We are safely back from a WONDERFUL visit to Lake Toya. There is much to write about, and a lot of great pictures, and I will give lots of space tomorrow to all good things. It was so beautiful -- the lake, the ocean, the active volcanos -- and fun -- the traditional Japanese baths and not-so-traditional watersides, the gondola ride up the side of a volcano -- and as always the people have been incredibly kind. But tonight, in addition to letting you know we are home, I want to mention a few things I don't like about Japan.
1. Tea. This was true in England, too. I still can't stand it. But then we kind of expected that.
2. Bugs. This was true in Philadelphia, too. I still can't stand them. Most days we have a particularly hideous visitor or two make its way into our otherwise so very pleasant house. I try not to squeal (trying to model "can't we call get along" behavior for my children, probably not very successfully) and they still freak me out each time.
3. The smell of tatami mats. As we stayed in a traditional (and very fancy) Japanese hotel room last night on HGU's dime, all I could think of was "get me out of this barn!" I wasn't helped by the fact that I might be allergic to the tatami (woven straw), or else was badly bothered by the secondhand/old smoke in the room, as I gasped, wheezed, and sneezed my way through the night. I love the look, feel, and *idea* of tatami, but oh, the smell. (And it's not so bad in our house because the tatami room is only a small portion of our space, and we can open our windows, which sadly was not possible in our hotel room).
4. Japanese breakfast food. This is another for the "I'm probably not fully appreciating the richness of the culture here" category, but I just can't get my head around fish for breakfast. We had an amazing buffet dinner at the hotel Saturday night, and what was probably an amazing breakfast buffet this morning. But all those fish! Platters and platters of fish, including (my favorite) a plate of something which had been translated as "Squid and squid guts" (really)... Sigh. I would have given anything for a pancake...
But more (and more positive) things to come tomorrow -- after I will wake up and enjoy my bowl of rice flakes and milk!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Heading out of town for the weekend
Just a quick note to let you know we are heading out of town for the weekend. HGU takes the visiting faculty member and family on one trip -- we are going to Lake Toya and a waterslide hotel. I don't know if we'll have email access while away, so don't worry if you don't hear from us until Sunday evening.
And to show that we aren't that disconnected from things back home -- we just watched the VP debate online. We also received our absentee ballots in the mail this week (we get to vote in Penna) and are glad to be part of this year's election. Interesting to watch (and I won't say more because I know my family reads this blog, and we don't *always* agree on politics!)
And to show that we aren't that disconnected from things back home -- we just watched the VP debate online. We also received our absentee ballots in the mail this week (we get to vote in Penna) and are glad to be part of this year's election. Interesting to watch (and I won't say more because I know my family reads this blog, and we don't *always* agree on politics!)
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.
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.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
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!
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!"
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!"
Monday, September 29, 2008
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.
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.
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