Konichiwa and Welcome

Hello Friends and Family,

I promised before I left that we would create a blog about our year in Japan and now four months after we arrived in Japan, I have created the blog. Sorry, I have never been very good at things like this, but it is important to both of us to share our experiences with all of you, so here we are.

You are probably wondering why the blog is entitled "Nani?". Well, there are a few reasons, but the most important for me is that it was the first Japanese word I learned from my students. Nani is Japanese for what. I noticed I was hearing this word in the classroom all the time and realized it was because they had no idea what I was talking about, and many of them still don't. So, that's the first reason. The second reason is that especially in the first month, I constantly found myself wanting to say "what?" In the beginning when nani was one of five Japanese words I knew, I rarely knew what people were asking me at the grocery store or at restaurants or in the classroom.

I have heard nani much less often in my classrooms, I think my students have finally started to understand and respect the fact that I don't speak Japanese and won't in the English learning environment. I am also asking nani myself less often in basic situations, like the grocery store, and restaurants, and in the classroom. Maybe it is comfort that has been acquired over time or the fact that I now have at least tripled if not quadrupled my Japanese vocabulary to 15 or 20 words, pretty pathetic. I am still frequently questioning cultural customs, employment expectations, approaches to learning English, and why we have to drive on the other side of the road. Some of the questions are being answered and some will certainly continue for the entire year.

Anyway, that is my hello and welcome, I will certainly post more soon. Sending so much love to everyone and missing you all like crazy.

Love,