Pan Asian Goes Global

*I will make another post regarding specific/objective information regarding Kumamoto Mosque, so stay tuned ^^ Kumamoto Mosque (Kumamoto Masjid) was a very special place for me while I lived in Kumamoto prefecture and still is. As soon as I got that email notifying me of my placement in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture, one of the very first things I did was google if there was a Mosque nearby. Fortunately, there was a Mosque in the capital, about 1.5 hours away from where I lived. I emailed the contact number given on the website, and received a reply from one of the *brothers that there was a *sisters' yahoo group (sisters and brothers is how we refer to our fellow Muslims ^^).  I was put in contact with an Indonesian sister.  She told me that there were a number of sisters at the Mosque, including a  Malaysian sister, and that they were looking forward to meeting me.  All of them lived close to the Masjid and Kumamoto University, where many of them went to...

Yatsushiro, Japan.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't remember Yatsushiro.  With Kumamon paraphernalia, school posters, and letters decorating my room, songs on my phone/laptop that have already become associated with my time there, and the memories that I carry with me wherever I go, how can I ever forget? It's March 9th today.  The name of one of the songs from Remioromen. It's a graduation song. Soon, my 3rd year Junior High School students will be graduating.  I remember. When I first taught them when they were in grade 6, three and a half years ago.  I saw these children grow into the teenagers they are today.  I loved the energy and joy that these students had.  They'll soon enter high school, beyond the realm of whatever influence I may have had. Soon, my grade sixes will graduate.  I remember.  When I told a particular class that I would be leaving them for good that summer.  How some of the students cried, h...

August 4th, 2014 1 YEAR JAPANNIVERSARY      It's been exactly one year since I've started living in Japan as a JET. I can't believe it. It feels like I've experienced a lot in this year - not just living here, in Yatsushiro alone, but within this year, I also travelled to a few other places in Japan, such as Tokyo and Osaka . I also travelled to Singapore , where my roots are, and Korea , where I lived for a year and half when I was still an undergrad student, not too long ago.     However, it's hard to believe sometimes that all of this happened within this year, within my own singular individual life. I know that may sound a bit strange, but what I mean is, visiting other countries, or even, to a lesser extent, to other cities in Japan, I feel like I almost enter different worlds. I am still essentially the same person, but I may just be speaking a different language, and living a different life. I can strengthen ties with different friends, op...