'Sayonara'

I haven't blogged about my last weekend (in Izu) yet, but I promise it's coming! It was an adventure and sixteen halves. Coming soon... but until then -

Yesterday I gave my final presentation and attended my sayonara (good-bye) dinner. My presentation was 15 minutes, and in Japanese. Yep, Japanese. Surprisingly, I wasn't too nervous. I've sort of stopped getting nervous about presentations because I have a reasonable amount of confidence in myself and my ability to present, and being nervous doesn't help. Just like worrying.

So the presentation went well - but it was half the time it should have been. Oops. It was 7, instead of 15 minutes. But then it ended up taking 25 because it sparked a discussion on the unit of Watt-Hour; an efficiency measurement. So...that was amusing. I explained it, and then they all discussed it and I sat and sort of giggled. It was pretty funny - some people got it, some people didn't, some people just thought it was useless. After my presentation, our manager presented me with a certificate of Internship Completion, and everyone clapped.

After my presentation, I went to sell popcorn. Presentations and popcorn? Why, you ask? Our company has quite a few labs and offices and industrial space in this area, and every year they put on a community festival - I suspect to gain the goodwill of the community and be involved (good ideas, obviously). So I put on my fancy shirt and sold popcorn. I had to teach them how. The method was to pop the popcorn (without oil) then sprinkle it with salt, and wonder why it tasted bland... so I introduced them to the importance of oil, as well as putting the salt in with the oil. Voila - yummy popcorn! Unfortunately, my popcorn time was cut short by my sayonara dinner.



We had sushi and random goodies and some laughs. The two other female members of the team and I had the grandest time, taking silly pictures and laughing and talking. And guess what. I was talking mostly in Japanese. Yay! At the end, after we cleaned off the tables, Takemori-San presented me with a picture (from Mt. Takamiyama) with notes and messages from anyone. I didn't mean to. But I cried. Just a little. I hope no one noticed. But they probably did. Then I whipped out my notes and thanked them all for everything and said I would miss them and Japan. Someone suggested karaoke, so we headed off to karaoke!




On the way, I asked people what their note said (I don't read Japanese / Kanjii). Some were simple, thank you's and good luck's. But others made me smile and cry at the same time. One of the girls said she wrote this..."Stephanie, every time see me, smile. So beautiful! Makes my heart feel warm and happy. I will miss you." Other people told me to come back, and that they had good memories with me. It was touching, to say the least, and made me want to leave even less. (Imagine that...if I could stay longer here, I would. In January I couldn't have imagined wanting to stay.)



We got to karaoke and had a wonderful time! English and Japanese songs...and I even sang one in Japanese (sort of) - they were impressed and thought it was great. It was 2.5 hours of fun and great memories, but it was still a little sad. I kept thinking about how I would probably never get to do this with these people again. I also wished I had gotten to know some of them better. There were also two university students that have just finished a three week internship, and I wish I could hang out with them more! They were a lot of fun, and pretty cute. Especially one of them - and he totally has a crush on me. Hehe. Anyways...it was a great evening, a little bittersweet, but I wouldn't have traded it for anything!








Now I am at work, on my last day...cleaning up, organizing, etc. I'm going to leave some Canadian pins and magnets with everyone and tell them not to forget me, and email me if they will be in Canada. I'm going to miss it here. A lot.

Forgotten (but not forgotten!) - USJ Adventures

This is a little out of place; I was too excited about my Oita trip and forgot to post this on the tail end of the Okinawa trip!

When we got back from Okinawa on Monday morning, we headed straight to USJ (Universal Studios Japan). Due to an inside joke, I was especially excited to see the Waterworld show.



Me, Keith, Alex, and Thomas met up with Rumiko and her friend Nobu after lunch. We enjoyed the rides and some yummy food. Unfortunately, we arrived too late in the day to see Waterworld. I was crushed. Partially because I love the show, and partially because I needed to go see it to prove a point. Hehe. But we did lots of other fun rides. Rumi and I had some random dance parties to the live music shows... dancing around like wildwomen and (trying) to swingdance in public isn't a very Japanese thing to do. But, we're not Japanese! (Well, okay, Rumiko is. But she's Japanese-Canadian and is pretty culturally Canadian.) The drummer of the one band found us quite amusing, and we had a lot of fun. I should mention, though, that jumping and dancing around in 40 degree weather and ridiculous humidity is exhausting and makes you very warm. But we were already pretty warm.





After Keith, Thomas, and Alex left for Tokyo, me, Rumi, and Nobu watched the Peter Pan production. It was very well done! There was a large stage and beautiful costumes, and Peter and Wendy flew around the sky in harnesses and on wires. It was a great production, and fun to watch. We were hoping to hit up a few more rides afterwards, but the park was closing, so we took some pictures instead.



I got home late, but it was a great end to an already-fun weekend.

More Photos...

Old Friends (Oita Part III)

No, not people. Hymns.

On Sunday, I woke up on my couch bed (ridiculously comfortable, but I believe I mentioned that). After some breakfast, I went with the Tsujitas to Church. Their Church is small, consisting of their family, Debbie's brother's family, another small family, and Joseph. I think there's a few more people who come, but they weren't there when I was. There were 10 of us sitting in the community center room; a few of the kids were in another room.

I've been to Church in Osaka twice. The first time, I was too homesick to do anything but try not to cry. The second time I felt out of place and out of touch. Everyone I met (both times) was very friendly and kind to me; going out of their way to talk to me and introduce me to more people. But I didn't enjoy either time or get much out of it (except feeling uncomfortable), so I didn't go. And - I have been travelling a lot and am often out of town anyways. So it's been a while since I was at Church.

We spent two hours in the Church room (a rented community center room), in a circle of chairs. I enjoyed every second, and twice found myself wishing it wouldn't end.
We started by singing from a thin book of songs that Debbie had put together. There were old songs and newer songs and Christmas songs. We sang some hymns and a chorus and some other songs. When it ended, I looked at the clock and couldn't believe it had been 45 minutes. I mentioned in my last Oita post that we spent a lot of time singing old hymns the evening before, and I loved it. There's something about the hymns that I didn't realize I remembered, and the tones and the melodies, and the words that have so much meaning that draws me in and captures me. It's a feeling and a desire to sing and listen that newer music never gives me. I wanted us to keep singing forever, but, alas, we sat down and did the Bible Study.

We talked about qualities of God, and I found myself not only listening intently but - learning! Joseph made a point that was obvious and that I was aware of, but the way he explained it hit me in a whole new way. Definitely got me thinking. Again, I looked at the clock and couldn't realize it was already noon - the end. After, I spent a few minutes being happy and friendly (by choice) and talking to Joseph (who is in Japan doing his Masters (I think?) from Ghana). As we left, I found myself wishing I could come back next Sunday. Thoughts were crawling around my head, I was humming hymns and old songs, and I was perfectly content.

It got me to thinking about why I've had such an aversion to Church lately, when I enjoyed it so much on that Sunday morning. I haven't quite figured out why. But I do keep wishing I could go back to Oita for Church. Perhaps it's the atmosphere and the way people view it, or why they go, or how they act when they're there.

After Church we had some lunch, and I relaxed at the Tsujitas until it was time to leave. I watched some of iRobot with Akira and Misa (really liked it... hadn't seen it yet. It was quite different than I was expecting); and wrote some HTML for Debbie to use on her blog (hello, Grade 8 Computer Class - wow, that was a long time ago).

I was quite sad to leave Oita; the weekend went too fast but was full of good things. And there's always more adventures waiting.... but if I come back to Japan, I will definitely be going to Oita again! :-)

Bluegrass in Japan (Oita Part II)

*Sorry the pictures are so small...I'm not sure why they're like that! I'll try to fix it, but for now, just click on them to get a bigger version!*

I woke up around 7am on Saturday, had a shower, and lounged on the couch and read cookbooks. I'm not kidding when I say she has shelves and shelves of cookbooks...desserts, chocolate, herbs, pizza, soup, vegetables...yummy.

We had a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, tea, and fruit. After a wonderful lazy morning, we left at 1:30pm for the annual Bluegrass Festival that they attend. We stopped at the convience store for some lunches, and took a long drive up, out of Oita and into the mountains.

Sidenote:
Convenience stores in Japan are so much more convenient than those in Canada! At a 'Convi' in Japan, you can get socks, a shirt, toothbrush, drinks, snacks, food, healthy food! Sushi, bananas, pasta, rice, salads. Believe it or not, you could eat quite healthy on a regular basis, just buying at the Convi!

We setup some tarps (in Japan, you don't sit on the grass on blankets, but on tarps) and ate our lunch. The weather was playing games and raining off and on, so we huddled under a cover for a bit while they setup, and for the first few performers. After it finished spitting rain, it got quite hot. One of the bands, that Debbie and Katsunori knew from the year before, had only been able to bring two members. Somehow (I'm not really sure how...they were talking and we were nodding and suddenly - ), we were going to sing with them. Katsunori was playing guitar, and Debbie, Misa and I were singing. We held a little practice session and got ourselves in order to sing Amazing Grace, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, and Power In The Blood.




After our practice, we enjoyed the music until it was our turn to go up. The festival was situated in a grassy field, with a tent set up selling drinks and food, and the small grassy stage on the other side. It was very relaxing to lay on the grass and listen to music, alternately napping and clapping to the beat. Pretty soon, it was our turn...




Taka-San introduced the band, and explained that they were short members and had recruited us - he introduced us as 'The Sweet Poison Chicks'. We got a good laugh, then he changed it to the 'Sweet Potion Chicks'. He also mentioned that I was from Osaka, and had convinced me to say the few words I know that Osaka-ians say....which the audience also found very amusing and got a good laugh from. We sang our songs - in the middle of Power In The Blood, Taka-San said, "Dance, Stephanie, dance!", because I had been dancing while we practiced. So...I did a little jig. Felt kind of silly, but it was super fun!

The festival ended at 10pm, but we hung out until midnight. We grouped under the small shelter, and played and sang... I think there was one of every string instrument! 3 acoustic guitars, a mandolin, a banjo, a bass, a dobro...we sang funny songs (mostly English), and old hymns. It's been a while since I listened to or sang hymns.



There was something about the silence of the night, excepting our voices and the music from the instruments. The breeze, the calm - it was peaceful. I could have sat and sang hymns, listening to the music, forever. I realized how much I love hymns, and how long it has been since I've sang them!

Finally (Akira, Misa, and myself were falling asleep), we wrapped it up at midnight. Got home, crashed immediately...exhausted, but perfectly happy.

Back to T Minus...

Today, I pulled my big green suitcase and my big blue backpack out of the storage cabinets they have been living in for six and a half months. Unzipping them to open them up took me back to January, when I was packing and repacking my suitcase in Kelowna, then repacking a few more time to fit as much as I could before leaving Abbotsford for the airport. The few days between Christmas and leaving for Japan seem as if they were several years ago, not barely several months ago.

If you have read some of my earliest posts from Japan, you probably know that in January and February, I wasn't enjoying my adventures here. I was trying(really hard); and I did have some fun trips and experiences. I was tryig really hard to love it here, but it was difficult, lonely, and frustrating. In all honesty, I just wanted to go home. I considered giving up and going home - but I don't give up, so I didn't. If you had told me in January that I would write the following paragraph before I left, I honestly wouldn't have believed you.

I don't want to leave Japan. Life here still isn't easy, it can be lonely, and it can definitely be frustrating. But I don't want to go. I have managed to build a life. I have things to do, places to go, and people to see. I haven't been to Fukoka or Sapporo; I haven't finished watching Gantz with James; I haven't gotten to hang out with Nobu; I haven't learned to surf; I haven't travelled enough with my coop friends; I haven't had time to really finish my projects at work; I haven't had time to learn enough Japanese; I haven't had time to be the me that I finally found here.

Do I miss Canada? Infinitely. I miss my Dad and my Mom and my brother and my sister - I can't wait to give and get hugs from all of them, and to sit and have a face-to-face conversation, instead of a typed one. I miss my friends in Kelowna - we never have enough time to spend together. I miss my university friends...it's been 16 months, and I am incredibly excited to see them again - and all ready for more adventures. I miss my Elk Valley friends, and job, and life. I miss licorice, driving, and being able to read labels and signs. But despite all the things and people I miss in Canada - (Are you ready for this?) - if I could stay longer in Japan, I would. I almost can't believe I am saying that, when I think back to how I felt when I first got here. But I will miss Japan immensely.

Hours, days, and months pass. And suddenly, it's time to leave. I am torn between my excitement to be back home in Canada, and sadness at leaving Japan. It's actually quite a confusing mindset. I sort of feel a little lost. I am leaving my life in Japan, and going back to Canada. But my Kelowna life is now temporary (as I don't live there anymore), and my Vancouver life is non-existent as I traded it for a Sparwoodian one. So I almost feel like once I leave Japan, I will have no where to belong. (Who would have thought I would ever feel like I belong in Japan?!) Come September, I will move back to Vancouver and start into a new life - and I can't wait for that (this year at school will be awesome, I can already tell.) But for two weeks between Japan and Vancouver, I will get some R&R in Kelowna (which will always truly be 'home', but in a different sort of way), and I will be floating; between here and there.

I suppose this post is a little early, as I still have two weeks left. But the days fly by, and soon, I will be getting on a plane bound for Canada. And I'm feeling a little confused about it.

Tropical Island Paradise (Part II)

I woke up feeling marvellous. While I enjoyed the great outdoors in Miyajima, I have to admit that a real bed beats all. We discovered a marvellous little restaurant that had great meals (& steak) for super reasonable price. We boarded the ferry... it was paradise already. As we moved out of the harbor, I couldn't get over the deep, dark blue of the ocean, and the pale blue shades of the sky. The shades and hues of blue that I could see were infinite and indescribable. Gorgeous.

We arrived on Zanami island, and found our way to renting 50cc mopeds, then took off to explore the island! I cannot do the beauty of the scenery, or the feeling of freedom justice in words, but I'll try to describe it a bit!

The sun was hot - super sweaty hot. We put sunscreen on every couple hours, but it just melted off right away. Even the breeze was warm. The mountain roads wound back and forth, on cliff edges and through trees. From the edges, we could see ocean, sky, and small islands for miles and miles. The blues and greens were unlike anything man-made, and beyond what a photograph can capture. Riding on the little moped, with the hot sun on my skin and the wind in my hair, surrounded by the most incredible beauty, I felt freedom like I've never felt; joy like I would burst; and as content as I could ever imagine feeling.



Alex and I were moving faster, so we eventually split up into two groups. We made our way up the mountain, on the windy roads. The roads were not that steep, but on our little mopeds, all we could do was open 'em wide and...... chug along slowly. But that gave us lots of time to enjoy the scenery. We came around one bend and saw the most beautiful panoramic view - I hit my brakes, and called to Alex to stop for pictures. I decided to turn my bike around, so I leaned over and turned the front wheel, hit the gas and...drove right into the drainage chute beside the road. Alex found it amusing. I thought of my Dad - and realized that I really should listen to him more often. I could just picture him shaking his head at me and laughing and saying, "Stephanie Ellen, you do everything too fast!" Hehe. He's right. But I wasn't hurt and quickly dragged my bike out to take some pictures. I'll stop trying to describe our tropical paradise, and let the pictures speak for themselves...
















After our short two hours was up, Alex and I returned the mopeds, and headed for the beach. We chose a part of the beach that had few people, and wasn't very sandy - instead, it was covered in coral and shell bits! They were all broken and rounded from rolling around in the ocean for so long. We spent the rest of our Zamami time laying in the water, collecting pretty shells, and being washed back and forth with the waves. We had no cares, no problems...just shells, ocean swells, and freedom. I've blogged about some happy places and moments of joy before...but none of them came close to the contentedness I felt on Zamami.





All too soon, we had to head for the ferry - Alex and I made it with only a minute to spare. We met up with Keith and Thomas again, and spent the ferry ride relaxing, napping, and talking on the top deck of the ferry. The ferry ride was much too short, except that we were starving (skipped lunch), and craving steak and ice cream. After a shower and some supper, we explored Kokusaidori a bit more, then headed back to the hostel. We hung out, played some guitar, and had a jolly old time.

Thomas and Keith fell asleep, but Alex and I decided to have an adventure at 1am. We grabbed the guitar, and snuck out of the hostel....sort of quietly, and with some laughter. We spent the next 5 super fun hours hanging out - infinite awesome memories, and a general good time. After a (sort of quiet) sneaking back in, and a few hours of sleep, we were up and to the airport...back to Osaka! But that wasn't the end of the weekend's adventures.

Oh yes - I forgot the ATM saga. I forgot to get money from the ATM before we left Osaka....and I could not find an ATM in Okinawa that would give me money! It was very strange - the Family Mart ATMs wouln't service my card (even though I know I've used my card at Family Mart's before) - and neither would other ATMs! Fortunately for me, Alex had brought extra money, and lent me money for the weekend. Basically, by the end of the weekend, he practically owned me and my empty wallet. Once back in Osaka, I was finally able to find at ATM that worked, and repayed my debt. Extra thanks to Alex....the weekend would have been much less fun if he hadn't rescued me!

Summer Vacation (Oita Part I)

I spent this weekend in Oita, Kyushuu; one of Japan's main islands, just south of the main-est island. I was fortunate to be invited by Debbie (canadasue's Aunt) to visit for a weekend. Debbie lives in Oita with her husband, Katsunori, and two kids - Akira and Misa.

Debbie has been in Japan for 22 years. She came as an English teacher, left briefly, came back, and has been living in Oita since. I have (especially after spending the weekend with her & her family) a lot of respect for all of them. In the short seven months that I have spent in Japan, I have faced many difficulties and started (barely) to understand the cultural differences here. When you hear 'cultural differences', you think of religion and food and traditions - but it's not only those things; it's a world of difference. The way of thinking, which pervades every aspect of life, is incredibly different, and often beyond my comprehension. I think that for Debbie and her husband to have built a marriage and raised two children while straddling two countries, cultures, and upbringings says a lot about their personal strength and character. Their children, too, have to contend with two different cultures. Misa, their 18 year old daughter, has been attending highschool in Canada for the past 3 years. Considering the difficulties I've had, at 20 years old, I cannot imagine what it was like for her to suddenly be immersed in a different culture at 15 years old.

Debbie was a pleasure to talk to, and we had some wonderful conversations about life, people, culture, understanding, cooking, baking, experiences.... many things. I enjoyed hearing a bit about what she has experienced, and learned a lot from her perspectives. It was interesting to hear that living in a different culture can still be shocking and difficult - even after 20 years.

. . .

I left work on Thursday and went straight to Kobe Rokko Terminal, to board my ferry. As I had booked the lowest (read: cheapest) fare - to sleep on tatami mats, instead of in a hotel-like room, I full expected to spend the overnight trip sitting in the tatami mat area, amidst people talking and kids crying, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep, but mostly just staring out the window. I was very wrong. The ferry was beautiful!





I shared a room with up to 16 other women (but there were only 7 or so). I had a mat and blanket and pillow to myself - and that was just my sleeping room! The ferry was beautiful with observation desks, a souveneir shop, restaurant, bathrooms, showers, and - an onsen! Actually, it was called a 'Scenic Bathroom'...the onsen window looked out into the ocean. When I got on the ferry, after finding my room (which thrilled me to no end), I was super excited to explore the rest of the ferry. The only downside to it was that there was no one to pull around to explore every nook and cranny. I found myself being super excited, but not having anyone to share it with. (Sidenote: It reminded me that I am single. Being single can be lonely; not just being alone at the time, but knowing that there is no other person, in general. But I only allowed myself to ponder my single-ness and alone-ness for a moment.) I watched the ferry pull away from the dock from the observation deck, perused the ridiculously expensive souveneir shop, and went to check out the bathrooms. As soon as I saw the Scenic Bathroom, I ran right back down a deck to get my shower things, and promptly had a lovely shower, and sat in the onsen looking out the window (into the pitch black, because the sun had set. But it was still wonderful.) :) I ate the supper that I brought (due to canadasue warning me about ferry prices), and walked around the upper deck for quite a while. I did circles around the deck, up the stairs, and down, listened to my music, and watched the clouds and the stars. I almost wished I didn't have a lovely bed to go to, so I could have an excuse to stay outside all night and walk, listen, and watch. It was so relaxing and comforting. But - I didn't want to be too tired to enjoy my time in Oita, so I soon crawled onto my mat and slept. I woke up just before we docked, with enough time to pack up my things and eat my breakfast on the observation dock (beautiful sunny skies, and fresh sea air!). I caught the shuttle bus to Oita station, and found my way to the bus I needed. (Quite proud of myself, for that one. It was a little confusing to find the right bus and where it stopped.) I took the bus to Daigaku Byouin, and called Debbie, who came to pick me up.

When I got to Debbie's, she had to finish packing up her baking, so I relaxed on the couch and read cookbooks. I think I've mentioned it before, but I love to cook and bake (I can't wait to have my own kitchen again!!)....and Debbie has shelves and shelves of cookbooks. It was marvellous.



I read several of them straight through, and found myself wishing for some ingredients and a fully-equipped kitchen. I went with Debbie and Misa to drop off her baking at JAGG house - a beautiful handmade good store. The shop was full of furniture and goods - country style. I wish I had taken a picture! All things handmade, and some not - artwork, furniture, decorations, kitchen things.... it was marvellous to explore! It was sort of like an indoor farmer's market store.

After JAGG house, we stopped at Starbucks, and then had some lunch at home. We had leftover curry (delicious) - I love curry. After lunch, Debbie and Misa and I visited Oita Art Museum.



As Art Museums do, it had all of confusing, strange, mesmerizing, and beautiful art. There were two parts - the regular display, as well as a special European display. I took one picture, but got dame'd and asked not to take anymore. There were a few particularly beautiful pieces, especially in the European display. There was one of a shepherd and his sheep, with moonlight coming over a hill in the distance - it looked so real; as though there was actually a light situated behind the picture, casting a dim glow over the sheep. There was also one of a woman in a gorgeous dress - I wish we still wore dresses like that! We also noticed that in most of the pictures, everyone looked quite unhappy - we determined it must be because of the corsets, which probably didn't let them breathe.

While I have travelled quite a bit in Japan, and been on several 'vacations', this was truly a vacation weekend. I spent quite a bit of time on Friday sitting on the couch reading cookbooks, napping, and chatting. Surprisingly, I wasn't bored at all! It was just lovely to relax. Besides the relaxation, it was nice to be in a house again - with family pictures, knick knacks, arguing siblings, and people milling about. It was wonderful to be around family again - even if it wasn't mine.

Debbie, Misa, Akira and I had dinner at Joyful, with their friend Teddy-O (I'm sure that's NOT how you spell her name, but that's how it sounded to me. :) ). We had a delicious dinner with a drink bar - and I drank a lot of tea. I love tea. The restaurant (Joyfull) was sort of a Denny's-style (except Japanese). I was impressed at how Debbie and her kids converse in both English and Japanese (I suppose I shouldn't be surprised; they grew up in Japan and she's lived there 20 years), but they spoke in Japanese and English, often switching several times in a conversation.

They also have a dog, named Ginny. A huge dog; who isn't very friendly to strangers. Debbie was very careful to make sure Ginny didn't get too close to me, and if she growled, she was put outside. But by the end of the weekend, Ginny was lying near my feet without so much as a glare, and I would like to think we were sort of friends. Or at least indifferent acquaintences.

Friday was exactly how a true summer vacation should be - a few activities in air conditioned buildings, good food, relaxing on a couch, some reading, napping, music, and conversation. It reminded me of the good ol' days - summer vacation. Before jobs and summer responsibilities.