3, 2, 1 Blast Off!

The count down has begun. Seven days to go and so much still to accomplish. I thought I would have more time to prepare and to rest once school was out, but time is flying by and I seem to be busier than ever! I had a yard sale today and made a little cash and cleared out a lot of clutter. I still need to go shopping for a few necessities, get traveler's checks, purchase Yen, finalize my follow on plan, pack, and Oh, by the way.... fly to California for an interview on Tuesday, fly back to Memphis on Thursday, and repack. Whew!

I received a package from the JFMF people this week. Included were my itinerary, my host family information, some instructions for arrival in San Francisco, tags for my luggage, and an I.D. badge. I have been selected to be the communications coordinator for my city group (Katori, Chiba) while in Japan, and there was some instructions for that as well. If I weren't so busy I'd have time to get excited.

After doing some research and much consideration I have decided to spend my free day in Kamakura. I wanted to use this ONE free day to see as much as I could without spending too much time traveling or too much money. I found out that Mt. Fuji is too dangerous to explore in June (peek climbing time is late July and August), so that is out. Hiroshima would be amazing, however a long day of travel and around $600 US dollars for the day trip, ouch! Kyoto, also a long trip (3 hours each way).

Kamakura seems like an incredible place that will provide a lot of inspiration and plenty of cultural education. It is only about an hour from Tokyo, and I just love the idea of spending a day in the many religious temples the area has to offer. Enlightenment among the hustle and bustle of this incredible guerdon will surely revive my spirit for the remainder of my visit and for the upcoming school year. I might even have time to hit the outdoor markets in the morning and do a bit of shopping in Tokyo.

"What really flatters a man is that you think him worth flattering." George Bernard Shaw

The end of the school year is always bitter sweet. Saying goodbye to the children that I have developed close relationships with over the past ten months is both satisfying and sad. Satisfying, because I have done my job in moving them on to the next stage of their lives, yet saddening because, well, I am saying good-bye.

The last day of school was a whirlwind! Between trying to complete report cards, packing my classroom up for the summer, and entertaining my students without books, paper, or supplies, I managed to complete a file full of paper work, meet with my principal for a one-on-one meeting, and attend the end of the year honors program at which I was awarded Teacher of the Year by my colleagues. I was so tired by the time this honor was bestowed on me that all I could say was "Thank you."

I am sincerely flattered, but I honestly think that any one of my colleagues deserves the title just the same. At times teaching can feel like a thankless job and all our efforts are done in vain. My colleagues (a talented group of characters) are not only my friends, they have become my teachers. They share their expertise, ideas, and resources with me and each other daily for the sole purpose of improving our school for our children. I am amazed by them all! I am grateful to have a job that I love, coworkers who support each other, and time off to reflect, relax, and learn. I know this summer will bring all three.

Uncle Phil has Connections in Japan

My wonderful uncle, Phillip Certain (former Dean of Letters and Science at U of W, pictured in the center above), who is one of the most brilliant educators I know, connected me with one of his brilliant friends, who just happens to be the Asia Coordinator for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her name is Kim Santiago and she is currently representing the Office of International Studies and Programs for the University in Japan. He emailed her on my behalf to solicit any advice she could offer me about staying in communication with my family while I am off on my adventure. She emailed me back with some terrific advice. I thought it would be best served if I shared it here, so that my cyber buddies can benefit from it too! Below is and edited version of her email:


Dear Christina,


As Phil may have mentioned, I am in Japan and my husband Jose is in Wisconsin, so we deal daily with the challenge of staying in touch.
Jose wrote that we use Skype, which is great as long as you have a reliable Internet connection. Christina, unless you know where you're staying,and whether the place has a dedicated Internet system, you'll be surprised to find how difficult it is to find Internet cafes/connections. In that case, you may want to look into other options, including cell phones.


I have a pre-paid US calling card, IDT, which allows me to use a public phone, and call a local access number. Once connected, I can make an international call. The cost of the call is debited from my account. I am not sure whether IDT's rates are the most competitive any longer, but with a little Internet sleuthing, you should be able to find out, or find something comparable.


Some of the Japanese phone companies are also offering calling cards. One of the best-known is KDDI (http://www.001.kddi.com/en/)
It looks like the average charge per minute is 60 yen (60 cents). Another popular option is Brastel (http://www.brastel.com/Pages/eng/spc/)
Both of these companies offer services from pay phones or from cell phones.
If you decide to use a calling card option, you'll either need to be sure to have a supply of 10 yen coins or a domestic calling card-which can easily be purchased at the airport or at any convenience store. (Once you've dialed the local access number the money is returned)


Sorry that I can't provide more thorough information on cell phones, but I actually have never had one, so I am a bit at a loss.
You can rent cell phones at the airport when you arrive. The lowest priced service is with G-Call (http://www.g-call.com/e/index.php)
They charge 262.5yen/day for rental/70 yen/minute to call the US. I am not sure whether there is a charge for incoming calls, but be sure to check.
Another option is Telecom Square (http://c155etz8.securesites.net/en/)
Of the three other companies I could find, none has a web site. One is SK CyberPass. They charge 500 yen/day rental, plus 180 yen for international calls. No charge to receive calls. The other is ABC Rental, a division of JAL (Japan Airlines). They are charging 250/day for rental, but I am not sure of the calling charges. The third option is Global Rent a Phone. They charge 600/day, 200 per minute/no charge for incoming.


I believe you can also obtain a Sim card that allows you to use your phone in Japan through NTT/DoCoMo ( a branch of what was once the national phone carrier). Information can be found on this web site (http://roaming.nttdocomo.co.jp/en/index.html)


I noticed that you are here in June, which is our rainy season. Be sure to bring a good umbrella and shoes that can stand up to rain, slip ons preferred, as the tradition is still to remove your shoes when entering public schools, some offices, restaurants, and homes. You'll also want to bring a small travel bottle of hand sanitizer and a handkerchief/washcloth to keep in your bag, as public bathrooms may not have soap or towels.

People calling you from the U.S. will need to drop the first '0' from the city code.


Hope this is helpful. If you have any other questions about traveling in Japan, don't hesitate to email me.


Regards,


Kim S de M
--
Kim Santiago de Madera
Asia Coordinator
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Representing the Office of International Studies and Programs,
the University of Wisconsin Foundation,
the Wisconsin Alumni Association
and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Dilemma

I am having a bit of a dilemma. I have been informed that I will only be allotted ONE free day while I am in Japan. ONE day to explore the vast and historical land of the rising sun. HMMMM...what should I do? There are so many wonderful places to see. What will I do on my ONE, free, ONCE in a lifetime day?!? Many of my new cyber buddies have already decided what they are going to do on their ONE day off in Japan. The interests range from climbing Mt. Fuji to exploring the castles and temples of Japan's former capital city Kyoto. They both sound amazing! OR I could go with a group of teachers who are renting bicycles and touring the temples, shrines, and monuments in Kamakura ,OR I could take a long train ride to see the moving and inspiring Hiroshima Peace Memorial. I am going to have to think this over. A dilemma I am happy to ponder over!

Cyber Buddies

I opened my email this morning to discover 62 of my new best friends! All of the participants received access to each other's emails and it is as if the flood gates have burst open! Everyone is just as excited as I am. Just as I was trying to reply to one person, I got four more emails.



The other teachers going to Japan are from every corner of the country. It is quite fascinating to see this diverse group of Americans converging for a life changing experience. I am sure we will get to know each other via email and blogs like this one over the next three weeks leading up to our departure. I have never experienced getting to know someone over the Internet before meeting them in person. I now know what it is like to have cyber buddies!

Information Update

I received a package in the mail from the Consular Office of Japan. In the package was a book titled "The Japan Book," and two letters. One letter was from someone called Koichi Funayama. The letter says that he is the Chief of Mission and Consul in Nashville, Tennessee. That letter included some informative websites: Web Japan, Japan National Tourist Organization, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Consular Office of Japan in Nashville.
The other letter was from the Ambassador of Japan, Ryozo Kato, from the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. What an honor! Here is the letter.

Making Friends Already

A few weeks ago I was contacted by another person going on the trip to Japan. His name is Scott Ralph from Florida. He is a 4th grade teacher too! We have been keeping in touch through email. It is great to have someone to communicate with about this exciting adventure. Check out his blog by clicking on the link below. He has some great stuff on his blog and a really cool class website with hysterical videos of his students. We will both be going to the same host city, Katori.

Mr. Ralph's Blog http://ralphsensei.blogspot.com/

Ralphedelphia Class Website http://www.ralphadelphia.com

I'm Learning Japanese....I really think so!

I am trying to learn at least one new phrase in Japanese each day. One thing that helps me commit them to memory is to make up a song or dance to go with the phrases.
This is something my students and I do all the time in the classroom to learn a new word. We have so much fun and share a lot of laughs when we act out words.

Here is today's Japanese lesson:(the u after an s is not pronounced in Japanese)

ohayou gozaimasu means Good morning.
genki desu ka? means How are you?
genki desu means I am fine.

Sing the following song to the tune of London Bridge is falling Down:

Ohayou gozaimasu
genki desu ka
genki desu ka
genki desu ka

Ohayou gozaimasu
genki desu ka

gen-ki de-su


More Phrases

Here are a couple of Japanese videos. Educational and humorous! Mostly humorous.

Katori, Chiba Here I Come!

I got an email yesterday from the IIE (Institute of International Education) about where I will be going while I am in Japan. Each teacher is assigned a host city. I will be spending a week in an area called Katori, Chiba.



Okay, let me get this straight...Japan is divided into 47 prefectures. The prefectures are areas somewhat like states in the U.S., and each one has a capital. So, the city I will be staying in is called Katori in the prefecture called Chiba. It is not far from Tokyo, Japan. From looking at it on a map, I think it is about 30 minutes by train from Tokyo. If I have misinterpreted this information, and there is anyone out there that can help me understand it correctly, please leave a comment.

I am glad that I will not have to spend much time traveling while in Japan. That will leave more time for exploring in and around the Tokyo area. I would have enjoyed a long train ride through the country too, but I am happy just the same.


Here is a short video I found on youtube of a street in Katori. It looks very interesting with old world Japanese style architecture and simple decor. From the video you can get a feel for what the look of the city is like.