Kyoto

First stop was Todaji Temple in Nara. It's the biggest Buddhist structure in the world. And boy was it massive. It made the White House look like a home for dwarves. Inside there was an equally massive statue of Buddha. The temple grounds were also extensive. We walked around for hours taking in the sites and feeding the friendly deer.




At the temple they were doing a traditional tea ceremony. The women were all wearing kimonos which look a tad uncomfortable. Before setting the cup in front of you the server would rotate it 360 degrees. This is so that you appreciate the beauty of the cup.

From there we hiked to the top of mountain that led to this scenic view of Nara.









The next day we went to what turned out to be my favorite temple, Ginkakuji. Ginkakuji means silver in Japanese, but the temple isn't silver. It's a very simple brown and white temple overlooking a pond with beautiful Japanese foliage surrounding it. As with most of the temples on this trip, I enjoyed the temple grounds more than the temple itself. We walked passed zen style raked gravel and through a forest trail. And a lucky coin tossed earned me a wish granted. We shall see.

Next was Kiyomizu, a temple on top of a mountain. It had several towers and pagodas with bamboo cross-hatched roofs.

It also had a hidden orange tower further in.

Nijojo Castle was built for the Shogunate in the 1500s. The castle itself was simple and sparse. The wooden floors creaked on purpose so that the ninjas would be able to hear any intruders. The grounds and gardens were more alluring to me than the castle itself. Especially the lily pad covered pond with a small waterfall. 

Afterwards, Mark and I headed to the Japanese Manga Museum (comic books). It was a bit disappointing; it was mostly a large library. There were a few exhibits upstairs including one that was casts of the artists' hands and the different ways they hold a pencil. 

This is the curtain. No photos allowed otherwise.

I had the brilliant idea of spending the afternoon watching a geisha performance. I'm afraid no one really enjoyed it except for me. Though I have to admit the first half was a bit hard to stay awake for (we were all a bit sleep deprived). It was a play and of course we didn't understand most of it. But apparently neither did our Japanese companions. The 2nd half was more of what I had expected. A lot of dancing and singing and a lot less dialogue. 

Dinner was at the Ninja Restaurant. I expected it to be corny but enjoyable. But it was so much more. We were led through a cavernous maze to our table by a ninja performing tricks. The table was in an alcove and it was tricky finding the way to the bathroom. Our ninja waiter brought a 7 course set menu of delicious food, including an appetizer of edible ninja stars. The best part was when the ninja magician came. Again I was expecting some lame but entertaining tricks. But he was amazing! Some of the best magic I've ever seen. He even slowed down some of his tricks and I still couldn't tell how he did it.  And of course I was super enthusiastic and amazed so he picked me to participate in a lot of the tricks. I even got to keep a signed card that he had used. And the fun wasn't over yet. After dinner we went to the basement to find our way through the ninja maze. Along the way we had to collect stamps and avoid the ninja roaming around. At the end, if you collected enough stamps you played a game for a prize. I won a plastic ninja star.

The next day we started at Ryusnji Temple. Next to the temple was a famous rock garden. It was raked gravel with 15 rocks in it. There was also a fountain that said, "Learn only to be content." This is a Buddhist belief that if you don't learn to be content then you will never be content even if you are materially wealthy.







Kinkakuji Temple. Golden Temple. Need I say more?









The last temple we went to was Tenruji Temple. This temple had an awesome dragon painting and a pond with HUGE fish in it. On the grounds was also a bamboo grove that we hiked through.






All in all, a wonderful but exhausting trip!

Only in Japan...

(well maybe not only in Japan)

Vending machine

• am I a morning person. No doubt the complete reversal of day and night helped, but now I find myself waking up at 8am on Saturdays. Who would have thought?
• are there vending machines in the middle of nowhere. 
• do the neighborhood roads have no names. In order to get somewhere new, you have to already know how to get there or have a smart phone.
• is there one plug per room. And it happens to be on a different wall than the internet outlet making it necessary to buy an extension cord and tape the wire all the way around the room.
• do you apologize for calling someone no matter the reason. Something like I'm so sorry for being rude by calling you. Actually you say something similar even when you were the person called. 
• is the trash so insanely complicated to figure out. Not only is there a different bag for burnable, non-burnable, plastic, plastic bottle, cans, recyclables, and glass, but you need to look at the chart to figure out where everything goes. For example, to throw out a plastic bottle the cap goes into plastic, the label goes into burnable, and the plastic bottle goes with plastic bottles. Once you've got that sorted you have to follow the trash schedule. Now if you're thinking that it's a simple matter of putting the bags out once a week you'd be wrong. It's four times a week, the schedule changes, you need to put it out before 8:30 and it's frowned upon to put it out the night before. If you're thinking 'oh, that's not so bad. You can just take it out to the curb in front of your house'. Well, you'd be wrong. The trash site is a good 10 minute walk from our house. Fortunately, it's only 5 minutes out of the way to take it before work. 

• do I find out about an early dismissal day and say, 'Oh, man. That's going to mess up my lesson plans.'  But just to clarify, it will be an early dismissal for the students only. They go home at 11:30, but I stay until 5:30.
• does the dust collect so fast that a minute after I finish cleaning the surface has a nice new coating. 
• does it take 6 weeks to get internet set up.
• is there such a ridiculous amount of gift giving. You give gifts to everyone at work if you go on a trip, are out sick from work, if a co-worker is out sick from work, as a thank you, as a welcome...the list goes on. It is a seemingly endless cycle. 
• is the typical lunch consist of  several different bite-sized things and rice. For example, a bento, as they're called, could consist of two small pieces of carrots, a small tomato, an egg, a bite-sized piece of meat and a small container of rice.
• are the toilet and the shower in separate rooms. This is a set up that I love. Though it would be nice if the sink was in the toilet room.
• is the bathtub deep, but short. I only fit if my knees are touching my chest. 
• do you take your groceries to a bagging table after you pay. This is a brilliant system that keeps the lines moving. As you shop, you put everything in a basket. At the check-out, the cashier will ring you up, put everything back in the basket, take your money, and give you bags.Then you go to the bagging table and pack everything up. 
• is almost everything at the grocery store sold in one-serving packages. For example, if you buy asparagus it will come in a bundle with maybe 5 stalks. 
• after you graduate from college, do your parents have to go with you to accept a job offer.
• are proposals really uncommon. Most of the time the couple just decides to get married. 
  
• do people typically get married (as in sign the papers) and have their weddings months or even years later. This sometimes happens after the couple has children.
• are iced pickled cucumbers a street snack.
• do you have to go to the dentist at least twice for a standard cleaning.
• do you bike on the left, drive on the left, but swim on the right.
• would this hair bow be considered cool and cute. It's a lot of effort for me to respond positively when my student asks what I think of the hair bows her mother makes her. 
• do you book bus tickets online, but have to go to a convenience store to make the payment at a machine so complicated my Japanese co-worker had difficulty figuring it out.
  
  
  
   
  
  

First Impressions

My Apartment

Besides the rather illogical placement of the one power outlet in each room there isn’t a lot to complain about as far as the apartment goes. The roomie and I have been getting along just fine. She leaves almost every weekend to visit friends of hers in Iberaki so I get plenty of alone time.

Kitchen

Fridge decorated with magnets

The toilet room

The sink and laundry room

The smallest tub ever!

Entrance

My room

My bed

My closet

The School

So far I think I’m really going to like teaching at Felice (that is if I can ignore the Christian undertones which should be pretty easy since that part is in Japanese).  It seems as though I will have a lot autonomy in my classroom which suits me well. There is a ‘curriculum’ to follow (more like a text book) but I am free to order and teach it as I like. Like most schools the administration is a bit disorganized but everyone is willing to help and for the most part have been really pleasant about everything. 

Front door

Playground

Training

The first month was spent doing various training with the obligatory, but time wasting, repetition of information. We began by learning how to use Grapeseed which is our ESL program. On the third day of the exhausting training session I learned that the material for grades 3-5 are almost completely different and thus the majority of the training is inapplicable to my class. Of course.

The week of observations went well and I had a lot of fun getting to know the students. Their English is quite high and they were very interested in learning about me.

That was followed by a week of practice teaching. I practiced in grade 2 with a very laid back and helpful teacher called Mr. Jordan. It was so hard to remember to put the Mr. in front of Jordan, and impossible not to think of my brother every time I said his name. This part of the training was the most beneficial and gave me a chance to interact with the students I will be teaching. 

The Area

My ride to school

I’m living in Isesaki in the prefecture of Gunma. It’s located in the middle of Japan about 3 hours from Tokyo. Isesaki is extremely rural, more so than I thought it would be. There is not a lot to do around here and it has been difficult (but not impossible) to make friends. Gunma is home to many mountain ranges which makes a lovely backdrop, but unfortunately they are only accessible by car. Other than that there are rice fields, grocery stores, restaurants, and a few parks. 

Getting Around

The school has provided me with a much used bike for my transportation purposes. Being that the area is so flat you might at first think that biking around would be easy here. That would be true if it weren’t for the wind. I’m talking an average of 15mph on a good day and 30 mph on a bad day. My legs will be nothing but muscle by the end of my contract.

Everything I need is less than a 15 minute bike ride including the train station. The station connects with all cities in the area and with a few transfers to most of the major cities on Honshu. As with most train systems it is easy to figure out and I have used it a few times without undo complications.

Before moving to Poland three years ago I sold my car and have barely driven since. So I was really happy that school provided a driving lesson before unleashing me on the road. It is a bit disorienting to drive on the opposite side of the road on the opposite side of the car but I make do. I say a little mantra to myself every time I take a turn so that I remember to stay in the left lane and look the correct way. Besides turning on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal 7 out of 10 times, I seem to be doing just fine. I managed to drive to Cosco and back all by myself last week.

My Social Life

As I mentioned above it hasn’t been easy to meet people here. I take every opportunity that arises to get out there and make some friends. Most of the things I’ve gone to I discovered because of a facebook group I belong to for expats living in the area.

My first week I met a group of ALT’s (English teachers in the public schools) for dinner at a Peruvian restaurant. Yes, I said Peruvian. There is a high percentage of Peruvian (and Brazilian) expats living in the area. Go figure. I was super excited that I could read the menu and order for myself. Thank you high school Spanish. Dinner was yummy and the company was entertaining. But the most exciting bit of info I gained is that there is a soccer tournament coming up in a few months. Yay!

Oh, yes! Polish vodka in Japan

Next on the social calendar was an international party hosted by Gunma University in Maebashi (a neighboring town). I brought a couple of co-workers with me and one accommodating fellow expat, Chris, met us at the train station and showed us the way. At the event, I met a lot of ALT’s and students who are studying abroad. There was food, socializing, and a trivia game. Since then I have been in touch with Chris and an Indonesian grad student named Haru who acted as my translator during trivia.

The following weekend I had my co-worker Katelyn and Haru over to my place where we drank beer, wine, whiskey, and Zubrowka. It was quite a night.

Part of the bar crowd

The next week I had off from work. I wish I could say that I spent it traveling around Japan, but unfortunately weather and money didn’t allow for that. I did met an ALT for dinner that Monday, and attend the going away party for all the teachers of Felice on Tuesday. Other than that I spent a lot of time relaxing, organizing, reading, and watching TV. Friday night I went out with some co-workers to the (as in the only one) bar down the street called Enjoy. It was all you could drink for 2 hours for about $25 with a bit of food. Not a bad deal. I met some cool locals and a pair Aussie’s and had an all-around good time.

Ginko bean I think. Tasted like a lima bean.

This past Saturday there was a failed attempt to go to a fund raiser for Save the Children. Long story, but basically I couldn’t find it. So instead I went to a restaurant with Katelyn, the Aussies, and two locals. We ate, we drank, we chatted. I have a feeling I’ll be hanging out with those cats often. 

The cherry blossoms are out and man are they pretty. My work had a hanami last week, which is kind of like the Japanese word for picnic but I'm pretty sure it always involves the cherry blossoms. Anyway, it was after work at Kazoji Park. We feasted on Cosco pizza and sushi under illuminated cherry blossoms. After dinner we rode a roller coaster and a ferris wheel.

My roomie and I ate at a noodle restaurant to the pleasing sound of other patrons slurping away.The food was yummy and it was the first time I ate Japanese food out. Seems ridiculous, doesn't it? After we ate the owner came over and gave us each a free bamboo toy. I'm not sure how to describe it. It looks like a helicopter blade. You launch it from your hand and it flies.

My Classroom

We were given a week to set up our classrooms and I assumed that would be enough time to get everything done. Oh, how I was mistaken. We had meetings, health checks, and other obligations to do as well. So I wound up working 7-5:30 and 7-6:30 on Thursday and Friday. Even with the help of Katelyn the classroom is still not finished. It’s passable for now, but I have a lot of work yet to do. 

State Side

Down South

Annie, Lila, and I

After a loooooooooong journey back to the States (motorbike, plane,plane,plane, bus,bus, train, taxi), I almost immediately left for a trip down south. The first stop was Raleigh, North Carolina to see Annie and Matt. I know Annie from ASU and Matt from NCSA, but you'd never have guessed that these two barley knew each other. We spent the evening gorging ourselves on delicious American cuisine and laughing so hard my belly hurt.

Annie and I cruised up to Asheville to spend the weekend with our friend Lila and her boyfriend. Besides a bad encounter with some greasy Mexican food, it was the best weekend I had had in a long time. We explored Asheville, caught up on each others lives, and (of course) played Clue.I also meet up with my college roommate, Meghan, and her husband for a good ole southern brunch of biscuits and gravy.

The next stop was Mount Holly, NC at the Melograna-Ward family farm. My little cousin Dorian drained all the energy from my jet lagged body and mind but it was worth it. Dorian's being home schooled now so we went to the museum and learned all about the lives of cowboys. Talk about the ultimate adventurer job. Too bad I never learned to herd cows. 

I had a delightful (and cheap, only $4) Megabus ride up to Richmond, VA to visit with Lisa and the boys. Besides the usual endless games of Skip-Bo and Yahtzee, I also went through my storage boxes to search for my teaching supplies. A daunting task, but successful. 

My uncle Charles drove me from Lisa's to Gaithersburg, Maryland where he and I stayed with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Leslie, Celia, Zach, and I played a hysterical game of Apples to Apples in which Leslie asked 14-year-old Zach, 'Have you ever seen porn stars?' instead of 'Have you ever seen Pawn Stars?'

Then a final train ride back to New Jersey where I stayed with Ken and Sherri. Nothing like coming home after a long trip.

The Holidays

Christmas was a merry event down at the Jersey shore filled with the traditional gluttony, alcoholism, and...Law & Order: SVU. 

On Boxing Day, Jordan, Dad, and I spent the day in the city sloshing around in the wintery mix of NYC. We went to see the tree at Rockefeller Center which seemed extraordinarily large when compared to our meager one. 

After enjoying a few drinks in Grand Central Station, Jordan and I said goodbye to Dad and headed down to Chinatown where we stayed with old friend's of Jordan's. The next morning we flew out to Los Angeles.

New Year's started at a very Hollywood party in Los Angeles where I touched an Oscar and ended at a pub. About 30 seconds before the ball dropped a guy approached me to ask if I had anyone to kiss at midnight. We had enough time to exchange names before we kissed. A pleasant surprise.

The Channel Islands

Potato Harbor

Jordan, our friend Jon, and I took a ferry out to Santa Cruz, one of the  Channel Islands, for a two night, three day camping trip.And wouldn't you know, camping in December is cold. After shivering through the first night I shared Jordan's tent on the second despite his threats of flatulence.It was a fair bit warmer. 

The first day we hiked 2 miles to Potato Harbor and soaked in the beautiful view. Before a glamorous dinner of Backpackers Kitchen we did another short hike to a different side of the island. That night we hung out at the beach, drank beer, and made up really inappropriate songs.

On the second day we slugged through 4 miles of mud to a peaceful beach and back again. Because the Channel Islands are a national park, it is wonderfully undeveloped. At times it felt like we were the only ones on the island. On the way back we spotted a few foxes and marveled at a double rainbow. That night we hung out at the beach, drank beer and made up more really inappropriate songs. 

On the final day we broke camp and spent a few hours relaxing on the beach. We even spotted some whales. I wore just about every piece of clothing I had to Jordan's amusement and was still a bit cold...so I broke out my sleeping bag too. I warmed up on the ferry ride back while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. Despite the cold, it was a fantastic trip.

There's No Place Like Home

Before, between, and after traveling the US I enjoyed the delights of New Jersey....diners, subs, and a bitter cold winter.

I stayed with Ken and Sherri as always. No place feels more like home than theirs. I took advantage of their Jacuzzi bath, cable, washer and (so excited) dryer.  I chauffeured a post-knee-surgery Sherri around and helped Ken bottle his home-brewed beer. 

I tried to use my free time productively. I read through my old school notes, education books, and books about the history of Japan. I wish I could say that I also spent a lot of time learning Japanese but that would be an extreme exaggeration since in truth I only committed about two hours of my time with a poor result (I can say hello and goodbye). 

I also picked up some serving shifts at Tula Restaurant which helped put a little spending money in my pocket. And spend it I did. I pretty much replaced my entire ragged and worn down wardrobe correctly assuming that it would be difficult and expensive to find clothes my size in Japan. I also treated myself to several delicious American dinners, fun nights out, and a Wii fit. The latter of which is so much fun and I love that it rather sassily scolds me if I miss a day of exercise.

I managed to squeeze in a trip to Atlantic City as well. Lisett, Jeff, and I arrived around 10 pm to check into our super cheap hotel room and get gussied up for the evening, The dealer kept beating me by one (I'd get 19, she'd get 20, ect) so I lost $40 in about ten minutes at the blackjack table and called my gambling to a halt for the night. We spent the rest of the night at the bar and dancing in the club. The next morning we ate a nice greasy 'breakfast' at Johnny Rocket's to coat our hangover tummies and did a little last minute gambling. I actually won at roulette...before I lost it again. 

Another memorable occasion in Jersey include a visit down the shore for my dad's birthday. We made it to my Dad's local watering hole before the snow storm really began. The evening started out with a few beers and ended in several shots. In between, my dad sang a song he'd written and danced with a what he called a female dinosaur. Meanwhile, I danced with a nimble bar tender and played the hat switching game. We stumbled down the street through the snow to one more bar before taking a taxi home. I woke the next morning to the grunts of a very hangover father...oops. 

There were also games nights, ice skating (finally!), and a night at the Stress Factory, the comedy club in New Brunswick. It all went by so quickly and ended with a farewell party at the George Street Ale House which had become my bar of choice. New Jersey and especially the New Jerseyans will be missed. 

Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh and the South

Ho Chi Minh

The first stop in Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh otherwise known as Saigon. The city was a sensory overload of colors, vendors, and above all else-- motorbikes. Children as young as four came up to me to try and sell me bracelets and there was a tour company on every corner advertising the lowest rates. Despite all the action, Ho Chi Minh had a surprisingly relaxing effect on me---this could have just been the result of finally being on vacation (the last 2 weeks in Korea were VERY busy) or perhaps the gorgeous weather. Weather that persisted the entire trip even though it was the 'rainy season'.

 For some reason I had it in my head that it was going to be in the sixties at the hottest. Of course I realized my mistake after I checked the weather, but also after I had sent all my summer wear back to the States. So my first stop in Ho Chi Minh was the famous Ben Thanh Market. I hadn't been in the market for a full minute before a young vendor took my hand and pulled me into her stall. It took me awhile to convince her that I was looking for shorts and not the t-shirts that she was selling. I finally escaped....to the next stall, but at least they had shorts. Later on I found a booth with a humorous young lady who eventually found a pair of denim shorts for me. They were a bit too big so she brought me to a tailor who fixed them on the spot. I braved the market again when he was finished to find some cheap lunch. And cheap lunch I found. Soda, rice, chicken, and salad for $2. I finished the day with a $1 pedicure and $1 sandwich. 

Mekong Delta

The next day I took a tour of the Mekong Delta and met some pretty cool fellow travelers. Our tour guide, Den, was very good and told us all about the strange food the Vietnamese eat. Including, crickets. scorpions, turtle, and mice. They also eat poisonous snake. The swallow the gall bladder and heart whole, then drain the blood into red wine and cook the rest. Apparently it's very good for your hair, eyes, and spine. I noticed during the bus ride down to Mekong Delta that all the rest stops have hammocks. What a lovely idea. 

Mekong Delta Floating Market

The produce on the bamboo stick serves to advertise the goods on board.

Captain for the boat ride on the Mekong River

Mekong River Dwellings

She's making rice paper.

They're making coconut candy.

We had tea at the honey farm complete with bees.

Row, row, row our boat!

Along the way. 

Lunch. Elephant ear fish. 

Dessert. Rambutan fruit. 

Fellow travelers and I enjoying a street side feast and beer for under $5.

Da Nang and Central

Da Nang

Da Nang is one of the most relaxing and calming environments I've ever been to. I spent a day or two simply relaxing by the beach at Temple Spa. Relaxing? Unheard of in my travels. Not to mention an hour long massage, manicure, and pedicure for $8. Heavenly.

Angie met me at the airport and took me back to her house, suitcase and all, on her motorbike. There Piotr was waiting and our reunion began. From delicious food to hiking to motorbike trips and good company it was one of the best vacations ever.

The Vietnamese are very community centered and it was an everyday occurrence for the neighborhood kids (and sometimes the adults) to just stop by and walk right into Piotr and Angie's house. They would open drawers and look through stacks of paper, but mostly they just wanted to play. Piotr is especially great with the kids and we spent an evening spinning them around in chairs and having a camera war. 

View from the top of Marble Mountain

After having coffee with Lee at the neighborhood corner cafe, I managed to pull myself away from the beach for a day and spent it hiking Marble Mountain. The mountain was riddled with caves, Buddha statues, altars, and temples.




Vietnamese food is scrumptious! I never knew how truly delightful it is. Light, healthy, fresh, and cheap. Five course dinners and beers served over ice for $5.

Flight of shots at Luna Pub

The most delicious clams

Motorbike Ride

On the weekend, Angie, Piotr, some of their friends, and I went on a motorbike trip to the Mui Son Ruins. The ride was gorgeous. As a passenger I was able to take in the scenic beauty of the landscape--a mixture of rice paddies, jungle, and local wildlife like water buffalo.

First pit stop. Beer. 

Second pit stop. Beauty.

Mui Son 

Built by the Cham people and destroyed by the US during the Vietnam War. We spent several hours walking among the ruins.

 

 

Hoi An

Hoi An is a small touristic town about 40 miles north of Da Nang. It's quiet and quaint and I fell in love with it. Not only are the people super friendly, but it's more laid back than Ho Chi Minh or even Da Nang. We went to Ann Bahn, the beach area, for a wonderful dinner under grass thatched roofs sitting on loungers in an open air setting with palm trees all around. 

We also walked around the old town area where we stopped at a local restaurant for a delicious snack and fresh beer for 25 cents a pint. 

Tuna Tartar. Yum.

Just as appetizing?