Reflections on Water

Too much information...

nobody@vox.com(Me) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 02:52:43 -0230

Ah, dear Katty, how we have missed you. But we certainly have not forgotten you at all.

It's been a year since we last saw our friend from Japan, but her presence still echoes loudly in our home. My wife May and I often reflect on the fond memories of Katty's two visits last year, and more often than not, we end up rolling on the floor laughing.

One story that should have been written long ago was of the time that we were returning from a short weekend camping trip with Katty. She was having a snooze in the back seat, and as we drove along the highway past some farmland, we were assaulted by the pungent smell of...uh, farmland. Up until that point, we had all been fairly quiet, when Katty cried out, "Kusai!"

No translation needed here, I thought. Deciding to give her the reason for the smell, I simply said, "Fertilizer."

Katty was silent for a moment. Then she asked, "What's that?"

My wife then decided that it was her turn, and tried to make it as simple as possible. "Poo."

Katty was silent for a moment again, so May thought that her answer had satisfied our friend. Not quite.

"Whose poo?"

I looked at May and said, "YOU answer that one!!!"

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Tales from the Classroom, Vol. 18

nobody@vox.com(Me) — Mon, 12 May 2008 22:42:40 -0230

Wow, time really does fly as one gets older. I can't believe that it has been over five months since I last did a blog entry, and even longer since I wrote TFTC. Well, to make up for lost time, I have a few great quotes from the past little while. Just as a little warning, some of these stories are rated a bit PG, but they are great examples of life in the classroom.

A couple weeks ago, I went out for coffee with one of my former students. I'll call her "Tami." I taught her back in November 2006, and after two months at the school, she struck out on her own on her working holiday visa and got a job at a cafe. She was there up until a few weeks ago, as she prepared to return to Japan. In the sixteen months since she had left our school, her use of English had grown exponentially, and there was no lack of fluency in her. Most stunning was her knowledge of vocabulary, in particular, idioms.

Well, on this day, she met up with me at the school, and as we stepped out the front door, I noticed several of our current students watching us as we left. I gave Tami an apologetic look. "They probably think that you're my wife."

"Nah," she replied. "You're my sugar daddy."

I bought her a Tim Horton's ice cap to fulfil that statement!

On another day, some of the students in my Fluency class were congratulating one student on his recent steady relationship. While the students were giving their best wishes, I playfully threw in a sarcastic remark: "My condolences."

Of course, all the students wanted to know what it meant, so I explained the use of sarcasm, and that the comment was used in a humourous way to say, "I feel sorry for you" when someone enters a difficult situation. Now, the student whom he was dating was in another of my classes, so I knew her well, and I quickly emphasized that in truth, she was a very nice girl and I wished them well. But I wanted to use the opportunity to introduce a point in English.

Another student understood it too well. Taking a cue from Disney Pixar's Ratatouille, he added, "Welcome to hell!"

Uh, yeah.

Sometimes great quotes don't just come from the students, but teachers. We know all too well about mangling the English language and using the wrong words. Our director had to step out one day to an appointment with a physiotherapist, and when someone asked where she was, another teacher replied, "She went to see her philanthropist."

Yes, she went to check on her charities...

On another occasion, one of my students showed me why her English has been steadily improving...she has a good memory. One day, she revealed to me that she was anemic, and I suggested that maybe she didn't have enough iron in her blood, and that was probably why she was so tired.

Fast forward one week, and I was in class, but had a bit of a headache. The student looked up at me, and in a perfect monotone, said, "Maybe you don't have enough iron in your blood."

But the winner of this post comes from one of my favourite Korean students. "JJ" and I were talking over lunch one day about her internship at a bank, and how one day there was a party for the workers in a location quite far from the bank, so she went to one of her co-workers, a young man (this is important!), to ask for a lift to the party. However, JJ still hasn't got her sentence subjects, verbs, and objects in the right pattern. Instead of asking, "Could you give me a ride?", this was how it came out:

"Could you ride me?"

Class dismissed.

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The Winter of Visitors

nobody@vox.com(Me) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:51:32 -0330

The anticipation that usually comes with the Christmas and New Years holidays was particularly high for me this year. In December, at different times, my wife "May" and I were privileged to have had three of my former students from Japan come to stay with us. Though the weather varied from dry cold to soaking rain, this trio of winter visitors added warmth and liveliness to our holiday season.

Our previous two visitors from Japan were my wife's former students in Hyogo, so I was the stranger to them. In this case, all three guests were students of mine, and May was meeting them for the first time. But in each case, the chemistry worked and my wife and I had a wonderful time with this friendly trio.

Big smile!

Chotto matte...

The first two visitors were students at my school last summer. The tall, willowy and genki "Ali" was my student for one month, and her return trip came in mid-December. She had a busy five-day stay with us, and though she spent much of it with other friends in town, it was enough time to spend a few evenings chatting and for her to make sushi for us one night. As an intermediate English student, her presence at our home made for a good language exchange, as her English practice reflected my efforts at Japanese. Ali's happy personality made for some lighthearted evenings, and she set the tone for the others to come.

Lacing 'em up

Ten days after Ali went back to Japan, the petite, gentle-spirited and soft-spoken "Yulia" stayed with us the weekend before Christmas. Though she stayed for only three nights, she made an indelible impression on us. Because she and May were almost the same age, it was neat to watch them interact, as their perspectives and tastes were very similar to one another.

Looking like Asada-chan

We took her ice skating at the local rink one afternoon, and although she hadn't skated in a long time, she showed no signs of forgetting the technique. In fact, I would argue that she was even a bit better than I was. Her backward skating was very good, indeed.

Ookii shichimennchou!

Later that afternoon, we also took her to the nearby Costco, where she got to see the huge warehouse-retailer up close for the first time. She bought a jumbo pack of hot chocolate for souvenirs, and also was impressed with the collection of Christmas turkeys!

Christmas pic

She left us with a delightful collection of Japanese green tea, a Hello Kitty ornament for our Christmas tree, and plenty of memories.

After Christmas, I was reunited with a face that I hadn't seen for nearly two years. "Mandy" was a high school senior when I first met her at my Nova branch in Osaka in late summer 2005, and I last saw her just before she departed for university in Beppu, Kyushu, the following February. I had only taught her once or twice at Nova, but we always said hello in the hallways whenever we saw each other. In the time that followed, we maintained a steady email friendship that continued after I moved back to Canada and she moved to the southern U.S. on a university exchange program. Mandy didn't want to spend her winter break amongst the cacti in the desert, so she went on a trip to a few cities, with Vancouver as her final stop. It was also her only stop in Canada, her first time to the Great White North.

Mickey and me!

A bit like Kyoto...

During the nine days that she was here, I took her around to different sites in Vancouver. Most notable were Metrotown shopping centre, Robson Street, North Vancouver, and Gastown. When May joined us for a few days, we went up Burnaby Mountain, where the higher altitude meant about six inches of snow on the ground. Mandy was thrilled with her first experience in Canadian snow! Afterward, we relaxed with a coffee and snack at that great Canadian icon, Tim Horton's.

Home cookin'

May and I had a great time with her. Mandy's spoken English and listening comprehension were fabulous, most notable being the fact that she did not need subtitles when watching movies.

Definitely in Canada

Speaking of movies, another of Mandy's outstanding features was that she was a HUGE patron of the arts. During her time, we watched almost a dozen DVD movies. Along with her penchant for video, we will probably remember her for her happy humming of musical tunes in our house...and everywhere else!

Thank you so much for visiting, ladies. We were very happy to have been your hosts, and we hope to see you again. Hayaku kaerimasu! Itsu demo kite kudasai!

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Tales from the Classroom Vol. 17

nobody@vox.com(Me) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 20:46:36 -0230

The vocabulary game of Taboo is great for conjuring up all sorts of funny descriptions. It's the game where you work in teams, and each team's player has a word that he or she must make his team say, but without using any of the TABOO words for clues. For example, the word is truck, but the forbidden words are car, pickup, semi, and dump, so the player must find other ways to circumlocute around these to get his teammates to say "truck."

Many of my students are very imaginative with their clues. Once, the word was mouse, and the taboo words were cheese, hole, rat and trap. The student simply said "Mickey..." and her team nailed it. Another time, the word was Japan, and the forbidden words were sushi, kimono, geisha, sumo, and samurai. The student pointed at a Japanese teammate and said "You are from..."

Great job. But one incident today left everyone on the floor laughing.

It was "Tony," a confident Korean, who had to make his team say idea. He looked at the forbidden words, then pointed to his head and said, "I have no..."

Three of his teammates, in perfect sync, yelled out "IDEA!!"

A split-second behind, his other teammate, petite "Sasha" from Japan, blurted out "Brain?!"

Class dismissed.

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Looking Back - Leaving Japan

nobody@vox.com(Me) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 23:22:12 -0230

As you can tell, my time in Japan had a huge impact on my life, which is why so many of my blog entries are devoted to it. I have been asked by many - friends and students alike - about what it felt like to leave after spending over one year in Japan. I think that I can now say, that for anyone who has dared to dream, or has simply had a short taste of life in a country other than their own, the experience of leaving often comes with great sadness and a feeling of unfinished business.

Every Friday there is a consistent pattern at the school that I teach at. It is the day that students finish their individual terms, so Fridays are always final days. I call it "Farewell Photo Friday." A few students go to different schools or look for work, but most head back to their homelands. There are always lots of tears mixed in with the hugs and seemingly endless camera flashes.

And in almost every case, there is a sense of "I'm not ready to leave yet."

I know this because I have walked in those shoes. I have experienced those feelings. And this brings me to the most profound piece of email wisdom that I received in 2006. For those of you returning home to your country, please read my story. I hope that it holds true for you, too.

LEAVING JAPAN

Silhouette

It was during the month of April 2006, and I was experiencing an emotional roller-coaster, as the idea of leaving Japan after 15 months gave me incredible sadness. I had met some wonderful friends, and Japan had become my adopted country, so it was with great reluctance that I tendered my resignation from Nova on April 28th.

However, a thoughtful piece of prose came in an email from a former co-worker of mine back in Canada, and the message gave me great encouragement and allowed me to focus on what I had accomplished in Japan, rather than what I was leaving. Below is the message, in its entirety except for editting for context.

No doubt you're having mixed emotions about leaving Japan, but hold your head high on your way out. I know how much you wanted this opportunity way back in the beginning, you finally got it and flourished. (It is) spookily similar to other dreams we once held. (It's) Better to be a has-been than a never-was, only your experience far outweighs anything the broadcast world could ever offer. You dreamed, you went, you "conquered".....and like any performer worth his weight, you're leaving them wanting more! And like any professional with a passion for what he does, YOU'RE leaving....wanting more. Well done.

Best of luck to you in the next chapter. With congrats and admiration,

Ian Y.

Ian and I had worked together for two years during the mid-1990s, and both of us had dreams of long careers in the radio business. When our station was sold and we were cast adrift, we lamented our loss and struggled with finding direction. He knew, more than anyone, what it was like to re-establish yourself.

His message spoke of being proud of your accomplishments, and to realize that you make a valuable impression wherever you go. The fact that you even try is admirable. If you try and succeed, even if it is for a short time, it is a victory, for no one can take your experience away from you, or treat it as nothing of value. The only failure is if you refuse to try, or as Ian put it, to be a "never-was." It is this important element that made me realize how truly valuable my Japan experience was, and still is, to me. That does not change, even if I am no longer living there.

And so I had to tip my hat to my friend who made this statement so eloquent. He was right, as I was leaving Japan wanting more, and my faithful students were wanting more of me as a teacher and a friend. This dream of mine to live in Japan, learn a bit of the language, see different parts of the country, and leave a great impression in the minds of the people, all had come true. As will my return be one day.

To all of those who left our school, your time in Vancouver has been a highlight of your lives. Remember it, cherish it, and know that it is something you should look back on with great pride. You have my respect and admiration for it!

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Looking Back - Endless Story

nobody@vox.com(Me) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 23:04:25 -0230

It was probably on one of those days when I was at the OptiCafe, the Internet cafe in the Yodobashi Camera building in Umeda, that I heard it for the first time. Probably in the late fall of 2005, and it was playing on the muzak system. I thought nothing of it at the time, and it somehow found its way into my subconsciousness. And there it lay dormant until another day when I was strolling through the computer department of Yodobashi Camera. There, on the computer monitor, was the music video.

Endless Story CD cover

It was my introduction to Endless Story, performed for the live-action movie version of the manga comic Nana, by Yuna Ito.

I had heard much of J-Pop, the genre of Japanese popular music, but never thought that I would be interested. After all, it was in an entirely different language, and I wouldn't know one artist from the other or what song they were famous for. But that all changed when I saw the video for Endless Story.

As I said, the song had laid somewhere in my mind, and when I saw the video that day at Yodobashi, I recognized it immediately, and took note of the title and artist. The video was on a programming loop as a demo for the computer's sound and graphic abilities, so as soon as it ended, it started again. I watched the video one time around, and was captivated by the song's melody, the beautiful voice of the singer, and could sense the emotion that was conveyed by the music alone. Oh, and one more thing...part of the song was in English. You can see the video at www.youtube.com when you type the title and artist in the search engine.

NANA Movie Poster

In the spring, I bought the Endless Story single CD at the Tsutaya media store in Dotonbori - my first J-Pop CD. In many ways, it became a symbol of those final months living in Osaka. Upon reading the lyrics and hearing the sadness in the music, the theme of loss and wanting more while keeping a brave face seemed to suit my mood as I finished up my working tenure in Japan. I had lived in Osaka for ten months, and I felt somewhat settled there. I had gotten used to the routine there. I was happy. And I felt guilty for leaving. The friends that I had made, I felt that I had barely gotten to know. There was so much of this country that I had not seen, but I enjoyed every little bit that I had.

NANA manga ad poster

And I would miss it all.

On Monday June 5, 2006, as I said goodbye to Osaka, I kept a stiff upper lip and refused to look behind me as the train headed to the airport. My heart felt empty, but I also felt an incredible resolve to not let this be the last time I was here. No, there was too much here for me to simply forget. The people and the country that I had grown to love were too important, and I vowed to make my relationship with Japan just like the song - an endless story.

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Like sakura in the spring...

nobody@vox.com(Me) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 02:15:43 -0230

The single element that I missed the most after leaving Japan was that of the people. I had been an English teacher to the locals for 15 months, and it was inevitable that friendships would grow. Upon returning to western Canada, I would frequently look through the photos and the memorabilia that I had collected during the previous year and lament my loss. It only strengthened my determination to return to Japan again.

Thankfully, a small part of Japan came to visit us...a small part that would have a giant impact on our lives.

I'll call her "Katty." She was a native of western Honshu, and was a student in Hyogo at the school where my wife "May" worked. By day Katty was an aspiring school teacher, and her hobby was travelling, so she brushed up on her English in her spare time. It was at that school, a stone's throw from the rabid baseball stadium between Kobe and Osaka, where she and May met.

This isn't like baseball...

We were fortunate to have had Katty come to visit Vancouver twice in a five month span. I met her for the first time in March when I picked her up at the station and brought her back to our place. As two teachers, we became friends in no time, and in the process also carved out an informal language exchange: me practicing my Japanese, she practicing her English. I could also see the friendly chemistry between she and May, as their laughter was contagious.

For six nights, Katty was our houseguest, and with her ready smile and playful disposition, became a joyful fixture in our home. She and May made cookies together and went shopping, and she even got dressed up in May's ice hockey gear! Katty also had incredible physical energy. It was almost like she didn't sleep sometimes.

Grabbing a few zzzzz's

And then it ended. She returned to her native land to go back to work, and our home became quiet. Her presence, or lack of it, was easily felt.

It was easy to assume that we wouldn't see her again for a long time. It turned out to be shorter than we all expected, as she wrote to us in July and told us her plans to come visit again. We eagerly rolled out the welcome mat for her. This time she would stay nine days with us.

Going for par

Like her first visit, the time went by all too quickly. The movies, the dinners, a weekend camping trip, mini-golf, and lots of talking all abruptly ended on August 15th, as she returned to Japan to start a new school year. Before she left, she helped my wife celebrate my birthday, and gave me a beautiful hand-made gift that must have taken incredible effort. It was a true labour of friendship.

She had become a dear friend to us in such a short time, almost like a younger sister, whose energy and high spirits were seemingly unquenchable.

Katty's visits were like a Japanese cherry blossom that blooms in the spring: eagerly anticipated, warmly celebrated, but lasting only a short time, and sadly missed. We don't know when we will see her next, but like those who watch for the annual appearance of the tiny pink sakura, we will be waiting, and we will rejoice again.

We miss you so much, dear Katty. Hayaku kaerimite kudasai. Itsu demo kite kudasai.

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A Chicken is a not a Chicken...

nobody@vox.com(Me) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:06:23 -0230

When cattle are alive, we call them cows or bulls, but when they are in the grocery stores, they are called beef.

When pigs are alive they are pigs, but in the stores they are called pork.

When chickens are alive they are chickens, but in the stores they are called...chickens.

Don't you just love the continuity of the English language? Here's a story about this kind of confusion.

My wife and I hosted our friend "Kelly" from Japan this past week. One of our excursions together last weekend was a trip to a children's farm at a park, where Kelly got to see all sorts of different animals.

When we got to the chicken coop, Kelly pointed to a plump black and white bird. "What is that?"

"That's a chicken," we answered.

"Ehhhhhh??!!!" Kelly gasped, her eyes wide. "NOT chicken!!!" she blurted.

At first, we couldn't understand it, but then my wife figured it out. Kelly was astounded that we actually called live chickens "chickens," because in her native Japanese, the term "chikin" is used exclusively to refer to the meat product found in grocery stores, while the term niwatori referred to the living kind.

It became a running joke for the rest of her stay. Kelly took it in stride, and whenever she saw chicken, whether live, raw, or cooked, she would close her eyes, shake her head, and start muttering, "Not chicken..."

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The Nation's Capital

nobody@vox.com(Me) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 04:35:38 -0230

Eternal flame

At the beginning of June, I visited eastern Canada for the first time in 28 years.

While my wife and I were in Ottawa to spend time with family, we also took some time to take in some of the sights of our national capital. Most notable, of course, was our visit to Parliament Hill in downtown.

We got a great view of the city, as well as the neighbouring city of Gatineau in Quebec across the Ottawa River, from the Peace Tower in the main block of the Parliament Buildings.

Statue of Terry Fox

Across from Parliament Hill, we found this statue of one of Canada's greatest heroes, Terry Fox. I always dreamed of seeing his memorial in Thunder Bay, but this one was enough for me.

Sign outside the RC Mint

Not far from Parliament Hill was the Royal Canadian Mint, where specialty coins are made. I got to hold a 28-pound bar of gold that was worth $300,000! Needless to say, it was chained to the table and watched dutifully by a policeman in the gift shop.

National War Memorial

One of the more sobering places downtown was the National War Memorial, where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is. You can't help but feel moved by the exhibit, or be compelled to ponder the futility of war and the senseless waste of human life.

The Unknown Soldier

Home of the Senators

And of course, you can't go to Ottawa without a drive to the suburb of Kanata, where the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators play their home games at Scotiabank Place. The city was still buzzing with the team's success at competing in the Stanley Cup Finals. The slogan "Be Red" was everywhere!

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Tales from the Classroom, Vol. 16

nobody@vox.com(Me) — Fri, 18 May 2007 20:51:41 -0230

Having taught English in Japan, I know that my subject is very hard for people from both Japan and Korea, mainly due to the fact the entire sentence structure of those respective languages is completely different from that of English. The order of subject-verb-object that is familiar to most European, and even Chinese, languages, is instead ordered subject-object-verb. No wonder that my students from Japan and Korea have trouble with their subjects and objects.

Case in point: Yesterday, one of my Korean students was trying to explain her marketing plan for a robotic massage machine (not my idea, just the lesson plan!). "JJ," as I call her, wanted to say that this product was good for men, and that it was also good for their wives. Literally, JJ was trying to say, "Your wife can use it, too."

Instead, this was the quote, I'm not joking:

"You can use your wife."

And she wondered why I started making choking sounds.

Oh, and her original slogan for the product: "Better than fingers."

______________________________________

Today, I had my core class students practice their pronunciation and enunciation by acting out a play. The basic concept is that of a door-to-door salesman who keeps getting the door slammed in his face.

In one group, one of the homeowners was "Felix," and he had to play a rude, mocking character, while "Sheldon" played the salesman trying to sell burglar alarms. In this exchange, Sheldon knocks on the door, Felix makes fun of him, says "I'm not interested," slams the door on him, and Sheldon quietly carries on to the next house. Well, Sheldon added a little extra to the script. Here was the exchange:

Felix: "I'm not interested. I SAID, I'm not interested!" (slams the door)

Sheldon: "I hope your house is visited by burglars!!!!!"

Class dismissed.

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