Don't forget what you've left behind...

Who knew that the Japanese people didn't eat turkey? Anyone? Well, I sure would have liked to know this little bit of trivia before moving all the way here! Now that I've got myself in a country that lacks in the sweet goodness of turkey, I have to resort to my survival skills.

Step #1-Locate turkey
Lauren and I have looked at many grocery stores (in vain, no less) for turkey. We have always come up empty handed. We were getting desperate. This lead us to the foreigners store at Aeon mall. We went there one evening and found this:



As you can see, the can boast "100% White, Lean Turkey". It had to be good, right?
We decided to forget our reservations and preconceived ideas about spam, and just go for it. We both bought a can at 522 yen a piece. (that's like $5.22)

Of course neither of us had any experience with spam, so we had to read the directions.



Seemed easy enough...let's see here--Step #1: Lift and pull



Alright, got it. Dang, this stuff stinks! Ok, now we just squeeze until it pops...



Ok, that's done. Now it's the tricky part-squeeze it and tap it on the bottom so it will come out.



Presto! Oh man, this is so gross. I can't believe we bought this!
This is me when I was grossed out at the sight of the spam falling out of the can.



Ok, now I've got to get a hold of myself. I all I have to do is slice it, because I'm sure not frying this stuff!



There you have it...the adventures of turkey spam. How does it taste you ask? Well, it's not the worst thing I've ever eaten, but I don't plan on buying it again. That should tell you plenty...

Meet Jeremiah

Isn't he just so cute and tiny?

Ok mom, I know what you're thinking: 'Why does she need another iPod?" Well, I promise that I have several good reasons.
Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Gary keeps messing up and I thought if I bought a 'replacement' he might shape up and get his act together.
2. Everything in Japan is smaller. Jeremiah helps me fit in. Gary is really too big for this country (but I still love his husky self).
3. Jeremiah keeps me guessing, unlike Gary, who is predictable. Everyone needs a little excitement in their life from time to time.
4. Ok, forget this list...I wanted Jeremiah, so I got him. That's it--and so far, he's been a great asset.
He's been very helpful on the train. He always drowns out the sound of the Japanese all around me that I don't understand. Oh wait, maybe I should be listening to that and trying to learn more Japanese...

G'day mate...

Well, you all know that I'm really behind on my blog, so excuse me while I try and recall the events of Sept. 2nd.
We were having a surprise party for Lauren at Outback Steakhouse. Everyone was scheduled to be there at 8:00, but Lauren thought it was just us meeting Yukina and Matt. haha...we're so sneaky. Anyhow, Daisuke drove us and for some strange reason there was no traffic. We made it to Makuhari in record time. We were there at 7:45, but decided there was no where to waste time, so we just headed to the restaurant. We didn't want Lauren to suspect anything, plus we knew that Yuya was there already, so there would be at least one person to surprise her. We walked in and she spotted him at a big table. Lauren said, "What are you doing here?" to Yuya. It was great. We were glad we could surprise her.
Here are some random pictures from the fun-filled evening.

Top:Megan, Liz, and Reiko
Bottom: Mandy, Lauren, and me


Daisuke eating a bowl of grilled onions. (Mom, you'd have loved that!)


Matt and Yukina (Their engaged--Matt just moved back here. Yukina is an English teacher at Katsutadai, a school I'll be working at in January.)


Bong, Daisuke, and Amy


Lauren opening a gift, while I'm playfully swinging a knife above her head.


The whole happy group--can you believe we already have this many friends in Japan?!


Mine and Lauren's cheese fries...after we've devoured most of them.


My yummy chicken...they don't make it like this in Yachiyo!


We all had a great time and really enjoyed the American food, err, umm Australian food?

I'm a teacher??

Ok, I'm way behind on updating here. I'll try and work on this the next few days and get caught up, but I can't make any promises.

first day-I had to be at school at 8:00, but only for the first day. Normally we have to be there at 8:30. Since my school is literally a 2 minute bike ride away, I just left a few minutes before 8. I got there right on time and was met at the door by Mrs. Sato, who is one of the English teachers I'll be working with. I had to give a short speech to the teachers, then in the opening assembly time I had to give a short speech to the students. It was easy because it was really short and I just said a few facts about myself. I had to use really easy English since it was all being translated for them. There was also a student teacher that had to be introduced. He's pretty cute too...ha. After the assembly was over, I was told to go 'rest' in the teachers room because I don't have a homeroom. I was literally sitting there for about an hour and half. Luckily, Liz had warned me that would happen, so I had a book with me. The students got to leave at noon, but the ones for the speech contest were there from 1-3, so I worked with them. I left at 3 and came home. It was a good day overall.

Now, as for my first real week of teaching (sept. 5-8), it went well. I had to do my introduction lesson for all the classes. It basically consisted of me giving a short speech about myself, then letting the kids ask me questions. After that, we played a game where they had to remember stuff I had told them about me earlier in my speech. The way the grades work here is a little different than in the states. For all practical purposes, you could say I teach 7th, 8th, and 9th grade. However, here it is called 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade, because when you come to a new school, you start over. I absolutely love the 1st graders. They are so adorable and love to participate. One of the boys loves giving me high fives already...I love it. They are all really eager to learn so it's really great. Now, I can't say the same about the 2nd graders. They actually are the exact opposite for the most part. There are some that really care, but mostly they hate learning English. Of course that makes my job a little difficult, but I'll survive. The 3rd graders are pretty fun and actually aren't scared to try and speak English, so it's good. I love Mrs. Sato, the 3rd grade English teacher, so that helps with those classes too.
Week 2-(so far) Monday I had all 1st graders and I loved it. They are my favorite for so many reasons...so dang cute. Today (Tuesday) I had two 2nd grade classes and one 1st grade class. Overall, it was an alright day. I got to play a game with the 2nd graders and they actually participated, so I was content. Maybe they won't be so bad after all...
Now, the downside of the job is that I have TONS of down time. I know...I shouldn't complain. I mean, I am getting tons of reading done, but it gets pretty boring at times. However, once September is over and the speech contest is over, things won't be quite as bad since I'll be able to leave at 4:30 everyday, instead of 6.
The upside? No school on Fridays...

Anyway, sorry this isn't much, but I'll write about other things that have happened soon.

I promise I haven't given up on writing here. I'm just really busy right now. (and maybe if I got more comments, I'd be inclined to write more often!)

Anyhow, I'll try and give a report soon on how school is going so far.

I got my haircut today...scary. It's strange when you tell one person what you want, then they translate it into Japanese for the person that will actually be cutting your hair. However, it was fine. I got about 2-3 inches off, but it's still so long that I probably won't notice in a few days.

It's Thursday night, so we're going to watch a movie...I love having Friday's off.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

I love you guys. I know you'll have many more years of happiness together. I'm lucky to have such awesome parents. Thanks for all you've done and all you continue to do.

Happy 27th!

2 1/2 hours and 6,000 yen later...

This is my account of Tuesday, August 30th.

The day started early. We had to catch the train at 8:16. We were headed to Chiba, so we could get a multiple re-entry stamp for our passport. You know, so I can get back in the country if I leave, like at Christmas. After taking the wrong train (it's ok Liz-really!), we finally made it to the immigration office. We arrived at 9:30. The place was packed.

(also notice how incredibly stained the carpet is...so disgusting)

We went up to the counter and got a number. Lauren was 332 and I was 333.



Current number when we arrived: 313


By now you are probably wondering why we bothered to document this process with pictures. Well, initially we weren't taking pictures, but around 10:13 boredom had set in and and we began taking A LOT of random pictures. For your viewing pleasure, here are some of those pictures.



Obviously this picture was staged, but I assure you that it is an accurate portrayal of how we really felt.


Seriously-we were bored. What else were we supposed to do?


Here is the form for the re-entry stamp. (I have NO idea why we took pictures of this. I'm telling you, that place is like the twilight zone. You can go in, but you never leave--until waiting at least 2 hours.)


Around 10:45 the number jumped from 319 to 326 within a matter of 5 minutes. I ran to get Megan and Liz, because they had been waiting upstairs. I got back and it was still on 326...dang. It changed to 327 around 10:55 (finally)...and then proceeded to stay on 327 until 11:40...ack! (What was really going through my head?--Never pray for patience, never pray for patience...)
At 11:55, it finally changed to 332, Lauren's number. This was when I noticed the sign that said they close from 12:00-13:00 for lunch and you may have to come back after lunch if your number hasn't come up by this time. WHAT?! This had to be a joke. I just knew that Megan and I weren't going to get to do it and we'd have to come back after lunch. (Megan was 334)
Time when Lauren was finished: 11:59
Wait-there is my number. YES! I gave the guy my paperwork and passport.


He told me to wait a minute. Megan was waiting right next to me. They had already begun shutting down the other counters. It wasn't looking good for Megan. The guy gave me my stuff and I said thank you. Megan stepped up, showed him she was the next number and he asked her if she was doing the same thing as Lauren and I had done. She said yes, so this very nice Japanese man did hers too, even though it was after 12:00. Oh man, that was stressful, but it was finally over!

After we left purgatory, err umm, the immigration office, we went to meet Yoko and Daisuke for lunch at the indian restaurant. So good...
Yoko had to go back to work after that, and the rest of us headed to Tokyo for the day. We got to eat turkey at dinner so Lauren and I were happy. Yeah, that's right...they don't have much turkey here. We have to search for it and so far it can only be found at 2 places: Subway and Kua'aina. Kua'aina is so good. I'm going to work on getting one in whatever city I move to next. On the train ride back home that evening, there was a fight between 2 Japanese men. This was the first act of violence I've seen since I've been in Japan. I was so shocked! Daisuke said that was the first time he had ever seen anything like that. Of course, I told him that if he had gone to high school in America, or just hung out at a bar in America, he could see fights anytime he wanted...

Bonus: See if you can find the mistake on this sign.

Party time

Well, I'm late on posting this, but how does that saying go..."better late than never"? yeah...
So last Friday, Aug. 26th, we went to Brett and Bong's house for 2 purposes.
1. To say goodbye to John, our friend from Connecticut
2. To say happy birthday to Dave, our surf coach

There were tons of people there and it was so fun, even if we were all sweating from the massive heat wave. We had tons of good food (grilled chicken, done right...a.k.a not japanese style with the skin and fat on it). Brett also made some darn good cheesecake.

Lauren, John and I


Maury, Dave, and umm I forgot that other guy's name (sorry!)


Jerri (Brett & Bong's girl), Joshua (Dave and Shinko's son), and Shinsuke

Joshua is so cute! He was fascinated by Shinsuke's phone.

Here is Daisuke cooling off, or hogging the fan-however you want to look at it.


Lauren, Akiko, and me


Maika wanted to show off her Yukata. Soon after, Jerri came down with hers on too.


(top to bottom) Daisuke, Shinsuke, guy that I can't remember the name of, and John


Well, I know I didn't give much detail, but this is what you get when I wait a week to write about something. Too many other things have happened now. I'm way busier in Japan than I was at home, but it's great. I love it here and I'm so happy.

Japanese dogs are MEAN!

Let me explain...
It all started when Lauren and I had just left Starbucks. (big shock...) We were riding our bikes towards the intersection to go home when I spotted a dog tied up. It looked a little like a golden retriever and was really pretty. I said to Lauren, "Oh, I want to stop and pet it." She said ok. Of course she wasn't interested since she hates dogs. I hopped off my bike and put down my kickstand. I walked over to the dog and put my hand by its nose so it could smell me--you know, that's how dogs get to know you. It didn't seem to mind and acted uninterested in me. So, I went to pet the devil, umm I mean dog, on the head. I had just touched it when BAM! That dog went into attack mode. I quickly backed off, but not before I was left with a few reminders of my naivete.

It's a little hard to see, but the red spots are bite marks. I have a total of 9 teeth marks on my arm. There is also a knot forming...nice, huh?

Quick survey...

Ok girls-Taylor needs your help. You see, he wants to buy this automobile.



Now, the question is, "Would you date a guy that drove this?" Go ahead...leave comments. He really wants your input! Thanks!

I started drifting round the part about me acting my age...

Lauren and I are so proud of ourselves. We were able to go buy tickets to a concert all by ourselves—no Japanese help. Oh yes…
(Ok, we did have to get directions to the place, but come on-that’s to be expected.)

So-now the real exciting news though…We’re going to see Ben Folds in Tokyo. You have no idea how overwhelmed with glee I became when I found out he would be here. For the past few weeks, I had a one track mind. I had to get my hands on some tickets. First, I called the number that was posted for info on the concert. Of course, they only spoke Japanese…I don’t know why I thought they’d know English—wishful thinking maybe. So, I got Amy (another teacher) to call for me and find out what we had to do in order to get tickets. The lady wasn’t real helpful, but told us a place to go in Tsudanuma, so that’s where Lauren and I went on Saturday. We got there and soon realized that the building we had been directed to was 6 stories…oops. Well, we went in and just asked someone where the ticket pia was located. We got directions, and by directions, I mean the lady pointed down. We rode the escalator down and walked around until we saw an information desk. I asked the lady, “ticket pia?” and she nodded her head yes. SUPER…this was it. So, I said “Ben Folds tickets?” She said “hai” (which means yes in Japanese). We managed to show her exactly what date we wanted by pointing to the concert advertisement we had brought along with us. We filled out the paperwork then got the tickets. So yes, I’m really excited and on September 30th, I will be one happy girl.



What? You want a closer look?? Ok…


Yeah, so now you know what a ticket to Ben folds looks like in Japanese...

p.s. I realize that some of you that read this have no idea who Ben Folds is, but it’s ok. Just read this and know that Jenn is very happy!

Typhoon #2

That's right folks, I'm going to be experiencing my 2nd ever typhoon. It is headed here, and should hit us Thursday morning. Exciting, huh?
Really, since we are inland, all we get is TONS of rain. Our welcome party was cancelled tomorrow due to the typhoon. That means we'll be staying in, watching lots of movies, because during the typhoon, you don't go anywhere my friend...
Lauren and I learned our lesson the first time we got soaked going to Starbucks when a typhoon was set to hit us. So yeah, if you have any rainy day activities to suggest, we are open.

Thunder Dolphin

On Monday, since we had the day off, Lauren and I met John to go into Tokyo. John is a guy that is here visiting from Connecticut, but used to live in Japan, so he knows Japanese. (You can actually see him pictured in the fireworks pictures.) Anyway, he kept insisting that we needed to go on some roller coaster by the Tokyo Dome. I like roller coasters and all, but I've never been on one that made me insist everyone I know ride it, so I didn't know what all the hype was about. Plus, it cost 1,000 yen ($10) to ride--who pays that to ride a roller coaster? Anyway, we went a few other places first, but eventually made it to THUNDER DOLPHIN. (That is the name of the coaster.) We got our tickets, then jumped in line. It wasn't too long of a wait, but there were enough people waiting to make it seem like a decent attraction. Well, let me tell you, this was probably the coolest roller coaster ever. It went so high--we could see so much of Tokyo. It was an awesome view. The ride itself was great too. The Japanese really know how to build a good coaster. I wish I could share the picture that was taken during the ride. If I find someone with a scanner, I'll put it up for sure. If any of you come to visit, I'll take you on it too. It's SO worth it.
After that, John let Lauren and I shop (what we do best) then we had dinner at Bubba Gump. It was so nice to have a typical American meal. Oh yes, mashed potatoes are so good!

On Tuesday, we had to lead a seminar for Elementary school teachers. It was actually fun. We practiced some conversational English with them, then played games. They all seemed to enjoy it and hopefully they'll use some of the games in their classroom.

Today (Wednesday) I went to Kayada, which is the jr. high I'll be at starting Sept. 1st. I helped a few of the kids work on their speeches for the speech contest for a few hours. I really love the teachers there. I'm excited about work starting soon, even if that means less beach time. It will be good to get into a normal schedule at least.

Ok, and to answer many of your questions about my refrigerator real quick...The top is the freezer. The middle 2 are the refrigerator sections. Then bottom is a pull out freezer drawer. I don't even begin to use all that space. It just came with the place, but I think it adds character, don't you?

Alright, I'm out...time for dinner

Yachiyo Fireworks Festival-August 20th

So, most of you saw the pictures of us in our Yukatas (summer kimonos). The fireworks festival was the event that we actually got to wear our yukatas to, so we were excited. We went at 3:00 that day to get dressed. We had to get help, because it's actually pretty complicated. Anyway, these things are SO uncomfortable, but we were excited to finally get to wear them. After a car ride from hades (long story), we left our apartments to go meet Yuya, Daisuke, and John. We met them at the train station, then headed to the festival. After the boys got some food, we walked around the area. There were booths for food and also junk was for sale EVERYWHERE. It was really crowded. We stood for awhile and watched some traditional Japanese dancing.



While we were watching this, Lauren told me she didn't feel good and in fact, thought she might throw up. So, we went to the bathroom, but there was a really long line. Anyway, she ended up throwing up in the bushes, and we headed back to the group. I felt so bad for her, because we had been so excited to be dressed in our yukatas, but now she just wanted to get it off. She didn't really start feeling better, and decided she should go back home. We took one quick picture with the group, then she left us.

Left to right: Daisuke, Megan, Lauren, me, Yuya, and John


Me and Yuya


Yuya and Daisuke


A few random shots from the night


We really did have a good night. However, those stinkin' shoes are so uncomfortable. After the fireworks, we went back to the apartment complex, got Lauren, then went to Gusto burger. This is a pretty good burger place here. John wanted to go there before he leaves Japan in about a week, so we didn't mind going at all. After Gusto burger, we all went back to our apartments and Liz was back from her trip. We went down to the newly opened 7-11, got junk food, then proceeded to stay up until 3:00 a.m. talking at Liz's place.

When we saw Daisuke and Yuya at church Sunday morning, all we could talk about was how tired we were. It was a good, fun night though. And, we decided that the reason Lauren was sick was because of her yukata...and I really believe that could be it. Those things are tied way too tight...