So You've Experienced Your First Earthquake...

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it happened.  I was in an earthquake.  I am obviously alive to tell the tale, and tell it I will....

[screen turns wavy and blurry as it fades out]

It had been a long day, possibly because I had gotten up at 5am, and the day had included a lot of walking whilst exploring my neighbourhood, as well as getting completely lost at Ikebukuro Station (the second busiest train station in the world), which I had not yet discovered is HUGE, and getting home at 10:30ish after a night of fun with church friends.  I stayed up a couple more hours before finally retiring for the night.

So there I was at 1:30am, lying asleep in my futon, when suddenly the bed frame starts to shake.  In fact everything shakes, and there's a loud noise like a train going past.  After a few seconds I finally conclude, in my heavily sleep-induced state, that it is in fact not a train but an earthquake.  "Your first small earthquake, cool right?" I ask myself.  "Yeah, yeah..." my sleepy self replies.  "Wait...how do I know it's going to be a small one?  WHAT IF IT BECOMES A BIG ONE?!"  It is at this point that I decide that it might be a good idea to find shelter somewhere.  I chose the large cupboard area under my bed.  

"Do I have to?" I feel my body ask, as I drag it out of bed.  I wanted to turn on the light, being pitch black and all, but wonder if that's a no-no in earthquakes, and decide I'm better safe than sorry.  By the time I have gotten out of bed, the shaking has stopped.  I go out to the hallway and grab my unstrategically placed torch, and head to the underworld of my bed.  With the earthquake over, I soon decide there's not much point sheltering anymore, and wonder if small earthquakes have after-shocks...I crawl back into my futon, with my torch by my side, and soon find myself wondering if it was all just a dream.

But this link proves indeed not, with information regarding the earthquake which was 5.2 magnitude, and states in my area of Nerima-ku it was 3 magnitude, which funnily is what I guessed it would have been - see, I'm good at this already!  

I spent a fair chunk of this evening researching all things earthquake and have learnt the following: 

- it was probably better to stay in bed and cover my head with my pillows, until the quake is over;

- if not in bed, drop to the ground, find some sort of shelter and hold on;

- small earthquakes can have aftershocks...in fact, they may actually be foreshocks to a bigger earthquake, so I should probably be a bit more aware;

- it's probably a good idea to get an evacuation pack ready in case of a big one;

- there are many varying causes of earthquakes;

- there's a high risk area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire (and now I can't stop singing "down, down, down, in a burning ring of fire...");

- earthquakes can also happen in the centre of tectonic plates, but these are very rare;

- most injuries from earthquakes are caused by falling objects and debris;

- earthquakes are pretty much unpredictable...kinda scary!

- I am not invincible (it was hard to admit this one).

Having been half-asleep for this experience I am interested to see how I react to one when I am fully awake.  I only have a vague memory of what it really felt like at the time, basically just that I knew it was an earthquake and that I didn't hear any rattling of objects like you see in the movies.  Being from Australia, the centre of a tectonic plate, I have no previous experience at all of earthquakes.  But having had 2 earthquakes here in the last 2 weeks, there's probably plenty more where that came from.  

Guest Blogger - Ciara from "Random Japan"

Think leprechauns, shamrocks and sushi, and you'll be ready to meet my first guest blogger.  Her name is Ciara (don't pronounce the first 'a' and you've got it down) and she's one of my new friends here in Japan who has the coolest Irish accent, and a pretty good sense of humour.  I'd totally recommend following her blog, as last time I read it I burst out laughing multiple times.  Love it.  It's even cooler when you read it to yourself in her Irish accent.  She's in a different part of Japan than me and thus will be having different experiences - yet another reason to read her blog.  Without further ado, here she is:  

Hello readers of Maz’s blog!! My name is Ciara and I’m Irish. (I’ll give you a minute for that to sink in. If you’re like Mari-Anna and you like Irish accents I’ve already won you over :-p). Mari-Anna and I met when we were seated together during training at the head of the class, dangerously close to Cedric our trainer. She introduced me to Possum Magic for which I think I’ll be eternally grateful. What an adorable, wonderfully illustrated book. She has asked me to do a post on her blog so here goes, hope I don’t bore the socks off ye. Although if I could make your clothes pop off through the internet from somewhere across the globe I’d consider that an achievement and still be happy.

I fell in love with Japan through Final Fantasy 7 initially. A game accidently left in my house by my brother’s friend around 12 years ago. This, the most amazing of video-games ever created, was my first view into Japanese style animation and story telling and once I finished I moved onto other games in the series, and then onto anime and manga. First mainstream Studio Ghibli movies and after finding my anime-feet I moved onto whatever other anime I could download off the net. My manga collection is a combination of those I bought, while I was living in New York, in a Japanese book store that I spent many lunch breaks lurking around, and those purchased from the internet using money stockpiled from completing online surveys. So some of the elements of Japan I love have come to me in odd ways. 

About 5 years ago I decided I would eventually move here and experience the place for myself. (Clearly this has been a long time coming. I put it down to a combination of the recession and laziness.) I made friends with Japanese people who taught me Japanese customs, phrases and origami. One lovely Japanese lady even baked me two traditional swan shaped, green-tea cream filled buns and presented them to me at a dinner party I hosted. I did not share. I began learning Japanese characters on the internet and bought a book to help teach myself some of the easier elements of the language.

I got offered a position with Interac several months ago, booked my ticket, cancelled and re-booked my ticket when my visa wasn’t processed in time, and two weeks ago landed in the country I had daydreamed about visiting for years. (More like full blown fantasies actually. Knowing I was coming here is what kept me sane in my last job in a ticket booth; drunk people can be so irritating). I am currently on my placement in Hiroshima. 

So what truths have I come to realise in my two weeks here? This country is fantastic. Wonderfully weird. People are friendly and helpful. There are enough lights in the nightlife districts to induce seizures. There are beautiful, ornamental gardens that can make you forget you’re in the middle of a city (I almost fell asleep in one). Smiling like a lunatic and bowing repeatedly can rescue you from many situations. You will never go thirsty with a vending machine on every corner. Okonomiyaki is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Street signs and posters have cute, smiley characters. Even those that advertise constipation medicine. Flowers and trees grow everywhere, even alongside skyscrapers and concrete. I love it here. 

You are welcome to view my blog at http://japan-by-ciara.blogspot.jp/ if you wish. Hope your socks didn’t fall off =P 

Rising From The Smoke

This morning I was outside the hotel (thanks to James, who kindly woke me when my alarm didn't go off...oops), attempting to get a view of the rare event of a solar eclipse.  So were a lot of the hotel staff.  We had fun trying to somehow get a glimpse of it, despite being completely unprepared (ironically I found out afterwards via tv that it would have been as simple as using a Ritz cracker and piece of white cardboard).  Fun, that is, until after about 15 minutes of breathing in the fumes of cigarette after cigarette, I started to get slightly irate.  Why did I have to breathe in toxic fumes whilst beholding an amazing natural phenomena?  I managed to find another spot nearby free of cigarette smoke, but was already starting to harbour ill-feelings towards this aspect of Japanese culture.   

Back in my hotel room a little while later, I was trying to go about my day, but the cigarette fumes started drifting in.  I tried to endure it as best as I could, like I had already been doing for so long, but finally, I could not take it any longer.  I had already spent two weeks suffering this olfactory invasion of having to breathe in those awful toxic fumes against my will.  TWO.  WHOLE.  WEEKS.  I'd had enough.  Something snapped.  I was ready to go "postal".  I decided I needed to get far, far away from this smell.  But first, I would ask the hotel staff if this room was, in fact, in a smoking section, and can I change rooms.  Well to my horror and relief, the answer was yes, and yes (remind me to have stern words with my employer for booking us into the smoking section!). Although the second one could have been a no, but luckily something was free.  So I gladly took the opportunity, packed up all my stuff that I had spread out over my room the last two weeks, and moved it all up to the 10th floor.  And here I happily am, sipping my peach "latte", and not breathing in evil fumes.

Now, I know what you're thinking.  I come from Australia.  There is definitely no lack of cigarette smoke there.  My friends can attest to many a great moment being ruined in similar manner, such as the incident of February 2012, Watching the Regatta Fireworks from Montagu Bay (they were even smoking right next to their own kids!).  It bugs me that in some areas, especially in the city, I can't sit outside and enjoy the sun whilst eating my lunch, without being afflicted by that awful smell thanks to someone lighting up.  And don't get me started on people who are in front of me on the walk to work who spill a steady stream of fumes from that cigarette in their ever-swinging hand.  Yet I feel happily satisfied that at least smoking inside public buildings is completely illegal.  I can at least find refuge somewhere.  

In Japan things are a little different.  Generally speaking, smoking on the streets is not allowed.  So most of the time I can walk about smoke free.  I guess that's something to be grateful for.  But smoking inside of buildings, such as hotels, restaurants and cafes, is legal and common.  That's right, in your local McDonald's there will be people smoking inside.  Sure, there are "smoking" and "non-smoking" areas or floors, but I think the western world caught on long ago that such an arrangement really doesn't improve much.  So in my current state of living in a hotel and having to eat out quite regularly, I am constantly exposed to passive smoking.

I have a lot of great friends who are smokers.  I am not at all implying that they are bad people.  I also have nothing against the freedom of choice they have in choosing such a life-style.  The problem with smoking, however, is that it's really hard to do without affecting a lot of people.  Even if you go outside, have your smoke, then come back inside and sit next to me, I can smell that awful odour and want to cover my nose.  Seriously, I can be outside with no one around me, and suddenly I catch a whiff of that awful stuff.   I quickly turn around, scanning the area until 10-15 metres away I spot the culprit and mutter a raspy "Why, it's youuuuu..." and shake my fist in anger.  

Currently the Australian government is taking a lot of measures to discourage people from smoking, such as proposed plain packaging laws.  Many argue that this will not do much to deter smokers (makes you wonder why the tobacco companies are so upset about it then?).  The other day I read an article with a pretty radical and extreme proposal - ban smoking completely for anyone born after the year 2000.  

Australia's troubled health system alone would benefit hugely from such a ban - and I'd be bold enough to say that no one would be negatively affected by this complete phase-out of smoking.  Except, of course, for the share-holders of the tobacco companies raking in huge profits from other peoples' suffering world-wide.  Remind me to cry a river for you later.

Thoughts from Tokyo - The First Week

I’ve been making an effort to write in my journal everyday to preserve my experiences, especially as I did such a terrible job of that on my mission.  Here’s a few extracts from my journal entries over the first week (excuse the super dodgy formatting, technology did not want to cooperate):

6^th May 2012 (Sunday) 

I am in Japan!  My Qantas flight arrived 6:02am this morning.  I caught the 8:00am bus to the Tokyo Dome Hotel.  On the bus I discovered it had wifi!  It cost a small fee, but I signed up online with my credit card details, and emailed mum to tell her I arrived safely and everything was going fine. 

My flights were fine.  I was in one of the middle seats to Tokyo, my neighbours were nice enough.  One was a Japanese man, middle-aged.  I saw him struggling to open the rice pudding container, as I had done before I finally worked it out, so I finally said “すみません”(excuse me) and gestured towards the container, and said “むずかしいですね” (difficult, isn’t it?) as I opened the lid.  He was happy and said thank you which was good.  I’ve made a pretty good effort of speaking Japanese so far, with a few exceptions.

My bus dropped me at Tokyo Dome Hotel, I then had to walk to Koraku Garden Hotel where I was staying.  As soon as I got off the bus, the hotel attendant asked if he could help me.  I explained in Japanese where I wanted to go and he kindly got a tourist map and explained to me in English.  On my way there, one of the traffic wardens also stopped me to ask where I was going.  I didn’t think I looked lost, but I had my suitcase and a map and I’m foreign.  I probably had that “fresh foreigner” look about me too as everything was new!  So he kindly explained to me also in English.  So I found the hotel without trouble, though my bags were quite heavy!   

When I got to the Koraku Garden Hotel at 9:30am, I asked what time I can check in (knowing it was around 2pm), and the staff looked at each other and said now was probably fine.  So I got to check in straight away!  I was so happy!! I felt so gross and was so looking forward to a shower and a nap!  Sleeping in an actual bed! Life doesn’t get better than that.

My hotel room is nice enough, smells of cigarette smoke though.  I guess I will have to get used to that.  So glad Australia’s smoking laws keep getting better, with no smoking inside buildings.  Actually , outside Narita airport there was a little smoking room.  Outside!  Funny.

7th May 2012 (Monday)

Survived the first day of training!  It was mostly administrative and contract stuff and about being an employee of the company.  Oh, and we got drug tested!  It was a saliva test, and required a lot more than I would have thought.  I was the first to obtain clear status, woohoo!  Seems only fair, being the Mormon and all.  But it could simply mean I produced the right amount of saliva...so probably nothing to brag about!

The training group are nice, there's people from USA, Canada, England, the Phillipines, New Zealand, Australia, and my favourite accent - Ireland.  There's a few that know Japanese, most that don't.  Most have teaching experience, which I don't.  Everyone seems pretty friendly though.

8th May 2012 (Tuesday)

Wow, what a full-on day!  And an intense day.  We were told after we walked in that if we didn't have our materials to present our first lesson we were in trouble.  Well, I was in trouble.  Long story short, but I thought we wouldn't need it until later in the week.  Training began with Cedric talking about the "MEXT" principles, how teaching is so much more than imparting knowledge.  We need to inspire the students to want to learn, and we do that by our attitude and by living the subject.   We need to make it come alive for the students.

So after that introduction we had "sudden immersion."  I knew yesterday when I read that on the schedule that it didn't sound nice.  It was the most stressful & scary part of the day.  It meant presenting our lessons - no hints, no tips, just go!  Because I didn't have my stuff I thought I was dead meat.  Doomed.  I started to get that sinking feeling.  The fight or flight mode was switching on.  Well, I decided to fight.  I thought, I can sit here and sulk and fail, or I can decide to do well.  I can be positive, find a solution.  Be Macgyver! (Ok I didn't think of the Macgyver reference until after).  Did I want to fail or succeed?  I came here to succeed, so that's what I was going to do.

The deal was we may only do it for one minute.  Maybe 5.  Maybe 30 seconds.  It all depended on when Cedric stopped us.  All were good, he said.  We worked out what order we were going in, and I got about 4th or 5th.  The first few people made it about 15 seconds.  "This is great!" I thought, no need to stress.  When my turn began I just tried to be bright and bubbly as possibly, using my experience from primary (kids aged 3-11 at church).  I also tried to involve the "students" (ie the other teachers) instead of telling them things straight out, such as my name (I got that from a demo earlier).  I didn't have my pictures of Australia etc, so instead I used the white-board and asked a student to draw Australia.  I lasted about 45 seconds.  I survived!!  What a difference to how things could have gone, if I had given up.  I should probably add I did pray beforehand too ("help!!!").

9^th May 2012 (Wednesday)

Today I discovered udon noodles for lunch.  I learnt they are the big fat noodles!  And you buy them by choosing and buying the correct ticket from the ticket machine, then give the ticket to the counter staff.   Then it will be ready in about 3 minutes!  I had niku (meat) udon.  Not bad.  

After training today I had a headache.  Actually I couldn’t decide if it was a headache or not, but I felt really tired like I needed to sleep.  So I had a “nap” for 45 mins, then tried to read the homework, but I decided it was a headache and I needed pain killers!  I would not be able to study or sleep, or function tomorrow without them.  So I went out into the rain and went to the chemist I found the other day, not too close but not too far.  And the man there helped me, I explained in Japanese I had a headache so he recommended Bufferin.  So I took some back at the hotel and soon I felt great!  And studied!  Now, I must sleep!  Good night! 

10^th May 2012 (Thursday) 

I love Bufferin!!  I’ve had no problems since last night and slept great!  I tried the Japanese breakfast option in the hotel today, I’d only had the western style breakfast so far.  The Japanese breakfast was pretty good.  Plain rice, miso soup, fried egg, and salmon.  Pretty good, but at the start of training I noticed I still had salmon fingers – smelly! Today on my lunch exhibition I discovered a games arcade with the taiko game!  I didn’t have time to play, because I had to eat lunch, but I made a mental note to go back!  Each day I have fun exploring just a little further at lunch.

Tomorrow is the big demonstration – as in, we each have to do our “first lesson” demo.  At least 20 mins.  So far I’ve probably done 6 or 7 mins only in training.  Tonight I ran through it and it seemed to go okay, so it will be interesting.  Hope I manage to hold it together for my first actual class.

11^th May 2012 (Friday)

So I did the presentation and survived.  It wasn’t nearly as nerve-racking as the first day, and even looking back now I find myself thinking “What were you so worried about?”  Having said that, I'm pretty nervous for the real thing!  Pretty sure my first lesson is going to be a disaster!  Haha.  Although Cedric said the main thing we missed was we didn’t seem to be enjoying ourselves, so as long as I resolve to do that I should be okay.

I met with some people from my branch yesterday, Tokyo 2.  Deepa and James are both in Tokyo 2 also, and got their schedules today.  I found out I will be doing Nerima definitely, but the contract still isn’t final, so no schedule yet.  Nerima is a Haken style contract, not a Gyoumu-itaku style like we were told to expect, so I don’t know what I’m doing there either!  It means the JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) and I will plan the lessons together, and possibly present together.  It could also mean they tell me what to present 5 mins before the lesson.  But hey, I’ll just roll with it, right?

Tonight those of us left in Tokyo (minus Carmelita), went out for dinner/drinks and karaoke.  So it was me, Deepa, Tom, Darren, Sascha, Alex, James and Ciara.  We went to a place with meals & all you can drink (I think I managed 5 glasses of orange juice), it had these tiny little rooms divided by curtains.  Smoking is allowed so that was awful (at least those in our group had the courtesy not to smoke – thank you!!).  But finally we went to karaoke and that was fun.  Hopefully nobody could remember my bad singing!  But hey, I had fun. 

If you made it to the end of this blog post, then well done!! My subsequent posts will not be nearly as long, or as detailed, but I thought the first week in Japan was a big one and worth sharing more details.  And not having the internet for the first week means you get it all in one big lump now!

Stay tuned for next time.

Hello Tokyo!

Here I am, finally in Japan!!  This adventure has been MANY months in the making, I sometimes doubted it would actually happen, but that changed when I decided to believe impossible things .  And then when the opportunity came, I sometimes couldn’t believe that I was going to make such a huge change in my life, as my life at that time was going along pretty same-same and repetitive.  It almost seemed like the term “new adventure” wasn’t in my vocabulary.  And yet, I packed my bags and got on the plane, and here I am!

So, how do I feel now?  Loving it!  This is the best decision I have made in ages.  To fly away and land myself in a totally new place, with new surroundings and people and currency and language and transport and even a different vocation, has been incredibly refreshing!  It’s great.  Having said that, I have not yet started teaching, so I could still change my mind!  But I’m sure it’ll be fine…