JET Programme Series: The 3 BIG Cs – Cuisine! Culture Shock! Carnival?!?! - Kelly Cain
2022/11/11
JET Programme Series: The 3 BIG Cs – Cuisine! Culture Shock! Carnival?!?! - Kelly Cain
I love my town. I love the people. I love my co-workers. I love my schools. I love my art club in school. I love my Board of Education. I love my adoptive family – the Kikuchi’s. I love cheese gyudon at Sukiya! (Random order of course)
It is safe to say I am having a good time in this lovely city called Yawatahama. Though I am sometimes disinclined to exertion, (yes lol… I know I basically called myself somewhat lazy) I found myself doing things I would not have done in Trinidad. Yes, I use to hike with Christopher J (tallman with an awesome sense of humour) but I am hiking on a consistent basis now and going on longer than usual hikes. Also, in Trinidad, I literally lived 20 minutes away from the beach for 29 years of my life and have never gone fishing but guess who is a fisherwoman now! My catches are small but fish is fish!
So, we talked about the good now let’s talk about the difficult. This is how it basically went –
*Dials number…ringing…
Me: Pew! Simon…whatcha doin’?
Simon (Trini Brethren from Shimane): watching Seinfield…what’s up?
Me: Seinfie…not my business…anyways want to make a doubles run?
Simon: Yeah…wait what? Doubles. You serious right now?
Me: Yeah! …I checked, if we leave on a Thursday evening and pass through LAX then take a redeye to New York, then make our way to Trinidad, we will be back in time for school Monday morning.
Simon: Are you hungry?
Me: Yes! Why else would we be having this conversation. Keep up man!
Simon: *laughs for 5 minutes straight.
Simon: Finally experiencing culture shock I see.
Me: What? No. This is not culture shock. I just really want a doubles…and max grill…and Darryl’s (formerly Japs) and callaloo and FRY PLANTAIN!
Simon: Yo…obvious examples of culture shock are missing family, home, adjustments to the different language, transportation but food is on that list.
Me: This is culture shock? Me wanting doubles? Really?
Simon: No, but you planning to runaway for 3 days halfway across the world for a doubles run slightly puts you into the shock category. Your stomach not having it anymore.
There you have it; my somewhat culture shock I guess (still haven’t fully come to terms with this is what it is but okay.) I don’t miss family (I hear from them all the time). I don’t miss friends (I hear from them all the time) I don’t miss Trinidad traffic and I definitely don’t miss fighting my brother for the car keys. But the food. Oh my God! I miss the food! Now, when I get calls from home, I find myself constantly saying ‘when are you visiting? Please bring roti!’ ‘Is it legal to ship dasheen bush?’ ‘Why doesn’t Japanese cheese taste like Trini cheese!?!? My macaroni pie not Trini pie-ing.”
I mean, it’s not all Trini food tabanca. I found a new love of salmon sushi (with kyushu style soy sauce!) My friend, Aya, makes me fried chicken and potato salad often, I am trying to get Simon to visit me so he can make me stew chicken and pelau or maybe just the lau…hold the peas (don’t shoot me! It’s still pelau without peas!) But in the meantime, I live in Sukiya, I practically breathe cheese gyudon now. (rice with strips of pork topped with cheese) Basically doing my best to work around this ‘doubles shock.’
But fear not! Don’t be sad for me…Carnival trip home in the making…Mas and doubles galore! Speaking of mas, lets end on a GREAT note.
Got invited by Trini Tokushima JET, Larissa, to Carnival in Tokyo. Of course, I said yes but, my JTE then asked me to participate in my school’s cultural festival. So obviously, money had to be spent. Definitely couldn’t do both but, I am here to spread the culture and Carnival is my love, so (hoping big here) it’ll wait for me. I chose cultural festival and it was EPIC! Lots of back and forth with my sister, mother, grandmother, aunt and cousin from home for materials, backpacks and shipping but the results were worth it. The kids, parents, teachers, fellow Board of Education members, especially my JTE had fun. I wouldn’t change anything!
To this day I still get compliments on the cultural festival and people keep telling me they learnt a lot and loved not only hearing about it but also seeing it come to life. It was a great experience for them. And the kids, they also worked so hard. Not only at learning moves for the performance, but for the poster presentations about Trinidad and its culture. Months of preparations for one of the best presentations I have ever done.
So, here’s to many more adventures in Japan. I will definitely keep everyone posted on if I switch professions to become a professional fisherwoman and here’s to the 3 Big Cs becoming the Big 2!
JET Series: The BIG Cs - Cuisine! Culture Shock! Carnival?!?! (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives
It is safe to say I am having a good time in this lovely city called Yawatahama. Though I am sometimes disinclined to exertion, (yes lol… I know I basically called myself somewhat lazy) I found myself doing things I would not have done in Trinidad. Yes, I use to hike with Christopher J (tallman with an awesome sense of humour) but I am hiking on a consistent basis now and going on longer than usual hikes. Also, in Trinidad, I literally lived 20 minutes away from the beach for 29 years of my life and have never gone fishing but guess who is a fisherwoman now! My catches are small but fish is fish!
So, we talked about the good now let’s talk about the difficult. This is how it basically went –
*Dials number…ringing…
Me: Pew! Simon…whatcha doin’?
Simon (Trini Brethren from Shimane): watching Seinfield…what’s up?
Me: Seinfie…not my business…anyways want to make a doubles run?
Simon: Yeah…wait what? Doubles. You serious right now?
Me: Yeah! …I checked, if we leave on a Thursday evening and pass through LAX then take a redeye to New York, then make our way to Trinidad, we will be back in time for school Monday morning.
Simon: Are you hungry?
Me: Yes! Why else would we be having this conversation. Keep up man!
Simon: *laughs for 5 minutes straight.
Simon: Finally experiencing culture shock I see.
Me: What? No. This is not culture shock. I just really want a doubles…and max grill…and Darryl’s (formerly Japs) and callaloo and FRY PLANTAIN!
Simon: Yo…obvious examples of culture shock are missing family, home, adjustments to the different language, transportation but food is on that list.
Me: This is culture shock? Me wanting doubles? Really?
Simon: No, but you planning to runaway for 3 days halfway across the world for a doubles run slightly puts you into the shock category. Your stomach not having it anymore.
Me: …
There you have it; my somewhat culture shock I guess (still haven’t fully come to terms with this is what it is but okay.) I don’t miss family (I hear from them all the time). I don’t miss friends (I hear from them all the time) I don’t miss Trinidad traffic and I definitely don’t miss fighting my brother for the car keys. But the food. Oh my God! I miss the food! Now, when I get calls from home, I find myself constantly saying ‘when are you visiting? Please bring roti!’ ‘Is it legal to ship dasheen bush?’ ‘Why doesn’t Japanese cheese taste like Trini cheese!?!? My macaroni pie not Trini pie-ing.”
I mean, it’s not all Trini food tabanca. I found a new love of salmon sushi (with kyushu style soy sauce!) My friend, Aya, makes me fried chicken and potato salad often, I am trying to get Simon to visit me so he can make me stew chicken and pelau or maybe just the lau…hold the peas (don’t shoot me! It’s still pelau without peas!) But in the meantime, I live in Sukiya, I practically breathe cheese gyudon now. (rice with strips of pork topped with cheese) Basically doing my best to work around this ‘doubles shock.’
But fear not! Don’t be sad for me…Carnival trip home in the making…Mas and doubles galore! Speaking of mas, lets end on a GREAT note.
Got invited by Trini Tokushima JET, Larissa, to Carnival in Tokyo. Of course, I said yes but, my JTE then asked me to participate in my school’s cultural festival. So obviously, money had to be spent. Definitely couldn’t do both but, I am here to spread the culture and Carnival is my love, so (hoping big here) it’ll wait for me. I chose cultural festival and it was EPIC! Lots of back and forth with my sister, mother, grandmother, aunt and cousin from home for materials, backpacks and shipping but the results were worth it. The kids, parents, teachers, fellow Board of Education members, especially my JTE had fun. I wouldn’t change anything!
To this day I still get compliments on the cultural festival and people keep telling me they learnt a lot and loved not only hearing about it but also seeing it come to life. It was a great experience for them. And the kids, they also worked so hard. Not only at learning moves for the performance, but for the poster presentations about Trinidad and its culture. Months of preparations for one of the best presentations I have ever done.
So, here’s to many more adventures in Japan. I will definitely keep everyone posted on if I switch professions to become a professional fisherwoman and here’s to the 3 Big Cs becoming the Big 2!
JET Series: The BIG Cs - Cuisine! Culture Shock! Carnival?!?! (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives