5 Weeks In
Our Home: We found a cute house (duplex), about 1300 square feet, in a quiet neighborhood, 15 minutes by bike away from the school. Our house is called a “Swedish House” as it is made with materials from Sweden; except the kitchen, which is made from materials from Canada (I love my kitchen). The advantage of a Swedish home over a Japanese home is that it is well insulated, with 3 paned windows and an air-conditioning/heating wall unit in each room. We are told that these houses are built so well that we will only have to use our heaters for maybe a month or two, where people in Japanese homes will be using theirs much longer. This saves on electricity costs, which are very high in Japan. Off of our living rooms we have a small yard (about the size of a large deck back home in Canada) with beautiful looking Japanese trees and other shrubbery and to the side of the house is a very long paved driveway that is great for all of our bikes, scooters, wagons etc. We are in a great location as there are 4 large parks, a number of grocery market options, a Wal-Mart type store, and a few fast food outlets all within a 5-15 minute bike ride away. If I need more “foreign” sort of foods such as tacos, I can ride my bike to this store in 20 minutes and then hop on the train if for a 10-minute ride if I want to hit a more “trendy” part of town. The area we live in is much more rural than those who live downtown (most of the students live downtown and take the school bus (which is more like a greyhound) to school each day so we do not see a lot of foreigners unless they work at the school. There are farms (large gardens) all around us and so I am watching to see what types of foods should be planted in each season. I am really enjoying all of the greenery (there is a forest right across the road which has lots of bamboo) after being in the desert for the last 3 years.
Transportation: Right now we get everywhere by bike or train. Steve just got his mountain bike, which was ordered in by a bike shop, as the sizes here are too small for him. I have my 6 gear-shopping bike (mama sun) which has a seat behind mine for Alyvia, and Tristan has his bike from Kuwait, which he is getting very confident on. We also got a tailgater which attaches to Steve’s bike and then to Alyvia’s bike- all she has to do is sit and hold on while Steve pulls her. Japanese babies are on bikes from the time they are born and so it is not uncommon to see a 4 year old kid on his/her own bike riding just as well as mom or dad. I also bought a road bike, as there is a group of teachers who cycle every weekend. I thought it would be a good way to see a little of Japan- just the other day I went out for a morning ride and was able to get a clear view of Mount Fuji- very cool! I have always wanted to get into road biking and so I figured this is a good a time as any! We will most likely get a car down the road so that we have the opportunity to get out of the city and see some of Japan on the weekends, but for now we are fine with our bikes and the train. If anything, we are getting into shape with all the hills here!
The Weather: Tokyo is having the hottest summer in 112 years! It has been high 30’s and 80-90% humidity since we got here! Needless to say I am always sweating! It is good for the waistline though. One would think we would be used to the heat after being in Kuwait but the humidity is a force to be reckoned with. I had to laugh the other day when I checked the weather for Calgary, Kuwait and Japan- Calgary was rain a high of 12, Kuwait was sun and a high of 46, and Japan was rain and a high of 32. I do not miss Calgary weather!
The School: ASIJ is a magnificent school. The facilities are out of this world (more like a college) and the teaching and organization are fabulous- they are even better than what the website pictures show! We feel so lucky that our children will be receiving top notch education while getting a chance to see the world. For all our teaching friends, you would love it here!
Steve: Steve is extremely busy but enjoying his new job. He is half time grade 8 counselors and half time grade 8 English. I think he finds the transitioning from counseling to English a little tough, but he is never one to complain! He is also coaching varsity tennis right now, which has turned out to be a heavy commitment. He practices for 2.5 hours 4 times a week and has games on Saturdays that last at least 6 hours. Although he enjoys coaching, I think he will be glad to see the season end at the end of October, as it is a little much on top of a new job.
Tristan: Tristan has a fabulous grade one teacher and seems to be enjoying his new school. Steve asked him one night how he was liking ASIJ compared to Kuwait and he said he liked ASIJ better for 3 reasons: most kids had the same skin color as him, all kids speak English, and there is no religion (which he never had to go to but was pulled out of his class and put in another class during this time). I thought it interesting that all his answers had to do with a sense of belonging, yet he never once complained about not fitting in at school in Kuwait.
Tristan tried out for the swim team and made the “B” teams. We are very excited as this means free swimming lessons 2 times a week for 2 months, and gives him a sense of confidence as he sees his swimming improve. The swim team at the school is very well established and quite serious, but at the B level it is a little more laid back. Once swim is over he would like to try gymnastics or karate. There is a lot to get involved in here and so we are trying to pick only one thing per season. He is beginning to make friends with some of the staff children which is great as they all live close by- his classmates all live downtown. There are a TON of staff kids and so there is always someone to play with.
Alyvia: Alyvia is enjoying being at home with me. After we do something together she says, “That was fun”, or “I like doing that with you mommy”. She continues to be an easy child except for when she decides that she is NOT going to do something and tests to see who is going to win, me or he? She can be stubborn and seems to get this way when there is an audience to watch! Her verbal skills continue to develop and I am always amazed at her use of advanced vocabulary and grammatical structure for a 2 year old. I think she is going to be a strong student.
Carrie: I am doing very well. I was a little concerned about staying home this year but so far I am really enjoying it. I have to admit that I do not miss the stress of being an administrator and am enjoying a slower pace of life and all the extra energy that I have. I have continued my tradition of working out in the mornings and have found a friend to run and bike with. She is trying to convince me to run the Tokyo marathon but I do not know that I really want to train for a 42 km run! We will see. There are 4 moms that I have met, all teachers who are staying home and so that connection has been great. All four of them are great ladies and people that I enjoy hanging out with. We have gotten together a few times already and they have been very helpful in showing me the ropes.
I signed up for Japanese lessons the other day. These will take place every Friday for 2 hours (child care provided) and then a tutor will meet with me for 1-2 hours during the week at my convenience. I HAVE TO LEARN some Japanese! It is difficult not knowing what is ever being said or what is written on posters. I had my first real major experience with this other day when I parked my bike in a “no parking bike zone” and had it taken to bike jail! 40 dollars and a few hours later ($30 to get my bike back and $10 for the taxi) I was back on my bike but had NO IDEA where I was (and could not ask anyone). Thankfully I had a friend who rode her bike to the bike jail (got lost on the way) and navigates me home. I am sure there will be many more mistakes made.
I have made myself available to sub 2 times a week (I am swapping children with 2 other moms) and so I hope to get some subbing in as the school year picks up. This will be a nice break from home a little extra money in the pocket- this one salary thing sucks!
That is about it for now. In my next e-mail I will tell you about some of the different experiences we have had living in Japan so far……..
