Unwanted

Things I don't miss about home:

1. terrible roommates
2. Cleveland winters (except on christmas)
3. frat boys
4. sorority girls (and all other college assholes)
5. rudeness and impatience
6. the lack of ocean and nice scenery
7. drama between boys and girls and friends
8. traffic
9. being scared of being attacked at night, and sometimes during the day (mainly at OSU)
10. locking doors
11. friends being too busy or unavailable
12. exams and studying
13. family drama
14. always being checked up on
15. strangers listening in on conversations
16. not being able to drink on the sidewalk or in a park
17. unhealthy food
18. McDonalds (even though it is here, but no where near my house)
19. Wal-mart
20. Rich people
21. SUVs
22. prejudice (although that happens here, i just can't understand what people say so I take it as a grain of salt)
23. ignorance
24. lack of humility
25. fear of nudity (for the onsen lovers of Japan)
26. terrible part-time jobs
27. teenage punks (although my kids are giving them a run for their money)
28. teenage pregnancy
29. Claires, Rave, Bakers Shoes, Things Remembered, Hot Topic, Abercrombie and Fitch and other annoying, unoriginal stores in the Mall
30. driving through bad neighborhoods at night

Missed but not Forgotten

Things I miss from home (mainly university):

1. Dance classes
2. Flip Cup and other various drinking games
3. Happy hour on a nice day
4. The cottage
5. Mudsliding and wrestling
6. Adventure Island
7. Long conversations with my friends
8. Knowing everything about my friends from what they have been doing to what the last thing they ate was
9. Parents of friends
10. My Parents (but that is a given)
11. Playing cards with Gramma Prexta
12. Grandpa Mac asking me about my love life
13. Easton
14. Rollerblading
15. Eating and drinking on the patio of a restaurant or bar
16. Hillbillies
17. Country music
18. Concerts (anything from Kiss to Outkast to John Mayer)
19. Wish You Were Here
20. Nicky, Cheryl, Carrie, Daina, Robin and Nicole and other high school buddies
21. Susie, Abbey, Elizabeth, Joanie, Emily, Anna, Kerry and other college buddies
22. Broadway musicals
23. The Gallery Hop
24. Paul Robinette candles
25. the valley
26. general silliness
27. only 3 minutes drive from my house to the highway
28. friends living in the same town if not the same street as me
29. the radio
30. missing Daina's wedding and not having met my brother's fiance

Through different eyes

Last week I had two friends from home (plus two of their friends) come to Japan to visit me.

On Tuesday, Amanda Kroll (friend from home since Jr High) and her friend Diedre came to Yamaguchi. We had quite a nice time. I had to work on Wednesday and Thursday unfortunately, but they were able to take the train to Tsuwano and relax a bit. Wednesday night I took them for yakiniku and bowling. Thursday they came to my pottery class. Friday they came to my Eikaiwa and we went kayaking and out to dinner with John and the hitchhiker that he picked up. So after their time here they both picked up two new hobbies, pottery and kayaking, that they are anxious to try when they get back to Ohio. It was great to see them both and hear stories from back home. It just reminds that I really do enjoy Cleveland and all my friends there. Sometimes you get in your head that things are better here and suck at home but it is nice to be reminded of the good things. Even if you are from Ohio, which isn't the most beautiful place in the world. Amanda and Diedre were amazed with the scenery here. I have definately started to take it for granted, driving through mountains and along the coast. They made me more aware of the beauty of the San-in Coast of Yamaguchi. I thank them for that.

As for John's hitchhiker. His name was Yoshi and he has been traveling along all the coasts of Japan since September of 2003. He is from Hokkaido and is on his final stretch home of his journey. The north coast of Japan. He told some funny stories and I wish my Japanese was better so I could have learned more about him.

On Saturday I dropped Amanda and Diedre off at Shinyamaguchi and picked up Elizabeth Millette (friend from university) and her friend Sarah. We headed to Akiyama sushi, only to find out that Sarah doesn't like any thing from out of the ocean. Although, she was a champ and ate a few things. After that we went for a hike at Chomonkyo and headed back to my house for the evening. Sunday we went kayaking, which they really enjoyed, and then off to Hagi. They loved the Hagi yaki. We visited the store that I usually go to and the ownser gives me 20% off, so if any of you come to Hagi and want to buy pottery, let me know. We also fed the tombis at Mt. Kasayama and met up with Bruce and Jeanette. It was nice to see Elizabeth and talk about our time at OSU together. They headed out on Monday to Kyoto.

So, it was great having friends visit Japan. Although the whole time they were here I became jet lagged and found myself waking up at about 6am everyday. Thanks for coming girls!

Security Blanket

In the summer time many people carry around towels (about the size of a tea towel) in order to wipe the sweat from their face and neck. This use of the towel is acceptable in my opinion. You must be wondering why I am mentioning this now. It isn't hot here, yet. The temperature is quite nice, so there is no need for a sweat rag.

I was sitting in the lunch room today and one of my 2 nen sei boys (about 14 years old) was wrapping his head with his towel. On this towel were many pictures of Doraimon (a cartoon character). It occurred to me that I saw him a few days ago carrying this towel. Another one of my girls is always carrying a blue towel around. The same blue towel everyday.

This holding of towels all day wouldn't bug me if they were using it to wipe their sweat. I truly think these students use their towels as a security blanket. They hold it like a blanket, rub their face with it like a blanket. They carry these towels everyday. I wonder if they cry when their okasan tries to wash their blankie, I mean, towel.

Koncho

I know it is May and most people wrote about this phenomenon in September but today is the day that I lost my virginity of never being koncho-ed. Koncho (for the folks at home) is where the little kids (usually 1st and 2nd graders) but their hands together, extend their index fingers and jab them in your butt. I have heard about this happening to many male teachers but hardly ever to females. The new 1st graders at one of my schools must have made koncho the hazing ritual and invited me into their secret society of 1st graderness. I got konchoed about 20 times. It didn't hurt, but the sensation of the hands of small children up your ass isn't appealing. I finally had to back myself into a wall, but this is where the little kids got confused. They obviously don't know their anatomy too well because they attempted to punch me in the balls (if I had any). They often do this to their male teachers. Good thing they are only first graders and probably have yet to learn the way the world works.

These are the children which yell "Gaikoku-jin" (foreigner) every time I see them. To which I reply "Nihon-jin" with a pointed finger in their direction.

These are the children that surrounded me after their first English lesson grabbing ahold of me where ever they could so I wouldn't leave. Sitting on my feet and having their first touch of a gaijin.

Ah, these are the moments that make it all worth while.

Hong Kong- The highlights

Last week I went to Hong Kong to visit 2 friends that I went to Ohio State with. They actually were both in Fisher College of Business with me and both are Hong Kongians (quick cultural fact, Hong Kong people do not refer to themselves as Chinese, they don't like it) but didn't know eachother. For those of you that know me from my OSU life these people were Anna Li and Dixon Lam.

First I would like to comment on how hospitable Anna, Dixon and their friends were to me. Anna and Dixon had itineraries of what I would do each day. I figured I would see them a few times through out my trip, but I saw them everyday. The worst part about traveling alone is eating your meals alone, however apart from 2 lunches I didn't have to eat alone at all for the whole week. Often times they (and their friends) would treat me to lunch or dinner. They were so kind and generous, I can't thank them enough.

Favorites:
1. The best thing I saw was a horse race. Hong Kong men love the horse races as much as Japanese men love pachinko. Anna and I were the only 2 young women in the crowd. We bet on a few horses and Anna broke even, I was HK$30 in the hole. Afterwards while waiting for the subway we were standing on the platform in front of a jam packed train. At one point I looked at the train and realized ALL eyes were on me (and Anna). Never felt so stared at in my life.
2. The best thing I ate was a seafood meal on the island of Cheung Chau. It is famous for shellfish. After a day of strolling around the island with Anna and Gary (HK dude that lived in Australia for 3 years...I really gave him a hard time about his HK/Australian accent) we stopped at an outdoor restaurant on the bay. We ate lobster, crap and shrimp and washed it down with ice cold beer. It was wonderful.
3. The best thing I bought. I did a lot of shopping and even bought an electric dictionary, however, the best thing I bought would probably be my black shoes with magenta and white flowers on them. They are wonderful.
4. The best time I had. Hanging out at the bars in Lan Kwai Fong. Definately reminded me of college days. Perhaps like Put-in-Bay but you are allowed to drink in the street. We saw a lot of foreigners in particular an Irish guy that acted like an American football player.
5. The best feeling I had. Dixon,Anna and her friends Maggie, Candy, and Gary kept telling me how much fun they were having. How they didn't want me to leave. Asking when will I be back to Hong Kong. It was great to make such wonderful friends. They were crazy just like me. I loved it.

Other than that I did a lot of shopping (Stanley market, Temple Street Night Market, Mong Kok, Flower, Bird and Ladies markets), eating(steak, Thai food, Dim Sum, and many martinis) and visiting tourist sights (the new territories, Victoria Peak, Causeway bay, Stanley Beach) but many of them off the beaten track. It was a wonderful week. Thank you to all my Honky friends (and to Tori for letting me stay at her place and park my car at her apt for the week).