Karisa Whelan
Volume XIV Issue 9
Table of Contents 目 次
Editor’s Note 5 Prez Talk 6 1st Year Rep | Whaddup. 8 Genghis Khan is Bae 10 HEC Practice Test Guide 14 Unofficial HEC Test Survival Guide 23 Yebisu Review 24 Hokkaido Life Comic 26
Nivedh Sreejit
Editor’s Notes Samantha Peterson Editor
Edwin Arce II Designer
This issue is chockfull of great info about HEC, so make sure to give it a good read if you’re interested or even just curious!
The deadline for the next issue is February 13.
Matthew Jones
Matthew Jones
Betrice Yambrach, President
T
he infamous Hokkaido winter is now officially in full force. For some of us, the island is a winter wonderland. For others, it’s a challenge. Regardless of where you stand, winter can be tough. You may hear a lot of us in HAJET talk about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) quite a bit and for good reason. It’s a very real thing that affects a lot of people. It’s sneaky as well. SAD didn’t affect me very much my first winter in Hokkaido. Almost every weekend my friends and I were off road tripping to new towns and cities around the island. We even drove all the way to Abashiri one snowy weekend in February just to see the drift ice (which was already gone by the time we arrived). It was a really great first winter in Hokkaido. But it also gave me the false impression that I was impervious to SAD and that Hokkaido winter had nothing on me. My second year in Hokkaido was very different. I didn’t make any road trips and I didn’t find something new to replace those road trips with. I was coming home from work most days feeling miserable for absolutely no reason. After a few weeks, I finally realized that it was SAD and that no, I was not immune to it like I had previously thought. This little run in with SAD was pretty eye-opening and made me realize something. No matter who you are or how you view winter, the best thing you can do for yourself during this time of year is to come up with goals and find something that will keep you busy.
are tons of other hobbies from working out, to writing, to finding and cooking new recipes. You could even redecorate your place to make it feel a little homier. Or, simply picking up a new book or video game can do wonders. One of the great things about winter is that there’s so much more personal time. It’s a great season for crossing things off of your to-do list or picking up something new. For myself, I think I’m going to finally finish the Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Just remember to take care of yourselves during this time and do whatever makes you happy. Finally, I want all of you to be careful while you’re out on the roads this winter. If you know me, you’ll know that I’m not shy when it comes to talking about car accidents. I got into one during the winter of my first year and it was a pretty miserable time. I don’t want any of you to have to experience anything like I went through. Regardless of how careful you think you are or may be, the roads can still be dangerous. Just the other day I slid through a red light because the road was more slippery than I anticipated and I didn’t break early enough, even though I drive as slow (sometimes slower!) than an obaa-chan in the winter. So stay safe and be cautious while out driving. No matter how much experience you may have on icy or snowy roads, Hokkaido’s roads are a completely different story. None of us are immune to what can happen while driving on these roads. Not even people who have lived here their entire lives.
With that being said, I hope you can all take Usually, people choose to pick up a winter sport. Hokkaido has some of the best powder advantage of this season and turn it into your snow. Why not take advantage of it and ex- own winter wonderland, whatever that may perience it for yourself? Then again not all of mean for you. us are into the idea of winter sports. But there
Nivedh Sreejit
Nivedh Sreejit | 1st-Year Rep. | Whaddup.
H
appy 2018! I hope the holidays have been merry and filled with friends, family and rest. Astonishingly, these five months have passed in a flurry of activity and despite repeated warnings from my well-meaning friends, I found myself at the edge of burning out as winter break began. So this holiday season, I chose to take the time to explore Monbetsu, indulge in my hobbies, listen to music and catch up on my reading. Like many of you, I’ve had to think about whether I was going to re-contract for a second year and although I’ve decided to opt-in, that decision wasn’t as simple as I’d imagined it to be when I first arrived here. Trying to weigh the pros/cons of re-contracting with 5 months of experience was daunting, but I enjoyed reflecting on my time in Japan with the new year on the horizon. Living here as an ALT has given me many opportunities to learn and connect with people in ways that I couldn’t have imagined as a foreign language speaker. Pursuing connections through mediums like language-exchange classes and Kendo have taught me that a surprising amount of cultural in-
sight/promotion can come from interactions involving very little mutual language understanding. Communicating with Japanese-language speakers through a mixture of simple English, frantic gesturing, and a sprinkle of broken Japanese seems to be a good recipe for success in this regard. One such success involved a member of our local Pinhole Photography Club rushing into our BOE office one day and passionately expressing his interesting me joining his club. Without any knowledge of how this man had come to learn about my interest in photography, or why he was now standing in front of me with a pinhole camera and speaking rapidly in difficult Japanese, I pulled out my phone and got to it. After about 10 minutes of name dropping photographers, genres of photography,
and google searches, we’d had a surprisingly exciting conversation and vowed to meet again to discuss photography and shoot together in the future. Thinking back, it’s clear that I’ve had so many of these interactions here in Monbetsu and the promotion of such connections is a strong motivating factor that led me to re-contract. As I’ve mentioned in earlier issues of the Polestar, being part of HAJET and the wider ALT community in Japan has also been a major aspect of my experience as a JET so far and it’s also one of the most compelling reasons to stay here another year. My role as an ES/JHS ALT has come with its own set of challenges and has at times been frustrating, but having a community of friends that I can relate to has been instrumental in me keeping a positive attitude through it all. The stress-conquering HAJET Activities Database aside, so many people have stepped up to support me in all aspects of my life here that I simply couldn’t look back on experience without acknowledging it. Aside from the extensive support system, having mini adventures scheduled liberally into my calendar means I have something
interesting and fun to look forward to at least every other weekend. I am always pleasantly surprised by the diversity of skills and interests of this community, and am looking forward to another year of hooliganism with you all. For those of you who are set to leave at the end of your year, keep in mind that you have a little over half the year left and many opportunities to fill those bucket lists. I hope I get to see you guys at the upcoming HAJET events and/or HEC camp later this year! For those who are undecided and have yet to sign your paperwork and are in need for a chat, feel free to reach out to me or any of the other senpai JETs who are always willing to share their insight. For the rest of you who’ve jumped on the wagon with me for 2018/19, I’m stoked to share the island with you for another year! We have some pretty epic events and meet-ups coming up and I’m especially excited for HEC camp and bike relay (stay tuned) later this year. As a final note, I just wanted to appeal to all those of you who like HAJET, what it stands for, and its mandates, please consider giving your time and skill in whatever capacity to one of its causes. We would be happy to have you. Organizations like HAJET rely on the input, commitment, and hard work of its volunteers and as 1st-Year Rep I’ve had the opportunity to witness this in spades from our members. See you all in Furano for our Winter meeting!
Jordan Bauzon
Every month, Samantha Peterson explores a different aspect of Hokkaido-specific culture. This time she’s discussing Genghis Khan, one of our favorite strangely-named foods. I couldn’t sleep last night. I just came back from a trip to America two days ago, and my body was telling me that it was time to be awake, while my clock was telling me that it was really, really time to be asleep. And as people who are awake at 3 am staring at their ceiling tend to do, I was pondering the deep, impenetrable mysteries of life. Namely, what the heck does grilled lamb have to do with a ferocious 13th-century conqueror? Turns out, not much. But keep reading and I’ll tell you why exactly the Hokkaido-famous mutton dish is called Genghis Khan (or Jingisukan, if you’re reading that in katakana), why it’s cooked on such a funny-shaped grill, and so much more! First, here’s some basic info about Genghis Khan, if you’ve never partaken before. It’s a dish made with lamb (baby sheep) or mutton (grown-up sheep) grilled on your table in a style similar to yakiniku. The grill is convex, shaped like a dome, and the meat usually comes with some veggies. There are a ton of restaurants that serve Genghis Khan around Hokkaido, but it’s also a popular dish to barbecue at home. With a few exceptions, lamb and mutton isn’t very popular in other areas of Japan, so why is it a
trademark dish of Hokkaido? During World War I, soldiers needed wool uniforms for cold climates. However, because of the war, it was difficult to import wool. As a result there was a push to increase the population of sheep in the country, centered in five areas. One of these areas happened to be Hokkaido. They must’ve looked delicious without all that wool, because people began to eat the meat of the sheep. After the war, the sheep farms in the rest of the country died out, but the one in Hokkaido stuck around, and people continued eating. As for the name, there are a few different stories about where it originated and why it stuck, but what I can tell you for sure is that at the time Japanese people imagined mutton as a food eaten by Mongolians. This not only provided the name Genghis Khan, but some say this is also the reason for the shape of the grill, as it’s meant to resemble a Mongolian soldier’s helmet. There isn’t actually any dish remotely similar to Jingisukan eaten in Mongolia, but, you know. So next time you’re at your favorite Genghis Khan restaurant, grilling that lamb and chasing it down with your Sapporo beer, you can impress all your friends with your knowledge of this delicious Hokkaido meal!
Matthew Jones
W
ell it’s that time of year again. Time to dust off the old HEC practice tests and get to work training this year’s batch of HEC participants! But…Where to start? Well fear not, fellow ALTs! I’ll give you my formula for success!
sion, listening comprehension, picture description, and 20 questions.
INTRODUCTIONS
This will be your keyword for the rest of your practice sessions! After greetings and a game you have to help break the ice, you should break out a practice test and start working through the sections. As the students gain comfort in answering the warm-up questions, get them to expand on their answers. For example, if you ask, “Do you like Natto?” they should answer, “No, I don’t, but I like pizza”. The more information they can give to answer a question fully and demonstrate their ability the better.
The first practice session you have with your students should focus on getting to know them better and showing them examples of previous tests, as well as setting the schedule for following sessions. Start by asking them questions about themselves using grammar they know. This will give you an idea of their comfort level with English as well as how shy they are. Once you have a better idea of their competence, you can design further lessons accordingly. Ideally, you will meet with your students once or twice a week for an hour or two. This won’t always be possible but try to impress upon the students that the extra effort is worth it. You can also assign some homework for them to review some of the grammar that will help them on the test. After the introductions, break out the tests and show them all the sections. These are warm-up questions, picture questions, reading comprehen-
REPETITION
In reading and listening, it will take time for them to gain confidence. If you have multiple students, a good way for them to practice this is to have them work together at first to understand the passages. Then have one student read a sample passage to other students and have that student answer. The more work the students can do, the better practice it will be! Answering questions based on a picture also just
HEC Practice Test
Peter Lennox
takes repetition. When they are given time to look at the pictures tell them to always think about ‘wh’ questions. What can you see? Who can you see? What are they doing? This will give them a head start when asked questions about the picture. THE HARD PART The last two sections have always proven to be the most difficult as it requires the students to think on their own without any prompts from questions. After the first few practices, I focus almost entirely on 20 questions and picture descriptions. For picture descriptions, I have the students focus on the same ‘wh’ questions as the picture question section. First get them to say who they see and what they are doing. After that, they can move onto where they are, what objects they can see, how many they see, etc. If they run out of things they can describe but still have time left, I have students tell a story about the picture. For example, “He wants pizza. The mother gives him natto. The boy is sad.” It doesn’t have to be complex, but it shows that they understand the picture and also have vocabulary to help describe the reasons behind what they see. Once again, anything they can do to show their vocabulary and that they are confident enough to ad lib is good.
20 Questions has always given my kids some problems. Most students have never done a game like this before, so begin by walking them through the basics. Make sure they know the worst thing they can do is guess randomly. They need to start big and work their way smaller and smaller. With practice they will learn tricks to narrow down their choices. At first, help them through the process if they get stuck. Don’t let them get discouraged. Make sure they understand that using English is the point behind the game!
THE LAST PRACTICE SESSION The final practice session (or two) should be a full run through of a practice test following all the rules of the test so they know exactly what to expect. You should run this with a camera as well so they don’t get camera shy! When you finish give them a few pointers and reassure them that the best thing they can do is relax and be themselves on camera! I hope this gives you a few ideas where to start with your students and helps them gain some confidence in their English ability!
The Unofficial HEC Test Survival Guide Tips for ALTs Lianna Hrycyk
I
t’s that time of the year again: Hokkaido English Challenge (HEC) test prep time! First-year JHS and SHS students in Hokkaido can take this challenge by completing a fun English test with their ALTs. The top 30 JHS and 20 SHS are invited to an all-expenses paid English camp in the summer. The top JHS student will also receive an all-expenses paid homestay abroad! To learn more about HEC and other prizes available, visit www. hec.hajet.org. Have you considered entering your students into this contest? As a first year ALT last year, I was unsure how to recruit, train, and test students. Luckily, I received lots of support from fellow senpai JETs and I successfully entered two students last year. It’s time to pay it forward, so I have made an “cheat sheet” to help you get started (opposite page). Of course, this timeline is flexible: as long as you meet the registration and test submission deadlines, you can personalize the timeline to suit your needs. Before HEC, I noticed that there were students in my English class who really enjoyed English but were too shy to speak with me. HEC allows ALTs to take an active role in English education outside of the classroom. The test focuses on verbal communication, so the focus of my practices with students was on English conversation.
easy games that required English. This helped them get comfortable with the idea of spending time one-on-one with me. My students and I enjoyed our lunch sessions, so I started scheduling 1-hour practices twice a week after school. The first 10 minutes were set aside for casual conversation. Students gained confidence in their ability to speak English outside of a structured environment. Next, we spent 30-40 minutes completing activities from practice tests. The tests from previous years available online were a great help to me, as I did not have to prepare material ahead of time. Finally, I let my students decide how they wanted to spend the last 10-20 minutes. Usually, they would let me know which skill they would like to practice. Occasionally, we would practice casual conversation again, or play a game of their choice. My students who completed the HEC test showed significant improvements in their English. Their listening and communication skills have skyrocketed, and that is no exaggeration! They no longer shy away from conversation when I see them in the hallway. When they don’t understand, they have the confidence to ask for clarification.
Preparing for HEC has also allowed me to learn more about my students, their hobbies, their goals, and so much more. It has proven to be my most rewarding experience as ALT so far. So what are you waiting for? Approach your JTEs about Once I recruited a few students for HEC, I started HEC and get started. And don’t forget to brag to off our training slowly. For the first two sessions, your students about the awesome prizes HEC I met with my students at lunchtime and played offers!
An ALT’s Suggested Timeline
Sapporo ヱビス Review This month is the Yebisu line of products. There’s a lot more to enjoy here than last time, so let’s get started! Next month will be the last in this series, featuring location-specific Sapporo beers!
Edwin Arce II
Mm
, a return to deliciousness after that dreadful detour through the happoshu. Right off the bat, just watching the bronze libation tumble smoothly from the can, the color alone tells you that you’re in for something more significant than a standard Sapporo beer. It might be good, it might not—but something of interest is bubbling to the surface in a head of pearly foam. The first sip confirms—Good. Most excitingly, the body is full, heavy, thick. It almost feels weightier than another beer. The fizz is just right. And the flavor bends to the sweet side without turning the drink to candy. It avoids the hop bitters in favor of malty savoriness. And it lingers. After that gentle swallow, it tickles along the edges of your palate, twisting through a cornucopia of hidden notes. Sure, this one is a few coppers more expensive, but it’s absolutely worth it.
O
o, okay. Okayyyy. Alright. Yes. Yessss. Mm, yup. Mmhm. Mm. Roasty, toasty. Mmyup. Grab it.
S
o, I can tell pretty quickly that this isn’t going to be my favorite beer, but more from a personal preference side of things. It’s obvious that there are some who will like this quite a lot. There a bunch going for it. Like the regular Yebisu, this has a deep, distinct, and robust flavor. I’m not a big fan of the immediate taste. It’s a little too citrusy and a little too lime-peel-bitter. I do like the aftertaste quite a bit, though. The immediate post-swallow flash hints at tobacco, then metamorphoses through hay and ends on a sweet note with roasted caramel. While I personally won’t be grabbing this one again, I think it’s worth a gander for anyone who happens to come upon this somewhat rare find.
T
his one leaves a lot to be desired. Tastes remarkably unremarkable. Run of the mill, if the run was sponsored by Nike and the mill managed by Walmart. For the price, pick up anything else.
N
ow we’re back on track with a beer that is, at the least, interesting. Living up to its namesake, this one is reminiscent of potpourri in the way that Doc Brown coming back to the future to show off a handful of primeaval flowers is “reminiscent”. What Im trying to say is that I feel like I’m drinking Christmas, but not in a jolly way—in a department store, flash-sale holiday-themed childrens’ cologne spillage in the ugly Xmas sweater aisle way. But—big But—this is interesting enough to possibly be an exciting taste for others. It’s too sweet for me, too on the nose, but others might get a serious kick out of it.
I
can’t place my finger on this one. It’s elusive. Every quality is eel-like, slipping this way and that, out of my grasp, with each and every sip. It’s foamier, waterier; richer, weaker; more bitter, more sweet—than any of the others I’ve tried. And as I near the end of this cup, like an eel slipped back into the water, I know only one thing. It was an eel—I mean a beer, and not half bad. Not worth going out of your way for, but like a plate of eel nigiri passing by on the ol’ kaiten conveyor belt, you might as well grab it if it passes your way. Damn, now I’m hungry. For eel.
A
fter the impressive show from the first two, I’m let down by this run-of-the-mill brew—especially coming out of such a festive-looking can. It’s like whoever was the brains behind this put too much focus on the packaging and at the last minute remembered they actually had to put something inside and grabbed whatever midshelf bottle was at hand and emptied it into the can, hoping to pass it off as something worthwhile. Save your money.
I
t might have been best to end on a high note, but I’ll take the middle road as a win. This is a sweet beer, tasting of malt tossed in sugar. Unfortunately, I’m not much for sweets, and the fact that it’s so straightforward leaves little to maintain my interest. It’s not bad—not in the least—you might even call it good, for what it is. This is another one to not pass up, but not seek out. Well, maybe at least go find a can to stroke, because they’ve done a really cool textured thing on the aluminum which is pretty neat.
W
ell, I can say this: When they say creamy top, they mean creamy top. In fact, the creaminess seems to permeate down into the body as well. It’s a softer, subtler beer, holding close to the “stout” standard, though further from sweet than a Guiness. Not bad if you like this sort of thing.
M
an, was I skeptical going into this one. After a bunch of mediocre experiences wending my way through the Yebisu lineup I was all prepared to be let down by this intrinsically over-promised experience. I assumed they’d tossed something in a can and licensed out a big culinary name. But wow, was I wrong. This is fantastic. It’s clear that work went into this and that Robuchon himself, or at least someone with singular integrity was intimately involved before signing off. This is earthy, expressive, deep