Month 2 in Review...And Lots About "Work"

I am writing Month 2 in Review from my dad's house in Michigan - with this furry little guy keeping me company. I sure have missed his snuggles over the past ten weeks. 

On Monday, I boarded a plane for a fourteen-day trip back to the US. Time to see family and friends in Warren and Cincinnati - sandwiched in between two conferences (one in Milwaukee and one in Columbus). I'm only three days into the trip and I am surprised how easily I just fit back into life in the US.  At this point - I am enjoying things that I don't have - or are more difficult in Japan. I have eaten cereal and enjoyed some smoothies (bringing the blender back to Japan); driven a car (and remembered how to do so); shoveled snow at 9:30pm with my dad; and, used the dryer to fully dry my clothes. Oddly, it seems normal to be able to read everything and communicate without thinking. I was imagining that this would feel odd. I realize it's only been two months in Japan - and I am probably still in that US mindset to an extent.  It will be interesting to see what the "adjustment" is like in August. I have to say though...public bathrooms in Japan are SOOOOOO much cleaner! 

And now...on to the review! :)

Places Visited

-Matsumoto (Matsumoto Castle)

-Jigokudani Monkey Park

-Hakuba Ryokan/Onsen

-Bowling (in Hoshigaoka) 

-Tokyo (the Roppongi area; American School in Japan)

-Nagoya City Science Museum

-Lots of restaurants! (including one that served "American" hamburgers and imported beer)

Cafes Enjoyed

While Kaz and I enjoy our Starbucks from time to time - we prefer local coffee shops and cafes. One of our favorite things to do whenever we are in a new place is to try explore the coffee shops. Hence cafes enjoyed being a header on these monthly reviews! This month, however, our Starbucks intake has increased as we have been indulging in some seasonal Japanese drinks and as I have come to LOVE matcha lattes (green tea lattes - which are not often on the menu but are available all year long in the US as well). During the end of March/beginning of April - the cherry blossoms (aka ~ sakura) begin to bloom in Japan. I can't wait to experience this - as people flock to Japan to see them and lots of festivals and events accompany the blooms as well. And I am quickly learning that with that comes sakura flavored EVERYTHING! Starbucks features both a Sakura latte and a Sakura frappuccino.  So, naturally - we had to try them.

I learned a few things in trying both drinks. First, the flavoring is not actual "sakura" - it is a combination of raspberry, strawberry, and caramel. Pretty tasty! I've heard other sakura-flavored things actually use the leaves from the sakura. I'll have to compare. The other is that even though the Sakura latte is called a "latte" - it doesn't actually have espresso in it. After tasting it - and thinking I was just drinking flavored milk - I Goggled a bit and found out that I really was drinking flavored mild. Apparently, a few years back...Starbucks changed the drink name from "steamer" to "latte" - but didn't add coffee. I guess you can ask to have a shot of espresso added if you wanted. That will require practicing how to do so in Japanese - and not just winging it when at Starbucks. The frappuccino also contains no coffee - and tastes like a milk shake. I would recommend the drinks to others to try...though I would rate the matcha latte and the cold match latte with chocolate (I discovered at the grocery stores/combini) as much tastier. 

And one other yummy "cafe" to mention. When in Tokyo, Kaz and I stumbled across a cafe that only sold popsicles. And YUMMY ones!! I had a chocolate popsicle (kind of like a creamsicle) that had a brownie and orange slices in it. Kaz's was cheesecake with strawberries, peaches, and some other fruit. DELICIOUS! 

Kit Kat Flavors Tasted
Adding to the list of Kit Kat flavors...

Sake

Strawberry Cheesecake

Yuzu ("Fruit" Line)

Shinshu Apple

Raspberry ("Fruit" Line)

We also found a store in Tokyo that sells LOTS of Kit Kats...so we bought many boxes and flavors to try in the coming months. I also took bags of them home with me to the US - so now family and friends are joining in on the Kit Kat tasting frenzy! :)

Victories

Over the past month - my role as a speech therapist in Japan has really been evolving. I think originally I imagined myself working with a couple of kids who had received therapy back in the US, Canada, or even England...and whose parents were doing something similar to what Kaz and I are doing. Being here for a few years due to a job placement. I was actually a little worried that I would "get a bit our of practice" as a clinician. Boy, was I wrong! 

Thanks to a ton of help from a wonderful special educator named Luci...Who helped me to get started at NIS (Nagoya International School) and who helps me on a daily basis to figure out my role as a professional in Japan. And who is amazing, dedicated, and who I am lucky to be able to learn from! ...I am quickly learning that there is A LOT more that goes into working in an international setting - with students and families from ALL over the world!

Working with the culturally and linguistically diverse population is something I had very little experience with...and I think is an area on the speech-language world that therapists are always wanting to figure more out about. I have found myself pondering a zillion questions. Questions like...Is it a difference? Is it a disorder? How do I know? How do I figure it out? In what ways does this culture view speech/language therapy? Do they know what a speech-language pathologist does? How can I explain my job in a concise way - that also makes sense? How can I get the family to trust me? What role does moving to a totally new country play in a student's struggles in the classroom? What happens when you place students from many different backgrounds together? And so much more... 

I spend my Tuesdays and Thursdays up at NIS. I am slowly building up a caseload of students. Most of my time so far has been spent observing students, talking with teachers, meeting with parents, and beginning to determine which students may benefit from speech/language therapy. I don't technically work for the school - so I have also been gaining some insight into what starting a private practice may look like...as Nagoya has not had an English-speaking therapist in a long time...and NIS hasn't had one on staff in the past.

Last weekend, I spent Saturday in Tokyo with a group of foreign speech-language pathologists from all over the world. A wonderful SLP named Marsha (who is from Ohio) has lived in Japan and worked as an SLP for the past 40 years. She has formed a network of therapists to work with the international community. The SLPs work in international schools and do private practice in the Tokyo area. They also all speak and do therapy in English. I had a great time meeting with them - and am excited to continue to collaborate and learn from them. I am hoping that with time...Nagoya will build up a network of foreign SLPs as well. I was even able to present a two-hour talk to them (the one Scott and I gave at ASHA in November). I never imagined that I would present internationally...pretty cool! 

Luci has also introduced me to an organization called SENIA - which stands for Special Education Network in Asia. SENIA is a network on educators, professionals and parents across Asia dedicated to supporting individuals with special learning needs. Many Asian countries - including Japan - have local chapters. The SENIA conference was held in Kuala Lumpur last month and the Japan chapter conference will be held in Japan this coming April. Next year - the SENIA conference will be held in Japan...which is super exciting. I am not able to go to the conferences this year; however, I am looking forward to getting involved with the group, learning from the members, and maybe even presenting next year (I've already put the bug in Scott's ear about bring some ACT to Japan). 

Goals

-Keep putting myself out there - trying new things, meeting new people...even when those "new" things seem challenging and scary.

-Continue to be willing to sit with both positive and challenging emotions about living in Japan.

-Get back into running...I think the ankle is ready!

-Continue journey with learning the language - take steps to attempt talking - even if it's a lot of stumbling and jumbling through my words. 

-Continue to grow and evolve as an SLP - and to learn as much as I can from everyone at NIS and the international SLP community. 

-Enjoy Sakura season - and all that it has to bring! :)

-Take more time - especially on weekends - to EXPLORE Japan!

Sunny Moments

In addition to the ones above...

-Meeting new people

-Growing as an SLP/professional

-Traveling to new places

-Learning more about Japanese language and culture

-Surviving 2 months in Japan (with more sunny moments than clouds)

-Successfully making it back to the US - and being able to enjoy some much-needed time with family and friends

Cloudy Moments 

In addition to the ones above...

-Homesickness

-Frustration

-Judging/being a bit harder on my self than I want to be

Much love to all! :)

~Jaime