Back on the Blogwagon

Hisashiburi! Alright, alright, so I have gotten a few emails and comments about how I have been absent on the web for a while, so (rather than publishing a pile of back-posts all at once!), I thought I would give you a little update on where I have been and what I’ve been up to.

I think my last update was a few weeks ago, around the time that I attended my first Japanese wedding. It was in Kobe (Kitano area) and I sang at the reception with a friend. In Japan, people dress really formally for weddings (to the degree of preparation that American high school students invest in Prom!), but the event is really beautiful. Most couples will hold a Japanese ceremony in the morning and the bride will change clothing for a western ceremony (and then change AGAIN for the reception), but the ceremony and reception are generally back-to-back at the same location. Such was the case with this wedding. It was over by 4pm (after which we went out for a very early start on the evening... it's not that often you're that dolled up with friends!), but it was a blast and I loved when the Australia-born groom had everyone do a TimTam Slam (if you don't know what TimTam's are... you have a very good surprise coming).

That same weekend, I also took a daytrip to Amanohashidate, of of Japan's Sankei (or Three Famous Sights). The name Amanohashidate literally means "Heaven's Bridge" and is essentially a sandbar (seriously) in northern Kyoto-Prefecture that you look at from a hill... bending over, between your legs. On clear days, you are supposed to see the sky reflecting on the water, making the sandbar appear to be a bridge crossing heaven and they have old photographs of samurai doing the pose... but how in the world did that place become to famous (and who was the first person to discover it looked like heaven from BETWEEN YOUR LEGs?!). It was a long day (almost 8 hours on trains!), but a lot of fun.

This has also been the season for birthday dinners and parties (a lot of people in our generation seem to have been born during this time of year... hmmm), and two weeks ago, my group of girlfriends and I also threw a surprise bachelorette party for my friend Heather. It was originally going to be a bachelorette weekend, but our tickets for the Sunday Hanshin Tiger's baseball game fell through, so we turned it into a day full of Heather's favorite things (or so we hoped), from a baking class in the morning (cheesecake souffle), shopping and lunch at a Spanish restaraunt, going to the movies (ended up seeing The Illusionist...which JUST came out here!?!) and then wine, yakiniku and games at a friend's house. Heather and her fiance, Dylan, arrived in Japan at the same time I did and she is part of the group of girls I meet out for dinner once in a while. I've compared it to Sex & The City before (yes, I am actually bringing it up again, Gunnar... no shame), but it has been so nice and theraputic to have such a varied, intelligent and eclectic group of girlfriends. It would be nicer if we all lived closer and could see each other more, but C'leste vie, I suppose. Still just greatful to have had them be part of my Japan experience :)

Wearing the Little Black Book (Planner) out!
So, yeah, I have had some of the busiest few weeks! Last week was also my school's Culture Festival so I was at work until about 7 every night, mostly working on art projects with my kids. Now that I have Japanese class in Kobe on Tuesdays and Fridays (and hang out with Dave on most Mondays), the week is over before I know it. Especially if I do anything out of my routine (which is always), which means Wednesday, Thursday or the weekend.

So Culture Day (arguably one of the biggest events of the year in Japanese schools) has come and gone, yes, but I’ve still been stacked this week. This time it’s with classes, though. Five on Monday, six on Tuesday (with a prep class for the group going to Australia next month after school) and most of those classes being new lesson plans and a few hour-long Powepoint presentations. Whew. Finals start next week (first trimester is ending) so things are about to settle down and I’m trying to be patient until then.

We’re also in the busy season with the National volunteer organization I am working with. I was appointed the Advertising Liaison for the group, so I’ve been spending a lot of time emailing companies and managing stuff for events this summer. It really is a different side of Japan, but it requires me to flex some business muscles I haven’t used in a while and the corporate team is amazing, so it's been fun to get to know and work with them. Funny it's all volunteer work, though!

Kansai Weather
We’re in the middle of the rainy season right now, so it’s finally warm out, but not sunny (and really, really humid). Sounds dreary – and, ok, it is – but the warmer weather is nice.
At least it helps with the humidity (which usually requires me to carry a small towel in my purse to wipe off the constant sweat!). Trust me, it can be 100% humidity and not be raining...wouldn’t have thought it before moving here.
Last weekend, my friend Hong was down from Gifu and I finally made it to the famous beach in my area, Suma, with her. The funny thing was that getting there only made me realize that the beach near my house is far superior. Now I am just waiting for the sun to come out so I can take advantage of those wonderful, lazy afternoons swimming and tanning on the beach. Fingers crossed!

Sniffles & Coughing & Colds.... Oh My!
I’ve been kind of ill lately, which has also kept me busy in the sense that I need to use the free time I do have to rest. It’s really common to catch summer colds in Japan, and even more common for them to last 2-5 weeks during this season. That being said, I don't care if it's "normal" here... no cold or cough should last for over a month!
In an attempt to get better, I have been to the doctor twice in the last week and a half (yes, mom, I went!). The first time, I think the doctor was trying to drain my sinuses and I ended up crying and screaming that it hurt in Japanese. Then the doctor was mad at me for saying it hurt (or he acted like it), so I left feeling a little better afterwards (the ringing ears and dizziness went away), but I was definitely not prepared for that visit and not excited to go back. The next time I brought a Japanese friend with me, however, and the doctor seemed friendlier.

I am not totally sure why, but they did all these blood and hearing tests (results in this weekend) to see what’s going on with my funky cough, but at least I got new medicine and am sort of feeling better. I have been using this clinic for a while and after I told them I needed more than 4 days worth of meds the last time I was sick (seriously, Japan...that is not enough!), they seem to have become accustomed to giving me a longer prescription.

It's probably also good to remember there are different plants here, so I think this whole mess could just be a cold/allergies combo (reactions seem to be diff here than at home), but we’ll see.

Alright, I am aware that this is WAY too much health information, but for as much as people talk about colds and health here (and they are mighty candid about it!), it's practically cultural.

Oh, and on the topic of health, we had health checks at work last week. Had totally forgotten that they make you pee in a cup and then carry it to this table (so you stand in line with your cup, along with your coworkers and their cups). Strange. My nurse also texted me at 6am (!!!) in the morning the day of the check-ups to tell me they were the same day and that I shouldn't eat breakfast. The whole thing just seemed bizarre, but bizarre in a way I am getting used to.

And on the Work Front... Other thoughts & Happenings...
I have one student who has been acting weird and today I just found out it is because she has been fighting with her mother. The teacher that told me about it said the girl has actually been crying in the nurse's office a lot... and is upset because her mother told her she should kill herself. Apparently the girl (who seems totally sweet and normal to me) actually tried to commit suicide when her mother told her to in middle school, so now the teachers are concerned and trying to deal with it. We don't have school counselors in Japan, so I think they are going to have a specialist come in and talk to her (instead of only her homeroom teacher), but why does it seem like when these sorts of things happen here, they are so extreme? I probably shouldn't even mention it, but it's been a pretty big deal today. It's like the horrific situation in Tokyo (with the stabbings) a few weeks ago... for as much beauty as there is here, sometimes these things just jolt you. It's like it's either really good or really bad. My thoughts are with that girl, but there are so many things about this culture that I don't understand or realize that I might overlook because the language is too advanced for me to catch... yikes.

Alright, I should go. I am visiting a friend's school tomorrow and won't be at my desk tomorrow, so I need to send out a few emails and write a few tests before I can leave today. This has been a long, random post, but a post nonetheless. Thank you for checkin in and I hope this finds all of you well.

I will be making a very honest effort to post more frequently..promise:) Peace to you all - b