Hello!
こんにちは！

My name is Samantha Ortibus and let me tell you, something big is about to happen in my life!

 サマンサと申します。著大ニュースがあります！

I'm moving from this:

これは私の田舎ですけど…

Wallaceburg, Ontario

Population: 10,000

To this!

ここにもうすぐに行きます！

Tokyo, Japan

Population: 13,000,000

That's right! My bags are packed and so my crazy shoe collection and I are going to move to Tokyo! After years of studying and making all of the necessary preparations, I've finally taken the last leap towards my dream of working as an ESL teacher in Japan. 

そうですね！私の二つかばんは埋め尽くしますが、東京に行きます！四年ぐらい、日本語を勉強して、色々な準備をしました。ついに私の夢は届きました。

I was bit by the Japanese adoration bug at a very young age. First it was Sailor Moon, then it was manga, which swiftly led into J-pop and J-dramas. After that I couldn't get enough of Japan. I had to know the language, the culture, the history. Japan has been a long admired destination that sparked the wanderlust inside of me and thanks to the JET Programme, I now have the chance to see what life is like in Tokyo as I will spend a year exchanging language and culture within an all-girls private junior and senior high school. 

すごく若い年に日本が始めて大好きでした。初めに好きな事は美少女戦士セーラームーン。その後は漫画とドラマとＪ－ポップです。高校生の時、日本の言語と文化と歴史を習たかった。本当に日本は私の一番住む場所です。今、Jet Programme お陰です、チャンスがあります！東京の女子高校で英語を教えてつもりです！

Though it's sad to say goodbye to a place that is so familiar and homey to me, I can't wait to meet all of my fellow co-teachers, students, and Tokyo JETs that are already awaiting me in Japan. This is going to be such a wonderful and unpredictable adventure. I know it might be trivial, but thank you for checking out my blog and if you'd like to join me on my journeys, please feel free to check out more of my other posts.
さようならと言うは寂しいですけど、私の学生と他の教師と東京のJETsと合うことをすごく楽しみです。これから私の素晴らしくて予測不能な冒険を始まる！

If you have any travelling tales you would like to share, or even if you have any questions for me, please comment below or send me an email at samortibus@gmail.com
旅行物語とか質問があればぜひ私に遅れてお願いします。

I hope to fill this space with funny stories, beautiful pictures, and helpful resources for fellow teachers, but for now, this 自己紹介 (introduction) is all I've got.
このブログは面白い物語と綺麗写真と便利な教師の資源を書きたいですけど、今私の自己紹介はおしまいです。

(P.s For privacy issues, I will not be sharing information about my school, nor will I be posting any pictures of my students in which their faces are visible. そして、私の日本語はまだ上手じゃありません…すみません！多分たくさん文法の間違うを書きます。私は頑張ります！＞＿＜ )

I'll see you soon in Tokyo!
-Samantha

          Since my brother was the one who conditioned me into becoming the nerd I am today, I thought I would honour his birthday with a little tribute to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

I remember playing countless hours of this game with him. More of less meaning countless hours of watching him actually playing it while I swapped in to play the songs on the ocarina for him (I couldn't handle the "scary things" like Dampé's Graveyard or the freakish moon).

I was initially planning on making an entire set for him with the Deku, Goron, and Zora masks included, but I didn't expect the amount of time and effort I would have to put in for making Majora's mask... It's those individually carved spikes... What a pain in the keester...


So without further ado, I'll show you how I made a mask for my brother so that he could become evil, take control of the moon, and destroy the world!

For this project, I needed:

• One Styrofoam Disc and a couple extra styrofoam blocks for the spikes (I thought about using wood or possibly even clay, but for the sake of saving time and money, I went with foam)
• A utility knife 
• Wood carving tools
• Newspaper
• Flour
• Water
• Mod Podge (i used gloss, but matte could be a cool finish too)
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrushes 
• Hot glue gun
• Scrap paper and black marker
• Sandpaper

Step One

I made a rough sketch of the mask on a sheet of scrap paper just to get an idea of how large I wanted it to be and how the shape should be cut. Since I get supremely confused when working with three dimensional projects where I have to take away instead of add on, I went over the outlines that needed to pop out in the mask with a permanent black marker so I wouldn't accidentally cut into anything important. At one point I tried to tape the scrap paper mask onto the foam in order to trace everything out, but the foam was too slippery so that method was quickly thrown to the wayside.

Step Two

Once everything was marked out, I took my handy-dandy utility knife and started cutting out the main heart shape. A word to the wise if you are looking to try this DIY... the foam will be EVERYWHERE. it stuck to my desk, the floor, my tools, and to me in general. Since I wanted the mask to be as smooth as possible, I sanded the entire thing down with sandpaper after I was done carving just to eliminate the look of the foam's bubbles. Also, I suggest using a screwdriver as a part of your carving kit. Since foam is easy to poke into, I used the flat edge of the screwdriver to make a lot of the smaller lines in the eyes.

Step Three

Once all of the main carving was done on the front of the mask, I took my extra foam blocks and carved out ten, identical spikes. I'll be honest, this part of the project almost drove me insane. I sat in my room for hours sanding down ten, silly, little pine cone shaped thingamabobs... Anyway, once they were all even and my sanity returned, I carved small holes in the side of the mask in order to securely wedge the spikes in.

Step Four

I took the spikes out for convenience for the next part and for utter fear that one of them might break. Then, I flipped the mask over and carved out the back so it looked more like a mask than a foam block. Since there were holes in the side I had to be careful not to make the walls of the mask too thin. Once that was done and I had another lovely pile of green foam stuck to me, I hot glued the spikes back in to make sure that they were in securely. 

Step Five

Here comes the fun part! Paper mache! I will never be too old for paper mache. Art Attack set me on the path of glorifying paper mache ever since I was a wee one (90's kid reference, pay no mind). There is no exact ratio for making the paste so I just added enough flour in water until a nice "pancake batter" formed. The trick here is to use very tiny chucks of paper in order to avoid the cheap "peel away" look of dried paper mache. Also, I had to make sure the entire mask was dry between coats so that no mold would have a chance to grow. 

Step Six

Once the mask was completely dry, I sanded it down for the last time just to make it as smooth as possible. Then it was painting time! I just used a variety of different acrylic paints (aka whatever paints I could scrounge up from my art room) to mix and match the perfect colours for the mask. You can be as careful and meticulous as you want when carving, but the real look of your mask is going to come from how well you can paint it. Take your time to achieve some steady, professional looking lines in order to make the mask look authentic. My mask took two coats of paint and one top coat of gloss finish to give it that "this is totally made out of expensive wood and not cheap foam" kind of look.

TAH DAH!

And there you have it folks, how to make Majora's Mask! If I ever get around to making the other masks I'll upload them in another "Let's MAKE" blog.

              Unfortunately for me, I have somehow mastered the skill of always getting myself into embarrassing situations. Tripping over stationary objects, creating awkward silences, fumbling anything put into my hands.. you name it, I've made it awko-taco. Since embarrassing myself comes oh so easily, I like to have an arsenal of Japanese cultural do's and don'ts at the ready for my move to Tokyo in order to ween the awkward situations down to a somewhat normal level.

Most of the faux-pas below are things that I have discovered from my previous visit to Japan. Others have been kindly passed down to me by my Japanese friends who are sweet enough to attempt to keep me from transforming into Japan's #1 most awkward 6" tall, blonde gaijin. If you know of more Japanese do's and don't, or perhaps if some of these don't apply where you live in Japan, be sure to let me know in the comments!

Forever avoiding these cringe-worthy moments...

Situation 1: The Footwear Fiasco
You walk into a Japanese home for the first time. Finally, a Japanese family has taken your poor, little, foreign soul under their wing and to sweeten the deal they want to treat you to supper. SCORE. As you step into the main room, the room goes quiet... The air grows thick with silence... All eyes are on your feet.

Luckily for most Canadian travelers out there, we are already in the habit of taking our shoes off when we enter a home. The Japanese however, hold this rule to a very high standard. Shoes must be taken off and neatly placed at the 玄関(genkan). You might also be expected to take your shoes off at certain shrines, restaurants, and schools. Also, some people don't like you running around barefoot in their homes especially if there are tatami mats so bring a pair of emergency socks with you wherever you go just in case.

Situation 2: Way Down Low
You are playing your usual game of charades with your supervisor in order to supplement your lack of Japanese with some good, ol' fashioned body language. He's asked you about working this coming Sunday and you give him a thumbs down to show that you won't be able to make it in that day. Your supervisor's face becomes red with anger...

Congrats, you've just learned how to tell someone to "go to hell" through Japanese body language!

Situation 3: "Hashi" Hassle
One of the most exciting and drool-worthy aspects of Japan is the food. Seasonal food, festival food, traditional food; they're all equally amazing. However, what's not so amazing is learning the proper ways to get the food from your plate to your mouth without looking like a complete barbarian. Follow the clever (and kawaii) rules below and you will be using your 箸 (hashi) like a pro in no time!

Check out Cool Japan Lover for more kawaii things

Situation 4: Onsen aka. The Rite of Passage
You walk into a public bath house with your friends feeling absolutely terrified. As a Westerner you aren't accustomed to prancing around in your birthday suit with your friends and co-workers nearby. Do you have to get completely naked? Won't people stare? Are there proper steps to take while bathing? Yes, yes, and yes.

While some bath houses have unisex baths where you can wear a swimsuit, most are segregated into two sections for both genders where you have to undress completely before entering the bath. Also, it may or may not happen, but be prepared to be stared at a little bit depending on your level of gaijin-ness (I'm very tall, blonde and I have blue eyes so my gaijin level is extremely high).

As for making sure to take the proper steps while bathing, I could go on and on, but I'll save my breath and show you a handy-dandy video that sums it all up!

How to do Japanese Onsen

Situation 5: Rules To-Go Please

Today you've decided to go on an adventure! You're going to see the sights, eat the food, and really become one with the city. A trendy Carrie Bradshaw in NYC type of day. However, their are some things you should know before you take that first step out the door.

The first thing you should know is that most Japanese people find it very strange if you are walking and eating at the same time. My Japanese university professor pointed this out to me one day when I was walking to campus and eating an apple on the go.

The second pertains mostly to the ladies out there. For some bizarre reason, wearing a top that shows your shoulders is considered risqué while wearing super short-shorts with knee high socks is completely A-OK... Well there goes all of my nice tank-tops...

Lastly, blowing your nose into a handkerchief or Kleenex in public is an unspeakably horrible act in Japan. What then, you ask, should you do if you get a cold? Remember the golden rule that your mother taught you when you were young to never impolitely sniffle? Throw that rule to the wayside. Sniffle your way to a bathroom and then use a Kleenex in the safety of a private cubicle.

Situation 6: Lady-Like? Take a Hike!
Here is a new faux-pas that I ran into the other day! So imagine this situation that I went through. You are in a school gymnasium with all of your fellow teachers and students for the welcoming ceremony. Your principal gets up on stage to make the first speech. You cross your legs and sit up nice and proper to show that you are listening. You feel a poke to your side and the teacher beside you is giving you that desperate "dame" (it's not allowed) face. HUH?!?
Instead of giving off the "I don't want you to have to see up my skirt and I want you to think I am professional looking" vibe, apparently crossing your legs looks super lazy and nonchalant. Alright Japan... that's just weird...

          Now you're (somewhat) ready to storm into Japan and be a dashing debonair instead of a Godzilla-like gaijin! However, there is really no way to be 100% prepared for the awkward cultural situations that Japan will throw at you, so just be yourself and don't take any embarrassing situation too hard! I will be sure to post more faux-pas as I encounter them (as I surely will)!

          Back when I was going through the process of applying to JET, tips on how to survive the JET interviews were akin to tips on surviving a zombie apocalypse. Instead of running around trying to find every last bottle of water and canned peas at Costco however, us wannabe JETs were ravaging suits from stores and practicing every last possible interview question like it was going out of style.

Since I know firsthand how stressful applying can be, I thought it might be nice to share some handy tips that I would tell my past self if I could step into a Tardis and turn back time. So without further ado, here is Samantha-sensei's advice:

1. Fill out your application as soon as you possibly can. There is a lot of information you need to gather in order to have everything ready to send. A nice, safe cushion of time allows you to get your professional recommendations without stressing your boss out (no stress = happy review) and it allows you to quadruple check the spelling in your application and in your essay. You don't want to be rushed at the end or else you might make simple grammar or spelling errors that can be detrimental to your overall score.

2. Watch videos and read blogs of past JET finalists. Every situation is different and it is great to think about a range of different interview styles and questions. I found these blogs and videos to be the most helpful for me so check them out if you like:

• This Japanese Life
• Tofugu
• Constantine in Tokyo  / Constantine's Awesome List of Questions

3. Accept the fact that you will not have the answer to every question the interviewers ask you. Scary but true! For example, they asked me what I knew about the ongoing political situation between the Canadian and Japanese government...

*Visualize my inner panic attack for this question here*

The trick is not to freak out (or more likely, not let them see that you're freaking out)! I told them honestly that I didn't know the exact situation, but that lack of knowledge is just one of the many reasons why I want to travel to Japan and delve into the culture so that I can be more politically and socially aware. It's all about a positive perspective and how well you can spin things and mean it.

4. Do not boost your application/resume. Telling them you speak Finnish or Laotian may sound cool, but they painstakingly comb your application and will bring up any interesting additions. On that note, it's a great plus if you plan ahead to get your TESOL and JLPT as it adds more flair to your application.

5. Wear professional clothing! Honestly, this is the easiest thing you can do to rack up how many points they will give you. Let's take a look at two very good examples of Japanese business wear...

A knee length skirt complete with nylons = super!

A traditional black suit = awesome!

...Go for that! You might worry, "oh, black is boring and I won't stand out and I won't look good without a lot of makeup" but this is what they are looking for. I had my hair in a tight bun, little to no makeup on, a black pant suit with a white button up collar on underneath, and black closed toe pumps. This is most likely what your interviewers will be wearing and you should do the same to impress them and to make yourself more comfortable in the interview. If you're still unsure take a look at the Japanese Business Resource to find out more.

5. Get yourself in front of a mirror and start talking away. I sat for hours practicing questions with myself... which kind of convinced my roommates that I was absolutely bonkers. Nevertheless! Watching my facial expressions was really key for my interview prep. Focus on being genki and looking professional with every move. They are watching for people who can handle stressful situations, so try to react calmly to every question even though you may be freaking out on the inside.

Unikitty know what to do with her fears in order to stay genki XD

6. If you know a friend who is also applying, ask them to run mock interviews. Practice makes perfect and both of you will feel more confident and comfortable from it.

7. Know yourself! Who you are, what you like, your goals and aspirations. They are looking for someone with personality who is directed. In my interview, they asked me about the hobbies that I had put in my written application so I told them about the chamber orchestra that I played in and the books that I like reading. When the questions are about you, don't be shy! Let them know that you've got moxie!

8. Know your culture! I wish I had done more practice on this one! They will want to know how you will be a successful global ambassador for your country. Know your city, town, province, country, capitol, most known foods, most known festivals, etcetera! I was asked what I wanted to tell the kids about my Canadian culture so I told them about my family that lives all around Canada. I went on about the differences between the plains in Saskatchewan and the Northern Lights in Yellowknife. I also sprinkled in a few interesting Canadian facts like how Saskatchewan is a cree word for "swift-flowing river".

#Canadianandproud

9. Know what you want to do in Japan. Who you want to teach, why you want to teach them, what you will teach them, and how. Teaching experience and cultural exchange experience is important so make sure you let them know your multicultural interests and teaching abilities!

10. Be sure to let them know that you are not just applying for this job for yourself. The Japanese culture itself is consecrated around the ideal of the group instead of the individual as seen within western culture. Tell them that you want to help the kids and establish better Japanese relations and you're not just using JET as an excuse to travel.

11. Learn some lesson plans. I cringe every time I think of my demo lesson that I had to do in my interview. If your situation is anything like mine, there will be a white board beside your interview desk and they will give you a few minutes to create a demo lesson based on a theme and age group they give you. For example I was given the theme of "fruits" and the age group of "high school students with little to no English". I attempted to do a simple Wheel of Fortune style of letter guessing game (attempted being the key word here). What's also good to note is that the interviewers will actually act like children. One interviewer was playing with paper and the other one was giving me the blank face "student stare" that many teachers know all too well. I had to muster every last bit of me not to laugh it was so comical.

The stare I was up against....

12. In the waiting room before your interview make as many friends as you can! Everyone is nervous, but it really helps to chitchat with the people who are in the same boat as you. Also, there is a long-standing JET folklore that the previous JETs signing you in will be watching how you interact with the others which I can't confirm or deny so just make sure to be genki and nice!

13. If you know Japanese, be prepared to speak it. The Japanese interviewer will at some point say something like "じゃあ、日本語で話してもいいですか？” and you have to be ready to turn that Japanese button on. I had to give an introduction, talk about my favourite Japanese author, and explain what some cartoons were doing on a sheet of paper. It wasn't really nerve wracking since I've been studying Japanese for a long time, but this is another reason why you should never fluff up your Japanese skills. They will test you depending on the level you put on your written interview sheet. For this reason it is a good idea to compare your level to the JLPT Standards.

14. Read your essay and written application until you know it like the back of your hand. This won't be too hard since all of the information is about yourself!

15. Prepare for "The Trick" question. I think this is what I was dreading the most. How will they try to slip me up, make me nervous? For me it wasn't so bad actually. They just said something akin to "Oh, I see here it says that you have no Japanese language skills?" "AHA!" I thought to myself, "I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE!" I pulled on my best "super-cool-and-ultra-professional" face and told them that actually on my sheet I had filled out language sufficiency in both Japanese, English (duh), French, and Mandarin. Then I saw an opportunity to tell them about the JLPT N3 test that I had just taken so I plugged that for a bit. You only have 25 minutes to convince these people that you are awesome so plug whenever appropriate and possible.

16. Something else you might be dreading is "The Song". I know most people who got into the program in my year were asked to sing a song in front of the interviewers as well. My best guess is that they are just trying to see if you can be silly and fun in front of young kids. I asked them what language they wanted the song to be in and I chose a French song since that's what I grew up singing in school. I went full out and did the actions along with the song as well. I also told them to prepare their ears because comparably I can make crow caws sound beautiful which elicited a few welcome chuckles.

Basically the extent of my singing abilities

17. Don't worry too much about your interviewers being mean or anything like that. I know every experience is different, but the two interviewers I had were extremely nice. They smiled and laughed at a few things that I said. They also nodded a lot which I found to be a strange comfort when I was answering their questions. My advice is that even if your interviewers don't look nice, you have to be the nicest person in the room. Your job at that moment is to make them like you so be genki even if they don't respond to your energy.

18. Be sure to check out the JET Programme GIH. Familiarize yourself with the content and you will have a better idea of how to shape your answers to the interviewer's questions. Also, you might get some approving nods if you can base your answers to situation questions around quotes from the GIH.

          This concludes Samantha-sensei's advice giving column on applying for JET! I hope this post helped you in some way, shape or fashion! If you have any questions whatsoever about the written application or the interview itself, please leave a comment below and I'll be happy to respond as best as I can!

Good luck everyone! I'm rooting for you!

          As the "moving away" countdown continues, I thought it would be a good idea to make a recurring post to motivate me to keep some of my hobbies up while I am away. Since lugging my violin to Tokyo is out of question for me, I decided to stick with sketching for now.

Since sketching is just a hobby, don't expect anything too mind-boggling! I mostly stick to charcoal and graphite, but sometimes I do like to jazz it up and reach for water colours or pencil crayons. Hopefully, I will be able to do some landscape paintings/drawings in Tokyo when I get there, but for now please enjoy these sketches.

Graphite - Inspired by day of the dead and flower crowns

Charcoal - Inspired by existing anatomy drawing and by Noh masks

Graphite & Pencil Crayons - Inspired to attempt a self-portrait in business attire 

Help me keep up with my initiative to keep drawing by brainstorming some sketch ideas in the comments! I'd love to hear your thoughts. See you in the next doodle blog!