Happy Duck in the Rain

Birthday

2009-04-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

24歳になりました～！ということで、別に何も特別なことができたわけでもなく、寂しいと言ったらそうなってしまった誕生日だったのですが、家族や友達に思われているということを感じられる、幸せな日でした☆

いつも朝ベッドから起きてまずメールチェックをするのですが、この日は何十通ものメールやグリーティング・カード、それにFacebookのメッセージが届いていました。それを見て離れていても、もう5年とか会っていなくても私のこと考えてくれて、誕生日にはおめでとうって言ってくれる友達がいっぱいいることを嬉しく思いました。1人1人にありがとうって返事を書きました。

そして家の近くのスーパー内にあるカフェでモカをゲット。3月はモカ・フライデーというのをしていて、毎週金曜はモカが$1だったんです。ちなみにマフラーはお母さんの手編み♪♪どこに行くにもつけています。寒いから家の中でもしてることもしばしば。写真では見えていませんが、誕生日にもらったお気に入りの指輪もしっかりはめてます。

Andyとランチに出かけました。ポートランドまで本当は遊びに行きたかったけど、近場で我慢。初めてのレストランにトライ。Andyの注文したピザ風なサンドイッチはおいしかったですが、私のワイルド・サーモン・シーザーサラダは正直まずかったです。残念！ハズレ！
（キャミソールもお母さんが誕生日に送ってくれたもの）

値段の割りに味が悪かったので気分を損ねた私たちはボーリングへ。1ゲームだけしました。靴も入れて1人$7。日本に比べたらだいぶ安い。2回までは絶好調だった私ですが、それ以降はボロボロ。
そういえば2年前の誕生日にもボーリングへ行ったな～。その時は友達2人も一緒に。

この近くのスーパーをぶらりとした後、家に帰って私の誕生日は終了といった感じ。本当にあっけないものでした。私が今いる街には知り合いがいないし、たとえEugeneにいたところで春休みなのでほとんどの友達は日本に一時帰国中かサンフランシスコやニューヨーク、カナダとかに旅行中だし。一緒に祝ってくれる人がいないとこうなっても仕方ないよね。。。（たった1人一緒にいてくれたAndyには感謝！）

後日、女学院時代をゴスペル部と学友会で共にし、日本に帰る時は必ず何回も一緒に遊ぶ佐恵からプレゼントが届きました★完璧サプライズ。中身はなんと私の大好きな駄菓子の詰め合わせに、お味噌汁や春雨、おかゆなどのインスタントパッケージ、それに桜風味のお茶！！日本食（？）が恋しいだろうなという彼女の思いがいっぱい詰まった贈り物。あとゴスペル部の友達それぞれからのカードとかカードの寄せ書きとかも集めてくれたんです！みんなからの心のこもったメッセージに感謝感激でした。佐恵はこういう、みんなをまとめたり、何か企画するのほんと上手。いつも私の一時帰国の予定が決まった時点でゴス部のみんなに連絡して、おかえり会を企画、当日までの連絡係、そして幹事も一人でこなしてくれるんです。ありがと～佐恵<3

高校以来ずっと親友のAzuは誕生日に日本から電話をくれました。Azuと彼女の彼氏とちょっとおしゃべり。Azuは別に緊急な連絡でも、これといった用があるわけでもないのに、通勤時間の時とかにちょこちょこ電話くれて、ほんと優しい。唯一日本から電話をくれる人。家族とも電話しないのに（笑）プレゼントも送ってくれたんだけど、今日留守中に配達の人が来ちゃってた。だから明日届くのが楽しみ☆ありがと～あず <3

まだ届いてはいないけど、プレゼント送ってくれた友達も他にいて、こんないい友達がいっぱいいる私はやっぱり幸せ者です☆24歳も充実した日々を過ごせるように、頑張ります！みんなありがと～♪

それにしても22歳で結婚、24歳で出産のプランは一体。。。

Birthday Gifts

2009-03-26T09:43:00.001-07:00

やったー！！家から誕生日プレゼントが届きました：）：）ＥＭＳで送ってくれたのに、なかなか届かなくて、毎日きたかなきたかなと窓から郵便のトラックを探していました。中身はご覧の通り。バレリーナのかわいいカードに、キャミソール、あと私の大好きなお菓子ばっかり！干芋と、いちごチョコマシュマロにはびっくり！キャー！ってエクサイトしてる写真もあるのですが、髪の毛がボサボサすぎて載せれない＾＿＾；　そして一番は指輪。ピンクゴールドのバンドで、ピンクのダイヤ型の石がキラキラ光るもの。すっごくかわいくて、ずっと見てたくなるような指輪です。（実際こうやってタイプしててもずっと見てますｗ）水を使う時や寝る時、ちゃんとはずして、なるべく傷とか汚れが付かないように注意してます。ここの写真にはないけど、毎日使っている、ベージュで大きいリボンの付いた皮のバッグも誕生日にもらいました！これは日本で、2ヶ月も早いプレゼント☆このかばんも、そしてまだはめてて2日のリングも、どこに行ってもみんなに「それかわいいね」って声をかけられます。そういうの、あまり日本ではないよね。アメリカではよくあること。カフェとかお店の店員さんが、「その服かわいいね」とか、「髪型かわいいね」とか言ってくれる。普通に、パッて目が合った人とか同じカフェに居る人とか、道ですれちがっただけの人にも、「それすっごいかわいい！どこで買ったの？」って言われることしょっちゅうある。そういうアメリカのカジュアルで、フレンドリーな文化が好き☆明日は誕生日。24歳になります！

Happy 2 years and 8 months!

2009-03-01T18:33:00.000-08:00

Andyと私の2年8ヶ月記念日にPortlandで1日遊んできました！まずはこの土曜からシーズン開始のSaturday Marketへ。あまりにも寒すぎてすぐに断念。暖かいところを求め。。。次に向かったのはNordstrom Rack。そこでアクセサリーをちょっとみてから、Pioneer Squareというモールへも。それでも日本から帰って来てから、あまりこっちの物に興味がでなくなってしまって手にとってみようという気さえおこらないんです。いいこといいこと☆服や靴、かばんやアクセサリーにしても、やっぱり日本の物の方がかわいい＞＜　自分でもびっくりするけど、こっちに帰って来て自分の為に買ったといえばキャンディー類と切手だけ。それと後で出てくる一着。

Heathman HotelのCacaoというカフェでdrinking chocolateを買って、それをホテルのラウンジで楽しみました。とてもリッチでほんと、何口かでちょうどいいって感じ。これだけ大量のチョコレート＋クリームを摂取したら何カロリーだろうと思いながらも全部飲みました。とても雰囲気の良いところで、落ち着きました。

次はPortlandで有名なBooDoo Doughnutを目指しレッツ・ゴー！この行列にはびっくり！ドーナツの為に寒い中並ぶなんて信じられないでしょ？カップルや家族連れが多く、みんなどれにしよっかなーってワクワクしながら待っていました。私らの後ろにいた男の子も、"I'm getting not 'a' doughnut, but 'the' doughnut!!" と飛び跳ねて言っていました。なかには4箱（48個、24ドル）もかついで出てくる人も！どんだけ食べるねん！味は正直普通だったけど、今まで見たことのない、かわったドーナツがいっぱいあって面白かったです。人気のもう一つのポイントは夜遅くまで開いていることかな。なんと営業時間6am-3am！

この後雨が降ってきた為に、お花やガーデニング、キッチン用品などの小さいお店やお洒落なカフェが並ぶ23rdまで歩く計画を断念。替わりにどこか行ったことのないカフェでお茶にしようと見つけたのが、Mother'sというカフェ・バー・ダイニング。

紅茶のアール・グレイをオーダーしたのに出てきたのは煎茶！何も疑わずにミルクを入れて、一口飲んだ時にお茶が緑だと気づいた時は、吐きそうになりました。（写真でも分かるように、見るからに緑です！でもアール・グレイをたのんでおいて、まさか煎茶が出てくるとは思わなかったので、見もしませんでした＞＜）店員さんに言うのも面倒臭かったので我慢しました。せっかくいいカフェに来たのに、がっかり。

　　　最後に寄ったのがColumbiaのお店。このスポーツ・メーカーは実はこのPortlandで誕生しました！100ドル以下のものを見つけるのに苦労するほどどれも高価で、買う気はさらさらなかったのですが、セールになっているピンクのジップパーカーを見つけてしまって。前からこのほぼ毎日降る雨対策にパーカーが必要だと思っていたので買ってしまいました。手持ちの20%offのクーポンを使っても決して安くはなかったのですが、water proofで換気性も優れていて、あれだけ材質のよいものなので、いい買い物だったと思います。

Andyと1日色んな所に行って楽しかったです☆いつもは節約節約で遊びに行ったりなんてほぼしないので。私たちにしてはちょっとだけ贅沢な1日でした。次は私の誕生日ー☆☆
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Interview

2009-03-01T18:11:00.000-08:00

I have an interview tomorrow. I went to a net-working event two days ago, and met a lot of business people. I emailed to all the 10+ presidents/managers/directors who gave me a business card. So far, one of two people who wrote me back wants to see me again and discuss some part-time jobs that are available at his company. It'll be nice to have another part-time job. If this doesn't work out, that's ok. Since tomorrow is Monday, I'm expecting to get more responses. I'll see.

Nike World Campus

2009-02-27T08:47:00.000-08:00

ナイキの本社は私が今住んでいるここBeavertonにあります！（それでこの街にはお金があるんだよね。）キャンパスはとても広くて圧倒されてしまいます。写真のように、敷地の中央には大きな池があって、周りではグースが歩いています。本物そっくりの銅像もあちこちにあって、特に写真にいる画を描く人にはびっくりさせられた～！！本物の人だとずっと思っていたので、横に行ってぴくりとも動かないことに気づいた時は鳥肌が立ちました。

とにかくのんびり、ゆったりした雰囲気のキャンパス。こんなところで働いてる人達は幸せだな。。。☆そんな場所、もっと外部に公開したらいいのに。基本、従業員以外は入れないそうです。そう言われても入っちゃったけどｗ　ラッキー★

Cafe Times<3

2009-02-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

Beaverton Bakelyに初めて行ってきました。1枚目の写真が外観です。この左横にこのベーカリーの工場が、右横にはwedding cake専門店が隣接しています。　　　　　　
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
とても人気のようで、店の周りには車がぎっしり止まっていました。次から次へとお客さんが入ってきました。店内は小さいのですが、様々な種類のパンやケーキがぎっしり、ショーウィンドーにも棚にも並んでいます。

中でも私が気に入ったのはカラフルでとてもかわいいクッキー！スマイリー、くま、クローバー、虹、バスケットボール、サンタクロース、キスマークなど種類豊富！どれにしようか迷ってしまいます。1925年から愛され続けているのも無理ないな。

そして今日のメインイベントは友達のM.L.と会うこと☆American Cancer Societyでインターンシップをしていた時以来なのでとても楽しみだった。

M.L.はとても元気そうでなにより：）彼女は新しいブーツを買ったのだが合う服がないため、履けずにいるとのこと。冬が終わってしまう前に履けるだけ履かないと！ということで、ポートランド・ダウンタウンにあるNordstrom Rackで服選びに付き合った。やっぱり女の子と行くショッピングは楽しい！黒いスカートと白いシャツを購入。

その後私の大好きな23rdへドライブ。目指すはVIVACEというカフェ。Wi-Fi（フリー・ワイヤレス）があるので仕事や宿題をしている人がたくさんいた。クレープが人気というので私もストロベリー・チョコレートクレープにトライした。たっぷりの生クリームと甘いチョコレートソースがとてもリッチ。クレープ自体の大きさも半端じゃないので、もうこれだけでお腹いっぱい！一緒に注文したラテもまたクリームでリーフのデザインがしてあり、とってもキュート。

M.L.とこの半年の間にどんなことがあったのか、また今の仕事や将来のことなどお互いいっぱい話した。相変わらず忙しそうだったけど、人の前で料理をできるパートタイムの仕事も始めるみたいで目を輝かせていた。彼女が大好きなことを仕事にできるということは私にとっても嬉しいことだった。仕事っていうより趣味って感じで楽しめると思う。次々に目標を達成しているM.L.をまた目にしていい刺激になった。私も頑張ろっと♪

さー仕事！

2009-02-21T17:09:00.000-08:00

仕事のアサイメントがきました！とりあえず記事３つです。昨日の晩からリサーチしつつ、書き始めました。内容はまだ社外秘なんです。ブログみたいに自分の言葉で気楽に書けるものはいいのですが、家族や友達以外の人にも読まれ、情報として信用されるものを書くのは少しプレッシャーです。間違った情報を流さないように二重三重にリサーチし確認しながらなので、とても時間がかかっています。割に合わない仕事とは正にこの事。自分が好きなことをできていて、将来したい仕事内容にも直結しているというので割り切ってするしかないですね。経験と練習を積むうちにもっと早く一つの仕事をこなしていけるようになるはず。とりあえず今はリサーチの中で私自身知らなかったことを知れる楽しさを感じているし、このまま頑張ろうと思います。そのうちレストランやカフェの取材など入ってきたらタダでおいしいもの食べれるしー☆インタビューで、新たな出会いをするのも楽しみです！

今夜と明日でこの１つめの記事を仕上げたいです。明日は友達のＭ．Ｌ．ともポートランドのカフェでおいしいスイーツとドリンクを楽しむ予定。人気のカフェのようなのでワクワクです♪

Am I ready to drive???

2009-02-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

So, I've been trying to study the Oregon driver manual. And I just need to tell you how cheap it is to get a license here in America compared to Japan.

I will need...

Instruction Permit $22.50
Knowledge Test $ 5.00
Drive Test $ 9.00
First-time License $59.00

What is this, really. Never knew you can take any test for $5!
Everything is still under $100! While in Japan, I heard that it costs more than $3,000!

I'd better get one here.

引越し

2009-02-17T22:14:00.000-08:00

Beavertonに引越しました！Eugeneから北に車で１時間半から２時間、Portlandの郊外の町です。彼氏のAndyの実家に居候。３月中旬から下旬に友達の家に移って空いている一部屋をAndyと借りる予定です。一人暮らし。。。じゃなくてもせめて一人部屋の夢が～！！この写真、この間モールで撮ったんですが、ちょっと気に入ってます♪

引越してからは、Andyの部屋の改造から始め、荷物整理に追われました。だいぶ物も捨てたので、次の引越しは楽なはず。

やっと一段落したところで、今日はDMVにdriver's manualを取りに行きました。日本に比べると運転免許はだいぶ楽に、そして安くとれるので、挑戦します。とりあえずこのマニュアルで勉強して筆記試験を受けるつもり。

それから郵便局に行って、住所変更届けを提出。荷物も日本に送りました。
銀行にも行って住所を変更しました。

最後にPowell'sというとても大きな本屋に行き、そこのカフェでGREの頻出単語を単語カードに書き出しました。久々に勉強した。。。これをかばんに入れておいて、移動時などに覚えようと思います。
大学院に行くのは来年か、いつになるかは分からないけど、知ってて損なし！

帰宅後はメールチェックをしてディナー。今夜は納豆、ほうれん草サラダをハニーマスタードドレッシングと、。。。あと。。。Andyのお母さんが作った、レーズンとアーモンドたっぷりのオートミールクッキーをいっぱい食べました。それから日本からお土産で買ってきた高級梅干、最後にUwajimayaという日本食のスーパーで昨日買ったきなこもちチロルチョコの最後の５つを食べました。ホント変な組み合わせ。

長～い１日でした★

ladder of becoming a journalist

2009-02-17T21:08:00.000-08:00

木曜日にジャングルシティの社長のＴさんと初めてお会いしました。とても若い、楽しい方でした。私は大阪府、Ｔさんは兵庫県出身なので、ところどころ混ざってくる関西弁と、ダイレクトで、はきはきとしたところが共通していました。ジャングルシティは設立１０年ですが、最大のシアトル情報サイトを運営している会社です。私の仕事はたぶん来週から始まります。ライターとして取材をし、記事に仕上げます。大好きな写真も一緒に伝えられるのが、楽しみです。

この二枚はＴさんにお会いしたカフェ。私はホットチョコレート（ココア）をオーダーしました。写真からは分かりにくいと思いますが、量がかなりありました。

色々仕事の話をした後、Travel PortlandのＹさんにClyde Commonというレストランでランチをご馳走してもらいました。長テーブルが真ん中にドンっとあり、他のお客さんと近距離で向かいあって座ります。これは日本人は苦手だと思います。私はサラダを注文。レタスが大切りだったので、少し食べにくかったのですが、アップルとチーズとナッツのコンビネーションが絶妙でした。

食後のコーヒーは、レストランの隣にあるStumptown Coffeeで。ソファで、新聞や雑誌などを読んでくつろげます。ゴールデンリトリバーを連れて来ている人も。植物が置いてあり、とてもリラックスできる空間でした。コーヒーもおいしかったです。

これから新しいカフェやレストランにどんどん入って、私のお気に入りを見つけたいと思います☆

What I miss and don't miss about Japan

2009-02-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

What I miss:

お母さんのおいしいご飯
干しいも
納豆
高野豆腐
こんにゃく
切干大根（げ！日本で食べ忘れた！）
きんぴらごぼう
あったかいベッド
家のグランドピアノ
たかじん
朝起きるとある珈琲
あったかくて、ふわふわの便座
きれい好きの人たち
臭わないバスと電車
かわいいラッピング包装
きれいな百貨店
キティちゃんのイチゴチョコ入りマシュマロ
きなこ棒、げんこつ飴
優しくておもろい友達
家族

What I don't miss:

人ごみ
せまい場所
気合入れすぎで恐い女の人
ノーチップ制度
高すぎるスタバのドリンク　（今日スタバのコーヒー買ったら、日本でｓｍａｌｌを買うお金でｔａｌｌを２個買えまたよ！しかもそのｔａｌｌは日本でいうｇｒａｎｄｅサイズ！）

After a long vacation...

2009-02-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

昨日の夕方、無事Eugeneに着きました。関空からの飛行機は、３人がけ
のうちの一人がたまたま移動したので、二席使えていつもよりかは苦痛
の少ない旅でした。Andyも一緒に座っていたけど、私は雑誌とドライマ
ンゴに夢中、そしてAndyは音楽とDSに夢中で、ほとんどしゃべりません
でした（笑）

Eugeneは大阪よりもちょっと暖かめです。コートなしで大丈夫。
貼るカイロもなしでいけますｗ　でも昨日の朝は雪がだいぶ降ったそ
う。私が帰って来た時は雨でした。それも３０分もするとやみました。
ほんと変な天気です。これから夏まで毎日Oregonの雨と付き合っていく
のかと思うとぞっとします。

昨日はほとんど眠れませんでした。時差ボケはないのですが、体が疲れ
すぎて寝れなかった。帰ってすぐシャワーをして、荷物を全部出して、
整理してたので。それに携帯は壊れているは、インターネットも繋がら
ないはストレスレベルが既にピークに達していました。

今朝も早朝から前使っていた部屋に残していた荷物を半分移動させてそ
の整理、それから友達に会ってお土産のたこ焼き器を渡し（めっちゃ喜
んでた！）、そして違う友達何人かとタイ料理のレストランでランチ。
それから携帯ショップに行き、新しいチャージャーを購入。で、ホスト
ファミリーの家と学校に行き赤ちゃんと遊びました、その後はまたキャ
ンパスに戻って、今学期から学校にきた、ジャーナリズム専攻の日本人
２人のジャーナリズムのクラスのことや奨学金のことの相談にのっ
て。。。やっと家に帰り、ディナー。それから残り半分の荷物を移動
し、また整理整頓。服も、売るもの、Goodwillにドネーションするも
の、知り合いにあげるもの、日本に送るか持って帰るものに分けまし
た。それから明日Portlandに行く為の荷造り。

やっとそれがひと段落ついた今、夜の１１時を回っています。
朝早いAmtrakという電車に乗らないといけないので、起きれるかちょっ
と心配。。。これからの引越しのことを考えて頭が爆発しそうに痛い
し、もう寝ます。。。

またメールとか手紙下さい★質問も大歓迎！
以上報告でしたー。

Graduated!

2008-12-24T23:10:00.000-08:00

お久しぶりです。もうずっとエントリーなくてごめんなさい。学校がとても忙しくなってしまって、それどおろじゃなかったんです。その間も、早稲田とか他大学からの留学生に、「あの、ブログしてたまいこさんですか？ずっと読んで励まされてました！＞＜」とか、「まいこさんがいるからオレゴン大学に来ました！留学に備えてずっと参考にさせてもらってました！」とか、後は。。。「留学ジャーナル出てたまいこさんですよね？！？」っとか。。。よく声をかけてもらったり、会って感動しました。記事を切り抜いて、持ち歩いててくれた子がいたのには、ほんとびっくりでした。ありがとう！みんなの力とか参考になれたの、すごく嬉しいです。それなのにずっと更新できなくてごめんなさい。

さて、私の現在の状況ですが。。。１２月１２日に卒業しました！！＊＾０＾＊
１週間ほど前から日本に帰って来ています。っていってもまた２月に戻るのですが。今はほんとlazyで食ちゃ寝食ちゃ寝の毎日。たぶん今までの疲れがどって出てるんだと思います。最後のtermは睡眠時間３時間の生活だったし。今までの人生で一番勉強しました。

何から報告していいのか分からないので、私の卒業した大阪女学院のカタログの為に半年前に書いた留学報告みたいなのを、ここにペーストしときますね。私の留学生活のちょっとしたまとめになっています。（下書きです。実際に載った分は持ってなくて。。。）

Turning Challenges into Opportunities

手に握り締めているキャンパスマップにも、分厚いテキストが何冊も入ったバックパックにも動揺することなく向かったのはアメリカの大学での初めてのクラス、Grammar for Journalists。大きなレクチャーホールの扉をあけ、何段もの階段を降り最前列の真ん中に座った。私の後ろに座っている４００人以上の生徒の緊張感がひしひしと伝わってきた。

２００５年春に大阪女学院短期大学を卒業した。まだまだ成長できる余裕があると思った。もっと大きな世界で自分の力を認めてもらいたい—そう思って飛び立った同年９月。私の留学先、オレゴン大学はジャーナリズムで有名。このGrammar for Journalists履修後にあるgrammar/word use/spelling１００問試験で７０％以上をとるというのが第一難関。この試験で９７％、全生徒の中で最高成績をおさめた私の試練はまだ始まったばかりだった。Writing for Mass Mediaというクラスではペーパー上で一つでもミスをするとそのペーパーの成績はF。“InfoHELL”として知られているInformation Gatheringでは
１００枚以上のペーパーを書いた。目の回るほど忙しい中でもChild Care Centerでバイトをした。１歳から３歳までの子供たちの笑顔や温もりは疲れきっている私に元気をくれた。この頃彼氏もでき、学校、仕事、プライベートの３両立の難しさを味わった。

あっという間に１年が過ち、やっと余裕がでてくるかなと思ったが、そんなに甘くはなかった。学校寮から一人暮らしになりまた違う苦労をした。日中は忙しいからと、朝５時にスーパーへ食料買出し。真っ暗の中、指がちぎれそうになるほど重い袋をいくつもかかえて片道３０分弱歩いた。傘に落ちる雨と同様に、私の目からも溢れた涙は頬を流れて地面に落ちた。インターネット接続のお金をけちっていた私は、夜中の２時までジャーナリズムのコンピューター室にこもって宿題を終わらせることもあった。

Reportingのクラスの毎週の時事クイズの為には、ニュースを見て新聞も読んだ。２０分で今みた裁判のドキュメントとビデオからこの事件について記事を書けなど、アメリカの政治経済や法律、またその用語を知らない留学生の私はいっぱいいっぱいになった。うまく時間制限内に書けなかったと悔し泣きするのなんて毎回のこと。「そんな辛いならジャーナリズム専攻やめたら？」と彼氏に言われたが、それが気に障った。「何でこんな一つのクラスのためにやめなあかんねん！」とそれからは毎朝５時から勉強し、Aをとった。

だんだんといい意味で手を抜けるようになった。ベストをつくすことには変わりはない。副専攻のChineseの授業を夏にとっていた時は毎日５時間授業の後、９時間ぶっ通しで勉強した。が、必要な時には誰かに頼ることも覚えた。間違った時も「ま、いっか」とimperfectな自分を受け入れられるようになった。

最近は、深夜から朝８時まで働くこともある、２４時間制寮でのDesk Assistantの仕事に加え、MagazineやEconomicsのクラスで忙しい。Japan’s Past & Presenceでは日本の歴史を今になって学んでいる。クラスでもとらない限り勉強しないので、いい機会。自分の国の文化や歴史をこっちに来てから考え直すことは他にもある。私のもらっている奨学金のうちの一つ、International Cultural Service Programを通してだ。日本文化についてのプレゼンテーションを小中学校や高校、大学、senior centerなどでしているのだが、その時に受けるWhy?という質問で私にとっては当たり前な日本の伝統や風習、また自分自身のことについて初めて考えさせられる。

この２年半、私はオレゴン大学でたくさん勉強し、苦しみ、そして流した涙や感じたプレッシャーとストレスをバネにして、先生やクラスメートが驚くような結果を残してきた。もう残っている賞はないほど全部手にした。American Cancer SocietyのMedia Marketing Coordinatorの夏のインターンシップももらった。Press releaseを書いたり雑誌記事を書いたりする。ＴＶや新聞のレポーターとの触れ合いもありそうだ。卒業後どこで働いているのかも大学院にすすんでいるのかもまだ分からないが、何でもできる自信はある。これから留学をする人たちも、壁にぶつかった時はそれがチャンスだと思って乗り越えて欲しい。頑張りをrecognizeしてくれるのがアメリカ社会だと思うから。

私の活躍を応援してくれた親戚や女学院の先生と友達には、感謝の気持ちでいっぱいだ。そして私の成長をずっと見守り支えてくれた私の家族に、心からありがとう。

2008-05-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

Lifting Families off the Floor

By Maiko Nakai

Many people in Central America cook their meals over indoor fire pits, which sit on the floors inside their unventilated homes. Women, often carrying babies on their backs, cook for an average of six hours per day in excessive smoke. The smoke produces twice the amount of carbon monoxide that health officials consider threatening, which causes eye infections and respiratory illnesses in those who inhale the deadly toxin. Children at play often fall onto the open-fire pits and acquire serious burns.

Sixty-five-year-old Nancy Hughes, founder of StoveTeam International, is determined to prevent these types of injuries and to improve the health of Central America’s rural population. The StoveTeam’s smoke-free, fuel-efficient stoves bring miracles to rural families. The group’s next destination is El Salvador, where its members will demonstrate stoves, work on expanding their factory’s capacity, and evaluate the effectiveness of their activities.

What is StoveTeam International?

It is a project to bring fuel-efficient stoves to poor families in Central America, where the major cause of death among women and children is smoke inhalation from indoor fire pits. These open fires are sometimes called “three stone fires” and are quite common throughout the world. The fires cause burns, upper-respiratory diseases, eye problems, and contribute to poor health.

What motivated you to establish StoveTeam International?

I worked in the kitchen with Cascade Medical Team in Solola, Guatemala in the spring of 2004. One evening, a patient came into the kitchen of the public hospital where we were working. This beautiful, eighteen-year-old indigenous woman had fallen onto a kitchen fire at age two and lost the use of her hands. Her burned hands had grown to be bent backwards, with her fingers reaching her wrists. For 16 years she had prayed to use her hands. It was at that point when I thought, I need to do something to prevent burns rather than treat them. When I returned to Eugene, I asked Southtowne Rotary Club about sponsoring a grant to provide safer, fuel-efficient stoves to the people in Central America. They encouraged me to write a grant, and I not only wrote that grant but also went on to write grants to Carlos Santana’s Milagro Foundation and Synchronicity Foundation.

Who are the members of your team, and how did you gather them?

There are seven full-time volunteers in Oregon who coordinate the activities. Most of us are retired. One is a practicing certified public accountant, one is a part-time substitute teacher, one sells educational software, and all of us are members of Eugene Southtowne Rotary Club. The members of the teams come from all over the US and Canada.

Most of the volunteers found out about our project from Rotary International, by checking our website or talking to members of previous teams. Many have listened to the speeches I’ve given throughout California, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. I have even given speeches in South Africa and Bahrain, although we haven’t had volunteers from there yet.

What are StoveTeam International’s main activities?

We set up small factories in Central America, which produce portable, affordable and fuel-efficient stoves that reduce deforestation and contribute to better health. Local people suffer from burns, upper-respiratory infections and hernias when cooking over indoor fire pits. Hernias are caused when people carry heavy loads of fuel wood. Women and small children carry up to 100 pounds of fuel wood on their heads every day.

We are taking between 10 and 30 volunteers to Central America every three months because the work is escalating. The current need in El Salvador alone is for approximately one million stoves. We also have requests from Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

Each volunteer pays $1,600 for the trip, including flights, accommodations, and transportation within the country. It is a chance to see how most people in Central America live, and many volunteers find that the experience changes their lives. One of our volunteers is there now, helping to build a new factory, and this is his third trip this year.

Can you explain more about the stoves?

The stove is made of a thin shell of ferro-cement, with pumice as insulation. The combustion chamber is made of baldosa, or what one might call Mexican floor tile. The plancha, or comal, is made of steel and the remaining metal parts are made of rebar or flat-bar. All pieces are manufactured in El Salvador and all materials are available on site. The entire stove weighs less than 40 pounds, so it can be easily carried from place to place. Our factory is currently producing 300 stoves per month, and we hope to increase to 1,000 per month by the end of the year. At the moment, we have a factory in Sonsonate and a factory being constructed in Suchitoto.

What kind of process must families complete in order to receive their stoves?

We are invited by churches, Habitat for Humanity, Peace Corps, FIASA and Engineers Without Boarders to demonstrate our stoves to communities. We have about twenty stoves with us at a demonstration. Individuals are then given the opportunity to buy them or order them.

The total price of a stove is $40, but grants cover $20, so the buyer’s cost is $20, which is the amount they would normally pay for wood. Our stoves save that additional wood, and it ends up costing the people no more than they would ordinarily pay. The money is collected in payments of $5 a month for four months. This keeps us from developing a “hand-out mentality,” as people take pride in being able to purchase a good stove. The Peace Corps, for example, comes to our factories to pick up any additional orders for stoves. We currently have two factories in El Salvador. Nothing has to be imported from the US except a few tools. Everything is there, all ready for local people, and we employ local people to do the work, thus contributing to more employment within the country.

What are some families’ reactions to their new stoves?

On our first demonstration, I heard a woman say, “It’s a miracle! There’s no smoke.” In another example, one woman had five family members who had breathing problems. They started using our stove and she said they were all breathing normally and feeling great after three weeks. People also can’t believe how quickly it cooks. It takes only eight minutes to boil a liter of water, so it saves not only wood, but also time.

What kinds of difficulties have you or your team members faced?

Our biggest problem is in establishing enough factories to keep up with demand. Demand is extremely high, especially in El Salvador. We need to raise additional funds to expand our factory capacity to serve the demand. We also need to get our stoves certified so that they can receive carbon credits.

Most people in El Salvador speak Spanish and most are literate, so we have very few problems in communicating with the indigenous people. In Guatemala it is more challenging, as there are 24 different indigenous languages, so we have to hire double interpreters.

What changes do you see in the native people’s lives and in their health conditions?

I see fewer burns, fewer upper respiratory infections, better general health and an increase in time for small business opportunities. I also have seen less creosote build-up inside the homes. In addition, as women take less time to cook for their families, they have the time to carry the stove outside and sell such things as pupusas (stuffed tortillas) and fried yucca (somewhat like french fries). This brings in extra income and a new sense of purpose. It’s empowering for women.

Is there anything else you want to emphasize to readers?

Just remember that you do not need any special qualifications to make real changes in the world. All you need is a purpose and a passion.

Article printed from KD Magazine: http://kdmagazine.com

URL to article: http://kdmagazine.com/ahays/dialogue/lifting-families-off-the-floor/

Click here to print.

2008-04-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

TURNING CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES

What difficulties do foreign students face? What opportunities do they have?

What kinds of successes and failures do they experience?

A campus map and heavy backpack did not affect my comfort. I was on my way to Lillis for my first two journalism classes ever. “Excuse me. Do you know where room 182 is?” I eagerly asked people in front of the business complex. I was ready.

I wanted to put myself in a tough situation and see how far I could go. I was twenty, about to graduate from Osaka Jogakuin Junior College in Japan.

I came to the University of Oregon in 2005 believing that my rigorous study habits would work to my advantage. In Japan, I was on campus for fourteen hours per day for classes. In addition to homework, my weekends and holidays were filled with work among seven organizations, including student government. Still, friends warned me that studying at an American university would require ten times the amount of work as that of our college. People who graduated from American universities claimed they studied all night without sleeping during their first years of college. However, even with seventeen credits, work and extracurricular activities, life in Oregon seemed easier for me—at first.

This feeling didn’t last long. I was wrong to think classes would be easy. Lecture halls packed with hundreds of students overwhelmed me. In Japan, most classes had only ten to twenty students, and special sessions were held for those at risk of falling behind. In Oregon, I discovered I needed to be responsible for making sure this didn’t happen to me. I constantly pushed myself to ask for help.

Here is what I decided to do for my academic success: Sit in the front row. Speak up. Ask questions. Visit office hours. This strategy helped me tremendously, and I did well in every class, even on my 100-page research paper for “Info Hell.”

However, my Reporting class nearly killed me last winter. Every obstacle I had encountered before was nothing compared to this one. It seemed impossible to write a solid timed article under twenty minutes without the knowledge in extensive vocabulary, American politics, laws and the court system. I kept getting Bs. It was the worst I had ever done.

I felt at a disadvantage and I lost my confidence in writing. I cried often. People told me to consider changing my major. Yet, I thought, I won’t give up my dream because of this class. This one crazy course can’t determine my future.

The stresses were compounded when a friend of mine died suddenly. I was working on my mid-term news story when I got the call at ten o’clock on a Sunday night. I spaced out. “Why—I just talked to her—.” Black ink on my notebook oozed as big teardrops fell one after another. Stacey was 22 years old, and my boss at the Area Desk in the Hamilton Complex. I knew she had diabetes, but never thought she would die. It was so hard to go to work expecting to see her, but when I went to work, all I found was her clear, bold handwriting on various documents such as room transfer and key loan forms. I found a yellow memo pad with lists of things she wanted to do. My name was on it. It read: “Talk to Maiko about comfort level.”

My busy schedule didn’t allow me to grieve. I kept trying. My final grade was an A-. The process of working in this class gave me a feeling of defeat but because of that, I learned to accept imperfection. I regained my confidence.

However, studying is not the only struggle; my living situation is another. During my first year, I lived in Hamilton Complex. While I met many friends, the greasy food and sugary snacks, the constant speaker noise from neighbors and hall mates running in the hallway gave me a headache. Also, I was exhausted from adjusting to three different roommates over the first two terms. When I was in Japan, I dreamed about building a life-long friendship with my roommate. I thought that would surely happen—it never did. It was hard to love a person I lived with because I witnessed their unpleasant aspects like messy.

I moved into a one-bedroom apartment the next year. I loved having my own space and privacy and being able to eat what I wanted. The apartment was relatively clean, quiet and close to campus. However, I faced different problems. The bills I received stressed me out. The rent, electricity, Internet and food cost more than I expected. Getting groceries wasn’t easy either. Because I was so busy during the day, I walked to Safeway at 5 A.M. Holding four bags made lines around my wrists. I was scared because I went alone only to see drunken bums on the sidewalks. Big raindrops hit my umbrella as tears fell down my cheeks. This was the time when I missed people from home the most. However, that was part of what it means to be independent.

I now live in a huge, gorgeous house with four housemates from different countries. Although monthly payment no longer becomes the biggest concern, there is always something to worry about. Flexibility is what I’ve learned.

What I haven’t learned is American social life. Here, I’m specifically referring to bars and parties. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I don’t dance. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I don’t go out. But when I do go, I just sit and chat until I can’t stand the loudness and craziness anymore. The whole concept of partying late every night confuses me. We do other things to have a good time in Japan like shopping or karaoke. We don’t celebrate every time Friday rolls around.

I sometimes worry about what I’ll miss or how my friends will think of me not socializing all the time. However, I’ve reached my own conclusion: I can experience college in other ways that fit my lifestyle. I meet people through my job at LLC Area Desk, scholarship programs and extra curricular activities, including writing for campus magazines. At my free time, I go up to Portland to see my boyfriend. We go shopping, get some coffee, cook dinner and watch movies. I keep in touch with friends in Japan and other states in the U.S. I’m good with my life.

This is my journey to establish who I am. This is the opportunity to endure life’s challenges.

2008-04-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

Mobile Kingdom, Japan

Exhausted after a long day of work, Daniel Asenlund, an English teacher in Japan, left school when the sun had almost set. He was riding on the left side of the road looking forward to a nap and a piece of a Japanese specialty sweet, “melon” bread – named for its shape and not taste – at his home. “Honk!” Just after he recognized a man around age 45 passing him in the opposite lane, Asenlund heard a loud startling sound behind him that lasted for three seconds or longer. He immediately looked back and saw another car driving in the wrong lane against traffic quickly turning left to avoid a crash.

The traffic light turned red and the other car stopped parallel to Asenlund. The driver was, he says, a woman age 40-48 tapping her phone. Not only was she centimeters away from a collision, she also continued writing after she almost caused an accident.

“I was shocked, almost angry,” says Asenlund. “What kind of manner is that? Has she no sense of responsibility?” When typing, people enter their own world of the small screen, ignoring the rest. This happens everywhere in Japan. The cell phone kingdom was beyond what Asenlund could ever imagine.

Japanese cell phones or keitai transcend all human imagination. What they can provide makes people’s lives more and more convenient. Osaifu Keitai or “Wallet cell phone,” allows you to add money to an IC chip in it and functions as cash and credit cards. It also works as commuter passes, member’s cards, point cards, bus and plane tickets and house keys.

Wansegu or “One Segment” was introduced last year. It is a television receiver built into phones that allows you to watch any broadcast TV program for free. Its screen turns 90 degrees sideways, so it looks like a mini TV.

“The picture is phenomenal, probably better than my TV at home,” says Nick Gallagher, a UO graduate, who works as Coordinator for International Relations in Japan for the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Programme. These easy and speedy features serve busy Japanese society. They also mesh well with Japanese people’s lifestyle referring to a lot of time spent on transportation to get to work or school. A cell phone is more than just a piece of technology; instead, it is a status symbol. It dominates a major part of people’s lives.

“I’m surprised to what extent Japanese use their cell phones,” Gallagher says. He visited there before he started this job two years ago. “Even if I come for a few weeks to Japan, I usually buy a prepaid phone,” he says. Japanese people use their advanced phones just like Americans use computers.

The different level of keitai appears in a form of dating etiquette too.

“In the world of Japanese cell phone culture, logic doesn’t prevail,” says Asenlund, an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) for Interac, a private provider of ALTs in Japan. He moved from Sweden to America, and now is exposed to the crazy Japanese cell phone culture where cell phones are an increasingly important part of romantic relationships.

Asenlund has defined Japan’s “Unwritten Dating Rules”: First, getting the phone number and text-messaging address. This is a good strategy for Japanese people, who consider it rude to ask someone to repeat his or her name, to get a person’s name they might have forgotten. In Japan, people don’t use their phone numbers to send messages; instead, they use what’s called “meado,” an abbreviation of “mail address.” Next, send a message saying, “It was nice to see you today. Let’s get together sometime again.”

Cell phone messages are often the first step in getting to know someone, or rather the second step after initially meeting someone. “Before meeting again, you need to go through it and if you make a mistake or two you might not see that friend again!” says Asenlund.

Typing a long mail implies interest in the receiver. But what if you only want him or her as a friend? Here’s Asenlund’s advice: Make it short and concise. Like a business email, just write to the point with a neutral voice in the Japanese desu/masu form. This is not quite as formal as humble form, like one would say to their boss, but more formal than what is spoken between friends. The text message frequently must begin slowly, and the language starts formally.

One might say, “but I see Japanese people writing messages back and forth all the time.” Yes, but that is only after a certain stage is reached. “At first, you have to take it easy,” Asenlund says, “‘Ok, but too late.’ Too bad. Sucks.” Playing hard-to-get over messages is key. After you are sure about this special feeling going both ways, you can finally relax. Enjoy sending messages back and forth. Find a chance to use a heart emotion icon, or emoticon, known in Japanese as emoji.

Emoji is a huge aspect of Japanese cell phone culture. Even men are expected to use some of them to show their cute aspects. A wide variety of faces, animals, foods, sports icons and others are available. Emoji appear in almost every sentence girls create. Choosing the right emoji is a tough task.

“Why can’t people just write, inputting once in a while a smiley to indicate a hard-to-understand joke? Now, I need to think about this as well not to sound dull and harsh in my emails,” says Asenlund. “Should I put an apple or a peeled banana after this sentence? Stars falling or perhaps a letter with a small heart on after that?” The symbols sometimes take more focus than the words themselves. Using a heart shape especially creates drama, making things complicated. People have fallen victim to keitai’s attractions.

In Japan, people text everywhere. On a train? During a class? At a dinner table?—Doesn’t matter. Japanese youth are especially in love with this simple, fast and private method of communication. The capability to use other languages and many colored graphic emoji is also what makes creating messages so appealing to youth.

“It’s the keitai-off car,” a middle-aged woman points out to a high school girl typing. Every first car of a train prohibits cell phone usage for those who are using pacemakers.

“Sumimasen (I’m sorry),” the girl with a mini skirt says as she turns off her phone, but throws the woman a fierce look. Her glaring eyes show her hatred for being embarrassed. As soon as the “annoying woman” gets off the train, she immediately turns on her phone and calls her friends to tell what happened, and how “bitchy” and annoying the “baba” (an extremely offensive way to say grandmother) was. Some can’t ignore their phones even for ten minutes.

Tickticktick… The sound echoes on the train. A man wearing a suit listens to music while a graduating senior who is job hunting watches news. A woman in her twenties reads a novel, and a college student checks canceled classes for the day. An elementary school kid plays Final Fantasy while an elderly man checks how many steps his pedometer has counted. While a high school student add a new entry to her Mixi (a Japanese-style MySpace) profile, a parent makes sure her daughter has arrived at school safely.

All of this is happening on cell phones.

“I too have fallen into the evil cell-mail trip,” says Asenlund. “I am getting addicted too. Typing, waiting for a reply and worrying ‘Did I type something wrong?’ or thinking ‘Should I have used another emoticon?’” The movement of both thumbs is considered a professional level.

This text-messaging addiction has also created a silent society. For instance, parents and their children hardly communicate. Few emails consisting of several words go back and forth, which is often their primary method of communication. Embarrassing dialogue, such as apologies, favors or confessions can now be texted. The importance of face-to-face communication deteriorates with every email.

“Connecting People” is a slogan of Nokia, the world’s largest mobile maker. Ironically, this is the opposite of what cell phones have actually done. While connecting a person to whom he or she is texting, it also distances the person from the rest of the world.

“People no longer greet strangers waiting for the same bus, instead everyone picks up their cell phones and hides away,” Asenlund says.

Everything becomes invisible: other humans, buildings, vehicles or nature.

Some students take the opportunity to send texts while their professor is writing on the board. Occasionally, their phones vibrate or ring. When that happens, what do professors do?

“If I’m close enough, I’ll take it,” says Jerrod Hansen, who teaches at a female school, Osaka Jogakuin College.

“I’ll even answer it,” Hansen says, “She is in class right now and will call you later.” If a student was being problematic, he would minimally deduct participation credit for that day. If it continued to be a problem, he would extend the penalties. “Eventually, I would make her give him the phone at the beginning of class if she wanted to come into the classroom,” he says. Hansen has tried to kick students out of class before, but he says it’s hard because they just sit there with their heads down, showing their regret (or more likely, pretending to show regret). “I try to be patient and in general I don’t care if students pay attention or not as long as they can do the work,” Hansen says, “But if they disrupt other students or if they ignore my lecture and then come ask questions later… [that’s a different story]”

The youth are obsessed. They spend a great deal of time and money personalizing their phones, as cell phones are fashion icons and status symbols. A keitai provides a way to show how cool you are as well as to judge others.

For instance, one cover style is decorated with pink and white heart-shaped crystal stickers. Each button also has a pink-tinted heart sticker. Almost everyone’s phone has more than two keitai straps or cell phone key chains (average $12, disregarding brand-named products). From Japanese anime to Disney characters, and traditional Japanese kimono patterns to brand names such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Coach, everything becomes a strap. Keitai accessories are one of the biggest markets.

Screen cut, which costs about $8, is another must-have item for young people. The removable stickers, with a variety of designs, prevent strangers from viewing screens outside a 45-degree angle of the keitai holders’ view. This fits in Japanese society where public places are crowded and privacy protection is a major concern.

The “coolness” of cell phones attracts adolescents and young adults. They always want to have the newest, trendiest model. Japan’s neighboring country, China, is also experiencing a similar phenomenon.

“People who already have fantastic, amazing phones will go out and buy the new models as soon as they come out in order to show off,” says James Crosby, a UO student who has studied in Beijing for nearly a year. But how can they afford that? In Japan, people spend less money on cars because of their well-appointed transportation system and its convenience. Because Japan has more people in a smaller space, there is not much space left for parking, either. Therefore, more money is spent on technology than cars or real estate, which leads to having the better technological devices.

“I don’t trust the technology in the States as much as I do in Japan,” says Remi Nagata, Program Coordinator for Residence Life at UO. She specifically refers to cell phone cameras and music-playing qualities, as well as the product itself.

“The quality [of American cell phones] is so low both the way it looks and the functions,” says Takae Nagamiya, who has studied in the U.S. for six years. She wishes all the American phones had Internet access built in. Another international student, Shoken Li, hopes to have more variation in plans. He, however, likes the simple system of American cell phones.

“It’s better for me because Japanese cell phones have too many functions that I usually don’t use,” Li says.

While more advanced technology is available, simple keitai for kids or elderly people have also been developed. With bigger letters, easy operation, and special functions like pedometers, keitai culture has expanded not only to youth but also to every generation. It is public disease.

“I personally can’t live without my cell phone, especially not here in Japan,” says Asenlund. “When the vibrator smoothly rumbles in my pocket, accompanied by the short melody indicating an incoming email, it’s very hard to resist,” Asenlund says.

“I like the feeling. It’s almost like a drug.”

####

Brief History:

1987: The biggest Japanese phone operator, NTT DoCoMo, introduced the first mobile analog

phone.

1993: The digital system started.

1997: A short-message system called Sky Walker became available for users.

2000: The popularity of the model shifted from the original model to the clamshell model that

accommodated a larger screen, a high-precision camera and a bigger memory card. The

dramatic change of keitai in technology has been skyrocketing since then.

Pictures of keitai

Example textmessages

Adults sometimes don’t understand youth’s emails because they use different language. The usage of emoji and numbers confuse older generations as well.

The timeline below indicates an example day of a university senior.

6am: wake up with an alarm

7am: purchase a bottle of tea and a rice-ball at a convenient store

7:05am: pass through the gates of the train station

7:10am: put luggage in a locker at the station

7:15am: watch broadcast TV programs on the train

8:30am: sign an attendance sheet

10am: get a drink from a vending machine, reserve concert tickets for the weekend

Noon: split lunch with friends; throw some money in the friends’ phones

4pm: show student ID at karaoke

6:50pm: buy clothes at a mall

7pm: get luggage back and pick up a package delivered to the locker

7:10pm: play games on the train

8pm: read a novel on the bus

8:30pm: unlock home door

9pm: video chat with boyfriend

It appears to be normal. But it becomes abnormal once you hear this: She does all the activities with her keitai.

The Beats of the City

2007-09-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

By Maiko Nakai

Twenty-six community members in matching blue tee shirts with personally accessorized decorations of blue and yellow sparkling scarves, beaded necklaces, and feathers, line up in Ken Kesey Square of downtown Eugene. Drums hang at their waists. The hard beats of large bass drums called surdos propel the Samba. Caixas, like American snare drums with deeper sounds, run along with the deep-pitched music line. A rack of metal jingle shakers, chocalhos, creates a steady tempo. Agogôs, multiple-piece metal bells struck with wooden sticks, add high-pitched rhythm and promote the melody of the drums. Audience members cannot help moving their feet to the beat, and people start dancing. They express their appreciation by putting hands up, swinging with partners, or hollering. On a weeknight in July, a bateria, or percussion ensemble, called Samba Já turn the public space into a Brazilian world.

“I love it,” a group of five high school students echo to each other, moving to the rhythms of batucada, the dense and complex musical texture that a bateria produces.

“Music is in my spirit,” says dancer Angel Snell who indulges in Samba Já’s enthusiastic music. Once people begin stomping their feet to the music, it doesn’t take long for Samba Já to take the audience over. Despite the rain, nearly 50 people, ranging from children to seniors, stay until 11 P.M. enjoying the public rehearsal for the upcoming Oregon Country Fair.

Samba Já has been bringing the flavor of Brazil to Eugene venues for the last six years. The group strives to provide the audience and community with joy and energy by drumming and sharing their culture. The word “Samba” refers to the urban dance music of Rio de Janeiro, and “Já” literally means “already,” but colloquially, “right now.” The implied message could be, “You don’t have to wait for Samba because Samba is right now.”

Samba Já was co-founded by Jake Pegg in 2001. One day in a record store in Michigan, the track “Ritmo Number One” from the Mr. Bongo Records compilation “Batucada: Music of the Favelas [slums]” caught Pegg’s musical ear.

“I completely freaked out,” Pegg says. “I just started dancing.”

Later, in Eugene, University of Oregon professor Charles Dowd became a catalyst for getting Samba Já started. Dowd recognized Pegg’s music ability at a party where Pegg “played [his] heart out.” He offered Pegg a concert spot to play Brazilian percussion pieces that Pegg arranged and transcribed. Afterwards, Pegg complied with the requests of listeners and formed a group.

Since making its debut at the Eugene Celebration in September 2001, the group has grown to about thirty musicians. Members aged eighteen to sixty-two include doctors, graphic designers, and teachers. Many had no prior experience performing music, but attended a practice and experimented with various instruments. It was so fun they came back the next time. Some were hooked after seeing Samba Já perform at Saturday Market, Oregon Country Fair, Take Back the Night, Sweet Cheeks Vineyard, or Lorax on Alder Street. People join the group for different reasons; the only common factor is the passion for Brazilian rhythm. Steve White remembers the moment he saw Samba Já’s performance at the Eugene Celebration when he visited his brother.

“I felt their energy. It was out of control,” White says. “It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I had to join them.”

On Saturday mornings, Samba Já rehearses at the Core Star Cultural Center. Standing in front, Pegg instructs members by blowing his whistles while making triangle-shaped gestures with his hands. People who play the same instruments then look at each other or use their own signs to make sure they start at the same time.

“It’s really a unit. If you messed up, the whole band would mess up,” says Gladys Campbell, who plays shakers such as ganzá.

Their songs include “Magalenha,” which sings about flirtatiousness, and “Negrume da Noite,” a song of the beauty of Afro-Brazilian music and fruits, and of the struggles of Afro-Brazilians. Samba Já uses a variety of Brazilian drums called caixa, cuíca, pandeiro, repique, surdo, timbal, tamborim, and zabumba. The different squeaks, barks, yelps, buzzes, slaps, cracks and cries the instruments emit express joy, sadness, or tension. Pegg says responsorial singing, heard in such songs as “Claro Que Sim!,” “Maculêlé,” and “Bambaataa Car Wash,” is part of the music’s African heritage.

Sometimes at the beginning of or during a song, Pegg kneels on one knee, puts his head down, and plays his drums, as if devoting all his spirit. Alternating sticks, thumbs, fingertips, or palms produces the different patterns of high and low notes. When the group plays well, he sometimes dances and sings to show his excitement.

“I feel an element that’s not on the earth,” Pegg describes. “It takes me to wonderful places…I feel great when I have concepts of sounds in my head, and can hear them through the band.” But when the group is not playing well, he says, it’s sometimes frustrating. When that happens, he hides his irritation to avoid letting band members pick up on it, which might affect their music. He knows, however, that learning to communicate negative critiques in a non-hurting but honest way is important.

Samba Já’s rehearsals continue for about three hours. Drops of perspiration shine on foreheads. Not everyone is young; their arms and legs seem heavy. Yet, no one dances sluggishly. Where does their energy come from?

Pegg’s answer is easy. “This [Brazilian] music provides everything.”

Now the band members feel satisfaction when they look back on their performance at the Country Fair; they amazed the audience that packed the main-stage meadow.

“We communicated our energy to the audience,” says UO faculty member and Samba Já musician, Michael Clark. “I felt like we were sharing our passion for the music.” The next goal of Samba Já is to maximize the direct interaction with the audience. One of the ways to do that is through choreography, Pegg says.

The bateria promises to expose a broader community to the Brazilian world.

J371 Profile

2007-07-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

ANOTHER LIFE

One needle changed her life—.

Linda Todd lived in a small three-bedroom house in Florence, Oregon. One day in 1978, she invited her boyfriend, Danny Lidstrom, over. That was her biggest mistake. Lidstrom put a drop of liquid on a spoon and drew it into an insulin syringe. He injected the cocaine into his vein. It was Todd’s first encounter with hard drugs. She describes the intoxicated Lidstrom as “euphoric, floaty and sexy.” Todd wanted to fit in and impress her first boyfriend. Lidstrom put about half as much of the powder in the spoon and shot Todd up. Her head rushed and her heart pounded.

“The best feeling ever,” Todd says, “I climaxed.”

She wanted more.

More was something she didn’t have much of in her childhood. Todd, 52, was born in Roseburg, Oregon in 1955. From age seven, she was sexually and physically abused by her parents.

She grew up never learning to be loved.

Her children would follow a path of neglect and violence. After settling in Eugene at age twenty, she became pregnant with her daughter, Heather. The father was a man whom Todd never married. Two years later, Todd married another man and had her second daughter, Chere. That marriage lasted three years.

Todd became vulnerable as a single mother. She moved to Florence and worked in a bar to support herself and her two children. There, she met Lidstrom and thought he was cute and a good dancer. Later, his introduction to cocaine trapped her into a deep, black hole where again, Todd suffered from violence.

One night, Todd’s little daughters, Heather and Chere, shuddered in their bedroom while Lidstrom yelled and threw things at Todd in the living room.

“I’ll never let Danny come back and put you in danger again,” Todd later promised her girls with her black and swollen face, covered in dried blood.

But she did. She always let him come back for her dope.

Todd continued her destructive pattern. She partied with a rough crowd of dealers and addicts. Her life revolved around cocaine, speed and meth. She broke her family relationships because no one trusted her. Doing drugs damaged her teeth. The loss of 100 pounds made her cheeks sink and her skin dark. Yet, she descended further down the black hole of drugs.

Todd spent time in alleys and shared needles. One evening, she took out a bent needle from a garbage can and straightened it with light heat. With a badly barbed needlepoint, she was all ready. It was painful. She bled. But Todd wouldn’t stop poking—not until she found a vein. Neck, legs, hands, tops of her feet, and breasts—she shot dope into every possible vein. All she wanted was more, and for that, she could even hurt others.

Todd frequently cashed checks on her parents and others’ accounts. Stealing items from local shops was a daily routine. Todd spent a lot of time in her room and slept during the day while her girls starved. She had successfully passed on the neglect and abuse to another generation.

Late one night in 1985, police officers arrested Todd for forgery. After that night, Todd was in and out of jail. Every time she came out, the first thing she did was shoot up.

A first step toward salvation came from an unusual source. In a prison in 1988, she read Monty Christensen’s book, 70 X 7 and Beyond. The book taught Todd that regardless, God is there to forgive us and provide another chance.

“I felt the feeling of love for the first time ever,” says Todd. A seed grew inside her and pulled her a little closer to the light. However, it was only a step. She repeatedly betrayed the help and returned to prison with fresh needle marks on her body.

The road toward that good life was rocky. But in prison, Todd started working a janitorial job for a dollar per day. She passed the GED Testing Program, a high school completion test. These events gave her a sense of accomplishment. In 1992, the court marked Todd’s good behavior. Still, she continued using drugs.

At the time, she lived with her grown daughter, Heather, and her husband and children. One day when Kayla, Todd’s grandchild was a toddler, she found her grandmother using needles and getting high in the bathroom.

“I’ve always regretted that,” Todd says. “I’m so sorry that I wasn’t more careful. I’m so sorry she saw it.” Todd was given a choice. If she wanted to stay in Kayla’s life, she had to quit drugs—but she didn’t.

So Todd left Heather’s family and lived with her father in Florence. Her father had lost her mother from cancer, and he himself had suffered from heart attacks. He was no longer abusive.

In 1996, Todd started taking business classes at Lane Community College. However, prior to going to classes she did meth. In the first week, Todd took an English test and got a C. She was excited, but her teacher, according to Todd, wasn’t enthusiastic. She felt that the teacher looked at her as if she were, as she terms it, a “worthless piece of shit." This upset Todd. She left the classroom for drugs. On the street in front of the college, she was again saved, this time by a stranger driving by. Cindy Smith picked up Todd and took her to Smith’s house.

“You have a chance to change your life,” Smith told her.

That felt like a slap in her face.

Todd went back home and handed her father a small bag with three needles wrapped in a cloth. Without a word, he put it in the stove. Todd had used her last needle.

“I don’t know why I listened this time,” Todd says. “The Lord might have put Cindy there at the time and the place.” After this event, she had no desires for drugs. God, she believes, totally took her addictions away.

Two years later, her father died because of congestive heart failure.

“I’m sorry,” her father said in the last minute of his life. This was enough for Todd to forgive him. It was what she wanted to hear for 36 years.

Todd moved to a little house on River Road in Eugene to start a new life. She got a job at the Carson Dining Hall with the University of Oregon Food Service. But things weren’t easy.

She lacked social skills. “Linda acted like a kid,” Sue Martinez, Food Service Coordinator at the Hamilton Dining Hall, says. Todd would throw tantrums. She would curse to co-workers. Once this started, no one would have a chance to speak.

In 2000, Todd ended up working at the Hamilton Dining Hall. Martinez remembers that Todd used to come to her job either upbeat or crying. Her emotionally unstable personality scared co-workers. However, students loved her big smiles and hugs. They appreciated her taking their happiness and sadness personally. Todd got better and was even selected as Faculty/Staff of January in 2006.

Now, Todd is finally receiving the love she always needed.

She lives with her grandchildren, Kayla, Kelsey and Kris, while their mother, Heather, and her husband live with Chere’s family. Her day starts with walking them to the school bus. They often go out to dinner together.

“She cares about her family and friends more than anything else,” says Kayla. “She has become a loving, caring and inspiring person.”

Todd has grown. She has learned how to handle her emotions. “Mindful” is her favorite word. It reminds her to think before taking actions.

“Linda has bloomed beautifully,” Martinez says.

“I am who I am because of what happened in the past. I’m not ashamed of anything,” Todd says with confidence.

After being clean for eleven years, her eyes are clearer. All the marks on her face are gone. Smiles have come back. Only her left eye, which was blind for months, still switches and gets dark—and reminds her—never to go back.

####

My Birthday

2007-04-01T19:51:00.001-07:00

My birthday started with a cup of apple caramel cider at Starbucks. Andy and I just sat there and spent some time, making jokes and taking pictures. I bet we were the most ridiculous couple.

I went to work. I know. It's sad to work on birthday, huh? But work is work. Extra money.

After I came back, I went Andy's. Surprisingly, he had dinner fixed. Then I found out that he went grocery shopping while I was working to get stuff and cooked for me, which made me very happy. He had baked potatoes, mushrooms and asparaguses on the side of fried rice. He didn't let me help him set the table. Our common friends, Kenta and Ayako, came over to celebrate my birthday and we had dinner together. It was delicious =) Ahhh I was stuffed.

It wasn't all. Lights went off, and the next thing I saw was candle lights on a chocolate cake. It said: "Happy Birthday Maiko." It made me cry. I wasn't expected, which made the moment more special. What wish did I make? Of course, it's secret.

After eating the cake, we went bowling. I had always played it horribly, so I had never done that in America even though I had many opportunities. I didn't want to embarrass myself. But I can do whatever I want on my birthday; I thought I should go and just have fun.

Wow! I actually bowled well!! I had a strike and many spares =) And of course, the I sucked in the second game, but I had fun with my friends and Andy!

I had the happiest birthday ever. I felt Andy's love and kindness. He's so sweet. How wonderful it is to show that you care about your significant person, and to strive to make him/her happy! And how nice it is to re-recognize that we're truly loved!

I love UofO Campus

2007-03-20T16:24:00.000-07:00

After your finals, relax. Walk around the campus.
You'll see what you didn't see when you were walking fast to get to classrooms, or when you had so much stuff in your head that you didn't have any room to look around. It's beautiful.

Cranes and a Girl

2007-03-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

By Maiko Nakai

On the morning of Aug. 6, 1945 before a horrible bomb fell on Hiroshima, a little two-year-old girl named Sadako Sasaki was eating breakfast with her family much like any other day.

At 8:15 a.m., everything changed. An atomic bomb exploded over the city of Hiroshima. The huge mushroom cloud went high up into the sky, the blast knocked down buildings. Fire burned patterns of kimonos into people’s bodies. Black rain beat down against them. An estimated 140, 000 people died as a result of the bomb and its after effects.

Sadako’s home was just a mile away from ground zero, but she was lucky enough to servive—at least at first. She grew up strong, courageous—an athletic girl who loved singing and running. But after some years she developed odd lumps on her neck, ears, and to her face. In Jan. 1955, purple spots started to form on her legs. One day, she fell down during her race practice. She was diagnosed with Leukemia. A year at the most—that was the time Sadako had left to live.

Then something beautiful happened. High school students from Nagoya sent 1000 cranes to Sadako and other patients in her hospital. And Sadako started making cranes herself. She believed in a myth that said 1000 cranes make a wish come true. “I want to run again,” Sadako said, and she never gave up the hope. For the last 10 months of her life she kept folding papers: one, two, three…thousand! But on Oct. 25, 1955, Sadako died at the age of 12. Even 1500 cranes could not keep her alive.

After her death, her schoolmates and friends raised funds to build a memorial to the children who died from the atomic bomb. About three years later, a statue called “Genbaku no Ko no Zo” or “Senba Zuru no Zo” was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peace Park on May 5, Children’s Day. The statue is a representation of Sadako holding a big golden crane above her head. There is a wish inscribed at the bottom: “This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world.” Still today cranes are sent to the memorial from all over the world. More than 10 tons, or 10 million cranes are dedicated to the statue annually.

And Sadako is still is there today too, hoping that her cranes someday bring peace to the world.

http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/
http://www.sadako.org/sadakostory.htm

Free Hugs

2007-03-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

Why?

Why are people standing around Columbia Hall on campus holding up "Free Hugs" signs?

What is that for?

And why do people go get their free hugs?

This is so creepy.

Eat and Run

2007-03-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

Is this okay thing to do in America?

The other day, I was waiting in a line to dinner from Panda Express (Chinese fast food) at EMU on campus. A woman came and cut me off. I was like "What the hell!" It's very rude. She asked the employee, "I'm gonna try the orange chicken." Okay...I'm waiting. "I need that one too." Okay...please...is there way to ask nicely? "Umm...good." Then she left without saying a word.

Wait...what did just happen?
Did she get samples and leave without getting anything, even though she did not line up and bothered people, at least me? Did she leave without saying thank you? I lost my words.

Isn't this something some kids do and their parents tell them it's not okay?

Please, woman. You're not a girl. Don't just come to get samples because you're hungry.

3 Reasons UofO Students Should Have Macs (J361 Journal 30)

2007-03-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Maichan -- It doesn't matter which we have: Macs or PCs? It DOES matter if you're studying at the University of Oregon. Maybe you know that libraries and computer labs have both Macs and PCs. Maye you think Macs are for Art Major. Maybe you know PCs are cheaper than Macs in general. For all those cases, here are 3 reasons that UofO students should have Macs. 1. Access. Some buildings on campus have only Macs. 2. Support. Even though they can help you, Computer Center at 151 McKenzie Hall is technically for Macs (If not, at least that's the obvious impression they are giving.), and other smaller computer support desks also specialize in Macs. 3. Purchase. UofO bookstore doesn't sell PCs, only Macs with great student discounts. These are the major three reasons why UofO students should have Macs. (Only 3 reasons? Yeah...sadly. And I myself bought a PC when my iBook crashed because of the lower price. So, I guess this is not persuasive enough.)

Anyway, I'm just happy that my journal burden for my Reporting class is done with this entry! From now on, I can write whatever I want! Yeah!
(imitated blog entry: http://valleywag.com/tech/apple/42-reasons-normal-people-can-switch-to-macs-242430.php)

ad that conveys unpleasant messages (J361 Journal 29)

2007-03-07T22:57:00.000-08:00

When I went to a grocery store, a yellow package stopped my eyes. It was LAND O LAKES butter package, which has a Native American woman who milks her own breasts. I get the point of the label, and I understand that the ad has been around for a long time that it has a reputation. Still, it is offensive. It doesn't have to be an Indian woman showing her breast. It could be a cow instead. I think that the imagery is discrimination against both Native Americans and females. It's an example of how offensive stereotypes can become accepted in our everyday life.

Who is "Journalist?" (J361 Journal 28)

2007-03-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

I would like to develop one question from this article, that is: How do we define "journalists"?
What we mean by the term "journalist" is debated widely as the Internet plays a bigger role in media. The term is confusing because unlike medical and legal professions, there is no minimum entrance requirement or licensing procedure for being a journalist. Thus, everyone can claim that he or she is a journalist. However, journalists exclude certain "journalists," such as the Web bloggers and writers; this is still accepted among many people as the norm, in my opinion. People need enough knowledge, skills, experiences, and also some kind of recognitions or reputations in order to claim oneself a journalist. The article is about an action taken for this uncertainty, that said, how we draw a line between "journalist" and "hobbiest."

$2000 to Write a Story?? (J361 Journal 27)

2007-03-06T16:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some comments for this article by NYTimes.com, and this article by Associated Press on the former New York Times reporter's payment for gaining a boy's trust.

I think that what the reporter Kurt Eichenwald did was unethical. Even though he was not acting as a "reporter," he knew he was a reporter. And he knew journalists were prohibited to pay for their sources. But he also knew the story of the boy's sexual activities on the Internet would be a big story that would benefit him. Otherwise, he wouldn't pay $2000 to gain the teenager's trust, and to obtain his true name and address, in my opinion. "We were gambling 2,000 on the possibility of saving a kid's life," he said, but it sounds like his excuse to me. I think that this happened because he lacked in knowing what his job was and what he was doing. And it's funny that UofO steps in.

Overprotective Car Navigator (J361 Journal 26)

2007-03-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

This is again, blog imitation. This site pick electronics devices and talk about them, or make fun of them. I liked this short entry: http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/06/solidalliances-omellete-mouse-cover-thats-rice-not-maggots/
Navigators direct you step by step to get to your destination. But there are signs on the streets. You can also ask people. MapQuest helps you find your way. Do you still want to pay $200-$1000 to eat at a famous sushi station? It's like overprotective parents who call to our office to complain for their children. (Your children are "college students," in case you have forgotten.) Let them go. Let them become independent. Those kids are the ones who are driving luxury cars like lexis with navigators. And of course, they're not paying for anything.

Media's Ethics (J361 Journal 25)

2007-03-05T21:51:00.000-08:00

I saw O.J. Simpson's name somewhere online several days ago, and ended up doing a little research.

On Nov. 20, 2006, News Corporation cancelled the TV special and a book publication, which was scheduled on Nov. 30. This book "If I Did, Here's How It Happened" was authored by O.J. Simpson, an American former college and professional football player. It discusses how he would have carried out the 1994 murders of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, if he had done it. This cancellation might have brought a huge loss for Fox since it was the ratings period, when Nielsen closely watches the ratings and tabulates future and rates based on those numbers. If the TV special had been aired, the company could have expected curiosity to drive viewers to the program in huge numbers. The loss of the publisher, ReganBooks, would have been great as well. The Simpson's book, "If I Did," had once ranked the top 20 of Amazon.com but by the time its cancellation was announced, it had fallen dramatically. This decision must have been hard for all financially involved.

The public reaction toward the project was negative. "Don't watch the show. Don't buy the book. Send a message loud and clear," Fred Goldman, Goldman's father, stated. Nicole Simpson's sister, Denise Brown, said, "It's unfortunate that Simpson has decided to reawaken a nightmare that we...worked so hard to move beyond..." She accused Simpson for not being respectful for survivors. She also showed her anger against the publisher, Judith Regan, and required her to take full accountability for abetting and promoting the wrongdoing of criminals. Harry Papas said on the Fox News Channel about News Corp. that "Principle was finally established over profit." Yet, some, including the National Enquirer, point out that Simpson had already made $3.5 million in advance for his book. Laurence J. Kirshbaum and other media agents label Regan as "total publisher," "slimy publisher," "foul-mouthed tyrant," or "enfant terrible of American publishing." For those people, it is unethical for Fox to publish the book and achieve a primary goal of gaining world wide attention as well as for Simpson to profit from the 1994 murders.

On the other hand, Regan insists that she did not pay Simpson. She said that she contracted through a third party and was told that the money would go to his children. According to broadcasters directing Fox-affiliated stations, including Papas' Mike Angellos, their company feels very strongly that there is "no beneficial interest in the airing of this program except to O.J. Simpson" and they have "no desire to benefit O.J. Simpson." Regan emphasized after silence that she wanted Simpson's "confession" because she herself was once a victim of abuse.

This is a case of journalists putting their own thoughts into their work. As Regan herself revealed, her own experience of being a victim because the conclusive reason for releasing the book. Some might say that Regan was obsessed with ending abuse, and forgot her profession to decide what to publish depending on the public's interests and needs. The Simpson's book illustrates the absurdity of contemporary media content. Interestingly, even though Simpson is familiar to the world, it appears that much of the condemnation is directed at Fox and Regan. We can conclude from this news that the public demands media or its agents to take greater responsibility, and often it is hard for the latter to make ethical decisions.

sources:
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6393289.html
http://www.Washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15754428

Beat Assignment -Anecdotal Story 2-

2007-03-05T15:52:00.000-08:00

"Shared Neighborhood"

Do you go into your neighbor's kitchen and grab something you need for your recipe when they are not home? People do, in this neighborhood.

Quiet. There's no sound but birds singing. Climbing up the mountain, you find its panoramic views beautiful. Clean. There are no overfilled trash cans on the streets. You'll see people jogging and bicycling. This is what the Walnut-Fairmount neighborhood looks like.

"Sandra will be gone from Jan. 30 to Feb. 18," said Tim, who lives next to the Fairmount Park. They know where others are and when they are coming back. They know which schools others' children go to. They even know how married couple met!

Sharing not only information and space, but also plants, animals, and all kinds of tools, the neighborhood has become an "extended family." That's where the comfortableness of taking food from your neighbor's fridge comes from.

Beat Assignment -Anecdotal Story 1-

2007-03-04T19:27:00.000-08:00

Neighborhood's Concerns over New Arena

It's not just fans who will be affected by the new basketball arena, but also people in Walnut and Fairmount neighborhood. This is the biggest concern the neighbors have in common. The new facility will be most likely built after the Williams' Bakery, which has already relocated in Glenwood, Springfield. The reasons for the new facility include: offering increased seating for additional fans to attend games, enhancing the university's competitiveness in recruiting potential athletes and coaches, and providing improved access for physically challenged people, food services, weight training facilities and gyms. It is estimated that the arena could provide $4-6 million in additional net revenue annually.

Walnut and Fairmount neighborhood--nice neighborhood where big houses line up the streets. It is also a very quiet, clean, and friendly environment where many people are jogging, bicycling, and walking with their dogs. Many residents there are professionals such as journalists and lawyers, or are affiliated with university. If the new basketball court is built there, whether or not the neighborhood will remain "as nice as it is" is questionable. Noise, traffic, parking, problems...neighbors' worries grow as university expands into their territory.

Trip to Japan (J361 Journal 24)

2007-03-04T07:29:00.000-08:00

This journal is supposed to be an imitation of a blog entry. I'm going to try to imitate Giant Robot blog (http://www.giantrobot.com/). I have read some entries of three bloggers. They introduce places they went and things they saw in quite conversational style of writing with many pictures. So, I'll just show you my hometown and the surrounding area.

Here, we're above the clouds. I'll take you to Kansai region, middle of Japan, where I'm from. It will take about 10 hours from west coast. The flight is indeed tiring. You should get some sleep if you can, if not, watch movies (They show new movies.) or just chat with your neighbors. Finally, we arrived at Kansai Int'l Airport in Osaka. The airport is away from the city, on the ocean, so now we take a train to get to the center of Osaka. This evening, let's go to Umeda Sky Building. It's a spectacular high rise building: 40-story, 568-feet tall. From the rooftop, you can see the whole view of the city. This is one of "D-MUST" places to go.　

Today, I'll take you more places in Osaka. From center of Osaka, Umeda, we take this roop-line. It comes every three minutes. In about 15 mins, you'll see Osaka Castle right in front of you. A lot of people from overseas visit here to learn history of 16th century. Now, let's head to fun place! Did you know that we have universal studio too? Universal Studio Japan was opened when I was in high school. There are less people compared to Tokyo Disney Land, still, you need to wait for two hours or more to ride popular attractions like Spider-Man. I know, you're getting hungry. Let's have a lunch when we get to Dotonbori, the place where the difference between Tokyo and Osaka are best shown. What I mean here is that the south part of Osaka has old-downtown characteristics. And even within Osaka, the place is special. Can you see the man holding arms up in the sky in the left picture? The big advertisement is very famous. It's a snack brand called "glico." The guy playing the drum is THE famous mascot or trademark of Osaka called "kuidaore." It literally means "eat and fall down or pass out," which suggests Osaka people's fond of eating. Ok, ok, I do remember. Luch, right? Here's what you MUST eat. This is called "takoyaki," or literally means fried octopus. It's one of the representatives of Osaka food. I made this. There are few places you can make your own takoyaki. If you found the place, you're lucky.
We have to go to karaoke at the end of the day. We have private rooms. So, you don't have to be embarrassed because you only with your friends. If you want to grab some snacks, get this. It's French fried potatoes. Cute, isn't it? Sing a lot of songs, get tired, and sleep well for tomorrow!

This is the last day of our trip. I'll show you some cool places outside of Osaka. So, again, let's start with taking a train. You've probably noticed, but it's so crowded in Japan, especially Tokyo and Osaka. You need to bump into at least five to ten people when walk. Welcome to Kyoto! You can't go back until you visit this place. It's "Kiyomizu Dera (Kiyomizu Temple)." The view from the temple is just beautiful. Go there in spring. The cherry blossoms are at the best then. At last, to Kobe. What is interesting about Kobe is that there are roughly two views you can see in Kobe: mountains in east and ocean in west. This is Kobe Harborland. If you have time, stay until night to enjoy the two same, but different views.
There are so many things I want to introduce to you. Hope you all will have a chance to visit Japan!

Images: Umeda_Sky_building.jpg (Wekipedia Japan) All other pictures belong to me.

"Why I Hate Blacks" (J361 Journal 23)

2007-03-01T04:39:00.000-08:00

This is a response to an article I found on poynter.org.
It talks about the criticism"Asian Week" have taken
by publishing the "racist" column titled "Why I Hate Blacks."

In the column, the writer Kenneth Eng listed "reasons" to hate African Americans and according to the "San Francisco Chronicle," they included:
"Blacks hate us. Every Asian who has ever come across them knows that they take almost every opportunity to hurl racist remarks at us."
"Contrary to media depictions, I would argue that blacks are weak-willed. They are the only race that has been enslaved for 300 years."
"Blacks are easy to coerce. This is proven by the fact that so many of them, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, tend to be Christians."

First of all, I'm curious why Eng wrote such column. And I assume that he lacked a full explanation to address his motivation and why it is important to write about the topic. Apparently, he's not just targeting African Americans. The Chronicle said that Eng previously published columns such as "Proof That Whites Inherently Hate Us" and "Why I Hate Asians" and they took criticism. So, why did he do that again knowing the next column "Why I Hate Blacks" will result in harsher criticism and more serious controversy. If the writer had persuasive reasons behind and told them to readers, they would still accuse him for publishing it, though might have showed some kind of understanding.

And Eng's "reasons" don't sound logical. He doesn't have enough evidence to support his claims. His comments also neglect the long history of colonization and slavery. Third reason I listed above just doesn't make sense to me. In his previous column "Why I Hate Asian," he described Asians as "apathetic, brown-nosing and lacking in cultural pride" according to the Chronicle. I think that Eng has problems with his descriptions or wordings too. And we, Asians, have higher cultural pride than Americans do, in my opinion. America doesn't have its own culture so much to begin with because much of their culture is mixed up. (I just offended some people, didn't I?) I think Eng should have said "nationalism" instead of "cultural pride." And that makes much more sense to at least to me.

I admire how much Americans love their country. They love the flag and its colors. They sing their national anthem at important events, which Japanese don't. When I was in the last year in middle school, hanging out our flag and singing our national anthem at important events, including graduation ceremony, was required by law. But at my graduation, few people stood up and sang. (We still have rights to choose whether we sing or not. I didn't, because I hate the anthem.) A man got really angry and said something really loud to protest against it, and left the room shutting the door loud.

But we never can speak for everyone and every ethnicity. And I don't think he can speak well for public regarding this issue, and obviously, he's not doing a good job. Therefore, he should reconsider about what he has done to people who have felt discriminated against by his columns, and what he will write in the future.

The links below are the article I was talking about, and another article regarding this topic that was published the next day.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/28/
BAGFUOCKIQ1.DTL

Love is Pain

2007-02-26T19:33:00.000-08:00

I was in Ohio for several months in 2002.
We were good friends in marching band.
He had loved me since then, even though
we never saw each other after I left,
Nor did we ever talk on the phone or chat
on MSN messenger. We exchanged a few emails.
It was enough to keep his feelings about me alive.

It was back in Aug. 2005, before I moved to Eugene.
I started dating this American guy.
I was happy until he moved to Eugene.
He left everything in Ohio; his family, friends, job…
He said that he never wanted to lose me again.

I broke up with him a week after he moved to Eugene.
I felt awful. I felt guilty. But it was not my fault, nor was his.
His eyes were filled with tears.
He gave me a letter full of his thoughts.
I wondered if he would kill himself because he loved me that much.

Yes, we decided to become friends again.
But does it mean you call the other everyday,
sometimes, several times a day?
I thought he needed some time to accept the fact
that we were not in a relationship anymore.

So finally, I decided to ignore his calls.
I knew I was hurting him, but I had to.
You don’t know how hard it was to hold
my cell phone in my hand, hoping that it would stop ringing.
Someone you care about wants to talk to you.
Who doesn’t want to pick up the phone?

He was mad. I knew he would be.
I was hurt and upset by what was said in emails he sent me.
But I was also very sad. I was sad because he did not understand
that I was hurt, as much as he was.

I felt threatened. I was worried whether he might turn into a stalker.
I wanted to change everything he knew;
my room, email address, and even class schedules.

It’s been more than a year since we broke up.
We’ve met each other twice; we’ve talked on the phone twice.
Still, he hasn’t opened his heart to me.
Regardless, I want to say he is very nice.
I lost one of my best friends.

I wish we never dated.

Makeinu

2007-02-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share this article I wrote for Japanese section of a small publication on campus called "Global Talk." The theme of the issue was Love.

Single women in Japan who are nearing 30 are in a rush—Not because of running late for their train to go to work, nor purchasing a trendy outfit a popular artist designed. They are rushing to get married.

Makeinu in Japanese literally means “loser dogs.” The new term refers to women who are unmarried after turning 30. It was first coined by an essayist, Jyunko Sakai, in 2003. She wrote a book called “Makeinu no Toboe (Loser Dogs’ Howls).” She herself was 37 when she wrote this best-selling book. Being over 30, single without children—she admitted that she was a makeinu, and said that no matter how well makeinu presented their “happy lives,” it’s just facade. The writer encouraged them to accept their lonely lives.

Makeinu was among the top 10 of “The Word 2004” award, which honors the most popular words of the year in Japan. It is an example of social construction of gender through the creation of words. Makeinu implanted a thought that those women are “left over,” and that no men will “pick them up.”

Compared to the past, Japanese society has become more equal for men and women. More women are working, thus getting married later. The Ministry of Health reported in 2005 the mean ages of first marriage were 29.8 for men and 28 for women. Those numbers were 28.2 and 25.5 in 1985, when some college juniors and seniors were born. Yet, people’s thoughts haven’t changed. The stereotypes of the gender roles are ingrained in our minds.

Winter is the time when people especially become aware of love. When couples are kissing under a Christmas tree with beautiful lights, or when one is making heart-shaped chocolates for someone special the day before Valentine’s Day (In Japan, traditionally, girls give chocolates to boys.), some might be wondering what makeinu are doing.

Clean Up Your Own Mess! (J361 Journal 22)

2007-02-26T16:49:00.000-08:00

I think this is one of the stories that could represent American culture.

I was really pissed when I went to the bathroom on the second floor at EMU this past weekend. The bathroom is usually a lot cleaner than other ones on campus. But this time, it was a disaster. High school kids (They were having debate and other tournaments). Please. Flush your own shit. Believe or not, not single person flushed the toilet. And what? We have about eight rooms. Gross. Toilet papers on the floor. Why? Trash cans were overfilled that they didn't even have caps. Thus papers we dry our hands were all over the place. Why can't someone, one person, put the cap back on? Why can't people use the bathroom "normally?" Why can't people keep the room clean? We all know how uncomfortable it is to use unclean bathrooms. Come on, girls! Mom, please do not put your baby on the dirty, disgusting floor. Didn't you see the counter? It's right next to you!

I sometimes hate this country (even though I like America better than Japan for the most part). You guys have too much stuff. That's why people tend to forget that they are lucky (It's questionable whether they're truly lucky, but I think it's lucky anyway.). Don't forget to appreciate that you were born in this wealthy country. It's sad when I see students trashing food in the dining halls. Don't take that much if you can't finish even though it's buffet style. They can throw stuff easily because they know they can get it again whenever they want.

Last Friday, I went to Kelly Middle School to give a presentation. Each of them had a computer, and they were using blackboard, which surprised me. How lucky they are! My topic was Hinamatsuri, Doll Festival or Girl's Day. I had them create their own dolls using colored papers. I also taught them how to make a Kabuto or Samurai hat with newspapers. They loved it, which was good. But can you imagine how messy the classroom became when 35 kids acted selfishly? Of course, there were papers, scissors, glues, ads, newspapers all over the place. And they didn't care even though the classroom teacher spent 5-10 minutes talking about cleaning up the room, and recycling! "Recycling means a lot to me," she said. See, I like this attitude. Americans care about recycling much more than Japanese do. But if you don't produce and consume so much, some of your garbage problems might be solved. Don't you think?

Who cleans up the classroom afterwards? Of course people who are hired for that. This is so dumb. No wonder high school kids cannot clean up their own mess! They weren't trained to do so. They didn't learn cleaning because they didn't have to. In Japan, we have cleaning time in elementary school, middle school, and even high school. I don't remember about preschool, but I'm sure we learned to clean up in some ways. In elementary and middle school, we had to have teachers check if everything was clean. Until he/she said yes, we couldn't go get the after lunch break. If we couldn't hear yes, we had to clean up again after school. In high school too; we had to clean everywhere after school; classrooms, hall ways, bathrooms, cafeteria, and outside even though we didn't use!

I wonder what parents are doing too. They should teach children these kinds of stuff, shouldn't they? Please don't spoil your kids. School teachers shouldn't be accountable to raise your kids.

Anyway, thank you for listening to my complainｔs. And please know that I do understand only some people in America apply to what I said above.

This Blog is...

2007-02-26T16:24:00.000-08:00

I just thought I want to explain why I set up this blog, and what I'll be writing about. To be honest, I created this blog because we were required to do so in today's J361 Reporting I class. We've had journal assignments regularly. From now on, our teacher wants us to post journals here. Good, we save papers in that way. Good, he no longer has to carry heavy piles of our journal entries. But... then I can't write stupid, embarrassing stuff that I could only tell him personally anymore. What's worse, I really need to care about grammar because other people might read my entries =( Please let me know if you found any mistakes I made here. (I know I make a lot of mistakes. But hey, I'm learning English. Please don't try to be mean and say, "You should change your major!")

So, apparently, we can't just write whatever we want. We have some rules, for example, some entries need to be responses for articles on a certain website. But other than that, I'll just throw my thoughts, happy and sad daily events, etc., which I hope will entertain you or at least make you think. I also hope this will be my study abroad reports to my family, friends, and teachers in Japan.

My First Small Footprint

2007-02-26T11:24:00.000-08:00

I hate rain. But I try to be a happy duck. Enjoy my little reporting from a rainy town in Oregon.