So a common topic of conversation lately has been the Japanese people's really god-aweful bad breath! We've noticed that their ental hygiene probably hasnt changed a whole lot since the middle ages and assumed this was the reason they had such terrible teeth and bad breath. When I say terrible teeth, I literally mean stickingout every which way, gray gums, brown gunk in between their teeth, and sometimes gray and rotten teeth. Yellow and brown are very common colors. We also noticed that their toothpaste doesnt have any flouride in it for some unknown reason. This of course doesnt help matters much. This leaves us foreigners who are meticulous about their dental hygiene (ie. especially Aaron and me!!) painfully desperate for flouride toothpaste from home!! (hint hint!)
What we didnt know, however, and that I just found out yesterday, is that Japanese never brush their teeth in the morning!!! (pause to gag and catch my breath....) They believe that you only brush your teeth after youve eaten (Ive only seen some brush their teeth after lunch...). Im not saying you shouldnt brush your teeth after every time youve eaten. Thats the ideal thing to do. But do they NOT smell their breath in the morning??? Do they NOT see the brown gunk and feel the cavities and see their rotten teeth? Do they not know that when youre lying horizontal your stomache acid and bacteria from your dinner come up sometimes and are the reason for bad morning breath??? The time your mouth is the absolute nastiest is in the morning! EWWWWWWWWWW!!!! I have to say, after learning this, so many pieces of the puzzled snapped into place! THATS why my teachers breath smells like ass! Thats why my students have rotten teeth! I often thought that my teachers just had natto for breakfast every morning (natto is fermented soy beans that smell like dirty feet).
Anyway, I told Aaron and Adam about this and although they were quite disgusted, both said that it made a lot of sense...
Another thing weve been talking about is deoderant and body odor (I know..pleasant topics, huh?). The deoderant/anti-perspirant doesnt work on us here. Its so weak it might hide the smell for a couple hours but thats it! So were also very desperate for American/western anti-perspirant (hint hint again...). However, despite this problem of ours, it doesnt seem to be a problem for the Japanese. Ive not once noticed a Japanese person with bad body odor before. Even in the hight of summer when they HAD to be sweaty.....nothing! Honestly, I think Japanese just dont smell as much as foreigners do. We stink next to them! They also dont wear loads of smelly lotions or perfumes like we do (probably cuz they dont smell....). But, yeah, for some reason, their bodies either pass the toxins out in some other way (through their mouths perhaps...!). And no, its not because their diet is any better than ours. It might be slightly better, but they have PLENTY of processed foods and fast food restaurants for their bodies to have plenty of toxins in them. For example: they have hamburgers you can buy in the bread/snack/sandwich section of a convenience store. Not refrigerated. And you just stick it in the microwave and heat it up.. or not i guess. Now, for meat not to have to be refrigerated and still be "safe" to eat not only scared the crap out of me, but should scare the crap out of the people who eat it! Think of how processed that hamburger must be. I bet its worse than a twinkie!! You know that has to be really bad!
Anyway, those were my recent discoveries... I thought they were rather interesting. And those hints were serious by the way. We really do need toothpaste and deoderant!! Adams mom is coming next month though, so hopefully shell be bringing some supplies!
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Naked Men Pics!
At the izakaya.
Andy, Lizzie, Luke and Vinh
Oh I love fundoshis!! Adam had to tape up his tatoos since they're strictly forbidden in festivals. They're a sign of the Yakuza (japanese mafia).
Adam, Luke and James warming up!
Andy and Adam. The red and yellow tape signified Nara JETs so they could try and keep track of each other.
I was loving this festival way too much!
What? Me try to peek? No way! Mr. Blue Backpack there wasnt letting me, though...
Adam and Vinh... warming up maybe? Displaying their friendship? Showing a new side of themselves? Who knows... funny though!
The temple where all the men gather... the human mass is small here...
Liquid Humanity... The black part in the middle is the medic team going in to save someone.
Naked Men anyone??
Ohhh baby! Oh baby!! Yes, that's right, this last weekend was The Naked Man Festival aka the Hadaka Matsuri. Its celebrated in only about 2 temples in the whole country, so we ended up traveling 2.5 hours to get 2 prefectures west (and south?) of us to Okoyama. The night was very interesting, full of fun times and then not so fun times.
First, we met up with everyone, checked into the hotel, and headed toward the izakaya (japanese traditional restaurant/pub). We had some good food, good conversation and beer and then were ready to get on the buses and head for the temple. Loads of other JETs were there from all over the country (well the nearby prefectures at least!) and so we saw a lot of new faces. We were forced to separate from our men as they had to go ahead to don their fundoshis for the festival. A fundoshi is a long white piece of cloth that is twisted and made into a loincloth/male thong. The guys all have to get help putting them on, so there were 2 ancient men doing it for 1,000 yen a person (about 9 dollars). Im told that the old men pull the back part (the thong part) up so tight that if you dont have everything in the right spot, well..... lets just say very bad things could happen!
So all of us women stood outside the tents and waited for our men to emerge in their full glory. One thing that must be mentioned: it got down to 0 degrees C that night! It was freezing for those of us just standing around, so I cant even imagine how cold it was for the men! They only had the fundoshi, and their tabi, which are these really thin white socks. After they came out, we snapped lots of pictures (possibly excellent blackmail material in the future!) and gave them alcohol for warmth of course, :)
Then they all went off screaming "Washoi! Washoi!" at the top of their lungs. we were able to watch the whole ceremony from the spectators area but when we tried to take pictures, it was so dark that the pictures were either black or blurry... sorry about that! The men then had to run together through an ice-water pond, touch the sacred statue, go to a temple and pray, run to the main temple to shout and then repeat the process 3 times. Well, after the first ice water experience, our boys decided that was enough and went to take their places on the platform. This whole thing from start to finish is from 9pm to about 2am. I think our boys got on the platform at around 11pm. Inside the temple there are priests blessing bundles of sticks. Some are for fertility (I made Adam swear he wasnt going to catch one of those!) and the others are for a cash prize of a few thousand dollars. As the time goes on, more and more men gather and squish and press onto the platform. At the end a few thousand individual men are turned into one big liquid mass of humanity. At the stroke of midnight the lights go out and the sticks are thrown. At this time its a free-for-all for the sacred sticks -- absolutely no rules! Not surprisingly a few men die every year and many are injured. There are medics standing by, and when someone is hurt they have to go in en masse. Just one medic going in wouldnt work. Hed be overtaken by the crowd in an instant. So, dozens of them hold hands and carry sticks and weave their way through to the injured person. Lifting him up over the crowd, they carry him out to the applause of everyone!
Like I said before, our men had taken their positions early on the platform. Adam and Vinh were partners (looking out for each other. Adam was pressed up against the wall in the back holding on for dear life, but since Vinh was right behind him and, therefore, not holding onto the wall, he kept getting swept away with the crowd and Adam had to attempt to hold onto him. The dangerous part isnt only the sheer numbers of people, but also because theyre all on a raised stone platform, edged with about 10 steep stone steps. As the liquid humanity flows from side to side 30-30 people topple over the edge of the stairs onto the people below. People have also been known to pass out from lack of oxygen (not being able to breathe). Adam was lucky enough to be able to put his arms against the wall and push out slightly to breathe. Others werent so lucky.
Anyway, at the end of the night, none of our men were seriously injured. Bruised, battered, sweaty and stinky of course, but nothing bad. There was also an after party at a club, but most of us were so exhausted we just wanted to crawl into a warm bed and sleep for a few hours, so we got some curry at a 24 hour place and took a taxi back!
The next day we stopped at Costco on our way back home! And that was our weekend! Pretty memorable, thats for sure! Will post some pictures... some are kinda naughty, beware! haha!
First, we met up with everyone, checked into the hotel, and headed toward the izakaya (japanese traditional restaurant/pub). We had some good food, good conversation and beer and then were ready to get on the buses and head for the temple. Loads of other JETs were there from all over the country (well the nearby prefectures at least!) and so we saw a lot of new faces. We were forced to separate from our men as they had to go ahead to don their fundoshis for the festival. A fundoshi is a long white piece of cloth that is twisted and made into a loincloth/male thong. The guys all have to get help putting them on, so there were 2 ancient men doing it for 1,000 yen a person (about 9 dollars). Im told that the old men pull the back part (the thong part) up so tight that if you dont have everything in the right spot, well..... lets just say very bad things could happen!
So all of us women stood outside the tents and waited for our men to emerge in their full glory. One thing that must be mentioned: it got down to 0 degrees C that night! It was freezing for those of us just standing around, so I cant even imagine how cold it was for the men! They only had the fundoshi, and their tabi, which are these really thin white socks. After they came out, we snapped lots of pictures (possibly excellent blackmail material in the future!) and gave them alcohol for warmth of course, :)
Then they all went off screaming "Washoi! Washoi!" at the top of their lungs. we were able to watch the whole ceremony from the spectators area but when we tried to take pictures, it was so dark that the pictures were either black or blurry... sorry about that! The men then had to run together through an ice-water pond, touch the sacred statue, go to a temple and pray, run to the main temple to shout and then repeat the process 3 times. Well, after the first ice water experience, our boys decided that was enough and went to take their places on the platform. This whole thing from start to finish is from 9pm to about 2am. I think our boys got on the platform at around 11pm. Inside the temple there are priests blessing bundles of sticks. Some are for fertility (I made Adam swear he wasnt going to catch one of those!) and the others are for a cash prize of a few thousand dollars. As the time goes on, more and more men gather and squish and press onto the platform. At the end a few thousand individual men are turned into one big liquid mass of humanity. At the stroke of midnight the lights go out and the sticks are thrown. At this time its a free-for-all for the sacred sticks -- absolutely no rules! Not surprisingly a few men die every year and many are injured. There are medics standing by, and when someone is hurt they have to go in en masse. Just one medic going in wouldnt work. Hed be overtaken by the crowd in an instant. So, dozens of them hold hands and carry sticks and weave their way through to the injured person. Lifting him up over the crowd, they carry him out to the applause of everyone!
Like I said before, our men had taken their positions early on the platform. Adam and Vinh were partners (looking out for each other. Adam was pressed up against the wall in the back holding on for dear life, but since Vinh was right behind him and, therefore, not holding onto the wall, he kept getting swept away with the crowd and Adam had to attempt to hold onto him. The dangerous part isnt only the sheer numbers of people, but also because theyre all on a raised stone platform, edged with about 10 steep stone steps. As the liquid humanity flows from side to side 30-30 people topple over the edge of the stairs onto the people below. People have also been known to pass out from lack of oxygen (not being able to breathe). Adam was lucky enough to be able to put his arms against the wall and push out slightly to breathe. Others werent so lucky.
Anyway, at the end of the night, none of our men were seriously injured. Bruised, battered, sweaty and stinky of course, but nothing bad. There was also an after party at a club, but most of us were so exhausted we just wanted to crawl into a warm bed and sleep for a few hours, so we got some curry at a 24 hour place and took a taxi back!
The next day we stopped at Costco on our way back home! And that was our weekend! Pretty memorable, thats for sure! Will post some pictures... some are kinda naughty, beware! haha!
Friday, February 17, 2006
INVASION OF THE SNOBS!!
(Note to the reader: please read the NYTimes article below so you know what this rant is all about.)
Thats right... Invasion of the Snobs, or shall I say its the Colonization of the snobs? Either one gets the point across. About a week or so ago, my mom sent me this article via email. I was at work and in between classes when I read it. Afterwards I was almost shaking with anger and tears were threatening to spill. I was definitely NOT in the mood to teach, but I did. I have so many bones to pick about this article I scarcely know where to start. If you, the reader, is from Vashon, or from another small town that became snobbified, you might know how I feel.
Growing up Vashon it was my childhood haven, then as a teen it became my prison, and now its the place I return to see my parents and feel nostalgic. Nevertheless, its always been my home. As a child I always remember it being quirky and small and everyone knew everyone else. People were nice and helpful, and I dont think I knew anyone who considered themselves rich. At least I was never aware of it. Hell, weve been members of the country club since before I was born, and my family is nowhere near rich. It was a place people met and swam in the pool, played golf and enjoyed the summer. There were probably some snobby ones, but not a significant amount.
Then as I got older, I started running into more and more tourists. A girl at the pool walking around as if she owned the place, told me that she was just here for the summer. "We just have a summer home here. We dont like being here in the winter." Well, excuse me if my home isnt good enough in the winter for your tastes.
Then one day as I was on the ferry coming home from Seattle, some tourists asked me if I lived there. "Yes, of course." I replied.
"So, you grew up here? I mean, did you go to school in Seattle, or are there any schools here?"
"Uh, yeah there are schools here. K-12."
"Oh I see. And is there running water and electricity too?"
"Of course there is....(looking at them as if theyre nuts)"
What I wanted to say but didnt have the guts to is "What the h#$% is wrong with you? Do I look like civilised? Do I look like I live somewhere that pumps its own water and uses lanterns and candles??" Jeeeez... idiots. From there it only got worse. They started invading the Strawberry Festival. More and more people walked around ohhhing and ahhhing as if it was a f'n different planet. Come on people! "Go away!", I want to tell them. "Get out of our home, you werent invited! Youre ruining the spirit!" I started not recognising anyone. It became so crowded no one could move, and even the locals had to park a mile away at least to find a spot! The reason this makes me so mad is because the Island has lost its charm, its specialness. The more outsiders that come and buy up our waterfront with their f'n second summer homes, the more the Island dies!
The reason people like it is becuase its small and quirky and special. But it dies a little bit more with every rich snob that buys an over-priced property. Formerly made up of hippies, artists and naturalists (like in my childhood), its now rapidly becoming the Beverly Hills of Seattle! Just as an example: We bought our house in 1990 for around $100,000 and are still paying it off little by little. It was built sometime in the late 60's which means it has lime green, bright burnt orange, mustard yellow and brown carpet. That color theme dominated the house when we bought it. It also needed many repairs over the years. It looks much different now(and a hell of a lot better) after my mom put so much work into it. Its now a very nice house, but nowhere near mansion-like. Its about 5 mins from the north end ferry which is a prime spot to be for commuters. Anwyay, the ridiculous thing is that she could most likely sell it for way more than its really worth (maybe $400,000 and possibly a lot more by the time she does decide to sell it). I mean, should she ever decide to, good for her, but the fact is that its not worth that much. NONE of the houses on the island are!! There are some pure shit houses (as in waay smaller than ours and not as nice) that are selling for $400-500,000. It just angers me so much that we're literally being pushed out because the rich people are driving the prices of everything up! It hurts me so much to see them USING my home, my childhood, as a prime vacation resort and exotic getaway spot!
Its not only that that pisses me off about this article but the fact that this very stupid lady (resisting the urge to cuss, here) only interviewed the people who had moved there in the past year or 2 and who bought million dollar homes! What do they know?!!! Theyre not islanders! Its not a fair representation of Vashon and its what the rest of the States who read the NYTimes is going to think about us!!!!
By the way Ms. Linda Baker (who Id give anything to strangle), I liked the shitty restaurants of the past. I LOVED the Dairy Queen that was owned by an Island family! The Hardware Store was ACTUALLY a hardware store until a couple years ago when Island Hardware decided to mow down a few acres of forest and build a Home Depot-sized store (way too big for Vashon) and put them out of business. That store had been there since the beginning of the century and had a lot of history behind it. And now, its just a f'n restaurant.. great! And the Green Ginger will never have the feeling and charm of the long gone but never forgotten Happy Garden chinese restaurant of my youth.
Also, the forrest of unique trees on the island are called madrona, NOT madronio. If youre going to write an article about the culture and life on the island or at least include that stuff in your Real Estate article, get your facts straight and interview REAL ISLANDERS! Not the million dollar snobs.
Im sorry this is such an inarticulate rant, and Im sorry its so long. But, I cant stand to see Vashon die like this. We've fought for sooo long to keep this from happening. We voted against building a bridge multiple times!! We've tried to stay isolated to protect the island culture. As irritating as the isolation was as a teen, Im glad it was like that. I guess you never realize how special something is or how much you love it until it dies, is taken away, is colonized or whatever. Change is inevitable, I know, but that doesnt make it suck any less!
I just want to cry...
Thats right... Invasion of the Snobs, or shall I say its the Colonization of the snobs? Either one gets the point across. About a week or so ago, my mom sent me this article via email. I was at work and in between classes when I read it. Afterwards I was almost shaking with anger and tears were threatening to spill. I was definitely NOT in the mood to teach, but I did. I have so many bones to pick about this article I scarcely know where to start. If you, the reader, is from Vashon, or from another small town that became snobbified, you might know how I feel.
Growing up Vashon it was my childhood haven, then as a teen it became my prison, and now its the place I return to see my parents and feel nostalgic. Nevertheless, its always been my home. As a child I always remember it being quirky and small and everyone knew everyone else. People were nice and helpful, and I dont think I knew anyone who considered themselves rich. At least I was never aware of it. Hell, weve been members of the country club since before I was born, and my family is nowhere near rich. It was a place people met and swam in the pool, played golf and enjoyed the summer. There were probably some snobby ones, but not a significant amount.
Then as I got older, I started running into more and more tourists. A girl at the pool walking around as if she owned the place, told me that she was just here for the summer. "We just have a summer home here. We dont like being here in the winter." Well, excuse me if my home isnt good enough in the winter for your tastes.
Then one day as I was on the ferry coming home from Seattle, some tourists asked me if I lived there. "Yes, of course." I replied.
"So, you grew up here? I mean, did you go to school in Seattle, or are there any schools here?"
"Uh, yeah there are schools here. K-12."
"Oh I see. And is there running water and electricity too?"
"Of course there is....(looking at them as if theyre nuts)"
What I wanted to say but didnt have the guts to is "What the h#$% is wrong with you? Do I look like civilised? Do I look like I live somewhere that pumps its own water and uses lanterns and candles??" Jeeeez... idiots. From there it only got worse. They started invading the Strawberry Festival. More and more people walked around ohhhing and ahhhing as if it was a f'n different planet. Come on people! "Go away!", I want to tell them. "Get out of our home, you werent invited! Youre ruining the spirit!" I started not recognising anyone. It became so crowded no one could move, and even the locals had to park a mile away at least to find a spot! The reason this makes me so mad is because the Island has lost its charm, its specialness. The more outsiders that come and buy up our waterfront with their f'n second summer homes, the more the Island dies!
The reason people like it is becuase its small and quirky and special. But it dies a little bit more with every rich snob that buys an over-priced property. Formerly made up of hippies, artists and naturalists (like in my childhood), its now rapidly becoming the Beverly Hills of Seattle! Just as an example: We bought our house in 1990 for around $100,000 and are still paying it off little by little. It was built sometime in the late 60's which means it has lime green, bright burnt orange, mustard yellow and brown carpet. That color theme dominated the house when we bought it. It also needed many repairs over the years. It looks much different now(and a hell of a lot better) after my mom put so much work into it. Its now a very nice house, but nowhere near mansion-like. Its about 5 mins from the north end ferry which is a prime spot to be for commuters. Anwyay, the ridiculous thing is that she could most likely sell it for way more than its really worth (maybe $400,000 and possibly a lot more by the time she does decide to sell it). I mean, should she ever decide to, good for her, but the fact is that its not worth that much. NONE of the houses on the island are!! There are some pure shit houses (as in waay smaller than ours and not as nice) that are selling for $400-500,000. It just angers me so much that we're literally being pushed out because the rich people are driving the prices of everything up! It hurts me so much to see them USING my home, my childhood, as a prime vacation resort and exotic getaway spot!
Its not only that that pisses me off about this article but the fact that this very stupid lady (resisting the urge to cuss, here) only interviewed the people who had moved there in the past year or 2 and who bought million dollar homes! What do they know?!!! Theyre not islanders! Its not a fair representation of Vashon and its what the rest of the States who read the NYTimes is going to think about us!!!!
By the way Ms. Linda Baker (who Id give anything to strangle), I liked the shitty restaurants of the past. I LOVED the Dairy Queen that was owned by an Island family! The Hardware Store was ACTUALLY a hardware store until a couple years ago when Island Hardware decided to mow down a few acres of forest and build a Home Depot-sized store (way too big for Vashon) and put them out of business. That store had been there since the beginning of the century and had a lot of history behind it. And now, its just a f'n restaurant.. great! And the Green Ginger will never have the feeling and charm of the long gone but never forgotten Happy Garden chinese restaurant of my youth.
Also, the forrest of unique trees on the island are called madrona, NOT madronio. If youre going to write an article about the culture and life on the island or at least include that stuff in your Real Estate article, get your facts straight and interview REAL ISLANDERS! Not the million dollar snobs.
Im sorry this is such an inarticulate rant, and Im sorry its so long. But, I cant stand to see Vashon die like this. We've fought for sooo long to keep this from happening. We voted against building a bridge multiple times!! We've tried to stay isolated to protect the island culture. As irritating as the isolation was as a teen, Im glad it was like that. I guess you never realize how special something is or how much you love it until it dies, is taken away, is colonized or whatever. Change is inevitable, I know, but that doesnt make it suck any less!
I just want to cry...
New York Times Article...
Vashon Island, Washington: Flourishing in Puget Sound With a Counterculture Past
By LINDA BAKER
Published: February 3, 2006
SLEET, rain and snow pelted down on the day in January 2005 when Brian Murphy and Judy Stakee first took the 15-minute ferry ride together from Seattle out over Puget Sound to Vashon Island. It was one of the worst storms of the year, Mr. Murphy recalled. "People said, 'If you like it now, you're going to love it here.' "
And love it they did. Impressed by the island's natural beauty and rural counterculture vibe, they bought a 3,500-square-foot Cape Cod-style house on the island last June for $1 million. They had wanted a place closer to Mr. Murphy's daughter, who lives in Walla Walla, Wash., than their main home in Studio City, Calif., and Mr. Murphy, who lived in Seattle in the 1970's, remembered Vashon. "This is where all the musicians, craftsmen and hippies came," he said.
In the summer months, the couple enjoyed sunshine and clear views on the island, a 12-mile stretch of forest, farmland and beaches with 45 miles of coastline. The mountains in the distance are breathtaking, Ms. Stakee said. "Mount Rainier just sits there." And in fall and winter, like perhaps 50 percent of Vashon Island second-home owners, as estimated by Linda Bianchi of Windermere Real Estate on Vashon, they haven't let the cool and rainy weather chase them away. "We just bundle up and walk every which way," Ms. Stakee said. They plan to be married on the island in August.
Most full-time residents of Vashon Island, which was cleared in the 1880's and long known for berry farms, now telecommute or commute to Seattle or Tacoma. Nature has been allowed to reassert itself, with second-growth fir, madroño and maple forests overtaking old fields. The much smaller Maury Island, connected to Vashon by a spit of land and dominated by a historic lighthouse, is prime bird-watching territory. In winter, orcas appear offshore, drawn to these waters to feed on salmon.
"There are marvelous walks here," said Dulce Murphy (she is not related to Brian Murphy), who lives in Mill Valley, Calif., and bought a waterfront home on Vashon Island's west side two years ago.
The Scene
Cathy Sarkowsky, an artist and investor who lives in Seattle and bought a waterfront home on Vashon Island for $680,000 in 2001, said she and her 8-year-old son Max laze away their Vashon days pressing apples for cider and checking crab pots. "Vashon is low-key, but there's a level of sophistication," she said. "People don't show off."
Islanders are proud that there are no chain restaurants or McMansions but are also quick to say that the local Thriftway rivals the best food stores in Seattle.
Urban amenities are clustered in the town of Vashon a few miles south of the Fauntleroy ferry terminal. On weekend mornings, a mix of families, spandex-clad cyclists and aging hippies pack the Homegrown Cafe for pancakes and egg scrambles. Locals also gather in the Vashon Bookshop, which has poetry salons and reading groups, and the Island Yoga Center. Vashon Allied Arts, a nonprofit group, sponsors concert series, art classes and an annual art studio tour.
Despite an influx of wealthy newcomers, the mantra remains "live and let live," said Stephen Bogan, a local social service worker. The island has the highest number of same-sex households per capita of any community in the state.
The island also has a strong environmental consciousness. Last summer, the Institute for Environmental Research and Education, an island research center, proposed that Vashon become self-sufficient in energy, reducing its use and generating all it needed from the sun and wind. In a survey, 77 percent of the island's residents agreed with the idea.
One manifestation of what Ms. Sarkowsky calls the "wonderful rural flavor" is honor farms, where farmers leave produce and cheeses by the side of the road, with customers invited to serve themselves and leave cash. Shoppers can also buy fresh salmon from a fisherman in the sleepy village of Dockton, a 25-minute drive from the Fauntleroy ferry.
Another rural touch is a quirky annual strawberry festival with a grocery-cart marching band and a tractor parade. "The festival is so down home, you have to love it," Dulce Murphy said.
Pros
"Years ago, there were lots of bad restaurants," Mr. Bogan said. "Now they are all good ones." The most recent additions are the Hardware Store, which serves pasta, steaks and seafood, and Green Ginger, a Chinese restaurant.
Jensen Point on the Burton Peninsula, just past the island's midpoint, offers 68 acres of hiking and horseback riding trails, a boat launch and a beach.
Brian Murphy described "a great local music scene" that includes an annual jazz series, summer concerts in the park and special performances like the one last year by the Bacon Brothers, with Kevin Bacon. He added that his neighbor on the island makes musical instruments and has been living in a yurt for several years. "Every person you meet here leads to somebody interesting," Mr. Murphy said.
Cons
There is usually an hour wait for the Fauntleroy car ferry, and it lands in West Seattle, a 15-minute drive from downtown. A ferry for passengers only, without cars, travels straight to downtown but runs less frequently.
There is no full-service hospital. Islanders are airlifted to Seattle in emergencies.
Ms. Sarkowsky said small lot sizes can make waterfront homes feel crowded. "One of the issues is privacy," she said.
Residents are also fighting a proposed reactivation of a 193-acre strip mining operation on Maury Island that would supply rock for a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. They fear possible damage to the marine environment and their drinking water.
"If the mine affected the aquifer, we'd be stuck," said Cathy Casteel, who, with her husband, lives in Seattle and owns a waterfront house on Vashon Island that they bought seven years ago for $1.5 million.
The Real Estate Market
Ms. Bianchi, of the Windermere agency, made her first million-dollar sale on Vashon in 1997 and now has eight listings that are each more than $1 million. The price of waterfront homes increased 20 percent the last year alone, she said. In Quartermaster Harbor, a neighborhood where two former Washington governors have homes, prices have risen similarly. Because of development restrictions, there is virtually no vacant waterfront land. "I tell people, buy an existing house and remodel," Ms. Bianchi said. A 1,500-square-foot beach cabin runs about $500,000 to $600,000.
Despite a lingering counterculture reputation, housing affordable for people who are not affluent has virtually disappeared. "Twenty years ago, you could get a mobile home and 10 acres and live a pretty good life off the land," said Beth de Groen, an agent with the John L. Scott agency on Vashon. Today, she said, with even a small modular house costing $200,000, "the monetary demographic is rising."
By LINDA BAKER
Published: February 3, 2006
SLEET, rain and snow pelted down on the day in January 2005 when Brian Murphy and Judy Stakee first took the 15-minute ferry ride together from Seattle out over Puget Sound to Vashon Island. It was one of the worst storms of the year, Mr. Murphy recalled. "People said, 'If you like it now, you're going to love it here.' "
And love it they did. Impressed by the island's natural beauty and rural counterculture vibe, they bought a 3,500-square-foot Cape Cod-style house on the island last June for $1 million. They had wanted a place closer to Mr. Murphy's daughter, who lives in Walla Walla, Wash., than their main home in Studio City, Calif., and Mr. Murphy, who lived in Seattle in the 1970's, remembered Vashon. "This is where all the musicians, craftsmen and hippies came," he said.
In the summer months, the couple enjoyed sunshine and clear views on the island, a 12-mile stretch of forest, farmland and beaches with 45 miles of coastline. The mountains in the distance are breathtaking, Ms. Stakee said. "Mount Rainier just sits there." And in fall and winter, like perhaps 50 percent of Vashon Island second-home owners, as estimated by Linda Bianchi of Windermere Real Estate on Vashon, they haven't let the cool and rainy weather chase them away. "We just bundle up and walk every which way," Ms. Stakee said. They plan to be married on the island in August.
Most full-time residents of Vashon Island, which was cleared in the 1880's and long known for berry farms, now telecommute or commute to Seattle or Tacoma. Nature has been allowed to reassert itself, with second-growth fir, madroño and maple forests overtaking old fields. The much smaller Maury Island, connected to Vashon by a spit of land and dominated by a historic lighthouse, is prime bird-watching territory. In winter, orcas appear offshore, drawn to these waters to feed on salmon.
"There are marvelous walks here," said Dulce Murphy (she is not related to Brian Murphy), who lives in Mill Valley, Calif., and bought a waterfront home on Vashon Island's west side two years ago.
The Scene
Cathy Sarkowsky, an artist and investor who lives in Seattle and bought a waterfront home on Vashon Island for $680,000 in 2001, said she and her 8-year-old son Max laze away their Vashon days pressing apples for cider and checking crab pots. "Vashon is low-key, but there's a level of sophistication," she said. "People don't show off."
Islanders are proud that there are no chain restaurants or McMansions but are also quick to say that the local Thriftway rivals the best food stores in Seattle.
Urban amenities are clustered in the town of Vashon a few miles south of the Fauntleroy ferry terminal. On weekend mornings, a mix of families, spandex-clad cyclists and aging hippies pack the Homegrown Cafe for pancakes and egg scrambles. Locals also gather in the Vashon Bookshop, which has poetry salons and reading groups, and the Island Yoga Center. Vashon Allied Arts, a nonprofit group, sponsors concert series, art classes and an annual art studio tour.
Despite an influx of wealthy newcomers, the mantra remains "live and let live," said Stephen Bogan, a local social service worker. The island has the highest number of same-sex households per capita of any community in the state.
The island also has a strong environmental consciousness. Last summer, the Institute for Environmental Research and Education, an island research center, proposed that Vashon become self-sufficient in energy, reducing its use and generating all it needed from the sun and wind. In a survey, 77 percent of the island's residents agreed with the idea.
One manifestation of what Ms. Sarkowsky calls the "wonderful rural flavor" is honor farms, where farmers leave produce and cheeses by the side of the road, with customers invited to serve themselves and leave cash. Shoppers can also buy fresh salmon from a fisherman in the sleepy village of Dockton, a 25-minute drive from the Fauntleroy ferry.
Another rural touch is a quirky annual strawberry festival with a grocery-cart marching band and a tractor parade. "The festival is so down home, you have to love it," Dulce Murphy said.
Pros
"Years ago, there were lots of bad restaurants," Mr. Bogan said. "Now they are all good ones." The most recent additions are the Hardware Store, which serves pasta, steaks and seafood, and Green Ginger, a Chinese restaurant.
Jensen Point on the Burton Peninsula, just past the island's midpoint, offers 68 acres of hiking and horseback riding trails, a boat launch and a beach.
Brian Murphy described "a great local music scene" that includes an annual jazz series, summer concerts in the park and special performances like the one last year by the Bacon Brothers, with Kevin Bacon. He added that his neighbor on the island makes musical instruments and has been living in a yurt for several years. "Every person you meet here leads to somebody interesting," Mr. Murphy said.
Cons
There is usually an hour wait for the Fauntleroy car ferry, and it lands in West Seattle, a 15-minute drive from downtown. A ferry for passengers only, without cars, travels straight to downtown but runs less frequently.
There is no full-service hospital. Islanders are airlifted to Seattle in emergencies.
Ms. Sarkowsky said small lot sizes can make waterfront homes feel crowded. "One of the issues is privacy," she said.
Residents are also fighting a proposed reactivation of a 193-acre strip mining operation on Maury Island that would supply rock for a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. They fear possible damage to the marine environment and their drinking water.
"If the mine affected the aquifer, we'd be stuck," said Cathy Casteel, who, with her husband, lives in Seattle and owns a waterfront house on Vashon Island that they bought seven years ago for $1.5 million.
The Real Estate Market
Ms. Bianchi, of the Windermere agency, made her first million-dollar sale on Vashon in 1997 and now has eight listings that are each more than $1 million. The price of waterfront homes increased 20 percent the last year alone, she said. In Quartermaster Harbor, a neighborhood where two former Washington governors have homes, prices have risen similarly. Because of development restrictions, there is virtually no vacant waterfront land. "I tell people, buy an existing house and remodel," Ms. Bianchi said. A 1,500-square-foot beach cabin runs about $500,000 to $600,000.
Despite a lingering counterculture reputation, housing affordable for people who are not affluent has virtually disappeared. "Twenty years ago, you could get a mobile home and 10 acres and live a pretty good life off the land," said Beth de Groen, an agent with the John L. Scott agency on Vashon. Today, she said, with even a small modular house costing $200,000, "the monetary demographic is rising."
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
I speak good Engrish! Oh yes!
Like I said before and below I come across some very interesting phrases as Im correcting homework. While reading some of these to my mom, she told me I should keep a file or a notebook etc. where I keep them all. Good idea! I started scribbling the phrases in my notebook so here is my first installment. Some of them I already mentioned.
"I've decided to quit romping."
"I will cut down on deserting dust."
"I want to become a tame person."
"I regret fighting a royal bear because I was cutting left arm." (wha???)
"I regret killing friend because I have lost the friendship." (no shit... This is the same kid as the previous sentence. I think he was referring to videogames... at least I hope!!)
"I regret proposing to a girl because I broke my heart then."
"I've decided to quit riding tandem."
"Anyway, it laughs and it rolls it up." (excuse me??)
"It laughs together, it plays, and it makes noise." (what does?? the suspense is killing me! what is this mysterious "it"?)
"It exchanges it with people in the region." (ok, maybe I need to teach about the difference between "it" and "I". You'd think they would have done that a long time ago....)
"I regret getting suntanned because I increased a bristletail." (yet another electro-dictionary mishap! somehow "shimi" which means wrinkle, got translated into "bristletail". One question: what in the world is a bristletail, and why is it in the dictionary? Especially under wrinkle? Maybe a Japanese person made this electro-dictionary. It would sure explain a lot! Whoever it was needs to be fired! One can only wonder about these things.)
I will keep posting more of these as time goes on. I hope you all have enjoyed them as much as I have! They definitely keep me entertained at work!
"I've decided to quit romping."
"I will cut down on deserting dust."
"I want to become a tame person."
"I regret fighting a royal bear because I was cutting left arm." (wha???)
"I regret killing friend because I have lost the friendship." (no shit... This is the same kid as the previous sentence. I think he was referring to videogames... at least I hope!!)
"I regret proposing to a girl because I broke my heart then."
"I've decided to quit riding tandem."
"Anyway, it laughs and it rolls it up." (excuse me??)
"It laughs together, it plays, and it makes noise." (what does?? the suspense is killing me! what is this mysterious "it"?)
"It exchanges it with people in the region." (ok, maybe I need to teach about the difference between "it" and "I". You'd think they would have done that a long time ago....)
"I regret getting suntanned because I increased a bristletail." (yet another electro-dictionary mishap! somehow "shimi" which means wrinkle, got translated into "bristletail". One question: what in the world is a bristletail, and why is it in the dictionary? Especially under wrinkle? Maybe a Japanese person made this electro-dictionary. It would sure explain a lot! Whoever it was needs to be fired! One can only wonder about these things.)
I will keep posting more of these as time goes on. I hope you all have enjoyed them as much as I have! They definitely keep me entertained at work!
Friday, February 10, 2006
"Dear Angie-teacher"
So the other day when I was finishing up my lunch of miso soup and a Starbucks tuna and egg salad sandwich (yeah I know....REAL Starbucks expereince huh?? but hey the Japanese are crazy about tuna and egg salad sandwiches for some reason..) when a couple of my students from one of my Monday classes come in and present me with a cute Mosters Inc. print envelope saying "Angie-sensei, a letter for you!" Very surprised by this I smile and thank them and they leave. Opening the envelope I see these 2 girls have decided to write me a letter in very dedicated English!! Ive decided to let them speak for themselves. Theyre just sooo cute and honestly moved me to tears! By the way, sensei means teacher, so they translated that directly, haha! Ive left all misspellings and grammar mistakes.
"Dear, Angie-teacher
Hello! My name is Kae Inoue. I'm first grade fifth class. (You always come to my class on Monday.)
I was thinking that I want to write letter for Angie-teacher. The first, let me introduce for you.
I'm a member of tennis club. (But I couldn't play tennis yesterday because it was rain yesterday.)
Do you like sports? I like very much. For example, soccer (to watch the game) and volleyball!
I was a member of volleyball club in junior high school. I and my friends enjoyed everyday!
What were you playing any kind of sports? I want to know!
I write letter in English first. So, my English is very strange...
But I wrote very hard! I and Nanako is planning big project! That must surprise you!
Please wait that time. You will be surprised by our project.
I think I want to write a letter for you again.
If you have time today or tomorrow, I want a letter from you.
Please letter for me!
Thanks for read this letter,
From Kae Inoue"
"Dear Angie-teacher
Hello! My name is Nanako Kawayama. I'm a member of 1-5.
I'm glad you teached in my class every Monday.
I very enjoyed your lesson!!
And I and Kae have a surprise plan!
But it's a secret everyone!!!
Maybe you very surprise.
Please you're looking forward to plan!!
From Nanako Kawayama"
OK now tell me that wouldnt move you to tears if you got that!! How adorable! Havent gotten the surprise yet but I wrote them each a letter telling them about which sports I like etc and how wonderful I thought the letters were. I also told them that their English was good and that not to worry, it didnt have to be perfect, as long as its understandable--thats the most important thing. I also reminded them that making mistakes was a very good thing--that only through mistakes do you truly learn. I told them that I was trying to learn Japanese and finding it very difficult. I said that I make mistakes all the time. This is the thing that Japanese students have the hardest time with. Theyre absolutely petrified of making mistakes. So I try and dispell that in my classes. Anyway, since they made the effort to write me letters AND create some sort of surprise for me, I decided to give them each a sand dollar that I'd collected over the summer, bleached and enscribed on the back "Vashon Island, Washington, USA". I hadnt wanted to give those out before since I consider them so special. But this situation definitely warranted a sand dollar! Anyway, I hope they like them! I had to hold back tears when I was reading the letters and they had the power to turn my otherwise frustrating day (working with the JTE I dont like...) into a wonderfully positive day. I felt I was high for the rest of the day! It was wonderful.
On the way to the bus stop after work, the Indian woman who lives in the apartment complex next to the school and with whom Im now friends with, asked me if I could possibly teach her about America (the culture, language/dialect etc.) since theyre planning on going there in September. I said I could definitely do that and then she offered to pay me, which of course, I immediately refused. She insisted though, saying that she really wanted it to be a once a week thing and to continue for awhile. So I told her that if it made her feel better she could..... but I dont know. I kinda feel bad. We shall see. Unfortunately I have NO idea what to tell her about America!! She said she doesnt have any specific questions, she just wants to listen to me talk about it or something.... HELP!! If any of you guys have any ideas, Im more that open to anything!
Anyway, Im kinda sad now that Ive had my last class with those students. I feel like Ive just started to get to know them a little bit... oh well.
By the way, this was a very happy blog, but the next one (which will be above) is gonna be really bitter... just a warning!
"Dear, Angie-teacher
Hello! My name is Kae Inoue. I'm first grade fifth class. (You always come to my class on Monday.)
I was thinking that I want to write letter for Angie-teacher. The first, let me introduce for you.
I'm a member of tennis club. (But I couldn't play tennis yesterday because it was rain yesterday.)
Do you like sports? I like very much. For example, soccer (to watch the game) and volleyball!
I was a member of volleyball club in junior high school. I and my friends enjoyed everyday!
What were you playing any kind of sports? I want to know!
I write letter in English first. So, my English is very strange...
But I wrote very hard! I and Nanako is planning big project! That must surprise you!
Please wait that time. You will be surprised by our project.
I think I want to write a letter for you again.
If you have time today or tomorrow, I want a letter from you.
Please letter for me!
Thanks for read this letter,
From Kae Inoue"
"Dear Angie-teacher
Hello! My name is Nanako Kawayama. I'm a member of 1-5.
I'm glad you teached in my class every Monday.
I very enjoyed your lesson!!
And I and Kae have a surprise plan!
But it's a secret everyone!!!
Maybe you very surprise.
Please you're looking forward to plan!!
From Nanako Kawayama"
OK now tell me that wouldnt move you to tears if you got that!! How adorable! Havent gotten the surprise yet but I wrote them each a letter telling them about which sports I like etc and how wonderful I thought the letters were. I also told them that their English was good and that not to worry, it didnt have to be perfect, as long as its understandable--thats the most important thing. I also reminded them that making mistakes was a very good thing--that only through mistakes do you truly learn. I told them that I was trying to learn Japanese and finding it very difficult. I said that I make mistakes all the time. This is the thing that Japanese students have the hardest time with. Theyre absolutely petrified of making mistakes. So I try and dispell that in my classes. Anyway, since they made the effort to write me letters AND create some sort of surprise for me, I decided to give them each a sand dollar that I'd collected over the summer, bleached and enscribed on the back "Vashon Island, Washington, USA". I hadnt wanted to give those out before since I consider them so special. But this situation definitely warranted a sand dollar! Anyway, I hope they like them! I had to hold back tears when I was reading the letters and they had the power to turn my otherwise frustrating day (working with the JTE I dont like...) into a wonderfully positive day. I felt I was high for the rest of the day! It was wonderful.
On the way to the bus stop after work, the Indian woman who lives in the apartment complex next to the school and with whom Im now friends with, asked me if I could possibly teach her about America (the culture, language/dialect etc.) since theyre planning on going there in September. I said I could definitely do that and then she offered to pay me, which of course, I immediately refused. She insisted though, saying that she really wanted it to be a once a week thing and to continue for awhile. So I told her that if it made her feel better she could..... but I dont know. I kinda feel bad. We shall see. Unfortunately I have NO idea what to tell her about America!! She said she doesnt have any specific questions, she just wants to listen to me talk about it or something.... HELP!! If any of you guys have any ideas, Im more that open to anything!
Anyway, Im kinda sad now that Ive had my last class with those students. I feel like Ive just started to get to know them a little bit... oh well.
By the way, this was a very happy blog, but the next one (which will be above) is gonna be really bitter... just a warning!
Thursday, February 02, 2006
"I've decided to quit romping."
Im always amazed by the sentences I read from my students on their homework. Most are boring, such as: I promise to study harder, Im going to go to bed earlier etc. But every once in awhile i get an absolute gem that not only leaves me scratching my head wondering what in the world they could mean, but also provides some much needed amusement during the day.
Ive been teaching about New Years resolutions and so Im having to teach them "Im going to", "I promise to", "Ive decided to" etc. They have to fill in the rest of the sentence with their own ideas (which, trust me, is like pulling teeth. Getting japanese students to think for themselves is near impossible.). Anyway, yesterday I came across a girl whose English was pretty good, although it was obvious she was using her little electronic dictionary for every other word. How do I know this, you ask? Well because she would write things like "I've decided to quit romping." Im sure she didnt learn the word romp from any of the japanese teachers! Anyway, Im still trying to figure out what she REALLY meant by that. But it still gave me a chuckle! So today as im grudgingly sifting through and correcting their japenglish, I come across another one! This girl said, "I'm going to cut down on deserting dust" as a way to help the environment. Now immediately I picture a girl running about capturing and saving all the dust bunnies she can, and burst out into an audible giggle (which in the deadly silence of the staff room, is a bit weird). Im assuming she meant that she wants to cut down on waste and trash... who knows where she got "deserting dust", most likely her little electronic dictionary. Those things can be more detrimental than helpful at times.
And its not only the students I hear strange English from either, but the teachers themselves! One of my JTEs (jp teacher of eng.) came up to me to confirm tomorrows classes.
"Excuse me Angie-sensei. Tomorrows classes are 1st and 5th period, right?"
"Yes they are, thats right."
"So the first part of the lesson (insert japanese here that I didnt understand)"
"Um, sorry, Im not sure what you mean. The tongue twisters?" (Im teaching them tongue twisters for the warm-up)
"Ah, yes, yes, yes. Very good, so I'll go eat some tempura."
"Um excuse me?"
"Tongue twisters, yes so I'll go eat some tempura."
(Smiling and nodding) "Uh, ok....."
Yeah...... I still havent figured out what in the world that was all about! What the hell does tempura have to do with tongue twisters?? Maybe if Id understood her babbling in japanese itd make more sense.. but who knows!
Hey, whatever, just another day at Nishinokyo High!
Ive been teaching about New Years resolutions and so Im having to teach them "Im going to", "I promise to", "Ive decided to" etc. They have to fill in the rest of the sentence with their own ideas (which, trust me, is like pulling teeth. Getting japanese students to think for themselves is near impossible.). Anyway, yesterday I came across a girl whose English was pretty good, although it was obvious she was using her little electronic dictionary for every other word. How do I know this, you ask? Well because she would write things like "I've decided to quit romping." Im sure she didnt learn the word romp from any of the japanese teachers! Anyway, Im still trying to figure out what she REALLY meant by that. But it still gave me a chuckle! So today as im grudgingly sifting through and correcting their japenglish, I come across another one! This girl said, "I'm going to cut down on deserting dust" as a way to help the environment. Now immediately I picture a girl running about capturing and saving all the dust bunnies she can, and burst out into an audible giggle (which in the deadly silence of the staff room, is a bit weird). Im assuming she meant that she wants to cut down on waste and trash... who knows where she got "deserting dust", most likely her little electronic dictionary. Those things can be more detrimental than helpful at times.
And its not only the students I hear strange English from either, but the teachers themselves! One of my JTEs (jp teacher of eng.) came up to me to confirm tomorrows classes.
"Excuse me Angie-sensei. Tomorrows classes are 1st and 5th period, right?"
"Yes they are, thats right."
"So the first part of the lesson (insert japanese here that I didnt understand)"
"Um, sorry, Im not sure what you mean. The tongue twisters?" (Im teaching them tongue twisters for the warm-up)
"Ah, yes, yes, yes. Very good, so I'll go eat some tempura."
"Um excuse me?"
"Tongue twisters, yes so I'll go eat some tempura."
(Smiling and nodding) "Uh, ok....."
Yeah...... I still havent figured out what in the world that was all about! What the hell does tempura have to do with tongue twisters?? Maybe if Id understood her babbling in japanese itd make more sense.. but who knows!
Hey, whatever, just another day at Nishinokyo High!
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