Random Thoughts from Julz in Japan

So I was realizing I only usually blog about big events but not the daily events and occurrences that now seem common place to me. In the future I'll try to include more of that stuff too! Wow I didn't realise how long it's been since I've written much other than Korea; Ok, I guess I lied, a little bit about some recent trips because they really are the interesting stuff I’d say anyways.

Halloween was a blast! I taught Halloween stuff to my elementary kids for 2 straight weeks! It was awesome! Lots of fun games, songs, dances and more! I also had a party with my Eikaiwa (which also was a belated welcome party for me), and another one with my teachers, and then I went to a Nagoya International Friends Party with some of my friends from around Gifu. It was quite the party as all Japanese ones seem to be Nomihodai---= all you can drink. I dressed up as Hello Kitty and went with my friends Superman, My Melody, the Wayne’s world crew, pacman, Cinderella, a bumble bee and new found friends Winnie the Pooh and Salary man. Good times had by all! Especially trying to find our way back to the hotel room which would somehow hold all of us!
The next day we took a very very long train ride to Nara. Nara is gorgeous!! It was the perfect season to visit as the leaves were red and orange and yellow.. Nara was the ancient capital of Japan between 710-784Ad before it was moved to Kyoto (and then Tokyo).Nara flourished under the influence of Buddhism, leading to the creation of an enormous number of cultural assets, buildings and books, many of which are preserved today. Nara has the largest number of buildings designated National Treasures in Japan. It also has many deer wandering around the city who love to harass tourists for food. They are pretty adorable when they bow though—and uber tame! My highlight was Todaiiji Temple with it’s massive wooden Buddha statue and wooden post that promises enlightenment to anyone who can fit through the hole in the side of it (by the way you now know a truly enlightened person right here!)
Another trip was hiking with some friends and my Eikaiwa up a mountain a few hours away. It was a great hike with stunning leaves that offered us a chance to meet new friends, practice some Japanese and English combinations, and also was a challenge for us not so avid hikers.

Daily Life:
Call me a wuss, but it’s darn cold living without central heating—even if it’s still above 0 outside. It just seems wrong to be able to see your breathe inside your own house! I’ve been drinking more tea than ever before and just hope I will not poison myself from the Kerosene heaters too! School is probably the worst because we have a rule where if the temperature is above 8 degrees--- no heat. If it’s under 8, we are allowed to turn them on just until it goes back over 8. eeks. It really is chilly. Luckily hand warmers are cheap. I bought a pack of 30 shake and use handwamers, 10 feet warmers and 30 sticky ones. They last forever and have been my best friend in the last few weeks! I use them everyday!! Yesterday however…. I had a nice little incident where I left one on all day stuck to my rib cage--- and when I took it off last night, I realized I had burned myself on it!!! I had a full few layers of skin ripped off and it was painful as!! Seriously, who does that?? Oh well, lesson learned—don’t enjoy the heat too much! Take it off after 10 hours, and don’t apply directly to my skin!
In other reports about the climate--- Neo is absolutely gorgeous right now. I am told Spring is the time to come here, but the leaves on the trees are still on and so all the mountains around me have yellow and orange patches. Gorgeous!!! Although, the one mountain has snow already—I’m told after the 3rd time it snows on the mountain, it will snow in town… today is the second time it’s snowing on it—but really I can’t complain, it’s already a week into December and not a flake of snow yet! Just rain rain rain. Canadians really do enjoy talking about the weather don’t we? Random.

Anyways, onto other things, I am really getting on well with my teachers now. I’m living in the teachers only apartments and we have parties once a month altogether for the 12 of us or so that live there. They are heaps of fun and the random thing is that they usually occur on a school day and involve lots of drinking and bring out a whole different side of your staff! The next morning seeing each other at work is also quite interesting! I really do like living there. It’s great to know your neighbors (most of the time) and it’s super close to both my schools.

Other news regarding daily life…
School is going really well minus the cold. I really do enjoy spending time with my students! I can’t wait until I am a teacher back home though and can have more in depth conversations with them! Teaching Christmas is pretty fun and I even bought a Santa costume and got my teacher from the JHS to come to the Elem and team teach in it with me for a day. Lots of fun! The kids were adorable!! And so impressed that Santa knew Japanese!!! ZZNow I’m his best buddy and he comes up to me all the time and hugs me and is just awesome. He was the one kid that took me a long time to crack but also it is the most gratifying to have made contact with. Yippeee!!!

I’ve got 10 days from today left in Japan before I go home for Christmas break. Life truly is sweet right now!- although a little stressful as it always is around holiday time. We have lots of Bonenkais (year end party) going on which always makes for a great time though. Yesterday I went to my friend Rika’s house for a Sukiyaki dinner party. I love cooking on the hot plate at the table—and then with Sukiyaki you dip the meat/cabbage/udon/seaweed etc into a mixed up raw egg. It was actually really good! Her family is so incredibly kind to me!! This time Narin and Kiri came as well, and also her uncles, aunts and cousins were there. They are definitely the closest I’ve got to a Japanese family over here—I love the Devon-Neo ike enshi (I don’t think that’s the right word, but it is something close—meaning connections and friendly relationships).
I can’t believe how attatched I’ve gotten to my little village town. I am actually really excited to see Usuzumi Sakura in the Spring now (our famous cherry blossom tree) and I am going to all the town parties, trying to make it out to more school events, and I get all defensive of my town too now when people dis it. It really is adorable and beautiful!

Wow I just realized how long it has been since I last wrote! So much has happened! By far the biggest thing from home that has happened while I’ve been gone lately is one of my best friends, Heather, getting ENGAGED! It is still unfathomable to me that we are actually at the age of getting engaged and married and all of that! I still feel like such a little kid—even like I am just one of my elementary students some days! But I am super happy for her and Jason. They truly are a great couple! Speaking of great couples—hehe Duane and I are still doing well and have been dating now for 1 year! Wow how fast time flies.

In Japan, my last month or two has quieted down on the traveling trip taking activities and more into finding places closer to home. It was Narin’s birthday in November and so of course a party was in order and very much in ALT fashion, we made a trip to do Karaoke!! We are really obsessed! Last weekend we went to Little World, a cute little tourist attraction in Inuyama that is a 2.5 km round path showcasing houses, food and clothes from various countries around the world.. It was made to teach Japanese people about foreign cultures—but we also had a really good time there ourselves! Also this weekend I went to Ogaki and helped out with an AJET International Festival. It was also a good time and neat to see so many JETs together again.

A few weeks ago I finally managed to get myself to an English speaking Catholic church (let me tell you, not that easy to find!) I went to Nagoya with my friend from Ireland for the first week of advent. It was really funny at the time to offer each other the sign of peace, Carol and I shook hands, and then turned to the next people (who were actually Portugese anyways) and they looked at us as if we were crazy--- low and behold we forgot that Japan is a culture all about bowing! Even then! Lol. Silly foreigners we are sometimes!

I’ve also been out to Seki a few times for paper doll making classes and hope to make a few more for Christmas this weekend! They are lots of fun and I’m pretty impressed with myself considering my complete and utter lack of any physically artistic bone in my body when it comes to being creative.

As in Japan when Auld Lang Syne starts to play to signal the closing of restaurants and stores, a big Otsukaresamadeshita for reading and keeping in touch!

A few Japanese phrases
Nekokabori= dissembler/ a wolf in sheep’s clothing
Seachicken= tuna
Yukimi daifuku= snow desert—YUM!

Historical background of Japan: Shinto brings Japan its gardens, leaves, torii (gate), and shrines where as Buddhism is the reason for the flower arranging, tea, ceramics, paint, calligraphy, and martial arts.

Sorry if this was a little disjoined but I really will try to keep this updated more in the near future!! : )
Ooh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTINE!!