November 12, 2006
San Francisco, CA
8:36pm
Wow! What a first day. The introductory sessions were pretty interesting and led by the head honchos behind the program.
2:00pm Orientation program welcome – Chris Powers, Institute of International Education,Washington, D.C.
This was pretty straightforward with some statistics about the participants including the fact that we represented every state and the District of Columbia. I think this may become an important facet of the program. Learning about how things are done in other parts of the country can be just as fascinating as learning about Japan itself.
San Francisco, CA
8:36pm
Wow! What a first day. The introductory sessions were pretty interesting and led by the head honchos behind the program.
2:00pm Orientation program welcome – Chris Powers, Institute of International Education,Washington, D.C.
This was pretty straightforward with some statistics about the participants including the fact that we represented every state and the District of Columbia. I think this may become an important facet of the program. Learning about how things are done in other parts of the country can be just as fascinating as learning about Japan itself.2:05pm JFMF Program overview – Kyoko Jones, JFMF Program Director, Japan-United States Educational Commission
Ms. Jones gave us a good idea of what we are in store for with some, often funny, anecdotes about past participants. She is based in Tokyo with a staff of six total who are collectively responsible for the logistics and planning for not only the 200 of us here in November, but the 200 that came in October and 200 in June as well. Quite an undertaking for a small work force.
3:05pm Information on Friends of the Memorial Fund and CE/Graduate Credits, Robert Radford, Director, Friends of the Memorial Fund
Dr. Radford offered some humor to the presentations as well as he worked on his, self-proclaimed, Comedy Central material. It seems like a good idea to pay the $400 to get graduate credit for my participation in this program. Doing so requires no additional work and at that cost is really a bargain.
3:10pm Follow-on plan overview – Chris Powers, Institute of International Education,Washington, D.C.
3:20pm City group meetings
For the first time, we met in our group of 20 that will be traveling to Yukuhashi in the Fukuoka prefecture. We are a diverse group from all areas of the United States, all curriculum areas and all age groups. We’ll be spending an extensive amount of time together after leaving Tokyo. In the group, my closest contact so far is from Alaska which is interesting in and of itself.
4:10pm-5:10pm Panel presentation: The JFMF experience and the JFMF follow-on plan
Three alumni of previous groups told us about their experiences complete with Power Point presentations and personal stories. This really put a personal touch on the journey we are all embarking on. Some of the photos they shared brought tears to my eyes seeing the close connections these participants created with Japanese students, their homestay families and each other in such a short period of time. I left this discussion invigorated for what was to come.
6:00pm Reception at Consul General Makoto Yamanaka’s house
This was the icing on the cake tonight. Driving the streets of San Francisco, we encountered that famous California highway traffic, saw the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge and held our breath as our buses gunned it up huge hills. We made it and then were in for quite an experience.
We all huddled on street corners taking photos of the Consul’s residence, the hilly streets and the lights of the city. Then, as we made our way onto the property, servers met us with trays of champagne and wine. After milling about a bit, taking photos, a series of introductory speeches were made including one by the Consul General himself. I even had the opportunity to shake his hand and take a photo with him.
Then the 200 of us enjoyed sushi and other food, drinks and introductory
conversations with more and more participants. Unlike previous groups I’ve been with, there is no anxiety about walking up to someone and just saying hi. I had some wonderful discussions with my colleagues tonight. Here are just some highlights:
I met a teacher from Greencastle, Pennsylvania whose wife’s grandfather is Tubby Raymond. Tubby Raymond, for the uninformed, was the legendary coach of the University ofDelaware’s football team from sometime in the 1950s or 1960s
until my junior year there in 2002.
I spoke with an instrumental music teacher from Gainesville, Florida who not only taught marching band, but invented the judging system for small bands in the state. His friend, Kevin Ford, is the band director at Tarpon Springs and has been associated with the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps. This JFMFer also taught the Spirit of Atlanta during their heyday and is a fond fan of the Crossmen and their new home, Ronald Reagan High School in
San Antonio, Texas.
My seat partner for the bus ride back from the Consul’s residence is a 5th grade bilingual (Spanish/English) teacher in Colorado who went to college in Connecticut. My seat partner for the ride to the Consul’s residence lives and teaches in the San Diego area. His wife was born in Mexico. Across the aisle was a woman from Alaska and on and on it goes. I’m ecstatic at the contacts I’ve made already and I can’t wait to continue meeting new people and developing relationships that will carry through the trip and our return to the United States later in November.
Now it’s time to shower and get ready for bed. While it’s only coming up to 9pm here in San Francisco, it’s almost midnight on the East Coast and I’ve been up since 4:15am ET. Tomorrow is another big day as we leave for Japan and a trip forward across the International Date Line. Once we land in Tokyo, it’s up and at ‘em with no down time before we hit the town.
Ms. Jones gave us a good idea of what we are in store for with some, often funny, anecdotes about past participants. She is based in Tokyo with a staff of six total who are collectively responsible for the logistics and planning for not only the 200 of us here in November, but the 200 that came in October and 200 in June as well. Quite an undertaking for a small work force.
3:05pm Information on Friends of the Memorial Fund and CE/Graduate Credits, Robert Radford, Director, Friends of the Memorial Fund
Dr. Radford offered some humor to the presentations as well as he worked on his, self-proclaimed, Comedy Central material. It seems like a good idea to pay the $400 to get graduate credit for my participation in this program. Doing so requires no additional work and at that cost is really a bargain.
3:10pm Follow-on plan overview – Chris Powers, Institute of International Education,Washington, D.C.
3:20pm City group meetings
For the first time, we met in our group of 20 that will be traveling to Yukuhashi in the Fukuoka prefecture. We are a diverse group from all areas of the United States, all curriculum areas and all age groups. We’ll be spending an extensive amount of time together after leaving Tokyo. In the group, my closest contact so far is from Alaska which is interesting in and of itself.
4:10pm-5:10pm Panel presentation: The JFMF experience and the JFMF follow-on plan
Three alumni of previous groups told us about their experiences complete with Power Point presentations and personal stories. This really put a personal touch on the journey we are all embarking on. Some of the photos they shared brought tears to my eyes seeing the close connections these participants created with Japanese students, their homestay families and each other in such a short period of time. I left this discussion invigorated for what was to come.
6:00pm Reception at Consul General Makoto Yamanaka’s house
This was the icing on the cake tonight. Driving the streets of San Francisco, we encountered that famous California highway traffic, saw the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge and held our breath as our buses gunned it up huge hills. We made it and then were in for quite an experience.We all huddled on street corners taking photos of the Consul’s residence, the hilly streets and the lights of the city. Then, as we made our way onto the property, servers met us with trays of champagne and wine. After milling about a bit, taking photos, a series of introductory speeches were made including one by the Consul General himself. I even had the opportunity to shake his hand and take a photo with him.
Then the 200 of us enjoyed sushi and other food, drinks and introductory
conversations with more and more participants. Unlike previous groups I’ve been with, there is no anxiety about walking up to someone and just saying hi. I had some wonderful discussions with my colleagues tonight. Here are just some highlights:I met a teacher from Greencastle, Pennsylvania whose wife’s grandfather is Tubby Raymond. Tubby Raymond, for the uninformed, was the legendary coach of the University ofDelaware’s football team from sometime in the 1950s or 1960s
until my junior year there in 2002.I spoke with an instrumental music teacher from Gainesville, Florida who not only taught marching band, but invented the judging system for small bands in the state. His friend, Kevin Ford, is the band director at Tarpon Springs and has been associated with the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps. This JFMFer also taught the Spirit of Atlanta during their heyday and is a fond fan of the Crossmen and their new home, Ronald Reagan High School in
San Antonio, Texas.My seat partner for the bus ride back from the Consul’s residence is a 5th grade bilingual (Spanish/English) teacher in Colorado who went to college in Connecticut. My seat partner for the ride to the Consul’s residence lives and teaches in the San Diego area. His wife was born in Mexico. Across the aisle was a woman from Alaska and on and on it goes. I’m ecstatic at the contacts I’ve made already and I can’t wait to continue meeting new people and developing relationships that will carry through the trip and our return to the United States later in November.
Now it’s time to shower and get ready for bed. While it’s only coming up to 9pm here in San Francisco, it’s almost midnight on the East Coast and I’ve been up since 4:15am ET. Tomorrow is another big day as we leave for Japan and a trip forward across the International Date Line. Once we land in Tokyo, it’s up and at ‘em with no down time before we hit the town.
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