Nihongo no Dessert!

Screw Americain dessert. I’ll take Japanese Dessert any day!

There’s nothing better than good Asian food and Good Asian Dessert. And it won’t make you feel sick and sweaty after eating it, making you wonder if you are having a heart attack or if your body is just in overdrive trying to digest the food you just ate from McDonald’s screaming, “WHY MAN WHY!”

Now, this stuff above… “is the good stuff.”

Talking about ways to Improve Spelling & better Language Teaching:

“Ironically, dumping vocabulary and spelling tests can result in better vocabulary and spelling development.  No testing means no time devoted to studying word lists, time that can be devoted to reading, and better vocabulary and spelling development.”

THE BEST ONE:

“The problem here is that the reaching profession is controlled by outsiders, by amateurs, a situation unheard of in other professions.  It is as if hospital administrators dictated to surgeons how to operate.  We simply need to take control.”

Sushi

When you first arrive in a store or restaurant they will say, “Iraashaimasu!” A simple nod in acceptance will do, on your part. However, whether you are alone or with a group it is expected that you say “Itadakimasu” before you begin your meal. It is like saying Bon Appetit. And then of course the all intimidating necessary greeting for leaving the meal and Thanking those who served you. You must say, “Gochisosamadeshita.” It may look intimidating but Japanese is one of the easiest languages for Americans to pronounce correctly because it is a consonant/vowel system. Every word is built on Consonant Vowel Consonant Vowel. So, there is your lesson! Now go Eat Sashimi! Not California rolls.

JaaNe!

Here’s our video

On a legal note, our views of Anne Coulter are our own and no, her book does not have a secret message to it unless she says so or you believe so, in which case, it does.  Oh, and THANKS everyone.  All of your videos were hilarious and well done.

P.S. A special thanks to Jamie for her work and ability to put up with my odd sense of humor!  Snaps! Jamie!

Happy 4th!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  Don’t singe any eyebrows!

Food for thought: ” We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.”
- William Faulkner

A positive quote first, dedicated to Blake:

If one listens to the faintest but constant suggestions of his genius, which are certainly true, he sees not to what extremes, or even insanity, it may lead him; and yet that way, as he grows more resolute and faithful, his road lies.  -Henry David Thoreau, “Walden”

I saw two roads placed before me, the MAT or a torn sleeping bag under a bridge.  I took the MAT route and… seriously, is it going to make a difference?  What if I just really care about learning something and I don’t care at all about P value or writing a temporary Literature review that really isn’t going to do jack for us right now, but once the class is over we can really put in what we want after much sifting and reasonable time to reflect and consider and put into this thing what I originally wanted to be a meaningful, purposeful thesis and Lit. review.  If we should care about Research, Leadership, and Technology equally then can we have a proportionate measure of concern for our Lit. review as well?  Right now this thing seems weighted and our Leadership & Research comprehension class…eh.. not so much.  Anyway… I’ll keep walking down this path, but if I start hallucinating and seeing a floating cat’s head then I’m just going to run screaming towards the end and hope for the best.  Ever seen   I just hope that I don’t end up getting distracted keep walking straight when the MAT path turns left and eventually run into that sleeping bag and bridge at the end, when I finally look up from my research.

- Rembrandt’s depiction of a Jewish Rabbi.

So here is my quote from the movie Rounders & more.  Someone once told me what I said in class and I think it is true. “Never underestimate your ability, true, but never forget that you will always effect the most profound change in the most seemingly insignificant of situations. A teacher is someone who leads and believes in others even when they have a choice to do something for themselves.” Not the best quote but I see the connections and maybe you will make your own meaning out of it.

From “Rounders:”

PETROVSKY: The last thing I took away from the yeshiva is this: We can’t run from who we are, our destiny chooses us.

MIKE: If you had it to do all over again, knowing what would happen, would you make the same choice?

PETROVSKY: What choice?

P.S./Side note:  For clarification, I do hold my name in high regard and the fact that it does mean, “servant of God” in Hebrew holds special significance to me.  I know it is sometimes hard to tell when I am joking, but I am not joking about this.  I am proud to be called Joshua.  (Josh is fine too though *wink, not a blink*)

I am the future of Idaho. You must not undercut me. Talk all you want but your verbal bullets only graze me. I will chomp my way into your schools and country without you even knowing. Beware, I am the future of Idaho… the Cow Polk.

こんにちわ、私のお名前はジョシュシャトーです。私のアメリカン人です。日本語お話ません。

Well, believe it or not I used to be able to say more. It’s sad how fast you loose your language abilities. So a few people have asked me some questions about Japan so I thought I would respond to those and other thoughts in a round about way through this Blog Post.

I went to Japan in 2005 after going through a weekend interview in San Francisco that was less like an interview and more like a try-out for American idol where at any point you could be cut. They cut one girl for slouching all the time. There were about 80 who interviewed and 5 were hired. I trained in Vancouver, Canada and I went over and taught for GEOS language school. I was placed in Kamiooka, Japan which in near Yokohama city. I had my own classroom for the first time and was making major bank. I could hardly describe my elation as I lived and worked in Japan. I was happier than I had been since my France experience even though my love life was going down the tubes. It just so happens I moved there, partly, for a girl.

So what went wrong? I have experienced culture shock before in France but this was beyond all I had thought possible. The Japanese are amazing, funny, kind people with everything to offer anyone willing. Still, I felt utterly out of place. I would get excited seeing white tourists on the street. The language was hard but not the real barrier. I chose to leave because I wasn’t becoming what I wanted to be and I had few people in my life that I could relate with. With that being said, I regret nothing of my choice to go, especially for the love. If you love something or someone that much you have to give it a shot, even if it is beyond what you would choose for yourself. Maybe knowing that Japan and that person were beyond me is enough to let go, but then again I wouldn’t be stepping into another dimension of possibilities and experiences that could lead me into an extraordinary life if I didn’t try.

I long to go back every time I see a Hiragana letter or pass a not-so-fresh sushi bar, salivating for real Tonkatsu sauce and Unagi. The feel of the places in this world, the pressure, the vibrations in the air are beyond the scope of imagination. Landing there is like taking a journey to distant planet. If you’re brave enough to stand and suck in the air in a new and strangely possible world then I say go for it. Change is a cliché. You will no longer have a different soul. I am not who I was. I thank God for that, and I ask to go back even though I know I was put in this place for a reason.  But hey, there are more countries to go to then just Japan.  If you want to go somewhere though, Japan is the best paying, safest, and funnest country to spend the time teaching in.  I think.

Kamiooka, originally uploaded by seliberry.

Where I worked was just to the right of this building in the photo. I will have to post a picutre I have some day. Wow, this brings back memories.