A Lesson in Listening.

I've had this story since October, but I keep forgetting to blog about it.

For those who don't know, I teach English to Japanese children. In addition to our regular classes, we plan trips and various parties throughout the year. Naturally, we throw a Halloween party for each of our classes during the month of October. Even though Halloween isn't a huge hit in Japan, the children (and their parents) seem to love our parties. We put up decorations, play games, give out candy, and of course, we dress up.

Days before this year's first party I asked one of my co-workers, Yuka, what she was going to be for Halloween. I wasn't sure how to respond when she told me she was going to be a cigarette. I asked a second time, thinking I had misunderstood, but she confirmed her costume was indeed a cigarette. I had a hard time imagining Yuka dressed up as a giant cigarette, playing Halloween games with six year-olds, while their parents recorded every moment. But, she was a vetran Give Us teacher, so I let it go. A couple days later I was chatting with another co-worker, Andrew, about everyone's costumes. Apparently, he hadn't heard about Yuka's risque costume. When I told him, he couldn't believe it. He asked me if I misunderstood and I replied, "How can you misunderstand the word, cigarette?" He said he would talk to Yuka about her costume and left for class. An hour later, while I was getting my students to settle down, Andrew popped his head into my class room to say, "It's a secret." All of a sudden, everything clicked. Yuka wasn't going to be a cigarette, her costume was a secret!!! Lesson learned: listen more carefully.

October: Swine Flu and Costumes.

I know it's no longer October, but better late than never.

Joe came down with the swine flu and was out of work for about a week. We went to the hospital on a Sunday, but they were closed to non-emergencies. A nurse sent us to an open clinic. This place was packed full of people (I'm assuming most of whom had the swine flu). Thankfully, the clinic ran like clockwork. After we saw the doctor we went downstairs to get the antibiotics. The pharmacy piled the medicine on. The medicine came in pill, capsule, and powder form. Joe received the Tami-flu capsule, two different pills for his fever, one powered to help his throat, and we're not sure about the last powered. All of the medication came with different instructions, but the people working at the pharmacy were really helpful.

I got sick the following Tuesday. All of Tuesday morning we were sure I had the swine flu. But, when I got to the doctor he said I had just a regular old flu. However, the same medication was prescribed for me.

All the pills, capsules, and powders worked wonders. Although, the doctor recommended that we stay home for a while. And yes, we wore sick masks both in public and inside our house.

(these are the bags our medicine came in)

Following the flu, came Halloween. At Give Us (my job), we throw Halloween parties for all of our students. This year, I was a piece of tamagoyaki sushi (the egg kind).

The costume didn't turn out the way I imagined it, but I can't complain. Notice the chopstick headband. A lot of my students thought I was trying to be Sponge Bob. And, I did get punched in the gut. I guess the kids thought the extra padding made it appropriate for them to sock me.


Joe dressed up for his English Club Halloween party. He was "The Swine Flu." If you pull down on the strings attached to the wings, they move as if the pig is flying. Clever. This hat could bring a whole new meaning to the phrase, "... when pigs fly."

Back in the Swing of Things.

One year down. Crazy to think we only have about ten months to go. We've been back in Japan for a few weeks now and we already feel in the swing of things.

Our trip home was great. Just what we needed. The time went by fast... three weeks is just not long enough. But, we took advantage of every second and filled our time with all the best activities being home can offer. Of course, there was a lot we didn't get to do and a lot of people we didn't get to see, but we know the next ten months will go by even faster than the last year.

From here on out, the plan is to focus on getting the most out of the last ten months as possible. We want to take advantage of any activity or experience we missed out on last year. There are plenty of restaurants, tourist attractions, hidden treasures, and random adventures to enjoy and we can't wait. One such activity was renting a boat at Nakajima park on a sunny afternoon. Check:
This weekend, we'll be going to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters baseball game with our friends Natsuko and Kiyomi. First live sports game since we've been here. Hopefully, we'll go to a soccer game later this year. Go sports! Or something.

For the most part, we're off to a good start for our last year in Japan.

Big In Japan.

The rumors are true. I'm big in Japan... Or, I just happen to be one of very few foreign, English speaking, female, twenty-somethings in the Sapporo area. I'm going to go with the latter. My first shot at stardom came when I got an opportunity to make a recording for the Sapporo City Subway. Basically, I told passengers that they should inform subway staff if they notice any suspicious behavior or activity. I heard my voice for the fist time today getting onto the subway. Is it weird I wanted to tell the woman next to me, "That voice you just heard... mine."

Second opportunity came less than a week later. My agent (Andrew Lopez, a.k.a. my co-worker) informed me of an audition for a Mazda commercial. Mazda was looking for two young women to play the parts of school teachers for elementary kids. The team was from Tokyo, but they were shooting the commercial in Sapporo. After a call back I got the "gig" (as we say in the biz). We had to wait out the rain, but eventually, we spent a whole day shooting the commercial. It aired in the beginning of July, nation wide. Here it is, if you want to see it. Scroll down until you see the Biante car. Click on the Biante and let it load. Don't expect too much, I'm barely in the commercial. If you pause it right after you see "I stop" I'm on the right. You can also see my hand waving at the end.

I know, big stuff. What can I say. It was a fun experience though, something I'll never forget. I'm just waiting for the big offers to roll in.

Myself and the other "school teacher" Jo after hair and make-up. She's a ballerina from Australia. Her Japanese was amazing, I'm a little jealous of her.

One Year Anniversary.

On May 25, 2008 we became a family. This year has gone by fast and it's hard to believe we've been married for a year. During our anniversary weekend we spent a lot of time reminiscing, laughing, and talking about our engagement and, what is now, our first year of marriage.

We honestly don't know how we made it through our engagement. Between graduating, moving, the play, the commencement speech, finishing up senior projects/papers, working, preparing to move to Japan, other weekly commitments, and of coarse, planning the wedding in less than four months, life was a little crazy. The pressure was intense at times, but thanks to all of our wonderful friends and family we made it out alive. We want to take this moment and thank everyone that helped us out during that insane time. And, we apologize for any weird behavior during those few months. Normal eating and sleeping habits went out the window sometime around March and with them went normal social interaction. We're better now.

Our first year of marriage has been many things. It has been challenging, adventurous, romantic, surprising, and at times, absolutely hilarious. Really, we couldn't ask for anything better. We feel thankful for the last 12 months and are looking forward to the next 12.

Golden Week.

It's been a while and we apologize. We've been in desperate need of sunshine and warm weather. Now that it's arrived we have a refreshed outlook on life and we're ready to blog again.

Today is the last day of Golden Week. A string of national holidays creating a five day weekend. Constitutional Memorial Day, Green Day, Children's Day, and Substitute Holiday are celebrated Sunday through Wednesday. For Joe and I, Golden Week meant Spring Cleaning Day, Cherry Blossom Day, and Sushi Lesson Day. Not to mention sleeping in, watching movies, enjoying the sun, and studying for the G.R.E.

On Saturday, we took a long walk to pick up some supplies for our Spring cleaning and on the way explored a bit more of our extended neighborhood. We woke up early on Sunday to get a good start on exfoliating our home and finished off the day with trip to Costco. The next day, we made it out to Maruyama park for a BBQ with some co-workers and friends. Eventually, we wondered up toward the field of cherry blossoms trees while we enjoyed a chocolate covered banana and the sunset. Tuesday brought hours of studying for Joe as well as our first sushi lesson. My co-worker and friend, Natsuko, came over and brought a friend of her's named Kiyomi. Natsuko walked us through the different steps of making sushi rolls. After dinner Joe left to meet one of his co-workers for drinks while Natsuko, Kiyomi, and myself watched Mama Mia. Finally, Wednesday was a day to relaxe and enjoy the remains of Golden Week.





A golden week indeed!

Unlikely Papists

In addition to challenging our ideas about acceptable food condiments (mayonnaise on pizza) and cold medication (Chinese herbs instead of NyQuil), living in Japan has forced us to rethink the North American notion of church shopping. A couple weeks ago, Kellyn and I decided to resume our search for a church home. Previous Sunday mornings spent trying to bumble our way through sermons and praise choruses in Japanese caused us to opt for the only English language church service in Sapporo: 12:30 mass at the downtown Roman Catholic cathedral.

Despite our attempt at an inconspicuous entrance, a 6’6’’ African acolyte approached us less than 45 seconds after we sat down in a pew near the back. After a warm hello, he asked if we would lead the Old Testament and Epistle readings for the day. Our perplexed stares caused him to open our service bulletins for us, point to the passages in Isaiah and Thessalonians, and repeat his question. We sheepishly consented and moments later found ourselves processing toward the altar in the company of the priest and said acolyte. Kellyn and I now made up two of the four people leading the mass. Wondering how we ended up here, I remembered someone once saying that we don’t find Jesus, he finds us. It must be roughly the same with Catholicism.
We stood altarside awaiting our cue. I glanced out at the pews and tried to guess how many of the 40 or so congregants knew that Kellyn and I had no idea what we were doing. Following the opening lines of the liturgy, Kellyn read from Isaiah and led the repository psalm as if she’d been a papist since birth. I then voiced my best rendition of Pauline prose into the microphone, after which we scurried back to our distant pew and spent the remainder of the service comfortably out of sight.

At the conclusion of the service, we were called to the front, asked to introduce ourselves to the congregation, and invited to practice Christmas carols with the international choir for Christmas Eve mass. Our acceptance of this invitation led to a meal and a three-hour practice during which I learned that I don’t know how to sing any other part but the melody, which isn’t helpful because I’m a baritone. We left the cathedral not sure if we were fully prepared to sing in the Christmas Eve mass, but, then again, we weren’t prepared to help lead the mass on our first visit either.

I’ve often heard that churches outside North America function more like families than country clubs, but, until two weeks ago, I didn’t understand that this might make church shopping a little more difficult. Our friends at the cathedral viewed us more as participants than onlookers, and I don’t think it would make much sense to them for us not to come back. This is perhaps a much-needed challenge to our conception of church hunting.