Did You Know...

...that armadillos have furry feet? (Do you think they are related to hobbits??)

...that squirrels like Life Savers? (I'm not going to tell you how I found that out, but it does involve one crawling up my leg :-)

...that manatees and alligators can be friends? (We as humans could learn something about being kind to those different from us!)

...that "a big eye problem" in Japanese translates to a "big eye problem" in English (and three pairs of cute, nice glasses are cheaper in Florida than one pair of not so cute, not as nice glasses in Japan)?

...that swans not only like bread but fingers and camera caps as well? (I have proof!!)

Well, now you do...

Mono Mementos

It's amazing how things don't necessarily happen as we think they should or how we want, but after struggling with the events that occur in our lives, we can look back and say, "God knows what He is doing. He always does and He always will. 'Lord, I believe, help me with my unbelief.'" These past two and a half months have once again been a testing of my faith. "Why me?" I moaned. "I am a healthy person, why do I have to be literally incapacitated, sleeping for hours and hours a day. I have work to do. I have students to teach....." But in all of my complaining, God knew what He was doing. I have been reminded of so many blessings that I have often taken for granted and learned new things that I never could have have experienced in Japan. God knows what He is doing. Why do we always question His sovereignty?



Take my parents for instance. I could not have had any better nurses. If I hadn't been diagnosed in the States before I was supposed to leave, I can't imagine what would have happened (especially since the Japanese don't have medical term for mono). Mommy and Daddy are wonderful -- they pray with and for me, they encourage me to sleep and don't mind my inactivity, they take me out for changes of scenery and milkshakes when the cravings hit, but speed me home when the exhaustion takes over. Not only am I blessed to have them as caretakers, but I am blessed to have them as parents!

Or what about church? Being home has given me the opportunity to worship in my family's church several times and communicate more regularly with my dear church in Tallahassee. I was reminded that there is nothing more encouraging than worshiping in my native language. Although Christ love spreads beyond any language barriers, to be fed and participate in English is the ultimate blessing.


Or what about Grandma? Not only does she make the best Christmas turkey, but she also wins the prize for spaghetti, anything Cuban, bread, cakes, pies, fried chicken... In fact, she is so talented that her culinary creations are better than anything the entire country of Japan can offer. Who else can claim that kind of talent???


And my dear sister Erin. She has always been a wonderful friend and great older sister. Now she is also a mother, but I never knew that she had developed the "mother's touch" until she unselfishly stood by me as I cried over the white porcelain basin, holding my hair back and rubbing my shoulders. She brought cooling cloths for my fevers and made tea for my chills.

Dear Little Clara taught me to look at the world differently -- through eyes of wonderment and discovery. In fact, I learned that there are few things more amazing than bubbles except to hear her utter my name for the very first time!


Daddies, too. Both my earthly and Heavenly father are always willing to lift the tired and weary, carry them on their shoulders, and provide strength for those who need it. "Thank you Dear Father, for providing me with so many blessings and such a wonderful family."

A Merry Mono Christmas!

This is a very short update to let you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, at least not yet! I had a wonderful Christmas with my family even getting to see Erin, Nathan and my favorite and adorable niece Clara as well as my dear cousins from Chicago. However, for the entire two weeks I had extreme exhaustion, nausea, and a lack of appetite, which we first credited to jet lag. When it wouldn't subside and my parents couldn't convince me to eat anything (even my mommy's and grandma's yummy homemade goodies), they took me to the doctor. After an incredible battery of tests (and my first award as a "partial passer-outer during blood work") it was confirmed this past week that I contracted mono, from where and for how long, remains the mystery. Needless to say, I haven't returned to Japan yet. The Board of Education has been wonderful and currently I am on medical leave until I can regain the strength to return. I will keep you posted... In the meantime, its back to bed for me.

Update!

Okay, this is going to be boring.... no pictures or anything, but I thought I would give you a brief update of the highlights of the past two weeks:

1. Taught over 300 kids the true Christmas story at school. Planting seeds, planting seeds...

2. Got on the wrong bus, didn't know it was the wrong bus. Ended up on the opposite side of town, had to have a search party come find me. (sounds like a broken record huh?)

3. Lost my brand new glasses, didn't know they were lost. Can't find them (How can one see without glasses??)

4. Tried to fry some potatoes, didn't know the oil was too hot. Had a fire in the kitchen. Thankfully nothing burned down, but I have never seen flames that high outside of a fireplace.

6. Leaving for home today for the holidays. Have to take 1 bus, 3 trains, 2 planes, and a car (if I only added a rocket and bicycle I would have all modes of transportation covered!!) All joking aside, please pray I make each and every connection. I will be in Orlando till Jan. 2nd and would love to see/talk to you so please jot me a note or give me a call.

Hugs to all and Merry Christmas (or as they say in Japan "Meli Karisumasu")

Hamamatsu: City of Pines and Water

Making Mochi

Mochi is a traditional Japanese New Year's food made from pounded rice that is basically turned into a sticky dough. Although mochi is found throughout the year (covered in chocolate, wrapped around ice cream, in soup as dumplings, grilled and covered with fermented soybean sauce, etc.) at New Years there is a special ceremony for making it known as Mochitsuki. This method models the ancient technique for making the gummy treat. Today, I was invited to a Mochitsuki event coordinated by the PTA of my two schools.

Steaming the rice over a wood burning stove

Pounding the rice into a glutinous mass. The lady on the right would duck in and knead the dough between each of my swings of the super heavy kine as I attempted not to whack her head. (What you don't see in this picture are my cheerleaders -- some of my 2nd and 3rd year JHS boys laughing at my pounding technique!)

The PTA rolling the mochi dough around sweet bean paste and in soybean powder. This way was actually quite tasty.


Eating it!!
(okay, this picture was actually posed. The vice principal and principal of my elementary school insisted that I tried mochi covered in soy sauce with ground radish on top -- I don't like radishes by the way, but why is another story in and of itself! Anyway, as I am attempting to politely swallow this globby concoction my students asked me if I liked it and I gave them a truthful response. Then, one of their parents offers to take a picture and insists that I eat the mochi while my girls smile. They were so cute as they kept on saying, "not real, Emily not real, you don't eat!!)

Sometimes you just go with the flow....

Once a month I teach an evening adult conversation class at the local community center. This month, my darling "little old ladies" invited me to their Christmas party for some local school children. What they didn't tell me was I was going to be Santa!!! Oh, well... Sometimes you just go with the flow.... like wearing a Santa suit that's 10 times too big (and fastened with "rabbit" tape) only to have the pants fall down in front of all the kids, or singing an upbeat version of "Suwannee River" as the special feature without any prior warning (I didn't know it was a Christmas song, did you?), or eating pizza topped with hard boiled eggs cooked in soy sauce, or leading a Bingo game in Japanese and chasing the number balls across the room when the machine exploded, or folk dancing with spry ladies 3-4 times your age or.... Well you get the picture -- everything in Japan is an adventure!!!

Thanksgiving 2008

Twenty guesses as to what the below picture is....

Actually, its an indication that homesickness in a foreign country is a genuinely true feeling -- especially around the holidays! Let me explain, when I first moved into my apartment one of my initial tasks was going through the very stuffed closest to see what I did and didn't have (old yogurt containers, check! cereal boxes, check! towels, nope!) In my digging, I came across this interesting table centerpiece of many little figurines standing around a basket "table" and eating magnetic vegetables (or as the fellow on the left is doing, smashing his garlic!) Due to the additional fruits, vegetables, and leaves on the bottom of the display, I could only deduce that this must have been a former resident's attempt to celebrate Thanksgiving in his/her unique way since American thanksgiving does not exist in Japan (no surprise actually!). As for me, I called home a gazillion times that week (yep, I'm homesick), worked all day, and then had the special privilege of seeing a 60 lb tuna being slaughtered in front of 150 sixth graders during a special presentation in the gym about fishing in Hamamatsu. I have never seen so many people salivate over anything (it was like they were all kids in a candy shop in America) as the fisherman chopped off the fish's tail and fins. As the resident non-Japanese, they provided me with the opportunity of cutting the flesh into sashimi as all my students cheered me on. Then, in true Japanese fashion, it was fish time!!!!! Yep, for Thanksgiving, this girl ate raw fish (and according to the teachers, it was one of the best fish you can possibly eat raw). I couldn't say though, I was still trying to get over the eyes staring at me :-)

Tokyo

This past weekend I decided to take my first "real" trip to Tokyo by the shinkansen (bullet train) to visit the missionaries I worked during my visit to Japan nine years ago.

next time maybe I should smile :-)

on Takashita-dori the center of teenage fashion and yummy crepes

in front of the United Nation's University

in the heart of downtown Tokyo (Seibu?)

with a local phone company's mascot



inside Omostesondo Hills a fashionable mall on Tokyo's Champs-Elysees (Omostesondo)

(on a side note, what you don't see in this picture, is the sign saying "do not take pictures." I didn't notice it until I walked away. Oops!)

Church

This posting is extremely long overdue as I actually located a church the first weekend I was in Hamamatsu. Another English teacher and I were "reading" a map that had a cross on it, but were completely unsuccessful in locating a church. So we asked the nearest pedestrian where the closest church was. She "happened" to be a member and lead us right to the building (in the opposite direction of our map. Come to find out, the cross was for a wedding chapel!) Although, I visited several churches, I have felt most at home at the first one even though it is totally in Japanese. Slowly, ever so slowly, I am relearning the basic components of a service -- hymns, the Lord's Prayer, Apostle's Creed, etc, and even though I still can't understand a word of the sermon, there have been several elderly ladies who have taken it upon themselves to translate as best as they can. Every Sunday, I have a designated "English" speaker sit by me. Their dedication has been most appreciated, although, I must admit I do miss being truly "fed" by the pastor. In the meantime, I have learned that Christ's love spreads beyond any language barrier.

Changing the subject completely, but on the note of food, the church had a bazaar recently and I offered to help. At first I was supposed to be the official "spoon passer-outer" but then someone realized that additional assistance was needed in the kitchen, so they assigned me to making yaki-soba (a fried noodle dish of sorts). It was quite an experience for me to attempt to follow a recipe in Japanese with only Japanese-speaking guides, and it humored many of the church members to see me attempting to fry noodles with chopsticks (they are slippery little buggers!) But all's well that ends well as nobody received gastrological pain from my cooking (at least I didn't hear about any hospital visits!) and several said it was the best yaki-soba they had ever tasted (of course, they could have just been being polite ;-)

Unagi!!!

Hamamatsu is famous for its unagi (eel). In fact, delicacies of the area include fried eel bones (not my favorite snack, they are kind of gritty), unagi pies (not too bad, they are basically a high-calcium cookie, made from crushed eel bones), and grilled eel (haven't tried it yet, there is only so much eel a girl can take in one day!) Supposedly baby eels are born in the really deep ocean but then slowly migrate to Lake Hamana (right near my house) which is primarily a fresh water lake. The baby eels have to cross several lanes of traffic, stop at all cross lights, and constantly watch out for the cars before they make it to their new watery home. Its actually interesting because the grease spots on the road are actually kind of long due to the squished little eels ;-)

For Nathan

So Nathan, I thought about getting you this sweat shirt for Christmas.... What do you think?

I Love English In Japan (Part 5)

How many mistakes can you count????

I never knew that tweezers could be so dangerous!

Eki-den and rose-colored glasses

Some of my kids had an eki-den (a long distance marathon) a couple of weekends ago. It was really cold, wet, windy, and rainy, but the kids still ran. Now that's endurance (and the Japanese style)!!!!! For those of you who have asked to see my new glasses and haircut, here you go... more later, alligators :-)

Harp Cookies

Oh chocolate chip cookies, so high on the shelf hiding inside of the jar, I'm not tall enough to reach you myself -- so near and yet so very far....


The above is an excerpt from one of my favorite children's songs by Sandra Boyton. I have thought about it a lot recently as I have sought to find a harp in Japan. Hamamatsu is the "city of music" thus I am constantly surrounded by it. From the huge Yamaha store downtown (that wanted to sell me a harmonica instead of a harp) to the street musicians on every corner to my students' band and choir concerts, I am immersed in music, but I have not been able to participate. I never realized how much music was part of my life until I was completely stripped of the opportunity to play (yeah I know its kind of a weird realization coming from an 18-year music veteran who has a degree and once despised practicing). My attempt to locate a harp has been quite fruitless due to the language barrier (ie. Yamaha and the harmonica); however, just yesterday I was able to finally "taste" the proverbial "harp cookies" as the music teacher at my junior high school finally located one for me. It is at a local private catholic girl's school that has an internationally-renowned band. There are two students who play in the band (though neither have had any formal training) and it has been decided that I will teach them in exchange for practice time. The news was so sweet and music to my ears :-) My prayers (and yours, too) have been answered!

I Love English in Japanese School

At my elementary school the fifth graders and I have been working on learning the phrases "Where are you going?" "I'm going to the (library)" I have been belaboring the point for two weeks now with chants, games, and constant practice. Last week I found this poster of me on the bulletin board. Obviously, my work is still yet unfinished! (For those of you wondering about the toothy creature on the bottom, it is an alligator. I taught my students that instead of saying goodbye at the end of class they say "See you later, Alligator." The teachers get the biggest kick out of it, and it is absolutely hilarious to see the little ones make alligator hands!

Dear Clara....

Dearest Clara,

Its hard to believe that you are turning one today. My how time flies.... It seems like just last month that I got a phone call from your mommy telling me she was pregnant with you. I was so excited to be the "first" to know and it was so hard to keep the secret from your Grammy and Grampy. Then, the day that you came, sadly, I wasn't there (thanks to a great big test at FSU and OpZip), but I was so eager to hear the news that you made it that I literally slipped in the shower as I rushed to the phone. Instead of hearing "It's a girl!" or "Her name is Clara!" I was instead greeted to the most beautiful sound on earth -- your voice. I have to say, that I have always thought it strange that parents like to count their children's fingers and toes, but when I actually got to see you for the first time a week later, that is exactly what I did, for the entire Thanksgiving break, I loved just rocking you and staring into your eyes.

When you finally wear old enough to travel, your mommy brought you to Tally several times to visit me. Though you probably don't remember it, we had lots of fun splashing in the sink, dumping over cups of cold ice water on your mommy, baking your six-month birthday cake, and accidentally hitting your head on the only hard surface in the house making me feel like a horrible babysitter.

This summer, we had the chance to have so much fun together -- in Houston, Orlando, and Yosemite. People sometimes thought you were mine, which I didn't mind (you are my niece after all). I hope you didn't mind either. Of course, only an auntie would paint toenails on a 7-month-old and take her out for doughnuts!!! But then of course, only an auntie would also accidentally lock her beloved Clara in the car -- once again I felt like an absolutely horrible babysitter.

Its hard to believe that now, a year later, you have gotten so much bigger. You are walking, talking, and eating real foods. You have also become really responsible -- you are a wonderful caretaker for my ice cream maker while I'm in Japan.

I'm sorry I can't be there in person to celebrate your first birthday. I wish with all my heart I could be there... of course dearest, baby bug, I will never forget you and I miss you terribly and love you dearly. But don't cry too much, because I'll be home for Christmas, you can count on me. Please have twinkle toes and lots of bows, and no sushi!!! See you soon dearest and happy birthday.

Lots of Love,

Auntie

Japanese Cuisine

One of the most common questions I have been asked is "What are you eating?" Hmm.... The simple answer: rice, fish, rice, chicken, rice, fruit, rice, unidentifiable vegetables, rice, oh and did I mention rice? When I first arrived in Japan, I was quite overwhelmed by the grocery store, and actually during my first trip there, I almost bought powdered milk instead of sugar (its annoying not being able to read Japanese!) Since I arrived during the summer holidays, I was told I had to bring my own lunch to school everyday. After several days of eating just rice and tomatoes (two things I could recognize on the supermarket shelves), my vice principal asked me if I wanted to go to the store with her. We went exploring and she bought all the ingredients for miso soup (the traditional soup of Japan made from fermented bean paste). Then, I had a lesson in the staff room kitchen on how to make it (picture above). For the rest of the day, all I heard around the school was "blah, blah, blah, Emily, blah, blah, blah, miso soup, blah, blah, laugh." I can just imagine the teachers were saying, "The vice principal was afraid Emily would starve so she taught her how to make miso soup." Now, that school is in session I don't have to worry about making lunch as everyone (teachers, staff and students) eats the same set menu for the day. When I eat with my students, I am required to eat whatever is placed before me to set a good example. So what have I been eating? Rice, fish with eyes, raw fish, fish with eggs in their bellies, eel bones, chicken hearts, chicken liver, unidentifiable grey matter that is quite chewy... the list goes on and on. The convenient thing about it all, I'm not hungry for dinner!!! Eating is a necessity not a pleasure. The inconvenient thing, I have given up my vow to never be a binge ice cream eater :-)


Addendum: Actually, I have found several things here in Japan that are quite tasty including fried noodles, meat dumplings, cabbage pancakes, and traditional ramen. So please don't be scared to visit, I will make sure you will be well fed!

I Love Japanese in Japan

So what do you think this sign means? It was in the castle's park...

Hamamatsu Castle

This weekend was a three-day holiday so I decided to take the opportunity to explore Hamamatsu's own castle. It was originally built by Tokugawa Ieyasu (don't ask me who he is, my Japanese history is still a bit rusty!) whose rule begin the Edo Period (1603-1867). According to the English brochure "many famous bettles" took place here. At the end of the Edo Period, the castle was destroyed, but ultimately rebuilt in 1958 by the people of Hamamatsu. Thus the new castle only looks like the old from the outside as the interior is a museum, but it was still fun to snap pictures!

Images of Fall

Yes, fall is coming.... The leaves are changing, the air is getting cooler (actually its freezing for this Floridian who currently has no heat in her apartment) and today seemed like an appropriate time to make mini caramel apples.