Vero Beach!

Here in Vero Beach it is unseasonably warm I've heard...usually now it is in the upper lower to mid 70's and this year it is in the 80's. Not that I'm complaining mind you...it's warmer than Kumamoto this time of year for sure. I came here (Sebastian actually) to visit my mom who's getting older and I wanted to have ample time left with her. She has a disease in which her vertebrae fuse together due to arthritic conditions.

Vero Beach is in Central Eastern Florida by the way. South of Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral. Beautiful and little known spot. There are some snowbirds here, and lots of money, but it is not as populated as some other places here in Florida. Got here on 12/23. On 12/24 met my Heather and Lilly and Peter and went shopping. Had a great dinner. On X-mas Day, opened presents, and then went to the beach. Had the big X-mas din din. 12/26 - rented some bikes and rode along the Intracoastal Waterway. Then shopping and dinner in downtown Vero Beach.

Yesterday...to the UDT Navy Seals museum, and to the movies to see Spectre. Then today to Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center. I've had a busy time so far, and am trying to take mental notes regarding tourism here in Florida. I hope to get on some ecotourism trails/sites tomorrow. And I'll probably head to the beach again. And then...off to downtown Vero Beach for First Night, a New Year's Eve countdown party on the water with live music and food trucks. Awesome, I'm sure.

It's kind of strange to be back in the states for this winter/Christmas/New Year's vacation, rather than in Japan and having New Years there. Different, but both equally as great. And both are home.

A Writing Experience

A great experience happened to me when I was 13 as an 8th grader, or 2nd year junior high school student as they say here in Japan. Before I tell you about this experience, I must fill you in on my school back in those days. I was lucky enough to go to a small private school, located in the middle of the beautiful Laurel Mountains in Western Pennsylvania. The school was small, and founded by the Mellon family of the prominent Mellon Bank history. In fact, I was classmates and friends with the Mellon children. At any rate, the scenery was incredible in the mountains, and our school was on the banks of a rushing river surrounded by swaying pine trees. My family lived in the nearby town of Greensburg, so named for it's own towering trees, about 40 miles away. As such, we had to take a long bus ride to school every morning and evening, a feat which I endured (but now have found memories of) for eight years. The teacher-student ratio was about 8 to 1; in fact, in my whole class there were only about 10 or 11 people. It was a great experience. I'm happy to say the school still lives on.

Now on to the experience. A writing contest was offered by the Daughters of the American Revolution, or DAR. Some of you may be aware of this organization. They work to keep the memory of the Revolution alive. Since this group sponsored the contest, the theme was to be kept around the focus of that drastic time, but could be related to any event and could be fiction or non-fiction. At first I had to think long and hard what to write about. I knew I wanted to make it fiction. Should I create a character? In what situation should I involve my character? What will happen? I thought too much, became confused. I approached my father with my predicament. "What direction should I take this writing?" I asked. He thought. He came back with an idea: why not write a series of letters from a war-torn soldier on the battlefield to his mother back at home? I imagined what I could do with that premise. I thought long and hard and asked my parents for ideas, advice. I let my parents read the stories as I wrote. They gave more advice, I wrote, revised, wrote more. Finally, the deadline was approaching, and I was done. I was ready...to...submit my letters...to the contest...heart beat, sweat, fast pulse. I did it. Took the plunge. Submitted the letters. I waited for a month.

Finally, a letter arrived at my house about the contest. I was afraid to open it. Nervous, more sweat, fast pulse. I was afraid to read it, so my mother read it for me. A smile came on her face. She read, "first prize..." not me. Second prize, again, another student. Third prize, Jeff Morrow! I was happy when I heard this news. Out of the whole school (however small it was), I, Jeff, had won third. I was happy! Even though I did not win first or second, I was still a winner, happy and proud. I framed the letter. When we received our awards at a special lunch, I was photographed, praised, and commended. Whenever I felt like I couldn't do something, I looked at that letter. I knew that with a little drive and ambition, I could do many, many things. I have, but I still try to do more. I find that it's the things I don't try or ideas that I don't act on that are the most regrettable. This should be a lesson: act on things, because you never know when the chance might be gone forever.

My Winter Vacation Plans

This winter vacation, or Christmas Holiday, as I like to put it, will find me flying over the Pacific Ocean once again in route to the USA for the holidays. I will leave on December 23rd actually, just 2 days away. Am I nervous? Not really. I've flown back and forth so many times that it's no big deal. The length and direction of the flights are slightly different for me, though. Being from Pennsylvania my course used to take me from Fukuoka to Narita to Chicago to Pittsburgh, where I would get picked up by fam.  But alas, time changes. Mom now lives in Florida (warm, so I'm not complaining) so this time I will fly from Fukuoka to Narita as usual. Then I will get on the great winged big silver bird in Narita to America's capital, Dulles Airport in Washington, DC. Once there I have to jump on another flight to Orlando, Florida, the home of, yes, Disney World, where I'll be picked up by Mom, Henry (Mom's BF), possibly sister Heather, and maybe, Mom's dog tootsie. Once in Florida, I'll settle down for a rest, and then will celebrate Christmas Eve (cheese and crackers, wine, and opening just one present), Christmas Day (opening ALL the other presents), and a big holiday dinner of filet of beef (my family's X-mas traditional dinner), mashed potatoes, gravy, etc., etc. Then we'll chill Dec. 26-30 shopping, going to the beach, playing in the sun, eating raw oysters and hanging round. I'll actually be there for New Year's Eve and Day for the first time in about 12 years! So I'll make it a point to go out somewhere for a countdown paaaaaarty! I'm kind of sorry I won't be around Kumamoto for the holidays cause it's my second home. This is the first year I won't be here in ages, but Mom's get older, and it's time I went for the holidays to be with her and the rest of the family. I'm sure it won't be the last time, but you never know, and that's exactly the point. See you all in lovely Kumamoto when I arrive back safely with plenty of souvenirs from "the states" on January 6th!

Turtle Island

My trip to Turtle Island, a small island near the island of Borneo, was one of the best experiences I have ever had. Turtle Island is known for the place where giant sea turtles come on land to dig holes in the sand and lay their eggs. It is a very small island, and you must make reservations far in advance. In addition, you must take a small boat to get there from the main island of Borneo. There is only one hotel on the island, and dinner and breakfast are served buffet style. Once there, you are placed into groups, and then you are taught about watching the process of sea turtles laying eggs. The baby turtles are very delicate and you must not disturb them. The turtles usually come to the island in the middle of the night to early morning. After the turtle education you must wait until your group is called. Once called, you are guided out to the shore, and the guide holds the flashlight while everyone has a chance to watch the turtles laying eggs. The whole process takes about an hour, and while you are watching, you have the opportunity to take pictures and videos of the turtles and the eggs. It takes about a month for the baby turtles to hatch. The guide explains the process and you can watch other baby turtles in action! It was a fantastic experience, and one that I will never forget having. It was very natural to see the turtles laying eggs, and I felt very close to nature from this experience. I became much more interesting in nature, the environment, and ecotourism from this experience. It’s a place everyone should go!

NOvNov

Yep Nov...november! I can't believe how time flies between the summer and now. It seems like just yesterday was August. And now it's almost Christmas. This season is always busy for everyone, especially in Japan. Test preparation. Ready for the new school year. Sports days, culture festivals, university festivals, more. It may be because of the school year (which starts in April here) coz I don't remember having the summer/fall fly so fast when I was in America. In the states the school year starts in late Aug/early Sep and so there's a kind of lag feeling in summer getting ready for fall. New school year, new students, things to do.

I keep feeling like I always write about how time flies or some such thing. I don't want to get redundant or boring like these posts tend to be...ALL right then, no more boring blog posts! Half he battle is knowing what to write about. Write about writing. This and that, over and over. I also kind of feel like I'm getting the hang of it more...writing blogs that is. I used to look at it like a chore, but now it's getting funner. I think it has to, right? If it's not fun, it makes Jack a dull boy. Hopefully this blog will get better and better.

Hey, I thought of something to write about! My bud Dan and I are thinking about doing a vlog or a podcast about stuff. We always get to talking and then can't stop for like 2 hours. Sometimes we get into some heated talk or funny stuff, and don't always agree on things. So it has a sense of drama to it. Reminds me, I have to mail him about a pre-vlog meeting we have to put together. Hey! Watch it if you can please.

This year I'm gonna try to go somewhere and pound mochi. Mochi are these rice cakes that have been pounded into flat patties and they get really chewy. Not all that great, but pounding them is quite fun...a good way to take out the aggression it there is some. And gluten free, they are not!

I've been doing a lot of cycling and biking with the miniactioncam these days. I put my own music on and try to edit it together on iMovie. Works pretty well. Maybe I'll stick one on this blog! I feel like this is about the right length for a blog post, don't you? It's not too long, and if goes on and on, it just kind of gets heavy. I feel that when I check out other blogs. Start scrolling down and never ending. Then I'm apt to go somewhere else. I don't want to happen here!

A Bit Chilly in the Mountains

On Saturday, my family and I went to Mount Aso to spend some time in the family cottage. In fact, we had a small barbecue for some Kendai work mates. It was very fun, and fortunately, it didn't rain. The barbecue went well and everyone ate a lot! It was quite windy during the day, and by evening, it began to get quite chilly. I was surprised how fast it gets cold, but then again, I guess it is fall. By nightfall we all had to wear jackets. It was even chilly with jackets. I had to put on a sweatshirt too! When we slept last night, we had to have many blankets. When we woke up this morning, it was very cold, and there was dew on the grass and on my car. I felt like winter is coming quickly and will be here before we know it.

I like winter in Japan, but not as much as in my hometown in Pennsylvania because there is much snow. I love snow, so Hokkaido is really nice for me. Sometimes it snows so much in Hokkaido that roads get filled with snow and get closed. I don't know if I could live there because of that, but I sure love traveling there. Skiing in Hokkaido is excellent! The snow is pure powder, and I love skiing and then coming back into a nice warm lodge to have meal. The air is very crisp and cool and you can see your breath!

This Week on Blog

Hi there, what a beautiful Sunday it is. There is sun today, so it's Sun day! Yes, that is the origin of the name for this day. In America when I was young, Sundays were days of rest. Most stores were closed on Sundays. Very few restaurants were open as well. People went to church in the morning, had coffee and donuts there, and then went home. In my family we often went to the local country club for brunch after church and went swimming in the summer. Sometimes we went home after church and my mother and grandmother cooked a large meal. In the evening we had a smaller meal and then watched TV with the family. Maybe other teachers my age remember those days.

When I was about 8 or 9 the local mall began opening on Sundays. Everyone was a little surprised at first, but we all soon got used to it. Soon Sundays became a day of shopping, going to movies, and eating out. In my town, Greensburg in Pennsylvania, other shopping malls were built outside of town. Everyone began to shop in the malls, and stopped going downtown. Soon this beautiful little town became empty. Shops closed. Restaurants shut down. Even the 2 movie theaters in my downtown went out of business because everyone began to watch movies at the mall. Greensburg became a ghost town. It still hasn't recovered to this day.

Japan is starting to walk down a similar path. When I first came to Kumamoto, there was only 1 mall, which was Sampian at that time. Soon Crystal Mall (now Youme Town Hamasen) opened. Shortly after that Diamond City Clair (Now Aeon Mall) opened. More and more people went to the malls. Fortunately, downtown Kumamoto is big enough that it is not in danger of becoming a ghost town. There is still a lot of activity downtown. I hope it stays that way.

What are you going to do today? I think I'll go shopping !

Back to Classes, Fall 15!

That's right, today is the first day of classes (for me anyway) in the fall semester of 2015. This semester's going to be fun and challenging (for students anyway) again. In the Writing II B class, we're going to be using manaba (what a great program) in addition to more blogging. Most students have already started blogs, but we're going to add to them, post comments to my blog, post comments to friends' blogs, and blog blog blog about more things.

Of course, we won't forget about our trusty textbook. It's good for students to learn basic English sentence structure. For this reason, we'll be using the book for basics. Much of the book will be done via homework, and the answers will be checked in class. Writing aspects will be more fully explained in class as well. manaba will be completed in both realms - for homework (definitely weekly) and sometimes in class. Blogging, too, will be completed in class (so checking/advising can be done together) but will also be done for homework, in the form of updating/uploading or expanding on blog posts.

One more thing - don't forget to check this blog at least weekly! New assignments, answers to questions, quiz information, quiz answers and also test answers may be posted here. This is a good way to help you get used a routine of checking, writing, commenting, and posting.

That's it yes for this blog. Don't hesitate to have a blogging good time of it. It's easy and fun to express your feelings, thoughts, ideas, and dreams in the form of a blog. Blog away!

How is your English communication ability?

Part of my research is assessing English communication ability. What you need to do:
1) record a short message 2) click on save 3) email  your recording to me: morejeff@gmail.com

It's that simple. I'll listen to your recording and let you know your English level on a scale of 0 (no ability) to 5 (advanced ability). Good luck!




Powered by Vocaroo Voice Recorder

September...Isn't that a song?

Yes, it is a song. By Earth, Wind, and Fire if you didn't remember. That song came out when I was quite young...in 1971. I won't tell you how old I was then. Oh what the heck. I was 7, to be exact, in the 2nd grade of elementary school. I still remember it playing on the radio.

Another item that was popular back then was a TV kids' show called, "The Electric Company." How many of you remember that one? Hehehe...if you're older than 45 you probably do, just about. Do y'all remember who was in that show who became a biiiiiiiiggggggggg star? Yes, that's right, Morgan Freeman, one of my favorite actors. What a cool cat he is. Very natural.

And September is good for other things too. It's the 9th month of the year, and named after the Latin, Septem. This was because it was the 7th month in the Roman calendar, very different from the Gregorian calendar we use today. In that calendar March was the first month.

September is the first month of school in the west. I'll never forget the feeling I had in August during summer when I realized that school was about to start again at the beginning of September. And other nice things about September? It starts to get cool, and the food is great!

New Classes 2015!

Welcome to Jeff's Education Blog...Jeff's Place! If you are here that means I told you about this site, or you are following it already. Thank you for following it, by the way. On this site you will find information about two things mainly: 1) my classes, homework, textbook material, and testing information; and 2) general education, including thoughts, ideas, trends, and the like.

Feel free to come here often. I have a new post at Prefectural University of Kumamoto (PUK), and so I will be adding class blogs as well. I am presently working on my Environmental Science English blog and website for the students in the Department of Environmental and Symbiotic Sciences. On it, I will post text assignments as well as test/quiz dates, homework, projects, and other information.

I am planning to share many things on the blog as well. This includes student pod-casts in addition to useful and interesting info, which hopefully be a nice addition the site. Don't forget to check this blog often, as it may contain information pertinent to you!

New Year, New Job, New Life

Now it is April 10th, already. I finished my Ph.D. officially at the end of March...March 24th to be exact. And here I am at a new job in a new office at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto. I always refer to this uni as Kendai, although I've heard others refer to it as Kenritsu Dai, or even PUK. I am very lucky to receive such a great job in a great university...the timing was perfect. I don't think it could have been better. In August, when I was making great headway on my dissertation and was planning to finish this year, I heard about this job. I had the interview. I got that call. I was in!

But then it was the next step to finish the Doctorate. I was there...almost. Could I do it? Could I make my point and defend my stance well? Could I make people believe in my thesis? In my goals? That was probably the most stress I've ever had in life. Harder than starting...and maintaining...a business. Harder than raising kids, than being a gaijin in a foreign land. I gritted my teeth and stared at that dissertation, thinking, planning, and stabbing.

I had the preliminary defense. It went well, they said! I was relieved, but not over yet! Still questions to answer, elements to re-focus. I ground my teeth and planted my eyes to the computer, never letting them go until I was teary-eyed. I re-focused, pulled out the stops, wrote and re-wrote.

I had the final defense. It went well..but, some more revisions, sweating, heart beating, until the announcement. I waited.

On February 18th, my birthday to be exact, I got the call. The voice on the other end said, "hello Dr. Jeff." I replied, "Is it true? Am I a doctor?" "Yes, you are. Congratulations. You made it!"

What a birthday it was...I had a Doc congrats party and a birthday party on the same night. I had professor and teachers congratulating me and students wishing me a happy birthday. I had great feelings, great thoughts, great emotions. I knew I would be an associate professor at that point.

My purpose for writing this is not to brag but to say to people that if you've ever felt you can't do something, please think again. I know this is a cliche, but it's true - you can do anything you put your heart, and mind, and soul into doing. It may certainly not be easy...it may be there hardest thing you've ever done. But when you complete it, finish it, have your goal, there's nothing like it in the world. Never give up.

Do What You do! And love it

Those who do what they love to do are the happiest. They have to be. No, they are. This is what writing about YOUR love-to-do thing is all about.

What do I LOVE? I really love being in the classroom. Shoot, it might be boring to some. But others know what I'm talking about. In the classroom, being with the students (no matter how late they are - urgghhhh!) is a great experience. And now I'm not in the classroom, being Spring break and all. I feel that I'm missing something.

I also LOVE traveling and checking out new places. Investigating. Moving around the world, yeah, but not only for me. I find the best and most memorable times are when I'm discovering something new...opening my mind...trying to empathetic. I don't want to come off as shmaltzy, but I probably am...

January 5

Well, January 5th here in Japan, yet still 1/4 in other parts of the world. Getting ready to start the new year again. The year of the sheep in the Chinese zodiac. The sheep is "thoughtful and mindful of others' wishing. He is generous, sentimental, and has high morals" (www.chinesenewyearin.com, 2013).

I myself am year of the dragon, which occurred in 2012. And yes, it was a good year. Of course, 2014 was a great year, too. 2015 should be good. I guess dragons get along well with sheep (?); it seems like they would be unlikely pals, though...one flame from those nostrils and the sheep would be up in a puff of smoke. Of course, that's maybe why they're good friends, though. The sheep is mindful and the dragon protects the sheep.