Saturday, April 19, 2008
Pants optional
At the Gifu festival I went to a couple of weeks ago, it seems that pants were optional. There were lots of bare bums (some good, some I would have rather NOT have seen), but I only took a photo of a couple. I'd feel a bit like the pervey gaijin if I took any more....
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
A piece of paper soaked in pee
You just know it's going to be a great day when your school schedule declares it to be "Urine Analysis Day". Yep, time for the school's annual health check.
While a full medical is not high on my list of fun things to do, I still get one every year in Australia. Unlike the one I'm subjected to at school however, it is done in the privacy of my doctor's office and with someone who has full knowledge of not only my own, but also my family's medical history. The school one is a generic, everyone has the same type of test.
To be honest, I'm not sure why we have to have them. I have asked, but was given an answer along the lines of "just because".
A problem I find with the school health check is that it is supposed to be confidential, and it is for all of the Japanese staff. For us native teachers of English (NTE) however, there are language difficulties. There is no way we can read the questionnaire and so have to sit down to answer the multitude of questions to our boss. Last year, in the staff room, in front of one of my male New Zealander workmate, he asked "Are you menstruating now?".
In my first year at the school, after answering all the questions, we had a blood test (they made a terrible mess of my arm), our weight taken, our heart monitored (and I was left the next day with a chest dotted with bruises), our waist is measured (though not our hips, which hardly gives an accurate waist to hip ratio for this curvy western woman), hearing and sight checked, retina photographed, blood test, blood pressure checked, a chest x-ray and of course the urine test.
Ahh... my personal favourite, today's namesake - the urine test. Bear in mind that all of these tests are not been done in a doctor's office or hospital, but rather within the school. The first couple of years we were handed a plastic cup and a strip of paper and sent off to the girl's toilets. We pee, soak the paper, empty the cup, and then come back, down the school corridors, passing students eager to say hello, with a piece of paper soaked in our own pee. Welcome to Urine Analysis Day. I find it interesting that it's called that rather than "Health Check Day", but maybe everyone else is equally as traumatised by it as myself, so that's the part that sticks out. Honestly, I've been having nightmares about it for the last week!
Another part of the day's fun was the TB x-ray. The machine came in a van which was driven onto school property. Once in the van, I was asked to take off my bra (because of any metal parts that are in it). I tried to wrestle out of it but not given much privacy by the radiologist. All the while I was in front of an open door, screened only by a thin curtain flapping in the wind with the baseball team on the other side.
This year, I'm seeking permission from the school to be excused from the x-ray. For personal reasons that I feel very strongly about, I am avoiding any x-rays unless in an emergency. Even though Japan has low rates of TB, I can understand and admire their reasons for wanting to be cautious. I'm asking if I can instead take a TB skin test. In my own time, at my own expense. I should get the answer on that one tomorrow. Cross your fingers for me.
Today's health check was actually quite quick and painless. I filled out the for with the help of one of the female Japanese teachers with the rest of the NTEs. We kind of just copied answers off each other. My friend laughed at how silly it was to be cheating off a friend on a health test. In the nurses room, our height and weight was measured, eyesight, hearing and blood pressure checked and then could use the bathroom in the nurses office for the pee test. All done!
The last couple of years, I've been given the all clear with just a note telling me that I should "change (my) life". Let's see what I get this year!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Happy New (School) Year!
Last week, here in Japan, the new school year began. As an Aussie, having grown up with the school year starting in line with the new calendar year, I find an April start a little strange. Having just come out of a horribly depressing Japanese winter however, I find the starting of a new chapter with the new signs of life a lovely idea.
I've only met a few of my classes so far. It's great seeing all the fresh new faces, especially the first grade junior high kids. They are so excited and so open to being entertained. The boys are looking swamped in their new school jackets, jackets bought in a size for them the grow into. In class, the blurting out of "My name is ..." is a thrill and an achievement to get excited about.
For me though, I'm starting this new year with mixed feelings. I know that I have one more year here. Part of me is excited and planning all the things I want to do and see in that time. The other part of me feels a bit like I'm trapped in a Groundhog Day moment.
I've only met a few of my classes so far. It's great seeing all the fresh new faces, especially the first grade junior high kids. They are so excited and so open to being entertained. The boys are looking swamped in their new school jackets, jackets bought in a size for them the grow into. In class, the blurting out of "My name is ..." is a thrill and an achievement to get excited about.
For me though, I'm starting this new year with mixed feelings. I know that I have one more year here. Part of me is excited and planning all the things I want to do and see in that time. The other part of me feels a bit like I'm trapped in a Groundhog Day moment.
Let me go back for a moment. My trip to Australia in spring holidays was great. Brisbane was really quiet as I was there over the Easter long weekend, a time when most Brisbanites get out of the city. Most of my time there was spent sorting out some business stuff and catching up with friends. One of my friends even had her baby while I was there, so I got a chance of seeing the new mum and meeting the gorgeous new arrival before flying out. Another friend is pregnant, and has just moved into her new house. Others have bought new properties, have new children, or children have grown up since I saw them last. There's a great sense of momentum in the lives of my friends and family.
Now I've come back to Japan. I'm teaching exactly the same lessons I taught last year and the year before that. Last year, when I was teaching them, I told myself it was the last time. Not in a bad way, but this time last year, we thought that we'd still be in Japan, but I wouldn't be working and would be starting a family. Now, one year later, I'm back doing the same thing, telling myself that my family will begin next year. You know those scenes they have in movies sometimes where someone stands really still and everything around them is rushing by. That's a bit how I feel right now.
Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to be excited about. There are festivals coming up, seasons that will change, lots of inspiration to soak up and preparations to do before the starting of a family. It's just that today, I'm having a little trouble remembering those things.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Look out Australia! Here I come!
Just checking in. I haven't blogged much here lately. There hasn't been a lot to say. My friends threw me a lovely temakizushi (hand-rolled sushi) party for my birthday. I finished work for the school year and am now on holidays. I've been madly procrastinating getting ready to go away tomorrow. Don't get me wrong - I've been busy, just doing the less important (but way more fun) things in preparation for this trip like making a new travel documents folder and new jewellery to wear. I haven't started packing yet.
It's funny, if you spoke to me a few days ago I would have told you how I couldn't wait to get out of this country. I hated this last winter. I was so cold all the time, I got sick a number of times and everything around me was grey. I got terribly down and had no interest in the things I normally love. The only thing that perked me up was chocolate and donuts and I could not get enough of them.
Now, the days are suddenly warm, the plum blossoms are out, the cherry soon to follow, the sun is shining and I'm in love with Japan again. I'm fully of energy (well as full as energy as I ever get) and have been up until 2am most nights busy making things. I suspect I may actually get homesick while I'm away. Coming from Brisbane, where this isn't a great change in the weather over the year, until living in Japan, I had never realised how dramatically my long-term mood can be affected by the seasons.
But cherry blossoms or not, tomorrow I'm off to Australia, I'll be hopping in with the Easter Bunny. I have a long list of people I can't wait to see and foods that I can't wait to eat. I'm looking forward to being surrounded by English.
See you when I get back!
It's funny, if you spoke to me a few days ago I would have told you how I couldn't wait to get out of this country. I hated this last winter. I was so cold all the time, I got sick a number of times and everything around me was grey. I got terribly down and had no interest in the things I normally love. The only thing that perked me up was chocolate and donuts and I could not get enough of them.
Now, the days are suddenly warm, the plum blossoms are out, the cherry soon to follow, the sun is shining and I'm in love with Japan again. I'm fully of energy (well as full as energy as I ever get) and have been up until 2am most nights busy making things. I suspect I may actually get homesick while I'm away. Coming from Brisbane, where this isn't a great change in the weather over the year, until living in Japan, I had never realised how dramatically my long-term mood can be affected by the seasons.
But cherry blossoms or not, tomorrow I'm off to Australia, I'll be hopping in with the Easter Bunny. I have a long list of people I can't wait to see and foods that I can't wait to eat. I'm looking forward to being surrounded by English.
See you when I get back!
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Thursday, March 06, 2008
A Heavenly Stay
A hotel tucked in among the trees on the oceans edge, a room the size of my entire apartment, no sound except for the lapping of waves and bird calls, sea hawks circling above, at night no lights except for the odd ship on the horizon, a morning sit on a beach we had all to ourselves.. you really wouldn't think I was talking about Japan!
We had the most wonderful weekend away! We tripped down to Mie Prefecture with the intention of visiting Ise Shrine with some friends on Sunday. Rather than stay the Saturday night in Ise itself, my friend suggested we check out Toba. I'm so glad she did!
The city of Toba wasn't terribly exciting. If your into touristy stuff, there is an aquarium, a pearl divers island and a ferry that goes around the bay. We were satisfied by a bit of a stroll around the town and a yummy lunch of fresh seafood.
The hotel we'd booked into, Thalassa Shima, was about 20 minutes by shuttle bus from the city. To wait in, the hotel had a private lounge at the bus station. Right from that moment, we got hints of the high quality experience were were going to get. Stepping over the threshold we were transported into a different world. One side of the door was your typical grimy waiting area, on the other, a subtle scent of flowers, smiling, perfectly groomed staff, well decorated room, free herbal teas brewing in glass pots and calming music. An oasis in the concrete jungle.
Our first, very pleasant surprise was, as it was by birthday and we were also celebrating our wedding anniversary, we had been upgraded to the deluxe room. The extremely helpful bellhop took us to our large room and shyly chatted to us about his stay at the Gold Coast. Once he had run us through the different features of the room, showed us the free drinks in the mini bar, he left us to drink in the view. From our twin beds (yes, an indication that we were indeed still in Japan), we had a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean patch-worked with dark coloured seaweed beds and dotted with tree covered islands. Rather than the usual cheap hotel toiletries, in the bathroom we were greeted by the hotel's original algae soap and mineral salts as well as good quality shampoos, conditioners and facial cleansers.
The rest of the hotel was just as wonderful. We relaxed in the cafe-by-day, bar-by-night drinking tea from fine bone china (Nikko brand, the Noritake was in the hotel rooms), savouring the cheesecake, enjoying the smoked salmon on seaweed bread and delighting further in the view. The pool area was expansive and on my first dip I was happy to find that it was warm salt water. The ocean view, continued as the theme, as it did throughout the entire hotel. On Sunday morning, we strolled around the walking course, a track through the trees with occasional glimpses of the ocean and eventually down onto the beach. A large piece of driftwood made the perfect bench as we took in the sounds of nothing other than the sea hawks cry above and the lapping of waves.
And then there was dinner....
We both chose the LOHAS menu, made with local produce. Each course was one delicious experience after the next. We ate;
Marinated squid with anchovy sauce (the squid was so tender!)
Seaweed soup flavoured with ginger (this had a side of the sweetest prawns I've ever eaten)
Sauteed sweetbread and green scallop with caramelized burdock root (I have to confess, I gave my sweetbread to Wayne, I'm not an offal fan. The scallop, was also really sweet and almost melted in my mouth)
Pan-fried local fish flavoured seaweed with simmered clam (the fish was hobo, or Red Gurnard in English and was flavoursome dark? fish)
Roasted wild duck with spring vegetables
Seaweed flavour French bread with Olive oil (the bread may not sound so appealing, but I can assure you, with the rich flavours of the other foods, it was great, we ate so much of it at dinner. At breakfast however, I found it too strong)
Desert - I had the white chocolate dessert, very fine sheets of mint-flavoured white chocolate topped with succulent strawberries in white chocolate sauce, stacked in three layers accompanied with ice cream and a raspberry mouse, raspberries and sauce. Wayne had the lime ice cream cake thing (sorry, I was too busy savouring my dessert to take to much notice his dessert that I am allergic too). What made the dessert even more special were the chocolate plaques that they were served with; on my plate one that said "Happy Birthday" and a second that in Japanese said something along the lines of "Congratulations on your Wedding Anniversary". Wayne also was given the wedding anniversary one.
Thinking that after that dinner, there was no way we could fit more in, we discovered homemade cookies and chocolates had been left for us in our room. Breakfast was another treat, an extensive buffet with many delicious foods to choose from.
Our only regret of the weekend was that we weren't there for longer.
We had the most wonderful weekend away! We tripped down to Mie Prefecture with the intention of visiting Ise Shrine with some friends on Sunday. Rather than stay the Saturday night in Ise itself, my friend suggested we check out Toba. I'm so glad she did!
The city of Toba wasn't terribly exciting. If your into touristy stuff, there is an aquarium, a pearl divers island and a ferry that goes around the bay. We were satisfied by a bit of a stroll around the town and a yummy lunch of fresh seafood.
The hotel we'd booked into, Thalassa Shima, was about 20 minutes by shuttle bus from the city. To wait in, the hotel had a private lounge at the bus station. Right from that moment, we got hints of the high quality experience were were going to get. Stepping over the threshold we were transported into a different world. One side of the door was your typical grimy waiting area, on the other, a subtle scent of flowers, smiling, perfectly groomed staff, well decorated room, free herbal teas brewing in glass pots and calming music. An oasis in the concrete jungle.
Our first, very pleasant surprise was, as it was by birthday and we were also celebrating our wedding anniversary, we had been upgraded to the deluxe room. The extremely helpful bellhop took us to our large room and shyly chatted to us about his stay at the Gold Coast. Once he had run us through the different features of the room, showed us the free drinks in the mini bar, he left us to drink in the view. From our twin beds (yes, an indication that we were indeed still in Japan), we had a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean patch-worked with dark coloured seaweed beds and dotted with tree covered islands. Rather than the usual cheap hotel toiletries, in the bathroom we were greeted by the hotel's original algae soap and mineral salts as well as good quality shampoos, conditioners and facial cleansers.
The rest of the hotel was just as wonderful. We relaxed in the cafe-by-day, bar-by-night drinking tea from fine bone china (Nikko brand, the Noritake was in the hotel rooms), savouring the cheesecake, enjoying the smoked salmon on seaweed bread and delighting further in the view. The pool area was expansive and on my first dip I was happy to find that it was warm salt water. The ocean view, continued as the theme, as it did throughout the entire hotel. On Sunday morning, we strolled around the walking course, a track through the trees with occasional glimpses of the ocean and eventually down onto the beach. A large piece of driftwood made the perfect bench as we took in the sounds of nothing other than the sea hawks cry above and the lapping of waves.
And then there was dinner....
We both chose the LOHAS menu, made with local produce. Each course was one delicious experience after the next. We ate;
Marinated squid with anchovy sauce (the squid was so tender!)
Seaweed soup flavoured with ginger (this had a side of the sweetest prawns I've ever eaten)
Sauteed sweetbread and green scallop with caramelized burdock root (I have to confess, I gave my sweetbread to Wayne, I'm not an offal fan. The scallop, was also really sweet and almost melted in my mouth)
Pan-fried local fish flavoured seaweed with simmered clam (the fish was hobo, or Red Gurnard in English and was flavoursome dark? fish)
Roasted wild duck with spring vegetables
Seaweed flavour French bread with Olive oil (the bread may not sound so appealing, but I can assure you, with the rich flavours of the other foods, it was great, we ate so much of it at dinner. At breakfast however, I found it too strong)
Desert - I had the white chocolate dessert, very fine sheets of mint-flavoured white chocolate topped with succulent strawberries in white chocolate sauce, stacked in three layers accompanied with ice cream and a raspberry mouse, raspberries and sauce. Wayne had the lime ice cream cake thing (sorry, I was too busy savouring my dessert to take to much notice his dessert that I am allergic too). What made the dessert even more special were the chocolate plaques that they were served with; on my plate one that said "Happy Birthday" and a second that in Japanese said something along the lines of "Congratulations on your Wedding Anniversary". Wayne also was given the wedding anniversary one.
Thinking that after that dinner, there was no way we could fit more in, we discovered homemade cookies and chocolates had been left for us in our room. Breakfast was another treat, an extensive buffet with many delicious foods to choose from.
Our only regret of the weekend was that we weren't there for longer.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Where I Spent My Weekend and Where I Wish I Still Was...
The view from our hotel balcony yesterday.... will blog soon...Friday, February 29, 2008
The End Is Coming!
It's nearly the end of the Japanese school year. I've just taught my last classes. I still have a couple of weeks until holidays, but they will be mostly filled with test marking and admin stuff.
I was sad to say goodbye to some of my students. My last class on a Friday afternoon was a delight to teach. I had the cutest boy in the front row, a tiny little thing, but what he lacked in size, he made up in confidence. I loved his responses to things I would say to the class. Once I asked "Do you want to play a game?", I got a half-hearted reaction from the class. So I asked "Do you want to do a test?" The little sweetie in the front came out with a really loud "No way!". Another day, when it was time to do a test, I said "Let's do the test", his reply, again very loudly was "Let's not!" You've gotta love that.
Another boy in the same class was a big beefy character. I love to tease the kids so when I was going around the class asking future tense questions, I asked this boy "Will you kiss a boy tonight?" His brow furrowed in consideration and in Japanese he said to himself "Mmm.. I don't think I will.." The class erupted in laughter. His friends pointed out "She asked if you're going to kiss a boy, A BOY!" Defensively, he turned around and said "Yeh, I know, but she's asking about tonight, that's the future. I don't know what's going to happen in the future!"
I'm happy to say some of the kids have told me that they'll miss me next year, as I they'll have another teacher. My favourite reaction though was from my Domestic Violence Boy. He yelled out "NOOOOOOO.. But I loooooove you Melanie! I really, REALLY love you! Really I do! I love you sooooooo much!" It's a nice way to finish a year.
I was sad to say goodbye to some of my students. My last class on a Friday afternoon was a delight to teach. I had the cutest boy in the front row, a tiny little thing, but what he lacked in size, he made up in confidence. I loved his responses to things I would say to the class. Once I asked "Do you want to play a game?", I got a half-hearted reaction from the class. So I asked "Do you want to do a test?" The little sweetie in the front came out with a really loud "No way!". Another day, when it was time to do a test, I said "Let's do the test", his reply, again very loudly was "Let's not!" You've gotta love that.
Another boy in the same class was a big beefy character. I love to tease the kids so when I was going around the class asking future tense questions, I asked this boy "Will you kiss a boy tonight?" His brow furrowed in consideration and in Japanese he said to himself "Mmm.. I don't think I will.." The class erupted in laughter. His friends pointed out "She asked if you're going to kiss a boy, A BOY!" Defensively, he turned around and said "Yeh, I know, but she's asking about tonight, that's the future. I don't know what's going to happen in the future!"
I'm happy to say some of the kids have told me that they'll miss me next year, as I they'll have another teacher. My favourite reaction though was from my Domestic Violence Boy. He yelled out "NOOOOOOO.. But I loooooove you Melanie! I really, REALLY love you! Really I do! I love you sooooooo much!" It's a nice way to finish a year.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
The Individual Difference Is Existence
Found on a fabric item I bought today;
"Because of the commodity nature it may falls the color to other goods if it soaked by water or with the friction situation ,so please be careful. Please understand the individual difference is existence. Seperately wash with other clothing."
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
All About Me Meme
Ahh... I'm slowly starting to catch up on life. End of the school year tests are written and recorded, I've caught up with all my marking, I think I've updated all my links on my blog, I'm slowly tackling my email inbox.... Still lots to do, but I'm getting there.
A little while ago Azumarisan tagged me, so here I go....
What I was doing;
10 years ago
Living in Brisbane, running my own business as a professional photographer, about to get the most horrendous tax bill that would make me rethink my life and that would motivate me to come to Japan for the first time.
5 years ago
Living back in Brisvegas after my first three years in Japan, suffering from reverse culture shock, doing a post-grad in Linguistics and trying to decide what to do next with my life.
1 year ago
Sitting in the cold teachers' room getting exciting about an upcoming trip back to Australia in spring holidays.
Yesterday
Sitting in this cold teacher's room, getting exciting about my upcoming trip to Australia in spring holidays.
5 snacks I enjoy
1. Chocolate
2. Licorice
3. Chocolate-coated licorice
4. Gingerbread
5. Did I mention chocolate?
5 books I like
1. Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami
2. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
3. Memiors of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
4. Any Art/Photography/Design book
5. Freakonomics - Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt
5 things I'd do with $100 million
1. Buy a beautiful house in the Sunshine Coast Hinterlands (beautiful mountain area not too far from the beach), with a fantastic, large, well-lit studio space and plenty of training space for hubby.
2. Help out friends and family with things that would make their life easier and happier.
3. Start up a charity for education of children in Northern Vietnam.
4. Open up a concept cafe/ resource centre that I have written up business plans for but don't want to reveal too much about now in the hopes that I can get finance for it in the next few years
5. Travel, travel, travel and then some more travel.
5 places I'd love to run away to (what, only 5? That doesn't really fit into my travel, travel, travel plans...)
1. The same little house on the edge of a cliff in Yamba (small beach town in the North of New South Wales) that I ran away to years ago by myself to write for a week - it was one of the best weeks of my life. I then met hubby a few days later (well technically had met him before that, but he says he fell for me when I got back from that trip, I was full of life and energy)
2. Another secluded place in the rainforest, but this time I'd take my husband
3. Italy
4. South America
5. Spain
5 bad habits and pet peeves I have
1. PP - People that throw rubbish on the ground, especially anyone that opens up a car door to drop out their takeaway food wrappings
2. BH - I talk way too much, I even tell myself to shut up in my head and times, but still don't stop. I sometimes give people far more information than is maybe socially acceptable or they really want to know. Just ask the people I work with!
3. PP - Teachers yelling at my students during my class while I'm teaching, especially when I work hard at creating an friendly environment so that students feel comfortable speaking English and the teacher is yelling at them about the top button on their uniform or that both feet aren't under their desk.
4. BH - I get lost in my own little world for weeks at a time, can become a hermit and am terrible at replying to emails and keeping in contact with people during those times.
5. BH - I can justify to myself the need to eat chocolate and reasons for not going to the gym at any time and do so way to often.
5 things I like doing
1. Making things, nowadays mostly things with Japanese paper or textile
2. Taking photos
3. Catching up with friends in a nice little coffee shop that has a good selection of teas and cakes
4. Reading
5. Shopping
5 things I would never wear
1. Anything with leopard print.
2. Anything high waisted (they just don't fit)
3. In public - any shirt that I can't wear a bra underneath (you may want to see the too much information bit on my bad habits for this one)
4. Yellow. I hate the colour. Not, I don't like the colour - I hate the colour. It induces rage in me.
5. White pants (not as in nickers, but as in trousers), I could never keep them clean. After about 10 minutes, there would surely be chocolate on them.
5 TV shows I like (all stuff I can get here - I really miss the selection of British shows I can get back home)
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Dr Who
3. Torchwood
4. Lost
5. Desperate Housewives
5 movies I like
1. Like Water For Chocolate
2. Run Lola Run
3. Amelia
4. Love Actually
5. Pretty much anything by John Waters or anything with Johnny Depp in it
5 famous people I'd like to meet
1.Johnny Depp
2. Bono
3. Michael Luenig - actually I've already met him twice
4. Dali Lama - I've been to one of his talks once and he was so inspiring
5. Haruki Murakami - as long as I had a translator
5 favourite toys
1. My laptop - couldn't live without it
2. My ipod
3. My Nikon D200
4. My sewing machine
5. My Japanese vibrating hairbrush, while it doesn't give me the frizz-free look it promised, but I like the feel on my scalp and the noise makes me giggle.
5 people I'd like to see complete this
1. Badaunt - I just love her blog!
2. Jason - gotta do something to get this boy to write a new post on that blog.
3. Contamination - would love to know more about this fellow Aussie ex-pat.
4. La Fuji Mama - am totally in awe of her, she's the only gaijin woman with a gaijin husband that I know that has gone down the baby having and raising path here, something I've decided I'm not brave enough to do.
5. Geisha Interrupted - I'm quite fascinated about her and can't wait to read her book.
A little while ago Azumarisan tagged me, so here I go....
What I was doing;
10 years ago
Living in Brisbane, running my own business as a professional photographer, about to get the most horrendous tax bill that would make me rethink my life and that would motivate me to come to Japan for the first time.
5 years ago
Living back in Brisvegas after my first three years in Japan, suffering from reverse culture shock, doing a post-grad in Linguistics and trying to decide what to do next with my life.
1 year ago
Sitting in the cold teachers' room getting exciting about an upcoming trip back to Australia in spring holidays.
Yesterday
Sitting in this cold teacher's room, getting exciting about my upcoming trip to Australia in spring holidays.
5 snacks I enjoy
1. Chocolate
2. Licorice
3. Chocolate-coated licorice
4. Gingerbread
5. Did I mention chocolate?
5 books I like
1. Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami
2. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
3. Memiors of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
4. Any Art/Photography/Design book
5. Freakonomics - Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt
5 things I'd do with $100 million
1. Buy a beautiful house in the Sunshine Coast Hinterlands (beautiful mountain area not too far from the beach), with a fantastic, large, well-lit studio space and plenty of training space for hubby.
2. Help out friends and family with things that would make their life easier and happier.
3. Start up a charity for education of children in Northern Vietnam.
4. Open up a concept cafe/ resource centre that I have written up business plans for but don't want to reveal too much about now in the hopes that I can get finance for it in the next few years
5. Travel, travel, travel and then some more travel.
5 places I'd love to run away to (what, only 5? That doesn't really fit into my travel, travel, travel plans...)
1. The same little house on the edge of a cliff in Yamba (small beach town in the North of New South Wales) that I ran away to years ago by myself to write for a week - it was one of the best weeks of my life. I then met hubby a few days later (well technically had met him before that, but he says he fell for me when I got back from that trip, I was full of life and energy)
2. Another secluded place in the rainforest, but this time I'd take my husband
3. Italy
4. South America
5. Spain
5 bad habits and pet peeves I have
1. PP - People that throw rubbish on the ground, especially anyone that opens up a car door to drop out their takeaway food wrappings
2. BH - I talk way too much, I even tell myself to shut up in my head and times, but still don't stop. I sometimes give people far more information than is maybe socially acceptable or they really want to know. Just ask the people I work with!
3. PP - Teachers yelling at my students during my class while I'm teaching, especially when I work hard at creating an friendly environment so that students feel comfortable speaking English and the teacher is yelling at them about the top button on their uniform or that both feet aren't under their desk.
4. BH - I get lost in my own little world for weeks at a time, can become a hermit and am terrible at replying to emails and keeping in contact with people during those times.
5. BH - I can justify to myself the need to eat chocolate and reasons for not going to the gym at any time and do so way to often.
5 things I like doing
1. Making things, nowadays mostly things with Japanese paper or textile
2. Taking photos
3. Catching up with friends in a nice little coffee shop that has a good selection of teas and cakes
4. Reading
5. Shopping
5 things I would never wear
1. Anything with leopard print.
2. Anything high waisted (they just don't fit)
3. In public - any shirt that I can't wear a bra underneath (you may want to see the too much information bit on my bad habits for this one)
4. Yellow. I hate the colour. Not, I don't like the colour - I hate the colour. It induces rage in me.
5. White pants (not as in nickers, but as in trousers), I could never keep them clean. After about 10 minutes, there would surely be chocolate on them.
5 TV shows I like (all stuff I can get here - I really miss the selection of British shows I can get back home)
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Dr Who
3. Torchwood
4. Lost
5. Desperate Housewives
5 movies I like
1. Like Water For Chocolate
2. Run Lola Run
3. Amelia
4. Love Actually
5. Pretty much anything by John Waters or anything with Johnny Depp in it
5 famous people I'd like to meet
1.Johnny Depp
2. Bono
3. Michael Luenig - actually I've already met him twice
4. Dali Lama - I've been to one of his talks once and he was so inspiring
5. Haruki Murakami - as long as I had a translator
5 favourite toys
1. My laptop - couldn't live without it
2. My ipod
3. My Nikon D200
4. My sewing machine
5. My Japanese vibrating hairbrush, while it doesn't give me the frizz-free look it promised, but I like the feel on my scalp and the noise makes me giggle.
5 people I'd like to see complete this
1. Badaunt - I just love her blog!
2. Jason - gotta do something to get this boy to write a new post on that blog.
3. Contamination - would love to know more about this fellow Aussie ex-pat.
4. La Fuji Mama - am totally in awe of her, she's the only gaijin woman with a gaijin husband that I know that has gone down the baby having and raising path here, something I've decided I'm not brave enough to do.
5. Geisha Interrupted - I'm quite fascinated about her and can't wait to read her book.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Oops...
Guess who thought she'd just change the colour of her blog, didn't back up her template and has now lost all her links and stuff....
All should be back to normal soonish......
All should be back to normal soonish......
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Chocolate Day!
Really, that's all Valentine's Day is here in Japan. Despite all the love hearts on packaging, there is far more giri-choco being passed around than declarations of love. And we won't even mention that only women give presents to men in Japan on this day....My husband and I don't really make a big deal out of Valentine's Day. We use it as an excuse to give each other a little token of chocolate and go on a date, but that's actually not so different to what we do on a regular basis anyway.
I do feel a little sorry for the girls in Japan. When I was that age, there was nothing more thrilling than sending an anonymous card to a boy I had a secret crush on, or the hope that I might get one myself. The girls here give chocolates to all their friends, male family members and teachers, so the expression of any real romantic feeling must be diluted quite considerably. They then only have the hope of a return gift by someone they gave something to in the first place. A bit of a killjoy if you ask me.
Mind you, unlike in my Christmas That Isn’t rant, I'm not complaining about the Japanese twist on this holiday - it means I score lots of goodies! Since Tuesday, girls at my school have been dropping by my desk, giving me treats they made themselves. The picture at the top is of some of my stash from today. I don't know why I bothered bringing lunch really.....
Last year, it took me by surprise, so on Valentine's Day I was busy writing down students' names and then on White Day, running around trying to find those students to give them a return gift. This year, I came prepared. I have lots of little packets of treats (though not handmade) to give in exchange. I hope I've brought enough... and of course, anything I don't give out, I can eat myself!
Happy Chocolate Day everyone!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
How to have a bad day and How to make it a little better...
How to have a bad day
- Be in February - When my friend Joan lived in the UK, she used to call this month "Slit-your-wrists-February". After a couple of months of the cold and not being outside much, now I've hit February I'm so over it and know that I still have weeks until it's going to start getting warmer.
- Be a Tuesday - I have my least favourite high school class on Tuesdays. By half-way through the lesson, I feel the need to check their pulse, by the end, I feel the need to check mine. While on Mondays I have my least favourite junior high school class, I have my best high school one the same day, so they even out. On Tuesdays, they are all kind of duds.
- Be a rainy day - not only is it cold, grey and dreary but it also means you can't ride your bike to work, so have to leave early to walk there in time.
- Be tired due to not enough sleep and nightmares the night before due to stress.
- Start your day writing tests.
- Start your first class breaking up a play fight just in time to stop a kid's head being split open. This is after you've already yelled at them to stop. Yell at them again and hurt your throat.
- Notice that the curtains in your classrooms and teachers room are the same colour as what you imagine what body odor would be if it had a colour.
- Have a series of high school presentations that are so bad you feel your very life essence being sucked out of you. The worst, going for ten minutes and you realise at the end, you have no idea what they were talking about.
- Resist the temptation to slap a kid across the head for laughing at a student during his good presentation.
- Be cold despite the fact that you're wearing your mountain-climbing long thermal underwear under your jeans, two pairs of long woolen socks, disposable, stick-on "sock warmers", a thermal under-shirt, a long-sleeved turtle neck shirt, a vest and a lined woolen coat. AND you're in your teacher's room.
- Record two listening tests and be so cold in the recording room you can no longer feel the tip of your nose or your fingers despite the fact that you're wearing the above plus a down-filled jacket.
- Have a pile of marking sitting in front of you that you know you should be doing even though all you really want to do is curl up and go to sleep.
How to make your bad day a little better
- Use your brand new, thermal lunch box for the first time and have a yummy warm lunch at work.
- Get handmade cookies and chocolates as an early Valentine's Day present from a student.
- Have a student give an inspiring presentation about his time at the World Scout Jamboree and how meeting other non-native English speakers who didn't care about the mistakes they made with the language made him feel more confident in speaking.
- Know that you have a Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix at home that a friend brought back from Guam for you. Plan to make them tonight and surprise your husband when he gets home.
How's your day going?
Sunday, February 03, 2008
One More Year
There are a couple of times a year that I find myself reflecting upon my life and its direction more than at other times. It’s probably similar for most people, the beginning of the year and before my birthday. As my birthday is in the beginning of March I find myself looking inward a lot in the first two months of the year. This year is no exception.
For Wayne and I, we know we only have one more year left in Japan before we head back to Australia. It hadn’t always been planned that way, there were times we thought we’d stay here until we’d put children through kindergarten to give them a good bilingual start, others when we thought we’d be going back to Aussie shores this March to start a family. There have even been brief moments when the stress that living in another country can add to a marriage that I’ve feared we’d be returning to Australia at different times.
With time rushing by as it seems to do, I start to look at why we came here in the first place and what I want to achieve before I leave.
Coming to Japan was not a long thought out decision, but rather an impulse that felt so right. I had lived in Japan for three years and was back in Australia as an ex-gaijin trying to find my feet once again. I found that the gaijin part of me never went away. Japan had seated itself in my heart and was there to stay. It was in my fourth year back in Australia that as desperate to grow roots in the country as I was, the universe seemed to be telling me that wasn’t where I was supposed to be.
It was a bad year. Only months after moving in with a friend, a new man in her life wanted them to live together so I needed to find a new home. Wayne and I spent weeks going from one rental inspection to another until we found the perfect place. It was an early 1920s Queensland Colonial with polished wood floors, pressed ceilings and a huge second bedroom with perfect light for my studio. It is the type of place I have always wanted. Our request to sign a long lease was denied and instead, we signed the standard 6 month lease with assurances that we could renew it at the end of that time.
In the space of a handful of months, both before and after the move, bad luck seemed to visit our door. Between the two of us, we suffered through the deaths of four people close to us. My new job went sour and I and other staff found ourselves having to seek legal advice to be paid the wages we were due. In the next few months I found myself changing jobs a number of times, something I’d never done before. I came very close to buying a small art gallery with a coffee shop, but that deal also fell through.
I was then finally in a job that I loved, an English school with a real international selection of students. My boss was a true inspiration in her passion for teaching and life. My fellow teachers, all so intelligent, well traveled and funny, quickly became dear friends. My classes were great and often I had classes filled with people from all different cultures. Students changed and then I had a class with all Japanese women. I loved the class but a homesickness for Japan set in. I had the feeling I could be doing the same job in Japan.
The final blow came suddenly. Right after getting engaged, I had just lost two people very special to me and was still in the midst of grief. We got a letter to say that the owner of the house wanted to move family in there and so would not be renewing our contract in a month’s time.
Something snapped that night. I felt that every attempt I’d made that year to put down roots had failed. I felt that the universe was telling me that Australia was not the place I was supposed to be at that time. Wayne and I made the very difficult decision that I would come to Japan for a year. On my own. We would hold off wedding plans until I came back, I just needed to get away, to come back to Japan, to photograph, to finish the book I was writing.
The next morning I awoke at 4am. I had a large order for my sideline business to get out that day before I left for work. I touched Wayne’s shoulder and began to cry. I couldn’t imagine not waking up next to him every morning. In my studio I managed to work while tears ran down my face. Suddenly, a light bulb went off. He was looking for a change, looking for a break from his business. Why couldn’t he come with me? We didn’t have a mortgage yet, no children. What was tying us down? At five, as the sun was just beginning to give a golden glow to the bedroom, I touched his bare shoulder once more, this time to wake him.
“Why don’t we sell everything we own and just go, go to Japan together?” I asked.
As the sleep in his eyes wore off, I could almost see the thoughts turning over in his head. After fifteen minutes he agreed. “Yep, let’s do it!”
And that’s exactly what we did.
The decision to move back has been a much harder and drawn out one. For months last year we were on a rollercoaster of uncertainty. I’m sure I drove my workmate nuts, everyday telling them, “We’ve decided to stay” and the next, “We’ve decided to go.” While the resolve changed everyday, how I felt about it changed by the hour. It was a relief when we came to a final conclusion, regardless of what it was.
So for now, we have one more year, and a bit, left in Japan. It’s hard not to get lost in the teaching and with making extra money to put towards a house and a family. It’s hard not to get caught up on the fact that I should be, at this later stage in life, concentrating on being in my best shape to have a child. Somedays, it’s hard not to get frustrated with cold teacher’s rooms and crappy school lunches that I now know I’ll have to put up with for another year. But for the next year, I’m going to try my hardest to do what I came here for in the first place. To write, to photograph, to soak up and to journal the creative inspirations this place has to offer.
Just one more year.
For Wayne and I, we know we only have one more year left in Japan before we head back to Australia. It hadn’t always been planned that way, there were times we thought we’d stay here until we’d put children through kindergarten to give them a good bilingual start, others when we thought we’d be going back to Aussie shores this March to start a family. There have even been brief moments when the stress that living in another country can add to a marriage that I’ve feared we’d be returning to Australia at different times.
With time rushing by as it seems to do, I start to look at why we came here in the first place and what I want to achieve before I leave.
Coming to Japan was not a long thought out decision, but rather an impulse that felt so right. I had lived in Japan for three years and was back in Australia as an ex-gaijin trying to find my feet once again. I found that the gaijin part of me never went away. Japan had seated itself in my heart and was there to stay. It was in my fourth year back in Australia that as desperate to grow roots in the country as I was, the universe seemed to be telling me that wasn’t where I was supposed to be.
It was a bad year. Only months after moving in with a friend, a new man in her life wanted them to live together so I needed to find a new home. Wayne and I spent weeks going from one rental inspection to another until we found the perfect place. It was an early 1920s Queensland Colonial with polished wood floors, pressed ceilings and a huge second bedroom with perfect light for my studio. It is the type of place I have always wanted. Our request to sign a long lease was denied and instead, we signed the standard 6 month lease with assurances that we could renew it at the end of that time.
In the space of a handful of months, both before and after the move, bad luck seemed to visit our door. Between the two of us, we suffered through the deaths of four people close to us. My new job went sour and I and other staff found ourselves having to seek legal advice to be paid the wages we were due. In the next few months I found myself changing jobs a number of times, something I’d never done before. I came very close to buying a small art gallery with a coffee shop, but that deal also fell through.
I was then finally in a job that I loved, an English school with a real international selection of students. My boss was a true inspiration in her passion for teaching and life. My fellow teachers, all so intelligent, well traveled and funny, quickly became dear friends. My classes were great and often I had classes filled with people from all different cultures. Students changed and then I had a class with all Japanese women. I loved the class but a homesickness for Japan set in. I had the feeling I could be doing the same job in Japan.
The final blow came suddenly. Right after getting engaged, I had just lost two people very special to me and was still in the midst of grief. We got a letter to say that the owner of the house wanted to move family in there and so would not be renewing our contract in a month’s time.
Something snapped that night. I felt that every attempt I’d made that year to put down roots had failed. I felt that the universe was telling me that Australia was not the place I was supposed to be at that time. Wayne and I made the very difficult decision that I would come to Japan for a year. On my own. We would hold off wedding plans until I came back, I just needed to get away, to come back to Japan, to photograph, to finish the book I was writing.
The next morning I awoke at 4am. I had a large order for my sideline business to get out that day before I left for work. I touched Wayne’s shoulder and began to cry. I couldn’t imagine not waking up next to him every morning. In my studio I managed to work while tears ran down my face. Suddenly, a light bulb went off. He was looking for a change, looking for a break from his business. Why couldn’t he come with me? We didn’t have a mortgage yet, no children. What was tying us down? At five, as the sun was just beginning to give a golden glow to the bedroom, I touched his bare shoulder once more, this time to wake him.
“Why don’t we sell everything we own and just go, go to Japan together?” I asked.
As the sleep in his eyes wore off, I could almost see the thoughts turning over in his head. After fifteen minutes he agreed. “Yep, let’s do it!”
And that’s exactly what we did.
The decision to move back has been a much harder and drawn out one. For months last year we were on a rollercoaster of uncertainty. I’m sure I drove my workmate nuts, everyday telling them, “We’ve decided to stay” and the next, “We’ve decided to go.” While the resolve changed everyday, how I felt about it changed by the hour. It was a relief when we came to a final conclusion, regardless of what it was.
So for now, we have one more year, and a bit, left in Japan. It’s hard not to get lost in the teaching and with making extra money to put towards a house and a family. It’s hard not to get caught up on the fact that I should be, at this later stage in life, concentrating on being in my best shape to have a child. Somedays, it’s hard not to get frustrated with cold teacher’s rooms and crappy school lunches that I now know I’ll have to put up with for another year. But for the next year, I’m going to try my hardest to do what I came here for in the first place. To write, to photograph, to soak up and to journal the creative inspirations this place has to offer.
Just one more year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
