kt in korea

seoulful christmas

2009-12-25T22:29:00.000-08:00

christmas in seoul began with mexican food. so far so good right?

then we went to a jimjilbang--a korean bath house that sounded like, and probably would have mirrored a japanese onsen. but zach took us to "dragon hill," where families queue up for their chance to bathe, play simulated golf, participate in dance contests, game in arcades, hang out in PC rooms, get massages, and eat ice cream together. quite possibly the most over programmed relaxation space on the globe. but it was nice nonetheless.

lisa and i got body scrubs, which was less luxurious and more laborious. the tables were inside the women's bathing area, so we approached them in the nude, figured out the price and were each assigned a 60-something woman wearing lacy lingerie and a dour expression. the lusty pensioners left no inch of skin unscrubbed, and the whole thing was in keeping with the rest of the establishment--off-color, bewildering, and still somehow pleasant. and we're smooth as silk. that's what really matters.

so after we finished our surrealist bathing experience, we walked around seoul for a bit, and got some street food. the fried food went fast. pictured is the soup (flavor so-so, but warmth appreciated in subzero weather) and a rice cake and sauce concoction that is just as spicy as it looks.

then we stopped in a coffee shop in an effort to cure our post-bath lethargy. when we came back outside, the coffee kicked in just in time for our white christmas dreams to come true. frolicking ensued.

and then, as if it couldn't get any better, santa and his friends shook their asses in celebration of the lord's birth.

the joy of the snow and sexy christmas characters was only increased by the sea of young koreans offering free hugs outside the train station.

very merry indeed.

family purikura

2009-07-12T22:39:00.000-07:00

i did purikura ("print club" photos) 3 times yesterday. it was very pink.

first, ayaka and i went, then later i went to the mall with her whole family. we ate baskin robbins. it was all very american, except for the red bean-flavored ice cream.

so naturally we had to document our evening with more purikura. then, ayaka and her sister haruka proposed a girl time one. how could i refuse?

8 months of cell phone photos

2009-06-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

for all you math geniuses...i've been here 10 months, but had a phone since october.

minimal captions=maximum imagination

school poster

now time, thailand

didn't pay electricity bill

dinner

fudge tupee

matcha magic

biore love (for marian + bern)

gift/cupcake

multimedia

haruka + we made school goal = cake devoured

dinner date

i made a pancake

sent from sam after i had to go home early

"i want to stay for the sunset"
"meh, i've seen it before"

train station sammich, thailand

american dinner? (w/ haruka)

sexy & cute R&B section

cat infestation

jessica rabbit's brother

this is what happens when you stay for 8 years

some got more into the kids christmas lesson than others

first snow

a kego park christmas, with deer and flamingos

cream puff (for laura)

anna sent this from hawaii--a slight departure from the standard beach photo

portrait of katie sensei (artist credit: naoki, age 9)

spider in kurume

and this is just the beginning...............

holy travel batman!

2009-05-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

sitting in an internet cafe in chumporn, thailand, realizing how crazy today was--and with an 8-hour overnight train ride to bangkok in just three hours, realizing it's not even close to being over.

false start.
location: ko samui (island, 5 hour boat ride away from chumporn). ferry to catch @ 8 am. wake up at 6:45 for taxi or tuk tuk to the pier. nadine's phone alarm is an hour off thai time. back to sleep.

start.
6:45 am. snooze. 7:00 am.
us: "taxi! how much to mae nam?"
driver: "500 baht"
us: "no way, too expensive. it's close! we'll pay 300 baht."
driver: "no it's on the other side of the island. price is 500."
us: "ok bye."
driver: "ok ok 2 person 300 baht."

ferry.
first two hours were ok. american film was played to pass the time, and visions of passing islands were enough to keep us occupied, despite gloomy weather. but the ferry stopped at 3 islands before arriving at our destination on the mainland, and nadine and i managed to pick up a pack of hungry, uppity children who feasted on potato chips, yelled in our ears and pulled our hair. for three hours. and the boat played a thai pop showcase dvd, which at first was an interesting look at thai culture, but seven costume changes and 2 hours later became downright tedious. and there was something about the husky voice of the woman making port announcements that really irked me.

to the train station.
despite having exhausted our friends' thailand travel book the night before, transport from the pier to the vicinity of the train station proved to be the most difficult twenty kilometers we will ever travel. having suffered a total of 80 mosquito bites on a gnarly hike yesterday, i had resigned myself to leprosy and hoped nadine would take the reigns when we arrived at the pier. she came through and found out we could get a bus there, but the crowd's stares were making my welts throb, so when i saw a motorbike taxi driver pull up, i jumped at the opportunity to leave judgemental eyes in the dust. after haggling a suitable price, we locked in like lincoln logs and set off for chumporn station. if only it were that simple.

five km in, he stopped the bike on the side of the road, pointed to a section of his bike, pointed at nadine, pointed back at his bike, and spoke thai. confusion. luckily he had stopped at a little shop/shack housing an english speaker, who told us he would go fix his bike and come back in 15 minutes. we could wait in their hut. so nadine got a snack, i silently cursed my failed insect repellent, and we both kept our eyes on the road, sure he would return for his 300 baht.

after 15 minutes, our hero returned--and right on schedule for the thunder storm, which was in full force no more than 5 km after our return to the road. our man pulled over yet again, this time to show us it was raining (clearly, as the motorbike is uncovered) and settle into his poncho. i put on a jacket, knowing it wouldn't help, and all nadine needed was her jamaica tank to brave the storm. so we set off for the third time amidst thunder, lightning and a torrential downpour fast-forwarded by the forwardness of our motorbike. soaked to the bone, polka-dotted and unsure if we would ever reach our destination, i couldn't help but smile--because i knew despite all the beautiful beaches, sugary-sweet mangoes, and friendly people we've met, this day, that moment, was what we would remember first.

chumporn station.
so we finally arrived, sopping wet, at chumporn station. changed clothes, found out the next available train was at 11:30 p.m. (it was 2 p.m.) and asked for directions to the nearest restaurant. we were directed to a cafe, which ended up serving only dessert and coffee, so we vowed to return after a proper meal. just down the dirt road we ate a delicious meal that we figured out cost 50 cents each--our cheapest yet--and headed back to the cafe for cake and shelter. our original plan of staking out at the cafe for the next 7 hours quickly became unimaginable, as the aircon was too high and we could not envision eating anymore cake.

guest house.
nadine and i found out about a guest house near the station, which is costing us a few dollars to seek refuge before our next trek. luckily it's also near a mall with $3 jeans, which i desperately needed due to my previously-mentioned leprosy. they're men's mustard-colored cords, but combine the right price with desperation and you've got yourself a deal. so we've been relaxing in the minimalist guest house compound all day, nadine ipod-ing and me rubbing my legs with anti-inflammatory cream.

so that's our day. starting off on the southern coast of thailand at 8 a.m. and (hopefully) ending hundreds of miles north at the nation's capital exactly 24 hours later. what's next for us in bangkok? a hotel, a shower, laundry, a thai massage, and a high five for finally making it.

dinner party conversation topics: japan edition

2009-04-24T23:02:00.000-07:00

i've come to realize that i ( like most people who have lived in a place) possess a wealth of facts about life in japan, and to keep them to myself would be a crime against my country, my blog, and my current place of residence. but they're mine if i'm ever stuck in a rut during a dinner party.

ask any Japanese person over the age of 10 and they'll be able to tell you the weather forecast for the next week (generalization). surprising for me, and likely most southern californians, who can barely muster the strength to look out the window before deciding on shorts and sandals (again.)

fortunes (based on blood type) are included daily in TV weather forecasts

punishment in the japanese education system involves more school, not less. (for american punishments, see: suspension, explusion). additionally, parents are required to drive delinquent high schoolers to and from school during the punishment period. AND their homeroom teacher visits them at home every day they're not at school, just to make sure they're not having any fun.

*downer alert* in japan, the most popular form of suicide is jumping in front of a moving train. april is the beginning of japan's fiscal year, which means businessmen are working extra hard (my student has worked 10+ hour days, with zero days off the entire month), which means increased desperation, thus more suicides. there have been four that i know of on just one train line in the past three weeks. these suicides obviously throw off the train schedule (which is usually insanely accurate), costing transit companies millions of yen and possible lawsuits for missed flights, etc. who pays these millions of yen in damages? as if it wasn't already bad enough, the families of the deceased do.

most japanese people consider america the land of obama, disneyland, and people who want to shoot you.

every major japanese area is know for a famous food. try me.

fukuoka: mentaiko (fish eggs... lucky me)

hiroshima: okonomiyaki (egg, flour, veg, grilled)

yamaguchi: fugu (poisonous puffer fish)

osaka: takoyaki (octopus, etc. rolled and grilled)

the first thing someone says about visiting place references the food. now i do it too! "you went to nagasaki? did you eat champon??"

you might wonder why i think this is interesting, considering every country has famous foods... but when was the last time someone said "i went to philadelphia" and you said, first thing, "oh shit! did you eat a cheese steak?!?

i'm coming home

2009-04-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

i put in my 4 months notice this week. it's required if you want to leave after the year's up, and although my plan has always been to stay a year and then move on, i must say i am a bit sad to be leaving this beautiful country. my dad was in town the past 2 weekends for work, which was lucky, and i took him to all my favorite places in fukuoka. in doing so i reminded myself how good i have it here.

shrines. hot springs. gorgeous scenery. nice cafes. good friends.

reverse culture shock should be interesting, too. so far i think i'll be "shocked" by the ability to eavesdrop, the inability to have anything gift wrapped, driving, not speaking Japanese with friends, English media, English menus...yeah, English everything.

yanagawa

2009-03-30T04:19:00.000-07:00

yanagawa: a sleepy town with an uncanny number of shrines and a gorgeous canal, which during cherry blossom season, is just the thing you need to appreciate life all the more.

sakura <3

2009-03-29T04:03:00.000-07:00

sakura blossom! how do I love thee?
my past month has been devoted to the enjoyment of cherry blossoms. only blooming for two to three weeks a year, they're a symbol of beauty's way of leaving without saying goodbye.

anna and I passed through a lovely park on our way to lunch.

on the way from lunch with anna to the hanami party at ohori park (below), I stumbled upon a shrine with a lovely sakura tree.

we weren't the only people interested in the cherry blossoms at ohori koen

I was actually on time, while my comrades were not, so I took some (more) photos of my beloved blossoms

my charlie brown sakura tree. notice the plethora of fully-formed, fully-bloomed trees just over the road.

cotton candy and everything! what an event!

a smorgasbord of japanese and western snacks alike. and don't forget the 3-dollar wine aptly named "mirage"--with a price that low, it must be my imagination!

post-hanami. it was freezingggg.
haruka was still hungry.

identity crisis

2009-03-27T23:11:00.000-07:00

an email i sent to my coworker:

Hola! Como estas?
Esta fin de semana pasada estuvo muy divertido y relajante.

友達のきっぷは大丈夫。

Thank you for telling me about Kumi! See you tomorrow!
Katie

three languages (mind you, i have basic knowledge of all three)... no wonder i can't decide what to do with my life!!!!

here comes the sun!

2009-03-17T05:44:00.001-07:00

Wed 3/18

75° 51°

punchline: nobody wins

2009-03-15T03:29:00.000-07:00

one sunday night, after a lovely thai meal, we four ladies thought long and hard about where the night would continue. the only thing that could cure our urge for competition was a fierce game of pool. we played four games, of which none were actually won. only lost. damn that eight ball!

then nadine and I got our asses handed to us in foosball.

not just semantics

2009-03-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

sometimes i go on thesaurus.com to try to learn new words. i don't know how long this function has been around, but today i discovered the "visual thesaurus"--the latest assault on the fluidity of language. i searched "love" because it was flexible enough to expose this semantic nightmare:

p.s.--in researching nadine and my future trip to thailand/cambodia, i've discovered the best website title i've seen in agggeeeessssss

http://www.angkorwhat.net/

leão = love

2009-03-10T03:28:00.000-07:00

forget three little words. two words have me swooning.

"matte leão"

portuguese for "who knew tea could be so good?"

tokyo

2009-03-08T23:22:00.000-07:00

o

k

y

o

jazz casual

2009-03-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

will someone buy me this?

it's expensive.

also, it's out of print.

my birthday's coming up!! (5 months)

meterology

2009-03-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

i don't care about my numbers. this blog functions as both an electronic journal and means of mass emailing without making people feel like they don't deserve individual emails.

but i got sitemeter anyway. why, you ask?

because of the world map function.

africa, south america and australia need a boost. please send links to all friends in these areas. thank you.

why calling my family is a real treat

2009-03-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

i spoke to 3 of 4 family members today on the phone, and while it's expensive, it's always worth hearing the big news. the formula is usually one brother update, one zoe (the family dog) update and one new animal in the yard. today's conversation did not disappoint:

tom painted his room burgundy
2 ducks are living in our pool
zoe got a haircut

even though they're crazy, they're my family and i love them--a lot.

tokyo teaser

2009-03-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

many many more to come...

nakagawa seiryu onsen a.k.a. heaven on earth

2009-02-20T10:05:00.000-08:00

I've gone here (Seiryu Onsen in Nakagawa) the past two weekends, with plans to go again on Monday. It's the best natural hot spring in Fukuoka, and more than anything else, it reminds me of why I moved to Japan in the first place. American retirees have country clubs and nursing homes. Japanese retirees have this:

(The only picture I actually took)

Andy's zonking in the tatami resting room after his onsen. The room has matted floors and complimentary pillows, and the TV was playing a news documentary about carrots that grow in the snow. Out the window you can see the rocky stream people sit and dip their feet in. Just outside this tatami room is a Haagen Daz vending machine. Heaven?

phenomenons and carry-ons

2009-02-13T22:52:00.000-08:00

i would say this week was one of the more fun weeks i've had.

as you can see from my previous post, it began in the lantern-lined streets of nagasaki on monday. then, tuesday was an easy day at work followed by a night out because wednesday was a national holiday--foundation day (something about the constitution. my japanese friends weren't even sure.)

thursday was (hallelujah) the first day of spring. though, i'm wary of these claims that the future holds temperate weather...in japan, spring is not found in warm sunshine, chirping birds or blossoming flowers. no no--it's marked by dusty cars and sore throats.

may i present...the GOBI DESERT.

what?!?! sending its sand our way just in time for short sleeves and white shoes.

friday was ramen and ruminations on existence with haruka. tonight (saturday) i dine with my ladies and then it's jenni's leaving/sam's birthday/james's birthday/......... party at tattoo--boasting fukuoka's largest display of disco balls and out of season christmas lights since its opening.

the only thing better than living this week is the knowledge that at the end of this gloriously short month lies one ticket to tokyo, two great friends from L.A., and exactly three types (cat, secretary, maid) of strange japanese cafes on the agenda.

<3 <3 <3

lantern festival

2009-02-09T23:11:00.000-08:00

i went to the nagasaki lantern festival with my friend ayaka, which was actually a japanese-style celebration of chinese new year. so there were tons of red lanterns, chinese food and japanese people. and some typical chinese new year imagery.

like this dragon:

a chinese acrobat with a death wish

eating chirin chirin ice. we didn't know what that meant, but it tasted like vanilla. isn't ayaka pretty?

stupid

le namesake

after watching this i want to learn how to taiko. it sounds so different than i expected it to sound. it's like a traditional dance party!

making....japanese(??) food

eating japanese food

i've always liked the phoenix...this ones made of china (the dishes) and lights

gorgeous

saturday

2009-01-31T18:20:00.000-08:00

working by myself on saturdays sometimes gets boring. this saturday, three things kept me in good spirits:

1) knowing i was flying to seoul after work

a picture from my 2006 trip...many castles, pottery and other national treasures.

2) a work email
"As you probably know, [our company] has partnered with Dreamworks for our Spring 2009 advertising"[followed by shrek-studded office documents] no i didn't know that. but thank you. so much.

3) this video, which i want everyone i know to see:

a look into the future

2009-01-22T20:03:00.000-08:00

January

South Korea: Seoul and Mason and Zach
(next weekend!)

February

Tokyo and/or Mt. Fuji with Ally and Paisley

March

Beppu: Onsens and sand baths

April

Dad visits!

Thailand or Okinawa or anything tropical

June

Iki: more beach time on a tiny, seemingly underappreciated island

July

Nothing much, other than celebrating 24 years of living

August

Return?

How to write a love letter to a boy you do not know.

2009-01-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

I should save this for closer to V-day, but I can't help myself. Don't ask me how I found it.

Highlights:

"Tips: Don't tell your best friend to give the boy the envelope. If he knows they're your best friend it's a dead giveaway."

"Warnings: he might think you're a freak and get really creeped out"

"Things you'll need: Lip Stick to kiss the bottom of your note with then he will know you really like him."

all the things they said

2009-01-19T19:18:00.000-08:00

I will now attempt to sum up my winter holiday via memorable quotations from each day (roughly a month late)

"Is that a fiber optic Santa head?"
sunday

2 flights and 10.5 hours later, I arrived at LAX
made udon and maki zushi for friends...really good to see everyone
my grandmother's fiber optic santa was unexpected star of the show

"They say I'll look more like a black man"
monday

lunch with tom
small-town charm...saw a ton of people i knew, including david who, in explaining his upcoming jaw surgery's affect on his facial features, said the above quote.
i'm horrible at maintaining small talk, but moving to japan gave me some great material

"He wants to know if we'll come to a party at Dan Aykroyd's house"
tuesday

visited indie
ordered thai food with laura while sitting in unfortunate LA traffic
turned down party at dan aykroyd's for our old haunt the dresden--saw jan,the man who works for skechers and offered me a pair, had a photo shoot before we left, all the regulars were there. including the 60+ woman who wears a bleached blonde wig, comes with a 20-something male "assistant," and always makes you wonder if she'll get through her song: "step right in, sit right down."

Dan. Jan.

"We did well"
wednesday

xmas eve
mike schmer came to glendora, bless him
we ate lunch at Maria's, which cost $8 total, to which mike said the above quote
went shopping at active where my brothers work; ended up buying them things they "had to have"

"I feel sorry for all the kids who got bikes for Christmas"
thursday

xmas day--did the traditional pass out gifts and open them under the majestic christmas tree
it was raining all day, so my dad quite naturally thought of the boys and girls who got new wheels

"Gudasai"
friday

cousin alex arrived!!!!
we ate at maria's (again) and the waitress asked me what "gudasai" meant. i told her "kudasai" means please and she insisted the word was "gudasai" and it means "strawberry." she said "ok, what's the word for strawberry?" and I said "ichigo" and she said "what can i get you girls to drink?"

"I brought my own ice skates"
saturday

went ice skating with alex, justin and mike. mike brought his own skates. what a loser

"Just like the sun, I never take a day off. L.A. city, ye-yeah!"
sunday

jet rag shopping with pat and alex yesssssss
lunch at blu-jam cafe, which was the best meal i've had in a long time
a man on bicycle rode by us and shouted the above

“So did you have to get used to sleeping in a tube?”
monday

went back to indie to have lunch at loteria with people, was asked the above question by an unnamed staff member. i think he was referencing japanese capsule hotels, which are used by businessmen and have small, tube-like sleeping quarters.
LA traffic 4-630pm=bummered

“Careful, Tom. Your Glendora is showing”
tuesday

a FEAST with family minus pat at CPK
looked out the window of the restaurant to see two women holding hands, tom said "lesbooooooossssss" and i said the above quote
got a massage, which was soooooooo great (thanks mom)
watched There Will Be Blood with tom in new home theater

"The captain says there will be 20 minutes more of turbulence and it will be hard"
wednesday

What did you all do for New Year’s? I know some friends had gigs and others had parties and still others intentionally made little to no plans at all. Here’s mine:

Start.
[4.5 hours into the flight, 20 minutes into the religion-inducing turbulence] After a 4-minute Japanese announcement, the English came:
“The captain says there will be 20 minutes more of turbulence and it will be hard. Please keep seatbelts fastened and stow your things under the seat. Our plane passed the International Dateline 15 minutes ago. Happy New Year.”
End.
I’m not easily shaken, but when I feel a hand is reaching from the clouds and shaking our 747 airplane about quite easily, the “what if” game is inevitable. I thought, “You know, I should leave some words in a document on my laptop, just in case it should survive.” Then I decided that a laptop would never survive a dive into the Pacific Ocean, but perhaps a waterproof laptop case is something someone should think about offering—maybe call it the Just In Case. All this thinking at high altitudes was taxing, so my ultimate course of action was to take a nap.

22.5 hours of travel total

the things that phase me

2009-01-04T00:59:00.001-08:00

I hope I never grow too old for phases.

Like the buy-one-get-one-free mango boba phase,

or the Jamaican soul phase,

or the Eastern European literature phase,

or the jelly shoes phase.

I hope when I’m eighty I’ll have a classic car restoration phase, or a Mork and Mindy reruns phase (which will by then be nearly a century old! eek!).

***this post is dedicated to bernadette matthews who, if we're lucky, will for forever be daily phased by both the largest and smallest of things***

i'm sorry

2009-01-03T03:08:00.000-08:00

i'm really behind on posting. i have a week's worth of half-finished posts that i keep putting off completing. until then, here's my new favorite song:

sin fang bous: advent in ives garden

enjoi<3

America: land of the beach babes

2008-12-25T16:47:00.000-08:00

Someone told me the most Googled image this week was "obama shirtless," so I went ahead and checked it out. This led me to numerous celebrity gossip blogs, which are proving they can look beyond weight loss and rehab to the real political issues. I liked this one on What Would Tyler Durden Do?:

The next post took a real turn in subject matter--Lily Allen topless at the beach. We'll go ahead and post a picture of that too.

The title is "Lily Allen is cool," because apparently she looks TERRIBLE topless, but good for her for being secure with her body! Not anymore...

a short, semi-autobiographical story

2008-12-15T03:31:00.000-08:00

10:09 p.m. Twenty minutes until it’s socially acceptable to excuse ourselves from the party and catch the last train. It’s only been a half hour since we’ve sat down, but I’m already beginning to lose my keen edge. I stare, half-listening, into my half-drunk glass of wine, wiping away the cool beads of sweat with my thumb. A nervous glass of red among a sea of beers.

“Amy—watch this!” shouts Ben, turning to the others. I indulge him, taking my eyes off the smudged glass, and turn to the far end of the table.

“Who do you pray to?”—did Ben really just ask that question in the middle of our Christmas party?

Specimen #1, taken by surprise, quickly shoots his finger toward the sky.

“OK, so that’s God. Who do you pray to?” he asks accusingly, pointing to Specimen #1’s neighbor, Specimen #2.

“Well…” she says, searching for a one-word answer to humanity’s most difficult question, “Jesus…”

“Jesus!” cries Ben. Now it’s up to Specimen #3 to complete the holy trinity, reasserting Ben’s homespun theological premise.
“Who do you pray to?”

Specimen #3, knowing she has less than ten seconds to answer before an interruption from Budweiser Ben (a name coined after he sunk the long shot in the 2005 beer pong championship), she quickly begins to explain her spiritual connection with departed family members.

“Well, the spirits of my family are imp—”

“Ancestors!” Ben barks, his voice booming on account of three favorable answers and four glasses of beer. “See?” he says turning, triumphant, back to me. “Ask any Japanese person who they pray to and you get a different answer.”

The nomihodai (“all you can drink”) focus group’s findings are in agreement with Ben’s theory. Ten months and who knows how many beers later, Ben has single-handedly cracked the code of Japanese spirituality.

“None of them can agree. You know how it is in the U.S.,” he says, appealing to my American roots. “You can ask anyone who they pray to and they’ll give pretty much the same answer. But here they say something different every time.”

“Is that so bad?” I ask, reminded of college philosophy debates.

“Well, how old are some of the shrines that you see on every fucking street corner?” He pauses to raise a finger heavenward, mimicking Specimen #1. “And in that long they can’t figure out who they’re talking to ‘up there’?”

So the question remains: to hope you know and risk being wrong—is this better than realizing you don’t know anything at all?

I close my eyes and nod to acknowledge Ben’s heated rhetorical. Then, lifting the smudged chalice to my unworthy lips, I take communion for my brethren. I pray for all the lost peoples of Japan, that their unanswered pleas will be found floating outside the space between heaven and hell. For Specimens #1 through 3, that they will someday be so enlightened as to streamline the nomenclature of their devotion. But most of all I pray for Budweiser Ben—may he be forever blessed with his most insular wisdom. I pray this all in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirits. Amen.

save the whales

2008-12-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

After this I’m going to volunteer on a boat and save the whales!

“Monkey-wrench a bulldozer and they will call you a vandal. Liberate a coyote from a trap and they will call you a thief. Yet if a human destroys the wonders of creation, the beauty of the natural world, then anthropocentric society calls such people loggers, miners, developers, engineers, and businessmen.” –Paul Watson

kasuga shrine

2008-12-01T18:04:00.000-08:00

there's a shrine down the street from me, so today i went to the park then visited the shrine on the way back.

a cat that i'm fairly sure is the incarnate of a holy person.

it feels like Christmas today

2008-11-30T23:49:00.000-08:00

Today I emerged from my apartment and 7:30 pm only to walk to SATY (like a Japanese Target) to buy Sister Act 2. Came back home, made guacamole, watched the singing nuns (glorious) and went to sleep again.

I surprised myself last night when I referred to California as “California” and Japan as “home.”

jenni and katie sing the hits

2008-11-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

diminishing decorum: a photo documentary

THE ARRIVAL

ONE A.M.

TWO A.M.

THREE A.M.

FOUR A.M.

FIVE A.M.

SIX A.M.

SEVEN A.M.

the answer to the weight problem in america

2008-11-25T02:37:00.000-08:00

the american food pyramid
six groups:

the japanese food pyramid
five groups:

which group is missing? why, the one recommending fats, oils, and sweets, of course!

kego park christmas lights

2008-11-24T22:18:00.000-08:00

i'm a sucker for christmas lights and fake snow. kego park offers an abundance of one of these things.

to see my family <3

2008-11-24T20:25:00.000-08:00

I know I told a couple of people at home that my goal was to be on a Japanese game show. Well, this weekend I got one step closer. I was on some sort of TV show. All I did was stand there with my answer card…they gave me a packet of tissues as a gift.

The question: What do you want for Christmas?

Here’s what I really wanted to say, but couldn’t fit on the card:
1. Make a Japanese dinner for my family
2. Peach Towers party
3. Visit Indie
4. Bingo at the casino with Mike S
5. That Mexican restaurant Zamorah took me to for my birthday
6. Jet Rag Sunday sale/Fairfax flea market
7. The Italian place Mauro and I found in Silver Lake
8. Life Plaza with Laura
9. Snuggle with Zoe

hakozaki shrine

2008-11-23T23:34:00.000-08:00

there's a flea market in front of this shrine once a month! i bought a present for my mother!

ikaaaa maniaaaa

2008-11-23T02:02:00.000-08:00

went to Karatsu today for what turned out to be quite an interesting meal

first i got caught

then we took pictures of the scenery while waiting for our table

anna's super nice parents and i framed by worsening weather

a row of squid. i will never see so much squid as i did today.

market

a cartoon character spin-drying squid. naturally.

the sights. the tourist boats were shaped like squid, just in case anyone hadn't gathered what the main attraction was.

inside the famous ika (squid) restaurant. the squid live in the middle there.

the main attraction. my face says "oh shit, when this picture is finished i'm going to have to try this."

inside the boat you'll see strips of raw squid atop two live squid for decoration. one of them kept grabbing anna's chopsticks when she went in for the sashimi. there was something heart wrenching about his efforts to defend his fellow mollusk. those two guys were later made into tempura. R.I.P.

karatsu castle

200 years ago a prince beheld his kingdom from this very balcony

now it's just anna + me + a coin-operated viewfinder

tomorrow we go to the flea market!!!!!!

nomihodai in kurume...again

2008-11-23T01:46:00.000-08:00

my saturday night:

i guess haruka and i had a photo sesh

i'm really sorry for posting this... but every time i see it i laugh. she's like a wild animal!!!

horrible quality but you just can't retake a photo and expect to capture the same enthusiasm

We regret to inform you that the C.A.C. cannot authorize your cover request at this time.

2008-11-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

I'm listening to a Michael Buble sort cover Eleanor Rigby, syncopating it beyond recognition--and if that wasn't enough, there's also a sax solo.

I'd like to begin an organization called the Cover Appropriations Counsel in which musicians must apply for approval to record a cover of any given song. Live disasters will not concern us. Only those which can be played over and over in coffee shops and supermarkets.

Our creed:
We at the C.A.C. aim to improve the sonic conditions of our world by protecting the general public from inharmonious and generally deplorable cover music.

We will hand out magnets that say "We've got you covered" in front of supermarkets and shopping malls.

cocoa/winter/banjo/peanut butter

2008-11-19T20:01:00.000-08:00

Woke up to someone's half-drunk hot cocoa peering at me from under my coffee table. Was displeased. Yes, that’s right—there's a hot/cold vending machine in my building, which dispenses hot cocoas at the exact temperature one would like hot cocoa to be. Jealousy's a disease.

Leaving work, I let out a great exhale and upon seeing that exhale in the air before me, I was let in on the news that winter is, in fact here. And I'm still without a proper coat.

I go through a great struggle each night as I leave work—to Sunny or not to Sunny. You see, this very convenient and well-stocked 24 hour grocer is just steps away from my building and if I'm lucky I'll find a lovely pumpkin salad. The trouble lies with the Christmas music—I'm relatively sure they loop exactly three Christmas songs—and the fact that I find myself humming one of these three choice Christmas songs when I return to my apartment. I feel it's worth mentioning that one of these songs is a banjo rendition of "O Come All Ye Faithful." And if that sounds cool, it's not.

Even the packaging is more polite here. The wrapper of my little peanut butter sandwich puffs (do not recommend) says, “This snack contains peanut butter made from peanuts of good quality. You can enjoy it as is or after toasting it light.” Why thank you!

self-actualization

2008-11-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

Today I brought up Maslow's hierarchy of needs to explain to my friend why she should quit her job and I felt like such a tool afterwards.

Dyed my hair yesterday. I'll post a picture when I figure out a way to take a picture of my new hair without looking like a girl who takes photos of her new hair and posts them online.

foreign correspondence

2008-11-17T19:59:00.000-08:00

Today my mother informed me that the local butcher reads my blog. So Nick, if you're reading this, I'm not really down for the meat but I would love to sample some o' dem gourmet cheeses you're hiding in the corner fridge. See you at Christmas.

what then shall we choose? weight or lightness?

2008-11-10T19:52:00.000-08:00

Spoke to Michelle yesterday, which was quite nice. I was her birthday. 23… so young.

Let's not even talk about how Anthony's just barely hitting 21. What an embarrassment. It's a good thing I’m cheap—otherwise the parking lot pre-parties would not fly.

I gave a friend “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” (probably my favorite novel) for his birthday and before I did, I attempted to reread the entire thing in one night. I was unsuccessful. However, I did get through the first 150 pages and in doing so stumbled, once more, on some interesting thoughts:

A single metaphor can give birth to love.

'Pick me up', is the message of the person who keeps falling

When the strong were too weak to hurt the weak, the weak had to be strong enough to leave.

mitte!

2008-11-09T04:10:00.000-08:00

harold and maude finally finished downloading and i'm elatedddddd

gaijin

2008-11-07T05:15:00.000-08:00

i finally found someone who expresses how i feel about tourism:
"If there is one thing more hateful than another it is being told what to admire and having objects pointed out to one with a stick."
Francis Kilvert

similarly, i'd like to take a moment to discuss the gaijin (foreigner) population of fukuoka. some friends pointed out that all the gaijin always look unhappy, and how true that is! i think most of them feel that by looking happy they reveal they are amateurs, because smiling is what tourists do. i probably look unhappy too, but not because i am. it's because i am doing any combination of the following things:
-trying not to get run over by a taxi while looking like i don't care
-figuring out how to say what i need to say in japanese as i approach my destination
-cursing the heels i have to wear to work while trying to remain graceful on cobblestone sidewalks

warning: politics ahead

2008-11-07T04:46:00.000-08:00

let's talk about prop 8 for a hot minute 'cause i'm all fired up. i know people living in california have probably had enough by now but chill out for a minute--it obviously wasn't enough if 52% of voters still think same-sex marriage is somehow going to infringe on their rights.

reading this article
i was disheartened by not only the results of the vote, but also the reminder of obama's stance on same-sex marriage: against the ban, for unions; but, against marriage and has said it's "not a priority."
LGBTs are openly discriminated against in the united states. don't ask, don't tell; not allowed to give blood; and i forgot to mention how HIV/AIDS is listed under LGBT issues on obama's site! what the fuck?! cooperative ignorance like this diminishes the "leaps forward" that all the papers and world leaders have been gushing about this week.

what a mess.

sign the petition to re-open the vote in california here

a funny side note--if you'd like to contact the author of the petition, her email is:
break.danse.not.hearts@gmail.com

let's all take a minute to soak that one in...

this one's for anthony.

san kyu very much

2008-11-02T23:03:00.000-08:00

i need to start taking pictures

dinner with haruka and aya was lovely. we ordered some "chiizu chiizu pizza" because we guessed that meant there were two kinds of cheese. the waitress brought out a small carafe of honey to put on top. there's always something...

last weekend i went to this gem of a store called Thank You Mart, which has a bunch of nonsense, costumey weird stuff and secondhand clothing. i bought a dress. i was supposed to be buying a halloween costume.
everything is 390 yen (about $3.90) and yesterday Anna explained the pun to me:
everything is 390 yen and in Japanese 3 is san and 9 is kyu, so "san kyu" sounds like "thank you," hence the name Thank You Mart. yesssss

if only in my dreams

2008-10-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

i'll be home for christmas
you can count on me

i've always loved that song, and now it's quite appropriate

12-21-08

i think i'll go to south korea one weekend in november. might be nice

the weekend of the third week of the tenth month

2008-10-19T23:17:00.001-07:00

Saturday night:
After work I went to a goodbye party for fellow American James in Kurume. A lot of students came, which I'm sure he appreciated. It was at an Italian restaurant which was quite delicious yet unfortunately expensive. I pointed out how beautiful our waitress was and was repeatedly accused of being a lesbian. Twas as if I'd never left...
Hung out with Paul afterwards, and confessed that I've developed a habit of drinking a half-size can of Asahi on the 20-minute walk from the station to his apartment. This kind of behavior illustrates the "no parents!" mentality I carefully crafted in college.

Sunday:
Watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which Paul warned was mediocre and Sam insisted was SOOO FUNNYYYYY. Paul- 1, Sam- 0.

That afternoon we went to a BBQ at Stephen's, which was pretty great. Their building has a patio on the roof with BBQs and plants and a great view of the city and lovely green hills dispersed between high-rise apartments.

The usual suspects were there (a.k.a the entire British population of Fukuoka-ken and their respective ladies), including Anna, Stephen and Naomi's daughter who is gorgeous already AND bilingual. Anna was playing the Japanese version of one of those hand-clapping sing-songy games that girls play during recess in grade school, and asked very publicly asked me to teach her an American version. Considering I can barely remember what I had for dinner two days ago, I was afraid I couldn't deliver, but was able to come up with something that passed as authentic, and luckily no other Americans were there to confirm or deny. I'd say the lyrics to the sing-song were around 30% accurate.

I'm picking up a few UKisms from hanging out with that lot, but I think I've introduced some new vocabulary as well. We're still working on the inclusion of "chill" as an adjective.

Monday:
Cafe with internet, the best Chai latte I've had in years and perhaps dinner in Tenjin later.

Many thanks to Joanne and Bob back in Glendora for sending Pirate's Booty. A real treat.

concave cake

2008-10-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

A dude fell asleep on me on the train the other day and I was so pissed! I usually would think it's funny, but I wanted to kill him

I was reading a book about English teaching games and one reminded me of a story I forgot to tell. It's the highlight of the birthday party I went to!!

Little Louis found a way to secretly sit on his birthday cake before we sang the birthday song, so when we all gathered around with candles lit, we were surprised to find we would be singing to a concave birthday cake. Precious.

peep diz

2008-10-14T23:43:00.000-07:00

today i received the following email from anthony:

who needs folgers coffee to wake you up in the morning when you've got diz pic?

haaaaaaaaaay.

i've confirmed that the photo is, in fact, on his nightstand. that boy is one of a kind. and i love him.

i also spoke to marian today for the first time in ages :)

jitensha of joy

2008-10-13T01:02:00.001-07:00

Today I finally relieved Paul of his extra bike and rode it from his apartment in the very hip Hirao, through a few cities and ended up at the park near my apartment. I think it was around 10 km and my puri puri oshiri (see previous post) is going to need to adjust to the firm seat. The park was amazing! It was really big and had trails and overgrown grass and a huge, hideous fountain. Of course I did not take pictures. I could barely keep the bike standing when I parked it because I had piled so much shit in the front basket.

Luckily, the only photo I found of the park features the ugly fountain:

May I just add a side note:
Whoever said "It's just like riding a bike" hadn't met someone as uncoordinated as I am. Every time I get on a bike I spend the first ten minutes refreshing my muscle memory. It's at the same time humorous and embarrassing.

Nader is quite quotable these days. As he signed off Gchat, he threw in this last piece of advice:
"And keep your complexity up because it matches your hair and your glasses."
Hahah what a treat.

Last night two boys made dinner for two girls and it was really sweet of them and delicious as well. A really nice evening.

dexterity

2008-10-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

One thing that's beginning to bother me is how many Japanese people I meet act completely surprised that I can say "nice to meet you" in Japanese or that my fork-clutching fingers are dexterous enough to handle chopsticks. I know they're just being polite and encouraging, but after two months it begins to feel a bit patronizing. Nader just called it the soft bigotry of low expectations. I think that might be the way to put it.

Halloween is on our minds, and if a certain shopping excursion for yellow galoshes goes as planned, I will appear as the famous Anpanman at the company Halloween party. Please see picture for further explanation:

a lesson in leaving

2008-10-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

Today's lesson, children, is: Check The Train Schedule Yourself, with supplementary reading on the topic of Industriousness.

I went to Kurume for dinner with fellow teacher James because he's leaving GEOS soon, and we had dinner and drinks with some students, which was pretty great. One of the students kindly offered to check the time for the last train to my town, which was much appreciated. I trusted he was good with schedules because he's in the Defensive Force and once swam 10km. Last night this logic made sense. You might have already guessed where this story is going, and you are partly correct.

I did manage to catch the last train (I ran, of course), but it stopped quite a few stops away from my destination, which was unfortunate to say the least--especially since I had just used my last yen on the train ticket and plastic is not widely accepted in this country. I glanced around the platform, stunned, and saw a young Japanese fellow staring baffled at the train schedule--more importantly I saw opportunity. I used my broken Japanese to ask him what city he lives in and pointed out that his mistake was using the weekday time schedule on a Saturday. I found out he lived close to my town and felt the gods smiling upon me. He kindly offered to pay for the cab back to our area, and when we got there he also offered to pay for dinner. Seeing as I had just come from dinner and had just met this guy, it wasn't in my interest to go. Feeling somewhat indebted and a little interested in the strange turn of events, I went along. He was perfectly nice and we (he) feasted at a local izakaya. Luckily his English was as good as my Japanese, so the conversation was fixed at surface-level. At around 2:30 am I wandered home and wondered--should I make this a one-time thing? I decided it would be wise.

Word of the week (and probably of the year):
puri puri- two meanings
1) fresh seafood
2) used to refer to a tight ass, as in "puri puri oshiri"

no spiders were harmed

2008-10-11T23:31:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to really like my apartment.

Today at work in Kurume there was a humongous spider--we're talking Jeff Corwin, Man vs. Wild, the size of my hand arachnid--and I asked James to please take care of the matter. He ended up being too scared and I had him fetch me an umbrella and an empty trash can and McGyvered my way to safety. I told James I would keep his cowardice between him and me, but it will be ages before he remembers to read this and by then my position as Katie the Courageous will be secured.

the apple of my eye

2008-10-06T01:02:00.000-07:00

mikuru and i hung out yesterday
we drank coffee while watching the rain and talking about the meaning of life, then we went to korean food, and then a pub:

the beer bottles weren't intentionally included... give us a little credit.

after missing her last train by 40 minutes, we barely made the last train to my apt, where she became an unexpected visitor in an embarrassingly sloppy little apartment. sorry, mikuru...
anyone who knows me from home (ahem, Bernadette) knows how difficult it is for me to keep up with tidying my living space.

today i went to the apple store to get a new part for my computer charger after breaking my original charger through a poorly executed kick in the direction of my outlet. unintentional and stupid, but luckily it only cost me 840 en (around $8) to replace. the trip to the apple store began very innocently but soon became a journey when i traveled around 30 minutes by foot PAST the store. everything looked so far away on the map! anyway, i can't really be blamed. the store was hidden away, making it nearly impossible for any normal human to find:

even though the detour was not exactly what i had hoped for, i did stumble upon a bookstore/gift shop that i remembered from Osaka, and spent a good amount of time traversing the piles of nonsense they have in store for anyone who dares to brave the 7 kinds of music they have playing simultaneously. i also got a cheap yet kawaii poster for my apartment. hooray!

may i just add that mikuru is so wise... she's like my sage. but she drinks beer and refers to me as a character from Treasure Island, so not exactly.

sam

2008-10-06T00:39:00.000-07:00

my friend sam looks just like hugh grant

can you believe it?

rednow eivets

2008-10-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

Anthony just sent me a photo he took that he said reminded him of me. Obviously--we went to that show together! We had such a good time

I'm trying really hard not to make fun of this picture, though

bummered

2008-10-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

I really feel like my instinctual compass has yet to reset to my current location. For this reason, I feel ill at ease with decisions that would normally feel quite natural and appropriate.

Someone said, "My art is unclassifiable." I agree.

Rumors of friend visits are brewing and it would be really nice to see someone who really knows me.

Today Laura and I discussed that looming loneliness is far more daunting than the moments when you're actually alone. Choosing to be alone is actually quite a nice feeling. Still, I'm starting to feel the one-month blues. I'm still deciding whether it's due to external or internal forces. All I know is that my step's lost a little of its usual bounce today.

The cafe I'm in just turned its radio to the English channel, presumably because I just got here. Just when you think you're striking out, someone tries to give you a little something and it always seems to be just enough. Here's hoping the bounce is restored tomorrow.

lazy day

2008-09-28T23:43:00.000-07:00

Slept in after the romp through Tenjin with students last night. Watched Extras with Paul. Dinner with Haruka who's the greatest.

welcome party

2008-09-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

Only 4 low-qual pictures of the night, plus 2 sheets of crazy purikura (photo booth ) pictures, which I have no way of posting unless I happen upon a scanner. Just imagine a group of Japanese students, me in the middle, lots of bright colors, and a liberal amount of hearts and sparkles around the edges. That ought to give you a good idea. Oh, and one has a cartoon monster—which is supposed to be eating us—in the background. Yep, that’s it.

toshi posted billz:

The place was pretty great. Reggae themed and we sat up in a little loft area. Think top bunk.

Karaoke for dessert

on my mind

2008-09-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

I have a bank account! The experience was surprisingly difficult. Not that it should be easy for an English speaker to open an account in a generally non-English speaking country. Surprising because I should have expected problems and did not. After all, I had with me a fluent Japanese speaker and bank account holder, Misa. They would not allow her to write my address in kanji on the application form, thus rendering her somewhat useless. She was able to explain my account's 5 million yen limit, which shouldn't be a problem.

We went back to Kurume school after a good 45 minutes of simple account opening. I ate the last chocolate in the box--not because I was really in the mood for chocolate (rarely, actually), but because I just couldn't stand that no one would eat it. "It's very Japanese, I hate it," Misa complained. "Well, then allow me!"

The train smelled like wet dog on the way home. A real treat.

I have created a list of very doable excursions that I would like to finish by Christmas.
It goes as follows:

Karatsu Kunchi Matsuri--Nov 2-4 festival (the pictures look like great fun!)
omoshiro-ichi--Dazaifu flea market (a flea market next to a shrine?? delightfully sacrilegious!)
Tachiarai Heiwa Kienenkan--small WWII memorial museum
Narita-san--climbable Buddha in Kurume (I feel it's my duty to find out exactly how this works)
Hiradoshima Issho-raku--400 year-old erotic drawings (a friend now refers to it as "ancient smut," but I would like to check it out)
Nagasaki--in December there's a Dutch area that apparently decorates a ton of huge Christmas trees... my friend Anna showed me pictures and it looks fantastic! Alex... want to come with? You're like Dutch n shit, right?

Autumn leaves

2008-09-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

I woke up today and it was autumn. So lovely.

There was this girl named Autumn who I knew when I was younger. She was not very nice and prone to cold sores, which significantly reduced her eligibility for long-term friendship (sorry.) We used to swim together at the public pool near my house and I distinctly remember one day when we were practicing back dives into the deep end. Our conversation somehow led to my full name (Katelyn) and she made fun of me for it, and I actually felt bad. And her name was Autumn. And she had cold sores! Why did I let her make me feel bad, especially about a name as neutral as "Katelyn"? That summer, I began to learn that some people try to make other people feel bad just so they feel a little better about themselves. And I might add that my back dives were superb that year.

I just made eye contact with someone inside the coffee shop across the street. That was strange.
There's also a girl who's constructed an entire beauty salon on her table outside the window I'm sitting by. We're talking multiple hair brushes, magnifying mirrors, and multiple bags of sparkley shadows and gooey lip balms. I'm quite certain that the 20 plus minutes of preening I've witnessed so far have left her looking exactly the same as when she began.

aso long weekend

2008-09-23T23:47:00.000-07:00

i went to mt. aso with fellow teachers/friends this long weekend and it was beautiful.

this Walt Whitman line was in my head the whole weekend. it's the answer to the question, "what is grass?":
"I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff woven." how beautiful

andy packed light...

the place we stayed. called "pension boy" and endearingly referred to as "the boy." the owner was a huge beatles fan and piped it through the entire establishment during waking hours. he made us breakfast which included freshly baked bread and it was pretty wonderful.

the view of a volcano steaming after a long hike to an abandoned research lab (please no questions)

yoko sensei, mikuru sensei and i on a mossy bridge on the way to the abandoned building

andrea yelling at paul for something , clearly relaxed after an hour in an onsen (hot spring)

tourist stop against beautiful scenery

sun setting on a shrine

my secret garden

largest caldera in the world. it sounds pretty significant, but i found it really difficult to get into because i learned what a caldera was in transit to the marvel.

me and the caldera

in the general vicinity of the caldera. i sat here thinking for a good while.

the picture takes the person

the angriest can i've ever seen. rough translation: don't throw your fucking cans in this fucking drain!

a very merry anniversary

2008-09-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today is officially the one-month anniversary of arriving in Japan. To celebrate, I overslept.

sunday bloody sunday

2008-09-15T03:05:00.000-07:00

Here again at Seattle’s Best in Tenjin using internet and dreaming of the day when I can communicate like a modern girl (i.e. when I get internet at my apt AND a keitai). I’m meeting Paul and Sam for Mexican food (should be interesting—I have the fattest craving) in about a half hour, and it’s taking all of my self-control not to eat a green tea muffin at this coffee shop. They warm them and everything!
Yesterday I went to a birthday party for an adorable seven-year-old child I'd never met, whose father was the brother of a fellow I’d met just once. Paul brought me, but needless to say, there were a lot of new faces. The birthday boy Louis has Down’s, which I wasn’t expecting, and it was a bit emotional for me at first because of Rosemary. Rosemary is my aunt who died last year, and she also had Down’s...I started to get a little misty, but I didn’t say anything, because there’s a time and a place. I did like that Paul didn't “warn” me about it, like Down’s is something you need to prepare people to come in contact with.
It was really nice to go to someone’s house and hang out like a normal person, although the crowd was still not quite like home. There was a Scotsman, a few Australians, an Englishman, a Chinese professional badminton player, and an American who wasn’t really helping my image.
I got the third degree both from the womenfolk and the men, separately, as if they were making a conscious effort to prolong my anxiety. All the other “adults” were couples, and I came with the entire group’s honorary younger brother, so it was to be expected, and they were all very nice. Well, maybe except when one fellow got a little drunk and started hounding me about how Americans don’t know about the world. His triumph came when I could not articulate Papua New Guinea’s geographical location. Satisfied by reinforcing the generalizations he’s come to love, he went back to the men’s table to discuss the new Lexus coupe and the appropriate number of fingers to shove up a woman’s ass. He actually was a cool guy, but I couldn’t help but be disappointed by the assumption that I’m “one of those Americans.” After the birthday party chilled out (maybe 12 am), my favorite Aussie Jay and his wife were up for some karaoke, so the four of us went. The following are the only pictures I have of the entire day’s events:

paul y yo

paul singing a u2 song that someone accidentally punched in

so hilarious... jay singing his heart out while his wife sleeps

today and this weekend

2008-09-11T23:42:00.000-07:00

I pondered the significance of today's date more that I would have expected, and wondered if it crossed anyone’s mind over here. Surreal.

On a lighter note…(well actually, not really)
I haven't been eating much and I think it all caught up with me today…
11 am (home) pancakes
2 pm (supermarket) soba noodles and coffee
3 pm (Kasuga school) some tofu from this amazing boutique-type lunch store I've been eyeing since I got here and finally tried
6 pm (Kurume school) the rest of the tofu
10 pm (train station) 2 donuts by recommendation of Haruka—thanks a lot. And—this just in—Japanese donuts much tastier than American donuts
11 pm (apt) leftover pasta—this is really the kicker after the 2 donuts

It might not sound like so much (or maybe it does), but I've been eating maybe a soba noodle per day, so I really went for it this Thursday.
I'm really looking forward to this weekend, and the week is going by quickly, which is even better.

In the works: wedding crashing, 7-year-old's birthday partying, vegetarian restaurant scoping. Yip yip.

Japanese phrase of the day: o-mochikairi = to go (as in “for here or to go?”—used at Misuta Donatsu)
Haruka’s American English word of the day: bummer

good good good good day

2008-09-10T23:36:00.000-07:00

Today was a really good day. I don't have a lesson until 4 on Wednesdays, so the day starts off pretty chill (I get made fun of quite often for using that word over here). I think a major highlight was having a student do a complete 180. My first lesson with her, she kept her cell phone out and kept checking it and being very obviously unhappy. And tonight we were talking and laughing and having fun with the other student in the class. Even better, they both came back to the school after leaving for the night to tell me they wanted to throw me a welcome party, which is such a really genuinely kind thing. I don't think I could have dreamt up a better turnaround. Today I also got to hear Paul fake an American accent again, which is always a treat. Good good good good day.

Here's the lobby of my school in Kasugabaru and my humble classroom (I effed up the rotating so just turn your head or something):

correspondence

2008-09-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

Japanese phrase of the day: Otsukaresama desu/deshita
Every work email begins with this and it means “you must be tired” or something like that. You greet and goodbye people with it, I think. Still working on when it's appropriate, but my co-worker Kiyo's been eating it up so far.

Been missin' the fam a bit. I like talking to them and I can't really, so I just have to save up everything I want to say and either can it into emails, condense it into phone conversations or preserve it til Christmas.

Spoke to Laura on the phone (finally) with the remaining few minutes on my phone card. It was so nice to talk to her since I had kind of a bummer day (Tuesdays are functionally my Mondays, after all). And of course there were stories to tell—one free Red Sox ticket, two naked neighbors, and three friends in Bostontown.

We all knew this would happen, but just in case you had any doubts, she's also kicking the ass of every classically-trained, music-reading, song-writing, fame-chasing, guitar-picking, musician-dating, piano-pounding singer in that place.

keitai blues

2008-09-08T01:03:00.000-07:00

I went to a wedding dress fashion show yesterday with my new friend Anna. We got in for free, and I didn't take pictures because I didn't care to. It was actually cooler than I anticipated. I'm a little frightened by the idea of a fashion show devoted to the "big day" because I'm certain every woman in that room pictured their day past or present. I don't even want to think about six months from now. I don't know how all the girlies do it.
I also decided later in the day that fashion might just be art for the unimaginative. When you think about it, there are some pretty damn artistic pieces, but the problem is that a functional element is required. That's what makes it fashion. And maybe I don't want something beautiful or interesting or provocative to be required to have sleeves. Just some bathtub philosophy, really.

Anna took me to get a phone (keitai), which was to be the highlight of the day. After about 30 minutes of back and forth from me to Anna to the store employee and back down the line with information about the phones, I decided to get one that lights up when you shake it. I just really wanted to go for functionality more than anything.

The wallet was out, my name (Keitorin An Surakku) was on the contract, the precious phone was in my hand, and then the news--"nearly legal alien" and "legal alien" are decidedly different, and I could not get a phone until I was a full-fledged legal alien. Effffffffffffff

Check out the phone that caused it all:

That screen opens up AND to the right. Again, functionality.

Great commerical featuring a zippy rendition of La Bamba:

dazaifu & futsukaichi

2008-09-03T12:23:00.001-07:00

His name is Paul. He's quite nice and we do nice things like walking and talking.
We went to the Dazaifu shrine yesterday, and after we’d had our fill of tourist spirituality, we walked 2 km to see the ruins of some government buildings, which turned out to be four circular stones in the middle of an overgrown field. Paul was very obviously disappointed, and I couldn’t help laughing. After the disappointment subsided, we walked the 2km back to civilization, found some snacks (I was actually starving but was being a girl about it and wouldn’t admit that to Paul) and caught the train to Futsukaichi. We very cleverly combined our limited knowledge of common Japanese phrases to get a taxi to an onsen (hot spring). That was an experience for me, considering you have to be nakey (men and women separate, of course) and the old Japanese women took a certain interest in my body type. It was pretty relaxing, I must admit, and I will most likely do it again. Maybe with a friend next time. Anyone?

spaghetti, apple juice and curb

2008-08-29T23:52:00.000-07:00

This is what I want—all that I want—after a day with two schools, six classes, three trains and an indecipherable note from my landlord:

spaghetti, apple juice and Curb

I got my first paycheck tonight!!! But I don"t have a bank account so I have to figure out how to actually get my yenz. Time for the weekend!!!

Yayayayaayyyyyyyy

follow the yellow brick road

2008-08-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

Neither Glendora nor West Los Angeles is identified with vast
farmlands and frequent tornadoes. Still, during the past week—in the
smallest of ways—I've realized the worn-out quotation applies: "We're
not in Kansas anymore."

I braved my first solo izakaya experience… that is to say, I went to a
place with Japanese food and beer by myself late on a weeknight. And I
partook of the local fare. And I did it all in Japanese (so proud).
And I couldn't help but wonder why I was positioned at the bar in the
exact seat where the entire kitchen staff could stare. I'd been
wondering if I'm stared at as much as I think I am (I do live in a
small-ish town after all), or if maybe I think that normal glances
must be purposeful, because I'm so clearly foreign.

Either way, the kitchen staff very obviously crooked their necks to
catch a glimpse of how exactly I was ordering off the non-English menu
and whether I used a flurry of gestures. I ordered an omelette dish
because I was starving and knew they would top it with pizza sauce,
which sounded delicious. They served the modestly-sized omelette on a
designated family-style plate and I felt a little silly because I was
just one girl who was fairly certain she needed no family help to
finish the food.

I returned home to find that, for some godforsaken reason, the little
box near the stove that (I believe) controls my gas power was shouting
at me in Japanese every five minutes. I had no idea what she was
saying, but it sounded important. So, like a true escapist, I drew a
bath and shut the door to the kitchen. For those of you who don't
know, baths are my cure-all.

As I waited through the high-pitched Japanese instructions, the bath
was just about the only thing that resembled my Kansas. I read my book
like I always did, calculating the importance of its words in my life.
And after I felt a satisfactory amount of the day's toxins had escaped
my body, I opted to go to bed—shouting kitchen and all. Employing toes
still slippery with soap, I yanked the plug from the drain and brought
it closer to my face, curious to read the brand name on the stopper.
"TOTO."

zzzzzz

2008-08-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

Why can’t I sleep??

nichiyoobi

2008-08-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

That's one week living in Japan. It went by really slowly--but not in a negative way. I work a lot, but most know I like working a lot, and if I didn't I would find a second job (and probably a third) anyway. Today we (Fuk area teachers--maybe eight of us) went to a beach in Nishijin area. I don't know what the beach was called, but it was beautiful. Not really what I expected a Japanese beach to look like, although I'm not really sure what I imagined. See for yourself:

The islands in the distance are my next adventure after Nagasaki this upcoming weekend.

I think the chapel is what threw me off from the Japanese beach I had imagined. The Speedo-clad fellow is not posing. He was stationed in that position for quite a while and was purposefully included in this photograph.

My new desktop picture. Photo credit: Andrea

2 gaijin and a sunset

Dinner at Ten Ten near Andrea's house. The sign for the restaurant featured a cartoon of people wearing turbans and standing next to camels, so we assumed the food would resemble Middle Eastern food. We ended up with two bowls of Italian pasta. To start they gave us little bowls of what we decided was some sort of sea vegetable. The flavor was great, but we couldn't get past what Andrea called the "hair in the drain" consistency.

Me and my goop

PURE BUT SEXY

2008-08-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of my Saturday night. We went to curry (British people just use curry as an all-inclusive term for Indian food), then 4 of us girlies split for a yukata party (bizarre--more later), and then we met up with everyone nearby. We stayed out until the trains started up again at 5:30. It was like self-imposed jet lag.

I love this. This particular performance was the only one that had anything to do with yukatas (casual summer kimonos). The other performances were breakdancing.... a lot of breakdancing.

Girls passing out candy and definitely not wearing yukatas

The drink tickets said "Mid Night Patty" (as opposed to Midnight Party)

There was a 30-minute make-up applying "performance" that we were not into. Please notice the title of the whole event--"PURE BUT SEXY"

Friend Satomi wearing her yukata and recording a performance. She really pulled off that yukata. Our friend Mikuru came too, but sadly I have no pictures of her. I really like her.

mokuyoobi

2008-08-22T00:10:00.000-07:00

My first day working at both schools--it's only on Thursdays and Fridays that I do this. There are three other teachers--1 Japanese--Haruka--she's super nice, and 2 "Native" teachers--James and Andy. J, A and I went to Magic Castle (the outside looks like an old carnival fun house, with ambiance set by paper maché-esque craggy rock). It cost 800 yen each for unlimited biiru, 2 kinds of food and an hour of karaoke. What a steal! Here are a couple photos:

Andy--I can't remember which song. The theme was '80s camp. James--he really went for it

suiyoobi

2008-08-20T23:58:00.000-07:00

All right--can I just say that I know what "gaijin" means (foreigner; literally "outside person") and I know when people are talking about me! I believe I'm one of the only gaijins in Kasuga, so I get a lot of *whisper whisper gaijin whisper gaijin*

Stephen (the Scottish expat with a friendly demeanor and a penchant for harsh Japanese phraseology) was my trainer again today. We went out for a smorgy dinner consisting of an omelette topped with spaghetti sauce, Korean chigae, potato salad (still figuring out how mayonnaise caught on here), "chips," and a suitable amount of nama biiru (draft beer). Stephen and I were accompanied by Kiyo, the Japanese English teacher at my Kasuga school and a prime example of "old Japan." Dinner is at 10 p.m. by the time work is finished. We're far away from the Americana table-side family watching the 6 o'clock news--although I'm not sure anyone does that anymore.

kayoobi

2008-08-19T23:22:00.000-07:00

The gas man came (hallelujah) and I had a really nice time listening to him explain the situation at length in Japanese and replying with a simple "Wakarimasen"-I don't understand. To help, he put me on the phone with a hopelessly persistent woman who also spoke no English and kept asking for my phone number. At the end he tried explaining that I'll be billed later for his services, using the American OK sign, which I later discovered was a gesture meaning "bag of money" over here. I just kept giving him the OK sign--whatever buddy. Whatever he did, I have hot water and a working stove, so I'm happy.

I met a Japanese girl named Anna on the subway. She approached me and asked if I spoke English and said we could help each other with languages. I'm all for it. So she's already emailed me and she's going to show me cool restaurants in Tenjin. This could end up being a good relationship. Japanese friends will be crucial if I am going to follow through with improving my Japanese conversation skills.

I'm still nowhere near unpacked, and I just got my suitcases yesterday. Honestly it feels like I’ll never be unpacked. I do have some cool ideas for decorating my apartment--highlights include local art and straw mats tacked to the walls.

getsuyoobi

2008-08-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

I went to the supermarket (supaa) today and watermelon is 1198 yen. That's $12!!!
My shopping experience was greatly enhanced by 2 things: 1) noticing the video screens with commercials hooked to the shelves in supermarkets and thinking about how silly that was and 2) remembering the Japanese word for "apple" so I could order fresh juice from the little stand. So delicious.
I also found out my rice cooker sings the abc song when it's gearing up. What a treat.

I also spent the better part of my evening searching for an internet café in Tenjin. I look forward to being an expert on this city.

my apartment!

2008-08-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

I introduce you to: Royal Heights Kasuga. The most royal of them all.....

View from the entryway

Toire room. To the immediate right when you walk in.

Kitchen. Yeah, that's it. To the right, just after the toire room.

Shower room. On the left, opposite the kitchen.

Main room. The girl who stayed here before me kindly left her TV, soiled couch and the entire Dan Brown collection. Oh yeah, and "How to Make Out in Japanese."

View from the sliding door back to the entry way

The view

Another view

just arrived

2008-08-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

Some facts about the next year:
• Once I get my alien registration card, if I leave the country I can come back through immigration as a Japanese citizen. I really like that concept.
• I teach 27 classes per week. That’s a lot of lesson plans. To the right is my schedule. Plz excuse the irritating time stamp
• I have one class of 3-6 year olds, which I’m pretty excited about. Lots of singing and dancing and game playing. And there’s a puppet named Rocky Raccoon. Beatles wa suki desu.
• I work at two schools, so 2 days a week I teach a morning class then go to Kurume school for afternoon to evening
• I can’t take any days off until 3 months into my contract (Oct 15)
• I was told the neighbors at my apartment will shower me with gifts when I move in
• I really want to go to Tokyo Disney, because the more I think about it, the more I think it would be nuts

Sapporo, sticky rice, and false starts Part II

2008-08-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

16:12
In Tokyo/Narita airport:
I just got to my gate for the connecting flight to Fukuoka airport, and I think my stay in Tokyo so far has been a series of small yet embarrassing mistakes. The one that really got me was when I bought a rice ball snack that needs to be unwrapped a certain way—I forgot how to do it and felt like a complete amateur. I have a feeling the next year is going to be one long string of moments like these.

Sapporo, sticky rice, and false starts Part I

2008-08-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

7:13 a.m. Japan time
On the plane from Vancouver to Tokyo:
I’m in hour five of the plane ride to Narita, only to be followed by a six-hour layover with a girl I’ve nicknamed Debbie Downer and a one-hour flight to Fukuoka. When all is said and done, I’ll have left Vancouver at 12:45 p.m. on Friday afternoon and arrived in Fukuoka at 10 p.m. Saturday night. The time difference allows me to live in the future, which will surely prove helpful for Lotto numbers and stock market projections. I don’t know why nobody thought of this before.

I’ve already watched two movies, attempted to read every piece of Japanese literature I could find (mostly unsuccessfully—shit), and failed in convincing the polite yet stern Japanese flight attendant that I deserved a vegetarian meal. She got hers, though, when that same flight attendant clumsily turned a half-drunk Sapporo into a traveling man’s Old Faithful, spewing beer and foam over a good five rows of the plane. Luckily, and not surprisingly, I belonged to one of those rows. In fact, I’d count myself in the top three most soaked persons, and have smelled like beer for four hours now. The older woman next to me did enjoy my insistence that I was not よっぱらい (drunk), even though I smell like it. I’m going to have a good time explaining the odor to my boss who’s picking me up from the airport, but I do have two things going for me: 1) I brought him an unusually large (think foot-long) bar of chocolate as his おみやげ (gift). I’m counting on Sam from the UK to be a real sweet tooth. 2) I meet him in 10 hours, and I’m thinking I can air out by then. On the up side, the explosion and subsequent disaster relief was an amazing waste of time. Plus, I just got a voucher for a ￥2000 (approx. $20) clean up of the dress that cost me one dollar. If you were with me right now, you’d see my eyes are lit up with yen symbols.

A girl from my group was bumped to business class and was nice enough to come visit my humble economy seat, educating my peasant self on the wonders of her new environment. “The meals are served on real plates!” Bitch.

I don’t sound relaxed, but I really am.

Next entry will most likely be from the airport during the layover or even an Internet café once I get to Fukuoka, since it seems Japan never really jumped on the Wi-Fi bandwagon.

<3
kt

vancouver arrival

2008-08-10T23:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first evening in Vancouver, and I must say this city is gorgeous. There are trees! And I can breathe the air! I have two roommates at the hotel who are very sweet, one of which is hopelessly devoted to the Olympic swimming races--so much so that our trip to the pub across the street was made not so much for a pint, but a peek at NBC on the flat screens. At this point, though, I'm up for any distractions--the alternative is picturing myself standing in front of a classroom of eager Japanese students.
After the pub, we girlies met up with the fellas in our training (nice, but sadly not contenders for the Japan romance) and compared notes on Japanese proficiency, preparedness for training, etc. and all realized simultaneously that we were sure we would be the individual who was least qualified. I couldn't help but think I was more prepared than I thought.
We left the pub, had a quick struggle with "to jaywalk or not to jaywalk?" in a foreign country, and got back to the room just in time for a few more swim races. Then to sleep. As I lay in my firm Ramada bed, I reveled in my surprising saneness over the whole thing, and just as I began to drift asleep, I realized my jaw was locked tight and my hands clasped close to my chest. I think they call that anxiety.

holiday--it would be so nice

2008-08-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

I leave tomorrow @ 2pm for Vancouver, then to Fukuoka on 15th Aug, and I'll most likely have a few minutes (12+ airtime hours) to write in transit. Until then, here are all my holidays so you can plan on visiting me! ayayyayay

September 15
September 23
October 13
November 3
November 24
December 23
December 28-January 4
January 1
January 14
February 11
March 20
April 29-May 5
July 21