Five hours ago I was soaring over the edge of Alaska and on the brink of busting out of North America and into the world. I wrote up a blog post then about what I had learned after a cancelled flight and seven hours in a flying tube. Now, five hours later, I’m sitting in a Japanese airport and realizing that my propensity for rambling prevents me from being satisfied with what was already written. [I’m actually posting this from Hong Kong, I was about to post it in Narita but realized my flight was boarding!]
This is what I’ve already learned after my flight on the 28th got cancelled and I survived the trek from Indianapolis to Atlanta to Tokyo-Narita.
- Attitude is everything.
I first wrote about how frustrated I was after not getting to fly out on time. I’m missing the first full day of the trip and thus not present for the initial meeting of the whole group and awe of being abroad as well as the opening seminars and the first tourist activities. I was pretty disappointed when they announced that “mechanical issues” had grounded me in Indianapolis.
But then I changed my attitude.
You know what happened? Something I never could have controlled. Despite my claims to the contrary, I’m actually not skilled at everything so a pilot or a mechanic I am not. The plane breaking down isn’t something I could have ever changed. So why wallow in self-pity because I’m missing the first day?
You know what I gained? An extra day with my family. And that’s something I’m grateful for getting to have.
An extra day to reflect on my little sister’s wedding, look over pictures, and lament the fact that in the only shot of me from the wedding so far I look like the reject my family hides in the closet except for on special occasions when they have to bring me out or people will ask questions.
An extra day to hang out with an uncle from California and his beautiful family on my grandparents’ farm and to shoot milk jugs with shotguns, drive tractors, and perfect my redneck tan. I never get to see them so this was very special.
An extra day to eat Taco Bell with my dad and discuss topics you might never care about but that seem to matter to us like how to motivate students and employees, CNBC documentaries, and the relative value of owning a Taco Bell franchise.
You know what I missed? The first day of classes before an entire month of sightseeing and exploring China with my new colleagues.
Not that I would ever want to miss a social studies class. Obviously social studies classes are a ton of fun to sit through without falling asleep while being very attentive and respectful of the instructor.
Attitude is everything because I could have spent the whole day feeling sorry for myself but instead I made the best of it. And now I’ve crossed the international date line only a day late and still about to have the time of my life.
You know what could make me change my mind about this whole positive attitude and optimism thing? I’m pretty sure the baby behind me crapped itself multiple times but no one blamed the baby when I surreptiously farted.
- We really take our ability to communicate for granted.
On the way to Atlanta I sat next to a really sweet, elderly lady named Lois. We talked about how both of our flights had been cancelled or delayed until we ended up bound for the home of one of the worst Olympics mascots ever. It was very pleasant and she was a great single-serving friend.
On the way to Tokyo, I was surrounded by Japanese speakers and recognized just how isolated you can be when language barriers prevent you from effectively communicating. It made me think a lot about my students in the past who have faced similar difficulties and those who will in the future. How am I working to prevent this feeling of isolation? How am I communicating their importance as a learner to the class, to me, and for themselves?
It also made me realize just how important it is to take the study of other languages seriously. My experiences with French, Latin, and Arabic might not have helped me today but my lack of dedication when taking those courses might come back to bite me someday. How can I communicate to students the importance of taking their studies seriously now so it benefits them later? How will taking my classes help them in the future? How can I encourage students to become true global citizens by studying another language?
- Dude, the world is beautiful.
Seriously. I’m going to move to Alaska and live in the mountains just like in Hatchet except without the traumatic plane crash or psychotic episodes of talking to fire.
Today I got a bird’s-eye view of Alberta, British Columbia, Alaska, the Pacific Ocean, and the southern islands of Japan. It was breathtaking. But I was surprised by the number of people who don’t seem interested in staring out the window. I just can’t imagine passing up the opportunity to truly enjoy the liberation from the ground that modern technology affords me.
- Expectations are an interesting insight into your perspective.
Turns out that Narita is not the megalopolis of Tokyo that I was anticipating but an agricultural region outside of Tokyo with an international airport. So I didn’t get to see the towering skyscrapers and neon lights I had hoped for but I did get to see a side of Japan that I was not accustomed to from media and textbooks.
I was most excited to see hundreds of high tunnels like the one at Charlotte High School. Rows upons rows dotted the landscape between fields and homes.
The challenge of freeing myself from pre-existing prejudices and perspectives has already reared its head with this experience. Each place I visit will involve the same exercise in thinking about what I expected compared to what I saw and also considering what the Chinese want me to see and take away from this visit.
Nonetheless, I got to stop here in Japan so that’s pretty awesome. I’ve never been so close to seeing Godzilla destroy Tokyo in my life but now I’m on to China for my month of misadventures and expressing how much I love constantly seeing Chairman Mao’s face.
From your California Uncle it was awesome to spend more time with my Nephew! The focus of our trip was our Niece's wedding and seeing family, which there is never enough time to do. My Grandson and Granddaughter had heard so much about Indiana and you got to be a big part of their experience.
ReplyDeleteHeard you skyped Hong Kong!
We are a very limited linguistic culture in America makes you think when you cannot communicate simple questions to your fellow man (or woman) like is this the hot sauce or how is your day going?
By the way Taco Bell is a good investment but only if you can come up with the front money and like setting up in a location like in a Gas station in Missouri on I-70.
Have a safe and fun trip.