As simple as pumpkin pie

Sometimes I am confused about my role is here in Japan. I know I am here to be American and to "internationalize." (Whatever that word means.) But I get the overwhelming feeling that we as ALTs are meant to be sportsmen and sportswomen more than English teachers. Well I don't like sports. I have "challenged" myself through participating in sports days and a PTA volleyball tournament. I even used to play badminton. But beyond that I don't do sports. There have got to be other ways to "internationalize" that don't have to do with sports, right?

So I decided to get more excited about holidays this second year as an ALT. For Halloween, I bought many decorations and put up a display in my windows at home of balloons, inflatable pumpkins, bats, and black cats. I made brownies for my office members and got really into my lessons (see dinosaur pics below). As Thanksgiving approached, I was a bit bummed when only one teacher for only one class asked me to teach about Thanksgiving. Now as an American, Thanksgiving is a much more special time than Halloween. It is the American holiday. As a previous teacher, I liked Thanksgiving the best because it is perhaps the safest holiday to discuss/celebrate since it is not affiliated with any religion and therefore cannot offend any religious groups. As much as I enjoy the Christmas spirit, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because people for once stop thinking about themselves and give thanks for their family and friends and life and food. How sad that many Japanese students are unaware of this celebration. So I decided to give Thanksgiving a boost this year and share it with my office and neighbors in some way. I brought in pumpkin pie from The Flying Pig. (And by the way, those pumpkin pies are very good and not too expensive.) This was every office members' first time to eat pumpkin pie. Most of them said is was delicious. Not everyone knew why he or she was eating it or cared either. But a few members told me that they researched Thanksgiving on the internet because of the pie and now they understand why I brought it in and understand Thanksgiving. Fear not, folks who are not sportsmen/women! Be creative in your internationalization. Go to your enkais. Show your face at festivals and school days even if you don't think people care whether you are there or not. And remember that simple things like pumpkin pies can be important internationalization tools. I am excited about cookies for Christmas...