It was rather pretty. See???
Couldn't make a snow angle or have a snowball fight. Next time, ne?
In the meantime, I'm gonna stay warm and finish review for my test tomorrow. Blah...let's see if I still have luck in me for it...
:P
Saturday, December 6, 2008
雪！！！
So it snowed this morning!!!
It was rather pretty. See???
Couldn't make a snow angle or have a snowball fight. Next time, ne?
In the meantime, I'm gonna stay warm and finish review for my test tomorrow. Blah...let's see if I still have luck in me for it...
:P
It was rather pretty. See???
Couldn't make a snow angle or have a snowball fight. Next time, ne?
In the meantime, I'm gonna stay warm and finish review for my test tomorrow. Blah...let's see if I still have luck in me for it...
:P
Thursday, December 4, 2008
雪？
Lots of various things have been going on. I'll have to recap later but I just wanted to write something small and quick...
...a bit of a "breaking news" if you will.
:P
So I heard from a friend that the weather forecast has predicted snow for Saturday. And just morning my neighbor and co-worker told me we're scheduled for snow tonight. So...there's a possibility of snow this weekend. And as much fun as it will be to see it snow, I don't want it to snow on Sunday. Snow on a test day will not be cool. Not only will it be really cold, I may get distracted and then since the test will take just about all day, I won't be able to play in the snow...
grr...
(P.S. That kanji that I used for the title of this article is read, "yuki" and it means snow)
...a bit of a "breaking news" if you will.
:P
So I heard from a friend that the weather forecast has predicted snow for Saturday. And just morning my neighbor and co-worker told me we're scheduled for snow tonight. So...there's a possibility of snow this weekend. And as much fun as it will be to see it snow, I don't want it to snow on Sunday. Snow on a test day will not be cool. Not only will it be really cold, I may get distracted and then since the test will take just about all day, I won't be able to play in the snow...
grr...
(P.S. That kanji that I used for the title of this article is read, "yuki" and it means snow)
Monday, December 1, 2008
Oxy-reunion Weekend and overall busyness (crazyness) PT. 2
After all my Oxy buddies left, I headed back home with Julia. She got to stay with me for 2 more days. Woohoo~! Sadly though, I had my Mid-year JET program meetings to attend that Tuesday and Wednesday. So Julia was left all alone in my place throughout the day. But at night, we did lots of socializing.
Awesome Grace made dinner both those nights and just about all the JETs gathered at her place (well, at least all the neighboring JETs) and Julia got to know my neighbors a little better.
The Mid-year seminar was alright. It was pretty cold but overall there were some helpful points from the presentations that were prepared by fellow JETs. The lunches, however, were not all that great…but hey, food is food and when you’re hungry…
On Thursday morning, I got up really early to get ready for work and take Julia to the airport. I had to take some time off of work to make sure I get her to the airport but not ridiculously early. We did get there early…but at least not like 5 hours too early. More like…an hour and half…maybe 2…can’t remember too great right now…
I rode the train to work (falling asleep along the way) and then attempted to walk from the Asakuragaido Station to my school. I had only been to this station maybe twice before. But it was from school to the station. This time, it was from the station to the school… But I recognize certain areas a lot better now. So I only got a little turned around but quickly found my way back.
And then this day, Shinichiro-san (the grad student I helped prepare for his college interview [who got in BTW]) came to visit Andachi-sensei and I! (She’s one of the JTE’s I directly work with). And he came with more gifts…ehehe^^; But he did seem really happy to have gotten in (not that I ever doubted it) and Andachi-sensei decided to make a monthly/bi-monthly meeting with him to help him to keep practicing his English and to practice doing presentations.
I sadly returned to my lonely apartment…
Oh, but another crazy weekend began soon enough…
Awesome Grace made dinner both those nights and just about all the JETs gathered at her place (well, at least all the neighboring JETs) and Julia got to know my neighbors a little better.
The Mid-year seminar was alright. It was pretty cold but overall there were some helpful points from the presentations that were prepared by fellow JETs. The lunches, however, were not all that great…but hey, food is food and when you’re hungry…
On Thursday morning, I got up really early to get ready for work and take Julia to the airport. I had to take some time off of work to make sure I get her to the airport but not ridiculously early. We did get there early…but at least not like 5 hours too early. More like…an hour and half…maybe 2…can’t remember too great right now…
I rode the train to work (falling asleep along the way) and then attempted to walk from the Asakuragaido Station to my school. I had only been to this station maybe twice before. But it was from school to the station. This time, it was from the station to the school… But I recognize certain areas a lot better now. So I only got a little turned around but quickly found my way back.
And then this day, Shinichiro-san (the grad student I helped prepare for his college interview [who got in BTW]) came to visit Andachi-sensei and I! (She’s one of the JTE’s I directly work with). And he came with more gifts…ehehe^^; But he did seem really happy to have gotten in (not that I ever doubted it) and Andachi-sensei decided to make a monthly/bi-monthly meeting with him to help him to keep practicing his English and to practice doing presentations.
I sadly returned to my lonely apartment…
Oh, but another crazy weekend began soon enough…
Oxy-Reunion and just overall business (crazyness) PT. 1
Sooooooooooooooooooooooo many various things have happened 2 weekends ago and even more things happened this past weekend. As you can tell, I’ve been pretty busy and haven’t had much of a chance to write about all of it…so here goes…
2 weekends ago, my friends came over to visit me. It was another awesome Oxy Reunion! Woo! (short re-cap. My college buddies came to visit and hence we call it "oxy reunions" because we all met and graduated from Occidental College).
Saturday morning I got up fairly early to do some quick cleaning and get myself to the airport and then to Hakata station. I first thought I was running a little late because the JR train took a random stop between stations (to let the really fast train go) and then because as soon as I got to the airport and found the bus to take me to the international side, it took off. But luckily I got to the arrival terminal before Julia got there. And it was a bit of a surreal moment to see her here. In Japan. In front of me. We hugged (and pretty sure we attracted odd stairs since we somehow made it into a swinging hug and did a full 360...). We then squished into the bus to take us back to the domestic side, hop onto the subway and make it just in time for Kelly’s arrival. Apparently she was unable to recognize me from behind because my hair has gotten fairly long.
We then hung out by the information both for a couple of minutes, awaiting the arrival of Terence. Once we found him and we all headed for some place to eat. Sadly, I got flipped around by some construction work and couldn’t find the awesome shabu shabu place right by the station I’d been to before with my neighbors. But we found a good udon place (and with warm noodles in the belly on a cold day, it was great).
After re-energizing, we headed back to the Hakata station and headed for home (Steph didn’t join us ‘til later that evening). So my friends got to see a part of my area in the daylight as we walked form the JR station to my jutaku…getting hot along the way.
Small note: The week before they came it was almost bitterly cold in my area. But the weekend they came it was generally calm. So I like to think they brought warmth to the city…and sadly took it back. Haha. :P
Once we arrived to my place, I did my usual, “Sorry it’s messy. Oh yea, it’s old too…beware…” etc etc. But I think (*think*) they found it cozy…I’m pretty sure they all have better apartments than me… For example, they get nice water heaters that doesn’t require clanking…
So after chilling for a bit and drinking tea (I may have served them too many cups of tea…ehehe^^;;) we headed for Canal City, a really huge shopping area in the city, not too far from me.
We rode both the train and subway to get to Nakasu Kawabata. From there we walked through a … domed shopping strip (?), which during the summer had many paper lantern-like decorations up. I was a little sad to see them gone and more so that they didn’t have pretty decorations up at the moment. But once we got to Canal City, all that changed. There were so many Christmas decorations all over the place! (I’ll try to post some pictures later). And since we got there when it started to get a little dark, the lights looked beautiful!
We checked out stores, ate ice cream (even if it was cold…melts slower! ;P) and took many pictures. We also ate some really good ramen. At the top floor of this shopping area, there’s a place called, “Ramen Stadium.” It’s pretty much a collection of Ramen shops with different styles (various regions of Japan do it differently).
And then we went back one more to Hakata to pick up Steph. This time, we rode the hyaku-en bus (100-yen bus). We got lucky and arrived at the station just as Steph arrived. ^^ We then returned to my place, showered and slept.
Sunday morning we skipped breakfast and had brunch at the American Diner I like to go that’s near the Nishitetsu station. I owner is really nice but since he was cooking for 5 people that day (it’s like a small mom & pop joint) he didn’t really get to come over and talk to us. But as always, the food was great. :]
We then went to Tenjin, the city, and looked for a scarf for Julia, did 2 rounds of purikura, left Julia at a Starbucks and the rest of us went to the “Big TV” to meet up with the Sumo crew. From the “Bit TV,” we hopped onto a bus and rode it to the Kokusai Center to watch the Sumo tournament.
Sumo is actually quite interesting. Sure there is a lot of tradition in it (they squat and prep for the actual fight by doing the same thing about 3 times before they actually wrestle) but once they actually wrestle, it can get crazy. Some are ridiculously fast and some have the craziest techniques to stay in the circle and not fall down. I believe I caught some on tape…
Afterwards, Steph, Kelly, Terence and I went to pick up Julia and with the map in my hand we found our way to the restaurant the rest of the Sumo crew went to (yay! I can follow maps!). We had Chanko nabe. I believe I heard it’s what Sumo wrestlers eat…
And what did we do after dinner? Why Karaoke of course!!! After 2 hours of singing (and always with left over songs in the system) we hailed a taxi, I haggled the price with him and then Steph convinced him to let all of us ride (3 sat on the back, Steph did some crazy ninja stuff to hide on their legs and I sat at the front (in case I’d need to help the cab driver).
Small note: Talking with cab drivers can be fun sometimes
Arrived at the Nishitetsu Futsukaichi station: Walked Home: Shower: Sleep
Monday morning began a little slow since we stayed up pretty late doing karaoke. We had a bit of a slow start and then it was raining that morning…boo. We made plans to go to Hamakatsu, a cool tonkatsu place where you can crush your own sesame seeds for your dipping sauce, and I invited another friend. He was nice enough to offer driving us to the restaurant even if it did take him 2 trips to get everyone there (it’s not that far but in the rain it may suck).
After some fine feasting, we headed to the Dazaifu Koumyuuji Temple (only the Oxy-crew. Aki-san, my friend who joined us for lunch, went shopping). We found it, took pictures (the fall leaves look so beautiful there!) and since we had some time, headed to the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine as well. This Shrine is known for having high school students coming to prey for good grades. I will admit…I did buy a study charm from them…I have an exam coming up to…
After this, we went back to my place, everyone but Julia packed up and headed back to Hakata Station so that they could all ride the Shinkansen.
And thus ends the Crazy Oxy-Reunion Weekend…
2 weekends ago, my friends came over to visit me. It was another awesome Oxy Reunion! Woo! (short re-cap. My college buddies came to visit and hence we call it "oxy reunions" because we all met and graduated from Occidental College).
Saturday morning I got up fairly early to do some quick cleaning and get myself to the airport and then to Hakata station. I first thought I was running a little late because the JR train took a random stop between stations (to let the really fast train go) and then because as soon as I got to the airport and found the bus to take me to the international side, it took off. But luckily I got to the arrival terminal before Julia got there. And it was a bit of a surreal moment to see her here. In Japan. In front of me. We hugged (and pretty sure we attracted odd stairs since we somehow made it into a swinging hug and did a full 360...). We then squished into the bus to take us back to the domestic side, hop onto the subway and make it just in time for Kelly’s arrival. Apparently she was unable to recognize me from behind because my hair has gotten fairly long.
We then hung out by the information both for a couple of minutes, awaiting the arrival of Terence. Once we found him and we all headed for some place to eat. Sadly, I got flipped around by some construction work and couldn’t find the awesome shabu shabu place right by the station I’d been to before with my neighbors. But we found a good udon place (and with warm noodles in the belly on a cold day, it was great).
After re-energizing, we headed back to the Hakata station and headed for home (Steph didn’t join us ‘til later that evening). So my friends got to see a part of my area in the daylight as we walked form the JR station to my jutaku…getting hot along the way.
Small note: The week before they came it was almost bitterly cold in my area. But the weekend they came it was generally calm. So I like to think they brought warmth to the city…and sadly took it back. Haha. :P
Once we arrived to my place, I did my usual, “Sorry it’s messy. Oh yea, it’s old too…beware…” etc etc. But I think (*think*) they found it cozy…I’m pretty sure they all have better apartments than me… For example, they get nice water heaters that doesn’t require clanking…
So after chilling for a bit and drinking tea (I may have served them too many cups of tea…ehehe^^;;) we headed for Canal City, a really huge shopping area in the city, not too far from me.
We rode both the train and subway to get to Nakasu Kawabata. From there we walked through a … domed shopping strip (?), which during the summer had many paper lantern-like decorations up. I was a little sad to see them gone and more so that they didn’t have pretty decorations up at the moment. But once we got to Canal City, all that changed. There were so many Christmas decorations all over the place! (I’ll try to post some pictures later). And since we got there when it started to get a little dark, the lights looked beautiful!
We checked out stores, ate ice cream (even if it was cold…melts slower! ;P) and took many pictures. We also ate some really good ramen. At the top floor of this shopping area, there’s a place called, “Ramen Stadium.” It’s pretty much a collection of Ramen shops with different styles (various regions of Japan do it differently).
And then we went back one more to Hakata to pick up Steph. This time, we rode the hyaku-en bus (100-yen bus). We got lucky and arrived at the station just as Steph arrived. ^^ We then returned to my place, showered and slept.
Sunday morning we skipped breakfast and had brunch at the American Diner I like to go that’s near the Nishitetsu station. I owner is really nice but since he was cooking for 5 people that day (it’s like a small mom & pop joint) he didn’t really get to come over and talk to us. But as always, the food was great. :]
We then went to Tenjin, the city, and looked for a scarf for Julia, did 2 rounds of purikura, left Julia at a Starbucks and the rest of us went to the “Big TV” to meet up with the Sumo crew. From the “Bit TV,” we hopped onto a bus and rode it to the Kokusai Center to watch the Sumo tournament.
Sumo is actually quite interesting. Sure there is a lot of tradition in it (they squat and prep for the actual fight by doing the same thing about 3 times before they actually wrestle) but once they actually wrestle, it can get crazy. Some are ridiculously fast and some have the craziest techniques to stay in the circle and not fall down. I believe I caught some on tape…
Afterwards, Steph, Kelly, Terence and I went to pick up Julia and with the map in my hand we found our way to the restaurant the rest of the Sumo crew went to (yay! I can follow maps!). We had Chanko nabe. I believe I heard it’s what Sumo wrestlers eat…
And what did we do after dinner? Why Karaoke of course!!! After 2 hours of singing (and always with left over songs in the system) we hailed a taxi, I haggled the price with him and then Steph convinced him to let all of us ride (3 sat on the back, Steph did some crazy ninja stuff to hide on their legs and I sat at the front (in case I’d need to help the cab driver).
Small note: Talking with cab drivers can be fun sometimes
Arrived at the Nishitetsu Futsukaichi station: Walked Home: Shower: Sleep
Monday morning began a little slow since we stayed up pretty late doing karaoke. We had a bit of a slow start and then it was raining that morning…boo. We made plans to go to Hamakatsu, a cool tonkatsu place where you can crush your own sesame seeds for your dipping sauce, and I invited another friend. He was nice enough to offer driving us to the restaurant even if it did take him 2 trips to get everyone there (it’s not that far but in the rain it may suck).
After some fine feasting, we headed to the Dazaifu Koumyuuji Temple (only the Oxy-crew. Aki-san, my friend who joined us for lunch, went shopping). We found it, took pictures (the fall leaves look so beautiful there!) and since we had some time, headed to the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine as well. This Shrine is known for having high school students coming to prey for good grades. I will admit…I did buy a study charm from them…I have an exam coming up to…
After this, we went back to my place, everyone but Julia packed up and headed back to Hakata Station so that they could all ride the Shinkansen.
And thus ends the Crazy Oxy-Reunion Weekend…
Friday, November 21, 2008
Mata, Oxy Reunion!
So this weekend, my pally wallies from Oxy are coming over to visit!
3 are coming from different parts in Japan because they too are on the JET program and one will be coming from Teipei and she's doing this crazy hard-core Chinese studying. :P
So needless to say, this weekend is going to rock! (Interestingly enough, tickets to an Asian Kung-Fu Generation concert go on sale this weekend...not sure whether to go for it or not...) Luckily, they're all getting here a slightly different times but in an order where I can easily pick them up.
And now I'm thinking to myself, "This is going to be so much fun...huh...my place is rather messy...oops..."...yea... The good thing is that it's really not dirty, it's just messy. If anything, the kitchen is the room that still needs some work. But because the floor bums me out and b/c it's freakin' freezing in there now, I don't spend too much time in there... But if this weekend is going to be like the Osaka weekend, we won't be spending too much time in my jutaku. Mainly to shower and sleep.
Julia will be staying the longest and it just sucks that I have a 2-day JET Mid-year meetings to go to. So...during the day she can either chill at my place or go out exploring. But I'll make sure to do something at night. :]
And then, as if things weren't Oxy-related enough, another alumnus contacted me yesterday (?) and told me that she'll be in the area too! So on Sunday, it may be the biggest Oxy-Reunion yet!!! Craziness!!!
So for tonight, I'm going to do some straightening out, help a friend find possible housing in the LA area (if you'd like to help my friend, let me know~!) and possibly study...oh god...my test is in like 3 weeks!!! eep!!!
><"
Oh! Speaking of tests. The graduate student I was helping prepare for his college interview just let us know today that he got in!!! Woohoo!!! ^^
3 are coming from different parts in Japan because they too are on the JET program and one will be coming from Teipei and she's doing this crazy hard-core Chinese studying. :P
So needless to say, this weekend is going to rock! (Interestingly enough, tickets to an Asian Kung-Fu Generation concert go on sale this weekend...not sure whether to go for it or not...) Luckily, they're all getting here a slightly different times but in an order where I can easily pick them up.
And now I'm thinking to myself, "This is going to be so much fun...huh...my place is rather messy...oops..."...yea... The good thing is that it's really not dirty, it's just messy. If anything, the kitchen is the room that still needs some work. But because the floor bums me out and b/c it's freakin' freezing in there now, I don't spend too much time in there... But if this weekend is going to be like the Osaka weekend, we won't be spending too much time in my jutaku. Mainly to shower and sleep.
Julia will be staying the longest and it just sucks that I have a 2-day JET Mid-year meetings to go to. So...during the day she can either chill at my place or go out exploring. But I'll make sure to do something at night. :]
And then, as if things weren't Oxy-related enough, another alumnus contacted me yesterday (?) and told me that she'll be in the area too! So on Sunday, it may be the biggest Oxy-Reunion yet!!! Craziness!!!
So for tonight, I'm going to do some straightening out, help a friend find possible housing in the LA area (if you'd like to help my friend, let me know~!) and possibly study...oh god...my test is in like 3 weeks!!! eep!!!
><"
Oh! Speaking of tests. The graduate student I was helping prepare for his college interview just let us know today that he got in!!! Woohoo!!! ^^
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Burr Update...
So...I've been meaning to annouce that I've now been able to see my breath in the morning. Yes, it is that cold. It's pretty much what I consider to be winter in LA...and it's still fall!!!
This morning, while I was in the bathroom washing up, I saw my breath!!! Indoors!!! o_O; I knew it was cold and I've heard that that these Japanese jutakus don't keep the heat very well (and that at times it's apparently colder inside?? eh?) but I never thought that I might see my own breath condense indoors!!!
So yes, this morning I was thinking, "It's like winter. This is winter for me. Oh crap...it's only fall..."...
But since I either ride my bike or walk to work (I usually walk when it rains or looks like it's going to rain) I tend to get warm by the time I get to work. So I'm warm my first hour in...and then I get really cold...and I chill at the hot water dispenser area because I can drink warm tea and, when the sun is out, incubate. ;P
And today I brought the little lap blanket I bought a week or two ago. This is for when it gets even colder and for the days I have long periods to chill at my desk between classes or for the weeks I'm stuck doing grading and planning the next lesson instead of teaching.
So...I haven't frozen yet!
Oh, on that matter, I have no kotatsu cord. I went into a store to buy a cord, was really happy they did sell only the cord but was disappointed, sad and frustrated that it was the wrong size. Luckily they returned me my money but I'm stuck with a table and heater and no cord to turn it on with! So, I will either have to look around for a store that does sell the size I need or just go and buy a new heater (because then it will come with a cord)...so...what to do? What to do???
This morning, while I was in the bathroom washing up, I saw my breath!!! Indoors!!! o_O; I knew it was cold and I've heard that that these Japanese jutakus don't keep the heat very well (and that at times it's apparently colder inside?? eh?) but I never thought that I might see my own breath condense indoors!!!
So yes, this morning I was thinking, "It's like winter. This is winter for me. Oh crap...it's only fall..."...
But since I either ride my bike or walk to work (I usually walk when it rains or looks like it's going to rain) I tend to get warm by the time I get to work. So I'm warm my first hour in...and then I get really cold...and I chill at the hot water dispenser area because I can drink warm tea and, when the sun is out, incubate. ;P
And today I brought the little lap blanket I bought a week or two ago. This is for when it gets even colder and for the days I have long periods to chill at my desk between classes or for the weeks I'm stuck doing grading and planning the next lesson instead of teaching.
So...I haven't frozen yet!
Oh, on that matter, I have no kotatsu cord. I went into a store to buy a cord, was really happy they did sell only the cord but was disappointed, sad and frustrated that it was the wrong size. Luckily they returned me my money but I'm stuck with a table and heater and no cord to turn it on with! So, I will either have to look around for a store that does sell the size I need or just go and buy a new heater (because then it will come with a cord)...so...what to do? What to do???
Monday, November 17, 2008
News Flash
Hey people!
So...I just heard today that we're scheduled for our first snow fall...this Wednesday!!!
o_O;
Quite early, ne?
Well...a co-worker of mine (who was my host-mom who's like a grandma) said that she doubts it will snow on Wednesday. I'm pretty sure she's lived in Fukuoka/Chikushino-shi (my city, if you never knew) her whole life...I want to believe her.
So yea...I may see my first snow fall this Wednesday! Yay and boo all at the same time.
Why boo?
Ah, well because I don't know where my kotatsu cord is!!! ><"
And then I went to a store after work today and lo and behold, they had just the cords. Woohoo. But...apparently there's different sizes...
T_T
So, I'll have to go back tomorrow and either get my money back or exchange it for the right size. Ah...I hope I get it soon...
Hmm...then again I'm still missing one blanket for my kotatsu. But the lady at the dry cleaners said to come tomorrow. So...I hope I can get that cord tomorrow...
...
I should that heater out now...
*goes to closet*
So...I just heard today that we're scheduled for our first snow fall...this Wednesday!!!
o_O;
Quite early, ne?
Well...a co-worker of mine (who was my host-mom who's like a grandma) said that she doubts it will snow on Wednesday. I'm pretty sure she's lived in Fukuoka/Chikushino-shi (my city, if you never knew) her whole life...I want to believe her.
So yea...I may see my first snow fall this Wednesday! Yay and boo all at the same time.
Why boo?
Ah, well because I don't know where my kotatsu cord is!!! ><"
And then I went to a store after work today and lo and behold, they had just the cords. Woohoo. But...apparently there's different sizes...
T_T
So, I'll have to go back tomorrow and either get my money back or exchange it for the right size. Ah...I hope I get it soon...
Hmm...then again I'm still missing one blanket for my kotatsu. But the lady at the dry cleaners said to come tomorrow. So...I hope I can get that cord tomorrow...
...
I should that heater out now...
*goes to closet*
Monday, November 10, 2008
Aw. New Friends. :]
So last night I went to Kawashoku, the grocery store that is right next to me. (Literally. I’m technically at the corner of my block and the corner right next to me is the store)
Sometime during my first couple of weeks here, I had asked one of the workers there for soy milk (I didn’t know the kanji for soy milk at the time). He took me to their selection and then in a very surprised manner asked if I like it. After explaining that I can’t drink regular milk and that I studied Japanese in college, I continued grocery shopping and he continued working.
The next time I came after that, he remembered me and asked me if I needed more soy milk. I was rather touched he remembered but then again being one of the few gaijin (foreigners) in the area, I’m not that hard to forget in their eyes. But from then on we always greeted each other and eventually we swapped names; Onitsuka-san
Last night I went again because as usual, I needed some food. The other workers have also started to get to know me. I don’t know their names yet but they were really happy when I brought them cookies (I made a bunch for Halloween). So I walked in, said my good evening to them but as soon as I said good evening to Koga-san (one of the younger workers whom Onitsuka-san tried to explain to me what an “ikeimei” was (apparently a really cool looking guy…but Koga-san became quite embarrassed after that incident…) he hurried to the back. I wasn’t too sure what was going on but right after that Onitsuka-san came out and was for some random reason apologizing for not seeing each other for about a week or so. It was too nice. Apparently the other workers became a little worried that they hadn’t seen me either and wondered if I had gotten sick. (So sweet, ne?)
I was a little sick last week but not horribly so where I was bed-ridden or anything. Just some sniffles. The usual that I can deal with. But I had also gotten really really busy. Come to think of it…I’ll be really busy this week too…and I’ll be getting back home later 2 nights this week…blah…
(Ah! Digression)
But it’s really nice how it is that because I’m just about always in their store and I usually talk to them here and there, they worry about me when I’m not there for a long time. I just found it to be really sweet that they’re, in a sense, looking after me and worry about me if I get sick.
My co-workers too have become rather worried in the past when they thought I was sick/was sick. I’m pretty sure it’s more because I’m a foreigner and not completely used to things here. For some of them it may be my age because as they say, I’m really young.
(Which I’ve been thinking about…and yes, it is true, I am pretty young to have come all the way over here, miles and miles away from home and the country I’m used to, living alone and working. But if I don’t do it now, living on my own will just become more awkward the older I get, ne? Better to make all the weird and stupid mistakes now and learn from them quickly so that when I move back home and get my own place there, I won’t burn down the house. :P)
…so many digression in this article…guess it’s the result of not writing in a while…
In short: I have new friends. Friends that either know very little English or no English at all. How fun, ne? ^^
...hmm...I'll try to take some pics later and then post them up. :D
Sometime during my first couple of weeks here, I had asked one of the workers there for soy milk (I didn’t know the kanji for soy milk at the time). He took me to their selection and then in a very surprised manner asked if I like it. After explaining that I can’t drink regular milk and that I studied Japanese in college, I continued grocery shopping and he continued working.
The next time I came after that, he remembered me and asked me if I needed more soy milk. I was rather touched he remembered but then again being one of the few gaijin (foreigners) in the area, I’m not that hard to forget in their eyes. But from then on we always greeted each other and eventually we swapped names; Onitsuka-san
Last night I went again because as usual, I needed some food. The other workers have also started to get to know me. I don’t know their names yet but they were really happy when I brought them cookies (I made a bunch for Halloween). So I walked in, said my good evening to them but as soon as I said good evening to Koga-san (one of the younger workers whom Onitsuka-san tried to explain to me what an “ikeimei” was (apparently a really cool looking guy…but Koga-san became quite embarrassed after that incident…) he hurried to the back. I wasn’t too sure what was going on but right after that Onitsuka-san came out and was for some random reason apologizing for not seeing each other for about a week or so. It was too nice. Apparently the other workers became a little worried that they hadn’t seen me either and wondered if I had gotten sick. (So sweet, ne?)
I was a little sick last week but not horribly so where I was bed-ridden or anything. Just some sniffles. The usual that I can deal with. But I had also gotten really really busy. Come to think of it…I’ll be really busy this week too…and I’ll be getting back home later 2 nights this week…blah…
(Ah! Digression)
But it’s really nice how it is that because I’m just about always in their store and I usually talk to them here and there, they worry about me when I’m not there for a long time. I just found it to be really sweet that they’re, in a sense, looking after me and worry about me if I get sick.
My co-workers too have become rather worried in the past when they thought I was sick/was sick. I’m pretty sure it’s more because I’m a foreigner and not completely used to things here. For some of them it may be my age because as they say, I’m really young.
(Which I’ve been thinking about…and yes, it is true, I am pretty young to have come all the way over here, miles and miles away from home and the country I’m used to, living alone and working. But if I don’t do it now, living on my own will just become more awkward the older I get, ne? Better to make all the weird and stupid mistakes now and learn from them quickly so that when I move back home and get my own place there, I won’t burn down the house. :P)
…so many digression in this article…guess it’s the result of not writing in a while…
In short: I have new friends. Friends that either know very little English or no English at all. How fun, ne? ^^
...hmm...I'll try to take some pics later and then post them up. :D
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wooo! v(^^)
So, yesterday I was at work and the schedule was changed and so the JTE that I was scheduled to team-teach with decided to cancel (we teach the rowdiest class...after any time after lunch is pretty to handle...her choice, not mine).
Anyhoo, this meant that I basically had the day free. What did I do? Well, I tried really hard to study but really my eyes were glued to my computer screen. Yes I was surfing the net. I was at msnbc.com. I was keeping a close eye on the results of the election!!!
The pretty awesome thing was that my co-workers noticed I was watching that and they too were interested. Every so often they'd come over over my shoulder and ask how it was going.
At one point, I was talking (instant messaging style) with Shana through gmail and she just goes all, "OMG! HE WON!!! THEY JUST ANNOUNCED IT!! OMG OMG OMG!!!"
...and even refreshing the screen on msnbc.com didn't show it that fast!!!
So I had to go to cnn.com to see the crazy tallies of 287 (can't remember all that well now...). I would have yelped for joy...but I was in the staff room/teacher's room...but I did do a little happy dance in my seat and clap my hands excitedly.
xD
Gotta say, that was the most intense election I've watched in my lifetime and the most interested I have ever been in a presidential election.
Woot!
v(^^)
Anyhoo, this meant that I basically had the day free. What did I do? Well, I tried really hard to study but really my eyes were glued to my computer screen. Yes I was surfing the net. I was at msnbc.com. I was keeping a close eye on the results of the election!!!
The pretty awesome thing was that my co-workers noticed I was watching that and they too were interested. Every so often they'd come over over my shoulder and ask how it was going.
At one point, I was talking (instant messaging style) with Shana through gmail and she just goes all, "OMG! HE WON!!! THEY JUST ANNOUNCED IT!! OMG OMG OMG!!!"
...and even refreshing the screen on msnbc.com didn't show it that fast!!!
So I had to go to cnn.com to see the crazy tallies of 287 (can't remember all that well now...). I would have yelped for joy...but I was in the staff room/teacher's room...but I did do a little happy dance in my seat and clap my hands excitedly.
xD
Gotta say, that was the most intense election I've watched in my lifetime and the most interested I have ever been in a presidential election.
Woot!
v(^^)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
No I have not fallen off the face of the Earth and died...
Hello out there!
Yes, it has been a while. I guess it’s good that I’ve been busy, ne?
So…I don’t know what was the last thing I talked about…so…I guess I’ll go from whatever pops into my head first and just keep going from there…
*I have figured out how to use my oven! Woohoo! Of course having a friend to help me push buttons and turn dials with for 10 minutes or more really helped too. But jesh, I have made my first batch of cookies and they came out great. Sure the flavor is a little different than from home but of course it’s not like I’m using the same brands as home. But they’re good and that’s all that matters, right?
*I have taught the students not only about Halloween but about Dia de los Muertos as well! Mahahaha!
*I learned about the history of Halloween and of the origin of the Jack o’ Lantern!!! I think I’ll post a copy of that later…
*My hair is crazy long but somehow I’ve been able to deal with it…
*I think my Japanese is getting better. My hearing has definitely improved and I’m no longer thinking about what I want to say for very long. I still think about it but I don’t spend that much time on it anymore. Kanji wise…still working on it… Studying for the JLPT: meh. Ups and downs. “I get it”s and “I don’t get it”s. :P
*I’m riding my bike better? Well, I think that I’m riding much faster than before and it may all be because I have a helmet. Of course I may look like a dork in the eyes of the Japanese, but dang it I want to live! Prior to the helmet I had 2 near-crash incidents. On was just somehow losing my balance and scrapping the cement-sidewalk-thing and the other was another bike (sharp corners).
*I went to COSTCO! Not everything in there is American but they did have tortillas (sadly, only flour) and mozzarella cheese!!! ^^ And I got some other things too…like chicken breasts…Clorox for colors…etc.
*I found the blankets! So I went through the closet of the spare room, or what someday shall be named “art room,” and found the blankets and kotatsu mat (kotatsu is like a heater table). But there’s a down-side to it…it stinks!!! Damn…it’s like the seasons changed and my predecessor didn’t think it necessary to wash them and just put them away. So…they smell of sweat and…don’t know what it’s called…general BO from lots of use? But yea, I need to wash them. I haven’t gotten around to it just yet because my dinky little washing machine is too small to fit even one! I will have to go to the laundry mat that has huge washers and dryers. Normally I wouldn’t be bothered by this but it’s a laundry where everything is going to be in Japanese. And being that I don’t really have laundry-mat-knowledge…I’m bound to need help in knowing where the soap goes, color bleach, softener, etc…
*I got some new curtains! Current curtains are alright but they’re not “me!” So…I worked with my options in the store and got some pretty cool curtains. Sadly the ones I really really liked and really really wanted did not block out the sun. I wouldn’t normally care too much about it but being that I’m living on the first floor, I’d like one that does block light so that not even my shadow can be visible. I am aware that in Japan the idea of “privacy” doesn’t really exist but who said I was going to follow all of their customs?
*I shall be going to my first J-Rock concert in November!!! xD So excited!!! v(^.^)
*My friends are coming down to visit me in November!!! xD This is sooooooooo exciting. 3 of my college buddies are also on the JET program and one of them (mi vecina!) is doing hardcore Chinese studying in Teipei and they’re all going to be here in Fukuoka in November. ^^ So I will not be feeling all alone during that time. The only I fear is that once they all leave, I’ll feel lonely again… But I’m starting to plan out what to do and work out something of a budget. But with cooking at home sometimes and then staying with me, it’s going to be pretty cheap. Well, aside from their transportation costs.
…that’s all I can think of for now…
Yes, it has been a while. I guess it’s good that I’ve been busy, ne?
So…I don’t know what was the last thing I talked about…so…I guess I’ll go from whatever pops into my head first and just keep going from there…
*I have figured out how to use my oven! Woohoo! Of course having a friend to help me push buttons and turn dials with for 10 minutes or more really helped too. But jesh, I have made my first batch of cookies and they came out great. Sure the flavor is a little different than from home but of course it’s not like I’m using the same brands as home. But they’re good and that’s all that matters, right?
*I have taught the students not only about Halloween but about Dia de los Muertos as well! Mahahaha!
*I learned about the history of Halloween and of the origin of the Jack o’ Lantern!!! I think I’ll post a copy of that later…
*My hair is crazy long but somehow I’ve been able to deal with it…
*I think my Japanese is getting better. My hearing has definitely improved and I’m no longer thinking about what I want to say for very long. I still think about it but I don’t spend that much time on it anymore. Kanji wise…still working on it… Studying for the JLPT: meh. Ups and downs. “I get it”s and “I don’t get it”s. :P
*I’m riding my bike better? Well, I think that I’m riding much faster than before and it may all be because I have a helmet. Of course I may look like a dork in the eyes of the Japanese, but dang it I want to live! Prior to the helmet I had 2 near-crash incidents. On was just somehow losing my balance and scrapping the cement-sidewalk-thing and the other was another bike (sharp corners).
*I went to COSTCO! Not everything in there is American but they did have tortillas (sadly, only flour) and mozzarella cheese!!! ^^ And I got some other things too…like chicken breasts…Clorox for colors…etc.
*I found the blankets! So I went through the closet of the spare room, or what someday shall be named “art room,” and found the blankets and kotatsu mat (kotatsu is like a heater table). But there’s a down-side to it…it stinks!!! Damn…it’s like the seasons changed and my predecessor didn’t think it necessary to wash them and just put them away. So…they smell of sweat and…don’t know what it’s called…general BO from lots of use? But yea, I need to wash them. I haven’t gotten around to it just yet because my dinky little washing machine is too small to fit even one! I will have to go to the laundry mat that has huge washers and dryers. Normally I wouldn’t be bothered by this but it’s a laundry where everything is going to be in Japanese. And being that I don’t really have laundry-mat-knowledge…I’m bound to need help in knowing where the soap goes, color bleach, softener, etc…
*I got some new curtains! Current curtains are alright but they’re not “me!” So…I worked with my options in the store and got some pretty cool curtains. Sadly the ones I really really liked and really really wanted did not block out the sun. I wouldn’t normally care too much about it but being that I’m living on the first floor, I’d like one that does block light so that not even my shadow can be visible. I am aware that in Japan the idea of “privacy” doesn’t really exist but who said I was going to follow all of their customs?
*I shall be going to my first J-Rock concert in November!!! xD So excited!!! v(^.^)
*My friends are coming down to visit me in November!!! xD This is sooooooooo exciting. 3 of my college buddies are also on the JET program and one of them (mi vecina!) is doing hardcore Chinese studying in Teipei and they’re all going to be here in Fukuoka in November. ^^ So I will not be feeling all alone during that time. The only I fear is that once they all leave, I’ll feel lonely again… But I’m starting to plan out what to do and work out something of a budget. But with cooking at home sometimes and then staying with me, it’s going to be pretty cheap. Well, aside from their transportation costs.
…that’s all I can think of for now…
Mind Over Matter?
As I sit at my desk sipping tea and actually have my hair down (seriously. My hair is crazy long and it actually doesn’t bug me that much when it’s down…) I think about whether or cool or cold.
The seasons are changing and it is no longer summer (finally!) and fall has come in. (woot!) But of course, because there’s global warming going on, fall is not going to be that long. Sadly my 3 months of perfect whether is going to be reduced to…well not exactly sure but less! But at least it is not as hot and humid as it was when I first arrived.
Which now brings me to the topic at hand: is it cool or cold?
So, LA whether is not as cold as say Seattle can get. And as this is my first time here, I don’t know what to expect for the winter. I’ve heard that it doesn’t snow but that it can get pretty close to. To me, that is going to be pretty freakin’ cold. But lately, the whether’s been around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. For California’s, that basic winter weather (excluding the lows). And since I survived record lows of 32 degrees Fahrenheit, I feel like I can survive here in Japan. Especially since right now I’m constantly being asked if I’m cold and I’m really just a little cool.
But am I not as cold as I’m known to get back at home (my friends probably remember me being one of the few always complaining that it’s cold/always where sweaters, gloves, etc). But is this because in my head, it’s fall and it’s only cool and not cold. Or is it really just not as cold as it gets back at home?
For one thing, the humidity here is still pretty high. It’s around 88 percent nowadays. I never looked at the humidity back at home but I imagine it was lower than that…
So yea, is it really not that cold or am I just dealing with it very well? In which case, is the winter here not going to be so bad?
I have asked my JET friends about the winter here. And they all say it gets pretty cold and that going to the bathroom is not a happy thing (because they leave the room(s) that have kerosene heater on). But, most of these friends are from Hawai’i. So that may be because they’re not really used to the cold…
In any case, I’m surviving at the moment with just my suit + undershirt and with my hair down. Of course the endless supply of green tea in the staff room helps too. And it’s not like I’m always wearing my suit jacket either…
So…as long as I have pants, sweater, layers and hot tea, I think I’m going to be alright.
:]
I guess walking around everywhere also helps keep me warm. :P
The seasons are changing and it is no longer summer (finally!) and fall has come in. (woot!) But of course, because there’s global warming going on, fall is not going to be that long. Sadly my 3 months of perfect whether is going to be reduced to…well not exactly sure but less! But at least it is not as hot and humid as it was when I first arrived.
Which now brings me to the topic at hand: is it cool or cold?
So, LA whether is not as cold as say Seattle can get. And as this is my first time here, I don’t know what to expect for the winter. I’ve heard that it doesn’t snow but that it can get pretty close to. To me, that is going to be pretty freakin’ cold. But lately, the whether’s been around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. For California’s, that basic winter weather (excluding the lows). And since I survived record lows of 32 degrees Fahrenheit, I feel like I can survive here in Japan. Especially since right now I’m constantly being asked if I’m cold and I’m really just a little cool.
But am I not as cold as I’m known to get back at home (my friends probably remember me being one of the few always complaining that it’s cold/always where sweaters, gloves, etc). But is this because in my head, it’s fall and it’s only cool and not cold. Or is it really just not as cold as it gets back at home?
For one thing, the humidity here is still pretty high. It’s around 88 percent nowadays. I never looked at the humidity back at home but I imagine it was lower than that…
So yea, is it really not that cold or am I just dealing with it very well? In which case, is the winter here not going to be so bad?
I have asked my JET friends about the winter here. And they all say it gets pretty cold and that going to the bathroom is not a happy thing (because they leave the room(s) that have kerosene heater on). But, most of these friends are from Hawai’i. So that may be because they’re not really used to the cold…
In any case, I’m surviving at the moment with just my suit + undershirt and with my hair down. Of course the endless supply of green tea in the staff room helps too. And it’s not like I’m always wearing my suit jacket either…
So…as long as I have pants, sweater, layers and hot tea, I think I’m going to be alright.
:]
I guess walking around everywhere also helps keep me warm. :P
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
I DIDN'T HEAR HER SAY "SUMIMASEN!!!"
Yesterday, on my return trip on the train, I encounter a rather spooky incident.
I got onto the Express train and since these trains usually wait around a bit before they leave the station, I managed to get a seat. After about 3 or so minutes, the train started to fill up, as it usually does. I was reading my book when I suddenly became aware of my surroundings. To the left of me, in the aisle, were a school girl and an older man. I man was speaking in a very strong voice and I girl did respond a little loud too so I imagined them to be something like father and daughter having a little quarrel.
Well, the older man kept talking, no more like yelling at her in a really strong, rather pissed-off sounding voice. And the girl just sort of held her bags and looked down. I couldn’t tell what was going on but the tone of the voice of the older man was started to creep me out.
Because he was speaking in such a forceful manner, everyone else in the train was looking at them. I’m not sure if they were isolated to begin with but there was like no one around them, aside form the people in the seats.
So I tried to not pay too much attention to it and get back to my book but then I notice the woman sitting in front of me saying something to the older man about hearer her, the school girl, say “sumimasen,” which, depending on the context, could mean, “sorry,” “pardon me,” or “excuse me,” etc. And then the older forcefully replied that he didn’t hear her. And on and on he went. At least I assume he kept going on and on about it.
Because he kept going on about it, and kept yelling at the poor girl, at the exact moment the seated woman to the other side of the older man started saying or explaining something to him, the other woman around sort of tugged the school girl away, basically getting her away from the angered old man. Eventually the guy shut up and the air in the train remained tense for quite a while.
I’m assuming that during the time everyone was getting on, one of the girl's bags must have leaned, bumped or possibly hit the older man and being a shy school girl most Japanese students are, she mumbled or said in a really soft voice, “sumimasen” but not loud enough for the grumpy deaf grandpa to hear.
I think I heard the school girl sniffle in the back. Pretty sure she was close to tears, the poor dear.
Either that old man was having a shitty day or he’s just an irritable old man. Either way, I highly doubt the school girl deserved such a scolding.
I got onto the Express train and since these trains usually wait around a bit before they leave the station, I managed to get a seat. After about 3 or so minutes, the train started to fill up, as it usually does. I was reading my book when I suddenly became aware of my surroundings. To the left of me, in the aisle, were a school girl and an older man. I man was speaking in a very strong voice and I girl did respond a little loud too so I imagined them to be something like father and daughter having a little quarrel.
Well, the older man kept talking, no more like yelling at her in a really strong, rather pissed-off sounding voice. And the girl just sort of held her bags and looked down. I couldn’t tell what was going on but the tone of the voice of the older man was started to creep me out.
Because he was speaking in such a forceful manner, everyone else in the train was looking at them. I’m not sure if they were isolated to begin with but there was like no one around them, aside form the people in the seats.
So I tried to not pay too much attention to it and get back to my book but then I notice the woman sitting in front of me saying something to the older man about hearer her, the school girl, say “sumimasen,” which, depending on the context, could mean, “sorry,” “pardon me,” or “excuse me,” etc. And then the older forcefully replied that he didn’t hear her. And on and on he went. At least I assume he kept going on and on about it.
Because he kept going on about it, and kept yelling at the poor girl, at the exact moment the seated woman to the other side of the older man started saying or explaining something to him, the other woman around sort of tugged the school girl away, basically getting her away from the angered old man. Eventually the guy shut up and the air in the train remained tense for quite a while.
I’m assuming that during the time everyone was getting on, one of the girl's bags must have leaned, bumped or possibly hit the older man and being a shy school girl most Japanese students are, she mumbled or said in a really soft voice, “sumimasen” but not loud enough for the grumpy deaf grandpa to hear.
I think I heard the school girl sniffle in the back. Pretty sure she was close to tears, the poor dear.
Either that old man was having a shitty day or he’s just an irritable old man. Either way, I highly doubt the school girl deserved such a scolding.
Gaijin Free Pass Card
So, I got my multiple re-entry permit yesterday (woohoo!). And it was rather interesting at times.
So, I was told that I could get it done I Tenjin, the main city near me. So I went on my substitute day off (substitute because I had to work on Saturday, what should have been a day off, so I get a weekday off to compensate for it). The funny thing about the office where I can get my re-entry permit is that it is only open with working hours. The same hours I spend at my work. However, I do leave an hour before my co-workers. But by the time I get home or to the station, I would be cutting it very close to get there before it closes. And being that I’ve never been there before, I would need to time to compensate for getting lost, asking for directions or attempting to decipher complex kanji.
So, I arrive in Tenjin, and being that I need money to pay for a ~$60 stamp, I went to my bank’s ATM first. Since this was near the post office, I sent my mom’s birthday card as well. At the post office, I remembered that I didn’t really know where the ACROS building was. (ACROS building the building I was told would have the office I need to apply for my permit). So I asked for directions, was mainly able to follow and luckily the attendant had a map to show me where it was in relation to the post office.
After getting a little lost in finding the building I looked at a floor plan of all the offices in the building. I couldn’t remember the name of the office I was supposed to go to and stupidly forgot to bring the piece of paper I had written it all on. So trying to my best to remember and attempting to tap into that internal instinct, I headed for the 3rd floor to the office of “something something visa”. In my mind, I thought would like getting visa to travel, especially since it is on the same floor as a travel agency. But as soon as I got the door to the office, I realized it was for the VISA credit card.
Oops.
But right next door was a travel agency so I thought, who would know better on where to get a re-entry permit than a travel agency! So I walk and ask where I can get one. The nice attendant, who knew some English, happily printed out the address of the office at the airport for me.
And so I took the subway to the airport (love how public transportation here can really take you anywhere you need to go. Or so at least it’s all connected to the places most people need to go). And I find the office and the forms! And to my happy surprise, it had English subtitles.
やった！
…just noticed I’m getting a little side tracked from the main point of this writing (or so, the title). So after filling it out, getting a number and giving it to the attendant, he gives me another form, circles what I’m supposed to fill out and tells me that I need to buy the ~$60 stamp. Then he mentions something about a store. Upon looking at my slightly confused face, he pulls out a map and tell me to go to the little store outside the office but still within the airport. So off I go to buy the stamp.
And sure enough there’s a sign saying something about stamps…but because I couldn’t read the rest of the kanji I wasn’t too sure what it was saying. So I walk up to the cashier and say that I want to buy a stamp, a 6000 yen stamp. And for the life of me I could not understand what the buy was trying to tell me. Something about that he couldn’t and that I had to go somewhere else and possibly come back again. But I really couldn’t tell what he was saying…even after 3 tries…but then he just says “6000 yen stamp” and I said “yes”. And after he asked me twice if I wasn’t mistaken, sold me the stamp.
I have also heard about how some clerks may not give you a hard time about certain purchases such as train passes if they feel you don’t know any Japanese and they feel their English is not that great. It may make things easier for us but is it such a good idea to deceive them (well, at least for the ones that do know some Japanese but instead pretend they don’t to get out of things or get things in an easier manner).
So…I may have broken a couple rules or not followed procedure the way I’m supposed to but because I am a foreigner, they let it pass. So in a sense, they make it way easier for us. But, I don’t want to use and abuse of it. I want to try to follow everything their way so that they don’t get offended and create this idea that Americans are ignorant to learn about other countries customs. That is something that was mentioned in my Handbook about how we have to be careful about how we act here because it may affect how they feel about whatever country you come from. For me, it is twice the amount since I’m not only representing the United States but also Mexico.
So, do some Japanese grant us the “Gaijin Free Pass” because they feel sorry for us or because they’d rather not go through the trouble? Are some Japanese really nice and friendly, especially with directions, because they feel sorry for us or because Japanese indeed are friendly than say Los Angelians are about giving directions?
So, I was told that I could get it done I Tenjin, the main city near me. So I went on my substitute day off (substitute because I had to work on Saturday, what should have been a day off, so I get a weekday off to compensate for it). The funny thing about the office where I can get my re-entry permit is that it is only open with working hours. The same hours I spend at my work. However, I do leave an hour before my co-workers. But by the time I get home or to the station, I would be cutting it very close to get there before it closes. And being that I’ve never been there before, I would need to time to compensate for getting lost, asking for directions or attempting to decipher complex kanji.
So, I arrive in Tenjin, and being that I need money to pay for a ~$60 stamp, I went to my bank’s ATM first. Since this was near the post office, I sent my mom’s birthday card as well. At the post office, I remembered that I didn’t really know where the ACROS building was. (ACROS building the building I was told would have the office I need to apply for my permit). So I asked for directions, was mainly able to follow and luckily the attendant had a map to show me where it was in relation to the post office.
After getting a little lost in finding the building I looked at a floor plan of all the offices in the building. I couldn’t remember the name of the office I was supposed to go to and stupidly forgot to bring the piece of paper I had written it all on. So trying to my best to remember and attempting to tap into that internal instinct, I headed for the 3rd floor to the office of “something something visa”. In my mind, I thought would like getting visa to travel, especially since it is on the same floor as a travel agency. But as soon as I got the door to the office, I realized it was for the VISA credit card.
Oops.
But right next door was a travel agency so I thought, who would know better on where to get a re-entry permit than a travel agency! So I walk and ask where I can get one. The nice attendant, who knew some English, happily printed out the address of the office at the airport for me.
And so I took the subway to the airport (love how public transportation here can really take you anywhere you need to go. Or so at least it’s all connected to the places most people need to go). And I find the office and the forms! And to my happy surprise, it had English subtitles.
やった！
…just noticed I’m getting a little side tracked from the main point of this writing (or so, the title). So after filling it out, getting a number and giving it to the attendant, he gives me another form, circles what I’m supposed to fill out and tells me that I need to buy the ~$60 stamp. Then he mentions something about a store. Upon looking at my slightly confused face, he pulls out a map and tell me to go to the little store outside the office but still within the airport. So off I go to buy the stamp.
And sure enough there’s a sign saying something about stamps…but because I couldn’t read the rest of the kanji I wasn’t too sure what it was saying. So I walk up to the cashier and say that I want to buy a stamp, a 6000 yen stamp. And for the life of me I could not understand what the buy was trying to tell me. Something about that he couldn’t and that I had to go somewhere else and possibly come back again. But I really couldn’t tell what he was saying…even after 3 tries…but then he just says “6000 yen stamp” and I said “yes”. And after he asked me twice if I wasn’t mistaken, sold me the stamp.
I have also heard about how some clerks may not give you a hard time about certain purchases such as train passes if they feel you don’t know any Japanese and they feel their English is not that great. It may make things easier for us but is it such a good idea to deceive them (well, at least for the ones that do know some Japanese but instead pretend they don’t to get out of things or get things in an easier manner).
So…I may have broken a couple rules or not followed procedure the way I’m supposed to but because I am a foreigner, they let it pass. So in a sense, they make it way easier for us. But, I don’t want to use and abuse of it. I want to try to follow everything their way so that they don’t get offended and create this idea that Americans are ignorant to learn about other countries customs. That is something that was mentioned in my Handbook about how we have to be careful about how we act here because it may affect how they feel about whatever country you come from. For me, it is twice the amount since I’m not only representing the United States but also Mexico.
So, do some Japanese grant us the “Gaijin Free Pass” because they feel sorry for us or because they’d rather not go through the trouble? Are some Japanese really nice and friendly, especially with directions, because they feel sorry for us or because Japanese indeed are friendly than say Los Angelians are about giving directions?
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Hmm...
So…I was just thinking like 2 nights ago…I’m really living on my own.
Like, it’s not just that I’m alone…it’s that I’m doing everything on my own. Cooking. Cleaning. Paying bills. Going to work. Grocery shopping.
It’s funny. Somewhere in the back of my head I knew this…but it was as though I never really thought about it…
But of course, this has also been possible because I have awesome neighbors and really nice co-workers. ^^
Sometimes I wonder if my co-workers are so helpful because I am a girl…and just out of college…hmm…Oh, and the fact that both the principal and vice principal have children around my age just adds to the fact that they look after me as though I were their own daughter. Ahahaha. :P
But…it all makes me wonder about how it’s going to be when I go back home. When I get my own place and whatnot. For one thing, I know the customs and the products and which stores are good for what, etc etc. But should I move to a new state or city…how helpful are the neighbors going to be I wonder…
Hehe. Look mom and dad! I can make it on my own! And in a foreign country too. :P You see, you don’t really need to worry.
Now…if I could just figure out how to make my cereal stop bursting into flames…
;P
Like, it’s not just that I’m alone…it’s that I’m doing everything on my own. Cooking. Cleaning. Paying bills. Going to work. Grocery shopping.
It’s funny. Somewhere in the back of my head I knew this…but it was as though I never really thought about it…
But of course, this has also been possible because I have awesome neighbors and really nice co-workers. ^^
Sometimes I wonder if my co-workers are so helpful because I am a girl…and just out of college…hmm…Oh, and the fact that both the principal and vice principal have children around my age just adds to the fact that they look after me as though I were their own daughter. Ahahaha. :P
But…it all makes me wonder about how it’s going to be when I go back home. When I get my own place and whatnot. For one thing, I know the customs and the products and which stores are good for what, etc etc. But should I move to a new state or city…how helpful are the neighbors going to be I wonder…
Hehe. Look mom and dad! I can make it on my own! And in a foreign country too. :P You see, you don’t really need to worry.
Now…if I could just figure out how to make my cereal stop bursting into flames…
;P
Thursday, October 2, 2008
OI!!!
So today I taught 3 classes. One of them, the last one, happened to be a particularly loud and rowdy class. I don't mind them talking amonst themselves as long as they do the work. Usually they're asking each other what certain words are in English or if they can borrow their friend's dictionary.
Anyway, they started getting really loud and then 2 students were talking to teach other at pretty much opposite ends of the room. Because everyone else was also talking, they started to yell at each other to keep talking. Well, I started to feel overwhelmed by the level of noise. I was already at the back of the class because I was walking around. And so I yelled out, "OI!" and they all got surprised about it. So much so that they all sat down and quieted down.
I was rather surprised myself. I thought I was going to have to yell that a couple times to get their attention. haha. I was so amazed by it that I wanted to laugh.
One student even said that it surprised her/spooked her (either just out loud or to her friend...don't really know).
Anyway, after this, they weren't as loud again. And when I asked for their attention later, they immediately got quiet and paid attention.
Crazy!!!
I thought I'd be having a harder time keeping order...
Anyway, they started getting really loud and then 2 students were talking to teach other at pretty much opposite ends of the room. Because everyone else was also talking, they started to yell at each other to keep talking. Well, I started to feel overwhelmed by the level of noise. I was already at the back of the class because I was walking around. And so I yelled out, "OI!" and they all got surprised about it. So much so that they all sat down and quieted down.
I was rather surprised myself. I thought I was going to have to yell that a couple times to get their attention. haha. I was so amazed by it that I wanted to laugh.
One student even said that it surprised her/spooked her (either just out loud or to her friend...don't really know).
Anyway, after this, they weren't as loud again. And when I asked for their attention later, they immediately got quiet and paid attention.
Crazy!!!
I thought I'd be having a harder time keeping order...
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Neh, What's up Doc?
So...as I've found out yesterday and really saw it in action today, eating raw carrots is a very rare thing...
So yesterday, I was munching on some delicious carrot sticks I had prepared for my rather small lunch. All, if not most, of the teachers eat right at their desks. So I was there eating and reading when my principal passed by. He sort of turned and kept going but then he stopped and came back. So I turn to him and he asks (in Japanese of course)
"You eat carrots raw?"
"Yea..."
"hahaha. You're like a rabbit."
"hehe."
Afterwards, I asked one of the JTE's I work with about eating raw carrots in Japan. She said that children usually don't eat carrots raw due to the smell.
Smell.
I never thought of carrots having a strong smell, let alone a strong un-appetizing smell... My JTE continued on to say that children prefer tomatoes.
...tomatoes...
Now, I don't know if it has to do with my personal dislike with tomatoes but I really think that tomatoes have a strong smell (in the un-appetizing way) than carrots...
So, after this, I had some classes to teach. Well, I had a warm-up question: What is your favorite food? And during class, we decided to write out an example response to the question. As I was thinking about which food to write (since I don't really have favorites), the JTE I was working with suggested I write about raw carrots.
So I did. I wrote: My favorite food is raw carrot. It is crunchy and delicious. I eat it every week. Sometimes I eat it after work. I think I will have some for dinner.
And then both the JTE I worked with during this period and the JTE I worked with during the next period explained to the class about how the principal saw me eating raw carrots and called me a rabbit.
Then today, I had some students dropping in here and there during lunch to turn in their essays and they all saw that I really was eating raw carrots, They were surprised to see that I really was eating them raw. I laughed about it and wondered if they thought I was just saying that I eat raw carrots...I hope they don't think I lie to them...
I wonder what other things about me they'll find really interesting/odd...
I already know they don't really like peanut butter/like mixing it with other things like celery, banana or jelly. But then again, I know a Netherlands exchange student one summer really had to mentally prepare himself to try a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Is America the only country that likes and eats peanut butter and jelly sandwiches???
So yesterday, I was munching on some delicious carrot sticks I had prepared for my rather small lunch. All, if not most, of the teachers eat right at their desks. So I was there eating and reading when my principal passed by. He sort of turned and kept going but then he stopped and came back. So I turn to him and he asks (in Japanese of course)
"You eat carrots raw?"
"Yea..."
"hahaha. You're like a rabbit."
"hehe."
Afterwards, I asked one of the JTE's I work with about eating raw carrots in Japan. She said that children usually don't eat carrots raw due to the smell.
Smell.
I never thought of carrots having a strong smell, let alone a strong un-appetizing smell... My JTE continued on to say that children prefer tomatoes.
...tomatoes...
Now, I don't know if it has to do with my personal dislike with tomatoes but I really think that tomatoes have a strong smell (in the un-appetizing way) than carrots...
So, after this, I had some classes to teach. Well, I had a warm-up question: What is your favorite food? And during class, we decided to write out an example response to the question. As I was thinking about which food to write (since I don't really have favorites), the JTE I was working with suggested I write about raw carrots.
So I did. I wrote: My favorite food is raw carrot. It is crunchy and delicious. I eat it every week. Sometimes I eat it after work. I think I will have some for dinner.
And then both the JTE I worked with during this period and the JTE I worked with during the next period explained to the class about how the principal saw me eating raw carrots and called me a rabbit.
Then today, I had some students dropping in here and there during lunch to turn in their essays and they all saw that I really was eating raw carrots, They were surprised to see that I really was eating them raw. I laughed about it and wondered if they thought I was just saying that I eat raw carrots...I hope they don't think I lie to them...
I wonder what other things about me they'll find really interesting/odd...
I already know they don't really like peanut butter/like mixing it with other things like celery, banana or jelly. But then again, I know a Netherlands exchange student one summer really had to mentally prepare himself to try a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Is America the only country that likes and eats peanut butter and jelly sandwiches???
Monday, September 29, 2008
Squat Toilets
Squat toilets
Hokay…so squat toilets are weird. I know that in other parts of the world they squat to go potty too but still…it’s odd…
And yes this is a little embarrassing to talk about…but I’m pretty sure some of you out there want to ask about this but just haven’t…so…here’s my little 2 cents on the matter…
So squat toilets are these things:
I’m sure some of you have seen these before. If not, yes, that is what I have to use at school…sometimes… I tried avoid it as much as possible my first…2 weeks…hmm…first week to week and a half I think…anyhoo, I tried to not use them because I wasn’t ready to embarrass myself trying to use one.
Well, one day I really had to go…so I tried it… And part of the reason I never tried it before was that I didn’t really know how to use one (actually…there’s a small chance I’m still doing it a little wrong…keep reading). But I was like, “I can’t keep running away from it. I have to do it…and I really have to do…”
So…I remembered what the seminar during Tokyo Orientation said about squatting while facing the plumbing…and about squatting as close as you can to the “action” (well…that’s how the presenter said it). So I did…and in fear of my pants getting wet from any spillage that might have gone on before, I pulled up my pants too…hard to explain…but yea…because I really had to go and was afraid of going on myself (which would be so unbelievably embarrassing) I tried to make it as controlled as I can. Which of course meant that I was there longer…Now…what happens when a person who’s not used to squatting squats for a long time??? Oh that’s right…the circulation to the legs gets cut, right?
Right…
Simply put, getting up was a bit of a challenge…
Anyhoo, after that, it’s gotten easier and easier to do.
However, I have noticed that they tend to flush as they’re going…I’m guessing so you don’t hear them going…which explains why some public restrooms have that “flushing sound effects” machine (some that go automatically). But…I don’t do that…and they haven’t said anything to me about it. Are they just as embarrassed to talk about it as I am or are they letting me slide since I’m the gaijin (foreigner)???
But yea…so glad my apartment has a regular toilet.
Oh yea. Just a couple weeks ago, I found the western toilet at my school. So of course, I tend to go there if I really don’t feel like dealing with squatting…
;P
Hokay…so squat toilets are weird. I know that in other parts of the world they squat to go potty too but still…it’s odd…
And yes this is a little embarrassing to talk about…but I’m pretty sure some of you out there want to ask about this but just haven’t…so…here’s my little 2 cents on the matter…
So squat toilets are these things:
I’m sure some of you have seen these before. If not, yes, that is what I have to use at school…sometimes… I tried avoid it as much as possible my first…2 weeks…hmm…first week to week and a half I think…anyhoo, I tried to not use them because I wasn’t ready to embarrass myself trying to use one.
Well, one day I really had to go…so I tried it… And part of the reason I never tried it before was that I didn’t really know how to use one (actually…there’s a small chance I’m still doing it a little wrong…keep reading). But I was like, “I can’t keep running away from it. I have to do it…and I really have to do…”
So…I remembered what the seminar during Tokyo Orientation said about squatting while facing the plumbing…and about squatting as close as you can to the “action” (well…that’s how the presenter said it). So I did…and in fear of my pants getting wet from any spillage that might have gone on before, I pulled up my pants too…hard to explain…but yea…because I really had to go and was afraid of going on myself (which would be so unbelievably embarrassing) I tried to make it as controlled as I can. Which of course meant that I was there longer…Now…what happens when a person who’s not used to squatting squats for a long time??? Oh that’s right…the circulation to the legs gets cut, right?
Right…
Simply put, getting up was a bit of a challenge…
Anyhoo, after that, it’s gotten easier and easier to do.
However, I have noticed that they tend to flush as they’re going…I’m guessing so you don’t hear them going…which explains why some public restrooms have that “flushing sound effects” machine (some that go automatically). But…I don’t do that…and they haven’t said anything to me about it. Are they just as embarrassed to talk about it as I am or are they letting me slide since I’m the gaijin (foreigner)???
But yea…so glad my apartment has a regular toilet.
Oh yea. Just a couple weeks ago, I found the western toilet at my school. So of course, I tend to go there if I really don’t feel like dealing with squatting…
;P
Typhoon Weather
Ok…I think I remember what I wanted to type about: Typhoon weather!
So a typhoon was supposed to hit Fukuoka some weeks ago (like 2 weeks ago or so) but it just missed us. (*phew*). We did however get these really dark clouds and some rain. I’ve heard that the rain during a typhoon is crazy…so kinda glad that didn’t happened (especially since the night it hit I had a private lesson in the city which I have to ride the train into…).
But I have a buddy in Teipei who’s experiencing a typhoon right now! She said that over the weekend she looked out her window to look at the rain going sideways!!! Crazy!!! And well, since Teipei is really close to Japan, and Kyushu for that matter…another typhoon may come…again…
It seems like we’re just getting some rain at the moment. It’s not crazy heave sideways rain but still, it’s raining. But now it’s starting to cool off (finally!) so the rain and wind are actually a little chilly. Hurray! But…now I need my “winter” wardrobe…and it’s where? Oh that’s right…still at home… :P But you know…in a way this is a great opportunity to go shopping. ;P mahaha. It’d be great…if I actually fit into their pants!!!
D’oh!
><”
Ah well…more of a motivation to lose weight…
Anyhoo…should this next typhoon hit, I’ll write about it…but hopefully it won’t be horrible…hopefully just interesting…
:P
So a typhoon was supposed to hit Fukuoka some weeks ago (like 2 weeks ago or so) but it just missed us. (*phew*). We did however get these really dark clouds and some rain. I’ve heard that the rain during a typhoon is crazy…so kinda glad that didn’t happened (especially since the night it hit I had a private lesson in the city which I have to ride the train into…).
But I have a buddy in Teipei who’s experiencing a typhoon right now! She said that over the weekend she looked out her window to look at the rain going sideways!!! Crazy!!! And well, since Teipei is really close to Japan, and Kyushu for that matter…another typhoon may come…again…
It seems like we’re just getting some rain at the moment. It’s not crazy heave sideways rain but still, it’s raining. But now it’s starting to cool off (finally!) so the rain and wind are actually a little chilly. Hurray! But…now I need my “winter” wardrobe…and it’s where? Oh that’s right…still at home… :P But you know…in a way this is a great opportunity to go shopping. ;P mahaha. It’d be great…if I actually fit into their pants!!!
D’oh!
><”
Ah well…more of a motivation to lose weight…
Anyhoo…should this next typhoon hit, I’ll write about it…but hopefully it won’t be horrible…hopefully just interesting…
:P
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Humidity, fall, Gap...
What to write about this time???
I had thought of something to write…but now I’ve forgotten…grr…
Well, I’m going to talk about the weather here in Japan. So as I’ve said before (and have told many of you over and over) it’s hot and soooooooooooo humid over here. Like, we hit 94% (maybe even 98% humidity). And even if it’s technically around 78degrees, it feels really hot just because of the humidity. Gah, I miss the dry heat from Mexico…). Oh right, and because of this high humidity, I can’t keep my hair straight…oh yay… ><” So no I haven’t stopped straightening it but it definitely is not very straight for very long. It just tends to kink up after some time outside. Especially with walking or riding my bike to and from work, I get hot and poof! It’s kinda curly. So…I’m letting it grow at the moment only because it’s easier to tame it this way. Can’t wait for fall to come in. It’ll be cooler and I imagine less humid. But then that makes me a little worried about the winter here. I hear it gets really cold. And yea…winter clothes are back at home! Also, winter in LA is not that cold (had a Massachusetts friend laugh at me when I mentioned what I thought “cold” is). And I have heard that it sparsely snows, but snows nonetheless! So…yea…I’m looking forward to it but a little worried about the cold… But I guess in a way it’s just a better excuse to go shopping. ;P I’ve only run into a problem of fitting into pants…but I’m assuming I can fit into their shirts and whatnot…
Oh yea, the sizes here vary very much. Um…I’m not sure if it’s safe to say but I think that in shirts, they run one size smaller. So their small is actually small to them and they’re not swimming in a US small sized shirt. So…If I’m right, I’ll fit into an XL. Oh! And I haven’t really seen any other sizes higher than XL…except maybe in Gap.
Gap! Right. So I checked out the Gap store (since I know I’ll like the style) and was hoping I’d find a pair of pants that fit. Well…I forgot one thing…these items are imported…and what does that mean??? High prices!!! I already thought Gap jeans were pretty expensive at $60 but here in Japan, they’re roughly $128!!! o_O; However, in the clearance rack, I found a really cute skirt and after being reduced in price, it really only seemed like a regular Gap price. Hahaha. So…deal and no deal all together.
Hmm…what else…
Well, I think I’m over the culture shock. Odd thing is that when I’m with a big group of JETs or at least a big group of English speakers, I forget that I’m in Japan ‘til something very Japanese passes by…like a shrine in the middle of the city. :P
But…I still get homesick here and there. Luckily it’s not as bad as it was my second week here. And as Mr. Alpert (high school teacher I still keep in contact with) said, it’s always going to be there. And should it actually go away, I should worry. Hahaha. ^^
Um…I’ll see what to write about later…
I’ll take requests! What do you want to know about Japan/Fukuoka???
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Weekend trip #3: Osaka
And yet another weekend outing. ^^
This time, I went up by myself all the way to Osaka! I was a little nervous at first but I went through it and it all worked out well. Mahahaha!
So, this time I went up to Osaka to meet up with Terence, Kelly and the organizer of it all, Steph! None of us live in Osaka so we all had to travel there on our own. However, I traveled the furtherest…
Anyhoo, because I had purchased my tickets from a store…not really sure what to call it but they sell travel tickets at a cheaper price. Well, because I got it from there, I was able to hop onto any train really. So, once I got them and let the others know, Kelly found out that we could actually ride the same train!
So, once Saturday morning came about, I got up really ridiculously early because I anticipated things going wrong and having long conversations with workers and overall trying to figure out how to sue the tickets/search for the right train, etc etc. So, I got up at…5:30 I think it was…and after train hopping arrived at the station to get on the shinkansen. What I didn’t know was that my ticket was for the “unreserved seat” car. And I never learned the word before so after I got to the platform to get onto the shinkansen (for which I was like 45 minutes early) so I texted Kelly, “what’s ‘jyuuseki’?” Then she let me know it was “unreserved.” Then my thoughts were confirmed, Kelly and I wouldn’t be able to sit next to each other since she had a reserved seat. But at least we could ride the same train, ne? Oh yea, after we had settled that and she told me that she’ll got on the train around 9:20/9:30 I noticed that I probably woke her up…and then I felt really bad about doing so… ><” (My train was to leave at 8…and I was there really really early for it…yea…sorry Kelly!)
Well, anyway, I think the train started at my station. So I was able to get a seat. (hurray!) And a really nice older woman sat next to me. We got to talking and it turns out that she lives in the same city as me! And her son graduated from the high school that I’m teaching at!!! Hahaha. Life is funny sometimes. So she gave me her name, phone number and address. I gave her my name and the name of the school I work at. I’ll try to call her sometime and have coffee or something. Oh yea, she bought me a cup of coffee. She seemed a bit amazed that I drank it black though…
Anyhoo, the train arrived to Shinosaka and I got to meet up with Kelly!!! It’s always great to reunite with a great buddy.
:]
And then we had a small snack at the station (evil McFlurry strikes again!) and then we hopped onto the subway to get to Namba station, where we’d meet up with Terence and Steph! This time though, it was rather easy to find them. They were both wearing yellow shirts. Hehe^^
So off we go to the hostel, checked in early and left our bags in the room. We immediately headed off to explore. On Saturday we went to the aquarium which this crazy tall building and then you kinda just circle around various tanks. So at one level you’ll see the animals on top or floating about and at a lower level you’ll see them swimming about the deep ends of the tank. It was really great. Oh, and they even had a whale shark!!! Though it didn’t look that huge in the tank (then again…it could have been a young whale shark), a chart off to the side was comparing various sharks to the size of a human. Yea…we’d be like a popsicle to a whale shark at it’s full length…
Then we hung around the area. Went into a shopping area, bought towels (hostel didn’t provide any), ate okonomiyaki (one of things Osaka is known for), conbini hopping, toy store browsing and then ending with karaoke! We all sang songs together for 2 hours. We originally went in thinking we’d be there for like 1 hour but once the call came in that we had 5 minutes left, we asked for another hour. It wasn’t that bad. It was about $10 per person per hour. And they had a great selection of songs. Afterwards we walked back to the hostel and went to bed. (oh, but the day was filled with many exciting events, I’m just giving you the jist of it and let it be known, we rode the subway like crazy! And we had these awesome whale shark day pass card)
The next morning, after being awakened by our hostel roommates that turned on one of the lights to get ready for their day, we got up early and prepared for another day of adventure. After having a conbini breakfast, only to notice a bakery right next to it afterwards, we went off to find another day pass. Though it didn’t have a cool whale shark on it, it did come with a “coupon book” that provided us with free entry to various places. So we went to the Osaka castle, Shitennouji temple, hung out at another shopping mall (where we went to the arcade, played taiko drums, did 2 sessions of purikura), and then headed off to a floating garden observatory.
Here is where things get really interesting. So after getting directions to the floating garden observatory, we wondered if the area was good…since it seemed to be a bit lonely…but eventually we found the building and as we headed towards it, we noticed some music was being played live. At first it sounded like opera…but then it started to remind me of backyard quincenera parties in my neighborhood. So we got into the building and noticed that there’s some sort of gathering going on in the middle of the building, where it’s an open area. So we decided to check it out and I swear it felt like we were tellaported or something. It was a Mexican fiesta! There were mariachi (hence the familiarity to home) and they had taco stands! So we walked by them all and decided that the first one seemed the best choice (I told them that it smelled it right. Like actual Mexican tacos). Sadly though, no beans. But the stand that we went to had a Peruvian cook! And since I talked with him a bit in Spanish, he gave me more meat in my tacos. Mahahaha. And boy were they good. ^^ We then watched people dance, listened to mariachi and eventually made our way up to the observatory.
After going up an elevator and then an escalator and then another elevator, we got the “floating garden.” There was nothing “garden” about it! But apparently they were trying to include the wind as part of the garden. Something like that. But the view from that area was really nice. I’ll post photos of it later.
After sometime up there, we came back down, had one more taco for the road (tried a different one and then Steph and me got 1 more of the good ones), hit the conbini for fluids and then headed back to the hostel. But we didn’t go back to the hostel. Oh no. We went back to the karaoke place and sang for another 2 hours!!!
This morning, we had breakfast at the bakery, went to the station, found Kelly’s friend, went off to another mall/shopping area, checked out a Toys R Us, had lunch at a bagel place, headed back to the station and sadly, went our separate ways. Kelly, her friend Gene, and I went on the subway to the shinkansen station, and then Gene went off back to his hotel. Kelly bought her ticket and we rode the shinkansen together ‘til we got to her station. Then I rode alone ‘til my station. I kept zoning in and out. I was so tired. But I managed to stay awake for the end (didn’t want to miss my stop!). Then after some confusion at the station, I got onto the train for home and after nearly 3 hours of traveling, I got home.
And I’m on my couch right now, and I’m still really tired. I’ll be on my way soon. Rather earlier than other nights (definitely earlier than this weekend).
So…more details maybe later, and definitely a round of pics later.
じゃね！
This time, I went up by myself all the way to Osaka! I was a little nervous at first but I went through it and it all worked out well. Mahahaha!
So, this time I went up to Osaka to meet up with Terence, Kelly and the organizer of it all, Steph! None of us live in Osaka so we all had to travel there on our own. However, I traveled the furtherest…
Anyhoo, because I had purchased my tickets from a store…not really sure what to call it but they sell travel tickets at a cheaper price. Well, because I got it from there, I was able to hop onto any train really. So, once I got them and let the others know, Kelly found out that we could actually ride the same train!
So, once Saturday morning came about, I got up really ridiculously early because I anticipated things going wrong and having long conversations with workers and overall trying to figure out how to sue the tickets/search for the right train, etc etc. So, I got up at…5:30 I think it was…and after train hopping arrived at the station to get on the shinkansen. What I didn’t know was that my ticket was for the “unreserved seat” car. And I never learned the word before so after I got to the platform to get onto the shinkansen (for which I was like 45 minutes early) so I texted Kelly, “what’s ‘jyuuseki’?” Then she let me know it was “unreserved.” Then my thoughts were confirmed, Kelly and I wouldn’t be able to sit next to each other since she had a reserved seat. But at least we could ride the same train, ne? Oh yea, after we had settled that and she told me that she’ll got on the train around 9:20/9:30 I noticed that I probably woke her up…and then I felt really bad about doing so… ><” (My train was to leave at 8…and I was there really really early for it…yea…sorry Kelly!)
Well, anyway, I think the train started at my station. So I was able to get a seat. (hurray!) And a really nice older woman sat next to me. We got to talking and it turns out that she lives in the same city as me! And her son graduated from the high school that I’m teaching at!!! Hahaha. Life is funny sometimes. So she gave me her name, phone number and address. I gave her my name and the name of the school I work at. I’ll try to call her sometime and have coffee or something. Oh yea, she bought me a cup of coffee. She seemed a bit amazed that I drank it black though…
Anyhoo, the train arrived to Shinosaka and I got to meet up with Kelly!!! It’s always great to reunite with a great buddy.
:]
And then we had a small snack at the station (evil McFlurry strikes again!) and then we hopped onto the subway to get to Namba station, where we’d meet up with Terence and Steph! This time though, it was rather easy to find them. They were both wearing yellow shirts. Hehe^^
So off we go to the hostel, checked in early and left our bags in the room. We immediately headed off to explore. On Saturday we went to the aquarium which this crazy tall building and then you kinda just circle around various tanks. So at one level you’ll see the animals on top or floating about and at a lower level you’ll see them swimming about the deep ends of the tank. It was really great. Oh, and they even had a whale shark!!! Though it didn’t look that huge in the tank (then again…it could have been a young whale shark), a chart off to the side was comparing various sharks to the size of a human. Yea…we’d be like a popsicle to a whale shark at it’s full length…
Then we hung around the area. Went into a shopping area, bought towels (hostel didn’t provide any), ate okonomiyaki (one of things Osaka is known for), conbini hopping, toy store browsing and then ending with karaoke! We all sang songs together for 2 hours. We originally went in thinking we’d be there for like 1 hour but once the call came in that we had 5 minutes left, we asked for another hour. It wasn’t that bad. It was about $10 per person per hour. And they had a great selection of songs. Afterwards we walked back to the hostel and went to bed. (oh, but the day was filled with many exciting events, I’m just giving you the jist of it and let it be known, we rode the subway like crazy! And we had these awesome whale shark day pass card)
The next morning, after being awakened by our hostel roommates that turned on one of the lights to get ready for their day, we got up early and prepared for another day of adventure. After having a conbini breakfast, only to notice a bakery right next to it afterwards, we went off to find another day pass. Though it didn’t have a cool whale shark on it, it did come with a “coupon book” that provided us with free entry to various places. So we went to the Osaka castle, Shitennouji temple, hung out at another shopping mall (where we went to the arcade, played taiko drums, did 2 sessions of purikura), and then headed off to a floating garden observatory.
Here is where things get really interesting. So after getting directions to the floating garden observatory, we wondered if the area was good…since it seemed to be a bit lonely…but eventually we found the building and as we headed towards it, we noticed some music was being played live. At first it sounded like opera…but then it started to remind me of backyard quincenera parties in my neighborhood. So we got into the building and noticed that there’s some sort of gathering going on in the middle of the building, where it’s an open area. So we decided to check it out and I swear it felt like we were tellaported or something. It was a Mexican fiesta! There were mariachi (hence the familiarity to home) and they had taco stands! So we walked by them all and decided that the first one seemed the best choice (I told them that it smelled it right. Like actual Mexican tacos). Sadly though, no beans. But the stand that we went to had a Peruvian cook! And since I talked with him a bit in Spanish, he gave me more meat in my tacos. Mahahaha. And boy were they good. ^^ We then watched people dance, listened to mariachi and eventually made our way up to the observatory.
After going up an elevator and then an escalator and then another elevator, we got the “floating garden.” There was nothing “garden” about it! But apparently they were trying to include the wind as part of the garden. Something like that. But the view from that area was really nice. I’ll post photos of it later.
After sometime up there, we came back down, had one more taco for the road (tried a different one and then Steph and me got 1 more of the good ones), hit the conbini for fluids and then headed back to the hostel. But we didn’t go back to the hostel. Oh no. We went back to the karaoke place and sang for another 2 hours!!!
This morning, we had breakfast at the bakery, went to the station, found Kelly’s friend, went off to another mall/shopping area, checked out a Toys R Us, had lunch at a bagel place, headed back to the station and sadly, went our separate ways. Kelly, her friend Gene, and I went on the subway to the shinkansen station, and then Gene went off back to his hotel. Kelly bought her ticket and we rode the shinkansen together ‘til we got to her station. Then I rode alone ‘til my station. I kept zoning in and out. I was so tired. But I managed to stay awake for the end (didn’t want to miss my stop!). Then after some confusion at the station, I got onto the train for home and after nearly 3 hours of traveling, I got home.
And I’m on my couch right now, and I’m still really tired. I’ll be on my way soon. Rather earlier than other nights (definitely earlier than this weekend).
So…more details maybe later, and definitely a round of pics later.
じゃね！
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Sports Day, Tenjin, calls, planning...
Hokay, so it’s been a while since I’ve written a blog. Truth is, I’ve been rather busy these past couple days.
When was the last time I wrote…last week Saturday with the news about my bike…maybe…
Blah.
Anyway, so I came to work over the week because the students were practice for Sports Day and then Sports Day was on Sunday.
IT WAS AWESOME!!!
It was such a fun day. And man, some of those students are fast!!! I was lucky to get them in the frame of my camera (oh yea, I went a little trigger happy with the camera again…ehehe^^;;). Oh, and then I got to see them do kibasen.
Kibasen is something that I’ve only ever seen in anime before and, after asking my friend Yumi (who lived in Japan ‘til high school) about whether or not they actually did it, was excited to watch it! It can be quite dangerous so most of the male teachers and some volunteer male students helped each little hurdle.
So Kibasen is a little hard to describe. There are groups of 4 boys. One of them gets lifted by the other three. So the three that do the lifting form a sort of triangle. One guy in the front, two in the back. Now, the boy in the front has his palms facing up but has his fingers pointing back. Then the boys in the back hold one hand with the guy in the front and put their other hand on the front boy’s shoulders. Then, they all knell so that the fourth boy can climb up on them. The fourth boy puts his feet where the boys are holding hands and sits on the arms of the guys from the back…is this making any sense at all???...
…well here’s a picture…hope this explains it better than my words can…
…and I just noticed that I’m disassociating my days again…I guess I’m beginning to get really busy and so am adding an extra day in my head to do it all in… What I’m saying is: Today is Thursday, but I’m thinking of it as though it were Wednesday (even if I had my Japanese class yesterday). But because I have a dinner to go to tonight and then meet with my Japanese professor tomorrow to sign up for the Japanese Proficiency Test and I still want to do some laundry, pack for Osaka and think about what to do Friday night…I’ve somehow made myself think that I’m like inbetween Wednesday and Thursday and so I have an extra day to do everything…But I don’t…now I really have to think about everything now…
Wow…totally side tracking there…
So yea, Sports day was filled with many races, some cheerleading (whose outfits were done by the students, as well as the choreography), guy form of cheerleading (which was more like a martial arts dance) and a crazy choreography thing with colored boards (can’t remember the actual word of this). And even some of the teachers got involved in the races. There were some “relay” races with various types of obstacles. I was asked to participate in the 4 legged man race. The way it worked was that there are 4 color groups and 2 members from each would run to the center and choose an envelope. Then they’d run to their colored stands (where the rest of the students were), open the envelope and look for the person whose name was written on it. I happened to see my name (ALT シーラ) from across the field so I ran towards them. They students put me in the middle and off we went for the finish line. Mahaha. We got first place. :P Once we crossed, the students turned to me and after many “thank you”’s, they said, “I love you!” and with huge smiles went to line up with the other groups that got first place. They even got the principal to participate! Hahaha.
I’d post more pictures of the event but I can’t out too many here and flickr’s telling me I’m at my limit already…so I might “go pro”…might…
So because I had to come in to work on the weekend, I got Monday and Tuesday off as “substitute days”. So Monday morning I was able to have like a 2 hour conversation with home!!! And for free!!!
xD
Skype still acted a little funny (something weird whenever a call would go home…even if we were using skype and not the ground line…) but it was sooooooooooo nice to get to hear my family’s voices again. ^^ Can’t wait to go back home for Christmas now. :] Now I need to get a webcam, pronto!
The rest of Monday was filled with cleaning (oh yay… -_-“) but I didn’t get everything done…ehehe^^;; And then I went out to eat with Grace, Carl, Seth and David! It’s always fun with them. So that was a great Monday.
On Tuesday, I went to the bank and post office and then headed towards Tenjin. There I walked about, tried one some jeans (only to remember that I’m Mexican and therefore have way too curvy of a body for Japanese pants) and bought some things…couldn’t hold back…earrings and rings man…
Wednesday I had a class (rather rowdy…) and a Kanji quiz in my Japanese class. That night I decided to go for the Japanese Proficiency Test…level 2 (which is the second highest). I’m pretty sure I can pass level 3 but I figured that if I don’t push myself to a harder level, my Japanese is not going to improve. So…one of the Japanese professors will help me prepare for the test (lots of grammar and kanji to study) and in December I shall take the test (apparently it’s like all day on a Sunday…). So Friday I’m going to buy it and register. So I’ll be making lesson plans, teaching, traveling, cleaning, cooking and studying hardcore…yippi…
Oh, and I’m going to Osaka and Nara this weekend. I’m going to meet up with Terence, Kelly and Stephanie!!! Yay for Oxy JET reunions!!!
xD
When was the last time I wrote…last week Saturday with the news about my bike…maybe…
Blah.
Anyway, so I came to work over the week because the students were practice for Sports Day and then Sports Day was on Sunday.
IT WAS AWESOME!!!
It was such a fun day. And man, some of those students are fast!!! I was lucky to get them in the frame of my camera (oh yea, I went a little trigger happy with the camera again…ehehe^^;;). Oh, and then I got to see them do kibasen.
Kibasen is something that I’ve only ever seen in anime before and, after asking my friend Yumi (who lived in Japan ‘til high school) about whether or not they actually did it, was excited to watch it! It can be quite dangerous so most of the male teachers and some volunteer male students helped each little hurdle.
So Kibasen is a little hard to describe. There are groups of 4 boys. One of them gets lifted by the other three. So the three that do the lifting form a sort of triangle. One guy in the front, two in the back. Now, the boy in the front has his palms facing up but has his fingers pointing back. Then the boys in the back hold one hand with the guy in the front and put their other hand on the front boy’s shoulders. Then, they all knell so that the fourth boy can climb up on them. The fourth boy puts his feet where the boys are holding hands and sits on the arms of the guys from the back…is this making any sense at all???...
…well here’s a picture…hope this explains it better than my words can…
…and I just noticed that I’m disassociating my days again…I guess I’m beginning to get really busy and so am adding an extra day in my head to do it all in… What I’m saying is: Today is Thursday, but I’m thinking of it as though it were Wednesday (even if I had my Japanese class yesterday). But because I have a dinner to go to tonight and then meet with my Japanese professor tomorrow to sign up for the Japanese Proficiency Test and I still want to do some laundry, pack for Osaka and think about what to do Friday night…I’ve somehow made myself think that I’m like inbetween Wednesday and Thursday and so I have an extra day to do everything…But I don’t…now I really have to think about everything now…
Wow…totally side tracking there…
So yea, Sports day was filled with many races, some cheerleading (whose outfits were done by the students, as well as the choreography), guy form of cheerleading (which was more like a martial arts dance) and a crazy choreography thing with colored boards (can’t remember the actual word of this). And even some of the teachers got involved in the races. There were some “relay” races with various types of obstacles. I was asked to participate in the 4 legged man race. The way it worked was that there are 4 color groups and 2 members from each would run to the center and choose an envelope. Then they’d run to their colored stands (where the rest of the students were), open the envelope and look for the person whose name was written on it. I happened to see my name (ALT シーラ) from across the field so I ran towards them. They students put me in the middle and off we went for the finish line. Mahaha. We got first place. :P Once we crossed, the students turned to me and after many “thank you”’s, they said, “I love you!” and with huge smiles went to line up with the other groups that got first place. They even got the principal to participate! Hahaha.
I’d post more pictures of the event but I can’t out too many here and flickr’s telling me I’m at my limit already…so I might “go pro”…might…
So because I had to come in to work on the weekend, I got Monday and Tuesday off as “substitute days”. So Monday morning I was able to have like a 2 hour conversation with home!!! And for free!!!
xD
Skype still acted a little funny (something weird whenever a call would go home…even if we were using skype and not the ground line…) but it was sooooooooooo nice to get to hear my family’s voices again. ^^ Can’t wait to go back home for Christmas now. :] Now I need to get a webcam, pronto!
The rest of Monday was filled with cleaning (oh yay… -_-“) but I didn’t get everything done…ehehe^^;; And then I went out to eat with Grace, Carl, Seth and David! It’s always fun with them. So that was a great Monday.
On Tuesday, I went to the bank and post office and then headed towards Tenjin. There I walked about, tried one some jeans (only to remember that I’m Mexican and therefore have way too curvy of a body for Japanese pants) and bought some things…couldn’t hold back…earrings and rings man…
Wednesday I had a class (rather rowdy…) and a Kanji quiz in my Japanese class. That night I decided to go for the Japanese Proficiency Test…level 2 (which is the second highest). I’m pretty sure I can pass level 3 but I figured that if I don’t push myself to a harder level, my Japanese is not going to improve. So…one of the Japanese professors will help me prepare for the test (lots of grammar and kanji to study) and in December I shall take the test (apparently it’s like all day on a Sunday…). So Friday I’m going to buy it and register. So I’ll be making lesson plans, teaching, traveling, cleaning, cooking and studying hardcore…yippi…
Oh, and I’m going to Osaka and Nara this weekend. I’m going to meet up with Terence, Kelly and Stephanie!!! Yay for Oxy JET reunions!!!
xD
Monday, September 8, 2008
My Monday Day Off
September 8th
:]
That’s how I’m feeling. Today has been a pretty great day. I got to sleep in finally. Although I did randomly wake up at 7:45-ish. I was pretty much wide awake and considered getting up and start cleaning the apartment. But the voices in my head told me to just stay in bed. I mean, it is my day off of work and I haven’t had the chance to really sleep in for maybe over a week or so. So yes, I slept in and man I was groggy when my alarm woke me up. So I snoozed for a bit more…and although I was still a bit groggy, I got myself out of bed.
Then I didn’t allow myself to go online ‘til I got a load of laundry in the washing machine (I tend to get highly distracted by the internet). The highlight of this morning is that I finally got to chat with my family. And this time Skype calling actually worked!!!
xD
Though there was some trouble with the calls at first (something odd between skype calls with incoming phone calls at home…), it was so awesome to get to hear my family’s voices again!!! And they all have webcams so I got to see them too!!! Now I really have to go to Yamada Denki or some other electronics store and get myself a webcam! ^^ But yea, I talked with my parents, cousin and aunt for about an hour and a half. Maybe even longer. And I also got to talk with one of my sisters! She even gave me a peak at the future postcards she’ll be sending me (her own art on them all).
Once it got a little late for them (not really late but they all have work tomorrow so we had to say our good-nights) I just played around with aim. There were some buddies on so it was awesome being able to chat with them too. ^^ Sometimes it really makes me miss them and makes me want to go home now but it wasn’t that bad this time. Sure I still miss everyone, but it just makes me more excited for winter break when I go back home! ^^
After that…I had lunch and then forced myself to clean. Currently my apartment is being aired from the smell of chlorine. But since it’s starting to get a little dark I just closed my windows and locked my balcony door. More because I’m on the first floor. I’d be fine leaving it open for a bit longer if I were in a higher floor…it’s the whole paranoid drama I had back in college…except without the roommate drama being added.
Anyway. Back to the present. I plan to go out tomorrow. I have art stores to visit, shopping areas to check out and just overall exploring to do. ^^ Maybe I’ll do some shopping while I’m out…or at least figure out what my size in Japan would be and get an idea of how much things cost to plan out shopping for later. :P The weight limit on the luggage really limited the amount of clothes I was able to bring…but I guess it just means I get to do shopping and get awesome fall and winter stuff. ;P
But yea. In terms of dealing with living alone, I think I did alright today. I’ll either watch a movie later (predecessor left me so many movies!) or maybe go back to playing guitar hero. It’s been a while since I’ve played it…wonder if I can still pass heavy…
Oh! And this weekend is going to rock because it’s a 3-day weekend and I’ll be going up to Osaka/Nara to hang out with some other Oxy JETs!
xD
And that picture is a drawing that one of my students drew during my Introduction Class. ^^
Clarification!!!
Hokay, so I had a conversation with my family this morning (woohoo!) and there is something I need to make clear.
Apparently, on the post of my second weekend trip to Sasebo, I said something along the lines of "I took too many shots" and therefore couldn't remember how many islands there were...something like that. To be clear, when I said "shots" I meant photographic shots. Not alcoholic shots.
Yea. I'm not having those types of crazy parties here in Japan.
:P
Apparently, on the post of my second weekend trip to Sasebo, I said something along the lines of "I took too many shots" and therefore couldn't remember how many islands there were...something like that. To be clear, when I said "shots" I meant photographic shots. Not alcoholic shots.
Yea. I'm not having those types of crazy parties here in Japan.
:P
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Did this Really Just Happen???
September 6
So there are lot of things that I’ve been wanting to type about but haven’t really had the chance lately to do it. Although I want to tell you about the baseball game, preparations for tomorrow’s sports day, thinking about taking the Japanese proficiency test, better dealing with homesickness and culture shock, future festival outing, how I love my co-workers and generally working here, future plan to meet up with oxy jet folk…I am going to tell you about today.
Although it started off as a normal day. Walked to school but this time listened to my i-pod on the way, and had pretty much a “normal” day at work (even if it was a Saturday). The return was different.
I decided to go to Yume-town again [explanation insert], to send more postcards and a birthday card (hope it gets there in time…) and then decided to just walk around the shopping area and get to know it better (and plan future spendings).
Anyway, after many stops at various shops, I decided to head back home before it got too dark. Well this is where the down part begins. I couldn’t find it. So I thought that being that there’s so many bikes, I’m just not recognizing my own bike.
Nope
It was nowhere to be found. So I walked around other parts, you know, possibly someone else moved it or it fell or something.
Nope
Gone
Gone gone gone gone gone!
-_-“
Balh blah blah. I have to go now. Sports Day is today! Woot!
So there are lot of things that I’ve been wanting to type about but haven’t really had the chance lately to do it. Although I want to tell you about the baseball game, preparations for tomorrow’s sports day, thinking about taking the Japanese proficiency test, better dealing with homesickness and culture shock, future festival outing, how I love my co-workers and generally working here, future plan to meet up with oxy jet folk…I am going to tell you about today.
Although it started off as a normal day. Walked to school but this time listened to my i-pod on the way, and had pretty much a “normal” day at work (even if it was a Saturday). The return was different.
I decided to go to Yume-town again [explanation insert], to send more postcards and a birthday card (hope it gets there in time…) and then decided to just walk around the shopping area and get to know it better (and plan future spendings).
Anyway, after many stops at various shops, I decided to head back home before it got too dark. Well this is where the down part begins. I couldn’t find it. So I thought that being that there’s so many bikes, I’m just not recognizing my own bike.
Nope
It was nowhere to be found. So I walked around other parts, you know, possibly someone else moved it or it fell or something.
Nope
Gone
Gone gone gone gone gone!
-_-“
Balh blah blah. I have to go now. Sports Day is today! Woot!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Weekend Trip #2: Sasebo
September 2nd
So once again, I had a rather busy weekend. Though it wasn’t as jam-packed as last weekend, it was still fun and exciting! ^^
I’m thinking that as long as I keep staying busy, I’ll adjust to living here more easily. But I worry that since just about every weekend that I’ve spent here in Japan so far have been busy or had some sort of exciting thing going on, that I’ll be disappointed/unbelievably bored if/when a weekend with nothing to do pops up… Hmm…on second thought…maybe there’s always going to be something going on… mahahahaha!
So on Friday, I went over to Tenjin (Fukuoka City) to hang out with some people. There was a crazy Karaoke party last week and some of my friends were like, “oh you should have come!” So I got an invite to hang out with them for last week and I went.
Since I had gone to Tenjin the day before for a baseball game (which was absolutely awesome!) I had the meeting time a little mixed up in my head. I thought everyone was meeting at 7:15 (because yesterday’s meeting time was 6:15) but it turned out to be 7:30. So…since I was early, I took a small walk around the shopping area. It made me want to go shopping…(such a girl, I know). Anyhoo, long story short, I hung out with Josh for most of the night (everyone else was like really late). It was pretty cool though towards the end of the night, being the only girl in the group meant I got hit on quite a lot…and one of the guys started creeping me out…and I see him in Japanese class…luckily though, we’re not in the same level. So although we’re in the same building, sometimes the same room, we’re not actually in the same class. Mahaha. I can somehow avoid him!
Anyhoo…I came back home (safe and sound. Don’t worry), did some general cleaning and then got to talk to my papa over skype! xD Sadly though, he didn’t have a headset so we had a rather slow and slightly frustrating chat over skype (though I’m proud of him! He managed to turn it on and log on all by himself! ^^). And then I got to chat with my cousin a bit. And finally my brother sent a “hi.” Then…I went out to eat dinner with some of my neighbors. It was a gyukaku place which really reminded me of Korean BBQ. So, Jo Jo and Terence, we’re going there once you guys come!!! ;P
Then Sunday came around. We left the Jutaku early (8am, not that early) and took 2 cars to Sasebo, Nagasaki-ken. Seth, JET neighbor, had his dad over (for a week I think) and so awesome Grace planned out the trip to go to Sasebo.
We were lucky with the weather that day. It was sunny and no rain. Although…it was rather hot and humid…but at least the breeze was nice whenever it came. We took a cruise around the islands and I took possibly way too many shots…problem is that I can’t tell one island from the other! Sasebo is known for it’s huge cluster of small islands. It has 19 main islands but 203 all together. But in Japan, it’s called the “99 islands” because “99” can be used to reference a big amount.
And since there was deal going on with the “Commonness Ticket” (I kid you not. It was called the Commonness Ticket. Not the “Common Sense Ticket” but “Commonness”) we also went to the zoo. It wasn’t the greatest of zoos but apparently it’s better than the one in Fukuoka (which I highly doubt I’ll ever visit).
Afterwards we went in search of food. There is “Sasebo burger” which I had for lunch and I have to say, it was pretty good. And I’ve heard that good burgers are hard to come by in Japan. So I guess for Japan standards, it was really good!
And then we went for the highlight of the day: up to an observatory. At this observatory, not only is there a great view of the islands and everything, it’s a popular area among photographers to capture the sunset (and Carl and Seth are the photographers in our group. So they were really looking forward to this). The other cool thing about this area is that it was used to shoot a scene for “The Last Samurai.” Now I want to see that movie again and see if I recognize the shot… Sadly though, by this time we started to get some overcast and although the shots are great, the guys were a little disappointed…and I got bit by mosquitos yet again… ><”
But yea. Great weekend once again! Woot-woot! ^^
So once again, I had a rather busy weekend. Though it wasn’t as jam-packed as last weekend, it was still fun and exciting! ^^
I’m thinking that as long as I keep staying busy, I’ll adjust to living here more easily. But I worry that since just about every weekend that I’ve spent here in Japan so far have been busy or had some sort of exciting thing going on, that I’ll be disappointed/unbelievably bored if/when a weekend with nothing to do pops up… Hmm…on second thought…maybe there’s always going to be something going on… mahahahaha!
So on Friday, I went over to Tenjin (Fukuoka City) to hang out with some people. There was a crazy Karaoke party last week and some of my friends were like, “oh you should have come!” So I got an invite to hang out with them for last week and I went.
Since I had gone to Tenjin the day before for a baseball game (which was absolutely awesome!) I had the meeting time a little mixed up in my head. I thought everyone was meeting at 7:15 (because yesterday’s meeting time was 6:15) but it turned out to be 7:30. So…since I was early, I took a small walk around the shopping area. It made me want to go shopping…(such a girl, I know). Anyhoo, long story short, I hung out with Josh for most of the night (everyone else was like really late). It was pretty cool though towards the end of the night, being the only girl in the group meant I got hit on quite a lot…and one of the guys started creeping me out…and I see him in Japanese class…luckily though, we’re not in the same level. So although we’re in the same building, sometimes the same room, we’re not actually in the same class. Mahaha. I can somehow avoid him!
Anyhoo…I came back home (safe and sound. Don’t worry), did some general cleaning and then got to talk to my papa over skype! xD Sadly though, he didn’t have a headset so we had a rather slow and slightly frustrating chat over skype (though I’m proud of him! He managed to turn it on and log on all by himself! ^^). And then I got to chat with my cousin a bit. And finally my brother sent a “hi.” Then…I went out to eat dinner with some of my neighbors. It was a gyukaku place which really reminded me of Korean BBQ. So, Jo Jo and Terence, we’re going there once you guys come!!! ;P
Then Sunday came around. We left the Jutaku early (8am, not that early) and took 2 cars to Sasebo, Nagasaki-ken. Seth, JET neighbor, had his dad over (for a week I think) and so awesome Grace planned out the trip to go to Sasebo.
We were lucky with the weather that day. It was sunny and no rain. Although…it was rather hot and humid…but at least the breeze was nice whenever it came. We took a cruise around the islands and I took possibly way too many shots…problem is that I can’t tell one island from the other! Sasebo is known for it’s huge cluster of small islands. It has 19 main islands but 203 all together. But in Japan, it’s called the “99 islands” because “99” can be used to reference a big amount.
And since there was deal going on with the “Commonness Ticket” (I kid you not. It was called the Commonness Ticket. Not the “Common Sense Ticket” but “Commonness”) we also went to the zoo. It wasn’t the greatest of zoos but apparently it’s better than the one in Fukuoka (which I highly doubt I’ll ever visit).
Afterwards we went in search of food. There is “Sasebo burger” which I had for lunch and I have to say, it was pretty good. And I’ve heard that good burgers are hard to come by in Japan. So I guess for Japan standards, it was really good!
And then we went for the highlight of the day: up to an observatory. At this observatory, not only is there a great view of the islands and everything, it’s a popular area among photographers to capture the sunset (and Carl and Seth are the photographers in our group. So they were really looking forward to this). The other cool thing about this area is that it was used to shoot a scene for “The Last Samurai.” Now I want to see that movie again and see if I recognize the shot… Sadly though, by this time we started to get some overcast and although the shots are great, the guys were a little disappointed…and I got bit by mosquitos yet again… ><”
But yea. Great weekend once again! Woot-woot! ^^
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Weekend Trip #1: Kyoto!!!
August 26th
Hello World!!!
So I’m in my living room right now. Doing the crazy multi-tasking things I do. I’m writing this blog on my computer, watching Resident Evil: Extinction (thank you Stino!) and online waiting to see if anybody will go online. It’s quite unusual at this hour because although it just became 11 pm, it’s like 7 am for almost everyone else. Hey…we’re actually on the same day! Tuesday! ;P
Anyhoo. This blog will be about my weekend. And being that my weekend was jammed packed with excitement, surprises, action and the ever lovable randomness, this may be a long blog…so…just giving you all a heads up!
So, if my memory serves me right, on Thursday, one of my awesome neighbors invited me to a trip to Kyoto! Being that it is one of the cities that I want to visit while I’m in Japan (even if traveling in Japan is apparently expensive) I went for it.
So the group consisted of other JETs. 2 of which live in my jutaku and one that lives in a neighboring jutaku (and since he’s the only JET in that jutaku that renewed his contract, he’s thinking about moving to our jutaku). So Friday night I’m packing and trying to do some socializing via aim and skype. Since it was Friday night for me, I didn’t care too much if I stayed up really late. So I tried to wait ‘til my sister got to work so that I could e-mail her. Sadly though, she never responded ‘til most likely after I went to bed. So I went to bed like at 1 in the morning and pretty much just took a nap…because I had to meet everyone else at 5:30 am!!!
So…as hard as it was to get up, I managed to eat something and get ready to go. Grace, Carl and I took a taxi to the train station where we rode the JR to Hakata station. At the first stop on the JR, our other traveling buddy, Emmett, joined.
At Hakata, we went on the shinkansen (or “bullet train”) and in about 2 and half or 3 hours we arrived in Kyoto. I was only awake for like…half an hour to an hour and slept the rest of the way. But it wasn’t all that comfortable. Though there was room and the seat could recline pretty far back, I kept lolling to the sides…and I think I almost fell off it at one point…
Anyway, so as soon as we arrived, we headed towards our hotel where we left our over-night bags in the cloak room and then went off back to the station to meet up with Grace’s friend, Jamie. (she’s basically the reason why Grace decided to travel up to Kyoto).
After that, we started our sight-seeing adventure. The first place we went to was Nijo-jo. It’s one of the famous castles that has 2 motes! I think I went the most trigger happy at this place…guess I was really excited to be in Kyoto.
At this place, you have to take your shoes off to enter into the castle. But what was interesting is the way the floor was constructed. It was made to mimic the sound of the nightingales so some funny architecture with nails created really squeaky floor boards. But…it’s not a bad squeaky…just…very very squeaky. Although because there’s so many people around, it’s rather hard to tell if it’s really your steps that are causing the noise or not…
Unfortunately, there were many signs constantly reminding people that photography and video taping are prohibited. …of course I read that after I tried to record the sound… ;P
After this, we went to Kinkakujo, or the Golden Temple (?). [the question mark is because there is a difference between shrines and temples…but I don’t know it too well…] Anyway, this is also a very famous area. And it has a rooster on top of the temple! Oh, and there’s little shops to buy good luck charms and omiyage and other little trinkets. But we went into the tea house! Grace thinks that because it’s summer, they served iced green tea instead of the tradition hot green tea. In any case, it was refreshing and delicious. And we got a cookie too. It had an interesting slightly sour middle…
After that…I think we rode the bus back to the hotel. We split up for a bit and re-met for kaiten sushi dinner, or conveyer belt sushi! The cool thing was that this place had lots of variety and even the California roll! Yum!!!
Afterwards, we walked around the area and looked at shops and eventually ended up in Gion, where Geisha and Maiko (geisha apprentice) are known to be. But because we were there “after hours,” we didn’t see any. But we did go check out the shrine that’s near Gion. It was really nice how the lanterns changed how the look of the shrine.
Then…I believe we called it a night. We caught a late night snack and headed back to the hotel (though Jamie took a bus back to her hotel/hostel). Then I took a nice warm shower (because it’s been hot, I’ve been taking cold showers and moreover because I can’t work the water heater, I’ve been taking cold showers) and then knocked out.
Again, we woke up rather early (not as early though) to meet Jamie at the station. But also, my home boy Terence found out that I was going to be in the Kyoto area (thank you facebook) and e-mailed my phone which lead to our arrangement to meet at the Kyoto station too!
It was awesome getting to see a really close friend again, rather than just exchanging email or instant messaging. It carried the feeling of meeting up with family which was great to fight my current battle with homesickness and culture shock (though it has gotten much much better).
So right after we found Terence at the station, we all headed off for the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It’s a fox shrine so there’s many different fox statues all about the area. Also, this is the shrine that has many many red gates. All, I believe Grace said, have been donated by someone or some organization/company. So…in one direction, the gates all look red, but then you look at them from the other side and you see all this crazy writing! But I really liked how after some red gates, a stone one would become visible. I think some of the stone gates have been standing since the Meiji era!
Because the pathway around this shrine is really long (and we were still a little tired from all the walking from the previous day), we only walked part of it. But enough to get attacked by mosquitos!!! ><”
Then after this…we went to Kiyomizu Tera (temple). But to get to the temple, we had to walk up an up hill road. And being it was a sunny day, it got pretty hot. And there were so many other people walking up too! Once we were really close to the top, I got excited because I saw some Maiko…but only to be told that they were fake maiko. Around the area, there are places that dress you up like a Maiko and you can go about the city in the costume. So…that was who I saw. But man…I’m surprised they were able to walk in those crazy high sandals…and even downhill too!
So up we went into the temple (and at some points, even more up we went). But the view from there was awesome! So much greenery and then nice shots of the city. It was just beautiful.
And there was this shop around the area that sold sweets that are only made/sold in Kyoto. It’s basically mochi (the rice dough thing. Not the mochi ice cream balls) but in Kyoto it’s much thinner. And there were so many different flavors too! The awesome thing about this shop is that there are many free samples. So…really you can just go in and eat…and pretend you’re interested in buying… Besides, it’s so busy in there, it’s not like they’ll really be able to tell you’re just eating the sweets as long as you look interested… ;P Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t just eat some of the samples. I bought a box of what I think was plain (though it had a cinnamon-y taste) and green tea flavors for the office (doing the omiyage thing again).
Oh right. Sometime on Saturday (I can’t really recall when that day since I’m finishing this today…Thursday…) but we found this nice trendy store. There were so many nice things in there (but a little pricy…which was great because then I didn’t spend too much). But I did find an awesome belt! Two actually and I was having a difficult time choosing between the two. But luckily I tried them on then and there and found that only one fit me so the awesome teal one I bought. Can’t wait to wear it really…rather bummed my favorite jeans are back at home…ah well. I’ll just go buy a new pair. Can’t have too many pairs of jeans, ne? ;P
Let’s see…so after the Kiyomizu Tera, we hopped onto a bus and headed for Sanjyusangendo…only to find out we were 5 minutes late for the cut off point to buy tickets and enter… ><”
The real sad thing was that Emmett really wanted to visit this area and we just missed the chance… D’oh!
After some sitting and chatting, we decided to head back to Gion. We actually walked into the area this time but alas, still no Geisha or Maiko (though there was a group of photographers around…). And then we went into the shopping area again. Terence found a manga/figurine store which I had somehow managed to miss and oh man…it was so hard to resist. The prices though, made it a little easier to resist (quite expensive compared to how much I can pay for some of them at the Anime Expo or Little Tokyo…sometimes…) But I gotta say, they did look better than some of ones that get sold in the states…
And then, we all squished into a bus and went back to the train station. We helped Terence buy his tickets and find his way back. Then the rest of us went to the lockers to get our overnight bags and headed down to the Shinkansen waiting area…only to read that ALL the skinkansen were running an hour and a half late!!! Though it was beautiful and sunny in Kyoto, there was crazy rain going on in Fukushima I believe (where all the shinkansen were coming from).
So instead of waiting about for more than an hour, we boarded onto a different shinkansen. We had to ride in the unreserved seating cabin though…so yay, more standing… But once we boarded the second one (we had to do a transfer), we all managed to find seats after the second stop. And more sleeping followed.
Another awesome Jutaku neighbor was nice enough to pick us up from the JR station and we safely made it home. Interestingly, our original shinkansen that was running 90 minutes late ended up being canceled. o_O;
So…that was my crazy weekend. I’m pretty sure I left out some things but over the process of days, I forgot to write about some or think I have written about…may even have written some of it twice…and I’ll try to post up some photos of it here. Otherwise, most, if not all, will up on my flickr account.
Hello World!!!
So I’m in my living room right now. Doing the crazy multi-tasking things I do. I’m writing this blog on my computer, watching Resident Evil: Extinction (thank you Stino!) and online waiting to see if anybody will go online. It’s quite unusual at this hour because although it just became 11 pm, it’s like 7 am for almost everyone else. Hey…we’re actually on the same day! Tuesday! ;P
Anyhoo. This blog will be about my weekend. And being that my weekend was jammed packed with excitement, surprises, action and the ever lovable randomness, this may be a long blog…so…just giving you all a heads up!
So, if my memory serves me right, on Thursday, one of my awesome neighbors invited me to a trip to Kyoto! Being that it is one of the cities that I want to visit while I’m in Japan (even if traveling in Japan is apparently expensive) I went for it.
So the group consisted of other JETs. 2 of which live in my jutaku and one that lives in a neighboring jutaku (and since he’s the only JET in that jutaku that renewed his contract, he’s thinking about moving to our jutaku). So Friday night I’m packing and trying to do some socializing via aim and skype. Since it was Friday night for me, I didn’t care too much if I stayed up really late. So I tried to wait ‘til my sister got to work so that I could e-mail her. Sadly though, she never responded ‘til most likely after I went to bed. So I went to bed like at 1 in the morning and pretty much just took a nap…because I had to meet everyone else at 5:30 am!!!
So…as hard as it was to get up, I managed to eat something and get ready to go. Grace, Carl and I took a taxi to the train station where we rode the JR to Hakata station. At the first stop on the JR, our other traveling buddy, Emmett, joined.
At Hakata, we went on the shinkansen (or “bullet train”) and in about 2 and half or 3 hours we arrived in Kyoto. I was only awake for like…half an hour to an hour and slept the rest of the way. But it wasn’t all that comfortable. Though there was room and the seat could recline pretty far back, I kept lolling to the sides…and I think I almost fell off it at one point…
Anyway, so as soon as we arrived, we headed towards our hotel where we left our over-night bags in the cloak room and then went off back to the station to meet up with Grace’s friend, Jamie. (she’s basically the reason why Grace decided to travel up to Kyoto).
After that, we started our sight-seeing adventure. The first place we went to was Nijo-jo. It’s one of the famous castles that has 2 motes! I think I went the most trigger happy at this place…guess I was really excited to be in Kyoto.
At this place, you have to take your shoes off to enter into the castle. But what was interesting is the way the floor was constructed. It was made to mimic the sound of the nightingales so some funny architecture with nails created really squeaky floor boards. But…it’s not a bad squeaky…just…very very squeaky. Although because there’s so many people around, it’s rather hard to tell if it’s really your steps that are causing the noise or not…
Unfortunately, there were many signs constantly reminding people that photography and video taping are prohibited. …of course I read that after I tried to record the sound… ;P
After this, we went to Kinkakujo, or the Golden Temple (?). [the question mark is because there is a difference between shrines and temples…but I don’t know it too well…] Anyway, this is also a very famous area. And it has a rooster on top of the temple! Oh, and there’s little shops to buy good luck charms and omiyage and other little trinkets. But we went into the tea house! Grace thinks that because it’s summer, they served iced green tea instead of the tradition hot green tea. In any case, it was refreshing and delicious. And we got a cookie too. It had an interesting slightly sour middle…
After that…I think we rode the bus back to the hotel. We split up for a bit and re-met for kaiten sushi dinner, or conveyer belt sushi! The cool thing was that this place had lots of variety and even the California roll! Yum!!!
Afterwards, we walked around the area and looked at shops and eventually ended up in Gion, where Geisha and Maiko (geisha apprentice) are known to be. But because we were there “after hours,” we didn’t see any. But we did go check out the shrine that’s near Gion. It was really nice how the lanterns changed how the look of the shrine.
Then…I believe we called it a night. We caught a late night snack and headed back to the hotel (though Jamie took a bus back to her hotel/hostel). Then I took a nice warm shower (because it’s been hot, I’ve been taking cold showers and moreover because I can’t work the water heater, I’ve been taking cold showers) and then knocked out.
Again, we woke up rather early (not as early though) to meet Jamie at the station. But also, my home boy Terence found out that I was going to be in the Kyoto area (thank you facebook) and e-mailed my phone which lead to our arrangement to meet at the Kyoto station too!
It was awesome getting to see a really close friend again, rather than just exchanging email or instant messaging. It carried the feeling of meeting up with family which was great to fight my current battle with homesickness and culture shock (though it has gotten much much better).
So right after we found Terence at the station, we all headed off for the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It’s a fox shrine so there’s many different fox statues all about the area. Also, this is the shrine that has many many red gates. All, I believe Grace said, have been donated by someone or some organization/company. So…in one direction, the gates all look red, but then you look at them from the other side and you see all this crazy writing! But I really liked how after some red gates, a stone one would become visible. I think some of the stone gates have been standing since the Meiji era!
Because the pathway around this shrine is really long (and we were still a little tired from all the walking from the previous day), we only walked part of it. But enough to get attacked by mosquitos!!! ><”
Then after this…we went to Kiyomizu Tera (temple). But to get to the temple, we had to walk up an up hill road. And being it was a sunny day, it got pretty hot. And there were so many other people walking up too! Once we were really close to the top, I got excited because I saw some Maiko…but only to be told that they were fake maiko. Around the area, there are places that dress you up like a Maiko and you can go about the city in the costume. So…that was who I saw. But man…I’m surprised they were able to walk in those crazy high sandals…and even downhill too!
So up we went into the temple (and at some points, even more up we went). But the view from there was awesome! So much greenery and then nice shots of the city. It was just beautiful.
And there was this shop around the area that sold sweets that are only made/sold in Kyoto. It’s basically mochi (the rice dough thing. Not the mochi ice cream balls) but in Kyoto it’s much thinner. And there were so many different flavors too! The awesome thing about this shop is that there are many free samples. So…really you can just go in and eat…and pretend you’re interested in buying… Besides, it’s so busy in there, it’s not like they’ll really be able to tell you’re just eating the sweets as long as you look interested… ;P Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t just eat some of the samples. I bought a box of what I think was plain (though it had a cinnamon-y taste) and green tea flavors for the office (doing the omiyage thing again).
Oh right. Sometime on Saturday (I can’t really recall when that day since I’m finishing this today…Thursday…) but we found this nice trendy store. There were so many nice things in there (but a little pricy…which was great because then I didn’t spend too much). But I did find an awesome belt! Two actually and I was having a difficult time choosing between the two. But luckily I tried them on then and there and found that only one fit me so the awesome teal one I bought. Can’t wait to wear it really…rather bummed my favorite jeans are back at home…ah well. I’ll just go buy a new pair. Can’t have too many pairs of jeans, ne? ;P
Let’s see…so after the Kiyomizu Tera, we hopped onto a bus and headed for Sanjyusangendo…only to find out we were 5 minutes late for the cut off point to buy tickets and enter… ><”
The real sad thing was that Emmett really wanted to visit this area and we just missed the chance… D’oh!
After some sitting and chatting, we decided to head back to Gion. We actually walked into the area this time but alas, still no Geisha or Maiko (though there was a group of photographers around…). And then we went into the shopping area again. Terence found a manga/figurine store which I had somehow managed to miss and oh man…it was so hard to resist. The prices though, made it a little easier to resist (quite expensive compared to how much I can pay for some of them at the Anime Expo or Little Tokyo…sometimes…) But I gotta say, they did look better than some of ones that get sold in the states…
And then, we all squished into a bus and went back to the train station. We helped Terence buy his tickets and find his way back. Then the rest of us went to the lockers to get our overnight bags and headed down to the Shinkansen waiting area…only to read that ALL the skinkansen were running an hour and a half late!!! Though it was beautiful and sunny in Kyoto, there was crazy rain going on in Fukushima I believe (where all the shinkansen were coming from).
So instead of waiting about for more than an hour, we boarded onto a different shinkansen. We had to ride in the unreserved seating cabin though…so yay, more standing… But once we boarded the second one (we had to do a transfer), we all managed to find seats after the second stop. And more sleeping followed.
Another awesome Jutaku neighbor was nice enough to pick us up from the JR station and we safely made it home. Interestingly, our original shinkansen that was running 90 minutes late ended up being canceled. o_O;
So…that was my crazy weekend. I’m pretty sure I left out some things but over the process of days, I forgot to write about some or think I have written about…may even have written some of it twice…and I’ll try to post up some photos of it here. Otherwise, most, if not all, will up on my flickr account.
Friday, August 22, 2008
And a couple more pics
Apparently there is a limit to how many I can put...or my files are too big...
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