Things to Always Remember
I bought this little scroll from an obscure gift shop back in Singapore. Cliche as it may seem, these are indeed timeless truths that we all know so well but are often so easily forgotten as we move along the years. Somehow the scroll made its way into the luggage while i was packing for Japan earlier on this year.
It has always been a habit to make new year's resolutions since i was a small girl. As the year goes by, the process gets more tedious as the list simply becomes longer and there are always some resolutions that will make it to the list, despite yearly attempts to start afresh.
For a change, i only made one resolution for 2007.
If i can really bear in mind what's written on the scroll, i believe that all will be well.
Things to Always Remember1.Your presence is a present to the world
2.
Your life can be just what you want it to be3. Take the days just one at a time
4. You're unique and one of a kind
5.
Count your blessings not your troubles6. Within you are so many answers
7. Understand, have courage, be strong
8.
You'll make it through whatever comes along9. So many dreams are waiting to be realized
10. Decisions are too important to leave to chance
11. Don't put limits on yourself
12.
Nothing wastes more time than worrying13. The longer one carries a problem the heavier it gets
14.
Live a life of serenity not regrets15. Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way
16. Remember that a little love goes a long way;
Remember that a lot goes forever
17.
Remember that friendship is a wise invesment18. Don't take things too seriously
19.
Have Health Hope and Happiness20.
Life's treasures are people together 21.
Realize that it's never too late22. Take time to wish upon a star
23. Reach for your peak, your goal, your prize
2006 in a Nutshell
2006 has indeed been a whirlwind year for me.
It just came and went by and it's still a queer feeling to know that i am actually right here right now in Japan, a thought that was totally unimaginable to myself just one year back. Year end is usually a time when people take stock and get reflective about life so here i'll do a quick recap of some personal milestones this year:
1. Fulfilling the long time dream of working and living in Japan for a year
2. Surviving my first job at the bank after graduation (joined 1st Oct 2003 and left on 6th June 2006)
3. Been in a relationship for going to be 6 years in 6th Mar 2007 and still going strong
4. Having the most wonderful family for the past 27 years of my life, supporting and seeing me through in all that i do thus far
5. Revived a friendship with my best friend from secondary school days
6. Being a Singaporean for a year
7. Celebrating friendship forged with the gals from hons class
8. Feeling at peace with myself
2006 had been a good year for me and the people around me and i am really thankful for all that i had in life thus far. In 2007, i wish for good health for all my loved ones, family and friends, and may everyone find peace and fulfilment in all that they do. I do not know what 2007 has in store for me but i am really excited about life and looking forward to finding out. ２００６年 お疲れ様でした！
Final decision
2006 is coming to a close and i just thought i will update everyone on my latest direction. After much careful contemplation, which include drawing up a pros and cons list, and asking myself many times over, what are things that matter most, i've decided not to recontract a second year. Yes, i am going home in 2007!
I love my simple life on the island and really enjoy this new found sense of freedom and independence from living on my own. Granted there isn't much here where i am and funny as it may sound but these days even washing my own clothes and preparing meals bring much joy.
People wise, the folks at Narao had been an amazing bunch. No words can really describe the gratitude i feel towards some of these people who had been so kind to a stranger from the beginning. I've since lost count of the endless invites to home dinners and the various things i received from people,fruits and vegetables, winter wear and home appliances, you name it. To date, i've not taken public transport to anywhere on the island (besides commuting to work) as i always get rides wherever i go. The simple generousity i experienced in countryside Japan is really one i will never forget.
On the work front, no one will disagree that an ALT's job is really as easy and stress free as it can get. Which other job in the world can you really think of that gives you an income (a generous one if you come as a fresh grad out of college) and encourages you to take time off to travel and learn about Japan, the culture, language and her people. I get along well with my teacher colleagues and my students are really sweet and always makes me feel like a star in school all the time.
Everything's rosy and good and i feel very settled now after having been here for almost half a year so you might ask why go home then? Well, i thought before i came and the fact is i still think that a year is really too short a time, with the amount of preparation i went through to be where i am now.
Basically i've gone through all the possible reasons why i would like to extend my stay and i came to realise that one of the main reason is because i still do not have much clue what i want to do when i return to Singapore. In a way, choosing to continue on is to procrastinate making a more difficult decision. Being an ALT is fun but in all honesty, i think i can only do this job for a year. That having said, it does not mean that i miss the feeling of being in a rat race in the corporate world. The first year is indeed an eye opener in many aspects, even though this isn't my first visit to the country. I enjoy my interaction with students and the locals here and just learning new things about the country and myself everyday but i feel pangs of guilt knowing deep down that the reason to stay is to prolong returning back to reality.
I would love to have more time to explore and travel Japan and to brush up my still rather flailing Japanese but i am afraid TIME is not on my side (not to say i am very old ;p). If i'm like so many others on the program and came straight out from school, i would certainly choose to stay on for a year or two more. Somehow, after the long drawned deliberation and my bf's incessant reminder to go home after a year, i've finally decided that a one year stay is certainly the most sensible time frame for me. In the earlier months when i still couldn't make up my mind about recontracting, i tested the water and he was rather upset at the idea. I guess it's also only fair to him after all as i sort of promised him in the beginning that i am gonna be away for a year only. Leading a 'single' and carefree life is enjoyable but i've since come to realise too the joy is doubled when spend with a loved one, whatever you do and wherever part of the world you are in.
The final reason is because i want to spend as much time with my family, especially my mother, as i can before i get married sometime in the future. Funny as it may sound to some, and i know that Singapore is not such a huge place so there are still plenty of chance to see Mommy after getting married, but it is just not the same as living together. Moreover, work these days might just get you anywhere and i can't dismiss the possibility of working abroad again some time in the future. In the next few years, there are gonna be many changes at home and it will take some getting used to for everyone i guess with Rosie getting married next year and moving out and Daddy still working and commuting between KL and Singapore. In short, it's just time to be home.
It pained me to make this decision but i was quite amazed how good i felt after i made up my mind on this issue. Instead of agonizing, should i or should i not, i enjoy everyday more as i know that this is gonna be my only autumn, winter, spring and summer in Japan cos i know next year this time i would be home again.
If only they have such a thing as an one and a half year contract, that would make everything much easier. A side consideration is also the fact that i stay on an island and it does get really inconvenient at times. It is a great experience for a year, living the super island countryside life but a second year here i am afraid it may get a little trying and the last thing i want is to start feeling out of sort and wish that time would pass faster so i can go home soon.
So there and then, my mantra for my short stay abroad is to have a fantabulous one year and bring home with me plentiful fond memories to cherish than to stay on for the sake of staying and have a so-so 2 years.
Chilblains
Call me ignorant but i've never heard of this word until i googled it a minute ago.
I was having dinner with a lady friend when the conversation came to if we wear socks to sleep during winter. Ever since late Nov, i've been wearing socks like 24 hours a day, to work and to sleep cos my toes are always the first to freeze in cold weather. So when little red spots started appearing on my toes about a week back, my first thought was i overdid the socks wearing bit and there isn't enough ventilation for my poor feet. And when those red spots started to swell and got itchy and even hurt a little, thoughts of evil fungal growth inevitably came to mind and boy you bet i was terrified!
So when my friend found out about my itchy toes, she let out a loud laugh and said ”テリーサちゃん、霜焼け霜焼けだよ”. Now I've heard this word before as i frantically searched my Japanese vocab database and yes! It's frostbite!
My instant feeling was one of pure relief now that i know it's not some hideous fungus trying to multiply on my feet. But wait, it's winter here yes, but it's not even that cold yet (average abt 12 degree),i am nowhere near high altitude and i have frostbite, sounds like a joke even to myself.
It was when i searched for 'frostbite symptoms' that i realised that in the Japanese language, or rather the electronic dictionary i rely on, there is only one word '霜焼け shimoyake' to for the various symptoms related to exposure of the skin to cold weather.
Below are some simple definations i found from www.emedicinehealth.com:
FrostnipFrostnip is a nonfreezing injury of the skin tissues, usually of the fingers, toes, ears, cheeks, and chin. Numbness and tingling are present, but no tissue injury occurs. Symptoms develop when blood vessels supplying the affected tissues narrow because of the cold temperature. Frostnip occurs at temperatures of about 15°C (59°F).
ChilblainsA more significant nonfreezing injury from exposure to cold temperatures is chilblains. As tissue temperature drops below 15°C (59°F), tissue injury progresses. The walls of small blood vessels break, and the tissues swell. Small, itchy, painful red swellings appear on the skin. (This is it! The cause of my many days of worrying.)
FrostbiteFrostbite is the DESTRUCTION of body tissues due to freezing (at 0°C or 32°F). Ice crystal formation in the tissues breaks apart cells, thereby destroying the tissues.
(Now this sounds real serious!)
Well perhaps it's not that surprising after all why i've never known what chilblains were what with my limited winter experience and cos you'll never ever develop such symptoms back in good old sunny Singapore!
Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep
Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep
When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep, counting my blessings
When my bankroll is gettin' small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep, counting my blessings
I think about a nursery
And I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them
As they slumber in their beds
If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings
So if you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings
What did you do on Christmas Day?
Christmas is not a public holiday in Japan and so I went to work as usual. It's a queer feeling knowing that everyone back home was probably still fast asleep. I believe that in the city, there were some activities going on but here in the countryside, it was just an ordinary day. As it is the winter break now, there were no lessons and i did nothing much the entire day, if you count surfing the net and chatting over MSN as 'work' :p
Made myself a simple dinner after i got home and watched the trailer of The Holiday on Youtube while seated at my kotatsu eating piping hot white stew. What i really missed is going to the movies with Alvin. The Holiday may not have the most brilliant plot i know but i am a sucker for such feel good romantic comedies, especially those filmed during the Christmas season!
The Christmas tree at home, decorated by mom and Rosie this year :)
Beautifully wrapped presents underneath the tree!
Creative mommy thought of a way to decorate the dining room with those lights my brother bought at IKEA but had no idea what to use them for :p
Whatever you did, i hope all of you had a Merry Christmas!
Christmas Cheer
The bijins held the annual Christmas party at Sharon's place last Saturday. As promised, the girls brought a webcam and beamed me in so i could partake some of the exciting actions that are almost always inevitable at the Goh's residence :p
As I sat at my kotatsu, surfing the net with my itunes playing softly in the background, the girls finally came online at around 11plus. And it was simply great seeing all of them again after more than 4 months (the last time was when they sent me off at the airport). Everyone, including all the boyfriends (my bf included!) and a husband, was present that night. A pity though i couldn't hear what they were saying though they could hear me perfectly fine. But that didn't stopped us from having lots of fun gesturing and typing over msn :) In fact, i enjoyed the 'party' so much that we chatted late into the night and when i finally crawled into bed, it was a shocking 3am!
Not surprisingly, i woke up really late on Christmas eve morning. Not that i had much plans for the day really. In the evening, there was a small home party at next door Kawasaki sensei's place, with 2 other female teachers. I was requested to make Thai pineapple rice for the party and so i set about my task early after a hasty brunch.
Left: Ingredients for pineapple rice and mizuna & tuna salad.
Right: The end product! Doesn't look too bad huh :p Of course the chicken wasn't done by me. Kawasaki sensei ordered it especially for the party. Together, it was a great combination and i assured you the pineapple rice tasted very fine too =) (trust me it's idiot proof with the instant mix!)
Scenes from the home party. Me, Kuma-sensei (we have the same surname! in kanji her name is written as 熊先生), Matsumoto-san and Kawasaki-sensei. We prepared quite a feast for 4 people and expectedly packed much of the leftover for next day lunch in school; Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas for the Japanese without a Kurisumasu Kekki or Christmas cake ;p
Kuma sensei got gifts for everyone!
Pictures of my favorite boy.
Taro opening his present with glee and squirming in delight as he found out that he just received a prized baseball glove :)
The day before, i made this really delicious yogurt cake using an unbelievably simple recipe someone taught me. I know it's not exactly the most photogenic cake but eaten with a small dallop of blueberry jam, it's simply heavenly!
Divided the cake into 8 big slices and gave them to the librarian and some other friends in the neighbourhood who had been nothing but sweet to me all this while. I know it's not a lot, just something small to spread a bit of Christmas cheer : )
To date, my most ambitious project undertaken was baking cookies for all the teachers at the 2 junior high schools. I didn't know what possessed me to take on the task. I was never much of a baker back home. Found it too much hassle and the cleaning up after that was a huge deterrence. But ever since i borrowed some cookbooks from the library, i've been bitten by the baking bug. Perhaps it has something to do with the cold weather? Some days are too chilly and windy to step outside and there can only be so much TV and internet for a day. It's a nice feeling to have the smell of cookies wafting in the air and feeling all warm and cozy in this little house.
Chocolate chip cookies work-in-progress...
The sight of these cookie-cutter ones just make me very happy! =)
The most wonderful feeling though, would have to be the sight of nicely packaged gifts waiting to be distributed!
I also ordered some potato pies online, wrote some cards and mailed them back home to my family and friends. I am not sure how they taste actually, but i certainly hope they are as good as they looked :P
In addition, i made simple collages from pictures taken during their trip here for my parents and Alvin as Christmas presents. No places to shop around here you see.
And finally i can put them up for everyone to see now that they had already received the parcel on Christmas =)
Dad and mom at Yufuin, their favorite place in Japan at the moment.
I love this picture of them, looking so happy and excited at the autumn foliage in the background :)
Daddy at Glover Garden, Nagasaki.
Mommy at Glover Garden.
Alvin and me at the great Mt. Aso.
Shots of us around the island. This has to be my personal favorite!
At night, i had another fabulous webcam session, this time it's with my family back home. It was a really great feeling to be able to see your loved ones even though one is far away from home during festive season. Come to think of it, this was indeed my first Christmas that i did not spend with my family but i certainly did not feel the least bit lonely on that Christmas eve :)
Bounenkai 忘年会
After weeks of nothing but my travel tales and faces of me and Alvin, finally it's back to real time. I have more travel stories and pictures of my parents' trip to share but i'll follow up on that later. It's nearing the end of 2006 now and with Christmas round the corner, there are some self reflections to be done and new year resolutions to be made.
Year end is a busy period as most Japanese prepare for the new year or Oshogatsu (お正月). It is also the bounenkai season. Bounenkai literally translates into 'Forget the year party'. Depending on your job type and the number of circles or clubs one is associated with, a typical Japanese usually attends three or four of such year end parties. The basic premise, as you can imagine, is to sit with your colleagues and get nice and drunk before proceeding onto a second or third party late into the night.
Out of the 5 schools which i teach at, 3 schools asked if i could join them for their bounenkais. As all 3 fall on the same day, naturally i had to go for the one with my base school. Not that i mind at all, in fact it's the perfect excuse to turn down the other 2 invites without appearing anti-social. It is fun to go to one of these typical Japanese drinking parties when you get to see your usual serious co-workers let their hair down and acting all crazy after rounds and rounds of drinks. But an average cost of a dinner party on the island is somewhere between ￥4000 to ￥5000, which is quite a lot to pay for food by my standard. That aside, the one thing i dislike most about Japanese social gatherings is that almost all the men smoke. And there is nothing i can't stand as much as cigarette smoke : (
So anyway, the year end party with my base school is this evening and everyone is supposed to bring along a ￥500 worth of present for gift ecxhange. With such a limited budget (it's approximately S$6.50) and honestly not many places to shop around the island, i had quite a hard time coming up with a 'worthy' gift.
Finally an idea hit yesterday! I had been trying my hands on baking for quite a few times now though with mixed results i would say. Nevertheless, i think those cookies are passable and so i hastily baked a batch of chocolate chip ones,filled some of them in a glass jar (bought from the 100yen shop down the street) , threw in a few chocolates together with a Merlion keychain and a Singaporeanish magnet and tada! Think i am quite brilliant! Haha =)
This is what i paid 65bucks for dinner!
Faces of Narao
2 weeks on the island would be an extremely boring time if there was nothing much to do but studying. In between free time and on weekends, I brought Alvin around to meet some people. Finally he could put faces to some names he had so often heard over the phone.
Dinner at the Toda san's (lady on my left) house. She is the librarian who works at Narao library which is just a short walk away from my place. A very kind lady who allowed me to borrow books for longer than the actual period ;p When she knew my boyfriend was visiting, she invited us over for a meal and chat.
In addition, Kawasaki sensei actually got permission from the school principal to bring him along to junior high and had him participated in one of our class!
So here you are, Alvin sensei for the day! =)
The students especially the boys got all hyper and excited when he stepped into school that day. In fact, i couldn't recall them being that enthusiastic in seeing me when i first arrived. I was informed shortly afterwards that in the history of all the ALTs in Narao JHS, the school had never had a guy ALT before. So that sort of explained their reaction perhaps. The girls were however very inquisitive and couldn't stop giggling whenever they saw Alvin in school. All in all, we had a great class and it was an eye opener for Alvin too as this was the first and probably the only time he would get to sit in and observe a typical class in a Japanese school. What's more, as there was a teacher on MC that day, the school staff actually asked Alvin to have his portion of lunch.
School lunch here is a major affair. Students will don aprons and scarves and serve the day's menu to one another not to mention creating lots of noise in the process. As many Japanese schools tend to be small in size (Narao JHS has a grand total of 92 students!) it is not feasible to have a canteen. As such, meals are prepared by the town's school lunch center daily and delivered to the all the schools in the town.
Teachers take turn eating lunch in the respective classrooms as a way of interacting with students outside studying hour. Students here seemed a lot less restraint in talking to their teachers. I certainly don't recall being on such friendly terms with my teachers back in school. More often than not, we would probably scuttle away at the sight of one along the corridor. Left: Group of 13 years old which Alvin had lunch with.
Students came up to chat with us while waiting for the bus. When asked if they wanted to take a picture together, they posed readily. Mini celebrity of the day ;p
School aside, there was also dinner invite at Tamami-sensei's place. Tamami sensei helps out during my lessons at elementary school and is an extremely lovely lady who also teaches her own English class at home. She is very chatty and we've since become very good friends. Nowadays i help out at one of her night conversation class every Friday evening. Whenever she goes swimming, she will always bring me along too. She is a very good cook and every meal at her place will surely not disaapoint. We were treated to a sumptuos homecooked Sukiyaki and Alvin simply loved every bit of it!
We loved playing with her dog, Goo-chan too, who had the tendency to start performing from out of nowhere just so he could be rewarded with the beef on the plate ;p
Alvin with Kawasaki sensei and Taro-kun. Taro is such a sweetie, he probably was one of Alvin's favourite on the island. No words are necessary between these two, just lots of gestures, smiles and rubber bugs Taro liked to play with :p
The last 2 days were spent going around saying byes and taking pictures with people whom Alvin had become good friends with. As a matter of fact, when he comes for visit again next April, he said he will definitely want to drop by the island to see all these people again because they had been nothing but generous and kind to us!
Left: Alvin with Yasu, boss of the largest supermarket NICEDAY in Narao. Yasu san is a student at my weekly adult English conversation class.Right: Alvin went behind the sushi counter to have a shot with Kotobuki san, the delicious sushi place in town.
Rounded up the night with dinner and karaoke with a couple of youngsters in town.I met them through the festival when we performed and danced together. When they heard that my boyfriend was here, they insisted that we met up. Alvin having a great time with the 2 Tsuyoshis at karaoke (the 2 guys are both called Tsuyoshi).
Leaving the island the next morning...and coming back again definitely! =)
Roadtrip
Day 1Over the weekend, we rented a car (a powerful little white Toyota which Sharon affectionately referred to as her 白馬王子 after having driven it for 2 days) and went on a sightseeing roadtrip around the island. Armed with a pretty good map and my memory, we took on the island's narrow and winding roads!
Our first stop was Takaitabi Beach (高井旅海水浴場)where my base school Narao Junior High(the one that is right on the beach remember?) is located. Since it was en route to where we were heading,i brought the two of them there to have a look at where i go to work most of the time. Before we managed to arrive at the school though, Alvin and Sharon were so wowed by the beautiful scenery along the way that we got down to snap a few shots first.
It was wonderful weather that mid-autumn October day. The sea, the sky and the 3 of us =)
Hmm, not sure what he was trying to do. Embracing the vastness of nature perhaps? ;p
Sights around Takaitabi beach. That's my school on the top right hand corner. Sweet little school : )
Next, we went north of the island where i seldom had the chance to go on my own since i do not drive. We stopped for lunch before continuing with our journey. Since we are on Goto, whose other main industry is fishery, Sharon insisted that we must have sushi with the freshest fish. I shared the plate with Alvin. I thought they looked exactly like those plastic sushi you find outside restaurant's window display. You can't see the rice beneath cos the fish slices were such generous portions!
After lunch, we found our way to this nearby waterfall called 一二三滝森林公園. It was so secluded that we drove till a point where we didn't see any cars anymore. The waterfall was not particularly spectacular but the surrounding forest area was so quiet and peaceful, in Alvin's and Sharon's words, very 'zen'. The whole hour we were there, wondering around leisurely and posing for pictures, there was not a single soul in sight. As such we began doing strange things.
Our last stop for the day was to look for this observatory deck where we can view the island from on top of the second highest mountain. The drive up the 400m over mountain was really precarious. The weather took for a turn after we left the waterfall and the sky was rather dark by the time we found our way to the foot of the viewing deck but we decided we would press on till the end. It was a strenuous drive and half the time i didn't dare to look out from my side of the window as we crept slowly but certainly higher and higher up the mountain. I didn't dare to express my secret anxiety for fear that it might affect Sharon's driving. But i sure was relief when we made it safely up and all the way down.
The view that awaited us at the top was indeed worth all the effort afterall. It would have been breathtakingly beautiful I am sure if the weather was good that day. The sky was grey and there were heavy clouds looming overhead. What greeted us was almost malicious looking. I was both awed and inspired what came before my eyes. Alvin thought it reminded him a little of Middle Earth, or rather what his imagination of Middle Earth is like. I think he had an overdose of J.R.R.Tolkien, what do you think? :p
Love this picture.Everything looked surreal.
The sunset would have been stunning had the sun not been partly covered by the clouds. Then again, an overcast sunset looked rather unique and mysterious too...
We didn't stay at the viewing deck for that long as the dark clouds loomed threateningly. Jumped into little car and went for dinner at this little yakitori eatery run by an elderly couple who served possibly the best grilled bacon-cheese on the island, looked at Sharon's happy face! =)
Day 2The next morning, we got up earlier to explore another part of the island called Wakamatsu (若松)as we had to return the car by noon. I teach at Wakamatsu Junior High twice a week and the scenery there is even more gorgeous than the northern part of the island. This part of the island is a designated National Park and boasts rolling hills with rugged coastline and sparklng blue sea.
See the white bridge in the background? That is the bridge that connects Narao(where i live) to Wakamatsu. It was built some 11 years ago so before that people from these area took small boats just to get to somewhere within Goto itself.
We got off the car and went all the way down to do some exploring. Can you spot Sharon in one of the picture?
As we drove on in search of our next destination, we chanced upon this little chapel at Doinoura and went in to take a look.
Some more sights along the way. It was quite a hot day and the shining sun made the sea sparkles! The different shades of blue and green in the sea was really amazing!
Soon it was time to return the car but not before Sharon posed for some pictures with her beloved prince :p
We actually got into a little parking accident the night before so were anxious when we drove it back. There was some misunderstanding and miscommunication regarding payment of repair cost and insurance coverage. Let's just say we were lucky and managed to get away by paying the minimal repair cost. A great ending to our wonderful 2 day roadtrip round the island. Otsukaresama!
I bought this little scroll from an obscure gift shop back in Singapore. Cliche as it may seem, these are indeed timeless truths that we all know so well but are often so easily forgotten as we move along the years. Somehow the scroll made its way into the luggage while i was packing for Japan earlier on this year.
