A Looooonnnnggg Weekend

The Trip
I couldn't eat school lunch fast enough on Friday. I wanted to get out of school and start my 1/2 day of ねんきゅ/vacation. After biking home, showering for a 2nd time, packing my overnight bag, and watering my babies, I headed to 黒部駅/Kurobe Station, parked my car and jumped on the はくたか/Hakutaka Express for 越後湯沢/Echigo-Yuzawa and the しんかんせん/bullet train onto 東京/Tokyo, a 3 hour trip in total. I managed to get a lot of reading done and drank a Snapple raspberry ice tea that I'd been saving for several months. Delicious!

Arriving in 東京　is always exciting: the lights, the fashion, the crowds, the noise, the anonymity! I know less than 10 people in a city with millions. Sometimes it's great to be anonymous for a few days.

Finding the hotel was easy and the air con, while not as cold as may prefer, felt good after a long trip and negotiating the 東京 trains. When I got there, Bobbie & Elliot were chillin' after a busy day of laundry and Kels had recently arrived from 韓国/Korea, a 16 hour trip, even though it is just a hop, skip and a jump away. To celebrate our mini-family reunion we ventured to 原宿/Harajuku. Unfortunately, the freakshows had disbanded for the day. We ended up at the Elephant Cafe for dinner; small portions, but delicious food! I highly recommend the peach beer and the tuna steak!

東京 Disney Sea

Bobbie & Elliot are Disneyworld experts and Kels & I have both been to Disneyland as kids. So we decided that Disney Sea was the best option because it would be new to us all. Besides the heat, humidity and the lack of an international ATM, we had a fabulous day. The highlights included: visiting Indiana Jones (but my driving sucked), journeying to the center of the earth, watching small children entertain themselves in the fountains and eating cheeseburgers during a Donald show (日本語だけ/in Japanese).

None of us felt the need to stay all day, so we headed back early, I bought some lime green shoes (crocs) in the station and we ate and rehydrated at the hotel before passing out.

相撲：　名古屋場所/Sumo at the Nagoya Gym

I've been waiting two years to see the big boys have it out in the dirt ring! And it was fabulous! It was another long day, but this time there was little walking involved and it was all indoors. Plus we got 6 hours of 相撲/sumo enjoyment in. And the experience was made complete by tasty bentos, special soup, autographs, photos galore, cheering and watching an obnoxious fan get kicked out. We also meet 相撲's biggest fan; he never misses a tournament and is a famous eccentric all over 日本/Japan (so he proclaimed).

After the bouts, as the big boys were getting into their hummers, lexus SUVs, etc the biggest boy of them all, Asasyoryu's driver pulled rank and exited the parking lot in front of all the others. The crowd went wild. But he is the よこずな/champion. As Koutoshu drove out he gave a little thumb's up-it was so cute! I like him too! And even though we didn't get a picture with one of the really big boys, we did get a picture witha a BIG BOY! We saw some りきし/wrestlers walking to the subway at about 12noon. The fact that they were finished that early and have to travel by subway vs. lexus indicates their status on 相撲/sumo totem pole. But they are intimidating nonetheless.

While we were waiting for the しんかんせん/bullet train at the Nagoya station, Bobbie took some super cute photos of the cousins 24-18-28! I've never spent any real time with Elliot before. I'm so glad I got to know him a bit. He's a fantastic guy!

A 東京 Tower Birthday
Monday was my sister, Kelsey's, 24th birthday. To celebrate we enjoyed an overpriced Western breakfast buffet complete with buttery croissants and bad scrambled eggs. It was a rainy day, but our hotel was minutes from Tokyo Tower, so that's where we ventured to meet our friend, Natsuki. The tower was what I expected, another overpriced view of a big city: buildings as far as you can see.

But after fighting the crowds of tourists from all over, including a Florida baseball team or maybe they were just a mormon family on vacation, we went back downstairs for a little birthday treat. We weren't able to light candels (tokyo tower fire code) but there were candels in the brownie mint chocolate chip sundae from Baskin Robbins. Unfortunately she had to catch her airport bus at 1pm so the birthday festivities were cut short. But we got the party started and I think her students and friends were going to help her continue it all week in Sokcho.



小学/Elementary Munchkins
The last stop on their Asia Tour was one of my elementary schools in my little town. They helped me teach 4 classes and are both natural teachers. I barely did a thing, it was wonderful. The kids were in full form: giving かんちょｓ (finger pokes up the butt), asking questions about weight and waist size, jumping & hanging on my 6'3" cousin and falling over in shock to see 2 more foreigners at their school. B & E were a big hit! And they also got to meet the Star Wars teacher who fell in love with them! And the office lady gave them each a big hug as they left. It was adorable!



I don't know many jobs where bringing your family to work for the day is acceptable. And I'm sure some of my co-workers question it. But...my job is specifically about communication and internationalization. So far my parents, sister, aunt and cousin have visited each of my schools. Each of them have brought a different view and picture of America! Thank you!



Wrap-up
I've been catching up on sleep and recovering this last week. It was an long exhausting weekend, but it was so great to be with family! Something none of us will ever forget. I'm lucky to be able to share Japan with so many people! Thanks for the visit!

I also updated my Japan To Do List (already posted)!

I'm leaving for my next vacation on Monday night. I'll be in Hokkaido with two friends, three bikes and a tent for one week. Pictures will be posted when I get back! Life is good!

This Weekend: 東京 ＆ 名古屋

It's family reunion time. I'll be on a train headed for Tokyo in 5 hours. In Tokyo I'll meet up with my sister, aunt and cousin. I saw my sister in May & March, but I haven't seen my aunt in about 5 years. And I honestly can't remember the last time I saw my cousin. They've been traveling around China for 4 weeks and Japan is their last stop. I can't wait to hear their travel stories. And it will be fun to get to know them because I've never spent time with them without hoards of other family around. Our plan: Tokyo Disney Sea, Sumo in Nagoya and some birthday celebrations for my sister. She will be celebrating her birthday two years a row in Japan...last year was in Nagasaki & Fukuoka!

My goal for the weekend: a picture with a sumo dude!

A New Allergy

I've developed a new allergy in Japan. I've always had hayfever. I've always reacted to mosquito bites. And when I was little I think I reacted to MSG a few times. Anyway, this new allergy is the strangest allergy ever. It started last winter. It always happens at home. It always happens at night. And it always happens after I eat my own cooking. But...it only happens after I eat my own leftovers.

It started with curry. I think I'd had it in my fridge for 2-3 days. And after eating it on the 3rd day I puked in the middle of the night. Next....Bear Creek potato soup. Same deal. I had made a big pot of it in winter. I was eating meal after meal of it and finally my system rejected it. I puked in the middle of the night. It has gone on and on like that ever since. It happens about once a month and has happened probably 5-10 times.

At first I didn't know what it was, but now I think I've narrowed it down. I'm allergic to pre-packaged leftovers. It never happens if I just steam vegetables or make a salad. It only happens if it's something with a spice packet or sauce from a box. It's happened with food from Japan and imported American food. So other than the fact that I'm allergic to leftovers, I'm not sure what it is exactly. But I hate it! I eat a delicious meal of thai curry and then want to puke. And you'd think that now that I know what it is I'd be able to avoid it. But I have this horrible problem...I can't waste food. And now I don't know if it's all in my head or if it's real. But I know that after eating leftover vegetarian green curry on Monday I almost puked and then had to go to bed and felt ill most of the night. It was horrible.

So last night I made some Indonesian white chicken curry (from a spice packet). I had leftovers. I delivered them to Linea. I don't think she's developed the allergy yet.

Cooking for one person is IMPOSSIBLE. I can't do it.

Anyone know what's going on?? Suggestions please!

4,000 written, 32,000 to go

Printed, packed and about to be posted. The first paper is done--two weeks early. I had to get it done, I have family coming this week and I'm leaving for vacation the week after. Let's see how the graders like it. Am I meant for grad school OR not?

On another note, this last week has been jam packed with events! Let's enjoying some photos:

Last weekend I went to 135's in Uozu for the Bento Boys CD Release Party! They even performed live. It was fantastic. And I got a front row dancing spot.

The little village of Funami is famous for its' Tanabata Festival decorations. They make them all out of recycled stuff-milk cartons, gum wrappers, etc. To start the festival there is a relay race. I was supposed to run on the PTA team, but had to cancel because of my knee! Bummer.

Later that night we went back to enjoy an hour long fireworks show, eat horrible festival food and chat it up with all our students!

Yesterday, Linea, JP and I took Bertie into the mountains and explored Toga. We found an AMAZING Tibetan-Nepalese Meditation Center. We were just in time to see them dance infront of a spectacular backdrop. They also have a restaurant and we HAD to eat lunch there. We had dahl bhat, tibetan bread, momos, and chai. Delicious!

We also spent a long time in the meditation halls experimenting with our cameras. The mandalas were amazing. The colors were brillant and the detail was mesmorizing. The floors were laquered which made for great reflections. We had so much fun playing with our cameras.

I had heard that this center exisited, but seeing it and just being there was wonderful. It was surreal to hear Indian/Nepalese music, see Tibetan Buddhist art, meet Nepalese people, and eat Nepalese food in the very rural mountains of Japan!

The worst part about visiting this center...it just made me want to go back to Nepal all that much more. There were pictures and maps of the Annapurnas! Oh, man! I want to go so bad it hurts. Someday! Someday very soon, I hope!

We supplemented our Nepal adventure with a hike! Stupid blogger won't upload those right now. Maybe later!

Rice Report III

Saturday, July 1st, 2006

The rice is still here and still growing. It's getting taller, thicker and greener.

I love my rice paddies. I love seeing green all around me all the time. BUT....I'm already looking forward to snowboarding season.

Let's harvest this rice, get some snow on the ground and get back to the mountains.

My (un)Lucky Day!

I either had a very lucky day or a very unlucky day. I guess it depends how you want to look at it. I guess I prefer to think of it as a very lucky day, considering the unluckiness of it.

Since buying my bike, I’ve been riding to school almost every day. Today was no exception. I left my house at about 8am. Today’s elementary school is about 3km away. It’s just a short bike ride down the main road. I was gearing up for teaching my worst class and playing The Harry Potter game with my other classes. I can’t say I was particularly looking forward to going to school today, but I had no intention of doing anything else.

But I just barely made it to school and even then I only stayed 30 minutes. On my way to school, I cross lots of streets, parking lots, shops, etc. As I was passing a gas station that just happens to be at a strange intersection near a major company, I experienced every bike riders nightmare…a vehicle turning in with no intention to stop. I had a split second to make a decision. Turn into traffic—bad idea. Turn into the gas station, but the ground was wet and I didn’t have much room to stop, I’d go directly into a water ditch (1-2 m deep) because it had no guard protecting it. Slam on my breaks but on a wet surface I’d probably go flying. Or let the vehicle hit me. I let it hit me. It was horrible. It was one of the situations where you know exactly what’s about to happen, but you have no idea how it will end up. But I was fully aware of it during the approach and impact.

Luckily, I think I was able to pull my right foot out of my stir-ups in time to catch myself as it hit me from the left side. And I think just before he hit me he must have realized and slammed on the breaks. I’m not sure who was in more shock. I was standing immediately and trying to assess the bike damage. I could feel a little bit of burning on my knee and indeed it was bleeding a little. But as I did a mental check, everything else was fine. Amazing!!

The driver never apologized, maybe you aren’t supposed to for reporting purposes. But he kept asking if I was okay, and did I need to go to the hospital. And he could take me. I got his meishi, business card, got on my bike and rode to school. All I wanted was to visit my school nurse and have her check me out.

The nurse speaks some English and is always really sweet to me. She helped clean up my scratch and got the principal, who in turn got my Board of Education and supervisor on the phone. My supervisor was there in minutes. He in turn called the police and started filing a report. And called the company where the driver works and got them involved. While all this was going on in Japanese, I sat there staring at the floor trying to keep my ice on my knee.

After many phones calls it was decided that we needed to meet all parties at the scene and then I would be going to the hospital. Oh my! Was all this really necessary? I decided not to question anything, I just went along with it. If this had happened to anyone else, I’m not sure they would have gotten the same treatment, but I’m a foreigner and in situations like these, everything has to be done just so.

Going back to the scene was a bit dramatic. There were two police cars, four police officers, the man who hit me, my supervisor’s supervisor, my supervisor and me. The police asked me all sorts of questions and drew big white chalk X’s where I was hit and where I saw the vehicle. They took lots of pictures of my bike and the scene. They were measuring things. They were analyzing things. It was all very official.

Next it was off to the hospital. I was pretty sure that I was A-OK. But maybe it was necessary for the police report or insurance or something to have me checked out. Because it was just my knee that got banged up, I went to the “Orthopedic Surgery” department. It seemed a little premature, but I didn’t want to try to debate or argue the issue, especially since my supervisor and I can barely communicate anyway.

We waited 2 hours to see the doctor. I think he has seen worse. Actually, he probably was laughing when I walked out the door, “They brought her in for that?” But he sent me to x-ray. I always tell people to make sure you wear the lead apron ANYTIME you get an x-ray. But I didn’t have the energy to fight it. I got three x-rays, one was pointed up my led, directly at my head. So someday if I can’t have kids or get a tumor between my eyes, I’ll blame it on the Kurobe hospital. The doctor looked at the pictures and confirmed—I’m fine!

While we were waiting my supervisor decided I’d already missed most of my classes for the day and told me I would be taking a sick day the rest of the day! Yahoo! It wasn’t that my body was in pain, but after all the adrenaline and the shock of it, I was exhausted!!!

At home I made some comfort Mac & Cheese and drank root beer. I put in the DVD, “The Gods Must be Crazy” and laid on my couch, occasionally getting up to IM a friend sitting at their desk correcting exams!

And then the doorbell rang. It was the president of the Electric company where the man who hit me works. He handed me his meishi, and gave me a bag from Sakura Sweets, the best dessert shop around. He apologized in very polite Japanese over and over again. And said they would be buying me a new bike! WHAT!?! Oh no! I thought my bike was fine. I felt horrible. I don’t want a new bike. I don’t want people bringing me sweets. I barely skinned my knee. And I only sorta understand what he was saying.

To make an already lengthy story end more quickly….the bike shop (relatives of the Electric Company) confirmed that they had already ordered me a new bike but that my current bike was fine. I told them to cancel the order. That’s ridiculous. It’s nice of them to offer, but so not necessary. I should get my bike back tomorrow and will be back on the roads commuting again in a few days. My knee is fine. Maybe I’ll discover a few post-trauma aches tomorrow. But overall, it was a very very lucky day. I’m so thankful to have so many people in my life that are so helpful and generous. I also got pampered with fresh vegetables from a friend’s garden and I got treated to a wonderful Mexican fiesta and some more videos! Thanks every one!

I'm having problems uploading photos to blogger lately. Sorry they aren't in the text.

Bike Accident
Originally uploaded by Sistak.

Bike Accident

Bike Accident
Originally uploaded by Sistak.

Originally uploaded by Sistak.

Happy Canada Day!

The night started in my apartment looking at an internet site with step-by-step pictures describing how to tie a yukata and obi. Linea and I did our best flipping back and forth between the pictures to make sure we were doing it right. In the end, they were on, they were tied and they stayed on (almost). We carefully got into my car, drove to the station and waited for the local train. When the train pulled up, we got more than a few glances from the other passengers. But nobody said anything. We got off at Toyama, and the station was packed. We had to negotiate our way through the crowds, stares and comments. It’s a little uncomfortable being a foreigner in a traditional Japanese dress in a sea of Japanese people wearing business clothes, casual attire and school uniforms. But it was all in the name of a discount. And I LOVE saving money!


To celebrate Canada Day, some Canadians and “friends of Canada” (that’s me) went to an all you can eat/drink for two hours for about $38. But if women wore a yukata, it was half price! Heck ya!! The food was pretty good, lots of fried food, but they also had salads, steak, and fish! The sashimi, raw fish, was gone before we got any. But, our table won a prize in a drawing. We were the lucky recipients of our own fish! Yep, we got the whole thing. It was pre-cut, but just barely. And by that I mean, that it had been cut minutes before it arrived on our table. It was the freshest fish I’ve probably ever eaten. Linea was dared to kiss the fish for fun photo opportunities. And she did. Seconds later the fish started moving. I’m not joking. At first it was just his fins (the ones that hadn’t been sliced off) and then his whole body started moving around. His lips even started quivering. It was amazing. Linea brought it back to life! We weren’t the only ones in awe of our new pet fish, people from other tables (all Japanese) got in on the action and everyone enjoyed our fish performance. It was also pretty tasty!


We capped off the night on the waterfront (I didn’t know there was one in Toyama) and did some fireworks. I persuaded some others to go also wading, which explains why my yukata looks a little wet!

Linea and I got the last train back to Nyuzen. We braved the stares and the crowds and not so politely sat on the train eating ice cream, taking not so appropriate pictures with our cell phones and filling our friends inboxes.

It was a fun night of food, beer, yukatas, fireworks and friends….all in the name of Canada!

P.S. Adrianna—thanks for retying my yukata! I’m not sure I would have made it home in one piece!

Oh Henry!

My best friend delivered her first baby last weekend.

Henry Evan Holmes was born at 7:24pm on Saturday June 17th, 2006.
He is 18 3/4 long and 5 pounds 13 ounces.
His mom says, "He is sweet and smiley and very relaxed & good natured."

I talked to Sara today. Henry is home and doing great. He has had his first car ride, doctors appointment, and tomorrow will be his welcome to the world barbque! He loves eating, sleeping and smiling. As we were talking, I could hear him making noises asking for her attention back! Wow!

It's decided, I'm going home at Christmas. He will be 6 months old! I can't wait to meet Henry!

Stuff It!

stuff (stuf) n. [ OFr estoffe] 1 the material out of which anything is made 2 essence; character 3 matter in general 4 cloth, esp. woolen cloth 5 objects; things 6 worthless objects; junk 7 [Colloq.] ability, skill, etc. –vt. 1 to fill or pack; specif., a) dermy b) to fill (a turkey, etc.) with seasoning, bread crumbs, etc. before roasting 2 to fill too full; cram 3 to plug; block -vi. to eat too much

That is the definition of “stuff” according to Websters’s New World Dictionary. My definition is the picture below. That’s my stuff. And I have too much of it. To be exact, I have 33 boxes of stuff. I don’t even know what it is that I have anymore.

I’ve received the inventory list-- I’m not joking. My parents recently went through all my stuff and organized it into boxes, made a list, labeled it, took pictures and put it into storage. I’m too scared to look at the inventory list. I don’t really want to know what’s in those 33 boxes. I know I have baby stuff, school stuff, high school stuff, Muppet stuff, college stuff, India stuff, Namibia stuff, Saudi stuff, stuff my grandmothers left me, stuff my grandfather has made for me and stuff I’m sure I won’t remember at all. Thinking about this stuff doesn’t excite me at all. It terrifies me.

The thought of going through this stuff and consolidating it makes me sick to my stomach. I hate making those decisions about what is worthy of keeping and what isn’t. Right now I don’t remember what’s in those boxes, but as soon as I start going through them….the memories will come flooding back. Do I need to hold onto that stuff to keep the memories? Or will the memories always be there if I don’t have the stuff anymore?

Why is it that I have all this stuff and is it really important to my life? Does this stuff define me, or my future? Will this be the stuff that I fill my house with? Will I become a slave to this and even more stuff? How much more stuff will I be adding to this list when I move from Japan? I don’t imagine taking much stuff with me, that’s the beauty of my situation, I can leave most of my stuff here. But I’m sure I’ll get sentimental and decide that some of this stuff is worthy of exorbitant shipping costs.

Only recently I’ve been able to carry less stuff when I travel. But people still make fun of me. I always have stuff on my back, stuff in my car, stuff on my bike, stuff in my bag, etc. I’m always carrying stuff. I’m the queen of stuffing one more thing into my bag. I can make stuff fit, it just needs a bit more stuffing!

Stuff is comfort. Stuff protects. Stuff saves. Stuff is security.

But I want to live with less stuff.

My Stuff
Originally uploaded by Sistak.

Rice Report II

Saturday, June 17th, 2006


This is how exciting my life is these days. I'm sitting at home on a Saturday taking pictures of the rice for my study breaks!

What has the world come to?

Saturday, June 3rd, 2006

This sunset was too good to pass up. And look, the rice is getting so big. It's so beautiful!

Chocolate at the Chugakko

Today was another sports day. All my kids were off playing basketball, volleyball, soft tennis, table tennis, badminton, and soccer. But there are a few kids who don't join sports clubs. Their options include: brass band club, science club or home-making club. Sometimes I wonder what club I would have joined in junior high school if I'd known I'd have to do it EVERYDAY. I probably would have done basketball. Hmm?



Early in the day I visited the local gym to watch the boys basketball game...they won!! Yeah, my school is awesome! Plus their uniforms were the coolest on the court!

But the rest of the day I spent with the home-making club. I had been invited to eat lunch with the home-ec teacher. She made somen, cold noodles, and brought sesame tofu, japanese pickels, and bread. All delicious!

I added, what seems to be my speciality these days, dessert! There has been an on-going discussion with the ladies that sit near me about the possible uses for tofu. I keep telling them of all the exciting ways I use tofu, and they can't believe it! So today was the day to show off!

I made my new favorite recipe, chocolate tofu mousse! Admittedly it's not nearly as good as the real thing, but it's a great healthy alternative! And the texture is convincing!

Just in case the mousse wasn't a hit, I decided I better make an old stand-by--chocolate chip cookies! I roped some of the home-making students in to help me. They seemed to enjoy it. They stood by the oven and chanted the countdown...and the ate all the crumbs. I also served them up some of the mousse, they were licking the bowl! That was a good sign. The home-ec teacher decided we should charge the teachers for our treats! One item= 100Y, two item=150Y.

My two helpers delivered the cookies and chocolate mousse to the staff room and very politely demanded that each teacher pay up before taking anything! It was so cute! The teachers that hadn't overheard all the tofu discussions quickly went for the mousse. The teachers with the inside scoop grabbed up the cookies instead. But I didn't hear any complaints! And the one teacher that kept chanting "I can't imagine" at the thought of a tofu dessert admited it was delicious and said, "I can imagine now."

Overall, a successful day of internationalizing!

6 hours, 6 people, 6 desserts

The bakers and judges started arriving a little after 6pm to put the final touches on the delicacies, make the mousse and open the wine to give it plenty of time to breathe.

In preparation for the big event, we had all fasted. Watching the mousee being made and staring at all the desserts was almost unbearable.




The first course was Jimmy's famous chinese pork and mustard. As side dishes I made baked corn and asparagus sauteed with garlic. We also had some delicious P3 bread. And we started in on the wine, of course.

With 6 desserts to be tested and tried, we had to go light on the dinner course. But that didn't stop us from finishing everything!




The judges took their job very seriously and asked each baker questions about ingredients, recipes, quantities and what country they prefer to import their chocolate from.

The dessert list, in order of consumption:

• 
  Banana chocolate cake-Jimmy
• Choco Berry Tarts-Kirsten
• Triple Choco Brownies-Scott
• -BREAK-
• Cheesecake w/strawberry sauce-Jimmy
• Apple Triple Berry Crisp-Kirsten
• Chocolate Mousse-Scott
  
  

At break time, we took a walk. It was getting to be too much and we had to start getting the blood flowing again. After getting some fresh air and stretching our legs, we came back strong and finished the last three desserts.

Some recipes are public, some are top secret! Several include strange and secret ingredients that only participants and judges will ever know about. But all of them were absolutely incredible!!

This is what happens when you mix wine and sugar. Everyone goes a little crazy!