I love snowboarding!

I found out this weekend that I love to snowboard. Who knew?



On a whim, Erich and I met up with some JETs in Saga yesterday for free snowboarding lessons. At first, it seemed impossible ("What? We have to stand up NOW?") but after half a day of pain, I managed to go down the bunny slope about 10 times. And it was FUN!!! I want to do this every weekend - too bad it's 3 hours away!

Hong Kong? Why are you going there?

Since almost everyone has asked me that question, I'll go ahead and answer it. I went to Hong Kong because Hilda and I wanted to go to China, but we were scared away by the bird flu. Our travel agent recommended Hong Kong instead. She has some relatives there and can speak Cantonese, and I just really wanted to go somewhere over the winter break. I ended up trying some really delicious food, getting lost in shopping malls, and seeing one of the most beautiful cityscapes in the world.

I took well over a hundred pictures (including some that I ganked from Hilda's flickr site, gomen!). To see the whole set, click here:


Since nobody has the time to look at all of that, I'll just give you some of the highlights:

Actually, my happiest moment was rather dorky. When our airplane was just taking off, it was a clear day. I was looking down at Japan, thinking of all the places I have left to see when I saw Unzen and my town from the air!


The first few days were overwhelming and exciting. We walked around Wan Chai, had street food, and spent about $78,294,732,984,723 in Zara. One thing that Hong Kong does not lack is shopping. I actually got lost for hours in one of the malls on Kowloon. But unfortunately, most of the stores are in the Prada-Gucci price range.

We had a really good day when Hilda's aunt showed us around. We went to a temple and had dim sum. She even helped us get appointments to get our hair done (thank god, I really needed that trim!).


We bumped into some other JETs while going out one night. One guy is actually in my ken! Another guy flew out of DC with Hilda and I. We went to this Russian bar, where we did vodka shots in a freezer while wearing faux minks:


The Great Buddha of Lantau
I think this is the largest sitting Buddha in the world. It is really big - I could see it from the airplane.


My camera takes really crappy night pictures, so my nightscape photos of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak didn't turn out so well. Here's one of the better ones:



So instead of trying to sum this experience up into quirky tidbits of wisdom, I'm signing off because I'm still exhausted...

Happy New Year!

I had a great new year - drove down to Miyazaki, met up with Hilda, ate lots of Indian food, celebrated the new year with friends in an indoor ocean water park with karaoke afterwards, and accidentally took some amazing pictures of seagulls.



So I should be packing for my trip to Hong Kong (leaving Tuesday morning) but I feel procrastinatory. How was everyone's new year?

White Christmas...almost

When I first moved here, I was under the impression that snow in Kazusa is as rare as a snowball in hell. Three days before Christmas:



Christmas day was sunny and almost warm, shattering my dream of having a white Christmas in Japan. Nevertheless, I had a great time at Suzie's Christmas party - she had about 10 people over. For some reason, we were all really silly and immature - just how I like it. I learned that British people have a very strange Christmas tradition: crackers*. They are basically these little packages that pop when you open them, and they contain paper crowns, jokes, and whistles. Every whistle is a different note, which resulted in much cacophony when we tried to play "We Wish you a Merry Christmas." (Actually, it wasn't so bad; I just wanted to use the word "cacophony.") We also played "Pass the parcel" and this game that Wesley introduced involving camping and lists that I basically sucked at. Erich brought some chocolates called "Asse" which resulted in much hilarity. After eating, partying, and generally trashing Suzie's house, a small group of us went to karaoke because parties in Japan without karaoke are like peanut butter without jelly.


Our (un-white) Christmas bash!

*While I'm writing about cultural differences, Japanese people celebrate Christmas a little...differently. Apparently, they all eat fried chicken and christmas cake. It is so widespread to eat chicken for Christmas that even here, in the inaka, a few of my students were selling "christmas chicken" in front of the grocery store. How KFC managed to convince every man, woman, and child in Japan to consume fried chicken on Christmas is a mystery to me...

And now time for...Onsen Mania!
This holiday season, it is so cold that I've been going to onsens (communal hot spring baths) a lot. Fortunately for me, my area is famous for onsens, and a particularly good one can be found at Hara-jo. Hara-jo is the site where 35,000 christians were massacred, resulting in Japan's isolation from the west.

I like onsens so much that Erich gave me this keitai charm for Christmas!

What the (near) future holds -
Next Friday, Erich and I are driving down to Miyazaki to ring in the New Year with Hilda. Can't wait to see her again!

Then, Hilda and I are off to Hong Kong! I am getting excited looking at where to go in my Lonely Planet guide.

IN OTHER NEWS - Franz Ferdinand is coming to Osaka in February!!!! Suzie and I are going to try to get tickets tomorrow...it's a bit far to go, but I think it'll be so worth it.

Winter days

This weekend has been COLD. There were flurries all over the hanto, but the only place where the snow ever sticks is on Unzen:

Snow on the hanto

We went to IONA's Christmas party. It was all right:

IONA Christmas party

After tea ceremony on Saturday, the little girl who drew this and her friend were dropped off with me, and instead of going home, they came right into my house! Of course, I was fine with that but the little rugrats were INTO EVERYTHING!! Within 2 minutes, they located my stuffed bunny collection. We played bunnies for a while, then they taught me some kanji, then they spun me around in my office chair until I nearly hurled. Then they did my hair and makeup. I was ready to go out on the town after that! And (sarcasm aside), I did...

Suzie picked me up and we went to Shimabara for some birthday celebrations. It was a good night and not too overwhelming...I got to know a few people better. I must have had a good time because I only took one measly picture.

The sweetest thing ever!

This little girl who takes tea ceremony with me gave me this picture today...what a sweetie. Now I have to figure out how to say, "Thank you for the beautiful picture!"

In other news, a few hilarious things were said to me recently that I must document before I forget:
Last week during volleyball practice, Kyoto-sensei (the vice-principal) and I were stretching to warm up. He can't speak a lick of English, but he is one of the few who tries on occasion. Anyway, trying to make conversation, he said, "I am very hard" (referring to his muscles, I guess!) I tried so hard not to laugh, and just agreed and said that I was very hard, too.

Last week, one of my favorite students said, "I want to feel you with my love." It wouldn't have been so hilarious if my JTE wasn't standing there with him, helping him recite what he had obviously rehearsed with her earlier.

I realized something today.

My JTE said to me, "You are so obedient!" After being initially puzzled that she called me an adjective usually attributed to a dog, I smiled in silent agreement. Yes, I am a good little foreigner. I follow all the rules to a T. If there is a volleyball game this weekend, I show up for practice. If someone asks me to help with something, I follow through.

So why do I wish I could be flakier?

Because flaky people have all the fun. If something else better comes up, a flaky person has no problem eschewing his/her responsibilities. They can talk their way out of situations that aren't desirable. I hate these people, so why do I want to be more like them?

Because I have no time for myself anymore!

2 months ago
A lady at the yakuba asked me to join her "nighto" volleyball team. Sure! "Ok then, practice is every Saturday at 8:30pm." Well crap, there goes my Saturday nights!

Last month:
I was having a pleasant conversation at my town's culture festival with a retired English teacher. I had just witnessed a tea ceremony, and she asked me, "Do you like to learn tea ceremony?" Of course, not wanting to seem close-minded and unwilling to try new things, I said, "yes." Next thing I know, the tea ceremony lady says to me, "Ok, then please wait for me outside your house every Saturday at 1:30." *

2 weeks ago
A man was talking to me about English education. I must have been hypnotized by his excellent English, because I ended up semi-agreeing to help him this weekend. Since I never fully committed, I kind of expected it to be like in America, where someone asks you to do something for them and you agree politely, then it never actually happens. Wrong.


Lesson learned: Japanese people are treacherous. Avoid at all costs.

* My tea teacher asked me to pay her last week - is it safe to bail now that it's not free anymore? Or would that be too flaky?