Sydney so far

Well, it was a long flight but I made it here safely and am doing well.

I really want to blog because I have so many thoughts running through my mind about this curious new place right now, but I'm also so tired that I think I just need to get some sleep and write about all of it tomorrow.

For a very quick recap, though, I'll just tell you I've been eating in food heaven since I arrived this afternoon (meat & mushroom pies, Twisties, Gyros, fish'n'chips, sesame caramel bars...oh, man), I took a really fascinating tour of the Opera House this afternoon and then checked out the Sydney tower for a beautiful view of the sunset at about 8pm (compared to Japan's current 4:45 sunset! - caught the tower IMAX presentation about Australia, too).

As for the rest of my time here, it's proving to be a little too tricky to get to Jervis Bay without a car, so I think I'm changing the AU plans and just taking it easy, going to the Aquarium and weekend markets, tomorrow. Then, on Sunday, I plan to take a daytrip to the Blue Mountains.

My friend from college and former colleague that lives here also offered to let me stay at his place on Bondi Beach (a famous beach near Sydney) while one of his roomates is home in London for the holidays. I unfortunately can't get out of the hostel nights I already paid for (and have a few things I want to do), so even though it'd be fun to hang out and nice to stay on the beach all weekend, I think I'll just end up spending Monday and Tuesday there (before heading off to NZ). I supposed the forecast is looking a bit cloudy, but it's really warm compared to Japan and the beaches are georgous (at least from the pictures and what I've seen from afar), so I'll hope for the best and plan to swim in the worst ;)

I feel like I've really only seen city so far and I actually really like Australia, but it hasn't struck me as a place that I absolutely want to move to or would love to live in yet, like other places have in the past. That doesn't mean I'm not having a great time or wouldn't come back in a heartbeat, but I definitely think part of my reaction toward the city so far has to do with the fact that I'm in "backpacker mode", have been primarily surrounding by other tourists at the venues I've visited (or am staying) since arriving and that I'm traveling alone (because the Happy Hour on Darling Harbour tonight looked like a lot of fun that I could see myself doing if I went out with friends). We'll see what the next few days bring.

Anyways, I'm going to hit the hay. I'll try to write more soon - while my impressions are still fresh - but for now... Goodnight from AU! :)

And She's Off...

I'm all packed (or, I should say, definitely overpacked) and out the door!  

instructions:

risk

more than others think is safe,

care

more than others think is wise,

dream

more than others think is practical,

expect

more than others think is possible. 

- cadet maxim

Leaving for AU today!!

Today is the day! I leave for Australia tonight and cannot wait! It's been a little while (ok, like a year) since I've explored totally new territory (new continent - yes!!) and I am really looking forward to it. I'm at school right now, but I don't have any classes, which also doesn't help. I still need to get over to the post office and send some packages, but I'm otherwise as ansy as can be. I just can't wait to GO :)

Before I fall out of my chair, however, I'll tell you guys a little about our neighborhood Christmas party last night. As you might already know, in Japan, Christmas is a romantic holiday (obviously not religious, so celebrated by all). People make Christmas cake (not cookies) and eat chicken (you need to order KFC weeks in advance or it might be sold out!). This year, however, we took a different Japanese twist and decided to have a small yanki-themed party. Remember the "punk"/yanki turkies?

Anyways, I couldn't stay at the party the whole night because I had to pack, but I definitely put on my yanki best, including diamond-studded fake nails, a pregnant stomach (it was a scarf), boots, pants and a short skirt, bright colored shirt, WAY too much make-up (went especially heavy on the eyeliner), a side pony tail and scrunchy, clip on my bangs, LV purse and, of course, my fur scarf. The funniest thing was when I went to the grocery store before the party and didn't get that many strange looks in my get-up. It's a popular look around here.

The party was held at my friend Tu's house, and even though most of us leave today, tomorrow or Saturday, there were about 10 of us in attendance. We all brought dinner and something to share, then just sang a little karaoke on the Play Station 3 and just hung out. Great time. I am actually really going to miss these guys over break.

In other news (that I forgot to mention yesterday), I was asked to assist with an upcoming conference that the Hyogo Board of Education is hosting (called the Mid-Year Conference), which is pretty exciting, and I also got some really cool packages from my mom and best friend at home (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the mittens, KC!). Some of my teachers have also been giving me Christmas and farewell gifts (yes, for vacation), including Fair Trade orange chocolate (it's already gone it was so good) and an absolutely beautiful Japanese tea-tray, made out of Yakusugi (the ancient cedars that I went to see on Yakushima Island last spring). I was absolutely floored by that one.

Anyways, I will check in from Australia but I should get offline and to the post office, but I hope all of you have a wonderful rest of the week and a beautiful weekend. Cheers!

Single Ladies Dance

There is something about this song (Single Ladies, by Beyonce) that I love:

The choreography sort of reminded me of this video (obviously a remix of Fossie), though:

Do you see it?  

I'm being a bit silly with all of the videos today, but I'm tired and I think I'm giddy because of this upcoming trip. Hope you enjoy :)

Update:  Apparently, I wasn't the only one that thought of this connection. Haha ...

The Week(end) Review - MO Party, Mo problems

Well, I head out for Australia & New Zealand tomorrow and am pretty pumped and ready to go. I still need to pack (well, I have a pile of stuff sitting on top of my hiking backpack that I need to sort through and edit) and send out Christmas cards and presents... but I'm mentally as ready as it gets. 

My wallet is still not back (recently realized my ICOCA - train fare - card was in there, too, so some punk's probably using it to get to Osaka), so renting a car this weekend is out.  I might still try to get to Jervis Bay by bus, though.  I think I can still see the park, which seems even more amazing now that I've had to research it more for alt. transportation options.  I've also thought about trying to get a pair of binoculars for the trip before I go (for stuff like the Bay & Ntl park) and I need to get a new camera case (lost mine... grr), but I don't think there's time, so maybe I'll pick them up on the road.

Anyways, just to catch up quickly on what has been going on (this week has been flying by!), here's a little recap on last weekend (lots of fun) and the week so far:

On Friday, we had our annual ESS Christmas party after school. This year, we made traditional American cookies, did a Secret Santa (capped at $3) and made Christmas cards, which was generally a foreign concept to my kids (we send New Years postcards, or nengajo, here instead of cards). A lot more students than I expected came to the party and the cookies (made with Betty Crocker cookie mix and Hershey's kisses - see, traditional!) were really good.  I'd say it was a success :)

After the party (which lasted for over 3 hours), I met Dave for dinner and a walk through the Luminarie in Kobe. Afterwards, we met Chris and Emi to see Wall-E at the Nishinomiya Garden shopping mall. The new mall just opened two weeks ago and was honestly a little interesting to see.... probably because it's huge, American-style and looks a lot like the Mall of American inside! I loved the movie, too, and definitely recommend it if you haven't seen it.

On Saturday morning, a small group of friends and I headed out and hiked for most of the morning.  This time, we started at Ashiagawa Station and going over the Rokko Mountain chain to the famous Arima Hot Springs (ending the 4-hour hike with a soak in the "golden" bath). Then, on Saturday night, we had a small party in Amagasaki to celebrate the end of Movember (and efforts of the guys who participated - mustaches are gone!), ending the relatively low-key evening with a 3am dance party. 

The party was great, but it made it a little to difficult to get up and get to Kyoto for the 8am Buddhist-Zen meditation ceremony that we had planned to attend the next morning. I thinkthe guy who planned it, Chris, ended up going alone (or with a Japanese friend), but the rest of us sort of just slept in (slumber party!).  We spent Sunday evening in Osaka, finally checking out the top of the Sky Bulding in Umeda (georgous views!!), doing a little Christmas shopping and then going to El Pancho Mexican restaurant in Shinsaibashi for dinner (split the nachos and entrees between the four of us there - delish!).

I was back at Harima Minami High School on Monday and Yesterday was our annual cultural event with the Takasago Minami students, usually a concert or show displaying traditional Japanese culture. 

Every year, the entire schools makes their way over to the town concert hall and the events typically last about 2 hours.  Last year, we watched a Rakugo performance (traditional Japanese storytelling), but this year someone decided it would be good to book... get this... an electronic guitar concert. 

The whole thing was a little cheesy and bizarre (especially considering this is supposed to be a opportunity for the students' to learn about culture), but I guess it was a good time. I think the guy who played the main guitar (Tennoji Takeshi; his band goes by "Terry and the Blue Jeans") is apparently kind of famous, or at least was 20 or 30 years ago, so we were actually told we couldn't take pictures.  It's a shame, though because the whole thing was reminiscent of a Vegas act. 

So we all sit down and the lights go off and then this short & stout man - Tennoji - comes out looking like Elvis, with a zebra-print jacket, no shirt and a gold chain to boot.  What's more, his 5-person band (2 guys on the keyboard, 2 on base and 1 on the drums) were all dressed inkitchy  white suits, some with sunglasses, and Tennoji-san even had a young, Japanese (but blond-haired), sequin-studded assistant that sang a few songs or danced around with a tamborine while he played. 

The concert was actually pretty good, but I couldn't get over the fact that the guy came out and said he was really excited to be playing for Takasago East High School. Um, we're Takasago South. Why can I see this guy playing at the MN State Fair?  Anyways, like I said: very Vegas.

It's Wednesday and I've only had one class today, so it hasn't been too busy.  We actually just watched Charlie Brown's Christmas Special and I gave the kids some study time (spent most of my time helping a girl work through her ridiculously difficult pre-University reading homework). Easy day, but I'm also a bit sleepy right now - mostly because last night was a late one.

I was already at work kind of late yesterday to mark papers, but after going home for a bit to make dinner, I had to head right back out to meet a friend who was going to deliver a Christmas present to another friend that used to live here (that they're going to see over break).  I thought the meeting time was kind of late as it was, but I didn't think it would take that long.  Unfortunately, the guy I was meeting completely forgot about the appointment and I ended up biking 40 minutes each way and then waiting outside - for no reason - for an hour. Needless to say, I was not happy, but I was able to give the present to my friend Emerald (who can pass it on later). I ended up being gone from about 10pm to 1:45am, and then had to call my best friend at home (thought I'd be back earlier and she was waiting), but yeah... no mysteries about being tired today.  At least I'll definitely conk out on the plane tomorrow night and I'm feeling a bit better after going to the doctor again on Monday.  I got meds for bronchitis this time, but my coworker that came with was making fun of me - calling me a junkie - because I have so many pills!

Tonight is mostly going to be packing and a small, final Christmas party at my friend Tu's house.  Gotta say goodbye to everyone before we all head off to various parts of the world for the next few weeks.  Hope you're having a Merry one.  More soon! xo

Quote

On the topic of how many Japanese office workers are bored, but pretend to be busy (shh, big secret), and - yet - how I always seem to actually have a lot to do:

"You are always busy. You have been since you were one month old. I have a picture of you putting your tiny, tiny feet into the mobile in your crib…trying to keep busy even then…we laughed and laughed when we saw you doing that." - My Mom

Weird Internet Sensations - Charlie the Unicorn

If you haven't seen it, this is an internet trend at the moment. I think I am a little behind on these things... but I've somehow seen this video about three times in the last week.



R-A-N-D-O-M, no?

There's also a sequal if you have some time to kill.

Softbank & Otoousan

Yes, another video!

Softbank, one of the leading phone companies in Japan, often uses American celebrities like Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt for it's ads. Brad's been doing Softbank ads for a while now, but I thought I would share this new commercial... not because of Brad, though... but because of "Otousan" (the dog/dad)!



Some mad-minded marketing genius came up with the idea to make this white dog (head of the "White Family") the new face of Softbank. In the commercials and campaign in general, the talking dog and his black, human son, Japanese wife and Japanese daughter, live a normal, happy life - made more convenient with Softbank, of course!

I got the same talking, stuffed toy (cell phone strap!) that Brad holds up with my new cell phone last summer :)

'Tis the Season

Not a bad representation of Christmas in Japan:

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=lmCrIZeob4w

SHOES in the news

The original cult classic (warning - language not for kids):

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wCF3ywukQYA

And now:

Lost/Stolen Wallet

Alright, so things are sort of falling into place with this wallet thing and I'm in a much better mood.

The process is in motion, but I really hope this never happens to anyone else I know (or to me again).  Here's what's going on...  

So I went to the police station after work yesterday and filled out a 盗難届証明 (tonantodoke shoumei - form saying that the wallet was lost or stolen). They're going to call me if they find it, or my coworker if they hear anything while I'm gone.

I also called my bank and cancelled all my credit cards, stopped my cash card here and my parents are helping me with the process of getting a new driver's license. The process isn't that bad and the replacement fee is only $13.50, but there is one glitch in that I need to sign a form and get it notarized. The easiest way to accomplish getting something notarized here is to visit the consulate in Osaka, but just doing that will cost me about $20 in train fares, $30 in a service fee and possibly some of my precious vacation time from work.  I won't have the license in time for the trip, so I'm going to wait to deal with this one, but I'm looking into other options.

As for the bronchitis (I realized the wallet was gone when I went to get my medical card to go to the doctor - on week 6 of being sick!), it seems I can also still go to the docter without my medical card!  I talked to some people at city hall and the card should be replaced in a week, but for now, I just have to pay the full hospital visit fee and will later be reimbursed by the national insurance plan. 

The cough is persisting, so I might go early next week, but part of me also thinks it might be worth it to just get out of here and rest in the sun for a bit and visit a doc in AU/NZ if need be.

Ahh, and last but not least, there's the Alien Registration card.  Well, that's the biggie. 

I was originally most worried about this going missing because we have been told *mulitple* times we need it to leave or enter the country and we're supposed to carry it at all times. I've been talking to the local government offices, however, and as long as I have my passport and all the right stamps and visas, it seems I should be fine getting out of here next week (whew). A girl I know here forgot her's on the way to Vietnam two years ago and was still let out of the country.  She had to fill out some extra forms and it took some time, but at least I still know the number from my card, so it should be OK.

I also found out another friend of mine on the other side of Kobe lost her wallet last summer and she said it takes about a month to get this card replaced. I might head into Akashi today to fill out the forms, though (just need a passport & some photos)... should probably get the process started no matter how long it takes.

I'm not as concerned about the physical wallet itself (even though it wasn't cheap and I really liked it), but I am still crossing my fingers the police or train station finds it.  I realized that there is also a business card for an American lawyer I met in the front of the wallet, so there's also a chance someone would call the number on the card if they found the wallet (since none of my contact information is inside). I can't remember the guy's name, but I know where he works and where his kids go to school (we stayed at the Okayama Villa with this family two weeks ago).  I emailed the school, explained the situation, gave them the family's description and asked them to pass on my contact details to the lawyer if they know who the family is.  Hopefully that works, because even if they don't know anything, I'd like them to be able to contact me if anyone does call.

Yeah, so that's pretty much it right now.  I have some other things going on, but this wallet issue has been absorbing a lot of my time.  Seriously, what a mess, though. Can I just say that whomever replaces me at my job is probably going to seem so dull compared to all the constant 'excitement' that seems to surround me. :-p  I'm only kidding, but here's hoping for a smooth upcoming trip, at least!

Ready for Vacation

Well, I am definitely ready for a break!  I either lost or had my wallet stolen today and my whole life in writing (alien registration and national insurance cards, credit cards, cash card, license, etc) was inside.  There was about $80 in cash, so the police and train station reps have told me it is likely the person who found my wallet (if it did fall out of my bag) probably took the money and threw the wallet away. I'm crossing my fingers that I get a call and they've found it... but for now, I'm just going to have to rearrange my holidays (no more roadtrip in Australia without a license & I booked most things with the soon-to-be-cancelled credit cards), cancel the cards and hopefully arrange as much as I can with the Japanese cards when I get back.  What a hassle!  

It's Japan, so fingers crossed the wallet shows up, but the good news is that I'll be in Australia in a week and I finally submitted my grades today (after writing 5 tests and correcting about 350 tests and 200 notebooks, thank you!).  

Blah.  I know mine aren't serious problems compared with a lot of people, but vacation couldn't come soon enough.

Thanksgiving, Tokyo, Exams & More

I'm really behind on the posts, so I'm going to try to catch you up on the last two weeks.  Here we go:

So first, starting with two weeks ago... I had my last HIA Japanese class for this term on a Friday night. It was a good night,but I thought it was really cute when one of the AFS exchange students asked for my phone number and address to keep in touch (in case we aren't in the next course together).  I'm actually going to miss having classes twice a week during our break!

 After class, I walked to Sannomiya with some people and met Dave, Chris and Emi at Polo Dog for some drinks. 

On Saturday morning, our grueling 8am group gardening at the apartment was rained out (score!), so I got a little extra sleep before meeting the ladies. 

Left: This was a surprise picture of one of my ladies while she was cracking up. I love candid shots and this woman is always smiling or laughing.

Each time we meet, my ladies read a little essay they wrote and sometimes they bring things to accompany their speech. One woman brought her portable Japanese tea ceremony set to show us this time, which I thought was pretty cool and want to show you. The chawan (tea cup/bowl) goes into the little basket, which is attached to the whisk.  I've never seen anything like it:

On Saturday evening, Dave and I were going to go to the Thanksgiving dinner in Himeji, but I couldn't get a reservation (it was capped at 40 and there was already a waiting list), so we had to change plans.  At first I was a little disappointed, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise... because instead of turkey, we went for sushi! (natural progression, I know)

Things always get a little crazy at Kurazushi, one of the conveyer belt sushi chains where everything is about one dollar each, but dinner was delicious and I had a good time. We actually had a coupon so it was only 88 cents a plate, too... I think I ate 10 plates (with two pieces of sushi on each) alone, but we definitely topped 100 plates with our group of six!

Kurazushi is a family place (perfect for kids 'cause they can grab what they like), but the pictures above might give you a better idea of the feel of the place.  The first shot shows the conveyer belt (and a family in the booth on the other side), then there's Katie enjoying her sushi and finally you see me going for a last bit at the end of the meal (while others are starting to feel the pain of eating too much... easy to do when it's sooo good) ;)

Also - as you can maybe tell - Movember was still going in full force that night:

>><<

So I didn't really go anywhere the next day, Sunday, but rather spent most of the day cooking in preparation for the big Thankgiving feast at my friends Bob and Katie's house. I didn't know them as well this time last year, but they apparently cooked everything for a huge crowd, and I think the giant dinner proved to be too much.  So this year was potluck-style! 

The only real rule with the potluck was that you had to bring something from your native culture (since there were a lot of people from all over coming).  I was going to make Mac'n'Cheese, but when I found out Bob was making enough for about 30 people, I settled on tapioca pudding and eggnog.  *The picture above (left) is a Shepards pie is from one of the New Zealand guests*

Just to give you an idea of what the meal was like, here are some more pictures, taken in Bob and Katie's kitchen after everyone had eaten (and maybe already gone in for seconds). It was almost madness with two turkeys and all that food, but - needless to say - I left very full and a very happy camper.  I'm also guessing Bob and Katie still have leftovers...

>><last week>><<

Monday (last week) was a normal day back at Harima Minami High School.  I had four classes, but still spent most of the day talking to my coworker, who was studying for his grad school exams:

Then, on Tuesday, I hosted a little dinner party at my place with a few friends.  I tried to remake the "grandpa's favorite eggnog" recipe that I had used for the Thanksgiving potluck the week before:

On Wednesday, exams started at both schools.  While it can be a really busy time, teachers generally love it because the new schedule affords you time for a longer lunch, etc.

On Wednesday, some colleagues and I snuck out to a French restaraunt in Kakogawa to celebrate Yamamoto Sensei, a teacher at a nearby high school, passing the highest level of the domestic English proficiency (STEP) test.  The food was really good - especially the sausage.

  

Then last weekend (Friday), we had our end-of-the-year work party at the Maiko Villa Hotel in Akashi. 

I was asked to do a performance with some other young women on our staff, not realizing it would turn into a Maria Carey solo while they danced. It was fun and turned out well, though:

I also won first prize at Bingo (a stay at the hotel)! 

It's BINGO, yes, but the game can get competitive at my work parties... which sort of made the win even more exciting. 

This picture really sums up the atmosphere at the party well (Mr. Mountaintown, a hilarious English teacher at Takanan, was upset because he was getting a lot of numbers, but no Bingo):

I am going really going to miss these events.

After the party ended, I jaunted to Sannomiya and hopped a night bus, waking up the next morning - Saturday - in sunny Shibuya, Tokyo! 

I was only in Tokyo for two days to take a test, but I got in two nice, longer runs along the Sumidagawa River. Otherwise, it was mostly studying (here's one picture from the cafe I was at, Dean & Deluca):

While in Tokyo, I stayed near the famous Asakusa temple. I didn't have time to do much sightseeing, but I had never been to Asakusa before, so I ran through it on one of my runs and then took this shot with my cell phone as I was leaving for home on Sunday.

And while the bullet train can be really expensive ($130 for a one-way ticket from Osaka to Tokyo !), I am still impressed by the ride every time and love taking it. Here's a shot of me on the way back to Kansai, after the test.

On Monday (this week) I had to administer a few tests in the morning at my regular school (so I was pretty busy with two schools), but we a had a small dinner party at my house in the evening. 

My friend Emerald - an amazing cook - came over, bringing most of the ingredients to make a few curries and deserts with her. We didn't eat until a bit later than expected, but it was good company and Emerald's creations were worth the wait. 

Here's a shot of some of my other neighbors hanging out on my tatami, just talking over wine. It's normal to sit on the floor (often made of bamboo grass, like mine) at parties in Japan:

>><today>><<

I've literally just been correcting pretty much all day (submitting my grades tomorrow), which can be a slow, but steady, process. As you can tell, things have been pretty busy, but they should be laid back this last week and I'm looking forward to my three week trip down under next week.  I haven't really thought about packing yet and need to get a few gifts before then, but I still have a week.  

Anyways, I'll get back to the blog, but that's the update on where I've been.