Painted Boys

Here’s some miscellaneous photos of the kids. They decided to decorate themselves with the body pencils we gave them for Christmas. Notice Holt’s short hair. We shaved it off about 10 days ago. It’s been much easier to deal with now, but I look forward to when he can get a real hair cut from Laura.
http://felker.imstx.com/paintedboys1.jpg

Bug Ownership

Things have changed since I took that picture of Ridge’s new pet, the most notable being: It’s dead. Two days after we purchased the critter, as we got ready for our day, Ridge called me into his room. “Mommy, Mommy! I think it’s dead! I poked it and it didn’t move!”

I reluctantly stopped what I was doing and went into the other room, certain that Ridge was being dramatic. As I removed the lid of the box and observed the upside down bug, I quickly ascertained that it was quite obviously dead. No doubt about it. Saddened, Ridge turned his face towards the wall. Aaron and I discussed our annoyance at it having died after being so recently purchased and we wondered if we should keep the carcass so we could return it for a new one. Neither of us could figure out why it died.

Later that day, when I went to work, I began talking to others about the beetle. The ninth graders, who also keep beetles in their classroom, told me it might have not been native to Hokkaido. I used this as a unique English conversation opportunity and we talked about beetle care in general. After class, the science teacher (Mr. Terada) told met that they can be hard to take care of. “But it’s only a bug!” I declared, astounded. He just shook his head a me, and rolled his eyes (well, sort of. Japanese people don’t really roll their eyes) when I said I bought it at Homac (like a Wal-Mart). Kurata told me to just catch one. Apparently, we needed to get up at dawn (3:30 a.m.) and sit under a tree with something sweet. That evening, in my Advanced English class, Nao laughed at me when I said we bought one. “You live in Hokkaido, and you bought one?!” He said that they flock to Seicomart’s outside light at night and to look there.

The next day, Tuesday, I returned to the middle school to attend Kurata’s classes with him. During his eight-grade class, the kids became distracted by something on the window. Lo and behold, it was a large beetle! They let it into the room and put it into a jar for me after class. As I prepared to leave at the end of the morning, we asked the P.E. teacher and main beetle guru to see if my beetle was a girl (it didn’t have the big horns on it). He confirmed that it was and then took me down the hall to the third grade (ninth grade) room. He’s their homeroom teacher. The night before last, he had scooped up a Kuwagata mushi (stag beetle) and put it into one of the kids’ cages. Now it would be mine. So, I walked home that day with two beetles in a box. This one has long pincer-like things on the front of his face. He gets made easily and if you tap is back, he stands up on his back legs, posing. Eventually, he either calms down and goes back to all six legs, or he tips over backwards. It’s rather am using.

A couple of days ago, Ryuya’s father called Ridge over, and gave him three more beetles. This was just too many, and after watching them fight with each other (they are really quite aggressive bugs, and they push each other around, literally) during the evening, Aaron and I set one free. So, now we have 4 beetles in a little bitty box. If we end up releasing our snake, we’ll move them into the bigger cage.

Kuwagata Mushi (Stag Beetle)

Oh, yeah…the snake. Thursday, after picking the boys up from pre-school, Aaron found a snake and brought it home. It’s really quite a small thing. Still, most people around here seem to have a phobia about it. Tizuko and Chihiro wanted to see it, but Fusae just about jumped out of her skin! Nao has no interest in seeing it, either. We decided that if it won’t eat in two weeks, we’ll let it go. Until then, we are trying to get it interested in some nice earthworms from our garden. Mr. Igota, the local biologist, said it’s an Aodaisho, a Japanese Rat Snake. It’s quite mellow, really, and doesn’t seem to mind being handled at all. Our house is turning into a zoo!

Award Winning Carrots

Is there an award for the Ugliest Carrots in Asia? If so, I think these carrots should win. We sprouted some seeds back in February. By the time the carrot seedlings were too big to stay inside, we hadn’t prepped the garden, so I stuck a few into the strawberry bed. I think it was too crowed, don’t you? I threw away the one with the split, but the others will get eaten, despite their winning good looks.

Kabuto Mushi

Japan is home to some truly big bugs. These beetles are common summer pets here in Japan. Kids either find them in the woods or do what we did: buy them in the store. I finally caved in to Ridge and bought him one. Fortunately, we didn’t get the kind with the giant pincers. These are called “Kabuto Mushi”. The helmet of a samuri warrior is called a "kabuto" and this bug's head somewhat resemble's traditional samuri headgear. "Mushi” means “bug”. I’ll post a better picture with Ridge holding the critter later; my camera battery died as I was attempting to immortalize the moment.

The Great Wall and other pictures

Here are just a few miscellaneous photos. In the main one, Holt is chatting on the phone with his Anah (Aaron’s mother). Holt has been very talkative lately, and spent an hour on the phone yesterday, first with my mother and then with Aaron’s. His Japanese, like Ridge’s, is improving very quickly! (But he spoke English to Grandma and Anah)

A couple of weekends ago we went to a cool park in a two twenty minutes south of Nishiokoppe. The town is named Shimokawa and has spawned quite a surprising number of Olympic ski jumpers. The city is also home to the Great Wall Park. As you can see from the photos, there is a large (but yet small) replica of the Great Wall of China encircling the park grounds. It’s built to accommodate foot traffic and we had a lovely time walking the entire length. I’d say it was likely about half a mile or so. Also located in the park is this unusual tower with a city museum at its base.

View from a bridge
Boys running down the path
Unusual viewing tower
The boys on the wall


This is Holt showing off a paper purse his teacher made for him at pre-school.
Holt's paper purse and paper money

And here is the wooden rocking horse Aaron made at the Komu workshop a few weekends ago. They have projects each weekend and for a small fee you can join in and make the project-of-the-week.
Ridge and the rocking horse toy Aaron made

Bento for the Boys

In response to a few comments made over time, I decided to write a little blog about Ridge and Holt’s lunches. The word “bento” is used when talking about any kind of packed lunch. Though the village provides school lunches at minimal cost for elementary and middle school students, pre-school students must provide their own bento. When it was just Ridge going to school, I didn’t pay much attention to it for some reason. Usually, Aaron just slapped some rice and sausages into a storage container, accompanied by the occasion cup of yogurt. After attending the pre-school PTA meeting held at the beginning of the school year in March, I decided to become more involved in making lunches. I think it was hearing about other kids’ lunches and listening to the teachers discuss do’s and don’ts of bento making that made me change my mind. I started paying more attention to how the Japanese prepare bentos (mostly by observing others and noticing photographs). Now, I’ve become a little nutty about it. I don’t always get as elaborate as Aaron insists, but I admit to sometimes feeling inspired.

An essential concept to understand is how the Japanese look at food. They love it. I mean they really, really love it. They don’t show their love of food like Americans, i.e. by eating too much. Instead, they put a lot of thought into presentation, then they admire how beautiful it is, how delicious it looks, and then how good it tastes. Japanese television is full of what Aaron and I call “food porn” because of the way the food is photographed. They use lots of close ups and slow movements to accentuate the visual qualities of the food. Another characteristic of Japanese meals is the variety of food. In a typical American meal, you might have a main dish and two side dishes. Sometimes, you might only have one main dish, such as a casserole, and a vegetable side dish. In Japanese meals, it’s not unusual to have five or six different things to eat. For example, when I get one of my favorite meals at a restaurant we go to often, it comes with: rice, miso soup, pickled veggies, a savory egg custard, shredded cabbage, and a meat dish. It sounds like a lot, and sometimes it is, if they give you a huge bowl of rice. Sometimes, though, it’s not a ton of food, just a lot of variety. Usually, the portions are small. That’s one of the reasons why it’s been so hard for Aaron to find an “American size” portion of steak.

Bentos are no different. Care is taken to arrange the food so it looks nice. This often involves small paper cups to keep some foods separated. In the stores, you can buy many kinds of little paper flags to put into your sausages or rice to decorate it. It’s also possible to buy molds so that your child doesn’t just have a ball of rice (called “onigiri”), but they can have a ball of rice with the shape of a popular cartoon character molded into it. The options are limitless. So, as one who occasionally gets caught up in trying to do what everyone else does, I started to imitate some of what I was seeing. The end result is probably comical by Japanese standards. I try to make the boys’ bento look nice and interesting. However, I am well aware of the fact that some of the foods I pack are considered strange lunch foods (like yogurt), or unusual foods (i.e. foreign). The way I look at it is that the boys’ lunches are going to be looked at and commented on. I might as well give them something to talk about. That’s why, one time, I sent Ridge with an Easter egg dyed purple and blue. The shell had cracked some, so when he peeled it, the white of the egg was tattooed with some beautiful colored lines. I figured that would really get the teachers talking! I always wonder what they think when I send Ridge to school with left over chili. His teacher told me that because of Ridge, several of the kids have developed a taste for raw carrots dipped in mustard. Ridge loves to eat carrot sticks with mustard, believe it or not. Apparently, the Japanese think it’s strange that American’s eat so many raw vegetables. They usually cook everything.

I can get a lot more creative with Ridge’s lunch because Holt still won’t each many foods. His lunch usually consists of rice or pasta, some kind of meat, and raisins. Ridge, on the other hand, will eat a variety of foods and he also really seems to enjoy having a pretty lunch. I took a few pictures of lunches I’ve made over the past few weeks. I enjoy being creative, so they probably look like this about 75% of the time. There are days, though, when I’m just too tired, and the boys end up with rice and a meat. Ridge is getting used to the nicer ones, though. He always comments when he only gets meat and rice.

Here are a couple of Ridge’s bento.
bento one
bento two

Here is Holt’s.
Holt's

They have little boxes for their bento. These are very typical in Japan and come in all shapes and sizes.

After packing the lunch, I add a napkin and eating utensil. Holt only plays with chopsticks, so he just gets a “spork” every day. Ridge likes to use his chopsticks when he can.

After stacking everything, I wrap it in a cloth and tie it up. The teachers request this because the kids can then use the cloth as a placemat. I’m sure it minimizes the mess for them.
On the cloth
Ridge's, getting ready
Holt's, getting ready
First fold it this way,
then tie it up
Both bento

Ridge’s is usually just wrapped up, but I put Holt’s into an Anpanman bag. Here they are, ready to go!

Boys and bento

(you can tell it's an older picture since they have had haircuts recently)

Ridge's Newest Haircut

The night before last, Ridge made an unusual request. Aaron and I had been talking about Holt’s need for a haircut. During this conversation, Ridge emphatically informed us he wanted a haircut like Ryuya’s. “Are you sure?” we asked. “Ryuya doesn’t have any hair.” Ridge assured us that it was what he wanted. “He has just a little bit of hair. It’s okay,” he replied, gesturing with his fingers to imitate Ryuya’s little bit of fuzz.

So, my oldest son now looks a little bit like something out of a Norman Rockwell picture. He’s happy with it, though, so I suppose I shouldn’t worry about it. It’s certainly low maintenance! Here’s some photos we took from beginning to the end.

The main photo above is the "before" picture.

Midway through (he didn't want his photo taken)

Finished product

Beer and Tea

A few other notable events have happened in the last week or so, in addition to the Babysitter Barrier being broken on Friday. Monday night I, basically, got my Intermediate English class drunk. Well, sort of. It wasn’t really my goal, but I know that they were feeling pretty good when they left my class.

I teach three adult English classes. The original class, taught by all other teachers from Juneau, is the advanced eikaiwa (“English conversation class”). This is the group of mostly ladies who come from out of town to chat in English for 90 minutes every week. Mr. Usui is also part of this group. I also teach a group on Thursday mornings (my planning day). It is this group of (usually) ladies with whom I cook every few weeks. It’s intended to be a beginner English. However, I don’t think they really wanted to learn Travel English or grammar, so I’m always trying to teach a lesson to suit the particular audience. That’s how we ended up cooking all the time – they like it. My third class is my own fault, you could say. Originally, the beginner English class was supposed to be on a weeknight. However, that meant that several interested wives/mothers couldn’t come because they had to be home making dinner. So, I had suggested Thursday morning. No sooner had the class been moved to the morning than the teachers at the elementary school said, “Oh! We want to come, too!” But now it was a morning class and they had to work. So, crazy me suggested an additional one-hour class to be held just prior to my advanced class. I’ve talked about this in other posts, but thought I’d explain it again anyway. This 6:00 p.m. class is the one I refer to as my “teacher’s class” or my “intermediate class”. The attendees have settled into a regular group of four or five, with the occasional fifth person being the only woman. I learned early on that I couldn’t use the same lesson in all three classes. Not just because of the level of English, but because the men are interested in different things.

So, the Thursday class cooks and has learned children’s songs. The intermediate eikaiwa has learned about pick-up lines (especially ones NOT to use), poker, and most recently: beer. I don’t know how or why I came up with the idea to teach beer-related English, but the guys all got excited so I just went for it. Not being a beer drinker myself, I had to enlist Aaron’s help. Then, I spent a week reading information online about beer and trying to find different examples of beer types. Most Japanese beer is what is known as Rice Lager and it was hard to find other kinds. When I do Beer Class Part II I’ll have to order some from online so we can have an example of bock and porter. Anyway, I did some research and made up a vocabulary list. The first ten minutes of class was spent reviewing new English words that relate to beer (yeast, barley, malt, smooth, foam, etc.) Then we broke out the six different kinds of beer we brought. I had arranged it with the hotel (we meet in a community room that is in the hotel) that we could have a bunch of glasses for our tasting. Soon, the room was filled with the yeasty smell of beer and at least thirty glasses spread out over the table. I wanted the guys to compare the colors and tastes (so we could practice our new vocabulary), but they drank it too fast. I had to keep refilling some of their glasses and telling them to slow down. They laughed. One thoughtful fella, knowing I don’t care for beer, had brought a bottle of champagne that was opened near the end.
As class wound down, I realized I was going to have to make them leave so my next class could come in. I managed to begin collecting glasses and ushered them out. Next thing I knew, they were all walking out of the room, each with a bottle of leftover beer of some kind and a glass. The bottle of champagne also left and they promptly made themselves comfortable on the couches located in the hallway directly outside the room.

I think they had bonded with Aaron somewhat. As the class had begun gearing up earlier, I had gone in search of the glasses. As I left, I heard Hikichi-sensei ask Aaron to arm wrestle with him. By the time I returned with the glasses, Aaron had arm-wrestled three of the teachers on both the right and left arms. He won every time, by the way. So, now, as they sat outside my room, they invited him to continue with the “English lesson”. How could he say no? Ridge and Holt hung out with me for an hour in my next class, and Aaron sat on a couch with the teachers as they finished the beer and champagne and talked about Y.M.C.A. (the song – Aaron was trying to explain it’s real meaning). It was really quite funny. You have to think, though, they will surely keep coming to my classes now!

On Tuesday, I was able to attend a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Apparently, once a year all the elementary and middle school students are taken to the tea house located in Nishiokoppe. Here, they are shown and taught about this important traditional ceremony. I joined in with the kids from Kamiokoppe (all six of them! It’s become a very small school).

First we were shown how to scoop water from a small basin located outside the main door. The water is used to clean your hands and mouth, a necessary ritual for whenever a person enters a sacred space. So, the water was gently scooped with a long handled dipper, poured gently on both hands, and a sip is taken. The remaining water was poured out by pointing the dipper straight up so the water could run down the handle. We then entered the house, removed our shoes and knelt to face a woman dressed in kimono. We placed our hands on the floor in front of us, one at a time, then bowed low, nearly placing our foreheads on the floor in front of us. This is one of the most formal bows a person can make.

Each person was then given a small, folded fan and waited their turn to enter the main room. At the edge of the door, we knelt in seiza position, placed the fan in front of us with the handle end facing right, bowed very low to the floor again, then scooted into the room on our knees. The entire floor is made of tatami, so it’s easy to scoot. Once in the room, another low bow is made and a greeting is said to the main tea-serving person. We then lined up and waited to be served. The entire time we are supposed to sit in seiza (on our knees, sitting on our feet). My feet very quickly became numb. I later found out it’s the same for most Japanese people.

Here’s a good link about seiza: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiza

One woman entered the room, dressed in kimono, and very ceremoniously prepared one cup of tea. Each movement was very precise and choreographed. I’m sure the exact same movements have been made for centuries. Meanwhile, a man entered with a tray bearing a kind of Japanese bread. This was placed very carefully on the floor in front of each person. In return, each person bowed low and responded with a version of “thank you” and “itadakimasu” (what every says before they eat). We sat with numb feet and carefully ate our bread, placing the rice paper it was on behind us when we were finished. Finally, the tea was served very ceremoniously, with bowing and appropriate Japanese phrases. The tea isn’t actually served in a cup as you might imagine a cup to be. Instead, it’s more like a medium sized pottery bowl. The bowls are designed depending on the season of the year. A summer cup will have summer colors and maybe a summer design. Each cup also has some sort of a mark to indicate the front. When the server hands the cup to each person, they turn it three times clockwise so the front of the cup is facing the receiver. Before drinking, the drinker must turn the cup three times until the image is facing outward. When finished drinking, the cup is then carefully placed on the floor in front of the drinker. A side note here: tatami floors consist of panels. Each panel is bordered by fabric. This results in a room with lines placed geometrically around the room. We were all sitting on panels of tatami lengthwise. This meant that directly in front of us was a ribbon of fabric indicating the edge of the tatami panel. The tea cup must be placed on the outside edge of the tatami panel you are sitting on. They were very specific about this. (a better explanation of tatami: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatami. We have three rooms in our house with tatami floors)

After the ceremony was finished, each person rose (and I tried not to wince with pain), shuffled forward to the shrine area of the room, knelt, bowed low, rose again, walked diagonally to the corner of the room, turned 180 degrees to the right, shuffled to the tea pot and fire, knelt, bowed low, rose, turned 180 degrees to the right, shuffled back to the corner, turned 90 degrees to the left, and walked to the doorway of the room. Upon reaching the doorway, we knelt, placed our fan in front of us again, bowed low, and scooted out of the room. The whole thing is like some amazing choreographed dance. I’m certain my description of it is bound to be confusing and you may have to re-read it a couple of time. It’s hard to explain without pictures, and I forgot to bring the camera. Other teachers took pictures, though. If I can get copies, I’ll scan them and post them.

Here’s a good link about tea ceremonies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_tea_ceremony

The Babysitter Barrier

Twice a year the board of education sponsors a “Recreational Activity”, as it’s called, for the teachers of Nishiokoppe and Kamiokoppe. In the winter, this event was the skiing lessons I wrote about (during which I skied down the hill backwards). The students are sent home an hour early, the teachers meet for some “recreation” and the day is topped off by a party. About two weeks ago, I was approached by teachers at both elementary schools and invited to join them in mini-volleyball and the subsequent party. Having developed quite a passion for mini-volleyball, I immediately said yes. However, then something pleasantly surprising happened: Aaron was also invited. I guess they figured out that he was free during the day and would be available to play. The games were scheduled to begin at 2:30 and pre-school doesn’t finish until 4:00, so that was plenty of time. Hooray! The next question I was asked was about Aaron’s attendance at the party. I shook my head sadly and reminded them that he would have to stay home to watch the kids.

As I drove home, though, I started to think about things. We are here, in part, to provide a “cultural exchange” (that’s the buzzword they always use). In my mind, that means that there are some things that are very American that we should continue to engage in. For example, drawing on the sidewalk in chalk. Our driveway is the only such decorated driveway in the village. I don’t worry about being different because we are here so we can learn from each other, right? Well, what else is more American then asking young adolescent girls to baby sit? It’s about as American as apple pie. Ridge’s Japanese is pretty good for a kid and we have several young, responsible girls who live very close to us. So, during that short drive him, I made the decision to break the babysitter barrier in Nishiokoppe. Prior to now, I had been warned to expect two years of no babysitter because it’s not really done here. Well, we’re Americans and its time to teach Nishiokoppe about babysitters.

After a brief discussion, Aaron and I decided that I would ask Kaori. She lives across the street, is very responsible (she has three younger siblings), likes to play with the boys already, and is a respectable 11 years old. My plan was to ask her and a friend to come over Friday and watch the kids. After a few days of waiting for just the right moment, I snagged her while everyone was outside playing one day. Between my Japanese, her very little English, and lots of gestures, I got my point across. She seemed surprised, but undoubtedly willing. However, when I tried to explain how much I would pay her, she almost freaked out. I backed off on the money thing, she confirmed the time and we went about our business. After chatting with Mr. Kurata about the whole issue, he explained that it wouldn’t be a good idea to pay the girls. “You’re neighbors,” he said, “It’s like a favor.” So, I dealt with the issue by making a huge plate of brownies for them to take home.

In the end, Kaori’s older sister, Mari, accompanied her to the babysitting job. Poor Mari’s English is also not great. Though she is in second grade (middle school; same as eighth grade), she struggles a great deal with English and it’s hard for her. Nonetheless, everyone seemed comfortable. I showed the girls where Aaron had put dinner in the fridge and indicated they could just heat it up (mac and cheese – a very special treat for Ridge and Holt). Earlier in the day I had Mr. Kurata translate some simple instructions such as bed time and the “One Brownie for the Boys” rule. While translating, Kurata seemed surprised when I answered “yes” to his question, “Is this common in America? This list?” Inside my head I was thinking, “Well, yeah, of course. How else does the babysitter know what you want them to do?” Babysitting is so uncommon here, though, that I guess he had never thought about it. Today I was telling my adult English class (the ladies) that most girls in America baby-sit as their first job. They were all very surprised.

So, finally, Ridge asked me, “Mommy, aren’t you and Daddy going to leave now?” We took our cue and went to the party. It was the first time in a year that Aaron and I had gone anywhere together at a time of day later than four o’clock. We had a lovely time and I think everyone had a good time chatting with Aaron. I figured he was like “fresh meat”. Everyone knows what foods I eat/don’t eat and everyone has already commented on my mastery of hashi (chopsticks). Aaron isn’t around this group much, though, so they had the chance to question and comment to their hearts’ content.

When we came home, the boys were in pajamas and watching a mini-DVD player while laying on the futon. Surprisingly, Mari and Kaori’s mother was there. I hope she was just checking in. It didn’t appear that anything was wrong. Still, everyone was so nice (and refusing to be paid in anything other than brownies) that Aaron and I decided that the babysitter boundary simply cannot be broken often. I suspect we won’t impose again until it’s time for us to leave and we have the chance to attend some going-away parties. But, at least we did introduce the concept of using neighborhood girls to baby sit. Maybe it will make things easier for the next family who finds themselves in a similar situation when they come to Nishiokoppe from Juneau.

Primitive Art

Ridge and Holt, as you can see, have been having a lovely time decorating our driveway with sidewalk chalk. I thought I snap a few shots of it before the rain washes it away. The main photo here is of Ridge’s name. He’s got the “R” backwards, but the rest is pretty good, I think! He even wrote a small “e”, though I don’t know why (or how he learned it).

This is a general overview of the area.
Overview

Here you can see how Ridge discovered what happens when you add chalk and water. He began to color a small area very heavily with chalk. Then he added water. I thought the handprints in the street were pretty funny.
Hands

Soon, hands weren’t enough and he progressed to feet. I love how you can see where he stepped in the chalk and walked out, leaving his little white prints behind him.
Feet

By the way, I am aware that the links I posted for two short videos aren’t working. I’m trying to figure out what the problem is and I’ll let you know when they are viewable.