Jingle all the way ~
So what is Christmas like in Japan?
First, you go to work like I did :P After work, everyone goes home and eats fried chicken, usually from KFC. They buy a Christams cake from the local convenient store or supermarket, usually of the strawberry persuade. Some kids get a present from their parents that are left at the foot of their beds because people rarely have Christmas trees, and it's even rarer to have a proper fireplace to hang stockings near. Christmas in Japan also has the romantic image of a lovey-dovey couple walking through a Christmas light display in the park (but only if you live near one). Then you can watch a Christmas special on TV that includes a bunch of boy bands singing Christmas and English Christmas songs while all the girls in the audience go crazy. Then you go to sleep and when you wake up most of the Christmas decorations in the stores are gone and the sales are over. Oh yeah, you might also end up going to a meeting like I did ... heee
I kind of miss Christmas in the States :P Because I'm not Christian, I don't celebrate it in the "traditional" sense, but for me it's always been a time to be with family when we spoil eachother with presents, food, laughter, games, and love! I'm sure there are some people who cringe at the commercialization of the holiday, but it's such a great feeling when you buy a present for someone and they love it!! Then again, there's always the downside that they might do the ... "Oh thanks, yeah this is great!" but in that tone of voice where you know they are just being polite ... thank goodness for gift receits!
I'm wishing you all the best of holidays and a wonderful new year! I miss all of you back home terribly and can't wait to see you! I love you!
i looked left and right. the lights were flashing red but there was no train in sight. i looked left again and i saw an old grannie walking with her walker/stroller/portable chair and i thought, "no way!" luckily she wasn't in the way when the actual train did come. but i swear the train was moving as slow as she was!
should i become a physical therapist?
How to drive on ice:
1) drive really slow ~ no faster than 15-30 mph
2) leave lots of space between you and the car in front of you
3) don't put your breaks on suddenly, instead pump your breaks gently and if you start to slide than let off the break and the car should straighten itself out
i learned my lesson with these back in california and have since been very good on the roads here. people i know had to learn their lesson from the next few:
4) don't mess with your cell phone/i-pod/other electronical devices
5) avoid sneezing, sudden jerks of the steering wheel aren't good
6) avoid pedestrians slipping and sliding all over the rode
7) keep all pets in the backseat ... actually best to leave them home
8) forget all of the above and just stay home yourself ... who knows if everyone else knows these tips!
so yeah, usually the tsugaru area is plagued with white-out blizzards but because of the snow, traction on the roads isn't so bad. but recently, it's been one huge ice band out here. i don't often get road rage, but there this one guy who was following my car so closely on the ice, i was about to pull over and ... well do something! it's perfectly acceptable to do that during blizzards because you need to in order to see the lights and have some sort of direction, but on ice ~ come on!! dude!
I passed the "Ninyou Shiken" ~ the SGI entrance level in Japanese!! woot woot!!
My house has been winter-proofed. All the outside vents (actually I have no idea what they are called in English or Japanese) have been wind-proofed and covered. My chimney was fixed. And I've moved into my living room in hopes of saving on heating and electricity.
I'm always busy at work now. When I go to one of my schools, the English teacher looks and me and says, "So, what are we going to do today?" Before, my response would be, "Uhhhhh." Luckily I've improved on that answer, but it means spending a lot more time preparing for class ... oh you mean I actually have to work for my money? ;)
Speaking of money, it's been a very expensive month. Japan has this crazy thing called "shaken" ~ car check up. Every two years, you have to take your car in and get it checked out and it always turns out to be somewhere between $1000 - $1500. And the older your car is, the more expensive shaken is. No wonder everyone just buys news cars here, it's too expensive not too! I can't afford a new one though, but with a friend's connection, I was able to get it done for relatively cheap. Also had to buy new snow tires, although thanks to a teacher's connection, I was also able to get them pretty cheap too. It's good to know people who know people :)
At the end of October, I was able to attend an amazing training course south of Tokyo. Met let's of really cool people and got to catch up with some old Soka friends. It was exactly what I needed to get me through the month of November, one of the most challenging months so far. With the test, work, SGI activities, and bad news from Sapporo ~ it was a test of the emotions. But I got through and am feeling really good! Especially since the news from Sapporo has been good recently :)
and now ... if my internet lets me ... I'll leave you with some recent pictures
sunrise from the hotel room during the training course, I'm rarely up that early, but when I am, it sure is pretty.
silly soka students ;)
apparently, the Daishonin was left on that rock you can barely see when he was exiled to Izu.
oh my goodness, the yummiest dessert I let myself indulge in at the Hard Rock Cafe in Tokyo.
hmmm, what was I thinking?
this blog usually focuses on my adventures in japan, but this entry will branch out just a little.
i can't believe what i just read in the news http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/19/washington/19health.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin.
what kind of country and what kind of president would ever think of denying children health insurance? it is absolutely preposterous to me; these kids are the country's future and we aren't willing to invest more to ensure their health?! are only rich kids allowed to benefit from America's (insufficient) health system? the president and said veto supporters think it will lead people to draw out of private insurance and depend on the goverment for funds ... who cares?!?!they are kids! all children, no matter what economic situation they are forced into (because you know, kids can't determine how much their parents make nor can they determine their parents' choices about health insurance or anything else for that matter), should have health coverage. this veto directly attacks children and takes advantage of their vulnerabilities. parents from middle class families with sufficient funds for private insurance make bad choices sometimes (drugs, alcohol, gambling, stocks, etc.), and the children should not have to suffer because of those choices. in japan, this would be unheard of; EVERYONE here has insurance, including me ... at the very least, ALL children should have coverage. President Bush, you have one year left and this is how you are going to spend it? You should be ashamed of yourself.
i wholeheartedly believe in the saying (or whatever it should be called) ...
"learn something new every day!"
this is what i learned today ~ never, ever, ever sautee with vinegar unless it's in very small amounts. i realized i made a mistake when i went to smell my veggies and the hairs in my nose almost singed off.
i actually tried to blog the other day, but i still haven't figured out to fix my internet (i checked for viruses mom and nothing comes up). andy says he things i have a corrupt internet browser, so i'll try and get on that because i do have recent pictures to show you all, hopefully soon.
i taught JHS 1st grade girls how to play MASH (you guys remember that game?) ... they loved it!! i think i've started a new trend school, woo hoo!
i've been studying like crazy for this upcoming ninyou shiken (entrance level exam for SGI in Japanese). i have no idea if i'll be able to pass. it takes me at least an hour just to get through 1 page study of material because i have to look up every single word, but the really cool thing is that i was able to understand a lot of President Ikeda's speech during the last meeting. and even though i get frustrated with it sometimes, i realized i forgot how much i enjoyed studying ... or maybe just realized that i enjoy it.
alright ... i'm going to post this, then edit it to see if i can add pictures ~ stay tuned! i'll try putting in the captions first ...
aren't they cute??!! these are first graders getting ready for the marathon.
with friends at our favorite izakaya (bar/restaurant)
oohhh, sooo cool! haha
oye, my internet is annoying. It keeps freezing on me every time I try and do something (like blog or upload pictures), so we'll see how this goes! fingers crossed ...
Isn't it nice to receive food gifts? I don't think it happens a whole lot in the States, but it happens quite frequently here. This week I've received bananas, apples, pears, and akebis. What's an akebi? I had no idea until one of my 5th graders gave me a couple from his weekend trip to the mountains. Take a look ...
they naturally split open when they are ripe.
and they are quite tasty and fun to eat (kind of a like mochi texture or rice cake texture) but you spend most of the time spitting out seeds :P
We've been having really beautiful sunsets recently ...
i'll blog again so ... i have a feeling it's going to shut down on me again ... eek!
it hasn't been too exciting around here since the last post (thus the lack in posting). school has started so i've been busy planning classes. oh, i started a new work out video called "Billy's Boot Camp" but i'm somewhat hesitant in continuing it because everyone it feels more like muscle building rather than slimming, and the last thing i need to do is get more muscles! hee
i finally dowloaded skype, so if any of you have it send me an email and then we can chat for free :)
it's officially starting to get cold again, but i don't mind. it's much easier dealing with the cold than the heat (although we'll see what i'm saying in a few months time when i have to shovel 2 hours every day :P).
1st off, the layout of this blog is all weird. i've tried to fix it but it's being stubborn, so try and imagine where all the captions are supposed to go :-P
it's been a busy week! becky came to visit from the states last week and some of us went down to sendai to visit her and another friend. 
came across funny signs
ate really small pizza
on saturday, there was a going away bbq for my friends chris and yuki who are leaving for yokohama on monday. they will be sorely missed up here but it'll be fun to go down there to visit them in the big city.
how do japanese people eat hot ramen or drink hot tea when it is so hot outside!
on tuesday my house got up to 104 degrees inside! so i've been trying to stay out of the house as much as i can, which has been bad for my bank book because the only air conditioned places are the malls ... doh!
and i have now discovered that finding pajamas in this country is much more difficult than you would expect. i think it's because i can't tell the difference between their regular clothes and pajamas sometimes =P it's kind of like meals, they don't put too much emphasis on the difference between breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
hmm, this is a very random blog ...
hey everyone!
out on the town. it really is a sight to see these huge floats walking down the street.
it's almost 92 degrees inside of my house even with all my windows open and the fan blowing :( i was so excited when i went to work today because no one was there and i ended up getting the day off, but now i'm just cooking! although i guess it's better cooking at home than at the office :)
I woke up this morning with 3 mosquito bites ... on my face! I look like I'm back in high school with bad acne ~ bummer!
The elections are finally over in Japan (well maybe) and there was a huge upset. The Liberal Democratic Party has virtually ruled unchallenged for 50 years, but lost its majority to the Democratic Party this time around. In America, we're used to the majority changing relatively frequently (relative to Japan) and I think that's a good thing, despite how much I dislike the opposing party. If the majority isn't challenged, then it can easily become complacent and lose focus.
So, I have finally finished reading the 7th Harry Potter book and it was very good! For any of you who haven't jumped on the bandwagon, you don't know what you're missing :P For those of you who have read it, what did you think of it?
so when I was leaving work yesterday, the secretary lady said that no one was going to be in the office for the next two days, so I could stay home and do whatever work I needed to do there. woo hoo!!! gotta love Ms. Kobayashi :)
the volleyball league has been cancelled this year due to "over run-down gym that is about to fall apart". so I'm really bummed about that :( I want to stay active, so next month I may start playing tennis with one of my friends from work, but until then I'll continue walking 5-6 kilometers every day and enjoying views like this one ...
There are a ton of rice fields about 10 minutes (walk) from my house.
1 more week until Tachi Nebuta festival! woo hoo :)
Dude, so amazing! I just received a phone call from the Post Office, and the operator was speaking relatively fast speed and I could understand everything she said! Can I get another woo hoo!!
don't you hate it when you have to sneeze while you're driving? it's the worst, and seems awfuly dangerous!
i have finally opened a seperate account so i can start putting away money. i thought i had enough self control to save money in the same account that i withdraw from ... guess i don't! time to start saving!!!
i haven't been abroad anywhere since coming to japan, except for my one trip back home. i'm thinking that should change. places i want to visit in the near future: bali, thailand, korea
feeling very much in the mood to redecorate my place, but that would go against trying to save money.
i'm ok. i didn't actually feel the earthquake but it caused severe damage in niigata and a few people were killed by collapsed homes. let's include them and those that have lost everything (the area hit was rural and most of the homes were old and built of wood, much like where i live) in our prayers.
ok ... try this ~ stand up and put ur feet together. do your knees touch? the other day at school, the kids were showing me that their knees don't touch, at least not naturally. mine do though and so do many of the japanese girls. apparantly it's an asian male thing. weird huh?
the weather has been freaky here recently! last week my house got up to 90 degrees farenheit. i was sweating just watching TV. but then the last couple of days it's been so cold i've had to sleep with a sweater on. although, i'd rather it be cold than hot.
only a couple more weeks before the tachi nebuta parade! woo hoo! can't wait to dress up in my festival clothing and start banging a drum in front of everyone :)
last weekend i went down to hirosaki and went to a bbq with english club medical students from hirosaki university. it was kind of a nice change being able to speak in fluent english with japanese people. in fact, it was better to speak in english because most of the students are not from aomori, so when i speak in japanese it's difficult for them to understand me because of my countryside accent. doh!! haha
alright, time to get back to work! love you all! let's try and make each day count ~ that's what life is all about!!
i use that to decided which student will have to start the line of questions in english class and they love it! they always try to repeat after me, but can't get past the mo.
so it's been over a month since i've blogged (sorry about that!) and in that month i:
-participated in a bug and fire festival
-helped with the aomori trivia weekend for the Everest of Apples charity group
-won first prize with my group in the Tsugaru-ben (local dialect) competition
-was on national news for about 20 seconds because of the competition
-was called by Danny Habuki who told me President Ikeda mentioned me in a speech he gave in -front of Soka representatives (talk about being extremely pleasantly surprised) along with other SUA alumni
-gave an experience in Japanese in front about 300 young women's division members in Aomori (talk about being nervous!)
-started playing taiko again
-finished reading The Alchemist and Love in the Time of Cholera ~ both amazing books that I highly recommend
-watched 2 seasons of 24 (that show is addictive!)
-bought a plant :)
and
-have decided that i'm only 23 and don't need to know all of the answers yet, even though i want to, and as long as i keep chanting it will be all good!
so yeah, it was a busy month, but all in all a good month. here are some photo's to highlight and you can see more on my pictures site :)
this is the dialect competition. i played a mother who in america would be considered scary, but in japan, they just say "strong" ... hehe, but i got to whack my "husband" (eric, the other guy in the picture) with a newspaper, so that should give you an idea :-P
this was the cool get-up i got to wear for the bug and fire festival. it was actually quite scary though, our group had to balance this totel pole of dry hay on fire with two horizontal poles and poke it with bamboo poles from the side to help.
me and greg serving up the meet at the charity event. the meet was given to us by AUSSIE meat company, thus the very cool aprons :)
mel, the lady in light blue in the middle is our Prefectural Advisor but will be leaving next month, so erin, lady in dark blue shirt, prepared an album for her and she was very very happy, thus all the smiles :)
and this is just a special treat. schools have sports days here where the kids have to do all sorts of activities, one of which is sticking their face in flour to find candy and this is the result. don't worry, there were no injuries or tears, just extreme laughter :D
most of the time it's easy to distinguish boys from girls just by looking at them. but sometimes it's difficult to tell between a boys name and a girls name. add to that, short hair and a relatively generic wardrobe. and that results in allison thinking 2 girls were actually boys for an entire year. can we say DOH!!! luckily i found out from a teacher instead of making a mistake in front of the kids. but man, an entire year!! how crazy is that!!
last week my car sounded like it was a fancy race car because my muffler decided to detach itself from the car. i would have just kept it that way, but my ears felt like they were going to fall off any time i went above 30 mph because of the noise vibration inside the car. luckily what i thought would be a $500 repair job turned out to only be $50. but if my muffler decides to a-wall on me again, then i will have to cough up the money.
Finally :)
spring has come to Aomori!!
Top 10 signs you know spring has come:
1. Smoke is rising from the rice fields as the farmers burn (still not sure what, but I've been told it's all the foilage and junk collected in the fields during winter) stuff all day.
2. People have changed their tires.
3. It's sunny!
4. Hanami is in full swing (hanami = flower viewing = drinking under the cherry blossoms in the parks).
5. Only need to use my heater late at night and early in the morning.
6. No longer need to turn off the water at night for fear of it freezing.
7. The new school year has started.
8. You get stuck driving 5 km/hr behind the grannies/grandaddies on their bicycles.
9. You start seeing all the spring vegetables/fruits/fish on sale (but I'm still not sure what they are!).
10. And just in case you didn't recognize all of the above, there's plenty of commercials on TV telling you it's spring.
Ahhh ... spring in Japan is great! They really celebrate the change in seasons here and spring is probably the best as it signifies a new start for everything.
To be honest, I feel like I too am making a new start. I felt like I was on a high during February and March; I was full of hope and positive energy. But this last month has been a big-time roller coaster with ups, downs, loopy loops, side to side, and everything in between. I won't get into all of the gritty details, but I think I'm finally pulling through with a new found strength, deeper faith, and a better understanding of myself and my environment (thank you mom, Fujiko, ellie and uyen for your advice and support!).
Next week I'll be going to Tokyo and can't wait to see everyone who will be there! On the plate for this weekend: Ben and Aki's birthday/welcome Ben's parents party, SGI meetings, playing taiko at a festival in Kanagi, hanami, and seeing the boy. With all of that, there should be a posting of new pictures soon. Stay tuned ...
it's friday and i'm feeling it!! i've been keeping myself busy all week at work despite it being spring break and no classes. but today ... man WHERE is the motivation?? there are only 2 people in the office today, me and ms. sakai. i feel bad cuz she's running around all over the place answering all the phones (i still feel like i don't have the authority to do that) and busy with work and all i want to do is go back to bed :P i haven't had a lazy day of doing nothing for soooooooooooooo long ... i think i'd actually feel guilty if i did!
i picked up my bus tickets for tokyo last night and i didnt realize until after i got home that i had some other lady's tickets and for the wrong days. what's even worse is that travel agent had me look at the tickets and check they were mine! doh!
starting to spring clean cuz my house needs it!!
oh yeah before i forget, i wrote an article about my life in Aomori at Vicki K's request and it is now publised on the internet site Discover Nikkei (why I decided to start using caps, I don't know) ... so if you feel the urge ~ http://www.discovernikkei.org/forum/en/node/1606 (if the link doesn't work, try copying it and posting it directly in the address bar)
so i got back from hawaii a little over a week ago and i loved it!!!!!!!
this is in moana luna (maybe?) park
mmmm, yummy pineapple soft creme!
went scuba diving for the first time :)
view from the hotel veranda
wedding day! my host family are the one's on the right
just the girls!!
those two towers in the back is where we stayed
being silly on the beach! it's a miracale i didn't burned, well that and lots and lots of sunblock!
the rest of the pictures can be found on my pictures site. the 4 days went by really fast. most of the time was spent with my host family (translating a lot of the time) eating at restaurants, shopping, circus, walking around, etc. and NOW ... i'm considering possibly going to hawaii for grad school :) we'll see!