Dogs say ‘Won Won’ Here

Music: Beating Hearts Baby-Head Automatica 

“You’re gonna be so weird when you leave here…”-Ashleigh Cozens re: me saying Baboooong when bad things happen.  (haha, as i’m writting this i’m eating dryed seaweed like popcorn–if popcorn were paper thin….)

“So will you!!!  Cause you’re in Japan now!!” 

I got my first phone call from Ashleigh today!!  She has arrived in Japan safe, sound and overwhelmed.  It was quite amusing to get a phone call from her, freaking out about the conversation the cashier at the combini had with her, and she had no idea what to say cause she had no idea what the girl was saying.  I totally LOL’d.  I remember my first combini experience.  I guess that was the one thing I forgot to warn Ash about.  They arn’t talking to you, they are just saying out loud everything they are doing step by step.  Poor Ash thought the girl was telling her her whole life story, and all she could do was say arigato. 

I often wonder how much living in Japan is going to change me. I find it fascinating that an experience can change someone, into pretty much a completly different person.  I can look back and see the changes that happened to me during my time in University, so I know I should expect the same thing after this crazy whirlwind of a year. 

Things I have noticed so far:

1.  I’m more emotional.  If a Tegan and Sara or Stars (or Hey Delilah… but i didnt say that….)song comes on I may burst into tears. 

2. I like children …. but I think its just Japanese children.  This weekend, I went to a preschool performance.  It was Manaca’s, Nami’s youngest daughter school play, with fifty of the cutest kids I have ever seen.  After hearing me say for the one millionth time, “Kawaiiiiii.  They are sooo cuuuute”, Nami responded: “i think, maybe, children everywhere in the world are cute.”  I dunno about that one….

3. I have new sound effects.  They include: babong, ping pong, mm-, ehn?, hai.

Despite these changes, and future ones to come, I’m sure you’ll all still love me just the same .

This weekends weather was sooo nice, its hard to believe its almost December.  It’s hard to believe it’s almost Christmas.  IT’s hard to believe i’ll be here alone for Christmas.  Oh wait!  There is another change (Greer, you’re gonna love this one…), I used to hate Christmas, but now not being able to take part in the traditional ceremonies, and hearing about how people are decorating and buying gifts, and how my mom is going up to Ottawa to see everyone, i’m kind of bummed i’m missing it.  Tannis will be gone, so, it will just be me and my new co-worker, and possibly Natalie.  I wish flights home were cheaper and faster and less time consuming.  Even that wouldn’t help though, since I work on Christmas day…(hmm. that gets me to wondering if they have boxing week sales…)

Back to Ashleigh, I can’t believe she’s in Japan!!!!  Our seperation has only been three months, but it has felt like foooorever!  I am looking forward to seeing her soooo much!  She and my new co-worker must first make it through training, which they totally obviously will with a trainer like Kurt… sigh…. those were the days.

I also can’t believe I’m getting a new co-worker!!  I hear she rocks.  She did get hired by the Toronto recruiter, and frankly, the Toronto recruiter knows her shit, sooo, Leah Sensei will i’m sure ‘rock’.

Parent observation week sucks ps.  My kids act commmpletly different!  The one girl that i have to fight with to say anything was all chatterbox, while the louder kids were the quietest I have ever seen them, and one boy even cried when he lost a game (which he has never even come close to doing…. baboooooong) .  Really that was only one parent observation, the other was cool, cause it was one of the ‘bilingual’ families, and the dad was rocking.  Except when little Kazuki said : “My father never plays with me.”, when I asked him to tell me about his father… aaawwkwaard….

This week will be the real test… lots of classes, lots of parents, lots of crazy kids.  I still love all those kids though… They are the only good thing about having a full time job.  How do people go to work monday to friday all of their life?  If I didn’t have these amazing kids to go sing and play with for eight hours (and the knowledge that this is only for a year), Id be back at school increasing my stupid OSAP dept. 

I miss you everyone!!!!  Thanks for phone calls, letters and IMs, thanks for reading, thanks for the thanks for my postcards, thanks for giving me people to miss.

much love to all, and to all a goodnight. xoxoxoxox

Third Month Anniversary

Music: Off the Wall- Michael Jackson

On November 24, I will have been here for THREE MONTHS!!!!  Isn’t that crazy?!  It’s a weird feeling actually.  For one, I can’t believe three months have gone by since I first got here and that it is almost December, but at the same time, it feels like I have been here forever.  Did I celebrate?  Heck yes- I celebrate everyday of my life by just being here.  Tannis and I were talking, and I have seen on my friend Alyssa’s blog, that we still get overwhelmed by feelings of astonishment regarding our lives here in Japan.  Everything is just so CUTE, and FUNNY (i’m always LOLing), and DIFFERENT.  I loooooove it!!

Top Three Reactions of the Weekend:

1. Sitting in Starbucks, waiting for Natalie to meet me, when this little girl walks by me, looks at me, looks away, snaps her head back, jaw drops and eyes pop.  She runs over to her mom who is waiting for her beverage, pokes her and then points to me once she got her moms attention. I just laughed and waved.  These kids are not taught not to point.

2. Walking around the Toy Store today (its sooo much fun to go too!!!!  Theres anime, arcade games, DDR and tonnes of other bright things) this boy was running past me, when he stopped dead in his tracks, hand went to his mouth, eye popping again and a surprised “Whoa!!!”.  He runs off.  Hahahahahaha

3. Standing still, waiting for Natalie to get out of a store, this little girl walks towards me, and keeps her eyes glued on me.  When she can’t crank her neck anymore, she turns around, stops walking, and just stares.  This was a staring contest that she won, I said hello and walked away… When I looked back she was still staring in amazement.

Do you see why i’m always laughing and smiling?  Its hiiiilarious!

I went to Takaoka today with Natalie, a city a short train ride away, to shop.  Their mall is bigger than ours.  Dealing with staff here is even worse than back home.  If you think its tough having annoying pushy sales staff, try shopping in Japan (seriously, try it).  How can you say no to buying things when the workers are telling you how cute you are, and run off to find more things for you to try on.  And they pick out the best stuff too!!  And the best colours!!  Damn them… they’re just so cute, it’s awfully hard to say no… I managed it in a few stores, but I did come home with some lovely new items.  My favorite is my stuffed Tofu.  Thats right, you heard me.  He’s a big rectangle stuffy, and he is pineapple flavour (he’s yellow), he has cute little feet and a delightful smile.  Cuddle!!!! I needed a spooning partner frankly.  They have xmas tofu, and edamame tofu; soon, I will collect them all.  (Do not ask how i’m getting this all home).

See what I mean by everything is cute?

I had another lesson with my Japanese ladies this weekend.  I love these women.  Yuko decided the best way for me to learn is that we go shopping together, get some coffee, go out for dinner next monday, that way she’ll make me do everything in Japanese.  Done.  Heeeeeeart.  After our lesson on Sunday, we (Tannis, Natalie, Lacey, Yuko, Tomoko and I) all went out for dinner and drinks (lots of drinks, where we kept getting bottles of wine on the house….).  The best part, was that they made me order everything in Japanese.  After that, I asked the waiter where the washroom was (in Japanese); of course, he walked me right to it and after saying ‘arigato!’ he responds with ‘your welcome.’  Offf course…

Updates: Starbucks boy and me are on a first name basis, my lil buddies name is Mitsumi, and we have intense conversations about, how are you and being fine (if you teach/taught english, this is funny….).  He also has stopped charging me for soy milk, and I don’t even have to ask for it even.  Amazing .

Work:  It’s Parents Observation week …. baboooooooong.  I’ve had one, on saturday, and it went fine.  It was with the Golden girls though, and they are amazing and try as hard as four year olds who havn’t seen each other in a week and have new outfits and accesories to show each other and have to go to the bathroom in the middle of every class and love to hug me and sit on me and latch on to anything that involves me.  I can’t wait till you guys see pics of these kids. 

Since the closing of Nova, Amity has had an influx of new students.  So much so that my manager needs to ask Honbu for another foreign teacher, as Lacey and I are at our maximum amount of classes.  Not students though, so we keep getting those…  Another babooooong.  My breakfast club, which was hard enough to teach as it was, now has the addition of two clueless nova girls.  What did they teach over at nova?  Nothing apparently, my kids are geniuses in comparison.  Doesn’t make the class any easier though, and five kids in one class is innntense.

  I also got two new kids added to one of my favorite classes of my two favorite little boys, Katsunori and Shohei, which i’m bummed about, cause the three of us have so much fun.  Now its ruined with a boy who keeps speaking Japanese (effing nova) and a girl who barely talks above a whisper (how much did my heart explode when Katsunori told the other little boy that it was English class and to stop speaking Japanese after i had told him one million times!??!?!  Soo much!  He got extra hugs!!). 

Last on the positive side, I got the cutest new Junior high student and got praised forever by my coworkers for having such a wicked trial with her and getting her to sign a contract right away.  Duuuh.  Maybe its cause we talked about shopping and how cute our scarves were that we were wearing… she’s super cute though, and my junior high classes are my definitely my favorites. 

Accomplishments that I am proud of:

-All my trial lesson kids sign on for contracts.  Furthermore, my students want to come in for extra private lessons with me, and some of my students younger siblings want to join the school.

-All my JH students that Stacey warned me wouldn’t say shit in class are now talking and laughing and trying really hard with me, and always come to class having done extra homework for me to mark, and new clothing for me to look at.  Most of them have even started saying goofy things when i ask them to explain pictures, and they no longer answer my “how are yous” with fine or sleepy.  If they do, they better have a really good reason for feeling one of the two ways. 

-my Japanese is kind of coming along, and I have been practicing my Hirigana like a good student.

Even though i have been here for three months, there are still some things I am not used too.  Like the bills here.  My phone got turned off for a few days, cause I didn’t realize that I had to pay my bill.

Lindzy:”Man, I can’t believe I got my phone turned off!  I thought the phone bill was direct to my account.”

Lacey:”That takes a few months to kick in.  Didn’t you get the bill?”

Lindzy: “It was so pretty and purple… I thought it was just a notice of what was coming out of my account…”

Lastly for this week:  How Guelph was my Saturday night?  First, I went to a charity auction with a vegetarian buffet and organic beer for sale… Next I went to my friend Chris’ show, which he puts on in his loft (this is the dude that took me canyoning).  There was a wicked mix of people there.  Lots of weiny ALTs, the usual crew of buddies, and lots of new interesting people.  The drinks were strong and cheap, and the music was really good.  After Chris’ band played, a wicked Brazilian crew went on.  Dance dance dance.  I also met a wicked girl, Kumiko, we chated for a while and plan on going out for lunch soon.  Yaaaay Japanese friends!  I’m so unimpressed by so many English teachers here, for various reasons, its wicked to meet Japanese people who can speak English and want to hang out. 

Knock Knock!

Who’s there?

Orange.

Orange who?

Orange you glad?

YES.

super glad.

miss you all  Can’t waiiiit to see some of you soon! (Ashleigh, Clinton and Laura = coming to Japan soon!!!  Woooo!!!) 

The More They Stare, the More Vain I Become

Music: Making Nassau Fruit Punch- African Music Machine 

“They’re not staring cause I’m white and blond, they’re staring cause I’m hot as hell.”- Alyssa.  Nicely said I’d say. 

Getting stared at makes me smile.  Tannis hates it, and quickly grew sick of it.  At first it weirded me out, cause obviously, we are taught it’s rude to stare.  I can’t lie though, I did enjoy it.  It caught me off guard at first, and I’d be checking to make sure my fly wasn’t down or I had a boogie on my face or something.  Once I got used to the fact that they are all staring cause I’m, one percent of the population (if that), I started reveling in it.  My favorite is to catch people staring at me.  My game in Starbucks is to look up when I can feel someone near me staring, watch them quickly look away, and then stare at them till they look back up to see if it’s safe to keep staring.  Once they see that I am watching them I give them a big smile.  They usually look embarrased and smile back. 

Other reasons its fun to get stared at:

-watch people almost run into things on their bikes.

-catch young children smacking their friend, for they were the first to spot the Gaijin.

-hearing conversations being stopped mid sentence as one of them gets distracted by this blond beacon.

-being called cute for anything and everything.

This is probably what famous people feel like.  Except that I can leave the house.  Ever since Nova went bankrupt, Toyama has had a serious lack of foreigners.  They all took off to Korea or back home broke as hell.  Since Koji took care of all the Gaijin in this city, all the Nova teachers left their apartment keys with him, so sunday, Koji took me shopping in their apartments.  I got a sweet mattress and a space heater.  My sleeps have improved ten fold.

To help me out even more, Koji hooked me up with a language exchange.  He has these two lady friends, Yuko and Tomoko who were Nova students, and want to continue their English practice.  In exchange, Tannis and I get free Japanese lessons.  Sweeeeet.  We all met up at Koji’s bar and got down to work.  They taught us some of the basics, and understanding the language, and made us write everything down everything they taught us in Hirigana.  Their English was perfect, pretty much… all they want from Tannis and I is to practice speaking.  Done and Done.  One good thing is that Japanese is a relatively easy language to learn.  I kept telling them: ”Don’t make me sound like a stupid foreigner.”  They insist that the language requires few words. Like when you order something, you just say “This and this and this” (Kore to kore to kore) while pointing at the pictures, or the words.  Apparently eeeverrryone does this and it doesn’t look silly.  Pretty easy right?  Writting is probably the hardest part.  I’ve been practicing though. 

These two ladies have renewed my motivation to learn Japanese, especially since it won’t be so formal, and Yuko is an English teacher herself, and understands how to teach.  These women are so cool.  They are older, but young, hip, modern, highly educated, and super stylish.  They shared beers with us and discussed world politics, social issues regarding homelessness, poverty and cultural differences.  It was really really awesome to meet bilingual adults. 

My other favorite part of the weekend was hanging out with Tannis.  We didn’t drink this weekend and did a lot of chilling out and running.  We plan to slow down our drinking.. i think..

Tannis: “I’m not going to drink for a whole week.”

Lindzy: “Me neither.  Let’s not drink this week.”

“Ok!”

“What’s gonna happen to our wednesdays beers and cigarette night?”

Tannis: “We can have tea.”

Lindzy: “hmm.  What goes well with tea?”

“Cookies!”

“Too many calories, might as well be drinking beer.”

“Yeah, I prefer wine and cheese.”

Lindzy: “We could switch to wine and cheese!  That’s so good for you!  People in France live the longest in the whole world!”

Tannis: “Yah, and they did this study, and the places where the most wine per person was consumed had the longest life expectancy.”

“We should pick up wine and have some with Tomoko and Yuko.”

Tan: “Good idea!”

Lindzy: “So we’re back on drinking?”

Tannis: “Oh shit!  I already forgot about that.”

I also had training on Wednesday and Thursday, which was a blast!  Except that I had to wake up at 430 in the morning to catch a train with the three loudest Japanese women of my life.  They jabbered the whole way, making it impossible for me to sleep.   Seriously, on the way home, I sat by myself, could still hear them though… untill they got kicked out to the back of the train because people we’re complaining that they were too loud!  Hahaha.  I love my coworkers. 

Training in Okayama rocked.  We got a bus up to some resort-like place in the mountains.  Got fed delicious food the whole weekend, hung out with all the people I left back in September, partied all night with them after wednesdays training and a dip in the onsen style bath.  Luuuuxuryyyy.  Furthermore, I got paid for this .  The trip did not help with my sleepyness, but Friday and Saturdays classes were wicked.  I was feeling pretty good after my trial lesson in training where I got only positive compliments and told I was a great teacher .  Out of the floor classes in my group, I totally did the best.  Ooobviously.

Funniest part of training:

Trainer: “How would you describe to someone ‘Tear-Jerker’?”

Mike (super gungho, keener, innocent type dude): “Well, personally I would break the phrase down.  Ask them if they know tear, and then ask them about the word ‘jerk’.  I would then get them to think about things you jerk (using a jerking hand motion), what are some things you jerk?”

Enter classroom of 20 people laughing here, including trainers, who, god bless them, were trying their hardest not to laugh.

Mike (all offended and hurt): “Well I don’t know, that’s just the way I would teach them.”

Laughter has died down… Kanika leans over me and whispers to Mike : “Its not your ideas Mike, it’s just that people have dirty minds.”

Class has finally quieted down when Mike says out loud: “Oh, I get it.”  in a totally monotone voice.  Laughter ensues.

Good times with good people, all the time.  I can’t believe everybody doesn’t do this (this being move overseas to teach).  I guess this experience definitely isn’t for everyone, but its just so much fun all the time!!  Everyday (other than some obviously…) is new and funny and exciting and puts a smile on my face.

My favorite student Nagi (she totally got a souvenir from Tokyo), got me chocolat because I gave her a candy in our last class!  Kawaii!  This weeks discussion concerned ‘life experiences’.  I actually had to teach ‘affair’… to a ten year old (she’s actually a 16 year old in a ten year olds body).  Her response was funny:

“My friend says that men cheat, but only women can get away with it.” HA!…little clarification here for her…

“What do you think a solution to affairs are Nagi?  How can people avoid them?”

“I think being more strict.”

hahahahahaha.

Next word: university degree

“Nagi, you want a university degree don’t you?”

“Oh yes, definitely, cause then i’ll have lots of money to fulfill my real goal in life.”

“What’s that?”

“To be able to buy all the chips I want and eat them whenever I want.”

Are you in love yet?  Cause I am.  I went to the conveni after work and bought her chips.  Her class with me is friday, but I see her saturday evening when she is taking her grammar lesson.  I told her not to tell her mom….

Anyways, sorry for the large wordcount.  Hope your eyes don’t hurt too much.  Also, I know its that time of the year, essays, midterms, coldness and stress, so I wish you all the best with all of the above, and remember, it always gets done . 

To my family: I think about you every day, and I hope everything improves a little bit everyday, its the least you can ask for I guess.  Little bit at a time. 

Thanks again for everyones supportive emails, msgs and virtual hugs.  Thanks for taking time out of your days, it meant a lot (especially the notes from the family, Marlows daily distractions and Stews phone calls re:new baby niece, they made me feel better!!!).  Also, thanks for missing me.  I miss you.

xoxoxox.

Looking Forward

Music: Genesis- Justice

Day One:

Arrive in Tokyo, six in the morning after a five hour bus ride on the night highways of Japan.  The rest stops felt odly familiar… when it hit me: “I want to get all up in Lulu.”  You know who you are.  Lacey and I store our bags in a locker and head out to the wonderful and crazy world of Tokyo once we got off the bus.  We arrived in the hip and happening Shinjuku.  My mind was not ready to be blown, but blown away it was.  Crazy, stylish people everywhere, strutting the streets drunk and funktified like they owned the place.  Drunk and hyper genki I’m pretty sure they were leaving bars and possibly heading home.  Except for the girls that were sitting next to us in a smoky and dingy 24 hour cafe who were redoing their still perfect make up and touching up their “i can’t tell you were partying all night” hair.  These people know how to do it.

After some coffee, we headed out into the world to find our hostel.  Once off the subway we turned left.  Turns out had we turned right, our 1/2 hour adventure looking for the hostel would have only been two minutes, as it was two minutes to the right.  It’s all good.  We took a quick cat nap while we waited for Alyssa and Kanika to arrive.

Once they arrived and we got all of our screaming and squealing and omging out of the way we headed to the wonderful world of Tokyo shopping.  Shibuya is probably the best place on the planet.  It’s the place that is in all the movies.  The famous/busiest intersection in the whole world.  I’m not even kidding when i say crossing it was the most fun ever.  I did it over and over again just cause it was so damn exciting!  The thought “there are just SO many people” crossed my mind every ten seconds.  Or as Alyssa said, describing the situation to a T: “Its like the CNE on the night the Tragically Hip play.  You just don’t go cause you know it’ll be too busy.”

So shop shop shop we did… all eight floors of Shibuya 109.  Wild times.  I love Japanese fashion.  I love living here, and I’m gonna loooooooove when i go home and people ask me where i got my sick clothes and I say, “Japan bi-atch.”  A new pair of shoes and some sweet accesories, in my life, woo!

Next we headed to Harajuku.  Kind of disapointed cause i did not see the crazy teenagers.  I saw a few, but not enough.  We went walking and had a delicious dinner.  Next was some primping (not that we needed much) for the crazy night out on the town.  Alyssa has some dj friends living in Tokyo, and they got us guestlisted for a bunch of dance parties.  Dance we did, till five in the morning.
Day Two:

After getting Kanika to the station to send her back home we headed out for some beer.  Cause clearly thats what you do at seven in the morning in Tokyo. (Oh that was after the gross wine and fries at some place, in some place).  Nap time.

Two hours later, we are dressed and ready with drinks in our hands (for the hangover, duh) and heading out to the wonderful world of Asakusa.  (This is after our succesful purchase of Baileys, and a jaunt across Shibuya intersection for some starbucks… just cause.)

Asakusa was a pretty sweet town, full of old shoppes, street vendors, a temple and a shrine.  We had a wonderful dinner with a wonderful bottle of wine.  Life can be wonderful.

We then met up with Lacey’s hottie mchot soccer friend Kota.  Another crazy night.  A crazy car ride in search of a dance club, a crazy dance club, crazy dancing, crazy people, crazy times till five in the morning again.

Day Three:

Can you say hungover?  I can.  So could my vomit.  Check out, crash on the common room couches.

Day Three part two:

Today Alyssa and I went to the Imperial Palace while Lacey hooked up with some friends.  P.S.  Its closed on Mondays.  Whatever… back to Shibuya for some intersection loving and some new boots in my life!!!

The amazing and whirlwind of a weekend was ended with the meeting of Fairy Godmother.  A woman I have only heard about and not had the opportunity to meet, till now.  She is an old family friend of Lacey’s Grandmother, and possibly the cutest woman alive.  Especially when she took us out for the crazyest dinner of my life, where I probably gained thirty pounds.  The all you can eat expansive buffet, chocolate fountain, ice cream and cake were totally worth it though.  Skinny jeans out, sweats in.

I arrived back in Toyama at six in the morning, napped till ten and got ready for work.  Tomorow, Sayaka picks me up at 4:30am for a train we have to catch to go to Okayama for some follow up training.  Oh kill me now.  I cannot get enough water in my life.  Or sleep.

I’m so tired.

Good thing is!  I get to be with Alyssa and Kanika again!  I love and miss those girls, and i’m gonna have to fork over the dough to go see them, cause frankly, they’re the loves of my life, and I forgot how much fun we three have together.