I think for me, and maybe most people, it's not the value of a present, but the thought and effort that goes into it. The other night, my daughter gave me and my family the best present I've ever received.
When I came home, Erika was so excited that I could barely understand what she was talking about. She grabbed me and pulled me over to the living room where I saw this cool, purple shelf decorated with dried flowers, ribbons and felt. She proudly explained how she had cut the wood herself and then nailed it together. She painted it and then pasted on felt shapes that made out the faces of all of our family. I couldn't believe that a 6 year old could do such great work! My first thought would have been that the teacher had done most of it, but I know that her school places a lot of value on kids being creative and doing things with very little help and guidance. Her pride also told me that she had put her heart into the project.
I'll keep our shelf as a wonderful reminder of this time in our lives and the love my daughter has for our family.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Winter break
Every year my friends come over to my house for Christmas. We eat and drink a lot while catching up on what's been going on. This year I'm going to cook a big turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce. We'll also have pies and other dishes. We usually drink beer and wine or sometimes cocktails. Last week I started brewing a batch of special Christmas beer, so this Christmas, we can have that. Christmas beer is full of spices like cinnamon,ginger, and orange peel. Mmm. I'm looking forward to trying it.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Adulthood
I've felt like an "adult" my whole life. Of course, I always knew I was a kid, or a teenager, or whatever, but even when I was in elementary school, I remember feeling like I really knew what was going on and I hated being treated like a child. It used to make me so angry when my parents or teachers would tell me I couldn't do something or make my own choices just because I was not a grown up.
In America, there is no particular ceremony or age that clearly marks adulthood. We can drive somewhere around 16, watch adult movies at 17, smoke and vote at 18 and finally drink at 21 (of course most people start sooner). At some point when I was in college and living on my own, people started to treat me like an adult and expect me to act like one.
However, now I feel like I really became an adult when I became responsible for other people - both as a teacher and a father. I can't think only about myself. My actions have a direct affect on the lives of others. I guess that responsibility really feels like adulthood to me.
In America, there is no particular ceremony or age that clearly marks adulthood. We can drive somewhere around 16, watch adult movies at 17, smoke and vote at 18 and finally drink at 21 (of course most people start sooner). At some point when I was in college and living on my own, people started to treat me like an adult and expect me to act like one.
However, now I feel like I really became an adult when I became responsible for other people - both as a teacher and a father. I can't think only about myself. My actions have a direct affect on the lives of others. I guess that responsibility really feels like adulthood to me.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
My earliest memory
My memories of childhood are a random collection of images, feelings, and people. I'm not sure which one is the earliest memory for sure, but I don't think I can remember anything before I was four years old. That was when my family moved from Lynn, a suburb just outside Boston, to Framingham, a small town about one hour away. I remember my parents packing up all of our stuff into boxes and my dad talking to his sister and her husband about our house. I later realized that they were buying our old house. I was so excited that my dad let me ride in the moving truck with him, but I don't think I really understood what was going on. I said bye to my friends from the neighborhood, but I didn't realize that I would no longer see them every day.
When we arrived at our new home, I think I asked where the other people who lived there went and when they would be back. Since our new home was in a more rural area, we had a forest for a backyard. It was so exciting to run outside and explore the big rocks and play among the trees. My family lived in that house until I went off to college.
When I go back to visit my aunt in Lynn, I am so glad we moved. That neighborhood has really gone downhill and is now a pretty dangerous place. I feel fortunate that my parents got us out of there in time, but I feel bad that we passed the house on to my relatives!
When we arrived at our new home, I think I asked where the other people who lived there went and when they would be back. Since our new home was in a more rural area, we had a forest for a backyard. It was so exciting to run outside and explore the big rocks and play among the trees. My family lived in that house until I went off to college.
When I go back to visit my aunt in Lynn, I am so glad we moved. That neighborhood has really gone downhill and is now a pretty dangerous place. I feel fortunate that my parents got us out of there in time, but I feel bad that we passed the house on to my relatives!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Future destinations
It's been a while since I've traveled somewhere that I just wanted to go to for myself. When I first arrived in Japan, I did my best to explore this country on my weekends and when I had a longer break, I took off to other destinations, like Hong Kong, Thailand, Bali, Singapore, the Philippines, or Mexico. More recently, my trips have been fewer and usually back to the US to see family. That's why I'm really excited about this winter.
First, I'm going to Chiang Mai, Thailand for a teacher's conference. I'll be presenting about our blogging project there. It'll be good to meet local teachers as well as educators from all over Asia, but I'm also hoping to see a bit of the city and surrounding sights.
After that, I'm off to Cambodia for another conference, this one on service learning (having students volunteer as part of their English course). I've never been there so it should be pretty exciting. If all goes well, I can shoot down to Angkor Wat, too.
My last trip will be purely for fun - Hawaii. I'm not a hundred percent sure about this one, but I think I'll be spending part of March swimming in the warm water of Ala Moana beach and sipping Mai Tais at sunset. My brother lives there, too. Bonus!
First, I'm going to Chiang Mai, Thailand for a teacher's conference. I'll be presenting about our blogging project there. It'll be good to meet local teachers as well as educators from all over Asia, but I'm also hoping to see a bit of the city and surrounding sights.
After that, I'm off to Cambodia for another conference, this one on service learning (having students volunteer as part of their English course). I've never been there so it should be pretty exciting. If all goes well, I can shoot down to Angkor Wat, too.
My last trip will be purely for fun - Hawaii. I'm not a hundred percent sure about this one, but I think I'll be spending part of March swimming in the warm water of Ala Moana beach and sipping Mai Tais at sunset. My brother lives there, too. Bonus!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
8th post
What countries are you thinking about visiting in the future (study abroad or just travel)? Why?
Women and men
I think most men and most women experience life very differently. Generally, woman use emotion and consider personal relationships more when making decisions or interpreting what's going on around them. This is why women often go to the restroom together (how many really need to go?) On the other hand, men tend to use logic and rely on outside measures, like achievement or reward when deciding how to act or what to do. If you want a man (or a dog) to do something, offer him something he wants and then say "good boy!"
These differences become a problem when a man and woman are trying to make a decision together or when they are thinking about choices the other has made. Of course it's not true all the time or in every case, but I think these differences certainly affect a lot of people and relationships. What do you think?
These differences become a problem when a man and woman are trying to make a decision together or when they are thinking about choices the other has made. Of course it's not true all the time or in every case, but I think these differences certainly affect a lot of people and relationships. What do you think?
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Fall
I love Fall. I grew up in New England, which has really beautiful fall foliage (autumn leaves), and now that I'm living in Japan, I can see the changing colors as well. Fall foods rock as well - Asian pears, persimmons, sweet potatoes. But, what is really special this season in Japan is the festivals. Universities have their festivals, which are loads of fun, and towns and neighborhoods also have their own traditional "matsuri". Fall festivals might seems ordinary to you, but for someone from outside of Japan, they are truly unique. I recommend you get some pictures of local festivals to show people when you travel or study abroad.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
6th post
Fall is finally here. What do you think of this season? How does it compare to other seasons?
My type
I guess you could say my wife is my type (hopefully!). I'm not sure exactly what that type is, but I can you why I fell in love her: I took her to a park with a romantic view one evening. I thought it was nice to create a good mood... and she tried to Judo flip me into the fountain. She doesn't remember this but I do. When she tried that (and failed miserably) I realized that she was the woman for me. I guess that means I like people who are strong (in spirit), courageous (not afraid to try something even if they will fail), and funny (I assume she was joking). It didn't hurt that I thought she was pretty cute, too :)
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Trends
Since I'm too old to be in touch with what is considered "fashionable" or "cool", I'm going to comment on a trend closer to my heart and the lives of other guys like me - beer. When I arrived in Japan after graduating from college, I was happy to find that beer was easily available - at the convenience store, supermarket, even in vending machines (these are unique to Japan and some parts of Europe). One thing I noticed though, was that nearly all the beer was one type - lager. Good lagers, even better than most mass-produced American lagers like Budweiser or Coors. But only lagers. Super Dry was lager. Malts was lager. Lager was lager. I missed the heartier ales and stouts that I could get so easily at bars and liquor stores back home.
While traveling around Japan I found that there were small groups of beer enthusiasts who appreciated different types of beer and were brewing them in the countryside at microbreweries. Unfortunately, Japanese laws prevented these from being sold on a large scale.
As the years passed, I began finding Irish pubs, commonly called "Gaijin bars," in the cities that often had import beers such as Guinness, a dark stout beer, and occasionally creamy British ales. Unfortunately, these bars were only in urban centers, so I could only get my beer fix every few months when I ventured into the city.
However, recently I see a new trend in Japan. More and more bars are offering not only Guinness, but also other types of beer. Moreover, there are lots of microbreweries and bars that specialize in these tasty brews. Home brewing is even catching on as a hobby.
Friday night I had a locally-brewed Rokko pilsner (the first type of beer ever made) at a bar in my home town of Nishinomiya and I bottled my own honey ale at home.
As a fan of craft beers, I hope this trend continues!
While traveling around Japan I found that there were small groups of beer enthusiasts who appreciated different types of beer and were brewing them in the countryside at microbreweries. Unfortunately, Japanese laws prevented these from being sold on a large scale.
As the years passed, I began finding Irish pubs, commonly called "Gaijin bars," in the cities that often had import beers such as Guinness, a dark stout beer, and occasionally creamy British ales. Unfortunately, these bars were only in urban centers, so I could only get my beer fix every few months when I ventured into the city.
Friday night I had a locally-brewed Rokko pilsner (the first type of beer ever made) at a bar in my home town of Nishinomiya and I bottled my own honey ale at home.
As a fan of craft beers, I hope this trend continues!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
4th post
What are the top trends in Japan today? What kinds of people are into these fads? Why are they so popular? Do you think they will last?
Customs
The most unusual custom I've seen is body implants - it's not common among any particular ethnic culture that I know, but some subcultures seem to like it. I once saw a guy with horns on his head at a bar in Hawaii. To risk hurting your body just to be different seems pretty odd to me. I guess you could say that tattooing is the same, but it doesn't seem as extreme to me nor as dangerous. Everything is relative though. For many people in Japan, any tattooing is shocking or seen negatively. I guess we have to realize that different people have different ideas about how to decorate their bodies. Horns anyone?If I could add one custom to Japanese culture, I think it would be hugging among friends and family. Human touch is important for health and happiness, and it seems like most Japanese who have experience with a touch culture seem to get used to hugging pretty quickly. Hug your friend today!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
3rd post
What is the most unusual cultural custom you have experienced or seen? Do you think any Japanese customs are strange? If you could pick one custom from another culture that would become part of Japanese culture, what would it be?
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