Since I have an up coming Christmas party that I have been waiting for and what I believe is a vacation coming up, I will take this time to post videos that I never have before so you can view Mark's and mine adventures.
Typhoon Chaba on the loose. I got my experience of being out in a typhoon and I am not quick to do it again!
Ah the aquarium. I am glad we got year passes. I hope I can go back soon! I think Mark enjoyed it as well.
The sights and sounds of the Naha Tug of War that happens once a year with the world's biggest tug of war rope.
Last but NOT LEAST. My singng debut. I am NOT shy when it comes to karaoke with friends and I am not under the delusion I can actually sing. I love having a good time and this was one! Mark's coworkers and my friends Nate, Sara, Justin, Brandon, and Mari tagged along with us and we had a blast. As you can tell.
I will be taking plenty of pictures and videos of my Japanese kimono experience. Keep a look out for it as I will be getting something done that many Japanese do when they need to get extremely dressed up. Many do not know how to put furisode on themselves.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
The everyday times of the Scott Family.
On Thanksgiving weekend, Mark and a coworker/friend of Mark's Schuyler and I went to Churaumi Aquarium in Nago. It's one of the world's largest because it hosts one of the world's largest fish, the whale shark. They had 3 of the giant sharks there as well as other features that were nice. Mark, Schuyler, and I figured we would buy year passes and so we will be going back. It's a nice escape from Chatan but extremely busy. Next time we go we may sneak away on a week day so we can be close to the only ones there. We made a day of it, making sure to watch the whale shark's feeding. They also have dolphin shows but they are currently out of season as it is cooler here now. Also on Thanksgiving weekend, we went to see Harry Potter The Deathly Hollows part I and it was amazing! I loved it to bits and can't believe I have to wait till next year to see part II.
Speaking of it being cooler, we are now in the winter months, well duh, December is winter, but not for everyone. This year there are times we can get away with wearing shorts still. It still gets very warm, though it seems my coworkers are even shocked by this. As soon as the sun goes down though it is very cool and requires me to wrap up. If we go out with friends to karaoke it is warm inside and usually involves me spending time trying to figure out what to wear to be comfy both outside and in. I left all my boots in Tennessee, Ohio, and Wyoming. So I dropped the ball on that one thinking that 50s would not be cold enough, boy was I wrong. Wyoming may have got me prepped for the cold, but Tennessee and Okinawa brought me back to humid temperatures and sun filled days.
Our days are not very busy anymore since we made the deadline on closing our house. We are no longer home owners, which is FANTASTIC, since our house has been on the market since Thanksgiving of last year. We are glad to see it go and were happy to have such a nice house. Since we are in Japan though it wouldn't do much good to still have a house in Wyoming. I start school in January. I am ready to get back in to it after receiving my associates in May. I am ready to push on and keep on going. Not sure if I will work much longer as many know how stressful it has been and I would like to focus solely on my studies, but I also have to do what is best for my family. I may stick it out as long as I can, but if things keep going the way they are who knows. There is something to be said about not having good communication and it takes it's toll!
Speaking about school in January, I decided to take advantage of a military spouse program for those wanting a certificate or associates. I already have an associates so I decided to do the certificate in hopes to add classes to my bachelor's major of Asian studies. I am ready to be back in the classroom and ready to focus. I have seen how much I can do when I try, but then again, only math is my WORST subject. Mark and I are both in school and we really enjoy it. It's so amazing to see where God has taken us both on our journey together.
My kimono will be paid for today! I will receive it this week from Tokyo and I am all ready for the full Japanese experience of getting dressed up in one of the dressiest kimono you could wear. Generally, the furisode, the type of kimono I bought, are for young ladies that just turned 20 and for young ladies to wear until they are married. Married and almost 30 I got the go ahead from Japanese friends and now I am wearing it to a SPORTS themed Christmas party. They didn't always have it themed and then decided to change it! As adults we don't get to dress up much and to think they almost made a dress code for an event I had been planning for since October!!! They said it was okay to be semi formal, well little do they know it will not be for Talya Scott. I promise, it is not in my nature to go agaisnst the grain on purpose, but I have always like doing what I want to do. I think they realized they made a mistake when many went back and said why change the Christmas party at all. Oh well, we will see how it goes. We hope to get some friends together for Christmas and make the best of being away from the big family gathering I have grown to love.
I am off to work now.
Sayonara from the Scott's
Speaking of it being cooler, we are now in the winter months, well duh, December is winter, but not for everyone. This year there are times we can get away with wearing shorts still. It still gets very warm, though it seems my coworkers are even shocked by this. As soon as the sun goes down though it is very cool and requires me to wrap up. If we go out with friends to karaoke it is warm inside and usually involves me spending time trying to figure out what to wear to be comfy both outside and in. I left all my boots in Tennessee, Ohio, and Wyoming. So I dropped the ball on that one thinking that 50s would not be cold enough, boy was I wrong. Wyoming may have got me prepped for the cold, but Tennessee and Okinawa brought me back to humid temperatures and sun filled days.
Our days are not very busy anymore since we made the deadline on closing our house. We are no longer home owners, which is FANTASTIC, since our house has been on the market since Thanksgiving of last year. We are glad to see it go and were happy to have such a nice house. Since we are in Japan though it wouldn't do much good to still have a house in Wyoming. I start school in January. I am ready to get back in to it after receiving my associates in May. I am ready to push on and keep on going. Not sure if I will work much longer as many know how stressful it has been and I would like to focus solely on my studies, but I also have to do what is best for my family. I may stick it out as long as I can, but if things keep going the way they are who knows. There is something to be said about not having good communication and it takes it's toll!
Speaking about school in January, I decided to take advantage of a military spouse program for those wanting a certificate or associates. I already have an associates so I decided to do the certificate in hopes to add classes to my bachelor's major of Asian studies. I am ready to be back in the classroom and ready to focus. I have seen how much I can do when I try, but then again, only math is my WORST subject. Mark and I are both in school and we really enjoy it. It's so amazing to see where God has taken us both on our journey together.
My kimono will be paid for today! I will receive it this week from Tokyo and I am all ready for the full Japanese experience of getting dressed up in one of the dressiest kimono you could wear. Generally, the furisode, the type of kimono I bought, are for young ladies that just turned 20 and for young ladies to wear until they are married. Married and almost 30 I got the go ahead from Japanese friends and now I am wearing it to a SPORTS themed Christmas party. They didn't always have it themed and then decided to change it! As adults we don't get to dress up much and to think they almost made a dress code for an event I had been planning for since October!!! They said it was okay to be semi formal, well little do they know it will not be for Talya Scott. I promise, it is not in my nature to go agaisnst the grain on purpose, but I have always like doing what I want to do. I think they realized they made a mistake when many went back and said why change the Christmas party at all. Oh well, we will see how it goes. We hope to get some friends together for Christmas and make the best of being away from the big family gathering I have grown to love.
I am off to work now.
Sayonara from the Scott's
Monday, November 15, 2010
Onsen Time
…cause bathing in a group is always fun.
Lisa asked me if I tried this yet, and now I have!
Mark and I went decided to try going to an Onsen for the 1st time on Veteran’s Day last week. For those of you who do not know what and onsen is, it’s a Japanese bath house. Still clueless? A Japanese bath house is where you go and soak in a hot spring, sometimes natural, sometimes not. Basically an overgrown hot tub. This one is not made to look natural, it is like a shallow swimming pool and they mix in special ingredients to make your soak good for you skin and your body inside and out. For this area, you must wear a bathing suit. In other hot spring areas clothes are not worn. When you are done soaking in the pool you then go inside and take off you swim suit and dry it in the spinner. Time to get naked with the locals. Since this part is in the dressing room you will see people with their towels wrapped around them, hiding as much as possible but yet if it shows, no one really cares and believe me, everyone around you could care less if there is a “nipple slip”. Too bad the Super bowl wasn’t at a Japanese bath house, huh? There is another closed off area where you are allowed to wash, but if you are looking for western showers, you will be looking for a while. In the bath you will see stalls that are not closed off, stools, buckets, and a metal cup with holes in the bottom. Don’t ask me what the metal cup is for, I doubt I could tell you what the shallow plastic bucket is for, I assume rinsing. You sit on the stool in your shower cubical and in front of you are a mirror and water faucets, along with a removable shower head. The water is turned on by you pressing the knob like the timed water sinks you may see in public restrooms and there is one for the shower head and for the regular faucet. It’s by your knees and I am thinking is used to fill your rinsing bucket, and your feet. Never mind sitting beside other people, only women for me, they aren’t worried about you, or if they were I made sure not to pay attention. My eyes were on me only. After your shower you can get dressed, which is what Mark and I opted for or you can go for another soak in bath water. In Japan, you bath water is purely for soaking, not for washing. After you wash, you go relax in the tub. There is a larger one, where it seems is big enough to move around in as Mark found out on his side that old Japanese men like to exercise in the larger tub kept at 40 degrees Celsius. There is also a smaller tub, made to look like a natural mini hot springs in which you can also soak in. You will not be in here alone though and no one has their clothes on, be advised. Now, if I had someone with me that could coach me through this experience, I may have decided to be a bit braver. As it was, it was my 1st time and I don’t like to offend the locals and with a culture of rules, I didn’t want to do it wrong! At least I watched enough anime to know, you wash 1st. Anime is good for something beside entertainment. It is funny how much Mark and I learned from anime and how the Japanese people are surprised at what Mark and I know. We often get a, “How did you know that?!” Mark and I laugh because those who know us know we have been priming out life for Japanese living, but as much as we like to be “in tune” we don’t know as much as we would like, but we are changing that and are not afraid to ask questions and our local friends are not afraid to answer. Mark is now addicted it. Mark not only loves water but he loves jacuzzis so it’s a double win and has been asking to go back since last Thursday. Maybe we will go again soon.
Some things you may need to know about bath houses:
Luckily the one that we went to, Chula-U, is used to American costumers so they will allow Americans to have tattoos. If you are Japanese, however, you are not so lucky. For Japan, it is still a sign of the yakuza to have tattoos, so they will not let you in the bath unless you find a way to keep it covered, which in a place that demands you to be naked, good luck with that. Again, with Chula-U you have to be clothes in the one hot spring, but not in the bathing part.
Don’t go expecting to take pictures of this part of Japan and its culture; I am sure you can guess why. Picture taking in the bath house is strictly prohibited.
If you have a problem with being naked around people and naked people being around you, I suggest you stay at home. There are no changing rooms that we are used to and, young or old, nakedness in not a big deal for the Japanese.
It’s a place to go and relax, take your time, bring the family. It’s good for your skin and fun for the family. Would you pay 1,000 yen to take a bath, not always, but Mark and I will go back soon I am sure!
Food for thought?
Yakiniku, Korean food with a Japanese name and you cook your food for yourself on a grill or hot plate depending on the place. At the "Red Roof" it's a grill and it's crazy delicious.
Sayonara from the Scott’s!
Lisa asked me if I tried this yet, and now I have!
Mark and I went decided to try going to an Onsen for the 1st time on Veteran’s Day last week. For those of you who do not know what and onsen is, it’s a Japanese bath house. Still clueless? A Japanese bath house is where you go and soak in a hot spring, sometimes natural, sometimes not. Basically an overgrown hot tub. This one is not made to look natural, it is like a shallow swimming pool and they mix in special ingredients to make your soak good for you skin and your body inside and out. For this area, you must wear a bathing suit. In other hot spring areas clothes are not worn. When you are done soaking in the pool you then go inside and take off you swim suit and dry it in the spinner. Time to get naked with the locals. Since this part is in the dressing room you will see people with their towels wrapped around them, hiding as much as possible but yet if it shows, no one really cares and believe me, everyone around you could care less if there is a “nipple slip”. Too bad the Super bowl wasn’t at a Japanese bath house, huh? There is another closed off area where you are allowed to wash, but if you are looking for western showers, you will be looking for a while. In the bath you will see stalls that are not closed off, stools, buckets, and a metal cup with holes in the bottom. Don’t ask me what the metal cup is for, I doubt I could tell you what the shallow plastic bucket is for, I assume rinsing. You sit on the stool in your shower cubical and in front of you are a mirror and water faucets, along with a removable shower head. The water is turned on by you pressing the knob like the timed water sinks you may see in public restrooms and there is one for the shower head and for the regular faucet. It’s by your knees and I am thinking is used to fill your rinsing bucket, and your feet. Never mind sitting beside other people, only women for me, they aren’t worried about you, or if they were I made sure not to pay attention. My eyes were on me only. After your shower you can get dressed, which is what Mark and I opted for or you can go for another soak in bath water. In Japan, you bath water is purely for soaking, not for washing. After you wash, you go relax in the tub. There is a larger one, where it seems is big enough to move around in as Mark found out on his side that old Japanese men like to exercise in the larger tub kept at 40 degrees Celsius. There is also a smaller tub, made to look like a natural mini hot springs in which you can also soak in. You will not be in here alone though and no one has their clothes on, be advised. Now, if I had someone with me that could coach me through this experience, I may have decided to be a bit braver. As it was, it was my 1st time and I don’t like to offend the locals and with a culture of rules, I didn’t want to do it wrong! At least I watched enough anime to know, you wash 1st. Anime is good for something beside entertainment. It is funny how much Mark and I learned from anime and how the Japanese people are surprised at what Mark and I know. We often get a, “How did you know that?!” Mark and I laugh because those who know us know we have been priming out life for Japanese living, but as much as we like to be “in tune” we don’t know as much as we would like, but we are changing that and are not afraid to ask questions and our local friends are not afraid to answer. Mark is now addicted it. Mark not only loves water but he loves jacuzzis so it’s a double win and has been asking to go back since last Thursday. Maybe we will go again soon.
Some things you may need to know about bath houses:
Luckily the one that we went to, Chula-U, is used to American costumers so they will allow Americans to have tattoos. If you are Japanese, however, you are not so lucky. For Japan, it is still a sign of the yakuza to have tattoos, so they will not let you in the bath unless you find a way to keep it covered, which in a place that demands you to be naked, good luck with that. Again, with Chula-U you have to be clothes in the one hot spring, but not in the bathing part.
Don’t go expecting to take pictures of this part of Japan and its culture; I am sure you can guess why. Picture taking in the bath house is strictly prohibited.
If you have a problem with being naked around people and naked people being around you, I suggest you stay at home. There are no changing rooms that we are used to and, young or old, nakedness in not a big deal for the Japanese.
It’s a place to go and relax, take your time, bring the family. It’s good for your skin and fun for the family. Would you pay 1,000 yen to take a bath, not always, but Mark and I will go back soon I am sure!
Food for thought?
Yakiniku, Korean food with a Japanese name and you cook your food for yourself on a grill or hot plate depending on the place. At the "Red Roof" it's a grill and it's crazy delicious.
Sayonara from the Scott’s!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
THE BIG, EXCITING NEWS!!!!!
What, you were expecting the lottery?
I have had an extremely busy week and by busy I mean getting ready for my 1st parent teacher conferences. Yes, that is bound to be ENDLESS fun as I have to be in early and leave late on a Friday and I am bound to make someone angry. That cannot ruin the GREAT day, minute, week, month that one conversation has turned this time in to. This blog is going to be very anti climatic for some of you but for some of those reading they will feel the same joy. I plan to celebrate tonight all by myself with a relaxing bath, as I will not have time to bathe tomorrow morning as I require Starbucks on my way to work tomorrow, and drink a Ramune, my favorite Japanese drink that is in my opinion blog worthy, minus the marble tonight though. Before I force you to read some of my other ramblings I will give you a hint, November 30th is the new happiest day of my life…okay maybe not, but you get my point.
Mark is gone, I am home alone, I am having mixed feelings about this as I decided NOT to go on an ITT tour and save the money and spend it on others for the upcoming holidays. I still owe a special friend a couple of special gifts.
I take this time to introduce you to:
Running/Walking pre-twilight on the Sunabe seawall.
As I am walking early one Saturday morning, before Mark was awake and before the rooster was crowing. Yes, there is a rooster in our neighborhood. I am seeing men and women what appears to be leaving the “Moon”; a local eatery and bar with pool and slot machines. As I notice the long night for the group I am mindlessly rocking out to my Keane on my iPod and running along, showing that I am hardcore to the drunken cab hailers. I continue to run toward the sea wall and I notice a man with his head in his hands sitting on the cub outside of yet, another bar, with what I figure were his wing men, making sure he was okay. I couldn’t hear what they were saying because I was too busy jogging along with a smirk on my face. I see some other people, a big group of Japanese girls, so people crashed on benches and this is at 5:30 am. Then I see it, the coup de grace of my run/walk/jog. Two men making a yin and yang symbol with their bodies on a bench on the seawall. This stopped me in my tracks, enough so to notice that they were Americans and I can only assume that they are military. This coupling told me a story. The two, hammered out of their minds, missing curfew and having nowhere else to go, decided to head to the one place they knew they could sleep for free and wouldn’t get busted by town patrol, my jogging path, the sea wall. I continued on after this, laughing to myself wishing I had my Japanese iPhone. As I am coming back, I pass the two again, they are still there, silently yin and yanging each other and I remember, I can still download pictures on my American iPhone that my new Keane album, “Night Train”, is being held hostage on. So OF COURSE, like a 15 year old that has never seen men cuddling, I take a picture. As I take said picture to my own folly I am “busted” by a Japanese woman that gives me and the men a giggle and wishes me an, ”ohayou “to which I laugh in spite of myself and say, “ohayou gozaimasu.” Feeling rather accomplished I walk home receiving another ohayou from what seemed to be a member of the avid walkers group of which I became a part of that morning.
Now, the moment you have all be waiting for. It’s not a baby, so get that out of your heads, the day will completely stand still on that day and no one will hear from me for about a week I am sure as I will have to spend all of my time talking to my family. This is something very important to Mark and I, something we have been waiting on for a year, something that will open up the doors of Japan, Korea, and the USA. The house will soon be in contract. We have a buyer, we are breaking even, and we couldn’t be more grateful or thankful for this gift for the Lord Almighty. The house will be closed as of November 30th and we will no longer have to pay one more payment on a mortgage for a house we are no longer in. We are happy to see it go. It was our 1st house. Mark and I have learned so much from being home owners and we can’t wait for the day to come, but right now, is not that time. We are in Japan and we are now going to use that extra money to save, save, save, get our little baby boy Hercules (aka Lees, aka Herca Boy), and visit hopefully Korea and mainland Japan. We are now going to be planning a big trip back home and many things won’t strain us. We will be working hard to take care of many, many things. So there you have it, there is a big weight of my hubby’s and my shoulders and we are over the moon happy, excited, and I hope you all are excited with us. We now have no ties in Wyoming other than my friends and by bizarre citizenship. Yes, I am STILL a citizen of Wyoming, I am a Wyomingite. If you would have told me that 10 years ago I should have looked at you like you were the stupidest person on this earth. No more house, good by Nimmo Drive, we thank you, sorry if we are not shedding tears of sorrow.
Now it’s bath time and rest for my big day tomorrow. Nothing can ruin my high, well maybe a few things, but why bring up the bad with all this good?
Sayonara from the Scott’s!
I have had an extremely busy week and by busy I mean getting ready for my 1st parent teacher conferences. Yes, that is bound to be ENDLESS fun as I have to be in early and leave late on a Friday and I am bound to make someone angry. That cannot ruin the GREAT day, minute, week, month that one conversation has turned this time in to. This blog is going to be very anti climatic for some of you but for some of those reading they will feel the same joy. I plan to celebrate tonight all by myself with a relaxing bath, as I will not have time to bathe tomorrow morning as I require Starbucks on my way to work tomorrow, and drink a Ramune, my favorite Japanese drink that is in my opinion blog worthy, minus the marble tonight though. Before I force you to read some of my other ramblings I will give you a hint, November 30th is the new happiest day of my life…okay maybe not, but you get my point.
Mark is gone, I am home alone, I am having mixed feelings about this as I decided NOT to go on an ITT tour and save the money and spend it on others for the upcoming holidays. I still owe a special friend a couple of special gifts.
I take this time to introduce you to:
Running/Walking pre-twilight on the Sunabe seawall.
As I am walking early one Saturday morning, before Mark was awake and before the rooster was crowing. Yes, there is a rooster in our neighborhood. I am seeing men and women what appears to be leaving the “Moon”; a local eatery and bar with pool and slot machines. As I notice the long night for the group I am mindlessly rocking out to my Keane on my iPod and running along, showing that I am hardcore to the drunken cab hailers. I continue to run toward the sea wall and I notice a man with his head in his hands sitting on the cub outside of yet, another bar, with what I figure were his wing men, making sure he was okay. I couldn’t hear what they were saying because I was too busy jogging along with a smirk on my face. I see some other people, a big group of Japanese girls, so people crashed on benches and this is at 5:30 am. Then I see it, the coup de grace of my run/walk/jog. Two men making a yin and yang symbol with their bodies on a bench on the seawall. This stopped me in my tracks, enough so to notice that they were Americans and I can only assume that they are military. This coupling told me a story. The two, hammered out of their minds, missing curfew and having nowhere else to go, decided to head to the one place they knew they could sleep for free and wouldn’t get busted by town patrol, my jogging path, the sea wall. I continued on after this, laughing to myself wishing I had my Japanese iPhone. As I am coming back, I pass the two again, they are still there, silently yin and yanging each other and I remember, I can still download pictures on my American iPhone that my new Keane album, “Night Train”, is being held hostage on. So OF COURSE, like a 15 year old that has never seen men cuddling, I take a picture. As I take said picture to my own folly I am “busted” by a Japanese woman that gives me and the men a giggle and wishes me an, ”ohayou “to which I laugh in spite of myself and say, “ohayou gozaimasu.” Feeling rather accomplished I walk home receiving another ohayou from what seemed to be a member of the avid walkers group of which I became a part of that morning.
Now, the moment you have all be waiting for. It’s not a baby, so get that out of your heads, the day will completely stand still on that day and no one will hear from me for about a week I am sure as I will have to spend all of my time talking to my family. This is something very important to Mark and I, something we have been waiting on for a year, something that will open up the doors of Japan, Korea, and the USA. The house will soon be in contract. We have a buyer, we are breaking even, and we couldn’t be more grateful or thankful for this gift for the Lord Almighty. The house will be closed as of November 30th and we will no longer have to pay one more payment on a mortgage for a house we are no longer in. We are happy to see it go. It was our 1st house. Mark and I have learned so much from being home owners and we can’t wait for the day to come, but right now, is not that time. We are in Japan and we are now going to use that extra money to save, save, save, get our little baby boy Hercules (aka Lees, aka Herca Boy), and visit hopefully Korea and mainland Japan. We are now going to be planning a big trip back home and many things won’t strain us. We will be working hard to take care of many, many things. So there you have it, there is a big weight of my hubby’s and my shoulders and we are over the moon happy, excited, and I hope you all are excited with us. We now have no ties in Wyoming other than my friends and by bizarre citizenship. Yes, I am STILL a citizen of Wyoming, I am a Wyomingite. If you would have told me that 10 years ago I should have looked at you like you were the stupidest person on this earth. No more house, good by Nimmo Drive, we thank you, sorry if we are not shedding tears of sorrow.
Now it’s bath time and rest for my big day tomorrow. Nothing can ruin my high, well maybe a few things, but why bring up the bad with all this good?
Sayonara from the Scott’s!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Pull or get out of the way!
This is the last Friday I have to spend alone, but with the tank on empty and nothing being for free, where does one go without the husband? I am thinking nowhere. This is the last Saturday Mark has class. I shouldn’t have suggested Saturday classes while I am visiting my husband in Japan, but I figured it would be quick and painless. Boy was I wrong.
The Naha Tug of War was enjoyable if you like the feeling of Time Square on New Year’s Eve, which some do and some don’t but something tells me it, was not that bad. We actually got on the train pretty fast after the show, though we did have to wait in a line that wrapped around the station. Nationals got a free ride home or to the festival after the tug of war, we did not. They estimated that down near Kokusai Street where the tug of war is held there were over 250,000 people that gathered for the yearly tug of war. Only about 15,000 of these people assisted in pulling the rope. Since we pulled a mini one in Chatan back in August, Mark and I were just fine missing out on pulling this rope. To join in on pulling the rope it is more than suggested that you wear long pants as well as tennis shoes due to the fact that the street is packed like sardines and the chances of you getting stepped on is great. All ages come out for the tug of war and watch who will win the battle of the north and the south. Though the result of this battle just gives the winning side blessings and good fortune for the next year and it is a custom to retrieve a piece of the rope from the winning side to bring the good luck to you and to your home. More often than not, the tug of war ends in a tie. The giant rope is not moved enough to give one side alone the glory and bragging rights. They have a time limit and at the end of that limit or in the event one side actually wins, the golden ball in the sky releases streamers and confetti for everyone to revel in and for the cleanup crew to keep busy. After the rope pulling you are welcomed to a giant festival a few meters down the road, a little over a mile. There are rides, food and game vendors, and a beer paradise much like the Eisa festival but much larger. They have fireworks at the end of the festival and luckily we did NOT see the mad dash home because we left early to beat the crowd. God willing I will be there next year. I may even pull the rope, or just skip the rope, walk Kokusai Street and go to the festival. We shall see.
I am going to be alone. I can’t give away too much, OPSEC for all you knowledgeable on military terms. While I am alone there are 2 tours I can take. There is a tour to Ie Island, which you are taken to my a 30 minute boat ride then get to go on a hike, or I could go on a tour to the butterfly observatory. Both of these events are right up my alley, though mentioning the journey to Ie island made Mark a little jealous, so I may not go, or I may go anyways, because hey, it bees like that sometimes. :p I think I now know what to get Mark for Christmas though, we will see what I can put together in the upcoming holidays.
Speaking of holidays the season of turkey and ham is approaching and Mark and I are honestly just considering letting someone make it for us! I have cooked a turkey twice and the rest of the dishes once. I don’t consider myself a good cook so in order to make it a great Thanksgiving, I may need to leave it in someone else’s hands. American holidays are observed by the Americans and as Mark found out from his Japanese coworkers; many look forward to being able to order a big, juicy turkey from on base. Our holidays seem to be the only time you can get one with ease. Next week is Halloween and at the school I volunteer at, the kids will be having book character day and the teachers have to dress up…now I need a costume and have a week to find one with limited cash flow. I am a creative person though; I am hoping I survive this. At least it will be on a Friday! Did I mention we have to take them trick or treating…is it selfish to ask for prayer?
Sayonara from the Scott’s!
The Naha Tug of War was enjoyable if you like the feeling of Time Square on New Year’s Eve, which some do and some don’t but something tells me it, was not that bad. We actually got on the train pretty fast after the show, though we did have to wait in a line that wrapped around the station. Nationals got a free ride home or to the festival after the tug of war, we did not. They estimated that down near Kokusai Street where the tug of war is held there were over 250,000 people that gathered for the yearly tug of war. Only about 15,000 of these people assisted in pulling the rope. Since we pulled a mini one in Chatan back in August, Mark and I were just fine missing out on pulling this rope. To join in on pulling the rope it is more than suggested that you wear long pants as well as tennis shoes due to the fact that the street is packed like sardines and the chances of you getting stepped on is great. All ages come out for the tug of war and watch who will win the battle of the north and the south. Though the result of this battle just gives the winning side blessings and good fortune for the next year and it is a custom to retrieve a piece of the rope from the winning side to bring the good luck to you and to your home. More often than not, the tug of war ends in a tie. The giant rope is not moved enough to give one side alone the glory and bragging rights. They have a time limit and at the end of that limit or in the event one side actually wins, the golden ball in the sky releases streamers and confetti for everyone to revel in and for the cleanup crew to keep busy. After the rope pulling you are welcomed to a giant festival a few meters down the road, a little over a mile. There are rides, food and game vendors, and a beer paradise much like the Eisa festival but much larger. They have fireworks at the end of the festival and luckily we did NOT see the mad dash home because we left early to beat the crowd. God willing I will be there next year. I may even pull the rope, or just skip the rope, walk Kokusai Street and go to the festival. We shall see.
I am going to be alone. I can’t give away too much, OPSEC for all you knowledgeable on military terms. While I am alone there are 2 tours I can take. There is a tour to Ie Island, which you are taken to my a 30 minute boat ride then get to go on a hike, or I could go on a tour to the butterfly observatory. Both of these events are right up my alley, though mentioning the journey to Ie island made Mark a little jealous, so I may not go, or I may go anyways, because hey, it bees like that sometimes. :p I think I now know what to get Mark for Christmas though, we will see what I can put together in the upcoming holidays.
Speaking of holidays the season of turkey and ham is approaching and Mark and I are honestly just considering letting someone make it for us! I have cooked a turkey twice and the rest of the dishes once. I don’t consider myself a good cook so in order to make it a great Thanksgiving, I may need to leave it in someone else’s hands. American holidays are observed by the Americans and as Mark found out from his Japanese coworkers; many look forward to being able to order a big, juicy turkey from on base. Our holidays seem to be the only time you can get one with ease. Next week is Halloween and at the school I volunteer at, the kids will be having book character day and the teachers have to dress up…now I need a costume and have a week to find one with limited cash flow. I am a creative person though; I am hoping I survive this. At least it will be on a Friday! Did I mention we have to take them trick or treating…is it selfish to ask for prayer?
Sayonara from the Scott’s!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Es pink, no?
Now, just because I bought this beautiful piece does not mean I know how to get in it or that I now have all that I need to wear it. I still need an obi, obi cords, tabi socks, the kimono shoes (which also have a name but I forgot), the underwear and collar that go underneath, hair accessories, the scarf that I need to tuck inside my obi, and the basic kimono strings meant to ties the kimono together and used to keep it in place. I will then need to find a place, which my Japanese friend Yoriko-San has found a couple, that will dress me for a fee. I still have to find out the cost when you have the kimono, without, 21,000 Yen and up. That’s over $200 to rent a kimono and have them dress you. With some places though, that includes pictures and hair styles, as well as makeup. This is starting to look like my Christmas gift for this year.
I still don’t have a yukata, the summer kimono, but you can get them for good prices around here as well and will get one closer to the summer. Those are easier to wear and I will need to learn to put on my yukata myself. I will find a murasaki one, purple, to wear. These kimono are only for the summer, you cannot wear them any other time, unless you have it on around the house.
So there you have it! I bought my 1st kimono, I am on a kimono high. Anyone who knows me knows, of course, I would have this pink contraption as mine, the kimono hustlers must have smelled it on me. This will not be my last kimono purchase. Good thing Mark understands.
Sayonara from the Scott’s!
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Milk is out to get you!
I completely forgot to tell everyone about the milk. Gyuunyuu! On base milk is the scariest thing you will ever drink. I have not had milk off base basically because Mark and I can not read Japanese and don't want to buy the wrong thing. Yeah, you assume that the carton with a picture of a cow on it would be milk, but we have bought things before in error and an error in milk we cannot afford. Okay, maybe I am making more out of it than I should, I'll leave it for you all to decide. Mark bought milk Tuesday, Sept. 26th, 2010. The Sell By date? Oct 24th, 2010 is that date. Sept. 26 is not even when the milk was put on the shelf! Milk that last forever long, milk that we have a month to drink. Technology is wonderful or an abomination? So, Mark and I are low on groceries, my options are running low and cereal with milk seems to be what I crave every morning. The milk is low and I know that if I pour this milk on my cereal we will be out. That is not the point, the point is that when I pour my milk to get ever last drop I also got every last CLUMP! THE MILK HAS CLUMPINESS NASTY ON THE BOTTOM. The “even worse” part for me is, IT WASN’T SPOILED! Yes, the clumps were not sour milk. Flashback to a conversation I had with my coworkers when I had just started, everyone loves to shop on base, it’s cheap, we go, the nationals love to go, they even bring their friends. People escort as many as possible to come get this cheap, food. From American, Korea, Mexico, Japan, everyone shops on base. The one thing, well I won’t say one, because there are a couple I am sure but the one thing my Japanese coworkers shy away from buying is, yes, THE MILK! Because why? Because, “it has the “cheese” in it,” as my coworker Ms. K told me. Ms. G agreed. So far, I had not encountered “the cheese” so I figured it was just a once in a while thing. I am believing now you get a surprise at the bottom of every carton just like our cereal boxes when we were growing up and will now throw the last of the milk away. I had cinnamon rolls and milk for breakfast just now and I feel like I am going to be sick. It may have been a onetime thing and goodness knows I won’t tell Mark because he will look at me with his forehead scrunched and maybe rightly so. Moving on…
Big changes going on at work, I am confused, what else is new? They moved me out of my one class and put me in another, for a month, or 2, or for good? I am seriously along for the ride, getting everything out of learning more Montessori. One day I hope to get certified and have my own school.
I may not be going to school on the 25th of Oct. Getting signed up and getting things paid for by the military is turning in to a royal pain.
I have much to do. Need to get some things done around the house and play with my Instant Immersion Japanese lessons Mark bought for me.
Sayonara from the Scott’s!
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