I can't believe

In less than 24 hours I'll be in Korea! This trip kind of snuck up on me!

Happy New Years everyone!!!

Survived.

OK, it is midnight over here, so technically I have just survived my first time being away for the holidays (New Years doesn't count so much). Christmas wasn't too bad. I did work, but it was a really easy day. In fact I only had to teach one class! I also got some sweet Christmas cards from students with thoughtful messages about enjoying my lessons--those are the moments when your hard work feels paid off. After work I went with some coworkers to a "Spanish" restaurant downtown to eat some "Mexican" food. It actually wasn't too bad (or maybe my standards have just reached desperation regarding that kind of cuisine). But anyway, it was nice to sit in that kind of atmosphere and eat something that wasn't Japanese food for a change. However, I have learned my lesson regarding ordering margaritas over here. Last time a friend ordered one, she got about 1 oz worth of clear liquid and paid about ten dollars for it. I took a leap of faith and ordered one tonight. It was brought out to me in a martini glass about the size of a shot glass, almost clear. I thought-that better be 80% Patron for the 700 yen I am paying! But alas, it was weak. Oh well. Live and learn. It's a much smarter idea to just stick with a beer at these kinds of "novelty" places, otherwise you can wind up a bit disappointed.

But can I just say one thing? My coworker told me, "Just wait. Go outside on the 26th and EVERYTHING will be gone. Christmas will not exist." I thought he was exaggerating. We were walking to the restaurant around 9:30 on CHRISTMAS NIGHT and there were tons and tons of workers in cranes removing EVERYTHING. Lights on trees, decorations, etc. I wanted to be like NOOO at least wait until Christmas is actually over???? By the time we finished eating maybe 70% of the stuff in that area was GONE. Figures.

Now I have Saturday night to look forward to. The start of my winter holiday as well as our staff's bonenkai (end of year work party). It will include a 2 hour course meal and we are booked for about 5 hours of karaoke at a place that has COSTUMES!! --You might be going WOW FIVE HOURS, REALLY??!! But trust me, karaoke is a time vacuum. The time goes sooooo fast there, that is actually a great amount of time if you like singing, or are a mic hog like me. It's a good idea to book for that long because you get a special deal with all you can drink for a good price. Otherwise if you book for just two hours and then extend your time (which you ALWAYS wind up doing, because you know, you added all those songs you want to sing!), it can get very expensive hourly-- usually you go in with a 2,000 yen/person deal and come out with a 7,000 yen/person bill. Eeek. It is also important to do something entertaining like singing and dancing the night away while waiting for the first train to run. Sitting at a bar can get boring and sleepy after so long--And um...costumes!!!! Need I say more?? :)

ANYWAY I hope everyone's Christmas is fantastic (as you have just only BEGUN the day). But I bet it will be even MORE fantastic when I am home next year! He he he. Joking!
(I'm not THAT full of myself) ;)

From me to you

Love and miss you all!

Ps-I am not naked in this, my shirt color just kind of blends in with my skin, haha.

Good day!

I had a really great day today. So, you get a story with pictures this time!

My coworker had a friend visiting her from up North, so she wanted to show her around the area a bit this weekend. Some of us decided to go to Itoshima for the day. Itoshima is in the far south of Fukuoka (Fukuoka is a lot like LA in that it is very spread out and even if you drive for an hour away from downtown, it is still considered part of Fukuoka). It was very rural and coastal. Everything in Japan is done by seasons. So, this season is OYSTER TIME! MMM. I love love love love fresh seafood. So, we went to this area on the harbor that had tons of oyster shacks. We chose the one that made everyone wear bright orange jackets, yellow aprons, and white gloves (I was wondering where the goggles were??) mainly for fun. But the outfit, as ridiculous as it seemed was actually a little practical, because there was ash flying everywhere from the grill, the oysters squirted you when opened, and you need the gloves for opening the oysters, so it worked out OK.

Some of the oysters were HUGE (see above). We also grilled some prawns and this other shellfish. I was not sure what it was called in English (in Japanese-"Sazae"), so I googled it. Hmm it appears I ate sea snail! It's just one of those things to add to my list of adventurous things I have tried! But it had an interesting flavor--kind of bitter. It was fun to try though. Definitely a lot more appetizing in its shell though!After we ate--by the way, the meal was so cheap. All this:
cost us around 10 bucks each!-- we took a walk on the harbor
(yes, Mom, that is the coat in all its glory).After that, we went to a really nice cafe on the coastline, and ate some sweets.
This area reminded me a lot of PCH meets Hawaii but with more of a New England "wilderness" (and chill factor) feel. The cafe was really cool, and the view was fantastic! It was really nice to get out of the main city and see a little more of Fukuoka's coastal side. It is hard to do often, because you need a car to get there.I don't know, this is how I kind of associate Christmas time: chilly beaches and Christmas trees. It all made for a good familiar holiday feeling, which I have kind of been lacking so far.

After our lovely excusion, we went back to Hakata and ate at a really good gyoza (pot sticker dumpling to you non Japanese understanding people hehe) restaurant that makes Kyushu style gyoza. And now I am sitting here very full, happy, and content. =)

*You know you are slowly turning Japanese when an entire day's events revolves around what you ate (and you document it!). ;)

A tad more on Christmas

I'm trying to decide which is more amusing--

that some of my twenty-adult aged students seem to believe in Santa (even though none of them actually celebrate Christmas)

or

that they believe he lives in Finland.
** Which was one student's reasoning for believing he is real. After all, how could a fake person live in Finland???

Also, I have finally figured out that KFC or any kind of fried chicken dinner for that matter is the official Japanese Christmas dinner.

It's too bad they can't see up the holiday meal food chain(well in my opinion):

prime rib > ham > turkey > normal chicken > KFC > stale bread > nothing

Sorry to gloat!!!

But---- IT'S 89 YEN TO THE DOLLAR. Do you understand how INSANE that is???? I can't wait to send money home this month...

(In case you don't keep track of foreign exchange rates, it was 105 yen to the dollar when I arrived here)

A Two Part Blog

I was going to spread these two topics out within the week, but then again I am terrible about keeping things in, so you get two topics today!

1. Christmas time in Japan
Hmm. Well. They definitely love Christmas here. Or should I say, the concept of Christmas. And when I say concept, I mean "commercialize the heck out of your country in the tackiest way possible." I mean, Japan is already notorious for being one of the most consumer focused countries (or did you already know that?), so it isn't really a huge surprise to see what direction they go in terms of this holiday especially considering there is pretty much no religion here, so that whole concept is lost immediately. Everywhere you go, you will see TONS of...blue and white (are the Japanese Jewish???) lights...I especially love the underground shopping tunnels that look like a disco club on the ceiling. But the way they are strung up in trees/underground/wherever remind me of the way my dad once hung our Christmas lights...with one strand connecting from the roof to the tree so there was literally one line of icicle lights dangling in midair (sorry, Dad, but you may never live that one down). Anyway, that is kind of how they look to me. But OK, lets give them some credit, at least I am getting Christmas lights! There are also tons of interior decorations everywhere you go. And, every single store has the same exact satelite radio station playing carols. Except this station sucks in that it literally plays about 5 carols on loop. Which is a bummer as my school plays it as well, and I am now starting to despise Mariah Carey carols and I really liked those!

So great, right? I get Christmas, although mostly commercial, in Japan! Except...here is the thing. Like I said, they love the concept of Christmas. However, pretty much no one actually celebrates it. That's right. They hang up tons of lights, drown their ear drums in carols, and sell tons of Christmassy things. Yet if you ask anyone, "What are your plans for Christmas?" they look at you strangely and reply, "I am working. Probably overtime as well. Duh." (Well they don't actually say duh). Oh wait, they do eat "Christmas cake" on December 23 or something like that, whatever that is/means. So, due to this, this holiday feels rather empty to me. It just doesn't have that feeling you get back home. Therefore, especially since our Christmas party already happened (almost one month before the actual holiday), it may as well be over for me. Sad, but true. And, of course I am working.

2. A small comment on fashion
I could actually write a novel about the fashion here. Some of it is really inspiriring, some of it is confusing, but today I am going to just focus on one look that amuses me. Long story short, the hooker look is way in fashion here. Everywhere you go shopping, you can find a plethora of hooker clothes. Think "Pretty Woman" thigh high boots. Or if boots aren't your thing, think stripper heels (~6 inches) covered in glitter. Think the shortest shorts you can imagine. Think fishnets. Think beehive hairdos. Think heavy heavy makeup. All of that combined=one of the biggest fashions here that all the "cool girls" wear. It amuses me in that if anyone were to wear that back home, they would be arrested in about 10 seconds. However, it is kind of scandalous here to show your shoulders! Therefore, I must be considered quite the hussy in summertime!

Oh, and the actual hookers here wear high school style prom/homecoming dresses.

No I am not making this up!

Instead of going out on Saturday, I stay in and reflect.

Well, I did go out last night so maybe it is OK. Anyway, here is a nice deep reflection I have been stewing over for the past few days, from yours truly at 1:30 am (totally the best time to write deep blog reflections FYI).

I feel like the ceiling of insight finally caved and collapsed on top of me earlier this week. As of this minute, I have been in Japan for 8 months, ten days, 14 hours, and two minutes (estimation of course). Some people say it takes a year to adjust to a new life in a foreign place, some say it takes two months, some say blah blah, but I am pretty positive it took me 8 months, and 6 days to adjust.

I have spent the past 8 months on this constant looping emotional roller coaster (with really steep drops and a few loops). I also spent a good deal of time thinking there was something wrong with me--why wasn't I enjoying this experience 100%? All my friends who studied abroad overseas during college seemed to, so why wasn't I, what was wrong with me?? But, now that I have had some good heart to heart talks with a few friends who have lived overseas (especially ones who went to a completely different culture like me), I realized that I was just seeing their "happy" moments, and in fact they admitted every day could be a struggle for them living overseas. So, phew, nothing is wrong with me! OK, I have actually known this now for a few weeks, but this week I finally pinpointed why it has taken me so long to adjust to being in this country.

I mean, take away the fact it is an opposite culture with some really annoying people, lack of variety in food (especially food I am used to), and some weird foreign people living here. Wait, actually that last part does have to do with the point I am about to make. I voluntarily ripped myself away from my comfort zone. I was quite comfortable in college. I have a good group of friends, I was never really "alone", and I always had someone to lean on when I was having a difficult time. In other words I was sheltered and needed to be in the "real world." Except, I purposely put myself in "Real World level 7.5" (anything higher would involve being homeless, or living in Sub-Saharan Africa). Which is good, it's that whole "dive straight into the deep end" thing. But, it also has its ramifications. Some of mine included freaking out because I went from having lots of friends (well I still have them but they are now across the world from me), to wondering what the heck I was going to do on a weekend, and being surrounded (well this is still present tense actually) by weird people. I was in a country whose culture I didn't really understand. The clothes here fit weird. People stare at me. My job has long hours I was not really used to working. The summer weather was shocking. I look fat compared to most girls here. Etc etc. Basically, I lost all of that "security" I felt back in the US. I also lost a lot of confidence in myself, and my purpose of even coming here became kind of lost to me. I found myself clinging like a wet cat onto anything that could make me feel like my life was the same as it was before I left. I was also in a lot of denial--even up until a few days ago.

It's funny because talking to my wonderful friends I eventually made here, they either have gone or are still going through the exact same thing. So once again, it is reassuring to know I am not actually insane or weird. I am sure those of you who communicate with me other than reading this blog can recall many times I vented your ears off about hating it here, or being unhappy, or whatever. My friends said they have done the exact same thing. And none of us are even negative people to begin with! Now, I think it is just a natural phase of adjusting. Because, I have basically had to rebuild myself piece by piece since arrival. It has been difficult. It has made me be furious at myself for even coming here. It has made me cry myself to sleep. But, I think the construction is over. I have finally accepted my life here. I have accepted how this country and culture is, and that it is homogenous to the extreme and that is just never going to change. I have also accepted myself a bit more than before. And, I have also realized I need to keep making things happen for myself (truthfully I haven't been too shabby with that, but still)--opportunities don't really fall into your lap that much back home, so that definitely isn't going to over here in the land of inopportunity! Now it is just that refinishing stuff, which doesn't seem very painful considering what I have experienced. I think while putting the pieces back together, I really did find parts of myself I wasn't that aware of (I know I know I am using some cheesy metaphors haha). I have discovered new hobbies, talents, and abilities. Honestly, you have no idea how rewarding it is to handle your own problems and get away unscathed in a country whose language you don't even speak! It really gives you that "Wow if I can do that, I can do anything!" feeling.

So, especially in my whining moments, I have been asked, "Do you regret going there?" And my answer varied. But now I can say no, I have no regrets. Although it has been difficult so far, and I am sure there is more of that to come in the next 10 months I am here (and, uh, probably the rest of my life haha), what I am getting out of this experience really is priceless. I think I am going to return to the States the person I truly want to be. I know, so sappy. :)

~~~~~
Ok, and now for a normal update that isn't so philosophical or personal. I am getting excited for my vacation to Korea! I am pretty sure I will be able to see some college friends who are there teaching English for maybe NYE and some other things. I am also just generally excited to travel again! Oh, and I hate to brag over here in strong currency land, but *the yen is way stronger than the Korean won right now. At the moment I believe the entire country is a 20-30% discount for me!!! :) I think I deserve it.

*I knocked on wood just in case I jinxed myself.

Twilight

My friend lent me the book over here. I know it is a very popular book series in the US right now, and that the movie just came out, so I really wanted to see what the hype is about.

First and foremost-who the hell was in charge of editing this book?? Ok, now on to my actual thoughts on what was published...
Well...I can just say that at page 334, CHAPTER SIXTEEN (!), I do not understand the hype at all. I feel that the writing is very cheesy and one huge cliche tangled in itself. It's like, I can see exactly what the author is trying to do with this book, but it just isn't working for me. In fact, the writing style kind of reminds me of my junior high days when I would write stories in my journals. I love reading, and have read many different kinds of books. Some very intellectual, and then others that aren't-most of which I deem my "guilty pleasure" kinds of books. But I can't even really consider this a guilty pleasure book at this moment, because my guilty pleasure books are at least entertaining!

I never have a problem putting this book down. In fact, it had been lying in a corner slightly disheveled for the past three days until I just went to check what page I was on. Maybe I would care and be more invested in the story, if there was an actual story by page 334! I am 70% finished with the book! I mean, I feel like I have had to suffer through about the past 300 pages of one long, never ending description of a play by play (and by that I mean from what she ate for breakfast to what her English teacher assigned as homework to how she brushed her teeth at night) description of Bella's boring uneventful days that had nothing to do with the plot at all, or description of them cuddling together, or Bella thinking how perfect Edward is, or Bella throwing a temper tantrum for no reason, or the four combined in some fashion. Not to mention, the protagonist is extremely unlikeable. I am really disappointed in that, because at first the author tries to play her off as this "misunderstood" clumsy (but of course overdoes the clumsy bit 300% to the point you go--there is no way anyone, not even a fictional character in a lame book can be that clumsy!) teenage girl who doesn't know who she is, and who doesn't see her true beauty--someone I totally thought I could relate to in some ways--too bad she is really just a whiny,boring, unambitious, stubborn brat who never shuts up or stops throwing useless temper tantrums (that then make me roll my eyes and toss the book back into the corner). Oh, and did I mention that her name is *Bella Swan??? How...melodrama (please see my first paragraph on the writing).
*In case you don't speak Italian, Bella=beautiful

I'm sure you are going--why don't you just stop reading it if you don't like it? Unfortunately, I have this weird thing that once I start a book, I have to finish it. Even if it takes me two years, and many other (much better) books in between, I always finish. So I will persevere through this, but just had to rant about this--I just don't really get why so many people adore this? And no, I do not think I will be continuing the series--especially since I have been told the main character gets even MORE whiny and annoying as they go on--how is that possible??

*Also I would like to apologize if I have offended any hardcore Twilight fans. I am not trying to insult your taste. Obviously, everyone has different things they look for in books. To each his own.

FYI

I won't delete my last entry for sentimental purposes, but in case it made you go, "huh?" or read it twice to try to understand what I was saying, I thought I should mention that I wrote that after 3 Christmas parties, in a row, at around 5:30 am, so my mind wasn't it's usual old self ;)...I guess I just really wanted to tell you about my snow experience!! Hahaha.


(Snow is cool, though).

YAY

So, this morning, while getting dressed it was extremely freezing. When it is pouring rain I can hear it and prepare while getting dressed...but imagine my surprise when I opened my door, ready to leave for work. It was snowing! Granted, I have seen the snow before. But to have my street as silent as it was, and to see the white snow flakes fall (last entry=just damp droplet snowflakes), silently. I don't know. I guess you have to live where there is everyday snowfall like this to appreciate (or hate haha) this. but for me, to open my front door in panic of missing my train, and hearing silence, and watching white snow falling down EVERYWHERE in absolute silence....it was a moment of perfection. You know, when I could see something like that and die happy. I was very happy. =) Yay snow!!!!

Bizarre day

Today was just one of those days where you keep asking yourself whether it is really happening or not. It all started with me waking up from weird dreams, and feeling a little out of it, probably due to going out for drinks with coworkers the night before. I was expecting a package to be delivered before noon, so all morning I was half asleep, just waiting for my intercom to buzz. Finally at 11:15 I really had to start getting ready for work, so I jumped in the shower. At 11:23 I got out of the shower, and to my dismay saw a red slip in the middle of my hallway marking that I had missed my delivery. Of course. Of course. So now I have to wait until tomorrow for it to be delivered at work. But that isn't really what was bizarre today, just some added details.

I went to work a little early today, because my coworker and I were being videotaped "teaching" (more like repeating the same three sentences over and over and over again thinking to yourself-WHEN -smile-WILL-smile- THIS-smile- BE-cheesy laugh- OVER?!!!?) for some Japan advertisement network. Of course no one ever really tells me the details, and even after this was finished, I am still really unclear of the details or how it works, but it has something to do with our videos being sent to cell phones? Possibly on a website?? Who knows. At this point, I feel so pimped out for this stuff I am immune to interest. I just smile and do the work and then get back to what I should have been doing instead of that.

I also found out my coworker called in sick (very rare occurence) so in that retrospect it almost felt like hell froze over. I had to teach one of this classes, which wasn't a big deal. At first I was afraid it was a class that didn't speak English (somewhat low level lesson), but the girls wound of being awesome. In fact, one was so cute and constantly smiling, I just wanted to put her in my pocket or something. Anyway, later in the day we found out my coworker went to the doctor and that he either has ecoli or some other not as serious (ha) virus that will last a few days. But with the way health care works here, they will probably wind up giving him a heart transplant, just in case (they LOVE doing surgeries--a hypochondriacs dreamland). Regardless, he isn't coming into work tomorrow (Sat) which is our busiest day, so that means we all get to teach extra classes!! Yay!! We also have a Christmas party (er more like 4 parties) right after work, so it will be a long day ahead! Oh, and did I mention my staff wanted me to wear this slutty Santa outfit? Not that it was originally intended to be slutty, but I think due to my height, the skirt is much shorter than it should be =) Well, anyway, I opted for some "Christmas accessories" instead..plus I am too broke to go all out for a one day thing. Maybe next year...maybe.

In one of my evening classes, I was expecting one female student, and was surprised to see this old man I had never seen before in my life hanging out in my classroom. He actually goes to a different branch of my school in a city two hours away, but was joining my lesson because of business....yet we had no record of him on the schedule or anything. Go figure. Anyway it wasn't so bad, and he was very friendly, but his skills were.................yeah, so I think my other student started getting annoyed, and it kind of threw the lesson a little off balance.

Ok, so now for the grand finale of my weird Friday. In between my last two lessons, my manager asked me to talk to a man who showed up interested in lessons. I had no time, but sat down anyway and asked him how he was, and he literally used a hand gesture of sending me away (you know, how rich people do to servants in movies), and gave me a dirty look. I tried one more time, thinking I imagined that because after all, who has ever seen a Japanese person be rude directly to your face?--they always do it on the sly instead, but yeah he did it again! So I thought "Fine, come to an English school and refuse to speak to a teacher, Ok." And ran back to my manager who saw the whole thing and we shared a "wtf" moment together. I watched him do the same thing to my coworker, and then taught another lesson and thought nothing more of it. ANYWAY after lessons were finished I was with my head teacher and she told me that after the last lessons started, the man started yelling at my manager and told her we were all idiots, and left. THEN he apparently called about 8 times and yelled at our staff, saying he had a horrible experience at our school and was going to return and hurt us. Yeah, I know, right?? So since something like this has probably happened in all of Japan's history of complaining maybe .00000000000000000000000087 times, everyone freaked out and called the police, and someone from our head office showed up to help manage the problem. We were asked to be out of the office a little earlier in case he came back, so I have no idea what happened with that. I mean, the chances of him "following through" with his threat are low and he is probably just a crazy old man, but at the same time that NEVER happens here, and is a weird situation anywhere to begin with. And these days, people are crazy. My criminology brain couldn't help but think of all the mass murder cases I studied about disgruntled customers, etc. But don't worry, I am sure I will show up to work and have maybe two personal police escorts assigned to me and the rest of our staff at all times tomorrow, based on how things are handled and situations are over handled here =) (kind of joking). All in all, it was just a very BIZARRE day!

But, on the flip side it WAS SNOWING TODAY. Not enough for it to actually stay on the ground, but yes, it was snowing!!! =)

Ehhh

I decided my picture was more important than that vintage-y background, so now you can look at a plain white blog and a picture haha. At least the font is bigger!

Tickets for Korea are bought. Now I just need to figure out where I am going and what I am doing there! I did buy a guidebook though, so I think reading it could be my first step ;)

The economy in Japan is hurting a tad due to the fiasco in America, but just like any other negative issue in Japan, no one talks about it, so there is no reminder. It is sad to read MSN news every morning and read about huge layoffs from big corporations, etc etc. But the other day, I read the saddest article by far. It was quoting people who dress up as Santa for malls. The Santas were saying this year that instead of asking for toys, they are getting a lot of requests from kids for a new job for their dad, or money for their parents to buy their house back. These aren't orphanage kids either, just your ordinary kid at the mall sitting on Santa's lap. I just thought it was heartbreaking that these little kids are carrying their parents' worry. They also quoted a mother who took her daughter to see Santa. Her daugher listed off some things she wanted from him, and the mother was very stressed out, because her daughter was unaware she has been laid off for the past nine months and doesn't think she can really give her a Christmas this year. It's just really sad that our economy has become this bad and that jobs are so scarce. I really hope it turns around!!

And um re: the news story of the man trampled to death by greedy shoppers in Walmart-I am disgusted with a percentage of the human race. Just putting that out there...

Upgrade

Rather than cleaning my apartment, I decided to make my blog a little trendier. However, I am a little bummed because I spent a good deal of time playing around on photoshop and turned one of my favorite pictures into a sketch and wanted to use it on this blog, but have no idea how to do that so....nevermind! Anyway, I now have a program on the side bar where you can leave me messages! Make sure you keep them PG though ;)

And BTW

This video actually made me cry (in a good way).

Just know...

In exactly one year (or less depending on future plans!) I will be home to celebrate this lovely holiday in all its glory =) Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! I hope it is a safe and wonderful holiday for everyone.

Thanksgiving over here was very traditional Japanese style, in that it did not exist and I worked extremely hard today! Maybe that was a good thing though since I was too busy running around to really even think about what I am missing out on!

OK I am going to be personal one more time.

Not to be *too* emotional and personal (since I said I wasn't going to get personal here anymore), but the thought of not being home for Thanksgiving or Christmas has started to become very very difficult for me. I know I need to grow up-lots of people are away from family and friends during this season, but it is still really hard and testing. Especially when you are somewhere that has never heard of things like apple cider, or stuffing...and makes you work on these days as well. There are also these horrible, evil anonymous surveys coming out for the students to fill out and apparently they get really nit picky and then the teacher gets dinged for all sorts of random things, so I am terrified and very very stressed out about them (great way to begin the new year!). I am doing my best-but these people are so hard to please sometimes!!! I think my calculated December budget of about 400 yen a day is going to make this month even more difficult to get through (I know, right? I'm telling you, it's ridiculously expensive to travel or simply enjoy your life here!). I mean I know it is my choice to take trips or whatever, and yeah instead I could have tons of money and sit on my butt in my apartment every weekend/vacation, but I swear if I weren't doing these things I would go crazy, because what would be the point of putting myself through all this in the first place?

Not trying to be a "Debbie Downer" here, and hopefully those of you who read this can understand my POV here. The bottom line to this post is I wish for the next month to go by as quickly and painless as possible.

Update on the weatha

It apparently snowed this morning around 8 am...but like I was awake for that! Kind of exciting though. I've never lived in the snow before (well unless you count my life as a baby/no memory time period in the mtns, or that one time it snowed over night in Redlands and melted the next day). Luckily, it apparently doesn't snow *too much* here, so I don't think the weather will become Buffalo, New York unbearable style. I did feel like my face froze walking home tonight, though...I tried making different facial expressions and it was kind of hard.

Unluckily, making good quality apartments is not Japan's forte! My apartment is so poorly insulated, I have inspected my windows about 10 trillion times SURE there is something I am missing as it feels so drafty even with my heater on full blast--maybe a secret air vent or crack in them or something---but alas...I think it is just poor insulation. =/ Also, speaking of bad apartment building skills, I find many times I feel my apartment shake, and can't decide if it is an aftershock from an earthquake or just someone from maybe 2 floors up dropping something heavy...either way it kind of bothers me this has become a routine scenario to ponder (happened again while writing this blog-so I thought I'd mention it).

And apparently the South Korean railways are going on strike...so I hope they sort things out before late December, otherwise my traveling plans might get really screwed up! --Yes I am aware that was a selfish wish to make. ;)

Oh wait, one other update--I am down to my last 150 yen (approx $1.50) until the 25th! No I am not actually excited about that, haha, but I think this will help build some character. I think I need a story to tell my kids some day about how I was broke and *lived off rice or ramen (except ramen here costs more than 16 cents! Unfair!) or something for months. But in return got to travel the world. In fact, I think a story like that could even make a good book deal. This is also good training for next month as I am buying Korea tickets AND Sapporo tickets, which=there goes my paycheck in the blink of an eye (literally)! I heard the *broke diet is the newest fad diet anyway. ;) I am willing to make such sacrifices for once in a lifetime experiences.

*Please note the slight exaggeration.

I know you CA people will probably kill me

for saying this...but it is FREEZING HERE. 41 degrees F!!! And pouring rain. OK, I'll stop right there.

On another note, I am praying for the CA fires to stop and hope all those who lost their homes will be able to rebuild.

Sapporo Snow Festival

I want to go there in February. Which means I will be broke in December because I need to buy plane tickets asap, as well as tickets for wherever I go over New Years. I hope it works out! I suppose it can be a Christmas present to myself...

And yes, in case you are wondering, those are entire buildings carved out of ice...

Quick Weekend Getaway

This Sunday, I took a day trip with all the girls from the office to Kumamoto Prefecture (middle of Kyushu). We went to Kikuchi Kekoku, which is a famous area down there to hike around and admire the gorgeous scenery. Before our hike, we ate at a famous restaurant that is literally tucked away in the mountains surrounded by nature. It was really neat, and also had really good food too! I think maybe one of the best things about living in Japan, is it is my first experience living somewhere where there are true four seasons (and boy do these people live their lives by the seasons!). There was a lot of beautiful Autumn foliage, as well as just beautiful scenery to take in that I imagine looks this good every season! It was really special to see the fall leaves, because I have never seen this kind of thing in person before, being from Southern California, only in pictures! Then, we went to an onsen (hot spring). The one we went to was cool because we had the whole thing to ourselves for the majority of the time, and it was outdoors looking over a river and waterfall! The water is really good for your skin, because it is full of natural minerals, so instead of pruning out my skin like regular water, it actually made it really moisturized, almost like I was soaking in an oil bath--minus the greasy feeling! A perfect way to end a chilly day of hiking!

Of course I took a lot of pictures. I actually really enjoy taking pictures (as if you didn't notice!), but when I return to the states, would like to start taking photography lessons and start learning actual techniques for picture taking. I'm mainly interested in capturing landscape/nature scenes. This "realization" is kind of a big deal for me, because I think I may have found a true hobby/passion...and I have been searching for something like this for the past maybe 16 years? Nothing until this has really stuck!

Anyway here are most of the photos I took from the trip (along with wanting to become a better photographer, I am also working at cutting down on redundant photos)---
Beautiful pictures

In case you're feeling too "lazy" to view them, here is something to whet your appetite...

OK OK OK fine...

I won't travel in the Philippines. I get it, I'll be raped and murdered if I do. However, I still might fly there and then connect to somewhere "safer"--that flight is really quite a good deal... =/

On a less morbid, more cheerful note-- I got my hair permanently straightened and have bangs again! I was a little concerned about giving up my curls, but so far (in the 36 hours I have had it ha) it has been sooooo worth it! My hair is so straight, shiny, and unfrizzy! Usually it takes me a long time to make it look that way on my own, and within an hour or so it becomes poofy again--and FORGET it looking nice the following day! But this morning I woke up to perfect, straight, unfrizzy, shiny hair. AND the bangs are way less work this way as well! I guess I look way different as people here have pointed out, but I think I look/feel more like my old self. =)

*Please note the hair straightening chemicals actually lightened my hair up a bit, so don't worry, I don't look *too* much like every one else here with the new 'do ;) Maybe if you're lucky I'll post pictures some day.

Concern

I appreciate all the concerned emails/msgs I got regarding my post about the Philippines. Just know I am slightly intelligent and don't really fancy being sold into the human trafficking industry (my job is already hard enough) or coming back to America in a body bag. I'll be smart about wherever/whatever I wind up doing...

Too many options.

So, I found this super cheap airline that flies out of Osaka once a week to the Philippines for about 6,000 yen (60 dollars)!!! I didn't think that budget airlines existed to fly internationally out of Japan, so clearly that is my way out to SE Asia (that is if I truly have the willpower to save for this proposed trip--which I really really really hope I do), considering other options are going to be around $300-500.

However, this now presents a new problem. Since I have to fly into the Philippines first, before then taking another ridiculously cheap airline to Thailand or Singapore or Vietnam, or wherever my little travel greedy heart desires, I thought I would look into what the Philippines has to offer, since you know, I'd be there anyway. I always thought of this country as dirty and dodgy (probably a lot to do with this country's blatant racism for other Asian countries), but now with some more knowledge of backpacking around it seems absolutely GORGEOUS and UNTOUCHED. That is a problem I hear about places like Thailand, Malaysia, etc because they have become so touristy it takes away a lot of the "feel." But although the cities in the Philippines sound just like the Japanese make the country out to be, it looks like the beaches and small islands are almost deserted and haven't been taken over by tourists yet. And you can do Spanish ship wreck diving tours, or dive with these famous whale sharks that are only in that area. So cool!! So you are probably wondering what this has to do with a problem? The problem is I will only have about a month to travel after my contract because I don't want to miss the holidays again. So, I need to be choosey about where I go. I don't like to bounce around so much you can't even get a good feel for a country or its people. So now I don't know where to go!!! SE Asia has wayyyyyy too many choices!!! =/

Officially official

I just signed my new contract today. I will complete it October 24, 2009. If my plans go well, I will be home late November of next year. See you in about 13 months!

Decision is made

And I think I will be the happiest with it. But you'll have to email me if you want the details. I decided from now on, this blog is not going to be used for personal feelings/ventings/etc. It was never originally intended to be that way. It was always just meant for sharing things I was learning about the country (please see my original inspiration to the side bar regarding Alice in Wonderland), general updates on my life, and random blurbs I felt like sharing. But somewhere along the way, I guess with so much going on in my head, I started seeing this as my vent session. The problem is, this is a public blog and I am literally only venting to maybe 3 specific people who read it at a time, and don't really want everyone else out there to know how I feel about certain things. So from now on, any of that kind of stuff/how I am feeling here/specific stories will be shared through personal email only. It might take a bit longer to hear from me, but that is how I prefer it to be from now on. So from here on out, there may be fewer blog entries, but they will be focused more on how this blog was supposed to be. If you want personal emails from me and don't have my email for some reason, feel free to post a comment or something and I will shoot you an email. Till then, cheers!

My head is too foggy.

There has been WAY TOO MUCH crap going on in the past week, and now my brain is on overdrive. This week is so stressful. 1. I have some things that I don't feel like sharing on a public blog that are nagging me/making it hard to focus on the "more important" issues at hand in my life. 2. I am sick and literally feel like I have no energy, yet have no time to be sick right now. 3. I have to decide whether or not to extend by THURSDAY. 4. I am having a lesson observed that I had a complaint in--so stressful. 5. I have to teach this random extra lesson and be observed by our head office for "experimental" purposes on my busiest day this week-nothing really to do with me, I was just lucky to be chosen as the guinea pig teacher (sense the sarcasm?). 6. We are back onto sales, and I just feel the pressure on my back and it stresses me out!! 7. 2 of my close friends are leaving this week, and one is threatening (if you are reading this, you cannot leave) to leave after Christmas, and it is just disheartening to know I might find myself alone in the near future and I don't know if I can deal like that. I am sure I probably will make new friends, but I don't know, at the moment it is disheartening for me. It is really too much right now, and I just feel so lost and exhausted, and find myself wanting to break down and cry all the time lately.

I honestly have no idea what to do about extending. Part of me is so frustrated with work and issues with Japan in general, I just don't know if I can last another 6 months here. Unfortunately with all these factors dancing around in my head it is too difficult to tell whether this is just a bad time and will get better, or if it is just going to keep going downhill. But on the other hand, I am not even sure what I would exactly be going home to in April? Everyone is doing their own thing. I have come to realize, as hard as it is to accept, that nothing will ever be the same as it was in university. I know when I go home, it will not be how it was. I mean, as much as I miss and long for home, I also remember how utterly bored I was living at home waiting to come here (sorry parents). So sometimes I wonder, what is the point then? I really want to stay so I can travel, but I just don't know if I can survive here for that much longer! I know 6 months doesn't seem like so long, but when a day can feel like eternity here, it really seems overbearing. But then again, there is the economy issues, and I have bills to pay and don't feel like struggling to find a crappy job and figure out how to pay them. Also, I don't want to quit on myself and give up on an opportunity that maybe at this moment seems like crap, but I will appreciate a lot later, just because I am feeling this weak at the moment??? I just really feel so lost here, and have been putting this off denial-status. But now, I need to make a decision, and I just don't know what the right decision is! Japan can be so much fun, yet so painful at the same time. Sigh. Someone just check the box on the contract for me, please.

Well, I feel completely violated.

I was innocently walking home from getting something to eat in my pajamas (which are not in any way sexy might I add)--edit: I was wearing long gym shorts and a sweatshirt--, and heard a bike coming up behind me. And before I could even fathom what had happened to me, the man on the bike reached out and grabbed my butt--but did more than that (so not going to be detailed here)--and made this sexual moaning sound and then just kept riding by as if he didn't do that. I just stood there for literally 2 minutes trying to process what had just happened I was in so much shock and disgust. I was in a very crowded train in Tokyo on my way back to the airport and suspected someone had inappropriately touched me for a moment, but was almost unsure because it was so crowded and could have just been unintentional shifting, and that alone felt very very uncomfortable. But this....I am angry let's just say. This is what I CAN'T STAND about this country. Although "officially" behavior like this is "frowned upon" it is totally accepted, and the men in this country think it's OK to do this to me as I am a foreigner and think of girls like me as public property. Don't be so concerned about me (especially you, my parents), there's obviously nothing I can do about it and unfortunately this happens a lot to girls out here. I know I'll be fine, but I am just really really disgusted right now and feel violated.

Better Saturday

Saturday at work was much better. I just decided to sleep off the bad feelings, and wake up with a new attitude. Everything in life is a learning experience after all, right? I actually had a pretty good work day as well. Saturdays are so busy (7 classes in a row with a lunch break squeezed in somewhere), but we just got a new schedule so I had some new classes and new faces, so it was a little refreshing. After work, I went to my friend's Temakizushi party (do it yourself sushi), It was a lot of fun to see friends, and meet new people, and to make yummy sushi myself. After a few bottles of wine, we decided to head over to the karaoke bar down the road. I am usually not the biggest fan of karaoke, but I was having a BLAST with my friend. We were total mic hogs. Like we literally would sing 4 songs in a row before someone else got a turn. Every two seconds we would turn to each other and go, "OH! We need to sing ----!" And reach for the controller to add it. In fact, we all had SO much fun, that we wound up staying there for FOUR HOURS. We were planning on sleeping at our friend's flat, because it is too expensive to take a cab from there after the last train, but um somehow we wound up being out late enough to make the first train back, haha. So I got home around 6 am, decided I was hungry and wanted to watch the new Desperate Housewives premiere (which was totally lame ps), so I made cheap ramen and stayed up even LATER to watch it. THEN, I went to sleep, woke up around 4pm, and forced myself to go downtown for some shopping (and I was also craving Subway). I am now sitting in my flat being completely lazy, even though I should be cleaning up. But, I have a work conference tomorrow rather than my day off, so can you really blame me for trying to have a little R&R??

Meh

I won't lie. Today was a very frustrating day. Kind of a big plummet on the confidence as a teacher meter. I don't feel comfortable writing about it in this blog though for various reasons, so if you are interested in the story, shoot me an email and when I have a clear mind I will share. Let's hope tomorrow can be a fresh slate.

Kyoto/Nara

I honestly can't be bothered to write you an entire story of my amazing trip, and I actually doubt you could be bothered to read it. So, I am going to go with the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Since I took over 500 pictures, that's like 500,000 words for you! Haha. I did caption them to guide your understanding through. I also promise it doesn't take as long as one would imagine to view all of them. But please try to, most of the pictures are great and really show Japan's beauty! I just couldn't stop snapping away! Haha, but then again, when can I ever? =)

I stayed at a very cool hostel that was a renovated gorgeous, old Japanese house literally in the dead center of Gion (downtown Kyoto where the Geisha go to play). The owner was awesome and treated us like we were guests at his home, rather than strangers. I met some very cool backpackers. It was weird. It was my first time meeting foreigners who don't live here and are just traveling through. They were so interested in my life here, and it felt weird having more experience with this country/language than everyone else! They really inspired me to travel as much as I can! Most were from Scotland, England, the Netherlands, and Australia. Very different kinds of people with different reasons to travel here. They were great. I also think staying at this hostel had a big influence on my experience, especially traveling alone. I think I made an excellent decision booking it.

I went to Nara, which is about 40 min away by train from Kyoto on my second day there. It was maybe the best part of the trip. There are so many temples to see in Kyoto, but many are a bit anticlimatic, and surrounded by tourists, so most "vibes" are killed. Also, I realized I don't have a very big attention span for touristy things. I go, take some pictures, say "Ok, I saw it..." and then move on, haha! I mainly enjoyed the nature of this trip, which is why I loved Nara so much. Hardly any tourists in the park, tons of wild deer, and just gorgeous scenery. Arashiyama was also a highlight. It's a huge park on the outskirts of Kyoto, with mountains, bamboo forests, and MONKEYS! I looooved the monkeys. It was quite a hike to get to them, but so worth it!

Anyway, I had a really great time, and although I returned sore and physically exhausted, I felt mentally recharged. I also realized I enjoy traveling alone. I met cool people to talk to/do things with at night if I wanted, but had complete freedom to do whatever I wanted! It was really liberating! It was also just a huge accomplishment to myself, that I was able to do/see everything I wanted to, navigate myself around a quite large city hardly knowing the language, and barely get lost. =) It gives me that "I really can do anything!" feeling.

Oh, and on a side note, my train pass was found! Like 15 days too late! But I was able to get sort of reimbursed. I got a percentage of the amount of days I had left on it, so only like $15, but that is better than being at zero I guess? See? My theory of Japan is SO accurate. People are very honest, yet ridiculous when it comes to common sense (e.g. returning a train pass 15 days after you find it) haha, jk. Sortttt of.... =)

Here are pictures for you....I promise they don't take that long to view =)
Kyoto day 1
Nara day 2
Arashiyama/Kyoto day 3
MONKEY VIDEOS (can you tell I was obsessed? haha).

PS-I removed the music. It annoyed me. It probably annoyed you too haha.

I'm baaack

My Kyoto trip blew Tokyo out of the water. But I am way too tired to tell you about it now! Haha so you will have to wait.

PS-My knees REALLY hurt--more details later.

Taking off

I am taking off for Kyoto tonight (despite exhaustion) and won`t be back until Wed (my time). I decided this is a me trip, so I am hopefully going to enjoy that alone time. I also decided I am going to stay away from email the whole time, so if you email me during this weekend and I don`t respond, please don`t freak out (cough, parents). You can text my phone email if there is some kind of emergency though...

Yay for trips!

Tokyo Pics

are right here. Enjoy!

PS-I decided to try out this music player. I have really random taste in music so you might be thinking "uhhh this is quite a random playlist!"

Tokyo

Taken from Tokyo Tower

I just got back from Tokyo today. It was a really fun trip. I thought it was a pretty cool city. I went to Ginza, Shibuya (where the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world is), Harajuku, Tokyo Tower (looks pretty much like the Eiffel Tower--just taller-coincidence? I think not, silly competitive Japan), and saw some night life. I was going to go to the fish market (apparently the biggest fishmarket in the world) but you have to wake up around 4am to do so...and it just didn't happen haha. Unfortunately, on Sunday which is a good day to see all the crazies, it was pouring rain so I didn't get to see too much of that dress up as anime character scene, or what not. But since I see a little of that here and there I get the point. It was much nicer weather on Monday though, thankfully, so I was glad to get some good views of the city (I'll post more pics when I feel like uploading).

However, I think Tokyo is a little overrated. I guess it is overrated in the sense that all of Japan is overrated--based on the image most people who have never been to Japan have of Japan. Everyone thinks Japan is Tokyo, and that Tokyo is this massive, futuristic, crowded city. But that is partly wrong. First of all, most of Japan is nature and non city. Second of all, Tokyo is just the same as NYC or probably London, etc. Just more compact and therefore more crowded. I guess my POV is a little jaded since I live in a large city in Japan already. Fukuoka is not close to the size of Tokyo, but it still has much of what Tokyo has, just on a smaller scale. So, maybe my perception of Tokyo is a bit different than someone who has never been to Japan's perception would be, as all that "omg that crazy Japanese stuff" doesn't really phase me because I see it every day. But, besides that, at the end of the day, Tokyo is just any other big city-full of overpriced shopping and restaurants. There isn't a whole lot to really see either besides the usual big city stuff-museums, etc. I think it's more of an "experience" than a sight seeing place. But I also think you can get a lot of that elsewhere here. I guess what I am trying to say is, I am glad I went and saw Tokyo, because I think it is something you should see when you come to Japan, but I don't know if I have a desire to return.

I think my interests have a big impact on my impression as well. My parents will be shocked, but I am these days more interested in nature sights/the outdoors rather than shopping or clubbing. Apparently the club scene in Tokyo is good, but since I don't like clubbing, I wouldn't really know/care. Being in Tokyo also really made me realize my appreciation for Fukuoka, and glad I don't live there. Like I said, Fukuoka is not Tokyo by any means, and probably not as "exciting" but the simplicity of it as a big city, and the fact it has a "local" feel makes it really great. To get anywhere in Tokyo, you have to change train lines several times, sit (but most likely stand) on crowded cars for long periods of time, be wary of gropers (it's a HUGE problem, they even have women only cars-which I rode on this morning after a small incident), etc etc. Also, no one lives anywhere near the fun/exciting parts because it is so expensive, so when you go out at night you have to either commit to staying out all night (which can get old) or make the last train at midnight-otherwise you face around a 100 dollar cab fare. I love that I can go out here in Fukuoka, and if I don't make last train (which I hardly ever do), I can either technically walk home in about a half hour or take a cab for less than 20 bucks. We may not have as MANY clubs/restaurants/overpriced shopping centers/museums to choose from, but it is plenty for me. This city really suits me.

All in all, I guess my point is, Tokyo is not really what we as Americans envision it to be. But it is a nice city. So, if you have the opportunity to see it, you definitely should. But please don't plan an entire vacation around it (there is just so much other worthwhile stuff to see here-most underrated/maybe even unknown to the Western public), and if you don't make it to Tokyo, don't deem yourself a failure and kill yourself. The end.

Adding to one of the reasons I am glad I don't live in Tokyo--I had to take the train to the airport alone this morning (the cheapest flight I could get back left at 7:30am so I had to leave around 5:30am to make my flight and I can't blame my friend for not wanting to wake up for that journey haha). I was quite scared about this "adventure" as I had to switch trains several times and it is just so hectic here!!! See below:
Only PART of Tokyo's train/metro line... (I was too lazy to upload several maps)
Fukuoka's metro line (trains not included, but still you get the point)...haha.


I am going to Kyoto this weekend-that I am really excited about. Then my "jet setting" month is coming to an end...traveling every weekend is kind of exhausting!

The time has come

I was asked to renew my contract today....dun dun dun. I have to decide what to do by Oct 16. This means...if you have any feedback for me-reasons I should renew/reasons I should come home...please let me know. I can use all the help I can get making a decision like this!!!!

PS- I gave in and bought a new train pass. BUT I was told by my student who works for the station that if my old pass turns up, the station will reimburse me if I show them both passes. So...maybe someone has just forgotten to turn it in yet? Haha.

One of THOSE days

and by that I mean where you want to run off to the bathroom and cry every 10 minutes. Kind of like what I did...

I knew it was probably a sign when I woke up to a ginormous zit on my forehead (TMI, I know). My train pass expired yesterday, so I had to buy a new one for this month this morning (costs about 50 bucks). I get reimbursed from my company for travel expenses, and since I am basically running on fumes until my next payday, I just took money out of my "Tokyo funds" (when I was paid last, I put aside money for Tokyo knowing I would spend it otherwise), and planned on putting the money back when I got reimbursed. Anyway, I bought the new pass, rode the train, went to work, and was in a decent mood, when I realized I needed to give my manager my pass and the receipt so I could get my money back. I went to my purse, found the receipt...but no pass. I checked my pockets and purse about 10 trillion times before concluding I had lost the pass. My manager called the station as well as our building and put my information in, in case someone returned it. The thing is I was somewhat hopeful because people are actually honest here and tend to turn in things they find rather than steal them. Also, my pass is kind of useless to most people, as it can only be used to and from MY station which is only one stop away. It also has my name on it. ANYWAY no one turned it in so far, and I have lost hope, because I think if someone honest had found it, they would have turned it in by now. So I am now out of 50 bucks which I really could have used. Sigh. The problem with my mind, is when something bad happens to me, it likes to then dig up every bad/sad/insecure thought or feeling that possibly exists within me even if it is completely irrelevant to the situation at hand, also I felt like more and more is being asked of me at work, and sometimes it is like "I CAN'T DO EVERYTHING!!!!!!" and just so frustrating/exhausting to think about-- so all that made for a very unfun day...including me having to excuse myself to the bathroom to calm down so I could be socially acceptable to students. =/ Like I have said before, having something like that happen back home is bad, but dealing with it in a foreign country is way worse and harder. You are just so helpless! It's really difficult! I decided to walk home and self reflect lol. I'm giving the "honest" people of Jland one more day, and then I am forking out another 50 bucks for a new one. Boo. Oh, and I also now have to give a presentation to everyone at a work conference in October regarding being successful for a sales thing we do, and now it has been decided that it will be videotaped so all the J staff in the region can see my "ideas" as well. Too bad I don't even have much to say! I am just wondering how I am going to fill the 10-15 minute time slot they gave me (that's a LONG TIME to stand in front of everyone and talk!!!)! Is this a reward for being successful??? Haha.

Iki

Well, despite the report of thunderstorms and typhoons, I decided to bite the bullet and go to Iki as planned. I am glad I did because once again the weather prediction was pretty off. It did rain a bit and was overcast, but nothing too dramatic. We were still able to do a lot, just not the beach thing. So I am planning to go back at some point in the future to get the rest of the island experience. Sunday morning, I took a ferry from Hakata to Iki. It takes about 2 hours, so I took some photos of the journey and psuedo nap on the deck. Then, my friends met me at the harbor (they had gone over the night before). Last time they went, they made friends with some local guys, so the guys were really nice and drove us everywhere and paid for a lot of things for us. Anyway, we then went fishing! We caught a lot of fish, as well as TONS of fugu (blowfish). Obviously you can't eat fugu unless you are trained how to prepare it, so we had to keep throwing them back...at first it was exciting to catch a fugu because we could make them puff up (and by the way, they really look like frogs), but after the 18th time of catching a stupid fugu instead of an edible fish, we were over them. The fisherman who took us fishing just started tossing them on the bottom of the boat. It was really fun though, and we later BBQed the fish and also made sashimi with some of the larger ones. It was great eating fresh fish you caught yourself! We also wanted some other stuff for the BBQ so we went to a butcher to get meat. The nice thing about being on a rural island is everything is so fresh. You can't just go to a grocery store and buy prepackaged meat. Japanese beef is excellent...but also VERY expensive. We wound up paying about $90 for the meat!!! It was kind of worth it though, it was like butter.

The next day we were going to go to the beach, and then maybe an onsen (hot spring). But, it was raining all morning, so one of the guys we made friends with came and picked us up and took us to onsen. It was my first time. It was a great experience, and totally relaxing. There are all these natural pools of water in different temperatures, and the water is full of minerals so it is really good for your body/skin. Me and my friends had the entire onsen to ourselves, so it was nice considering you are naked (men and women use different onsen). The feeling of going from a really hot onsen to a cold one and then to a sauna was just really incredible for my body and also very therapeutic. I recommend them to everyone =). Then, we went to lunch, and then did a little bit of sight seeing before heading to the ferry terminal. I just couldn't get over how green the island was! There is a giant rock that is the shape of a monkey. It is completely natural, so it is kind of crazy! I just wish the weather was a bit sunnier so the water would have been more blue, but what can you do?

Next weekend I am off to Tokyo! I can't believe how busy I have been lately! It's a lot of fun though =)

You can see Iki pictures here. I did my best to caption them.

PS

I will be camping here, Iki Island, this weekend! Who knew gorgeous beaches were only a 40 dollar, 2 hour ferry ride away ;)


PS-I just found out in Oita Prefecture, which is a gorgeous part of Japan about two hours away that is famous for onsen (hot springs), there is an "African Safari" animal park, and you can hold and feed baby lions and tigers!!!! I will be heading over there as soon as possible ;)

Nothing too special

going on over here...but just felt like writing a little something...

My weekend went by way too fast! We had a school party on Saturday. We hadn't had one since my welcoming, so it's been a while. I may have already explained how parties work in Japan, but whatever, I'll explain again. There is never just one party. We started the first party at a small izakaya (Japanese restaurant/bar), and it was kind of cool because everyone paid 3500円 (about $35), except us because we are special, and it was all you could eat/drink. As in your table could order literally anything they wanted on the menu. So it was a good opportunity for me to try some foods I have been putting off for various reasons. Like, Motsunabe. Nabe is like a kind of stewish meal that is cooked on the table in front of you...motsu is cow stomach =) mmmm. Hence why I wasn't so into trying it before, but everyone kept saying how delicious it is, so I finally made a table order me some. It wasn't so bad. I usually hate intestine/organ stuff, but this didn't have the same texture so it was OK. Ok, I am way off topic. Anyway, we played a game that I concocted. It was a "bingo scavenger hunt" where the teams had to ask other teams if they had the items on their cards (like in their purse/pockets/whatever). We made it ridiculously hard by putting the most random things on ever--like a bottle of honey for example, but somehow people got bingo. Then, we headed over for the second party, at a different izakaya. Usually after the first party, the crowd gets halved, but everyone was having a good time so maybe 75% of the original party went. The second party is always a bit more relaxed because we, the staff, aren't as obligated to socialize with everyone. However, I had a blast running around drinking and eating with different tables and taking funny pictures with them. Then, we went to the third party, which usually has like four-five people, yet we had around 12-15 (this is now maybe 2am), and kept eating and drinking. By then I was tired and out of money so I went home, but a bunch of people still carried through to a FOURTH party to sing karaoke until the first train was running. Anyway, our students are great. Japanese people sure love to drink--even if they are horrible at handling alcohol. It was a lot of fun. It's things like this that I like about Japan and wish existed in The States.

PS- Speaking of America--this election is kind of getting silly. Maybe I am just getting the news in a weird way here in Jland, but the coverage/topics that are covered are more like TMZ/Perez Hilton material than a reputable PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

Hmm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/2449462/Japan-earthquake-Fears-as-fire-hits-northern-city-of-Hachinohe.html

EARTHQUAKE!!!!

I just officially experienced my first Japanese earthquake tonight.

Except, it wasn't all that exciting. Literally a milisecond before the shaking started, I heard a loud boom from the apt above me, so I figured my obnoxious (more to come on that another time) neighbor dropped something ridiculously heavy. BUT when my friend who lives across town messaged me and said his entire apt building was shaking, I realized it was an actual earthquake. Obviously because of above explanation, it wasn't very big. More like an aftershock...but that makes me wonder if a) a bigger one is coming? or b) There was a big one and we just got the end ripple of it. Guess I'll have to wait for the news tomorrow...

Opinions needed!!

So...in a very hypothetical way...if YOU were to plan around a four week backpacking trip, where would YOU go? And...let's say you really wanted to explore a country as much as possible, so you don't want to jump around too much...

China/Tibet
China/Vietnam
Vietnam/Thailand/Laos
India
Indonesia


So, let's hear it. Where would you go and why?

Another reason why Japanese elevators suck...

Something I forgot to mention in last night's entry that a dream I had reminded me of (OK, how weird does that sound...)

Last night my coworker told me that the service elevator we usually take at night to take out the trash...broke. I mean, at around 9 or 10 am that day, people were taking it from the second floor and it literally dropped to the basement!! I am assuming everyone was OK because there weren't a million Japanese people running around freaking out, but how scary is that?? To free fall for 3 stories?? The scariest part is I work on the NINTH floor and take that elevator almost every night....I don't want to even think about what would happen if the elevator decided to drop and let me free fall all the way down to the basement...like that scene in Speed. Told you, Japanese technology isn't what it's cracked up to be...

Overreliance

I just spent the past five days without a computer due to a really nasty virus basically giving my computer AIDS. I have had plenty of computer related mishaps in my lifetime to understand how overreliant I am on my computer/the internet (especially in university around finals!). However, this week I REALLY realized how utterly important a computer is to me here...it is my lifeline to the world!!! I have the "internet" on my cell phone here, so I can check gmail and facebook (sort of), but it just isn't the same! I use the internet to keep on top of my shows, to read the news, and obviously to keep in touch with everyone! It would be impossible to live here without a computer. Let us hope this never happens again while I am here (ie I just installed an anti virus program--something I sort of neglected to have on my computer for the past year and a half...oops). I am just grateful my coworker speaks computer and was able to fix it (I can just imagine myself at a computer store trying to gesture out my problems)! He also supposedly saved my pictures and music, but at this moment I am unsure where they are? Now I just have that joyful task of redownloading/installing everything I can, except I was super prepared and brought like nothing with me, so I am not sure how I will be getting back some programs...

Over this week, in search of amusement, I actually turned on my TV. I seriously hate Japanese TV because it is a bunch of lame slapstick game shows (exactly that stuff you watch on youtube as a joke). It's so obnoxious it gives me a headache. BUT, my apartment has a satellite package included in my rent, and I discovered this channel that shows all the popular US dramas (CSI, Alias, Lost, etc) --of course like at least one season behind lol--as well as some movies. Most of it is in Japanese, but some shows are in English with subtitles. So that was at least a little useful. I also started a book my friend sent me in...May, I think =) Better late than never!

I am so incredibly busy (and on the tightest budget ever) this upcoming month!
Here is the lineup so far:

September 6-Work party
Weekend of September 13-Camping on Iki Island (sub-tropical island off Nagasaki)
Weekend of September 20- TOKYO!!!
Weekend of September 27-KYOTO/NARA!!!!

Cheers!

On that note...

Does anyone know a thing or two about computers????? I really really don't want to have to venture into a Japanese computer store and try to explain my problem =/. However, it might have to happen as my computer pretty much has AIDS at this point. I have a full extensive explanation of what is going on, that I tried to post on one of those "computer help" forums...only to find I can't post anything (part of my computer's problem)...so if you or someone you know might be able to fix my problem, please let me know and I'll email you the details =)

F for Frustration

I am very frustrated for two reasons right now:

1. I somehow downloaded a really dreadful virus onto my computer. Fast forward to about 6 hours of annoyance and clicking later, and it is somewhat maintained, yet some stuff is still screwed up on my computer. LOVELY.

2. I just got a revised quote for a flight to Thailand over my winter holiday...and looks like I won't be going there anytime around then! Unfortunately, with my job, I get set dates off. I can't pick and choose when I get holiday, and of course I get the actual New Years week off making it RIDICULOUSLY expensive to fly there (the ending price was somewhere around 1,200 USD--no thank you!). This also just kind of opened my eyes and made me realize it would cost this much to fly there/anywhere during ANY of my holidays. You have to travel overseas during off season. Too bad I don't get it off! So, although after Okinawa I started looking more into staying an extra six months for traveling purposes, I am now slowly drifting back to only staying until April, as I am not going to pay ridiculous traveling prices. I think either way I will put off S. East Asia until after my contract is up and then maybe take a trip there before coming home. This is all so frustrating though! So, now for New Years I think I am going to try to go to Korea and China. The ferry to Korea from my city isn't too expensive, and you can actually take ferries to China as well. So screw airfare! UGH. So anyway, back to me staying or going home, what are all of your opinions? Is it worth it?

There is light at the end of the tunnel

as in the weather is actually COOL & PLEASANT! I have been sitting here with my slider open all day and air conditioner off! You have no idea how exciting this is...

Well thats the last time

I go running at 11 pm at night. Not because I saw any creepy Japanese hoodlums (do they even exist??)--there were more police officers out patrolling the streets than normal people--but because I ran through about 5 spider webs. And then every time proceeded to probably look like some crazy white girl trying to dance like she was in an 80s video, as I was freaking out and afraid a spider was on me somewhere.

The Sounds of Summer

When I hear crickets, I think summer.

In Japan, they hear cicadas, they think summer.

What is a cicada, you ask? You probably have your browser open enough to already see the picture of the disgusting enormous bug. That my friends, is a cicada. They are the bugs that live in the ground and come out every 7 years in the Washington DC area. Lucky for me, they come out EVERY summer in Japan! How special! Crickets make that charming chirpingish sound. Cicadas live in the trees and make this awful static mating sound all day and all night long. In fact, when they first started emerging, I was running in the park and thought my ipod was malfunctioning the sound was so harsh on my ears. Oh, and while I was running underneath trees I felt drops of what I thought was water on me. I was later informed that they pee or spit on you or something like that from the trees, so I now make sure to stay away from any known tree. The crickets are finally starting to take over, making summer evenings more pleasant, and the lovely cicada music is slowly drifting away. HOWEVER it is drifting away because they are dying and now leaving their disgusting dead bodies all over the freaking place.

And that is my blurb on cicadas.

J clubbing

I went to see a famous Japanese house DJ last night-Masanori Morita. He's DJed with Tiesto and other big DJs before internationally, so I guess he is kind of a big deal. I don't usually listen to house music but it was a lot of fun, and he was awesome. We spotted him before his gig at the bar. My friend was doing her "shy Japanese" thing so she didn't want to go talk to him. So, I did my "I don't know any better because I am a foreigner" thing and just walked up to him and started talking haha. He was actually really cool and spoke pretty good English.

Clubbing in Japan is interesting. I mean, I hardly ever go clubbing period, so maybe I am just ignorant, but clubs are almost like concerts here. Everyone dances to the DJ. Not with their friends in groups ("I just wanna dance!"). You could technically go to a club alone and be OK. We got pretty close and there was even a mosh pit like thing at the front so we backed off because I didn't feel like having my feet stomped off. And of course, there were glow sticks! Hehehe...

Oh yeah, one more thing...

I forgot to mention in my last post that flying domestically (at least) in Japan is such a joke! I was never once asked for my ID. I even tried handing it over and they looked at me like "why are you putting that in my face?" It definitely made flying super easy and convenient....yet how safe is that really??

Okinawa

I got back last night and had an absolute blast! The people there were so friendly and relaxed, the air was so fresh, and the island was so beautiful (much prettier than Hawaii or Mexico I think)--it was really a nice change from Fukuoka. However, since the cities were kind of run down, it gave the illusion I was in a cheap developing country...except nope, still expensive Japan =).

We spent one night in Naha-the biggest city in Okinawa. Not too much to do there, but we saw Shuri Castle which is a replica of an Okinawan culture castle (pre-Japan take over). The problem with most castles, etc in Japan is they have all been destroyed at some point due to wars, etc. So, a lot of them are replicas. It was still interesting though. Then, we spent the rest of the day/night exploring Kokusaidori Street, which had a lot of bars, shops, and restaurants. I was really excited to eat tacos and other Western style food. In Japan, they are obsessed with food. Every part of Japan is "famous" for some kind of food. Like Fukuoka is famous for ramen, etc. Okinawa is famous for it's pork soba noodles and taco rice--literally like a taco on rice-so good! Okinawa is also famous for snake wine...which is literally a big jug of wine with snake venom in it...and an entire snake coiled up. I tried some at a bar. It was really strong, but not too bad.

Then, we took the bus to Nago for the rest of the trip-the N part of the island. Our hostel was literally on the beach and literally a shack. So, we were practically camping the whole time, it was so awesome. The people at the hostel were all Japanese, but were very friendly, so we spent every night hanging out with them and drinking on the beach. Near Nago, there is an entertainment park that has a beautiful beach, dolphin tanks, and Japan's most famous aquarium. We actually spent two days there because there was so much to do!

On Thursday we went to Sesoko Island, a little island you take a bridge to, and that was the highlight of my trip. The water there was so blue-like koolaid- it looked fake. My camera couldn't really do anything justice. I still can't get over it. We went on a snorkeling tour there, and I am sad I wasn't able to take pictures because it was incredible. I saw some amazing fish. They gave us fish food so the fish would swim right up to you. Then, we had to walk back all the way over the bridge because there were no taxis, but that wound up being great because we caught the sunset and it was just unreal. We returned, and our hostel was throwing a beach bbq party for one of their coworkers so we joined in and partied with the locals. It was a GREAT way to finish off the trip.

The weather forecast said thunder showers all week, but it only rained a little the last day when we were leaving. We had beautiful weather the entire time. Apparently it rained here all week in Fukuoka, so it looks like I really got lucky! So hard to come home though! It was really a perfect trip, and JUST what I needed! My urge to travel has just been kicked up 18 notches though.

I took 634 pictures (yeah, I know), but in case you are really bored or interested, you can see them here:

Album 1
Album 2
Album 3
Album 4
Album 5

Really Random

I needed someone's number, so I dug my US phone out of my "all purpose" drawer. It looked and felt so weird! It was like I was holding a Barbie phone or something, my Japanese phone is SO much bigger and heavier! I took a picture for comparison, but I don't think it really does the comparison justice. But you can at least see the difference in screen size. It's a shame I don't really use my phone's cool features, like high pixel camera, TV, and MP3 player...I just use it to call, text, and check my email. Oh well.


In 24 hours I will be in Okinawa =)

FREE

for nine days.

1 day until Okinawa, and of course like the slacker I am, I have done NOTHING to really prepare for my week long trip, so I will be running around like a mad woman tomorrow getting everything together.

Who cares, FREEDOM!

*I did just realize I have to wake up around 5 am on Monday to leave for the airport. Ew.

Work until you drop dead.

This morning, I was trying to explain to a friend why the Japanese work ethic drives me mad. However, I wasn't feeling super articulate or inspired at the moment and couldn't come up with many examples at the time. Yet, one of our awesome students came in for a private lesson with me today, and he is a PERFECT example of this country's work ethic. So for the person I didn't really try very hard to explain it to, and of course everyone else's benefit, here is why I can't stand it (the title is great foreshadowing)...

The student, who we will just call "Jstudent X" for privacy reasons (ha), is a spitting Japanese image of Alan Thicke (you know, the dad in Growing Pains). This actually has nothing to do with my point, but I just wanted to share. Anyway, Jstudent X is a businessman who works about 800000000 hours a week. I think studying English is the only non work thing he does, although he is also technically learning it for work...Ok, maybe I am exaggerating a tad. But not really. He usually comes to my lessons on Wed nights. I always ask him in the beginning of lesson, "Jstudent X, what did you do today?" I usually get, "I went to Tokyo." Yes, that is correct. In the morning, he flew to Tokyo, and then flew back to Fukuoka, and then still made it to my lesson, God bless him. He actually goes to Tokyo about 4 times a week for day trips. I suppose it is kind of like commuting from Ventura County to LA every day in rush hour traffic, but still. Besides these weekly "trips" he then spends the rest of his week minus his one day off taking clients golfing, forcing himself to drink with them (he is in the .000000000000001% of the J population who hates drinking), and other various schmoozing activities. I found out *2 important facts about him today- he gets about 6 holidays off a year-3 in Aug and 3 in Jan, and while all this time I took him for a busy single older businessman, I have just learned he actually has a wife and two teenage kids in Osaka! Who would have thought, since you know, he like...lives in Fukuoka (2+ hours away from Osaka by plane/train) and spends his entire life working?

Actually this is not so uncommon in Japan. I have quite a handful of businessmen students who have families that live in Tokyo...or women who's husbands live far away and only come home to visit maybe once or twice a month. In the States, if you are transferred or get a new job somewhere else, your entire family usually uproots with you...you don't just move and live "by yourself"-more to come in one second on that- and see your family MAYBE once or twice a month. But, the work ethic is why it is so easy for men to have affairs here. Even if you don't live in an entirely different part of the country than your wife, if you stay out until all hours of the night/don't come home at all because you were out with another woman (girlfriend on the side, random woman, hooker--oh the choices they have!) at a love hotel, she will most likely never suspect or nag you about it, because she will just assume you are working in some way, shape, or form (besides long hours at the office you are also expected to "entertain" your clients which can mean taking them out drinking all night long). Obviously it is even easier if you live in a different region than your wife. Note: I don't think Jstudent X is having an affair just because he is so gosh darn nice, and I don't think he is that kind of person...and I frankly also don't think he honestly has the time! It is all just really sad to me. And for Jstudent X, it is a waste of a nice man's life. (Note-this is just one example of how bad the work ethic is here...I've got all kinds of examples I could use, but then this blog would be too long and no one would read it).

*I actually learned 1 extra thing about Jstudent X, and I am still hoping this was a loss in translation moment, but I am still keeping it filed away in my "evidence this country lives under a rock" drawer. Our lesson today was about the weather. To finish off the lesson, we did a worksheet asking what he thought the weather was like in different parts of the world. We got to S. Africa and he said "very hot." I knew that, duh, but was trying to stall for time, so I asked why he thought so. He replied that it must be hot since the black people's skin is so black. Once again, I am hoping there was a loss in translation there...hoping.