Yuzawa- The Basics

Note: Do NOT post this blog until I have successfully completed the journey from Sapporo to Yuzawa and back again or else Mom will worry.  

     Tuesday morning started bright and early and by 7:30 I was on my way to the bus station with Mama.  She waited with me until the bus came and then I said good bye to her for two weeks and boarded the bus.  This was the easiest part because I just had to ride it about an hour or so until the end of the line. (Not that that stopped me from asking the person next to me if she was going to the same place as I was.)
     I got into the airport around 8:50 (and my flight left at 9:40.)  So from there, with a little Japanese speaking, it was a relatively smooth trip to my gate.  Everything was fine and dandy, and I kind of assumed that the worst part of my day was over since I had not missed my flight.  (Not quite.)
     After landing I collected my luggage and wandered around the airport until I found the bus counter to buy a ticket. Once that was taken care of it was relatively simple to locate the actual bus stop outside the airport. I think the ticket lady assumed I, as a foreigner, would get lost on my way or something because even though I made it to the bus well before the 11:50 am train, she printed me a 12:20 ticket so they wouldn't let me board yet.
     On the bus itself I managed to befriend the guy next to me by offering him a candy, and then we ended up talking the entire 62 minutes of the trip.  This turned out to be a stroke of good fortune because the place where the bus dropped me off and the place where I had to get on the bullet train were a good 10 minute walk apart. (I'm not sure how I was going to find it on my own, and I'm still not sure, as I write this, what I will do on my return trip.)  Anyway, after walking with him and his friends to the station he also helped me buy a ticket to where I needed to go and then we parted ways.
    Once I was in the station I would essentially just stop and ask any attendant I saw if I was going in the right direction, if this was the right place to board, if this was even the correct train.  Pretty much me traveling alone means asking for confirmation at any possible moment so I don't get lost. But eventually I did find the right train to board and I sat next to this nice old lady who started talking to me almost immediately.  We also talked the entire time I was on board and when she found out I was from Utah she asked about the Mormons. So that was unexpected and fantastic. Now that we are facebook friends I'm obviously only one step away from converting her.

   When I got off the train at my stop 85 minutes later I was able to find the next bus to take pretty quickly, but since I had just missed the last one by 10 minutes I had to wait about an hour for the next one. So I sat on my luggage and took the opportunity to catch up in my journal.  Plus since I was sitting by myself for so long I had about 3 different people come up and talk to me, including this adorable little baby that kept trying to play with me.  I also took the moment to count up my remaining money.  Since I've had some difficulties with my debit card, I haven't been able to withdraw any money since I came. So far I've survived on cash that I brought, but now that I had to pay for my bus this morning, my bus this afternoon, and the bullet train I'm officially down to about 810 yen. (Me eating an apple because I was out of money for food.  Good thing I found that in my backpack.)
    Eventually the bus pulled up and this little old lady next to me was like "This is our bus." So I got on with her (we had talked already) and us, along with one other old lady, were the only passengers.  After about a 30 minute ride I got off at the stop I thought, and desperately hoped, was mine because there weren't any other buildings in sight and I had no cell phone.
   
When I walked into the Mikuni building I had 150 yen left (about $1.50), no food, my bags, and I really had to go to the bathroom but I HAD MADE IT.  I kind of considered it a miracle.  The fact that I had barely enough money to make it here was miraculous.  The fact that I didn't get lost or on any of the wrong transportation systems was miraculous. The fact that I met nice people along the way who helped me out was miraculous.  But the accumulation of all those things together was truly a miracle.

 
 Anyway, my life here in Yuzawa has been relatively calm but also full of so many fun things and people. Mikuni is essentially an English language immersion program to help Japanese students who are trying to pass the TOEFL and get into American universities. So while the students and interns who actually work here are busy with classes I have a bit of free time to enjoy Yuzawa during the day. I have lots of time to explore the school and the area around the school (it is surrounded by forests.) I have managed to stay caught up in my journal and catch up in my blog. (I mean I'm actually writing about Yuzawa while I'm still here. That's a big step for me.) And I've been studying up on my Japanese.

A normal day might look something like this:

8:00 devotional at the school with everyone

8:20 English scripture study with the students

9-11 journal, blog, explore, write, or nap

11-12 lunch prep time but if I don't have to cook then Smash Brothers. (You would be proud of me David.  I don't win every time, but I do a decent job.)

12-1 lunch time and we get to speak Japanese and eat delicious food!

1-3 more free time which I use however

3-4 Japanese class taught by the Japanese students

4-5 dinner prep (again, if I don't have duty I'll generally play Wii or ping pong with the students)

5-6 dinner

6:30 go home (well around then anyway)

7:30 work out

9:30 Japanese scripture study with everyone

10:00 Watch Anohana with Melanie and try to understand all the Japanese.

      It might seem like there is not a lot happening here being out in the middle of the mountains but I can tell that this is going to be a blast.

 Ok there is actually a lot still to tell about Yuzawa but for the sake of everyone reading this, I am going to stop here and make them separate blogs.  You will thank me later.  

Wake Up! "London, Paris, maybe Tokyo"

                                Thank you Hillary Duff and Sarah Allred for the title to my summer.

Ok so as you are all aware (if you read the last blog) I'm in Japan now!  The trip getting here was a bit long and tense at times, but I made it. For my connecting flight from Tokyo to Sapporo I even had a whole 9 minutes to spare from the time I made it to the gate and when the plane was supposed to take off. Though honestly that was the only intense moment. I spent many hours sleeping as I traveled all day and when I arrived in Japan one of the first things Mama said to me was "You haven't changed at all!"  I wasn't sure what she was talking about until I saw a photo from me coming to Japan two years ago and I was wearing the same basketball shorts and a t-shirt. I had a 30 hour day of traveling, and I can't help it that they are really comfortable! But anyway, I MADE IT.
The second thing she said to me was "you brought a pillow?"  Apparently that is not done in Japan. (Again though, 30 hours!)

It was almost 11 pm by the time we finally made it to the Tsujimotos house, but Mama still made temakizushi for us. Which is essentially mini rolls that you make by hand and eat.And I thought to myself "why has it taken me so long to come back here?"

 My time in Sapporo was pretty stinkin' fantastic.  The very first day I was there I hung out with Natasha and Anna, who, by a strange twist of fate that I was completely aware of ahead of time, were also in Sapporo! Of course, we live about as far away from each other as three people can live, but that does not stop us from partying.  First of all, the weather here is always raining!  Now you may think that that is a bad thing, but your thinking would be incorrect.  Rain is fantastic, even when it requires us to be out and walking around in it. (Shh, don't tell Mom.) The first thing I did was go to a sweets cafe with Natasha and Anna.  Just to be clear on what that means, let me elucidate here: 80 minutes, $16, and as much sweet and savory food as you can eat (no milk though :( )

 Here's what a normal plate would look like.



And here's a photo of just the deserts they had (and this was not even all-they also had an ice cream machine and a chocolate fountain.)

After eating we walked around Susukino for a while, and I was having some serious flashbacks from 2 years ago.  We explored a lot of the different shops and discovered this adorable pet shop. At least it was adorable until we saw the prices. I mean, no wonder this cat looks so depressed. Who is ever going to buy him when he costs almost $3,000?

My motto from the day seemed to be: spend as much money as I can...but only at thrift shops.  So I may have bought some really cheap Japanese books, a bunch of stuff at the Japanese dollar store (yay Daisou!), and a yukata at a recycle shop. (Now how to get all of this home is another matter. Ah well. That's another problem for another day.) We hung out all day and when I was finally heading home for the night I could not believe that I had only been in Japan for 24 hours.

(Oh and on an unrelated note-here's a funny, terrible English translations.)

 I managed to get turned around on my way home from the station (cut me some slack though, it had been 2 years since I had to take that route.)  Mama had more faith in me than I did in myself- Which is exactly why I had had her write down the address on a piece of paper earlier so I could ask people for directions if I got turned around. (Do I know myself or what?) 

The next day was more of a relaxing day (meaning I did not see Natasha and Anna.) I stayed home and enjoyed being there again. I went to the park to write in my journal. I walked around the subdivision and got lost on my way home again.


 I watched Mama cook dinner because I promised myself that I would not come back home this time witthout knowing how to cook at least 1 thing! So, in honor of Joseph, I learned how to make Katsudon.  So Lori and Kristen can look forward to me practicing that on them when I come home again.  I had to go swimsuit shopping today because I had forgotten mine in Florida (the downside of swimming the night before and then having a 4 am departure time.)  Turns out it was actually pretty fun though because the swimsuits were so cheap and Japanese lookin! So I may have ended up buying two, but I figured it was an investment because now I can go even longer in Americaa without going shopping. Yay!

My third day in Japan I woke up to a surprise visitor at breakfast. One of the girls, Yume, that I had met two years ago was over, so she and I ended up talking for a long time.  Luckily I understood a lot more than I did two years ago.

After she left I hopped on a bike and decided to revisit all of the places that I spent so much time at two years ago.  So I went to the panda park where I spent so much time practicing how to do a pull over (good news: I can still do it.) I biked around the bridge which I had to cross every day. I biked all the way to the church and ran into the sister missionaries, so I took a short English break.  I saw the udon place we often went to after class with the students.  I biked around for an hour down by the river before I eventually made my way back home.

I was surprised and impressed with how much I remembered in town, which made me even more confufsed as to why I could not even make it back to my own home.  Oh well, I made it home fine today.  I tried to get home around 4 so Momo (my now 12 year old little sister) and I could hang out. Bringing a frisbee this summer turned out to be a good idea because Momo really likes playing with me.

The next day I was back in town with Natasha and Anna (it is weird to me that we used to hang out in Provo and now we are hanging out in Sapporo.) We met up at the JR Tower (and considering none of us have working cell phones, I always consider it a miracle when we successfully meet up) and walked around for an hour or two.  Then it was time for our movie. My very first movie in a Japanese theater.  I`ll admit that I was a little nervous about it all being in Japanese, but I was pleased at the end by how much I understood.  I was even more pleased by the fact that we watched Sadako Vs. Kayako. Which essentially translates to the Ring Vs  the Grudge.  There were a surprising amount of jump scenes for a movie that I assumed was going to be way cheesy, but worry not, it was still plenty cheesy.

 After the movie we went to one of my favorite restaur-ants for lunch and ate okono-miyaki!  It's fun because you get to make it yourself on the griddle thing on the table.  We explored the shopping center a bit more before heading out, which is good because then I got to see the Pokemon store.

We bought some ice cream (and by ice cream I always mean I buy chocolate milk) at a convenience and ate it at the park when we needed a break, and these random boys came up and started talking to us. It was so funny because you just knew it was one of those situations where one of them was trying to impress us.  So he came up and would say somepletely random English words like "bike" or "building" and after we would confirm that that was, indeed, the correct word he would turn to his 2 other friends and be like "See, I was right."

The funniest part was that his friends were like "Uh, ok." Clearly this was not something they had been talking about before.  The best part though was when he randomly started to rap for us.

(Oh and don't forget this chocolate milk boba!)

 After they left, we also said good-bye since I had plans with my host-sister at 6.  We went to the a BYU Hawaii concert togethter and it was essentially an audience full of church members.  Lots of people would come up to greet Karin (the sister that I never met two years ago because she was on her mission but who is way cool) and then be like "Oh my, is that Laura?" So that was nice and odd.

The next day was Friday and the only social things I did that day were 1) eating stand up soba with Karin, 2) going birthday present shopping for Mama with Karin, and 3) going to institute with Karin.  (It's good to know that some things have not changed in the past two years. For instance, my complete lack of church vocabulary.  It would be even better to know that it had though.)

Spiritual moment for the day:

Today I met up with a lady I was friends with in the ward 2 years ago (well she happened to come to the house) and as we were talking she asked if I had been studying Japanese a lot.  I told her I had taken an additional class and then lived with roommates who spoke Japanese for 2 semesters, but it had been a while since I had practiced or studied at all.  She told me that I must have the gift of tongues because my Japanese had improved so much.  I originally brushed it off as the usual Japanese flattery/kindness, but later as I got to thinking I think she is right. Before I left the country Dad gave me a father's blessing. Specifically he said this "Bless you that you will have the ability to speak with tongues.  That your Japanese will come back and that you will be able to adapt and be sufficiently fluent to get by in Japan, that you will enjoy the experience." I'm very grateful for Sister Takahashi's words which helped me realize how blessed I am.

On Saturday I went grocery shopping with Mama because I am going to make her some American food for her birthday. (Well I am not actually sure how American sweet potato quiche is, but at least it is not Japanese.)  Then I met up with Natasha and Anna and we got lunch at this awesome ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI.  (Sorry for the caps-it was necessary.) I think we ate about 10 plates each and it ended up costing about $10 each so that seems extremely reasonable (and delicious.)





After lunch we walked around this little shrine and saw the Sapporo temple (only from a distance though.) I can't wait for it to be dedicated and available to everyone here.




Then we wandered through Hokkaido university pretending that we fit in even though we could not even pull it off for even a second.




We went to another book store (they are my weakness! It's like finding a Bookmans in Japan.) So I bought the third Harry Potter book in Japanese for $2.50! I also bought the 2nd and 3rd movies together for $5.  (It is seriously such a problem.)  After exploring for a while and discoverinig a sweet park, Anna and Natasha rode with me to the stop where I was supposed to meet with Mama.

Tonight all of the family in Sapporo met up for her birthday dinner at the exact same buffet we went to two years ago! This time I got to meet even more of the family-including one of the brother-in-laws who is from India, went to BYU Hawaii, and speaks English fluently.  It was kind of a fun break for both of us to have someone to talk to in English (although his wife speaks English fairly well too.)

My first Sunday back in Moiwa felt a lot like that BYU Hawaii concert and I ended up talking to a lot of people.  Anna and Natasha came with me too, so it was an extra fun Sunday.  In Relief Society they suddenly called on me to introduce my friends. Two years ago that could have sent me into a panic.  Today I was already responding before I had even registered that I had already translated that in my head.  

After church we chatted with some of the other YSAs and then went home with the family.  Natasha and Anna came too because we were having a sleep over tonight. Before that though we had a dinner to prepare.  And thank goodness we had so many hands to prepare it with because it is a time consuming meal!  Even with Natasha, Anna, Momo, and me all cooking it still took us at least  1 1/2 hours.  


Dinner turned out to be a big party though, and the quiche really did turn out well.  There was so much food that we tried to learn how to say "the food never ends!" in Japanese.  It was delicious, social, and the perfect Sunday evening (except for Papa and Ane being gone.)

(Here's a picture of me holding a Japanese baby. Doesn't this just seem so right?  Everyone was impressed with my baby holding skills.  Little do they know that I've been practicing for this moment for 6 years!)

  
To wrap up the night, Natasha, Anna, and I decided to watch She's the Man in Japanese! (Hooray for Netflix-which did not work in Japan 2 years ago.)  Of course, we all fell asleep about 30 minutes in, but it's the thought that counts, right?  Doesn't this just look like a party? 3 futons, 3 American girls, 1 room, and She's the Man.

Monday: my last day in Sapporo for a little while.  The three of us chatted with Mama while we ate breakfast this morning, and then suddenly it was time to go to Lagoon.  For those of you who don't remember Lagoon from two years go I will remind you.  It is a water park combined with a public bath house.  A nice mix of fun and embarassment for any American willing to step inside.  (Though I actually don't really mind anymore. Especially not compared to that first experience.) Since it was  Monday morning there was no one to gawk at us, the foreigners, which helped a lot. Plus this old lady took it upon herself to help us with a lot of stuff, like providing towels that we tried to tell her multiple times we did not pay for.   

When we left, we had about an hour to explore the area so we did just that.  With ice cream, of course!  When Mama picked us up again I asked her if there was a place to get soba near the house, so she dropped us off somewhere and told me to pay attention so I would now how to walk home again.  The soba was cold, the tempura was hot, and it was all fresh, delicious, and exaxtly what we needed after a morning of playing in the water.  After we ate we walked back home, finished the movie from last night (since we had passed out), and then I walked Anna and Natasha to the station and said good-bye.  For my final dinner with the Tsujimotos (for now) we made okonomiyaki! Hooray.  But then I spent the rest of the nigh packing-not as fun.

 I also think it's important to point out that my host families house has a plethora of 4 leaf clovers. I'm finding them all over the place.  Here's 5 in as many minutes.  Japan, who knew?

For now, good-bye Sapporo!

And So It Begins

It's done!

 My first year of influencing 28 little lives is complete, and all 29 of us survived. I would call that a success.  

I cannot believe that is is really over, but what a good feeling it was to walk out of that classroom and know that I would not be waking up at 6:30 the next day (or the next 73 days after that) unless I want to lie in bed and think Awww yeah. I can go back to sleep if I want to.  

(Sorry for the terrible quality of that class photo. I could not get technology to work with me so I ended up taking a picture of a picture...don't judge me Joseph.)

  


I guess I also had to say goodbye to these girls until autumn as well. They really made my first year of teaching so fantastic and the year would not have been the same if I had not gotten to work with all of them.  They have already influenced me as a teacher and as a person so much. 

   

  That night I had one final party with my roommates which included Lori's delicious cooking, a squirt gun fight, games, and a scary movie in a tent in the park next door. (Two thumbs up to Danny, Curtis, and Mark who handled our surprise water attack very well.) Yes, the summer feeling had arrived. So, naturally, it was time for me to go.  (Not featured here are Mark and Lori. It was too difficult to get us all into one photo.) 

The first day of summer found me on the road to AR (not Arizona) with Sarah, Johnny, Max, and Hazel by 8 am.  Okay, maybe 8:30.  The trip was long but it is long no matter who is in the car with you. Having two people who struggle being in the car that long can make the trip an adventure but Max, Hazel, and I put up with them admirably. :)

 Pulling into the driveway is one of my favorite feelings.  Driving through the evening and accidentally smooshing fireflies on the windshield is not one of my favorite feelings. 

   
4 days at home was definitely not enough, but it was all I had.  I spent most of my time knocking things off my to do list before leaving for Florida, but there was some time to play.  For example, going to the lake and getting an awesome tan line from putting sunscreen on myself. 

     All too soon though the time to relax in AR was over and it was time to buckle down and...go relax in Florida.  :)  (I know, I know. My life is so hard.)  

{Can we just take a minute to appreciate the fact that Mom said the thing she was looking forward to the most about this whole vacation was having everyone home safe again after.  Is that not the most mom thing you have ever heard in your life? Anyone who knows my mom will be nodding there heads in a 'yup, that sounds like Lori' kind of way and anyone who doesn't know her...well now you do. :)  }

  The best things about being together are also the craziest things. Like having 7 grand kids under the age of 6 together.  You can imagine how fantastic...ally crazy that is.  Papa sure realized how crazy it is.

A family vacation at the condo would not be complete without multiple trips to the pool, sometimes multiple in one day. This vacation was a bit different from usual because we went to Florida instead of Branson. You know what that means.  The beach! Disney World! Crazy happenings in Orlando! Going to the Orlando temple.

The beach was a sandy, hot mess. Literally. But it was an excellent mess.  The kind that make you want to go back again and again even when you end up with sand everywhere.  I do love the ocean, but there is something to be said for the lakes in Arkansas where I am not scared of sharks or alligators or crocodiles getting me. 

     Disney World was fun and the kids were troopers through the heat and humidity.  It was fun to see the kids so excited about things and being able to ride rides together.  And then, of course, there was the chance to take our family photo in matching Disney shirts (that I have to give all the credit to Emily for making) and Mickey Mouse ears.

We got Japanese food one afternoon because Joseph has been craving it, and it made me excited to think that I'd actually be in Japan in just a few days and eating this all the time!

     Everybody just look at this food. Doesn't it look delicious? I could happily eat like this every day of my life.

And look at this family (it's not complete.) Don't you wish you were here?

  I also had the chance to go to the Orlando temple with some of the family so that was a really special experience, which was also kind of sad because it marked the end of my parent's time in Orlando.   

     They left for Arkansas the next morning, but it was almost a relief because so many crazy things had been happening in Orlando lately.  The rest of us had one more day before we all headed out too. Mom had the right idea though, it was a relief to have everyone safely home and out of Orlando.  With shootings and alligator attacks, I had never been so grateful for Mtn. Home AR.

    I would have been a lot sadder with this vacation coming to a close if it didn't mean that I would be on my way to Japan. Sarah was a champ and took me to the airport to start my 30 hour journey at 4 am. But that is another story for which you will have to wait for the next blog.  

                                                                                                                2 weeks of summer down, 7 to go.