1. I've learned that just because something says it's cider, doesn't mean it actually is. (Admittedly, the lack of any color in my "cider" made me a bit suspicious, but I didn't realize that cider=sprite.) Awesomely, the apple juice I bought yesterday from the co-op tastes almost like cider!
2. My tutor over the summer told me that apparently many Japanese have never heard of bubble tea. Awesomely, I found a little shop (like, 3 ft wide) under the railroad that sells nothing but bubble tea! And has an English menu, so I don't have to try to sound out the katakana!
3. I got a little garden kit and thought that only one of the plants in it was growing. Awesomely, the other two have sprouted!
4. Have been working on my hiragana and katakana and awesomely found myself reading stuff! (Now if I only new the vocabulary for what I'm reading...)
School starts tomorrow. I'm feeling a bit terrified about it. Mainly because I have to speak to the entire student body...someone opened a can of butterflies in my stomach.
Local time: almost bedtime for those of us who want proper amounts of sleep for tomorrow
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
just when i'd given up...
As you may or may not know, I've been living on a lot of fried rice recently. Once we got over the bits about finding eggs that aren't pre-cooked at the store and making sure to saute the carrots before adding the rice, it's been pretty good (I mean, other than the lack of salt shaker...).
BUT, I haven't been able to find garlic anywhere. Garlic is essential for proper fried rice (in my book at least. Several bulbs usually does the trick.) It wasn't at the little grocery down the road, at the market, or at the giant grocery. Nowhere to be found.
Until today. I was walking back from the market and decided to wander into a little grocery I've noticed a couple times with the word "Co-op" in it's name. Now, I don't know if a co-op in Japan is the same as one in the States, but it got me to go in at least. And low and behold, what do i find but some garlic?! I'm so excited. My fried rice tonight will be nothing short of perfect!
They also had this chocolate spread that isn't as good as Nutella, but is still edible. And yummy apple juice. But none of the grapes I like. Which is okay, because I just got some kiwis yesterday that I need to eat. After I wait for them to ripen enough to not be rock solid. Last time I buy pre-packaged kiwi just because they're cheaper. I'm getting the ones I can feel up properly.
ALSO! Update on my planted things! all of them are sprouting! Even the one's I thought had drowned! I feel excited.
BUT, I haven't been able to find garlic anywhere. Garlic is essential for proper fried rice (in my book at least. Several bulbs usually does the trick.) It wasn't at the little grocery down the road, at the market, or at the giant grocery. Nowhere to be found.
Until today. I was walking back from the market and decided to wander into a little grocery I've noticed a couple times with the word "Co-op" in it's name. Now, I don't know if a co-op in Japan is the same as one in the States, but it got me to go in at least. And low and behold, what do i find but some garlic?! I'm so excited. My fried rice tonight will be nothing short of perfect!
They also had this chocolate spread that isn't as good as Nutella, but is still edible. And yummy apple juice. But none of the grapes I like. Which is okay, because I just got some kiwis yesterday that I need to eat. After I wait for them to ripen enough to not be rock solid. Last time I buy pre-packaged kiwi just because they're cheaper. I'm getting the ones I can feel up properly.
ALSO! Update on my planted things! all of them are sprouting! Even the one's I thought had drowned! I feel excited.
Another lovely day wandering the streets
Twas an absolutely gorgeous day yesterday. I don't know what the temp was for certain, but the high was about 90. The sky was beautifully blue and a nice sea breeze prevailed. I, of course, was out making the rounds. I wandered out of my usual areas- shopping and residential- and into the downtown business district. It looks like most other downtowns. Here:
More importantly, I found my way to...
Then I remembered that I have to be presentable for work on Thurs and getting burned was probably not a good idea, so I left. I got a bit of sun anyway, but it'll be okay.
I had a strawberry crepe for lunch and onigiri for supper. I'd say yesterday was a success.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Around the apartment
So, I decided to clean my kitchen today. It was quite rusty, but I thought I'd clean it and see how it turned out. Surprisingly, it turned out really well! Have a look:
Um, they're pretty self explanatory. The apartment's quite big, and the shape of it is a touch awkward. I mean, it's basically one big room (except for the kitchen and toilet), with the shower and washer kind of sticking out in the middle. But I like it anyway. Lots of light.
Local time: 4:58 pm
Local weather: 86 degrees and apparently thunderstormy (i guess it is starting to look a bit black around the top of the mountain)
Current music: "That's how you know", from Enchanted
 |
| oooooo, shiny! I have no idea what the stuff I used to clean it was (I mean, other than a guess that it's some toxic, nasty processed stuff), but it sure did the trick. Took the rust right off. Btw, what you're seeing is pretty much the entirety of my kitchen. |
I also need to clean the room that the toilet's in. Not really looking forward to that, as it's all tiled. Not that you care.
On the subject of pictures of the apartment, here's some more!
Local time: 4:58 pm
Local weather: 86 degrees and apparently thunderstormy (i guess it is starting to look a bit black around the top of the mountain)
Current music: "That's how you know", from Enchanted
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Yeah, I'm totally a farmer
Random thoughts from yesterday
1. I decided to make yesterday a "no spend" day, where I wouldn't buy anything. I had enough food for the day, and everything else could wait. It was kind of nice. Usually, I have one or two things off my list that I'm out looking for, but instead I just wandered around, scoping out stores, learning more out the city.
2. There are loads of cats in Japan. Only, none of them let me pet them :(
3. So, there are all these people handing out fliers and things. I don't know if I should be (a) amused (b) disappointed or (c) relieved about the fact that half of them completely ignore me when I walk by them. What if I want your flier that I can't read?
That's all. I didn't do much thinking yesterday.
ALSO, just when I thought all the media hype about Goshen and the anthem was over, I come across this lovely little article on Yahoo: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Indiana-college-not-playing-the-national-anthem-?urn=ncaab-wp4428 . Seriously? Give it a rest already people!
2. There are loads of cats in Japan. Only, none of them let me pet them :(
3. So, there are all these people handing out fliers and things. I don't know if I should be (a) amused (b) disappointed or (c) relieved about the fact that half of them completely ignore me when I walk by them. What if I want your flier that I can't read?
That's all. I didn't do much thinking yesterday.
ALSO, just when I thought all the media hype about Goshen and the anthem was over, I come across this lovely little article on Yahoo: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Indiana-college-not-playing-the-national-anthem-?urn=ncaab-wp4428 . Seriously? Give it a rest already people!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
I went to school all by myself for the first time yesterday
I didn't get lost, but I did mess up twice. Once, in Umeda (large railway station in Osaka), where I was supposed to be following signs to the subway line, except my signs suddenly vanished. It took me awhile to find them again, but I knew as long as I didn't actually go outside, I should be ok. The second time, I stayed on the subway several stops too long, which resulted in a hike of at least 20 minutes (I didn't time it exactly).
To compound the issue, I was in heels at the time. New, not yet broken in heels. They felt amazing when I bought them (I believe the exact words were "they're the most comfortable heels I've ever worn"), but apparently they don't stand up all that well to so much walking.
As the school, I spent time studying my predecessor's lesson plans and getting familiar with things, then a very short meeting where I and another new teacher introduced ourselves. I was surprised at the brevity of the meeting, but apparently everyone else had a long meeting earlier and they wanted to keep this one short.
On the way home, one of my fellow teachers was going the same way as I for a bit and showed me the correct station to go to, etc. Also, it was nice to have someone to talk to for a bit. I got through Umeda quickly and caught the train just before it was leaving. The problem with getting the train as it leaves at rush hour is the lack of seating, so I stood for about half of that ride, still in heels.
Unfortunatly, there was no food awaiting me at home, so I got off early and went to the organic grocery (which, by the way, is called "natural house," and not whatever I said it was before). I accidentally gave the cashier the wrong amount of money, failing to carefully count the number of zeros on the bills I was handing her, and then had to walk another 1/2 hr to get home. I probably should have taken the subway, but I didn't know where the nearest station was, and I probably would have spent just as much time looking for it as I did walking home.
To top it all off, when I got home, what I thought was miso soup turned out to be vegetable soup instead. Not that it was bad, I was just tired from my long day and frustrated that I couldn't do simple things like pay for my food properly or find out what kind of food I was buying.
On the plus side, I now have the makings of fried rice for supper! Super excited about that :)
School starts in one week, it's getting kind of close... I'll probably go in a couple days early next week to do some lesson planning and meet the teachers that I'm actually teaching with, etc.
Local temp: 81, and apparently it's raining, but the view from my window is clear (is a bit cloudy)
To compound the issue, I was in heels at the time. New, not yet broken in heels. They felt amazing when I bought them (I believe the exact words were "they're the most comfortable heels I've ever worn"), but apparently they don't stand up all that well to so much walking.
As the school, I spent time studying my predecessor's lesson plans and getting familiar with things, then a very short meeting where I and another new teacher introduced ourselves. I was surprised at the brevity of the meeting, but apparently everyone else had a long meeting earlier and they wanted to keep this one short.
On the way home, one of my fellow teachers was going the same way as I for a bit and showed me the correct station to go to, etc. Also, it was nice to have someone to talk to for a bit. I got through Umeda quickly and caught the train just before it was leaving. The problem with getting the train as it leaves at rush hour is the lack of seating, so I stood for about half of that ride, still in heels.
Unfortunatly, there was no food awaiting me at home, so I got off early and went to the organic grocery (which, by the way, is called "natural house," and not whatever I said it was before). I accidentally gave the cashier the wrong amount of money, failing to carefully count the number of zeros on the bills I was handing her, and then had to walk another 1/2 hr to get home. I probably should have taken the subway, but I didn't know where the nearest station was, and I probably would have spent just as much time looking for it as I did walking home.
To top it all off, when I got home, what I thought was miso soup turned out to be vegetable soup instead. Not that it was bad, I was just tired from my long day and frustrated that I couldn't do simple things like pay for my food properly or find out what kind of food I was buying.
On the plus side, I now have the makings of fried rice for supper! Super excited about that :)
School starts in one week, it's getting kind of close... I'll probably go in a couple days early next week to do some lesson planning and meet the teachers that I'm actually teaching with, etc.
Local temp: 81, and apparently it's raining, but the view from my window is clear (is a bit cloudy)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
A note on laundry
Make sure to bring it in before night, when the humidity is so bad that your laundry feels as wet as it was when it came out of the wash.
Also, this is one reason why I live in Kobe and not Osaka:
Much better view
Also, this is one reason why I live in Kobe and not Osaka:
Yay for the interwebs!
Yesterday, we went out to see about getting fun electronic stuff like a phone and the internet. Clearly, we succeeded, so now i get to make my very first post from my new home in Kobe.
The flight over wasn't bad-i didn't sleep at all, so as soon as i got here i was out (then i woke up at 2 or 3 and read a couple hours before i went back to sleep). I church ladies had bought pb&j for me, which was lovely, cause i was starved and really didn't feel like going to the store for food.
Friday, we went to the town hall to register for my foreigner card, but the picture we had of me was the wrong size, so we had to go to a nearby apartment store and search all over the place before we found a little tiny kiosk in the very back corner to take pictures. then we went back to town hall and finished registering. it's another several weeks before i can pick up the actual card, but they gave me a copy of the application to get around with (remember that, it's important later).
then, we had lunch at ikea, which was tasty and also located on a man-made island. Here's a question, why go to all the trouble of moving a mountain into the sea so you have more space to build things, and then leave large areas of it as empty cement lots with weeds growing in the cracks?
most exciting, was getting my phone! or, trying to get my phone. apparently, my copy of the foreigner card application wasn't enough, so we had to go back and get a certificate, which we might be able to do before they close. One slightly nerve-wrecking car ride later, it turns out that town hall closes 15 min later than previously thought, so there's lots of time. Or not. The guy at the counter tells us that it'll take to long to make sure the certificate matches all the other information we gave them, so we have to come back another day. Incidentally, when we did go back, it took the girl all of 5 min to print the certificate...
Saturday I walked around and got a blister on my foot. Found the post office, which has ATMs, so i get use my debit card. also found a store called "healthy foods" it has organic food and other products that are bother good for me and good for the environment. Speaking of which, during my walking around today, I found some of those little container gardens! so if they work properly, i'll soon have lettuce and strawberries. yummy.
Also on sat, i got tasty food from the market. i'll get more sometime and post a picture.
Sunday they came to put in my air conditioning, which involved drilling holes in my wall... also, the workers came before anyone else showed up to translate, and i showed them where to put the air conditioner all by myself. yup. After church we had sushi for lunch and one of the ladies took me shopping. I got tasty Japanese desserts make with sweet bean paste.
Yesterday we went back to town hall to get the certificate so i could get a phone and internet, then i sat for 1 hour while a salesman explained different plans, etc about my phone and 1.5 hrs while another salesman explained about internet. i was very tired afterwards. felt so lazy i didn't even walk home, just took the bus.
Btw, am loving the US economy right now. dollar/yen ratio is great for anyone interested in paying off college loans :)
Mostly spent yesterday evening and this morning having fights with my computer trying to sync itunes with my new phone. also trying to call international so i could tell the credit card people that my card is supposed to be making purchases in japan, could you please not put a restriction on it, thankyouverymuch. (failed, had to have mom call them for me) (should probably also tell loan people that my mailing address is a bit different now)
Well, looks about bedtime. Next time i'll post a tour of my apartment. after i clean it.
The flight over wasn't bad-i didn't sleep at all, so as soon as i got here i was out (then i woke up at 2 or 3 and read a couple hours before i went back to sleep). I church ladies had bought pb&j for me, which was lovely, cause i was starved and really didn't feel like going to the store for food.
Friday, we went to the town hall to register for my foreigner card, but the picture we had of me was the wrong size, so we had to go to a nearby apartment store and search all over the place before we found a little tiny kiosk in the very back corner to take pictures. then we went back to town hall and finished registering. it's another several weeks before i can pick up the actual card, but they gave me a copy of the application to get around with (remember that, it's important later).
then, we had lunch at ikea, which was tasty and also located on a man-made island. Here's a question, why go to all the trouble of moving a mountain into the sea so you have more space to build things, and then leave large areas of it as empty cement lots with weeds growing in the cracks?
most exciting, was getting my phone! or, trying to get my phone. apparently, my copy of the foreigner card application wasn't enough, so we had to go back and get a certificate, which we might be able to do before they close. One slightly nerve-wrecking car ride later, it turns out that town hall closes 15 min later than previously thought, so there's lots of time. Or not. The guy at the counter tells us that it'll take to long to make sure the certificate matches all the other information we gave them, so we have to come back another day. Incidentally, when we did go back, it took the girl all of 5 min to print the certificate...
Saturday I walked around and got a blister on my foot. Found the post office, which has ATMs, so i get use my debit card. also found a store called "healthy foods" it has organic food and other products that are bother good for me and good for the environment. Speaking of which, during my walking around today, I found some of those little container gardens! so if they work properly, i'll soon have lettuce and strawberries. yummy.
Also on sat, i got tasty food from the market. i'll get more sometime and post a picture.
Sunday they came to put in my air conditioning, which involved drilling holes in my wall... also, the workers came before anyone else showed up to translate, and i showed them where to put the air conditioner all by myself. yup. After church we had sushi for lunch and one of the ladies took me shopping. I got tasty Japanese desserts make with sweet bean paste.
Yesterday we went back to town hall to get the certificate so i could get a phone and internet, then i sat for 1 hour while a salesman explained different plans, etc about my phone and 1.5 hrs while another salesman explained about internet. i was very tired afterwards. felt so lazy i didn't even walk home, just took the bus.
Btw, am loving the US economy right now. dollar/yen ratio is great for anyone interested in paying off college loans :)
Mostly spent yesterday evening and this morning having fights with my computer trying to sync itunes with my new phone. also trying to call international so i could tell the credit card people that my card is supposed to be making purchases in japan, could you please not put a restriction on it, thankyouverymuch. (failed, had to have mom call them for me) (should probably also tell loan people that my mailing address is a bit different now)
Well, looks about bedtime. Next time i'll post a tour of my apartment. after i clean it.
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