This Week's Bucket List Additions 5

Sorry I haven't posted much this week.  I picked up a bug my wife brought back from her trip to North Carolina and haven't had a lot of energy.  But I've feeling better now, and I wouldn't want to miss a chance to add to my bucket list.  I checked a few off recently, but I'll blog about that later.  For now here are this week's additions to my bucket list:

-Watch the 'Godfather' movies.  Difficulty Rating: 2 out of 10
They're on any critics' list of the top 100 movies of all time, I see references to them in other shows all the time, and they won a bunch of academy awards.  I think we should all take more time to better understand our own culture and its influences and for that reason alone I feel like I should watch the Godfather movies.  But I'm also fascinated by the Mafia.  I think the Mafia are the ultimate cautionary tale of what people can become when they let making money become their primary motivation.  When protecting our money becomes our top priority, it can lead us to some dark places.

-Spend a Week Without Modern Technology.  Difficulty Rating: 5 out of 10
I think most modern technology is wonderful and enriches our lives in many ways that we often take for granted. Going Amish for a week will hopefully give me a fresh perspective on the ease with which I live my life.  But I also think that modern technology also distracts us from many of the smaller joys in life.  Without Facebook's constant calls to read  about my friends' day, maybe I'll be able to reconnect with some of the simple pleasures I'm sure I'm missing. At the very least, it should fill my week with new adventures and variety and slow down life's pace for a little while.  I'm sure there will be great temptation to make exceptions to my self imposed electronic exile.  But if I don't give in, I'll have a great sense of accomplishment and hopefully I'll have seen the world from a new perspective.

At a Renaissance festival a few years ago

Copyright Jeff Howick 2008

-Move to Japan.  Difficulty Rating 6 out of 10:
This will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, as I've been working toward this goal for awhile now.  My wife and I both want to live abroad because we think experiencing other cultures is vitally important. I think everyone should travel, it's important to see that there are other ways to view the world just as valid as our own or that despite our differences, we still have much in common with people in other cultures.  Why do I want to move to Japan in particular?  A myriad of reasons, I guess.  Japan is the first culture I remember being aware of outside my own.  Since then, the more of Japan I encountered, the more I enjoyed it and the more I wanted to learn about Japan.  I enjoy Japanese food, Japanese movies and anime, Japanese culture, and the Japanese language.  In college I minored in Japanese and I talk once a week on Skype with a Japanese friend to help me practice.  I hope to become completely fluent.

What will I do while I'm in Japan?  Something I love.  Two years ago, after volunteering as a tutor to help people learn English as a second language, I realized how much I enjoyed teaching ESL.  Getting to meet people from around the world and helping them achieve their dreams and goals is so much fun and teaching English as a Second Language is an exciting rewarding job.  So I went back to school and got certified to teach English. Last summer I taught English to high school kids from Europe who were here for an international English summer camp and recently I taught adult ESL classes in Manhattan.

So teaching English in Japan is kinda my dream job.  Next week I have an interview to help teach school children in Japan through the JET Program and I'm very excited and almost as nervous.  I've worked hard to get to this point, and I'm excited for the next step.

Mt. Fuji in Japan

From Wikipedia.org

Photo Album of Fall in New Jersey (and New York) 2009

Volunteering is the most American thing one can do

Today I attended my third training class for the Literacy Volunteers of America. It's been a fun and enlightening experience, one I would recommend to others. During each class we learn a little about teaching methods for ESL and a little about our students and their lives.
We've heard stories how learning to speak, read and write English has helped people to vote for the first time, get a better job, talk to their children's teachers and doctors, and become citizens of the United States of America. ESL tutoring has all the ingredients a great volunteer program should have: cultural exchanges for both student and tutor, kind souls sharing their knowledge and time to help empower others, and the chance to fell good while improving local communities. Everyone should voluteer, because it's not just American or moral, it's healthy and joyful. Wherever you passions lie, there is a chance to volunteer. Whether you referee little league games or serve soup to the homeless, volunteering enriches the lives or everyone involved. So I implore you to find a place to give a few moments of your time and improve your life and the world.

A New Chain for my Keys

Last month I lost something that has served me by my side for more than a decade. My trusted Scooby Doo keychain finally broke free from his chain, never to guard my keys from the pocket monsters again. I lamented this loss online and one of my dear friends decieded to help me.
I received a new keychain from a far away land, South Canada, also known as Minnesota. It was a wonderful gesture and truely apperciated. Unfortunately this almost Canadian keychain which sports a moose and some Canadian geese is too large to fit into many of my pants. Which is too bad because it also happens to be a miniature lunch box, and I love to carry food with me everywhere.I guess I will have to use it only for special occasions. I'll keep it around as my fancy keychain used only for trips to Canada or when I really need to smuggle food into a movie theather or ball game. I've put a lot of thought into what my next "everyday" keychain should be, and I've decieded that it should be something that serves as a daily reminder of my dreams and goals. So I've decieded to find a Japanese themed keychain. My wife and I will be moving to Japan in two years when she graduates from seminary. I've got a lot to do in the next two years, get certified and gain teaching experience in ESL, teach my wife Japanese, find a job in Japan, and get a visa. I can't wait to get started, and hopefully a new keychain will be a small, daily reminder to keep myself focused on that goal.