IrishOboe

I visited brass band after school to rehearse for the Live in Shirane concert I’m doing with them in March. We’re doing to pop tunes (one from a TV show) that are kind of cheesy and I don’t know at all, but we’re also doing a Fanfare by a ninensei student, which is actually quite good. It was fun to be in a rehearsal with them for a few reasons. (More)

February 3-5 I went to Nagano-ken with the YETI group for a weekend of skiing. I had planned on ski on Saturday and recover on Sunday, but I had so much fun I decided to ski another day. Since Kofu hadn’t been getting much snow I couldn’t believe how much snow there was in Nagano. It was piled so high and that wasn’t from the plows! The trees were all weighed down and buildings were completely surrounded. We stayed at an enchanting hostel with lots of personality. It was snowed in and you had to go through a snow tunnel to get into the complex. I love the way the Japanese deal with shoes, but it makes even more sense when you have to wear muddy snow boots. Leave them at the door and the whole place is clean and warm!

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I friend of mine has a glossary in her blog so she doesn’t have to keep defining the same terms over and over in each post. I think it’s a great idea and I’m going to try to implement it here. Let me know if there are words missing. I hope it’s helpful!

ALT, Assistant Language Teacher (my job title)

Futon 布団, flexible mattress laid on the floor that the Japanese sleep on (imagine what we call a futon without the supporting frame)

Gomukyu, the rubber band contraption that people use to practice kyudo

Hai はい, “yes” in the polite form

Ichinensei 一年生 First year student (in high school they’re usual 15-16)

JET, Japanese Exchange and Teaching (the program through which I am in Japan)

JTE, Japanese Teacher of English

Keitai or keitaidenwa 携帯電話, cell phone

Kofu甲府, capital city of Yamanashi-ken which is just East of Ryuo

Kutatsu, a low table with a heating element underneath and a blanket skirt or keeping warm

Kyudo 弓道, Japanese archery

Ninensei 二年生 Second year student

OC I, Oral Communication I (the class I teach to ichinensei)

Ryuo 竜王, the town I live in, which means Dragon King

Sannensei 三年生 Third year student

Seito 生徒, student

Sensei 先生, teacher

Shirane Koko　白根高校, the high school I teach at (koko means high school)

Yamanashi-ken 山梨県, the prefecture I leave in (ken means prefecture)

YETI, Yamanashi English Teacher’s International (social organization mostly made up of JETs)

February 1^st was the funeral for Erika, the second year student in my high school who died suddenly. I went, and it was the first time I felt like a foreigner in a strange land. I didn’t know what to expect, but I sort of expected it to be like a Western funeral. Obviously I wasn’t thinking. But hey, if they have Western weddings, why not Western funerals?  (More)