then stayed the night after some local sightseeing and a nice vietnamese food dinner.





I visited a pair of temples, including Nishi honganji which is a world heritage site, and then the castle at Nijo.





It was a great trip!
  

We may still be in the middle of summer but I feel like it is winding down. The Olympics have ended, temperatures are slowly going down, the cicadas have all disappeared. I am so ready for fall to be here! Nice dry breezes, the sound of leaves on the ground, even the smell of fall is different! I love it so much! Fall is the season of celebration and I can't wait!  

Another great weekend of festivals and experiencing the Japanese way of celebrating! The Basara festival in Marugame was beautiful, with fireworks that were a sight to see, and then an evening of Karaoke with friends before heading home on the train! It's hard to think of a more Japanese evening than that! Then on Sunday, we took a short drive to Kokubunji for their local festival, and had a truly lovely evening! There were hula dancers, pop groups, comedians, beat-boxers, and taiko drums to introduce the fireworks! It was a beautiful night to be outside, and I had so much fun, I can't wait for next year!