Good news, everybody!

I am in Tokyo-Haneda International Airport, Terminal 3.  I checked 3 bags, one if which is overweight.  I had to do the self check-in, as that is what Delta has here.  I had 3 baggage tags print, put them on, then took them to the security drop off.  

Apparently, I am a priority passenger.  I asked the woman helping me where I am supposed to pay.  I'm expecting her to say ¥40,000 here, please.  Instead...

"You are not being charged for the baggage, Mr. Vannette.  You are a priority customer.  The machine would not print your labels otherwise."

So, here I am.  It might be that I spent the money to upgrade my seat from basic economy class to business (not first).  It was less than $200 and I figured the space on the long flight would be worth it.  But, the ticket upgrade is only half what I expected to pay in baggage fees.

Now to find a meal.

Made it to the airport

It was a little surreal riding the taxi to the airport this morning.  Right now I'm sitting in the entry lobby because they need to security check my luggage, but that won't happen until 10:00. So, 3 minutes.  My bags are heavy.  One is overweight by a bit, but I don't care.  I'm not moving things around at this point.

I see the attendant is scanning my luggage now.  Hopefully it all goes well.  I didn't load any items that are dangerous or explosive or anything like that.  Just a lot of things.

My luggage isn't being checked through, but my long time in Haneda means I should not have to worry about it.  There will be ample opportunity to collect my bags, transfer to the international terminal, check in at the Delta counter, and get through security.

Thao stopped by early in the morning.  Like around 8 or so.  Then Susan, Takashi, Hachiro, and Yuko came by.  It was good to see them all one last time.  Rather, one last time until I can return or they come to the States.

I have my certification

 The paper proving I am covid negative is in my hands.  I'm expecting a student or two this afternoon, yet.  Then it will time to finish packing once and for all, go to bed, then get up for a flight.

Time flies.

I'm not a nervous traveler, but...

 I am a nervous packer.  I must have repacked these suitcases a dozen times.  This morning, even after following Jen's recommendation that I just pack everything except what I need for today and tomorrow morning, I panicked a little and unpacked one of the suitcases.  This means I need to repack again tonight.  However, when you do it so many times, it becomes easier to get everything back in.  Still, it's a little frustrating that I can't seem to stop myself from worrying that I've left something out, put too much or too little in one of the suitcases, didn't organize the pieces correctly so a bottle of liquor will smash, or whatever.  This is why I do it.

One thing I enjoy about walking to the office these past few weeks is listening to the cicadas.

 

This is an unsteady pan across the main walkway.  When I watch this video, I understand why I have such a hard time taking steady shots.  It's my heartbeat.  I noticed this last night when I was checking weight of the bags.  To get a better idea of how much each bag weighs, I stood on the scale and noted my weight.  Then, picked up a bag and noted the new weight.  When I set the bag down, though, the scale read a different weight for me.  So I had to do multiple "runs" to get an idea of the average.  Couple the lifting with my rearranging items so they are better distributed and protected, then throw in the heat, and I was sweating a bit.  Toward the end I noticed the scale reading bounced around in time with my pulse.

You might notice the video goes out of focus a little every few seconds.  That's my pulse shaking my hands and the camera.  This is why I always try to use a tripod.

Thao just let me know that my covid test was negative.  I can get on the plane tomorrow.  The office is arranging my taxi ride there and back.

Testing. 1 - 2 - 3

 In about 20 minutes I will be driven for my PCR test to confirm I am covid negative.  This is the last hurdle to overcome before heading home.  Well, that and finishing packing for the third time.  I didn't get things back in the suitcases after unpacking last night.  Instead, I spread stuff on the floor and started making piles or stacks of things.  It helps me play Tetris with my items and get a more efficient distribution.

I don't know if I mentioned this, but I weigh the bags by standing on the bathroom scale then picking up one of them.  As long as I keep the weight near 20 kg per bag, I'm in good shape.

Due to flight changes and such, my final itinerary isn't great.  I leave Tokushima at 11:45 am and arrive in Haneda at 1:05 pm.  My flight to Detroit leaves Haneda at 6:25 pm and lands at 5:31 pm (12 hours in the air).  I get to sit in Detroit until 10:45 pm and land at MBS at 11:32.  In all, from the time I get on a plane to the time I meet Jen and the boys at MBS it's about 25 hours.  As of now, I plan to eat a cheeseburger in Detroit.

Speaking of food, for lunch today Susan and I went to Grano, which is the first restaurant in Tokushima I ate at.  I had pizza, but unlike any pizza I've ever eaten.  It was whitebait (shirasu, しらす), sudachi, shiso, a little cheese, and seaweed strips after it baked. 

I will let you all know this is not typical Japanese pizza.  The chef at Grano likes to invent dishes.  Susan said she had never seen anything like this.  It was very good.  I would eat it again.  Even in my final days in Japan I'm still getting to try new foods.  That's a win for me.

I have finished classes

 But I still have students coming to meet with me.  In about 20 minutes one will be here.  Tomorrow morning I have 3 scheduled at 10:40 am.  Friday another 3 want to meet at lunchtime.  I just had one leave my office after stopping by unexpectedly.  It was my calligraphy instructor.

This afternoon when I leave the office I will take the last of my papers and personal items with me.  I need time to sort through what is important and what I should have put in the combustibles bin already.  It will be a little strange to come to work and not have those things here.  At the same time, it needs to be done so I can be ready come Saturday morning.

I asked my class this morning what advice I should give to the next exchange professor.  I want to know what things I did wrong so I can tell whoever is next what to try to avoid, but I did not word the question that way.  It was simply, "What should I tell the next professor so they are ready to teach here?"  I'm summarizing and paraphrasing some of their responses below.

1 - Japanese students are shy, so do not worry when no one answers your questions.

2 - When you want a question answered, choose a student and ask him or her to answer it.

2 - Make sure to use PowerPoint or some projected text to help students understand what you are saying.

3 - Try to include as much 1-to-1 student-professor discussion as possible.  (This is difficult in a class of 30.)

4 - When asking students to do group discussion during class, create the groups yourself.  Make it very clear these four are a group, and those four, and those four...

5 - Do not shy away from what you think are very simple comparisons between the US and Japan.

6 - Give students a chance to practice reading, listening, writing, and speaking in as many classes as possible.

These are all good things, but #5 causes the most difficulty.  The student who made this suggestion did so after class.  She said many students have never taken another course comparing cultures, but they have some experience with differences between Japan and the US.  Even simple things like food could work.  At the same time, she wanted the topics to be more difficult.  Or, rather, to increase in difficulty through the term.

Tami and I talked about putting together a booklet or something like that to help future exchange faculty.  Susan told me everyone who comes here says that they want to do it, but it never gets done.  My guess is we're all so busy when we return that by the time we get around to it we've forgotten the important bits.  I think it is fair of me to devote some of my sabbatical time to this project.  Not weeks on end, mind you.  But an hour or two now and then might be enough so that come October we have something to give to the Office of International Studies.

What do you think, Tami?

Final Talks

 I had my group of 4th year students give short talks about their thesis efforts so far.  Next Monday and Tuesday are presentations (graded, I presume) about their theses.  Some are very well-developed and some not so much.  That's to be expected, though.  They all spoke in English and without a microphone.  They were unsure if a microphone would be provided next week.  I pointed out most of them were very quiet.  Part of that is nerves from being in front of a crowd and part of it is speaking a foreign language.  My advice to all of them after everyone was finished was to practice.

By practicing they will be able to know what they are planning to say and how to form the words.  It's kind of silly how much I take for granted being able to pronounce English words.  I don't have perfect pronunciation, by any means.  However, I think most of the native English speakers reading this don't have to sound out anything I write.  You could probably just read it out loud without any preparation.  Unfortunately, I can't think of any specific examples off the top of my head, but more than a few times I've been talking with a native Japanese speaker, and they have struggled to say certain phrases.  Even when they can say each word in isolation with very little trouble.  They just have no practice flowing one word in the phrase into the next.  

I also pointed out that it will make projecting easier so people in the back of the room can hear.  When you feel confident that you know how to say something, it is easier to say it loudly.  Another advantage I reminded them of is practice will help them respond to questions that might be asked.  

It's very hard for faculty here to find time to devote to practicing this type of speaking.  This is not a slight against them at all.  It's the reality of needing to cover more ideas than there is time to cover them.  Giving research talks doesn't rank highly on the "Important Skills" list.

I want to share one thing from a student writing about corsets in the Victorian era.  "...the standard of women's beauty was set by the viewer, the men.  It's not for women, but for men's ideal [woman] being like this."  This will be an interesting paper to read, and I'm kind of sad I won't get to read it.  She is clearly taking the position that, at least in the Victorian era, it was wrong for men to dictate what women should look like and how women should behave.  It's not much of a stretch to drop the "at least in the Victorian era" from that statement and read her summary as applying to societies today.

More packing tonight.  I'll also weigh my bags to make sure things are distributed fairly evenly.  That way if I miss any last minute items I can stuff them into one bag at random.  This assumes I won't have 45 kg (99 lbs) of stuff already packed in the checked baggage.  That's really unlikely.  Even with all of the name stamps.

Notifying the City

 One very important lesson about Japan and living in this country is the government really does not want you to move.  They don't want you to move into a new city.  They don't want you to leave your current city.  They also don't really want you to change jobs, if at all possible.

Thao took me on the bus to City Hall to fill out my residency change forms, settle my national health insurance status, and close the bank account.  It took some time to make sure we were in the right lines at the start.  The floor plan features (among other things) a long counter divided into several (I think 10 or 12) stations.  Roughly each pair of stations is for a few different things.  You have to fill out some paperwork here, carry new paperwork there, and at each step take another number while you wait.  We had to visit 4 of the stations.  Oh, yes.  Each "take a number" kiosk is a little different from the one before.

Near station 1 is an area for filling out forms.  It was like 16 standing desks arranged in four rows.  But each row of desks has different forms.  Thao filled in most of the paperwork.  I had to add my US address, and I forgot the zip code for a moment.  The first form included my name in English and katakana, the address of the Guest House, and my birth date according to the Japanese calendar.  My birth year (1976) was Showa 51.  The current year is Reiwa 3.  The name is the Emperor at the time, and the year is the year of his reign. When we get to the first stop we were given another form to fill out.  This one had my name on it in three or four different boxes.  And there was a place where I had to be the one who wrote my name.  

Each station had this same flow.  We brought a form from the previous place, and Thao had to fill out a nearly identical form at the current place.  I think, just counting today, Thao wrote my name more times than I have since I got on the plane at MBS.  It took about 75 minutes to get through everything.  And this is the "leaving Tokushima" paperwork.  If I were moving to a new city in Japan, I'd have paperwork there to fill out - another hour or so of work.  Spending time at the DMV to get a new license isn't nearly as painful or time consuming as what is done here.

Closing the bank account took some time as well.  We were lucky, though.  Shortly after we were helped with the first part (filling out the paperwork, confirming identity, and all that) about 6 or 7 people came in all at once.  Had we been even 2 minutes later, it would have taken us much longer.  So we sat and waited for the bank to get the cash.  While we were waiting I watched a little of the television bank advertising.  On the side of the screen they were promoting their deposit interest rates.  0.002%.  Or was it 0.0002%?  I think the first.  In any case, there is next to no interest earned on money in the bank.  The flip side of this is interest rates on bank loans are very low as well.

I'm basically ready for my classes this week.  Even though it is only 2:00, I'm going to head home and do some of the prep work for Saturday.  I should grab a late lunch, though.  I just realized I didn't eat breakfast.  Two cups of coffee aren't really enough to keep a person going.  I will avoid that mistake the rest of this week.

A little something to share

 I never understood toe socks.  You know?  The socks that are like gloves for your feet.  Each toe gets its own sleeve.  I dislike flip-flops because I can't stand the thing between my toes.

Well, I tried toe socks here.  They are a lot more comfortable than I would have ever dreamed.  I really like them.  I think it's because my toes aren't rubbing together to get all sweaty.  When I first put them on they feel a bit weird.  However, after about 10 seconds it's just soft.

I've changed by being in Japan.  I am a toe sock convert.  I don't think I'll rush out and replace my entire collection.  But, I will wear them a hell of lot of the time when I get back home.  My guess is come winter I'll like them even more.

I should go to bed.  It's already Monday here by 4 minutes.

My Timing is Off

First - I haven't checked my school email all weekend.  Susan sent me a note that my shabu-shabu link was to the clothing and not the dinner.  This is the correct link.  I guess I copy-pasted the wrong thing.

As I head into this last week, my schedule and timing have been thrown all over.  I'm trying to sort out the last few details, including souvenirs for people back home.  I talked with Jen about making hanko name stamps for the nieces and nephews.  Brooke let me know there is a machine at Donki that will do it.  To get all of them it is 11.  The first one I did was with Yuko's help, and that one took about 45 minutes to figure it all out.  I've done 9 of them so far, and it's down to about 20 minutes each.  This is my new best friend.

It's operated by a touch screen.

There is an English menu option, but if you pick that you are stuck using English characters.  At least as far as I can tell.  Fortunately by this point it's more or less muscle memory.  What you do is enter the characters you want.  Then you can adjust them on the face of the stamp - change size, change location, but not rotation as far as I can tell.  This was what took us so long the first time.  We couldn't figure out how to move or resize the characters and an important part was not on the stamp.  We had two workers trying to help us.  It was finally figured out.  The key thing is you can't slide your finger to drag.  You have to sort of roll the tip against the screen.  It's not easy, but it functions.  Then you make some selections about the size and color of the stamp and carrying case.  When you're all set, you put your money in and wait.

This is the screen where you can watch the "progress" of the stamp.  As near as I can tell, there's a tiny CNC milling machine with a half millimeter cutting tool.  The thing makes some very precise cuts on very tiny work.

If future exchange professors think this is a good idea for gifts back home, and truth be told, it probably is for younger relatives, I suggest starting earlier than the end of your second to last week.  Donki is not a quiet store.  The location of the machine is by the ATM and entrance to the parking garage.  It's also near the game arcade that is common in the malls.  Lots of traffic and lots of loud music.

Packing has begun.  My goal is to have most stuff in suitcases by tomorrow at bedtime.  As I use my clothing through the week I'll just pack it.  That way come Saturday morning all I have to do is get dressed and pack the last of my clothes and toiletries.  Easy peasy.  In principle.  As they say, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

An Unexpected Journey

 Yesterday Yuko and I planned to see some waterfalls.  We got a little turned around, and had an adventure in the mountains.  Her stated goal for taking me somewhere was so I could "make a good memory" about my trip.  It was very fun, and I will not soon forget it.

We went south of the city, and that was all to plan.  However, we missed a turn.  Probably because I was talking and asking questions.  Our drive ended up on a single car width, torn-up, pothole filled, 15-20% grade, winding path with falling rock warnings.  When it opened up, there were 4 or 5 opaque white, plastic film greenhouses being watered down on the outside.  It's clear they were trying to keep whatever was growing inside cool.  Given the remote nature of things, my guess is they were growing something they probably shouldn't be growing unless they are properly licensed in some states in the US.  If you take my meaning.

In any case, we did see a "waterfall" of sorts.

I give you the world's second smallest waterfall.  There was a smaller one a bit upstream from this.  I also saw this cool spider.

We considered trying to find our actual goal, but decided shaved ice in Tokushima city made more sense.

Matcha flavored shaved ice with sweet red bean paste under the ice mountain (氷山).  I suggested Yuko could open a shaved ice shop and now there is a name.  The picture above is from Yuko.  She had the wherewithal to snap a photo before she ate.

We finished the day with shabu-shabu, or hotpot.  That's an onomatopoeia for the sound of swinging something around.  In English we'd say "swish-swish."   You're brought a two chamber pot with broth in it.  It's placed on some heating element so you can bring it to a boil.  Ours had an induction cooktop built into the table.

On the right is a traditional broth based on soy sauce, sake, and sugar.  On the left is a spicy broth that has Korean flavor.  The large chopsticks are what you use to add or remove ingredients in the communal pot.  The two ladles are used as ladles.  What you do is add vegetables to the broth to make soup.  We also had crab legs we could add.

Once things get back to boiling you choose a thin slice of meat (beef or pork in our case) and shabu.  Here is the beef and pork.

The meat cooks in a few seconds.  You don't really need to let it go at all.  Lift it out and add it to one of your small bowls.  Then add some broth/soup.

It's really good.  If I can figure out how to pull it off at home, I want to try it with the family.  The broth is added via ladle.  There are also flat noodles that you can add.

The aftermath.

One thing I find interesting here is how many restaurants have tablet ordering.  It's something of a novelty in the US, but here it seems like 50% of the sit-down places have a variation on this.

Sushi, izakaya (bar or pub), shabu-shabu.  Nearly every place with a server as a call button.  In the picture it's on the lower right.  Press it and someone comes to help.

Today I need to pre-pack and check the status of souvenirs.  I'll have a chance to get any last minute things.  My last week will go very fast, but will also probably feel kind of long at times.

The Holiday - Day 1

 I didn't post yesterday because in the morning I did nothing else besides clean.  Some of the Care for Tokushima group came by the apartment in the afternoon.  I tried to teach them tatting.  It's difficult when you are working with a group of 5 and trying to demonstrate a difficult to describe technique.  Tatting is about getting into a rhythm and controlling tension in the thread.  At some points you have to hold one part tight and the other loose, then you have to switch those roles.  You also have to move the shuttle in particular ways to tie the knots.  Then, getting the knot to "flip" from string A around B to string B around A requires practice.  I had fun.  I hope they did as well.

I don't have pictures (yet), but I was able to try on a jinbei.  I think that's what it is.  At least, the picture I linked matches what I wore.  It is super comfortable for wearing around the house.  Probably also sleeping in.  If I can find one (or four) I might be bringing them home.

Shortly after that ended, I went to dinner with Hachiro and his former student.  This student is somewhere on the autism spectrum, as near as I can tell.  Last night I paid closer attention to the way the two of them interact.  Hachiro shows much kindness and concern.  He provides guidance and gives the student a chance to make mistakes in a safe way.  He's helping this young man figure out how to navigate a world built on cultural norms and expectations.

This afternoon Yuko and I will go see some waterfalls and then I'll get to try shabu-shabu.  Other than that, I'm kind of relaxing this morning.  I'll probably head out in an hour or so just to do some poking around.  I have a few gifts I'll be buying and what-not.

Obviously, I didn't go to Hiroshima.  I think as significant as seeing the results of human narrow-mindedness would be, if something went wrong and I got stuck there or in a doctor's office it could be bad for the exchange program.  It's pretty clear the administration would like me to stay in Tokushima Prefecture, and I understand that.  Over the entire pandemic, this Prefecture has had about 236 confirmed covid cases per 100,000 people (1,721 cases out of 728,600 people, or less than 0.25% of the population).  For comparison, Michigan has had 9,092 confirmed cases per 100,000 people (898,626 cases out of 9,883,000 people, or about 9% of the population).  Respecting the rules about controlling the virus is how the numbers have been kept so low.

As Jen pointed out, and I'm a little embarrassed to say I didn't really think of myself, I could be getting the staff in the International Office in trouble.  My going could be interpreted as either they didn't work hard enough to keep track of me (I've already been misplaced once) or they knew where I was and didn't say.  If not that, then it might be seen as the American who doesn't much care about the rules did whatever he wants.  The risk of something happening is very small, but the potential fall-out is considerable.

Besides, it's another item in the list of "reasons to return."

Long Weekend Ahead

 I have finished my classes for the week and tomorrow starts a 4-day weekend.  The Opening Ceremony for the Olympics will be on Friday at 8:00 pm here.  I kind of feel bad for Japan with these Games.  The past few Olympics have been less than impressive for me.  I think viewership is declining (at least in the US), and it is known that hosting an Olympic Games puts tremendous strain on a city's economy and resources.  This is somewhat made up for by the tourism and publicity, but even in the best of times the Games lead to lost money for the host.  And now, covid.

I think many Japanese people would say the government has not done the best job in handling things.  The covid precautions are falling apart already.  The venues have the usual construction and pollution problems.  There has been turn-over in leadership.  It's been a bit of a mess.

At the same time, I always feel a tug in my gut when thinking about the Olympics.  As a child, and even up through high school and college, I loved the chance to watch different sports.  A vivid memory I have is my family at my grandparents' house during the Los Angeles games of 1984.  Those are the first ones I remember.  Particularly Carl Lewis's performance in track and field.  I don't recall Mary Lou Retton's performance, but I know it was significant.  It was after this that so many video games were made to let you capture the feeling at home.  I played Summer Games on our Commodore64 for hours.

Going through the list of cities where the Summer and Winter Games have been held is like a trip in a time machine.  I recall bits and pieces of the places I've lived and the people I interacted with.

I also think about the coverage.  True, American television focuses heavily on American athletes and the sports where we are expected to do well.  That narrow view causes some problems with how we understand our place in the world.  At the same time, this segment from Mary Carillo (NBC) during the Athens Games in 2004 is part of what I love.

I think there is a lot of cynicism regarding the Olympics.  Most of it is probably warranted.  However, when I think of Usain Bolt, the man who might be at the very edge of how fast human bodies can run, bumping fists with the volunteer behind his blocks I find it difficult to think the whole thing is bad.  It's about people treating each other with respect and appreciating the abilities.  So, that's what I'll choose to focus on during these Olympic Games.

Photos of Indigo Dyeing

 Thao took some photos of me when I tried my hand at dyeing a shirt.  I made a leaf pattern on the front, but first I had to pick my leaves.

In the picture with me is the professor who teaches these classes.  All of those pots are indigo plants.  They seem to grow like mint - a weed that once it gets established is very hard to get rid of.  But you need a lot of the leaves in order to do anything.  Hanga said these plants are for "playing games."  The school purchases many kilograms (hundreds, probably) of leaves every year to make the dye.

Here I am pounding away with a small, flat faced hammer to crush the leaves into the fabric.

I brought a white undershirt to dye.  There is a board placed inside the shirt and the leaves are taped in place.  Then a sheet of plastic wrap is placed over the leaves.  You tap on the leaves repeatedly to press them into the fabric.  I didn't do a great job of it, but the "spirit" is there.  When you finish this step you carefully remove the leaves, then take the fabric off the board.

The leaf pattern is wrapped in a plastic bag to keep it from getting dyed, then the whole shirt was soaked in water to get everything wet.  Including the leaf pattern.  If that fabric stays dry it will wick the dye up to it which defeats the purpose of wrapping it.

When we did the dyeing at the apartment it was with fresh leaves.  This process used fermented leaves.  Fermentation is done in vats either on the floor or in a raised container.  I'm not entirely clear on the fermentation process.  Is there seed bacteria you need?  Are there bacteria on the leaves that take over?  Is it like sourdough?  I do know that depending on the temperature and humidity it can take anywhere from 5-10 days for fermentation to complete.  There is always an optimal time to use the dye.  Go too soon, and the color is not going to be a deep.  Wait too long, and it will have spoiled and end with a less vivid blue.

The top is Hanga helping me keep the shirt off the bottom of the vat where dirt and leaf debris sits.  In the bottom photo I'm working at one of the floor vats.  I'm going to boast a little and point out the excellent squat I am doing.  Heels and toes both on the ground.  Knees bent.  It's much more comfortable than sitting or squatting on toes with heels up.  

"Do not fall or drop anything in" was a warning to me.  These are fairly deep holes and it would be difficult to recover items or yourself.  But it also means there is less chance of getting caught in the debris on the bottom.  I did one go in the "above ground" vat, and three in the "in ground" vats.  Between each soak in the dye you need to rinse the fabric with hot water.  That encourages oxidation of some chemical in the plant leading to the blue color.

After you feel the color is good, rinse one last time and dry.  The Indigo House has a spin drier to speed up the process.  I was told to rinse the shirt another time, let it dry, then rinse in hot water.  After that, wash it with a little detergent.  It is important to start wearing it soon so that it gets washed a few more times.  The green leaf pattern will turn brown otherwise.

There's my shirt.  As I said yesterday, I will wear it to a faculty meeting.  I'm planning to wear it on Monday or Tuesday of next week, and maybe Thursday of this week.  Thao didn't think she would have anything to do, but Susan had asked if I could have a mask dyed for her.  So, Thao did that one.  When the Roberts Fellows come again, I think the International Office Staff should be "forced to" go with them to do the whole process.

Zoom class is about to start.  I need to open things up.

Monday, July 19

 It was an eventful day for me.  This morning I went to Tokushima Kita High School (North Tokushima) to talk about students in America.  One class, one presentation, just an hour away from campus.  I had a good time, but I always worry that I haven't done the right things.  I can't make it different now, though.  I think students learned.

In any case, they gave me a small token of appreciation which includes a flier about Tokushima and the high school produced by the students, a plastic document sleeve (these things are super common here), and a three-color pen.  The pens are also really popular.

Looking at it maybe it isn't so special.  However, the clip is spring loaded, so it opens and closes.  In addition, the pen is erasable.  The white end is the eraser.  Now, my American friends may be saying to themselves "Erasable pens are a scam.  They never work well."  This thing is amazing.  The black ink is more like a dark grey, then there is blue and red.  All three completely disappear without tearing up the paper.  Just like the Asahi jockey can where the whole top comes off instead of just a small oval opening, this eraser is Japanese technological innovation at its finest.

I'm kind of being glib with my speech, but I'm also sincere.  This kind of device is very useful, but it is also "invisible" in the sense that Japanese people take it for granted.  It's such a small thing, but I think it gives an incremental improvement to life.  I will be sure to use it often.  I should also look for erasable pens in the stationery store or the like.  It might be nice to have them when I get back.

After lunch I went to the indigo house and tried my hand at dyeing a t-shirt.  As Hanga told me while I was there, normally there would be many students in the room all crowded around the vats and pits.  Each person would only get a few go's and have to do something small.  It was just me and Thao, so we could do it as we saw fit.

I was also allowed to try a technique where I hammered fresh leaves into the fabric.  By smashing the leaf repeatedly, you push the chlorophyll into the fabric.  When done with some expertise, i.e. not by me, you get the full leaf to show up.  Here's what I ended with.

I plan to wear this to a faculty meeting at some point, but, oh wait... I'm on sabbatical in the Fall.

After the indigo dyeing, Toshi brought me up Mt. Bizan.  Pictures don't really convey what you see.

The first two above are looking south to a part of the city I haven't been to.  The last one looks north.  I can identify Shikoku University's campus, the Naruto bridge where we saw the whirlpools, the shopping places I go, and some bicycle routes I've ridden.

After this, we went to an izakaya for dinner, beer, and conversation.  I tried horse sashimi.  Toshi doesn't like it, but I had the chance.  It's very much like beef with a texture difference.  We talked about a lot of stuff - Esoteric Buddhism among them.

Now, it is Tuesday morning and I must get ready for my Zoom classes today and tomorrow.

I've been channeling Sterling Archer a bit.

 The television station FX has an animated show called Archer.  It is not in any way, shape, or form a kids show.  But it is hilarious.  Sterling Archer is the laziest, most lax and unconcerned spy on the planet.  In so many ways he is a horrible human being, but he has these moments of self-aware reflection.  Just watch a few episodes if you can.  The reason I bring it up is S6E01 - "The Holdout" where he encounters a WWII Japanese soldier who has been on an island since 1942 and does not know the war is over.  Archer parachutes in to find a plane that crashed to recover a computer that has sensitive information.  Hijinx occur and the episode ends with them being friends.  As they make it to a beach Archer's extraction team comes around a point and into the bay.  Ken, the Japanese soldier, asks Archer if he knew the boat was coming.  Archer replies, "No.  Things just usually work out for me... and I guess I kind of take that for granted."  So, why this elaborate build up?  Because, things have just been working out for me here.

This morning Thao and her husband were going to meet me at Ishii station and then drive to the Kazura vine bridge.  We were planning to eat lunch and then take a boat ride down the Oboke Gorge.  It rained there today (or at least it was forecast to), so we took a chance on going to Naruto.  Now, Naruto is well known for many things - pears, pottery, red sweet potatoes, the sports drink Pocari Sweat, and whirlpools.  

Just north of the city is a narrow straight between the islands of Shikoku (where I am) and Awaji.  The bottom of this straight is unusual and when the tide changes, either in or out, whirlpools form.  There is a manga and anime called "Naruto" and the title character wears a headband with a whirlpool symbol.  You can take boat cruises out to where the whirlpools tend to form.  In the screenshot below, Shikoku University is the black circle and the whirlpool location is the red circle.

Thao has never done the cruise, but her husband has.  However, he has never seen the whirlpools because of timing and weather and all that.  We arrive at the center where you buy the tickets for the cruise.  The next boat is just as the tide is beginning to change, so there isn't likely to be good whirlpools.  We opt for the one an hour later.

That was a good choice.  We got to see many whirlpools form as the tide moved out.  What amazed me most was how the location where the whirlpools formed was pretty small.  It's really choppy there (to be expected).  All around that area, though, the water was smooth.  Kind of like when oil has been spilled on it and the small waves don't even form.  But, you could see places where it looked like something was coming up from the bottom and stopping.  If you've ever been in a pool and put your hand underwater, then flicked your wrist so your palm quickly rises but doesn't break the surface you'll have seen what I mean.  You get this column of water that comes up and sort of rolls out from a central spot.

I don't think I mentioned that Natsuki said according to the surf shop where I rented my board the surfing has been pretty bad for the last two weeks.  Saturday was an excellent day to go.  Then, I didn't expect to talk about neuroscience last night.  Bad weather forced a change in plans today that resulted in me (and Thao and her husband) getting to see a natural phenomenon for the first time in our lives.

Below is a small bit of video.  It was kind of difficult to capture the whirlpools, but you might see the edge I was talking about above.

Fun.

Why I missed yesterday

 I went surfing yesterday morning.  First time in my life to do this.  Natsuki picked me up at 8:30, but before that Susan stopped by.  She had gone into campus to get ready for next week as we are back online (one student on campus in another building tested positive for covid, so campus is closed for a week).  However, on Friday she went through some of her son's things she still has.  She found a swim shirt for me to use.  It was a little tight because large here is not quite the same as large in the States.  On the other hand, you want the swim shirt to be tight.

In any case, Natsuki gave me some idea of what to do, and I kind of understood things.  Where I really learned was the lesson from one of my students.  She was a kind of highly ranked professional surfer for a while.  The issue is competing against other people isn't in her nature.  She would rather see people happy because they are doing something they like than see them sad because they are only the third best in the world at what they do.  I'm paraphrasing what she told me a little.  One thing I learned about surfing is it means a lot of waiting for a reasonable wave to come in.  With waiting comes a lot of time to chat.

I managed to kind of ride two waves out of maybe 30 attempts.  The motion of going from laying down to standing up is pretty straightforward, but it has to be done smoothly and at the right time.  The first one I managed to get upright on was one my teacher also rode.  I mimicked her.  The second one I was upright on I did on my own.  My other major problem is I can't see when a decent wave is coming in.  Aside from being a pure novice, I don't wear my glasses.  Text becomes unreadable at 20 inches and facial features unrecognizable at 48-60 inches.  Still, it was a lot of fun.

After surfing Natsuki and I went for lunch.  She took me to an Italian restaurant in Naruto with a view overlooking the sea.  It was very delicious, but I was way under-dressed.  Most people were in pretty nice clothes.  I was in a black swim shirt and grey exercise pants with black glides on my feet.  My hair was not combed, but at least I had a rinse off in the shower.  So, there wasn't a heavy salt-water smell about me.  At least I think there wasn't.

We talked about a lot of different things.  I learned about her life, she learned about mine.  A server took a picture of us.

When we were surfing there were several of my students there.  Two of them with my instructor.  They commented that I have "beautiful legs" with very little hair.  I wasn't sure what to make of that.

In any case, when I got home I took a shower and changed because I needed to ride down past Tokushima Station to meet Naoko and her husband, daughter, son-in-law, and 18 month-old grandson.  Daughter, son-in-law, and I took a river tour in a pontoon boat.  It was nice to see the sites from the water.  Then we went to dinner at an izakaya.  I ate lots of food and talked mostly with Naoko's daughter.  

She's a neuroscientist who studies vision processing.  Specifically motion caused by our own motion.  Think "what you see when you walk past a car" not "what you see when a car passes you."  Turns out very different parts of the brain are activated in these two situations.  That's why when you are in a train or car stopped next to another train or large truck you can get this disorientation when the other thing starts to roll.  She told me they are starting to "see" the neural pathways within the white matter by using "diffusive functional MRI."

She recommended (at my request for a recommendation) the book "The Man Who Tasted Shapes."  I will check it out.  The mind and brain are incredibly complex and I'm really interested to learn what I can about it.  I recall reading once some scientist talking about understanding our own brains.  It was something along the lines of a brain complex enough to wonder about its own function is probably too complex to understand itself.

Then again, just because something might be impossible is no reason to avoid it entirely.

First, a comment

 Susan wanted to comment on yesterday's post, but the system would not let her for one reason or another.  So, she emailed the comment to me.

    "Thank you for saving me from falling into the canal. And yes, my curry was delicious. I hope we can have lunch at this place again before you leave. In the meantime, I'll be practicing my long jump technique."

 

The pace of social engagements is picking up.  For the first time since being here I've had to say "I don't think that day will work for me because I'm busy."  I decided to write things down, which is how I know it's getting serious.  In the next 14 days I have 3 that do not have something scheduled besides class.

However, I have some more proverbs to share from this book.

 

It was originally published in 1981, and this is a 13th printing from 1993.  This is the first one.

I like the imagery of a dog giving its loyalty immediately and a cat being a cat.  Now, about the layout of the book.  Each proverb or saying is first written in Japanese characters.  Then it is written in Roman letters for Japanese pronunciation.  After that is a literal translation in English, German, and French.  If there is an equivalent saying in another language, that is posted in bold next.  When there is no equivalent translation and the meaning is a bit obtuse, a parenthetical explains.

And here we see an example.  Kakka soyo - to scratch an itch through a shoe.  It expresses a feeling we've all had.  I have seen many students with this sense of irritation because they cannot adequately express their feelings.  Like good proverbs and sayings, the imagery is very clear.  You can almost scratch through a shoe, but any true satisfaction only comes if you change the entire situation.

 This last one is the reason for doing exchange trips.  We must leave our wells if we want to experience the ocean.  Even if our well is next to the ocean.  We can expand our thinking by hunting up different places to visit and travel to.  Eventually we return to our well.  For now, I'll do my best out here.

A Fuller Weekend

 For lunch today Susan and I met Natsuki at a cafe near campus - natural cafe.

Susan had never been there, so we had a bit a walk to find the place. Since the concept of zoning for residential, commercial, or industrial does not exist here, the cafe is between two houses down a blind alley.  The food was very good.  I had a salad with tuna sashimi, avocado, cabbage, red radish (as opposed to daikon), and shredded seaweed.  It was on a dome of rice.  We chatted about a few things.  I hope the two of them had as nice a meal as I did.

Returning to campus was an adventure.  Susan has seen students take a shortcut from campus in the direction of the cafe, so we decided to try to find it on our return.  This was our route.  I apologize for the drawing.  The battery in my stylus died and I had to use a mouse.

I don't think we followed it exactly.  Neither does Susan.  The main reason is we had to jump over a canal.  Now, it was narrow enough that I could make a very large step and make it.  Susan, however, is not as tall as I am and wore a skirt that comes down to just above her ankles.  This is not some flow-y sundress skirt.  It does not really allow for large strides or easy jumping.  So, we took advantage of our non-Japanese nature.  I, on the far side of the canal, reached back across and helped Susan make the jump.  Truth be told, after she made it I wasn't sure she really needed me.  Before the jump, though, I think we were both wondering how she was going to explain her soaking wet skirt and sopping shoes when we returned to campus.  Fortunately, she was dry and safe and no one had turned an ankle or tore any clothing.

Before we left the cafe, Natsuki asked me if I wanted to go surfing.  She seemed a little surprised by how quickly I said "yes."  "Really?"  I've done paddle boarding with Jen and been water skiing a few times in the past.  Surfing is kind of a big deal here.  Many people do it.  One of the students here is a professional surfer who competes at meets around the world.  This Saturday morning I will be picked up at 7:45 and have a surfing lesson from a professional surfer and a yoga instructor/dancer.  We'll finish around noon.

Now, I just need to make sure my suit is tight enough around the waist.

A Farewell Party

 We had the farewell ceremony today.  It was a nice affair.  Susan was emcee, and she performed admirably.  I told Jen I was not going to use any Japanese in these remarks.  The reason is because I did not feel I knew what to say until yesterday, so there wasn't much time for me to sort out what made sense to translate.  Jen suggested (and rightly so) it's probably a good idea to avoid and faux pas on my way out the door.  Had I said the equivalent of "shit" instead of "sit" at the beginning of the term there was time for me to make up the lost ground.  Now, I cannot correct any opinions of me.  I agreed that any mistakes I make now should be intentional.  Perhaps a vrai pas.

I still need to be ready for the study abroad talk on Friday at lunchtime.  Tomorrow I am meeting Susan an Natsuki for lunch.  Tomorrow afternoon Zoe and I will meet to try tatting.  Next Monday afternoon Thao and Yuko (I think) will go with me to try our hands at indigo dyeing.  Hanga has been very busy, and I appreciate the reality of that schedule.  Next Thursday the Care for Tokushima group will gather.  Susan suggested I teach them all tatting.  

Angus and Mark strongly suggested I figure out how to get to Hiroshima, if only for a day and night, to see the Atomic Bomb Dome.  There are trains from Tokushima Station to Hiroshima.  Total time is 3 hours one way.  It would include a ride on the shinkansen, or bullet train, from Okayama to Hiroshima.  160 km in less than an hour.  I'm not sure how to make that work, but I will be doing what I can.  

The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN was a formative place to visit.  Even as someone in his late 20's.  I imagine the place where humanity turned a corner and realized we used science to develop the power to destroy ourselves and everything else on the planet with us, but we still have not decided what we want with that power might be something a middle aged white guy should see.  If I go, you'll know.

A shift in feeling

 Tami mentioned to me it seems like I am counting down the days.  I kind of am doing that, but not because I'm anxious to return.  I am excited about going home; don't mistake me on that.  The counting is because of the things I need to get done in the next two and a half weeks.

Tomorrow is the Farewell party.  I've had a few students stop by to ask me about it thinking I am leaving tomorrow afternoon.  All I have to do is listen, make a few "remarks," and sit for a photo.  But it feels kind of final.  I suppose that's the point.

Considering the gifts I purchased for others, the items I've purchased for me, and the gifts that have been given to me coupled with the things I brought, and the fact that one of my bags is falling apart, I'm going to need to purchase another suitcase to take home.  It seems like I had a lot of time to prepare myself to come, but at the end I didn't.  Everything happened very quickly, so I did not make good choices in what I packed.  I suppose I was fortunate that I had one suitcase that must be checked, a second one that could be carry-on or checked, and a backpack.  I'm allowed two checked bags up to 50 lbs each, plus a carry-on that can be whatever weight I can muster into the overhead bin, plus a "personal item" like the backpack.  Next weekend is when I'll make that decision because it is also when I'll start packing myself up.

My shift in feeling happened when I realized I'm here for just 18 more days, and I'll be home in 19 days.  There is a lot that can happen in the next 2.5 weeks, and a lot I want to have happen.  I shall do my best to balance these things and try to focus on enjoying myself as much as possible.

I host a guest and am named

 Last night I hosted a guest lecturer.  I will be going to his class soon to see him teach.  He is a choreographer named Ryohei Kondo.  There are not many hotels suitable for such visitors, and the drive to collect him in the morning would have added 2 hours to the official host's commute.  Since I have so much space and it is only me, I was happy to help.

His English is good enough (miles better than my Japanese) that we were able to chat this morning about several things.  I think many people would assume a physicist and a dancer would have little to discuss.  You know me.  We talked family (his daughter is 18 and will be entering university soon), travel (he's been many places), and experiences each of us have had.  At one point, he leaned back and said, "Matto, Matto,..." kind of to himself.  Then he grabbed paper and a marker and wrote this.

The top kanji is "ma" and the bottom is "to" (toe).  He said this is my name.  It means "true climbing"  His interpretation of it was a person working their way up a mountain searching for truth.  "That's you."

When I shared this with Jen she liked it.  But then she asked how does someone reading know this would mean a name and not some other part of the sentence.  Yuko explained it to me.  You have to read the whole sentence, then go back and recognize it only makes sense if there is a name.  I suppose you get used to it, just as we are used to reading a sentence with the clauses all over the place and piecing the meaning together.

So, I have a name.  I'll leave it to everyone else to decide if it fits.

Yesterday

I did not post anything yesterday because I didn't really do anything worth posting about.  At least, not until the evening.  Around 6 last night I met up with Angus (one of the adjunct instructors) for dinner.  He rode a train into Tokushima Station and I rode my bike.  After meeting at Starbucks, we took a walk around the area.

I'm fairly comfortable with the space immediately surrounding the station, however Angus let me see one of the arcades (in the old form of the word) or shopping alleys.  He said when he first arrived in Japan and up to about 5 or 10 years ago the place would have been packed with people.  There was a defunct fountain, and places for scores of shops.  Some are still functioning, and I will likely head back down there at some point.  We talked about the "Americanization" of the smaller cities.  The downtown area dies off and shopping malls take over.  His guess is the shopping malls will die off here in the next 10 years or so to be replaced with whatever we're doing in America.  Online shopping?  Strip malls?  I don't know.

In any case, we went to an izakaya, which is like a pub.  We ate a lot of deep fried and grilled food and drank a lot of beer.  Around 7:30 or 8, Mark showed up and the three of us just sat eating, talking, and drinking.  Sometime around 10 or so Angus asked one of the workers when they closed.  Midnight.  And, I finally had my "American in Japan" experience.  Three university students approached us to "talk to the foreigners."  Yes.  They did want a picture.

Mark and Angus have been here for 30 years - which is about 8-10 years longer than the people who approached us seeing as how they are in their 20's.  If you live in the States that long people stop thinking of you as a foreigner.  Here because they are white with European heritage (Angus from New Zealand and Mark from England), they will always be foreigners.

We were kicked out at midnight.  I could not get my bike because the bicycle parking garage closed at 11:30.  So, I walked home.  This morning I walked back to recover it.  The attendants had tagged it as being there overnight.  It still only cost me 100 yen.

The rest of today will be mostly cleaning and preparing for the week ahead.  I have a talk about American Values for my class on Wednesday, I think we'll do a lesson on slang in my Tuesday class, the farewell ceremony happens Wednesday at lunch (it was the only day all the administrators were available), Friday I'll make a presentation about studying at SVSU, and next Monday (July 19) I will go to a high school to talk about what it is like to be an American student.

Fun, fun, fun!

My Final "Required" Dish

Top line edit: I just had a random student come in to talk with me.  He stopped by the main office and Yuko brought him in.  He is a first year music major and wanted to ask me for advice finding a job in the music industry.  He assumed that I am a musician because my "eyes and beard look like a musician." Once we sorted that out, we talked about other things.  It was a fun encounter.

For lunch today Hichiro took me to an udon noodle shop.  This was the last of the dishes my students said I need to try before I leave Japan.  The restaurant was a working class sort of place.  I actually walked past it on my first long trek when I arrived.  (If you checked the link, it is located at the corner where I turned north from walking east.)  When we walked in the menu was written on a whiteboard which was sitting on a glass cabinet.  He placed the order by telling this stooped older woman what we wanted.  She then yelled it to this old man, who I presume is her husband.  Then we sat down at a table and waited.

In the glass cabinet were additional dishes - grilled fish, breaded fried fish, grilled eggplant in sauce.  The udon came with egg, which, like the ramen, cooked in the broth.  On the table was a container of shichimi.  I can now tell my students I have eaten the following at different restaurants.

Sashimi

Sushi

Kushikatsu (deep fried meat, vegetables, and eggs on a stick)

Tempura

Fish katsu

Ramen

Gyoza

Okonomiyaki

Takoyaki

Yakiniku

Soba gome

Soba noodles

Yakitori

Udon

I'm sure I've missed something because I had to go back to add things as I recalled them.  In any case, I have also had Japanese ice cream and shaved ice, o-hagi, mochi, the tea ceremony foods, and various bakery breads (yes, Tami, I have been to some bakeries).  With each meal I have tried to eat things the way the people who took me ate them.  Adding the toppings they add (after trying the dish as served), slurping the noodles, dipping in the sauce, topping with this or that.

Overall, I think this can be considered a successful time in Japan as far as food goes.

Another Food Post

Last night I went to Donki for a few things and decided I would get some ice cream/frozen treat desserts. Today I will share about two of them.  But first, earlier in the term two of my students told me about Pokemon bread.  I came across it last night.

Here it is.  Pokemon bread.  I didn't buy any, but I might go back tonight for it.  Just to say I've had it.  Plus I'll be able to tell the boys what they missed.

On to the main reason for the post, though.

This is Pino.  I didn't check for a country of origin, so for all I know it is imported.  It's little ice cream Rollos.

The little blue stick is a spear.  I'm not sure if I was supposed to chop the pieces up more or not.  I just stabbed each one and ate it.  The flavor is pretty standard chocolate covered vanilla ice cream.  It was nice enough that I'd be happy if it were offered as a snack choice.

Now we come to the scary snack.  I'm not sure who the guy on the package is, but he looks a little overwhelmed by the bite I presume he just took.  I also don't know what "gari gari" means.  It could be the flavor, although "blue" is a flavor in America so that could be wrong.  It says it's blue ice candy.

Yep.  It does what it says on the tin.  Blue ice candy.

This had a flavor that was almost blue raspberry, which is what I expected.  When I opened the package the smell was very strong.  This was much sweeter than anything else I've had here.  This thing is sweet by American standards.  What surprised me the most is how well it stayed on the stick, even after it was down to the last bits.  A popsicle in the States tends to fall off at some point.  Either it breaks along the stick or it melts enough to slide around.  This thing didn't really melt, and even though it had a texture like many small flakes of ice were pressed together, it didn't fall apart.  I don't know if that is standard or if I did something special with how I was eating.  This one I would eat, but I'd be less excited about it compared with Pino.  Maybe the other flavors are different.

Part of me felt bad about eating two desserts in one night.  Clearly not bad enough to stop myself.  I figured I'm 44 years old and I am living alone in an apartment in Japan.  If I want to eat two desserts every night for the rest of the time I'm here, that's what I'll do.  (I'm unlikely to do that, though.  It requires a lot more planning than I am willing to put into things.)

Three Weeks of Class Remain

 Today marks 24 days left until I leave Japan.  I have just three more meetings for each of my classes.  In that time, I will give another 3 or 4 talks/presentations.  There are a few student office visits remaining.

Here are some things I want to suggest to future exchange professors.

    1.  Learn to recognize the N5 and N4 kanji.  There are about 300 of them, which seems dauntingly large at first.  In fact, with 15-20 minutes a day over a week or two you can learn them.  It will make recognizing products in the stores quite a bit easier.

    2.  Speak slowly when talking.  This does not mean speak louder.  Just slow down a bit.

    3.  Whatever lessons you plan, know you have planned them to be too difficult.  Expect to change everything.

    4.  Make sure you are in bicycle riding shape.  I rode all over and I found it very liberating to do so.

    5.  Take one of your lessons to talk about writing a graduation/Bachelor's thesis.  The students do not know how to do this.  Changing a course is very difficult for the permanent faculty to do, but exchange professors have a lot more flexibility.

    6.  Tami can chime in on this, but I would say maintain a blog like I did.  Especially if you are bad at keeping a journal, like I am.  Knowing other people are reading this motivates me to write.  At the end of this all I'll have about 100 entries and hundreds more photos that I would not have taken otherwise.

With the thesis talk today we had the students do two activities.  The first was an idea brainstorm.  We provided them with a list of a dozen or so broad topics and asked them to choose two to expand.  My example was "fishing."  I expanded that by noting many cultures fish, but some cultures use different methods, like dragnets, thrown netting, diving, line, and traps.  It is viewed as a sport or leisure activity in some countries.  I know that fish are a valuable food source.  Worldwide populations of many species of fish are declining, in part due to over-fishing.  Fish farming is a way to increase fish "harvests."

The notion of brainstorming was not new to the students, but putting it into practice was difficult.  This is just the first step.  A good thesis must have a clear statement that answers a question.  The next activity was to look at the expanded topic list and start asking questions from it.  I told them they could focus on a few topics or just one.  What problems are associated with fish farming?  Are there certain fish that are better suited to farming?  How do different cultures view the practice of fish farming?

These two activities were very hard for the students.  First, it was done in a second language.  Second, and more importantly, in order to develop topic ideas and ask questions you first need some base knowledge.  The only way to get that base knowledge is to read, watch, and listen to a lot of different books, movies, television programs, and radio or music.  That foundation allows you to consider connections between ideas and ask questions that you might find interesting.

When you've spent a good chunk of your life doing this type of work, it is hard to stop yourself.  I needed reminding that this is the first time many of these students are being asked to perform this way.  They are very used to giving an answer when a question is asked.  They are not used to finding an answer to a question they ask.

After class a student came to talk with me about all of it.  It was difficult for them to even write down a question they did not know the answer to for fear of me thinking them deficient somehow.  I realized one thing I did not state is that people who do academic work thrive in the space where they do not know the answers.  Finding those questions that allow me to learn something new is exciting.  Hell, just digging up examples about fish farming made me want to learn more and have me wondering if there is a better way to do it.  Less waste, more efficient growth methods, ways to mitigate disease and parasites.  Are there good (or any) tiered systems where farming fish X with fish Y (and Z) gives better results?  I know there are combined fish/hydroponic produce farms.  How can that be modified or improved?

I guess now my question is how do we pass on the love of learning stuff to 20 year-old students who have had it systematically stamped out of them?

Chilidogs and Classroom Games

 The chili dogs went over well.  At least I think they did.  It's difficult because students are not inclined to tell me when they think I've done something wrong or bad.  In any case, they all ate the entire chili dog, a serving of cucumber salad, and an apple turnover.

After we ate we talked a little about cookouts and socializing at these events.  Then they wanted to play a game.  I hadn't prepared one, so I suggested Hangman.  The students enjoyed it, but I could see them struggle.  On the first word they got to "parr_t" and it took a long time for the last guess.  The vowels "e" and "i" had been guessed.  The second word they lost with "_a_on."  I don't recall the other letters (s was one), but I am confident had a native speaker been in the room they would have known the answer.

Some of these students want to be English teachers, so I explained the strategy of the game a little.  I also said some teachers played this with classes to help with vocabulary and spelling lists.  There are only so many ways we create words.  The students were unaware of the fact that in the vast majority of cases, English words will have at most 3 consonants next to each other.  More often it is 2 or fewer.  Knowing that "guideline" exists helps with thinking about spelling.  Aside from that, being a good Hangman player means a large vocabulary based on reading.  It requires good recall and strong pattern recognition.  It would be interesting to make that part of an English language examination.  Here is a partially filled Hangman board.  How many words do you know that will fit?

After Hangman we talked about other games.  I came up with Seven Up, Pictionary, and Charades.  I really struggled to remember any more than that.  I don't think Board Races makes sense.  For young kids, BINGO is a good game in a foreign language.  20 minutes of listening to numbers.

If you think of something played in elementary school classrooms, please let me know.  I'm looking for ideas for next week.  

I'm planning an early night.  I need some rest after the busyness of the weekend and the start of this week.