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Communication on CGS Trips

2/10/2012

"Today we began to travel to Hiroshima. I don’t know why but my gut was telling me that the next week or so would be a life changer. That or it could be the shock from the previous night of seeing all of my friends naked in a hot spring. But that’s besides the point. Still jet lagged from the 15 hour plane ride, we had 7 hours of bus and train rides to Hiroshima. The scenery in Japan is quite beautiful except for some places which made me think of Bridgeport. At this point, I’m quite annoyed with the amount of transportation I’ve experienced but I try to be relaxed and just enjoy the trip there. When we finally arrive in Hiroshima, I feel the fresh air, or it could have been the smell of Okonomiyaki. We try to exit the train station but end up running into one of the teachers at the school we were staying at. I was waiting for some broken down English but was quite dumbfounded by the great English this man named Hanvey sensei spoke. I was now thinking that Nagisa wouldn’t be so bad. When we first arrive at Nagisa, I’m very nervous to meet my home stay but at the same time scared that I would choke on my Japanese. Walking through those double doors, a breath of a fresh air hit my face. My host family is a very nice person and does know a lot of English. His mother and sister are very nice and this now makes the first day of my home stay life. They took me out to Yakiniku (BBQ) which was very delicious and I’m quite excited to experience more things."

Posted at 7:16 PM by Keiko Sigmund | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

2/9/2012

News from Conor on Wed. 2/08

Before introducing Conor's journal, Let me tell how blessed we are. Wherever we went, we received warm welcomes and exchanged heart-felt greetings. We like to send our great appreciations to the following: 1) Mr. Hasunuma, who is a council man of Nanto City, arranged a bigger bus, personally gave us a tour in Inami City, and gave us a gift; 2) Mr. Kamishita and his mother brought rice crackers for our students as a gift; 3) Inami Junior High School students who presented us their creation of booklet about the town; 4) Ms. Kamishita of KIE who planned our trip to be personal, educational, safe, and fun; and 5) The staff and the driver of the inn, who are very proud of the town, explained us passionately its history and the folk culture. "Today was the first day of our trip, and I was able to see Japan from an entirely different perspective. Because my first two trips to Japan were to areas within a close proximity to Tokyo and during late spring, my typical vision of Japan is urbanized, modern, and warm. This year, we started off in Inami city and visited Gokayama. Gokayama was a very traditional town, if we would ever call it that, with many thatch-roof buildings, shrines, and erratic mountains and valleys, sloping almost vertically. The area was also completely covered in snow, surpassing the heights of everyone in our group. We saw various local attractions in Inami and Gokayama, including two temples, three small historical museums, and a Washi (Japanese paper) Center. However, what seemed to stand out the most to me was the overall experience in Gokayama. It completely contrasted with everything else that I have ever experienced in Japan, both in a physical, geographic sense, but also culturally. One major difference would be the sheer space in Gokayama and the small amount of people. Most people I know seem to apply the metropolitan image of Tokyo or Osaka to all of Japan, but this almost paradoxical experience in Gokayama has helped to build my perspective on Japan as a whole, and to show me that there is usually much more to a country than what one is shown through the media."

Posted at 6:29 AM by Keiko Sigmund | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

11/21/2011

News from Bunkyo on 11/21 by Bridget W.

Today I went to a kindergarten. When we got there, we all went,"Aw! so cute!" We were welcomed inside by the kindergarten director. I had to go to the bathroom very badly so one of the kids showed me. They were easy to understand because they were using words like "ue" and "naka". After using the bathroom, I came back to help with our presentation of "I am a little teapot". We put all the words (in the song) on the board with pictures to help. Then, some little kids came in to help. They started singing the ABC's with us. It was so cute! Then we did our presentation. The kids loved it! Then we took like a hundred pictures with them. Then me and Luna went into a room to eat lunch with them. I noticed that the kids are very hyper but very grounded. They can be happy and excited but still take out their lunch and eat it properly. When they were done, they would put it away correctly but still acted like their age, but grounded. I loved them! One girl came up to me and said "Bri-dget" and smiled. That made me so happy! I loved seeing the difference of Japanese and American children. Their actions are the same but Japanese children know limits and boundaries unlike most American children. The calligraphy teacher came in and gave us our kits. He set up his kit and started writing. He wrote "Hana" in hiragana and then asked for Luna's name to put on the side of the paper. He didn't know this but Luna's host sister's name is Hana! He was shocked when we told him. He decided to do the same for all of us. He asked our host sister's name and our own. Then we started practicing calligraphy. I did like 20 practice runs! Then we moved on to the hard stuff...Kanji. I decided on the sakura Kanji. It took a long time to get it "just right". Then the teacher picked our best one. After, he put the Bunkyo stamp on it, I realized from calligraphy that writing should be very precise. Whenever I dipped my brush into the ink, I had to blot it a little to get it to be "just right". We also had to make sure that we used enough force on brush and that we held it correctly. The whole process helped me understand the all of these steps go into making our calligraphy "just right"

Posted at 11:31 PM by Keiko Sigmund | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

News from Kojo, Sunday, November 20, 2011 from Anthony G

Today we woke early to go to Tokyo Disneyland. The first thing I saw was a huge Christmas tree with the Cinderella castle as the background. The site of it all was so flabbergasting. I rode the rides, ate food and had a wonderful bonding time with my host family. And as my time at the park ended, rain started to pour, and those who were outside ran, trying to avoid getting wet.

Max and Quinten had the great chance to sing their heart outs. They both had the opportunity to go to a karaoke place. After they sang, both of them ate some delicious soy sauce ramen and sushi. Quinten also said that he ate gyoza, which is a Japanese style dumpling. He was astonished!

Kelly was very close to Fuji mountain, and she says it was a sight to see. She also went to a farm, and walked a goat that stopped constantly. At the farm, she also saw kangaroos roaming, and in her evening she got to see an illumination show.

Matt traveled to a 100 yen store which is basically a dollar store in America. This store is very convenient with plenty of stuff that ranges from 100 yen to 500 yen. Also Matt went to an 8-floored store that was just filled with technology everywhere.

And lastly John went to an open-air museum that contained plenty of homes that were from the 1700's.

Posted at 10:27 AM by Laurie Cawley | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

News from Kojo, Saturday, November 19, 2011 from Anthony G

I woke up to my first weekend in Japan. It was raining. My host brother and I ate breakfast and traveled by train to one of the famous places in Japan: Harajuku. People may think that Harajuku is just a land for girls, but surprisingly, it wasn't. There were game centers, shopping stores, dress-up stores, and restaurants. Of course there was much to see and do, but the rain slowed us down. In Harajuku there were Japanese, American, French, Polish, you name it, pushing each other trying to get to their destination. One of our biggest tasks was actually fighting through Takeshita Street. That street is so famous, and it was overcrowded! It was something incredible to me because, even in harsh weather such as the rain, people still go to places to shop or do whatever they need to do. During the walk through Takeshita Street we were pushed by strangers and umbrellas were seen everywhere. Moving the umbrellas up and down, up and down, trying to avoid hitting others.

Later that day, my host brother invited some Chiba friends I met a while back. My host brother and my friends decided to meet at the entrance of Asakusa. We walked the streets of Asakusa and we all bought souvenirs. As the rain got heavier, we went under one of the temples to find our fortune. Unfortunately my fortune was bad luck, but my Chiba friends said that bad luck was given because of the weather being rough. In the end I had a wonderful time in the rain and reunited myself with my friends.

Posted at 10:18 AM by Laurie Cawley | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

11/20/2011

News from Bunkyo on 11/20 by Jenna R.

Today I had no school, so I spent the whole day with my host family. We went out to eat, went shopping, and went sightseeing, so I really got to notice everything around me. I noticed that a majority of Japanese women take a lot of pride in the way they look, especially teenage girls. They wear a ton of make-up, jewelry, stylish clothing, and high heeled shoes, unlike most teenage girls, who wear what's comfortable, UGG boots, sweatpants or jeans, and a baggy sports sweatshirt. Not only did I see a lot of Japanese girls that were dressed up walking on the streets and shopping at stores, but I saw them at a big garden I went to. Usually there aren't a lot of girls dressed up wearing high heels on stone and dirt paths in America, so I was surprised by it. It kind of inspired me to wear heels, but I didn't bring any.:( This to me, is and example of how not lazy Japanese people are. They could be dressing comfortable after a long week of school, like Americans usually do, but instead they put their all into what they wear. Also, today my host family and I went out to eat at a Sushi restaurant. The sushi restaurant had a huge conveyer belt that held all types of Sushi, that people can take. All of the sushi chefs made the sushi inside the conveyer belt, while all the customers sat at the table surrounding the conveyer belt. It was a very unique experience, because one, I've never seen a sushi conveyer belt, but more importantly, I've never been to a restaurant and where everybody sits together, nor just you and your family. I liked sitting with all of the people who were eating, because although I didn't know them, I felt close with them. Really, everyone in Japan that I met are really nice; all of the store workers, teachers, students etc. I think that having everyone eat together at these kinds of restaurants represents the type of people that Japanese people are. I haven't met every Japanese person in Japan, but so far, all the people that I met are easy going and nice. They are the type of people that don't mind eating next to someone they have never met before. I think that's really special.:)

Posted at 11:14 PM by Keiko Sigmund | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

News from Bunkyo on 11/19, by Luna H.

Today was a half day of school, with only homeroom and four periods. Because the day is shorter than most school days, students usually go out to do something on Saturday afternoon/night. There was supposed to be a college fair at one of the nearby high schools, but because it was raining the fair was cancelled, and we went to Rikyo University in Ikebukuro. The university was closed to visitors because of class testing going on that day, but the four of us[Hana, Aoi, Kanako, and I] were still allowed to wander around the outside of the campus and see what the grounds were like. When we stopped by the main office, they gave us brochures for the school, along with some simple promotional merchandise[pencils and a bag with the school's name on it]. Even though we were only allowed to see the outside of the school, there were a lot of photos of the inside posted as posters in the garden, letting visitors see the inside of the school. Even with it raining heavily, there were still a lot of visitors to the school.

Posted at 11:13 PM by Keiko Sigmund | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

11/18/2011

News from Bunkyo on 11/18 by Mirella F.

By now people may think that everything in Japan no longer surprises me or that everything shocking only has happened in the first 2 days. It has been 5 days since we got here and still yesterday there were so many things that have shocked me about Japanese people. Yesterday, we cooked apple crumble and Japanese steam buns. I saw how we all were able to have fun and enjoy ourselves without the need of actually having to say too much. I saw how the language bridge was able to crumble down when everyone was able to just understand each other with hand gestures and smiles. Still the simple thing that I see everyday shocks me. Like when I am sitting in the train, I noticed how the people are so caring towards each other for being on a train. They don't eat, or chew gum loudly, or do anything that will disturb anyone on the train. It makes me feel as if in America we have lost that respect and care towards each other. Most of the time, we don't care what people think of us if we are being too loud or disturbing. It is surprising and admiring that here in Japan, that respect is still alive. Even with gift, they give gifts twice a year to their bosses or teachers just because it's a way to show their respects towards them. It just makes me think what in the Japanese culture makes them so respectful and caring. Also, what is the American culture makes us not be more like the Japanese.

Posted at 7:44 PM by Keiko Sigmund | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

News from Kojo High School November 17, 2011 from Fernando G

Today was a fantastic day. During the beginning of school, the principal of Kojo High School presented a powerpoint of how the Shinto gods influence Japan as a whole. It was interesting that Totoro was known to be a god. The students were impressed with my English. They asked me for help with their homework assignments and vocabulary. Many of the students helped me with Japanese during Japanese class. At lunch, the students asked me if I would be interested in hanging out with them after school. During after school time, the American students attended the English Club. The American and Japanese students were split into groups. Our task was to answer trivia questions and create origami. It was the best day I ever had.

Posted at 11:06 AM by Laurie Cawley | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

News for Kojo November 16, 2011 - From John P.

Today, Kojo High School went to Cirque Due Soli. The students didn`t have to go to school. They just had to meet at the theater in Tokyo Disney at 1:00. American students who had Host sibilings in their second or third year spent the begining of their day however they wanted. They went to Ramen shops, stores, Tokyo Disney or touring Tokyo. Max, Quinten and I had to go to school in the morning and take a 2-1/2 hour train ride to the theater. From there we got to eat lunch in the food court at Tokyo Disney. I had an Udon dish. Max and Quinten had Shrimp Tempura. The food there was very good. When we finished eating, we still had some time to kill. We went shoping in the Rain Forest cafe and bought some souveniers. At 1 o`clock we went into the theater for the show. It was a great show. The actobatics were amazing! After, the kids with students in their second or third year got to do what they wanted to do, but Max, Quinten and I had to take the long train ride back to Kojo. After a long day, I got home at about 8 o`clock. For dinner I had a cheeseburger. It was one of the best burgers I ever had. Over all it was a Fantastic day!

Posted at 10:14 AM by Laurie Cawley | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

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