3...2...1...Happy New Year!!
Another New Year...crazy how time has flown. I spent the New Year dancing with Shaun and Simone at a place called Air in Shibuya. The same club is in Lost in Translation. I made Shaun sit where Bob sits in the movie. We didn't get shot at, which was a relief. Japanese people love to dance and they love the music--a refreshing change from all western places I have been to.
I buckled to spending an outrageous 500 yen to buy a bottle of water from the vending machines inside. It did taste good.

Snow is falling
We decided to go snowboarding up in Aomori. The roads were crazy snowy. The more north we drove, the more snow there was, and the more difficult it was to see where the road was. We had a good time on the mountain because the snow was so fresh and deep. We managed to get home safely, even though the snow coming down and the window wipers icing up made it hard to see. My car had icicles for a few days. Brrr...
It's definitely grimmer up north.

beachtime

Spending Christmas day in the sun and swimming pool was a little bizarre. It didn't feel like Christmas, but it was nice to be warm and to splish in the water. I held a Boa Constrictor snake during the snake show held for the hotel guests. The snake guy liked to put the snakes in his mouth. It's funny to think of the first time he ever did that. Maybe he is just crazy.
We left Penang that night, with a brief stop off at "KL"-- so people call it.

The next day we heard about the big tsunami that hit in South East Asia. 68 people died from the water in Penang. I read that the beach we went to was hit pretty bad. I feel blessed to have escaped Penang just in time, but I also feel so sad for all the people effected by the earthquake. It was the biggest earthquake in 40 years. Watching the news each day brings sadder and sadder stories from the people who have lost their families and homes. It wakes me up a little to reality.

Snorkeling, haggling and being spoilt
The nice thing about snorkeling is that you are totally free from unecessary noise. You can have your own little dialogue in your head with the fishies near your face. The fish in the water near to Langkawi were stripey and shiny and we were given the chance to go in the water with some sharks too. Simone and Shaun took up the challenge. I was the designated photographer. I was also too scared to do it.
We decided to treat ourselves to a stay in the fancy schmancy hotel near the beach for Christmas eve. We got to enjoy the night market that sells many DVDs, shirts and watches of the fake variety. Simone is a champion haggler. I am too feeble. Shaun was a natural at it too. It was a great time, and we walked away with some lovely Malaysian treasures.

where to, love?

Malaysia bound
Simone, Shaun and I packed our little back packs and went to Narita to get on a plane to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We all watched many movies on the way over, and enjoyed trays of highly processed food. When we arrived, we had no Malaysian Ringitt, so the smells of Starbucks and Burger King had to be ignored. We ended up waiting at the airport for a while to get our other flight to Penang. People were in summery clothes. I was in my jacket and gloves because my body was just not ready for the airconditioning.
From the airplane, we could see that Penang had many palm trees. The drive to the hotel was ok. The man who met us thought we all had the last name Lawson, and he talked in Japanese to the bus full of people. I understood some of what he said, but none of the jokes.
The hotel I had booked through the travel agent was ok, but more of a business style. After being on the quiet and peace filled Phi Phi Island in Thailand in the summer, I was a little disappointed.
Once we explored and saw a beautiful Buddhist temple, complete with a sleepy-lying-down Buddha; and discovered Chocolate treats from England; and a nice sandy beach a short taxi ride away, I started to enjoy this island of Penang.

sleepy buddha, sleepy people

penang has an abundance of shoe thieves

Shaun is here
Once upon a time ago, Shaun lived in Japan. Then he came back to visit. I got the impression from him and Simone too that Japan becomes a place you want to come back to once you leave. Panics of leaving are trembling. It is so nice to have Shaun back in Japan...it feels like he never left :)

Tokyo Disney Sea
By far the best Disney experience I have had so far. The park was not crowded, but busy enough to feel smug when using one's fast pass. The highlight of the day was spotting "Pluto Guy"--a grown man walking around alone with a Pluto hat hugging his head. We caught him on camera trying to meet Donald Duck.

Pluto Guy

Lawson

The convenience of Lawson
This sign says Lawson in katakana. We got a few stares as we posed for this shot. There are Lawson signs and stores everywhere. It makes for many giggles when I tell people my name. I suspect Mr Japanese Lawson is very rich and very happy somewhere, due to all the onigiri and hot coffee cans he sells.

cookies for christmas 

The making of Christmas cookies was the teaching plan for today. My students thought it was great there were two foreigners in their class, teaching together. It was fun to have Simone there with me. She reminded me to smile when the going gets tough.
We were invited to watch the kids in their Judo class, so we watched as they shuffled around holding each other for a few minutes each. It was like dancing, which then turned into throwing onto the floor. Interesting...
We ate too many cookies.

Simone is in Japan
We went to Herai Elementary School today, and surprised many children and adults with another Kerry walking beside me. One boy in the first grade said "Dabburu", which I took to meaning that there are two Kerrys. We sang and danced to Jingle Bells and the kids opened homemade Christmas crackers and opened the door to my Shrek Advent Calendar. Then they played Ladders, which brings me back to my Brownie days. School lunch was fun and I sat next to a boy with a super flick in his hair. Simone couldn't finish her food. She isn't used to the Shingo sumo portions. I brought my twin around to the Junior High School next door and we received many squeals and shy self introductions. Simone is having a get-over-jetlag nap and I sit in my office, waiting for 4.15.

yummy lunch

Nosawa English Skit Contest 2005
I was truly impressed with the English skit contest this year at Nosawa Junior High. The third grade did a version of Shrek, called 'Tarek'; because Takuya was Shrek, complete with green ears. All the students tried very hard to memorise their lines. Here is a picture of Hikaru and some of the first graders at rehearsal. I like Hikaru's hair (it's a wig).

Skit contest 2005 

Iccho en areba, nani o shimasu ka?
This means, if you had 100 million (maybe) yen, what would you do?I had just learnt how to ask these if you...questions, and so I gave some examples to my students at lunchtime, as we ate meatballs. eg, if I ate nani nani....
I took a poll of what my Junior High students would do with all that money. They said: I would travel, go shopping, I would make everyone volunteer, I would buy a gym for the village, and then one girl started to explain what would happen if she ate 100 million yen...
Oh and I got the new JET calendar last night and my picture of Shingo's rice stacks made it to October!! Miss October 2005, Kerry Lawson...

delicious food 

Hinano and me 

pin the eyebrow 

Happy Monday, getsuyobi.
We made mochi on Saturday at Saigoshi Elementary School. Mochi is rice pounded with a huge hammer until it becomes "neparu" (this is the local Saigoshi word for gloopy or sticky).I brought some people to come and enjoy it with me, and we had fun playing with the kids, and watching their Momotaro play. We had to chant "hitotsu watashi ni kudasai na" when Fuyumi said "HEY".
We were given homemade bookmarks, drawn and decorated by the students. I got one with Anpanman, Ultraman and Fujisan. I was so proud of the students for trying with their English. It was very touching to see their faces as they were able to speak some English to us and the visiting bus load from Misawa.
Jeni, Caleb and Curtis got to meet some Nosawa students too. We played juggling, stilts, pin the eyebrow on the face, origami and karuta. And of course we ate muchy mochi. No choking, thankfully.
Zachary and Emily made some best friends, and Sara conversed with the mothers who made the mochi. We all went home with bellies gurgling full with rice.
On Sunday I traveled to Sendai on the first bullet train out of Hachinohe to go to the University there to take a Japanese test. I went for the 4th level (it's the easiest level). I think I am the only 3rd year who took it, but at least I tried. It was a little tough, but nice to be in warm Sendai! And to have a celebratory drink at Starbucks before heading home. I met a new friend from Peru, and we talked in our second language, Japanese. Interesting. Afterwards, I met a new friend Goro, from Japan, who was waiting outside to meet anyone who would talk to him in English. He bought me a hot cocoa and I helped him gather his medical notes as they blew around in the wind out of his bicycle basket. A nice day to meet kind strangers...and after all of it, I got 83% in the test (with a 100% for the listening!). Yey.

Carrot

I look into their big young faces

They stare back at the English of me

One girl shows me the writing on her shoe

"Carrot", I say...

She nods, as if she knew.