The Real Ghostbuster

Originally I had planned for this latest blog entry to be more of a recap post. I was going to fill you in on something I had done or seen during my year long hiatus. But in the past week something more important (albeit sad) has happened.

Harold Ramis, the incredibly funny writer/director/actor, passed away on February 24th 2014.

I must admit that, before his death, I knew Ramis only as "Egon the ghostbuster". Maybe it was happenstance, ignorance, or the fact that I was one year old when Ghostbusters 2 came out; but I knew very little about his career. I had no clue that this was the same man who  wrote Ghostbusters, yet alone, wrote and directed many of my favorite comedies growing up (Caddy Shack, Groundhog's Day, Animal house, Stripes, etc...). I had even failed to recognize him in his later acting appearances such as Orange County. I was floored that I knew so little about this man who had helped me to fall in love with movies.

As a child, I loved the ghostbusters. I mean, what young boy doesn't want to drive an unnecessarily loud car and strap a ghost-capturing particle accelerator to their back? They appealed to everything whimsical in my tiny heart. The ghostbusters went against everything society told us to do. Instead of listening to everyone around them, these childhood heroes did what no one else thought possible and succeeded. This gave me hope that I may one day succeed in accomplishing my dreams (no matter how ridiculous they may be).

All of Ramis' movies have similar themes to this. They taught us never to be afraid of being ourselves and to value our imagination. I am reminded of Animal House, Caddy Shack, and (of course) Ghostbusters. Those films were not only about being different but embracing those differences as strengths. He made it easy to root for the college misfits in their quest to be themselves, or the man-children who saved New York from a giant stay puff marshmallow monster. I felt a sense of pride when caddies triumphed over country club owning elitists. Their victories were my victories, and I was made stronger by each one.

These messages throughout his movies along with his unique sense of humor and wit, would go on to change the landscape of American comedy. Without Ghostbusters and films inspired by it, I'm not sure if I would have found the courage to be myself and follow my dreams. I would probably still be sitting in a cubicle in Oklahoma instead of a classroom in Japan. I'm sure there are many others like me who were equally inspired by this man. To that end I would like to say,

Thank you for the wise and comical teachings, Harold Ramis. The world is a lesser place without you in it.

art by ninjaink

If you enjoy my posts, like and subscribe to this blog. You can also contact me on twitter @SenseiTrey.

Wow... That Was a Long Nap

First of all, thanks to everyone who is still following this blog which has been inactive for over a year (you all get a free cyber hug). 

Last year was a crazy one and I plan on filling you in on it (little by little). In that time, I have experienced both amazing highs and horrible lows. I have been broken and built back up. These experiences have changed me in ways that I can't even begin to describe (though, I will try). 

When I first came to Japan I was scared, bewildered, excited, and naive... I guess I'm still all of those things, yet, I am different somehow. I've learned so much but still feel like I know so little. That may sound negative, but it is very much a good thing. Sometimes, it's important to recognize how little we truly know. It can be humbling and scary not knowing all the answers, but that is how real learning begins. I am a full time teacher yet Japan continues to teach me (wether I want it to or not). I came to Japan as a tourist, became a teacher, and was made a student.

Originally, I wrote this blog to show family and friends a country they may never get to experience (see: really lame YouTube videos in previous posts). While that is something I still hope to deliver, it's not all I want to accomplish. I have been to many vastly different places and met people from all walks of life. I revived this seemingly dead blog to tell you about those people and places. I want you to gain something from my experiences, and I want to grow and learn with you. 

If you have any questions for me, please leave them in the comments section below. If you enjoy my posts, like and subscribe to this blog. Be sure and share it with your friends. You can also follow me on twitter @SenseiTrey. 

Thanks again for all the love and support. Cyber hugs all around!

A Singapore Summer

Ok, so I am aware that summer was a good 2 months ago... regardless I have one more video to share with everyone before this blog can successively move on.

 In this third and final installment of "I Know What You Did Lats Summer because I'm You and and I was There," we travel to Singapore. Now you may not know this but Singapore is pretty awesome. It has great people, architecture, and food. It was an awesome way to end my summer vacation. The only problem was not having enough time to spend there. While we were there we got to go to a lot of awesome places including Gardens by the Bay. GBTB is an awesome botanical garden full of all sort of cool things to see. The video below details our trip there, enjoy.

People Say We Monkey Around

This is part two of my summer vacation recap.

 After AMF Myself and a few friends decided to stay in Malaysia for two extra days. The videos below detail our shenanigans in awesome detail.

Borneo or Bust

Hello and welcome. If this is your first time reading this blog, welcome to the awesome and you picked a great place to start. Also if you like it, be sure to do so on Facebook and please share it with your friends. That's how we all become awesome.

This is the first part in a four part series entitled, "I Know What You Did Last Summer... Because I'm You and You Where There (copy write pending)." It is meant as a comprehensive guide on how to have and amazing summer vacation.

I'm on a Boat

  Step one in this full proof plan is AMF. "What is AMF?" well I'm glad you asked. "AMF" stands for Asian Mission Forum. It is a gathering of people from all over Asia and beyond who share a similar love for Christ. I heard about this opportunity through Joel Osborne, the full time missionary at Mito Church.

Joel Osborne, Ladies and Gentlemen!

 He told me a lot about it (Where it would be, What it was, Who it involved) but, honestly, I was in it from the word Borneo.  It had been a place I always wanted to visit ever since I watched that one National Geographic special in elementary school. Don't think it sounds awesome? Well you aren't thinking about the secluded beaches...

 or the exotic wildlife...

or the awesome food...

 In case that does absolutely nothing for you, then simply say the name: BOR...NE...O. Doesn't that feel awesome rolling of your tongue? I was privileged to spend a little over a week on this beautiful Malaysian island and during my stay I got to see all the previous things mentioned and more.

On of these things is not like the other

So to recap, the first step to having a GREAT summer vacation. Go to AMF and/or visit Borneo. As mentioned there was a lot to see and do. This post will cover our time spent in a Malaysian cultural village. So please enjoy the video...

Until Next time...

Random Japan

So, Japan can be weird sometimes. Anyone who has watched Japanese television can attest to this. To me, weird doesn't necessarily mean bad. In fact, it's often the quirky weird things about Japan that lift my spirits when I miss home or am having an off day. 

Calpis is, like the bottle says, "Happy Refresh"

Whether it is going to my favorite curry restaurant and watching strange Indian music videos on their television or noticing a man walking down the street wearing hot pink pants, I have found the little things some of the most enjoyable... or at least interesting.

Rickshaws, Shrines, and Monkeys

Sometimes I do things on a whim...Especially if I have been feeling stagnant for a bit. Usually my times of whimsy occur after I have spent prolonged periods of time alone in my apartment. This is a post about one such time.

At this point in my adventure I had been in Japan for about 3 months. I had gone to many different places and seen some pretty awesome things. But despite my time spent traveling there was one place that I had not yet seen. It was like an elephant in the room, a place I knew i needed to go to, a place I really wanted to go to... Tokyo.

Tokyo is a must see for any foreigner in Japan. Simply put, don't come to Japan and skip Tokyo.

Escalators acceding a giant mirrored hallway

A large marketplace in Asakusa

 I was told before I came that Tokyo (especially the train system) was like a maze. In a previous post I described Mito that way, but after seeing Tokyo, Mito seemed like a country hamlet. In fact, I'm sure without a friend of mine that I met in Tokyo, I would have barely found my way home.

Just a fraction of the underground system we walked.

There were so many things to see and do that I only saw a fraction of what the Big City had to offer. I could drone on for hours about all I got to see and do but that, I fear, would bore you to death. Instead please enjoy the video.

Nikko Gang

For the Annual AET Retreat all of us crazy kids took a trip to the scenic little town of Nikko. There they have temples, shops, temples, waterfalls, temples, fog, temples, restaurants, and finally... more temples. As I mentioned a long time back Nikko has a few temples and thanks to my tenacious friend Heather Perry we where able to see most all of them.

The first temple we went to see was being renovated on the outside. In Japan renovating a building means covering it completely up. We were still allowed inside but sadly were not permitted to take any pictures.  

Behold the beauty!

There is a saying I heard a while back, "Once you have seen one temple you have seen them all." Well I tend to disagree with most blanket statements including this one. I will agree that most temples do look similar and some are just as boring as the next, but there are a few that stand out. The first temple I mentioned contained not one, not two, but three giant golden Buddha statues. 

The second temple we visited was actually the birthplace of the Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil monkeys. It is definitely a must see for any would be travelers. 

Blending In

There where also a few other cool temples surrounding that one. All of various shapes and sizes and all pretty cool. 

Exhibit A: Cool Temple

The one pictured above is actually just a small part of an even bigger temple. All of the white things around the door way are tiny intricately carved sculptures.

Exhibit B: Tiny Intricately Caved Sculptures 

Finally the last temple on our tour was one that we named "The Hidden Temple" and rightfully so. It was no where near the other temples and required climbing a ton of stairs in order to reach it. But climb we did and, after recreating a scene from Rocky, We got to see my favorite temple. It had no giant golden Buddhas, legendary monkeys, or masterful carvings; but it did have character. It was secluded (most likely due to the stairs), Small, and simple. I guess I'm just a man of simple tastes.  

Pictured: The last flight of stairs

After seeing all of the temples, we were decently tired and decided to return to our accommodations located way out in the boonies. There was more fun to be had (After all, it was not a one day retreat), but I think I will let the video tell those stories. 

We Like Sports

Attention: 

The following contains events that happened a decent amount of time ago. Viewer discretion is advised. 

So a while back my school had their yearly Undokai. For those not familiar while random Japanese school events, an Undokai is a sports festival. It is here that the children display their athletic prowess and their spirit of sportsmanship. At my school, every grade from kindergarten to sixth is involved in sporting events consisting of relays to tug of war matches (of which yours truly was on the winning team).

 My favorite game to watch involved a group of four kids hoisting another kid onto their shoulders. Their were two teams consisting of about six of these groups. At the sound of the staring gun, the teams would run at each other yelling. The person on the shoulders would then try and take the hat off of the other teams shoulder child. When asking one of my teachers about this game, they said it dates back to samurai warfare where two samurai would ride horses at one another and try and lop of the other's head. Fortunately, no heads were lost during our event. 

All in all, it was a lot of fun and I even got to learn a new Japanese word... Hiyake (日焼け). It means Sunburn.   

Ishinomaki

One of the things that I really wanted to do here in Japan was help out with the tsunami relief efforts. During my second week in Japan an announcement was made that a group from the church would be going up during Golden Week (A Japanese holiday where everyone gets a week off to vacation). Jordan Powell and I asked if we could go despite having to come up a bit later than the main group. The people organizing it got really excited and went above and beyond to make sure that these two newbies found their way and arrived safe. That was an adventure in and of itself and I was a bit nervous. Neither Jordan or myself had ever traveled by train before (Yet alone, for a six hour trip). Needless to say, it was way worth it. It felt good to help out in whatever small way we did. We were, also, able to meet and grow with some people from Mito Church as well as some university students.

I have a video and some pictures below. The video is mainly about this burnt down school that we visited. While the students had luckily evacuated the school, a lot of people from the surrounding neighborhood had fled to it for safety.

The man playing the harmonica was an alumni of the school and the song is the school's song. Both of his parents were inside the school but luckily they survived. He comes back to the school every vacation that he gets and plays the schools anthem for the memory of those who were lost. 

The man in orange was the guy playing the harmonica. He was super cool. 

Below are a few of shots of the house that we were stripping out. Jordan and I were in charge if closet removal. It's amazing how a job were you get covered in dust, grime, and sweat can fell so good.

Everything in the house needed to be stripped out except the frame work

That is a pile of the insulation that was in the walls. It all needed to be bagged.

Lunch Time!

Group Pic. I'm the dude way in the back with the black bandanna. 

Here a couple pictures of a house that had not yet been started on. It really tells the story of the devastation but also shows how far the other houses have come.

This is a junk yard containing all the cars that were totaled during the tsunami. The picture doesn't really do what we saw justice. That Line of cars stretched for a mile or so and the cars go way back.

These are some pictures that I took at the burnt school. Again, they don't really do justice to what we saw.

This is a shot of the school's shoe locker room

This is  where a convenience store once stood. It is now a memorial and a declaration of the strong spirit of the Japanese people.

This sign reads, "Fight Ishinomaki"

A couple shots from the road as we traveled.

The waves of the tsunami reached up to the first floor of this hospital despite it being way up on a hill.

 Finally, Here are a couple pictures of what was left of downtown Ishinomaki. Most of the debris had been cleared away. Aside from a couple overturned buildings, there was nothing left.

Here you can see that the road is now under water.

LOST

This is a quick / incredibly shaky video that I filmed during my first time outside of my apartment by myself. I believe that this was filmed during my first week in Mito. While I can now go almost anywhere in the city and find my way back home, such was not the case when I first arrived. I don't know if it was the fact that I was new in this city or because every city in Japan is built like a labyrinth (Seriously there is probably a Minotaur chilling out somewhere in Mito Station), but I was very stressed on my first solo outing. In the end, It was a good experience that prepared me for the many other times I would get lost. It made me appreciate the time I have to myself and the sense of adventure found in these types of experiences.

Pakistan in Japan

About a week ago, I was hanging out with some friends I had not seen in a very long time. We had just finished eating a very delicious lunch at one of my favorite Mito City eateries. After the meal, we were wondering what to do next. One of our group then suggested we go to karakuen park for the annual Pakistan festival. Like most of you, my reaction was of the "huh?" variety. I was not aware that Japan had large festivals dedicated to celebrating Pakistani culture...

Turns out they do... and they are quite a lot of fun.