Welcome to Elephant City

Elephant City, a place I created for an activity in giving directions for 3rd Year Junior High students

For Grandma

In loving tribute to Elfida “Graciela” Govea

Our beloved Grandma can lay to rest. We pray that her spirit may be at peace. She was our family’s careful gardener. We could bloom because of her love.
Deepest sympathies,
Johnny, Katsumi and Lilica Govea
(from our card attached to the flower arrangement for her rosary service).

We are mourning for our beloved Grandma here, too. The garden of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren has spread across the world and we hold her sacred memory in trust deep in our hearts. God bless you Grandma and may the angels, relatives and friends you are joining in heaven keep you good company until we all can reunite again.
Our deepest sympathies,
Johnny, Katsumi and Lilica Govea (Kurashiki, JAPAN)
(in reply to the obituary placed by her sons in the El Paso Times)

These few words that I have written about my grandmother’s passing are just a trickle of the emotion that is slowly seeping out from the deep recesses of my heart. The initial shock of this news is beginning to fade and my awareness of how this is affecting me and my family is now starting to come into focus. Our matriarch has left us and we are mourning for her death. I pray that we can remember her in her life, that we can reflect on the lessons she has taught us, the words, unwanted or not, of advice she provided and the wisdom she expressed in her small, everyday actions.

If she didn’t like something you said, she’d tell you to “Chet up!” But she always was ready to listen to you if you were in need. And she always observed how we were “growing like crazy.” Her hugs were generous and her thriftiness, precise. She was ready to tell you like it is or how it ought to be. She was strong, yet sensitive. Her home was the symbol of our family unity only because her heart was always big enough to let you in and love you completely. She was the gardener, the caretaker and the support system in all our lives.

We miss you, Grandma. Thank you for everything. For you, we’ll “live it up!”

El Paso Times obituary - http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/elpasotimes/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=156472342

And a time to every purpose under heaven...

My hand-written, Japanese article about El Paso, Texas in "Amigo," the Kurashiki Goodwill Guide newsletter, 1/2012



Below is the English translation of the article; it reads a bit choppy, but flows smoothly in Japanese, I think.


El Paso, Texas, USA Johnny Mendoza Govea



My hometown is El Paso, Texas, USA. ”Texas” is a Native American word. It means “friend.” Of course, English is spoken. Yet with Mexico being so close by, Spanish is also spoken.

Some famous foods from Texas are steak, chilli beans, Texas toast, etc. The portions per person in Texas cooking are double the size of regular American portions. It’s really a feast!

Texas is widely spread out as a state with various geographical features. NASA is in Houston, a flat area. El Paso is in the desert and is called the “Sun City.” Thanks to the nearby Rocky Mountains, no tornadoes hit the city.

El Paso’s sunsets are very beautiful. They’re worth to see!

No borders: coffee with a hint of orange

Peace exists in the collective harmony of all

“350 Arrested in Occupy Raids” http://www.democracynow.org/2011/12/1/headlines#10

In these times of the awakening 99%, people are beginning to smell the coffee aroma of truth in the crisp fall air. Fully alert, they have simply and succinctly announced to the world their awareness of the innate inequality of a “free and open market,” which never really was free to begin with and maintained a tightly closed community of speculators, share holders, big ballers and shot callers AKA the 1%. They maintained this idea even as the brave few are being evicted from the #Occupy movement of public spaces across America. And many around the world have collectively said, “Duh!” in response.

This is to say that the imperialistic economic force of the US has been felt for decades abroad, especially in places like here in Japan. There’s an applicable saying that goes, “When the US sneezes, Japan catches a cold.” Such a symbiotic relationship as is the US-Japan bond, albeit lopsided to the benefit of the US, reflects how small of a world we really live in. More than that, though, it exemplifies how intricately woven and delicate the balance of our global society is, economically, structurally, politically and humanely. A drop in the value of the dollar in the States causes Japanese automobile export prices to fall short of intended profit goals after the return exchange of dollars to yen transacts. A Japanese switch from US-made corn imports to imports of corn grown elsewhere causes an imbalance in supply and demand, not to mention, highlights the weighted tariff scales yet affected by any free trade agreements.

Casablanca’s character Rick once said in reply to a question of his nationality, “I’m a drunkard.” Evaporating from this sarcasm is a hint at the global citizenship that we all share. And as a “citizen of the world” (the explanation of Rick’s statement by his friend Louie), we each ought be more conscience of how our actions affect other communities as well as the ecological system. The 99% of us who are not uber-rich and who have no legions of lawyers nor lobbyists to protect our interests have our lifestyle choices, our various forms of currency and the way we hold onto them in banking institutions as well as our votes to answer in times of dire straights. We assert our world citizenship when we stand up to the power structure in these and other responses to extravagant power distances. We can choose to recycle or to just throw away unsorted trash. We can choose to use public transportation instead of personal cars. We can choose which community members we respect as leaders, from grass-roots organizers to elected politicians. Each singular effort we make might seem insignificant, yet, taken together, our collective massive presence shall be felt. That’s the promise of the 99%.

Specifically, an American worker who diligently seeks to upgrade her/his educational and/or professional development achievements ought to be granted the equivalent financial reward and economic status of such work. Teachers in Japan, for example, work very hard as subject teachers AND as coaches/advisors to after-school club activities, while attending to their year group’s special activities. They are constantly upgrading their skills via on-the-job training, area seminars and purpose-specific workshops. They get paid fairly well for their hard work and they are widely respected across Japanese society for the way they fulfill these tremendous responsibilities. What might happen if teachers in the States were dealt the same measure of respect? Students’ attitudes towards their teachers and toward their educational endeavors would positively increase excrementally. I don’t think American students would be as complacent and as downright lazy as they are with their chances at making their lives better through a better education if such a revision was made. And it would all be to the benefit, again, of our global village as the bright young minds of tomorrow are given that much more of a edge at leadership and organizing through practical, hands-on experience via teacher guidance.

The US 99% needs to be aware of the rest of the world, too. Social networks like Twitter and even just a sporadic reading of world news, a whisk of that hint of orange, will clue them in on the fact that other people around the world also have economic struggles for survival, usually much worse than their own. As people are arrested in Occupy raids by various local police, Pakistanis are mourning for their dead at the hands of NATO bombs. There is the fearlessness of Egyptians and Libyans taking back their countries from dictators, while Mexican drug violence takes the lives of many innocent people despite the country’s federal policies. True global exchange begins with this hint of knowledge of these events and more in order to translate into sympathetic pro-activism and social compassion beyond borders.

Faith in the Unknown, renewed

Lilica in front of the shoe lockers of her kindergarten's entrance

Each day makes the journey worthwile since each moment that passes brings with it a reason to hope and an opportunity to grow. This cooler season of fall clears the air with crisp hues, while it presents honest questions. When will we make a home, that is, build our own house? How long will we stay in Japan? Is it a good idea to move the family to the States? Should I pursue a PhD or an ED? Should I just continue to seek other professional development opportunities? Is teaching the only dream I can fulfill? What about acting, writing and singing?

With these and many more subtle nuances of future planning, I take in the fresh air that signals to my lungs a surge of positive energy is about to envelope me. I then exhale out all of the negativity, the doubts, the anger and the frustrations. I can learn more Japanese. I will make a better relationship with my wifey. I definitely am able to seek more constructive ways in raising our Lilica and instilling her with a deep respect for words of an authority, while honoring the shining, individual performer that she is becoming.

The art in each of us rings true with our own melodies, the rhythms of our pulses. The voices of our ancestors still echo in our minds. All the while, our future generations pace anxiously, anticipating our choice of our lives` paths. Thus, they can be born into something better, something more concrete and something more engaging. We have that power to decide the direction of our lives and all of these lives, bound together by honor, by blood, by ancestry and by harmony. It chooses us, this power, just as we choose it. We can collaborate all that we have in order to find the equilibrium of our minds and balance the relationships of our existence.

It just takes a first step, a written page, a dream reignited, a smile. We have all of the abilities that we need to have, when we need to have them. It's just a matter of timing that reveals our strengths and weaknesses. We can learn from our mistakes and transform those lessons into steadier steps on the path of a true human being. It's called channeling energy. It's called the connection to the Great Mystery. It is a faith that is hope unbound by limit, prayer unbound by time. It is a collective reassertation of the spiritual renewal that flows through us all.

Why the #Occupy Movement?

"Take the Bull by the Horns" by Molly Fair

"How many laws have you changed?” King replied, “I don’t know, but we’ve changed a lot of hearts.” (“Don’t Dismiss The Drum Circles: Why Hippie Culture Is Still Important To Our Protests,” Danny Goldberg, Dissent Magazine, Accessed on October 28, 2011: http://www.alternet.org/vision/152863/don%27t_diss_the_drum_circles%3A_why_hippie_culture_is_still_important_to_our_protests/?page=entire)

The Occupy movement is not about unfocused rebellion, confusion or mass hysteria. It’s about the concentrated efforts of concerned, well-informed and involved citizens who have succinctly analyzed that the free market economic system is strictly geared toward the unruly, insane profit of 1% of our population. We are the 99% precisely because this Darwinian, non-Utopian-based system strives to oust any potential political power “we,” the people, might have in rechanneling the wealth to the needy and the middle class. This protest is about taking that power back, en masse, from every corner of the world, in order to make a more balanced, humane condition in which everyone has a fair shot at success if they work hard. When the beacon that was the ideal American model of government was extinguished by greedy corporations and an exclusive set of non-philanthropists, it became our responsibility, our right and our duty to try and re-light the torch.


In a little over two centuries, America’s experiment in democracy is going down in flames because the powerful uncompromisingly horde their power and wealth in offshore bank accounts, various forms of stock, and personal bank rolls defended by legions of special interest lobbyists, savvy accountants and scrupulous lawyers. If this ideal of democracy has any chance of being revived, then it has to be changed NOW, by us. “If Americans were to realize they’ve been the victims of Republican-style redistribution—stealing from the poor to give to the rich—the whole political atmosphere might change.” (“Have and Have Not Nation,” E. Robinson, Truthdig.com Accessed on October 29, 2011: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/have_and_have-not_nation_20111028/?ln). This is the despicable trend of Robin Hood turned on his head. And it’s media with a Marie Antoinette attitude of “Let them eat cake” when reporting on why the Occupy movement is so necessary. We can’t afford to miss this chance, in whatever way we can support the people, for we, the 99%, are the only ones who can change our own destiny and the future of our nation. We have to take our nation back by whatever means necessary.

Mayor's Cup Speech contest, etc.

My English translation of Kouchou-sensei's article about the Mayor's Cup Speech contest


Lilica conquers the tallest oni ("ogre") @ Chayamachi's Oni festival


Recently, our Junior High's Principal published the above article in the monthly newsletter about a student's presentation at the Mayor's Cup Speech contest. I coached the student from start to finish with the help of another English teacher and the support and feedback from still other teachers. This marks the second time I've been involved with this activity and, though the speeches didn't place in the top 6, each of these students I've coached worked their hardest and grew exponentially.

It must be very challenging to make a speech in another language, especially one that you're still learning. I have yet to do the same in Japanese, at least in any formal circumstance. There is a Japanese speech contest which I'll aim to enter in next year. Until then, I'll at least do my last performance of the season as the Multinatioal Cheering Squad captain this coming Sunday for the Kurashiki International Friendship Festival. This cheer is done all in Japanese in a big, booming voice and with the aid of a script and other vocal cheering squad members. It's a lot of fun.

Meanwhile, my daughter is getting along very well socializing and playing at kindergarten 5 - 6 days a week. Her schedule for kindergarten changes monthly and this October, we're all waking up very early to get her ready and on the bus by 8AM. This is the prequel period of her Elementary school training. We continue to adjust, grow and learn as we go as parents and as Lilica's support system. She's blooming!