No free time yet...

We made it through another day of school, although this time I couldn't leave. Jack had a wonderful day... (oh, and before we left, we had a report from the school to the HGU person who went to the interview with us that Jack had a good appetite (three bowls of rice!) and could jump rope. Apparently, these were viewed as great successes on his part. We were also told the girls didn't eat ANYTHING (a strike against them) and that Katie cried, but that Olivia played with other kids and that was good. Ah, the pressure). Back to today -- Jack went off and had a great day... they had English lessons and he said he was the best in the class (I don't think he understood why this didn't impress us as much as other things he does have...) He and some other older siblings came to visit the Melon class at lunch and that was so great... K&O were so happy to see him. And when I picked him up, the teacher had done a search on her dictionary to say he had gotten very dirty at recess... I couldn't tell if that was bad or good (and at one point, she motioned in a way that made it look like Jack was throwing dirt on people, but he didn't... just that he had a lot of fun and got very dirty and she was sorry his clothes were so messy. I think... maybe he got in trouble. Who knows.) At any rate, he was very happy.

Kate and Liv were a bit tired starting off -- they didn't nap yesterday and both have been having a bit of a stomach bug, and so haven't been 100 percent. Katie was eager to go to get another sticker in her little book. That motivated her the WHOLE day. Liv started off well and happy, but got pretty tired by the end of the day (I had to carry her home). Today was a gym day for the girls and Liv jumped right in and tried the different activities... she earned applause by being able to do a forward roll (and then a running forward roll) without help (most of the kids needed a boost on the bum to get over). Kate just wanted to be held the first few times everyone tried the forward roll, but decided to do it the last time. She ran, jumped, and did the forward roll, again to great applause from classmates and teachers. The smile on her face was WONDERFUL.

I think we are lucky the kids are comfortable and confident (for the most part) doing different physical activities. In the big picture, it wouldn't matter if they didn't jump rope or do the forward roll -- no one would hold that against them (the rice, now that's probably another story). But I think it just made things a little easier for them (in a week when a lot was hard), that they could fully be doing what their classmates were doing.

Anyway -- back to school. Jack ate lunch. The girls didn't. The teacher worried. I used my dictionary to say they tried everything (which they did) and "big breakfast". I think she is taking it personally that they don't seem to like rice. Again, I wish I could explain that they don't like much of anything at this moment... it's nothing personal (or political). For now, I'm just happy they are trying. They came home and had a HUGE second lunch (fruit and macaroni, for those who are keeping track. We had box number three over the weekend at the lunch, at the request of the host, and box number four today to celebrate making it through their first week of school).

So I still haven't found any non-kid time (aside from some moments in the morning when John will often take the to a park so I can get Jack's classwork ready)... and have a lot of editing to do before tomorrow at noon. And the girls have been very mama-focused and needing me a lot at night... but I think school is heading in the right direction, and John's schedule is opening up... so there is hope.

And just because she finally let me get some pictures... here is Katie in her uniform today (no complaints).

Katie shows off her uniform.



















Too kawai for words!












Livie the dancer. The silk scarves mom and dad gave the girls for Christmas have been a lifesaver... they have become tutus, crowns, capes and other costumes left behind.

First day of school

We survived the first day of school! And I think the kids are eager to go back -- hooray! It wasn't entirely easy getting all three ready and out of the door (nor was it easy the night before to get name tags in everything). And John had an early class so I had to take them solo. Liv and Jack were the first to be ready.
Katie, on the other hand, does not like her uniform. Not because she has problems conforming to the school's traditional expectations or wishes to express her individuality in more flamboyant ways, oh no... nothing like that. She thinks her coat is just too big. And it doesn't feel good. I said we just had to *bring* the coat and that was fine. No go.














So this is how Katie was for about 15 minutes before (well, five minutes before and 10 minutes after) we were supposed to leave. At last, I picked her up, grabbed her backpack, and carried her to school (about 10-15 minutes away). To no one's surprise, we were late. And I *think* some of Kate's reluctance was not so much about the coat, but about the whole going to school thing, as this is their first encounter with any kind of preschool at all. So the whole way there, all 30 pounds of her in my arms, I told her how she would probably get to color, play, sing songs, the works. I don't know if my talk helped or if she had just given up, but she actually did great once we got in the door.

Jack's teacher was there (waiting -- sigh) and he happily went off with her. Kate and Liv's teacher was also there, and helped me bring all of their gear in. Inside shoes were put on, outside shoes stashed in cubbies, backpacks hung up (although Jack pointed out that all of the other kids had a bag with one strap and not a backpack. I said his backpack was WAY cooler.) Then the teacher showed K&O where to hang their big towel and cup (in a cup bag, which is labelled) and that first thing they should wash their hands and then drink some water... and gargle. Really. They have never really gargled before (when they brush, they just swish some water around in their mouths) but they gave it a try! Then to their seats where they introduced them (Katie-chan and Olivia-chan, and noted how Olivia has "ichi" braid and Katie has "ni" braids).

They started up with singing, clapping, and K&O were able to follow along. Then time for coloring (and Katie raised her hand when one of the teachers appeared to ask who wanted orange paper.) A teacher had drawn a bear and I think the kids were supposed to draw bears (the song may have been about a bear, too, from what I could tell with the hand gestures). I had remembered my electronic dictionary and so was able to ask (sort of) some questions... and asked if they were to draw a bear, or if they could just draw anything. She said "anything ok". So they just scribbled. They had a great time scribbling. Then she handed out something else to color and they had a great time with that. I went to check on Jack (who was doing GREAT in gym class -- clearly having fun and a perfect way to start for him) and when I came back, I asked if they were OK. The teacher said "OK" but looked worried. She got their drawings out and paused and said "Excuse me... but what IS this?" Oh dear. I think they were supposed to draw bears. And my dictionary didn't have a phrase for "just scribbing!"

In the 90 minutes before lunch, all 25 kids in the class went to the bathroom together twice (boys and girls together), and washed their hands at least five times. I checked in a few more times with Jack (who continued to be fine) and helped the girls with lunch. At one point, Liv leaned over to me and whispered "but what are they all talking about?" and I realized just how strange all of this must be for them. Lunch was provided at school and Jack ate most of it (he didn't like the tea but was able to ask for water) but the girls didn't touch a thing. This also worried the teacher. She looked at me sadly and said "Like bread?" "Hai (yes)" I said, very much, and it's not just them. She continued to be worried and pointed out that there will be bread on Oct. 27. The worry over their poor appetite continued and my dictionary didn't have the phrase for "They're both actually quite picky eaters even at home in Canada and probably more so here today when they are freaked out and overwhelmed by not only being in preschool but by being in preschool in Japan," but I just promised to feed them a lot at home before they come, and after school is out. I made some gestures too, and threw in some apologies, and promised again that, really, I would feed them A LOT before school tomorrow so it's OK if they don't eat.

All seemed well at about 1 p.m., so I told them I was going to leave for a while... I was able to get groceries and run a few errands... but when John and I came back to pick them up at 2:15, the teacher was holding Katie who apparently had been crying most of the time I was gone. They went to see Jack and it didn't help... my gut felt horrible... I had abandoned my babies to have an easy time to get groceries! But the angst wasn't at the abandonment, we found out once we were able to talk to her about it. She said she was SO excited because they were given little calendars...

... and she was so excited and wanted to show me and was mad/sad I wasn't there to see. Sigh. The good news is that she LOVED school and is VERY excited to come back. I said I would come for part of the day tomorrow, but that I would have to leave again. She said that was OK.

Jack is the third oldest kid in his class of about 30 (with 1 teacher -- and every time I popped in it was all under control). The girls are on the younger end in their class of about 25 (with two teachers, also always under control)... at least from what I could tell when asking how old they were at lunch (many fingers showing FOUR!)

The cost is not too bad for three kids, two times a week for 4.5 hours each time (including lunch). It will run just under $100 a kid per month, or $12.50 a day -- a pretty good deal actually. And if they are having fun (which it seems that they will), and if it allows them to interact with more kids, then it will be well worth it.

Speaking of interacting with kids -- Hiromi and Ayumu were walking by our house yesterday and we invited them in. We hadn't seen them in a while because of all of the sightseeing and biking. But we had a great visit, and Hiromi asked if I needed help with anything (she had looked up phrases and written them down, and I was able to use my little electronic dictionary). I asked if she could come to the grocery store with me some time to read labels... she was glad to help! We will go on Friday... she also promised to teach me how to make some good Japanese food. I feel very lucky to have met her.

John is teaching a late class tonight (Wednesdays are his long day)... but the work is going well. I think the people at HGU are very happy with him and the students seem pleased that he can throw a little bit of Japanese in. The university has set up a trip for us this weekend to a place called Lake Toya (I think...). Apparently, there is a waterslide at the hotel -- good news for these weary travellers!

The bikes are great.

Just a quick update (with first day of school stories to come). We love the bikes. The path along the river is perfect and Jack has been able to start AND stop (with hand brakes, no pedal brakes) with only one fall. We took a little ride on Monday and a long one yesterday and it was great. We rode pretty far south to a bridge that has a walking arch over it and great views. The only (small) downside is that Jack gets (as he says) tuckered out walking his bike to the river... so we have taken to locking it up at an apartment house across the street from the river. I am sure in a few weeks, he will be able to ride on the sidewalks like everyone else, but for now we are risking our $20 investment and leaving it close by. I'll let you know how that works out for us.

Some photos from our two days of riding... I am not going to mark who is Katie and who is Livie and see if you can guess :) The last photo is of a cool dragonfly the kids found on the second day. "It's different from our dragonflies, mom!"

One bathroom

We've had no complaints about the size of the Guest House in Sapporo although we have a new appreciation for the luxury of having multiple bathrooms at our house in Lethbridge. That hit home this morning when Katie ran to the bathroom, saying "Gotta poop!" Thirty seconds later, Livie ran to the bathroom, saying "Poop's coming!" Ten seconds later, I arrived. Katie made it to the toilet... Livie made it to the floor of the bathroom, and I -- well, I had the chance to be thankful for the abundence of toilets I do have most of the time.

In less messy news, we took the bikes out for a ride by the river this late afternoon... it was great! Jack practiced his starts and stops in a dirt soccer field at Victoria park, and then we walked the bikes three blocks to the river, and had a great afternoon of riding. We stopped at the Victoria restaurant on the way home (they have a kids menu -- I guess some things are universal!) and felt pretty pleased with ourselves. We're hoping to head out tomorrow morning (John teaches in the afternoon) and then Wednesday is the first day of the new school. I need to do some editing sometime this week too -- but things are definitely starting to get into a bit of a routine.

Mountain top

We had a great lunch with a colleague of John's today, Yukie Ueno and her husband and 18 yo daughter. They served us a special family dish called chirashi sushi which they serve on birthdays and holidays, and which included smoked salmon and dried fish, mushrooms, eggs and rice, and (if one desired), salmon eggs.



Jack tried the salmon roe but wasn't a fan.

Although it's becoming repetitive to say, we were overwhelmed with the kindness shown to our family. After lunch, Yukie took us to a gondola up to the top of Mt. Moiwa (and a bus from there to the very top) where you can look out and see the city of 1.8 million.

It really gave us a sense of the size of Sapporo (much larger than it seems when we walk or ride around our block) and its geography (we could see out to the Sea of Japan to the northwest and to mountains in every other direction). Sapporo was also the site of the 1972 Winter Olympics, so there are various ski jumps and lift rides up nearby mountains (and just so many green, lush mountains in general).


After admiring the view from the top, we had what has been the very best ice cream in Japan so far (and what a quest to have, the search for the most delicious ice cream...). Livie liked the green tea ice cream, Jack had mint chip, Katie had blueberry, and I had something called "fresh milk". John shared bites of all. After we rode the gondola down, we stopped at a coffee shop in a building that had once been home to a poet, and the girls fell asleep in my lap. Yukie's husband drove us home, and we again felt so lucky to be here, surrounded by great people.

Bikes!

The last exchange professor (and his high school age daughter?) left two nice bikes for us with wire baskets in the front. People ride all over Sapporo on bikes, on the sidewalks, usually, which is a little dangerous for three kids who have never walked in a straight line in their lives. John and I have only used the bikes on solo missions... until now. Yesterday, after a quick trip to Victoria park...

...we stopped by the swing (with Katie in the red)...











... she has finally gotten over her fear of swinging and goes "high in the sky"....











...and Jack going in the most dangerous way possible, of course...


















...and Liv climbing up, slowly but surely...


















...and Katie riding a plane...












we went to the Home Store, which has just about anything a person could use in the home. So we picked up a spatula, some lightbulbs, paper towels, and most exciting of all. bike seats for the girls (just 2,000 yen, or $20, each!).

They are VERY cool -- lightweight and fairly comfortable and they don't even mess with your sense of balance and gravity on the bike. We are glad we threw in the bike helmets (I debated at length over the value of bringing them, as I wasn't sure what we'd end up doing for bikes).

And then, after everyone had naps, we went to the used bike shop (Katie and I rode there, and John and Jack walked with Liv), where we picked up a new bike for Jack -- also 2,000 yen ($20) with a basket and bell (which were essentials for Jack).

There was a bit of debate as the bike is QUITE pink and sparkly (with fancy doo-dads on the spokes), but Jack thought it was great, and we said we could put stickers on it if he'd like.

He didn't want us to get training wheels so we will be limiting most of our riding to a trail by a river that we have heard of (as the sidewalks are very crowded and he is still fairly new to riding with just two wheels).

We got home just in time to get dinner ready for Shinya and Yuki. Shinya was a student from HGU who attended the University of Lethbridge four years ago. He played basketball with John and a group of professors, and we enjoyed spending quite a bit of time with him (Halloween, Christmas tree decorating, etc.).

He now teachers junior high English on one of Japan's northernmost islands. He and his girlfriend, Yuki, were our first real guests... so we folded up the futons and tucked them away, brought the "fancy" dining room table out, and had a simple meal (with delicious cheesecake from Shinya and Yuki). We hope to see them again in November.

In the midst of taking all these bike photos, I got a few of the Guest House as well.

We live on the first level, and another exchange professor sometimes lives upstairs (not this semester, though). Maybe they knew three noisy kids would be living below?

This is the view from the street -- more like an alley off a major street and near the university's baseball diamond (we get to hear baseball at all hours of the day!)

Going out of the alley, this is what it looks like to the right, looking toward the university.






And this is the view to the left, toward Victoria park, which is where we are heading right now! Then we're off to a brunch at a professor's house, and John will need to write the next week's lecture sometime (he needs to hand it out one week in advance)!

Tea and shopping

Well, the tea with the (very nice) university president wasn't as much of a disaster as I had feared, but it wasn't exactly the kids' shining moment, either. We got everyone showered and dressed up (no easy task) and I donned my fancy birthday shoes from my mom, which fit in very well here, a city filled with beautiful shoes (a whole other post some day... I am going to just wax poetically about the amazing shoes I have seen in these 10 days). Olivia said I looked very fancy -- the highest compliment. By the time we left, the girls were ready for a nap... and in fact, Katie just hunkered down under the tea table in the President's office and fell asleep. He said that was fine. They also immediately took their shoes off in their office (they were too big with tights on). He was fine with that, too. He seems like a good soul. He did some of his studies in Boston and so his English was terrific -- and John's Japanese sounded good too. It would have been nice to talk with him more, but the slouching, slinking, slipping children prompted us to leave after about 15 minutes. When we got home and checked email, we had a message from one of the many people whose job it is to make our life here easier (another topic that merits a full post -- there are so many people here whose full time jobs seem to be helping us -- they come to preschool interviews, set up appointments, you name it). Anyway, this message was scheduling a formal dinner for us with the president, but he suggested that perhaps instead we could do a lunch -- on a day when the children are in preschool. Gulp. Were they that bad? As it turns out, he sent it shortly before the first meeting, so it wasn't the direct result of rude sleeping children.

Today took us to a downtown shopping district where Hiromi told us we could find many of the items on the school list. Here are a few of our finds -- all very kawai (cute).

All of the loot -- three smocks, three large towels, three small towels (and some extras we will use here), cups, silverware/chopstick sets, indoor shoes, the works.
















Close up of the kawai cups and one of the bags.












Katie and Livie picked out matching Hello Kitty smocks.











Close up of indoor shoes. The white ones for the girls were in a package labeled "School Shoes" and cost 298 yen (2.98). They didn't have Jack's size, so we hope these are OK. Probably not...
















Jack in his uniform (holding Superdog, who came on the shopping trip with us). You can see from the blue flower on his uniform that he is part of the "tulip" class.

















Jack showing the back of his hat, with a very jaunty ribbon.











Livie in her uniform (showing that certain Livie sense of style). She (and Katie) are part of the "melon" class. We will have to put her name in the middle of the green melon on her uniform.


















Katie and Livie hugging (Liv in blue) on futons in the tatami room











Katie showing off her new "First Day of School Dress"


















We didn't find the art bag and we are going to see if their backpacks will be acceptable (it doesn't look like what they have on the list, but we'll try). I also picked up a ton of labels -- again, this labeling thing is clearly something that is done many places in Japan, because right next to all of the school supplies were a whole assortment of different labels (cloth ones you can iron on smocks, sticky ones to put on your chopsticks set, etc.). The store (Akachan) was great -- not too expensive but full of so many cute things. I have already found lots of goodies I want to buy for friends and family back home. Perhaps I, like the university president, will wait to do that when the kids are at preschool...