6 Months In

Six months ago we arrived at the airport in Japan, spent 4 hours in the car (should have been 2 but we were hit with Tokyo traffic) driving to our hotel, spent 2 weeks in a hotel room no bigger than a large walk-in closet, shopped for appliances and household items without really knowing what we were buying due to language barriers, and walked around shell shocked for the first few months, not really knowing what had hit us.  Now, six months later, we are settled in our house, know our neighbours and a number of staff at the school, are expert bike riders, can speak a little bit of the language (well at least Carrie can) and are beginning to understand the complex culture of Japan.  These last 6 months have been full of learning and growing, but in that growth we have come to love our new life here.

Steve is really enjoying his job.  As grade 8 counselor and grade 8 English teacher (2 classes), the school has him busy.  He comes home most days not having even stopped for lunch, but he enjoys the work and so he does not mind the hectic days. The varsity tennis season at the beginning of the year made for an exceptionally busy schedule for Steve (he was assistant coach).  His learning curve has been high but I think he is getting the hang of things at work and finding each day a little easier.  Although schools are always busy places, I think next year will be much easier for him.  Steve envisions himself in this position for a long time so it must mean that he is loving it.

I was unsure how I would enjoy not working this year.  The most time I have ever had off from work was my 40-day maternity leaves.  Despite my concerns, I must say that I am really enjoying my time at home with Alyvia.  The time has really been a blessing as there has been so much to learn here. I cannot imagine having done it with both Steve and I working.  Everyday I learn something new, whether it is the language, where to shop, how to get places, or just the nuances of the Japanese culture.  There has not been a dull moment here.  In addition to taking care of the family and house, I have volunteered as Tristan’s grade 1 room mom, teach Sunday School, and organize the praise and worship music at church.   I have also been doing some subbing which has been a great way to keep my foot in the door at school.  Alyvia goes to a friend’s house when I sub, and then I look after her one year old boy when she subs. It works out well.  In order to keep my mind sane, I am doing a lot of running.  I totaled 165km in the last 30 days, with my longest run being 20km.  I have found a couple of ladies to run with which has been great for the adult socialization that I sometimes miss in not working.  Some of my time is also spent trying to learn Japanese.  I take a 2-hour class once a week and have a tutor come to my house for a couple of hours once a week. I have learned one syllabic alphabet (hiragana) and am beginning to understand the basics of a sentence.  Now I need to beef up my vocabulary to begin making gains.

Tristan is continuing to enjoy school.  He is a SOCIAL BUTTERFLY and often has trouble getting down to work, as he likes to talk.  Despite this, he is a wiz at reading and seems to understand everything he is learning.  His math homework is done with very little difficulty and he comes home talking about Beethoven, Martin Luther, King and various other people he is learning about.  Tristan participated in the school swim team for the 2 months at the start of the year and now he will be joining school gymnastics.  We have also put him in karate at the local temple.  His sensei (teacher) is an old Japanese man that does not speak English, but he is good and very serious about his art.  Tristan watches the other kids and seems to do okay.  He is enjoying it but says that they do too many drills.  This is the Japanese way! 

Alyvia is loving life and has made a few friends with some of the other staff moms that are at home right now.  She is an easy going three year old, but very independent!  There is not much that she will let me do for her.  When we get home from school, she joins her brother my taking out “her” homework and is eager to help with work around the house. She is learning her ABC’s and is trying to write her name (just lines). Her most recent accomplishment is learning to ride a 2-wheel bike with training wheels.  I have enrolled her in swimming lessons, which she just loves!  Even though the teachers speak Japanese she watches the other kids and does just fine.  The teachers are great with her.  I have also enrolled her in a Japanese modeling agency.   There is a high demand for Caucasian kids for magazines and commercials so I thought, “why not”. There are quite a number of expats who sign up their kids and the money made is always good for the university fund.

Just before the Christmas holiday we bought a car (well it is called a mini-van but it is more of a car size- everything in Japan is small!).  The vehicle seats seven, which one would never guess by looking at it from afar.  The car has really freed up my life.  I am happy if I never have to do groceries with my bike again!   We drive on the left side of the road here and so that has been something to get used to.  Every now and then I will put on the window wipers instead of the signal light. Steve and I got a GPS for Christmas and we were able to purchase Japanese maps in English.  These maps have been a lifesaver!  I could not imagine going anywhere without the GPS! 

My sister will be arriving with my 3-month old niece in 2 days.  She will be staying for 3 weeks.  2 weeks later my parents come for three weeks, and then 2 days after they leave, Steve’s mom comes for 3 weeks.  It will be nice to have the company and show people the sights here.  We have not done too much touring so by the end of the year I will have certainly seen all the highlights in the Tokyo and surrounding area.  If anyone would like to book a vacation time to Japan next year, our doors are always open.

I will end this e-mail listing a few things I have learned in the last 6 months:

1. Do not eat or drink while on the trains or buses.  This is considered rude.  In fact, eating anywhere that is not designated for eating is really frowned upon.
2. Turn your cellphone off while on public transportation.  If your phone rings you will get a few strange looks.  If you answer the phone, you will surely be the “foreigner”.
3. While riding an escalator, ride on the left side.  The right side is for people who want to pass you. (If you happen to have your chariot and decide to ride the escalator rather than the elevator, there will not bee much room for people to pass and you may annoy those in a hurry).
4. Even though Japan is one of the most populated countries in the world, it might be one of the quietest.
5. Even if a Japanese person “can” speak English, they most likely will not, even if it means not being able to communicate with you.
6. CONFORMITY!  Do not dare to be different.  The kids walking to school have the same uniforms, same school bags, and same school hats.  In order for Alyvia to join swimming lessons, she had to buy a certain swimsuit, bag, and swim cap.   Yup!  It is all about not sticking out here.
7. If you are on a bike, and do not enter a shopping parking lot at the “bike and pedestrian entrance”, you will get a stern look and wave of the arm.  ORDER!  ORDER!  ORDER!
8. Be sure you know how much you are going to pay for parking before entering the lot.  If not, you could be paying A LOT of money for a couple hour stay. 
9. Japanese must be one of the hardest languages to learn to read.  You need to know 2 syllabic alphabets with 46 sounds and another 25 blended sounds in each, and at least 2000 Chinese characters to be able to understand a sentence in Japanese.
10. Japan may be the only country where it is possible to pay up to $75 for a watermelon.
11. Who knew that counting could be so difficult.  Imagine having different words for counting money, numbers of people, numbers of food items, floor numbers, numbers of clothing items…the list goes on for awhile.
12. Nature is part of life.
13. Every job, no matter what it is, is done with enthusiasm and passion.
14. Bureaucracy takes on a whole new meaning here.  Wow!  They are efficient in some ways and so NOT in others.
15. If we miss a parcel delivery during the day, all we have to do is call the English line and have them deliver it within a 2 hour window that night.  (In Kuwait, the parcels would never get to us).

So, that is life for us so far.  We are looking forward to continues learning in the next 4 months before heading back to Canada for the summer.