ごちそうさまでした!

or Gochisosama-deshita!

This is something that is often said after a meal as a way of saying "Thank you for the delicious food"!

It is the opposite of the more widely known いただきますor " itadakimasu!" Which is said at the beginning of a meal.

So one of the questions I often get is what about lunch? What do you eat/do for lunch?

Well actually it depends on which school I am located that day. My JHS does not have a school lunch that all the kids get. Everyone more or less brings their own lunch. However there is a bento that the teachers can order. 

My JHS school desk with my ordered bento.
Please note: you do note keep the box.

A picture of today's bento and rice.

 Now these bento's may look delicious and sometimes that is quite the case; however I need to warn you that the order for these is placed at 9am and they are often here by 10 and they wait around cooling for the next two and a half hours, making the meal on the cooler side. This is actually normal. Many of the students wake up and prepare their meals early in the morning thus by the time they can eat them they have cooled; therefore this taste is acquired since childhood. Thus making the warmest thing during my meal often my tea...which I suppose it would be regardless.
On a side note, one addition that is quite common is a type of flavoring for the rice. Whether it is dried vegetables and eggs or a type of seed they put on it, I find that many of my coworkers enjoy flavoring their rice with something. I have it actually pictured in the first picture - it is the green packet.

However it is more common for the teachers to bring their own lunches, which I do as well so that my leftovers don't go to waste!

Elementary school lunch
This is more often served with silverware.

 Above is my elementary school lunch. These always consist of a main meat containing dish which seems to be often some kind of thick stew, a vegetable or fruit dish and a grain. Typically I most meals are accompanied by bread, but on an odd day I actually got rice as seen above. These meals are also accompanied by cold milk. Now the cold part is optional, my Interac mentors have told me the horror stories of having warm milk for lunch; therefore I count my blessings that it is cold.
Until lately I have been eating these meals in office, but have since my lunchtime presence has been demanded by my students for their eating entertainment.

One of the things that I sometimes get asked as well is if I can go to a convinience store to get something to eat. Well I think that it is for the most part considered not as polite to leave school, even during lunch time, unless it is for a genuine issue with something like the post office or bank that must take place during their business hours. Now that is not to say that is it not acceptable to eat convinience store food at work....it is ENTIRELY acceptable. Just buy it beforehand.

Here are a few more lunch time pictures to satisfy anyone's lingering curiosity.

 





For anyone who is curious as to the nutrition value of these meals, here is a bit of information for you.

These are the average values obtained in a study on the health content of the meals served at school two years ago.

Elementary school                    Junior High School

Calories: 628.1                       Calories: 781.7

Protein: 25g                           Protein: 30.7

Fat: 19.9g                               Fat: 23.6

Interac Application Process

Interac is a Japanese company which recruits ALT's and places them in public schools in Japan. I currently work from them as an English teacher over in Japan. Here is a little how my timeline and hiring process went with Interac. I got this idea from Jennie over at Kawaii 5-oh and her blog, http://jennieinjapan.wordpress.com whose blog provided me with all the details I was so desperate to have when I was in my own process of applying to Interac.

Please note beforehand that I was situated in Korea at the time of my application; therefore, I had a slightly different experience.

• April 12th: registered with the Interac Network online. 
• May 27th: submitted Interac online application (note there are two short online essays - I think 500 words?) 
• June 2nd: received correspondence from Interac requesting a phone interview 
• June 3rd: Short 20 minute phone interview with Interac recruiting office. 
• June 8th: Notice that I passed the phone screening. Obtained information about next process ( sending in required documents, 6 minute lesson demonstration video and secondary interview session) 
• June 14th: Uploaded finished demo lesson video. 
• June 16th: Sent in application package to Interac head office. 
• June 17th: Online interview with recruiter ( please note that because I was located in South Korea, my interview took place online; however when I talked to almost everyone else, either from America, the U.K. or Japan, they all had in person and often group session interviews) 
• June 22nd: Application package received by Interac. 
• July 1st: References submitted forms to Interac. 
• July 1st: Offer of Employment email. This certifies that I do work for Interac, but does not specify employment. 
• July 1st: Criminal Background Check sent to the State Bureau of Investigation (from within the states) 
• July 4th: emailed camera photos of signed copies of the Offer of Employment 
• July 6th: Application for Certificate of Eligibility sent off. Expected to receive it around August 9th 
• July 11th: Father recieved clean Criminal Background Check from the State Bureau of Investigation and sent off to Interac Japan. 
• July 11th: address update for delivery of CoE 
• July 11th: submitted online resume which is used as a profile to introduce you to the schools. (after I finished this I copied it via that printing to another page option but the words were cut off but after emailing I learned that it was just my image but the actual document was intact) 
• July 12th: Placement Introduction email. An email stating important information concerning insurance and apartment and health checks. 
• July 12th: emailed scanned copies of my TB test required by Interac. I had an x-ray test. Also since I lived in Korea, I had to have them translated. 
• July 18th: Interac received original copy of State Criminal Background check. 
• July 18th: Received Placement: Ibaraki-shi, Osaka 
• July 19th: Best mate Ben Brannan ( http://risingdaikon.blogspot.com/ ) and many others received deferrals for spring semester. For more information on deferral and his own experience that took place on the Stateside then please check out his blog. 
• July 27th: Apartment offer for a Leopalace and free internet 
• July 28th: Apartment offer accepted 
• August 2nd: CoE sent by Interac 
• August 4th: Booked one way flight with Expedia to Japan KIX 
• August 8th: Received schools ( 2 elementary and one junior high) and year schedule. 
• August 19th: Flight to KIX and Arrival in Osaka. 
• August 21st: Entered Osaka City Plaza Hotel for training 
• August 22nd: First day of orientation 
• August 24th: Met Board of Education and last day of training 
• August 25th: Got apartment key and moved in. 
• August 25th: Applied for Alien Registration Card 
• August 26th: Obtained temporary Alien Registration Card 
• August 26th: Applied for Post Office Bank Account 

And to anyone who is wondering, I have nothing but the fondest things to say regarding Interac Osaka. I relly love the staff there. They are really working with you on a personal level and really care about their employees. They really provided me and hopefully everyone in my little orientation group (about 12 people - there was a later one with about 60 people) with a wonderful experience and an equally grand impression of the company as a whole. So it may be nerve wracking waiting for your placement but it will come. And regarding the many deferred, many of them later got placements for october dramatically reducing the number of deferees.
Additionally I am inexplicably happy with my location and schools. They really found me the perfect setting.

Here is my demo video to give you some ideas on your own!



I will post more things about getting an alien registration card and other important things about getting settled later. But if you want me to address any specific issues or answer any questions, espcially about the application process, please don't hesitate to ask.

The strangest stranger I have never met

There is a story I have been meaning to tell you.

This is the history of what is, to date, the strangest, most singular, occurrence since my arrival in Japan. 

It was afternoon on a Sunday, and I spent the morning shopping in Umeda celebrating my first paycheck. After departing home again for Kyoto and further adventuring, I made my way to the train station. I was occupied with my phone as I made my approach toward the train station escalator, when a man called out "Hello!" in a very big voice. As the most plausible English speaker in the vicinity, I slowed and searched around for the owner of the voice. I saw him then descending the stairs adjacent to the escalator at my feet. 

I waited a moment as he rushed toward me, a man in his middle thirties in casual dress. As he approached he thrust out his hand, again repeating "Hello!" It appeared as though he recognized me, though I could not return the favor. He seemed as much a stranger to me as would nutella to marmite. 

In his hands were a sad slightly deflated green balloon, fastened to a yellow plastic stick, and a bag which he shuffled about for a minute or so in order to shake my hand. 

It became evident that there was something he really wanted to say to me but had become uncertain--either he did not know how to express himself to a foreigner or he was as confused as I was. Nevertheless, he proceeded in Japanese to say a few lines to me, to which I automatically replied, assuming he was asking my country of origin. Thus, without listening for any key Japanese words that I may know to help me decipher his inquiries, I just blurted out "America-jin desu." Now we were both sincerely confused and all efforts of communication were proving useless. 

Balloon in hand, he gestured to me. I was under the impression he really wanted to give me the balloon. However, he was also hesitant. But since we were currently in front of the escalator and blocking  the traffic of anyone who wished to hop aboard, he made another small gesture to me to follow him and move away from whatever inconvenience we might soon cause. You see, today was special; an event was taking place which coincided with the train station. This being the case, there was also an inordinate amount of families and children milling about. Presumably, this festival was where the balloon originated. 

The man peered at me with an ever greater amount of hesitation. Perhaps he was trying to decide if he mistook me for someone else? But his internal conflict was resolved and he decided that he was not mistaken and I am just the person he believed me to be. He continued walking into the bike parking lot, immediately perpendicular to the station, at a slow pace. 

He lead me to a small opening between two buildings. Before I continue, I would like to remind you that it was still daylight and there were many families about. Additionally, I was still on the phone, and though I had halted my end of that conversation, the recipient end can still hear everything going on. It is evident that he had been to this location before as he called to someone who was just beyond the gated gap between the buildings. Following his exclamation, about four or five train station personnel in their official blue suits and white gloves appeared.  

The man conversed with these new faces for a brief instant and the balloon was passed between them. Comprehension dawned on their faces and gratitude followed suit. They immediately began to bow and apologize to me, as well as thank me. Now I must admit I was at the height of my confusion; clearly, I could not be whomever they believed me to be, so I immedaitely attempted to reject their sincerest efforts, but it was of no use. They were adamant. 

Well I made for a quick exit and back pedal from the situation before it went any further. I slowly recovered the twenty or so paces to the escalator and, as I did, I see my mystery balloon man, to whom I was never properly introduced, walk a few paces and halt to bend and pick up a lose piece of plastic. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him return to that same gateway to the train station personnel. Whatever the case, I was positive it certainly did not concern me and I proceeded making my way to Kyoto, my conversation resumed. 

Life as a Gaijin

I am a foreigner.

And according to one of my second grade students I am from Foreign. To him, Foreign is a country because all that exists are Japan and Foreign, better known as Everywhere-else.

I think the first question I always get is: Isn't it hard? Living in a foreign country?
And you might think it is. But the truth is, is that it may be only so for the first week or month, until you get settled, and then all the fun begins. It is true that everything is in Japanese, but what you might not know, everything is also in a variation of English. Eating out is never a big deal since here, practically the entire menu is in a showcase outside the restaurant. Transportation is exceptionally easy as everything is announced and written in English.
I think the hardest part about living in Japan is walking on the sidewalk.
Here, they have different directions for sidewalk-walking. You may not know it, but in the United States the rule of thumb is to always walk on the right hand side. You will notice that escalators will also be on the appropriate side you are walking, if you have not noticed before. Here, walking is more or less up to the city. In my city they change sides at the train station vs. the rest of the city. You really have to look for the arrows which tell you where your feet should go.

Sidewalks in Japan have often have this yellow line to divide sidewalk traffic.

This is an example of stairs as a subway station...notice the abundance of arrows on the steps...in case you missed them the first 5 times. 

The second is actually more useful and tells you more or less how to board a subway car. You have to let everyone departing the car off through the middle first while you stand at the sides and then you can proceed once they have left. You have approximately16 seconds. Go.

I have an edit!

Wow! This is the first time I have gotten go to back and edit things especially things I wrote a year ago. 

Anyways, I was recently informed that the yellow line is reserved for officials and military personnel. An acquaintance of mine told me this saying that he got told off by an officer telling him that it was disrespectful and that the yellow lines were expressly for people of a more official nature. 

Another suggestion, which I think makes a lot more sense than Emperor-only walk ways, is that they are helpful to the blind. As the yellow portions are always textured, it greatly helps one with a walking stick to walk in a much straighter line and will also give you inclination as to when you might cross a road. You see, there are different textures for straight walkways and when you come to an area before a crosswalk therefore indicating you to stop and listen for the cross walk signal, which in turn has different sounds for when one is to cross horizontally or vertically. Pretty neat right? 

More edits! I have proof! It is in fact for blind people. And seeing as these yellow strips are on all the sidewalks all over Japan. That is pretty dang considerate. 

Here, I found this sign in a subway station the other week. 

                               

Presently

I work for Interac.
Interac is a private contractor for Assistant Language Teachers (ALT's) for a variety of places in Japan. By far and large they mostly supply to public schools; however there are also other opportunities they provide as well.

For my part, I work as an ALT teaching English in a middle and an elementary schools. For future reference, in Japan they call middle school, junior high schools, or JHS. I work in correspondence with the Osaka branch, and in fact, live in Osaka prefecture. I have been living here since late August.

And for those who ask, I have nothing but good things to say about this company and this branch in particular. They have always been over accommodating, making sure I get along, well with good support and help with some of the most basic yet essential needs.

Ohayo!

A quick 'Hello'!

So I am starting a new blog for my adventures here in Japan. Since my last post on Herro Prease, an inordinately long-[derriererelatedword] time ago, I have moved to Japan!

Thus! I am starting anew with this blog, which I am not intending to limit to videos, but also pictures and culture lessons amassed from my exploits, and vow to attempt to remember to occasionally update it.