Interesting Question

A friend from college posed the following question to me this week. Worth sharing:

"Do Minnesotans completely lack in customs compared to the rest of the world? You would probably know better than most. This is a conversation I had tonight claiming our customs were just different and not lacking...your blog seems to say otherwise concerning bowing and the like. Are we really that far behind the rest of the world in class?"

Interesting question. I have never been asked that before. Despite what I may communicate here, I told him (and truly believe) that Minnesotans (or Americans in general) can be more polite than people in other parts of the world, especially when taking into account the concept of "Minnesota nice". I think a lot of people outside of America dislike or misjudge Americans because the culture seems forced on them (through media, movies, news, politics) or they don't recognize the difference between what they dislike about our government and our culture. I've had several good friends from Norway tell me they don't like Americans, but they like me. Well, I hate to break it to you, but I'm the real deal. Walking evidence that we're not that bad...

The answer to my friend's question really depends on how you are defining manners, however. Bowing is polite, yes, but there are so many strict social 'rules' in Japan... you can be rude without even realizing it. Sometimes it feels like you literally have to be trained on how to do things, which seems contradictory to common-sense 'manners' (as we might call it). As long as you're good person, polite and respectful, I would say you would do well ANYWHERE in the world.

I have only ever lived in Minnesota, so my perspective might be biased, but what most Minnesotans consider 'cultured' is at a global (-enough) standard. There is the concept of being polite to someone's face (somewhat of a 'happ0 bijin' mentality?), but furthermore, we have many cultural pockets in Minnesota that have taught many of us to recognize a basic line of respect for other cultures, that people don't seem to push that often. I mean, hey, look at it this way: in China, they spit on the streets and pick their noses (nose picking here is a-OK, too, btw - blowing your nose in public is not); men can grab women in the Middle East & froderism happens on trains here, too (even with the standards). At the same time, I have met some truly beautiful human beings in all of these places; these are just customs they are taught and accept. They are different, yes, but how you treat or approach others is often what leaves the biggest impression. And Minnesotans seem to be well-versed in making others comfortable upon meeting them... so yeah.

I'm curious to hear what my friends and family would say... but - in the absence of alcohal (bar behavior) - I am overall impressed by how people from my hometown conduct themselves. Let me know if you have any other thoughts (on my long-winded response)... it's a discussion worth having...

Conference in Kobe

The conference was a really good experience for me. I have to admit; being on an island with almost 900 native English speakers (even in Kobe, so close to home) was almost like venturing to a foreign country for the weekend. I naturally used Japanese to ask for things at the hotel and in a few workshops, but otherwise, it was strictly English with everyone. This is not a common luxury in my everyday life. The evenings were a lot of fun, too, with most of us going out to dinner and then to some club or gathering afterwards, but even that is a bit of a teaser considering you might never see most of the people at the conference again. On Monday night, Kelly, Jen and I hosted a Charity event at Ryan’s Irish Pub in Sannomiya to raise money for Habitat for Humanity (to fund building a playground in the Philippino slums one trip visited this spring). Kelly and I were at the door most of the night, but we took in almost $2,000, all from a voluntary cover/donation!
As usual, the conference was a business meeting, held at a huge, fancy hotel (the Portopia). The dress code required business attire and the agenda included formal opening and closing ceremonies. We had an opening speech each day, and I have to say, the second day’s opener, given by Peter J. Collins of Tokai University, was one of the best talks I have ever attended. Mr. Collins is a really charismatic American who was refreshingly candid and really taught me a lot about some social and cultural differences between “east & west”. I laughed out-loud almost the whole time. The daily workshops turned out to be extremely valuable, as well – at least on the first two days – but I was not as impressed by the last day (organized by MEXT). I went to a talk on globalization, given by an American professor who had settled in Japan in the 1970s. His self-introduction was extremely interesting, but it also took up the whole hour (rather than just being an introduction or preface), and I would have preferred to get more content out of his work and experiences. The second speaker was a famous psychologist, but it seemed like he didn’t prepare, he didn’t make eye contact with the audience, and he was asked to speak into the microphone probably five times. Rather than focusing on the psychological theories and phenomena behind culture shock or educating, he focused on being depressed and gave us advice on how to avoid suicide. I just felt like it was a waste of my time when I could have attended a more benefiting (or fitting) lecture.

One thing I did profit from in this last lecture, however, were the following lists of things that people said they liked, didn’t like and were surprised by in Japan (after at least one year residing and working here). I can relate to all of them, and think they are worth sharing. Maybe you will find some of it surprising:

Things we LIKE (about Japan):
Kind people
Culture
Food
Transportation
Feel safe

Things we DISLIKE:
Formalities/Rules
“Gaijin” (outsider) mentality
Too much deep-fried food
No Air-Con/Heat
Beauocracies
In-school politics (office politics)
Indecision
Lack of a gray area (too black & white)
Slow/rude old people
Gender inequality
Staring
Indirectness
Election Cars (loudspeakers)
Waiting in the teacher’s lounge
Lack of human contact

Things we were SURPRISED BY:
Nomi-/tabehodai (all-you-can-eat/drink specials – very common)
Relgion (balance between Shintoism & Buddhism)
Language (foreign influence & borrowed words)
Green (how much nature there is)
The Senpai system
Racism
Strict discipline
No grading systems
Fashion

In addition, I was asked to write the following list:

Five personal lessons (showing how I have grown since I arrived):
1. I’m extremely proud to be from America, and from Minnesota (but will quickly point out
that a country and a government are not always the same; ex = Nazi & Germany)
2. The world is small – there are so many basic human traits that transcend boundaries
(friends here remind me of friends at home)
3. It’s hard to be back at learning a new language. It is really difficult.
4. How much you can communicate without words.
5. Teaching is really hard world. It’s a respectable position
6. Cultural tolerance.

And that's about it! Feel free to send me a note or email if you want to talk about any of these traits or hear more about the workshops:)

Memorial Day Weekend

You know what is funny? I am so immersed in my life here, that I didn't even realize it's Memorial Day weekend! When you go abroad, you learn a lot of new, fun and interesting things, but at the same time - it's easy to lose track of things that happen at home. I've spent a lot of time on news sites (cnn, bbc), youtube and famous gossip blogs (perez, gfy) this year, trying to keep up with my own culture (um, because it really is my job... and I know how easy it can be to get behind)... but seems like I missed one of the big ones!
The holiday weekend that wasn't one here.
Well, there were no hot dogs or days out on the lake this year (although my thoughts and respect go out to my grandfather and all those who risk and sacrifice their lives for our country). Overall, though, I had a pretty good weekend.
...starting with the spa (yay!)....
On Friday, I met the girls in Akashi for a trip the spa. My friend Kelly's coworker clues her into all these awesome deals and sales in the area; most recently, the spa in Akashi. This spa wasn't really like anything I have ever been to, but it was quite nice and relaxing. Miwa joined us, although we were all pretty rushed to make the 5:30 appointment after school.
The spa is on an upper floor of a big building, across from the Akashi station. As with many things in Japan, if you don't know it's there, it's extremely easy to walk past it a million times and not realize it... case in point.
When you walk off the elevator and into the place, the lobby is exotic; like a Thai relaxation restreat. Very posh. The staff (all young, pampered-looking Japanese women) took our info and provided us with a service menu (standard package this time) and some sort of yellow, anti-sweat liquid that tasted like gatorade. We were led into the locker rooms (mostly wood-panels and floors with a wide range of free beauty products & electric foot-massagers), given our spa outfits (Thai-style orange shirt and pants), and provided a short overview of what to do.
It seems the basic point of this spa is to sweat!
So basically the spa trip consisted of visiting two large rooms, one with hioki wood (Japanese wood with a pleasant, more deciduous smell) and one with a pond and tiles. The rooms are hot - somewhere around 45 degrees (C). You lay down on the ground in rows (your area is seperated from the person lying next to you by a face wall) on bedrock (with a towel underneath you), and basically sweat out all the toxins in your skin for as long as you can stand it. Wrestlers would love it (for their weigh-ins)! The spa had little hourglasses attached to the wall that you could turn for 10-minute incraments, and they had a yoga class halfway through, but it was seriously not what I expected when going in. It's not quite a steam room and very large; it's just a big, hot, fancy room where you sweat and chat with friends.
We did about three 20-minute sets in the heat before calling it a day and getting dressed. We were given some electrolytes and small, sugarless cookies before heading out, too. It's crazy how heat can drain you; it was good to sit for a minute. Dylan, Heather's boyfriend, met us and we went to an izikaya in the building for dinner... pretty chill night, but the heat wiped me out.
And onto Saturday... and the spa again.
On Saturday, I went to a Thai cooking class in the morning. It was hosted by the International Friendship Association, but two Thai women taught the class, and the food was amazing. I've got a great recipe for coconut-pumpkin soup if anyone wants it! Afterwards, Kelly and I went to the onsen (hot spring) in Kakogawa with our Japanese teacher and another woman from Harimacho. It's interesting to me how comfortable Japanese people are with nudity at onsens, while intimacy is such a delicate subject (even holding hands is taboo!). I don't think I would consider going to a (nude) hotspring with my friends at home, but it is a completely natural social experience here (for coworkers, students, friends - whomever) and one of the things I have grown to appreciate.
Once we arrived, we discovered - to my great surpise - that the onsen had more of the themed "hot 'sweat' rooms" we had encountered the night before (about 15 total!), including a cold room that had artificial snow falling from the ceiling. We spent a while checking out all the hot rooms (including one that looked like a huge oven - at 65 degrees C) and getting some gelato before heading to the baths. The foursome hung out together for the first few minutes, but then split and Kelly and I spent most of our time in the outdoor baths, just soaking and talking. The cool breeze offered a relaxing contrast to the heat from the water. Both Kelly and I were slow to adjust to the nude setting, but once we did, we apparently got too comfortable. It was pretty funny when it was time to leave and our Japanese teacher came looking for us, totally dressed (had been waiting downstairs), and we were still sprawled out on the lawn chairs outside....oops.
Sunday.
Lena came over to go running on Sunday (we might do a marathon together next year - she, Kelly and I are trying to get into a routine). I showed her the seaside path and big temple near me, and we ran into Jonathan and a few of Lena's coworkers along the way (even discovered one of them lives in my building!). That evening, Kelly and Miwa came over for dinner and we just talked and laughed at my place until it was time to go home (or pack for the conference). Good times:)

In closing, a Happy Memorial Day to all of you - wherever this may reach you! I'll be out of town for most of this week, so I'll try to post more soon, but it might be a stretch....

9/11 Victims & sad realities

I was just reading this article on the BBC about a woman who was added to the list of those killed in 9/11 (NYC), afer dying from exposure to the dust caused by the towers' collapse.

The article reads, "In a letter made public on Wednesday, New York's chief medical examiner, Dr Charles Hirsch, said he was certain "beyond a reasonable doubt" that the dust "was contributory to her death. Dr Hirsch said he would amend Ms Dunn-Jones's death certificate accordingly and change the manner of death from natural causes to homicide."
They further explain that "the toxic cloud [from the crash] contained particles of asbestos, lead, glass, and cement" and add that the ruling making the woman 9/11's 2,750th victim may have implications in the cases of dozens of other deaths.

Here's the article (Dust victim is added to 9/11 toll): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6689973.stm

I applaud 'them' for recognizing this tragedy, and for honoring the victims of this heinus crime. However, I can't help to stop and wonder what ever came of the discovery that the government was not counting "indirect" deaths (like car and suicide bombings) as fatalities in Iraq when reporting numbers to the media this past year. Did they ever update those numbers , too (or merely expose a flaw when this system was being questioned)?

I won't go so far as to call anything hypocritical, but it all just strikes me as being so sad. It's good that we remember these horrific events in order to learn from them, but there's such a lack of respect for life, or confusion about how to protect your values, in my opinion. With friends in Iraq, almost constant exposure to information about the war, and a concern for those families & persons directly affected, it bothers me that we are possibly being biased or just haven't come up with the right approach yet. The 'road map' (to peace) seems mislabeled.

I am just tired of war.

The Rainy Season Begins

So I showed up to school with wet hair today, this time because I was drenched (by rain) on the way to school.* Oh my gosh, this rainy season business might be an issue. I was a little grumpy (and frumpy?!) so I layed low and was quiet most of the morning. Then one of the English teachers approached me about the tests I corrected yesterday...

It turns out we found a pretty big grammatical error in the textbook... right after the students were tested on it. Every time I make mass corrections (like for notebooks & tests), I keep a log of common mistakes the students make. When I am finished, I compile my notes into sort of a summary for the teachers and students, so they can learn from each other's mistakes and understand why I changed them (why they are right/wrong). On the midterm, there was one sentence that pretty much every student 'misworded', so I made the correction and took note of it. Today, however, the teacher was going over my notes and realized the error. The students had learned the structure straight out of the textbook (which was wrong). Crap. The teacher and I spent some time confirming that the grammar was incorrect, and it was an error, before figuring out the best way to explain the correct usage. I sometimes see wording that sounds a little akward in textbooks here (no full-on Engrish, however), but this was the first actual mistake I have encountered. And then to test on it! Oops...not good. It makes the students question the book, and - I think - makes us look kinda bad.

I only have two classes today, which I am happy to have, but the first one didn't go so well, either. The kids were really surly and had trouble keeping focus. One of the 'bad kids' (that I actually really like) and his friend were told to leave the room in the middle of the lesson because they were causing such a disruption. The class was tame after they were yelled at, but the discipline cut into the lesson plan and we had to improvise. The kids (and their homeroom teacher) apologized to me later on, but I don't completely blame them. I think scheduling a normal day of classes after four days of testing might have something to do with the unrest - probably not the most ideal. I was glad to play a game with the 2nd year expressions class (to give 'em a little break), but they too seemed exhausted.

I wrote a huge blog yesterday about the whole week, which disappeared, so I think I am going to join suite with the students and call it a day.

Too bad we can't all take a field trip to the spa! It sounds like I'm not the only person that needs it (this coming from the girl who didn't have classes this week...although I'll have to re-write about that later). Ahh, I can't wait for girl's night!


*This reminds me of a funny (but off-topic) wet-hair story:
Back when I was still working at Target Hqtrs, I was running late one day and came into the office in my suit and wet hair! Not really appropriate for a business prof. dress code environment, but I thought I could sneak into my cube and just let my hair dry wavy. Well, I made it into the building and got on the elevator and - gulp - it's just me and my director for the long ride up (one of the people you really don't want to be sloppy around). We chat a bit and then, suddenly, she asks me, "is it raining outside?" OK, we both know it's sunny and warm. So I reply,"No, I'm going for the bohemian look so I have to wear my hair wet or it just doesn't work." Hey, when you work in retail and a trend is hot, people understand what you go through to get the look. And so did the director. The topic changed to hair products, of all things (also not typical for a director - but maybe why I liked mine so much...).
Anyways, I thought it made for a good story. Who knew all the the time I have 'wasted' reading fashion magazines over the years really did do me some good... lucky save!

Oh, Midterms... how they come and go.

This has been a busy week of test-taking for the kiddies. While I personally haven't had classes or tests to proctor, I've managed to keep myself entertained. It's been a bit busy, actually...
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On Monday, I holed up in my classroom for the morning, doing some reading and "Japanese cultural research" (ie watching movies - some for lessons, some out of interest). One of the movies, Grave of the Fireflies, was in Japanese (with English text) and in a local dialect. I could only understand bits and pieces, but my listening comprehension skills are getting better and I was able to get some new vocab out of it.
I took the afternoon off and met Miyake Sensei for lunch at a steakhouse near where we live (Mpls's Ichiban style!). Miyake brought her neighbor, who is around my age, and who happens to be the old host-sister of a friend from Australia that studied abroad here. Small world. In the evening, I went for my run before Japanese class and then to bed (sorta late), the usual.
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I spent Tuesday morning reading my law school prep books in my classroom. Joe brought a few with him from America, and I am finding the information both insightful and helpful. It's embarrassing to admit, but at one point, I realized there were tears streaming down my cheeks as I was reading a chapter about motivation for going into law and finding passion in life. It's just been such a long journey to get to where I am now (& to where I am going), but I feel like I am finally on the right road again - for me. Don't get me wrong, I gained some very valuable skills as an analyst and loved my time at Carlson (great company, great job, amazing mentors), but while it was a good place to be and taught me a lot, it was someone else's dream - not mine. I am still young; it's worth taking risks to follow the right path for you. Anyways, it was like the author of this law book was talking directly to me in this section, and it hit me harder than I expected it to, in a very good way (now let's just hope the admissions counselors see that, too!).
There's No Place Like Home...
In the afternoon, we had our bi-annual staff softball game. Let me just preface this story by saying I am not a huge fan of playing softball, nor am I very good. Well, I'm "ok" at most sports and am willing to give it a try, but not great. As the only female out on the field with my team (of talented players - who knew?!), however, I was proud to be playing like a girl:)
We played on the school's baseball field, and a lot of students watched and cheered us on. It was pretty fun, and I learned some good cheers in Japanese. AND... my team won!! By the time I got inside and back to my desk, I had two big cans of beer waiting for me (to be had AT WORK). Beer at school? I don't even need to click my heels... we're definately not in America anymore. It was a fun afternoon outside and a good bonding experience with the coworkers.
That night I headed into Akashi to take some pictures. I had agreed to do a friend a favor by taking some professional pictures to advertising his business in a local event paper, called Hot Pepper (kind of like the City Pages of Kobe). It went well, and I met a friend for dinner, drinks and a puff or two on the ole 'hubble bubble' afterwards (green apple, my fave). I'll post the ad once I see it....
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Wednesday was our ladies lunch at school, which is basically an excuse for the female staff members to get together. It was extremely refreshing! We ordered box lunches of sushi and rice, which came in these fancy little ceramic boxes, and had tea and cake for desert. And I learned another fact little fact: matcha-flav. chocolate is dangerously delicious! A lot of the women I work with have very strong personalities, which don't always shine in the presence of meetings, etc, so it was good to hear & learn more about who they are and what their days are like. I missed the last ladies lunch, and I forsee them getting better and better as my Japanese improves more.
I was able to leave school earlier than usual again and slept for a while when I got home before taking an evening run along the river. I was mostly kept company by elderly couples and canine-lovers on the river path, but it's a a nice view and romantic path in the evening. The air, however, is definately getting noticibly thicker. The humidy was pretty unpleasant, for maybe the first time of the year... makes me nervous for the summer. I might have to get used to night runs. On a side note, I just want to say I know my schedule outside of work closely resembles that of a cat this week (a little work here, a little lunch there and a lot of sleeping and running), but it's been years since I've napped and you have to take it while you can get it!
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Thursday was spent correcting tests (actually very pleased to have more substantial actual work to do this week), taking in a long-overdue phone call with a friend from home, going for a long run in the evening (I think I might be back in training - harder to do long distance but the new running buddy is good)... and .... Not much else going on - cut friend's hair and went to bed.
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I am going to the spa tomorrow evening (Friday) in Akashi for girl's night. Miwa is coming. Apparently, the place has 'rock beds' with a massage for about $15. Rock on.

Brain Candy: I learned a new phrase worth sharing this past week. In Japan, if someone is really energetic and cheerful, you refer to them as "high tension" (using English). Talk about leaving room for misinterpretation... :-P

The Weekend Review - Ruminations...

This weekend went pretty well.

Enkai: Friday was the department work party. We went to a Chinese place in Kakogawa and then Nozaki and I met Kelly and a group of her coworkers for karaoke in Akashi. It was a much different crowd than I anticipated, but we had fun none-the-less. Nozaki is by far one of my favorite karaoke comrads in Japan. She's very animated and does a killer rendition of "My Love Will Go On" (Yes, Titanic, but she acts out some scenes and gets so into it - great performance). It made the night.

PEPY: On the ride home from the station, I also had an unexpected conversation with an aquaintance about PEPY, the volunteer program in Cambodia I am planning to take part in this December. My friend Jessica did the same program two years ago and really loved it, but I was surpised to hear this person describe it as more voluntourism. He said it was actually blatant the hands-on assistance they provided was not needed, but that it was good to see first-hand how their donations were helping. Each trip is understandably different, but one of the things I like about Habitat, for example, is that you get involved in the community and can see the effects of your labour (in a smile, a conversation, or in the physical changes you make to a community or for a family), not just the dollars. I think I need to do a little more research before my PEPY experience, but it was interesting to get another perspective.

Birthday Bash: Saturday was a relaxed day. I went to my friend's birthday party in Osaka at night. I'm getting better at finding random establishments in Osaka on my own, and in this case, the hunt was worth it. The birthday boy lives in a different part of the prefecture from me, so it was good to see him and some people from his neck of the woods, but the atmosphere of the venue was also superb. We met at a bar called Balabushka, which looks exactly like an American bar. I walked in and felt like I was back in Minneapolis (or Dundas, geez) with the wood floors, pool tables, spacious areas, and people standing around and mingling. It wasn't expensive, either. Considering it's close to the Shinsaibashi subway station, and there is a cheap capsule hotel/onsen a block away... I do believe I just found my backup plan to those long all-nighters I sometimes describe. We had a second pub/clubbing option last night, too, but I just said my goodbyes and took the last train home. I had a wonderful time, but I was glad to be in my bed when the sun came up and save the clubs or capsule for next time.

Sunday: I didn't do much today. I went to Tsutaya, a Japanese rental chain, sort of like Bluckbuster in America, but where you can also rent CDs and spent the evening watching three new episodes of LOST with Clam. Creepy, creepy, creepy... but the show is getting better.
So now, it's late on Sunday night, yet again, and I need to go to bed, but I just went to Miwa's for a while to chat (used her face steamer...oh la la) and got a call from home, so I'm awake again and playing around on the computer before calling it a night. We have midterms this week, so there's not much going on at school, but I think I am going to try to start reading the grad school prep books Joe brought me from America. Application time is coming up and I am starting to get nervous (and excited - woo hoo!), so I should take advantage of the time.

Running: I might also see if I can run at school during the day this week. I thought about signing up for another big run this summer, but Takiko reminded me that June is the rainy season here (not to mention the awful summer humidity and typhoon season), so I might just keep jogging and get serious about training for a big race this fall or next year. The Toyko marathon is in February or March, so that might be a fun one if I can find a new running buddy. I am definately not at the same level I was at a few months ago, and I can feel it getting harder to run with the humidy increasing, but it feels good to get outside and the endorphines give me such a high.

Anyways, this is a long, random post (sorry - easier than emailing sometimes), but all is well in my little corner of the world. Hope it's the same for you... time to call it a night!

The Kevin Bacon Phenomenon – Fort Snelling

It’s crazy how things can come back around. I was reading the news on Wikipedia this afternoon and ended up following a few court case links to Dred Scott v. Sandford, which led me – of all places - to Fort Snelling.
Anyone from Minnesota knows about Fort Snelling. It’s an old army fortress on the Mississippi, close to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport and Mall of America, where we all had to go on school fieldtrips and costumed staff taught us about life in the Civil War period. Or maybe it’s that National Historical Landmark you have problem either driven past or visited with the family once or twice, right? Well, either way, I haven’t given Snelling much thought in a long time... until today when I unexpectantly stumbled across some intriguing facts about the area.
I was surprised to discover Snelling was actively used through WWII as the Military Intelligence Service Langauge School*, set up to teach Japanese to army personel. Ok, that caught my interest. The school was in MN... and Japanese? I know a guy from college who joined the army and was sent to study Korean at the Monteray Institute in CA (prob the best place in the country for languages - with ties to CLV!), which I think could be the same program, so I thought it was random it would have previously been hosted in my hometown. I guess Japanese should not be a huge shocker considering the secret language program was established on the same day the US entered WWII , but again, I found the location ironic.
I don’t have plans to join the army anytime soon, and I don’t know that I’ll be living in either California (Monteray) or Minnesota, for that matter, in the near future, but I still feel like there are some tangled webs here, bringing the past and present together. I am either forming some random and spread out connections, or the world really is a small place?! I'll have to drop by Snelling when I am home this summer and see if they have any more information.

Anyhoo, just a random, Friday afternoon rant. Things are slowing down, but the news and internet keep me entertained. Hope all is well where you're reading this. TGIF!


*FYI... The softer side of the military?: The Defense Language Institute (DLI) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) educational and research institution, which provides linguistic and cultural instruction to the Department of Defense, other Federal Agencies and numerous and varied other customers. The Defense Language Institute is responsible for the Defense Language Program, and the bulk of the Defense Language Institute's activities involve educating DOD members in assigned languages. Other functions include planning, curriculum development, and research in second-language acquisition.

Drama

When I first arrived in Japan, I often felt like I had a front-row seat to a Spanish soap opera. I couldn’t understand everything that was going on, but I could still pick up on a lot (just through body language & reactions) As I got better at Japanese, however, my coworkers - especially - would continue to talk about sensitive or personal thigngs around me, assuming I didn’t understand. It's an interesting position to be in. Sort of like seeing things through the eyes of an infant again with the mental capacity of an adult.
A few months ago, my perfect little window to the secrets of this world began to break-down when people started to realize I could understand a lot of what they were saying (especially when they talked about me, coworkers, or other foreigners in front of me). Today, however, the drama has returned.
I get gossip here and there, but I generally try to stay out of it and keep my head down in conflicts or extreme disciplinary situations. Now it involves two close coworkers (whom I both feel loyal to) and is not pretty, although I don't think most people know it's going on. It's generally pretty discreet, just not necessarily around me.
Kinda funny to be back in the audience here (interesting cultural perspective, to say the least)... but I'm keeping my head down until it blows over. Life in Japan:-P

Long Day

I’ve been in a sour mood today. I was carrying my backpack, laptop bag AND a big paper bag full of food (that I had to buy) for a class, when the handle ripped on the way to school. Then it started to rain. I didn't even want to deal with the last 10-minute walk from the station to my school, so I totally took a cab (which also cost more than it used to cost to get from Uptown to downtown Minneapolis). I think the students and teachers that saw me pull up in the cab thought it was pretty strange, but by that point, I didn't even care. I just held up the broke handle on the big, paper bag and walked in.
Just when you think you've got this whole Japan thing down....
I guess this whole week has been a little off. I think I am still lacking a bit of sleep, but at least I have toned down my schedule. We have midterms next week, which means no classes. I am going out to lunch with some people one day, playing in a staff softball game the next (let’s hope they’re competitive) and we have a “ladies lunch” for all the female teachers on Wednesday, which I am excited about. Apparently, they are common here, but I haven’t been to one yet. And I didn’t know until getting the invitation that we have a “ladies room” (for women dealing with cramps, pregnancy, etc) in the building – how impressive.I am hoping tonight will brighten things up. One of my girlfriends is hosting a poker and dinner party with bagel sandwiches. I’m not the biggest poker shark and it’s funny to be meeting on a Thursday, but it’ll be a nice little break. Tomorrow is another enkai (work party), this time for my department. Yowzas.

Life in sticker quality...

Joe made it home safely, but I thought I would share the purikura (photo stickers) I made him take just as we were leaving. The machine kept going, and Joe was worried about missing his plane, so some of them were sort of funny towards the end.

As I fall down...

And the adventures continue! Whew, I am wiped, but what an amazing time. Where to begin?...
THURSDAY
The rest of my week went pretty well. Joe came to school on Thursday, which I was worried about (having a male visit could be risky - fuel for the boyfriend gossip and potentially indecent... esp after my school talked to me about having male visitors when someone at my apartment called them to tell them Mike was at my apartment last fall!). He didn't come to any classes, but we played Apples-To-Apples with the English club. It was a blast! We just made a circle on the floor (with American candy in the middle - shhh) and Joe was the judge while I helped look up English words the kids didn't know. Joe teaches community courses at home, so he has some experience with language and teaching, but I was really impressed. Both the kids and we had a fabulous time. The game went pretty late (we didn't leave school until after 6), so we secretly fixed the end so that the two kids winning would be in the final round and we could call it a day. It was still really funny. That night, Joe joined Lena, Kelly, Heather and I for our "girl's lime" (girl's night out) at the Indian restaraunt in Akashi. Joe really hit it off with Taj, the really ecclectic Indian guy who owns the place (he has lived everywhere... even speaks a little norsk and has a son in Norway!), really loved the food (he wanted to go back), and liked the Bollywood music videos. It was fun to hear what the girls had been up to for Golden Week, too.
FRIDAY
Friday was a busy day at school, but we had a fun Eigo Hyogen (English Expressions) class with music videos from some of the songs we have been learning. We are teaching the class about public speaking at the moment, so I gave a short (1 min) presentation on Korea to demonstrate the basics of giving a speech, while the students had to take notes and score me. Well, I happened to mention the temple stay and Sunmudo martial arts, so Nozaki Sensei asked me to demonstrate a move. I sort of reluctantly kicked off my shoes, ran to the middle, and did a mid-air scissor kick. Everyone was pretty shocked (including Nozaki), and they made me do it again, but it was funny to see the looks on their faces. Nozaki said she was just shocked I could kick that high. Hey, not a bad prop, though!? Anyways, when I got the notes and comments back, pretty much every student focused on how cool the kick was (not the eye contact, volume, etc)... you can't win 'em all, but maybe I'll pull out some other Sunmudo moves next time I need to get the students' attention. Good times.
After school, I was too tired to run, so I relaxed for a bit before heading into Osaka with Kelly to meet up with Torbjorn (still can't believe he's here!!!) and Joe. We tried to go to El Pancho, a Mexican place, but it was packed, so we ended up just getting dinner at a little Japanese izikaia (sp? - it's like a pub) and chatting over some beers until last train. I was dozing off on the train back, but sneaky Kelly and Joe spent the ride plotting the rest of the night (again - this was last train) . We cabbed it back from the station and I went to bed, but they ended up biking to karaoke. I love their spirit and am so excited that Joe is such a hardcore Japanese karaoke fan. He took a pretty bad spill on his bike on the way to Befu, but they kept going and did a few hours of singing before heading home. If I had been up, I would have gone... sounded like a good time! I guess if there aren't enough hours in the day (for karaoke, at least), that's the way to go.
SATURDAY
Group gardening at 8am again. I was back at cutting the grass with my little knife, but I talked to Miwa (my neighbor whom I like more and more) and met the young teacher from Kelly's school that just moved in. I hope we do a girl's night soon with the new ladies in the building... they seem really sweet! Joe - not exactly a morning person - wasn't keen on getting up when I finished gardening, so I laid down, too, and ended up dozing off. Well, we both woke up again around 2 and had to get ready in a hurry to get to Nara and meet Torbjorn. The poor guy waited a long time for us, but we ran through Todaiji (world's largest wooden building, huge Buddha), went through the forest, saw the 5-story pagoda and strolled around town. It was a little surreal being with my boys from Norway again (seriously a flashback to my 19th birthday in Oslo - minus the dinner part, Torbjorn's little wooden flute, and my friend Siw-Tove), but it was kind of like old times and fun to catch up (and use Norwegian... in Japan). It seems Torbjorn is here with his French girlfriend. He met her when he lived in Paris two years ago (he's lived in Kenya & Sri Lanka, too... guy gets around, so not a shocker he'd be the one person who is coincidentally living around the corner). She's here working on a textbook for Nova. Torbjorn had to leave Nara around 8 to meet his girlfriend and get to a birthday party in Osaka, so we made plans to meet up later that evening. Well, things sort of fell through and we didn't get to see Torbjorn again, but we went ahead with the Osaka plans anyways. We met up with my friend Adrienne and a Japanese friend at a cocktail bar in Nagahori (Osaka) and hung out there for a while before going to Sam & Dave's (a club). It was alright (gets to be a long night), but I thought it was funny that I got TWO "Scully" comments from random guys. People used to tell me I look like Scully from the X-files, but I haven't heard it in ages. My hair has a reddish tint to it (didn't discover it until I stopped dying my hair after college... so random), but my hair is now in a short bob, which I guess is sort of like Scully's hair on the X-files. I sort of see it, but the comparison gave me a chuckle.
SUNDAY - TODAY....
We didn't get to see Brianne again and didn't make it to the onsen/public bath (Miwa even gave us tickets since I did her laundry while she was waiting for her machine to be delivered) or to the festival in Kobe, but we did decide to spend today getting Joe 'clothing tsunami' Grodahl packed (and resting up after last night). I completely slept through my alarm and missed a meeting for the charity gig in the afternoon (crap), but it's better to miss that and a learn a lesson there than sleeping through my alarm and being late for school. I know it's a sign that it's time to settle down a bit, though. I made a big brunch with a lot of differnet Japanese foods for Joe, went to Ito Yokado (which now has a 100 Yen store - rock on!), and did one last round of purikura (photo stickers) before making sure Joe didn't lose anything else (ie getting packed) and leaving for the bus. The poor kid has a long trip back to America ahead of him, but he gets to stop in Hawaii for about 8 hours, so I think he's going to check out Pearl Harbor on the way home. Sort of ironic on the way back from a trip to Japan. As usual, Joe and I had an awesome time and, once again, it's a little strange coming back to a quiet apartment after having a roomie for two weeks. It looks funny without his futon on the floor! I am doing alright with the homesickness now, though (my bro went to prom today, which I wish I could see, but otherwise... none!), and right now am just excited to get to bed tonight.

Before I forget... there is one last thing. BIG NEWS! Miwa went to a sort of 'town hall' meeting at the apartment building last night... and I think there is a chance they will install REAL SHOWERS in our apartments. With HOT WATER! You have no idea how happy this makes me. If you are wondering what the heck I am using if I don't have a shower, let's just say it's a traditional Japanese thingamajig. Now I kind of like it, but I cried when I saw it for the first time (once my coworkers had left). It's sort of like a big teacup, with a hose, and I light a furnace to heat the water once it's full. Then use a bucket to pour the water on me. I am about to fall over I am so tired right now, but this is like a big shot of 'genki'. Fabulous.

Rice Toppings

I have four back-to-back classes in the afternon today, so I ordered a box set lunch (bento) from the cafeteria. Today's menu was pretty good (a lot of veggies and meat - I get special boxes without much fish or anything deep-fried after I got sick from eating a bento with a deep-fried mussel last year).

Anyways, we always have a big compartment with rice in the box, but today, they gave me a little packet of sesame & poppy seed mix to pour on top of the rice. The mix is pretty common here and I really like it, but I just have to say... does anyone else think it is strange that they are feeding the staff poppy seeds when we have to take urine tests at school tomorrow??!! I think they are just testing for illness tomorrow(not drugs - my friend had to submit a stool sample for illness at her school - yuck), but I am pretty sure any caf staff in America would think twice before serving poppy seeds, which have a reputation for messing with urine tests (right?).

Kyoto, Kobe & some gosh darn good beef

I am starting to realize how lucky I have been to have time off during most of my visits. It's been a juggle being crazy busy at work this week (oh, those extra courses) and running around with Joe after work every night. All in good fun, though.

I met Joe in Kyoto for dinner last night. First of all, I fell asleep on the train ride over (as in, actually dreaming) and miraculously woke up the station before Kyoto over an hour later. I think I've been here too long - SO JAPANESE. Once the grogginess wore off and I found Joe, we made our way to Lock Up (the cave/horror house/prison theme restaraunt) for some tasty Japanese dishes and decided to stroll through Gion before heading back. AGAIN, I went through my little schpiel about how Geisha are so rare and how lucky Claire was to see them... and OF COURSE we run into FIVE maiko (apprentice Geisha) walking through the narrow lane. Kyoto is a long trip for an evening, but it was worth it and a nice place to go for an evening stroll.

My staff meeting ran later than expected tonight, but I met Joe at Kobe Pier and we went to China town (bubble tea and bean paste treats!) and had Kobe beef for dinner. Joe is coming to school for English club (playing Apples-to-Apples) after going to Himeji castle tomorrow before girls night and Indian food in Akashi. We're meeting Torbjorn on Friday in Osaka so I'm really excited to hear more about his story.

Anyways, appears to be yet another late night, so I think I need to crash. More fun to come!!

Verden blir jo bare mindre og mindre...

Super random story:

Joe found our good friend Torbjorn (from Oslo) on Facebook yesterday... and it appears he is living in OSAKA!! I hung out with Tobs a bit when I was on OYP (in '03), and even went to his grandma's house once (she's American but lives in Norway...ironically, John Wilkes Booth is her great, great grandfather), but I haven't been in contact since then. Moreover, not only does it look like Tobs has been living here a while, but Osaka is only 20-30 minutes from Kobe. Small world. I hope to hear back from him before Joe leaves; it would be a nice little reunion if the three of us could hang out.

The Wallet

So Joe made it back safely to my apartment (and is already back to normal, engrossed in trying to fix my broken DVD player), but was in a really solemn mood when he arrived. Apparently his wallet sitting next to a payphone at Narita Airport, he left for 2 minutes to grab something from the convenience store, realized he had left his money, and *poof* the wallet was gone when he got back. There was a young couple sitting next to the phone that he is pretty sure stole it (weird vibes & they were the only ones there), but there was no way to prove it.
Luckily, his Japanese friend, Omi, was able to come and get him and lend him money (and he filed a police report). It just goes to show you can never be too careful or trustful. Japan is the one place I know of where wallets, more often than not, actually show up (contents included), but crime happens everywhere. I guess we are just lucky there was a backup this time. It's more the annoyance of having to replace everything (not to mention the actual wallet), stress and inconvenience the theft caused than anything. Hmm.

There's no place like home-away-from-home

I just got back from Korea, and I am totally beat, but it was a good trip. We had originally considered taking the overnight ferry back to Osaka (from Korea), but after the trip there, we realized it would not only cut a day out of our time in Korea, but leave us kinda wiped for Monday... so we broke down and bought plane tickets home. As expected, they were pretty pricey (Golden Week fares are double or triple the normal rates), but we did get the same prices that we had seen a month before and it made a huge difference. The flight back is only an hour and 40 minutes, so it feels like going to Chicago (from Mpls). Joe decided to leave a day early and fly into Tokyo to visit his Japanese friend (and also so he could ride the shinkansen back down to Kobe - what is it with boys and that thing??)? Somewhere along the way, the poor boy lost his wallet, however, so his friend fronted him some cash but I think the adventures were more limited. He's going to be back soon, so I'll probably here the whole story then.

Coming back to Japan was refreshing, especially coming back to something familiar where I could actualy communicate more. It was a little strange riding the train alone after having someone at my side 24/7 for the last week (and realized immediately that I was not in Korea anymore when I caught people looking at me and they looked away when I caught their eye, rather then staring me down).

Once I finally made it back, I also discovered an interesting welcome home present - a new neighbor! I live on the 4th (or top) floor of a single-person apartment in my complex, which is only open to teachers. My previous neighbor was a 26-year-old English teacher who worked at a special needs school. He was really nice and helped me a few times with calling the gas company and stuff (simple necessities that can be extremely difficult to manage if you don't speak the language), so i was really sad when I found out he was moving this month. I had been home a full 2 minutes adn was opening up the sliding doors to air out my apt when I saw my friend Jane bike by. Dropped the bags, started the wash and Jane stopped up to say hello. Then the doorbell rang. At first I wasn't going to answer it because I thought it could be the NHK guy coming to collect money for the TV I don't watch (you pay tax here - like the BBC - but no penalties if you don't pay it... so I don't since I only use the TV for movies). I am glad I did, though, because it was my new neighbor, Miwa, coming by with a welcome present. It's a custom to bring your neighbors gifts when you move into a new place in Japan. Jane and I talked to the woman for a little while, but it turns out she is actually good friends with a friend of mine from Ireland here and I think I have even heard stories about her. Jane had to run so we all said goodbye, but I knocked on Miwa's door to just let her know I have a friend staying here this week and we ended up hanging out for about another hour or so. Her English is outstanding and she seems really cool. She lived in Australia for a year and her family used to live in Singapore, so it sounds like she's traveled a lot and is pretty western (or understands the differences in culture - especially when talking about dating, ettiquette, etc). I think it had to have been the traveling or the fact that she knows my friend, but I was way more candid with her than I would be with most poeple (ok, any Japanese person) here when I first meet them, but it was really fun and I felt super comfortable. I think she is going to use my extra couch (half of it is in my kitchen, half in my bedroom, since I have no place to store it but don't want to trash it...) and we're going to hang out soon, so I'm excited to talk to her more. Jane also mentioned that Kelly's new coworker (another English teacher, my age) moved in below her, so we also might do a girl's night with me, Jane, Chigusa (our Japanese friend that lives in our building) and the two new girls. Looks like this year might be getting more interesting - we have a little community growing.

Last day in Seoul

Today's agenda: mostly markets and towers:)

The posts have been long and I haven't been able to publish as I write them, so I'll leave this short. Brianne and I have basically spent the last day scowering the markets for cute shoes (ok, that's just me) and eating way too many icecreams.
In the evening, we took a cable car to Seoul Tower. It's smack dab in the middle of the city & on a mountain, but it strongly resembled the Pearl Tower in Shanghai (at least from the interior). It was very modern and offered a nice nightview of the city. Ironically, the woman's bathroom had the best view (FYI - same deal with the Hancock Tower in Chicago...), but I'm glad we went. It was pretty and the visit made me realize how compact of a city Seoul really is.

The soul of Asia (day one in Seoul)

So far the trip has been pretty crazy and we're on the go most of the time (I don't think we've had an actual sitdown dinner since Monday!). It is, however, fun and really interesting to see a culture that is more similar to Japan, but with a different heritage and completely different language. I am doing well in Hyogo, but I needed to get out of town. It will be nice to know my way around and that I can actually communicate when I return, and that communication baseline (now sort of in place) is giving me a renewed motivation for getting back into studying Japanese (was starting to fizzle). But anyways, the big news is that WE'RE IN SEOUL!
The long road (to finding a temporary) home
The trip here wasn't as smooth as expected. We decided to take he bus from Gyeongju, which left us tired when we arrived. To make matters worse, as we were getting on the bus, I called the hostel to let them know we'd be late, and they didn't have our reservation. Once we arrived, I called a million more places, found one with an opening, and we went there. But when we arrived, the woman I spoke with had given the room away. We ended up a little motel nearby, with a nice couple at the desk and free coffee, but we were all exhausted and there was no bathroom sink. I wasn't thrilled with the woman who had given our room away, but the place was ok and she had told us she had openings for the next night, so we went back to book it. It turned out she lied about that, too, and the place was really full all weekend. We wandered around Insadong and finally found a room for Friday & Saturday at the Beewon Guesthouse, near An-guk station. The place was in the guidebook, but I swear it was luck we got a reservation and finding it was definately a lot more work than it should have been. We tried to take the setbacks in stride and went to a pub to try the local beer (Hite), but it's probably because of these sort of situations that I can be so anal about planning. Besides housing, however, things have been good.
Seoul Cityscape
The city is definately a metropolis and is surrounded by (and surrounds) pine tree-covered mountains. I love having the balance of nature and city, but I do not sense the same charm or atmosphere in this city that I do in, say, Kobe or Oslo. I haven't noticed the pollution much, either, but Brianne has, so I might have just acclemated. Not being able to run during the trip is disapointing, but sparing my lungs the pollution might be a good thing, even if I can't feel it. The city is lined with colored, paper lanterns at the moment for the "Hi Seoul Festival", which gives it extra some character, however, especially at night.
DMZ Tour (or, "Hi ho, Hi ho, to North Korea we go)
We started our first full day early, by booking spots on a DMZ (De-militarization Zone) tour to see the North Korean border. The trip was interesting, but did not include as many propoganda-filled domestrations as I expected (they stopped with the loudspeakers). Seoul is only a 50 minute car ride from the border. You drive along a big river with barbed wire finces and guard towers lining pretty much the entire way, though, which helps build momentum for the actual visit. As we were leaving Seoul, we also passed the large American army base, which our guide (speaking into a very LOUD microphone) explained was a necessary presence for protecting Seoul against another attack from the North. The two Koreas never actually came to a treaty (only a cease-fire) after years of war. There is still a very real threat between South Korea and their "axis of evil" counterpart, but the guide explained to us that if Seoul was ever attacked, the American base would also suffer casualties, giving the American government direct cause to become more involved in the conflict. Therefore, the strategic placement of the base serves as a buffer. The number of US soldiers living at the base has significantly decreased since "conflicts elsewhere" (ie Iraq) have pulled them away, but the North Korean government has insisted on the removal of the base before unification can ever be considered or they will negotiate.
Once we arrived at the DMZ (a neutral, yet heavily armed and patrolled, area between the North and South Korean borders), we basically went to all of the attractions that we has access to. This included the Freedom Bridge, the train station on the border (not in operation, but ready to go if a compromise is ever reached), into a tunnel blasted by North Korean spies (we know over 20 exist, but only 4 have been discovered... the tunnel we saw could accomodate moving 30,000 soldiers to Seoul in an hour - scary...they actually covered the granite walls with coal as they retreated and said it was for "mining"), a short trip to a museum telling about the conflict (with a movie), and a trip to the Dora Observatory, where you can see North Korea.
It was cloudy on Thursday, so we couldn't see much at the border, but I could sort of make out the giant North Korean flag on their border. Apparently, North Korea and South Korea kept trying to put up higher & larger flags than the other in a competition to have the best on their border, but finally the South decided it was not worth it and conceeded. Now the North Korean flag is the tallest in the world (check Guiness!). The stupid thing is that it is so large and up so high, that it needs to be replaced - for thousands of dollars - every three months. Not a great investment when thousands of people are dying of starvation. This conflict is characteristic of many of the stories we heard about the two Koreas. These accounts almost seems childish or funny at first (making that little dictator up north look like a real Dr. Evil), but then you realize how serious it is with all of victims and ugliness of war. It was interesting to learn about efforts being made today, including the "Sunshine Policy" for which the former S.Korean president won a Nobel Peace Prize (I was at the news conference in Oslo and shook his hand, actually), but there is still a long way to go. The small, red, triangle-shaped sings everywhere, indicating danger zones for landmines, is one example.
After the bus returned to Seoul, were supposed to go to a souvineer shop with the rest of the tour group, but sort of snuck out and were able to ditch the tourist trap (the tours in China clued me into that one - always a comission!) and head instead to Gyeonbokgung palace.
Gyeonbokgung was the type of palace I expected to find in Gyeongju. We took a tour and learned some interesting tidbits, but I really liked the colors of the architecture (used to preserve the wood) and was surprised that this palace seemed much more updated and modern compared to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. We ran through the National Folk museum (excellent!) on the Gyeonbokgung grounds and headed over to Changdeokgung palace (another World Heritage site) for the 3:30 tour. The palace is right in the middle of the city (near our hostel, actually) and the grounds are massive (even though only 1/3 of the original structures remain), making it seem more like the Forbidden City in Beijing (an actual town), rather than just a small palace. The area is only open to tours, so we were with a big group again, but got pretty loopy towards the end of the tour and were laughing too loud & straggling behind. Despite that, the architecture was beautiful and I was awed by the "secret garden" and the small "common farm" built inside one area (where the royalty could go to experience life as a commoner when they wanted to understand their subjects better). No promises, but I'll try to get a few of our hundreds of pictures posted soon.
Markets, Dinner and Off to Bed...
After playing tourist all afternoon, we went to Namdemun market, which is next to the South gate (part of the original fortress walls). The market was impressive with a lot of stalls. I bought nori (seaweed paper - it's saltier in Korea) for my school omiyage and some other little things, but the funniest part was that most people were OK at English, but decent at Japanese, so we ended up using nihongo for most of the transactions. Brianne lived in Tokyo for a year in college, so she's pretty good, which was a major asset. Joe took a side trip to the world's largest church and met us, but it was nice to be able to use Norwegian as a bargaining tool, as well. The market games were not as intense as the souks in Damascus were (I looove the bargaining game!), but a good time. It's just funny how you will fight to the won for a price at the beginning, but it tires you out so much that you just give in and pay the foreigner prices by the end.
We went to dinner at a ma & pa joint near the hostel (the guy at the desk led us to it and helped us order), with some disgusting leaves, interesting kimchi soup and delicious bibimbap & octopus dishes. It was a long day, so we retired to the hostel and watched a movie on TV while Joe packed his bag for Tokyo.

So, yes, that was just ONE day, and a busy one it was. I definately try to get in as much as I can on trips (again, grew up taking "education trips"...not vacations...), but it'll be nice to relax for a bit tomorrow. Joe is leaving early for Tokyo so Brianne and I have some quality girl time coming up. Fun fun fun!

Quotes of the day:
"Ok, let's just go in the direction of that coffee sign." - Joe, on directions (while pointing at a large, lit-up symbol for an onsen).

"I've heard Korea is the color version, while Japan is the black and white. Not just with respect to the temples, but also how they show emotions. You go outside [in Korea] and see couples obviously in love, pissed-off people, happy people. Things you don't get as much of in Japan." - A friend in Japan on the cultural similarities and differences between Korea and Japan

Gyeongju & The Temple Stay

Gyeongju - Koreas Kyoto
Pusan is a cute coastal town, but we only dedicated one day to it before setting off for Gyeongju, the ancient Shilla capital (a virtual 'museum without walls' - or 'Korea's Kyoto'). The bus ride only took 50 minutes, so we checked into the hostel (looked like an attic) and set off to rent bikes. Central Gyeongju is pretty compact, and most of the major sites are ruins of buildings (rather than actual buildings) or large burial mounds (look like big grassy hills), so it was not difficult to bike through a few parks in the afternoon. We met a group of teachers from Iraq who were studying the Korean education system (they approached us and were very nice), but I think I need to send a note to the LP editors and tell them to add a warning to future travelers about the hordes of school children running around (everyone saying hello, asking your name, and maybe asking you for an autograph). The weather was nice when we started, but after a few hours (of riding in the opposite direction of the rental shop), we hit a major downpour. As I mentioned, unlike Kyoto, most of the sights are just recontructions or pillar marks (serving as proof of once-grande structures), so we decided to speed past the last few places on the agenda and take refuge in the Gyeongju history museum. The beautiful, modern buildings house many of the archeological discoveries that were still intact and well-preserved, and was very impressive (the museum itself being the result of one of Korea's past dictators trying to ensure a legacy).
The museum closed at 5 and we had to get the bikes back, so we had another long ride through the rain (even though someone offered to give us a ride). By the time we made it back, we all agreed we had pretty much had enough of sightseeing and being outside (even my underwear was soaked through), so we went to see Spiderman 3 (with Korean text) that night.
The next morning (Wednesday), we locked up our bags at the train station and took a bus to Bolguksa Temple. With a pretty forest setting and a never-ending sea of school children, this Unesco World Heritage Site was impressive. I liked the small bridges leading up to to the temple, the bright colors (used to protect the wood), and lanterns hung from the many buildings. We were going to hike to the Seokguram Grotto afterwards (further up the mountain), but realized how far it was and nixed the plan due to time restrictions...after all, the next thing on the old itin. was the TEMPLE stay.
A Night at Golgulsa Temple
I thought I knew what to expect from our Korean temple stay after having experienced a night on Mt. Koya and visited another temple lodging in Pusan, but I was wrong. What I didn't realize, was that this stay - a "24 hour experience" - could have made Koya look like a hotel.... although they were both were AMAZING.
We took two buses to Golgulsa Temple, which we found nestled in the forests and mountains outside of town, and climbed the steep incline to the Temple Office (located halfway up to the rock carving of Buddha and cave temple). There were other visitors making lotus lanterns as we checked in and were given our temple clothes, which included bright orange smocks (prison style) and monk pants. The accomodation was more modern than I expected; a dorm of sorts where we shared a heated-floor room with the other overnighters (two other really nice women - one teaching in China, the other in Japan), had a bathroom with flush-toilet (1,080 bows for throwing toilet paper in it, though!) and ondol beds (thin mats resembling Japanese futon).
Our official schedule started with dinner at 5:30. The food was simple and traditional, but I liked the concept of having to finish everything on your plate, including the sauce, before you can leave (seriously - they came and got me to finish my mail after I left 15 kernals of rice and walked out!). The cool thing about the temple we chose to stay at is that is specializes in Sumudo Martial Arts. The monks of this Buddhist sect hid their craft for hundreds of years, fearing that their enemies would see it as a threat and harm them (or attack the religion), but they opened it up to "outsiders" in the 1970s and even offer courses. We actually had 2 martial arts classes during our stay, with two meditation lessons (one sitting zen and one walking zen - pretty much a mountain hike), and got up at 4am for morning chants (it's 3,000 bows if you miss that one!). There were two foreign zen masters (martial arts instructors) living at the temple, one from France and the other from Norway. Joe and I talked to the guy from Voss (Norway) for a while about his experiences. Day-to-day life at the temple is pretty much the same all-year-round, but the master told us they go to the bamboo forests to practice sometimes. The martial arts classes were probably my favorite part. I just loved getting to run and do jump kicks in the air, and I was happy to move around and get outside during the hike. It felt more like summer camp (with a very full, strict schedule) than a zen experience, but I would recommend going.
I think I want to do another stay at a different temple if I go back to Korea, and I am interested in looking into martial arts temples in Japan. I don't know that I would ever pursue earning a belt in the martial arts, but it was fun while it lasted.

Quote of the Day
"Sweet Balls?!" - Our new hobby is stopping at every street vendor we see to check for our favorite treat (small, sweet, ball-shaped treats, dipped in sugar). So far, no good:(

Korea

Hello from Korea! Whew, I have a lot to catch up on. It's only been a few days but we have been running around like crazy. I'll try to keep it short(er).
Panstar Ferry
Joe arrived in Japan last Saturday evening. On Sunday morning, we met my American friend Brianne and hopped an afternoon ferry from Osaka, Japan to Pusan, (South) Korea. It was a long boat ride, geared toward the Korean passengers, but was better than expected. We slept in a small room with 3 bunkbeds (curtained area) and they provided evening entertainment. My favorite part had to have been the identical-twin russian musicians, the staff & guest talent shows (missed the sign-up for that one, but one very tiny, very old woman kicked some butt on karaoke) and the group of Korean break dancers. Our initial reception in Korea has ranged from extremely warm and friendly to cold and rude. I got wacked with a walking stick and shood away by two old men on the boat, but it's been better since we have gotten on land.
Straight off the Boat
Once we docked in Pusan, we checked into our hotel. We found it in the LP and are pretty sure it was a "love hotel", but it was ridiculously nice (which made it tempting to stay in the room all night). The bathroom alone was bigger than my apartment, but better yet, it was the cinema room, so either the TV or computer could be projected onto the small theatre screen on one of the walls. Seriously, though, maybe we actually should have called it a night earlier than we did?! While I slept OK on the boat (rocked like a baby), we must have been more tired than we thought that first day, because we took the subway the wrong way THREE times getting to the hotel and various places. Once you go in on one side of the tracks (in the subway system), you have to buy a new ticket to switch directions (probably because of the vendors trying to sell things like umbrellas on the cars who would ride it all day). It was a nuisance. I also noticed almost immediately that (while on the subways) we got a lot of stares from the locals, which is not that different from Japan, but here they will make eye contact with you (and hold it) rather than looking away when you catch them. A bit akward...takes a while to get used to.
Yosoko Pusan
Our original plan was to go to the world's largest onsen (hot spring) and relax for the first evening (since onsen originated in Korea), but we opted instead to visit Beomeosa Temple and the market for our first day. The LP called Beomousa Pusan's best sight (and they host temple stays), but I was not as impressed as I thought I would be. The bright colors were fun and refreshing (been visiting a lot of temples this year so good to spice it up), there was a big ceremony taking place in the main building and the grounds were large, but I felt like the 'wow factor' did not compare to, say, Nara or Kyoto.
If you're heading to Pusan and are short on time, you migh want to consider diving with the sharks, however (literally - at the Aquairium) and save the temple trecks for other cities. Then again, I will say that I think we found a good alternative to the onsens with our agenda because we might not otherwise have discovered Korea's superb street food (so soon) without the round-about adventure. My favorite culinary discoveries have been steamed corn cobs (on a stick), kimchi & "sweet balls", otherwise known as deep-fried glutenized rice balls with sugar. Actually, a lot of things are sweet, sold at stands & on a stick, so it is kind of like the state fair. The only thing I refused to eat and didn't like was the silk worm (yes, bug) soup.
I want my babyback, babyback, babyback...KOREAN BBQ!
After snacking on the street, we went for Korean BBQ (you cook the meat at your table) at a place near the hotel and were also happy to discover that most restaraunts will give you coffee and/or ice cream (for free!) when you leave. They also give you about 5 or 6 various side dishes (kimchi and others) with anything, so it's easy to eat a lot for cheap (our whole BBQ meal came to $8 a person - including beer). Everything at the place we went was really delicious, but it isn't a coincidence that Korean food is known for it's zing. The BBQ wasn't bad, but I will admit I'm definately the biggest spice wimp in our traveling threesome (can only take so much kimchi). Still working on it, though... it seems like the stomach could be a good place to start exploring a new culture...

I need to go, but I'll post pictures once I get them. One small warning - I look a bit different again. My hair is SUPER short (as in too-short-for-a-ponytail short)... still adjusting!

Quote of the Day:
"Do you know where the market is?" -Me asking people to help me with a map, as we're standing in the market (the markets look different than in China, OK???). Not my shining moment, but even worse that it was at the start of the trip - the phrase has become our new, yet on-going, inside joke... :-P