Abi's Adventures...

Goodbye Moss Burger

2006-07-15T22:56:00.000+09:00

I had my last meal at the local Moss Burger today. God only knows when I'll get my next chance to eat a rice burger. I've had some good times here...sigh...

So this is my last weekend in Shibukawa. At this time next week, I'll be with my parents in Tokyo, getting ready to travel around Japan and China.

I have to say, I'm not really enjoying this time of year. I'm not a fan of good-byes, especially not awkward ones. My technical high school had a special farewell ceremony for me on Friday and I had to do a goodbye speech in Japanese. Not really sure how much they understood. Oh well.

It really does suck saying goodbye to people though. I think I'd much rather just exchange casual "see you laters" and completely lookover the fact that we may never see each other again. It's just much easier that way. But in the spirit of being sentimental (since that's what this time of year seems to call for), here is a list of things that I've learned during my time here:

If I can communicate with other people in the same language, there are very few problems that can't be solved. I can't count the number of times the littlest things have turned into big problems/frustrations here simply because I couldn't speak the language. It's gonna be really nice to go home and finally be able to be independent again, and not have to do things like bring my supervisor my mail so she can read it to me. It's strange, but I think my incompetence here has actually given me a lot more confidence in my ability to take care of things back home.

Knitting and Sudoku puzzles are fun. Japanese people love to ask you what your hobby is (mostly because it's one of the few questions they know how to ask in English), and when I first got here I never had an interesting response to this question. I always had to say uninteresting things like "reading" and "watching TV". But all the spare time I've had over the past year has actually given me a chance to venture into less boring (albeit more dorky) hobbies :)

Family is important. I've been living away from home since I was 17, but I think that is the most that I've ever missed my family. Maybe because for the first time in about a decade, everyone in my family (except for me) is actually in the same city again. It really, really sucked being all the way across the Pacific Ocean when my first nephew was born. If I had to name a single regret about being in Japan, I think that would be it.

Long-distance relationships suck, but they're worth it for the right person. Thanks for everything you've done for me this year, Raoul--from the surprise flowers on Valentine's Day, to the hazelnut Domo cake. It hasn't been easy, but you've made it work.

Anyway, I think that's enough sentimental sap for one night. I just needed a break from packing and felt the need to start defining my experiences here. The next time I post, I'll probably be back in Vancouver! Hurray!!! O Canada, how I've missed you. I really have. It's gonna be really good to be home again.

Awwwww...

2006-07-10T16:53:00.000+09:00

I taught a few of my classes for the last time today and I got this note from one of my students:

"I was very shocked when I heared that this is the last class study with you. I'm very sad that our lovely teacher will leave this school. I hope you'll be a lawyer. I think it's not easy. But I believe you can do it. Take care and cheer up!! Thank you very much. Don't forget us!"

Sniff, sniff. I have to say, Japanese students can be frustratingly shy and timid sometimes, but they really do know how to suck up :)

So now I'm down to two more weeks at school. Then it'll be one week of travelling around Japan with my parents, then one more week in Shanghai. Then it's back to Vancouver!! Woohoo!! Unfortunately, it looks like I'll be one day too late to make the last fireworks :(

Lately I've just been busy packing and having occassional anxiety attacks about the whole process of heading home. I spent last weekend in Tokyo, for one last night out. We had dinner at a restaurant that is apparently from some famous scene in Kill Bill where Uma Thurman kills a bunch of people:

I've never seen the movie, but the restaurant was pretty cool. We headed to Roppongi afterwards for a classic night of karaoke, drinking, and dancing. It was a fun night, and a nice way to say bye to some people that I probably won't see again for a very long time :(

This weekend will be my last one in Gunma, and I think it's gonna be pretty low-key. Just some packing, cleaning, and knitting. This is my last chance to just do absolutely nothing without feeling guilty before going back to the real world of responsibilities. As great as it's been to be able to relax for the past year, I do miss having mental stimulation, so I'm actually looking forward to going back to school. But in the mean time, I have a few more weeks of freedom left...

P.S. Happy belated two-year anniversary to my wonderful boyfriend Raoul.

P.P.S. Just kidding, my boyfriend's name is Bruce.

P.P.P.S. Okay, okay it's Adam. You're the best wookie man!!!! (L)

Happy Canada Day!

2006-07-01T22:39:00.000+09:00

Tonight was the final farewell party for all the JETs who are leaving, and it also happened to fall on July 1st, so a few of us decided to be patriotic. As you can see, some of us were a little more patriotic than others.

So there's only 3 more weeks until the end of my contract. A year seems like a long time to spend in a different country, but in the big picture, I guess it's not that much. When I look back at everything in 10 years, I wonder what it is about my experience in Japan that will stick out in my mind.

Looking back, I wish I had written about everything in more detail so I can be reminded of all the little things that have made me laugh, made me sad, or just plain frustrated. Like the time it took me hours just to figure out how to turn on my washing machine. Or when I knitted for 8 hours straight until I could barely even move my fingers anymore (that was just last night, hehe). Or when I got really hooked on 24 but had to stop watching 'cause it was giving me nightmares.

I've been so excited about going home, I guess it hasn't really hit me that I'll probably never come back to this little town again, and probably never see most of the people that I've met. I know as soon as I get back to Canada I'll start missing Japan, but it's hard to say what it is exactly that I'm going to miss. It's too soon to start defining my experience. I guess I'll just have to wait and find out.

Countdown!

2006-06-11T11:42:00.000+09:00

School Festival

2006-06-10T22:03:00.000+09:00

I heart the students at my all-girls school. Lately I've been a little impatient with my students 'cause sometimes it just feels like they have absolutely no life or energy inside them at all. They just stare at me blankly in class and refuse to answer the simplest questions.

But the school festival today actually reminded me that they can be really cool, bright, subarashi kids. Every homeroom transformed its classroom into something carnivalesque--there were flea markets, mazes, games, food stalls, etc. Here are some of my third graders (Grade 12) behind a candy booth that they set up:

The theme was supposed to be "traditional woman of Japan" so quite a few of them were dressed up in traditional clothes:

This is one of the few times that I've actually seen my students be so energetic. Everyone was so loud and happy, I almost didn't recognize them. It was really nice to see them outside the classroom where they seem to be a lot more comfortable expressing their personalities. Here are two of my favourite students who are in the equivalent of Grade 11:

So it was a really good day, despite the fact that I had to work on a Saturday. I've been feeling really jaded towards Japan lately and I think this was the spirit booster that I needed. I only have six weeks left of teaching, and today just made me realize that I'm actually going to miss my students.

Oh yeah, and have I ever mentioned that my school has peacocks in the courtyard? A little bizarre, but also pretty cool:

Here's the one with the cool feathers. He makes the most noise:

The two cutest boys in the world:

2006-06-03T00:37:00.000+09:00

In two months, I'll be reunited with my hairy friend on the left, and introduced for the first time to my bald friend on the right. I really can't wait. It's been a tough week. I wish I could just pack up and spend a weekend at home. Too bad the 9 hour flight and 16 hour time difference sort of get in the way. Sigh.

Happy Golden Week

2006-05-07T13:21:00.000+09:00

It's Golden Week here in Japan, which means 6 straight days off from work. I've taken full advantage of having no responsibilities for a week, and have spent most of that time knitting, cooking, watching dvds, and looking at pictures of Spencer. But I did manage to squeeze in a couple of day trips into my busy schedule of doing nothing.

I spent one day in Kamakura, a small tourist town just outside of Tokyo. This used to be the capital of Japan at one point, so there's dozens of cool temples and zen gardens. It's particularly famous for this giant statue of Buddha:

It was a cool place, but unfortunately I happened to go on a day when hundreds of students were there on school trips. At one point, I went up to buy a ticket for a temple and I was surrounded by elementary school students. The woman looked at me and charged me the KID'S PRICE!! The sign said kids are supposed to be between the ages of 6 and 11!! She thought I was ELEVEN YEARS OLD!!! Geez, being mistaken for a high school student is forgiveable, but elementary school?? For crying out loud, I'm 23!

Anyway, I'm still bitter but I think I'm getting over it. Yesterday one of the teachers at my school took me and the Australian exchange student on a little road trip. We drove through the neighbouring prefectures of Niigata and Toyama and ended up in a little place called Kanazawa. Apparently this is where some of Japan's most famous samurais used to live. There was a cool castle and some really nice gardens:

But I think the best part was the drive there. We passed by some beautiful snow-covered mountains that kinda reminded me of the ones in Vancouver:

And we also drove along the coast for a little while so I got to see the Sea of Japan:

So all in all, I've had a really nice, relaxing week away from school. But tomorrow it's back to work as usual :( Only three more months left! Gotta make the most of it. In the mean time, here's another picture of Spencer on his first day home, sternly contemplating life, the universe, and everything:

He's born!!!

2006-05-03T09:13:00.000+09:00

Meet Spencer Julian Uy-Martinez. Born 12:44 a.m. on May 2nd, weighing 3.105 kg. I can't believe he's here!!!

Hanami!

2006-04-09T21:35:00.000+09:00

It's finally Spring!! Soon I'll be able to turn off my heater and wear less than two layers of clothing at school. Cherry blossom (sakura) season has arrived, which is a huge deal in Japan. People like to have "viewing parties" (hanami) where they sit underneath the trees and just take in the scenery. There's cherry blossom trees on almost every street, so it puts you in a good mood just to step outside. This is a great change from the gloomy, windy winter.

In other news, I just got back from spending a week in Ottawa with Adam. It was a GREAT week, mostly spent watching TV and eating delicious hamburgers. It was so nice finally being able to wake up next to each other again. The highlight was coming back from the airport and being welcomed home by my good pal Domo-kun (in the form of a delicious hazelnut cake):

Thanks baby! It was the best present :)

Argh...

2006-03-17T22:58:00.000+09:00

Ally McBeal is so annoying. I think she's one of the most annoying, ridiculous characters I've ever encountered. What a pain in the ass. Sadly, however, it's one of the few English shows I can actually watch here so I'm forced to endure her insanity.

(Yes, it's Friday night and I'm bitching about my disdane for a fictional TV character...how sad am I?)

Okinawa!!!

2006-03-07T17:35:00.000+09:00

What a great weekend! It was such a nice break from the terrible winter weather, and I had a really awesome time. On the first day, we took a ferry to a nearby island, explored, and spent some time just lying on the beach. It turned out to be a pretty low-key day. It's not really tourist season yet so we had the island pretty much to ourselves, which was cool.

The next day we went back to the main island where we took in some cultural sites and did some shopping. That night was my friend Scott's birthday so we ended up having a really crazy night of karoake and clubbing. Some very funny memories were made involving my own unique rendition of Christina Aguilera's "Dirty", a few incoherent text messages, and a missing bag of vomit (yuck!).

On our last day, we decided to rent a car and drove to the peace memorial devoted to all those who died during the Battle of Okinawa in WWII. It was a really beautiful site with a really disturbing history. I wish I had a picture to post, but unfortunately my camera decided to stop working halfway through the trip. It was definitely a site worth seeing, despite all the horrendous things that happened there.

So now I'm back in cold, cold Gunma. This was the first chance I've had to travel with other JETs, and it was definitely one of the highlights of my experience so far. In just 3 more weeks, I'll be reunited with Adam again in cold, cold Ottawa. Hurray!

On my way to the GTA!!!

2006-02-24T21:11:00.000+09:00

I got accepted by Osgoode!! Woohoo! So I'm officially moving to Toronto in September. Now that the anxiety-ridden wait is over, the exciting/stressful part can finally begin--spending the entire day googling Toronto neighbourhoods, figuring out where to live, browsing online for a brand new laptop (perhaps I'm ready to join the iBook craze), debating how to break the news to Scruffy that he's gonna have to move back east again, etc.

The thought of going back to school is exciting and terrifying at the same time. I only have six months of freedom left--yikes! I'm really gonna miss being able to spend hours in front of the TV watching old episodes of Ally McBeal and The O.C. I guess I better enjoy it while it lasts...

Happy Love Day :)

2006-02-14T19:44:00.000+09:00

These showed up at my door today:

They were delivered by a very persistant Japanese delivery man who didn't give up, even after the third time I ignored the doorbell thinking he was just someone trying to sell me stuff. Ohhhhh Adamski, you truly are the best. I REALLY CAN'T WAIT to see you again soon!!! Just six more weeks to go...

Oh my goodness...

2006-02-13T16:54:00.000+09:00

...look who's part of the A-crowd now:

"My name is Scruffy. I eat caviar, drink wine, and sleep on sheepskin rugs at night."

"Because of sake, I can change myself..."

2006-02-10T22:23:00.000+09:00

...so says one of the JTEs (Japanese Teacher of English) at my technical high school. I just got home from an "unagi" party with 4 other English teachers. I have to say, I think it was one of the most culturally revealing experiences I've had in Japan so far. It's amazing how much these teachers are suddenly willing to reveal after just a few cups of sake.

One of the teachers got really drunk and started talking about all his failures and regrets throughout his career. Last year, six of the students in his homeroom got expelled before they were able to graduate, and apparently he's never quite forgiven himself for not having "protected" them. Another teacher didn't sleep for weeks and lost 6 kgs after he couldn't figure out how to get the "wild boys" in his class to stop bullying a girl who was too weak to defend herself.

It's really interesting to see how involved Japanese teachers are in the lives of their students. They're pretty much secondary parents. I wonder how shocked these students would be to find out that their teachers spent last Friday night getting drunk over sake and agonizing over how to reform the school's worst troublemakers. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure my teachers in high school never did the same thing...

My feel-good moment...

2006-02-08T20:29:00.000+09:00

I taught my last third-grade class for the school year today (that's the equivalent of Grade 12, so these students are graduating at the end of the month). I wasn't really too sad about it until I ran into one of my students at the grocery store tonight. She was so eager to speak English, and she was all excited to tell me she was going to L.A. for 5 days in March. I know I can get pretty frustrated with my students sometimes, but some of them are just so darn cute, especially the ones who actually try to make use of what you teach them. It just made me so happy to have an actual conversation with that student. I guess this is what some people call "fulfillment"--I've never actually experienced that before :)

White sands and blue seas...

2006-01-23T21:26:00.000+09:00

Headed for Okinawa in March! Woohoo!!! Just 5.5 more weeks to go. And then three weeks after that, I'll be reunited with the great Adamski once again...

AN HONOURABLE MENTION GOES TO...

2006-01-18T18:57:00.000+09:00

Mr. Adam Frankowski!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :),

2 more sleeps...

2005-12-20T21:57:00.000+09:00

...till I'm hoooooome!!! :) What I'm looking forward to the most: central heating and not being able to see my breath when I'm indoors.

Fuji with its head in the clouds...

2005-12-04T20:18:00.000+09:00

Took a trip to Mount Fuji today with one of the teachers at my school and his wife. Sadly, due to foggy weather, we didn't really get to see much. On the bright side, I got to experience my first snowfall in Japan today. The mountains and trees looked so pretty covered in white, except it made me even more homesick. I seem to be craving Christmas lately. Not that there's a lack of Christmas decorations in Japan--they seem to really like Christmas lights here. But still, it's just not the same. I CAN'T WAIT to get home. Three more weeks!!! :)

Woohoo!

2005-11-30T17:57:00.000+09:00

Got my first acceptance letter today! :)

Busy Weekend...

2005-11-20T19:48:00.000+09:00

Just had a pretty good weekend. I went to Ikaho on Saturday, which is a small resort town close to Shibukawa. The area is well-known for hotsprings that have sulphurous water, which is supposed to be really good for you. It was a nice, relaxing afternoon.

Today I just got back from a wine festival in a neighbouring prefecture. Basically, you just pay $15, you get a wine glass and a bottle of wine, then you spend the rest of the afternoon sitting on a rollling hill, listening to jazz and drinking. It was pretty fun. Although it's too bad that I don't like wine :(

On a side note, it's getting really cold here now. Of course, it's nowhere near as cold as Ottawa was, except the Japanese seem to have something against central heating. The hallways and classrooms in my school are freezing. My apartment is starting to get cold too. I used to think heated toilet seats were a wasteful use of technology, but now I totally appreciate them! I think that's gonna be my elaborate purchase for this month--a heated toilet seat to keep my butt warm when I have to pee in the middle of the night :)

2005-11-20T19:47:00.000+09:00

Mountain scenery at Ikaho...

Rice Krispie Squares and Egg Nog...

2005-11-11T16:29:00.000+09:00

...apparently that's what Canadians like. I learned this from some students at a high school International Day. It made me laugh...I do miss Rice Krispie Squares though...

The Magic Kingdom...

2005-10-30T13:39:00.000+09:00

...it's not quite the same when you're not a kid. There's something about the crowds and long lines that's just not so appealing anymore. It's strange how different things can be from what you remember. Next time I'm gonna try going to Disney Sea. It's supposed to be more adult-oriented--they serve alcohol there :) hehehe...

2005-10-30T13:36:00.000+09:00

The happiest place on earth...

C'est l'halloween! Hey!

2005-10-23T22:05:00.001+09:00

Helped out at a kid's halloween party today. The kids were sooooo cute. It was a good change from teaching senior high kids. I've updated my photos page, so you can take a look at www.photos.yahoo.com/thelilone17. There's pictures from Nikko, my birthday, and the halloween party (in case you can't tell, I'm supposed to be a bat).

2005-10-23T22:05:00.000+09:00

Halloweeeen

Onsen...

2005-10-19T21:46:00.000+09:00

So I finally went to my first onsen (hotspring) tonight. It took me three months to gather up the courage to bathe naked in steaming hot water with a bunch of old Japanese women. But surprisingly, it wasn't so bad. It was actually really relaxing. I can't wait to try the outdoor onsens during the winter...

Surpriiiise!!!

2005-10-17T22:11:00.000+09:00

I was thrown my first official surprise party :) We went for karoake, had some drinks and fried food, and sung till our lungs hurt--everything from Bette Midler to old school Green Day. I think tonight was the first time I realized that I'm actually having a pretty good time out here. It's far from home and things don't make sense 95% of the time, but it's nice to know that there are others around me who are in the same boat and know exactly what I'm going through. I guess sometimes all you need is a little karoake to put things in the right perspective...

Oh, and they even acknowledged my birthday at school! Two of my students came up to me and said in their best English: "Abi-san, we hear it is your birthday--is it true?" When I said yes, one of the girls pulled out a whole bunch of candy from her pocket and gave it to me. I also got presents from two of the teachers: a Japanese cook book and a picture frame. So overall, it's been a pretty happy 23rd birthday...

2005-10-17T22:08:00.000+09:00

Of course I have to look like crap in the one group picture we took...

2005-10-16T17:54:00.000+09:00

Waterfall near Nikko (I can't remember names)...

2005-10-16T17:51:00.000+09:00

Lake near Nikko...

2005-10-16T17:50:00.000+09:00

Beware of killer monkeys (though they may be cute)!

Daytrip...

2005-10-16T17:43:00.000+09:00

One of the Japanese teachers at my school took me to Nikko today, which is a small tourist area about two hours away. The drive up there was beautiful. We were going through winding roads, surrounded by mountains and forests on both sides. A lot of the landscape actually reminded me of Canada, which made me a little homesick. We saw a bunch of lakes, waterfalls, and visited a few shrines. The area is famous for evil monkeys that try to steal food from humans, but sadly I didn't see any :(

So I've been in Japan almost three months now. Things are starting to fall into routine. Time is passing by quickly, and I think I can say that I've adjusted to my life here. I still have many moments of homesickness and frustration (especially when I accidentally press a button on my Japanese remote control and zap away my cable), but I'm getting used to it. 3 down, 9 more to go...

2005-10-06T17:32:00.000+09:00

Bamboo Forest, Kyoto

Update...

2005-10-03T20:50:00.000+09:00

Just a few highlights from the past two weeks:

1) Reunited with Adamski for 10 days. It was sooooooo good to be together again. As soon as we saw each other it was like we had never been apart. Had a bunch of crazy adventures--saw a rhino take a giant wiz, had some crazy allergic reactions, walked through a bamboo forest, etc. Time passed by way too quickly. . .

2) Booked my ticket home for Christmas!! I'll be back in Vancouver from Dec. 22 to Jan. 6. I can't wait. . .

3) Went to my first "enkai", a.k.a. "drinking party with my coworkers". Getting wasted after work is pretty much engrained in Japanese culture. I went out with the teachers from my delinquent high school. They kept making me try different types of sake. I guess they thought I deserved a drink for having to deal with those kids. . .

4) Hooked on 24!! That show is sooooooo good. I've watched the first 13 episodes of the first season. I've basically been trapped inside my apartment for the past 3 days. Must know what happens next. . .

5) And now for the biggest news: I'm gonna be an AUNT! AHHHHHHH!! The baby is due in April, which means I won't be home :( It really sucks sometimes being so far from family. At least I'll be home again in about 3 months. . .

. . .so that's my life in a nutshell over the past two weeks. Next week's agenda: more episodes of 24!!!

Anxiety Ridden

2005-09-12T22:19:00.000+09:00

I really need to learn how to relax. This job is stressing me out. Teaching English is stressing me out--this is supposed to be one of the easiest jobs in the world!! I love my all-girls school and my commercial high school is all right, but my technical high school drives me crazy. It's like I'm in Dangerous Minds, except I can't even understand the rude comments that the students are saying. It's bad because I'm supposed to be an ASSISTANT teacher, but the teachers at that school just make me run the whole class so they can take a break. I guess they deserve a break considering they work at this school full-time, but still--I was hoping to have a really easy and mindless job for a year!

On the bright side, there's only 3 more days until Adamski is here!!! I'm so excited and anxious that I can't sleep. Time is gonna fly, and I'm already dreading having to say goodbye again. It's gonna be 10 short days together, after 2 long months apart...

2005-09-08T20:20:00.000+09:00

Sleeping Cutie :)

Mallrat!

2005-09-04T13:34:00.000+09:00

Yaaaay, I finally got to go to a real mall yesterday! It was HUGE! Well, it was probably about half the size of Pacific Centre in Vancouver. But still, that's considered pretty big over here. It felt like I was transported back home temporarily. If it wasn't for all the Japanese people walking around, I could've sworn I was in Canada again...

First day of school

2005-09-01T21:50:00.000+09:00

School officially started this week. I had my first day of class today. When I did my first presentation, I got NO reaction from the kids whatsoever. They just stared at me blankly--they didn't laugh, talk, or respond in any way. It was a little frustrating, but apparently that's typical when it comes to Japanese students. My second class went a little better. We played a game so the kids were a lot more active.

Tomorrow I have to go to my technical high school, which is 99% boys. I'm a little terrified. Apparently most of the students at this school are delinquents who hate English. Hopefully I won't get harassed too badly...despite the fact that I look like a 12-year-old...

COUNTDOWN UPDATE: TWO MORE WEEKS!!!

Tokyo!

2005-08-29T22:37:00.000+09:00

Just got back from a long weekend in Tokyo. It was a good change of pace--everything was insanely crowded, loud, and busy. Now it's back to quiet little Shibukawa.

School starts tomorrow! I have to make a speech in front of everyone in Japanese! Yikes...

One Month Anniversary

2005-08-24T20:12:00.000+09:00

I arrived in Japan exactly one month ago today. Craaaazy, ne? ("ne" is Japanese for "eh") Time is passing by quickly, and yet it feels like ages since I left Vancouver. One down, 11 more to go...

So I finally got my TV to work. It turns out the cable was just unplugged...hehe. It took me a whole month to figure that out--I'm officially an idiot!! :)

"Naughty Power Give Me Many Courage"

2005-08-21T21:50:00.000+09:00

...Japanese t-shirts are hilarious. They make no sense. I went to English summer camp this weekend, and me and the other JETs would just kill time reading all the nonsense printed on the kids' shirts.

Camp was fun but really exhausting. Japanese students are SOOOOOOO shy. It took so much effort just to get them to say anything in English. It was mentally draining at some points. On the whole though, they were really good kids. They made the JETs feel like celebrities. At the end of the camp everyone wanted to take pictures with us and get our autographs :)

I got my haircut today! I found this one salon where the owner speaks a little English. I just showed her a picture and hoped for the best. It turned out pretty well I think. Except now I look even MORE Japanese...

Choo Choo...

2005-08-17T23:16:00.000+09:00

I love riding the trains here, especially when I'm on my own. I get to listen to my music and just stare at the Japanese countryside passing me by. It always feels a little bit surreal...

Oh My God...

2005-08-14T18:41:00.000+09:00

...Japanese salad dressing is SOOOOO GOOOOOD!!! I spent like 30 minutes at the grocery store trying to pick one, but I guess I lucked out because the one I chose was amazing.

COUNTDOWN UPDATE: 33 more days!!!

"Gunbatte!"

2005-08-12T18:47:00.000+09:00

...literally it means "to do your best" or "persevere". I think that's officially my new motto. Things here can be so up and down. I can have a totally amazing night, then wake up feeling completely lonely and homesick the next morning. But I think I'm slowly learning that in order to be happy here, you really just have to learn to live in the moment and accept things as they are.

I just got back from my prefectural orientation tonight. The government of Japan really has a lot of money to burn on the JET programme. We spent three days in the prefectural capital, where all of us got our own rooms in a hotel. Overall, it was pretty fun. I got to meet a lot more people who live in my area. It was interesting to see everyone again and compare how our first couple of weeks have gone.

Man, the Japanese really like to drink. A senior government official was supposed to address us with a speech, and he began by saying "I am drunk" and laughing into the microphone. We went out for karaoke one night and managed to get the Japanese prefectural advisor to sing "Dancing Queen" in front of everyone. He got pretty into it.

So far there are two things I really miss about home: 1) English movies 2) Shopping Malls. The closest theatre to my town is 30 minutes away by train and it costs over $20 per movie. And in terms of shopping, all they really have here are department stores. I just really feel like eating in a food court and being a mallrat right now...

The countdown begins...

2005-08-09T18:25:00.000+09:00

...the ticket has been booked!!! Adam is officially coming on Sept. 16!!! That's only 38 days away!!! We'll get 10 whole days together!! I CAN'T WAIT!!! :)

2005-08-08T20:58:00.000+09:00

Takasaki Matsuri!

Matsuri!

2005-08-08T19:50:00.000+09:00

I went to my first Japanese festival this weekend. It was a lot of fun. I went back to Tasaki, which is the biggest city in Gunma. The place was packed. It kind of felt a little bit like Night Market on a REALLY crowded night.

I got to meet a lot of really cool and interesting people from all over the world. It's funny because all of the foreigners in the city seem to hang out at this one bar, which is about the size of someone's living room. Everyone just drank and danced--apparently this is what they do every weekend. I wish I could come more often, but I know the commute is gonna get pretty expensive in the long run.

Japan can be so random sometimes. After leaving the bar, we were walking down this sketchy street that's kind of like the red-light district. In the middle of the street, there were suddenly these two blow-up kiddie pools. Inside the pool were these blow-up dolphins and watermelons--REAL watermelons! I have no idea what purpose they were supposed to serve. My friends were a little tipsy and decided to jump into the pool. One guy even stripped down to his underwear. The Japanese just stared at them in shock.

I think I'm starting to settle in more now but homesickness still strikes once in a while. The sucky part is now I have two homes to miss: Vancouver and Ottawa. But time is starting to fly by, and I'm sure that the year will be over before I know it...

Beer Garden!

2005-08-05T23:32:00.000+09:00

I went to my first beer garden party tonight. This basically consisted of sitting on a rooftop and drinking and eating as much as you could for three hours. This was the first large JET gathering I've been to since Tokyo, so it was cool to see how people have settled in.

It was interesting to observe the different types of people who are out here. Of course, there's the stereotypical crowd of fresh-out-of-university people who are basically out here to drink and hook up as much as possible. But then there's this other group of people who have been here for years and have pretty much built themselves a permanent life here. I met two guys tonight who have married Japanese women and even have kids! This just seems crazy to me. Japan right now is so unfamiliar and foreign in so many ways--I can't imagine ever getting to the point where I feel comfortable enough to call this place my home.

It was nice to get out of Shibukawa for a while tonight. Takasaki isn't huge, but at least it feels like a real city with tall buildings and bright lights. It even has a Gap, J Crew, and a Starbucks. It's only about 30 minutes away by train so I think I'm gonna go back more often. Tomorrow night they're having fireworks there so I might meet up with this girl I met at the beer garden party. Hopefully we'll manage to find each other.

So I guess I've survived my second week here. Time is passing by pretty quickly, but home still feels so far away...

Where are all the California Rolls??

2005-08-02T19:05:00.000+09:00

Today has been pretty interesting, probably one of the most eventful days here so far. One of the English teachers showed me around Maebashi, which is the capital of Gunma Prefecture. For lunch, he took me to a revolving sushi bar. I've never eaten so many different types of raw fish in my life. He made my try one type of sushi that had some sort of fermented bean inside. It tasted like rotten cheese! I seriously wanted to gag and throw up, but I just had to swallow and wash it down with a lot of green tea. Mental note: stay away from "natto".

When we got back to school, three of the students said they wanted to meet me. They were hilarious. I would ask them a question and they would look at me blankly and say "Excuse me--thinking time please". Then they would all gather in a group and come back to me with a joint response. Then they'd ask me questions like "Do you like Pokemon?" They even drew me a picture of a Japanese Sanrio character because I said I didn't know who he was. They were really cute.

On a completely different note, I went to visit my principal at the technical high school that I have to teach at. The first thing he said to me was: "I'm afraid you will find it very difficult here. The students do not like English." Yikes.

I'm going for a bike ride shortly with my friend (yay, I have a friend!). She's Canadian too and she lives in the building next to mine. I warned her about my minimal biking abilities. Hopefully all will go well...

2005-08-02T18:23:00.000+09:00

My clown bike!

The little things...

2005-07-31T16:55:00.000+09:00

If there's anything this experience has taught me so far, it's that the littlest things can make the biggest difference. There's so many things I used to take for granted back home: being able to make small talk (even though I hated doing it), understanding written instructions, not being confused for a "slow" person, etc. It's amazing how much of an impact these things can have on your daily life.

Today was another struggle, but two little things cheered me up:

1. I managed to do my laundry. On this side of the world, I consider that a huge accomplishment. It took me half an hour of pushing random buttons and crying to my mom over messenger before I could get the stupid machine working. But eventually I managed to find the magic button and it started spinning.

2. I met one of my neighbours. The encounter only lasted about 2 minutes, but it felt so good to actually SPEAK to somebody. She started saying something to me in Japanese but I managed to say "Wakarimasen. Canada-jin desu", which translates to "I don't understand. I am Canadian". I told her I was an ALT, which she seemed to understand, and she told me she was a "children's nurse". I don't know if I'll ever run into her again, but I really hope I do.

Other than that, the day has been pretty slow. I went to the dollar store (or 100 yen store) and picked up some stuff. The dollar stores here have tons of stuff and everything is actually decent quality. Tomorrow it's back to work. There's not really much for me to do, but at least I'll be around people again. In a few hours I'll be able to say that I survived my first weekend in Japan on my own. It's still tough, but hopefully things will start to get easier soon...

Long weekend...

2005-07-30T17:57:00.000+09:00

Today is going by soooooo slowly. The people who showed me around last night have gone out of town, so now I'm on my own again. At least I have the Internet to keep me company.

I spent most of today just unpacking. Thank God for Skype--I finally got to have a decent conversation with Adam and my family. My brother and sister put Scruffy on the webcam and it really broke my heart. He looked so cute, and I really wish I could just pick him and give him a big hug.

In the late afternoon I decided to explore the town a little bit. Shibukawa is cute, but pretty dead. I've put up some more pictures on my Yahoo Photos link. I stopped by the grocery store and didn't recognize most of the produce. And the biggest disappointment: they didn't have breakfast cereal :( Oh yeah, and their milk is no less than 3.6%.

On the way home, some old man started talking to me. There's one phrase I really have to learn ASAP: "I'm not Japanese." I just told him in English and walked away. He looked at me, laughed, and scratched his head...

2005-07-30T12:13:00.000+09:00

I miss my baby so much :( I saw him on the webcam today and it made me cry...he heard my voice and started looking for me...

Surviving...

2005-07-30T00:30:00.000+09:00

So it's come to the end of my first work week in Japan. I arrived in Shibukawa a couple of days ago and moved into my apartment yesterday. The first night was terrifying and lonely, but I survived. It's amazing how isolated you can feel when you have no phone or Internet, and no one around you speaks your language.

Today I managed to get myself online in my apartment. I have to say, that was probably my happiest moment in Japan so far. At least now I have a means of communication and I don't feel so cut off from home.

The teachers at my school have been incredibly welcoming so far. On my first day, my supervisor asked everyone if they could donate household items to me since I don't have anything at my place yet. The next day, I had stacks of plates, towels, blankets, and even homegrown vegetables, sitting at my desk. At least I know I'll be well taken care of.

Tonight I managed to get in touch with a couple of other JETs in the area and they took me out for dinner and showed me around the town. It was really nice to hang out with people who understand exactly what I'm going through. It was interesting to hear about what their first weeks here were like. One girl spent her first five days without Internet and didn't come across a single foreigner during that time. Finally, she decided to just stake out at City Hall and harass the first foreigners she saw. And eventually, she did manage to make friends that way.

I guess I should consider myself pretty lucky. I haven't been here a week yet, and I've managed to get Internet, furniture, and everything else I need. I've also managed to get in touch with other foreigners, and hopefully I'll start meeting more people soon. Now all I need is one of those funky Japanese cell phones...

P.S. In case anyone is curious, I've put up pictures of my apartment here: http://photos.yahoo.com/thelilone17 (just click on the folder called "Japan Apartment").

Hurray for technology!

2005-07-25T16:19:00.000+09:00

I love wireless Internet!! Too bad none of you are ever online while I'm here :( The time difference really sucks...I'm still jetlagged. I didn't get any sleep last night because my roommate is a terrible snorer.

I had my first moment of awe with Japanese technology today. I came out of the shower and noticed there was a distinct square in the mirror that wasn't steamy. I touched it and it was hot. They actually heat part of the bathroom mirror so it doesn't steam while you shower. That way when you come out you can see your reflection instantly. I was amazed. Maybe they do this in other parts of the world and I'm just an ignoramus? Who knows...

First day...

2005-07-24T23:09:00.000+09:00

It's been overwhelming, to say the least...

Yikes!

2005-07-23T04:19:00.000+09:00

I'm leaving tomorrow morning!!! Panic is starting to set in. What the heck was I thinking?? I'm gonna LIVE in a foreign country for a YEAR, where I'll be completely ILLITERATE and unable to communicate?? Damn it, I should've spent more time with my "Japanese for Busy People" workbook. I just hope the people there don't think I'm a "slow" Japanese person.

Anyway, here are my goals for the upcoming year:

-be able to converse in Japanese by the time I come back
-make new friends
-become more opinionated on world events (i.e. force myself to become interested in the news--I am a journalism major, after all)
-start writing again

...I think that's about it. I wonder what I'll be thinking a year from now when I look back at all this...

2005-07-23T04:17:00.000+09:00

My present came!! Please excuse the dorky picture...I was quite excited at the time...

Look who's riding a bike!!!

2005-07-15T13:34:00.000+09:00

I can turn! I can turn! But only on flat land. I'm still working on the uphill/downhill thing. Riding a bike is a true testament to how out of shape I am. I can't even make it up a small slope without feeling like my thighs are gonna fall off.

On a completely different note, Scruffy is no longer wheezing. Benadryl worked! I'm such a good mom--except for the fact that I accidentally left him outside today and forgot about him for an hour :(

Less than two weeks before I leave for Japan! Yikes! At least my accommodations have been settled. I haven't seen pictures, but it sounds like a pretty good deal. It's fully furnished and Internet's included...woot woot!

Sigh...

2005-07-10T23:21:00.000+09:00

I don't remember the last time I cried so hard in public :( It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. The past year has been amazing, and I'm glad we've had so many memories together. I can't wait to see you again baby...

2005-07-10T23:20:00.000+09:00

The saddest goodbye...

I'm melting...

2005-06-15T11:11:00.000+09:00

Jesus H. Christ! It reached 36 degrees today with humidity. Damn the extreme weather on the east coast. Why does the "humidex" have to exist?? Grrrrr....

2005-06-13T11:50:00.000+09:00

The wookie cleans up nicely...

Wedding fever...

2005-06-13T11:22:00.000+09:00

I can't believe Adam's (ex)roommate is married. It feels like I've been looking forward to this weekend for so long, and it's hard to believe it's over now. The whole wedding process is pretty interesting to observe. It's amazing how quickly it all happens--one second you're just boyfriend/girlfriend, then all of a sudden you're husband and wife.

Overall, it was a really good weekend. I got to spend time with Adam and got to know some people I wouldn't normally hang out with. And most importantly, it gave me a chance to fantasize about my own wedding :) hehehe, so giddy...

What a cool concept...

2005-06-08T09:45:00.000+09:00

I came across this website today: www.postsecret.blogspot.com. It's one of the coolest things I've read in a long time...it really makes you think...

2005-06-07T11:25:00.000+09:00

I know this is cheesy, but I'm gonna miss my wookie so much :(

Packing...

2005-06-06T04:42:00.001+09:00

What a pain in the arse. My apartment is a disaster. There's crap and dog hair everywhere. Meanwhile, it's starting to hit me how little time I have left here. I keep getting struck by these temporary moments of fear/anxiety/sadness. I'm just hoping the next year will pass by as quickly as the past 12 months have...

2005-06-06T04:42:00.000+09:00

Go Adamski!!!

The wait is over!

2005-05-31T05:04:00.000+09:00

I finally got my exact placement today!! I got an e-mail from the Gunma Board of Education saying that I've been assigned to teach at the "Shibukawa Girls Senior High School". An all-girls school--I'm gonna get to relive my own high school experience all over again! I think girls in a single-sex environment are less likely to be delinquents, so I'm pretty happy about that (unless it turns out to be a school specifically for delinquent girls...but let's hope not).

As for Shibukawa, it's a little city with a population of about 50,000. As far as I can tell, it's not located on a mountain and I should have access to high-speed Internet. I think it's about 30 minutes from the prefecture's capital, where I can take a bullet train to Tokyo. So overall, I think I'm pretty happy with this placement. It's far from being a hip, urban metropolis, but it could be much worse--this one girl in my Japanese class has been assigned to a tiny little island that's about 3 hours from the mainland.

It's funny how much my perception of a "city" has changed over the past little while. As long as it has over 10,000 people and access to high-speed Internet, I'm sold...

2005-05-29T08:08:00.000+09:00

My mom found this the other day...

Only 3 more weeks in Ottawa...

2005-05-29T03:00:00.000+09:00

...and there's still so much stuff to do!! Gotta pack my stuff, get rid of all my junk, repaint the walls, etc...sigh...On the bright side, I have the following things to look forward to in the upcoming months:

1. My brother's wedding
2. Adam's roommate's wedding (Canada's Wonderland!!!)
3. Three weeks in Vancouver (one whole week with Adamski, woo-hoo!!)
4. Learning to ride a bike (at least I think that's something to look forward to)

In the mean time, I'm still stuck waiting to find out exactly where in Gunma I'm gonna be placed. I'm closely monitoring my e-mail everyday and the anxiety is starting to drive me nuts! Hopefully it won't be somewhere in the middle of a mountain...I'm keeping my fingers crossed...