I finally found a way to put on titles!! (not to be confused with titties)

Bang! Bang! Bang! Goes the hammers in my backyard... since the day I arrived in this country, they have been building this house next door. Japan is the country of construction. They are always mending streets, renovating, putting down, rebuilding... There's a constant sound of hammering or drilling in the background. This could lead one to think that Japan is maybe not westernising, but modernising *ponder*. I think the funniest part of it all are the people hired to direct the traffic on a construction site. It only takes a small hole in the ground to have at least 5 construction workers flaring their Star Wars sticks in the air to tell us where to go. After the first waving glowing stick, I think we got the message, domo arigato!

Sorry for taking so long to update. I have been very busy with work and friends since my return. I can't wait for next week-end to rest and sleep-in.

On my first week-end back I had a phone call on Sunday morning at 8am from my Canadian friend Leslee in tears. She had locked her back that morning when she was putting on her socks, had fallen to her bed and could not move. So right away I put on the clothes that was on my floor and powerwalked to her apartment. When I got there, I saw her laying there with half of her body on her futon and the other half on the floor. I had no idea what to do. She was in pain and she couldnt move an inch. Finally, her friend Ayako came and we thought it was best to call the ambulance. The rest of the day was spent at the hospital trying to comfort her and doing some errands for her, since she was going to be staying at the hospital for a few nights because of a slipped disc. I couldnt imagine myself in her situation. I dont know how I would have felt if I had to be in the hospital in a foreign country away from my family. So it was important for me to be there for her and to make sure she gets all the support she needs. There was not one instant at the hospital when friends werent by her side (until bed time at 9pm - right.) They all brought her some food and get well gifts. I thought of loading her up with porn and beer (the pure essentials), but surprisingly these things went against the doctor's orders. Instead, we brought her origami...

On that same night I had to go to my friend Rio's surpise party after making 2 giant towers of cocktail sandwiches. I dont remember making the sandwiches between the hospital and getting to the party. It all happened so fast... But in an hour I had time to take a shower, get ready and prepare 18 sandwiches. Go me! I know that there are pictures of these sandwiches somewhere. Ill have to ask my friend Jason to pass them on to me.

Last week-end I had to work on Saturday. Every 2 months my school hosts this English Intensive Week-end, where a few students go for this week-end homestay at my boss's house up in the mountains. His house is very much western style and so the idea is to create a sort of an English western/european experience. The biggest challenge was to make them speak English, but we played games (remember frozen tag and "what time is it Mr. Wolf?"), baked "hide and seek muffins," and filled out many english work sheets.

On the next day, my apartment was desperate for some cleaning, so I put on my new Madonna CD on and put my butt into it. Now if only I could keep it this tidy and clean. Later that afternoon, my friend Diane and I went for some afternoon karaoke and sang to tunes such as Lady Marmalde and Shampoo's Trouble (remember that one???) - For next time, I'm thinking a Tiffany song like I Think We're Alone Now. Then Diane made us dinner that we ate along 2 bottles of red wine... I was actually feeling fine for work the next day, but my co-workers wanted to know what I did in the week-end. When I told one of them that me and my friend finished two bottles of red wine she asked me if red wine made you pee purple...... no joke. There are 2 types of japanese here: the alcoholics and the ones that know absolutly nothing about alcohol.

I think the most exciting night here since Ive been back from Canada was last night. First my friend Michelle and I went out for dinner at this fast food sushi place. If you havent seen Lost in Translation, in these restaurants you have sushi going around in rotation in front of you and you just pick and choose the sushi that you want. For dessert I had a craving for soft vanilla ice cream. Have you ever had ice cream on an ice cream stand before? I have!

We went bowling at this new GIGANTIC entertainment complex that just opened in Fukushima. I dont know how long this place is going to last because I think there is enough people living in Fukushima to fill the 2 first floors of the building. But it's big, it's loud and it's flashy: everything the Japanese long for. At Round One the world is your oyster! You can go Karaoke, play arcade games, roller-skate, play squash, play bowling, ride a bull and even go fishing!

Anyway, although I am the world's lousiest bowler, I had a great time. Here is an advertisement of the Round One grand opening in the tunnel passing under the Fukushima train station. At first, I took the picture because the woman made me thinks of my friend Diane. Hope she doesnt mind I put this up... haha.I had my friend Yassu in my team, who I like to compare to a fairy. He is a very very gay man, who I love and deeply respect. It is incredibly rare to see a gay man in the open in such a small town as Fukushima, so it was very refreshing to be around someone that is so open about his sexuality in such a subdued environment. He's one of Diane's English students and I think (I think) he is a drag queen on his days off. Simply watching him bowl was a like a scene taken right out of The Birdcage. It was also my first time getting hit on by a japanese man (who has a girlfriend). I wonder if its the novelty of going out with a white girl attracts some of the men here. Nonetheless, it is very very rare to have a Japanese man compliment you or flirt with you, so I didnt quite know how to react, especially when I knew that he had a girlfriend. Bummer, because he is somewhat cute... But I still dont think I dig the japanese in that kind of way. I have also noticed that Japanese men are mostly unfaithful, therefore another reason not to get involved with them. Anyway, here is a picture of my friends (Rio, Takahiro and Ryuta) trying on these great bowling Pin costumes, another great amusement offered at Round One.

And here is the whole group:
Also, I am very excited of having my brother coming to see me in April for two weeks. I'm not quite sure what we will be doing when he comes down, but I'm thinking climbing up Mt Fuji and spending a week-end in Tokyo. Other than that, I am sure that while I'm at work he wont mind using his rail pass to go around Japan by bullet train (something which Canada should really start looking into - imagine riding the train 50 minutes to go to Montreal from Toronto, for an affordable price.) Jordan, who I also like to call my human map, will have no problem finding its way through the streets with no name (a quirky U2 reference for Rachel, Heidi and Shane - voila!) For some who don't know, my mom is also coming in May for 3 weeks and we are thinking of travelling to Thailand or VietNam for 4 or 5 days. All of my students want to meet my family and so it seems like I will have to have a "bring your parents to work week." When I told my class at the community center that I was thinking of having my mom come for a class they all started applauding. So mom, I wouldnt want to dissapoint... would you be game? they are a tough crowd. They'll scrutinize you and stare at you the whole time. No joke.

This is for you mom... Capuccino avec son lait et sa mousse.. une chance!

On top of that, Miss Rachel West is seriously thinking of coming to Japan for 3 or 4 months and live with yours truly until the end of my contract. But that is all I am going to say until I know for sure. I don't want to get all excited just now, because I can just imagine the mad time we would have in Japan in the summer together.

Winter in Japan has been very unusual. Its been snowing almost everyday since I've been back. The roads are icy and covered in snow. It's also colder than normal and the worse has yet to come: February... Brrr... Just to tell you all how cold it is in my apartment, a few days ago I took a bath and I could feel the cold brisk air through the hot boiling water. No joke.

Heidi, today I was correcting some of my student's crosswords and this one puzzle was called Heidi, intitled after the television show. I will have to make some copies!

And to my friends who have been expecting postcards. I bought the postcards and I know that you will all enjoy them... but they were so funny that i thought of bringing them to my class tomorrow morning. I will try to have them sent out by next week. Shane I will wait till you are in Australia, just in case.

I have to go back to school and teach my last class. Hope all is well with everyone. There has been a wave of people coming in and out of Toronto such as Mairin and Natalie. I really wish I could have been there to join the fun.

de yuskette, (take care)
e.

I thought that maybe some of you could find this article interesting.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4594782.stm

enjoy!
e.

P.S. An Izakaya is like a snack bar that Japanese people go to after the bars. Bars are only supposed to serve alcohol until a certain time, but even though Izakayas also serve alcohol, their connotation as a snack place make them different to bars, and make them therefore legal. Japanese people love to drink!

It took 25 hours to finally arrive to my Fukushima apartment and only seconds to make my few days in Canada seem like a dream.

Waking up to the CN Tower on my first few days at home was completly surreal. Thinking that I was in Japan just days ago didn't make any sense to me. How could I be on one face of the world on one day, and on the other the next?

I left Japan the 27th of December at 2:10pm and arrived in Toronto on the same day just 3 hours later. So my 12 hour plane ride was in fact only 3 hours. Jet lag was very difficult to get over in my first days. I was worried that I would only get over my jetlag on time to go back. Everynight I would go to bed and lay there trying very hard to fall asleep. Sometimes it took hours... And to think that I once could sleep anytime anywhere.

But this trip was not only about getting over jet lag and time difference... It was a time for me to recharge my batteries, see the people I love and eat beef! (thanx mom for providing me with beef almost everyday I was home!)

Going back home was like a reversal culture shock. It felt strange to see so many white people, to be able to communicate in English and to stop being so damn polite. When I was in transit in Detroit, the differences between the 2 cultures were drastic! I went from the calm and submissive Japanese to the abbressive and loud Americans. It was actually somewhat refreshing to see people getting mad over nothing or being vulgar; two things Japanese people avoid. Let's just say that people in North America have a little bit more character than the Japanese. People at the Detroit airport were so rude to me! It was great!

At my arrival I was greeted by my mother, and surprised by my brother. I didn't expect to see him at the airport because he was supposed to be at work. I got a little emotional when I saw him. He changed so much since I left. I guess that is what college does to 18 year old boys. So of course I had my little public cry at the aiport, gave the crowd a little show and walked out of the airport with my dignity into the mean streets of Toronto.

Right at my arrival I was struck by the news that a 15 year old girl was accidently shot during a day-light shooting between two gangs at one of the busiest intersections of Toronto. I thought of how lucky I was to be in Japan safe and far away from that sort of violence. It is very rare to hear about any sort of criminal acts in Japan. Also, Japanese people share a common trust for eachother. Like for example, many shops leave their marchandise outside their stores overnight. When I do my groceries, I leave all of my things in my bike basket to go in the next shop knowing that no one will even think of taking them. I walk alone from bars in the middle of the night and I sleep with my doors unlocked. I could never think of doing that in Canada.

My first few days in Toronto were spent with my mother. We went shopping, got spoiled, went to the movies and did the usual errands. But even grocery shopping was nice. It was great to recognize all the products and to be able to buy other things then just fish and sushi. There are so many kinds of fish you can try before realizing that almost all fish taste the same.

On my 3rd day I got to see Rachel and Rusty for drinks. This is when the question "Sooo... how's Japan?" made me realize how hard it was the explain my Japanese experience. I had no other other words, than just "crazy." I didn't know where to start. I knew that my last 4 months had changed me and opened my mind, but I could never make anyone understand a country such as Japan until they come and see it for themselves. Japan needs to be experienced in order to be understood (although I dont think Japan can ever be fully understood as a foreigner.) People kept on asking me this question, and everytime I had no idea how to respond. I actually started hating finding an answer to this question. All I had to say about Japan was in form of anecdotes, funny stories and an observations. I thaught everyone a few Japanese words, told them how I got through my first big earthquake, confirmed that there are Japanese people that are taller than me and that it actually snows over there.

It was crucial that I go out dancing as soon as possible. So on my first Friday night, Rachel, Rusty, Shane and myself went to the Dance Cave. Last summer I remember going to Zaphods almost twice a week and loved it. Ive only been dancing in Japan once. That Friday night is when I realized how Japanese men absolutly do not flirt or look at girls. It was strange to receive any sort of attention from the opposite sex when I was in Canada. I also realized how picky I have become in choosing a man. "Man" being the keyword here. Ive also realized that I will be single for a long time, because I am not at all attracted to Japanese men and foreign men usually come to Japan to get a Japanese girl. Not that I am complaining to be honest.






Then there was New Year's Eve. Like I said in my previous entry, I really had no clue what we would be doing for New Year's Eve. At the last minute we decided to go to this place called My Apartment in downtown Toronto that would accommodate my mom and my friends alike. We danced all night to 90s dance music, like Max A Million's "Hey Fatboy," and The Outhere Brothers' "Boom Boom Boom."

This was my first time at a club with my mother, and she didnt cramp my style as much as I thought she would (just kidding mum), but she would laugh at everything I would do (as seen in this picture.) I wonder if that's a good thing... Looking ridiculous on the dance floor can only be funny for so long.. ha. Crazy how much I look like my mother.

And then there was this one guy after midnight who for the sake of entertaining me started blowing out of two kazoos at once as he was Zorba dancing. He was so ridiculous; I couldnt stop laughing, urging me to have a coughing attack on the dance floor. After midnight, the 90s music took a turn from good to lame, so we decided to leave. We took a taxi back home, and just when my mother was telling Rachel that she didnt like Beck taxis, we had an accident with a school bus. I dont really know what happened, but I know that it wasnt our taxi driver's fault. Either way, the driver started scaring us because he didnt want us to leave the cab so that we could be his witnesses when the cops came. He kept on saying, "I saved your life! You could have been killed.." That was enough for Rachel to throw 10 bucks in his face and get into another taxi to finally make it home alive. Hopefully, this does not announce the coming of a bad year. Last year was not the most incredible year of my life! I wouldn't want to start 2006 on a bad foot.

On the second day of the year I had Jessica, my one and only mass comm essay writing partner who I love dearly, visit me for 2 days. It was so great to see her again! I just couldnt believe that she came down all the way to see me... I can only guess that I must have done something right along the way of our friendship. So her visit was in fact very flattering... Thank you Jess. I hope you had a nice stay! "I think there is a big band playing tonight." There sure was... :) Also thank you for putting up with my CD purchasing obssession. It is nice to be in possession of new CDs. Cds are so expensive in Japan and the good ones are much harder to find, unless I go in a big city, so needless to say I went nuts when I was in Toronto. And which CDs did I purchase you might ask yourself? Well I was given Death From Above, the newest Broken Social Scene (which is stellar by the way), the newest Madonna (great music for when it is time to clean my apartment) and I bought CDs by The shins, Sufjan Stevens, Spoon, Metric, Death Cab for Cutie and the first Arcade Fire. I wonder if I'm forgetting anything... anyway, I could I swear that the CDs were the reason for my overweight luggage. Damn music addiction...

I also went to Montreal for a few days to see my family and meet some of my friends. Again the question "Sooo.. how's Japan?" sprung up again... still scavenging for an answer, I simply repeated the same anecdotes ive already been telling everyone for a week. So after being repeatedly interrogated by my grand-pa about life in Japan, I think I gave my family a pretty good idea of what japan is like, or somewhat. My family was very close to taking me to a Japanese restaurant, but I raised my flag early enough to have my family realize that maybe sushi was the last thing I wanted to ingest at this point. So I was lucky enough to be taken to 2 very nice restaurants that did not involve rice or chopsticks. On my second night I saw Melissa and we spent the evening chatting away about everything and of course, Japan (it was the only think I could converse about.) We also rented this great French Canadian movie CRAZY, which I definetly suggest everyone to see.

Walking through the streets of downtown Montreal I was debating some more on weither it was where I would like to live after Japan. Everyday, so many more options come to mind (I even thought of starting acting school believe it or not), but Montreal still remains my final destination. I am pretty sure that when I go home, I will travel for a bit, take this Cinema Marketing course at Ryerson with Rachel, find myself a small job in Toronto for a year, and slowly make my way to Montreal, where I will hopefully find something stable. I guess all of this seems pretty realistic. I think... other than maybe the acting class.

On my way back from Montreal I met up with Rachel for some quick last minute shopping and dinner before going back for my last night at the Dance Cave. Before hitting the bar, it was important for us to start drinking early. So since the Pickel Barrel did not offer beer pitchers, we decided to order the next best thing: half yards of beer.

I never thought half-yards of beer could get one so tipsy. I really should watch he volume of my voice when I criticize other people's fashion. Wow, do I ever hate these furry boots!!

After having Shane meeting us for one last beer (in a bottle this time), we made our way to the dance cave, looking for a guy that could give me one last kiss before I go back to stone cold Japan. Thats all I am going to say, since my family is reading this. But try to tell a stranger that you live in Japan, I can guaranty you that they will think you are taking them for a fool!

I would like to thank my mom for sharing me with my friends during my stay in Canada. It was nice to see you guys.. I always have so much fun with all of you. I will miss you all very very much! Rachel, if you can find a way to Japan, I would be forever greatful! xx Also I regret that I had to leave before Mairin and Natalie's visit. By the way, I cant believe you guys went Karaoke without me?? Were you scared that I would steal the show because I have been practicing so much?

On my last day in Canada, I wanted to relax at home with my family, which I did. I just lounged around watching television and spent some quality time with my brother (who I hope will find the time to see me in Japan - it will be a free trip for him afterall, since I am the best sister in the world!). I packed my suitcase at the very last minute of course, because I didnt want to face the fact that it was already time to go back. It was the fastest 12 days of my life, but I had a great time and now I am ready to face the rest of my months in this crazy country.

Going back to work yesterday morning was nice. I actually missed my kids and my older students a great deal. I have to say that they really make my Japanese experience worthwhile and add a little something that wouldnt be possible if I was only travelling. Sure they make the job difficult at times, but thats just like everything else.

So here you have it! Thank you for everyone that have made this trip so wonderful. I am blessed to have you all in my life.

e.

** All photographs courtesy of Rachel West. :) Domo arigato!