april 12/13 2008: TIESTO!

so...i saw tiesto last night! in tokyo! tiesto in tokyo!

it was absolutely amazing! i know he's just a DJ up there spinning his own music, but he was as charismatic a performer as he could be, considering he [obviously] didn't move much. the vibe was awesome and the music was incredible for the full 3 hours he was up there. if you ever get the chance, you have to go. his music is infectious...to see him perform live is beyond words.

it was also really cool, cuz it was my 7 month anniversary of being in japan!

it was also even cooler cuz i found 5000 yen on the ground [$50cad]. HELL YES.


tiesto + tokyo + 7 months + 5000 yen?
...priceless.


--
soph

let me explain...kinda.

sorry [to all 0.5 of you who read this] i haven't written in a while.

been through quite a few ups and downs in the last couple of months here in japan.

old job/interviews/new job/earthquakes/moving/prejudice/money: too much and not enough/people: old and new...really great, pretty good, and really, really bad/realizations.

just changes, both in my life, and within myself.

don't know if you'll be lucky enough to read about all of them, but i'll write something soon.


japan still kicks ass, though.

--
soph

song of the moment.

Coldplay - Things I Don't Understand

How tides control the sea,
And what becomes of me,
How little things can slip out of your hands.

How often people change,
No two remain the same,
Why things don't always turn out as you planned.

These are things that I don't understand,
Yeah these are things that I don't understand.

And I can't decide,
Wrong from right.
Day from night,
Dark from light.

But I love this life.

How infinite is space,
And who decides your fate,
Why everything will dissolve into sand.

How to avoid defeat,
Where truth and fiction meet,
Why nothing ever turns out as you planned.

These are things that I don't understand,
Yeah these are things that I don't understand.

And I can't decide,
Wrong from right.
Day from night,
Dark from light.

But I love this life...

メリークリスマス!

2 posts within SUCH close proximity...can you handle it?!

i don't really think anyone reads this. prove me wrong, please.


a belated merry christmas to you all! yes, i know it's not PC, but it's just what you say during this time of year. "season's greetings" is too hallmark-manufactured-fake for me. regardless of what you did or didn't celebrate, i hope it was perfect.

not many people celebrate christmas over here. at least not in the traditional sense that we know it. generally speaking, christmas is purely a commercial holiday over here. oh wait, it's like that in the west too. but at least we have more Christians to use as leverage! ok! i'll stop. but we have more people celebrating christmas as the religious holiday it is in the west than here in japan. here, it's more about the way things look: they decorate like fiends. there are decorations EVERYWHERE. in the street, in convenience stores, at the subway station...they go all out. i think they generally decorate like fiends for every holiday. [i just cannot wait until valentine's day. it'll be a challenge keeping my lunch down. i can feel the anticipation already.] halloween was over the top, and decorations were up until october 31st. the next morning all you could see was red, green, and sparkles. they're really on it over here.

anyhow, christmas shopping isn't the deathwish it is back home, but it's still quite busy. and as inescapable as i thought mariah's voice was during the holidays at home, she might as well be wearing a slutty santa costume and dancing alongside you ALL DAY here. they have speakers in the STREETS. they play christmas music on those speakers, all day. no joke. not that it's a bad thing, i really enjoy christmas music, and haven't heard nearly enough of it this year. but...in the streets! literally impossible to get away from! it's kinda funny.

23/12/07: began my holidays as of today! didn't sleep in completely though, kelsey and i had been invited to our manager/co-worker simon's place for a christmas meal. it was awesome! he made 3 different kinds of curry, and chapattis! which i rolled! can you believe it? neither can i. met simon's adorable son noah, and beautiful wife manami, as well as some other cool guests. had great food, with great people...all in all, a great time. =)

24/12/07: joined some friends at karaoke in yokohama for a couple of hours. awesome, as always! had just enough time to sing some bon jovi, ace of base, backstreet boys, and oasis, before booking it for our train bound for shibuya to go clubbing! went to a club called atom, which had 3 floors, 2 of which were some awesome hardcore trance, and the last one was a hot, sweaty room of hip hop and r&b [would we ever have it any other way?]. it was a good night. the djs were dressed in santa costumes! and the club girls dancing on the podiums were wearing slutty santa costumes. [*note: slutty santa costumes are as prevalent in stores as decorations are! they LOVE their festive costumes here.] they even made it "snow" just after midnight with little soap suds. how festive! they also played some crazy trance remixes to christmas songs...i'll let you guess one. did you say MARIAH? bingo. they love that song here. i think they love that song everywhere. i read somewhere it is the best selling christmas single every year. and for good reason! "all i want for ku-ri-su-ma-su, is youuuuu!"

25/12/07: went over to friends teresa, lauren and christal's place for an amazing christmas dinner. we totally weren't expecting it! they had chicken, mashed potatoes, salad and the cutest little christmas cakes to top it all off. had a great time with some more great people. =) then went bowling where i lost BADLY. but it's all good, cuz it's christmas.

japan is really great. i [still] love it. love the people, love the atmosphere, love the culture [even as i find out more and more about it!]. and i'm not homesick! i've kind of learned that it's the people you meet that will either make or break your time over here. i'm grateful to have met a lot of awesome people, through work, friends, or just randomly. i do miss you all back in toronto, though. i wish you the best for this holiday season and for the year to come.

ja ne!



--
soph

some december for you.

the holiday season is a bit different over here. it just doesn't feel like christmas. there's no snow. the temperature is still on the positive side. it's just too warm.

bet you feel like shiiite don't you?!

no, it's really not that warm. i think the lowest it's gotten is about +5 or so. not warm, but not toronto. how WAS that snowstorm, anyhow?

ok, i'll stop.

so...haven't written for a while. let's see...just been working, pretty much! getting into the swing of things. but as of today, i'm off for just under two weeks. which is nice. i can sleep.

i'm *slightly* behind on my posts, so this one is going to be a monster. uhh.

12/12/07: went to my first ever soccer/football game today! it was the fifa club world cup in japan. we went to see the boca juniors of argentina vs. etoile sportive du sahel of tunisia. there was a section of fans from argentina and they didn't stop singing throughout the entire game. it was awesome. boca juniors won 1-0. really wanted to go see the urawa reds [japanese national team] play but that game sold out quick. ac milan ended up winning the cup [defeating the boca juniors in the final], OF course!

14/12/07 - 15/12/07: finally went clubbing at AGEHA aka "the biggest club in asia". it was an awesome night! the thing about the train system here though is they stop anywhere between 12 and 1am and restart around 5am. so if you go out, you either have to take the last train home, or the first train home; there's no in between [yes,imissdriving.]. we got to the club between 1-2am and stayed until about 5something. the music was amazing, really good hiphop in one room, where we stayed for the most part. they had a wicked patio with a pool and were playing japanese music which is actually pretty good! they know their music over here. anyway, incredible night, got home at 6.45am, slept for 30 mins, then had to get ready for work at 9.15am. i surprisingly stayed awake and alert all day, save for a few weak moments during lessons when i nearly passed out while reading out loud. still, totally worth it.

my sorry state was prolonged, as we had our school's christmas party that evening. it was for teachers, staff and students to come and get drunk under the clever guise of being a legitimate festive get-together. the students had to pay 2500yen [=$25] to speak english with us for a few hours. but they had lots of alcohol and food so i suppose it was worth it!

here is what i've learned: in japan, alcohol is commonplace, and by commonplace i mean absolutely everywhere. they sell it in convenience stores, vending machines, grocery stores, and oh yeah, bars too! being intoxicated more or less gives one the freedom to do and say as one pleases. ANYTHING. you can tell your boss exactly what you think of him forcing you to work 12 hours a day and treating you like old gum on the bottom of his shoe, and it's completely ok. saying, "oh, shit, sorry about that last night, i was drunk" is a perfectly acceptable excuse to nearly everything. drunkenness is blatant on the street, especially during this holiday season. to see grown men stumbling over themselves, holding each other up, bringing each other down, and vomiting in the street, is apparently not unusual. i don't mean to say everyone is like this, but i've seen a few. it's just interesting to me, coming from canada where behaviour of this sort is in NO way tolerated by the police. and in japan, there are "police boxes/koban" everywhere. [like within 500 meters of each other, seriously.] they'd whisk you away for such behaviour in canada, but here in japan they seem to turn a blind eye, simply because this society doesn't look down upon it. i have spoken to some students who say they don't like to see public drunkenness, so perhaps it's changing. or maybe, that's always been the general consensus, especially among women, because they wouldn't be able to act like that, no way. men can be loud, and lewd, and drunk and rude, and it's a-ok. but that's a different post! not that it changes my opinion of japan at all, if anything it adds to it! it's a different society that's for sure, but my eyes are opening slowly to their everyday culture, and it's incredibly interesting.

anyway.

so back to the party. yeah, it was kind of a shitshow. students were drunk, teachers were drunk, and the boss was the drunkest! i was tired. having the same conversation with students over, and over, and over, was taking its toll on me. they mostly went something like this:

student 1: sophia! how long...have you been...in japah? [YES it's japah for a reason!]
me: exactly 3 months!
student 2: sophia! why did...you come to...japah?
me: to teach english for nova, but--
students: heeeeeeeehhhhhhhhh!!!!!! *laughing while covering their mouths* [lol, they really do it. so cute.]
me: since nova is finished, i had to find a new job. i really wanted to stay in japan! i feel i'm lucky to find this job, in yokohama, because i love it here!
students: eeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...sugoi! sugoi! *nodding heads*

YES, i have to break my english down, especially for drunk students, lol. they do this awesome "eeeeehhhhhhhh!" thing when they hear something new, or surprising, or they can't believe something. it's amazing. whether i hear it on the street, in class, or when i'm talking to a student, i can't help but laugh! sugoi is a common word, it means something like "very good!".

anyway, yeah. party went on, uncomfortable moments came and went, wine was spilled all over the place [including into the coffee machine], and some people got a little too intimate...but those are the requirements for a good christmas party, aren't they? it was good though, i had a good time, and the students seemed to really enjoy it! i left around 10something, and ran into the loving arms of my futon. [if it had arms, they would be loving.]

16/12/07: work bright and early again this morning at 9am. so didn't manage to get enough sleep in to compensate for none the night before. so worked, and then went over to co-worker clinton's place for a potluck...to which i contributed popcorn [it was his favourite!]. we had a lovely time.

i reckon this post is getting QUITE long, so i'll stop. and write another. ja ne!


--
soph

a litto bit 'o dis, and a litto bit 'o dat.

hello, hello.

so i've moved. monday was the day that i and a couple of friends emptied out my place [and by emptied, i mean gutted: curtains, light fixtures, the works]. i've moved in with a lovely girl who i work wish, kelsey! she's from BC [as previously mentioned] and is great. our new place is a little smaller than my old one, we both have the same size rooms, and there's a third, smaller room, which is the designated tv room, complete with two little tvs, two dvd players and one vcr. yes, we're balling. the kitchen and dining room are sort of combined in this one common area in the middle of the house. the shower and toilet seem new and are both really nice. so all in all, monday was a little bit of hell [moving for over 10 hours just isn't fun], but it was worth it!

work is going well too. i'm getting the hang of things, and teaching using the callan method. it's not too bad once you get used to it! the students are really great, and so is the staff. i reckon i'm going to be more british than japanese once i return to canada. we pronounce every little letter, and say things the british way. not that it's a bad thing! but don't be surprised if i've got a british accent in a year.

now just a little bit of entertainment from my POV. there are many, um, quirky things about japan that many foreigners just don't get. i'm going to make sort of a running list, beginning here, and add any more to forthcoming posts, as they occur. deal? deal.

+ when people are sick, they wear SARS masks, and it's perfectly normal. people will still sit beside you on the train and everything.

+ no talking on the phone on the train: it's pretty much a rule. i've been reprimanded by a japanese man for it. goddamn.

+ you thought construction in toronto was insane. as i type this at 1am, there is insanely loud construction going on directly across the street from my apartment. extremely weird for a country that is seemingly obsessed with being QUIET.

+ they L O V E to stare at foreigners...absolutely love it. it might even be a national hobby.

+ everyone has bangs. boys and girls, women and men. they're obsessed with bangs.

+ people here have incredible style. whether they're trying to or not, they always look impeccably put together. maybe it's their blatant nonchalantness that affords them the ability to carry it so well. or maybe i just perceive it that way. they're cool man.

+ the kids are SO goddamn CUTE!!!

+ cigarettes and alcohol are readily available in vending machines. you can drink absolutely anywhere. it's insane.

+ when i ask for directions or for something in a store, and say, "nihongo ga wakarimasen" [i don't understand japanese], the person/associate looks at me and continues speaking in japanese, as if rewording your previous statement in another form of japanese will make it THAT much more clearer. i guess you can't blame them, at least they're talking to us. many of them are far too intimidated to make a mistake in english in front of a foreigner so they won't even bother talking.

+ that being said, the people in japan are ridiculously nice. if you ask for someone's help they will come RUNNING to help you. in a grocery store, at the train station, you name it, they just RUN all the time! they say welcome, thank you, excuse me, about 100 times during a transaction. they're just too nice...

+ "sumimasen" is an indispensible word to learn. it means, excuse me, hello, welcome, sorry, what?, etc.

+ when japanese people say "maybe" as in "maybe OK", they mean, it's not OK and they have no idea what you're saying. maybe = no. if they say "yes, i think so" it means, yes, it's definitely so. something to do with the translation of the equivalent meaning in japanese. i think the japanese are such an unassuming culture, that they cannot directly say "yes" or "no" it's "i think so" and "maybe". it would be too presumptuous to say "yes" and "no". interesting.

that's all for now, hope you enjoy this, whoever you are.




--
soph

employment update!

konnichiwa from Japan!

hope you're all well! just a quick note to let you all know that i've risen from the ashes of Nova, and found a new job! it's right in Yokohama, the city where i live. it's a small school called Naikara, and it teaches English using the Callan method of teaching. it's a direct way of teaching English, and is basically learning through drills, memorization, and repitition. it was a bit intimidating at first, but i'm really growing to like it! they've just hired myself and another girl named Kelsey who came to Japan from BC around the same time i did. there were only 5 teachers, but with us it's 7, so yes, VERY small! the staff is great, and really supportive. also, myself and kelsey should be moving into an apartment together within the next couple of weeks. i really like Japan, and am so fortunate to have found a job right where i wanted one! i've made a lot of great friends here and am adapting pretty well, i think! the language is still a bit of a problem, but i'm learning, and it's not bad at all [i'm getting used to the staring!]. so no need to worry about me any longer, hopefully things will be smoother from here on in, and i hope to see some of your lovely faces in the beautiful country of Japan, soon!

ja mata!


--
soph

update:

this first article makes the nova situation a little clearer. not better, just clearer.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071027a1.html

BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7063205.stm

and another:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2745177.ece



--
soph

nover's over.

so, it's more or less official.


nova is done.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071026a4.html
http://www.gaijinpot.com/read_news.php?id=13337&time=


one of the japanese staff at my branch called me this morning to tell me not to come into work because all nova branches are closed for the day. and probably for the next couple of days. and we might not reopen. ever.

this leaves many, many, MANY, gaijin in japan without a job. i wonder how long we have until we are all forcefully evicted from our apartments? hopefully, we'll be paid. hopefully.

6 weeks in, and this is what happens?! i guess i should have known better.

let the job hunt continue! although the inboxes of employers will be absolutely flooded today, home just isn't an option [sorry, home].


sayonara.


--
soph

so.

hello dear readers [of which there are ONE?],

many things have happened since i arrived in the great country of japan just over a month ago. first of all, the company i work for, nova, is facing extreme financial difficulties. it's the largest english teaching school, or eikaiwa, in japan. however, it expanded too far too fast [their slogan is, "the school at every station", and believe me when i say there are a LOT of train stations in japan!], and the demand for teachers couldn't keep up with the large supply of students. nova also engaged in "bad business practices", and have been and currently are still facing many lawsuits.

oh did i mention, nova's closing a bunch of schools in attempts to redistribute staff so remaining branches are fuller and more efficient. another reason they're closing schools is because they got kicked out of many of the buildings they had branches in for not paying rent. and another thing, many teachers have been evicted from their apartments for not paying rent. why, you ask? all the leases are between nova and the landlords. nova automatically deducts the amount of our rent from our paycheques and then pays the rent. HOWEVER, in recent months, money has been deducted from pay as scheduled, but has not been subsequently passed on to landlords. funny.

pay this month is late by five days, or so they say. a big deal for a cash injection that was supposed to go through this month, hasn't, and likely isn't going to. as such, many teachers are resigning and finding new employment, and the ones who've had their fair share of japan are packing up and going home. each of my roommates fall into one of those categories. one found a new job, and will be moving in less than a week to a place north of tokyo. good for her, i wish her all the best. the other just left yesterday to go back to the good ol' U S of A, and face real life. i wish her the same. i am quite sad they're leaving.

so. this leaves me looking for a new job. i felt like i was dreaming the first few weeks in japan, like nothing was real and that i'd wake up at any moment. but now things have begun to set in, and i've realized how much i like it here. it's a fantastic place, with amazing people and a very rich culture. it's beautiful, historic, and completely different from everything i've ever known [except maybe, markham...JUST joking]. i live in yokohama, considered the second largest city in japan [tokyo is #1] in terms of population. it's awesome. it's a 10 minute train ride from my place to the city itself, which has everything a big city should, including a seaside/port. my area is pretty secluded though, nice and quiet, less than a 10 minute walk from the train station, and with all the necessities of daily life: groceries, mcdonald's, video store, 100 yen shop, pachinko parlours...it's great! we're the only foreigners in our building, which is a unique experience in itself. i have friends about 30 minutes away who live in a building with loads of other "gaijin" aka foreigners. [note: this isn't an especially polite term to call foreigners, but it's very common and we all use it.] that's an experience in itself, almost like a second go at university life! i never had that, so i think it's pretty cool. the people there are pretty awesome too. generally, gaijin are very friendly to each other. it's the feeling of community you get when you see another foreigner struggling to order their coffee in broken japanese and using massive hand gestures to get their point across. you know exactly what that person is going through and you have an instant connection. that being said, it's easy to make friends here. we're all pretty much in the same boat. and i've found that more often than not, many of the gaijin teachers here are here not for the money, but for the reason that japan is in fact, so far away from everything they've ever known. it's a great place to escape...and we're all running away from something. result: an even stronger feeling of community.

back to the matter at hand: i'm looking for a new job. i love yokohama, and i don't want to move, but there aren't many jobs here. most of them are in more remote areas north or west of here. remote=not many english speakers=you better learn japanese asap. i haven't learned much yet, but i will as soon as i figure out what's going on. with the uncertainty in the air, time is better spent applying to jobs, checking your email and biting your nails, than learning japanese. okay, i lie, but i haven't done it yet. there are free lessons but i'd hate to start and then have to move in between.

in conclusion, i'm actively looking for a new job here in japan. coming home is not an option for me, if i have to go to korea or taiwan, i'll do it! but i'd rather stay here in the awesome city of yokohama, with the awesome people who live here too.

sayonara!


--
soph