Several weeks ago, I asked Claire if I could write one of our blog entries. Given how wonderful and generous she is, her reply of "yes" was rather unsurprising. But, as some of you may know, I was born a procrastinator and for the last two weeks I've been constantly reminded that I need to write a blog entry because, as Claire put it, "MY BLOG HAS FOLLOWERS". Today the situation escalated in the Scotti household when Claire vowed not to make dinner til the entry is finished.
The Makoto Incident, etc.
Children are strange, and I have the feeling that this is a universal (and not just Japanese) thing. This is what has stuck out to me the most in the last month or so. What exactly must be going through your 6 year old head when you decide that Zeph-sensei's classroom is the place to expose your "no-no secret place"? For those of you who didn't hear, my student Makoto pulled down his pants, started jumping up and down, and screamed "chinko! chinko" (translation: weeny! weeny!). This was perhaps the most revealing incident that happened in my classroom in the last few weeks, but not the only one. There is also a five year old boy named Komei. Every Tuesday he enters my classroom and grabs a bin full of small stuffed animals (or plastic fruit or whatever) and deliberately throws them across the room, all the while laughing hysterically as if he were the reincarnation of The Night Stalker-if Ramirez is still alive, then this phenomenon is even more troubling. Does little Komei help Zeph pick up these toys? Nooooo, despite the fact that he most certainly knows I'm not nearly as limber as I used to be. Lastly, there is Shoma. Shoma is one of my favorite students. He is my lone student on Saturdays; he is also 6 years old. Last Saturday I was teaching Shoma animal names and some action words. So, I would say things like: "Shoma, throw me the cow" or "catch the cow". One time, after giving the latter command, Shoma caught the cow and then I heard a "mooo"; that's right, his butt decided to participate in the English lesson. Indeed, this happened three or four times. After having ignored it a couple times, I finally asked him in Japanese "Shoma, what was that?" This sent him to floor laughing really hard, which (predictably) caused him to indulge his flatulence even more. For those of you who are wondering, and you know who you are, they were short and exceedingly violent bursts of air, much like the sound of quickly letting a little air out of a very full balloon. So, I had to end the day by teaching Shoma the word "fart".
Settling In
Indeed, we are settling in. We are becoming locals. In fact, we were eating at one of the restaurants in town (Grazie Gardens, where they have decent wood-fire ovens and, therefore, decent pizzas-especially the cheese pizza and the four cheese pizza with gorgonzola and honey) and a Japanese woman couldn't figure out how to get the drink machine to deliver water. So, I had to show her; I'm fairly certain that she was humiliated. We've gotten used to shopping at the supermarket; Claire bought a suit at the department store (BTW, she had a successful interview with K&M modeling agency in Tokyo, but I'll let her share that with you). Claire and I took a drive for about three hours yesterday, just exploring the countryside, and we found a movie theater and Sweet Factory (yes, the same one from back home).
Also, I got my work visa processed which was important. Unfortunately, getting Claire the appropriate visa has been frustrating and more difficult. In order to celebrate our half-victory (and a certain tradition that I share with Ryan Smith) we ate dinner at Outback Steakhouse of all places. A taste of home is nice. A taste of steak is even better, but Outback did not make the cut for eat of the week:
Eat of the Week: I took Claire to Chichibu's most famous soba restaurant. We enjoyed handmade soba (noodles made from just buckwheat flour and water) served chilled and accompanied with a tasty dipping sauce, and a variety of tempura (a big old succulent shrimp, pumpkin,a single shiso leaf-interesting, and a green pepper). It was really good. So, you dip your noodles in the sauce and then eat the noodles. When the noodles are gone, they bring you a pot of the water that the noodles were cooked in, which your pour into the cup containing the dipping sauce. You finish your meal drinking that delightful concoction.
Claire, my dear, you can now cook dinner.
Z
Friday, April 30, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
One month mark...
I can't believe this Monday will be one month since we arrived!! In some ways we feel like we just got here.
This week was nice. Fast but nice.
A couple of weeks ago we met this really great couple from our church (Chris and Melissa) and they invited us over last weekend to stay the night on Saturday and go to Sunrise service with them on Sunday. We had such a great time eating tasty food, playing Wii sports, Monopoly deal and some really great conversation.
Sunday we went to KBF for Sunrise service (at 8:30) which was nice. After the service the four of us went into Tokyo (Chidorigafuchi to be exact) to see Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) which are now in bloom. I have posted pics on FB if you would like to check them out.
There was a ridiculous amount of people both at the Cherry Blossom viewing and in the train stations- total madness but... it really does make the whole experience so much more exciting. The trees were truly amazing and beautiful. The weather was also nice to us so a made for a really great experience.
Our train home was down due to an accident so we had to take a different route which meant taking a brief stop in Shibuya. There is a "famous" crosswalk right off the train station where everyone walks at the same time going all directions (kinda like in Old Town Pas) and just the sight of SO many people all in one place is just crazy. It was awesome.
This week has been pretty low key. I did cook dinner every night (with the exception of last night when we enjoyed a very yummy Shepherd's pie a la Juliana). Cooking is still a bit of a challenge for me as I'm still trying to get a feel for the grocery store. Simple is currently the key until I am positive that I am not buying fish gut or something of that nature.
Today Zeph went with Joey and the kids up to Hitsujiama park to see Cherry Blossoms while I had coffee at Tully's with Noriko (one of our newly acquired friends who I'm going to possibly swap English for Japanese lessons with). After that we all met up with Juliana for lunch at Asian Garden (Indian Cuisine I told you about last week). Buttered Curry... so so good but sounds so so unhealthy, eh? We'll pretend it's not.
Compared to home, we do a pretty good amount of walking here and much less eating out so slipping up once in a while isn't so bad ;)
Tomorrow, Costo!!! You know you're an adult (or in another country) when going to Costco is as exciting as going to a theme park as a child. I'm having a hot dog and a piece of pizza...maybe.
Eat of the week: Corn on the cob from a street vendor in Tokyo. We don't know what the guy put on it so we didn't ask (we couldn't have if we wanted to anyway). It was so good though.
Word of the week: Nani -means "What?"
talk to you next week :)
This week was nice. Fast but nice.
A couple of weeks ago we met this really great couple from our church (Chris and Melissa) and they invited us over last weekend to stay the night on Saturday and go to Sunrise service with them on Sunday. We had such a great time eating tasty food, playing Wii sports, Monopoly deal and some really great conversation.
Sunday we went to KBF for Sunrise service (at 8:30) which was nice. After the service the four of us went into Tokyo (Chidorigafuchi to be exact) to see Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) which are now in bloom. I have posted pics on FB if you would like to check them out.
There was a ridiculous amount of people both at the Cherry Blossom viewing and in the train stations- total madness but... it really does make the whole experience so much more exciting. The trees were truly amazing and beautiful. The weather was also nice to us so a made for a really great experience.
Our train home was down due to an accident so we had to take a different route which meant taking a brief stop in Shibuya. There is a "famous" crosswalk right off the train station where everyone walks at the same time going all directions (kinda like in Old Town Pas) and just the sight of SO many people all in one place is just crazy. It was awesome.
This week has been pretty low key. I did cook dinner every night (with the exception of last night when we enjoyed a very yummy Shepherd's pie a la Juliana). Cooking is still a bit of a challenge for me as I'm still trying to get a feel for the grocery store. Simple is currently the key until I am positive that I am not buying fish gut or something of that nature.
Today Zeph went with Joey and the kids up to Hitsujiama park to see Cherry Blossoms while I had coffee at Tully's with Noriko (one of our newly acquired friends who I'm going to possibly swap English for Japanese lessons with). After that we all met up with Juliana for lunch at Asian Garden (Indian Cuisine I told you about last week). Buttered Curry... so so good but sounds so so unhealthy, eh? We'll pretend it's not.
Compared to home, we do a pretty good amount of walking here and much less eating out so slipping up once in a while isn't so bad ;)
Tomorrow, Costo!!! You know you're an adult (or in another country) when going to Costco is as exciting as going to a theme park as a child. I'm having a hot dog and a piece of pizza...maybe.
Eat of the week: Corn on the cob from a street vendor in Tokyo. We don't know what the guy put on it so we didn't ask (we couldn't have if we wanted to anyway). It was so good though.
Word of the week: Nani -means "What?"
talk to you next week :)
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Getting settled...
Zeph has been on vacation this week. Yes 2 weeks into our trip and he gets vacation. Kinda awesome.
Last Saturday he and I went to Higashi Kurume to teach English to Yukiyo's (a friend from church) piano students. This is a job I'll be doing in the future on my own. It's the last Saturday of every month and the kids are from ages 3-12. After our class we went into the city of Tokorozawa and did some brief site seeing and got some good pictures.
Sunday night it snowed!! It was gone by morning but not before Zeph got some pictures (to be posted soon).
Tuesday Chris and Amanda left :( We spent most of the last few days before that playing an awesome amount of Monopoly Deal, eating endless snacks and desserts, playing with Hana-chan and watching Different Strokes. Good times.
After they left on Tuesday we spent most of the day unpacking our suitcases and getting settled into the apartment.
Some random things:
What do you guys know about Rasberry & Mixed fruit Kit Kat??? That's what I thought. They are kinda amazing. There are ridiculous other types of Kit Kat's as well. Green Tea, Banana, Cherry Blossom (in honor of the upcoming Cherry Blossoms blooming) and some others.
Last Wednesday Zeph went to a good Thai restaurant by Seibu Chichibu train station that served good food but an average Pad See Eew (guessing on the spelling)-The lady that worked there saw that his mouth was burning and brought him a free Fanta (a Thai Fanta) and the flavor was Pineapple, Orange-Banana. He said it was "different" when I asked if it was good.
Line drying clothes or pay $6 for a hour dryer across the street??? Line dry it is. We have an awesome washer so I'll learn to deal.
Weather is silly here. Cold one day, raining and warm the next... kinda like LA just more extreme.
Japanese Television: There are no words to describe the craziness that is Japanese television. It's colorful, loud and just so random. We watch it for several hours a day and have no idea what they are saying or what is going on. Except for a half hour at 7PM when they show an abbreviated version of the news cast that is dubbed in English. At 1:30 everyday there is a movie in English. So far there has not been a movie on that rated over a 6 according to IMDB. Here are a couple of movies we sat and watched in their entirety just because they are in English.
Babe 2, Tremors 3, Glitter (yes with Mariah Carrie which rated a 2. something on imdb) and Officer and a Gentleman.
We say "hi" to strangers who look like they might speak English...Why you ask? In hopes they might wanna be friends? Not really. It comes from being linguistically parched. When we see someone who doesn't look Japanese, we see a mirage of English.
Yesterday we began to look at/study Katakana by using our Japanese study book to translate the flyer for our city's local pizza company- Pizza-la. You can compare Pizza-la to Domino's on an off day. A large "Seafood & Special Basil Sauce" pizza (12 small slices) is over $35.
Zeph asked me today if I miss any food back home. I don't quite yet. Cinnamon Toast Crunch a little... mostly because I can't get it here so I've been thinking about it.
He said he does. He misses Sahara- The Mediterranean restaurant on Colorado. Feta cheese, chicken kabob etc;
So next week there will be pictures of our trip so far.
Eat of the week: Asian Garden - Indian cuisine. This place is so good. It's a buffet and the staff are Indian (and they speak english!!) Best Nan you've ever had, curry, veggies, rice soup and free refills.
Word of the week: Kirin - Giraffe... and also the name of a beer.
Last Saturday he and I went to Higashi Kurume to teach English to Yukiyo's (a friend from church) piano students. This is a job I'll be doing in the future on my own. It's the last Saturday of every month and the kids are from ages 3-12. After our class we went into the city of Tokorozawa and did some brief site seeing and got some good pictures.
Sunday night it snowed!! It was gone by morning but not before Zeph got some pictures (to be posted soon).
Tuesday Chris and Amanda left :( We spent most of the last few days before that playing an awesome amount of Monopoly Deal, eating endless snacks and desserts, playing with Hana-chan and watching Different Strokes. Good times.
After they left on Tuesday we spent most of the day unpacking our suitcases and getting settled into the apartment.
Some random things:
What do you guys know about Rasberry & Mixed fruit Kit Kat??? That's what I thought. They are kinda amazing. There are ridiculous other types of Kit Kat's as well. Green Tea, Banana, Cherry Blossom (in honor of the upcoming Cherry Blossoms blooming) and some others.
Last Wednesday Zeph went to a good Thai restaurant by Seibu Chichibu train station that served good food but an average Pad See Eew (guessing on the spelling)-The lady that worked there saw that his mouth was burning and brought him a free Fanta (a Thai Fanta) and the flavor was Pineapple, Orange-Banana. He said it was "different" when I asked if it was good.
Line drying clothes or pay $6 for a hour dryer across the street??? Line dry it is. We have an awesome washer so I'll learn to deal.
Weather is silly here. Cold one day, raining and warm the next... kinda like LA just more extreme.
Japanese Television: There are no words to describe the craziness that is Japanese television. It's colorful, loud and just so random. We watch it for several hours a day and have no idea what they are saying or what is going on. Except for a half hour at 7PM when they show an abbreviated version of the news cast that is dubbed in English. At 1:30 everyday there is a movie in English. So far there has not been a movie on that rated over a 6 according to IMDB. Here are a couple of movies we sat and watched in their entirety just because they are in English.
Babe 2, Tremors 3, Glitter (yes with Mariah Carrie which rated a 2. something on imdb) and Officer and a Gentleman.
We say "hi" to strangers who look like they might speak English...Why you ask? In hopes they might wanna be friends? Not really. It comes from being linguistically parched. When we see someone who doesn't look Japanese, we see a mirage of English.
Yesterday we began to look at/study Katakana by using our Japanese study book to translate the flyer for our city's local pizza company- Pizza-la. You can compare Pizza-la to Domino's on an off day. A large "Seafood & Special Basil Sauce" pizza (12 small slices) is over $35.
Zeph asked me today if I miss any food back home. I don't quite yet. Cinnamon Toast Crunch a little... mostly because I can't get it here so I've been thinking about it.
He said he does. He misses Sahara- The Mediterranean restaurant on Colorado. Feta cheese, chicken kabob etc;
So next week there will be pictures of our trip so far.
Eat of the week: Asian Garden - Indian cuisine. This place is so good. It's a buffet and the staff are Indian (and they speak english!!) Best Nan you've ever had, curry, veggies, rice soup and free refills.
Word of the week: Kirin - Giraffe... and also the name of a beer.
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