a few days ago an earthquake shook the area. it wasn't bad, only a 4.7, but it was a bit exciting as it was my first experience of an earthquake! now there's another type of natural "disaster" headed our way. a typhoon. right now it's sitting around the kansai area, headed for tokyo. it's projected path is directly over japan and up through to hokkaido, where matt and i are. fortunately it's very rare that typhoons maintain enough strength to make it all the way to hokkaido. we're much too far north. however, they say this is the worst typhoon to hit japan in 10 years, so who knows?
meanwhile, i'm working on english day, an event where students perform skits and give presentations all in english (of course!). the preparations have been going quite well, but there are two things i'm worried about: 1 - one of the classes is performing on friday and few of the students actually know their lines and 2 - swine flu has been whipping around hokkaido and has closed down one of the 1st year classes. if it affects any of the 2nd year classes and 4 students get sick, their class will shut down, which means those performing in english day cannot come.
so for now i'm sitting here on my computer, enjoying the fact that we don't need kerosene for our heater yet, wondering what's going to happen to harry potter in the 3rd book. but on friday there are three things that can stop english day: swine flu, typhoon, or stinking high schoolers not knowing their lines.
not sure if this is a cultural thing, a technology thing, or just a communication thing, but a few days ago i got an email from this sweet japanese lady who matt and i have gotten to know. she asked if we could come over for lunch today (saturday) at 1pm. i responded, asking politely how her week of vacation went and how she was doing, and then proceeded to tell her that "i'm sorry, but we are busy on saturday. but i would like to see you soon!"
well, she phoned today, at about 1:30, but i didn't get the message until 2:30. i called her back and she asked where i was and that she was waiting for us for lunch. but why? i wondered. surely she had gotten my response...
i asked her if she got my reply and she said yes. ....so maybe there's a language communication breakdown...?
i told her that i said we were busy today, but she said, "no, you didn't answer my question about lunch." ...but i had. i said we were busy. not sure what to do, and almost in tears, i tried to explain and apologized profusely, but she never believed me that i sent that part of the message. for some reason or another she says she only got up to the part where i politely asked how here vacation was. no "sorry we're busy." hmm...so...i got off the phone, flustered, and a bit upset, but not sure who i should be upset with. should i be upset with her because she clearly didn't read the entire message? should i be upset with myself because i didn't call her, but instead, replied to her email? should i be upset with myself for only using english and not saying it in japanese, too? or should i be upset with AU, my mobile carrier, for screwing up the email.
all that aside, i still don't know why she was waiting for us to arrive for lunch if we didn't say "yes, we can come." of course, as an american, i think it's not such a big deal. people make mistakes, sometimes communication breaks down. if someone doesn't show, someone doesn't show. especially with that spotty communication, it wouldn't have been a big deal. but for her it clearly is a big deal.
however, i am having to stop myself from searching for something that i did wrong. i know i did nothing wrong. not that i want to hold that over anyone's head, but i know for a fact that her english is good enough to understand that "busy" means "isogahii" which means "can't come." gah! i even have a copy of the email i sent her and it says clearly "we're busy!"
so now, i don't know what to do and it's an awkward situation that i don't know how to fix. right now i'm just praying that i can have a little bit of humility and take it as it comes without getting overly defensive. i can state the truth, that's all. i feel badly that she went through the work for us to come but we couldn't, but that doesn't change the fact that we were, in fact, BUSY.
oh well, i guess something like this was bound to happen at some point, wasn't it...?
This weekend was filled with little adventures. First, on Friday night
Matt and I drove in Japan for the first time. We finally got keys from
my predecessor and drove the car home and then to the nearby shopping
mall. It was quite odd driving on the left side of the road, even more
odd to have the blinker on the right side of the steering wheel and the
stick shift on the left side.
Yesterday Matt and I met up with
some JETs from Noboribetsu, a town right next to Muroran. We shopped
around and looked at some second hand stores and whatnot. Then Matt and
I came home and watched "The King and I" (So good!)
Today we lounged
around, listened to last week's sermon from our church back in the
States, and cleaned up a bit. It was such a relaxing morning! Then we
went in to town and met up with our new friends Evan and Sakiko. They
are so wonderful! They took us around and showed us some stores. We all
went to this second hand shop where we found a rice cooker for about
4300 yen (roughly $43) and an oven for 9300 yen (about $93). This was
so cheap! Brand new, rice cookers are anywhere between $70-350! Ovens
were much more expensive, of course, and we found one brand new on sale
for about $260. The ovens are much different than American ovens,
though. They only hold about 26-30 liters (about 6 gallons) and are
about half, if not more, smaller than an American oven. It would
probably fit a small chicken, but not a usual size turkey for
Thanksgiving. It also is a microwave as well as an oven and a grill, so
it's nice to have so many options in one little box. In any case, we
now have an oven and a rice cooker, which we are so thankful for!
As
we were driving home tonight, we were listening to some worship music
in the car. At that moment, I realized that the relationships that are
being built right now are why Matt and I are here. We are here to not
only minister to others, but also just to love them purely, just as
Christ loved us purely without any expectation in return. I am so
thankful for this opportunity and I look forward to this year. I just
hope that I can use our time here just as God would have me use it. Not
focused on much more than relationships (but I promise to do my job,
too!).
I'm sitting in my apartment after a day of cleaning and rearranging.
I'm getting to the point where it feels a bit more like home. It's an
old building, you can tell by looking at it, but I think it will be
just fine.
Today I went downstairs and talked to some of the other
tenants. It was a short lived conversation due to my lack of Japanese
skill. Oh well. I tried. But the family below me has I think 3 kids. I
saw two and heard a baby cry. They were really nice.
Tomorrow night
a teacher at my school is taking me to Chitose airport to pick up Matt.
I am SOOO excited! I can't wait to see him! This week has been really
hard without him. I have had to make lots of decisions and usually he's
the one who does those sorts of things.
Soon there will be lessons to plan and I will be BUSY. For now, I'm going to go watch Legally Blonde.
It is day two for Tokyo Orientation. I am awake at 4:30 am and can't
sleep. Last night I was trying to stay up until about 10, but I
accidentally fell asleep at 8. Oh well. I'm only a few hours off
schedule. That's pretty good, considering.
Sunday night when the
Seattle group arrived I was so incredibly tired. After having been up
for 22 hours and having 12 of those hours being locked up on a plane or
bus, I was completely disoriented. I slept at about 10 and woke up at
about 4:30 the next morning.
Monday was full of orientation
presentations, welcome speeches, and workshops. It was a great day
until about 3pm where the jet lag hit me. From then on I really
couldn't compute what was being thrown at me. Nor could I believe I was
in Japan. Then, last night, when I realized that I really am in Japan,
and for a year, I lost it (luckily in the privacy of the hotel room!).
I miss Matt so much. Even though I know it is only a week that I have to wait, I am still so sad he's not with me right now.
However,
I am so glad that I have a friend, Shanoaha on this trip (and I've
already met lots of amazing people here at Orientation!).
Today is
filled with meetings, workshops, and other ceremonial speeches and
such. I hope I can last a little longer than I did before. I had wanted
to sight see around Tokyo a bit, but with the jet lag, I have only left
the hotel once. Ah well. You do what you must.
I am encouraged,
though, by some things that I have read and people I have met. I'll be
honest, it's hard because I haven't met any other JETs who are
Christian. I don't require that all of my friends are, but it's nice to
have someone to share those beliefs.
On the plane I picked up my
Bible and was trying to remember which chapter I was on in Isaiah. I
have been reading Isaiah off and on for a while and have enjoyed it,
but I usually read it from another Bible that is off to my contracting
organization.
I read chapter 45 because I thought that might be the
closest to where I was. I have the chapter at the bottom for those who
want to read it. In verse 2, God says "I will go before you and will
level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through
bars of iron." He also promises "I will give you the treasures of
darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I
am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name."
I feel
like this was for me completely, just as it was for Israel back when
Isaiah was preaching to them. God, at that moment was promising to
break down the gates of bronze and bars of iron, which I feel are
cultural boundaries which might get in the way of successful
relationships. But for me, he was also promising "treasures of
darkness, riches stored in secret places." Perhaps though I may feel
isolated, God has blessing in places I least expect. So now, I wait on
God to direct me in my job and in my community here in Japan. And,
right now, to help me adjust to the time zone!
Jessica
Isaiah 45
1 "This is what the LORD says to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of
to subdue nations before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut:
2 I will go before you
and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge me.
5 I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting
men may know there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
7 I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the LORD, do all these things.
8 "You heavens above, rain down righteousness;
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvation spring up,
let righteousness grow with it;
I, the LORD, have created it.
9 "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
'What are you making?'
Does your work say,
'He has no hands'?
10 Woe to him who says to his father,
'What have you begotten?'
or to his mother,
'What have you brought to birth?'
11 "This is what the LORD says—
the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:
Concerning things to come,
do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?
12 It is I who made the earth
and created mankind upon it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;
I marshaled their starry hosts.
13 I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness:
I will make all his ways straight.
He will rebuild my city
and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,
says the LORD Almighty."
14 This is what the LORD says:
"The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,
and those tall Sabeans—
they will come over to you
and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,
coming over to you in chains.
They will bow down before you
and plead with you, saying,
'Surely God is with you, and there is no other;
there is no other god.' "
15 Truly you are a God who hides himself,
O God and Savior of Israel.
16 All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;
they will go off into disgrace together.
17 But Israel will be saved by the LORD
with an everlasting salvation;
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,
to ages everlasting.
18 For this is what the LORD says—
he who created the heavens,
he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited—
he says:
"I am the LORD,
and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,
from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I have not said to Jacob's descendants,
'Seek me in vain.'
I, the LORD, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.
20 "Gather together and come;
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood,
who pray to gods that cannot save.
21 Declare what is to be, present it—
let them take counsel together.
Who foretold this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?
Was it not I, the LORD ?
And there is no God apart from me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none but me.
22 "Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn,
my mouth has uttered in all integrity
a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow;
by me every tongue will swear.
24 They will say of me, 'In the LORD alone
are righteousness and strength.' "
All who have raged against him
will come to him and be put to shame.
25 But in the LORD all the descendants of Israel
will be found righteous and will exult.
Popular music is not so bueno. I mean, some stuff is good, but who actually is this talented? See below and you'll see what I'm talking about:
Adam Rafferty:
Jake Shimabukuro:
Andy McKee:
there are so many things that i have wanted to blog about, but have had no time at all.
recently,
and especially today, i have thought about the idea of doubt. descartes
doubted and doubted, trying to find something that he could completely
100% believe in. and i think he's right.
it is interesting to me
how christians are so afraid of doubting. and i guess descartes'
doubting is not the kind that most people think of. it's more of a
testing than anything.
i was talking with a friend who said that
christians who have grown up in the church take everything they are
given at face-value. they don't question it, so they don't really
passionately believe the principles they are fed. it's not like someone
who comes from a dark life of sorrow and addiction and such who
wrestles with things until they completely 100% believe in their faith.
i
remember some time ago doubting some things that i had been fed from
the church. i then thought that perhaps i was insulting god, but then
someone told me, "god is big enough to take your doubt. he wants you to
find him. if he's what you're looking for, you will." i still wrestle
with some things. many of them i have come to realize that they are
merely effects of cultural christianity. in fact, while i think it is
good to be kind and loving, i think there are many instances where we
are too lenient as christians and don't stand up for what we believe
in. there is a kind of complacency that i see in the church (the church
as a whole in america).
now, i'm not some christian
fundamentalist, but i do believe that the kind of christianity i see
(and even practice sometimes, lord help me!) is so lifeless and dull. i
mean, come on! jesus ruffled lots of feathers!
i don't mean to say
that christians should start another crusade or anything (dear lord,
no!) but i just don't like complacency. i don't like it when i am (and
others are) caught up in the culture of christianity with the lingo and
the "way things should be."
i must say, i am excited for the sunday
service at my church on the 31st of may. instead of meeting at church,
we're going out to the community to serve others (play cards with old
folks, rake lawns, serve food at homeless shelters, etc). that's more
like it.
There has been a lot of hype recently about the swine flu, which has
made its way into the States from Mexico. I am amazed with how people
can become overly obsessed with fear. Yes, there were people who died
in Mexico from the illness, but my questions include: "Who were the
people?" "How old were they? Old? Children?" "Did they have adequate
medical care, or could they not afford it?" "Over what period of time
did these people die? A week? A couple of months?"
Now there's a big
uproar because the U.S. has 100 cases. 100 CASES!!! It's not even 100
deaths! The thing is, many Americans do have health care or at least
some way they can get to a doctor if they come down with something (not
to mention, people go to the doctor for stupid things when all he or
she will tell you is to drink lots of fluids, get some rest, and pop
some Tylenol).
Perhaps I'm cold-hearted on this issue. However, I
firmly believe in sticking it out, taking care of your body, and if
your sickness gets worse, lasts for more than a few days, or has
strange symptoms, then you should go to the doctor. Matt had the flue
last week and a bunch of people were saying "Maybe he has the swine
flu," to which I responded, "He's fine. If things get worse we'll deal
with it then. For now, stop worrying about nothing!"
So why is this
hype happening? I believe it is for two reasons: (1) news and media
want better ratings, so they invoke fear into people, and (2) doctors
like the idea of getting paid for visits to their offices, so they
promote getting things looked at even if it's not necessary.
I am
just so sick of hearing about this whole thing. It's a scam, in my
opinion. (Yes, the sickness is real, but it's being blown WAY out of
proportion!)
One of my friends posted this link on Facebook. This guy is a nut case. It's no wonder people think Christians are whack jobs.
Well, it's official. I'm going to
Japan! I got a job with the JET program and I am so excited! Sometimes
it comes in waves, though. At times I feel some apprehension about
going, which is completely normal, so I think and so I'm told. Last
night it was so surreal, though, thinking about going. I was
comfortable in my bed, our house was filled with all Matt's and my
stuff, and everything made me content. I remember going to Japan in
2005 and EVERYTHING was different in Japan. Even the comfortability
that comes from seeing English on everything will change. I am so
excited for this opportunity, but I am ready for the waiting to be
over.
Step one, now, is to graduate from college. I am nearing the
end of the semester and my undergraduate life in academia and it all
comes with a bittersweet feeling. I am ready to be finished with the
homework every night and the stress that school mixed with work
inflicted on me, but I will miss the intellectual community that I have
here at school. I have been thinking about how much I will miss my
professors, too. I have talked to many people who go to other colleges
and universities and they talk about how teachers don't really have
relationships with students. The teacher to student ratio, typically,
is much wider of a spread than my university (I think it's something
like 1:12). I have been so blessed by the opportunity to know my
professors, to get their help, and to even be able to go into their
offices and chat with them about whatever (literature, philosophy, my
life, their lives, their kids and family, my future).
So, while I want to move forward, and will do so, I leave this chapter of my life with nostalgia and gratefulness.
