Tokyo Illumination 2014

Haven't posted here in a while so I threw some videos together from our last trip to Tokyo. Carmon wanted to see the famous "illumination" so we booked a little room in Ueno and spent the night walking around looking at all the Christmas lights and the next morning we just shopped around the  Ueno Station area. Don't set your hopes too high... here it is.

The Magic of Christmas

-by Carmon Drumm

During the holiday season you hear about the “magic of Christmas” regularly. Sure it’s colorful, it’s jolly, the layers of clothes are fun, and it’s exciting when we get to buy great gifts for people we love. Is that the magic of it, though? If the “magic” is based on the grandeur of our children’s imaginations during this time of the year, than doesn’t that make the magic just as much of an illusion as the Santa community at the North Pole?

Recently, during my walk to school, I happened to play a song that was on a friend’s Facebook post. “That’s Christmas To Me”- Pentatonix. During the music video, it showed a home video from each artist’s family Christmases. It made me smile, and all of a sudden, my chest was filled with a familiar warmth.  It surprised me how literal this “warm feeling” was. I reflected on this and wondered how I could possibly ever explain it to my Japanese coworkers, students, or friends. How can I explain to another culture what Christmas Spirit is?

I can’t adequately put it in English, much less find a Japanese equivalent. I’m not surrounded by Christmas lights, commercials, songs, sales, Santas, etc. but yet I felt that strong emotion. So obviously Christmas Spirit, is not based on those things. To try to use those things to describe it would be inadequate. And then I realized, THIS is the “magic” of Christmas. It is the indescribable warmth we get from years of sweet memories. Memories of when our own imaginations were free to believe in red nosed reindeers, of times we received moving gifts, or when we surprised someone else with a thoughtful gift. Memories of comfort food and the people we feasted with. All of these things, shared with people we LOVE. 

This isn’t something that can be taught or explained. It’s about experience. Yes, I can describe it, but the Japanese would never really know it. In childhood they get to experience some of the mystery of Santa, but for the most part, Christmas fills them with romance. It is not a holiday about faith or family, but of partnership and romantic reflection.

I’m so thankful that isn’t the case for me. I’m so thankful that the magic of Christmas is the mystery of Jesus’ birth, the celebration of the gift He is to us, and the excitement that He will come again. I’m so thankful that the magic of Christmas, is the warmth that pours into my body from the compilation of memories of moments spent in love with my family.

This year, we spent Christmas at our church missionary’s house. A group of 12 of us (Japanese, Canadian, and American) enjoyed a family style Christmas together. It was awesome to create this Christmas memory with other Japanese believers. Twice in the day this song came on and I couldn’t help the tears that fell from missing my family in the States. But I wouldn’t have spent it in any other way. I’ll never forget my last Christmas in Japan with the family I've built here. Thanks be to God! I am so blessed.

"the only gift I'll ever need is the joy of family. Oh why? 'cuz that's Christmas to me" - Pentatonix

 メリークリスマス!

(Merry Christmas)

Our Dive Trip To Palau - VIDEO!

Airplane Ear

So Mason is trying to get us back to the blog and is encouraging me to write about today's adventure.

First, you must know that I went home for a short week to celebrate my friend, Devin's, wedding. It was a quick, but awesome trip. I got to hang out with family, meet my 3 best girls' boyfriends, see my pregnant friends, and eat American food (of course). OH, and be there for the 4th of July! yay!

Anywho, I arrived back in Japan on Sunday, and in much discomfort. During my flight from OKC to Houston, my ears never equalized. I think that I was slightly congested and it made the take off and descent uncomfortable. I had about 30 minutes to run across the Houston airport and connect for Tokyo. All the while I was chugging water, pinching my nose, and yawning. I even stopped to buy a pack of gum to try to get my ears to pop. None of it was working. Therefore, another painful take off and descent.

When Mason picked me up from the airport my hearing in my right ear was significantly muffled. I was tired, slightly grouchy, and every bit of irritated with my ears. I went home and went to bed, hoping things would ease up by morning.

Well the next day I went straight to work. Unfortunately, I did not experience any relief. So after the working day was through Mason and I went to a local ER. They examined me and told me that I would need to see a specialist the very next day (because by that hour, all offices were closed).
So another night of discomfort.

This brings us to today. Mason was a judge for the junior high Interactive Forum (you may remember me blogging about last year). Since he was judging, he needed the car to get out to the location. So I had to ask my nurse if someone from the school would take me to the specialist after I taught all of my classes for the day.

My vice principle volunteered to take me, and the time was set for 3:30.

Fast forward to seeing the doctor.

He sat me back in his fancy chair and took a look in my ears. There was this cool little computer screen where I could see what he was looking at. He explained that the ear drum was fine, but that the auditory tube behind it had air trapped in it that was causing the pressure. He agreed that the congestion made my ears unable to clear during the flight and that all of my discomfort was due to that, not infection.
Now, here is where the story gets interesting.

"I think the most important thing is to relieve this pressure. It has been two days like this. So I will use this (holds up long metal tool) to go through your nose, into your throat, to put some pressure on the middle ear tube that is connected behind the throat. Okay?"
I think I may have turned 3 shades lighter as images of Egyptian mummification documentaries flew through my mind.
"恐い!!!,"  I said (Scary!!/I'm scared!). The doctor laughed and said, "Your elementary kids can do it."
Oh okay, that doesn't make me feel any more brave. "The key is just to relax."
At that moment the nurse touched my ear with a camera and I jumped and squeaked like the kindergardener I am. Again, everyone laughed and then the proceeded with the treatment.
They did the left side first. It was quick and easy. I was surprised at how much my left ear needed to be relieved of pressure. The right ear had been so uncomfortable that it wasn't allowing me to notice how strained my left ear was. "Just like that, okay?" said the doctor and he continued with the right side.

Ugh. It. Was. Awful. The right ear, being worse, took longer to get to equalize. The longer I had to feel that long tool moving in my  nose and throat the harder it was to stay relaxed. My cute vice principle was patting my shoulder and in her best English saying "relax, relax, relax."

It was not painful at all. But it was creepy. creepy. creepy.

I was still all nerved up and jumpy after it was over.

I am glad to say that I did experience some immediate relief. I was prescribed some congestion medicine and told to return for a check up on Friday.
When I go, I'll try to snap a picture of that torture device and add it on here.

THIS IS MY DESK

Well it's been a while since I've been here. No excuses, aside from being too busy to spend free time writing. But I'm back temporarily to fill you guys in on something very important. 

THIS IS MY DESK

I sit here often. In fact, I sit here so often that  I thought it'd be worth writing about for the sole purpose of being able to look back and recall all the tiny details that only I would appreciate. So feel free to move along from this post because [SPOILER ALERT] I won't stray too far from what the title would lead you to believe. The following is about my desk. 

Well the first thing you should know is that I haven't always been here. Last year I was way down at the end of the room close by the door. Now I'm in the middle of my teachers room where it's hard as ever to unobtrusively get on my phone. 

"But why would you ever be on your phone during working hours?" You say. To which I reply, "Only to research educational English teaching material." 

Fortunately, there happens to be a lot of great teaching material on Instagram. #likesforlikes

Anyway when the new school year rolled over I was moved to this place. I sit across from Ichige Sensei (our grounds keeper) who happened to work at Carmon's school last year. He's super cool and he and I have formed a good relationship. I think he was pleasantly surprised to find out that I know a thing or two about lawn care, on occasion we’ll tackle some big tasks together.  It's funny because in Oklahoma it's not unusual at all for a boy to be out mowing or weed eating or on a tractor. But in Japan, nobody has any yard space. So kids don't grow up learning any of that. It's just not necessary. However, it is in Oklahoma, and thankfully I can use my (seemingly) common knowledge to keep me busy during the occasional spurts of free time I have at school. 

To my right is the strategically placed, young, English-speaking substitute, Yamamoto Sensei. She's only here for half the day but she is always a pleasure to chat with and is always willing to demystify Japanese culture for me. To my left is a row of printers which is fitting since that's kind of where the English teachers seem to fit best. Somewhere between a substitute teacher and a machine that spits out whatever you command it. 

This is my desk. It's not too shabby. Just your generic, three drawer workplace. Sitting on top you'll typically find a semi organized collection of papers and folders. I'm pretty good about keeping my place clutter free because I can't be productive if things aren't tidy. On the top left I have two vertical paper stands. One holding 6 binders (1st through 6th grade lesson plans) and the other holding an assortment of different folders, Japanese study books and lesson ideas and activities. I have a small calendar that was forwarded to August months ago because that's when Carmon and I go to Palau (Oh yea, we're going to Palau). I think the more I stare at the calendar the faster it'll arrive. Right? 

Laying over the surface of my desk is a myriad of papers, notes, reminders, schedules, menus, numbers, etc, that I refer back to frequently. They're covered by a thick plastic rubber thingy that allows me to still use all the desk space. That was the only thing I've requested from the school and I'm very glad I have it. It's very useful. 

カリキュラム　(my years curriculum at a glance)

List of every class and number of students in each class. 

The months lunch schedule. 

A few business cards from car mechanics.  

My weekly schedule. 

A kanji cheat sheet

AET group photo 

12 month calendar

Desk assignments with teachers names (oh so important)

Random Japanese vocab

Gumbi -to remind my self to always be flexible 

1,2,3,4,5,6 grade lesson plans. 

Folder for all the random papers I get that aren't important. 

Folder for all the papers that seem important but I can't read. 

Kindergarten lesson plans

Printed off pictures

English “passport” copies/originals

Folder with previous lesson plans

Lesson plan paper and blank paper

Teachers craft book

Elementary Japanese book

Complete Japanese verb guide

Notebook and binder

This is my planner. 

I use this every stinkin’ day. I bought about thirty of these when I was in college, thinking that I'd finally start organizing my life but time after time I'd find myself opting out in favor of the unplanned and disorganized life. For whatever reason, perhaps necessity, I've come to rely on my planner here in Japan. It's a big part of my day and it goes with me everywhere. 

Back to the desk. Let's look inside. First we have the top drawer on the left. I don't use it much but It serves as a safe haven for all the important looking documents that I get but can't read. You'll also notice my toothbrush, American toothpaste (because Japanese toothpaste is gross), drumsticks and a guide book to living in mito. 

The top drawer on the right is my go to. It's got all my junk I need regularly. Pens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, etc.. 

The second drawer is where my EDC Tom Bihn Copilot goes. And directly behind it is a secret box where I place all the thoughtful (but nasty) candies and snacks teachers give out on a regular basis. I have to unload it every week. 

The third drawer is where I've managed to squeeze all the crap I don't use and don't need. There's no rhyme or reason to that. We just don't talk about it. 

Anyway, that's it. I really hope you didn't read all the way through because that means you've got literally nothing better to do or you're my mom. 

Thanks!

One year came fast!

It’s been a year now. Well, almost. Next Monday is the start of our second year here and probably our last. Mom, Dad (especially Dad), I say probably because you just never know… but we’re like 98.7% certain we’ll be headed home home this time next year.

And by home home I mean New Zealand. 

So, going off the stats, Carmon and I are nearing our halfway point of living in Japan. Let me take this opportunity to look back on what’s happened, how we’ve changed, and what we tentatively want for the second half of our adventure here in the land of the rising sun.

Travel

The city we live in is considered country and has a less than enthusiastic vibe about it. Mito is sort of the Bartlesville of Japan. By Japan’s standards, it’s kind of just out there with not much going on. Of course to two Okies it’s quit a different story. We’re roughly in the center of Japan on the East coast, which means were two hours by train from Tokyo (the same amount of time it takes to make a trip from OKC to Tulsa by car) and 30 minutes from the Pacific. Add another two hours west or north and you’ve got gorgeous mountains and forests. To say that we’ve had a change of scenery is an understatement.

Don't worry, in 40 minutes there's a McDonalds!

Although we miss the plains of Oklahoma, we’re doing our best to make the most of our time here in this beautiful country. In addition to our surrounding locations, we’ve been able to experience the more distant settings of Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Osaka, Niigata, Nikko, Daigo, Sado Island, Arashiyama, Sendai, Fukushima, and, thanks to the Dudley’s, Tokyo Disney!

Japan has so many places to explore and we plan on hitting Hokaido (the northern Island- pretty much Japan’s Alaska) and Konshyuu (the southern, more tropical islands) later this year. During Japan’s nation-wide holiday “Golden Week” we’re headed to Seoul in South Korea. Don’t have much of a plan for that but it should be interesting. Oddly, we’ve just realized that tickets to Okinawa will only run us around $100 so perhaps we’ll make some weekend diving trips there if we can manage to schedule it.

...or $7.50 for first class with Malaysia Air. 

One great thing about this past year is that, amidst all our travels, I’ve grown to really appreciate and study the art of photography.

Before we left the States I already enjoyed taking photos but I had a rather shallow knowledge of it, and I didn’t understand the mechanics behind producing wonderful images.

I always wanted to know what masp meant.

Being in such a beautiful country has spurred me on to practice photography in a more intentional way. I’ve also been afforded a special opportunity to be an official photographer for one of my favorite bag companies, although I feel super uncomfortable calling myself a photographer!

At best, I’m learning everything I can about the craft and I’m aspiring to be such. Anyway, I don’t want to go into details about that yet (I’ll save that for a separate post). Ultimately, this year has been a huge learning and growing experience. I’m shooting as often as possible and soaking up everything I can from books, articles, podcasts and anything else photo-related. And through out it all, my wife has been cheering me on the whole way, even through the expensive process of upgrading cameras.

RIP
2011-2013

Speaking of Carmon, we celebrated our first year of marriage last May! Being newlywed and young, making the decision to move to Japan was going to have its effect on our marriage for better or for worse. I can happily say that moving here was most certainly for the better. Japan is awesome, but it definitely will give you your fair share of culture stress. Luckily, at the end of the day Carmon and I have had each other to come home to and rely on. If anything, this experience has brought us closer together, and as corny as it sounds, I’ve grown to love her even more than when we left.

I’m really looking forward to next year.
First year, you kind of don't know what’s going on. I didn’t really have any grasp on the language.  Everything’s just so new and potentially overwhelming. Going into the second year I can see that things will be smoother.

lesson 1. T-shirts don't have to make sense. 

Carmon is changing to an elementary school and pre-k, which is a big change from junior high kids. She’s going from flirting boys to flinging boogers. She's a bit nervous about the change up but I think it'll be a wonderful new experience!

Finally, relationships at the church and with our Japanese friends (and other AET’s) will continue to develop over the next year. I'm doing my best to be intentional about building relationships and sharing my faith with others. As of recently, the relationships we've established so far are beginning to stretch into deeper waters. Talking about things like faith, struggles, God and grace are beginning to happen. Spiritually, God has blessed our time here so much. I say “spiritually” because he’s obviously blessed our time here with travel and most certainly friends and building relationships, but God has been even more gracious to us in that he’s clarified and affirmed some things in my life and in my understanding that was very needed. We’ve been fortunate enough to have people enter into our lives that have blessed and encouraged us in so many different ways. This short paragraph won’t do justice in telling our faith walk this past year so I’ll save it for another post sometime.

Ok, so that was a bit short and rather rushed but till next time...

MattaNe!

Goodbye Graduates

Goodbye notes written by 9th graders (in English). Can you see the little birds?

(Disclosure: If you have trouble reading the images please click on them to make them larger.)

Soon, my 9th grade boys and girls will be moving on to high school. I haven't had the pleasure of teaching them much these last couple trimesters. They have been SO busy with entry tests for high school. I've already begun to miss those crazies.

Last Friday, February 21, was officially my last day in class with them. Their main English teacher was very kind to give me a special project to do with them as a final lesson: goodbye notes.

They were asked to write two or three sentences saying goodbye to the school, teachers, and/or their friends. It was a touching experience. I did my best to turn this project into a display that would attract the students to read each other's notes.
The spring season is a big deal in Japan. First the plum trees will blossom, and they are soon followed by the cherry blossoms. Therefore, I decided to design a tree for every 9th grade class (pictured above).

the Special Education class' own tree. 

At the end of each class, I was given the opportunity to give them my own goodbye. Above all, I wanted them to know how they are cared for by their teachers and how they have forever changed me for the better. I told them that I know I won't be the only life they touch and how I hope they'll always remember that they are valued. I encouraged them to enjoy life; not just work it away. They couldn't understand everything I was saying. Nonetheless, they could sense my emotion.

Their English teacher arranged for them to write me goodbye notes as well.. here are a few.

(Side note: I think Mrs. Erica Berry deserves some credit for the kids who have changed their minds about English over the years. They studied with her for two years before I came along. I'm sure she influenced their liking English more than I did.)

And finally, a few boys decided to write poems/letters to me. These guys were making it hard not to cry. They're just too cute.

It will be sad to see these kids go. I love them and pray for them often. My heart is heavy with a desire for them to have a full life. I really hope that I will run into them every once in a while.