... and in typical unbelievable fashion, yet again i have fallen victim to the bike-stealing gremlins. despite the fact it was at Taka:s appt, and it was locked, they still managed to foil my plans of mobility.
why are the gods and godesses forbidding me to have a bike? let me tell you, there better be some damn good karma coming my way for this repetitive fiasco. i:m currently using Kylie:s bike, which had a punctured inner tube that i had to get fixed today. which was rather cool to watch. my entire life i had remained ignorant to the workings of inner tubes. i thot it was just a fancy word for the inside of the tire. i had no idea there was an actually TUBE in the tire. and you can take it out too! so basically the rubber tire is like the lil protective shield for the fragile inner tube. so really i:m just motoring along on lil air tubes. how cool is that? so basically i:m just floating around like an angel on a cloud.
ok no, i haven:t just smoke a bowl. i:m seriously fasinated by this! see this is what happens when i eat wheat and lose all capacity to form coherent thots. oh gad i am never eating so much bread again- had a lil wine and bread and cheese at Kylie:s the other night with her and Sarah... dipped into the chocolate as well so you can just imagine, if you will, the look of horror upon my face when i discovered the next morning that Taka:s bathroom was locked from the inside! i feared for the safety of the 7-11 bathroom but managed to flip-flop home in the nick of time. why do all embarssing near-fiascos in my life have to do with my bowels? well enough of this pretty subject. some things are better off not being known. but let me say then for the record, i:m never eating bread for at least, well, as long as i can. or cheese. oh gad... yes, i:ve learned my lesson!
on to the mroe exciting details of my life... i leave for Okayama on next sunday. not this sunday, but next next Sunday. you think i would be used to the speed of time here by now, but i am now, and this week has flown by. Kylie and I had our going away party on last sunday and it was a smashing success! there were about 21 people there (funny how many friends you actually have when they:re all rounded up in one place, eh) and it was held at Est Est, an italian restaurant. it was a great time and i was so happy to see everyone one last time, well, at least the people i know i won:t be able to see this or next week. the immediate family of friends will definitely have one mroe big nite out before i leave. Est Est, just to bitch about it, had terrible service, and that was prolly the only downfall of the evening- waiting forever for dinner (and i use THAT term lightly) and drinks. i got some really gorgeous going away presents that double as super souvenirs of Japan.
last weekend was like a minivacation! on sunday, Taka:s sempais (university seniors) came to Iwaki so the four of us met up with Dan and Maki, Phil and Atsuko for lunch at Cafe Del Mar. it:s my second fav place to eat in Iwaki . the chef i swear just does the msot amazing things with pasta!! and she served this lush soup as well. lunch there is really cheap, only 700 er 800 yen for a set with pasta/panini/omu raisu (rice omelette), plus soup and salad and a drink. afterwards, all the guys and I headed to Setogaro Gorge, which i have wanted to go to since i moved here. we did a bit of hiking up a waterfall trail and it was such a wonderful time. i loved being away from the city, as small as it may be, and into nature, breathing in that fresh air. i feel so at peace! we even saw a water snake, it was so cool! all zipping across the water keeping its head up the whole time...
it was super to see Phil. remember, he moved away a couple months ago as he got a new job in Kobe. Kobe is relatively close to Okayama so we:ll be able to hook up soon!
on monday, Taka and I met up with Sarah, Dan, and Phil for lunch at, again, Cafe Del Mar. afterwards we did a lil errand running (ie. f/all) and hung out at Harry:s appt for a bit while he was at work. He:s got a lil turtle and it:s so cute! i had no idea turtles were 15.73 times cuter when you turn them over.
what else have i been up to? i wrote my sister a big letter the other day and now i can:t remember what i told her that i could tell you.. hmm... just been busy the past bit getting everything ready for the move, including packing and cleaning the appt. two chores which i:ve successfully avoided all day. i:d like to reiterate the fact i abhor packing, and please remind me of this point any time i tell you i:ve just purchased something. how have i accumulated so much in just one year??!
yesterday Kylie and I met and took the bus to Onahama to visit Aquamarine Fukushima, as she had never been there. it was a great time, the first expedition outside of Taira that Kylie and I have ventured on together. we got to see heaps of fish, turtles, walruses (walri?), seals, sea otters, giant crabs, and even a sting ray that posed for my camera! for dinner we went to Iwaki La La Mew (ya, i have no idea about that name either) for a friendly sushi train experience featuring fresh onahama catch. the cook was really happy to talk to gaijin as he yammered on and on to us about BC and king salmon, all in japanese. it was really cool, i love how friendly everyone can be here. but let me just throw this out there-i am SO obviously NOT japanese. so what makes ya think i can understand Japanese spoken at mach 3?? what:s the deal with talking so fast??? i am forever speaking slowly so people will understand me, but this apparently doesn:t get reciprocated much. ah, i guess i can:t expect everyone who talks to me to know i:m just a beginner japaneser. so my new motto is 70% I:m ok! so if i can understand 70% of what someone is saying ot me, i give myself a lil karma point, redeemable at a later date for a special, preferably edible, surprise. ya i:m trying out this whole reward program on myself. cuz i have to promote my good habits and destroy my old ones. for example somewhere along the line i picked up this strange habit of vigorously swishing my water in my mouth before i swallow, a la post-tooth brushing. i have no idea why i do it, or that i:m even doing it... but if i catch myself in the act then i have to make myself eat a piece of natto (fermented soybeans). ask my parents, that stuff is RANK. anyways, where was i going.. if anywhere.. oh ya in onahama... after we went to some gift shops, and each got a free stuff animal of this devil girl, apparently one of the regional mascots, i guess cuz we looked like tourists (what gave it away?). took the bus home, ate some donuts, and then spent the rest of the evening in agonizing pain from eating too much wheat.
today i met up with Shawn, (Harry:s girlfriend) and her friend Kristen, who are both JETs. they introduced me to a new sushi train and i must say KS is no longer looking at wonderful as it once did! afterwards i biked the redikulously long distance to Kashima shopping center since i just had to get out there at least once before i leave. it was great! real shopping!! didn:t really buy much, just presents for other people. i have too much stuff, i:m never buying anythign again unless the only place it has to be packed is in my stomach.
well, i:ma sign off but i just want to tell you about one more day in my life, because it was a very special one. On August 23rd, i celebrated the first Japanland anniversary. and it was just perfect! i know there:s no such thing as a perfect day, but this came close! in the morning i got to wake up and go for a nice run in my neighbourhood and afterwards Taka and I indulged our shells at the Yumoto onsen. it:s pure heaven to lie in steaming hot springs, whirlpools, and saunas after a run. my fav part of the onsen is the waterfall. it:s outside and you can just sit in the hot pool and let the waterfall massage your back and shoulders. mmmm... after getting changed we had some milk coffee to wake us up in the relaxation room, a part of the onsen to which i:ve never been before. its just a big room with tatami mats and low tables with old people passed out everywhere just relaxing from their spa experience. as we watched the olympics on the TV, Taka treated me to a luxurious body and head massage and chatted with some old people about me and where i:m from. 70% i:m ok! by this time it was about 4 and we hadn:t had anything all day so we went to Purinima. that:s all i wanted to do on my anniversary, have an onsen and eat indo^curry. and my wishes came true! we each tried a different set and it was, in usual fashion, an incredible treat for my tastebuds. so much so, that i went back two weeks after when Cam came up to visit me after finishing her contract. Taka and her and I went out on my lunch break, and we even got complimentary coconut naan!! gad what am i going to do in a coconut naan-free okayama??? maybe i can buy some and freeze it... anyways, to cap off the perfect day, we had a low-key night watching DVDS together. it was just the most perfect way to celebrate the fact i:ve retained sanity in this culture for at least a year! and i think today is my 13 month anniversary too... cool! well i:ve got to sign off but i:ll try to write one if not two more times before i leave Iwaki... still have to tell you about my trips to okayama and gifu for training this month!
hope you enjoyed my reading, and that it was worth the wait!
why are the gods and godesses forbidding me to have a bike? let me tell you, there better be some damn good karma coming my way for this repetitive fiasco. i:m currently using Kylie:s bike, which had a punctured inner tube that i had to get fixed today. which was rather cool to watch. my entire life i had remained ignorant to the workings of inner tubes. i thot it was just a fancy word for the inside of the tire. i had no idea there was an actually TUBE in the tire. and you can take it out too! so basically the rubber tire is like the lil protective shield for the fragile inner tube. so really i:m just motoring along on lil air tubes. how cool is that? so basically i:m just floating around like an angel on a cloud.
ok no, i haven:t just smoke a bowl. i:m seriously fasinated by this! see this is what happens when i eat wheat and lose all capacity to form coherent thots. oh gad i am never eating so much bread again- had a lil wine and bread and cheese at Kylie:s the other night with her and Sarah... dipped into the chocolate as well so you can just imagine, if you will, the look of horror upon my face when i discovered the next morning that Taka:s bathroom was locked from the inside! i feared for the safety of the 7-11 bathroom but managed to flip-flop home in the nick of time. why do all embarssing near-fiascos in my life have to do with my bowels? well enough of this pretty subject. some things are better off not being known. but let me say then for the record, i:m never eating bread for at least, well, as long as i can. or cheese. oh gad... yes, i:ve learned my lesson!
on to the mroe exciting details of my life... i leave for Okayama on next sunday. not this sunday, but next next Sunday. you think i would be used to the speed of time here by now, but i am now, and this week has flown by. Kylie and I had our going away party on last sunday and it was a smashing success! there were about 21 people there (funny how many friends you actually have when they:re all rounded up in one place, eh) and it was held at Est Est, an italian restaurant. it was a great time and i was so happy to see everyone one last time, well, at least the people i know i won:t be able to see this or next week. the immediate family of friends will definitely have one mroe big nite out before i leave. Est Est, just to bitch about it, had terrible service, and that was prolly the only downfall of the evening- waiting forever for dinner (and i use THAT term lightly) and drinks. i got some really gorgeous going away presents that double as super souvenirs of Japan.
last weekend was like a minivacation! on sunday, Taka:s sempais (university seniors) came to Iwaki so the four of us met up with Dan and Maki, Phil and Atsuko for lunch at Cafe Del Mar. it:s my second fav place to eat in Iwaki . the chef i swear just does the msot amazing things with pasta!! and she served this lush soup as well. lunch there is really cheap, only 700 er 800 yen for a set with pasta/panini/omu raisu (rice omelette), plus soup and salad and a drink. afterwards, all the guys and I headed to Setogaro Gorge, which i have wanted to go to since i moved here. we did a bit of hiking up a waterfall trail and it was such a wonderful time. i loved being away from the city, as small as it may be, and into nature, breathing in that fresh air. i feel so at peace! we even saw a water snake, it was so cool! all zipping across the water keeping its head up the whole time...
it was super to see Phil. remember, he moved away a couple months ago as he got a new job in Kobe. Kobe is relatively close to Okayama so we:ll be able to hook up soon!
on monday, Taka and I met up with Sarah, Dan, and Phil for lunch at, again, Cafe Del Mar. afterwards we did a lil errand running (ie. f/all) and hung out at Harry:s appt for a bit while he was at work. He:s got a lil turtle and it:s so cute! i had no idea turtles were 15.73 times cuter when you turn them over.
what else have i been up to? i wrote my sister a big letter the other day and now i can:t remember what i told her that i could tell you.. hmm... just been busy the past bit getting everything ready for the move, including packing and cleaning the appt. two chores which i:ve successfully avoided all day. i:d like to reiterate the fact i abhor packing, and please remind me of this point any time i tell you i:ve just purchased something. how have i accumulated so much in just one year??!
yesterday Kylie and I met and took the bus to Onahama to visit Aquamarine Fukushima, as she had never been there. it was a great time, the first expedition outside of Taira that Kylie and I have ventured on together. we got to see heaps of fish, turtles, walruses (walri?), seals, sea otters, giant crabs, and even a sting ray that posed for my camera! for dinner we went to Iwaki La La Mew (ya, i have no idea about that name either) for a friendly sushi train experience featuring fresh onahama catch. the cook was really happy to talk to gaijin as he yammered on and on to us about BC and king salmon, all in japanese. it was really cool, i love how friendly everyone can be here. but let me just throw this out there-i am SO obviously NOT japanese. so what makes ya think i can understand Japanese spoken at mach 3?? what:s the deal with talking so fast??? i am forever speaking slowly so people will understand me, but this apparently doesn:t get reciprocated much. ah, i guess i can:t expect everyone who talks to me to know i:m just a beginner japaneser. so my new motto is 70% I:m ok! so if i can understand 70% of what someone is saying ot me, i give myself a lil karma point, redeemable at a later date for a special, preferably edible, surprise. ya i:m trying out this whole reward program on myself. cuz i have to promote my good habits and destroy my old ones. for example somewhere along the line i picked up this strange habit of vigorously swishing my water in my mouth before i swallow, a la post-tooth brushing. i have no idea why i do it, or that i:m even doing it... but if i catch myself in the act then i have to make myself eat a piece of natto (fermented soybeans). ask my parents, that stuff is RANK. anyways, where was i going.. if anywhere.. oh ya in onahama... after we went to some gift shops, and each got a free stuff animal of this devil girl, apparently one of the regional mascots, i guess cuz we looked like tourists (what gave it away?). took the bus home, ate some donuts, and then spent the rest of the evening in agonizing pain from eating too much wheat.
today i met up with Shawn, (Harry:s girlfriend) and her friend Kristen, who are both JETs. they introduced me to a new sushi train and i must say KS is no longer looking at wonderful as it once did! afterwards i biked the redikulously long distance to Kashima shopping center since i just had to get out there at least once before i leave. it was great! real shopping!! didn:t really buy much, just presents for other people. i have too much stuff, i:m never buying anythign again unless the only place it has to be packed is in my stomach.
well, i:ma sign off but i just want to tell you about one more day in my life, because it was a very special one. On August 23rd, i celebrated the first Japanland anniversary. and it was just perfect! i know there:s no such thing as a perfect day, but this came close! in the morning i got to wake up and go for a nice run in my neighbourhood and afterwards Taka and I indulged our shells at the Yumoto onsen. it:s pure heaven to lie in steaming hot springs, whirlpools, and saunas after a run. my fav part of the onsen is the waterfall. it:s outside and you can just sit in the hot pool and let the waterfall massage your back and shoulders. mmmm... after getting changed we had some milk coffee to wake us up in the relaxation room, a part of the onsen to which i:ve never been before. its just a big room with tatami mats and low tables with old people passed out everywhere just relaxing from their spa experience. as we watched the olympics on the TV, Taka treated me to a luxurious body and head massage and chatted with some old people about me and where i:m from. 70% i:m ok! by this time it was about 4 and we hadn:t had anything all day so we went to Purinima. that:s all i wanted to do on my anniversary, have an onsen and eat indo^curry. and my wishes came true! we each tried a different set and it was, in usual fashion, an incredible treat for my tastebuds. so much so, that i went back two weeks after when Cam came up to visit me after finishing her contract. Taka and her and I went out on my lunch break, and we even got complimentary coconut naan!! gad what am i going to do in a coconut naan-free okayama??? maybe i can buy some and freeze it... anyways, to cap off the perfect day, we had a low-key night watching DVDS together. it was just the most perfect way to celebrate the fact i:ve retained sanity in this culture for at least a year! and i think today is my 13 month anniversary too... cool! well i:ve got to sign off but i:ll try to write one if not two more times before i leave Iwaki... still have to tell you about my trips to okayama and gifu for training this month!
hope you enjoyed my reading, and that it was worth the wait!
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