Dinner Party

Well, another week has gone by and we continue to become more and more settled into a routine. Sometimes, we feel so settled that I have to think for a little while before feeling inspired to write on the blog. Whenever I go a whole week without writing, though, I feel badly, and it seems to work out just fine if I make myself sit down and write. It is strangely refreshing to communicate in English without having to think twice about whether or not my audience will understand my vocabulary. For the most part, blogging is the only way I can continue to communicate using written English. I have no other occasion to write, aside from the occasional, short email.

Last week I talked about the change in my schedule due to the addition of an extra class. I have now met with that group twice and I think things are going well! The first group consisted of about 11 people. Yesterday’s group numbered 9 members. The two who were absent were either sick or at a meeting. I think it’s a good sign when people come twice in a row for a class. Still, I’m very conscious of not wanting to bore them, so next week I hope to show them some photos of a typical American (Texan) Thanksgiving. If you have fun pictures, feel free to email them to me so I can share them! Everyone here is interested in what happens in American homes. Most of the pictures I have with me on my computer are shots of Ridge and Holt, and therefore they do not really meet my needs. I have asked Mom to try and take some pictures on Thursday so I can share with my class next week. It will be a nice break from grammar and “how to say hello in a more natural way.”

In school, most Japanese people seem to have learned, “Hello. How are you? I’m fine, and you?” I want to expand their repertoire to include, “What have you been up to? How’s it going?” and so on. Since everyone here says, “good bye. See you,” I told them if they would switch to, “take care!” then they would sound like great English speakers.

We had our first real dinner party on Saturday. With the help of an online store, I was able to purchase the makings for a wonderful lasagna. Believe it or not, we obtained ricotta cheese from a dairy just twenty minutes away. When Aaron went to go buy some, they had to go out into the back of the store and get it, so I think it was pretty darn fresh! It tasted wonderful! I had to make three small lasagnas so I could make enough for everyone (small oven, remember). Including Aaron and myself, there were seven of us. I started with freshly made foccacia bread (it only took me five small loaves to make enough – gotta love the itty bitty oven), mail order olives in garlic, and a balsamic vinegar/ olive oil dipping sauce. Next, we prepared sliced tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and fresh (yes, fresh!) basil, drizzled with balsamic vinegar. I splurged and bought three heads of lettuce to make a salad with red onion and bell peppers. We then feasted on spinach lasagna and a pasta dish I made with fresh parsley, Italian ham, garlic, and butter. For dessert, I baked some small batches of snicker doodles while everyone ate. I think it went quite well. Everyone seemed happy enough. I invited a couple of non-Japanese people: Colin, an Aussie who was here in Nishiokoppe for a year filling in since no teacher from Juneau came last year, and Tom, an Japanese Exchange Teacher (JET) who works about forty minutes away. We met Tom (American) about six weeks ago while shopping in Monbetsu. I also invited Ayaka, the teacher whose house we went to for dinner last month, and one of our neighbors, Mr. Usui.
Thanks to Tom, Colin, and Mr. Usui, language did not pose much of a problem. Both Colin and Tom speak fair Japanese, and Mr. Usui speaks pretty good English. As Aaron pointed out to me later, the way we were seated while eating was a funny continuum of language. On one end, only Japanese was being spoken. In the middle, a little of both could be heard. At mine and Aaron’s end, English pretty much ruled, since our Japanese is pretty stinky.

Anyway, I want to invite more people over, so our next dinner party will (hopefully) feature some Mexican food!

This picture of Holt was taken after spending a day shopping in Nayoro. Thanks to no nap, he promptly came into the house and fell asleep on the floor. In the photo, he is laying in front of the heater on one of our floor cushions. It is especially cozy there, because the rug has a heating pad under it, making lying on the floor an attractive pastime.

I hope everyone has (or had, depending on when you read this) a lovely Thanksgiving. Check back soon - I'm planning a post dedicated to laundry. Pretty exciting stuff, eh?

My New Schedule

As a visiting teacher from Juneau, part of my role here is to teach and interact with the community at large. For four weeks now, I have been having an advanced English conversation class on Tuesday evenings. Mostly we just sit and chat. There are only about three or four women and one man who attend, so it’s pretty casual. I was originally scheduled to have a beginner class on Monday evenings. The start date kept changing. I lost count after the third change. Then, at the pre-school mother party that I attended a few weeks ago, some of the moms voiced a desire to go to my beginner class. Unfortunately, though, there was no way for them to attend an evening class. So, we talked and they had a meeting with the “powers that be”. This conversation resulted in a final and lasting change: my class moved to Thursday morning. As Thursday is my planning day only, I was perfectly happy with this.

Here’s the twist. The elementary teachers decided they really wanted to come to my beginner class! Now that it had moved to a morning, though, they couldn’t come. So, we talked some more, and I finally instigated a meeting with Mr. Kamaya. I proposed that I teach my regular Advanced English class at the same time (7 to 8:30, Tuesdays), and add a beginner class to be held from 6 until 7 on the same evening. No big deal for me. I will use the same lesson I use for my Thursday class. Well, after reassuring Mr. Kamaya and others that it was not too much work, I would be fine, and Aaron was supportive of this, they agreed to it. Hooray! I am excited to work with so many teachers who are interested in coming to a class. Tonight was our first night and there were nine people! (That’s big, for us). To top things off, Mr. Kamaya responded to my request very logically, I thought. He gave me Tuesday afternoons off. So now, my Tuesday schedule is to work from 8:30 until 12:30 (I have planning time, two classes at Kamiokoppe, and then eat lunch with the kids), go home until 6:00, and then teach from 6:00 until 8:30. What a deal! I was so surprised that he told me to just go home after Kamiokoppe on Tuesdays. I love this place!

Mini-volleyball and Banana Bread

“Tomorrow, the air will be dry, so please gargle and wash your hands when you return home so you will not catch cold.” Thus ended the weather report for the bilingually transmitted seven o’clock news. It is funny to us that every night the weather forecaster gives this type of “mothering” advice to viewers. Aaron almost always responds with, “Yes, Mom. Thank you.” What a world apart Japan is.

This is a photo of Holt chatting with Grandma. He hates to share the phone, now!


Friday was the first of two nights during which the village mini-volleyball tournament was held. I have included links to a few somewhat blurry pictures to try and capture the general idea of these games. Basically, we play with badminton nets and a ball which is somewhat larger than a regular volleyball. It is also inflated like a beach ball. This has the effect of creating a somewhat mysterious trajectory on the part of the ball. I can’t tell you how many times I thought a serve was going to land away from me, only to watch in awe as the ball magically turned in mid-air and landed at my feet.

The teams were arranged among four courts. Each team played five games. My team, comprised of four other middle school teachers, won only two. Fortunately, we at least beat the seventh graders! Mini-volleyball is actually extremely fun. Due to the size of the court, net, and type of ball, it really levels the playing field and allows old and young alike to play one another. The only time problems arise is when you play a team who has been practicing spikes. One might be tempted to think that spiking a large beach ball-like object is impossible, but that would be a mistake. Some people we played could really smack that ball down, much to our stunned amazement! It didn’t matter, though. We had a lot of fun.

Aaron’s team won two games as well. One of the teams they beat, though, was made up of pre-school mothers. I don’t think any of them topped five feet. Aaron dominated the net, looming above everyone near him. This is a photo of “his boys,” as he fondly referred to them. The third one from the camera, a man wearing glasses with big eyebrows, is the mayor. (Aaron's team). Aaron did not have the advantage of having an English speaker on his team. Kurata was on my team. Also, I had practiced earlier in the week with the teachers, so I had a good idea of what the rules were, etc. Having played regular volleyball before, Aaron was not completely in the dark. The line judge wanted to make sure Aaron understood the rules and pulled Issei (the student I went to Kitame with) and made him try to explain the rules. After tying desperately to pull another student over so he could pawn this request off on someone else, Issei finally gave it his best shot. I wish I had heard him. Aaron said he did okay, speaking mostly in short phrases. The important thing is that he tried. After the games were over, I chatted with the third grade middle school boys (the equivalent of high school freshman). I have a contest going on at school where I reward them for speaking English to me outside of class. One thing I have been working on is to get them to break out of the “Hello, how are you?” thing that they all have memorized. I have tried to teach them, “How’s it going?” and “What’s up?” So now, when they see me, the all burst out in a chorus of, “how’s it going?” It was funny. I love being able to visit with the students outside of the classroom. The teaching position in Nishiokoppe is really fantastic because you really have a chance to get to know your students and bond with them.

So, what were Ridge and Holt doing during this time, you might ask? They were playing in the “Lord of the Flies Room,” as Aaron nicknamed it. This small playroom (attached to the gym) was abound with other children playing, beating on one another, chasing each other with plastic ninja swords, and so on. A few parents hung around to watch them, but mostly they were on their own. As usual, the group initially included some third grade elementary girls, who played nanny for a while with the younger children. Eventually, though, I think they tire of the craziness and wander off to do “girl-things.” Despite it being a little crazy, Ridge and Holt played quite happily for the duration of the game. I think Aaron only had to pry another little boy off of Ridge’s neck once. Other than that and a dash to the restroom, they were on their own.

Warming up. The man just to the right in this picture is the Jr. High P.E. teacher
"Lord of the Flies" room
Playing.jpg
One of the score boards. I don't really understand all thier math

Saturday was day two of the tourney, but both our teams did poorly enough that we didn’t need to return. Instead, I began to clean house in preparation for my first opportunity to play hostess.

I know that the previous teacher from Juneau had a very popular wife. I have heard many, many stories of what she cooked and how she often invited the pre-school moms over and made tacos with them. So, I wanted to follow in her footsteps. With a little translating help from Kurata (which included a desperate call from me to ask him to meet me at Seicomart so he could help me explain something to one of the moms – she works there), I invited four other mothers to come over and we would make banana bread. Well, actually, I made the bread and they watched. Since I have a very small oven, it didn’t make sense to have each mother cook their own loaf.

About ten o’clock, they began arriving, some with children. In all, we had seven children, including Ridge and Holt. That made things exciting. We opened up the doors between the playroom and the room we sleep in so the kids had more space. One of the many positive attributes of sleeping on futons is that you can pick them up and put them away when you want more room. Once everyone arrived and the kids settled down to a dull roar, I went to work making the banana bread. I was so nervous that I accidentally melted my butter as I was attempting to warm it in the microwave. Oops! Fortunately I had more. Things moved along smoothly after that. I put the first loaf in the oven and we chatted while it baked. One of the mom’s is the doctor’s wife, and her English is good enough that she can help us all understand one another. I had already translated the recipe into Japanese (romaji only - Romaji is when Japanese words are spelled with English letters). This had been a project of my Tuesday night class. So, we talked a bit about the bread. I pulled out a few pieces of cookware and asked how to use them. They poked through my shelf of food, admiring my fifteen (I’m not kidding) packages of taco seasoning and other spices. I explained corn bread and chili, including how chili and taco meat are NOT the same thing. This led to a conversation wherein I explained how taco shells are made. Afterwards, I yanked down my colorful poster of garbage (the one I posted previously) and FINALLY got clarification on when to put out what kind of trash! Hooray!

When the bread finished, I cut it up and distributed pieces. Fujita-san (one of the moms) had brought some croquettes she made with Japanese sweet potato and other veggies. These were then deep fried in my wok (“Oh, that’s how you do it in that thing!"). We gathered the kids, opened up the bags of junk food someone had brought, and snacked on all the food. Holt complained that he wanted something else, so I pulled out what was left of our mini-hotdogs. Those were devoured almost instantly by all the children, so we then put out the mandarin oranges that Fujita-san had brought. By the time we were done putting out food, we had a little feast on my coffee table. Of course, all the women sat on the floor and the kids (all seven of them) tried to pile onto the couch. We ate and talked, and exchanged phrase books, which lead to much laughter. All in all, it was a very positive and fun several hours!

Venison

Check out this photo! Remember when I posted about all the gifts of food we were being given a month ago or so? Well, I think today, this gift topped all the others. Yes, Dear Reader, that is indeed a leg of venison that Aaron his holding. A rather large leg of venison - a front quarter, to be specific.

Today I had my first adult English class for beginners. One of the men who attended happens to work for the Wildlife service in this area. In addition to wildlife mangement and biology, his job includes acting as a hunting guide for village visitors who wish to deer hunt. He has heard about Aaron and expressed an interest in meeting him. As we talked, I mentioned that Aaron and I enjoy venison very much. Next thing I know, he is offering to give us some. I thought perhaps he might give us a pound or two, but I was mistaken. Our doorbell sang it's little song around 7:30 this evening and there he was, deer quarter in hand. I said that it was too much and he laughed at me, saying that it's fine because he has plenty. So, we now have a freezer full of some very tasty Japanese venison. Who could have imagined such a thing?! I'm planning a lasagna dinner next weekend (I discovered an online specialty food store - there are no lasagna noodles to be found anywhere around here), and he will have to be invited. I think he and Aaron will find much to talk about.

Here are two more photos - before and after- of the venison. Yes, that is indeed a box of bandaids you see. After doing a wonderful job sharpening our many knives, Aaron succeeded in cutting himself (only a minor cut).
http://felker.imstx.com/deer2.jpg
http://felker.imstx.com/deer3.jpg

This is just a goofy picture of Holt wearning an old DVD case as a hat. He has an interesting fashion sense, don't you think?

Here is a picture of the two of them together, taken at Ridge's insistence. http://felker.imstx.com/boys.jpg


One last word...
As I type this entry, I can hear Aaron laughing in the other room, and loudly saying, "I understand!!" Apparently the TV show he is watching involves someone who is speaking Spanish, so he can understand half of the conversation. He's so excited!

Summary of Last Week

Life keeps moving along here in Nishiokoppe. I’m grateful that Halloween is over. After two parties, pumpkin carving with the middle schoolers after school, and my adult education class, I’m about Halloweened out. Ridge is slowly adjusting to his pre-school. We are now on day four, and he seems to like it. Being in a school where very little English is spoken is difficult for him, however, and he has been asking to come home after lunch. He is not interested in the slightest in taking a nap at school. So, he stays for lunch and then Aaron comes to collect him. On a positive note, Aaron and Holt have been able to simply walk in and drop Ridge off each say. Last year, in Juneau, it took many weeks for me to be able to just drop him off, so this is really wonderful! Holt will have to wait until the new school year starts in April. He just wasn’t ready to say, “Bye-bye” to diapers, so we have quit worrying about it and will wait until spring. I think it’s nice for him to have some time during the day where he can do what he pleases and have Aaron to himself.

It has been a new experience to pack a lunch for Ridge. Somehow, having to prepare his lunch makes it seem as though he is growing up too fast. We have a little fabric bag that holds the small plastic containers I put his lunch in. I’ll have to take a picture some time. Of course, if Aaron packs lunch, it’s a WHOLE other story. I am always wondering what the teachers think about Ridge’s lunch as is, but Aaron really took the cake, so to speak, today. Ladies, I think you will groan aloud with me when I tell you that Aaron sent my son to school today (in Japan, a country obsessed with their food) with nothing but three left over, cold pancakes and a mandarin orange! They was sure to set tongues a’ wagging this morning.

Our week last week was topped off by some interesting events. First, Aaron chatted (sort of) with some of the teachers at the middle school and ended up doing three massages last week. I think it pained the ladies some when they tried to give Aaron a money gift (it was explained to me that they were not paying him, since that is illegal) and he refused. I countered Kurata’s explanation with one word: deportation. Aaron has no work permit, and massage is regulated here. It is very Japanese, however, to give gifts, so we are trying to steer people in the fruit and cheese area. Anyway, the massages were a bit of a challenge. Aaron does not really do relaxation massage. His goal is to work on trouble spots – trigger points- and communication is very important. Being the awesome guy he is, though, he seems to have worked out something of a system, and he just finished doing his fourth (a repeat visitor) about half an hour ago.

Friday night found us at Mr. Kamaya’s house (sorry for the blurry photos). He’s a really wonderful man to work with, and his family was equally lovely. His wife prepared a wonderful meal consisting of sushi and other traditional items. For the children, there were a variety of breads and some sausages. Mr. Kamaya plied Aaron with sake and picked squid. I was grateful to be the designated driver. After dinner, we visited as much as our Japanese/English allowed, and watched the boys play with Mrs. Kamaya. They gave the boys a gift of this wooden toy (pull the strings up and down to make it climb up the strings), among other little treats. The evening was topped off with some traditional Japanese green tea. First, powdered green tea was placed into bowls, and then covered with boiling water. We then whisked the tea into a froth (well, okay, I couldn’t get mine to froth. Hey, there’s a reason they teach Japanese people how to do this in school, you know), with a bamboo whisk. We then each chose a beautiful dessert made from adzuki bean paste. After eating the dessert, we picked up our bowls, turned them a quarter turn, three times, and then drank. It was a very pleasant evening and we all had a good time. The boys love Mr. Kamaya. I wonder how much of that is due to the fact that they remember him as the man who picked us up from the airport. Today, with a very little bit of encouragement, Ridge made and “wrote” a thank you note for the gift. We delivered it after I finished working today. As Ridge and I walked in holding hands (he was nervous), Holt trailing after, I explained to Mr. Kamaya that this was an American custom – the Thank You Note. He seemed genuinely pleased and touched at the card that Ridge made.
A lovely little dessert, with a bite taken out. The dark brown is more bean paste, sweetened, of course.

Wooden bird toy

A flaky cookie, filled with bean paste, made to look like a vase. This treat is called 'moneeka'.

Wooden frog clacker toy


This weekend has us playing mini-volleyball. I have been asked to join the Middle School team. Aaron was invited as well, but the Board of Education had already nabbed him. Mini-volleyball is played on half a tennis court using a beach ball made to look like volleyball. Four people from each team play on the court at a time. Tomorrow, I have to go to the middle school after work for practice. I can’t wait to see what the tournament is like.

Here are a couple of pictures taken in the department store we tried out in Monbetsu on Saturday. There was a large area full of flashing, blinking, and crazy games. Of course, my children were draw towards these like moths to a flame. As we were leaving, we treated ourselves to some fancy ice cream.
A treat for Aaron and me
Ridge's treat
Japanese arcade
Another shot of the Japanese 'arcade'

Oh, and Rusy, thanks for the comments! They do my ego a world of good!! I'm glad you are enjoying the blog.

Halloween, day 2

Today was day 2 of Halloween In Japan, as I have begun to call it. After school, I went back to the middle school and carved pumpkins with any of the students who wanted to hang around. As you can see, several did, and they created a few very nice jack-o-lanterns. I'm not really sure what Issei was thinking when he made his, but he had fun nonetheless. This photo is most of the third graders. From left to right you can see: Naoki (the only 12yr. old), Nori, Issei (with a tootsie roll pop in his cheek), Takuya, Shunske, and Kenta. Can you guess which two are brothers? Now that I know them, it's clear to me, but I wonder if anyone in the U.S. can pick them out. Also, here is a shot of Holt watching as they lit the candles. Mr. Kurata Lighting Pumpkins

These shots were taken at Kamiokoppe's Halloween Party, another great success. I love the shot of the kiddo serving lunch with a mask over his Halloween paint. Aaron graciously joined us and painted faces again. Holt tried on "samuri hair". Some of the other teachers got into the mood and broke out costumes left over from school plays.
The Beginning
The fourth and fifth graders
Aaron and Tomoyasu
Beleive it or not, this Cheetah is Takuya and Naoki's brother
Samuri Hair Holt
Samuri Hair with teeth
Bobbing for apples and dressing up
Serving lunch

This is the line up of Nishiokoppe's jack-o-lanterns. I'm not sure why they have them all clumped up like this, but it makes a lovely sight. Lovely pumpkin gathering


Today was Ridge's first day of pre-school (they call it nursery school). He was doing so well that Aaron and Holt took off and went home at about 9:30, which is why Aaron was able to join me in Kamiokoppe! I am so happy! Ridge played and ate his lunch with everyone. However, as I suspected, nap time was a bit of a challenge, and we brought him home. He says tomorrow he will stay for nap, because then he can play with his friends some more. He wasn't in trouble, but when you can't communicate 100%, it's hard to deal with a little boy who doesn't want to lay down and take a nap. We'll keep trying. Aaron pointed out that nap at school is much shorter than nap at home. Regardless, I'm just so excited that Ridge was comfortable enough for Aaron to leave at all!

Here is Holt and Ridge posing on the way to Ridge's first day of nursery school. They are showing off our jack-o-lanterns.
Ridge and Holt with jack-o-lanterns