Welcome to Tokyo

Once upon a time, not so long ago--but far enough back that I'd better write about it soon or it might be lost--I took a plane to Tokyo.

I was in a SpongeBob euphoria the entire time. I'm going to Japan, going to Japan, going to Japan. I'm in Japan, I'm in Japan, I'm in Japan. My plane ride was fabulous with lots of yummy food. I caught the first of two trains with ease, and enjoyed my 30 minute ride to Ueno station, where I would catch a shinkansen to my ultimate destination of Niigata.

And that's when everything changed from My Neighbor Totoro to Graveyard of the Fireflies.

I couldn't find my second train. Even with an inundation of extremely helpful, fluent English speakers, I missed my train. Lo and behold, it was the last one of the day.

And then it started to rain. I decided that this would not be a good time to find out whether my laptop case was waterproof or not, and so made myself comfortable on a bench to wait out the long night.

I've never spent the night in a public place, never been stranded in an airport, certainly never slept at a bus stop. My entire stay in Asia, I never felt physically threatened or uncomfortable, so I was more annoyed a the inconvenience then concerned about safety. This coming from the girl who carried a knife, mace, a cell phone with safety numbers on speed dial, and considered a taser gun (if not a .45) while living in downtown Los Angeles.

It was a long night. I watched the repair people go by. And the custodians. I read an entire novel (Black Powder War by Naomi Novik). I took pictures of the empty station.



Then, the station closed. I didn't know train stations closed. I had a relay line of police officers escorting me from the building.

When I got out I wanted to cry, I had 4 hours without a bench. But I couldn't cry, I still had my SpongeBob optimism pestering me. So I took pictures of the homeless people.


Who slept across from the 24 hour police depot.



I cut quite a figure standing in the center with my LV bag, laptop case, and rolling carry-on.

Two hours before the station reopened, the rain stopped, and I decided to foray out into the neighborhood.



There was a miso/noodle shop open less than a block away that smelled delicious and had comfy looking seats. So at 3am I decided to try my communication skills and get a snack.



First step: observation. The patrons walked up to the stone counter, collected a tray and were shortly supplied with a full, steaming bowl. There were no words in any language exchanged, neither did money change hands. I suddenly felt helpless; pointing would be to no avail here, and waving money at 3am is never smart. That's when I noticed the machine.

You insert your money into the machine, push the button that corresponds with what you want, and print a minuscule slip of paper to hand to the cook. I discovered this only to have a whole new set of problems develop. There are no pictures, only text. The large black arrow pointing to pictures along the top has absolutely nothing to do with the row of buttons (the little symbols didn't match). So, more observing ensued (with all my luggage still in tow). I carefully watched which button the next couple of patrons selected and then, when it looked like plain miso with soba and some vegetables, pushed the same button.

I got something entirely different. There were no vegetables. There was confusion as to which type of noodles I wanted. There was also a soft boiled egg that was added at the last minute, to my astonishment.

Thankfully, it was utterly delicious. I returned to my stake between the homeless and the police until the station opened at 5am.

Wonderful, But Plagued

I quit my job as a teacher in Taiwan and have returned back home to California. This was due to several factors, from problems with working conditions to dramatic shifts in my health.

I want to emphasize my appreciation for everyone who supported this endeavor spiritually, emotionally, and financially. Your prayers, emails, letters, and donations were a continual blessing to me and alleviated many rough days.

I initially went to Taiwan because I had always been interested in seeing Asia. I was also promised a flexible work schedule that would accommodate my desire to observe Shabbat (after an initial work period). The salary was very competitive, especially in relation to the cost of living. There was also a publishing division in the company I was hired by, so I saw an opportunity to move between the educational and publishing fields. Everything seemed perfect.

Everything was not what it seemed, but the hardest blow was being plagued by all sorts of health problems. A good portion of my time was spent battling what started as a simple sinus and ear infection, but ended up developing into something new and exotic every week. It also didn't help that there's a tendency to treat all health problems with short, mega doses of antibiotics in combination with other medication and that simply resting, or even taking Traditional Chinese Medicine, is frowned upon.

Despite the battle between my body and the environment of Taipei and managing my work schedule, I did fit in some fabulous experiences that make the whole process worthwhile. Best of all was growing closer to my heavenly Father and being in a place where daily miracles were obvious and mind blowing.

For those considering teaching abroad, I would definitely encourage it, but be sure to do your homework. I would not recommend anyone apply for employment with HESS Educational Organization in Taiwan, based on the lack of standardized working conditions. Individual branches often flout corporate policy in regard to class size, working hours, human resource concerns, and teaching supplies provided. The only discrepancy between corporate office and the individual branches that is mentioned during training is teaching style, and whether you use certain games or not. This is very misleading.

If you are interested in working for HESS, I would highly recommend living in Taiwan for a few months to acclimate yourself to the environment, cuisine, and living arrangements. Visit the branch you're interested in working at, ask to observe classes and note working conditions, and ask for the branch name. Be prepared to spend minimum 1:1 ratio of teaching hours to out-of-class work (including, but not limited to, lesson preparation, test and homework grading, materials and supply organization). If you are teaching kindergarten, be prepared to design and purchase supplies for "Fun Time" craft and game projects. Promised supplies are often not provided (except maybe crayons, scissors, and glue for individual students) in a timely manner, if at all, and suggested activities are often inapplicable to student's skill level.


As for this blog, I still have some stories to tell and pictures to post from Japan and Taiwan, so keep reading. After that, we'll see what direction to take for my posts.