I have been doing so much lately! I barely have any time for myself. I am thinking this will change as classes start this Wednesday.
Other than orientation seminars in the city, I have had an extremely eventful month. On Saturday I went high up into the mountains of Nagasaki where we hiked down a valley to a waterfall area known as Ryutosen. There we jumped off cliffs over 50 feet high into the deep waters(like 60 feet deep!) of the ravine. It was one of the scariest but thrilling things I have ever done. I can`t even begin to explain how intense it was. There were many diving spots surrounding each pond that varied in height and mental difficulty. I jumped off each one a few times each, but I`d be lying if I said it was easy. It took me a few minutes to overcome my fear on a few of them. The freakiest of all was the main waterfall. That was the one around 50 feet up. Looking down and realizing how high you are is daunting. I still can`t believe I did it.
The next day I was so sore! But I had to go to the river in Kubota to race Dragon Boats. We had a team of 16(7 paddlers on each side, a rudderman, and the skipper who kept us in sync with a drum). We had to race toward a buoy, U-turn around it and go back again. IT WAS SO HARD! It was within the top 10 most taxing things I have ever done. I have aches and massive blisters to prove it. The first race we got third place out of four. The second race we claimed first to make it to the semi-finals. Those were timed and we were outdone. But we did fairly well seeing as we made it to the semi-finals against some serious competition. The ones who made it even further were insanely fast... almost twice our speed. There is a lot of technique that goes into it that we lacked.
Anyway I am sore in every part of my body today. It hurts to move. And my blisters are getting in my way. But I will live. I have to bring my A-game for Wednesday`s classes. My introduction lessons are nearly complete.
I healed my body at the Omachi Onsen which is a really awesome hot spring in the mountains of omachi. When we were soaking in the outdoor onsen it began to thunderstorm. Sitting there in the pool of hot water while cool rain poured down on us, while looking up at the lightning in the sky.... it totally topped off my weekend. My experiences just keep getting better.
The more I think about it the more I realize I may be here for awhile. This place is actually really cool. The environment is so wild and adventure is abundant. Plus, I realize how easy it is for me to travel around Asia. I have gotten great ideas from a friend who travels all the time. I plan to go to some pretty amazing places. I am already creating some itineraries. The longer I stay here, the more I will travel. It really is a great deal... this JET thing.
Pictures real soon!
Soigi ne,
Jonathan
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A very different Japan
Ohayou Gozaimasu Minasan!
I finally have some time(and internet from school) to make a post. I am not sure where to start. I guess I can explain my area a little bit.
Takeo is in Saga Prefecture in Kyushu Japan. It is one of the smallest prefectures as well as one of the poorest. Most people laugh when they hear I live in Saga. It is extremely rural, but very beautiful. Mountains surround my city on all sides, and there are plenty of hot springs and hiking trails. I will definitly have a peaceful life here. Luckily, I am in one of the more urban areas of my city. Most people are a bit jealous of my location as it is centrally located near a train station, and has plenty of bars and clubs within walking distance. I still have a LOT of exploration to do. I really want to navigate the mountains and understand more about what my city has to offer. If I ever long to be in a big city, Fukuoka is only and hour away by train.
My apartment is awesome. It is very spacious. I set it up so there is a lot of open floor space. My entertainment area consistes of my desk, large monitor, speakers, laptop, and gaming systems. It is my sanctuary for when I just want to indulge in seclusion. My kitchen has everything I need. I have already used it for making a few dishes, but if I feel lazy, I can go to the rotating sushi place near me, or head to some other tasty places. Another goal is to figure out all the good restaurants in Takeo. I know of a few, but there are so many...I cant wait to try them all.
My life so far has been busy. Not so much actually working, but just trying to figure out how I am going to live, teach, use my time in general has been challenging. I want to make sure I have some good lesson plans to start with. That way I can begin tweaking my style as I get experience. It takes awhile to do this when you have to come up with most of your own curriculum. I am having a hard time trying to figure out what to teach which grades. I have some leads though.
Outside of school I am having trouble figuring out how to get involved in the community. I want to join some local clubs, but the list I was handed from the City Culture Hall is limited, and nothing really interesting was on there. I may have to venture outside of my city to find a decent club, or I might find something that is not run by the city. I would join clubs at the schools, but the schools I am at are for very young kids and they dont have very solid clubs. I also would do less participating and be more of a ambassador for english. I still plan to join them every once and awhile.
I feel one important thing I must do is travel. Even though I like Takeo, I will need to get out every once and awhile. I have four weeks of vacation per year so I have plenty time off. I want to visit China and Korea, as well as other places throughout Asia. I will go back to Tokyo quite often too.
Well, thats good enough for now. My main goal now is to get used to living here. I`d like to become more confortable with my city, get to know it better, and make some more local connections. Hopefully I can find a good club or two for that.
I`ll update more often from this point on, and with smaller posts :P
Mata ne,
Jonathan
I finally have some time(and internet from school) to make a post. I am not sure where to start. I guess I can explain my area a little bit.
Takeo is in Saga Prefecture in Kyushu Japan. It is one of the smallest prefectures as well as one of the poorest. Most people laugh when they hear I live in Saga. It is extremely rural, but very beautiful. Mountains surround my city on all sides, and there are plenty of hot springs and hiking trails. I will definitly have a peaceful life here. Luckily, I am in one of the more urban areas of my city. Most people are a bit jealous of my location as it is centrally located near a train station, and has plenty of bars and clubs within walking distance. I still have a LOT of exploration to do. I really want to navigate the mountains and understand more about what my city has to offer. If I ever long to be in a big city, Fukuoka is only and hour away by train.
My apartment is awesome. It is very spacious. I set it up so there is a lot of open floor space. My entertainment area consistes of my desk, large monitor, speakers, laptop, and gaming systems. It is my sanctuary for when I just want to indulge in seclusion. My kitchen has everything I need. I have already used it for making a few dishes, but if I feel lazy, I can go to the rotating sushi place near me, or head to some other tasty places. Another goal is to figure out all the good restaurants in Takeo. I know of a few, but there are so many...I cant wait to try them all.
My life so far has been busy. Not so much actually working, but just trying to figure out how I am going to live, teach, use my time in general has been challenging. I want to make sure I have some good lesson plans to start with. That way I can begin tweaking my style as I get experience. It takes awhile to do this when you have to come up with most of your own curriculum. I am having a hard time trying to figure out what to teach which grades. I have some leads though.
Outside of school I am having trouble figuring out how to get involved in the community. I want to join some local clubs, but the list I was handed from the City Culture Hall is limited, and nothing really interesting was on there. I may have to venture outside of my city to find a decent club, or I might find something that is not run by the city. I would join clubs at the schools, but the schools I am at are for very young kids and they dont have very solid clubs. I also would do less participating and be more of a ambassador for english. I still plan to join them every once and awhile.
I feel one important thing I must do is travel. Even though I like Takeo, I will need to get out every once and awhile. I have four weeks of vacation per year so I have plenty time off. I want to visit China and Korea, as well as other places throughout Asia. I will go back to Tokyo quite often too.
Well, thats good enough for now. My main goal now is to get used to living here. I`d like to become more confortable with my city, get to know it better, and make some more local connections. Hopefully I can find a good club or two for that.
I`ll update more often from this point on, and with smaller posts :P
Mata ne,
Jonathan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)