Just a few updates

Sorry for the lapse in writing about our adventures. I have been battling the tatami-induced cold (more likely just a regular old run-of-the-mill cold, or a we-are-finally-settled-in-and-I-can-catch-my-breath cold, but it feels kind of good to be able to blame on something). The last few days have felt very much like our new routine -- John teaching, all of us going for groceries, and me and the kids cooking -- but there are a few things I wanted to mention, though.

1. Hiromi took me grocery shopping last Friday night and it was wonderful. What luck to have met her at the park that day. She was able to point me to things I had been looking for since I got here (baking soda, sesame oil -- tricky to guess among the hundreds of tannish looking liquids) and give me good insider advice (such as -- only buy spinich with the little kid on the front of the bag since it is the only spinich, she said, that is "safe to eat." The *other* spinich (which looks the same except for the lack of a little kid) is somehow prepared, or fertilized, or treated (I never fully understood) with LYE and needs to be boiled, she said, for a very long time. Good to know!) She and the rice guy spent about 15 minutes discussing just what kind of rice (chewy, hard, sweet, short, medium, long, white, brown...) would be best for our family. I just took her word for it... the bag we had bought and finished and thought was just fine, was probably like picking out a Velveeta at a specialty cheese store.

2. And I found the specialty cheese store in Sapporo! It is wonderful. But in the course of about three minutes, I picked up three small packages of cheese and was a bit horrified to see the bill when it came time to pay ($22!). I never imagined a day when I thought Canadian cheese could be considered cheap... but it came yesterday. And we thoroughly enjoyed every delicious bite of one package last night (mozzarella).

3. Jack has a loose tooth. This is very exciting for all of us, and especially Jack, who asked me last night to hold his hands while he fell asleep because he just couldn't stop wiggling.

4. We returned to school today. As usual, Jack had a great day. And I continue to be impressed with the school... there are pianos in every classroom, and music and songs sung throughout the day. Katie and Olivia started off kind of poorly, though -- clinging to me, not wanting me to be more than inches away, slumping on me, hiding their heads in my lap. I was pretty sure we had made a huge mistake sending them to Japanese preschool -- that the double whammy (of being in Japanese, and being their first preschool) was just too much. That seemed to be confirmed when a wonderful teacher came in for the English lesson and they perked up, finally participated, didn't look like they were being tortured. I was debating in my head whether it would be bad to have them go to an English immersion preschool across town and keep Jack there, since he is clearly having a good time, or not bother with preschool at all (which might make everyone crazy and wouldn't do much for them actually interacting with Japanese children)... and suddenly, after the English lesson, I found I was able to go check on Jack, go to the bathroom, leave the room, watch for 5 minutes from the window outside... and then they had soup for lunch (which Katie loves) and she ate so well (which pleased the worried teacher)... and then they went outside to play in the afternoon and I said I couldn't come with them right away and that was OK... and I think (maybe, just maybe) that it might work out. Or not. But I was able to spend most of the afternoon sitting on a little chair outside of their classroom reading a book -- which is 1000 times better than being clung to by two sad girls and 28 other very loud children singing songs and clapping hands (did I mention my cold came with a headache?)

5. We voted in the U.S. election this week and are watching all of the news there (and in Canada, and around the world) closely. I am so glad we can vote (and in Pennsylvania, a swing state).

6. I am getting a little nervous (some might say paranoid) about earthquakes. There have been many in Hokkaido and Sapporo in the last 100 years (note to self... when paranoid about earthquakes, do NOT go to the USGS website listing all earthquakes over the last 100 years. It won't help). I find some reassurance that all of these buildings have been around and weathered those quakes, and so even if one happened, we should be fine. Right? Right. Right....

I still want to write more about Lake Toya and add the photos... but it seems a bit too daunting for my state of mind (and nose, and lungs) at the moment. I haven't broken out a box of mac-and-cheese yet though (well, we had one the night we got home from the trip, but that was a true necessity!)... we've been eating the world's best apples, apple pears, pears, broccoli, rice and even miso soup one night (made with detailed instruction from the very kind Hiromi.) More soon!