Walkathon in Kobe

Enjoyed a beautiful day in Kobe. OIS was 'partnering' with the Chamber of Commerce so a bunch of us from school went to the walkathon to show our support and to lend our assistance. While some of our team worked at the pumpkin decorating station, Jeph and I were 'marshalls' for the walk. What a riot. We were both positioned near the end of the walk and had the privilege of directing people to not walk off the pier. The course was pretty obvious, however, someone felt it was necessary to have folks at various stations, so we were more than happy to fill this very important role! :) Enjoyed the day on the pier and had the privilege of meeting two jazz performers, one from Detroit (he had an amazing voice!) It really is a small world!
This video of Jeph and Nina (with sister, Rhiana in the background) will remain one of my favorites of all time! Nina sure does love her "Uncle Jeph"!

Saturday, October 12, 2008

Woke up just in time to answer the call that the bunk beds that Jeph had bought from a fellow teacher were here. Jeph got them put together (see photo) and we are officially ready for visitors! I finally got unpacked and in doing so, re-organized the closets and dressers. Poor Jeph- it may take him a while to figure out where I put everything! I love Japanese closets- it is probably difficult to tell from the photo but they are extremely deep. They are made to house the futon during the day where they are folded and stored. Since we have a real bed, we have all the extra room for storage- it’s wonderful.
Today felt almost normal- while Jeph worked on mid-semester comments for his students, I cleaned the house and Jeph showed me how to work the washing machine and explained his hanging methods. We did two loads of wash and the clothes are currently hanging out on our balcony (see photo). I definitely have a new appreciation for a sunny, windy day!
Looking forward to going to church tomorrow and possibly touring around Osaka in the afternoon.

Wild Osakians

Second full day-

I admit I was kind of glad that I didn’t have to work today. I am still trying to figure out how to get my laptop to recognize the internet, but… am on my way to the 100 yen shop (similar to US dollar stores only they have EVERYTHING!!) to buy some hangers and a few items for the kitchen. My goal for today is to get unpacked and organized! I’m also thinking a nap sounds good. Maybe the traveling is catching up to me….

I returned from my shopping experience… what a riot. I’m attaching a few photos of what will soon seem ‘normal’!

A few impressions:
* I had forgotten how ill-fitting the Japanese wear their shoes- guess it makes them easier to slip in and out of. Many women and girls tend to be pigeon toed.. not sure why- maybe the shoes?

* There are some really interesting clothing choices- it seems that the most popular look includes knee high boots, short skirts, layered shirts, scarves, gloves and pony-tails. Quite unique!
* The plastic food displays are still outside of restaurants. When you receive your order, it will look EXACTLY like the display!
* I had forgotten how fun Japanese toilets are! You can select music, heat, spray angles and whether you need a small flush or large flush. So cool!
* Food seems a bit expensive- a head of lettuce was over $2, a small (mini) watermelon was $23 (I didn't buy one), corn on the cob was $1 each. Apples were $1.00 each as well. There were lots of items that I had NO idea what they were. I have to get adventurous.
* Today was beautiful, however, you will notice a few pics of women with umbrellas. They really don’t trust the sun!
A few firsts (am starting to think that Osakians really are radicals):
I saw a man carrying an umbrella- had never seen this before (except in the rain)
I also saw two different people (Japanese) cross the street against the red light. This truly is radical!!! And I saw it happen twice in one day!
I saw a piece of trash on the road! Unheard of!
I witnessed someone honking their car horn at someone who had pulled over and was therefore blocking the road. Again, this is wild behavior!


Well my day of shopping ended up being a bit more work than I had anticipated. I forgot that whatever I bought would have to be carried home! Opps! So.. I did a very un-japanese thing (I’m catching on to the osakain spirit!) I borrowed a wheeled cart and walked all the way home, unloaded my purchases and then had to walk all the way back to the station to return the cart! While I was back at the station, I picked up a few more items before finally returning home. It felt like I had just gotten back when it was time to run up to school to meet Jeph and to check email. We are still having trouble getting my computer to hook into the internet... frustrating, but hopefully we’ll get it figured out this weekend. On the way home from school, Jeph and I stopped at a grocery store and came home and made a full dinner- grilled chicken, potatoes, corn on the cob and a salad. It was quite a feat as we still don’t have a fully stocked kitchen, but it tasted great and I am well on my way to feeling settled.

My first full day in Osaka

October 9, 2008
My first full day in Osaka. (opps, I should mention our apartment. Jeph did a great job of getting our house all set up. I was so impressed!! It felt great to lay down in a bed (after being in a plane for a few hours) and I slept the entire night. I woke up and got dressed (be a little impressed as I hadn’t gotten completely unpacked the night before) and Jeph and I headed to school. It’s about a 20 minute walk (mostly uphill) to the school which was really quite a nice walk. The school is beautiful- it definitely does not feel or look like a Japanese school. The first thing that was weird was not having to change out of “outside” shoes to indoor slippers- for some reason, everyone just wears their same shoes inside and outside. Very strange!!! (it did make for a nicer, cleaner lobby area though!). Jeph showed me his classroom and then I met with Gwyn, the principal to find out where and what I would be teaching. Attached are pictures from the classes. The first class was 6th graders- very diligent and hard working. The second class were 8th graders.. they were a bit more chatty and I enjoyed some lively discussions. Both classes were science ones…. Yeah, I know! Thankfully, the teacher had left worksheets for them to work on. Whatever they didn’t finish was homework, which took a lot of pressure off of me. After my two classes, I again met with Gwyn and was delighted to be asked to sub a few more times over the next two-three weeks. I’ll actually be working all next week (a teacher will be attending a conference) and a few days the following week. I’m excited as it’s a fun way to get to know the students and the community while I look for other job possibilities. Am not sure how far I’ll have to look and/or how much I can do at OIS. One of my other new jobs will be babysitting for Gwyn and Kayoko! This will most likely be my favorite job! They have two daughters, Nina who is 2 and Rianna who is 8 months old. I’m thinking that my time with Nina will help my Japanese language acquisition more than anything as we are probably on the same level- well, no, she is way ahead- maybe I’m more on the level of Riana! Anyways, I am looking forward to hanging out with them.
After the two classes, I walked home and took a nap while waiting for Jeph to get home. We then walked up to the station (20 minutes the opposite way from school) where all the shops and restaurants are. For those of you who have been in Japan, we ate at Mosburger! It was awesome!! Tasted just like I had remembered. I got a teriyaki burger, a fries/onion ring combo and a M size (yes, medium, but they say S or M or L size) drink- for about $8. I marveled at the portion sizes… let’s just say that I could have easily eaten 4 of the above order, easily! The fries/onion ring combo consisted of 3 onion rings and 5 french fries. Just like the picture on the order form!!! Oh, Japan!!! The restaurant was at the subway station which was another 15 minute walk from the train station. The subway station is a much larger station which means more shops, more restaurants and more people. The restaurant was up on the third level, which had an outdoor entertainment area and we enjoyed sitting at a table outside listening to live music. It was really quite nice and it made us feel like we were on vacation!
One thing that I saw that I had never seen in Japan before was an older man with two dogs. One was sitting next to him, and other was on his lap. He showed them so much affection- petting, kissing and talking to them. I had never seen a Japanese man showing anything that kind of attention before. I also noticed that quite a few Japanese men were with their kids- either walking with them or pushing them in a stroller. I don’t know if this is an Osaka thing (Osakians are known for being somewhat radical/ie… western) or if this is just an example of how times have changed .. hard to believe that it’s been 6 years since we were in Sendai! Jeph and I walked home and thus ended my first full day!

Japan- a land of contradictions

October 8, 2008
Arrived in Narita and grabbed all three bags and headed through customs. It was funny how normal it felt… I appreciated Jeph reminding me how the whole process works. It was fairly uneventful.. except watching the three little Japanese guys try to pick up my bags! (yes, they were all overweight and probably weighed more than they did!) Through some creative body language, I tried to warn them of their excess weight- which in turn provided some entertainment for all! They were cute and we laughed and I was again reminded of the fun of life in a foreign land. I hope I can always find the humor of these moments as I enter into illiteracy! Once I got through customs- I headed for my ANA (Japanese airline) flight to Osaka. I wish I had a camera as the clash of extreme high tech meeting extreme low tech was apparent. There are tons of examples of this, but the scene in the airport was an incredible example. Here’s how it worked. As I sat in the boarding area, I watched as five flight attendants prepared for the boarding process. This sounds simple enough, right? Not so- I have to try to paint this picture so you can get the full affect. Above the registration desk area was a digital sign that listed the flight number, the time of boarding, the time of departure and partner airline logos. Really everything one would need to know. There was also a digital area that told how many minutes until boarding and reassured us that the flight was still “on time”. Great. What happened next is the best ‘welcome to japan’ that I can explain. One of the flight attendants (she was the only one wearing a pink scarf, a designation of her important role- everyone in Japan wears uniforms and it’s vital to them knowing their jobs, rank, etc.) so.. our lady in pink walked over to special area and retrieved a paper bag along with a portable stage. She pulled it to an exact spot, and very deliberately, placed the paper bag in a special spot next to the wooden stage. Upon a bow and a signal to one of the other flight attendants, she stepped up onto the stage and the time of instruction began. Another attendant read through a detailed script informing us on the “way to board” in both Japanese and English while the attendant in pink, pulled out laminated pictures of what she was saying. It took several minutes as they had to do it in both languages- (imagine the whole scene where flight attendants in the planes go over emergency procedures.. it was like that kind of display). Here’s where it got funny. The whole purpose of the instructions was to show us how to swipe our boarding pass in order to "board" which meant going through the gate leading to the plane. When they finally announced that it was time to board (which again is funny, I just can’t explain it), each exit/entrance area had two attendants stationed (4 total) who took our boarding passes and swiped them! It didn’t seem to be a difficult process and remember; we had just heard and observed very specific instructions, however… I was reminded that Japan has a very low unemployment rate and this is one of the reasons. They utilize people’s talents in very specific ways- everywhere! (I’ll write more later but within three blocks, I pass 7 traffic control men that signal to me that I can keep walking….. I haven’t figured out any alternatives to my other options on the sidewalk, but I’ll keep you posted!). So, with all the help that I rec’d, I was able to board the plane and 70 minutes later (7:30 pm), landed in Osaka where I was met by our friend, Kayoko, her two beautiful kids and my handsome hubby (who I was REALLY glad to see!). Kayoko drove us to our apartment and along the way, mentioned that I had a job for tomorrow if I wanted. One of the teachers at OIS (Osaka International School) needed two of his classes covered- thus, my substituting career has begun!

Traveling Day

October 7, 2008
Bags packed (I did decide to go ahead and take a third bag…it incurred an additional fee- but it’s ok- it’s already worth it! J), Linda sufficiently informed about all the house details (thanks for being there Linda- I continue to pray that our home will be a blessing), Laura on her way to take me to the airport (thanks LL). I arrived and got checked in and headed to my gate. The first leg of the trip was a quick flight to Washington DC. While waiting at RDU, I met my first of several new friends- a delightful older couple from Taiwan who have retired and now live in Pinehurst. What an inspiration they were to me and I hope that Jeph and my marriage will reflect some of what I saw in them.
Flight #2 was the biggie although I admit the time went amazingly quickly. From Dulles, I flew directly to Narita, Tokyo. 7,000 miles later, a bunch more new ‘friends’, three movies, two significant naps, two trips to the bathroom (the hot spot to talk with fellow travelers- not in the bathroom of course, but waiting in line for the privilege), I arrived at Narita. Two noteworthy events- 1) we spent the entire flight in daylight and 2)I was seated next to a young man who had recently reinlisted in the army. Jamal was on his way to work in a dental office on a base here outside of Tokyo. He was a riot… he was so excited about the opportunity to be in Japan he really couldn’t stop smiling. Even as he slept, he had a smile on his face. I thought he was going to burst as we walked toward customs- he could hardly contain himself! There was something about watching him and being a part of his journey that I am grateful for. I hope I remember to pray for him and his new adventure in this incredible, yet foreign land and I hope that our shared excitement will remind us to take advantage of each new day-with eyes and hearts wide open.

Karen's here!

It’s hard to believe that I am really in Japan- the Land of the Rising Sun. What fun it is… I still marvel that the Lord opened up this opportunity for Jeph and I and I remain humbled.
Although I have only been here for two days, I wanted to capture some of my initial thoughts/feelings/observations before they all become ‘normal’. Never blogging before, I am sure there are rules as to the length of one’s blog, so… let me first go back to my last days in NC-

October 6, 2008
My last day of work at Communities In Schools of NC. A bittersweet day- filled with both joy and sorrow and yet excitement for what is to come.. My co-workers (see photo) provided a perfect send off with a scrumptious lunch (although I should have stopped after my first plate full!) , a spectacular cake (thanks Amy.. see photo- it was amazing and it tasted great too!), a beautiful gift (the sculpture is precious, sorry there is no photo!) and a beautiful asian purse filled with special notes from very special friends. Thanks guys- I can’t even begin to express what your love means to me but I will treasure you always.