Sensei and Sensibility
Monday, June 23, 2003
Ooh, ooh, ooh!
I remember, I remember...je me souviens!
I was going to write about my most interesting Saturday!
It really didn`t start out looking like it was going to be an interesting day, actually. I had to teach three classes at a little school down south of me. However, something interesting happened there that made me think.
The lady who runs the school was telling me about one of her students who could not come to the school - he was in the hospital being treated for cancer. He is 10 years old. We decided that if he was going to be stuck in there, we would dress up as clown doctors ("Dr. English") and go and play English games and stuff with him. Then I started thinking that I should develop this programme. Elementary school kids love English and English games, and it would be a great idea, I think, to visit the kids in the hospital (under the acceptable guise of "tutoring" them) and clown around with them and cheer them up.
Feeling buoyed by a feeling of newfound purpose (although I won`t be able to work on this project until after I get back from Vancouver), I headed off to meet my friend Yuko for tea.
The tea shop we went to is located in an old, thatched-roof farm-house. It was peaceful and cool and dark and the food was great (mmmm, mochi in white miso soup!). Inside these thatched houses, there is always the smell of a fire (fires burn in the hearth continually to help preserve the wood), and it is a cool place to sit out a hot summer`s day.
The conversation turned toward her beloved grandfather, who is suffering from the beginnings of Alzheimer`s disease. It was his story though, that interested me the most. He was in the Japanese army during WW2, and ended up being injured and losing the use of his right arm. Yuko was very shy to tell me about this, not because I might be shocked at the sight of his arm dangling there, but because there is a sort of code of silence surrounding WW2 Vets here. There is a sense of deep shame in this country about their involvement in the "wrong" side of the war. I looked at Yuko, who was squirnimg slightly as she told me about his military past, and reminded her that I too could understand the shame she was talking about - for my father and grandparents were in Germany and Austria during that time - and in my family too there is a code of silence surrounding their involvement. I know the basics, which were delivered to me in flat, slightly embarassed tones, but the details are still too traumatic for anyone to share with me.
In any case, Japan`s shame is national. Yuko`s Grand dad was a public official before the war, but after the war, anyone with past military involvement was banned from any sort of government post. So her grand dad became a kind of cultural specialist, and along with his wife (who wears kimono every day and hates modern clothing) continue to spread the cultural traditions of Japan to the people of their little town.
What was interesting to me was our conversation about allies and enemies, attackers and victims. I believe that, in any war, everyone involved is both and ally and an enemy of someone, and also an attacker and a victim. It is difficult for us to understand, though perhaps less so after 9/11. But if you ask anyone who has been through a war, on either the winning or the losing side, They will tell you that there are no good guys or bad guys - it is all loss.
Interesting conversation for a muggy, early-summer`s day when one is sitting in a centuries old wooden home staring out at the river trickling past through the forest.
We left as our conversation drew to a close, and made our way to a small exhibit of Bangladeshi art that was going on in town (such random things pop up here! Well, perhaps not so random - the son in law of a lady here is the Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh). It was beautiful, though small, and vaguely reminiscent of Nepal. Interestingly, there was a display of "Bangladeshi" money - one of the notes was indeed Bangladeshi, and the other two were Nepali!!!
And... Yuko`s grandfather came with us! We went back to her house for more coffee, and I learned that he is just the sweetest man! He was so incredibly cute - just like a puttering little 83 year old, good natured and with a fondness for chocolate. He was giggling the whole time I was there, no doubt at hearing his grand-daughter speaking English.
And with that, I went home. What a strange day! My mind was spinning, and didn`t stop until Harry Potter came to distract me!!!
 Sabine . 5:24 PM . Comments
Um....
Ooops.
I thought of a blog to write on Saturday. I remember thinking that it was something I just needed to put down, because I thought that I would want to remember it.
And then the new Harry Potter came. Now, I forget what planet I am on, let alone what blog I was going to write...
Damn you Harry!!!!
;)
Sabine
Sabine . 4:42 PM . Comments
Sunday, June 15, 2003
Random Acts of Kindness
Have you ever taken a taxi ride and discovered that the person shuttling you around was really a doctor in Zaire or an engineer from Sri Lanka?
So there we were, my friend from Canada, Veronica, and my friend Colin, meandering around Kyoto when we decided to take a taxi to a distant temple. We were off to Ryoanji temple, which posesses one of the finest examples of a Zen rock Garden in Japan.
Our taxi driver nonchalantly opened a folder and passed me a portrait that he had taken of the famous garden. "Present." He had said. I was more than a little touched, I mean isn`t it US who are supposed to give HIM a tip??? So, we started talking about how he took the photo and about the camera that he used. Then he opened up the magical folder again and gave us another 8 X10 picture he had taken, then another, then another, and another. It turns out that he is not only a taxi driver, but an awesome photographer as well!
So, there we were, riding in a taxi to a distant corner of Kyoto with a huge stack of professional quality, frameable prints of all the most beautiful places in Kyoto.
How does one say "Thank you" enough for that???
Then this morning my neighbour decided to stop by before I left for school to give me a spicy dipping sauce she had made the previous night. My guess is that she saw Veronica getting out of my car and wanted to find out what was going on, but even still it was so kind of her. I can never manage to repay Mrs Fujiwara`s kindesses, no matter how many banana breads I make for her.
Then on Friday, just after I got home from school, the doorbell rang again. It was two people I had never seen before and they were asking me if one of my neighbours was home. I informed them that the gentleman in question only comes to this apartment on weekends, as he works near Osaka. They nodded and introduced themselves to me. They are from the Home for the Elderly around the corner. Suddenly, the lady ran off to the car and came back carrying a freshly-baked fruitcake for me.
After they left, the doorbell rang again. It was one of my elementary school kids. We had played a game in class that week and he had won a sticker. He had come to give me a present in return - a prized Pokemon sticker that he carefully peeled from the case of his Gameboy. Then he asked me if I could come over to play one of these days. He promised to teach me how to play video games...
There is something so wonderful about living in a small town, something so nurturing. Even if it means that I can`t accomplish anything while at home because the door-bell is always ringing....
:)
Sabine . 6:11 PM . Comments
The Enema
I walked into one of my elementary schools and an announcement of my arrival was immediately made on the P.A. system. This was very unusual as usually the kids see me coming from a mile away and run to the windows shouting, "Good morning, Sabine sensei!"
On this day, though, all was quiet. So, there I stood in the teachers` room, organising my things for class, when suddenly the door opened and in came one little 2nd grade student. He was shaking in his slippers. He looked at me, and bowed so low that his head almost touched his knees. Earnestly, he looked at me and stammered, " I am very sorry for giving you a kanchou (enema) last week and making you sick."
Inside I was laughing myself silly. The poor student got so excited during one class, that he couldn`t stop himself from poking his fingers up my butt. It happens. All the time. At one point, a comedian on TV did this to a guest and shouted "Kanchou!" ("Enema!") and it caught on. Now, whenever young children get excited, they run around with their fingers pointing together and they stick them up the unsuspecting butts of whomever is standing in the way. The week prior to my illness, I was that unsuspecting person in the path of this child.
Although I was laughing inside, I knew that this little 8 year-old was truly sorry for what he did. He thought that he had made me very sick. Apparently, after the little lecture on how grabbing Sabine sensei in the private parts makes her sick, the boy had stuck up his hand and admitted that he had "given me an enema with his fingers". Then another student admitted to having done it, and another, and another - every student at that school who had ever poked me up the butt decided to come clean and vow to stop poking me, for fear of killing me.
My reaction the first time it happened was shock, the next time it was laughter, and after that, I gave a very stern look that had even the teachers convinced that I was angry. Inside, I was always laughing - I mean where else is it acceptable to poke people between the butt-cheeks??!
And so, one by one, the students who had poked me all came into the teachers` room to apologize. They were not angry or embarrassed so much - it was more like they were fearful.
I think they believe that their pet foreigner will die if it is poked up the rear too often...
Ah, the lessons I never thought I`d be teaching!
Sabine . 5:56 PM . Comments
Wednesday, June 04, 2003
Off Talk, or my experience with SARS
I picked the wrong time to catch the flu. Actually, in Japan, it is considered a cold. In January, when I had a fever of 40 degrees (about 103 F) and was vomitting every 15 minutes, I had a "stomach cold" not the stomach flu. In reality, it was neither, it was the Norwalk virus. But that virus doesn`t exist in Japan. Apparently, neither does SARS. Unless, of course, you are a foreigner, in which case, you must have SARS, even if you are healthy.
Sound confusing? Try figuring it all out on a Monday night when you are lying on the tatami mats of your living room with a fever of 39 degrees (about 102).
Let me back up to clarify things for you. About 2 weeks ago, I developped a sore throat and a cough. I didn`t worry, because the same thing happened at the same time last year - it is the season for hayfever and also for kosa - literally kiiro sora, or yellow sky, the time when the sands from the Gobi desert blow over Japan causing the sky to yellow and everyone to get irritated throats from the fine dust.
Otherwise, I remained symptom free, until Monday that is. I was feeling grouchy and bad all day, but it really hit me when I was at volleyball practice - suddenly I became dizzy and the gym was spinning. I went home and lay down on the tatami mats and took my temperature: 39 degrees. I called my friend Yuko (also the English teacher at my school) and told her about my fever. She suggested that I go to the doctor the next day. Because I am a foreigner, and have a cough and a fever, the town could easily panic that I might have SARS (even though I haven`t been to a SARS country or been in contact with anyone with the disease). It is as though they fear I could have it just because I am Canadian, and it exists in Canada.
So, I prepared some Neo Citran and went to bed. The next morning, Yuko arrived to pick me up to take me to the doctor. My fever was still high. This doctor lived in the States for a while, so she speaks English very well. I explained about my cough and my fever. I told her that originally I thought it was hayfever or kosa, but now that I have a fever, I think I was wrong. She asked me how my trip to Canada was. ???? Last time I was in Canada was at Christmas.... She asked me where I went for spring break in March. I told her Nepal. She asked if there was SARS there. I told her no, and even if there was, I was there over 2 months ago. She looked at my throat and exclaimed, "very red!" I immediately thought, "Uh, oh, Strep throat I bet." But she took no swab. Nor did she take my temperature. Briefly she listened to my lungs and declared them perfect. It wasn`t SARS. She then asked me what kind of hayfever medication I would like. I asked her if that meant that I had hayfever then. She said no. Then she asked me what kind of antibiotic I would like. I asked her if I had Strep throat or a bacterial infection or such. She said no, it was probably viral. She then asked me what kind of medication I would like. I looked at her, and told her that perhaps some Tylenol would help bring down my fever, but I didn`t know what that was called in Japanese, and perhaps something for my cough, like an expectorant would be good. So, she wrote out the prescriptions for me and sent me on my way.
Yuko picked me up and asked if it was SARS. I said, "No, just some kind of flu."
And with that, I went home to take my medication. I looked at the Japanese Tylenol - the instructions were to take one pill as needed. But each pill only contained 150mg of acetaminophen. So I took 3. Eventually, after 2 days, the fever did go down, but I didn`t quite realize the level of panic I had created in my town.
On the town`s broadcast system, called "Off Talk" an announcement was made to each household: " Sabine Sensei is sick today. She has a fever of 39 degrees and has been to see the doctor. She is at home resting and will not be able to teach Conversation English tonight. Once again, Sabine Sensei has a fever and is at home resting, so tonight`s conversation class is cancelled."
At school, there was a minor panic. I had told Yuko that I had the flu, not knowing that the flu is considered to be just as bad as SARS here ( I think to them it means the kind of flu that kills people, like the Spanish Influenza). My school immediately had our nurse contact the doctor that I went to see. The doctor, in turn, gave all the details of my physical to my school, which in turn called my other three schools to tell them all the details of my illness. It was not THE flu, it was a cold.
In the meantime, people were dropping bananas and such off on my front doorstep. My teachers were sending my cell phone cute messages in English: "Please take care of your SARS! HA HA!"
One of my elementary school teachers thought that he had discovered the root of my illness: while I was at that school on Friday, a student grabbed my breasts. Full on GRABBED them, and then casually said, "soft!" I was in shock, but laughing, as I told that story in the teachers` room. Anyhow, this teacher decided that the shock from having my breasts grabbed must have been enough to give me a fever, and so he promptly called my other schools to tell them to lecture the students on NOT grabbing Sabine`s breasts.
And so on Wednesday, all my elementary students were assembled and lectured to: "Please do not grab Sabine Sensei`s breasts. She has a weak constitution. The shock from that will give her a fever."
Only five more weeks till I go back to Vancouver (and the land of the sane) for a vacation. You have NO idea how much I need that right now.....
Sabine . 8:28 PM . Comments
all journal entries
This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?
|
