Live Like You're Living

When I began writing this entry, it was titled: 

It's the Beginning of the End. 

But you know, I really dislike that phrase... 

"it's the beginning of the end.."

It's used so often when something long-term is coming to a close. 

I've heard it from countless teachers each year around April when final field trip dates arrive, and when exam study packets are issued. 

The said phrase has been used in movie titles (1957), by modern "prophets," palm readers, and girlfriends who aren't afraid to face reality. But why do we use that phrase, honestly? When is it even appropriate to start saying it? Why don't we ever say "it's the end of the beginning"? Why do we even have to designate start and end points? 

Anyways- I've been trying to avoid it all together. It's so easy to miss the point of why you're doing something if you're too caught up with "ohhh this is the last time we're going to _______."

I mean sure, there are times when the "last time" should be recognized, but as for me, I like to live as if I'm not leaving. 

So I've been doing just that:

Friday was our last Shabe night at the Rood's house, and even

though it was goodbye for some, it was so much fun! It was filled with good food, fun games, a great discussion on thankfulness- followed by some deep conversations, and a rousing game of Mafia. 

Saturday we went to the F.C. Tokyo v. Hiroshima soccer game. It was a very important game for #4 team (F.C. Tokyo) to compete for the national title. Even though no one scored- it was so much fun! The stadium cheering section was a madhouse- I've never heard so many different songs and chants at a sports game before.

I really cherish memories (who doesn't?). My family always valued making photo albums and taking video- it's something I too have grown to love. So, using my amateur editing skills, I've been putting together a photo & film montage of this summer to show at the final BEST club trip to Oshima Island. To me, it's a great way to use my own skills and give the students something to remember the summer. It might be a little cheesy, but I don't really care. 

Sunday turned out to be such a great day! Along with completing some of my video project, I also took a walk by the river to enjoy this awesome path I found that is strewn with big trees, tall grass, and old benches- talk about perfect photo-shoot spot! After that I did some family/friends gift shopping in Tama Center, and then took the 1 hour walk back to my apartment instead of the train (listening to Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz- such a good time). After getting back, I hung out with one of the students in the little park across the street from my house until 2 am. This was one of the best times I've had while in Japan. See, something I've learned is- even though this is not my home, life here is just as real as it is in California. 

As for the rest of my time here- plans are:

-Bible Study on Tuesday morning

-English Lunch Table on Wednesday and Friday

-Lunch with a student on Thursday

-Pro Baseball Game (woot!)

-Move out of apartment

-Oshima trip (including beach time, pair talk, bible study, and birthday fun)

-1 last night in Tokyo

-Closing orientation

-Looking at the Pacific Ocean through an airplane window... 

So yeah- it definitely would be "the beginning of the end" if my teachers had anything to say about it. But to me that phrase concludes that the country favorite "Live Like You Were Dying" should be my new theme song. But my relationships with these people won't suddenly end when the wheels of the plane depart from the surface of Japan. So why live like that? Why live like it's the end?- it's just not true. Then again, I can't live like I'm not leaving- cause that's just not true either.  

Shouldn't live like I'm dying. 

Don't want to know that I'm leaving. 

I think- to live like I'm living- is what works best for me. 

See you all very soon. 

Ice Ice Baby

Sometimes things get lost in translation.

That's really all I need to say to begin my story. 

Not too long ago I had this amusing conversation with one of the students. 

Student: "Do you guys keep ice in your freezer?"

Me: "Mmm.. yeah, most of the time."

S: "Oh really? Wow that's great."

M: "Yeah."

S: "Have you ever had it with chocolate?"

M: "What?"

S: "Yeah, with chocolate around it. It's sooo good!"

At this point I'm thinking two things:

1) "...?"

2) "The Japanese have such cool ways of making desserts!!"

M: "Wow. I've never even heard of that, I'll have to try it."

S: "Yeah, it's very good. Sometimes there are almonds on it too."

M: "Wait so.. there's like- ice, right?"

S: "Yeah."

M: "And then.. chocolate.. with.."

S: "Sometimes it's like, chocolate on the inside, then ice, then chocolate on the outside, with little nuts or something on it."

M: "...?"

S: "It's very common. Probably the most favorite ice cream in Japan." 

So I felt dumb. Why would anyone eat a chocolate covered ice cube, I mean- honestly?

Volleyball

If you've been reading, you already know that volleyball isn't my forte; being previously described as my biggest challenge this summer, you know that my lack of volleyball-skill caused great frustration. Nevertheless, three weeks ago, I hit a really good stride. It all began to make sense. I found a groove that worked for me, and I stuck with it. I finally found my place in volleyball:

official scorekeeper. 

That's right folks! I declared myself as the official volleyball scorekeeper for the summer, and you know what, I've had so much fun the last three sports nights. I figure, someone's gotta do it. And I can flip numbers like a pro- plus I love watching volleyball. It's the perfect position for me. :)

Japanese Lessons

During the English Lunch Tables, I often ask the students to teach me useful Japanese words or phrases. Despite the intention to learn useful Japanese, it often turns into Japanese slang or phrases that are just funny to hear me say (as with our exchange of English lessons as well..) 

For whatever reason, the majority of the Japanese I learn is either from comedians, or only phrases that old men or samurai would say. In fact, many of the students will often set up scenarios over and over just to hear me say a certain phrase. 

I guess it's just funny for them to hear an 18 year-old, foreign, white girl, say something that an old, drunk, Japanese man would say.. 

:) 

To Summit

summit [suhm-it]: noun - (1) the highest point or part, as of a hill, line of travel, or any object; top; apex (2) the highest point of attainment or aspiration: the summit of one's ambition.   (3)verb - to reach the summit of. 

This word became very important to me last Saturday. 

Summit. Summit. 

The summit. Reach the summit.

The summit... 

It was all I could think of. The summit of Mount Fuji. 

And I was so excited to climb! In fact, I had been excited since February- before I even knew I would be going to Japan. After looking at Mikey's photo album from a past SIJ trip up the volcano- I knew that I too wanted to conquer Mt. Fuji. 

A few of us during the hike.

Photo courtesy of Jillian Nelson

When it was confirmed that BEST club would be taking another Mount Fuji trip this summer, I was beyond excited. However, the skeptical faces of past climbers whose mouths exuded nervous laughs and phrases like, "never again" and "altitude sickness" weren't exactly validating my enthusiasm, but they pushed me to want to conquer it even more. 

Because of this, I decided to train. Knowing the mountain would be difficult, I knew anything

 would help- especially anything uphill. Luckily, 

(or maybe unluckily..) there's this hill we have to walk up every time we come back to our apartment. And this hill served as a tool for both training and encouragement as our utterances of "Fuji muscles" accompanied sweaty bodies and aching quads on the hottest days- reminding us that the neighborhood climb was not in vain. 

Besides that, I did some running on my own, some uphill sprints, ran flights of stairs.. I felt good in my preparedness. However, I had no way to measure that preparedness against the mountain itself until I got there. In the mean time, I built an image: an image of the climb; and in that image, I illustrated my potential, and within that potential- my performance. 

And that's what killed me. 

Summit: the point of attainment or aspiration.  

Looking up the mountain. 

I've always been a person who competes inwardly. My competitive nature is driven mostly by my need to obtain personal goals: choir president, valedictorian, rowing 500,000 meters in 8 weeks.. etc. However, it's these personal goals that prove so detrimental to my feeling of accomplishment; If I cannot realize a goal in the way I wanted to, if I cannot summit -so to say- I have failed. I've failed myself. And if I've failed myself, I've failed my team. I've failed my friends. And I cannot take it back. 

This wonderful trait of mine came swinging back full circle at Station 8 of Mount Fuji. After 4 hours of relentless uphill climbing, and with 2 more to go, my frustration and discouragement had set in. I had become the weakest of the 14 climbers. And that got to me. Despite my preparation physically for the climb, I could not even get in a state mentally that would help me overcome the challenge. 

See what happened was, the bar I'd set for my expected performance was high, and for me that bar was a goal. Yes, to summit Fuji was the prize I'd ultimately gain but- I wanted to conquerthe mountain. Not just make it. 

Well at that point, I was only 'making it,' and just barely too. Though the initial pain had passed, I was suffering from pure muscle exhaustion; and whether that was from not being in shape, or the depletion of available oxygen, or a combination of the two- I didn't know, I didn't care- the only person I could blame was myself. 

Because even if I reached the summit of the mountain,

I knew I wasn't going to summit my personal expectations.

Thus as we began to climb again, the word "summit" became bittersweet.

I had to say "shoganai"* and just move on. 

I had to reach the summit.. 

..it definitely would not be pretty if I didn't. 

The view of the summit from Stn. 8

I could see the summit of Mt. Fuji for the rest of the climb. I tried to count the switchbacks. 

"About 30 more minutes," Mark said. 30 minutes, I thought, okay so, that's about 8 songs. How many meters is a 1/2 hour of rowing? The song Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin is about 4 minutes- if I sing it 3 times I'm half way there. 

I tried everything to keep my mind off of failure. Songs, memory verses.. 

My group was ahead of me. 

Mark was behind with me.   

I felt like a burden.

I also felt like a fussy child as I compared Mt. Fuji to what Mt. Everest must be like. 

Man up! I thought And summit this thing already! 

We finally turned the last switchback onto the last stretch of stairs; it was the point when I came closest to tears during the climb. Tears out of frustration, grief, happiness, relief, probably more things than I can count- maybe even tears just from the sting of the cold.. nonetheless, turning that last switchback humbled me.

See I had wanted to get down from Fuji and be able to say so nonchalantly, "yeah it was a good hike. Kinda difficult but, you know.." However my right to say that had, obviously, been demolished; and with it, my pride. And those final few minutes really made me think- because as I turned the last corner, I saw my group- scattered along the top of the stairs, waiting-waiting at the gates, so we could all cross into the summit together. 

Seriously?! After 6 hours of strenuous hiking, they're going to forsake their right to take one more step? Just one more step and they all could have summitted.. 

People want to see you succeed, and they want to succeed with you. 

Where's the joy in summitting a mountain by yourself? A mere supplementing of your ego, and then what? The descent. It's so empty.

What's the point in needing to achieve on your own? 

In needing to succeed by your own strength?

I was bred by a society with individualistic tendencies.

And I've only come to realize that since being in Japan. 

In so many ways I'm learning what it really means to summit.  

  

Me at the summit of Mount Fuji. 

*shoganai: it cannot be helped; there's nothing you can do; oh well. 

Coming Soon...

Mt. Fuji blog post. 

Breakfast Creation

After finishing off 2 bags of granola, I decided it was time to venture into a new land of breakfast: pancakes. Upon seeing bags of pancake mix in the store, Dan and I thought it would be a good idea to try it. And even though the directions and all the information were printed in Japanese, there was a picture of an egg and a carton of milk on the front, so I thought this should be easy enough to make. 

Creation #1

Banana Pancakes

Date: 07/03/09

It was during Creation #1 that I realized I didn't have syrup. I had to think of an alternative to sweeten things up. I borrowed 2 bananas from my roommates and voila! Banana Pancakes. They weren't really that great- the recipe needs some honing- but they were good enough to eat, and at that point, that's all that mattered. 

Creation #2

Apple Pancakes

Date: 07/09/09

I had a little bit of time this morning to make breakfast so I broke out the pancake batter again. Still no syrup, so I decided to try another fruit. A richly flavored Japanese apple sounded like it would do the trick. In my box of goods though, I spotted white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract- all of which sounded like they needed to be in my pancakes. So I experimented. The pancakes turned out great- only problem was that the sugar makes the outside burn too quickly, and the inside not cook quite enough. I'll leave the "recipe" below. If you feel like experimenting, let me know what works best for you. 

*Measurements are very approximate. In fact on most of these, I'd put a "maybe" before any number I list :)

Ingredients

1 1/2 C pancake mix

1/4 C white sugar

1/8 C brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg* (don't use egg if your mix doesn't call for it)

1 cup-ish of milk (use enough to make the batter somewhat thick and not too runny)

1 apple- thinly sliced. 

Directions

-mix p-mix, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, egg*, and milk together. 

-slice yo' apple.

-set the burner to low heat. 

-pour a small amount of batter into a circular (or mickey mouse) shape on the pan. 

-put some apple slices on the pancake. 

-use a better spatula than I had to attempt to flip the pancake. 

-use that same spatula to move the pancake from the pan to a plate. 

-eat. 

-email Rachel to tell her how you did :D 

The Fourth of July

4th of July is always one of my favorite holidays- "Not because it's always great," I say, "but because it has so much potential." Sometimes looking forward to the 4th of July is even greater than the day itself.. kind of like Christmas. That being said, you could imagine my dolefulness when I realized my 4th of July would be spent in Japan- a country that, obviously, does not celebrate the day (though it does exist on their calendars). However, fireworks (called hanabi) in Japan, are very popular.. more than that- they're legal. That's right folks, no ID required, not even for those "in the air" ones that we love so much. With that knowledge, 4th of July was lookin' up! We invited students to celebrate with us, and had a great turnout. 

The evening was complete with: 

1) A traditional American meal

2) $80 in fireworks

3) Dangerous firework stunts.

4) The words "crazy awesome!"

5) An "in-the-air" firework that exploded on its side into an open grass area- thanks Dan! 

6) Mosquitoes

7) A cranky cat.

8) Lighting fireworks with.. other fireworks.

9) Tying old fireworks to new fireworks so we could hold them 

while they're on fire and make an arch... 

that people could run under.. great idea. 

Watch the Video

 

10) Lots of laughing

11) Ice cream

12) Frisbee

13) The game "signs"

Needless to say, I had a great 4th of July.

Definitely unforgettable and CrAzY aWeSoMe!!!

How was your day?

Spencer and I were in charge of the "English Game" portion of Friday's Shabe Night. He came up with the great idea of having the students rank responses (like "good" "bad" "okay") to the question "How was your day?" We gave each group 10 slips of paper with responses on them, and instructed the students to place them in order from best to worst. 

Three things happened: 

1) there was a unanimous dilemma over the difference between "good" and "pretty good"; which is better?

2) It was so funny to hear the students ponder the word "splendid." Do Americans use that word commonly? No. But we definitely should. 

3) The best response really stuck and has already become popular among the students: 

"How was your day?" 

"Crraaazzyy Awwesommmee!!!" 

Grateful to the Copycat

Vocab: 

Gaijin : a foreigner in Japan. Any foreigner. 

My roommate Jillian wrote the following post, and it was just too perfect of an explanation to try to copy and not plagiarize. :] 

Gaijin

By: Jillian Nelson

"Sarah Joy brought home Nanako after a shopping exploration, and one of the topics of conversations that came up is about natto, the beloved Japanese fermented soybeans.  I think a favorite activity for Japanese citizens is to introduce to snack to American gaijin to see their reactions.  If I was to try to explain how natto tastes using a keyboard, this is probably what it would look like:

BLAGHADRHGDFKGLSDFGADGR

>:(========)

GLGdfgadadgjauiaeDFGSADRGdjsfgadjkgfhuahuaehulVASDJASEFGJAERadgasd

FLEHBLAGHBLAGHBLAGHGRAAAAWWAAABLARFBLARF.

Which brings me to the topic of gaijin.  Gaijin, as I previously mentioned, are foreigners in Japan.  They can be whities, blackies, Chinesies, whatever; if they weren't made in Japan, they are gaijin.  Coming to Japan is much different from going to Europe, were passing for a native only requires wearing inconspicuous clothing and not hauling around a camera that you whip out for pictures every 5 minutes.  In Japan, blending in is not possible when your skin is tinted pink and you stand 6 inches taller than the average woman (and let's not even get into facial differences).  But more importantly, there are cultural differences; general practices of courtesy that are ingrained into Japanese life.  Many of them aren't very difficult to remember, like pointing to your nose when referring to yourself; however, I had to constantly remind myself  not to point at people with one finger--and I have found it nearly impossible to always avoid eating and drinking while walking--I've definitely begun to notice how often I do certain things after I find out I'm not supposed to do them.  

Constantly standing out can be kind of weird; when we walk on trains, people always look at us (but try quickly to hide it), and we occasionally hear people utter the word "gaijin" to each other when we go by--but when you can't help it, you have to just go with it.  So technically, if we make faux pas every once in awhile, it's okay, because hey--we're gaijin.  If the humidity is pressing down on us on our walk to school, then I'll play the gaijin card and sneak a drink of Aquarius--the important thing is knowing the when going against the rules is seen as impolite, and when it is seen as adorably American (okay, I'm not sure anyone ever thinks that, but I have my hopes)."

Tales of the Towel

This is the weather forecast from last night. 

As you can see- the conditions in Japan vary significantly. However, the temperature only fluctuates about 5 degrees. 

Now if we look closely at the conditions for each day, we see that only Monday and Friday have any promise of sun. 

Remembering that all laundry must hang to dry, you might guess the difficulty of having to plan laundry days and ration your clothes for the rest of the week. This is where the story begins. 

I have pretty dry hair, so I really can't wash it everyday. Fine. Thursday morning I washed my hair, Friday morning I did not because it was still salvageable and cooperative. Friday was sunny- a good laundry day- but I had enough clean clothes to last until Sunday (which was also supposed to be sunny). 

Saturday morning looked promising, so I washed all the towels in the apartment: hand towels, dish towels, shower towels. I figured that after the towels were done washing, they wouldn't take that long to dry in the sun- and then I could wash my hair that afternoon. However, during the 45 minute cycle, the weather took a turn and soon the clouds surrounded Tokyo. 

I hung the towels over the shower curtain rail, but they did not dry. Even on Sunday morning... they still were not dry. Or at least my shower towel wasn't dry.  

The clouds hung ominously. But, as previously stated, the temperature varies very little. I figured if it was at least warm outside.. my towel would dry. So I hung it out. 

An hour later, the clouds took revenge on Tokyo and rained on my towel. 

I took it in and hung it over the shower rail. My hair felt gross. I wanted a shower. 

This morning (Monday morning), I got up to take a shower. And as I picked up my wet towel, I realized that it wasn't a good idea. And the rain had made it smell. So, with much aggravation, I put the towel back in the washing machine, and forty-five minutes later, put it back outside to dry. 

Lesson Learned: 

-don't skip out on sunny days.

-never count on the consistency of Tokyo's weather during the rainy season. 

-bring two towels. 

Fruit

In an attempt to find a cure for the #1 woe in my previous post, I just ate 1 banana, 1 apple and 1/2 a pineapple. Not a good idea. My tongue is so sore.

A New Way of Doing Things

I've been in Japan for 26 days. About now would be the time that the "honeymoon stage" of a foreign country is ending and I would begin to miss certain things, and become irritated by others. Luckily, I've adjusted quite well, and haven't run into too many issues or In-N-Out cravings. However, there are a few things... 

1) I miss produce! All that good summertime fruit. I must admit, the apples here are more delicious than in the states, but I don't want to pay $1.40 for 1 apple all the time. Also- peaches are a delicacy here. In the discount grocery store they're going for about $4.00 each! All the fruit is expensive- that's probably what I'm missing the most. 

2) Seeing movies. American movies are popular in Japan, but they're about 1 month behind the US release date. Bummer... 

3) Cell Phones. At first, this was an annoyance to me because it was more difficult to make plans, and a little scary to think I have no way of communicating if I get lost. But I'm starting to get used to it- it's just a new way of doing things... or.. an old way actually. I'm kind of getting a glimpse into the world before cell phones- you know- when you had to make plans ahead of time. 

Beyond those three things though- I'm doing alright. It's great because- all three of those things are such minute details that it's easy to get over. 

One thing I've come to love:

-Getting to sleep in and still have a very fun and productive day. It's the strangest thing. 

Bad Luck Can Be Fixed With Sushi and Kung Fu Panda

So I fall down in the mud, right?

Yeah, I fell down in the mud playing frisbee. Problem was, I hadn't planned on going back home before continuing with my evening plans. However with the new earthy decorations on my feet, jeans, hands, and arms, I knew that I'd have to be flexible and go home and change. 

The whole point of not leaving was so I could go to this music store at 5, and I've been looking forward to it all week. 

So I start going home. Wanting to save money on trains, I decide to walk this shortcut through another university (Meisei Univ.) I've traveled the shortcut once before in the opposite direction, and it was simple enough, so I figured I'd be able to do it backwards. 

It all started fine, but pretty soon I had no idea where I was. I start looking around and I'm on this back road and nothing familiar is standing out to me. Do I turn back? Should I keep going? All I knew was that I had to find Meisei University. 

I see some buildings through the trees. Meisei! So I walk down a hill and finally am on campus. But where? Which direction do I walk in? I soon found out that the campus is a lot bigger than I thought, and since I had taken an unconventional way to end up there, I had no sense of where I should be walking. 

I look at my iPod: 4:14. Already this Should-Be-25-Minute trek has taken me 45. Great. 

One goal: Find the Monorail. Monorail means the road and then I can get home. 

By the time I finally find it- I am right across the street from where I started. 

It took me 25 minutes to walk home from there.

My disheveled french braids, mud, and sweat from the 82% humidity was a sight to be seen. 

Got to my door. Hung my umbrella outside. Checked the train times. Realized that, because my little "shortcut" took so long, I would not make it to the music shop by 5. Bummer. 

And to top it all off- somebody stole my umbrella! 

Suicide Drinks

Luckily I wasn't a loser in the game.

Otherwise I would have had to drink one. 

Try this:

1/8 c Hot Water

1/8 c Carbonated Water

1 tablespoon Ground Pepper

2 tablespoons Orange Soda

1 Strawberry Tea Bag

1 Ice Cube

Tabasco Sauce

yum. 

Leaving Buddha Behind

It's been great having the rest of the Setters (Spencer, Sarah Joy, Jillian) here. Last night the five of us had dinner at our apartment, and we came to the realization that the three of them had only been in Japan for 4 days... crazy. 

When I was younger I remember looking in a National Geographic magazine at a picture of some giant Buddha statue that was out amongst some beautiful Japanese landscape. Until I saw that same Buddha this weekend, I hadn't made the connection. It was so cool. I could hardly believe I was actually standing in front of something that had once been just a distant magazine photograph. This giant iron Buddha is located in Kamakura, Japan (where we traveled to this weekend). Apparently it used to have a building around it, but years ago a tsunami came and destroyed it, leaving Buddha behind. The Japanese were so taken by the way the statue looked outside that they decided not to build around it again. Cool huh?

The trip this weekend was great. I could hardly tell one day from the next. It was full of sightseeing, good food, rain, the Onsen, a 'plan B,' making friends, trying to name 100 countries, and 1.5 hours of sleep... followed by 2 hours of trains and then The Shawshank Redemption. 

good times. 

I'll Write Again Soon. I Promise.

title. 

Fish.

I think I might be allergic to fish. All this time I thought I just didn't like the taste- maybe that was for a reason. The last times I've had sushi it just never sat well. I don't know... maybe I'm mildly allergic. Anyways- we just got back from Sushirol (105 yen per plate sushi place). It was Jillian, Sarah Joy, and Spencer's first official day in Tokyo- so sushi seemed appropriate. 

The other night after sports, a group of us were talking about 1 thing we'd like to try/accomplish in the next month. Mine was try raw octopus... I'm proud to say that I accomplished that today at Sushirol. It wasn't too bad, actually. You just have to chew it up really good, otherwise the suction cups can get stuck onto the inside of your throat and you can choke... yeah. 

It was a great day. It was so much fun to have the three new team members here and start teaching them about the area and what they'll be doing in BEST. 

Yay Japan! 

P.S. How do you think they catch octopus? Is the octopus served in restaurants wild octopus? or do they have like.. octopus farms? 

Volleyball

I don't get nervous about things very often. I think the last time I was truly nervous may have been last year during our performances of Les Misérables. Yesterday, however- I experienced that nervousness again. 

It's been 5 years since I've played a game of volleyball, and even then in was in a junior high PE class and we were using beach balls...  The last time I played a game of volleyball with an actual volleyball was in a Mt. Shasta campground at age 12. 

So yesterday, I find out that for BEST club Tuesday Night Sports, we're playing volleyball for 2 hours. Great. I dreaded it all day. The students here are so good at volleyball. I did not want to play. At all. 

As you can probably judge from my past experience with "volleyball," I know nothing about the rules, and hardly anything about the game itself. Sure, I went to several LBSU volleyball games, but when you're on the court, it's completely different: you actually have to like.. hit the ball. 

I was told by Mark that I had to at least play 1 game. I practiced with some students on the sidelines and then played a couple games.. 

It was terrible- I'm the worst volleyball player ever! 

I didn't think one of the bigger challenges in Japan would be a volleyball game.. but it most certainly was :D

Baking + Settlers = I feel like Alissa.

Monday is my day off. We are encouraged to take time for ourselves to relax and recover. I've been eager to bake so Mary and I went to the grocery store and bought the goods... they were the most expensive cookies I've ever made, but they were totally worth it. Having a great recipe memorized comes in handy every once in a while :D 

Tonight Mary, Mikey, Dan and I went to the Rood's for dinner (an amazing Korean dish, courtesy of Jin Rood), and a rousing game of Settlers of Catan. I had never played Settlers before, so Dan explained the rules to me as we went along. I was frustrated in the beginning because I didn't really get it, but I ended up winning (woot!). It was such a fun game! I see now why people (like Alissa) get so terribly excited over it. That game is definitely on my birthday wish list. 

*tip for the cookies: Use the Nestle recipe, but put Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Baking Chips in instead... and eat them warm. Amaaaazing! 

Asakusa

Yesterday 8 of us visited Asakusa- it's this place that has some traditional Japanese architecture and a temple. Only 1 of the students that went had been there before, so we all had fun exploring it for the first time. We did some gift shopping and the students introduced Dan and me to many different kinds of Japanese sweets! Yum! It was great getting to see the traditional Japanese architecture, and it was even better getting to hang out and have a great time with some new friends! The best part may have even been just sitting in the coffee shop and playing cards.. 

check out my facebook albums for pictures from the last 2 weeks: 

click here!

Breakin' in the Boots

Yesterday we drove to Mount Myogi for hiking! Myogi is near Nagano, Japan (yes, Nagano- Olympics, 1998, Tara Lipinski wins the gold medal in women's figure skating at age 15). 

Another fun fact: the roads around Mount Myogi are some of the most popular in video games! How cool is that?! 

Myogi was so beautiful. The scenery was the type of stuff you see on TV shows like Planet Earth and in National Geographic magazines. The bugs there were awesome too: anyone ever seen a bee that's at least 2 inches in length? yeah.. you don't want to. And from first hand experience, you don't want one near your face either. 

The hike itself was great. Not too strenuous, but strenuous enough. There was some pretty good vert too! At some points we were climbing stairs that were more like ladders up the side of this mountain. Mom, I know you would have freaked out, so I took video for you! 

The best part of the hike, though, was that our leader, Mark, and his family came with us. His kids' ages are 8, 6, and 4. Yeah people, 4 years old. And that girl did not complain one bit. Man.. It amazed me how active they were- and we were all just so proud of them at the end of the day. I would have never hiked something like Myogi at that age. 

I'd love to write more, but it's hard to put such a great, long day in short. 

I slept like a baby that night by the way. 

Macs Can Do Anything

Not having a cell phone also means not having an alarm clock. 

This can be problematic at times. 

What do I do?

Download Alarm Clock widget. 

tight. 

Foreigner Folly

I decided to walk to Bible discussion tonight. It takes about 35 minutes to walk to the house where it is so I thought, I'll bring my iPod and listen to my Japanese Language Study on the way! What a great idea! The study is broken up into categories of phrases. When you select a phrase, the voice says it three times and gives you a chance to repeat it out loud after each time. It's a great learning tool! Anyways... I'm walking down the street doing this language study and I notice that I'm getting some looks from passerby's. As a foreigner, you kinda get used to "the look" as you walk down the street, so I didn't think anything of it... at first. 

So the phrase comes up:  "Iinikui desu" or "It is hard to say"

So I'm walking down the street, mimicking the woman on my iPod study saying, "Inikui desu" ... "Inikui desu" ... "Inikui desu" and it was on that 3rd time that a man looked up at me and I realized:

I am walking down the street blurting out the most random phrases in Japanese. 

I'm becoming the best foreigner ever. yipee! 

Okonomiyaki

Karaoke is a big thing here. People go several times a week to these private karaoke rooms and sing for hours. No joke. Today was my first time experiencing such an event- and it was actually more fun than I thought it would be! We sang classics such as "I Want You To Want Me" by Cheap Trick, "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind, "Umbrella (ella ella)" by Rihanna, and "I Want It That Way" ... Backstreet Boys. I have video. 

We also had an Okonomiyaki party at my apartment tonight! Okonomiyaki is like a Japanese style pancake, except you make it for a meal. Okonomiyaki pretty much means "however you like it," so you put whatever you want into this pancake-like batter. Tonight the students made us some with cabbage in it, topped with special sauce, mayo, fish flakes and seaweed flakes- I know it may sound unconventional, but it was actually very good! 

We had so much fun hanging out tonight! We ate food, had feats of strength, a "how flexible are you" challenge, yoga time, you tube videos**, chuck norris.. it just doesn't get much better than that. :D

**Charlie Bit Me, David After Dentist, Panda Sneezing, Prairie Dog Surprise, Dan Smeltzer as Chuck Norris, Charlie the Unicorn

An English Lesson

Over the past week, I've encountered more English than I originally thought I would prior to coming to Tokyo. I guess I was kind of looking forward to seeing Coca-Cola written in Kanji on the bottles- but Coca-Cola is written like you see it in America. English is actually very popular here, especially printed on shirts. Everywhere you go, you see people in graphic t's with English writing on it. Sometimes it doesn't make sense, sometimes it's just a phrase you wouldn't expect to see like, "Grateful to the Copycat" or "Give Peace the Chance." It's kinda funny, since most of the people wearing the shirts have no idea what it means, but still very cool- especially since I found a shirt that said "Sacramento Mountain" on it. I took a picture. 

One of the things we talked about before coming to Tokyo, and even here in BEST club, is some of the mindsets of Japanese- particularly among teenagers. Often they are of incompetence, of low self-esteem or self-worth, of loneliness, of fear.. not that all teens are like that, but it is something that is prevalent in this society. Anyways- walking through the University today, I was taking note of the fashion, of the graphic t's with printed English, and I saw a young man wearing a shirt that said "I wish I never had to hurt again." It kind of caught me off guard until I realized that he probably doesn't know what the shirt actually says, but it still got me thinking.

It made me a little sad because I wondered, if he did know what it said, would he still wear it?  He might. How many students have I already encountered that would wear that shirt? Maybe nobody- but maybe a few. Where does that hurt come from? Where do they find their hope? I wondered about the hurt and pressure that teens often face- in Japan.. in America.. it did make me sad, but it also reaffirmed why I'm even here this summer; to show that there is love, and grace, and truth, and a promise that there is more to hope for than just the transient things of this world. 

yeah.

Calculus + Kanji

I was advised to not go to a doctor straight away regarding my ear, just because Japanese doctors do a little more forceful poking and prodding.. I'm gonna wait it out a couple days- see what happens. However all day today I felt like I was listening to the ocean through a giant conch shell- and the poor students are trying to talk to me and I'm like "Heh? What?" This ear thing is definitely not helping to encourage confidence in their English skills :/

I learned how to change trains today- going from the monorail line to the Keio line so I can get to Shuto University or the boys' apartment. Near Shuto there's a prefecture called Minami-Osawa and they have great shopping.. that cute cotton scarf was only like.. $84 American dollars- and paired with that $240 top, I'd look like I walked straight out of an Anthropologie magazine. But it really is a shame that the prices were so sky high 'cause I was rockin' some of those hats!

I hear Harajuku has cheaper shopping. 

Have you ever seen a calculus equation in kanji? That is like the craziest stuff ever. 

What We Did Today

-pondered why Americans don't walk more places.

-came close to accidentally buying fabric softener instead of laundry detergent.

-slept too much. 

-had cool dreams. 

-met Mikey and Dan at the station. 

-told tales of our defective apartment key.

-saw what was in Mary's frozen bag of rice at dinner.  

-listed our top 3 (or 5 or 6 or 7) favorite movies.

-had trouble trying to remember Kate Beckinsale, Charade/The Truth About Charlie, and Disturbia.

-compared & contrasted the boys'/girls' apartments. (We definitely lucked out.. considering we don't have to do our dishes in the bathtub). 

-why does Dan have 3 Futon mattresses?

-compared & contrasted our reflexes in a riveting game of Pig Tale/Swine Tail.

-schooled Mary and Dan in Spades. 

-realized that my napping may have helped my cold, but has definitely begun to set me back to California time... 

A Taste of the States

This morning Mary and I went to Tama Center and got Starbucks! It was a very comforting and familiar taste. As much as I like trying new foods, it's always good to have something that reminds you of home. It was such nice weather so we did Bible study outside before meeting with a student for lunch. We went to lunch at this Italian place (I know, right?) where they have pastas and pizzas, etc. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy using a fork! So far these experiences I'm having are teaching me immense appreciation for both my culture and the Japanese culture. 

After lunch we went to a store called UNIQLO (pronounced "you-NEE-kido"...kinda. It comes from what "unique clothes" sounds like). It's a very popular store here. They sell clothes comparable to Old Navy. I will probably end up there a few more times before summer's out. 

I think I have an ear infection. What's new? It's not really an adventure until Rachel ends up at the doctor. 

A Very Small Table

So today I find out that the key to my apartment doesn't work. Maybe it's not cut right, I can't really tell. It's not like a regular key- more like a blank dog tag with a hole punched near the bottom right. It looks exactly the same as Mary's.. except it doesn't work. yay! 

It's not really that big of a deal, except when Mary's not here and then I can't leave the apartment. Such was the situation tonight: I heard that Dan (Cal State Long Beach) and many of the Japanese students we met in the last few days were meeting at Tama Center for Starbucks (yup, sbucks). The message was passed along that I couldn't go, so everyone came to my apartment instead!

There were about 9 students plus me and Dan. They brought rice and fish and some different desserts and we had a sushi party! And it was all around a very small (probably 2'x2' table) that the apartment came with! I kinda felt bad because I had hardly any furniture or food, but I think that maybe made it more fun. Maybe next time I'll have a bigger table :] 

It was so fun hanging out with the students. Dan taught us a card game called Indian Poker, and we all took lots of pictures. I think tonight I learned that you don't need much to have a good time- just people that want to be together. That's all. 

To Market, To Market

So, you know when you move out you have to like, budget your money and do your own grocery shopping and stuff? Well, I've never had to do that because, well, I lived with my parents and then I lived in the dorms. And while I had to budget a little bit, I never had to pay rent, or buy groceries, or anything like that, you know? 

I never thought that my first time doing all this would be in a foreign country. I don't have much experience cooking and now I'm supposed to cook with things I have to buy in a Japanese grocery store. I don't know what many of the items are, or how to cook them. We do not have an oven, only a microwave and a stovetop, so I have limited options and limited creative resources.. seeing as how I've never really been responsible to cook meals. 

Luckily I have Mary. She lived here in Tokyo for 2 years, she knows the language and the food. I'm so blessed to have her here to help me. My favorite thing we bought today was apples. Put your fingertips together and make a sphere, as if you're putting your hands around a ball- that's about how big the apples are... and they are so delicious. I've never had better apples in my life. 

Land is Land

For the most part, it's hard to get into the mindset that I'm in a different country. Everything is the same here, you know? They have cars, roads, trains, people, music, clothes, problems, secrets.. 

they also have earthquakes. There was a tiny one today that we felt while in the apartment. Mary, the girl I'm living with, says they happen frequently. I think that's cool. 

In Japan [and online] at last!

Well I'm here. I can hardly believe it! I've definitely had some interesting experiences that I'd love to share with you, but I'm about to go to bed so I'll brief you on them later. Here are a few:

-The individual screens ahead of each of the seats on the plane made me and Dan's quadruple movie feature possible. Slumdog Millionaire, Benjamin Button, Bolt, and Children of Men were the ones we picked for the 10 hour flight. (yeee!!)

-The airport in Japan had a special health check point (swine flu), but my plugged ears, runny nose, sore throat, cough, and headache weren't really helping me out. haha.. yeah...

-I still have all of those symptoms. And my left ear hasn't adjusted from the pressure change from the plane FOUR DAYS AGO! (yikes?)

-Until Wednesday I had never had rice and broccoli for breakfast.

-The Japanese don't like raw carrots. 

-Tried sushi for the first time (you can get sushi here for 105 yen per plate. That's about $1.00 in the US. Each plate has 2 pieces of sushi on it). I had shrimp/avacado, tuna, cucumber in seaweed, and squid. Didn't really care for the squid, but the rest of the fish wasn't too fishy! yay! 

-Japan is very safe and very clean. I like it. 

-I had a terribly fantastic view of the tallest part of Tokyo from my room at the Olympic Center :D

-It is currently 7:30 am June 4th in America. Congratulations to my friends who will graduate today! I've been thinking about you! I even had a dream last night that I was still in high school but I had stopped going to class for like a month so I could go to Japan and whatnot. But, because I hadn't been to school, I hadn't picked up my graduation tickets, I hadn't signed up for Sober Grad (which was a swing dancing club instead of a cruise on the bay), I didn't know where I was supposed to go so I could walk the stage, my mom was upset because she wanted to see me graduate but wouldn't be able to... it was awful. I was so happy to wake up and be like "oh wait.. I already did that last year. sweet." So yeah, congrats to you all! :D 

-It's nearly midnight here. Have a good Thursday :]

4 days prior

I'll be leaving for Tokyo in 4 days and here's what I'm thinking:

Rachel, you should make an apple pie. 

You should also go buy those hiking shoes at Sports Authority.

I'm not sure I've grasped the concept of nine weeks in a foreign country! 

Tomorrow I'll buy toothpaste and shampoo, and think about packing. 

...and watch So You Think You Can Dance.