1. I like Chinese food better than Japanese food.
2. Chinese guys are better looking (than Japanese).
3. Chinese people tell it how it is--lying isn't 'part of their culture' like I've found out it is in Japan.
4. Everything is cheaper in China.
5. They are proud of their roots. They haven't "Americanized" everything, like, umm, another Asian country I know of...
Monday, December 12, 2005
And now...the moment you've all been waiting for...
Ok, sorry for my lack of posting as of late, but I've been, umm, busy? lazy? Well, maybe a little of both, but mostly busy.
Anyway, I will see many of you in less than a week, so I figured I should get caught up on here, so you can't flog me in public.
So, without further adieu, my Hong Kong trip...
Technically they don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Japan, so Lauren and I took matters into our own hands. We took some vacation days.
We picked Hong Kong for the following reasons:
1. They speak English.
2. It was cheap.
3. Did I mention they speak English?
As you can tell, it was a very calculated decision. Also, Lauren has a great aunt and uncle in Hong Kong, so we figured we could see them as well.
We we first landed we already knew we would love it. There was English everywhere. We did get a little turned around trying to make our way to the hotel (we couldn't find the subway), but of course we simply asked directions--and got them--all in English. (Now please don't get me wrong--I love foreign languages, but I just needed to be around some English for a few days...I've had my fill of bowing.)
Our hotel we incredible.
Langham Place Hotel
We still don't know how we got it so cheap. (Thank you No. 1 Travel!)
Our first order of business when we got our stuff to the hotel was dinner. We wanted turkey, chicken, some sort of bird. Of course our goal was to eat bird everyday, just to prove we wouldn't get the bird flu. We got a turkey and chicken wrap-2 birds-and it was super. We walked around the area and just took it all in, and also decided what we would do for our few days there.
The next day we decided we would visit the many markets Hong Kong has to offer. Before we left the hotel, Lauren called her great aunt, and she invited us to dinner with them that evening. We were to meet them at Star Ferry, so we figured out how to get there, then went out for the day.
We went to the fish market. (I also have some VERY disturbing video to go along with this venture.)
Here are some eels...yum yum!
Oh, and don't forget the frogs...
The fruit market
The flower market
We also went to the Jade Market and met a guy named Angus there that was nice...or so we thought. There were 2 American guys hanging around him too, that talked to us and were nice...or so we thought. Of course there is a story to go along with this, but you'll just have to ask me when I'm home. Needless to say, we don't care if we never see them again.
Now, that evening we had dinner at the Hong Kong Yacht Club, thanks to Lauren's rich great uncle and aunt.
Lauren and I with Auntie June
Lauren and I with Uncle Fook Hing
They are so adorable. It was fun watching them interact. It was also great because they took us to eat places we'd never have afforded on our own.
The second day we were headed to The Peak (i.e. where all the rich people live) We took the peak tram up the mountain.
We went shopping, then came down to have lunch with Auntie June at her church.
Here is another picture of the church--but the point of this picture is the white car and the lady standing by it. She is Auntie June's servant (her word-not mine). This is just an example of how stinkin' rich they are.
On a side note, we found out later that they are rich because Uncle Fook Hing's family has been in the ship building business for many years, so he inherited his riches.
Sights from the day
Gotta represent...
Rickshaw fun
Protestors outside the court
We also went to dinner that night with Auntie June and Uncle Fook Hing at the Hong Kong Country Club. We had Peking Duck (and lots of other stuff) which is now my favorite Chinese food.
The next day we went to the mall by our hotel.
Here are the rainbow stairs.
Lunch at the hotel
A cat sleeping in a pan that was for sale (the pan, not the cat)...SICK!
Random alley--We don't see much filth in Japan. (I know this isn't very dirty, but it's dirtier than anything I've seen in Japan.)
The Starbucks we went to everyday...
Stanley Market
Cute kid hanging out the sunroof
That night we went to the light show. We were excited about this, but it turned out to not be so cool. Anyway, we made the most of it and had fun.
L and I
Our last night, we met up with Angus and went to a fun spot in Central district. It was a fun way to end our last night in Hong Kong. We got to the hotel at 3:00 a.m., then had to get up at 4:30 a.m. to catch our flight.
In conclusion, we had a great time in Hong Kong. I want to go again--who wants to go with me?
Anyway, I will see many of you in less than a week, so I figured I should get caught up on here, so you can't flog me in public.
So, without further adieu, my Hong Kong trip...
Technically they don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Japan, so Lauren and I took matters into our own hands. We took some vacation days.
We picked Hong Kong for the following reasons:
1. They speak English.
2. It was cheap.
3. Did I mention they speak English?
As you can tell, it was a very calculated decision. Also, Lauren has a great aunt and uncle in Hong Kong, so we figured we could see them as well.
We we first landed we already knew we would love it. There was English everywhere. We did get a little turned around trying to make our way to the hotel (we couldn't find the subway), but of course we simply asked directions--and got them--all in English. (Now please don't get me wrong--I love foreign languages, but I just needed to be around some English for a few days...I've had my fill of bowing.)
Our hotel we incredible.
Langham Place Hotel
We still don't know how we got it so cheap. (Thank you No. 1 Travel!)
Our first order of business when we got our stuff to the hotel was dinner. We wanted turkey, chicken, some sort of bird. Of course our goal was to eat bird everyday, just to prove we wouldn't get the bird flu. We got a turkey and chicken wrap-2 birds-and it was super. We walked around the area and just took it all in, and also decided what we would do for our few days there.
The next day we decided we would visit the many markets Hong Kong has to offer. Before we left the hotel, Lauren called her great aunt, and she invited us to dinner with them that evening. We were to meet them at Star Ferry, so we figured out how to get there, then went out for the day.
We went to the fish market. (I also have some VERY disturbing video to go along with this venture.)
Here are some eels...yum yum!
Oh, and don't forget the frogs...
The fruit market
The flower market
We also went to the Jade Market and met a guy named Angus there that was nice...or so we thought. There were 2 American guys hanging around him too, that talked to us and were nice...or so we thought. Of course there is a story to go along with this, but you'll just have to ask me when I'm home. Needless to say, we don't care if we never see them again.
Now, that evening we had dinner at the Hong Kong Yacht Club, thanks to Lauren's rich great uncle and aunt.
Lauren and I with Auntie June
Lauren and I with Uncle Fook Hing
They are so adorable. It was fun watching them interact. It was also great because they took us to eat places we'd never have afforded on our own.
The second day we were headed to The Peak (i.e. where all the rich people live) We took the peak tram up the mountain.
We went shopping, then came down to have lunch with Auntie June at her church.
Here is another picture of the church--but the point of this picture is the white car and the lady standing by it. She is Auntie June's servant (her word-not mine). This is just an example of how stinkin' rich they are.
On a side note, we found out later that they are rich because Uncle Fook Hing's family has been in the ship building business for many years, so he inherited his riches.
Sights from the day
Gotta represent...
Rickshaw fun
Protestors outside the court
We also went to dinner that night with Auntie June and Uncle Fook Hing at the Hong Kong Country Club. We had Peking Duck (and lots of other stuff) which is now my favorite Chinese food.
The next day we went to the mall by our hotel.
Here are the rainbow stairs.
Lunch at the hotel
A cat sleeping in a pan that was for sale (the pan, not the cat)...SICK!
Random alley--We don't see much filth in Japan. (I know this isn't very dirty, but it's dirtier than anything I've seen in Japan.)
The Starbucks we went to everyday...
Stanley Market
Cute kid hanging out the sunroof
That night we went to the light show. We were excited about this, but it turned out to not be so cool. Anyway, we made the most of it and had fun.
L and I
Our last night, we met up with Angus and went to a fun spot in Central district. It was a fun way to end our last night in Hong Kong. We got to the hotel at 3:00 a.m., then had to get up at 4:30 a.m. to catch our flight.
In conclusion, we had a great time in Hong Kong. I want to go again--who wants to go with me?
Tokyo Disneyland
Yuya has been asking us to go to Disneyland for awhile now, so we finally went last Friday. We had a great time, mostly just because we all enjoy each other's company. Yuya was VERY organized about the trip. Here is the e-mail he sent us in preparation for going to Disneyland:
Yeah, he is hilarious, but we did enjoy TDL to the MAX!!
Yuya, me, Lauren, Liz, Daisuke, and Kenichi
Lauren and I on the carousel
Yuya and Daisuke, umm, sharing a hot dog?
Kenichi acting REALLY cool (-:
Just another fun picture...
Ok, I imagine you're sick of all these Disney pictures, SO, I'll spare those of you that want to be spared. Those of you that don't, can go here:
Disney pictures
Dear friends
How are you all doing? I hope that you are having blessed days in GOD!!
By the way, I am e-mailing about TDL. I found out that they will be open
from 8 to 22 o'clock.
My suggestion plan:
07:30-08:00 Breakfast at near Nishi-funabasi station
08:13-08:25 Train to TDL(Maihama)
09:00 Lining up and getting tickets
09:00-21:00 Enjoy with Mickey Mouse
21:00-22:00 Shopping
22:05-23:50 Arriving at Yachiyo-chuo
Originally, I thought that it would be the best for us to be there by 8.
However, it may make us so exhausted at night. Also, I realize that it is
Friday so that TDL won't be as crowded as weekends and holidays. So, I
like to suggest us to meet at the ticket gate at Nishi-funabashi station
at 8. If we want, we can eat breakfast before 8 or even after 8. We can
discuss about it later. Preferably not in TDL due to the cost and
availability of the food at that time.
I hope that we can catch the train leaving at 8:13 and it will take us to
TDL around 8:25. I assume that by the time when we buy tickets and
enter into the park is around 9.
-----We will enjoy to the MAX in TDL-----
If we get on a train leaving at 22:05, you will get back to Yachiyo-chuo
at 22:50. The alternative is that we play in the park until the closing
time
then, we shop for 1 hour. If we get a train at 23:15, it will take you to
Yachiyo-chuo at 23:51
What do you all think?
Yuya
Yeah, he is hilarious, but we did enjoy TDL to the MAX!!
Yuya, me, Lauren, Liz, Daisuke, and Kenichi
Lauren and I on the carousel
Yuya and Daisuke, umm, sharing a hot dog?
Kenichi acting REALLY cool (-:
Just another fun picture...
Ok, I imagine you're sick of all these Disney pictures, SO, I'll spare those of you that want to be spared. Those of you that don't, can go here:
Disney pictures
Are we having fun yet?
In my 7th grade classes last Tuesday, the students made Christmas posters. They had to use the word Christmas and find words for each letter. (i.e. C-cookie, h-home, etc...)
Student: Can I put Satan for 's'?
Mrs. Matsuda: No! Satan is Jesus Christ's enemy.
Yeah, it was hilarious. I love my students.
Here they are hard at work
The boy on the right in this picture was telling me to wait so he could look serious for the picture.
Student: Can I put Satan for 's'?
Mrs. Matsuda: No! Satan is Jesus Christ's enemy.
Yeah, it was hilarious. I love my students.
Here they are hard at work
The boy on the right in this picture was telling me to wait so he could look serious for the picture.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Kayada Choral Contest
My school had a choir contest where the classes competed against each other. Everything was done by the students. Each class had a conductor and piano player chosen for the competition. It was really fun to watch.
I was shocked to see some of my students that never participate in class get so into the contest. One boy that never talks in class (b/c he's too cool) was the conductor for his class. I'm amazed at the respect the students give each other. I'm afraid that would be very hard to find in the states.
At the end of the competition the teachers sang a song. Technically I was supposed to be up there too, but I never went to practice so I weasled my way out of it. I don't think I'm quite ready to sing in Japanese on stage yet...
I was shocked to see some of my students that never participate in class get so into the contest. One boy that never talks in class (b/c he's too cool) was the conductor for his class. I'm amazed at the respect the students give each other. I'm afraid that would be very hard to find in the states.
At the end of the competition the teachers sang a song. Technically I was supposed to be up there too, but I never went to practice so I weasled my way out of it. I don't think I'm quite ready to sing in Japanese on stage yet...
Kanda's House
Ok, I haven't updated in awhile, so I'm just going to put up pictures mostly and do my best at writing some too. Katy, I'm sorry I've been such a bad blogger. Please forgive me!
Once a month we go the Kanda's house. In November they played hand bells. It was cute watching the kids, because they looked so serious.
Later we made takoyaki. It was lots of fun. Takoyaki is a Japanese food that is round, and has different things in the middle, like octopus, cheese, etc...
I bought one of the skillets so now I can make it for all you guys back at home in the states! Don't worry Dad, I won't put octopus in yours.
Once a month we go the Kanda's house. In November they played hand bells. It was cute watching the kids, because they looked so serious.
Later we made takoyaki. It was lots of fun. Takoyaki is a Japanese food that is round, and has different things in the middle, like octopus, cheese, etc...
I bought one of the skillets so now I can make it for all you guys back at home in the states! Don't worry Dad, I won't put octopus in yours.
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