Shame - Saturday Nite!!!

This is what happens after play practice in Niigata-shi. We didn't have practice in the city, but the party sure came here. That's why I LOVE being a city girl!!!

I've been checking out my friends Grace's BLOG and she has these GREAT shots of our Fuji trip, so I wanted to share some too. This pic shows just how STEEP Fuji was climbing up. Kawai! (Scary!)

The Next Best Thing!

This would have to be the next best thing to watching the Sun rise LIVE on Fuji and/or video taping it, but isn't it amazing?

Now you can see WHY they call Japan the LAND OF THE RISING SUN. It literally rises/peeks from the clouds and it IS RED.

Enjoy!!!

1st Play Practice!

Working hard or Hardly working!?! :)

These pictures really don't do us justice, huh? Anyways, we had our first play practice near Kashawazaki this last weekend in a small village called Kawrai (i think!) but it's the richest village in Japan since it has the worlds LARGEST nuclear power plant...so we were getting some juice while being there for a while ourselves. Anyways, all 40 ALTs gathered to practice "The Jungle Book." I play Loco one of the wolves. It should be a pretty fun year. The official play will air next year, right now we're playing around and enjoying the get-together. We all crashed (yes, ALL 40) in Patrick's Maison of an apt, so it was like a fun sleepover with bodies EVERYWHERE!!! Anyways, check out Will working on Shir-Khan. More pics to come as practices continue....

Kamo Karaoke

This was our MEXICAN FEAST!!!!

Lovely Kristi ordered all this Mexican food online and decided to throw a party in it's honor. So, we had the whole spill - except Jalapenos! But yummy, it was SOOO good!!! Afterwards we hit up the local karaoke joint to get crazy as only Gaiijins truly can - gotta love it.

Gambatte Tara!!!

Tara in Tokyo! Lucky!!!

Have fun in Tokyo Tara, you'll be missed in Niigata-shi. I can't wait to visit you soon and take the big city.

Shout out for Tara: She's one of the funniest, craziest, and sweetest gals you can find. She's always ready for a good time, eps. karaoke and finding cute bartenders. I'll never forget your little flashing dance (along with Chicka) for the two ramen waiters on our walk to Playerz, good times good times!!!

YOU'LL BE MISSED!!!!!!!!!

ROAD TRIP

What can I say...I LOVE road trips! Esp. those long ones to different prefectures and you have NO idea where you're going so you put all your trust in a handy road atlas of Japan. Quite fun! We survived our Fuji-san trip and now even to Nagano-ken (the prefecture to the bottom east of us and right above Tokyo-ken) Had some fun times along the way since Beth's car only had a tape player and the only TWO (YES, two) tapes were one with kids songs and some taped radio hits from 4 years ago or a Halloween sounds tape. Hmmm, hard choice! :)

This last pic was taken in the town we were heading too in Nagano-ken. It's a HUGE ski resort, so in the off season we saw TONS of people practicing for winter. Beth was kind enough to actually STOP in the street for me to take this pic, that's WHY the guys laughing at us. Too cute! Thanks Beth!!!

This one's for you Joel

Somehow Joel worked his magic and made it behind the bar at SHAME. He even made a drink for Anthony (the guy on the left) who's the owner of the bar. Go Joel!

*Side note - That's my white wine there on the table.....ummmm.......white wine would be so good right now :)



INTERESTING JAPANESE FACT: When grading papers in Japan - Teachers use circles like (o) for correct answers instead of checks. So, when I was first grading papers, I put checks all over it and the kids literally had a fit thinking their whole tests were wrong. Hehe I'm gaiijin, sorry!

OUT & ABOUT

This seems to be a weekly thing here in Niigata-ken. Meet up and drink the night away! Surprisingly strange just HOW often we do this. For sure every Thursday (since it's out traditional ladies-nite at SHAME) But, also ALL weekend and most Mondays as well. Anyways, it's fun...but I sometimes need to take a step back and experience some traditional Japan and not just the nightlife. :) Though I'm proud to say by Japanese Bar words have grown. I've moved up from "Moh Ipai Kudasai" - I'll have another one please! to "ike, ike" - GO,GO (aka CHUG! CHUG!) and "Champo" - the action of mixing drinks!

The Story of my Car

SANJO....SANJO....SANJO!!!

Well, this was a fun/strange trip. I was told by my friend Grace (far left in the pic) about Fujita-san (in the middle) and how good he is in dealing with other ALT's and renting cars. I was informed he spoke "good English" but in Japan..."good English" is always VERY questionable. Thus, i invited Errol (far right)along for the ride to Sanjo. He's a PA and quite (shall i say it) fluent in Japanese (aka life-saver at times). So, we made it there by train (45 mins. from Niigata Station) and Fujita-san was nice enough to pick us up at Higashi-Sanjo Station. Well...he's SPEAKS GREAT ENGLISH. I was blown away. So- Errol was along just for the ride! I picked out my cool Diatsu MOVE in about 15 mins. and was done (since I had to wait a week before going back to pick it up) Thus, we were to meet up with Grace for Dinner. Well, since Fujita-san rented Grace her car as well and knew where she lived...he ended up invited us out for dinner himself. You just can't say NO to that! :) So, we picked up Grace and our other friend Kristi (from Kamo) and went to this little Japanese Izakaya and had some yummy yakitori and umeboshi. What a night! BUT I HAVE A CAR..YEAH. (Pics to come soon)

Rita and Texas

Hurricane Rita

Wow...a Category 5 Hurricane is heading right toward my HOME! Scary!!! It'll hit this coming weekend, so I'm hoping it won't be another Katrina.

God Bless.

Niigata Albirex

Aug 20 (Sat.) -
ALBIREX NIIGATA VS GAMBA OSAKA
"Ohh...Niigata" is a song you soon learn to LOVE while going to the Albirex games. They're pretty FUN games bringing in crowds of 40,000 or more. But the BIG SWAN (where the home games are held) is an amazing thing to see in itself. The roots of Albirex Niigata are very deep; the club can trace its history to 1955.
"The Niigata-Chuetsu Earthquake, in early October, devastated the region that Albirex call home, and in addition to the emotional stress that this earthquake caused, it also forced the team to postpone one match, and play a second at a "home" location hundreds of miles from Niigata's "Big Swan" stadium. It all took a toll on the team's performances, and they dropped the next four matches in a row to finish the season in seventh place.
But in many ways, the earthquake may be seen, years from now, as a key event in the team's development. Albirex were already a fanatically supported team, drawing crowds of close to 40,000 on a regular basis. But the enthusiasm and support for the team was still restricted to a fairly small, though fanatically loyal fan base. The Niigata-Chuetsu earthquake changed all that. In the immediate aftermath, team members traveled throughout the area, speaking to adoring crowds of schoolchildren as well as their previously disinterested parents and grandparents, carrying a message of hope and endurance through hardship.
By the end of the season, Albirex Niigata had been transformed from "just" a sports team, into a symbol of regional pride. The players, meanwhile, had grown in the eyes of locals into truly heroic characters, who are more widely recognized among people of all ages, occupations and interests than any movie star. The bond between the team and its local region is stronger than blood, and it runs both ways. Albirex players were at the forefront of volunteer efforts to help displaced people, following the quake, and they dedicated their efforts time and again to the people affected by the quake. No doubt the local citizens will repay the favor in years to come, with their support and encouragement. "

You soon learn to love them, makes me proud I'm from Niigata.
13 more games of the season...Come on Guys! :)
Ja ne!!!

Grocery Treat of the Week

GREEN TEA

ICE CREAM

Well....it seems every-time I go to the grocery store I come across something else that's a bit different to try. Last week, I was obsessed with the mini pickled eggplants...this week Green Tea Ice Cream. It tastes a bit odd at first, but its not bad when you get use to it. I do have friends here that admit they LOVE this stuff. I wouldn't say I that infatuated with it, but it's yummy! :)

Ohh.....my students!

This is the ALT BINGO game I use in my introduction for my students. All graders (1st, 2nd, & 3rd graders in JHS here in Japan = 7th, 8th, & 9th graders in America) get the same Bingo game AFTER my video intro. It's pretty easy...so depending on the class/grade I let the students read and guess the t/f answers. The more Bingos the students get at the end the better the prize! :)

I like testing to see how well my 3rd graders can write in English, so some classes get this handout. Most are VERY good, but some are left blank. Yet, every now and then I'll get a sheet like this one where the student strays from the assignment and has a little fun. Ohhh...my students -they CRACK me up!!! :)

Niigata Soh Odori

In honor of the holiday weekend, Niigata had it's Soh Odori. Basically it's dances EVERYWHERE all day long. I think they're 8 spots all over town with all different organizations performing 5-10 minute dances. Some dances are okay but some are REALLY good and it's shocking that they're sometimes ONLY children dancing. The costumes vary as well, so it's quite a treat just watching the performances b/c they're TONS of people walking around all day still in their outfits. It's continuing as well tomorrow, so I'll try to check out more. Later :)

I LOVE Long Wknds!

This weekend as well as next weekend is a HOLIDAY. So, this Monday - Sept. 19th (Respect for the Aged Day) and this Friday - Sept. 23rd (Autumnal Equinox) WE DON'T HAVE TO WORK, meaning we have a 3 day week. Not bad, not bad at all! I'm really liking these Japanese holidays. :) And it's a beautiful Saturday, so I think I'm going to take advantage of it and go out shopping, maybe see a museum, hang out with friends OF COURSE. Ja ne!

Things lying around my room...

The Tale of Genji
(Classic Japanese Literature)

I bought this set of books at Kenokuniya here in Niigata-shi. This is actually the world's FIRST novel and not a bad read. It has been said that in addition to being the first, Genji is one of its greatest. I couldn't agree more, so it comes in useful on those train/bus rides to and from work.

Surprisingly enough this work was written by a court lady (Murasaki Shikibu) in 11th Century Japan. It focuses on the whole life of Genji "the Shining Prince," who is one of the Emperor's sons and his dealings with people in court (mostly women!) Thus, many people (including many of my Japanese friends) refer to it as a romance novel. But for me, this book is quite funny! Genji can be really ridiculous at times, for example when he couldn't have the lady he wanted, he managed to take her pet cat as a souvenir. So, if you're looking for a enjoyable read with a little Japanese history thrown in, check this out!

A little present my friend Chicka brought back from her trip to Malaysia. I've heard this (and the many onsen - hot water baths) will come in handy during our skiing adventures this coming winter.
We'll see!?!

Thanks Chicka. :)

Terao Station

This was my view on the way home yesterday!

I always try to stop at this spot at Terao Station before heading home on the Train. Everyday it is different, BUT the moon caught my attention so I HAD to take a pic. 

Being from Texas, you don't get to enjoy views of Mountains...so it's a nice change!

Identity Crisis!!!

(SPORTS DAY: Everyone rushing inside to escape the rain)

School, School, and more School

Sometimes I forget where I'm at! Being torn between three schools (Ikarashi - SHOWN HERE, Kamiyama, and Ryoukawa) can cause some confusion. I'm in the middle of doing my introduction for each school's grade and class. So it consists of a 10 minute Picture Slideshow, a True/False BINGO game I designed about myself, and then various other activities depending on the students English level. To tell you the truth...I'm SICK OF IT ALREADY. I do about 4 classes a day, 5 days a week and I've already been doing this for about 3 weeks now...so all in all...that's about 50 times of the same lesson. And the sad part - I have about 50 more to go until I've covered all my classes. I'll be happy to actually jump into some REAL school work. But I am also enjoying having control of the future leaders of JAPAN...muhahaha, they're like putty in my hand!

Alright ... Time to Blog!

Hello!

So, like I promised - here's my Blog about my life in Japan. I'm going to try to keep it updated as much as possible *keeps fingers crossed* So, Enjoy!

HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY NOLAN