Weekend On the Slopes

Anyone who knows me understands just how much I hate snow, cold weather and skiing. Yet, somehow, I still found myself with my family in a car driving 6 hours to go skiing with some of our friends for a weekend.

We went to Hakuba in Northern Japan. It is near Nagano and was the location for the Alpine Skiing and Ski Jumping 1998 Winter Olympic events. We stayed at this cute little pension (similar to a bed & breakfast) called Alpine Wind. The owners were very friendly and helpful and it had an onsen in the back, which was wonderful after being on the slopes all day. At night we gathered near the fireplace to enjoy card games and wine.

I am not sure if I have ever seen so much snow in one place. The week prior to our trip there was a storm that blew through and dropped 2 meters (almost 6.5 feet!) in 24 hours. Apparently there is crazy snowfall here every year.

The first day on the slopes was miserable. It was freezing cold and snowed like crazy. I haven't been on the slopes in 2 years, and even before then my experience is very limited, so the inability to see and the continuously falling snow was not a good combination. Needless to say, I was pretty much on the same baby slope all day. Sami really picked up skiing and was off to the more advanced slopes before lunch. Emily decided to try snowboarding instead of skiing and by the end of the weekend she was doing pretty good. And Chris and Matt... I swear they were born for the slopes. Off they went to the black diamond runs.

 

The second day was much better. It was about 8 degrees warmer, sunny and there was not a flake in the sky. I even managed to do a few intermediate runs. And if you consider slow plowing and rolling down the slopes to be a sign of success, then I am one step closer to being in the next Winter Olympics myself.

While I am still not a fan of snow, cold weather and skiing, views like this made the trip worthwhile.

Getting Back to Blogland

I would like to say my 4 1/2 month hiatus from this blog has been because I've been busy helping develop a cure for cancer or bringing medical supplies to a tribe deep in the jungles of Africa. Sadly neither are the case. To be honest I can't tell you exactly what I have been doing. I do know it involves many coffee mornings at Tully's, hundreds of loads of laundry, many frustrating hours of homework and my latest obsession of pinning at Pinterest.

I've really missed blogging and putting my words to paper. Okay technically the computer screen, but who's counting. The main reason I started blogging years ago was to be able to stay connected with family and friends since we never seem to stay in one location very long and because I love writing and what better topic to write about than myself (yes, I may be a bit of a narcissist). I also thought it would be something my kids could look back on one day. It was a good way to erase some of guilt I have for doing such a horrible job at their baby books.

One of my resolutions for 2012 is to get back to this blog. So stay tuned –– there will be lots of Ramblings from Life in the coming days, weeks and months. I have a feeling 2012 will be a great one. (Cue the Black Eye Peas!)

Nagasaki & Kumamoto -- Kyushu Road Trip Part I

Over Obon week our family decided to take a road trip down to Kyushu. Japan is separated into four different islands –– Kyushu, Honshu, Shikoku and Hokkaido. Kyushu is the most southern and second smallest of the four island. We only had four days, so our plan was to hit the Northern part of the island, with stops in Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Mt Aso and Oita. Most people take an overnight ferry (with their car) but we wanted to see the scenery and opted to drive. The 10 hour drive was pretty simple and to our surprise we did not hit much traffic.

Our first stop was Nagasaki, the city which was destroyed by the second atomic bomb on August 9, 1945. Two summers ago we had gone to Hiroshima, so it was interesting to compare the two cities. It still amazes me after seeing the destruction and damage caused by the bombs, how both cities have rebuilt and have no real lasting visual effects.

Our first day in Nagasaki was spent exploring the city, Peace Park, the bombing site and the Atomic Bombing museum.

Bombing Memorial - We had just been there after the anniversary so there were many items of remembrance there.

Matt and I at Peace Park

Part of a church building that withstood the bomb

The kids and I in front of another memorial

The second day we stopped at the 26 Martyr Museum and Monument before heading for Kumamoto. This museum is in honor of 26 missionaries who were arrested in 1597 for being Christians and made to walk from Kyoto (near where I live) to Nagasaki, where on February 5, 1597, they were hung. The museum was full of actual artifacts (sorry no pictures inside were allowed) from not just these 26 missionaries, but from the history of Christianity in Japan.

The outside of the church was beautiful. The art was made from broken dishes and pottery.

Memorials of the missionaries. The youngest one was 12 years old.

After the museum we started our drive to Kumamoto. It was supposed to take about 3 hours via the expressway, but we decided to try and drive through the "country" so it took more like 4.5. With some of the scenery, it was more than worth the extra time.

View from a dam overlooking the rice fields.

Small little town along the way offering canal rides

Surprisingly, Kumamoto itself was a much more modern and busy city than Nagasaki. The main attraction was the Kumamoto Castle, one of Japan's three premier castles. Some of the outside of the castle was original, dating back to 1467, but the inside had all been redone due to fire. They did a good job at trying to represent what the castle would have looked like inside.

Tatami rooms. The farther down the room the higher your rank would be

You can see just how big the surrounding castle walls were compared to Sami.

View from the top of the castle

Matt & kids at the secondary castle

Chris trying to scale the castle walls

Afterwards we walked around the city and went into little shops. The kids love trying to figure out what the items being sold actually are, especially the food.

It was a great first two days. Even though I have lived here for almost three years, I still find myself falling in love with this country more and more.

Next up -- Mt. Aso, Oita, Beppu -- Kyushu Part II.

Temporarily Unavailable

We are just finishing up our 7 week homeleave back in the United States and have been so busy that I just haven't had time to blog. But have no fear!  I will be "back in action" and home in just five days so I will be back to my blogging self. So sit back. Hold on tight. The show is about to begin. I am sure the next year will be full of adventures and lots of interesting things to share.

More soon! 

It's Time For Moving On My Friend

There was a song my high school back in Ohio sang at every graduation called It's Time For Movin' On by Don Besig. I remember graduation being bittersweet as we were excited for what lied ahead, yet sad for what we were leaving behind. I am not sure why, but the past few weeks with the upcoming repatriation of some of my closest friends, I have really been thinking about the lyrics of that song. I have to admit, the song is a wee bit cheesy. However, it still seems to sum up how I have felt the past few weeks.

We've travelled a long, long time together
And there have been alot of good things on the way,
But now, it's almost time for leavin'
And the things I feel inside are very hard to say.
 

But it's time for moving on, my friend; hold back all the tears and sorrow,
It finally is time, to go our separate ways.
And I want to wish you well, my friend,
As we search for new tomorrows.
Go, as you must, but please,
Don't forget the yesterdays.

Remember the dreams we dreamed together,
All of the joys we shared at getting to today.
Now just one time, before you leave,
Reach out, and take my hand,
And help me walk away.

For it's time for moving on, my friend; hold back all the tears and sorrow,
It finally is time, to go our separate ways.
And I want to wish you well, my friend,
As we search for new tomorrows.
Go, as you must, but please... Don't forget the yesterdays.

When you are an expat, those around you become more than your friend –– they become your family.  We are thrown into a situation where we live 10,000 miles away from our family and friends and only have each other to rely upon. When our child is sick or we are missing our family back home, it is those around us that swoop in. When we are struggling, it is those around us that carry us through those trials. When we feel like we don't fit into our old life anymore, it is those around us that can sympathize. (I promise I will not burst out into the song "We Are Family", although it really would be an appropriate time) When these people leave, our support system is broken. A family member is missing. And to be honest, it just. plain. sucks.

It is hard knowing we may never see some of the people who are leaving ever again. Many times they live in a different country, where visiting may be nearly impossible. Luckily there is technology like Facebook and Skype that can help ease the distance. Others we promise to visit or keep in touch, but as everyone settles into their new lives, busyness sets in and keeping in touch becomes scarce.

I am not sure why this year is harder than last year. Maybe it is because I have been here another year and had that time to grow closer to people. Maybe it is because I see how some of the people leaving will deeply affect my kids. Maybe it is because my one of my closest friends here is leaving, and I will be all alone in the Scarab Heights compound. Maybe it is because this year was a hard between my injury in Vietnam and the disaster in Japan, which made us all lean upon each other more. Or maybe it is because I fear next year we may be the ones saying goodbye.

So to all those who are leaving this year, all those who are about to embark upon a great, new adventure, Go, as you must, but please... Don't forget the yesterdays.

Mexican Cooking Class

It is hard to believe when Matt and I first started dating I barely could make a box of macaroni and cheese or jello. To my defense, I was a freshman in college so I really didn't have to know how to cook anything. Over the years, I have learned to cook pretty well, so I was excited to come to Japan and be able to take a bunch of the cooking classes that CHIC  offers. 

Last week I took another Mexican cooking class. Yes, I know how strange it sounds that I take Mexican cooking classes in Japan. The classes are taught by a man named Greg, who is great at cooking authentic Mexican dishes. This is my third cooking class with him and my mouth is already watering thinking about the class being offered this fall.

This class focused on fajitas. We made two different beef marinades and two different chicken marinades. All of them were yummy, but then again when can you go wrong with meat soaking in tequila or beer. We also made a variety of topping and dips, including regular salsa, pico de gallo, mango salsa and guacamole.  If this wasn't yummy enough, we finished off the meal with homemade tortilla chips, flour tortillas, refried beans, Mexican rice and nachos.

I meant to take pictures of the finished food on my plate, however I was so involved with eating that I forgot to get my camera back out. Guess it is a good excuse to have to take the next class!

Tohoku Relief Trip #2

Two weeks ago I went back up to the Tohoku area, this time with three of my friends. I had seen pictures and heard stories from people who had gone up after my first trip, but I was interested to see for myself the progress that had been made since I was there, only 2.5 weeks after the disaster.

The actually highways were much worse to drive on than before. The roads had buckled under the pavement in areas all along the Tohoku and Sanriku Expressways from the initial 9.0 earthquake and then even more after the 7.4 aftershock in April. I think all the heavy trucks and traffic on these areas just made the roads wear faster. Needless to say, save admission on the amusement park tickets and just drive up to Northern Japan. 

We were gone a total of four days –– two for traveling and two for actual work days. We met up the the same group I had worked with before, BeOne. They have been on the ground since the beginning and really know the areas needs and have established connections with some of the local people. While there we worked with a couple from the United States (they were actually gymnastics coaches from the Charlotte, NC area!), an American who is now living in Singapore, a Japanese woman from Osaka, another guy from California, an American boy who has lived in Japan his whole life and a guy from New Zealand. We were joined by a young woman, Maya, who actually lives in the area.

On the first morning when driving to the disaster area of Ishinomaki, I kept thinking how much had been done, yet how little. In many ways it seems like some areas had stuffed just moved from one place to another. Some areas were totally untouched. Cars were still everywhere. Some places the people cleaned up around their own house, yet all around them lies complete carnage. In one location the ground actually sunk, so at high tide everyday water flows into the roads and houses. And the smell. Imagine two month old stagnant water with rotting fish.

This trip consisted of doing supply drops and then working in those areas.  Over the course of two days we did two food and supply drops, cleaned out a drainage system at a house, cleared dirt from the crawl space of a house, cleared mud from a house and garden area, and moved debris from a small swing set area so kids could come and play.

Besides doing manual labor and meeting the people physical needs, we also tried to meet their emotional needs. We talked with the people, listened to their stories and played with the children. I think in many ways this was more important than the actual work we were doing.

I have a hard time putting how this whole experience has affected me to "paper". My heart still aches and I think it will for a long time. It makes me sad that these people are already being forgotten as it is slowly becoming "out of sight, out of mind". It makes me more sensitive to other areas, which are experiencing their own hell trying to recover from tornadoes and flooding. In a blink of an eye lives can be forever changed. It could happen to any of us.

I met some awesome people, doing awesome work, on this trip. Ones who have no idea how in just two days meeting them impacted my life.

So this is my challenge to you. Go out and do something. Go change someones life. Go change your own life. Volunteer at a local soup kitchen. Go read with children. Make cards and take cookies to a nursing home. Donate blood. Take a meal to the family whose house burnt to the ground last week. Reach out to those who may be affected by a disaster in your own area. Go make a difference. 

I have posted many more pictures from this trip here on my shutterfly account.

Traveling Japan -- Shiraishi Island

Over Golden Week we decided to go with another family for a little getaway to Shiraishi Island. This small little fishing village is 25 minutes away by ferry from Okayama. This is the perfect place if you want peace, quiet and to get away from the daily life.

We stayed at the International Villa, which consists of 4 western bedrooms and 1 tatami room. We were the only ones staying there so we had the whole house to ourselves, which was perfect for making meals. There is one restaurant, a beach bar that is open seasonally, a small liquor store for beer and sake and a tiny grocery store.  You can walk through the houses, admiring all the small gardens along the way.

Beach season in Japan is typically July - mid-August so we didn't have to worry about disturbing anyone with our six energetic kids. (Not that the beach on Shiraishi Island ever gets really crowded given its location) The kids had a blast running, playing in the sand, finding a few cool starfish and even doing a bit of rock climbing.

While the kids enjoyed playing on the beach, the adults enjoyed hanging at the Moo Bar. The typical opening season for the Moo Bar isn't until June, but the owners had a special opening just for Golden Week. Needless to say, we were very excited. There were a few other "island guests" besides us and we really enjoyed talking to the owner, who happens to also be from Ohio! (Small world, huh?)

There are only about 500 people living in Shiraishi Island. Since it was so small, we were able to walk or ride bikes around the whole island easily.  Chris really enjoyed riding a bike around, while Sami and Caleb prepared for the next season of Survivor tryouts.

The last day we decided to try a small hike that was recommended to us. What we thought would be quick and easy turned into a 3 hour hike.

Sadly our time was over before we knew and it was back to the "city" for us.  You can see many more pictures from our time here.