New Zealand, sweet as

We spent a week in New Zealand, on the south island.  We fly into Christchurch and rented a car.  Each day we drove to a new town, sightseeing along the way and staying at hostels at night.  (WARNING, this is a long post!) 

The first day we tried to look around Christchurch but soon discovered the almost total destruction of the center of the city from the earthquakes.  We encountered blocked off streets, crumbling buildings or demolition sites.  It was quite astonishing how most of the rumble still lay unmoved.  We decided to find a grocery store and stock up on road snacks.  We lucked out by finding a store with a large bulk foods section.  It was so much fun to scoop out a variety of our favorite snacks like yogurt pretzels, trail mix, muesli..etc.  The prices were also a pleasant break from the horrendously expensive Australian food and rice cracker, wasabi and seaweed snacks in Japan. 

Our first destination was across the island to the west coast to a town called Greymouth.  We drove over mountains called Arthur's Pass, enjoyed a few small hikes and the company of a hitch hiker - Enrico from Italy.  I was caught by surprise when we passed Enrico and Todd stopped the car to turn around and pick him up saying something about, "ride karma."  I had never picked up a hitch hiker nor been one but it turned out to be fun to chat with an interesting world traveler for an hour or so and then let him out and be on our way.  Here are some of our views along the way. 

Most bridges are one lane.

In Greymouth, we stayed at a very nice and well organized hostel, Global Village (run by a kiwi and his Japanese wife! We attribute the cleanliness and organization to her.)  In effort to experience the local food and brew (for Todd) we had dinner at the nearby pub.  Their menu ended up being mostly fried food and Todd decided to order the fisherman's platter and whoa! it was ALOT of fried food.  I had the fish and chips and that was enough for me for the rest of the trip.  But kiwi's do like their fish and chips. 

 

The next morning we decided to back track a little north along the coast to see the "pancake rocks." While having breakfast in the hostel, we were approached by a middle aged woman about riding with us to see the rocks.  Another unexpected passenger, Marylynne.  It turned out she was from Washington and she had an interesting story that hearing made the drive go by quickly.  We returned that afternoon to drop off Marylynne and for Todd's visit to the Monteith brewery tour. 

Then we were headed south to Franz Josef and Fox Glacier.   We stayed the night at another hostel where we made dinner in the communal kitchen.  I made a huge serving of pesto orzo with feta, olives, tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach (it is difficult to buy orzo, feta and pesto in Japan.)  The great thing was it tastes great cold, we had leftovers for our drive the next day!  It was fun to be in the communal kitchen, listening to all of the languages being spoken - french, german, japanese...

The next morning we hiked to Fox Glacier and had a rainy days drive further south to Queenstown.  We were lucky with weather and only had one rainy day, although the high mountains were covered with clouds up until the last day we were in New Zealand. 

We arrived in Queenstown for dinner and a beautiful sunset.  We were able to walk into town from our hostel.  Todd got to enjoy some NW worthy local beers, I got a taste of Thai and amazing gelato for dessert (they had flavours like pistachio fig and marscapone berry.)  I loved the gelato so much I indulged the second night too!

We stayed in Queenstown two nights.  It was my favorite town in New Zealand, scenic with mountains and a lake, great restaurants, night life and a Starbucks.  The second day, we drove to Lake Te Anau to see the fjord lands and take a lake cruise to glow worm caves. It is the furthest south I have been in the world.  Then we returned to town for a delicious pizza dinner and more gelato! Todd was also able to catch a rugby match the following morning as our visit coincided with the New Zealand rugby tournament. 

No pictures allowed in the glow worm cave but it was like a really starry night,  instead of stars it was little worms trying to attract food.  Pretty neat.

Are we there yet? A long day of driving.

A little rugby, some bungee jumping (we just watched) and a cheesery!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last night, we spent in Lake Tekapo.  A lake with stunning blue water and the most photographed church.  It is really photogenic.  We spent our afternoon walking to the church, hiking Mt. John where there is an observatory, cooking dinner and exploring the southern night sky on a start gazing tour.  We were lucky that the big clouds sitting on the mountains nearby never moved toward the lake to ruin our view of the stars. 

We learned a lot about the southern hemisphere sky and got to see the southern cross, Jupiter and the moon with big telescopes.  The next morning we enjoyed our last glances of New Zealand landscape as we drove to Christchurch to fly back to Australia. 

 On our last day, a view of Mt. Cook.  The highest mountain in New Zealand.  Sweet as. 

Australian Adventure: Sydney

We arrived in Sydney on a bright, sunny New Year's Day.  We were able to take a train from the airport to our hotel, downtown.  We stayed within walking distance of the harbor which helped us make the most of our two and half days.  On the first day we walked around the harbor area taking lots of pictures of the opera house and the harbor bridge. 

People were walking up the bridge, on the curved part. We would have had to plan ahead if we wanted to do it.  I am not sure they'd let a pregnant women up there?

On the second day, we took a ferry to Manly.  We enjoyed great views of the city and surrounding areas from the boat.  The water was so blue and inviting we swam in a little cove and rented a paddle board for an hour.  It was our first time trying it.  I was surprised at how easy I was able to balance on it.  As you can see we were in really calm water. Now,  I can finally say I've tried it. 

That evening we had tickets to see the Fleet Foxes at the Opera House! I was blown away at how intimate the concert hall was, our tickets were on the second tier, middle. We had an awesome view of the stage. The sound was great and perfect for their sound.  It was an amazing way to experience the opera house and the band. A great memory every time I listen to them. 

On our last day, we didn't fly to Christchurch until the evening so we had plenty of time to spend the day at Bondi beach!! Wow, what a beach, with real waves and surfers!! Todd got in and tried body surfing while I sunbathed and splashed in the waves.  We also took a walk along the cliff to enjoy the ocean views.  I was tempted to swim laps at the icebreakers swimming pool.  How I would love to call that my neighborhood pool!

After a quick shop downtown, it was time to say good bye to Sydney.  Sydney was my favorite Australian city.  The harbor is so beautiful and the weather cooperated to give us some great summer experiences. 

Australian Adventure: Melbourne

Wow,  I didn't think I'd ever be able to adapt back into a routine and this cold winter weather, or maybe it was that I really didn't want to.  After a southern hemisphere summer vacation, we are back in Japan resuming our work, studying and friendships.  I returned invigorated by travel, new experiences and a good dose of vitamin D.  I hope you enjoy a selection of some of my favorite pictures from our trip.  We took a lot.  I did my best to narrow them down but it is still a lot of pictures.  This post will focus on our first week in Melbourne. 

We arrived in Melbourne on Christmas morning.  Kirsten (Kirsten grew up next door to us in Phoenix) and Nick (her fiance) met us at the airport and welcomed us to join them at Nick's parents for Christmas lunch.  The meal began with Christmas "crackers" (a very English tradition).  Each cracker pops open and includes a joke, cheesy prize and a paper crown that we wore through the meal.  It was a wonderful afternoon of happy company, delicious Australian bubbly, wine, and food (almost like being home!)  Kirsten even made my favorite holiday side, green bean casserole.  The meal was followed by Christmas pudding complete by pouring rum on top and lighting it on fire, then served with rum butter.  RICH! After digesting we took advantage of the warm weather by playing a lawn game.  My only regret is that I didn't take any photos of this first day. 

We spent the night at Nick's parents house (in Gelong, outside the city) and planned to drive the "Great Ocean Road" in the morning. 

What an amazing way to begin our trip.  The coastal drive was beautiful and we got to see wild kangaroos, koala and tropical birds.  Kirsten knew all of the hot spots to stop. 

Kangaroos and golfing...Dad you'd love it!

Can you find the koalas?

That evening we got settled at Kirsten and Nick's apartment in St. Kilda, Melbourne. The next day Todd went to a cricket match with Nick. Kirsten and I got mani-pedis and shopped around their neighborhood.  We explored a street lined with boutiques, vintage stores and cafes.  It was fun to see good fashion and indulge in tastes and sights I was missing.  Many of Melbourne's neighborhoods had a NW flavor to them.

One day we explored Melbourne's downtown, art museum and botanical gardens but I preferred the funky character of the neighborhoods that surround downtown.  We also drove to Yarra Valley wine country and tasted lots of yummy Sauvignon Blancs, Shiraz and bubbles at Chandon.  Todd was feeling good after finishing our pours (with one of us driving and one pregnant.)  We also found a cheesery with spectacular goat cheese! 

 

This is Gus,  she enjoyed sitting on the balcony watching larakeets.  If you look closely behind her there is a larakeet.  They had two nice cats and I got in some much needed cat love. 

Our last night in Melbourne was New Year's Eve.  The weather was warm so we had a picnic at a park with Kirsten and Nick's friends.  We snacked on tasty appetizers and salads, drank bubbly, and played bocce ball.  When it got dark we were entertained by huge bats, a daring possum and glow sticks.  The glow sticks became frisbees, jewelry and dancing props.  We welcomed 2012 by blasting "Titanium" and watching Melbourne's fireworks display!  Happy New Year! 

Stay tuned for Sydney! 

Thinking about the Japanese and American classrooms

Please enjoy an essay I wrote for a Japanese junior high school publication.  

It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to be an inside observer of the Japanese school system.  I have been an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Hachinohe since July.  As an ALT I visit two junior high schools and four elementary schools.  Before coming to Japan I worked as an elementary school teacher in Seattle, Washington.  My experience in Japan has brought up occasions to compare and contrast the school systems, students and teachers.  It is evident to me that both have their strengths and weaknesses. In this essay I will discuss my observations regarding student backgrounds, attitudes, teaching and learning styles, and foreign language acquisition.

A major difference that sets Japanese classrooms apart from American classrooms is their almost complete homogeneity; most Japanese classrooms are made up of Japanese students.  As opposed to American classrooms that tend to be largely heterogeneous made up of students from many different cultures.  For example, my classroom last year had Caucasian, Nepali, African American, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian and Mexican students. The many backgrounds create a rich classroom community where students may learn from each other’s differences.  With differences there also arises differing expectations of the importance of education and the role of the teacher vs. parent in a child’s education. The American school system is faced with providing a safe, productive school environment while also responding to the challenges of a diverse population. In a Japanese classroom, students come from families with the same educational experience. Students expect to work hard, respect their teachers and participate as an active member in their school community.

If I were to pinpoint the most striking difference between school systems it would be the attitude of the students.  In Japanese schools I observe responsible, independent students working toward community goals.  This communal responsibility can be seen as early as first grade and continues through junior high school.  Japanese students are expected to clean their school, serve school lunch and be an active member of their school community.  Most of the students take their role seriously and responsibly clean, serve and participate with a positive attitude.  I have never seen responsibility and communal values exist as strongly in American schools.  I think individual teachers have achieved this in their own classrooms but it does not exist schoolwide.  It is interesting for me to witness a systematic expectation from a young age that students are part of their community and will act in a way to support everyone by cleaning, serving and participating. I think this communal responsibility stems from the homogenous population within Japanese schools. In American schools, teachers struggle to instill a communal responsibility in their students due to a lack of homogeneity in the population and school system at large.             

In American classrooms cooperative learning to discover the answer is often more prevalent than a stand and deliver rote learning style observed in many Japanese classrooms.  In a language classroom there must be time allotted to teaching the language and students must be committed to memorizing vocabulary and rules of the language.  Although there must also exist a time of creative production of the language for the memorization to do any good.  Students need opportunities to interact with each other and grapple with understanding the language.  I think this can be achieved through all four-language domains (reading, writing, listening and speaking) but producing the language through speaking and writing requires lots of practice.  I think this practice is best achieved through cooperative learning groups where students are given a task and the time to work together to create a story, write a letter or give a presentation, etc.  I would like to see cooperative learning used more in Japanese language classrooms.

I am impressed by Japanese students exposure to English beginning in early elementary school.  Many students begin learning basic phrases in first grade and it is required for fifth and sixth graders to learn English through regular classroom activities.  In elementary schools communication in English is the focus and most of the activities encourage the students to speak the language.  Then Japanese students move onto to junior high school and continue English through high school. I have observed that although students continue their study of English there is not an emphasis on speaking the language but instead on memorizing dialogues, reading and writing.  The interactive, creative part of language is stifled by the timidity of students and the teaching and learning styles of students and teachers.  On the one hand early exposure to a foreign language is a strength of the Japanese school system but it would be advantageous to incorporate more authentic speaking and listening opportunities as students continue their study of English in order to reach the goal of fluency.  In contrast the American school system is lacking opportunities for students to learn a foreign language at a young age.  Foreign language studies don’t begin until junior high school.  It is up to the individual parents to enrich their children with opportunities to learn a foreign language at a young age.  There are very few public schools that offer a foreign language program and the ones that do are popular and competitive to get into.  The Japanese emphasis on learning and communicating in English beginning in elementary school is a strength in their school system.  I am curious about how the current exposure to communicating in English in elementary school will affect student’s English fluency in the future. 

The time I have spent working in Japanese classrooms has impacted my thinking about education and school environments.  I look forward to returning to an American classroom and incorporating some of the communal values and responsibilities I have observed in Japan.  I want to share my travel experiences and Japanese language studies with my students.  It is my hope that I might influence them to study a foreign language (maybe Japanese) and seek out travel experiences. The classroom should be a rich environment for learning and socialization but traveling and living among other cultures can create lifelong learners and responsible world citizens. 

Here and There

Usually I post the pictures we take with our camera but when we are out and about I always have my I-phone and I like to take pictures of random things that appeal to my eye.  These are some of my favorites that I have recently taken with my phone.  The first few are from Kyoto and the rest are in and around Hachinohe. 

These cute fox are for sale at the temple, I guess you can write a wish and pray it comes true.

Temple cats. 

I like to take walks along the river.  I watch ducks and swans but on this night I watched a cat balancing on the tree limbs.

Since we don't have a vehicle here, Todd moved our new couch with a dolly.  We moved it from my office to our apartment, about 1 km. Now we have a western size couch! It was getting difficult for me to sit in the Japanese size furniture which is practically on the ground. It is nothing special but so much more comfortable.

Our Canadian friends, Oliver and Lindsay.  Saturday we went shopping at a mall in Morioka, about an hour south of Hachinohe. It was fun to go to Starbucks and Christmas shop. 

The Hachinohe fish market.  The four of us went to buy fresh fish (yes, you can buy whale.)  You can buy fish, have it filleted then cook it on a grill in a restaurant in the market.  Unfortunately after picking out our fish we realized the restaurant was closed.  We ended up going to Oliver and Lindsay's to grill and eat the fish. Very fresh and tasty!  That night we also watched a total lunar eclipse on the shores of Hachinohe.  It was a clear night, lots of stars in the sky and a snow covered beach.  It was beautiful but freezing!!

Squid for sale at the fish market.  They catch a lot of squid in Hachinohe. I am not a fan.