convivial living.

Wow, so its been almost a month since my last post. I didnt intentionally take so long to post again but since I've been on Obon Vacation for the last 2 weeks, I didn't want to spend precious freedom blog writing. hehe.  its pretty freaking cool to have two weeks off during the summer... i havent had this since i was in school... and its FANTASTIC! lol. AND I GOT PAID! im amazed at how many people had this time off...

So I figure this will be a long-ish blog.  Please sit down, have a cup of coffee ready (possibly tea) and buckle down for the large (albeit super interesting) reading you are about to do!

Just before my vacation started, my friend Emmanuelle visited Japan! I haven't seen Emmanuelle since about 2009, so it was such an awesome reunion! We met at Kyoto station, in Kyoto, and spent the day wandering around the city.  The day was super hot, so we went to a random hotel for a while and sat and talked for hours until the sunlight relaxed a bit.  I love talking to smart people about smart things.... Talking to Emmanuelle reminds me of all the things I love about studying English literature and living in France.

Highlights from our day in Kyoto:

Emmanuelle's first Purikura

I found these little guys hanging out in front of a restaurant in kyoto... sooo cute!

these mocchi were to die for. you picked the flavoring of the mochi and then the filling you wanted. mine was a cinnamon pink outside with a berry filling and emm had something with peach. fantastic!

the view from where we ate dinner was beautiful!

special veggie dinner. 1 of 6 courses.

We asked the people at the restaurant if we could sit outside on the balcony and they said we would have to eat the set menu.  I usually cant eat the set menu because I am vegetarian and they almost never have a veggie option, but the people at this chinese restaurant offered to make me the same set menu vegetarian! ZOMG! it was soooooo good!!! ^_^

It was a really fantastic day.  We rode the shinkansen a bit of the way back together and then parted ways. It was such a wonderful feeling.  For someone like me, who puts so much meaning into friendships, this kind of thing is really important.  She is about to embark on some amazing adventures of her own and I am so excited for her.  I am constantly in awe of the people I know... !

So its summer here.  That means many different things to many different people but here in Japan, fireworks are abundant.  Almost every city has a festival with a fireworks display.  They are big and beautiful (only time youll hear me say that out loud. hehee)... but since it rains so often during summer, both festivals that I wanted to go to got rained on. T_T One major difference here too is that fireworks are sold just about everywhere. You can buy them in department stores, in convenience stores and malls. It's very strange to be in a place where there is so much faith in people to be responsible... 

One of the other really crazy things that happens here is the invasion of bugs. not little tiny bugs, but biiiig, large, gigantic, bugs. roaches that are about 3 inches long with wings that allow them to fly like a small bird. >_<;; The other invasive bug is the cicada.  They are noisy little creatures. Walking down any street at any time of day in Japan, you can hear them. The noise is almost deafening. I took some audio with my phone but realized that I can't upload just sound, so I found a good example of them on YouTube for you all to watch/listen to. This is pretty normal too. You don't even have to be in nature. Just walking down the street. THEYRE EVERYWHERE! Thankfully they usually keep themselves out of plain view of people, though as summer subsides, I am starting to notice their dead bodies littering the streets.  

noisy noisy noisy. >_<;;;

One thing I didnt see at all was the olympics.  Not that I didnt want to... but my natural aversion to TV and my general laziness prevented me from ever putting in any sort of effort to watch it.  That being said, it was a huge deal here in Japan.  Every time Japan won a gold medal, I would hear about it from at least 10 different people that day.  Anytime the US would play Japan in an event, I would hear about the result.  I was amused. I vaguely wish I had watched it a bit more but knowing that we crushed China in the medal count makes me pretty happy. ^^;;

One of the first things I did over my summer break was visit Ise Shrine. You might remember that I visited this shrine earlier in the year but it rained so hard that I decided not to go to the actual shrine part. This time I met my student Hiroshi and he insisted that I go all the way into the shrine, so we did. I made the trek like so many others before me. It's probably the most famous shrine in all of Japan. It was a pretty hot day too! Also the cicadas were super noisy.... 

the main gates leading to ise.

my student says that now that ive been to ise and prayed at the ise shrine, i am basically japanese. i said my prayers, then made the way back down the mountain. it was interesting... though i must admit, i dont feel any different... maybe im turning japanese but only on the inside. ^^ this is one of those things that people in ancient times used to do once in a lifetime.... 

one of the really weird things about ise shrine was the lack of omikuji. when they said they didnt have any, i was a bit shocked.... but i guess ise doesnt want to be liable for handing out fortunes??? 

picture of women tying their omikuji.

the next thing we did that day was visit Pearl Island. it was a super awesome experience. i am not sure exactly how i feel about the culturing of pearls, but i learned a lot. 

women divers traditionally dive to find the clams

pearls!

i got a little doll made from pearls. ^^

on the way back, we stopped for a rest. let me tell you, the rest stops in japan are VERY DIFFERENT from the rest stops in the US... these rest stops had heated toilet seats for one. they also had about 15 different vending machines selling everything from the newspaper to fresh sandwiches. they also had soft serve ice cream. also, THEYRE SOOOO CLEAN! 

this was the view from the rest stop area where we were. are you jealous yet?? 

all in all, it was a beautiful day.  

the next day i went with my friend cara to look at the orchids. i went with mandy to the same place over christmas and theyd turned the orchid center into a winter wonderland. this time the theme was orchids from around the world. they were really pretty. 

im not sure where these are from. o.O

almost every day of vacation i did something amusing. one major event was my move to a new apartment. its quite a huge change for me but like most changes, its not necessarily bad. the good things about this place are: i have much more space than i did before. i have a japanese style bathroom which means i have a very large bathtub/shower area. traditionally people first washed themselves off and then soaked in the bathtub. and the toilet was in a separate room. 

this a sample of a japanese style bathroom. (not mine)

i have pictures of mine but i havent uploaded them yet. lol. that will probably happen at some point this weekend.... but i think you get the idea. large bathtub with a shower head off to the side so you can wash before entering the bath. it makes showering/taking a bath so enjoyable! wherever i settle, i really must have one of these!

my kitchen is also bigger. and i have a balcony. i also get heaps of sunlight! i can have plants finally! the apartment is run by a family and we have excellent customer service. i have a gym, a small library, access to bikes, data center and all my utilities are fixed! my rent is about $200 cheaper per month as well. sounds pretty sweet right? 

the down side is that i live in what they call the "gaijin ghetto". basically its where all the foreigners live. gaijin (slang) meaning foreigner. foreigners are loud and obnoxious. so far it hasnt been too bad. i dont seem to live too close to where the noisy people are. ive also been keeping the exact location of my apartment a secret because i dont want any visitors. ^_^ 

freebell also has a roach problem. in all honesty though, japan has a roach problem. its not like in the states where basically the poor people have roaches. pretty much everyone here has them... though i was lucky in my old building. i never saw one bug. here i know they exist and live... and i am cautiously waiting to find one and then be faced with the dilemma of killing it or trying to capture it and take it outside... though i am pretty sure it will be the former and not that later and that makes me a bit sad. T_T

i also have a roommate. her name is susie. shes a bit older than me and has been living in japan for a year now. she used to work for aeon but now works for a smaller eikaiwa (english school) around here. she doesnt speak any japanese but seems to be getting along here just fine. shes also traveled to many places all over the world... in fact, shes going to turkey next month.  shes a religious person, christian, and not nearly as type a as me. all of these are potential pros and cons in my life but im looking at the glass as half full for now. she seems like a really nice person and for me, that weighs huge on whether or not i can deal with someone.  im sure ill update this more as i get to know her better, but thats all i really know right now. i am cautiously optimistic.  

pics to follow in the next update. ^^

august 6th was the day of the first atomic bombing in hiroshima. now i know as americans, we all learn about wwii and the japanese, etc., but its a totally different experience being here and seeing how it has affected the people as a whole. as an outsider i can understand why so many countries are angry with japan for not showing enough remorse (remorse in the way we think is necessary) but being here and experiencing the culture from within (and feeling the japanese way of showing remorse), i must say its very different than you would think. first of all, at least one of my students brings up wwii once a week. they talk about how japan was/is affected by the war and how theyve changed as a whole. its something that deeply affects a lot of people here. i dont think i heard about it nearly as much while living in america... and maybe its because its a war we won... but ive had many students ask questions like, "whats the difference between nationalism and patriotism?" and other questions that would be difficult to answer even in english.  many of my students talk about the dangers of getting too absorbed in an idea or ideology. its something i think about a lot more now that im here.

being here on august 6th was hard for me. i obviously dont like war. i know the justifications we had for dropping the bomb and i realize that many people in america still think it was the right thing to do... but i also understand that many mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, children... pets... loved ones who had nothing to do with the war, were murdered by the bomb. when looking a friend in the eye, its hard for me to tell them that i feel justified...

many japanese people are against nuclear energy. personally i dont have a problem with it but i also think that in a place like japan where we have so many earthquakes and potential natural disasters, perhaps its not the best place to build a plant with energy we cant control easily. donno. lots of heavy stuff around these thoughts... 

i dont think ive mentioned this but did you know japan is about 73% mountainous? well its true. the total land size is about 11% smaller than the state of CA. That means that almost 100% of the people live on less than 30% of the land. i asked my student if people took to living in the mountains, like people do in CA, and he said no. he said that would be silly because living in mountains is dangerous. lol. of course i laughed and then wondered why so many people insist on doing it in CA. >_<;;

^ obligatory picture of mt fuji ^

the last part of my vacation was highlighted with my trip to osaka. zomg i love osaka. its such a fantastic city. the people are so nice and lively... the city is so warm and more international feeling than nagoya... *swoons* the first day i was there, i met my friend maiko! we shopped a bit in namba and then ate dinner at a famous negiyaki restaurant! it was soooo good! 

maiko is on the left! circa 2009.

maiko and beka thanksgiving 2009!

obligatory purikura 2012

purikura 2

in front of a famous restaurant 2012.

negiyaki. 

negi means onion. it looks like a pancake... its made with a batter made of eggs and onion, etc. you can choose different filling like fish, cheese, kim chi... i had kim chi. ^^

it was sooo nice seeing maiko. it was just like meeting emmanuelle. shes doing wonderfully. she has a job where they pay her to travel around the world checking out hotels and tours that her company provides.... shes traveled everywhere! i am soooo jealous! but i am so very proud of her too. 

while we were in namba, we stopped in and met our old friend junko. she works at a place near where we were and even though she was working until 11:30 pm, she came out to see me. <3 junko is easily one of the coolest people i know... aaaaah!!! sooo happy! it was soooo nice seeing everyone again... i feel soooo loved. <3 i can hardly wait to visit them again.... this time it wont be 3 or 4 years.... 

the next day, i met my friends atsumi and yasuha from ecc.  they are both staff. atsumi works at handa, and yasuha works at toyota, but they are both from osaka. we met about 11am and went to tsuruhashi, which is where korea town is located in osaka. ZOMGIWASSOHAPPY!!! i had amazing food! ok, i guess if you know me at all, i am always eating amazing food, but we had soooo many korean dishes.... the bim bim bap was sooooo freaking delicious... and then we had korean shaved ice and these pancake thingys with syrup inside... *swoons* happiness was all i had that day!

we also made our way around korea town and around all the different shops they had.... we mustve spent about 9 hours on one street alone... o.O i couldnt resist the urge to go into every single shop and see if they had my favorite korean actor Kim Hyun-Joong! and of course he was everywhereeeeee!!!!! eeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! 

everything about this guy melts my tiny little heart. lol. so naturally i bought a plethora of stuff... let me show you: 

meet the love of my life. 

korean shaved ice! freaking fantastic! 

a plethora of k-pop/drama idols!

every type of kim chi you could want! and i did! i bought almost 3 lbs for under $5! ...ive been eating it for every meal for almost a week and im not anywhere near tired of eating it! ^^!!!

my loot. look at all my pretty pretty boys. (i am not lying when i say my bedroom looks like a 12 year old girls room....)

and yes... i even bought socks. i wore them today. no shame whatsoever. 

...yes. my life is fantastic. i am so happy i made the decision to come here. i am so very happy here. now i am back in nagoya... boring ol nagoya. its nice that it feels like home, but i am also realizing how much less of a city this is... i miss big shiny lights and having places to go... i am not really a night life kinda person, but i really miss having the option. i also miss having the ability to be in an international city... i also know that i dont have the ability to grow in this city... but my decision has been made. i will spend 2 years in japan (though perhaps not in nagoya). after that, who knows. 

current goals are only in place to keep me moving forward. 

and that concludes another riveting blog....! does your butt hurt from sitting so long? perhaps you should take this time to stop staring at the computer for a while.... lol. o.O 

thanks for reading....!!!

two years later.... the anniversary of my fathers death.

my dad was an alcoholic. (doesnt that sound like the beginning of an AA meeting?)

i dont say that to be mean, or to dredge up the past or for any other reason than to begin this post with a truth that had such a large impact on my life.

today is the night before the two year anniversary of my dads death.  this night is unique for me because i was in japan 2 years ago when it happened.

it was about this time that i was getting ready for bed.  it was a tuesday night. we had one week left of classes in tokyo and finals were to be held that thursday and friday. i had papers due. my roommate kathy had just gone to bed.

this night two years ago i remember thinking how very lucky i was. i couldnt believe i had finally made it to berkeley.  not only had i finally made it to berkeley, but i was finally going to graduate from berkeley.  the classes i was taking in japan were my very last classes.  mostly electives but necessary for graduation nonetheless.  as i lay in bed thinking, i felt a very strong sense of calm and peace in my mind and in my heart. even now the memory of the feeling of the memory is strong.  that sleep that night was a good sleep.  i would be a long time before i would have a sleep like that again.

of course i awoke to a phone call from bobby early the next morning.  bobby was calling me to tell me that i needed to contact my sister immediately because something had happened. just like bobby, he wouldnt tell me what happened... just that i needed to call cin. after that, time kind of stops.

i remember hastily writing emails to professors telling them i was leaving the program... asking bobby to get me on the next plane back to the u.s.a., and leaving frantic goodbye notes to friends, since i had already started collecting end of the semester gifts for them...

next thing i remember, i was back on a plane heading home. the plane ride (all 13+ hours of it) was a blur... coming home, organizing the funeral... all a blur.  i remember speaking at my dads funeral. i have vague memories of what i said and who was there...

i specifically remember jennifer coming to see me and bringing me flowers just before she hopped on a plane to taiwan- still one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me.  i have no idea how james knew how to find me, but he was there too. it seems whenever i am in trouble, james knows where to find me and how to help. i also remember my step sister christi coming. she didnt know my father, but she came for us anyway.

we had the funeral on a monday because my dad didnt want a big fuss.  he used to say that he wanted his funeral to be invitation only... and before coming to japan, my dad told me that since i was the oldest and he was not married, it was up to me to handle his funeral. we went through pages and pages of questions that the hospital wanted us to fill out. when we got to organ donation he said that no one would want his organs. when i told him they could be used for research and could possibly help others with liver disease, he was really happy that he would potentially be of some use.

my dad was odd. he was often too smart for his own good. he was always in his own head thinking. thats good and bad right? i know at least that i am often times my own best friend but when thoughts head south, im also my own worst enemy. such a cliche, but i think its more true for some people than we really know. extroverted people often turn to their friends and introverted people often turn to his/her own thoughts...

my dads life wasnt easy though. he suffered a lot growing up a poor intelligent minority. he told me in school when he was sent to the gifted class, his teacher tried to send him to the esl room instead. it must have been very tough. also dealing with his own abusive, alcoholic father must have been really difficult for him as a young boy.

so i dont blame my dad for the way he was. i loved him in spite of all his quirks and flaws. deep down he always had a good heart and he loved his girls. i think the difference between seeing an alcoholic from afar and seeing one up close, is the pain you get to experience. not only your own pain but the pain they suffer. its a type of suffering that i would never wish on anyone. to watch it... that alone is painful enough. i can only imagine living it. in spite of that though, i never once doubted his love for my sister and i, and my niece was the newest girl to steal his heart.

when i think about my dad now though, i think about all the silly things he did. all his zany ideas. he liked to give nicknames to people. pretty much everyone he was close to had a special nickname. it was usually not a real word and was very personal to the person he shared it with. i have one, my sister has one... maria... lol. it was like a club that we got to belong to.

i remember making working LED lights on a bread board when i was little. doing science experiments, having sea monkeys, building a go-cart, making a wooden dollhouse... playing nintendo, scrabble, and the dreaded chess. aside from the alcoholism (which was often times all consuming), he could be a lot of fun.

now that he's gone, i try to remember the good because i think thats what most important. that two years has gone by and i still occasionally pick up my phone to call him is a good reminder of just how important he was to me and my life. in the last ten years that he was sober, i finally had a real father. he became someone i could call when i was upset and having a bad day at work, after an argument with a friend (or boyfriend), or if i had a really great day and wanted to share it with someone. he would tell me to be more patient. to cut people more slack. to chill out. he would also tell me the things little girls need to hear from their fathers, like that i was a good girl, that i was smart, that i was beautiful, and that he loved me. every night before bed he would say, "daddy loves you. go to college." even after cin and i had graduated, he continued to say it. these are special things i will always have.

that two years have passed and i find myself back in japan to finish what i started, makes me happy. healing, moving forward, doing things... its important for me. i always want to work towards being someone better. maybe not in all things at once, but little by little.

personally this week has been really difficult for me. i havent been sleeping well, and i am pretty sure ive been kinda cranky- so i apologize to whoever i mightve offended. ^_^ this evening was a quite one. i ate some sushi, took a nice long bath, listened to some classical music, painted my nails... watched some korean dramas and tried to find a good center for myself. i miss my dad terribly but i think he would be happy to know that my sister and i are both finding good places for ourselves.

japan != america

hello. welcome to the latest edition of my random ramblings.

recently its been hot here.  about 100 degrees F, but with humidity never less than 70%. Its often on the verge of raining here, though I must admit, its still not as bad as it was a few years ago when I was here. lol. Its supposed to get hotter still. sah. though, what i havent been able to understand is why people complain about the heat so much now... i mean, if its still gonna get hotter... shouldnt we be happy with the near 100 degree weather? A couple of days before it rains, it gets super humid and hot... then the rain comes and its humid and rainy and then the next day its about 10 degrees cooler with less humidity. but again, it takes a while for it to get to that point. lol. its quite the process... though, the more i think about it, the more i realize that if anything makes me leave japan, it will be the weather.

customer service in japan is generally a few points higher than anywhere else i have ever been. when i forgot to pay my internet bill, they shut off my service. when i called after hours, they told me the service center was closed, but the guy on the phone turned my service back on as a courtesy. i didnt even promise to pay it... just good faith. also, the other day i asked a parking attendant if she could give me directions to the restaurant i was trying to find and she left her post and took me on a 10 min walk to find my spot- because she said it was confusing. lol. those are just two examples too... ive had many more.

in sad news, my favorite restaurant here in nagoya is closed. i hope its going to reopen again soon (thats what ive heard) but it will be at least a couple of months. where am i going to go for my meals now? issa really should have thought about me before closing his restaurant. hrm... i wonder if i can get him to cook for me? hehe.

hair is always done up in crazy ways here. its a shame that the women are ugly.  seriously. there's this legend, i guess, that the warlords used to take all the pretty girls from nagoya and send them to live in the capital, so nagoya doesnt have any pretty girls anymore.  poor nagoya. its true.  all the good looking people you see are always from osaka, kyoto or tokyo. lol.  but i digress... hair like the styles you see in magazines are often out and about on any given afternoon. there are always tons of hair accessory places in every shopping area and ive found quite a few things... though like most things japan likes, they tend to go slightly overboard, hair is no exception. i was at an arcade last night and i swear the guys hair was about 7 inches high! lol.

also, id like to talk about myself here for a minute. you know why? cause im a champ. last night i was playing jubeat at the arcade, one of my favorite games where you tap the color of the block thats lit... when a roach came flying past my head! PAST MY HEAD AND ONTO MY GAME! not directly on the keys i was using... but on my machine nonetheless. a BIG ONE! WITH WINGS!!! EEEEWWWW!!! enough to scare the bejesus out of me anyway. but did i stop playing? HELLZ NO! i was in the middle of a 120 hit winning streak - my new personal best- and i could not be bothered, so i continued to my 150+ hit winning score and finished the game. i have no idea what happened to the roach, but i left in a scamper.

like i mentioned that roach was huge. ive started noticing them out and about. they are a sizable force here in japan. really disturbing. i hate roaches. *shivers* also mosquitos. there are tons. thankfully mosquitos dont actually like me, so i think ive had maybe 1 or 2 bites since they started coming around. 

because the weather is so hot and humid, the bugs really are coming out in full force, but aside from that, ive never had to deal with things not drying due to humidity. like clothes. if you dont dry your clothes completely, they dont dry. they just stay wet and get moldy and ruined. T_T i am taking extra care to dry things and let everything air out as much as possible. mold really is no joke here.

the other day i was walking home and i was in sakae- the nicest city part of the city, and as i was crossing the street, it hit me that i was miles and miles away from home. this is something that i am aware of, but at that moment, it hit me. not in a bad way. more like, i had forgotten that i wasnt in america. this feels like home now. it was a strange realization. comforting, but also kind of surprising.

work has been going well.  now that all my observations are over with, i can relax a bit more. my students are falling into their routines quite nicely and i have a nice following of regular students. today i got to help with the counseling of 2 of my students. one is a surgeon and the other is a nurse. they want to eventually work abroad- in san francisco hopefully- in the next few years, so theyve been studying hard. they started a year ago in one of the lower levels, but now they are very close to moving to the highest level we offer. they told me they take my lessons because i speak quickly. lol. but, since they have recently been to the states, they realize that is what normal people speak like, so they appreciate it. but going into these classes with them, i knew they had these plans... so i figured it was best to start preparing them for native speech... im glad they appreciate it too! ^_^

its interesting to see all the subtleties in japan. everyone is forced to fit into a tiny little box and from within that box they must find a way to be slightly unique. for example, students who are graduating go to job fairs beginning in their 3rd year to look for a job. they must all wear black suits, white shirts, and have their hair tied back. you then basically have 3-4 minutes with different companies to sell yourself. can you even imagine? thats one of the reasons self introductions are so rehearsed here (and probably why it was also beaten into us). thats not a lot of time to leave an impression.

i was thinking earlier about california. i miss many things about california but one of the things i dont miss is the traffic. then i was thinking, california should do what japan does. allow the roads to be privatized. then the private company can charge a toll for driving on the highway/freeway and pay the city a fee for using the land. that would save california a ton of money in infrastructure costs. it would also give people incentive to take public transportation. yes, this is what i think about in my spare time guys. i am really exciting, i know. lol.

that brings me back to the topic of staying or leaving japan.  see above video. of course i like it here, but i dont actually have a reason to stay here either. i have pretty much made the decision to stay in japan for at least another year. two years looks really good on a resume and with that experience i can go almost anywhere else i want to go in the world and teach. that being said, i am at a loss for what happens after that. i know i am a weenie when it comes to bad weather though, so if anything, ill likely leave japan for better climate. france does actually look quite appealing to me. the main reason is the sunlight in paris. its daytime until almost 10pm there. i love that. here the sun rises at 4am but sets before 7. france weather is also a bit milder, though it does get a lot colder in winter. but overall, the yearly forecast in france is nicer than anywhere in japan really. lol. donno. 

could be anywhere. my world is wide open. if i meet a super fantastical someone, i guess i could stay here. i have no timeline. no destination. im just moving forward.

speaking of which, i am single again. dating yohsuke is a comedy of errors really. we sat down and had a nice talk the other day, but we are friends. now that i am officially single, i am getting awkwardly set up by friends... i say awkwardly because i usually have no clue that its happening. -.-

i also completed my training with the junior devision. i should be starting work sometime soon! AND i finally found a new place to go. i am going to what they call the "gaijin ghetto" because its where all the foreigners live... but i dont have to pay a deposit, or key money and all the utilities are included in my rent. i will also have sunlight- so i can have plants! ill also have hardwood floors, a nice new bathroom, and a roommate about my age. you can check it out here: freebell.

obon is coming up in 2 weeks! its a 2 week holiday... which is going to be fairly rad. hopefully ill be able to go to tokyo to see emmanuelle. possibly nara with mandy. ise and the islands with hiroshi and cara... lots and lots to see and do. i am looking forward to the rest too, and of course packing. i should be moving at the end of august.... beware of updates and craptons of pictures!

tootles

typhoon tuesday!

today was a really icky day. the rain came down in a slightly heavier than a drizzle sized pebble all day long. it was just humid enough to feel sticky and annoy my hair. oh summer. how i dread you... but its here... theres nowhere to hide. sah. thankfully japan, i enjoy you... its funny how when i was studying japanese at cal we always talked about the weather, and being from california, it seemed kinda strange to always tell my professors "what nice weather we're having," since weather in california is usually nice. being here however, watching the weather change so frequently, i see what all the fuss is about. -.-

smoking is a thing here. i feel like i stepped back in time 30 years to when california still had smoking in restaurants. there are lots of cafes where the smoking section is actually larger than the nonsmoking section. though admittedly smokers here are more polite than say las vegas, i still feel the idea is backwards. smoking is in the past. its not cool, its unhealthy, and it makes your teeth bad. >_<" also, i enjoy dessert and the places that have the best dessert tend to be in bars... and i always come home smelling like a pack of cigarettes exploded from inside my body. the smell comes from my pores, my hair... i wake with a sore throat. ugh. almost not worth the ice cream. almost. but ice cream IS magical, so if enough time passes, i always find myself willing to make the sacrifice for my favorite tasty treat.

speaking of eating, ive lost more weight. today i put on a pair of jeans that i couldnt zip up before coming here, could fit into during spring, and now ive got easily over an inch of room. to my own credit, i do walk A LOT. i also am REALLY active in my classes. i set my temperature at 68 degrees and my kids are always sweating.

last week was review week for most of my classes and i had them doing mini relays and a few of them actually just collapsed and gave up. mwuahaha. lol. but my school director complimented me the other day on the level of english my kids were speaking. they know all the english theyre supposed to know plus a lot of incidental language that i speak in class.  for example, all my kids can properly ask me to use the restroom. they call all tell me if theyre too hot, too cold, etc., in english. none of that is actually in any of our books or in the lesson but its stuff i think they need to know. they also know all of the random commands i have for them like "GO WASH YOUR HANDS." children are filthy creatures. i say that often. these seem like small things but trying to teach someone something based on almost no knowledge of the language you speak is often a small feat. i have 15 kids classes, which like i said is really high but it doesnt actually phase me as much as i thought it would. aside from the fact that theyre filthy, they arent bad.

actually, this week i am interviewing for ECC Junior. its a subsidiary of ECC and sends people to the local schools to teach younger kids. They also work with the ECC Junior teachers, who are usually Japanese, to assist them in their English brush-ups. It's extra money which I need and doesn't require too much of a commitment. 10-15 hours a week maybe? no bad.

speaking of part time jobs... ive been seriously thinking about acting again. i really miss being on stage, rehearsals, etc. i have some friends here who do acting and modeling on the side, so i asked them for their help in getting information. my friend gave me a lot of information and her agents contact info. so last friday i went in to meet with the agent. she was really friendly and recorded my voice in english and japanese. she asked me to work on projecting my voice more - which i used to do but brought it down when i started studying japanese. anyway i told her i would and i am every day. she actually called me about a job next week but i have to work. T_T she knows my hours though and she said shed call me if she could find anything for me during my available times. she seemed really positive. i guess we shall see! lol.

lately ive been noticing that i analyze my speech a lot. im not sure if this is a recent thing or something ive always done but for some reason i am noticing it a lot more now. i bet it has something to do with work. -.- i hope my english isnt getting japanified! my english was already quirky enough...

something ive been thinking a lot about lately is what is going to happen next. im so indecisive as to what direction im supposed to go. i guess i am going to have to play it by ear to see where life will take me but there is so much i want to do with my life. current list of possibilities are:

* stay in japan a while longer (in nagoya)
* get  a phd in japan (in kyoto)
* move to tokyo
* move to france and teach there
* phd in england or scotland
* teach in korea (and study korean)
* teach in taiwan (and learn chinese)
* move back to the u.s. and get a phd there

i am really up in the air about all these things. jennifer says after shes done here shes going to do a working holiday in korea for a year... it would be great to go there and see where my grandpa was... learn korean... korean guys are soooo cuuuuuuteeeee!

also, ive thought about going to taiwan ever since i went there... it never seemed a possibility but now that im here nothing is impossible is it? i could see myself being very comfortable in taiwan. they are vaguely close to the japanese culture wise.. which is comfortable for me.

i know if i spent a year in france i could be fluent. french is super easy for me to pick up. i had a really high a in my 10 unit class and i dont think i spent more than an hour of time studying total the entire time i was there. this would help with my overall goal of getting my phd in medieval literature since most of the manuscripts i read have english, french and latin writing in them...

i donno. so much to think about! what am i going to do with my life?! what am i supposed to do with my life? ive never spent so much time thinking about it really. ive always gone with the path that life has taken me but recently ive been feeling a sense of urgency. im not sure why.

my sister graduated from GRAD SCHOOL last week!!!!!!!!! GO CINDY!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO! <3 i am so very proud of my sister. she just amazes me with how she can choose to do something and make it happen. shes my baby sister and shes quite the capable adult now but since i played such a big role in raising her, the pride i feel seems like that of a parent and not just a sibling. i am in awe. im pretty sure that might have something to do with why i am feeling the fire to do something in my life too. i keep thinking to myself WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE VALERIE?!?!?!?!?! -.- grad school? someday. soon.

as my 7 month mark approaches and the half way mark of my current term in japan approaches, i am feeling settled here. life is nice. ive made some solid friendships. also though, many of my friends are leaving now to head back to their respective countries. its sad to see so many people leave, but most of the people here are not planning to make careers out of their time in japan. that being said, I FINALLY GOT AN OVEN!!!!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! AAAAAAAND A RICE COOKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *DANCES* im bought a small oven from a friend who is moving. as well as a lamp, rice cooker, and some extension cords. -.- and i got them all at garage sale prices! i feel so lucky! T_T you dont know how much life sucks without an oven! and while i cant really enjoy it very much now that summer is here... i am going to be doing all the baking as soon as fall hits! yay me!

so yes, my life revolves around food. every saturday night mandy and i find time to have dinner. we travel all over the city eating at different restaurants and trying new things. we have had some of the best conversations over dinner and had some pretty amazing food. its also a nice chance to catch up and/or vent about life. really though neither of us really has much to vent about. we both seem to be really enjoying our time in japan in our own way. we are similar yet quite different in a way that makes us compatible as friends. talking to mandy helps keep me grounded while i am here. its great.

lately work has finally settled down. the kids are in a routine. i can anticipate the bad ones and usually head them off before they cause any trouble. i also realize how much i tend to form bonds with people. i worry about my kids. i dont like to see them get picked on at school and i want to guard them. one of my students had her last day this week. shes 5 but her family has to move to osaka. her father beats her mother and her mom is pregnant and is having complications from it all. the child is one of the sweetest, most caring children i have in all of my classes combined. that anyone would harm her makes me feel so much pain for her. also, its not secret that i also shared similar experiences growing up, so it makes the situation more intimate for me. i am glad she is moving though. it means her mom is taking a step in the right direction for the children, which is difficult but very brave. my understanding is that domestic violence happens more frequently that we know about here, just like in the states. sah. such a terrible thing to experience... especially as a child. but again, thankfully her mother is strong enough to make this step...

ive been talking with many of my students about japanese families. my friend told me she believes about 30% of marriages are arranged marriages. that number is kind of shocking to me actually but she met her husband via an arranged marriage. my impression is that husbands and wives live separately. husbands often travel for work and leave their wives home to care for children. ive heard on more than one occasion of husbands and wives living in different cities all together. the reason being that its hard for children to change schools since they have to take placement tests to get into junior highs and high schools here. also many japanese companies move their employees around every 3-5 years, so men often have no choice in moving.  that puts a big strain on the marital relationship. also though, it seems like many people get married because its whats expected. people arent marrying for love - at least not the older people ive met. they marry because they must have children to succeed the family. my perception might be slightly skewed since i work for an expensive english school and wealthier people have fewer options as to whom they get to marry... but it is the stereotype many people have expressed to me. though obviously there are exceptions.

shelby came to visit me last weekend! it was great seeing her! i hadnt seen her since 2009 i think. its amazing how quickly time flies. shes just about to leave japan and head back to california to finish up her graduate degree and i am really glad i got a chance to see her. the best part about having so many friends in the japanese department is that theyre all here with me. its like japan is a big college and i get to bump into people on occasion. a lot of my heart is here in japan.

also, this year marks the 5th anniversary of my grannys passing. i cant believe shes been gone that long already. my grandma was such a remarkable person. the stories she had were priceless. whenever we had time to talk i would ask her to tell me stories about her childhood, her family, her friends... she was the youngest child and had all brothers. she started picking cotton when she was 3 and was born at the tail end of the great depression. her brothers were in wwii, once of them landed on the beach on dday and one of them fought in japan. she didnt wear jewelry or fancy clothes. her favorite color was green. she loved chili and spicy foods, perhaps even more than i do. if i listen closely, i can still hear her voice. when she died i thought that i couldnt even imagine a world without her. 5 years later i still cant believe its true. but grandma had no fear of death. she didnt worry about it and she didnt ever think we should make a fuss about it. she was remarkably brave and strong. she was everything i hope to be in life. i miss you granny.

i hold very tightly to many of the things my granny taught me. one of them was not to fear death. granted my granny was a lot more religious than i am, but i dont fear death. i dont even think about it actually. well no, i think about death a lot because i am kinda morbid (i.e. i like to read obituaries), but i dont *fear* death. i dont think about what happens after you die or anything like that. but, i must admit, i want to have a grand funeral. ^_^ i want a funeral like my grannys. lots of singing and people who will lie and say how absolutely wonderful i was... and lots of sobbing. like this ---> T_T but for details on that, you can ask bobby. he's the official event planner of my funeral.

since we're on the death topic, this weekend was fathers day. this will be my second without my dad. next month will be the 2 year anniversary of his passing as well. how quickly time passes. it passes without regard to feelings or want... just keeps going. but tomorrow i will celebrate fathers day. i will celebrate it for my grandfather and for my step dad chris, both of whom have helped me through many troubled times. i am lucky to have so many wonderful men in my life. many people only have one father but ive had many. for this i am thankful. i am sure my dad would be pleased that i am paying my respects to the people who have helped me in my life. still, its tough.

in lighter/happier news, my good friend emm is coming to japan next month! yay! she'll be here for training for 3 weeks! i am super excited to see her and also ill have a chance to go to tokyo! weee!!! i can hardly wait! i dont think ive seen her since 2008! ack! i dont even care what we do as long as we get to catch up... its gonna be great!

also, with any luck, cindy le will be visiting me at the end of her term in korea, which will also be at the end of next month. i cant believe shes been here in asia for almost 6 months already. cool. but also crazy how quickly time flies. i always say that but its never any less strange.

lately yohsuke has been sick. he had the flu and a cold back to back. poor guy. things have been hard lately because he lives with his family in another city thats not easy for me to get to... and he works a lot, and with him being sick, the last couple of months have been hard. i dont blame him... just, its rough.

last friday i got a new movie rental membership and rented a couple of japanese movies with no subtitles. in some parts i caught upwards of 75% and in other parts about 50% but it really depends on who is speaking... girls are easy to understand and they have easy speech to follow but guys seem to speak an entirely different japanese sometimes. although i am not a huge fan of the romantic comedy, they are the easiest for me to watch.

something that proved to be quite shocking to me was the lack of ovens in japan. THEY DONT HAVE OVENS!!!!! *gasp!* yea, like none. you can buy a small oven that is about the size of a large microwave but they dont come standard. thats why when i found out my friends were getting rid of theirs (since theyre leaving to teach in korea), i jumped on it! theyre so expensive here! about half the cost of an american sized oven for about 1/4 the capacity!

the last thing i got was a brita water filter. it was something ive wanted since i got here but have been too cheap to buy. admittedly, it was only about 30$ but that still seems like too much for water! but i did it and now i am drinking water like nobody's business.

last week i went to a school party. i like the school that held the party but i am always taken aback by foreigners. like, how do they have no tact? how can they be so self involved and have no regard for the culture or the place they are living? ugh. i was embarrassed to be there. one of the students told me, "they are very american arent they?" its sad that that's a phrase people use here... but its true. so i keep my distance. i dont need problems in my peaceful existence in japan...

finally, ive been watching a whole lotta k-dramas. ive always liked them more than anything else but stopped watching them when i got to cal. lately though ive picked up the habit again and its brought me endless amounts of joy in the last couple of weeks. i love so many things about them... but mostly i like how relationships seem to work in korea. its my perfect balance of love and distance... no overcrowding and not over the top, but not cold and distant either.

this is my favorite actor: kim hyun joong *swoons*

finally, if you follow the facebook updates, today we are experiencing typhoon tuesday. <---check out our weather map! i think two typhoons are supposed to hit tonight so classes were cancelled! yay!!!! i came home at 2 and had a nice dinner, a long bath, and did some of my chores for the week. tonight im going to start a new drama and then hopefully get a good night's sleep. its my first typhoon! i hope the power doesnt go out... then id have to eat all my ice cream in one sitting! itll be tough, but it must be done!

hope you are all enjoying whatever life has to offer you. til next time....

the dawn of summer

weather changes so much here. i really am a spoiled california girl. i like the sunshine, humidity free weather... that being said, i am glad the weather is starting to get warmer now. its much better than before... but the humidity is coming. my hair is already starting to show the warning signs. you know, those curls that wont go away no matter how long you leave the straightener on your hair... sah. but the last few days have been in the low 80's with manageable humidity, so ive been wearing my hair down and enjoying what i can of this nagoya summer.

observations were just over two weeks ago now. my observations went well. to be honest, i am quite happy with a lot of my classes and my kids are pretty good overall, so i wasnt too too worried, though i was worried about the classes my observer chose. the class she came to watch was the class that was giving me the hardest time... and of couse, in the back of my head i was thinking that thats actually the best class for her to observe because she can give me feedback, etc., but the illogical (stresscase) side of me was freaking out that they were my worst and most challenging classes, and that i would fail miserably and theyd send me on the next flight back to l.a. with a big rejected stamp on my forehead. but again, thankfully it all went well. i did get some really good feedback and ive been implementing it in my classes and its been great! my trouble classes are going much better now. ^_^ overall i'd call it a win. look! im on the school's homepage. --> i'm famous in japan.

the last weekend in may i went to see a nagoya dragons game. it was pretty freaking fantastic actually. the japanese are really really really crazy about baseball.  each team has their own chants and amusing behavior. for example, our team, the chunichi dragons has a doala as a mascot. nagoya has a very famous koala exhibit at the zoo and the doala is a koala. ive mentioned this before but nagoya is sister cities with los angeles and sydney (australia), so the dragons have l.a. dodger writing on the uniforms/logos... and im thinking the doala has something to do with sydney, but i dont know for sure. one of the best parts about the game was the big ol bats people hit together when singing the various songs and chants. if you are ever in japan, id highly recommend seeing a baseball game at least once. it was mosts def an awesome experience.

picture of doala and bats

for more details on the game and baseball in general, my friend sean actually wrote a blog on the game we went to. you can read that here. its a really good read. ^_^ there were 9 of us total. it was really fun.... 

last week i celebrated my 6 month japaniversary. i cant believe its been 6 months already! ack! it doesnt feel like it. the time is going by so quickly... i can hardly believe it myself actually. i wonder a lot about the future and what it brings... lately ive been feeling this sense of urgency that ive never felt before... but i dont know what exactly i am feeling urgent for... lol. ive been studying a lot and trying to stay focused on all the different things i want to do... but really, there just arent enough hours in the day or days in a week or weeks in a month... year... lifetime to do what i want to do... sah. so instead i am going to just keep plowing forward and see where life takes me.  

to be honest, i do miss california. i miss california weather the most. i miss my niece and my dog. i miss them more than anyone/anything else because it is the hardest to keep in contact with them. being unable to be with my chibi aches more than i can explain... or more than is reasonable, considering he is my pet. and my niece is growing up so quickly. shes such a beautiful, smart, wonderful child, i miss being able to pick her up or have slumber parties with her. of course i miss my sister and my mom, etc., but because i can communicate with them as necessary, the distance doesnt seem so far.

random japan things i thought i would share in this blog:

*** toilets in womens restrooms have the option of having the sound of running water so people dont hear you poop. hehehe. not all of them, but many of them do. especially in malls, department stores, etc.

*** they still sell zima here

*** parents often ride bike with children in bike-seats riding on the back. im talking newborn age. its not entirely uncommon to see a family of four on two bikes- dad and mom riding with children strapped on to the back. i wonder how often they fall.... 

*** sidewalks have yellow strips with bumps on them for blind people and bird chirping sounds in subways to help guide them. as far as physical disability goes, japan really helps out the young, really old, or physically handicapped. unfortunately, they do not really believe in mental health... so if you have one of those issues, you're outta luck. 

*** there are these guys who hang out outside of coffee shops and outside subway exits looking for girls... but like in really obvious ways... for example, a girl will walk out of a coffee shop and the guy will follow her trying to talk to her for about 50 ft until she walks out of range and then he will go back to his spot and wait for another *victim* to walk by and do the same thing until he finds on (desperate) enough to go on a date with him... its a very interesting thing to watch. people watching in cafes here is endlessly entertaining for me... ^_^

*** kissing in public is rude. people dont show affection in public really. sometimes a hug... but never a kiss. once in a while youll see a couple kissing and its almost 100% a foreigner couple or foreigner guy with a japanese girl. when i see it now i am also slightly bothered by it. lol. maybe not bothered but shocked. last week i saw a japanese guy AND japanese girl kissing in the subway- high school age-ish (wearing school uniforms), and i was so shocked i think i stared, but i wasnt the only one. everyone seemed to notice and turn away disapprovingly. lol. 

what else... i went to a couple of doctors here in japan. it actually wasnt as difficult as i thought. the main doctor speaks english and japanese fluently, so i didnt have any problems. the neurologist only spoke japanese, so it was a bit daunting having to explain to him my problems but i managed and now i am feeling much better. life overall is so much nicer when youre healthy. 

OH! i also met mandys husband!!! hes soooo tall!!! lol. hes a very nice guy though (not that being tall implies in anyway the lack of niceness...). it was great to see mandy so happy. you can just tell by the way they look at each other that they love each other very much. i think its sooo very cool that hes supportive of her living her dream out here in japan. i cant think of many husbands who would be that encouraging of this kind of life goal. 

yohsukes company finally moved so i got to see him for lunch twice this week. ^_^ it was nice. hes been so busy with work lately... i wonder how people can work soooo much, but then many of my friends think i am also a workaholic. lol

anyway, thats all for now. i am pooped and i have a big day tomorrow! wish me luck peeps! ill explain in my next blog! ^_*

I think it's ok to eat whale meat. There are still a lot of whales. Part Two

today was a really busy day! i had two private students and my japanese lesson.  i hopped about nagoya noting that many of these places were now quite familiar to me.  today i got off the train and realized that i made it to my exit without actually looking where i was going. kinda weird. when i got out of the station i had no memory of how i got from point a to point b... this is especially strange because i was coming from a direction i dont normally take.

i must say that my one very regular private student has been most excellent. he is very kind. he has two daughters my age, so he always checking in on me to make sure i have everything i need and that the things in my life are going smoothly.

 this is a picture of us at ishiyama dera.

Ishiyama Dera is beautiful! it's a very old place.  "ishi" means "stone", "yama" means "mountain" and dera is a temple.  so i guess, stone mountain temple is a fair translation. it is believed by most people that this is where murasaki shikibu began writing tale of genji... before she was plucked away by the emperor to write in the court. soooo romantic! *swoons* murasaki shikibu is quite famous- as one would imagine- and there are statues of her sprinkled throughout the region.

we went with my friend cara at the beginning of golden week. it takes about 2 hours by car to get there... and i think it might be one of the most beautiful places ive been to in japan. i highly recommend going if you're in the area.

it was so green i could hardly believe it was real. 

the markers around the tree are called shimenawa. basically, this marks the location of something sacred/pure in the shinto religion. if you're interested in some of the random shinto things i take pictures of, you can look at a decent list here. japan guide gives a decent, short, explanation of what the items are and what they mean.  

we also went to byodoin temple. its on the ten yen coin... and was build in the heian period. the heian period is probably my favorite period of japanese history to study.  there was a really long period of peace in japan, and just like any culture that has a long period of peace, culture flourished.  tale of genji is one of my favorite stories of all time because (in my opinion) it gives one of the most thorough accounts of ancient peoples. of course we are only talking about the aristocratic society here, but its still a pretty in depth account. 

if you clicked on the link for the byodoin temple, youll see that there is a picture that looks just like the one i took here. ^_^ and if you didnt, please click now. ^_^

its amazing how far back history goes here. i can feel the age of this culture, much like i did when i was in france. its odd but i dont feel the same way when im in china. china is very old but the way the government is set up, its hard to feel the presence of age the way i do in japan... 

like i mentioned in my last blog, i also went to ise to see the shrine. that was pretty freaking awesome, but it was rainy, so i didnt get to see the actual shrine. its actually a very famous shrine dedicated to the most famous of all the gods, amaterasu... but i know it mostly from the poems we read called "tales of ise." i hope to go back soon though... 

in kyoto, i stayed with ariel and nicky. im sure ive mentioned this before but their apartment/townhouse is pretty freaking AH-mazing. coincidentally, the japanese dont have a word for townhouse. they call it an apartment... but its a big ol townhouse. with a super duper awesome bathroom. and lots and lots of space.

while i was there, we met up with jennifer and (of course) went to the genji museum! that was awesome. i took a million and two pictures, but since jennifer and ariel also take tons of pictures, i actually have some with me in them! and we have tons of pictures between the three of us... ^_^ here are some highlights:

heian era picture on display...

us with the lady herself.

in front of the 16 generations of tea making store!

its not raining YAAAAAAAY!!!

*shush* im not supposed to be noticing ariel was taking a picture!

ariel took some great shots! ^_^

me with the owner of the famous tea shop!

not gonna lie. we pretty much owned the town.

genji with his love murasaki. <3

since pictures are worth a 1,000 words, you now have roughly 12,000 words of my experience. it was a magical day for me.  

the next day was saturday and i left kyoto to visit osaka with my friend- and coworker- james. we hit up all the major shopping areas in osaka, a couple of really cool temples and cemeteries. there wasnt enough time to explore it properly... but it looks like my other good friend will be moving there soon, so there will be plenty of time to stay and visit it properly. ^_^

back to real life... 

so blog points. i almost always go through my blogs the next day or the day after to check for spelling/grammatical mistakes in my writing. i type fairly quickly and once i start writing, the thoughts tend to flow and i dont really stop and go back for any reason.  sometimes though, i will change my thought in the middle of writing said thought, and i will miss something really obvious. so i go back and check and fix things that might be incorrect. hopefully if you go back through my blogs, you wont find any spelling or grammar errors... lol. 

also since my arrival, about 6 months ago now, ive dropped 4 dress sizes. i walk a LOT and my job is very physical. that coupled with a japanese diet, and ive had to do very little to lose weight. to be honest, i havent dont anything at all. just existing is causing me to lose weight. its good though. it needed to happen. its about time to shed that bad karma i was physically manifesting in myself.

if youre wondering, yes, i still have a headache. well, not currently. i had one earlier and took asprin, and currently i am headache free... but the same thing seems to happen every day... headache about 3pm, take asprin, and it goes away until the following day... 

im seriously thinking of taking on a fashion blog. fashion here is quite the site. i feel like im in a fashion bubble. all the girls seem to shop at the exact same store in nagoya. they all have the same color browns, beige, blues... same color high heels... same dyed brown hair and fake eyelashes... but i guess that makes for a boring blog! haha. the fashion here is nonsensical. well, im from l.a., and realize that most of the time, the best looking fashion is totally impractical... BUT style is always so different in so cal. we have so many different personalities and cultures that we dont really have one set style at any given time.  i feel like i woke up one day and everyone had an entirely new outfit titled "spring." lol. somehow though, i missed the fashion memo.  

japanese guy fashion too is a mystery to me. yohsuke flat out dresses better than i do. we have a picture together where he is wearing a hat and my friend said that is the current *in style* of hat. HOW DOES ONE EVEN KNOW WHAT THE CURRENT HAT STYLE IS? my mind boggles. also, japanese men take a LOT of care in their hair. like a LOT OF CARE! there are so many hair care products specifically for men...!!! please see this website for more info.

current mens fashion in japan.

*in style* hat

yohsuke has rings, bracelets, necklaces, an earring, hats, a green leather jacket - and various other stylish jackets, bedazzled pants in all sorts... and he's THE NORM HERE! please see above picture. when we go out, i take extra care to make sure i am on top of all these things. i will not let him have more accessories on than me at any given moment. -.- (please note the abundance of jewelry on me for this picture...) thankfully, this is already my kind of thing anyway... 

my biggest complaint is that people are always complaining they are hot. many many many people here wear long sleeves, vests, boots with tights... then complain they are hot. -.- yohsuke asked me what we wear in california when it gets hot... and i said.... t-shirts and jeans. he seemed shocked and slightly doubtful. ^_^ 

one last note on mens fashion... i saw a guy the other day wearing mens dress shoes - obviously work shoes, with a 2 inch heel. AND i could tell his feet hurt because he was walking like a girl who's been wearing her high heels too long. lol. knees extra bent, kinds dragging along as he walked... and he was already almost 6 ft tall.... it was quite an interesting sight for me... 

theres a myth here that girls who come to japan can never find a date. whereas guys who come here tend to find girls to date quite easily.  theres even a whole comic genre around it. charisma men they are called. 

the geek who comes to japan and then is overwhelmed by how suddenly cool he is... women throw themselves at him. he is, charisma man.

my theory on this is two fold. first, about 70% of the people who come here are male - according to my ecc personell informants. many of them come here to find girlfriends. its *cool* to speak english (for many people), and girls find it fashionable to date foreign men... girls also tend to be a bit more agressive here.  they have no problem flirting with guys for drinks, etc. i am in no way knocking them for it... they have foreigners flocking to their every whim- even the ones who hurt the eyes... these girls get free conversational lessons and most of the time free drinks! the guys who lacked attention in the states or wherever, dont seem to mind this attention one bit.  they enjoy having these girls show them around and all the attention they get from the exchange. 

on the flip side, japanese guys tend to be shy. not just shy... VERY SHY. but ive found many guys to be super fun and easy to talk to, as long as i speak to them first. jason shared a pretty good link to another theory taking shape in japanese society called herbivore men. its a really good article and i highly suggest reading it. its something i can actually say ive noticed quite a bit around here.

also, my coworkers seem to think that one of my high school students has a school boy crush on me! its my first! its cuuuuuuteeeeeeee! he always comes to my class early and asks me tons of questions about california... then lingers about unnecessarily. haha. aah to be young again! he works very hard at english though... and he wants to study abroad in college... taking lots of lessons with me will help him learn english hopefully! ^_^

and last but not least, the title. we have these grammar books that we use during lessons... and one of them is on giving opinions. its quite the controversial lesson. topics include: gay marriage, working mothers, eating whale meat, nuclear power, etc. so we teach them, "what do you think about X." and then, "i think X is X. because X." so the sentence is, "i dont think eating whale meat is so terrible. there are still a lot of whales." HOW TERRIBLE IS THAT?! je nais pas logic! there is no logic there whatsoever!

of course, as an american - vegetarian no less- its not generally a topic i want to discuss with japanese people... as they will almost always unanimously agree that eating whale meat is apart of their culture and OK. on one hand i find this mortifying. on the other hand, they make a good point. if you can eat a cow, or a pig, or any other sentient being, why not a whale? why not a cat or a dog? 

but now im just getting preachy... 

after asking around a bit though, many people have told me that the japanese have been eating whale meat for a long time but that the younger generation doesnt really like it.... and one student said, as soon as the old generation finally dies off, there will likely be little market for whale meat. i think that was supposed to be slightly comforting... lol. ^_^

and there you have it! i have hit all my talking points! BAM! 

i hope you enjoyed reading this installment! 

oyasumi! good night! 

What do you think about eating whale meat? I think its ok to eat whale meat. There are still a lot of whales.

so ive been neglecting my blog for a while.  not really by choice though... the week before last was golden week and those of you who are also friends on facebook will note that i have been running all over the middle and southern part of japan lately.  i went to kyoto, osaka, ise, shiga (which is a prefecture, not just a town) and of course more nagoya exploration.

also, for the past 8 days or so, ive been battling a headache.  not your average run of the mill headache, but like a migraine followed by vomiting, dizziness, and sight/sound sensitivity. this headache morphed into a tension headache thats lingered now for 8 days. 

that brings me to the first point of news. going to the doctor in japan. not nearly as crazy stressful as one would think. actually, it was quite easy. the doctor i went to see spoke english. pretty much fluently. the nurses and the reception area only spoke japanese but all i had to do was fill out some forms and thats all fairly easy to do in japanese. really, if you live in japan and have any japanese, you learn to fill out forms. japan is all about the forms! the doctor checked my head... since i am not tingly, my brain is fine. since i have no infection in my sinus area, my headache isnt caused by allergies. he thinks its a migraine and tension headache combo.  i guess thats possible, though i dont feel like i have any reason to be tense. my work isnt stressful at all. i dont have any long periods of stress... i am not in any way unhappy... and trust me! i know unhappy! i had quite a long period of unhappy when my family members were dying away on me... but now, i am refreshed. ive reawakened. this headache is weird. 

that leads me to my second point. i also got a massage! prices are about the same here as they are in america.  it was a good massage too. the lady was super cool and i feel very relaxed from it all. though massages always weird me out a little bit because they make me feel like im getting tenderized... kind of like a piece of meat getting ready for bbq. the face that i opted for the aromatherapy massage makes it seem even more that way... as she lathered me in jasmine... lol. hrm... it was easier than i expected in japanese too. maybe my confidence is upping... or maybe its my ability, or both. lol. hrm. 

to that end, ive been taking private japanese lessons once a week with a certified instructor. basically what that means is we meet for one hour every week and discuss the things i am having problems/difficulty with in japanese. the other 7 days of the week i study a couple of text books on my own for roughly 1-2 hours a day.  yohsuke says hes going to stop speaking english to me at all now... -.- but... i protest. 

yohsuke has been working really hard the last couple of weeks and so i havent seen him much. i know my headache is really worrying him though and he checks in on me regularly, but i have not actually spent time with him since the beginning of golden week.  though he has promised that once his company is done moving locations he will visit me EVERY DAY! ^_^ its strange... like i said previously, dating a japanese guy is interesting because i am subject to the whims of his work schedule.  after dating guys like bobby (where work was maybe his 4th priority), it has made spoiled... but i dont begrudge yohsuke either. i am somewhat of a workaholic myself and when i am with a workaholic we tend to bring each other up and thats always good. ^^

believe it or not, i am always thinking about blogging. i dont just write randomly. i write thoughts down in my notebook and save them for when i have time to really write some decent thoughts.

my current note list contains the following:

√ tastebuds

√ headache

√ donut

√ new school

4 dress sizes

whale meat

japanese guy fashion

nagoya beauty

√ blog writing

why girls cant find boyfriends

school boy crush

i enjoy writing a blog. its an easy way for me to keep track of the interesting things ive done. i want to be able to look back on this adventure intimately. blog writing does that for me. if you read this, then i am happy. i am happy that anyone cares to share my thoughts and experiences with me. ^_^

also, my tastebuds are changing. lately i have been finding things sweeter than they used to be! when i got here, i thought most japanese sweets were bland and tasteless. then one day i realized the super sweet peach/apple cobbler with ice cream was TOO SWEET! i think a part of my heart died a little. but that also means that i am able to enjoy japanese sweets for once! i had red bean with my tea at tea ceremony AND IT WAS ACTUALLY SWEET! OMG! really really amusing. also, when i first got here, mr donuts was terrible. their donuts were soooo tasteless... and now im finding them to be uber sweet.  strange. i guess it comes with living here... 

my furthest school, tsu, just moved to a new location. it takes me just over one hour in each direction... its kinda far but totally worth it.  i sit on the train and play on my ipad, study japanese and relax. the staff at tsu are super awesome... barry is the best. he helps out so much. the people there are really kind, and the students are good. well, i have one class with two boys and they are the laziest group of kids ive ever encountered but overall its a good day. ^_^ ill be going there tomorrow - or later today.  

ok, its time to sleep. i will leave you with a few pictures from my trips... 

**p.s. i will explain the title in the next blog! ^_^

this is the shopping area in ise... its so rustic and old looking! i really need to go back!

as you can see... it was absolutely pouring that day. it was still fun but i got drenched!!! 

this is uji. where tale of genji takes place <3 so pretty!!! 

this is the four of us. my besties. the reason i am so happy in japan! <3 

random temple in osaka... ok, its really famous, not random at all but i cant remember the name! oops!

the osaka sky tower! osaka is such a pretty place! i love the fashion, the food, and the people! such a quirky bunch! just like meeee!

this is me just after i made my promised prayer for nancy! <3