A Mofie in Japan

Thailand

2010-01-24T21:24:00.003+09:00

Winter Vacation in Thailand

2010-01-24T19:28:00.002+09:00

Thailand....at last! When you step off the plane and are inundated with the heat and the sweet smell, you know you've arrived!

To celebrate the New Year, and to escape from the chill of Japan, Eric and I traveled to Thailand for ten days. This is our second trip to the land of smiles, and we knew exactly where we wanted to go. So after setting out from Tokyo, laying over in Hong Kong, staying 1 night in Bangkok, taking a 5 hour bus east to Trat, and riding 45 minutes in a speedboat, we FINALLY arrived on Koh Mak.

We stayed at CocoCape Resort, a charming beach front establishment located on the most beautiful beach on the island. After our long journey, Eric and I did what any other exhausted travelers would do: we set down our bags, went to the restaurant, ordered several beers, Pad Thai, Thai fried rice, and drank in our surroundings. After a long, lazy lunch, we explored the resort's dozen or so different types of bungalows, did some laps in the pool, and returned for dinner for more delicious Thai food.

The next day we decided to be a bit more productive so we rented a motorbike and explored Koh Mak. The first item on our exploratory agenda was to visit Pano Resort, the place where we stayed on our last visit to the island in March 2008. After a successful visit and a quick zip around the island we spent the afternoon lazing about on the beach. The next few days passed in a fantastically similar manner. For New Year's Eve, we attended a dinner at our resort and then retreated to our bungalow for a low-key celebration.

It wasn't until our 5th day on the island that we rented kayaks. Oh! If only we'd known what we were missing! It turns out that a mere 20 minutes of kayaking takes you to Koh Kham, a private paradise! There seems to be construction on 1 side of the island, but no resort. There is only a small structure to buy drinks and snacks from, some beach chairs and beautiful white sand. The first day that we were there, we had the entire island to ourselves, apart from the concessions person. On the following 2 days, we were accompanied by no more than 6 people. The setting is so beautiful I'm amazed that everyone on Koh Mak doesn't make a visit to Koh Kham!

Sadly, our vacation, like all good things, came to an end. We returned to Bangkok on the 9th day of our trip and flew to Japan the following morning. I can't WAIT to get back to some fun n the sun!

Korea

2009-10-19T19:26:00.003+09:00

I've neglected my blogs long enough! Forgive me loyal followers (all 2 of you) for being so lackadaisical. Unfortunately Korea is no longer fresh in my mind, but I will try to recap my 7 fun filled days there. I went to Korea with Amy during Obon week, which is the 2nd week of August. It's a big Japanese holiday, and almost the entire nation has the week off. Conveniently, Eric's shipped was in Korea for an exercise, so we were able to rendezvous with him for a few days. My first impressions of Korea: dirty, fast and spicy. To be fair, Japan is immaculately clean, so any country in comparison sans perhaps, Singapore, will be dirty in my eyes.

Fast is a much more interesting tale. I discovered, terrifyingly so, that the street signals are merely suggestions in Korea, and by no means are followed in the way that any right-minded passenger would expect and hope for. This horrid revelation came to me as Amy and I took a cab from Busan Station to our hotel one night. Normally, this would be a 20 minute cab ride. Unfortunately for us however, our cab driver misunderstood our destination and took us 15 minutes in the wrong direction. We knew we were in for a ride from the start. As soon as we cleared the busy city streets and reached a main highway, we found ourselves weaving in and out of traffic, careening around turns, and more than once, coming dangerously close to sideswiping guardrails and sound walls. Even more unfortunately for us, the seat belts had been REMOVED from the vehicle! The lap buckle was there, the hole at the top of the seat was there, but there was no strap coming out of it! Our adventure continued like this until he tried to drop us off in what looked like a business park, deserted and dark. Amy and I frantically and comically tried to gesture that we needed to go to Haeundae Beach! Annoyed, but repentant, our cab-driver turned us back around, reset the meter 10 minutes later when we passed our starting point: Busan Station (for you Math wizards we are now 25 minutes into this cab ride). Now we were in for the real fun. Our cab driver was clearly dismayed at having wasted 25 minutes of his precious time, so now we were on an even faster track to reach our hotel. More than once, we ran red lights. In fact, the most brazen of these red lights involved us going from the far right lane, shooting behind 4 lanes of signal-abiding traffic who were patiently waiting for the light to change. We looped around them and ran through the light. I'm sure the 7 or so cars that we passed were just as amazed as Amy and I. 15 more minutes of occasionally closing my eyes, constantly holding onto my "oh SHIT" handle, and telling Amy that I MUST record this in a blog, we arrived at our destination. During the cab ride, I tried to rationalize with myself that this man probably spends most of his time in his cab. He's probably fully aware of the vehicle's capabilities. We were probably never in any REAL danger. That theory was annihilated when we exited the car and I saw all the dings, dents and scrapes running up and down the cab! I hope I don't have another cab experience like that!

Fuji picutres

2009-08-09T23:42:00.003+09:00

Fuji-san

2009-08-09T22:57:00.002+09:00

Like many thousands of people every year, Eric, my Uncle Dennis and I made the trek to climb Mount Fuji during the summer climbing season. What an experience! It started out on a high note....literally. On the road leading towards the mountain there is a section with grooves cut into the asphalt. When the car drives over them, the air flows through the grooves and plays the "Mount Fuji Song" (according to a Japanese friend). It was unexpected and a very cool experience to hear.

However, the allure and entertainment of the musical road quickly faded in the rain. Despite a weather report assuring us clear skies in the afternoon, we began our Fuji ascent at 12:30pm in the pouring rain. We set out on the trail decked out in our rain gear and with our Camel Backs full of water and snacks. Apart from the occasional few minutes of relief, we climbed that day almost totally in the rain. Sometimes it was an annoying drizzle, but often it was a downpour. The beginning of the climb was steep, but not very challenging. The path was dirt and gravel. About 2 hours into the climb we reached station 7. At this point the trail got considerably more difficult. What started out as wide gravel paths suddenly became steep rock faces. There were many parts of the trail where I was using my hands to climb over rocks. It certainly was not the easy hike that I was expecting. The steepness of the trail as well as the altitude made it a very challenging experience. Because of the rain we were also denied the spectacular view that the mountain is so famous for. In fact visibility was practically non existent. We were lucky to be able to see 50 feet in front of us. We finally made it to Station 8, our resting place for the night, at 6:30pm.

The Hut we stayed in was typical of Mount Fuji huts. We were put in a room with wooden platforms that created an upper and lower level of sleeping. Each level probably slept 20 people. We slept side by side in an open room next to complete strangers. The beds were essentially a large platform with a pad covered with a blanket. For warmth we had a thick blanket to cover ourselves with. For a pillow were had small hard bean bags. It was definitely the most uncomfortable sleeping arrangement I've ever experienced. I was utterly exhausted, but I didn't get much sleep.

Not that I had much time to sleep though, because at 2:00am we woke up with the rest of the hut to continue our climb from Station 8 to the summit at Station 10. When we emerged from the hut we were pleased to see that the sky was crystal clear. The view of the city lit up below and the stars lighting up the sky above was magnificent. The procession of hundreds of climbers coming up the trail with headlamps illuminating their way was a bit of an unwelcome surprise though. It's very popular among Fuji climbers to begin their ascent around 9 or 10pm to reach the summit by sunrise the next morning. So, we left our hut and got into the line of climbers steadily making their way up the mountain. We weren't too thrilled about having to climb up the trail in an almost single file line, but there was little choice. The path was rarely wide enough for us to pass groups of people. The pace was not too challenging though, and the other people gave me motivation in the cold. Even though the rain had cleared, my shoes were still wet from the day before. That, combined with the temperature made it quite uncomfortable.

By 4am we finally made it to the top! It was exhilarating and relieving. We made it to the top about 20 minutes before the spectacular sunrise. The Land of the Rising Sun it is! The view from the top was as breathtaking as the sunrise. Sitting down and enjoying a steaming cup of hot cocoa was particularly fantastic.

After about 2 hours of hanging around the top of the mountain we began our descent. The day was beautiful. The sky was clear and the sun was shining. The trail going down was very steep. It was difficult to stop yourself once you started going. It was very easy to slide and fall dow n too. The path was mostly red gravel. It was a long hot descent from the top. We also ran out of water about 1/2 way down. Somehow despite the hardships, we all managed to make it down. We didn't get back to our car until 2pm that afternoon. All in all, Fuji was an amazing, awesome experience. It was challenging and often uncomfortable, but I'm very glad that we all made it to the top and back down in one piece!

Enoshima Island

2009-07-16T23:42:00.002+09:00

Enoshima Island is a small place at the end of my train line. It's about an hour from my house by local train. It's a beautiful island steeped in history and landscape. The island is known for the dragon that terrorized it and the surrounding coast, and also for the beautiful maiden whom he fell in love with. When she denied him her love because he was evil, he renounced his ways and peace fell upon the land.

I visited the island with Eric and my Uncle Dennis in the midst of the rainy season. So, of course, it was raining....hard. Armed with our umbrellas and determination we set out for the island from my house in the late morning. Luckily for us, the rain kept many tourists away. Despite the dreariness we managed to trek up the stairs and paths to the top of the island. We didn't bother with the observatory because of the haziness, but we were able to see the shrines and the caves that the island is known for. I'm sure there would have been a great view of Japan's coastline if we had had a clearer day, but c'est la vie. All in all, it was a fun day. We capped off our adventure with beer and yakiniku which was a welcome respite from the weather outside!

Next adventure with Uncle Dennis: Fujisan!

Eric's Birthday

2009-06-16T23:15:00.002+09:00

Eric and I are both Gemini's. His birthday is June 4th. So 2 weeks after my birthday extravaganza we found ourselves with another birthday to celebrate. His celebration was a bit more low key than mine was.

By sheer luck I had the day off ( a Thursday.) Amity held a Training session on the Sunday after Eric's birthday, so I got a weekday off to make up for it. Unfortunately, Eric and I failed to do anything fun or exciting on his birthday. I don't know if there were sleeping pills in the food we ate the night before or if it was the dreary weather that effected us, but we were like zombies on his actual big day. We had planned to go shopping, and then take the train into Tokyo to have dinner at a super delicious French restaurant called Cogito. As the day wore on we bounced from store to store not finding any of the things we were searching for. Suddenly the prospect of riding 90 minutes into Tokyo and then 90 minutes back for 1 dinner seemed silly!

By 2pm we admitted defeat, and cancelled our reservation. We found a random German deli not far from my house, bought some salami, bread, cheese and wine, and chilled out at my little flat. We managed to leave the house one more time for dinner. However, this too was a colossal failure. We went to a Chinese Buffet that I went to my first week in Yamato. I remembered it being pretty good. After our dinner there though, I decided that I must've just been exceedingly hungry when I went the first time, because it wasn't that great. All in all it was a mediocre dinner to go with a mediocre day.

We made up for the dismal celebration 2 days later. When I got off work on Saturday night, I went straight into Tokyo to meet Eric. We finally had a lovely dinner at Cogito, and even managed to snag a hotel room in the the cool neighborhood of Asakusa. It was perfect because we didn't have to ride 90 minutes home, AND because I had Training the following morning (a Sunday!) in Tokyo. Staying there overnight significantly cut down the travel time.

It was 2 days late, but we managed to celebrate Eric's birthday in style.

Nikko

2009-06-08T15:56:00.001+09:00

My 26th Birthday!

2009-06-08T15:28:00.000+09:00

I celebrated my first birthday abroad on May 23rd. It was a super awesome weekend with lots of cool people. Unfortunately I had to work on my birthday, but c'est la vie. Also, if I hadn't had a birthday on a workday, I would've missed out on all the birthday wishes I received at school that day. It's a bit of a birthday tradition at my school for all the staff to sing to a teacher on his/her birthday after the school has closed. Everyone stands around you in a circle, and they sing and give you a card that everyone has signed. It's such a nice gesture. But then everyone awkwardly stares at you while you read all the comments on the card, and individually thank everyone for their message. A little bit awkward, a bit more embarrassing, but also super sweet!

After work, Eric & I went to our first movie in Japan. We saw Angels & Demons at a very nice shopping place called Grandberry Mall. It's more of an outdoor shopping center/complex than a mall, but there are some good restaurants, lots of great shops, and a huge movie theater. Watching a movie in Japan was a new interesting experience. When you buy your tickets, you choose your seat like you're at a concert or play. The subtitles scrolling were a bit distracting at first, but you quickly get used to them. Angels & Demons was a good movie! Of course, not at good as the novel, but they never are. After the movie, we drove down to Eric's house in Yokosuka.

The next day we started the BBQ preparations! Eric had spent the previous week painstakingly and meticulously clearing his yard, trimming bushes, moving rocks, and building some weird game that he calls Corn Hole. (something to do with beanbags and a box with a hole cut in it) Around 2pm that afternoon everyone started arriving, and we quickly ended up with about 25 people roaming in and out of the house, drinking various beers & tonics, and feasting on dips, salsas, chips, cupcakes, spare ribs, hamburgers and hotdogs. Most of the people there were from Eric's work, or friends that we have met through people he knows, but some of my super awesome Amity Original friends came too! All in all it was a great day despite the grey clouds and rain....did I mention that it's rainy season?

Luckily, the next day, we were blessed with sunshine and clear skies. Which was great for us because we went to Nikko with my Amity Original friend, Amy and some of her friends visiting from Canada! Some people say that Nikko is the "true" Japan. It's a beautiful forest area with many shrines and temples from the past. One of the original carvings of the "See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil" monkeys adorns a centuries horse stable there. It was a perfect day to visit the area. The temperature was moderate, the crowds were small, and there is lots of see. We saw wild monkeys in the road early in the day...ironically they weren't too far from the monkey crossing sing. Only in Japan do the monkeys know that they should cross near their sign. We also saw more monkeys later in the day when we were heading back home. After we visited the shrines and temples in Nikko we drove to the top of a nearby mountain. There was a breathtaking waterfall, and a beautiful lake at the top. It was surreal to drive, twisting and turning, for 20 minutes to the top of a mountain, and then see a massive lake and a quaint Japanese village situated at the top. The whole experience was amazing, and I can't wait to return to Nikko in the fall when the leaves are changing!

Overall, it was a super awesome birthday weekend!

Golden Week Pt. 1 (Bowmans in Japan!)

2009-05-05T16:43:00.000+09:00

Rain rain go away...It's been raining all day today, which makes me absolutely not want to leave the house.

In truth, the weather is providing a much needed excuse to chill out at home for the first time in many days. It's Golden Week here in Japanland, and for us Amity employees, that means 8 wonderful days off! Unfortunately, Eric's ship has been underway for the entirety of my vacation time. He returns this Friday, which is (of course) the day after I return to work. But don't feel too sorry for me. I've had PLENTY of things to do to fill my all too short vacation time.

My super awesome "Google" cousin, Danny, visited Japan this week. On Thursday afternoon I met him at Narita, and we trekked to Roppongi Hills where, coincidentally, my uncle (Danny's dad) was staying on business. We had a nice family reunion dinner that night. The next day Danny & I played tourist in Tokyo. 1st on our agenda was a visit to the Google Office in Japan, which is conveniently located in Shibuya, the Times Square of Tokyo. From there we walked to Yoyogi Park, 1 of the largest and most beautiful green spots in the city. Later we went to the Ameyoko Arcade at Ueno. This arcade is a massive flea market style shopping area, and it's known for being reminiscent of old Tokyo outdoor markets. Danny & I both purchased super awesome colorful watches from one of my favorite stores in in the arcade, Wego. I'm also fond of the 100yen pineapple kebabs that you can buy around every corner of the market. To top off a long day of sightseeing, Danny & I met my uncle for a delicious French dinner at a charming bistro called Cogito, in Roppongi. After dinner, Danny & I met his high school bud, Taylor (also living in Japan) at Shinjuku station, and we traveled back to my house where we all got some much needed rest.

On Saturday the three of us continued our sojourn through Tokyo. We started the day at Akihabara, the famous electronics, gaming & manga shopping hub of Tokyo. Akihabara is a fascinating blend of geeky techies, tourists, manga enthusiasts, and costumed women standing in entrances encouraging customers to enter all the different stores. From Akihabara we attempted to find a book district called Jimbocho. After hours of walking, and many wrong turns, we eventually ended up there. We found a little shop that sold used English books though, so the endless walk was worth it! From Jimbocho we went to Akasuka for ramen, and then returned to Roppongi Hills to ascend the Mori Art Center. Near the top of the building there is a panoramic sky view of Tokyo. We went at night to see Tokyo all it up.

Sunday was Danny & Taylor's final day in Tokyo. We headed for Harajuku/Yoyogi Park. On Sundays there is a bridge outside of Harajuku Station that attracts all kinds of eclectic characters who dress in cos-play outfits. There are often people holding signs offering free hugs. There are 50's style greasers in leather jackets and tight black jeans who dance with girls in sockhop poodle skirts. It's definitely the place to be on Sunday for foreigners. Unfortunately for us, we didn't consider the impact of one of the biggest holidays in Japan. Harajuku is also one of the busiest shopping areas in Japan. It's home to the country's only Forever 21, H&M, and TopShop. We spent much of the afternoon sandwiched between countless Japanese shoppers making a painfully slow trek up one of the shopping side streets. But like Danny & Taylor observed.....at least we were head and shoulders above most!

Shortly after wading through the Harajuku crowd it was time for Danny & Taylor to head to Tokyo station. From there they continued their journey to Yakage, Taylor's home, as a duo. All in all, it was a great weekend. It was super awesome seeing family in Japan, and it's always nice to catch up with a fellow Virginian, like Taylor, in Japanland.

School

2009-04-20T20:49:00.000+09:00

Since I moved to Japan to teach English, it seems like I should discuss what it is that I do exactly. I work for Amity, an English conversation school for children. Thus far, my experience with my school has been mostly rewarding, occasionally frustrating, sometimes exhausting and often hilarious. To say the least, I am in awe of some of my students. I have one student, a bilingual 6 year old, who chats with me about Easter eggs and snails. I have classes full of little babies who know their colors, shapes, ABCs, fruits and other randomness. Like in any teaching situation, there are some who don't care, and others who don't understand no matter how you try to explain. But there are some who absolutely amaze me with their understanding of the English language. Japanese students also amaze me with how much responsiblity and schooling they endure. Some of my students go to school Mon-Fri like most children, but then attend a night school for studying...on top of coming to my class once a week. Many of them also play on sports teams that practice 6 days a week. Some are also talented musicians that practice their instruments daily.

My school itself amazes and impresses me too. Amity teaches English through immersion. As a native teacher, I speak nothing but English to the students. I use flashcards to teach the target language without translating. For the younger students I try to use gestures as much as possible also. The idea is to give the students exposure to English without mixing it with their native language. I find the method incrediblly interesting and very effective. I wish that I could take Japanese lessons using the same method!

My work days consist of 4-8 classes depending on the day. Each class is 40-50 minutes with 1-7 students. I teach all ages. My youngest students are less than 2 years old (they attend class with their mothers) and my oldest student is 14. They are all different levels and abilities. Some students are bilingual, and have lived abroad at some point in their lives. With these students the goal is to ensure that they retain their English. Other students are brand new to English. For my younger students I teach floor classes. We sit on the floor for part of the lessons, and sing songs, dance and run around for part of the lesson. The older students have more traditional classes around a table.

Overall, it's been a great learning experience. Everyday is different, and it's been a fun adventure so far!

My apartment

2009-04-16T23:16:00.000+09:00

It's been a little over 1 month since I moved into my apartment in Tsuruma, Japan. The time has come for me to open up my place for the world to see! My apartment is little by US standards, but a decent size for Japan. It's basically 3 rooms. A bedroom, kitchen/lounge, and bathroom. My stove has only 1 electric burner, so cooking has been a bit of a challenge. My bed is a typical Japanese futon. When you think of futon, you'll probably imagine a mattress on an iron frame that folds up into a couch or flattens out into a bed. BUT....in Japan a futon is just a mattress that sits on the floor, and can be folded into thirds. It's actually pretty freaking comfortable though. Most of my sitting is done on the floor in my apartment. My bed's on the floor; I have 2 low tables that are meant to be used from the floor, and I have 2 floor chairs. They're kind of like video game chairs. I'm not really sure what the deal is with all the low furniture in Japan, but they sure love sitting on the floor here!

I have a washing machine, but no dryer. Which is totally cool with me, because I don't like to dry my clothes. Someone told me once that the lint you pull out of the dryer is actually your clothes....falling apart! So, I hang them out on my super awesome balcony to dry! Probably the best thing about my apartment is the shower room. Yes....I said room. My shower is an entire little room that also has a deep Japanese bath tub. What the Japanese lack is normal height furniture, they certainly make up for in cleanliness! Although....don't try buying Western deodorant around here, it's strictly spray deodorant!

Feeling like an idiot.

2009-04-06T23:01:00.000+09:00

Japan is super awesome. I've been here for 1 month, and I'm having a great time. I know I have lots to tell about my school, my apartment, Eric, and all the people that I've met. And I will, in due time, discuss those things. But first I must get this off my chest. Japan is a country with so many question marks for the average visitor. Not speaking or reading the language makes everyday tasks interesting and at times, frustrating.

So, realizing the aforementioned facts, I've come to find that my survival and success in this country depends heavily on the following: I've fully embraced the notion that while I'm living in this fascinating country, I must accept that I'm going to feel like a total idiot at least once a day.

No matter what I do, it's completely and utterly unavoidable.

Whether it's....my failure to notice that what appears to be an automatic door really is one of the doors that requires a push of the button to open (as I idly wait & wonder why I can't go in)...or if it's that I completely misread the signs & boarded the wrong train...better yet, if I didn't realize that the last 4 train cars split off from the first 4 and now I'm going in a different direction than I had originally thought...also, the guessing game has become shopping at the grocery store in Japan, especially in the oil/spice aisle...plus, deciphering the complex recycling system...and eating at a restaurant that does not have an English menu.

Despite my almost constant confusion, all of these experiences and MANY more have contributed to my super awesome, hilarious Japanese adventure! And I wouldn't trade any of them for the world.