Japan_Bound
Thursday, September 01, 2005
On Our Way . . .
The past few days in a nutshell: On Tuesday night Jess took me for tempura shrimp because I've been craving it for months and love it and had never had it in Japan before that. He didn't eat at that place though because he was saving himself for a night of hard drinking with the boys, which he had and then some. I think he rolled in at about 8 o'clock and is now looking rougher than I've ever seen him. All haunted with black circles around his eyes. But he did what he set out to accomplish, which was to experience and pack in as much as possible right until we leave. Today, after only a few hours of sleep, we were up and at 'er yet again. We had to cancel our phones, sell my bike (I actually got teary walking away from my little red racer - can you imagine getting teary about a bike - I'm definitely losing it), pack and take care of alot of miscellaneous stuff. Then at 6 we met Jesse's boss at L.A. Mart, our favorite pasta joint in the 'hood. After that he drove us to two really beautiful places in his car; the first was a spot overlooking all of Kyoto, so we got to see our city all lit up one more time, and the second was Lake Biwa in Otsu (Shiga Prefecture) - I'd been there with Ali (remember the picture of her and I drinking straight out of our wine bottles?). It was so nice of him to do that for us. Then we hit two bars and eventually ended up drunk and melancholy, at which point we all decided it was best to head on home. Currently we are running around getting the garbage ready to put out, doing last minute packing etc. It's 2 and we have to get up at 8 - the landlady is coming by at 9 to get the money for this month's utilities. Then at 11 a cab is coming to pick us up and take us to Kyoto Station, from which we'll catch the Haruka train to Kansai Airport. Crazy stalker student with whom we had lunch is going to be at the airport to see us off - she's actually very sweet and it's so nice of her to take the trouble to do that (it's a very Japanese trait, seeing people off at the airport -- very supportive, but I know it will make me cry. Which is probably a good thing because I've been needing a good cry and for some reason haven't been able to produce one. I'm a jumble of nerves and emotions waiting to explode. I bet you're really looking forward to seeing me now). So that's how we spent our last 2 days in Japan. And now, in just a short time, we'll be hurtling through the air in a metal tube on our way to hug you - it's nice to know you'll be there on the other end.
Reflections . . .
Well, I've been trying forever to think of something to say for my last blog entry. Specifically, something eloquent to encapsulate how I'm feeling and how I feel about everything I've experienced. When I was preparing to come here, many people told me the Japanese culture is a difficult one to penetrate and that the people can often seem cold or stand-offish. I think I now understand both more and less about the culture, but have met some of the most gracious, kind and generous people one could ever hope to meet. Japan is a land of contradictions; all cars have GPS navigating systems but people in shops still use abucuses, and little old ladies decked out in full kimono can be seen talking on the latest model cell phones, for example, but my overall impression is that it's a culture like any other, striving to maintain harmony between tradition and modernity. And doing a damn fine job of it. I've had the best of both worlds, first living in the bustling craziness of Osaka, and finally living in Kyoto which is as traditional as it gets. I've seen the largest wooden structure in the world, experienced a huge earthquake, stood at the Hiroshima Peace Park and wept with people from every country of the world. I've tried new foods, met amazing people, learned a new language, and posed for a picture with the maiko by whom I am so fascinated. I've been served tea in the oldest temple in Japan, stood at the top of the Sky Building in Osaka and had my breath taken away. I've navigated my way around so that I now know Osaka and Kyoto better than the city where I grew up. I've laughed, cried, learned, grown and changed more than I ever thought possible. I've become more independent, more patient, more thoughtful and more open-minded. I am utterly changed. And now that I'm leaving I can sit down, and in my quiet moments, recognize everything I'm taking away with me and everything I'm leaving behind. And I wouldn't trade the piece of my heart that's staying for anything in all the world. Because, strangely enough, I find that I am more whole now without it than I have ever been before in all my life. Now I'm on my way back to all that's both familiar and now unfamiliar too. I'm sad. And scared. And so greatful that I had your love and your support; knowing you were there cheering me on and delighting in my experiences as much as or more than me is what made being away for 2 years possible. 2 years. 2 whole years of my life. And they flew by as if they were a dream. The only thing making it easier to leave is knowing that, when I wake up, it will be your faces I see.
The past few days in a nutshell: On Tuesday night Jess took me for tempura shrimp because I've been craving it for months and love it and had never had it in Japan before that. He didn't eat at that place though because he was saving himself for a night of hard drinking with the boys, which he had and then some. I think he rolled in at about 8 o'clock and is now looking rougher than I've ever seen him. All haunted with black circles around his eyes. But he did what he set out to accomplish, which was to experience and pack in as much as possible right until we leave. Today, after only a few hours of sleep, we were up and at 'er yet again. We had to cancel our phones, sell my bike (I actually got teary walking away from my little red racer - can you imagine getting teary about a bike - I'm definitely losing it), pack and take care of alot of miscellaneous stuff. Then at 6 we met Jesse's boss at L.A. Mart, our favorite pasta joint in the 'hood. After that he drove us to two really beautiful places in his car; the first was a spot overlooking all of Kyoto, so we got to see our city all lit up one more time, and the second was Lake Biwa in Otsu (Shiga Prefecture) - I'd been there with Ali (remember the picture of her and I drinking straight out of our wine bottles?). It was so nice of him to do that for us. Then we hit two bars and eventually ended up drunk and melancholy, at which point we all decided it was best to head on home. Currently we are running around getting the garbage ready to put out, doing last minute packing etc. It's 2 and we have to get up at 8 - the landlady is coming by at 9 to get the money for this month's utilities. Then at 11 a cab is coming to pick us up and take us to Kyoto Station, from which we'll catch the Haruka train to Kansai Airport. Crazy stalker student with whom we had lunch is going to be at the airport to see us off - she's actually very sweet and it's so nice of her to take the trouble to do that (it's a very Japanese trait, seeing people off at the airport -- very supportive, but I know it will make me cry. Which is probably a good thing because I've been needing a good cry and for some reason haven't been able to produce one. I'm a jumble of nerves and emotions waiting to explode. I bet you're really looking forward to seeing me now). So that's how we spent our last 2 days in Japan. And now, in just a short time, we'll be hurtling through the air in a metal tube on our way to hug you - it's nice to know you'll be there on the other end.
Reflections . . .
Well, I've been trying forever to think of something to say for my last blog entry. Specifically, something eloquent to encapsulate how I'm feeling and how I feel about everything I've experienced. When I was preparing to come here, many people told me the Japanese culture is a difficult one to penetrate and that the people can often seem cold or stand-offish. I think I now understand both more and less about the culture, but have met some of the most gracious, kind and generous people one could ever hope to meet. Japan is a land of contradictions; all cars have GPS navigating systems but people in shops still use abucuses, and little old ladies decked out in full kimono can be seen talking on the latest model cell phones, for example, but my overall impression is that it's a culture like any other, striving to maintain harmony between tradition and modernity. And doing a damn fine job of it. I've had the best of both worlds, first living in the bustling craziness of Osaka, and finally living in Kyoto which is as traditional as it gets. I've seen the largest wooden structure in the world, experienced a huge earthquake, stood at the Hiroshima Peace Park and wept with people from every country of the world. I've tried new foods, met amazing people, learned a new language, and posed for a picture with the maiko by whom I am so fascinated. I've been served tea in the oldest temple in Japan, stood at the top of the Sky Building in Osaka and had my breath taken away. I've navigated my way around so that I now know Osaka and Kyoto better than the city where I grew up. I've laughed, cried, learned, grown and changed more than I ever thought possible. I've become more independent, more patient, more thoughtful and more open-minded. I am utterly changed. And now that I'm leaving I can sit down, and in my quiet moments, recognize everything I'm taking away with me and everything I'm leaving behind. And I wouldn't trade the piece of my heart that's staying for anything in all the world. Because, strangely enough, I find that I am more whole now without it than I have ever been before in all my life. Now I'm on my way back to all that's both familiar and now unfamiliar too. I'm sad. And scared. And so greatful that I had your love and your support; knowing you were there cheering me on and delighting in my experiences as much as or more than me is what made being away for 2 years possible. 2 years. 2 whole years of my life. And they flew by as if they were a dream. The only thing making it easier to leave is knowing that, when I wake up, it will be your faces I see.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Make the Madness Stop!! . . .
Well, here we are, just 2 days before our departure from what has come to feel like home. To say that I'm excited to see all of you would be a HUGE understatement, but to say I'm excited about leaving would be a lie. Yours truly, rarely at a loss for words, has been trying so hard to think of an eloquent, final blog entry and can come up with nothing. Right now I'm a jumble of emotions, just as I was when I left to come here. Only this time there's such an air of finality that something inside me hurts. And I feel so guilty saying that; as if you'll think that I don't love you with all of my heart. I never thought leaving here would be so hard.
That's enough of that. Here's what we've been up to:
Friday I met an old friend in Osaka and she took me to an amazing Balinese restaurant. That was my first time to try Balinese food and it was really good - not as good as Thai or Indonesian, in my opinion, but still really good. And it was so nice to see Saeko again after so long; we used to spend so much time together but both got transferred to opposite ends of Kansai, so seeing eachother has been next to impossible - I'm greatful she was able to meet with me. But again, so sad to say yet another goodbye.
Saturday . . . I can't remember, for the life of me, what we did.
Sunday I met Ami, another Japanese friend/Nova staff, for coffee in Ibaraki. She had to work an hour after closing so I waited for her in the staff room which was really strange. Nothing had changed, obviously (apart from some new, hideous pink carpet and my things no longer being on the walls) but it definitely didn't feel familiar. Which is strange, because I only stopped working there a week and a half ago. It just didn't feel like my place anymore. God, it's been a strange couple of weeks . . . Anyway, after we parted, I met Jesse, his boss and a Japanese couple they're friends with, in Kyoto for yet another crazy all-nighter. We spent time at two different bars then went to karaoke (so glad I got to do that one last time before leaving). It was really, really fun and I only regret not having hung out with them sooner - I now see why Jesse sang their praises so profusely, and I know it was really hard for him to say goodbye to his friends. We ended up cabbing it home and hit the hay at around 6 this morning.
This morning we only slept until just after 10 (neither of us is sleeping well AT ALL). Today consisted mainly of suffering through hangovers while trying to organize/pack/clean the house in this godforsaken heat. Strangely enough, I think we're going to fit everything into our suitcases and STILL manage to come in under the weight limit. When we'd had enough of that we took our videos back and then headed over to Jusco to buy headphones - I checked the United Airlines website and the movies on our flight really suck, so we downloaded the first season of Friends to watch on the plane. But we needed an adapter that you can use for 2 sets of headphones, and now that's one more errand out of the way. When we got back Jesse washed all the dishes (don't even want to admit how big the pile was this time around) and we both agreed that we're not going to cook or dirty anymore dishes before leaving. We're just drained and want as little to think about/do as humanly possible these next 2 days.
Speaking of which, all we've got on the roster is closing our bank accounts and cancelling our phones. We're cancelling our phones at about 4 P.M. on Wednesday afternoon, which is midnight on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning for you - if you want to call us before we depart, that'll be your last chance. We decided against recharging our phone card - since we'll only be here for 2 more days, the $70 didn't really seem necessary. But we will have internet right up until the last minute, as the next tenant took over our contract - so feel free to email with any last minute advice/support/words of wisdom - just don't say anything too sappy to make me cry as I'd probably snap and, once and for all, completely lose it.
That's all for now. Will blog again one last time just before leaving. Take care!!
Well, here we are, just 2 days before our departure from what has come to feel like home. To say that I'm excited to see all of you would be a HUGE understatement, but to say I'm excited about leaving would be a lie. Yours truly, rarely at a loss for words, has been trying so hard to think of an eloquent, final blog entry and can come up with nothing. Right now I'm a jumble of emotions, just as I was when I left to come here. Only this time there's such an air of finality that something inside me hurts. And I feel so guilty saying that; as if you'll think that I don't love you with all of my heart. I never thought leaving here would be so hard.
That's enough of that. Here's what we've been up to:
Friday I met an old friend in Osaka and she took me to an amazing Balinese restaurant. That was my first time to try Balinese food and it was really good - not as good as Thai or Indonesian, in my opinion, but still really good. And it was so nice to see Saeko again after so long; we used to spend so much time together but both got transferred to opposite ends of Kansai, so seeing eachother has been next to impossible - I'm greatful she was able to meet with me. But again, so sad to say yet another goodbye.
Saturday . . . I can't remember, for the life of me, what we did.
Sunday I met Ami, another Japanese friend/Nova staff, for coffee in Ibaraki. She had to work an hour after closing so I waited for her in the staff room which was really strange. Nothing had changed, obviously (apart from some new, hideous pink carpet and my things no longer being on the walls) but it definitely didn't feel familiar. Which is strange, because I only stopped working there a week and a half ago. It just didn't feel like my place anymore. God, it's been a strange couple of weeks . . . Anyway, after we parted, I met Jesse, his boss and a Japanese couple they're friends with, in Kyoto for yet another crazy all-nighter. We spent time at two different bars then went to karaoke (so glad I got to do that one last time before leaving). It was really, really fun and I only regret not having hung out with them sooner - I now see why Jesse sang their praises so profusely, and I know it was really hard for him to say goodbye to his friends. We ended up cabbing it home and hit the hay at around 6 this morning.
This morning we only slept until just after 10 (neither of us is sleeping well AT ALL). Today consisted mainly of suffering through hangovers while trying to organize/pack/clean the house in this godforsaken heat. Strangely enough, I think we're going to fit everything into our suitcases and STILL manage to come in under the weight limit. When we'd had enough of that we took our videos back and then headed over to Jusco to buy headphones - I checked the United Airlines website and the movies on our flight really suck, so we downloaded the first season of Friends to watch on the plane. But we needed an adapter that you can use for 2 sets of headphones, and now that's one more errand out of the way. When we got back Jesse washed all the dishes (don't even want to admit how big the pile was this time around) and we both agreed that we're not going to cook or dirty anymore dishes before leaving. We're just drained and want as little to think about/do as humanly possible these next 2 days.
Speaking of which, all we've got on the roster is closing our bank accounts and cancelling our phones. We're cancelling our phones at about 4 P.M. on Wednesday afternoon, which is midnight on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning for you - if you want to call us before we depart, that'll be your last chance. We decided against recharging our phone card - since we'll only be here for 2 more days, the $70 didn't really seem necessary. But we will have internet right up until the last minute, as the next tenant took over our contract - so feel free to email with any last minute advice/support/words of wisdom - just don't say anything too sappy to make me cry as I'd probably snap and, once and for all, completely lose it.
That's all for now. Will blog again one last time just before leaving. Take care!!
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Time Keeps on Slipping . . .
My God we are sooo busy. As sad as I am to leave, I can't wait to get on the blessed plane so all the planning, organizing and general stressing out can stop already!!
Sunday evening we went to an izekaya in Ibaraki for my sayonara party - it was really fun and I only cried for about two seconds when everyone made me make a speech. They made a really beautiful speech too and it was wonderful to hear them say such nice things about me (all lies, I'm sure!!). We finished up there at about 12 then Jesse and I caught the train to Osaka with Helen (a great gal who will now be A.T. at my old school), where we danced the night away. At 5, when the bar closed, a big group of us went to "Royal Host" for a
huge pancake scoff; just what the doctor ordered (Jesse and I had started drinking at home at around 6 and didn't stop until 5 when we got kicked out of the bar). The A.T.M. machines were not working so we couldn't get any money out (they're only open from 8 A.M. to 11 P.M. here which is bloody inconvenient, and I don't mind saying!!) and therefore couldn't get our bikes out of the bike park, having spent our last yen on the train ride home. So we had to walk home (I was in heels, not having planned to be out all night dancing and galavanting). We finally got to bed at 8 and only slept until about 2. Then we had to walk, hungover in the stifling heat, all the way back to the bike park, and then ride home. We spent the evening doing absolutely nothing.
Yesterday, Tuesday, I woke up at 5 A.M. to a huge thunderstorm raging outside. Ofcourse I had to get up and watch it, but couldn't get back to sleep afterward. So I got about 4 hours of sleep that night. Yesterday afternoon I met two Japanese friends in Kyoto for lunch and then we spent the day wandering around. Saw another maiko in Gion, had a great pasta lunch, did a lot of window shopping, and balled when I had to say goodbye to them. That's become a habit now. Then I caught a train home and Jesse and I went to our favorite yakitori restaurant for the last time. We rented some movies but he ended up going out and didn't roll in until 7 this morning.
I couldn't get to sleep after he came back (4 hours that night) but had to get up at 9 anyway because a guy from the recycle shop came to haul away all of the stuff we haven't been able to sell in our sayonara sale. We got financially raped (maybe 1% of what we paid) but whatever; now it's gone and I don't have to stress out about it anymore or throw it all out. Then we got ready and caught a train to Shinsaibashi where we met 3 of my ex-students for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. (Do you see a pattern? No sleep, too much drinking, and too much eating - but Jesse says we should live it up because who knows when we'll be back, which is true). We had a great time - Jesse was a hit, as usual. Then I cried some more when I had to say goodbye to them, and Jess and I went and each bought a Japanese C.D. to bring home as we haven't bought any music while we've been here. Jess slept on the train for about 30 minutes then had to go to work. So he's had about 2 hours of sleep yet and I've had 4, but he has to work and is planning on going out drinking tonight. How does he do it? . . .
Tomorrow we are getting up early (or rather, I suspect I'll be getting up early ALONE) to go to the gym - all this eating and drinking is worrying me as I'm terrified of putting on some of the weight I've worked SO hard to lose. Don't know if it's age or the medication I was on, but it is not as easy to lose as it once was. Anyway, after the gym we're schlepping about 60+ books to a bookstore in Kyoto that buys used English books - I don't care how much we get for them, it's just one less thing to worry about and I could never in good conscience throw them out. And since I just spent $400 shipping 4 big boxes home last week, I don't think I'll be shipping home a bunch of books.
That's about all for now - sorry I haven't been more informative or descriptive. I'm just exhausted. But with all the nerves and anticipation, I honestly don't think either of us will get a decent sleep until we're on the plane.
Chow for now!!!
My God we are sooo busy. As sad as I am to leave, I can't wait to get on the blessed plane so all the planning, organizing and general stressing out can stop already!!
Sunday evening we went to an izekaya in Ibaraki for my sayonara party - it was really fun and I only cried for about two seconds when everyone made me make a speech. They made a really beautiful speech too and it was wonderful to hear them say such nice things about me (all lies, I'm sure!!). We finished up there at about 12 then Jesse and I caught the train to Osaka with Helen (a great gal who will now be A.T. at my old school), where we danced the night away. At 5, when the bar closed, a big group of us went to "Royal Host" for a
huge pancake scoff; just what the doctor ordered (Jesse and I had started drinking at home at around 6 and didn't stop until 5 when we got kicked out of the bar). The A.T.M. machines were not working so we couldn't get any money out (they're only open from 8 A.M. to 11 P.M. here which is bloody inconvenient, and I don't mind saying!!) and therefore couldn't get our bikes out of the bike park, having spent our last yen on the train ride home. So we had to walk home (I was in heels, not having planned to be out all night dancing and galavanting). We finally got to bed at 8 and only slept until about 2. Then we had to walk, hungover in the stifling heat, all the way back to the bike park, and then ride home. We spent the evening doing absolutely nothing.Yesterday, Tuesday, I woke up at 5 A.M. to a huge thunderstorm raging outside. Ofcourse I had to get up and watch it, but couldn't get back to sleep afterward. So I got about 4 hours of sleep that night. Yesterday afternoon I met two Japanese friends in Kyoto for lunch and then we spent the day wandering around. Saw another maiko in Gion, had a great pasta lunch, did a lot of window shopping, and balled when I had to say goodbye to them. That's become a habit now. Then I caught a train home and Jesse and I went to our favorite yakitori restaurant for the last time. We rented some movies but he ended up going out and didn't roll in until 7 this morning.
I couldn't get to sleep after he came back (4 hours that night) but had to get up at 9 anyway because a guy from the recycle shop came to haul away all of the stuff we haven't been able to sell in our sayonara sale. We got financially raped (maybe 1% of what we paid) but whatever; now it's gone and I don't have to stress out about it anymore or throw it all out. Then we got ready and caught a train to Shinsaibashi where we met 3 of my ex-students for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. (Do you see a pattern? No sleep, too much drinking, and too much eating - but Jesse says we should live it up because who knows when we'll be back, which is true). We had a great time - Jesse was a hit, as usual. Then I cried some more when I had to say goodbye to them, and Jess and I went and each bought a Japanese C.D. to bring home as we haven't bought any music while we've been here. Jess slept on the train for about 30 minutes then had to go to work. So he's had about 2 hours of sleep yet and I've had 4, but he has to work and is planning on going out drinking tonight. How does he do it? . . .
Tomorrow we are getting up early (or rather, I suspect I'll be getting up early ALONE) to go to the gym - all this eating and drinking is worrying me as I'm terrified of putting on some of the weight I've worked SO hard to lose. Don't know if it's age or the medication I was on, but it is not as easy to lose as it once was. Anyway, after the gym we're schlepping about 60+ books to a bookstore in Kyoto that buys used English books - I don't care how much we get for them, it's just one less thing to worry about and I could never in good conscience throw them out. And since I just spent $400 shipping 4 big boxes home last week, I don't think I'll be shipping home a bunch of books.
That's about all for now - sorry I haven't been more informative or descriptive. I'm just exhausted. But with all the nerves and anticipation, I honestly don't think either of us will get a decent sleep until we're on the plane.
Chow for now!!!
Monday, August 15, 2005
All good things . . .
Well I did it - I made it to the last day of work in one piece, but just barely. Yours truly doesn't plan ahead very well, so I planned my last day/sayonara Voice on a day that happened to be one of the most important holidays in Japan - obon. Which means the school was pretty empty today. There would normally be 100+ students on a Monday, but today there were about 20 in total, and 10 of them came to my sayonara Voice (Voice is a room where we have free conversation and no limit on how many students can attend, and every teacher that leaves has a special sayonara Voice as sayonara means goodbye in Japanese). I gave the students a handout with 20 questions about me and they were able to answer most of them perfectly. Most of us were pretty teary at the end and I got 2 really good pictures to cherish for the rest of my life, along with the book they'd made me that staff, students and teachers had signed. As I said in the email I just sent most of you, I finally feel like I've accomplished something real in my life. For the past month I've
been showered with gifts and affection and there have been more tears than I care to count. I hadn't realized how much these people had come to mean to me. And they definitely taught me more than I could have possibly taught them. Jesse and I were talking the other day about how happy we are and how glad we are that we came. Not to be morbid, but I said that I am no longer scared of death. I obviously don't want to die and feel like there's still so much more to do, but at this moment in my life I am completely and utterly content for the first time ever. Happy in my own skin and all that, and feeling like coming here was the best possible decision I ever could have made. When I set out on this crazy adventure of mine I had no idea what it would be like or mean to me in the grand scheme of things. I never really considered myself to be a fatalist, but I can't help but think that coming here was my destiny; someone or something knew I needed these people and these experiences and I am so filled up with gratitude that I can barely find the words to express myself. As I said, I was pretty teary in Voice and all day for that matter, but it still hasn't really hit me that I'm never going to work there again. Perhaps my emotions won't pull out the big guns until I'm home - who knows.
As for what else we've been up to, last week I finally got to go to that river in Arashiyama where Jess always goes with his friends. Arashiyama and Kiyotaki, where the river is, are really beautiful parts of northern Kyoto and I'm really glad I had a chance to go. The river itself is surrounded by forests, trails, waterfalls etc. and I felt so much like I was at home that I actually started to feel excited about coming home. It was 38 degrees C that day so after hiking around the river for an hour we were pretty ready to jump in - it was heaven. 
We spent the afternoon jumping in and out as needed and sharing a picnic lunch. It was wonderful - until we had to head back that is. By the time we made it back to the bus stop (an hour uphill most of the way) we were sweating like pigs and wanted to die. There was no escape and no relief until the bus driver, who made us wait outside in the sun for half an hour, finally let us on the bus to bask in the air conditioning (we were not impressed or amused).
Tomorrow I'm off to take care of that surprise I've mentioned to you - you'll just have to wait and see what that is - and thank you for the kind and helpful inquiries, but no I am NOT getting a boob job or a sex change operation. After that I've got to go back to the doctor's for a 3rd time - yes, after the terrible serious expiratory disease fiasco the medicine helped for 2 days and then my sore throat came back even worse than before. So I went back, was told that time that I had tonsilitis and a bleeding throat ulcer, got 5 more medications, had to inhale smoke from the medieval torture device and again the medicine helped for a couple of days before crapping out. Now my throat is so sore that I can't even eat popsicles because it's sheer agony. Who in the hell knows what they'll be able to do for me but I'd still like to see a doctor because 6 weeks of this getting worse and worse doesn't seem normal. A bunch of people at work have sore throats right now - due probably to the air conditioners - but they said it's not at all bad and more just irritated. God I can't wait to be in a normal climate with doctors who understand more than every 50th word.
And tomorrow, after those 2 things are taken care of, we're off to Kyoto for a really coo
l festival where they light all the shapes on the mountainsides on fire. Jesse has been excited about this for so long and despite wanting to cut out my tonsils myself, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Not only will it be our last Japanese festival, but apparently people just sort of camp out around the mountains - drinking etc. until the trains start running the next morning. Sounds like it's going to be really fun.
And after that, well who knows really. Jess wants to get a tattoo before we leave, we have so many things to do in preparation for leaving - like calling the shipping company (ahem . . . Meegan has a few odds and ends to send home), change the name on our utilities, find out about Jesse's plane ticket which wasn't sent along with mine, etc. etc. Oh yeah, and eat at all of our favorite restaurants before leaving. Last Friday we spent the day sitting beside the river in Kyoto, drinking beer/chu-hi and watching the birds catch fish, then went to our favorite Indian restaurant for the last time. Man I can't believe I went 26 years without ever having tried Indian food . . . but I'll make up for it now!! ;) This coming Sunday is my sayonara party; as most of my friends have since departed it will mainly be people from work; both my current school and people from other schools I've taught at. Next week Jesse and I are having lunch with 3 of my ex-students - ha ha, I can hang out with them now!!! And in my last couple of days I have plans to meet with some of the Japanese staff from my old schools. It's going to be busy! I'm exhausted already and I know when we leave I'll feel the same way I felt when I left to come here - relieved that all the planning, preparing, and goodbyes are over.
That's about all for now. Will keep you updated! I'm wondering if I should change the name of my blog to Canada_bound?!
Well I did it - I made it to the last day of work in one piece, but just barely. Yours truly doesn't plan ahead very well, so I planned my last day/sayonara Voice on a day that happened to be one of the most important holidays in Japan - obon. Which means the school was pretty empty today. There would normally be 100+ students on a Monday, but today there were about 20 in total, and 10 of them came to my sayonara Voice (Voice is a room where we have free conversation and no limit on how many students can attend, and every teacher that leaves has a special sayonara Voice as sayonara means goodbye in Japanese). I gave the students a handout with 20 questions about me and they were able to answer most of them perfectly. Most of us were pretty teary at the end and I got 2 really good pictures to cherish for the rest of my life, along with the book they'd made me that staff, students and teachers had signed. As I said in the email I just sent most of you, I finally feel like I've accomplished something real in my life. For the past month I've
been showered with gifts and affection and there have been more tears than I care to count. I hadn't realized how much these people had come to mean to me. And they definitely taught me more than I could have possibly taught them. Jesse and I were talking the other day about how happy we are and how glad we are that we came. Not to be morbid, but I said that I am no longer scared of death. I obviously don't want to die and feel like there's still so much more to do, but at this moment in my life I am completely and utterly content for the first time ever. Happy in my own skin and all that, and feeling like coming here was the best possible decision I ever could have made. When I set out on this crazy adventure of mine I had no idea what it would be like or mean to me in the grand scheme of things. I never really considered myself to be a fatalist, but I can't help but think that coming here was my destiny; someone or something knew I needed these people and these experiences and I am so filled up with gratitude that I can barely find the words to express myself. As I said, I was pretty teary in Voice and all day for that matter, but it still hasn't really hit me that I'm never going to work there again. Perhaps my emotions won't pull out the big guns until I'm home - who knows.
As for what else we've been up to, last week I finally got to go to that river in Arashiyama where Jess always goes with his friends. Arashiyama and Kiyotaki, where the river is, are really beautiful parts of northern Kyoto and I'm really glad I had a chance to go. The river itself is surrounded by forests, trails, waterfalls etc. and I felt so much like I was at home that I actually started to feel excited about coming home. It was 38 degrees C that day so after hiking around the river for an hour we were pretty ready to jump in - it was heaven. 
We spent the afternoon jumping in and out as needed and sharing a picnic lunch. It was wonderful - until we had to head back that is. By the time we made it back to the bus stop (an hour uphill most of the way) we were sweating like pigs and wanted to die. There was no escape and no relief until the bus driver, who made us wait outside in the sun for half an hour, finally let us on the bus to bask in the air conditioning (we were not impressed or amused).Tomorrow I'm off to take care of that surprise I've mentioned to you - you'll just have to wait and see what that is - and thank you for the kind and helpful inquiries, but no I am NOT getting a boob job or a sex change operation. After that I've got to go back to the doctor's for a 3rd time - yes, after the terrible serious expiratory disease fiasco the medicine helped for 2 days and then my sore throat came back even worse than before. So I went back, was told that time that I had tonsilitis and a bleeding throat ulcer, got 5 more medications, had to inhale smoke from the medieval torture device and again the medicine helped for a couple of days before crapping out. Now my throat is so sore that I can't even eat popsicles because it's sheer agony. Who in the hell knows what they'll be able to do for me but I'd still like to see a doctor because 6 weeks of this getting worse and worse doesn't seem normal. A bunch of people at work have sore throats right now - due probably to the air conditioners - but they said it's not at all bad and more just irritated. God I can't wait to be in a normal climate with doctors who understand more than every 50th word.
And tomorrow, after those 2 things are taken care of, we're off to Kyoto for a really coo
l festival where they light all the shapes on the mountainsides on fire. Jesse has been excited about this for so long and despite wanting to cut out my tonsils myself, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Not only will it be our last Japanese festival, but apparently people just sort of camp out around the mountains - drinking etc. until the trains start running the next morning. Sounds like it's going to be really fun.And after that, well who knows really. Jess wants to get a tattoo before we leave, we have so many things to do in preparation for leaving - like calling the shipping company (ahem . . . Meegan has a few odds and ends to send home), change the name on our utilities, find out about Jesse's plane ticket which wasn't sent along with mine, etc. etc. Oh yeah, and eat at all of our favorite restaurants before leaving. Last Friday we spent the day sitting beside the river in Kyoto, drinking beer/chu-hi and watching the birds catch fish, then went to our favorite Indian restaurant for the last time. Man I can't believe I went 26 years without ever having tried Indian food . . . but I'll make up for it now!! ;) This coming Sunday is my sayonara party; as most of my friends have since departed it will mainly be people from work; both my current school and people from other schools I've taught at. Next week Jesse and I are having lunch with 3 of my ex-students - ha ha, I can hang out with them now!!! And in my last couple of days I have plans to meet with some of the Japanese staff from my old schools. It's going to be busy! I'm exhausted already and I know when we leave I'll feel the same way I felt when I left to come here - relieved that all the planning, preparing, and goodbyes are over.
That's about all for now. Will keep you updated! I'm wondering if I should change the name of my blog to Canada_bound?!
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Terrible, serious expiratory disease . . .
That's what I was diagnosed with last week when I went to the doctor's office. Well, what I thought was going to be a routine visit where they speak broken English and give me some antibiotics turned into a rather frightening experience. I'd been suffering with a bad sore throat for about 2 weeks, which was making my job all sorts of fun to do (what with the talking all day, every day for 8 hours) and finally decided to bite the bullet and go to the doctor even though I hate Japanese doctors even more than Canadian ones (and I thought that wasn't possible). Anyway, when I got to the doctor's office, a doctor checked my nose and my throat while a nurse was taking my temperature; turns out I had a temp of 102 which sent the place into panic mode. I was whisked away to a treatment facility on the same floor and seen by an ENT specialist who hit me with the "expiratory disease" diagnosis (which I've since translated, with the help of my students, as being a bad sinus infection, so I'm not expiring and you need not panic). I was then subjected to several squirts of awful tasting stuff up the nose, swabbed with stuff at the back of my throat that hurt like a bitch if you don't mind my saying, and then made to sit at some weird machine which I can only describe as being some kind of medieval torture device. There I was forced to stick blown glass devices up my nose and in my mouth for five minutes while inhaling some foul tasting smoke. Then the fun began - I was plunked onto a gurney and ended up in another room where 6 nurses proceeded to work on me (I kid you not; 6 bloody nurses) - one kept checking my temperature, one was trying to cool me down with cold packs, one was trying to make sure I wasn't TOO cold by covering me with lots of blankets, one was puncturing my arm (apparently they were drug allergy tests), and two were inserting two seperate I.V.'s (my first I.V. - woo f'ing hoo) into my arm. All I needed to really feel like I was dying was George Clooney to come running in yelling "stat!" Granted the Japanese like to go a little overboard and give I.V.'s for everything, and I knew I was fine, but it was still really scary to have so many people "working on me" and speaking in a language I couldn't understand. Definitely not the most fun I've had in this fine country. 3 hours later they unhooked everything, scooted me into the waiting room, sent me home with 8 (again, not kidding) medications and said "have a nice day." Thus ended my most unfortunate day at the doctor's office. But atleast I have a great story to tell.
Other than having all sorts of fun with the Japanese medical system, I haven't really been up to much. Jess is trying to fit in as much time with da boys before we leave, so he's often out drinking at misellaneous places (strangely enough, they're always "guys nights" but all the pictures have hot Japanese women in them . . . hmm . . . ;) ).
Last night we went out with Natsue's family (she's my friend who's in Canada right now) to watch the Hanshin Tigers play. But we didn't go to a stadium; we went to a roof-top beer garden in Osaka and watched the game on a big screen. They had all-you-can-eat&drink and it was almost as much fun as being at the actual game; the fans were just as crazy and just as decked out in Tigers gear. The company was great; we love Natsue's family and finally got to meet her mom who is a die-hard Tigers fan. And the Tigers won 5-0; they are now in 1st place in the league and ahead by 6 games. Woo hoo! I'm only sad that we won't be here to watch the final game live - everyone is saying this is their year. If they win the final it will be the first time in over 20 years, so definitely a big deal to their fans.
Time is going soooo fast and I am powerless to stop it. 3 months ago I couldn't wait to get out of here and now I'm starting to feel really sad and nervous about leaving. My students have been crying which makes me cry, and I have a constant knot in my stomach. I want to see all of you so much but at the same time I'm really apprehensive about leaving. It's the strangest feeling; not at all like how I felt when I was getting ready to come here. I know everything will be fine and that it will hurt to leave no matter what, but I'm just dreading that last day. 12 more days of work and then I'm off for 2 weeks before we come home. We have so much to do in preparation for leaving; I feel like we'll never get everything done. But then, I felt that way coming here and everything turned out fine. I also have to spend some time doing some serious job-hunting; it's getting down to the wire and no one has been able to find contact info for that new ESL school that just opened up in Vic. If any of you happen to come across it, I'd really appreciate it if you could forward the contact info on to me. I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up, but atleast teaching English is a great stand-by while I figure it out. And I'm sure I'll mainly be doing waitressing while we backpack our way thru Europe - woo hoo! I can't wait to go to Europe. Seeing you guys and knowing there's another adventure on the way are the only things making it easier to leave.
Don't really have any other news. We're both feeling great and have probably lost a whole person in weight between the two of us (well, maybe not literally, but close enough). I can't wait until you see Jess - he looks f'ing fantastic.
Take care and talk to you soon!
That's what I was diagnosed with last week when I went to the doctor's office. Well, what I thought was going to be a routine visit where they speak broken English and give me some antibiotics turned into a rather frightening experience. I'd been suffering with a bad sore throat for about 2 weeks, which was making my job all sorts of fun to do (what with the talking all day, every day for 8 hours) and finally decided to bite the bullet and go to the doctor even though I hate Japanese doctors even more than Canadian ones (and I thought that wasn't possible). Anyway, when I got to the doctor's office, a doctor checked my nose and my throat while a nurse was taking my temperature; turns out I had a temp of 102 which sent the place into panic mode. I was whisked away to a treatment facility on the same floor and seen by an ENT specialist who hit me with the "expiratory disease" diagnosis (which I've since translated, with the help of my students, as being a bad sinus infection, so I'm not expiring and you need not panic). I was then subjected to several squirts of awful tasting stuff up the nose, swabbed with stuff at the back of my throat that hurt like a bitch if you don't mind my saying, and then made to sit at some weird machine which I can only describe as being some kind of medieval torture device. There I was forced to stick blown glass devices up my nose and in my mouth for five minutes while inhaling some foul tasting smoke. Then the fun began - I was plunked onto a gurney and ended up in another room where 6 nurses proceeded to work on me (I kid you not; 6 bloody nurses) - one kept checking my temperature, one was trying to cool me down with cold packs, one was trying to make sure I wasn't TOO cold by covering me with lots of blankets, one was puncturing my arm (apparently they were drug allergy tests), and two were inserting two seperate I.V.'s (my first I.V. - woo f'ing hoo) into my arm. All I needed to really feel like I was dying was George Clooney to come running in yelling "stat!" Granted the Japanese like to go a little overboard and give I.V.'s for everything, and I knew I was fine, but it was still really scary to have so many people "working on me" and speaking in a language I couldn't understand. Definitely not the most fun I've had in this fine country. 3 hours later they unhooked everything, scooted me into the waiting room, sent me home with 8 (again, not kidding) medications and said "have a nice day." Thus ended my most unfortunate day at the doctor's office. But atleast I have a great story to tell.
Other than having all sorts of fun with the Japanese medical system, I haven't really been up to much. Jess is trying to fit in as much time with da boys before we leave, so he's often out drinking at misellaneous places (strangely enough, they're always "guys nights" but all the pictures have hot Japanese women in them . . . hmm . . . ;) ).
Last night we went out with Natsue's family (she's my friend who's in Canada right now) to watch the Hanshin Tigers play. But we didn't go to a stadium; we went to a roof-top beer garden in Osaka and watched the game on a big screen. They had all-you-can-eat&drink and it was almost as much fun as being at the actual game; the fans were just as crazy and just as decked out in Tigers gear. The company was great; we love Natsue's family and finally got to meet her mom who is a die-hard Tigers fan. And the Tigers won 5-0; they are now in 1st place in the league and ahead by 6 games. Woo hoo! I'm only sad that we won't be here to watch the final game live - everyone is saying this is their year. If they win the final it will be the first time in over 20 years, so definitely a big deal to their fans.
Time is going soooo fast and I am powerless to stop it. 3 months ago I couldn't wait to get out of here and now I'm starting to feel really sad and nervous about leaving. My students have been crying which makes me cry, and I have a constant knot in my stomach. I want to see all of you so much but at the same time I'm really apprehensive about leaving. It's the strangest feeling; not at all like how I felt when I was getting ready to come here. I know everything will be fine and that it will hurt to leave no matter what, but I'm just dreading that last day. 12 more days of work and then I'm off for 2 weeks before we come home. We have so much to do in preparation for leaving; I feel like we'll never get everything done. But then, I felt that way coming here and everything turned out fine. I also have to spend some time doing some serious job-hunting; it's getting down to the wire and no one has been able to find contact info for that new ESL school that just opened up in Vic. If any of you happen to come across it, I'd really appreciate it if you could forward the contact info on to me. I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up, but atleast teaching English is a great stand-by while I figure it out. And I'm sure I'll mainly be doing waitressing while we backpack our way thru Europe - woo hoo! I can't wait to go to Europe. Seeing you guys and knowing there's another adventure on the way are the only things making it easier to leave.
Don't really have any other news. We're both feeling great and have probably lost a whole person in weight between the two of us (well, maybe not literally, but close enough). I can't wait until you see Jess - he looks f'ing fantastic.
Take care and talk to you soon!
Friday, July 08, 2005
Back again . . .
Yesterday was a perfect day all around. It started out like any other, really; I left Jesse fast asleep and headed out to the gym for an-almost-two-hour workout. I felt really good but noticed that it was really quiet and getting dark when I left the gym. I rode like the wind expecting a huge downpour (we're in the middle of rainy season and yesterday morning was literally the first time it hadn't been raining in 6 days, so I was expecting it to start up at any moment). I had to stop by the pharmacy near our house for the basic necessities of life: soap, face wash and popsicles. When I got out of the pharmacy I noticed that the sky was completely black and that the wind was picking up, so I gathered a storm was on its way. I was right about that, but didn't expect a storm of the magnitude we got. You know me and thunderstorms - I get pretty darn excited to put it mildly. I was so excited, in fact, that when I got out of the shower I immediately stuck my head (and most of my upper body) out the upstairs window to have a better look. It was only several minutes later that Jess pointed out that I was completely naked. Hope I made someone's day! Anyway, it was a perfect storm - black sky, fork lightning everywhere, the loudest thunder I've EVER heard, hail, high wind etc.
My tattoo appointment was for 5 o'clock and we were a little worried that we'd be late as we had to stay home and ride out the storm. As soon as the rain went from poke-your-eyes-out to gentle-smacking we boogied to the train station on our bikes. The entire trip between Kyoto and Osaka the storm was raging all around us - and was still going in Osaka when we got there as well. So I pretty much got hours of viewing and listening pleasure - they sure don't make storms like this at home!
Anyway, we got to the tattoo shop a little early after stopping for some lunch at a little cafe in America Mura. I was a little ticked because no one spoke to us for half an hour - just sat us down in the room and let us wait. The new, better, assertive Meegan had had enough so at 5:30 I went to see what the heck was going on. It turns out the guy was just getting around to tracing my tattoo so I was asked to keep waiting. 10 minutes later he came in to show me what he'd come up with and it was nothing like the design I'd asked for. Even though I'd be stuck with it forever, if this had happened 2 years ago I'd have sucked it up and had it done despite being unhappy with it. Not this Meegan! I made him redo it the way I wanted it and when he came back with the second drawing I was very very very happy - glad I said something. Then I straddled the chair and almost went to sleep (seriously, I was tired and it really doesn't hurt) while the tattoo only took about 15 minutes.
Yesterday was a perfect day all around. It started out like any other, really; I left Jesse fast asleep and headed out to the gym for an-almost-two-hour workout. I felt really good but noticed that it was really quiet and getting dark when I left the gym. I rode like the wind expecting a huge downpour (we're in the middle of rainy season and yesterday morning was literally the first time it hadn't been raining in 6 days, so I was expecting it to start up at any moment). I had to stop by the pharmacy near our house for the basic necessities of life: soap, face wash and popsicles. When I got out of the pharmacy I noticed that the sky was completely black and that the wind was picking up, so I gathered a storm was on its way. I was right about that, but didn't expect a storm of the magnitude we got. You know me and thunderstorms - I get pretty darn excited to put it mildly. I was so excited, in fact, that when I got out of the shower I immediately stuck my head (and most of my upper body) out the upstairs window to have a better look. It was only several minutes later that Jess pointed out that I was completely naked. Hope I made someone's day! Anyway, it was a perfect storm - black sky, fork lightning everywhere, the loudest thunder I've EVER heard, hail, high wind etc.
My tattoo appointment was for 5 o'clock and we were a little worried that we'd be late as we had to stay home and ride out the storm. As soon as the rain went from poke-your-eyes-out to gentle-smacking we boogied to the train station on our bikes. The entire trip between Kyoto and Osaka the storm was raging all around us - and was still going in Osaka when we got there as well. So I pretty much got hours of viewing and listening pleasure - they sure don't make storms like this at home!
Anyway, we got to the tattoo shop a little early after stopping for some lunch at a little cafe in America Mura. I was a little ticked because no one spoke to us for half an hour - just sat us down in the room and let us wait. The new, better, assertive Meegan had had enough so at 5:30 I went to see what the heck was going on. It turns out the guy was just getting around to tracing my tattoo so I was asked to keep waiting. 10 minutes later he came in to show me what he'd come up with and it was nothing like the design I'd asked for. Even though I'd be stuck with it forever, if this had happened 2 years ago I'd have sucked it up and had it done despite being unhappy with it. Not this Meegan! I made him redo it the way I wanted it and when he came back with the second drawing I was very very very happy - glad I said something. Then I straddled the chair and almost went to sleep (seriously, I was tired and it really doesn't hurt) while the tattoo only took about 15 minutes.
I'm soo happy with it and am so glad I took the time to plan what I wanted and make sure I got what I wanted. In case any of you forget, this is Japanese Kanji and it says "They must often change who would be constant in happiness and wisdom." I LOOOOVE it!! I am currently accepting emails to see who can appropriately guess where it is (what part of my body I mean). Email me and tell me what you think! Anyway, Jess had to leave before I was finished there as he had to be at work, so when it was all over (and much cheaper than I'd anticipated!!) I was on my own in Osaka's best shopping area with a credit card and no voice-of-reason putting his two cents in . . . So I did what any sensible girl would do; I went shopping. I knew exactly what I wanted though and bought only one thing - a pair of shoes obviously. You see, the thing is, as my feet are bigger than most Japanese womens' I have a hard time buying shoes here. And I found a shop with my sizes and really great CFM's. And it's summer sale time, which means almost everything on sale in any store in Osaka is between 20-80% off. And yeeesss, they are the most expensive pair of shoes I've ever owned, but they are also my favourite shoes ever. VERY high heels, very sexy. Perfect for my welcome back outfit (that is, always assuming you guys are going to throw us a welcome back shindig - and yes, I have an outfit for it already; very sexy and un-Meegan-like to go with my new body and my new . . . well, that's just going to have to be a surprise for when you see me).
When I got to Nishioji I stopped and picked up a few groceries then came home to dump everything. Then I had to go back out to return the DVD's we'd rented the night before. While there I rented 3 more, got them home, and discovered that for some reason our DVD player won't play older DVD's. If they're new releases, the DVD player is fine, but if they're weekly's the picture just fades in and out and the screen flashes alot. Anyone know what might be causing this? Anyway, I'm going to try my luck and call the manufacturer today, always being ready to be told they don't have anyone who speaks English, in which case I'll be pretty p.o.'d. But that's just me - ever the optimist! ;0)
I'm off to the gym so it's time to sign off. See you in 6 1/2 weeks!!!
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Watashewa ni jeu nana desu (I'm 27) . . .
****** Update: I forgot to mention some great news!!! Ali called me yesterday to tell me she'd been accepted at UBC, which means she's moving to Vancouver on August 16th! Woo hoo!! She may be able to head over to Vic the weekend Jess and I get home. Natsue and Ali in Victoria - who'd-a-thunk-it?!! :O)
As most of you know, my Birthday was last week, so yours truly is now even closer to pushing 30 (ha ha). On Wednesday, my actual birthday, I had Voice last period (free conversation where we give students a topic and they go for it in English) and 5 of my very favourite students were there, so as a topic I asked them to take what they know about me and plan the perfect birthday party. What they came up with was soooo amazing that I almost cried - I was really touched that they remembered so much about me. I told them they had to plan the food, the drinks, the location, the decorations, the theme, the music, celebrity guests, attire, and gift - here's what they "planned":
FOOD- mainly Italian food, especially carbanera (they know it's my favourite)
DESSERT- cheesecake flown in from New York (they know I don't like Japanese cheesecake as it's not very sweet and skimps on the cream cheese)
DRINKS- champagne and mixers (they know I love rum and coke)
LOCATION- Versailles Palace in Paris, mirrored hallway (they said it must be fitting for a princess)
DECORATIONS- thousands of candles and red roses (how they remembered that I'll never know)
ATTIRE- period costumes circa early 1600s (they knew I love Shakespeare)
THE THEME- a party fit for royalty (they said candles and roses only as they remembered I don't really like balloons everywhere and am very romantic)
THE MUSIC- The New York Philharmonic Orchestra would be flown in to play 20s jazz during dinner (how did they remember about the 20s jazz???) and orchestral pieces appropriate for dancing after dinner
CELEBRITY GUESTS- Angelina Jolie and Richard Gere (they said Richard Gere because they know Pretty Woman is one of my very favorite movies)
THE GIFT- after dinner I'd be given a white gown to change into, Jesse would propose and they party would turn into a wedding; the ceremony would take place on the palace lawn under white tents lit by thousands of candle lanterns
*** Seriously guys, I was so touched. They'd learned all of this about me in passing over the past year and somehow managed to remember all of my favorite things. It made me realize what I'll be missing when I go home and I'll never forget that day. As an endnote to this story, at the very end before the bell went I asked them who would be paying for all of this and they said they assumed I'm a princess because I'm an only child, so they were going to put all of it on my dad's credit card. I laughed soooo hard at that one . . . ha ha . . . Versailles Palace on a credit card . . . he'd kill me.
That night Jess had to work until 2 so we had made prior plans to celebrate on the Thursday. We got up early and went to the gym then headed into Kyoto to meander (every now and then I actually feel like window shopping these days and Jesse HATES shopping, but he put up with me because it was my day - btw, I didn't buy anything). At dinner time we went to our favorite Indian restaurant and had a yummy dinner (if I could choose only one thing to eat for the rest of my life it would be curry and naan bread - I'm hooked and can't believe I had to come all the way to Japan to try Indian food for the first time) and then went and saw Batman in the theater (questionable really, going to see a comic book movie on MY birthday, but it was actually a really good movie - really good). That was followed by a trip to the Haagen Daaz shop for some ice cream cones (in lieu of cake; I'll take ice cream any day), and more wandering around in this godforsaken heat. We decided to go to J.J. Club which is the most fun place on the planet for big kids - it's about 10 floors of floor-to-ceiling entertainment; you pay by the hour and can go anywhere in the building you want. There's bowling, a ball pool (so cool even though I'm 27), tons of video games you don't have to plug with money, billiards, darts, ping pong, air hockey, basketball, batting cage, mini golf, soccer, etc. etc. You get the idea - we were like two kids in a candy store. We figured it was probably time to leave when our competition over who's the best air hockey player got a little out of hand ;), and caught a cab back to our 'hood where we had a few drinks at a local shot bar and then headed on home. It was a great birthday. I missed all of you, but it was so much better than last year when I had no family around.
The past week since then has consisted of very little besides hiding in front of the air conditioner as much as possible (it's sooooo hot and humid this year; much worse than last year - 36 Celcius the past few days and nearly 100% humidity). Sunday evening a few schools in my area got together and had a barbecue by a river; it was really fun but soooo hot. One of the girls had brought Oscar Meyer dogs from Costco - I was very happy; hadn't had a real hot dog in over two years (Japanese hot dogs are very thin, very tough and mostly fat - gross, really). The other night Jess finally got to go on his commando raid with his friends to the top of (I think it's called) Mt. Fushimi - highlights included one guy taking off his pants because he was too hot, forgetting where he'd put them, and eventually in a drunken stupor, peeing on them, and a group shot of the guys mooning the camera (I think a frontal one was taken as well, but Jess hasn't shown me that one yet ;) ).
In other news, due to the humidity we've been having raging thunderstorms for the past 3 days, which suits me just fine. I wish you guys could see what they're like here - nothing like the pansy, half-ass ones I get all worked up about at home. Really incredible storms, so Meeg is a happy camper.
Today we got up pretty early and caught a train into Osaka. Perhaps I haven't told any of you this, but I've been designing a tattoo for several months. I knew all along that I'd want to get one to commemerate being here and everything I've accomplished. I've been doing hours and hours and hours and . . . well you see what I mean . . . of research, and finally decided on what I want. I sat on the idea for about a month just to make sure it's what I want, and now I'm very excited. It's actually a Confucian quote: "They must often change who would be constant in happiness and wisdom." I want it done in black kanji (Japanese characters) rather than the original Chinese characters, found the layout for the kanji that I want, and finally went to the shop today. They have a great American tattoo guy there who was really helpful and I feel really good about what we've come up with; he was able to have it translated almost literally for me which is perfect; all I cared about was that the kanji for happiness and wisdom were the most ancient kanji possible and I got what I wanted. I'm going next Thursday to get it done. They're veerrrrry expensive here - ridiculous really - but totally worth it to me. No more details; not even going to tell you where it's going (although obviously it'll be discreet; you know Meegan). Will send a pic when it's done. I can't can't can't can't wait! When we finished up at the tattoo shop (a funky little place in Amerika mura called Chopstick Tattoo) we went to El Pancho, our favorite Mexican restaurant in Shinsaibashi where I proceeded to get really drunk after 3 margueritas. In my defense, it's really hot and I hadn't eaten much - just a small plate of nachos we shared (mmm...they were so good - such a treat after months and months of not eating stuff like that). After lunch we caught a train back home and arrived in the middle of another great thunderstorm. As much as I want to come home this country definitely has its merits.
That's it for now - I'm off to find refuge in front of the air/con. Take care!
****** Update: I forgot to mention some great news!!! Ali called me yesterday to tell me she'd been accepted at UBC, which means she's moving to Vancouver on August 16th! Woo hoo!! She may be able to head over to Vic the weekend Jess and I get home. Natsue and Ali in Victoria - who'd-a-thunk-it?!! :O)
As most of you know, my Birthday was last week, so yours truly is now even closer to pushing 30 (ha ha). On Wednesday, my actual birthday, I had Voice last period (free conversation where we give students a topic and they go for it in English) and 5 of my very favourite students were there, so as a topic I asked them to take what they know about me and plan the perfect birthday party. What they came up with was soooo amazing that I almost cried - I was really touched that they remembered so much about me. I told them they had to plan the food, the drinks, the location, the decorations, the theme, the music, celebrity guests, attire, and gift - here's what they "planned":
FOOD- mainly Italian food, especially carbanera (they know it's my favourite)
DESSERT- cheesecake flown in from New York (they know I don't like Japanese cheesecake as it's not very sweet and skimps on the cream cheese)
DRINKS- champagne and mixers (they know I love rum and coke)
LOCATION- Versailles Palace in Paris, mirrored hallway (they said it must be fitting for a princess)
DECORATIONS- thousands of candles and red roses (how they remembered that I'll never know)
ATTIRE- period costumes circa early 1600s (they knew I love Shakespeare)
THE THEME- a party fit for royalty (they said candles and roses only as they remembered I don't really like balloons everywhere and am very romantic)
THE MUSIC- The New York Philharmonic Orchestra would be flown in to play 20s jazz during dinner (how did they remember about the 20s jazz???) and orchestral pieces appropriate for dancing after dinner
CELEBRITY GUESTS- Angelina Jolie and Richard Gere (they said Richard Gere because they know Pretty Woman is one of my very favorite movies)
THE GIFT- after dinner I'd be given a white gown to change into, Jesse would propose and they party would turn into a wedding; the ceremony would take place on the palace lawn under white tents lit by thousands of candle lanterns
*** Seriously guys, I was so touched. They'd learned all of this about me in passing over the past year and somehow managed to remember all of my favorite things. It made me realize what I'll be missing when I go home and I'll never forget that day. As an endnote to this story, at the very end before the bell went I asked them who would be paying for all of this and they said they assumed I'm a princess because I'm an only child, so they were going to put all of it on my dad's credit card. I laughed soooo hard at that one . . . ha ha . . . Versailles Palace on a credit card . . . he'd kill me.
That night Jess had to work until 2 so we had made prior plans to celebrate on the Thursday. We got up early and went to the gym then headed into Kyoto to meander (every now and then I actually feel like window shopping these days and Jesse HATES shopping, but he put up with me because it was my day - btw, I didn't buy anything). At dinner time we went to our favorite Indian restaurant and had a yummy dinner (if I could choose only one thing to eat for the rest of my life it would be curry and naan bread - I'm hooked and can't believe I had to come all the way to Japan to try Indian food for the first time) and then went and saw Batman in the theater (questionable really, going to see a comic book movie on MY birthday, but it was actually a really good movie - really good). That was followed by a trip to the Haagen Daaz shop for some ice cream cones (in lieu of cake; I'll take ice cream any day), and more wandering around in this godforsaken heat. We decided to go to J.J. Club which is the most fun place on the planet for big kids - it's about 10 floors of floor-to-ceiling entertainment; you pay by the hour and can go anywhere in the building you want. There's bowling, a ball pool (so cool even though I'm 27), tons of video games you don't have to plug with money, billiards, darts, ping pong, air hockey, basketball, batting cage, mini golf, soccer, etc. etc. You get the idea - we were like two kids in a candy store. We figured it was probably time to leave when our competition over who's the best air hockey player got a little out of hand ;), and caught a cab back to our 'hood where we had a few drinks at a local shot bar and then headed on home. It was a great birthday. I missed all of you, but it was so much better than last year when I had no family around.
The past week since then has consisted of very little besides hiding in front of the air conditioner as much as possible (it's sooooo hot and humid this year; much worse than last year - 36 Celcius the past few days and nearly 100% humidity). Sunday evening a few schools in my area got together and had a barbecue by a river; it was really fun but soooo hot. One of the girls had brought Oscar Meyer dogs from Costco - I was very happy; hadn't had a real hot dog in over two years (Japanese hot dogs are very thin, very tough and mostly fat - gross, really). The other night Jess finally got to go on his commando raid with his friends to the top of (I think it's called) Mt. Fushimi - highlights included one guy taking off his pants because he was too hot, forgetting where he'd put them, and eventually in a drunken stupor, peeing on them, and a group shot of the guys mooning the camera (I think a frontal one was taken as well, but Jess hasn't shown me that one yet ;) ).
In other news, due to the humidity we've been having raging thunderstorms for the past 3 days, which suits me just fine. I wish you guys could see what they're like here - nothing like the pansy, half-ass ones I get all worked up about at home. Really incredible storms, so Meeg is a happy camper.
Today we got up pretty early and caught a train into Osaka. Perhaps I haven't told any of you this, but I've been designing a tattoo for several months. I knew all along that I'd want to get one to commemerate being here and everything I've accomplished. I've been doing hours and hours and hours and . . . well you see what I mean . . . of research, and finally decided on what I want. I sat on the idea for about a month just to make sure it's what I want, and now I'm very excited. It's actually a Confucian quote: "They must often change who would be constant in happiness and wisdom." I want it done in black kanji (Japanese characters) rather than the original Chinese characters, found the layout for the kanji that I want, and finally went to the shop today. They have a great American tattoo guy there who was really helpful and I feel really good about what we've come up with; he was able to have it translated almost literally for me which is perfect; all I cared about was that the kanji for happiness and wisdom were the most ancient kanji possible and I got what I wanted. I'm going next Thursday to get it done. They're veerrrrry expensive here - ridiculous really - but totally worth it to me. No more details; not even going to tell you where it's going (although obviously it'll be discreet; you know Meegan). Will send a pic when it's done. I can't can't can't can't wait! When we finished up at the tattoo shop (a funky little place in Amerika mura called Chopstick Tattoo) we went to El Pancho, our favorite Mexican restaurant in Shinsaibashi where I proceeded to get really drunk after 3 margueritas. In my defense, it's really hot and I hadn't eaten much - just a small plate of nachos we shared (mmm...they were so good - such a treat after months and months of not eating stuff like that). After lunch we caught a train back home and arrived in the middle of another great thunderstorm. As much as I want to come home this country definitely has its merits.
That's it for now - I'm off to find refuge in front of the air/con. Take care!
