Lunch Last Week

Just to share another aspect of my life with you, and give you some completely useless information, I thought I would share some of the lunch menu from last week.

Tuesday: Rice, Miso soup, broiled mackerel, chicken/green bean/noodle stir fry

Wednesday: Rice, miso soup, grilled salmon, pork/lotus root stir fry

Friday: (always a noodle day) Spaghetti, green tea flavored steamed bread, a small piece of generic white cheese.

Food notes:
Most food items are served in their own dish.
Miso soup is a very traditional soup made with dashi (fish & seaweed stock) and miso (fermented soybeans made into a paste)
The broiled mackerel was served, as usual, with a sauce made from miso
The spaghetti here is practically meatless and very, very light on the sauce. Very light.

It’s really rather good food, actually. I appreciate the fact that school lunch introduces me to lots of different types of what might be considered “home cooking”. I just get tired of fish, sometimes. Especially when it has eggs in it or still has a tail.

For more information on that wonderful (?) concoction known as MISO, check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miso

…and if you are just dying to know more about DASHI….
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashi

OH, and yes, the kids eat everything on their plates!

Visitors from Texas

I should begin this blog by offering my apologies. Aaron’s mother and her husband came to town last week and I have thus neglected my “blogging” duties. I have a lot of catching up to do!

Last Wednesday, Aaron and I plunked two sleepy boys into our car at around 6:00 a.m. to begin our first trip to Sapporo since arriving in Japan eight months ago. As a reminder, Sapporo is the largest city on the island of Hokkaido and lies about five hours to the south of Nishiokoppe. Check the map link on the side menu for more information. We opted not to take the toll road, or “Highway”, as the locals refer to it. Our reasons seemed sound at the time. We were not in a hurry and driving through small towns is always more interesting, right? Also, the highway is not cheap, and we decided to save a little cash and take the scenic route. This was a fine idea until we left Asahikawa (the city two hours south of us). After that, we often thought to ourselves, as we stared at the back of many a large truck, “Why aren’t we on the highway?” Regardless, the trip went off with a hitch. We made it to Sapporo trouble-free and eventually found our way to the hotel. We had only been in Sapporo about half an hour, though, before I found myself appreciating the smallness of Nishiokoppe.

After locating the hotel, Aaron cleverly asked someone at the front desk to tell us the easiest way to the airport. The airport is actually in another city, but easily accessed by the highway. We were able to quickly find the entrance to the toll road and made it to Chitose Airport in only 20 minutes, after spending a stunning $20. Parking was surprisingly easy, as was finding the international gate. Though we had been to this airport before, when we arrived in Japan, I was so overwhelmed at the time that I had little to no recollection of anything. I had forgotten that it was so small. This worked in our favor, of course, and we made it to the gate about five minutes before the passengers made their way out. Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The boys didn’t even have a chance to become bored waiting when lo and behold, their Anah and G-paw came walking through the doors! Up until this point, Ridge and Holt had been talking non-stop about being so excited to see Anah and G-paw. As soon as they saw Cyndi and Mike, though, they became immediately shy and Ridge hid behind Aaron for a minute. The shyness didn’t last long, and within five minutes or so, both kids were talking a mile and minute and competing for attention.

Our happy little troupe easily got Cyndi’s traveler’s checks changed, found the rental car counter, and split up to return to the hotel. Once at the hotel, everyone had a chance to rest, visit, and refresh themselves for dinner. I’m so fortunate to have my friend Fusae, who not only recommended the hotel, but also made the reservations for us. For dinner, we went to a restaurant that someone at the Yakuba had recommended. It served what is known as Genghis Kahn, so named, apparently, for the shape of the cooking dish that is used. We settled in and ordered several plates of raw meat and veggies. Thankfully, for once, I did not have to turn up my nose at the raw meat as I usually do at parties. The point of Genghis Kahn is to cook your food on the very, very hot cast iron, dome-shaped plate that is inset into the table. Each table is “wired” with gas to heat the cooking area. The servers brought the food and we cooked away to our hearts content. I was in heaven, eating so much meat, and not a bite of fish or rice. It was wonderful!

Cyndi and the boys walking through the streets of Sapporo.

The next day, we did a little shopping and then finally headed back to Nishiokoppe. This time there was no debate; we took the highway and happily paid the $35 or so that it cost to get to Asahikawa. Once in Asahikawa (I drove one car, and Aaron drove Mike and Cyndi’s car) we absolutely had to stop and get some Starbucks coffee. We then made our way to Nayoro and ate burgers for dinner. By the time we finally reached home, it was nearly 8:00 at night. I think it was better, though, for the boys, to break up such a long drive that way.

Cyndi and Holt playing at the mall in Asahikawa.

Friday was a mellow day. We made the boys go to school, despite their protests. I had the day off from work and everyone agreed that we all needed to rest. This, of course, is much easier to do when the kids are not at home. So, we relaxed; this was the first day in over eight months during which Aaron and I could be together without children around.

Saturday was busy, so it was good that we had rested. At 11:00 in the morning, we all went to the building next door to the Yakuba for a children’s party. Our neighborhood children’s association organized this. The kids played games for an hour, and then we ate a wonderful, kid friendly meal (no fish!) Mike promptly fell in love with what the locals call Curry Rice. It’s not curry in the sense of Indian curry – it’s more of a gravy than a curry. It’s quite yummy, though, and not at all fishy. Later that evening, we went to Mr. Kamaya’s house for a lovely dinner. I think he and his family were very excited to be able to show Aaron’s mom and Mike a traditional Japanese home. We ate on the floor and ended the evening with macha, a traditional green tea drink.

Playing Japanese "Dodgeball" (a much friendlier version, by the way)
Ridge is dancing around while watching the ball.
Holt watches happily from the sidelines.
Ridge listens during the pre-lunch meeting (in Japanese, of course)
Everyone diggin' in to the kid-food fest.
The table at Mr. Kamaya's house
A group photo with the Kamayas

Sunday was a very exciting day. In fact, it was so exciting, that I will have to delay my explanation as to why it was exciting until I finish my Update of the Week.

On Monday, Ridge and Holt went to school again and all the adults went to the middle school for a small event that Mr. Kurata had planned. It was really quite wonderful, actually. All the students gathered in the gym. We did greetings and introductions. Then, Mr. Kurata had wanted to have a little demonstration of Japanese culture. One of the teachers played a traditional instrument. Next, one of the new teachers did a Kuudo demonstration. This is Japanese archery and it is considered to be a very, very serious art form. None of the students had ever seen it demonstrated before, so everyone was very excited. The final activity was for the students to teach Mike and Cyndi how to fold paper cranes. This was quite funny, actually, because only about half of the kids could fold a crane well. I was really proud of the second graders, though (i.e. 8th grade). Some of the girls sucked up their courage and sat down with the Texas visitors to teach them what to do. They were so nervous! I could see how relieved (and proud) Akane and Minato were when they had successfully interacted with the English Speakers. Japanese people are often really quite shy and reserved, especially when it comes to trying to use their English. It was a lovely morning.

The Middle School
The Third Graders (9th grade) singing "Deep in the Heart of Texas". I taught it to them last school year.
My friend Aya Takemoto playing the traditional Koto.
One of our new teachers doing a traditonal archery demonstration, called Kuudo.
Students making paper cranes with Mike and Cyndi.
Akane, Nami, and Miku stringing up the cranes.
Mr. Kurata with the finished product. It's lovely!
Group Photo

...and here are a bunch more shots for you to enjoy!

Aaron walking home with the boys, after school.
Holt with yet another non-hat item on his head.
Ridge feeding a deer at the local deer park
Playing at the Komu
Going down the slide
Checkin' out the lawn mowers at Homac
Mike and Cyndi got creative with breakfast after one too many Japanese breakfasts at the hotel
Mike and Cyndi left us on Tuesday for a very exciting solo trip back to Sapporo. They were planning to drive on the highway most of the way, return the car, and then spend the night in a hotel next to the airport. Considering the fact that Mike is capable of flying an airplane, I’m certain he will have no trouble whatsoever driving on the left and navigating his way to Sapporo. The boys already talk about missing them, though! It was great to have visitors!

The Deer Story

Now, you are probably asking yourselves, “What in the world does deer meat have to do with anything in this blog??” Well, it just so happens that we now have in our possession one very dead and edible deer. Not a leg. A whole deer. Complete with head, hooves, and everything in between.

Driving back from Monbestu on Sunday, Aaron and I watched in horror as the car directly in front of us smashed into a deer that had been on the side of the road. Everyone came to a screeching halt (Mike and Cyndi were behind us) and Aaron dashed out of the car. The Japanese people who hit the poor animal seemed fine, and cautiously approached Aaron and the deer. Unfortunately, the poor thing was still alive, though it would absolutely not last long due to its very obvious injuries. Aaron promptly pulled out his ever-present pocketknife and slit it’s throat so it wouldn’t suffer any more. The Japanese people looked very confused and uncomfortable. Once the well-dressed man and his wife decided there was nothing for them to do, they straightened their driving gloves and went on their way. However, by this time, Aaron’s brain had gone into over drive and he decided, rightly so, that it would be a terrible waste to let the deer just rot. I’m sure you can see where this is headed, now. Anyway, he pulled it off to the side of the road and up onto the snow. After filling it’s now empty body cavity with snow, we quickly drove the remaining five minutes back to the village.

Remember Mr. Igota? He’s the wildlife biologist friend of ours who speaks pretty good English. He gave us a venison quarter back in the fall. I dropped Aaron off at his house on the main road and went home. After waiting about 20 minutes, I decided that we would probably be eating venison for a while since Aaron had not come back.

Apparently, Aaron had knocked on the door, explained to Mr. Igota what had happened, and then asked if it was “allowed” for him to harvest the meat. Mr. Igota just calmly nodded his head and said, “Good idea.” Aaron explained that he needed help collecting the animal. Could Mr. Igota help him? “Just a minute, “ was the response. Within minutes, Mr. Igota, his brother, his boss, and Aaron, piled into the truck to fetch the poor creature. Apparently Mr. Igota had been having a meeting at his house. You can imagine my shock and surprise when I looked out my front window to see three Japanese men and my husband pile out of the little truck and dump a rather large dead deer into my front yard. Mr. Igota just smiled at me and waved good-bye. After a lot of debate and conversation, I managed to convince Aaron to finish gutting it and just hang it from a beam in the garage.

First he had to go to Seicomart to get rope. Our friend Chihiro was working, so he got to explain to her why he needed rope. I don’t think she completely understood until later in the evening when I went to get drinks. Then her eyes opened wide and understanding set in. I just had to laugh and shake my head. After getting rope, Aaron and Mike tried to find something to spread the hind legs with so they could hang it. Aaron’s first attempt was a ski pole, believe it or not. I’m sure the family that left the ski equipment behind never dreamed it would be put to such a use. Only problem was that it wouldn’t hold the considerable weight of the deer. So, I found a cleaning brush that they used, complete with bristles still attached. As we had no daylight left, the guys left the deer hanging in the garage and closed the door.

The next morning, Monday, Aaron spent the afternoon butchering the deer. Apparently he had company for part of the time. Mr. Igota and a friend came by for a while. At first, Mr. Igota seemed to feel that they needed to hide the deer from view, as it might upset folks. That wasn’t really an option, so Aaron just promised to work fast. After a little while, the Otasaka’s came by to watch. Ryuya’s father and grandfather came over and watched, later joined by Grandma Otasaka. They seemed fascinated. Ryuya’s mother stopped by after picking Ryuya up from school and I could tell from her body language that she wanted to see the deer. So, Aaron happily pulled up the garage door so she could see what remained of the carcass and the tub full of quartered venison and snow. Thank goodness for all the snow still on the ground! She seemed to think it was the coolest thing imaginable and said she had never eaten venison before. So, of course, with all this meat on our hands, we promptly offered her a whole leg. Our offer elicited a huge squeal of delight and a low bow of gratitude. I knew they would not be a family to turn their noses up at what is usually expensive meat, even if a car instead of a gun killed it. On Tuesday, Aaron cleaned up one of the hind quarters wrapped it in a clean trash bag, and then we both went next door to give it to the Otasakas. They seemed both pleased and puzzled at the same time. I think they were a little unsure as to how to cook it, so Aaron gave them a few pointers.

However, the story doesn’t end here. Yesterday (Wednesday), the Queen of Repaying Favors struck. While retuning from a trip to Seicomart, Aaron was delayed by the Otasakas. They spoke in Japanese he couldn’t understand, though they seemed to be thanking him. Then, Grandpa Otasaka handed Aaron a very large, salted and frozen salmon. The whole thing. I should have known something like this would happen! You just can’t beat Grandma Otasaka in the world of Favors. So, now our freezer is almost completely full of salmon and venison. We still have two forelegs to deal with, too. I think I might have to have a venison party! Chili, anyone?

For anyone who is really curious, here are the photos. Consider yourself warned, though, some of them are messy.

Aaron with the deer in the front. He had to finish the gutting that the car started.

Always curious, Ridge watches while his daddy works.

Hoisting the critter up in the garage. Notice the brush still attached on one end of the "spreader bar" we improvised

Finally, we successfully hung it up.

The next day, it was neatly packed in snow

...and that evening, dinner - a Japanese dish called Donburi.

And here is the fish...

Party Season

Now that “Party Season” is over (or nearly over), I thought I would post this to give everyone a little window into one aspect of living here in Nishiokoppe. In the past, I’ve talked a bit about various parties and what they are like. Since I was so stunned by “Party Season”, I decided to explain a bit more in detail.

In Japan, it is customary for people to be moved from job to job. I don’t know if it’s the same in the business world, but for teachers and some government jobs, it is the usual course of business. For example, after seven years in the Retirement and Benefits Division of the Nishiokoppe Village offices, my friend Fusae was moved to the Cashier’s section. The result is that in April, many things change. Often there are many new people that need to be welcomed and others that need a “farewell party”. Therein lies the heart of “Party Season”. Because of my position in the village, I am invited to more than usual. Here are the ones I was invited to, and their cost (just to give perspective)

March 13: lunch party for graduating middle school students, their parents, and teachers; 1300 yen.
March 13: Dinner party for the above, minus the kids; 3500 yen (I didn’t go to this one)
March 24: Middle school “farewell” party; 7000 yen
March 27: Pre-school parent (i.e. mother) “farewell” and graduation party: 4000 yen (I tried to skip this, but couldn’t – it was Ridge’ s teacher who was retiring.
March 30: PTA party for middle school and elementary school teachers and PTA members (“good-bye” party); 3500 yen for first party, 2000 yen for second party
April 3: Yakuba “welcome” and “farewell” party; 2000 yen
April 4: Middle School teacher “welcome” party: 4000 yen
April 12: Board of Education “welcome” party for new teachers: free (thank goodness!)
April 14: PTA party for middle and elementary school teachers, and parents (“welcome” party): 3500 yen for first party, 2000 yen for second party
There’s also bound to be a “welcome” party for the pre-school parents, but it hasn’t been scheduled yet. I’m trying very hard to convice Aaron to go to that one!

Yen spent: 29,300 yen
Dollar equivalent: I don’t want to think about it.

The parties usually go one of three ways:
Big parties are in the larger meeting room at the hotel. People make speeches, say hello or goodbye, every one toasts, and then we eat. The women usually cluster together as much as possible and drink as little as possible. The men get drunk and smoke a lot. After either one and a half hours or two hours, depending, someone stands and announces the party if finished. We stand, clap once in a very ceremonial manner, and then adjourn to Second Party.

Smaller parties at the hotel are in the Japanese Room (“washitsu”) and we sit on cushions on tatami floors. Speeches are made, a toast is made (or two or three), and then everyone eats. Because we are all on the floor, people tend to move around a bit after the first half hour or so. Some Junior High School Parties are held in the washitsu located on the second floor of the school. It took a little time for me to become accustomed to the idea of people drinking and smoking on school grounds, but it saves money on renting space and paying for hotel food (though, usually, large patters of food are ordered from the hotel on these occasions).

The pre-school mother parties are similar to the Jr. High School parties, somewhat. The first one was in one of the cabins available in the center of town, usually used by tourists or campers. The second one was in the hotel’s washitsu; they even drug a portable karaoke machine into the room for us, since the bar was already booked.

In all three types of parties, it’s common for people to speak, make a toast, and then everyone eats and drinks. Often there is a game, as well. Sometimes it’s as simple as bingo, other times the games are more elaborate. In this one, the point was to NOT do what the sign on your head says. (Click here for picture) The others tried to trick people into doing what they are not supposed to do. I played a round where some of the words were English, and successfully got someone else to say, “No”. Frequently, prizes are awarded. If that is the case, it is usually done in such a way as to insure that everyone present leaves with something. Mostly its things like ramen or other goofy things from the 100-yen store.

Also, there will inevitably come a time when someone (always a sober person) will stand and announce that “time’s up”. At first it seemed strange to me, but now I can appreciate it as an easy way to leave a party and go home. As I mentioned before, most parties at the hotel then adjourn to “second party”.

What in the world is “second party,” you ask? Well, it’s definitely a Japanese phenomenon. After the main dinner, many people declare themselves finished and leave. Those who wish to continue the fun, adjourn to the bar for drinking and singing. Here’s how it works.

First, and this is important, if you are smart you’ll hang around the main dining room a little extra long to see if you can snag any leftovers. The servers always include plastic boxes and bags for just such thing and there is no shame in scavenging the room to pick out choice bits of uneaten food. Afterwards, you mosey on over to the hotel bar. The bar is small and usually arranged with long tables and couches. Unless the price of second party was included in the initial cost of the party, you then fork over anywhere between 1200 yen and 2000. This entitles you to drink as much as you want for the duration of the party. Parties can last 2 to 4 hours depending on the occasion. The main alcoholic beverages are: draft beer (one kind), shochu (a Japanese liquor), occasionally sake, and an occasional “Purple Fizz” (I don’t know what it is, only that it tastes like grape soda). I think that the bar also stocks one kind of gin, whiskey, and scotch, but I’m not sure. Most people stick to beer or shochu. The shochu is mixed with ice water, and some people like a little lemon juice. The “bartender” (she mainly cleans up after people) will refill your beer if you bring it to the bar. The Japanese have a great custom of keeping their neighbors glass filled; though it also means you have to really watch how much you are drinking. People don’t pour out for themselves, mostly just everyone else.

So, everyone announces if they are having shochu or beer (or tea – green and oolong are available) and drinks are made. The shochu is left on the table along with ice and water, so the “bartender” mainly just deals with beer. I should mention that even if you are only drinking tea because you happen to be one of the drivers, you still pay the price for the party. Snack trays are set out. They usually consist of edamame, various bits of dried seafood (I’ve developed a taste for dried scallop gills – go figure), a chocolate candy of some kind, and chips of some kind. I have never seen peanuts. Anyway, folks settle in, someone makes a toast, and everyone chats for a while. You can be sure, though, that within twenty minutes someone will begin passing out the machine for making your song selections. The singing usually continues until someone closes the party. Yes, I’ve sung – I’d have to be a party pooper to say no. I’m careful, though, and usually pick songs that are a little popular in Japan. So far, the songs I most commonly pick are YMCA and Hotel California (an Eagles song). I’ve recently branched out into Yellow Submarine (they loved it, for some crazy reason), and Livin’ La Vida Loca, by Ricky Martin. Occasionally I get suckered into ABBA or the Carpenters, but I try to avoid them.

So, singing, drinking, and being silly are what it’s all about. If you get up for some reason, plan on losing your seat. It’s all part of the game. People move over and when you return, your drink is somewhere else. It’s quite good, actually. This way, different people mingle and talk with each other instead of forming cliques. There’s really a distinct lack of cliques within the different groups. It’s all good fun and I haven’t seen anybody get really stupid, yet. It seems to be true, though, about the Japanese low tolerance for alcohol. One teacher friend of mine inevitably ends up in the lobby, sleeping on a chair until the party is over. When the time is up, everyone either walks home or gets a ride with their appointed driver. The DWI laws here are truly brutal, so everyone is super careful about not touching a drop if they are driving. On rare occasions, there is a third party. I think this is not always the case, though, and two of the three times I have been aware of the third party, it was at someone’s home.

So, that’s what the parties are like. Not at all like what you would find in America, but enjoyable all the same. I can see how these welcome parties really help the new people to bond with the already established teachers. It’s just too bad (for me, especially) that they are so expensive!

On a final note, here are some shots from the junior high school teacher welcome party. People get really silly when a camera pops up!

Me and the new music/art teacher. She was cold. Notice it's required to make the "peace" sign when being photographed

Mr. Issei, singing as usual

Mr. Terada (a very funny science teacher) and the new Japanese teacher, whose name I haven't learned yet. I think she teaches Kanji.

Me and the music/art teacher again, with the Social Studies teacher, Mr. Yamada, next to me. He never drinks.

Mr. Terada, the new vice-principal (Mr. Watanabe) and the P.E. teacher (Mr. Miura)

Ms. Kimura, the home ec. teacher. Next to her is Mr. Kanou, the building caretaker


Ms. Kimura making a song selection

Ridge and Holt Go to School!

Friday (April 7th) was the first day that Ridge and Holt both went to school! I don’t know who was more excited: the boys or Aaron. I popped in to see him briefly on Friday and he admitted to actually feeling a little lonely. Remember, he’s been a stay at home dad since Ridge was born over five years ago. Aside from a few months during the summer, Aaron’s been the primary caregiver for a long time. I think he feels a little stunned, now, at having the boys both at school.

Ridge and Holt seem to be handling things fine, though. When Aaron took Holt to school last week, alone, Holt was very unhappy at being left by himself. All along we had been telling Holt that he would be going to school with Ridge. Then Ridge ended up with the Chicken Pox and couldn’t go. It was hard for both Aaron and Holt. It tears your heart out to hear your littlest one screaming for you as you leave. We were reassured each day that he calmed down and played just fine. Still, it was a relief to send them both to school on Friday. The teacher told me that during nap, Ridge and Holt were placed side by side. This was not without problems, though. Apparently, Holt kept insisting that Ridge hold him. Ridge tried, but sometimes Holt is not an easy kid to hold. At one point, Ridge called out in Japanese to his teacher to help him because Holt had fallen asleep on his arm and it was uncomfortable for Ridge’s little arm! Ridge didn’t have any complaints about it, though. I think it makes him feel good to know that he is a source of comfort to his little brother.

Ridge has also been working hard at doing what the other kids do. That means he stays with his class and plays games with them instead of sitting out on the side of the room. I keep telling him that now he is in the big kid class and the little ones look up to them to see what is the right kind of behavior. This seems to really hit home with him. He also reminded me, last night, that I need to chill out, still. We were watching the local T.V. channel, which was showing footage of the pre-school graduation ceremony. I was talking (again – shame on me) about Ridge doing the graduation next year. I should know better – he has a whole year ahead of him! Finally, Ridge said, “Mommy, can we please not talk about this. Because if we talk about it, it just makes me more scared, and that makes me say I’m not going to do that and that just makes you mad and frustrates you.” Well. My son knows me so well. What could I say, other than, “Oh. Okay. That’s true.”

Pre-School Opening Ceremony

As I mentioned earlier, Monday was the pre-school Opening Ceremony. It seems that here in Japan, there is a ceremony for nearly everything. Each ceremony is taken quite seriously. I was a bit embarrassed to find myself being the only mother not wearing a suit. Oh well. I decided not to worry too much about it. I’ve been here six months and this was the first “Ooops!” I found myself having in regards to attire. As a woman, I think it’s much easier to dress in such a way that I’ll always fit in.

So, the four Felkers traipsed off to the clinic around 9:00 in the morning Monday so Ridge could see the doc about his “mizuboso”, as Chicken Pox are called in Japanese. Literally, the word means “water bump”, which, I have to say makes much more sense than “chicken pox.” We decided to all go together because the pre-school is across the street from the clinic. We arrived about 9:15 and by 9:25, when I left, the doctor was writing a prescription for Ridge (an anti-viral, which is very commonly used in Japan as a response to this particular ailment). Holt and I popped across the street for the ceremony.

As we entered, I saw a scene similar to that of the closing ceremony, which took place only one week previously. All of the new students were dressed to the nines. One of the little boys even had a bow tie – very cute! Not being prepared for the formality (really, I should have known better!), Holt was sporting a lovely little fire truck sweatshirt that used to be Ridge’s. At least it was stain free. The newbies were asked to wait in the hallway and were all given a paper flower to wear. At first, Holt refused, but I bribed him with the promise of chocolate mushroom cookies, his favorite. When the music began, we filed into the main room and walked between the rows of paper flowers that had been laid out for us. We then took our seats, with mothers in the back. The mayor was there, along with several other Important People, including the police chief from the village. Of course, the ceremony began with the same piano chord – bowing ritual that all other important school ceremonies have begun with. Holt, bless his heart, did his best to bow in time.

After several people spoke, and children squirmed, they new kids were given a brand spankin’ new yellow hat and reflective zipper pull. Holt let the Important Man put the new hat on his (Holt’s) head and give him the zipper pull, then said “thank you”. More gifts were passed out (later we were given Ridge’s gifts to take home to him, including this cake: Cake Picture) As they called the names of the other pre-schoolers, I heard that several were absent due to “mizuboso”.

Holt seemed to do just fine, and even sat still for a group photo. I think that coming to school everyday to drop off Ridge, and listening to Ridge talk about having fun really made things easier for Holt. Today, when I dropped him off, he barely complained. At the time I am writing this, he is still at school and Aaron should be picking him up at any moment. I can’t wait to hear about his day! Poor Ridge is still at home with the pox, but is improving quickly and will hopefully be at school next week. I think once he gets over his nervousness about naptime, he will really enjoy being at school all day with the other kids. The amount of Japanese he has learned is really quite amazing! The other day, Ryuya came over, and he and Ridge were definitely able to communicate better than they did when we arrived in August!

One final item of interest from yesterday: after the ceremony, the teachers entertained the kids while the moms had a PTA meeting. Since I had taken the day off from work, I joined in. I confess it was mainly so Holt could stay and play with the other kids. Anyway, it was interesting. New “officers” and a president were chosen. In order to do this, eight people volunteered to fill the needed positions. Then, the eight met briefly and decided who would be president, and so on. Apparently, if you have a child under the age of two, or a job, you are highly discourage from being in this group of eight. Actually, if you have a child under the age of two, you aren’t allowed. Talk about taking some pressure off! There’s always the expectation that everyone will help out, pitch in, and be a part of everything; I’m sure it makes it much easier for some working mothers, or mothers of young children, to not feel self-conscious or pressured to overextend themselves. What a great idea!

Unfortunately, I didn’t take the camera with me for the ceremony, but I’m hoping to get some from the men who were there immortalizing the moment (one of whom is Mr. Usui). If I manage to get any, I’ll be sure to post them.

Picture of the Boys (pre-chicken pox)

Here's a couple of shots of the kids taken at, you guessed it, our second home: Komu. We pretty much go there every single Sunday.

Ridge is pretending to take a nap in this window. Holt is doing some "hero moves" (click here for Holt's picture) He's getting a little out of control with the hero thing, lately, though. Aaron and I are thinking we might have to take another AnpanMan hiatus, due to an overload of aggressive behavior. It's too bad, really. They love heros, but sometimes they just go crazy and focus too much on killing the bad guys. I've been trying to convince them to people like firefighters are heros, too. Oh well. I suppose I should at least be happy that Ridge no longer insists all the time that Holt be the bad guy so he can shoot him!

Speaking of Holt, today is his first day of school! We are so excited! Yesterday was the opening ceremony for pre-school. I'll have to write about it for y'all soon.

Snow and Pox

Just when we thought spring was on the way, Mother Nature laughed in our faces. Thursday and Friday brought non-stop, heavy, crazy-making snow to Hokkaido. Aaron and I spent a large portion of the past two days alternately shoveling and resting. Not much of a vacation for me, but at least I’m home with Aaron to help out. We worked for hours yesterday to clear the driveway and the front of the house. It’s really important to keep the snow off the windows. Between the two days of snow, I’m certain we received a minimum of four feet, probably more. It was very depressing to wake up yesterday and see that all the areas we had shoveled were now buried in another two feet of snow! We exhausted ourselves clearing the driveway and front of the house and were too depressed to even try doing the back. This morning, however, Aaron went around and attacked it. The sun was shining; I had taken Holt shopping with me, so Aaron was free to work while Ridge played in the house. This picture is of what the back of the house looked like before he got started. Smart man that he is, he walked down the street first and borrowed Nao’s (Mr. Usui) snowshoes. It made things much easier, he reported. Keep in mind a few things when you look at the picture. The building in the bottom right corner is our storage shed. It’s about seven feet tall, I think. It’s taller than Aaron, for sure. When Aaron took this shot, he was standing up on the snow. The window that you see farthest from Aaron is our kitchen window. From the outside, the bottom of the window is about level with my nose. As you can see, the culprit for all the snow here is the roof. Most of the snowfall that lands on our roof sheds here to the back of the house. I’ll be so glad when spring is really and truly here!

In addition to the snow, the Felkers have been graced with another exciting event: Chicken Pox! Ridge woke up this morning and said he wanted to show us something. He lifted his shirt and exposed several dozen red bumps that were reported as being itchy. When we considered that he had been coughing and had seemed a little sick for the past few days, we quickly concluded that he did officially have Chicken Pox. I’m glad to get it over with, but a little disappointed, too. Pre-school re-opens on Tuesday. Ridge and Holt will both be going, and the plan is for them to stay all day, giving Aaron a much needed break from childcare. Looks like Ridge’s first day of school will be a bit delayed. I fully expect Holt to miss the second or third week of school, too, as soon as he breaks out in red bumps. Ah, well, the excitement never ends!

Oh, and one more photo: this is the snow in the morning on the first day, from inside the entryway. Aaron had to climb out the back window and shovel his way to the front door.

First Day