I recently got home after a trip down to the southern island of Shikoku for spring break. I went with Bryan and two friends and we biked and camped our way onto the island. It was beautiful. A few days into the trip my friend Ty met up with us and took Bryan and I to a few beaches and then back to his place. I've started a flickr account and posted some pictures of the trip along with various other photos from Japan. Enjoy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelsbananatree/
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Big city livin
That's right, it's a portable dog grooming van. Talk about progress! It's moments like these that we country bumpkins live for, it's why we visited Kyoto in the first place. Enlightenment is upon us.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging
Here's my latest creation (well, I should say "our" since I do have help). Today we mixed it up a little and moved the part that you actually stick the stems into over to the far right side of the vase leaving space on the left for filling. The whole process is starting to feel more comfortable to me. I like that it has rules I can learn to follow, and yet still be creative in my placement of most everything. I'm really glad I'm learning something about a traditional Japanese art, it is one of the bright parts of my adventure here. Every time I look at a finished flower arrangement I can't really believe that I arranged it. (This one smells amazing too.) The cherry blossoms are starting to bloom on Asuwa mountain. Bryan brought a little bloom home from a walk yesterday and it smells like spring. The weather has been downright balmy for the last week or two compared to the freezing winter we had. We are soaking up the sun and warm breezes like little bears waking up from months of hibernation.
Happy Valentines Day
I had rather disheartening experience today.
There is a bulletin board in the hallway that I am allowed to decorate. I usually put up something about the holidays. I thought for Valentine's Day it would be nice to give the students (and teachers) some chocolates. So I went to the store and bought three bags of chocolates, and folded up an origami box to hold them, and decorated a sign saying "Happy Valentines Day!" with pink and red paper and stapled it all up in the hallway. Within minutes a teacher told me that students cannot eat candy at school and that I should talk to my supervisor about it. Then about two minutes later the same teacher informed me that he had spoken to the vice principal and that I had to take it down. Just like that. No acknowledgement of the trouble I had gone to. Just shut down.
I think rules have their place, and I am especially willing to follow them if I know what purpose they serve. But to me, if you can't be flexible, it shows not strict morals, but a need for power or control. I find this current running through the school system here, and it makes for students who rebel, or have their spirit broken, and sit vacant eyed an resentful in front of me. Sure there are plenty of students who follow the rules and have no problem sitting up straight in class and keeping their hair the right length. But even those students are having their creativity stifled instead of nourished, and as a result, are afraid to raise their hand in my classes for fear of making a mistake, or don't know how to give their own opinion because there is no right answer. It is a difficult environment to work in, especially for someone who cares deeply about children, and compounded by the fact that I have no authority to change it or even communicate with the students beyond their limited English ability and my non existent Japanese ability allows.
But despite my frustrations I know I am learning from the experience. Learning to let go and have patience. I hope that in Spain I work with teachers who inspire me and their students, so that I can learn what to do instead of what not to do.
There is a bulletin board in the hallway that I am allowed to decorate. I usually put up something about the holidays. I thought for Valentine's Day it would be nice to give the students (and teachers) some chocolates. So I went to the store and bought three bags of chocolates, and folded up an origami box to hold them, and decorated a sign saying "Happy Valentines Day!" with pink and red paper and stapled it all up in the hallway. Within minutes a teacher told me that students cannot eat candy at school and that I should talk to my supervisor about it. Then about two minutes later the same teacher informed me that he had spoken to the vice principal and that I had to take it down. Just like that. No acknowledgement of the trouble I had gone to. Just shut down.
I think rules have their place, and I am especially willing to follow them if I know what purpose they serve. But to me, if you can't be flexible, it shows not strict morals, but a need for power or control. I find this current running through the school system here, and it makes for students who rebel, or have their spirit broken, and sit vacant eyed an resentful in front of me. Sure there are plenty of students who follow the rules and have no problem sitting up straight in class and keeping their hair the right length. But even those students are having their creativity stifled instead of nourished, and as a result, are afraid to raise their hand in my classes for fear of making a mistake, or don't know how to give their own opinion because there is no right answer. It is a difficult environment to work in, especially for someone who cares deeply about children, and compounded by the fact that I have no authority to change it or even communicate with the students beyond their limited English ability and my non existent Japanese ability allows.
But despite my frustrations I know I am learning from the experience. Learning to let go and have patience. I hope that in Spain I work with teachers who inspire me and their students, so that I can learn what to do instead of what not to do.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
some great perspective on creativity
If you've got about 20 minutes to spare, watch this great video about creativity and genius. It's a talk by the author of Eat Pray Love. And if you haven't checked out ted.com before, definitely look at some other videos too, there's something for everyone. enjoy!
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/453
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/453
Saturday, February 7, 2009
awww
I had to share this Valentine's Day card I got from a student. One English teacher at my junior high school has had students making Valentines cards, so I've gotten several, and they really do warm my heart. Even though some of them probably don't even know what they are writing!
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