Monthly Archives: January 2008

Moonwalking Kitties

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Zorro decided last night to walk across the top of the curtain rod. He got to the heater and then realized that he would have to make his way back and he couldn’t turn around. So…he ended up moonwalking back. Then once he was finished, Leo couldn’t be left out. He had to try it too.

Please note that I did not pick out these curtains. They came with the house.

moving backalmost there

This is not the first time he’s tried this. He used to do it in Washington, too. As you can see.

Curtain walking in Washington

Once he finished, we got Leo on tape.  And that’s my friend Shara’s voice in the background, if you were wondering.


Photo Sharing – Video Sharing – Photo Printing – Photo Books

Sickness

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Saturday night my friend Shara called me wanting a ride to the ER.  She has the chicken pox!  For the second time.  And I was fine until about a half hour after we got home and then I ended up with the stomach flu (or something).  It’s been an awful couple of days, but I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Shara, well, she’s still in bed.

We went on base today because she was told to come back for a re-evaluation.  Well…no one notified anyone else that we were coming back and so no one knew what to do.  Every time they needed to tell her something or get her ID card, they sent someone different.  We saw four different people in the thirty minutes we were there (all with different advice).  We stood in the foyer because she wasn’t allowed in the hospital because apparently she’s too sick.  They did allow me to go get her prescriptions, though.  Better to be exposed to someone who has been throwing up every 15 minutes for 6 hours straight than to someone with itchy bumps.  Not that I think one sickness is “better” than another, I just didn’t know that they had a level of sickness that they didn’t allow in a hospital.  Isn’t that where you’re supposed to go when you’re sick?

We’ve got bananas

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Since the English exams were nearing (they were this morning for many of my students) some company gave our school good luck presents for the kids. So the head of the school walked into our classroom about 10 minutes before the students arrived and handed the Japanese teacher and I each a bunch of bananas. He explained that they had many bananas left over this year and since the other teacher had already taken her bunch of bananas home, the bunch I held in my hands was mine and the one that she held was for the students. We finish the lesson and the kids start leaving and suddenly she realizes that she has forgotten to give the students their bananas. She picks up the bunch and streaks out of the room. About three minutes later she comes back, breathing very heavily and carrying one lone banana. “I got three of them,” she said. “Tomoko got away.”

Later two of my students were given their final prep. lesson since the test was the next morning. The Japanese teacher and I gave them a listening test by CD, so all I had to do was sit there, listen and give the correct answer. Here’s an example:

Woman: Excuse me. Where is the ketchup?
Man: I’m sorry, I don’t work here.
Woman: Oh, excuse me. I’m sorry.
Man: That’s ok!

Question: Where are they?
1. In the grocery store.
2. At home.
3. Driving a car.
4. At the circus.

You get the jist. This class has a boy and a girl and the boy is endlessly entertaining. He’s very concerned about how he’ll do and so after every question he looks at us to confirm if he’s right. If he’s wrong he’ll get up and pace or fall off his chair and make moaning noises. When he gets a question right he’ll strut around, crowing to himself. He’s the one who, when we were going over adjectives, kept pointing to the Japanese teacher and yelling, “old!” and “ugly!” and then pointing at me and yelling, “young!” and ” pretty!” It was all in good fun, although I’m not sure the Japanese teacher appreciated it all that much. He really is a sweetie though. And not just because he called me pretty. He always takes care to make sure that the shy girl in the class understands and is taken care of, too.

Leo’s in the printer again

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Leo loves the printer. He can be anywhere in the house, asleep or eating, it doesn’t matter. The minute the printer kicks on, he is sprinting through the house to get to the computer room. Then he sticks his face inside the printer. I usually then have to adjust him because he starts to ruin my print out. He’ll then rush to the back of the printer trying to see the paper go in…that way he’ll get it before it comes out. But, no luck and no paper back there, only some wires. Then he’s back to the front and the face goes back inside. I pull him out again and he sits for a second like, “I’m not doing anything, mom. I’m not sure why you’re watching me so closely.” Of course I can see him out of the corner of my eye so once I turn my head back to the screen, he’s sneaking a paw inside. He’s now trying to grab the ink cartridges as they shoot back and forth across the paper. I pull his paw back out and put him on the floor, but within seconds he’s back up on the desk and hunting the printer again. I really hate long documents.

Trying to grab the paper

Shopping

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The boat left yesterday so D.J. will be gone for awhile. To get my mind off of it, I decided to go shopping at Tokyo midtown again. I stopped at Dean & Deluca (ok, so it was the main reason I went) and picked up some yummy things to snack on. I wanted truffle oil and balsamic vinegar, but when I saw that they each cost about 6,500 yen (about $63), I decided against it. Instead I bought some raw honey and honey with wild strawberries, cheese and crackers, and some tomato sauce. I can’t wait to try some of this stuff. Ok, so I may have already stuck a finger in each honey jar and tried the crackers, but whatever. The crackers weren’t very good (more like thin stale bread than crisp crackers), but the rest has been nice. I also stopped at a bagel place and got an onion and chive bagel. Bagels are pretty rare here in Japan and I don’t think I’ve had one since I got here, so it was time.

Shopping

With D.J. gone the mornings are fine because he gets up so early to go to work, it’s totally normal to be alone. But, it’s really depressing when I get home from work at 6:30 or 7:00pm. That’s the time we catch up and watch our shows (we were watching Arrested Development again). We make dinner together and watch the cats chase each other. And when he’s gone…it’s just not the same. This deployment should be one of the better ones, though. He’s not gone very long and I’m going to try to meet him in Sapporo (northern Japan). I want to skiiiiiiiii!

I should tell you that I’ve only been skiing twice and that the first time didn’t go very well. The second time was to Mt. Baker in Washington and that was great and I felt very natural out on the slopes. But, the first time was in the Cairngorms in Scotland. It was cold, but raining and WINDY. The winds reached 80 knots by the end of the day so when we were trying to ski down the mountain, they wind was actually pushing us back up. I had taken the bunny slopes about three times when D.J. found a beginner path to try. Well…we got a little lost and ended up on an intermediate slope. It was a bit too advanced for me and I fell. I started to cry and wail, “I don’t like this, I wanna go home. This isn’t fun. I can’t get down.” And so we took off our skis and walked down the mountain. He thought it was pretty funny, but I wasn’t so amused.

Skiing 2005

Pizza

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We rarely get pizza, but tonight we decided to order some from the base. We had some trouble finding the phone number so D.J. called the main store to get the phone number for the one closest to us. The conversation went a little like this:

D.J.: “Hi, do you know the hours for the pizza store on the Ikego base?”
Clerk: “Yes.”
<30 seconds of uncomfortable silence>
D.J.: “The hours for the store on Ikego; what are they?”
Clerk: “Hello?”
D.J.: “What time do they close?”
Clerk: “Ten.”
D.J.: “Do you have the phone number for over there?”
Clerk: “Yes!”
<30 more seconds of uncomfortable silence>
D.J.: “Nevermind, I think we found it.”

Then when we finally got a hold of the pizza shop, he ordered the pizza and was asked, “What size would you like?”
“Well, what sizes do you have?”
“We only have one size,” was the reply.
So, D.J. was forced to answer, “Then I guess I’ll take that one.”

Busted

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I used the wrong trash area. A crime that should know no forgiveness, I know. What can I say? It was 20 degrees and they moved my trash area again (this being about the sixth time and it’s getting no closer, mind you). I got a call from our agent who got a call from the landlord (who lives a few blocks away and has no way of possibly seeing) who must have gotten a call from my neighbors. My agent set me straight though, “Oh Meekso-san, how are you? You must use your own trash area. That trash area near your driveway? That’s for new houses across from you. Not for you. You use the trash around the block. Main street. That’s for you.” I started to say that it was cold and that they moved the trash again and it was farther away and I got the same spiel. “That’s not for you. Only new houses on street. You use trash around corner. That for you.” Ok, ok. I get it. No explanations, no excuses. I get it. I have to walk three blocks in the freezing cold in the wee hours of the morning and not use the trash that’s three feet from my driveway, because my foreign trash might touch the people in the new houses’ trash.

We had a similar experience with Japanese neighbors soon after we moved in. We would let the Mini sit in the driveway to get warm for about five minutes before driving off. And we got another phone call from the neighbors to the landlord to the agent…that if we didn’t get our car fixed (it was too loud and smelly) that they would have to take “action.” Which means that they would go to housing and get us kicked out. Like they couldn’t just say, “I’m sorry, it’s very loud…perhaps you could refrain from allowing your car to idle in the driveway?” There was no first warning or request it was just if you don’t stop we’ll report you to the military, and they’ll come and make you behave. Believe me, before I was terrified of not being liked by the neighbors. Now even I’m afraid of leaving the car running for too long in the driveway after I’ve pulled in and parked. I always turn it off the minute I hit park. There’s no time to listen to the end of a song or take off my seatbelt. In. Park. Off. I’m also afraid of leaving our porch light on. We might bother someone with our light, and I get really annoyed if D.J. happens to leave it on after he comes in from grilling outside. I swoop in like a light nazi and berate him. “Why is this ON? You’re not outside. It doesn’t need to be on!”

I love Japan most of the time, but it’s times like this that I can only think…soon we’ll be back home in the states. Because at least when things annoy me, they at least make some sense to me. But then it gets me even more worked up because really…where is home, anyway? After all this travel and living abroad, I feel very separate and different from most Americans. And I’m separate and different from most military and from most Japanese and Spanish and Germans and Australians and Brits…and do I even have a home anymore? So (from my last post) I can communicate with just about anyone, but the question remains, do I really fit in anywhere anymore?

Communication

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I met up with Jocelyn yesterday for coffee in Zushi and had a really great time. It’s so rare for me to find someone I really enjoy talking to that’s married to someone in the military. I haven’t had much luck in the past so it’s always nice to confirm that they are actually out there. They do exist! After coffee we wandered up to the liquor shop and managed to find the blueberry liquor that D.J. and I enjoyed in Kyoto and she gave me an impromptu lesson in Sake. It was very enlightening and perhaps now D.J. and I can find some that we actually enjoy. We’ve tasted a couple different kinds and have agreed so far that everything has mostly tasted like lighter fluid. But, maybe now that we know the difference between the lower and higher quality stuff, we can taste some that we’ll want to bring back with us.

Then last night I had my two seven year old students. The second lesson is always hilarious because my student is so crazy (she’s a silly seven year old girl). I brought some games over and she really enjoyed playing them. Her mom usually takes part in the lessons and last night was no different. My student was saying how cute something was, so to be funny I said “cute” in Japanese (Kawaii). They were both shocked to hear any sort of Japanese come out of my mouth (I really don’t speak much at all) and then later I picked out the word “Junken” which is the game, rock, paper, scissors. They seemed really impressed at my knowing the words, and I think they believe I now speak much more Japanese than I do. I have to say though, that I can usually follow along with a conversation as long as I know the topic and what they might say. I listen for the occasional English word, watch their body language and look for cues that would indicate where the conversation is going. As a foreigner for four out of the past five years, I started to learn and use other ways of communication when I couldn’t use the language well. People are people and we all use the same mechanisms to communicate. It just takes some concentration and practice.

Teaching and translation

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I had two classes last night and I have to say that these particular classes make me feel very unhelpful. I love the Japanese teacher to death, but she spends so much of the class translating for the kids…I know they’re not really learning anything. When I took the job, I was warned of this. The American teacher whose position I took, told me that as long as I don’t care too much about whether these kids are learning anything or not, that I should be fine. Because they really don’t do these kids much service. But, it’s my language and it pains me to see these kids struggle to understand me when they really should have much more comprehension than they do. This was really evident today when we split the second class into two groups. I stayed in the classroom with two of the girls and we worked on vocabulary and adjectives while the other teacher took two boys into another classroom to work on studying for an English level exam that’s coming soon. So I’m in there alone and going over the same things that we always seem to be going over, and they just don’t get it. And I realize that they really don’t understand a word I’m saying because the other teacher isn’t there to translate everything. They must just completely tune me out knowing that they’ll get a translation after I stop talking. Yesterday was quiet and uncomfortable and I know I wanted out of there just as badly as those girls did. I’m not even sure I can say anything to the teacher because that really isn’t done here. This is her classroom and it would be considered extremely rude. I’ve got another year here, and I don’t want to ruin a good relationship.

But after that class I was able to come home and relax and watch some American Idol. I do enjoy it, and I enjoy watching it with D.J. (he hates it, but watches with me because I insist), but I could see this or the next year as its last. I think it’s about time.

Birthdays, kitty punches…you know, the usual

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I turned 27 on Saturday. Yea me. D.J. and I had planned on going to Tokyo that day, but it was cold and rainy so we put it off until Sunday. Instead we went to a pizzeria down on Zushi beach. I love that place. My favorite pizza there is sauceless with just cheese, prosciutto and rocket. It’s oven fired and oh so good. The rest of the day we just spent cuddled on the couch and vegging. Then Sunday morning I was minding my own business and sleeping when out of nowhere Zorro nails me right in the face. Um..he’s a cat. Why am I being punched in the face at 6:30 in the morning? He got me right in the mouth and split my bottom lip. I don’t know exactly how he did it, but when I opened my eyes, he had one arm stretched out at me and was staring straight at me like, “Oh hello, mum..you’re awake. Good. Is it breakfast time?”

Asakusa Jan. 13th crowd Asakusa Jan.13th

After the football game, D.J. and I headed for Asakusa. I wanted to get more daruma dolls and to get a good Italian dinner. Asakusa was PACKED. Oh my god. I know Tokyo is usually crowded, but it was truly crazy. We wandered the streets exploring for awhile and later ended up in Roppongi. We never found Italian that didn’t have the exquisite influence of the Japanese (what, with their delicious addition of hot dogs to spicy pasta) so we ended up in Tokyo midtown. It’s an expensive part of town (the mall is attached to the Tokyo Ritz Carlton) and got Indian instead. It was gourmet Indian. And I honestly prefer our T-Side, but it was good. We even stopped and bought some wine and other goodies at the Dean & Deluca. I had been a little upset that I didn’t get a cake or anything this year, but while we were at the gourmet shop, D.J. picked this up. Made me feel all better.

Birthday cookie