雪祭り ♥ yuki matsuri

This last weekend Matt and I went up to Sapporo for the annual Snow Festival, also called Yuki Matsuri. On Friday afternoon I took an hour of vacation time (yes, it's possible in Japan) and we took a train up to Sapporo. We got lockers for our luggage (just two backpacks and my purse) and then went down to the Susukino site where they were having an ice sculpture contest. The sculptures were amazing! We met up with our friends, John and Natalie, and then ate "Mexican food" at the Sinner's Cafe. It's kind of a little hole-in-the-wall place with good food and even better dessert! Natalie and I had chocolate pudding parfaits and the boys had chocolate cheesecake. Then we walked around some more and decided to go back to their place as it was very cold (-12 C)!

The next day we got up and went to the Tsudome site where there were tons of activities. We got in line for a snow slide (it was kind of like bobsledding in the fact that you sit on a shovel and lay down while being shot down a half-tube slope) and then realized that there were only little kids going down the slide. When we finally got to the end of the line I asked one of the workers if it was ok for adults to go down and he said "OKAY DESU!!!!" We then strapped on our helmets and grabbed shovels and slid down the hill, having fun the whole way down. Then we went inside the dome to warm up a bit as it was very cold outside. We watched a few kids perform some hip hop dances and I was amazed that kids who are 6 and 7 can perform as well as they did! I have never seen kids as dedicated to a sport or activity as I have seen in Japan. While wandering around, John found a little booth where he could pick a random number and then choose a prize if he won. He did, in fact, win, and picked out a Naruto towel, for which he was SOO excited. After that, we waited in line for the snow tube slide for quite a while. We finally got to the end and went up to the top of the staircase. I set down my tube and the guy who was helping me asked "Nihongo wa daijobu desu ka?" meaning, "Is Japanese ok?" I said yes, but then he spouted off in something I swear was another language. I couldn't understand what he was telling/asking me. Finally I realized he was wondering if I wanted to be pushed down the slide facing forward or backwards. I, of course, said forwards. And down the slope I went. It was so much fun, but also so cold! I had my mouth open, smiling because it was so much fun, but afterwards my teeth hurt so badly! Then it was time to go back to John and Nats' house for some grub and warmth.


After re-energizing, we went down to the Odori site where the main big snow sculptures were located. They were so beautiful and huge and there were just blocks and blocks of them! It was really nice because there were various kinds of things there, like the sculptures that were representing countries from around the world. This one was the most fun for me to see because not only were there many kinds of sculptures, but also the best sculpture was in that area. The Holland team had a huge block of ice and just as other countries were creating their sculptures, Holland's team had a man on top of the ice block with a chainsaw shaving off various parts of the ice. I didn't know what they were making untill I looked a bit closer. There was a table in front of their sculpture and two men were taking squarish blocks of ice, wrapping them in ribbon that said "Team Holland" on it, and giving the blocks away. Matt went a bit closer to see what was up, and their sculpture was just that! They were just shaving off pieces and giving it away! They said, after Matt took one and the customary photo, that Matt had helped create their sculpture. It was so very creative!

We then walked down and saw many wonderful sculptures, even some the size of real buildings! There were also musicians playing on various stages throughout the park and there was also a snowboarding ramp.

After Odori, we all went to a birthday party and had a few rum & cokes and good conversation. Then was sleepy time.

Sunday morning Matt and I went to Costco, which took us 4 hours total. It was a fun trip and we bought lots of foreign and organic food for very cheap. We then came back and hung around with John and Nats for a bit and then embarked on a journey home.

Setsubun

Yesterday was Setsubun, a holiday where families and schools will have one person put on a devil mask, or costume, and go around the house or classroom. Others will throw either beans or sometimes peanuts while shouting "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" meaning "Out with the bad! In with the good!" One JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) told me he does this in every room, then goes out of the house and becomes "clean" and then he can enter the house again. It's a tradition to rid a place of evil or bad luck. He also said that his youngest son throws peanuts really hard and they will find them in dark corners even months after the holiday!
I wasn't able to experience the bean/peanut throwing, but the teachers' stories of it were quite interesting!

My Culture

So I'm sitting here and I have been listening to some music at work. I was listening to Nickel Creek and Switchfoot and other artists and just taking in the atmosphere and feeling of the songs. Then I was thinking about some things that I really enjoy about American culture, like road trips, people telling me what they really think, American food, baking with friends around Christmas time. There's just a casualness that I am reminded of when I think about America. While thinking about these things I realized that I'm no longer homesick, but I feel a different sense of pride about my culture. I mean, not everyone's grandma bakes pfefferneuse every Christmas and sends them in a package across the state and then passes the recipe on to them! Of course Americans all have things that are similar to that, but I just have been feeling so proud of my culture and where I come from. But it's definitely different from things in Japan. People don't differ in traditions because they're of a different ethnicity (usually), but because they live in a certain region. I am proud to say that my family comes from a line of Mennonite farmers who emigrated from Georgia, but were of German blood, passing down the recipe for anise pfefferneuse from generation to generation. Casualness and family heritage. And I digress...

Jewelry

In the past few days I have seen again how God really cares about even the little things in my life. Matt and I went to Tokyo and the Kansai area (Osaka, Kyoto and the like) and when we came back I realized that I didn't have my bag of jewelry with me that I took on the trip. It would not have been that big of a deal, especially because I usually am not attached to things in general, but the contents are quite sentimental. It contained a strand of pearls Matt gave me for our first Valentine's Day as a married couple, a necklace and earrings Matt got me in the Bahamas on our honeymoon, earrings he gave me on for second anniversary (which we celebrated the day before I left for Japan), a bracelet my dear friend Andrea let me borrow which was a reminder of her praying for me and me praying for her, and a necklace my friend Yuki gave me a while back. All of these things were so precious to me, and I really thought I had lost them. I searched and searched and could not find them anywhere. Then I just prayed and told God that I knew it was just small stuff, but asked him to get it back to me somehow. I wasn't sure where it might be, so I emailed the hotel that we stayed at in Osaka after that. I didn't hear for one, two, three, four days. Then, suddenly in the morning, Matt's phone had a message on it and it said that they found the pouch o' jewelry. Praise God! It sounds a little silly as I'm writing this, but I am so thankful for it!
Matt is also happy that I didn't lose his gifts :-)

Blurbs

-- I finally got strings for my guitar. I was hesitant to go into the music shop because I didn't know quite what I was looking for and I didn't want to have to explain in Japanese. I decided I would ask the music teacher at my school for advice and, lo and behold, the music shop man was sitting in her office! She ordered me up what I needed and it was delivered to the school within a few days! So now I'm starting to practice guitar and remember what I've forgotten. And I'm going to have to callus up my fingers...

-- Matt and I are reading through the Bible in 90 days. I believe I've read the entire Bible before, just not front to back. It's a little difficult to get through the beginning of the Old Testament. Genealogies and lists of the materials used for the tabernacle are not the most riveting things in the world, but it is quite interesting. It actually is quite refreshing to read the books without a commentary and just read it for what it is.

-- One of my friends Naomi is giving me free Japanese lessons. It's so fun to meet with her! She is so patient with me and she always tries to speak Japanese, which is nice. Most people I meet who can speak just a smidge of English want to practice it with me. It's nice to be challenged by her.

Matt's Birthday Weekend Extravaganza!

On Matt's birthday I took him around town so he could choose some things to buy. While shopping we saw these manikins. Of course, they have anime eyes because we're in Japan.

 

Then while driving away from the shopping center, I decided I should finally take a picture of this hair salon. The name of the salon? Cut Throat. Eww...

The next day I made a cake for Matt's birthday so people at his party could enjoy it (as well as Matt!). It was SOOOOO sweet! My teeth hurt after eating it! American cakes and frostings are so much sweeter than Japanese sweets and cakes!

This was my soup curry. It was so delicious!

The weekend was lots of fun. And we have some good friends here in Muroran.

Matt's Birthday

So today is Matt's birthday and I keep on thinking about birthday parties back home and how they are so ridiculously fun! Back home we would have a birthday party for Matt, Chris, and Kalli (their birthdays are all within one week). It was so much fun having people over, eating pizza and crackers and the sort, watching movies, playing video games, etc. This year is a bit quieter. Today I'm taking Matt around town (I can't share here because he still doesn't know the secrets and surprises). Tomorrow we're hanging out with some people from Muroran and I think we'll go to eat Soup Curry. Should be fun!

Lots going on

1. Matt and I got back from our trip to Tokyo and Kansai on Saturday. It was so much fun! We went to Tokyo, Himeji, Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto. In Tokyo we went to Akihabara, which was full of otaku so we left, then we went to Shinjuku, Harajuku, the Imperial Palace, and Yoyogi Park. In Osaka we went to Universal Studios Japan and the aquarium, and in Kyoto we went to Kiyomizudera, Ginkakuji, and Kinkakuji.
   
2. During our trip to Tokyo Matt and I were walking down the road and decided that I would recontract. So, on Monday, I signed the papers to stay on until July 2011. We miss our friends and family, but we've realized that there are so many things here in Japan for us. For me, it's more experience in teaching EFL and giving more things to work with should I decide to go to grad school for TESL in the future. For us in general, we can learn more Japanese and make ourselves more marketable by having international experience. It's good for our marriage to be here and we're growing a lot. We have made some really good friends who are staying as well and God has given us so many blessings here. I'm growing in my faith in spite of difficulty with culture and church within this culture. We can experience more of Japan by staying another year. *Minor reasons, but still influential: There aren't any jobs available back home, we can save more money for Matt's grad school when we return to the U.S. So all in all, we are very happy with this decision. We feel like we can grow a lot here and that we need to do this adventuring before kids come along. And speaking of kids...
3. Sam and Carman are now PARENTS! I am so happy for them! I saw pictures of baby Tristan and he is so chubby and adorable. I just wish I could hold him! It's strange to think that we won't see him until he's almost 1, though...that thought bums me out. But in any case, it looks like everyone's healthy and doing well. I am so thankful! Thank you God!
4. Dave and Carrie are trying to get a little guy adopted and in their home. I will hopefully be a new aunt again soon! Can't wait to meet him as well!

Eek!

I know that tomorrow is a conference where I have to come up with some team-teaching stuff with Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs), but still...it's like the first leg of the journey! Then Thursday we fly out from Chitose!!! Woo hoo!

New Year, New Sights

This weekend was really relaxing. We just sat around and played games and watched "The Office." Today we started packing for our trip that we're taking starting Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday I have a conference so we will go to Sapporo for those two days. Then, Thursday we'll head down to Tokyo. There we'll have a look around Tokyo and then Matt will take his GMAT test. Then we'll take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka where we'll change trains to head to Himeji (I hope along the way we can see Mount Fuji!). Then after Himeji we'll be visiting Osaka and the area, including Kyoto, and possible Nara and Universal Studios Japan. I am so excited for our trip!

We'll be able to see this in real life!

And hopefully this!