My goodness I must have let you all down. I am terribly sorry for the absence. I just read the one and only blog I posted and had to chuckle to myself. But still, 3 months and nothing from me! Well for 1 month I was in Europe, more on that later, but now I am back and ready to write. So grab a cup coffee, tea, or vodka. 

Life is still rolling merrily along and as always has stayed busy. September was filled with seeing friends and family, planning for Europe and dating. A big reason for coming home was because my love life was pathetic in Japan. It is NOT the place to go to find love for most ladies. I didn't go for that, but just saying. So I was excited to be home. Many of the dates were bad, it is the reality of dating. One guy even offered to give me "some American meat *wink, wink, hip thrust*" I kindly declined. I did meet one sweetie though, Mr. K, and we dated for nearly 2 months, but now that has cooled off for the moment. Mind you he is an AMAZING guy!  Who knows what the future holds but I am back at it again. 

I am working now too. I started at my job about a week after arriving home. I make kazoos now! You can check us out at www.kazoos.com. It is great and I have a lot of fun. I have a car now too, a Ford Focus that is awesome. I still live at home but mom and I are adjusting. It is just the two of us and grandma now and I will stay there for awhile longer as my current income does not afford me the chance to move out. Still it is better than nothing and I have heat unlike Japan. 

The month of October took me on a whirl wind trip! I started by going to Boston and seeing my old college roommate get married in a fantastic ceremony. I also visited with an old friend from Japan, Rishi. We hung out one night and bar hopped. He even took me to the restaurant that created clam chowder. The "chowdah" is great, my favorite soup since childhood, but here is a secret....it tastes the same as Cambell's. I swear it is true! On another day I met with my dear old high school friend Bruce. We spent the day enjoying food and went whale watching. If you ever have the chance, do it! I loved Boston, it was my first visit, and I can't wait to go back. I did the historic walking tour, went to numerous museums and exhibits, and just spent a lot of time walking on my own. It is a very easy to walk city, and never once did I have to take the subway. 

  

NYC as seen from my airplane. Brighton Beach and the pier

After Boston I headed on to the UK for a 3 week trip. I started with Brighton Beach where my friends Debra and Pigg lived together. All of the friends I visited were fellow teachers in Japan. Brighton Beach is great even in chilly weather. The beach is made of smooth pebbles and it has a great pier. The city has a very young vibe with many local shops that cater to fashion, vegitarians, and world issues. Pigg's mom came the second night and cooked us loads of yummy food and got us schnockered (drunk). Next up was my long train trip to the Northeast city of Newcastle to see Kat and James. 

  

Kat & James in Newcastle. Alnich Castle

   

Alnich Botanical Gardens. Myself at Alnich Castle

  

York Cathedral. The wall around York 

Kat lived in the next village over from me and we became close our first year. She left and I missed her a lot. The trip was GORGEOUS. I highly recommend taking a train around the UK. It is very affordable and nice. That evening we went to a pub with some of her friends and I enjoyed my first pint of strawberry beer. Yum! The next day they gave me the tour of Newcastle, which is a very old city with lots of wonderful shopping and historic buildings. We went to a modern museum, walked along the river front and I think James cooked for us that evening. On Sunday we took a road trip to Alnwich (Aa-nik) which is a tiny town but filled with things to do. It is home to the castle which was used in the first Harry Potter film. The castle is gorgeous. In the town there is also a botanical garden and a bookstore which is famous in its own right. It has thousands of books, some dating back before the 1600's! That evening we enjoyed Sunday roast at a nearby pub. On Monday I set off on my own to the nearby town of York. Truly a must-see if you are in Northern England. The town is still surrounded by the ancient wall which has been restored and you can walk along. I choose to utilize the free walking tour offered by Friends of York. It was great! VERY informative, small group, and it finished in the center of town just in time for lunch. The town has lots of little nooks to explore plus a huge cathedral which is home to the oldest stain glass in Europe. That evening I cooked for my hosts since it was Monday and I knew they would be tired. The next day I chilled at the house while they worked. I had laundry to do and was setting off for Scotland that Wednesday morning.

In Scotland I met with my old friend Megan in Glasgow. Megan lives in Beaufort and we are college chums. She visited me in Japan and wanted to continue traveling so I invited her along. We met up with my friend Madeline who just moved into her new flat. It is BEAUTIFUL! That evening we enjoyed a yummy meal and chit chatted. The following day Madeline took off of work for a 1/2 day and drove us to the highlands and Loch (lake) Lomond. It is stunning there and I am so happy we could do that. We saw wild pheasent, sheep, waterfalls, and the most stunning sunset. We even ate at the very old pub where the waiters wore kilts. I had steak a guiness pie. Their pie is like our pot pie. It is yummy! That Friday Megan and I went to Edinburgh to explore the capital city. I had been there 10 years before for the Fringe festival, but it is so packed then you can miss many things. We toured the castle and Scott's Monument, a cathedral, and ate whisky fudge which I didn't care for. It is a great city for shopping too! We headed back to Glasgow and joined Madeline and many of her friends at a bar for drinks. That evening on our way home we spotted a city fox! The next day we packed and headed for Manchester, England!

   

Scott's Monument  & Megan and I at Loch Lomond

With that I shall leave you till the next update (in about a day or two) I don't want to write so much I bore you! 

The move

Well ladies and gents I am now writing from the good 'ol US of A! It has been a crazy three weeks and I apologize for not writing sooner but today was my first day to be lazy and I did it to excess. I left Japan on July 28th and arrived the same day at Atlanta. My flights went well although I hate LAX (Los Angeles) airport and swear I will avoid it at all cost from now on. Long story short, you will need at least a three hour layover there, DO NOT attempt to pass through with less than that. 

The first thing I did was go visit my family in Alabama for four days and a great surprise was my cousin Dorann was there! The jetlag was horrible but my family helped me through it and we had a great time dining out, playing in the pool, shopping and talking. Then I came home to Beaufort, South Carolina.

Home. A lot has been said about this word, idea, feeling, location. I have moved my entire life and home has always been a loose concept to me. I think Japan taught me what home was and to treasure it. After three years in Saku I came to call it home but now I have returned to where my heart will always call home, the Sea Islands. My best college buddies came to visit me last weekend for a reunion and while I was driving around the islands with one of them, Rabyn, she asked me something I thought was interesting. "You and the people here really love where you come from don't you?" We have a mutual friend Katie who was born and raised in Beaufort and like me Katie is forever talking about our little town. I have spent the last three years talking about my home, my life here, our customs and odd quirks. I can say with a resounding yes that I do indeed love where I come from. I was not born and raised here but moved here when I was in Pre-K and we always came back over the years until we moved back when I was in 7th grade. I remember dreaming of the day I could leave and now all I wanted was to come back. Well I'm here and rediscovering the place I love.

So while I may not be able to give lots of stories about Japan any more have no fear you will get many stories about Southern life, reverse culture shock and of course I won't shut up about Japan that easily. I didn't get to tell you much so their will be some flashbacks. 

So far reverse culture shock is starting to settle in. This past week was hard and the peak was on Thursday when my mother and I had a big blowout argument. Oh if you didn't hear, I'm living at home with my mom, her fiancé, their dog, my grandmother and her dog. Things are better now but it is still tough at times. I do love being back though so whenever the day is getting tough I just think about the good stuff and walk outside to enjoy the views. It is one thing Beaufort is known for...our scenery. Every commute you have whether it is to the grocery store or to work offers a spectacular view of something. If that doesn't work then I plan my trip to England which is happening in October. Nothing makes a traveler happier then planning the next trip. 

One of the biggest challenges faced when moving home is learning about your own country/city/culture all over again. I have approached it like I have moved somewhere new and learning things for the first time. So here is a list of some things I have observed. 

* Packaging here sucks. You can not open anything without having a knife or scissors. 

* I am not sure their are real TV shows anymore. Just reality or game shows or talent shows are on.

* People talk a lot. I knew this and I am a talker but MAN there are never quiet moments. It always has to be filled with some noise. 

* Hamburgers really are amazing in the USA. I had forgotten how good they could be.

* It is sooo easy to get organic stuff here now!

* Japanese kids act better in public but I like how American parents deal with an unruly child more. 

* Restaurants have been my biggest challenge here. Funny how I always taught my students what to do in American restaurants and now I find it hard to function myself. 

Okay so that is just a small portion of my mental list of things that are strange to me. Stay tuned to hear about my night out to a redneck bar....

Today I had my last private class with my friend Tomoko. She has been like a mother to me in so many ways, and at other times my biggest critic. She is an adorable, small, fierce woman around the age of 55. We have been meeting every 2-3 weeks for 2 years now and I adore the time I spend with her. Today she demonstrated possibly the the biggest thing I will miss most about Japan. She asked how my move was going and I mentioned that my gas would be cut off the night before my departure, leaving me without a hot shower the day I leave Japan. Immediately she pulled out her calendar and asked what time my private taxi would be picking me up to whisk me off to the airport. I said "well about 9Am but my supervisor is inspecting my apartment at 8Am". She then told me she would pick me up at 6:20Am, take me to her home and allow me to have a hot shower. I must go early because her son must also get ready for work in the morning after me. I was obviously grateful for their hospitality. 

Then she called 5 minutes ago. She and her son who is currently living with her sat down and discussed the fact that I would be coming for a shower at her home on the 28th early in the morning. He has decided to get ready a little later and do his morning rituals in the kitchen sink so that I can sleep a little longer before my flight. It doesn't seem like much, of course you would alter your habit in the morning for someone else in need, but this is possibly the most amazing thing about Japan and their people. They would go out of their way to help you at the mere mention of discontent. No matter how small or big the issue may be it is as if they all have a magic wand to wave over any problem and POOF! it is solved. I choked back the tears as Tomoko then said she would cook a light breakfast for me before I set off. She didn't hear me sniffle because she was eagerly trying to download this new program I told her about called Skype and Gmail. Bless her. 

Spring!

Spring is in the air and it is a great time to be in Japan. Winter can be pretty tough up here in the Alps and it is bleak with the lack of color. This winter we had very little snow to cover the gray, leafless trees and rice paddy soil. Usually the dusting of white makes my valley a beautiful winter wonderland, but not this year. So after the cherry blossoms have come and gone, everything starts to come to life in Japan. The green starts creeping up the mountains, and the rice is planted make the terrain beautiful again. The flowers bloom in amazing colors and the sparrows nest everywhere, flying to and fro trying to provide for their screeching little ones. At night the frogs croak out a rhythm that is soothing to some and annoying to others while the wood pigeons wake you up at dawn with their hooting. It is pretty awesome for me because where I come from we have 2 seasons; warm and hot. We have green around us all year long and the flowers are amazing but there is little variety and is never seems as the magnificent. Below are some pictures I have taken over the past few weeks.

The garden just outside my apartment door. 

Wild daisies and a funny bug they attracted. Japan has A 

LOT of bugs I have never seen before. Little creepy. 

A rice paddy recently planted. 

My friend Charity poses in front of an old waterwheel we 

found while on a road trip in the mountains. 

Bugs! Japanese children like to keep them as pets! 

My friend Tom found a frog while we were at a temple 

This is an actual size photograph of the spider living near

my car. Spiders in Japan are not poisonous but they are big,

creepy and everywhere! 

While on a random road trip we came upon this bug

chilling on a mushroom. That day in the woods we also 

saw 2 tanuki's (Japanese raccoon-like animal), and 2 GIANT

scarlet colored birds that seemed to be in the finch family.

My friend Matt took this photo. 

Things that suck in Japan

I have had a great day but while driving this lovely, warm evening I accidently forgot my iPod and ended up listening to Japanese radio. On rare occasions this can be okay, but 90% of the time it sucks. Japanese radio sucks. The DJs talk most of the time, and about every 20 minutes they will play a song. Half way through they start talking about the song, while it plays in the background quietly. I turned off the radio because in my city of 100'000 people, we get 1 station, and began to ponder other things that suck in Japan. This is not meant to be a cold-hearted thing, just facts people. I will try to put a good spin on each. 

- Home insulation. They don't have it. Your inside wall is often the outside one too. There is no stuffing in the middle. Often times it is hotter in my house than outside, or colder in my house than outside. I love A/C and heaters but I could do without them here if I had insulation. The good part - I know what the weather is like when I wake up and am still lying in bed. 

-Garbage. I have thirteen categories of garbage. My friend who lives 10 minutes away has more and must sort his garbage with totally different categories. We live in the same city. I have 6 feet of wall and floor space dedicated to garbage cans in my small apartment. Throwing away anything requires a map (I am not joking) and the intelligence of James Bond. Good part - I am more likely to buy something with less packaging even if it costs me more. I am VERY aware of the waste involved with everything I buy. This however does not stop Japan from wrapping every cookie in a pack in its own packaging. I kid you not. 

-Zero tolerance drunk driving. Now I am an advocate that you should NEVER EVER EVER attempt to drive a car while intoxicated. BUT Japan has gone to the extreme. They have a 1 drop rule. If you have taken a sip of booze then you can not drive for the day. PERIOD. If you get caught, consider your self up a creek without a paddle. I have accidently eaten a chocolate with booze in it and had to walk home or call a taxi for fear of this rule. Good point - as a result of this rule there is a system which allows you to call a taxi service. 2 drivers come in the taxi. One drives your car home with you in it, the other follows and picks up the driver at the end. It is cheaper than a regular taxi! 

- ATMs. This is the land of technology. My school toilet sings to me and washes my butt then air dries it afterwards. My microwave can bake, microwave, grill and toast to perfection. ATMs in Japan close at 8PM on weekdays and noon on Saturday. Do not even think about getting money on a Sunday or holiday. Also do not consider getting money out of an ATM if you are not in your state. This is a cash based society. Finding a place that accepts credit cards, or anyone with a credit card, is nearly unheard of. I frequently carry 2-400$ on me at all times and do not think twice about it. The reason, if the ATM is open that means there is someone waiting in an office just in case it breaks. They will rush over and fix it. If it is closed, the person has gone home. Good point - I have never encountered a broken ATM in Japan. 

- Coffee. It sucks. I love little coffee shops with personality but if I want a good cup of jo then I head to Starbucks. Japanese coffee is like motor oil. They use Vietnamese strength but unlike Vietnamese they do not cut in with thick cream. It is pungent, bitter, tastes burnt always and smells awful. Good point - if I need a pick me up, 1/2 a cup of Japanese coffee will keep me going for a long time.

-Train ticket prices. You can take a train anywhere in this country. They are nice too. Comfy, sometimes even have snack carts on them. Bathrooms are usually clean and it is a great way to help the environment, meet people, and see new places. It is expensive though. REALLY expensive. Enough so that often I drive, especially if there is a second person in the car. Much cheaper that way. Good point - I never feel like the employees are working for less than they deserve. 

Okay that is just a sampling. I am sure I have a lot more of these stored up. Here is a very cute picture I took while working the American booth at an International festival recently. We had a craft corner and were making pinwheels. First participants would color their paper, this girl later performed a cheer. 

I Support Driving on Random Roads

Last Friday my friend Tom and I decided to go driving in our local area after we had finished watching our schools play basketball and before we were due at a birthday party. My favorite activity in Japan is driving on their crazy tiny roads, turning when I feel the next road looks more interesting than the one I am on. The roads here tend to get windy through the mountains and can lead you to some amazing and surprising places. Even though I have been in my sleepy urban town for 3 years I still manage to find new hills to climb in my little car. 10 minutes after setting out we found the perfect road which led us to an intersection lined with English signs directing us to some new places. Of course I jumped at the chance and we found ourselves in a very old section of my town. The homes were HUGE and very traditional. Most of them guarded by high walls and inside those walls were amazing gardens. Japanese people enjoy a luxury of safety here so it is common to leave your gate open. We winded down the narrow brick street oohing and ahhing at this place which was giving us a glimpse of old Japan. I could easily picture the old rickshaws and kimono clad ladies bustling about with their daily duties. The paddy fields provided a lush green against the aged dark brown woods and dingy white stucco of the homes.

Soon we came to a temple. Few temples make me pull over anymore, they seem to run together after three years, but this one was special. For one, it was huge and that is  rare in my small town. Unfortunately the temple is being renovated so we continued on our journey. A few minutes later we came to a shrine located in a cedar forest. I had no idea this was here! I knew my town had 3 pagodas in it, and I always wondered where the two I had yet to locate where, and now I only need to find 1 more! This was a beautiful and serene place. I will not describe it, just enjoy the pictures below. We left the temple and headed further up the road which led to a mountain pass. MY FAVORITE! Soon we were following a creek and enjoying the cooler temperatures. Then we came upon a lake, well resevoir for the dam, but it was beautiful and azure blue! We drove down to the shore and waded in the water, skipping rocks and admiring the late afternoon sun. A narrow road led up another hill and boasted warnings. I naturally thought it was a great idea...Tom gripped the dashboard and prayed my little car wouldn't fail me. It was a animal reservation area. An old road abandoned because of numerous landslides. We saw a deer that seemed more in shock of us than we were of it. We parked the car when the road no longer seemed safe and set off hiking. About 1/4 mile up the trail we saw why the road was less traveled. A VERY BIG landslide. Just as we were turning to go home we heard a rustling in the hill above us. Clearly an animal on 4 legs was watching us and moving about. Tom thought that was cool, I bolted. I have always said I know my position on the food chain when unarmed and fully believe a rabbit could take me if he wanted. This being black bear cub season though, I took no chances. It was the end of our trip, we hastily made are way to the party 4 villages away. 

    

1st temple 

    

1st temple 2nd temple 

    

                                                        A creek we came upon

   

The lake  A warning about flash floods

So as  the title says, I support driving on random roads. My parents did this with my brother and I when we were children. We packed a cooler of snacks, some bottles of water and took off. The goal, get really lost. Back then I enjoyed the trips that were successful but frequently complained as any child would. I didn't like listening to my dad's music, my mom ALWAYS wanted to talk to us and we couldn't play with our Gameboys. Now of course I see the reason why my parents did this. Sometimes you need to unplug and put yourself in close proximity to your family in order to actually be a family. Those lazy Sundays taught me more than I realized. My parents did this in every country we lived in. We saw incredible stuff like a peacock farm, old bombed out shelters from WWII, amazing Thai temples no tourist had been too. If you get the chance to aimlessly drive around you town, do it. Turn off the cell phones, DVD players, and video games. Turn up the music and roll down the windows. 

It ain't easy

It's not always peaches and cream...wait scratch that, we don't have that in Hello-Kitty Land. 

It's not always mochi and ice cream in Japan. I have bad days and weeks, but the good outweighs that most of the time. This week was one that has tested my strength. I am going through the motions these days for leaving this fair country and returning home. Officially I leave July 28th, arriving the same day in Atlanta, GA, USA. After my long week I can think of nothing better than saying sayonara to Japan and a big HEY Y'ALL to the US. What happened?

1. My school is choosing to quit using foreign English teachers from my company, JET. Instead they are going with another private company due to budget constraints. I'm not happy about this for a variety of reasons but I have accepted it understanding Japan is in a recession. Then Monday morning I walk into my school which is 3 years old to discover that every TV (about 25) and the mounting is was held into which is hanging from the ceiling, had been replaced. These TVs are average to slightly large, and new. What did we have instead. Brand new flat panel, HD, LARGE fancy TVs that have all kinds of plugs and even could get Internet if classrooms were equipped for such a thing. Where are they? Sitting on top of the bookshelves. Yeah....my jaw hit the ground and that set the tone for my week. 

2. I have a new Japanese Teacher of English (JTE) who is fresh out of college. I have been patient since she arrived at the start of the school year this past April. Her tone of speaking is rather abrupt and rude. Since English is her 2nd language I have been forgiving and try to be a good example of proper speech patterns. She is a GOOD English speaker just her style sucks. Yeah well officially she is no longer someone I like. Turns out she is just rude and inconsiderate. 

3. My passport expires  in 2 weeks. I had to go to the post office to get a money order in US dollars in order to buy a new one. This is not an easy process anywhere, Japan is notorious for paperwork and the ridiculousness of it all. There is a paper and at least 3 people to go through to get ANYTHING done. I arrive with my fancy Japanese words all prepared, gestures practiced and a BIG smile on my face. 1.5 hours later, a call to the embassy, 5 forms re-filled out because of some mistake or another, fresh tears on my face, 2 calls to a translator, and one bitching out in Japanese care of me...I walked away with my money order. It wasn't pretty. In true Japanese form they offered me a box of tissues as a gift for making me wait.

4. As incentive in my school I do not give stickers or prizes but instead E-Bucks, my own currency. I buy small things that I value from 1-5 EBs and students get to go shopping after school for their own rewards. It is a great system! Over the last 2 years I have spent 300$ on this. Not much, I make a tidy sum here, but I was under the impression that I would be reimbursed for these items, or at least the bulk of them. I also have spent 70$ on supplies for classes that were pre-approved. I got my money back this week, all 100$ and was told that is all they could afford. I looked at the new TV that no one could reach, mumbled some words of hate under my breath and left school early. 

How do I bounce back from this? I call an old friend, hop in my car and head to the lake for the weekend. With any luck by Tuesday ( I have Monday off) I'll be back to my happy place.