Tatsuro and I eating homemade sushi
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Overnight Home stay in Japan
I arrived at the ship in Kobe just in time to unpack and repack my things for my overnight home stay. As soon as I got off the ship, I saw a bunch of Japanese families eagerly waiting with signs and about 15 other students anxiously waiting to be matched up with a family. As soon as I saw my host parents I knew that I was going to love them. Despite what we had been told about Japanese people not liking to show affection, both the father and mother greeted me with huge hugs. They introduced themselves in very good English. The mother’s name is Yuko and the father’s name is Tatsuro. They told me they had two daughters, Atsuko (14) and Keiko (8) who were still at school but were looking forward to meeting me.
Before we left with our families, we were each called up one by one to take a picture together. We also had a little orientation with a few icebreakers to get to know each other. I noticed that not only was my host father one of the only men there, but he was also the one leading the introductions and games. Seeing how friendly and outgoing he was immediately made me feel so comfortable. His sense of humor and easygoing attitude reminded me of my dad. I could also tell right away what a genuine and kind person my host mother was by the way she talked to me about her family and explained to me some of the things we would be doing over the two days I would be there. It was obvious that she put a lot of time and planning into my visit, which made me feel so special and welcomed into their family. This thoughtfulness and generosity reminded me of my mom… Already I felt at home.
After we left the other families, we drove about 45 minutes to their town, Nishinomiya, and went out to lunch at my host dad’s favorite restaurant. I should also mention that the father took off from work that day in order to be there for my visit. The more I spoke with him and his wife, the more I realized what great people they are. They explained to me that all of the families who were hosting SAS students are all in the “hippo club.” The hippo club is basically a group that gets together to learn about other cultures and practice other languages, which is why they like to host foreign students and also have their own children do foreign exchange programs. Apparently this club exists all over Japan, but the groups are divided up by neighborhoods. They told me that they lead the meetings on Fridays, and since it just so happened to be a Friday, I would be able to join them that evening.
When we finished lunch, Tatsuro dropped off Yuko and me at the local elementary school where we met up with two other SAS students and their host families. The assistant principle gave us a tour of the school and we were able to visit a 4th grade classroom. The kids were adorable and they had prepared questions to ask us in English. Even though it was not the school that Keiko attends, I was so glad that I had the opportunity to visit an elementary school and see the similarities and differences between an elementary school in Japan versus one in the United States.
We then left the elementary school and walked about 10 or 15 minutes to their apartment building. Their apartment is small and cozy. Right away I noticed the clothes hanging outside to dry, which I had seen at most of the houses and apartments in their area. Despite the fact that they don’t use automatic clothes dryers, I found that their toilet had about 5 different buttons on it, including a seat-warmer. (I’ve realized that the Japanese put a lot of emphasis on making the bathroom experience very pleasant.) In their living room, they don’t have any couches. Instead, they have a table that is low to the ground, which rests on an electrically heated blanket and has an attached blanket that extends out on all sides and is used to pull over your legs. In their dining room/kitchen they have a traditionally sized table where we ate dinner. However, they said that they eat many of their meals at the lower table.
That afternoon, while we waited for Keiko to get home from school, I showed them the photo album that my cousin Caragh gave me for Christmas. Not only were they fascinated by the actual design of the book, which she made on Shutterfly, and by how clear the digital pictures were printed, but they were also genuinely interested in every single photo and spent several minutes on each page. It made me realize how much I take for granted all the pictures I see every day on Facebook or in digital albums and how I never bother to really know or understand the story behind each one. We spent over an hour looking through the photo album and it meant so much to me to be able to share my family’s traditions and memories with them. (Thanks Caragh!)
At about 3:30pm Keiko came home from school. (Both daughters walk to and from school every day.) Keiko hardly knows any English. However, that did not stop us from having a great afternoon together and using creative ways to communicate. For example, we drew pictures of our favorite foods and things that we liked to do. We also drew pictures of and about each other, which I now have hanging in my cabin. Of course she drew me really tall with really light hair. She made little bubbles coming out of my head which were supposed to be my thoughts and inside the bubbles were pictures of pizza, sushi, and ice cream—all of my favorite foods. If nothing else, she was able to comprehend my love of food.
Apparently the entire family realized how much I like to eat because from that point on, they would not stop feeding me. I also made the mistake of telling them in the beginning that I noticed how much smaller the Japanese portions sizes are in comparison to those in the United States. I meant this in a good and healthy way. However, they interpreted this as me needing to have 3 servings of everything at every meal until I was completely stuffed. Luckily everything was delicious!
Late in the afternoon I walked with Yuko and Keiko to the market down the street to buy groceries and food for dinner. Again, there was a little communication confusion. When I would ask Keiko which kind of ice cream or snack she liked out of curiosity she interpreted it as me wanting it. If I pointed to something, she would grab it off the shelf, run it over to her mom’s cart, and (I can only assume since it was in Japanese) say, “Kelly wants this.” When I tried to take it out of the cart, Yuko wouldn’t let me. So that was that. Who’s going to argue with more ice cream? I certainly didn’t have an objection.
When we arrived home from the market, I helped Yuko prepare the homemade sushi while she made the rice. Tatsuro let me try some of the vegetables that he grows in the garden down the street. Then, the four of us sat down and ate a lovely dinner. At about 6:30pm, when we were almost done eating, Atsuko finally came home. Yuko and Tatsuro explained to me that Atsuko has paddle tennis for several hours every day after school and doesn’t get home until around 6 or 7. (Just a side note- I asked Yuko if Atsuko ever has play dates and she said maybe once a month, but that most junior high students are too busy for play dates.) Atsuko joined us for the last part of the meal and we were able to talk a little bit since she knew some English.
After dinner, we headed to the hippo meeting where I met several other families in the neighborhood and was reunited with the other two SAS students. The meeting started off with us going around in a circle and introducing ourselves in English. However, it was not just the three of us SAS students who spoke in English. Instead, every person there, including young children, introduced his or herself in English. I was so impressed. I was even more impressed when they each spoke a few sentences in Italian, Chinese, and Spanish. In addition to being intelligent and knowledgeable about the world, they were also some of the kindest people I’ve ever met in my life. Every person in the hippo club has a nickname, which Tatsuro explained is because they want everyone to feel like they are on the same level.
As soon as it was my turn to speak, I was amazed at how attentive and genuinely interested everyone was. When my host parents told them I did yoga, they begged me to lead them through a few poses. They all took it seriously and tried so hard. When I showed them my photo book, they each took turns looking through all the pictures and asking me questions about each one. They all tried so hard to speak to me in English and made a huge effort to understand everything I said back to them. At the end of the night my father gave the nickname, “Ya Yo I” (spelled phonetically in English) which means March. He said it was a beautiful month since I am such a beautiful person. It is also the month with Princess Day (March 3rd), which is funny because my dad always calls me his Princess.
That night when we got home, my host parents took out all the snacks we bought that day and what seemed like everything they had in their cabinets, and we sat around the table on the ground and watched Japanese television. Tatsuro let me try some of his homemade beer (even though it is illegal to brew your own beer in Japan). He also poured me a few cups of Sake and explained how important Sake is in the Japanese culture. Meanwhile, Keiko continued to draw pictures of me surrounded by ice cream and pizza. I remember stopping and thinking to myself—here I am watching a Japanese drama I don’t understand a word of (but eventually got really into), eating small-portioned, crunchy, snacks that are flavored like vegetables and shrimp, and bonding with a Japanese family I just met today… and yet, I am loving every minute of it.
After a really fun night, I took a bath/shower in their interesting bathtub/shower that I’m sure I did not fully understand (since, again, there were several buttons) and slept on a surprisingly comfortable mat on the floor. When I woke up the next morning, I ate breakfast with Keiko and Yuko. And the three of us went to the mall. I had asked Yuko if there were any shops in the area where I could buy something from Japan and I guess she interpreted that as a shopping mall (where the first store I saw was the Gap). I ended up finding a jewelry store where I bought a chain, which I’ll use to hold different coins and charms I get in each country.
Keiko and I also did this really cool photo booth in the mall. It is apparently a huge phenomenon among young Japanese girls because Keiko had an entire book filled with the sticker pictures she had done with friends and family in the past. After we went into the booth to take pictures, we ran around to the other side to decorate them. There were so many options of colors and pictures—Keiko went crazy while I stood there barely knowing what I was doing. When the pictures printed out, we split them up so we each had some. Obviously, I will treasure mine forever. Who knows the next time I’ll be able to do one of these Japanese photo booths again?
We left the mall and went straight to another hippo club meeting which was being led by another family in a different location. The meeting was similar to the night before with a lot of the same people and a few new faces. One of the little girls I only met the night before had drawn me a picture and her mom wrote me a note saying that they hope to talk to me again someday and gave me their Skype name and email address. Saying goodbye to my family was hard enough, but I felt like I had just made 25 new friends who I never wanted to leave.
When I finally left my home stay, my family gave me a summer kimono, a fan, a jar of Sake, several drawings that Keiko made me and a paper with my new nickname written on it in Japanese. But the most important things they gave to me are amazing memories and a wonderful impression of Japan. Even as I write this, I cannot help but smile. I am so blessed to have had this experience.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Day 3 in Japan- Tokyo to Osaka
Our 3rd day in Japan started out with another breakfast at the Sakura with each of us eating at least 5 pieces of toast. The rest of the day I decided to relax a bit. A few people took a bus tour and other people walked around. I took some time to use the internet since Jane brought her laptop and the hotel had free wi-fi. For lunch we went back to the same noodle place.
When everyone was back at the hotel we talked about our plan for the night. We knew that the ship would be arriving in Kobe the following morning and a few of us had SAS trips early the next morning. A few guys were going to take the bullet train that night to Osaka since Osaka is only about a half hour from Kobe. We all agreed that it made the most sense to do that and I was happy since I had to be back and ready for my overnight homestay at 11am the next day.
Jane looked up a hotel in Osaka and made a reservation for all of us. We packed up our stuff and took a few cabs to Tokyo station where we agreed to meet at the entrance. Little did we know that Tokyo station is huge with several entrances. Jane, Dani, and I spent some time looking around the station but eventually figured that we should just go and meet them there. Thankfully Jane had made the reservation. I don't know what we would do if we didn't already decide where we were staying.
The ride on the bullet train was great. Since the train runs on magnets, it literally hovers over the tracks. It was definitely the fastest and smoothest train ride I'd ever taken. Plus, the inside is spacious, quiet, and clean so you feel like your riding first class on an airplane.
When we arrived at the hotel we were so relieved to see that our friends had made it there. By the time we got there it was almost 11pm and we still hadn't eaten dinner so we asked the hotel if there was anywhere we could go to sit and eat. They recommended a place that was only a few blocks away so we decided to give it a try.
The place had traditional, Japanese-style, seating where everyone sits on the floor around the table. I was so excited to do this since it had been the way I pictured restaurants in Japan all along. There were about 10 of us so we sat at a long table. The restaurant was small so there were only a few other tables which were all pretty close together. Since the menu was entirely in Japanese, with no pictures, we just ordered 10 bowls of rice, 10 bowls of soup, 10 beers, and a few orders of edimome. As the night went on, we started talking with people at the other tables. Everyone in there was a local and was more than happy to talk with us. We ended up surrounding their tables, sharing food and drinks, and learning about eachother. Everyone was so nice and we were laughing the entire time. I think this was one of everyone's favorite nights.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Day 2 in Tokyo
Our second day in Japan was a lot less hectic since we had a little bit more of a handle on the transportation and didn't have to carry around our big bags. When we woke up we had breakfast at our hotel, which consisted of unlimited toast, soup, and coffee... Naturally, we each ate about 6 or 7 pieces of toast.
After breakfast, Jane, Mike, Dani and I walked around the Imperial Palace which was within walking distance of our hotel. We walked around the gardens which were beautiful and very peaceful. However, when we all started to get a little cold, we decided to look for a place to sit and have a nice bowl of Japan's famous Soba. We found this one place which ended up being delicious and really affordable. The way you order is by pushing a button on a machine, which resembles a vending machine, and it prints out a ticket, which you then go up and exchange for your meal. Of course we needed someone to show us a picture of the food on the menu since the only things written on the buttons were in Japanese with no pictures.
When we arrived back at our hotel, we were overjoyed to find that our friends, Anna, Amanda, and Andea (I know lots of A's!) were already checked into the hotel. The three of them are friends that came together from Vanderbilt. Anna is my roommate on the ship and Andrea and Amanda live next door. The reason they didn't stay with us the first night was because they did a Tokyo overnight trip with SAS. I was so relieved that everything worked out and we were all together at the hotel, since there is no way of contacting eachother. Even in the case of an emergency, our cell phones had no service in Japan.
That night a big group of us went to Harajuki, a famous shopping area in Tokyo. They had big designer stores but also little shops and stands. I was very proud of myself because I didn't buy a single thing! After shopping, we took the train to a restaurant that was recommended to us by the hotel. The restaurant was located upstairs so we took a tiny elevator to get to it. When we walked in, I was taken back by all the smoke. The place was filled with men in suits who were smoking. However, I was immediately distracted when I saw the touch screen menus on our table, which were even cooler than the last ones. The options were unlimited and all we had to do was click the item, click the quantity, and then click what we figured out was the "order" button. Needless to say, there were several accidental orders, repeat orders, etc. Not to mention, there was no way of knowing who ordered what. When an order came out and it didn't look appealing or like what we thought we had ordered in the picture, everyone just looked around at eachother and claimed that they hadn't ordered it. It was pretty funny.
After dinner we came back, showered, and took cabs to a club called Muse. A guy on the ship named Oliver, who also happens to be from Vanderbilt, took it upon himself to send out an itinerary for each port which always includes a bar or club where we can plan on seeing lots of SASers. This time was no different. There had to be close to 100 of us there. It was a wild night to say the least, which is why my post for day 3 probably won't be as long since we were all hurting from the night before.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Adventures in Tokyo
We arrived in Japan on Tuesday, Feb. 9th at the port in Yokohama. As soon as we got off the ship, my friends and I headed for Tokyo, where we decided we would stay for the first two nights. I was traveling with my friends Mike, Jane, and Dani. Here is where our adventure begins…
First we bought a ticket for Shibuya, a section of downtown Tokyo. We thought we bought the all day pass for that line but when we got off at Yokohama station and tried to get back on we realized that pass was only good for one ride. Knowing we had to buy another ticket, we decided to go to Shinjuku, another popular section in Tokyo. After lots of confusion and running around train stations, we finally made it to Shinjuku. At this point our shoulders were hurting from carrying our bags (my friend Jane and I made the mistake of bringing duffle bags without wheels) and all we wanted to do was get to where we were staying to put our stuff down. We learned that all the hostels in the area were booked or didn’t allow women so we took a cab to a hotel.
The hotel was way too expensive and we realized most of the others would probably be the same. However, the hotel was nice enough to let us use their internet and we were able to contact the Sakura hotel/hostel in Jimboco, where some of our friends were staying. Luckily, they still had space. All we needed to do was get there—another adventure since it is located in yet another section of Tokyo. Let’s just say that with the help of a very nice lady that spoke some English and another couple of train rides, we finally made it to Jimboco. Our hotel was perfect—clean, inexpensive, and the people spoke English. Not to mention they had free wireless internet.
At the hostel we met a lesbian woman from Oregon named Erica who was on her way back from her 3-week trip in Thailand, after what sounded like a pretty bad breakup. She ended up coming to dinner with us that night and the five of us had an awesome time eating sushi and drinking sake. After dinner we were so exhausted, we came back and passed out.
Well, that about sums up my first day and night in Japan. Despite all the craziness, I feel like we got to see a lot of Tokyo and interact with a lot of the locals so I’d say it was a pretty good start to what would be an amazing 5 days in Japan.
Monday, February 8, 2010
My new pen pals!
I met my Vicarious Voyage partner the other day, her name is Taylor. We already received our first packet of letters from our new pen pals. They are 4th graders from a school in Munhall, Pennsylvania. Taylor and I each have 17 students in the class that we will be writing to. Their letters are so adorable and they say the funniest things. I can’t wait to write back to them! Here is an example of a letter from a girl named Daisy...
“My favorite things to do our go bullfrogging but I will not eat them insted of eating them I play with them. I love animals and they are so cute. I use to have 2 rabbits 28 fish in a 10 gal tank 1 gimmy pig and 1 hamster, 3 catapilers 2 salamanders 18 frogs 4 catfish and 2 turtles that’s all of the animals I have. I was just wondering do you like going and caching bull frogs? Where do you live? Sincerely, Daisy”
Zumba, salsa, and more!
*Quick note- The internet has been pretty bad the past few days, which may have been related to the storm we hit, (14 foot waves!) so I apologize for my posts coming all at once.
I’m still doing so many activities on the ship and trying new things all the time. In the past few days I’ve done Zumba, salsa dance, spiritual dance, yoga, and aerobics, and that’s just in the last few days. It was my first time trying Zumba and I really liked it, even though I was off on a lot of the steps. I felt the same way about salsa dancing, except that I had a partner. Luckily I think it was his first time doing salsa as well. I also want to try swing dancing and ballroom dancing… I figure I might as well try everything while I am here!
I was supposed to have my first intramural volleyball game the other night but because of the strong winds the ball flew off the ship within the first few minutes. Apparently the people playing before us lost their ball as well. Although the area is netted, there are still spots that the ball can bounce under and the wind can blow it overboard. Hopefully next time the weather will be better.
It’s good I’m being so active because I’m eating the biggest meals. I actually enjoy the food on the ship a lot more than I thought I would. They have lots of healthy options (fruits, veggies, fish, etc.) but also desserts, which I eat at every meal. The one thing I really miss is pizza. They have it at the pool bar but you have to pay extra, whereas the dining hall meals are included. I doubt it would even compare to Peace a Pizza or Pizza Fusion, my go-to pizza places at school and at home. Regardless, I will be having sushi (my other favorite food) very soon in Japan so I can survive without my American pizza.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Superbowl Monday...
Today at 8:15am an announcement woke us up saying that they would be live streaming the superbowl in our student union and that everyone was required to stay off the internet in order for there to be enough bandwith. Not only was it playing at 8:30 in the morning, but it is also a Monday here, since we are a day ahead. It was definitely different than the traditional superbowl sundays that we are used to having, but people were happy to be able to watch at all, considering the fact that we are in the middle of the ocean.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Night life on the ship
During the nights we are at sea, with the exception of when we are arriving or departing from a port, we have “pub nights.” This is the only time we are allowed to consume alcohol on the ship and the number of drinks is limited to 3 per night at pub night and 2 at dinner on those nights. This applies to everyone because there is no drinking age on the ship. It sort of ruins the thrill of being 21! However, I don’t really mind the drinking limit. Plus I know my parents aren’t paying for me to go around the world just so I can party—everything in moderation.
That being said, the pub nights are pretty fun and usually a lot of people go so it’s a good way to meet new people. They have a ping pong table so I’ve been able to show off my skills, (all those years of family ping pong tournaments at Thanksgiving paid off!) We also play a lot of cards and board games. Sometimes people play the guitar and the other night there was a girl who played the bagpipes. I wonder how she was able to get the bagpipe on the plane and onto the ship?
Anyway, she was incredibly talented and she played just as the moon was rising. Yes, the moon, not the sun. While we were on the deck, we saw something in the sky that was lighting up in a weird shape. I admit it was a little scary… lots of things were going through my head, for example an alien spaceship, etc. Anyway, turned out it was just the moon coming up over the clouds. But it was so bright that it lit up the whole deck. I’m not sure if it had anything to do with us crossing the international dateline or where we are right now in the world, but either way, it was pretty neat to see the moon from that perspective.
In addition to pub nights, we also had our first dance this week. It was a mix and match theme so people went all out in crazy clothes. It was a good time and a lot of people were there. Being confined to the ship forces people get involved and participate in things they might not normally do if they were home with their busy schedules. Without internet and cell phones, people barely spend any time in their rooms and instead, are forced to be social. There are a lot of benefits to being stuck on a ship with nowhere to go. This also contributes to good class attendance—if you skip class and your professor sees you out on the deck sunbathing, it doesn’t look too good.
Well, I’m off to get some studying done. I have a test today…Wish me luck!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG)