I’ll Make It Myself!: Whole-Wheat Blueberry-Lavender Muffins
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L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. Ze works in international student exchange; writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan and the US; curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan; and admins The JET Alumni Culinary Group on LinkedIn.
Muffins are lovely to make in a moven/oven range. Blueberries tend to be in season in Japan around June-July, and culinary lavender can be purchased in Japan, though where you get it may depend on where you live. I found some at Ikeda Herb Center in Nagano and Nunobiki Herb Garden (English, 日本語) in Kobe, and a friend gave me some from Meidi-ya in Kyoto. If you don’t live near a place that grows lavender, you might try a gourmet grocery or import store, or online. Lavender meant for cooking may be referred to as dried lavender (kansô rabendâ, 乾燥ラベンダー ) or culinary lavender (ryôriyô no rabendâ, 料理用のラベンダー ).
“Hopefully the lines between my actual experiences and pure fiction are seamless. When readers ask me, ‘Is this part true?’ they seem surprised by the answers. So that makes me happy—the fiction is believable and sometimes the outrageous is the truth.” (Courtesy of William Fraser)
By Rafael Villadiego (Nagasaki-ken, 2010-13) for JQ magazine. A member of JETAA New South Wales, Rafael is a collector of words on a journey still searching for a destination, who has a tendency to forget, we are all sometimes like the rain…
Laurie Fraser (Osaka-fu, 1997-98) is a writer and traveler who married a Kurd in Turkey in the 1990s. The experience inspired The Word Not Spoken, semi-autobiographical debut novel that blurs the line between reality and fiction, casting light on a tumultuous period in history through the eyes of those who experienced it firsthand.
The conflict between the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] and the Turkish Armed Forces has its roots in the First World War and continues to have repercussions for the region to this day. But beyond these grand struggles are the quiet moments in between: The ordinary challenges and trivial frustrations of everyday life, and the more overarching issues of culture and religion, which Fraser approaches with a genuine curiosity and gentle humor that forms the emotional core of her book.
An extensive traveler to a number of different countries across the globe, Fraser has experienced life in the broadest context before eventually finding her way “home.” Now a teacher and healer in Ottawa, JQ caught up with her to discuss the events of her life that inspired the novel and how they contrasted with her time on the JET Program.
What led you to first write this novel, and why did it take so long for the finished work to see light?
The scene where Ahmet and Leigh meet a group of destitute Kurdish refugees is exactly true, except that it happened in 1996, not 1995. I decided then to write a book and tell their story in a way that wasn’t “bad news.” At that time, my husband believed that the world would never hear about the Kurds if the PKK wasn’t setting off bombs. I recognized that as a Canadian, I had a right that he did not—the right to free speech.
I am a poet at heart, and I found a novel to be unwieldy to say the least. I had the poet’s need to touch every word over and over—so that slowed me down.
The Word Not Spoken was refused by countless publishers—I had a stack of rejection letters collected just in the year I was in Japan. It did well in a Canadian national writing contest in 2000, but only the winner was published. I was incapacitated with illness for a few years, but I eventually did a huge rewrite in 2010-11 with a professional editor. The manuscript did get better and better over the years, but it wasn’t until self-publishing became accessible and respected that I finally decided to go for it on my own.
I promised those refugees and my husband (who was killed in 1997) that I would publish their stories and really, it was a stone in my stomach for 18 years.
Kurdish House in Vancouver flew me out there (from Ottawa) to read to a large Kurdish audience this past spring. Afterwards, men and women came to talk to me: “I lived in one of those tents for four years.” “I was tortured 45 days.”
I have been haunted by the refugees I met living in those tents in 1996. I couldn’t imagine how any of them would have survived. These Vancouverites were an affirmation of life—some of them had made it! Some of them would have been children in 1996…and here they were! All I could say was, “I’m so glad you got here. I prayed for you.” And indeed, I wrote a book for them.
Job: Private ESL tutor for Japanese clients (West New York NY)
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Thanks to Noriko at the Consulate for putting this company in touch with JETwit. Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-2014), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
Position: Legal Manager
Location: West New York NY
Type: Full-time
Overview:
We are currently looking for an ESL tutor in West New York, NJ. for a couple of clients of ours and I wanted to inquire whether you know someone who would be interested in working with them. The class schedule and location are as follows, Read More
Job: Research Asst, Political/Economic Affairs – Japanese Consulate
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Originally posted to JETAA Great Lakes by Rhea Young. Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-2014), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
Position: Research Asst, Political/Economic Affairs
Posted by: Japanese Consulate
Location: Detroit, MI
Type: Full-time
Overview:
In 1993, as a result of the growing number of Japanese residents and businesses in Michigan and Ohio, the Consulate-General of Japan in Detroit was established. Consulate survey results indicate a combined total of nearly 900 Japanese owned facilities in Michigan and Ohio. The current two-state population of Japanese nationals exceeds 24,000.
Important consulate missions include: providing support and service to local Japanese nationals, promoting trade and business development between Japan and the U.S., and strengthening U.S.-Japan relations and mutual understanding through various local economic, educational and cultural activities and exchanges. Read More
Job: Interpretation J-E – temporary position (Madison, WI)
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A JET-relevant posting from Kio Lance (Shimane-ken from 2003-05), who incidentally mentioned that he found his own current job via JETwit. (He’s a reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun in LA.) Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-2014), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
Position: Interpretation J-E
Dates: Oct. 22-24 (2014)
Job Description:Provide basic interpretation for a visiting Japanese national who will be attending a training on how to teach handicapped people.
Salary: $200/day (no travel compensation will be provided)
Contact for further questions: Kio Lance at kio.lance@yomiurila.com
Job: Resident Assistant at St. John’s University (Seville, Spain)
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Posted by Sean Pavlik (Fukui-ken, 2010-12), International Programs Officer for the DC-based Congressional Study Group on Japan. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
The Resident Assistant will work on-call shifts during nights and weekends in order to provide support to students outside of normal business hours. Resident Assistant will maintain ten scheduled office hours per week, during normal office hours, in order to complete any required administrative tasks. Duties and responsibilities will include: aiding students in the event of an emergency; enforcing St. John’s University regulations in the residences; reporting any violation of St. John’s University policies to the Assistant Director; performing scheduled checks of the facilities; providing emotional support to students studying abroad and adjusting to life in Seville; assisting students with conflict resolution; and conducting interesting and engaging programming for resident students.
Responsibilities
Top responsibilities of a Resident Assistant:
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Job: George Mason University, Program Officer, Center for Global Education
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Posted by Sean Pavlik (Fukui-ken, 2010-12), International Programs Officer for the DC-based Congressional Study Group on Japan. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
The George Mason University Center for Global Education is hiring a Program Officer to administer, manage and promote the university’s study abroad programs.
Responsibilities:
Duties include managing the application, registration, marketing, and administration of study abroad programs. Specific duties include:
-Establish and maintain contact with appropriate administrative units on campus and universities abroad;
-Facilitate student enrollment;
-Maintain student records;
-Advise on short-term, semester, faculty-led, and internship programs;
-Promote and market programs; and create, maintain and publish program materials; and
-Liaise with educational institutions abroad, travel vendors, and international organizations.
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Job: Executive Staff Assistant – International Department (University of Cincinnati)
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Posted by Sean Pavlik (Fukui-ken, 2010-12), International Programs Officer for the DC-based Congressional Study Group on Japan. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
-Post charges and grants on Students Accounts in UniverSIS.
-Assist with organizing Faculty-led Study Abroad Programs.
-Run reports, process purchase requisitions, credit card review, and timekeeping in UC Flex.
-Assist Business Administrator with department financials.
-Process transcripts
: Under general supervision from a designated administrator, assist in the planning and coordination of administration and/or operational activities of substantial variety and complexity in a unit or department of considerable size and/or diversification.
Job: Western Kentucky University – Study Away Coordinator
Jobs Comments Off on Job: Western Kentucky University – Study Away Coordinator
Posted by Sean Pavlik (Fukui-ken, 2010-12), International Programs Officer for the DC-based Congressional Study Group on Japan. Thanks to JET alum David Nelson, the database coordinator for Western Kentucky U’s international student program, for sharing this listing.Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
Western Kentucky University welcomes applications for the position of Coordinator, Study Away Programs.
The Coordinator is part of a team responsible developing/managing programs and fulfilling travel details for faculty-led programs in both the United States and multiple countries.
Review of applications will start immediately and will close once a sufficient pool of applicants has accrued.
To learn more about the position and to apply, please visit: http://wku.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp;jsessionid=141C87E4A6783CEEB1E08261944052EF?JOBID=53370&CNTRNO=0&TSTMP=1411575769849
Justin’s Japan: J-Rocktober
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By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Shukan NY Seikatsu. Visit his Examiner.com Japanese culture page here for related stories.
This October is set to be a landmark month for New York City, as it welcomes to the stage some of the most celebrated Japanese musicians performing today.
Things kick off on Oct. 5 with girl group Morning Musume ’14 at the Best Buy Theater. The forerunner to today’s mega-member pop acts like AKB48, Momusu has been spinning off hits since 1997, launching the career of songwriter-turned-record mogul Tsunku in the process.
On Oct. 11, X Japan, the country’s best-selling rock band of all time, becomes the second Japanese act to headline Madison Square Garden, following L’Arc~en~Ciel’s historic debut there two years ago. Led by the charismatic drummer (and classical pianist) Yoshiki, X Japan has sold out the 55,000 seat Tokyo Dome a record-setting 18 times.
The venerable Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, which has been on the scene since the late 1980s and has collaborated with artists as diverse as Puffy, Shiina Ringo and Shakira, plays Irving Plaza on Oct. 14. If it’s cutting edge you crave, virtual idol superstar Hatsune Miku makes her New York bow at Hammerstein Ballroom on Oct. 17-18 with a special concert featuring 3D projection technology and a live band.
Seeking something heavier? Stadium act Maximum the Hormone, which appeared at Ozzfest Japan last year alongside Black Sabbath, Slipknot and Tool, invades the Best Buy Theater Oct. 27.
JET alum publishes book on getting unstuck: “Dream in Color, Think in Black & White”
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Jonathan Bissell (Chiba-ken, 1995-2000) has written a “how-to” guide to getting unstuck and pursuing your life or career dreams. A timely topic as many JETAA chapters are hosting career forums over the next few weeks. His book, entitled “Dream in Color, Think in Black & White: How to Get Unstuck and Fulfill Your Dreams” is now available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback. For complete details visit amazon.com/author/jonathanbissell.
Description:
The world is filled with dreamers, but it’s owned by people who do. Yet too many dreamers are stuck, unhappy and unfulfilled in their life or career. They don’t know how to move forward or what to do next. Dream in Color, Think in Black & White is a focused and powerful book that provides practical and encouraging step-by-step guidance for dreamers everywhere who want to get unstuck and fulfill their dreams, but don’t know how.
Introduction:
Admit it. You’re stuck. Somewhere along the way, you had a dream that you let go of. But it hasn’t let go of you. You’re the reason this book was written. Because dreams matter. Dreams are powerful. And sometimes dreams just won’t go away – no matter how impractical, ill-timed or financially risky they are.
This is a book about getting unstuck in your life or career. It’s about learning to Dream in Color and Think in Black & White. There are three parts to this book: Dreaming in Color, Thinking in Black & White, and Fulfilling Your Dreams. Each part contains practical “how to” steps and examples explaining how to get unstuck and move toward your dream. The rest is up to you. Let’s get started.
Early Responses to Dream in Color, Think in Black & White:
“a superb must-read…a roadmap of balance and success”
Chaya Abelsky, Master Certified Coach, Principal at Triumphant Journeys LLC and Director of the NonProfit HelpDesk.
“powerfully written…compels you into creating a plan”
Jane A Creswell, Master Certified Coach, founder of IBM Coaches’ Network, CEO of iNTERNAL iMPACT, LLC, and the author of two books.
“a how-to guide for anyone seeking career and personal fulfillment”
Luther Jackson, Board Member, American Leadership Forum – Silicon Valley.
Event: New JETAA UK Networking Event! Japanese companies in the North West (Manchester)
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Via JETAA UK, a JETAA North West networking event in Manchester, England, England. Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-2014), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
Event: JETAA UK Networking Event
Posted by: JETAA UK
Overview:
JETAA North West has great pleasure in inviting you to join us for the first in a series of networking events taking place in partnership with Japanese companies across the region.
- Phil Jones, Managing Director at Brother UK will give a short presentation entitled ‘Cultural Divide’ and will share his thoughts on developing a more community-based work culture whilst retaining the need for hierarchy and structure from senior Japanese management.
- Sally Knill, Head of Reward for Victrex Plc., will give a brief presentation on the challenges she faced as a senior manager within a Japanese organisation.
Job: Program Coordinator, Brandeis-India Science Scholars (Bangalore)
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Posted by Sean Pavlik (Fukui-ken, 2010-12), International Programs Officer for the DC-based Congressional Study Group on Japan. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
The Office of Study Abroad at Brandeis University is looking for a Program Coordinator to serve as a professional on-site resource for students participating in the Brandeis-India Science Scholars Program. The Program Coordinator is specifically responsible for providing support in the areas of program coordination and delivery, academics, student support, and health and safety management. S/he must also display a willingness to work with a team of faculty, local staff, participating students, and visiting constituencies.
http://www.brandeis.edu/abroad/brandeisprograms/india/index.html
This is a part-time, non-benefits eligible position working December – May. The position will be based in Bangalore, India
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Job: Study Abroad Advisor – The University of Alabama
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Posted by Sean Pavlik (Fukui-ken, 2010-12), International Programs Officer for the DC-based Congressional Study Group on Japan. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
The Education Abroad office, part of the Capstone International Center, at The University of Alabama seeks an Overseas Study Academic Advisor. The advisor is responsible for promoting credit-bearing study abroad programs to students and faculty, advising and supporting students prior to, during and after their study abroad experience, and administering select study abroad programs. This position also works with incoming exchange students and partner institutions.
If you are interested, please apply via the posting on UA’s website and look for Job No: 498345 (http://staffjobs.ua.edu/?job=498345). The application closes on October 8th, 2014.
Job: CIEE – Student Services Manager (Shanghai)
Jobs Comments Off on Job: CIEE – Student Services Manager (Shanghai)
Posted by Sean Pavlik (Fukui-ken, 2010-12), International Programs Officer for the DC-based Congressional Study Group on Japan. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
The Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to helping people acquire knowledge and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world. Founded in 1947, CIEE is a worldwide leader in international education and exchange programs operating across 41 countries.
CIEE is currently seeking a Student Services Manager for their Study Center in Shanghai to be responsible for the overall design, implementation and quality of student services programming and residential life. This position manages a staff and serves as a resource and counsel for students. The position also assists the Center Director with the general daily administration of all programs at the Study Center.
A Master’s degree is required along with a minimum of 5 years’ experience preferably in student affairs, study abroad, or international education exchange. Fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese (native in one) required. The ideal candidate must have an appreciation for Chinese culture and people.
Please visit http://www.ciee.org/careers for a comprehensive job description.
Interested candidates should email a cover letter & resume to cieeresume@ciee.org.
Please note “Student Services Manager-Shanghai” in the subject line.
