The Japanese Style Hotel ....

So apparently I never posted this blog that I started back from October. Whoops. I'll post it now considering that it kind of goes along with the one I just wrote about the Enkai.

Way back when Amanda and I went to Osaka and Kyoto with our teachers on (surprise, surprise) a bus tour. We visited temples, stayed in a traditional Japanese hotel, ate cultural food and wore traditional Japanese yukatas. It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot about the Japanese. Plus any opportunity we get to hang out with our Japanese friends while traveling somewhere new is a win-win situation.

Our hotel was true Japanese. The flooring in the room was all tatami and, of course, you were not allowed to wear your shoes.

The room had a real peaceful vibe.

Our first line of business was to drink some tea.
Mayaka showed us the proper wear to make the tea.

First, put the leaves in the tea thing? I don't know. I wasn't a very good student.
Next add the water?

And then pour? Mayaka would be so disappointed in me.

We drank our tea and learned about the ritual of reading tea leaves. Amanda attempted to read her own, but I was clueless. Plus, don't tell Mayaka, but I wasn't a huge fan of the tea. It's an acquired taste that I haven't acquired yet. I'm working on it.

After we drank tea and relaxed, we went to the onsen to do some more relaxing. When we returned to our room (all relaxed), Mayaka showed us how to properly put on our yukatas, which is the summer form of the kimono. "The proper way to wear a yukata is not necessarily obvious. The left side of the yukata is wrapped over the right side (the reverse is to be avoided as only the dead at a funeral wears the right over the left), and an obi (belt) is used to keep the yukata from falling open when worn in public. In private, as after a bath, the yukata is usually simply belted." (Thank you Wikipedia).

Mayaka was showing us what NOT to do in our yukatas.

We got it all figured out (with a little assistance) & took a Japanese style picture (peace!!) as proof that Amanda and I are slowly but surely becoming Japanese.

much love,
-tara-
xoxo

Snowboarding Nekoyama ...

I have always wanted to learn how to snowboard but for whatever reason never did. Maybe it was because I always dreaded the first lesson. The first day of hitting the slopes and spending a good portion of the time on the ground. And, of course, the inevitable pain that would come the following morning. What a better time to learn than winter in the mountainous country of Japan.

Amanda and I signed up for yet another bus tour, this time going to Nekoyama Snow Resort. We really had no idea what we were doing. We knew that once we got there we would be able to rent our board & boots but that was about it. We brought the rest of our gear & kept our fingers crossed that we would be able to take a beginner lesson with someone who spoke the slightest hint of English.

Our Nekoyama bus. Notice that it's still dark out ... that's how early we leave for these tours.

After 2 1/2 hours on the bus, we arrived at the resort. Our first line of business was to find our board and boots. Of course all the writing was in Japanese but Amanda & I are finally beginning to read Japanese so we were able to find our gear.

Once we were suited up and ready to go we found the ski school and luckily there was an instructor that knew pretty good English. Her name was Yoko and it just so happened that she recognized us because her boyfriend is foreign and something of something to something. I don't know exactly but I remember thinking, "Wow, we must be making names for ourselves if people are recognizing us 3 hours away from home." She gave us the basics, we put our boards on, & headed up the mountain. The Sphinx trail to be exact. (That would be the beginner trail)

Look how serious I am about this. My goggles were amazing. :)

The weather was kind of rainy and really cold, but the mountain was still scattered with people.

The view from the lift was really beautiful.

We got up the mountain and, after falling while attempting to exit the lift, we started our first venture down the hill. It was just a rough as I thought it was going to be. I ate a lot of snow, involuntarily of course, and I can't remember the last time I fell down so much, but we got to the bottom & headed up for round 2 with Yoko.

We had to wear these Olympic-like vests to let everyone know we were beginners.
Although I'm pretty sure they could have figured it out just by watching us.

A little action shot of me practicing my jumps.
It was sooo cold, but I was still smiling.

We went up a total of four times. We consistently made progress and even managed to take some video the last time around. The first one is just commentary while we watched for 'professionals' on our trail.

And then Amanda took over the taping while I made my attempt at dominating the Sphinx. The tape is in two parts though ... The first part is the beginning of my descend. I started out backwards and just as I was ready to make my sweet turn (that I had been working on all day) the camera got cold & stopped. Amanda managed to hit record again, but the turn was over. The second video is me making it all the way down the mountain without falling though. :) My accomplishment for the day.



And finally Amanda made her trek down the mountain as well.


The next time we head to Nekoyama we might be able to move up one trail. Then again this trail has jumps and rails and is kind of terrifying. Maybe we'll stick to the Sphinx one more time before pressing our luck.

We finished the day still standing and still smiling. (The pain hadn't set in yet)

The next day was brutal. My whole body hurt. Everywhere. It felt like I had been ran over by the Shinkansen. We were lucky the next day was a holiday and we didn't have school. We spent a good full day in recovery.

I survived the first lesson and I am extremely happy knowing that I will never have to have another first day of snowboarding again. We have more trips planned and I'm going to look into buying my own board. We will be professionals in no time.

much love,
-tara-
xoxo

The Decision Is Made ...

Looks like Japan will have to put up with me for another year. Yep, that's right. You've heard it here folks. It is official (although I haven't signed my contract yet), I am planning on staying put for the next year.

I thought about it and then thought about it some more. I dreamt about it, talked about it, wrote about it, forgot about it, and then thought about it again. I went 'round and 'round, and then around again until eventually I got dizzy. I went into my meeting last Monday without really knowing what I was going to say.

Under the pressure I started thinking rather clearly. I thought about what I want professionally and the best way to achieve it. I thought about my personal growth since I've been here and whether or not I can find contentment staying where I am, while at the same time continuing to develop this work in progress I call myself. I thought about whether or not I had taken extreme advantage of the opportunity of living in Asia by traveling everywhere I've wanted to and taking in all that I can. Mostly I thought about what I would think in ten years when I reflected back on my decision.

But there was still a large part of me that wanted to come home. Almost all of the reasons being personal. I am surrounded by wonderful people here and I have great friends. Amanda is wonderful, Naoko and her family are amazing, all of the people I work with go to great lengths to make sure that I am taken care of, and my friends occupy the weekends. All of those things considered, I miss my people from back home so incredibly much. I miss the simple things like eating dinner and grandma & grandpa's, singing karaoke with my dad & the fam, tailgating Hawkeye football games, going out with the girls on the weekends, drinking cheap beer at Suds, spending weekends at the condo, taking a coffee break at Cup of Joe with my Freeburg family, watching movies with my sister, awing over baby Madi, or playing Monopoly with the fam. Yes, I am fully aware that these things will be there when I get home and that I will be able to do all of it when I come back, but a part of me always feels like I'm missing out on it now.

The best part of this whole decision making process has been the enormous amount of support I have received. From my best friends to everyone in my family to my colleagues, as well as my people in Japan. I can't say enough thanks for that. I have the most amazing people in my life. All of the encouragement and support reminded me of the solid relationships I have with the people that mean so much to me. When I first came to Japan I was so afraid that friendships would start slipping away, bonds would be broken, and the closeness that I cherish would fade. This has proven to be so not true. Granted it takes more effort and isn't quite as easy as living in the same country, but it's so worth it. Because of this, I feel comfortable and secure in making the decision to stay another year.

I made some negotiations, mostly in the form of time off. It was SO important to me to be able to come home for a few weeks in the summer and to stay for an extra week at Christmas (two weeks was not long enough!). There wasn't a whole lot of negotiating financially and I will probably be living off of rice and bean sprouts (the two cheapest things in Japan) when I return, but the time is worth it to me.

So there it is. I'll keep everyone updated on my future travels and when exactly I'll be making it home. And remember, you are more than welcome to come visit me!! You know you want to.

Thanks for all the love, support, encouragement, laughs, and perspective while I was making one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make thus far. I love you.

much love,
-tara-
xoxo

Quoting The Clash ...

"Should I stay or should I go?"

(I have no idea what this picture is about)

Hmm. The decision that has been driving me to the point of insanity. I have less than one week to decide whether or not I will stay in Japan for another year. My method of avoidance has worked up until now but I'm running out of time. I thought I might try a practical approach like thoroughly exhausting the pros and cons of each side, making a mock decision and 'living with it' for a day or two, or attempting to have a controlled dream where the decision would just come to me at 4:00 in the morning. I could always just ask someone to tell me what to do and then do it. Or flip a coin. ¥ That's how I usually decide what's for dinner. Or the Japanese like to play Janken (Rock, Paper, Scissors) to settle a dispute. I could always find a random Japanese person to play with. Honestly, really, Is there an easy way to make this decision?

The thing is there are pluses and minuses to both choices. Aren't there always? And here's what happens when I ask for another's opinion...
If they tell me to stay in Japan for another year, I oppose their suggestion by explaining why I should come home. If they tell me to come home, I justify why I should stay another year. If they tell me that the choice is mine and mine alone, I scowl because I know it's the truth.

I am fully aware of the fact that I am the only one who can make this decision. I am the one that has to live with it and, considering this is my life, I have to determine what is best for me. I get all of that. It still doesn't make it any easier.

Although it's futile, I still want to scream HELP!

"So come on and let me know.
Should I stay or should I go?"

much love
-tara-
xoxo

Merry Christmas (Just a Little Late) ...

To get in the holiday spirit (although it was a little difficult considering the obvious, I'm in Asia), Amanda & I bought small Christmas trees & little decorations to fill our apartments with the infamous Christmas cheer.
Surprisingly, it was not difficult to find Christmas lights, decorations, and/or anything Santa-like. We could find Christmas something or another in just about every shop we stopped in. Although the Japanese do not celebrate Christmas in the religious sense like most/some Americans, they do celebrate to an extent. Here's what I learned by asking around:

* Almost everyone puts up some sort of Christmas decorations, although few homes put up Christmas trees.

* Carolers are absolutely unheard of. I learned this after explaining to a group of teachers that Amanda and I rode our bikes down a rather busy street singing "The 12 Days of Christmas", which, embarrassingly enough, we could barely remember the words to. I should mention that people were looking at us like we were completely insane and a few people even crossed the street to ride on the other side. We were just being merry. My teachers told me that it is likely that everyone thought we were drunk.

* Santa Claus comes on Christmas Eve and leaves each child, well the good children, one gift. In the morning the children wake up, open their gift, and go to school. Children in nursery school (0-5 years old) have school on Christmas day. Insane, I know.

* My 5 year old class told me all about 'Black Santa' (no racial profiling intended). Apparently,　if you are a 'bad' kid your mother can call Black Santa. (Sounds like something my mother would have threatened to do.) If Black Santa comes to your house he does not leave any presents. He doesn't even leave a lump of coal. Nope, he doesn't leave anything. Instead he TAKES your toys. Just like a thief. Isn't that a cruel story?

* Many Japanese people think that American people eat Christmas cake. I can't tell you how many times I was asked if I would eat Christmas cake over the holidays. The extreme sadness and disappointment in their eyes when I said no made me feel as though I had committed some sort of heinous crime. Where did this notion of Christmas cake come from? My only association was fruit cake and, well, that's gross.

* Christmas lights cost approximately $10.00 for a strand. The same strand you can buy for $1.00 at home. I should have brought some over and sold them for profit.

Take into consideration I gained this knowledge from various sources including my teachers, 4 and 5 year old children, and of course my own keen observations. :)
With my teachers, when asking about Christmas, my conversations were in broken English and accompanied by an electronic translator. With the children, the conversations were in broken English accompanied by a teacher, who used an electronic translator. And my observations are just that, my observations. Take everything you read on here with a grain of salt.

I decided to mix two cultures into one. I put up my Christmas tree and decorated it with origami cranes that I had folded. I even took into consideration the way my mom always told me to decorate the tree - large ornaments on the bottom and smaller ones on the top. The bigger cranes are on the bottom and there are itty bitty ones on the top.


I have lessons with 7 second and third graders on Fridays and before Christmas they spent who knows how long making me this adorable and super sweet poster. They used it to decorate our classroom, along with a paper chain of about 200 rings. The poster says Christmas (in Japanese, obviously) and all of the little Santas and the hearts are folded origami. I'm keeping this one forever.

For those who don't know, after a long debate, I went back to the states for Christmas. The trip was amazing. Seeing my family, surprising my grandparents, staying with Debbie & Greg, and spending New Years with some of the most important people in my life was exactly what I needed, right when I needed it the most.

I hope everyone had as wonderful of a holiday season as I did. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year & all that jazz.

much love,
-tara-
xoxo

Horseback Riding ...

I do the craziest things in Japan.
So most of my family, especially Elizabeth, knows that I am not fond of horses. To me they are kind of like the monkeys, meant to be admired from afar not up close and personal. My adorable cousin Elizabeth is a horse professional (that's what they would say in Japan) and I have gone to the stables with her to do what she does there. Feed and groom her horse and whatnot. One time we went out in the pasture to get her horse and I found myself surrounded by these huge (rather unfriendly looking) horses in outrageous numbers. Ok, really there was maybe 10, but still. They were so close to us and so massive. I became terrified and then instantly convinced that horses could sense fear. Elizabeth reassured me that the horses were friendly and there was no reason to be afraid (as shes whacking horses to prevent them from trampling us) and she even points out an 'adorable little baby horsey'. Sure the horse is less intimidating considering it is half the size of the others, but I'm still not seeing the 'adorable'. It wasn't until I got close enough to pet it that it snapped at me and attempted to take a chunk out of my neck. That's right, I got bit by the horse. Playful, gently, whatever. It was enough to scare me out of the pasture and make me not want to return.

So why the hell did I agree to go horseback riding? I have no idea. In theory the idea sounded decent. What else was I going to do at 7:00am on a Sunday morning, besides the obvious sleeping? Xiao got us tickets for one riding lesson and, like a trooper, I hopped on the horse-riding train.

Our lessons were scheduled at Crane Horse Riding Club. Similar to Kindred Spirits?

It wasn't until I got there and began realizing the reality of the situation that I became slightly uneasy. My smile is quite forced.

After signing our lives away on a bunch of forms (really I have no idea what the forms were for as they were in Japanese), we headed down to the locker room to get suited up.

No idea what this horse is trying to say ...
Our instructor thought we were hilarious. Did I mention he doesn't speak English? That's right, I'm taking my first horse riding lesson from an instructor who only speaks Japanese.

Getting strapped up ...
"I think I might die today so I'm going to pull these straps extra tight" was exactly what I was saying.
All ready to go and none of us can stop laughing. We look far too ridiculous. Not to mention under the rib-protecting vests (as Xiao called them), the coats and scarfs, we all are wearing about three shirts because it is 9:00am and it is freezing. We are also wearing a couple pairs of pants & 3 pairs of socks. It's kind of like when you go sledding back home. Not flattering for photos, but completely necessary.

Me in my get up ... I think the helmet was my favorite part.

My and my horse. I chose the one I thought looked the most tame. I wasn't taking any chances with a wild horse.

Yep, that's right. That's me on a horse.

Somehow through the language barrier I learned how to saddle the horse up, how to get on & how to kick. The instructor's broken English kept telling me to relax and that the horse, "Is no automatic. Kick!" Which was his way of telling me how to make the horse move. Little did he know I was completely content with just sitting on the horse and going nowhere.

Finally we started moving. We walked around for a while so I could get a 'good feeling' for the horse. It wasn't until he made the horse move a faster that I accidentally let a four letter word (beginning with s) slip. Obviously my instructor knew some English because he eyes got big and he about died laughing while saying, "Tara-san you is funny." He could tell I wasn't particularly fond of the horse.

We walked, we trotted, and finally I got up the courage to 'run'. We weren't necessarily running at top speed, but it felt like we were going awfully fast. He taught me how to control the horse with the reigns and with my legs and after an hour I was more than happy to dismount.


All in all, it was good. I can't say that I'll be making frequent trips to the stables and I didn't jump at the chance to sign up for weekly lessons, but if we talk about going again, I'm in. I always am. That's how I get myself into this stuff in the first place.

much love
-tara-
xoxo

My Birthday ...

So I turned the big 25 in Japan. Many of my friends know that back home I celebrate my birthday for one full week. That's right, 7 days of celebrating myself. A week full of friends, family, cake, cards, flowers, love. You know, the whole shabang. I knew it would be slightly different this year.

It was different, but it was great. The schools that I work for gave me the cutest birthday presents and the teachers that I give lessons to gave me cards and candy. Some of my children that I give private lessons to wrote me birthday messages and the kitchen even made me a small 'birthday snack' at one of my schools. Since I go to a different school everyday, this lasted for 5 days. Almost a full week long celebration. :)

The night of my birthday Amanda and I went to dinner at a restaurant we had been to before. When we walked in Amanda made sure to tell everybody it was my tanjobi (Japanese for birthday). Let me tell you ... Applebee's has nothing on these people. Amanda got the whole thing on video for your enjoyment.



I was amazed by this sweet birthday dessert.

Amanda and I enjoying our evening. & Yes my hair is black. I don't know about it yet....
Birthday dinner. Can anyone believe that I'm 25 really?

Besides the general fact that I'm now 25, I don't have any complaints this year. My birthday was great. I got a hilarious card from my mom, a sweet present from Matt, lots of love in my mailbox (& my inbox) & two packages still waiting for me at the post office, and lots of "Tanjobi Omedato", which I believe is happy birthday in Japanese. (I should check into that).

Don't think I wouldn't give up all the material things in the world for time with all of you, because I would in a heartbeat, but everyone knows my excitement over deliveries from the postman.

much love
-tara-
xoxo