Plum Blossoms and More

So like I said in the previous post, my predecessor was in town and introducing me and helping me break the ice with some of the teachers. Well Friday night I went to a dinner party with her and some of the other current and former teachers at my school. I was a bit nervous at first but after everyone there (japanese) had a couple drinks, they made a 180 degree transformation from the normal quiet, and rather boring business people Id known at work, into well..... very normal, interesting, funny and talkative drunk people!! It was great!! And the best part was that since Japanese get drunk so fast and easily, I didnt have to drink very much at all! They were making jokes, I was making jokes back, we were talking in a strange mixture of Japanese and English and Kansaiben (dialect here). They got a real kick out of me trying out my new Kansaiben skills... seemed to think it was the funniest thing in the world! Which I guess if you think about it, would be funny had the situation been reversed. Think of a Japanese exchange student who can barely speak English trying to say "whoa awesome man!" or "thats, like, way cool!" Itd be hilarious! Ok, the example I gave isnt EXACTLY the same, but the result is! Anyway, one of the former teachers was actually a current teacher at Adams school, so at the end of dinner, we called Adam (who was currently at a British bar in town) to come and join us. He did, and we all ended up at another pub where Adam got to practice his Japanese and they got to meet the "more outgoing and talkative" Adam ;) So, the whole night was a blast and I was able to see a side of my co-workers Id have never seen before. And to top it off, Adams co-worker brought us fresh homemade bread! It was marbled and had walnuts and golden raisins in it! Delicious!



The next day we went to Osakajokoen (Osaka Castle Park) to see all the plum blossoms in bloom. They were gorgeous and I took some pretty nice pictures. It was also one of the warmest days this year so far, so that made it all the better!





See? I didn't even need my wool or down jacket! Yaay!













We saw some bright pink trees and some white ones. I had the impression that they went from white to pink as they bloomed, but I could (and probably am) completely wrong. There might just be pink ones and white ones! Whatever, they're still gorgeous!




We also spotted many interesting outfits on peoples' dogs, this being the winner for the most ridiculous! I mean Ive seen doggie outfits from tutus to neon green puffy vests to baby doll dresses, but never had I seen such torture as sunglasses on a dog. And theyre not even human sunglasses! They were actually made for the dog! Now, Im not a dog expert, but I really have a strong feeling that dogs DONT NEED SUNGLASSES! Honestly, people!! Come on, now... Whatever, theyre Japanese... that says everything!

That same night was Sams going away (aka going back to Australia) party and lots of us got together in Yagi for some dinner, drinks and karaoke! The night was a blast and there are some good pics that came out of it!



Take a REALLY close look at this Engrish Menu. If you have to, click on the picture and look in the middle under the flavors of cyuhai (chuhai = japanese style spritzer). Look again, really closely. Now, answer me this. What exactly would a "cock" flavored chuhai taste like? I mean.... I have some ideas, but what worries me is HOW they got this particular flavor! What are they doing to our drinks in the back room?!?!?! This is rather worrisome, is it not? After careful consideration, we thought maybe, just maybe they meant to write "coke"? Even then, a coke flavored chuhai would be disgusting and strange... In any event, this was either another case of electronic dictionary non-wisdom, or the person that wrote this failed English class! (or was maybe learning the wrong kind of English?) Whatever, you decide!




Our table... someone does NOT know how to take a good group pic...








The other table with Sam there in the front eating Japanese spaghetti. The Japanese woman to the right just happens to be the most gorgeous Japanese woman Ive ever seen and also happens to be the wife of our fellow friend and JET Andy Sowter (on the left, hidden, with the baby). Their daughter is very cute as well, as most mixed children are. But wow, I was floored when I saw her. The pic doesnt quite do her justice.

So yeah, I could put some random karaoke pics on here, but Im really tired, I ran a few kilometers today, my shoulders hurt and the rest of the pics are on my shutterfly account which you all can access if you click on the link to the right! I couldnt put all the pics here cuz this is already an insanely long post. Hope you all enjoyed!!

Misc. March Madness Pics!

Adam recovering in the hospital after his operation










Aaron gave me a cookie to give to this adorable baby deer in Nara Park!










And obviously all the other deer want a bit of the cookie too! Oops!










These are prayer lanterns for each of the current Maiko (apprentice geisha) in Gion.










Closer look. I think they're beautiful!











Ok I know its blurry, but the night vision on my camera is really touchy (and I was moving...). Anyway, Im calling on the Shinto gods to come and listen to my prayer!

Hernias, Surgery and Chaos!

Wow, yeah I know its been a long time since Ive last posted, but this last week and a half has been really chaotic!

On the 14th (aka last Tuesday) Adam went into the hospital for hernia surgery. The medical system is different here than in America. Usually after a simple procedure like this he would have been out the same day or maybe the next day at the latest. But, here he was required to stay in the hospital for 4-9 days!! I guess thats where they get all their money! Anyway, instead of doing a local anesthesia (sp?) they did a spinal anesthesia. This means that they ended up poking a small hole in his spinal cord. In America they tell you to stay on your back after this for 12 hours, but here they only had him lay down for 6 hours. The result of this? A week long migraine that no amount of pain killers can help! Because he didnt stay on his back, the hole didnt close up so spinal fluid continues to leak out when he sits and puts pressure on his spine..... great huh? I feel so bad for him!

Anyway, his mom, Regan has been here since the 12th and has been taking care of him and kept him company in the hospital during the day when I was at work. So that was really nice of her! Hospital food here was quite different! Very japanese in fact. Tofu blocks with soy sauce and green onions, mushy rice, occasional miso soup, black sea grass salad (ew...) and natto (double ew...). I guess it was a 1000 calorie a day diet, ouch.. So I would go to the convenience store and get him some other goodies to supplement the meager proportions.

Not only has this whole situation been a little stressful, but my predecessor (the girl that was the ALT before me) is in town and so we've been trying to meet up and talk. Shes shown me more about my school and its teachers than Id ever known and gave me some helpful tips on how not to lose my mind! (Thank you Sam!) Also, she invited me to dinner with her and some other teachers from here to help break the ice a little. As hard as it may be to believe, Im actually really shy around the people here and they hardly ever go out of their way to be friends, so its been tough. I think this dinner on Friday will help! Yay!

Adams mom will be leaving tomorrow night which is kinda sad because it was really nice to have her here, but itll also be nice to have everything back to normal. We ended up having some wonderful talks and bonding moments on the nights Adam was in the hospital so that was really cool. I really appreciated the company! Thanks Regan for everything! She also brought us looooooooads of toothpaste, deoderant, toothbrushes, allergy medicine and other goodies we cant get here, so that was awesome!

Yesterday, she and I went into Nara to meet up with Aaron and his friend who's visiting and went sight seeing. It was fun because I ended up seeing places I hadnt seen yet and the weather was really comfortable so it made everything all the more pleasant. Also, when we went to see the Daibutsu (the Great Buddha) I was surprised by how much I knew about it! I had been on a tour there waaaaay back in August or September when it was still dreadfully hot and sticky outside. They told us all about the history of the Todaiji Temple and the Great Buddha and I hadnt realized until yesterday how much I had actually retained! I was very surprised and happy since I dont seem to retain anything lately. After that, Aaron, his friend Ashleigh and I all went to Kyoto where we saw the lantern festival (not nearly as cool as the one here in Nara). Then, while eating dinner discussed at length how much trouble I have subtracting in my head. I seriously have a problem with it. Adding is fine, subtracting is just way too hard for some reason. But whatever, at least I can tell everyone all about the Great Buddha....!

I have some pictures to add to this but since Im at school, I cant upload them... itll have to wait until later.

Oh! One more thing. We have finally downloaded Skype! It took us forever, but we finally have it! Unfortunately, we still dont have a microphone or a headset, so.... as soon as we get that (hopefully this weekend) then Ill be able to call other Skype members (like Katy!!) for free!!!! Calls to non-Skype members cost a bit but usually not too much. So yeah, Katy I promise Ill get a headset this weekend to be able to talk to you! Im sorry its taken so long! This week has just been really off the wall.

Ok well, sorry this wasnt too interesting! Ill try to have something weird happen later to talk about!! haha! And Ill add the pictures soon!

Theory on Japanese Society

As most of you can probably tell, Ive been a little bitter lately and, in general, quite miserable. I havent been able to exactly pinpoint this growing ball of frustration until just this last weekend.

A few posts ago, Aaron wrote about how frustrated he became during a staff meeting because all the teachers were speaking keigo and the meeting took about 20 times longer than it should have. Keigo is the polite form of Japanese and used to only be used to talk to the emporer... right? Or is there another uber-polite/humble form for talking to him? Anyway, thats beside the point. Keigo is the humble way of speaking and is only used in meetings and extremely formal situations. There is no equivalent in English. Verbs change and vocabulary is different. Its hard to explain but basically there are a bunch of fluff words you use to humble yourself and your opinions which cant be translated and really dont mean anything at all. Basically, you say a lot without really saying anything at all. Could it get any more annoying?

Ever since this post of his, Ive been observing their society and the way they present themselves and things in general. While Adam, Aaron, Tsukasa and I were all in "Diamond City" (the big mall in Yagi) it finally hit me. Japanese culture is "All Show, No Substance", period. Ive yet to find an example that doesnt fit this. I will explain a few that do, however. Keigo is one example and leads me to believe this concept has been in their culture for a very long time and has since been severely exacerbated. Everything is pomp and show but when you look behind the curtains you're bound to be disappointed. For example, when you buy what looks like a normal package of cookies, you would expect to open this package and eat the cookies directly out of it. Well, here you open a package of cookies to find that EACH INDIVIDUAL COOKIE is INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED!! (excuse me? but, are you kidding me??) Who the hell eats only one cookie?? Everything is packaged insided of another package at least 2 times! Its the most wasteful thing Ive ever seen. (Japan has actually taken 1st place as the most wasteful -- ahead of the US!) When you buy something at a store, they wrap it up, put it delicately in a plastic bag and then tape the bag shut with their own store brand tape (ie, tape that has the store's name on it). I have yet to find a logical reason for this besides making it very difficult to open your plastic bag without tearing it. When I bought a snazzy new umbrella the other day (Yes, umbrellas are a fashion statement here. If you dont have a cool one, you're doomed to be frumpy), I stood in line and watched 3 clerks concern themsleves over this guy who was buying some mini-plants for someone as a gift. When they finally wrapped up his plants twice and graciously thanked him for paying, they turned to me. One girl took my umbrella and set it on the counter while asking me if I wanted it gift wrapped. When I gritted my teeth and said, no thats ok, the other proceeded to tape a piece of green paper around it (complete with the company tape or course). The last girl then dealt with the money. Since I placed a 10,000 yen note on the counter in a little dish thats reserved for the money, she picks it up with 2 hands looks at me and says, "10,000 yen?" uhhhhh, yes.. I did just put it there...(since this is a mainly cash society, me paying with the equivalent of a 100 dollar bill is really not a big deal). Anyway, my point is, this would NEVER happen in America. They'd just give me my damn umbrella, take my money and thank me for shopping there and it would have taken half the time. Theres so much friggin ceremony that goes into every single little thing they do! Everything is just so fake and superficial. "All show, No Substance."

Not only that, but the honor system is just assumed here. Had I been a thieving person, I could have stolen loads and loads of stuff from every store because nobody watches and everyone just pays. Everyone obeys the rules here and no one questions authority. I think thats what gets me most of all. No one questions authority, ever. People might grumble about it to each other, but will they stand up and speak their mind? Never. They tell us that if we need help on the street, like say in an accident or we get mugged, we should yell "fire!" instead of "help!" because no one will come unless its something that threatens them. They are so non-confrontational that its seriously detrimental to their society. They dont have any balls, at all. Honestly. Its really starting to get on my nerves seeing as how Im really not like that at all and if I could speak Japanese I would be saying what I think all the time. Im starting to feel so rebellious here and keep thinking to myself, "no wonder committing suicide is such a popular way of dealing with your problems!" I keep wondering if this lack of confronting authority is a recent phenomenon, as in post-WWII. Ever since they lost the war they've been focusing on being peaceful and non-militaristic. Maybe they went too far and created a sheep/blind faith society instead. I don't know. I'm not an expert. This is just an idea. Comments?

Ive also been second guessing my decision to recontract for a second year. If Im so miserable and everything about this place pisses me off, why do I stay?? Well as sad as it is, the money is awesome. Im saving so much money right now its crazy. I keep thinking, if we stay for one more year and keep saving the same amount of money, we might end up with around $20,000 EACH in savings!! How crazy is that? The thing is, we're not being frugal, we pay all our bills, I pay my loans every month, we travel to various different and exotic countries and we just bought a brand new computer! How could I pass up another year of that? My sanity might get a little shaky here and there during the next year, but to secure a good foothold in my future, I'd like to have that money and Im willing to put up with the temporary insanity.

I feel almost guilty for feeling this way about their culture, but I guess I cant like everything. It works for them, kinda so whatever. They dont realize it at all though and maybe thats better? Is ignorance really bliss here? Dont get me wrong, there are plenty of things that need to be changed about every country, and things that piss me off about every culture, including my own, but not nearly as much as here.... It saddens me.

On a random note, I think Im back on eating pork (!!!). Only hot dogs and bacon though and those very, very, very sparingly. Me dealing with other pork products will make mine and Adams lives here much easier. No, I will not eat pork chops, they gross me out. Nor will I eat ham or any other type of pork I dont like. Except for hot dogs and bacon, which are the only 2 pork products I actually enjoyed, I will continue to be picky about it... sorry!

Also, I think Im going to pick up knitting. Ive been wanting to learn how for some time and ever since Katy mentioned the fact that shed started to do it to cure her boredom, Ive thought it was a great idea. Whats more, Aaron knows how and is going to teach me!! So, now instead of losing my eyesight reading all day at work, Ill be knitting... hopefully...

Geishas Galore and Graduation Woes

Sorry its been awhile. Ive been meaning to write ever since last weekend, but have had absolutely no motivation to do anything but sit and stare at the wall, contemplate the inner workings of the universe and fantacise about being anywhere other than at work. However, since Ive been nagged a few times by certain people I wont mention *coughaaroncough* Ive finally convinced myself its about time.

So last weekend was half interesting and half disaster! Aaron was supposed to come over but ended up losing his wallet which was a ginormous drama in and of itself (for the full story on this please see his blog http://furio1981.blogspot.com which is the link on the right under "Aaron's Blog"). So, since our plans for the weekend were screwed we decided to go to Kyoto, see a temple or two, bar hop til the wee hours of the morning and then crash at a love hotel. For those of you not yet informed, a love hotel is a pay-by-the-hour place if you know what I mean *wink wink nudge nudge* and usually each room has a different crazy theme. Since we hadnt gone to one yet, and also hadnt really celebrated our 4 year anniversary, that was the plan...

Well, the first half of the day went alright. We decided to see Kyomizudera which is the temple of the holy water and also where Japan decided to join WWII against America. As we hiked up the million and a half stairs to the temple (all temples are on a humongous hill with a gazillion stairs) we rounded a corner and all of a sudden were practically face to face with a group of about 7 geisha! Never having seen one before, let alone in a huge group, I was pretty thrilled with this and whipped out my camera phone. (This happened to be the one day I didnt bring my real camera with me...) Adam was even amazed by this sight, saying it was really rare to see one at all, and especially in a group. We think now that they were on some sort of photo shoot. And they actually werent geiko (the full geisha) they were maiko, who are the apprentices. You can tell the difference by their age (younger) and their hair. Maiko usually have more hair pieces and they also have a bun with a red....something in it. Anyway, that pretty much made my day right there!









Then after that we went to Gion to see if maybe we would spot any more geisha since it was around dusk when they head out to their appointments in the tea houses. NOTE: GEISHA ARE NOT PROSTITUTES!!! THEY DO NOT SLEEP WITH THEIR CLIENTS. THIS IS A MAINLY AMERICAN STEREOTYPE AND NOT TRUE. Well we saw lots of people gathering around this small little alley snapping pictures left and right and figured we had found it! We had!







Despite what it looks like, they are SUPER fast! Especially considering the tightness of the kimono around their legs and the height of their platforms. Sorry about the low quality pictures. Im kicking myself for not having brought my real camera.

Anyway, after that we went and had a not so good dinner and some good big beers. We went to a few bars, met a girl who used to be a political cartoonist for a newspaper in Ulan Bataar (capital of Mongolia where Adams brother lives) and then decided to get some sleep. Well, this is when the trouble started. ALL the love hotels were full!! So we thought we might as well try the business and regular hotels since we were getting desperate for somewhere to sleep. Every single hotel turned us away saying they were full! Even after we just saw them selling a room to someone as we walked in. They said everything was full and shooed us away. We werent even drunk. Just very very very tired and desperate! We had the money to pay for a night in a ritzy hotel but none of them would take us. And it was all becuase we were foreigners. Even though we were speaking Japanese... our nationality, or shall I say the color of our skin, kept us from having somewhere to sleep that night. So, at 2:30am with no where to go, we curled up in a corner of the train station with all the homeless people and tried to sleep. Let me just say that after a little while we envied the bums. At least they were prepared with sleeping bags, blankets and cardboard. It was freeeeezing!!! The first train in the morning was at 5:18am. It was the longest 3 hours of my life...! An unforgetable experience.

So yeah... turned into a crappy weekend, but this week has been ok. Ive been able to get off work early a couple days due to graduation ceremonies. I attended the one at my school yesterday and let me just say that Im glad I graduated in America. It had to be the MOST boring and sterile and dry ceremony Ive ever been to. Long speaches, followed by long periods of unexplained and complete silence... I swear we had to stand up bow, and sit down at least 15 times! They sang what I assume was the national anthem, and then the school anthem. Instead of going up to the stage to get a diploma they all just stood up one by one as their names were called... and then that was it! I would have had trouble staying awake had it not been so cold I could see my breath! It was freezing! My opinion... that was NOT a ceremony at all! Where were the smiles and then cheering and the laughter and gaiety that follow a huge acheivement... I guess its just another one of those cultural differences. Interesting to say the least. Later, they asked me what I thought about it so I said, "It was very different than ours. Interesting" and that was it.

I know Ive been really negative lately but I think its just donning on me how much I personally clash with the culture here. We're told to be culturally sensitive, which I am on a day to day basis. Ive even adapted a lot of their funny mannerisms like pointing to my nose when referring to myself or bowing and nodding constantly during a conversation. Im very polite and humble in public, and yet I know itll never be enough to be accepted. I might as well be doing it all in a bright colored clown outfit! They will always assume Im a stupid foreigner, who doesnt know anything about their culture, cant speak their language and, therefore, its automatically inferior. I get gawked at walking to school every day by people walking their dogs. EVERY FRIGGIN DAY!!! They see me all the time and still they stare open-mouthed as I walk by. Some have even crashed on their bicycles because theyre so surprised to see me. Im constantly scaring people if they dont expect to see me. Even though theyre really friendly and helpful at times and my coworkers are really cool, Im just getting tired of being stared at and being SOOOO different. The thing is, I dont feel as different as they perceive me to be. The times I realize it are when I myself see a foreigner and my attention is drawn immediately to them. We stick out like sore thumbs here... I'm getting tired of it and I just think I need a break...