I'm Sick

I have gotten sick FOUR TIMES since I have been in Japan. ugh. The last two times have actually been back to back. I was sick the Thursday before last and have been trying to recover ever since BUT got sick AGAIN this past Thursday. My JHS actually asked me to go home and rest...I had a fever =( I am still sick, though feeling better than I was Thursday or Friday of this week. I really wish I were in America dealing with my illness. In Japan EVERY illness is a doctor visit illness. I don't WANT to go see a doctor here, especially since they speak Japanese and I speak English, it's just another frustration I don't want to deal with ESPECIALLY when I am sick. In America I could just pop on over to the nearest CVS or Wallgreens or whatever and buy some over the counter medicine and that be it. It would not require a 30 plus minuet ride ONE WAY only to become frustrated that they don't use western medicines and the doses of drugs are not what I am used to...because that is what I get in Japan. SIGH. Being sick away from home is hard. I have a piece of home since my husband is with me. I honestly would be at a loss if he weren't with me. But I still miss the comforts of home.

On a different topic. I got to go on a fun ski trip with lots of other young foreigners living in my prefecture in Japan a few weeks ago. I didn't actually go skiing. I have never skied before so I didn't want my first time to be in Japan where if I hurt myself I would be in a Japanese hospital (heard too many horror stories). But I had a lot of fun just talking with people. It made me miss my friends from home. I miss nerding out and I got to do just that. =)

Happy New Year!

2009 is here now. I am amazed with how much has happened in the past year. My life has changed quite a bit. I am married now, that wasn't the case this time last year. and, oh yeah, I am living in Japan. Daily life has changed dramatically for me over the past year. I have three big things on my to-do list for 2009:
1- celebrate my 1st wedding anniversary
2- visit the US for a few weeks- most likely during the summer
3- get in shape!- since moving to Japan I have lost all my strength- I used to be able to do sit-ups and push-ups--I need to exercise.

Now, on a completely different note, here are some pictures! (admit it! that is why you are really reading this! =P )



Mixxie up Matt's shirt sleeve. eewww. =P

This is Mixie. She is the hamster Matt and I (mostly matt)are looking after while our neighbor is away. Mixxie likes crawling through tubes...its fun. I get to play with her without havint to touch her. =)

I am wearing my new winter coat I bought because my other coat is just not enough for winter here. After two days inside, due to lots of snow and icy roads, I was happy to be walking around near our house.

The roads were STILL icy two days after the snow fall. This road is covered in ice. We did not drive for a while.

Oh! one last thing! My mom suggested I mention SparkPeople It is a great website (and FREE) for those who are looking for help and support in their weight loss or fitness efforts. I would have to say it is the best site out their right now. Check it out. =)

A White Christmas!

We had a white Christmas this year!

It is kinda nice. However, I could do without the ice on the INSIDE of our windows upstairs. Single pane windows are apparently the way to go in Japan. sigh.

Anyway...here is a pic of the snow outside our house. =)

Thanks Wes!

I kinda forgot about this blog about our time in Japan. Matt and I were talking to Matt's brother Wes on Skype, when he mentioned the blog. Oops! I forgot!

So now I figured I would give everyone an update. We have pets!! Temporarily. Our two ALT neighbors are going away during winter break and needed someone to take care of their animals. So now we have a turtle, 3 fish, and a hamster. They are cute and fun to have around. However, Matt is completely in charge of them, he is the one responsible if anything where to happen to the pets. =P

I have now also been informed that I need more pics on this blog. Sadly, I haven't taken very many. But, what I do have I will share now.


Did you know you can buy fake chest hair at the 100 yen store? Well...you can. Japan is a bit strange eh?

My 12oz of Skippy peanut butter (costs 398yen=$4) beside a anime figurine on top of my Nintendo DS....how much more Japanese can you get! =P

No bake cookies Matt and I made a few weeks ago. It is pretty expensive to make, seeing as 4 cups of oats is about $4. But when you need some treats that remind you of home, it can be worth it. We also don't have any wax paper. I don't know what it is called here, but I assume they have some...I hope Japan has wax paper.

Two of the fish we are taking care of.

The turtle named Kazu we are taking care of. The turtle is the most interesting of the animals in my opinion. =)

Okay. I will try and take more pictures now that some people seem to really like them. Until next time....have a Merry Christmas!!

I had a good day

I am surprised by this fact because my day was spent mostly shopping. I hate shopping. I always get overwhelmed by the crowds and the noise and the traffic getting to stores, plus having to give my money to stores when I know what I am buying is either a.) not worth what I am paying or b.) made by slave labor or something just as horrible. So yeah, I have a hard time with shopping. BUT I REALLY needed some things. It is getting colder and colder here, and I realized I did not have enough warm clothes to last me the winter. I was in desperate need of a big winter coat, some winter tops and a pair of pants that actually fit me. Since being in Japan, I have lost too much weight for any of my pants to look decent on me. So with these needs in mind, Matt and I ventured to Kofu and spent a number of hours battling traffic and crowds. In the end though, I got what I needed. I got a good, warm, jacket, three sweater/long sleeve tops, and a pair of pants that fit. Only odd thing was, the pants only fit in the waist. The pants were...you ready for this one?....too LONG!! Isn't that just crazy. I am pretty darn tall in Japan, and the pants I found were too long. I think I have realized why that was the case. The store I bought the pants at actually has a tailor company as well. You can buy your pants and get them tailored at the same time. Conveniently for the store, most people need a bit of tailoring to their pants.
Anyway, I got what I needed, though I am still on the look out for a good pair of winter boots. I think that having a list of actual NEEDS, as opposed to just browsing/shopping I felt a lot better about the situation. I got to spend some quality time with Matt and accomplished something.
PLUS to top it all off, I ate about 650 calories worth of sushi. Yeah I know that's a lot, but I hadn't eaten all day AND I had been craving the rotating sushi place for about a month now. It was great. I had a good day.

Life in Yamanashi!

You may have been one of the people to hear my complaints about Japan "I miss Panera Bread and Brugers Bagels!"
Right now, despite the food situation, I am loving Japan. The elementary school kids are adorable and fun to play with, while my elective English classes at the JHS are quite funny and I am learning more about Japanese culture...apparently this band ARASHI is THE Jpop band right now...who knew? =)

Okay! Pics time!!







BTW, I did not take these pictures (except for the last one) Matt took them while I was driving. I think he did a pretty good job! =)

One job thing I am concerned about, but can't do anything about, is what will happen with the elementary school visits come August. When new ALTs are brought to the area in August, we expect some changes to all ALTs schedules. The Japanese government has decided that elementary age children need more hours of English instruction. I believe its something like quintupling the amount of hours these kids are receiving now. So I am interested to see, and nervous to see, what the Board of Education is going to do with us ALTs. Will some ALTs ONLY have elementary schools? Will more ALTs be brought in to take on the elementary classes, leaving some ALTs ONLY at JHS? I don't know. I honestly don't know what I want to happen. I am pretty happy with my schedule, 3.5 days at JHS and 1.5 at elementary. I like all my schools in different ways, though everyone is nice. The elementary kids are great, but more than an extra half day with them, I might go crazy. It is just sooo loud and crazy! Though fun, I need headache pills due to the noise levels sometimes. So I will try and keep you all updated as to what the BoE decides to do about the new government English requirements.
=)

Our beautiful town

I know I complain about living in Japan. Maybe I don't complain on this blog, but in everyday life I wish, as a vegetarian, eating in Japan were easier. But, there are some great things about where we are living now. That is what I want to show you guys.

Cute and odd shops in "downtown" Kiyosato

cool clock building


beautiful mountains


My wonderful husband AND beautiful mountains.


Mt. Fuji!