Mother's Tea

William's Co-op Preschool class had a mother's tea.

Tim and I showed up, had cookies, and got the potted seedling, a card, and a placemat.  They also sang to us.  I had noticed that William had been careful NOT to sing this song around us.  It must've been because it was supposed to be a surprise.  Oh no... he can keep a secret from us!  Oh well.  We can keep secrets from him.

It was fun because Tim got to meet some of the other moms and dads that are out there.

There are only 10 more class days left before summer break.  William misses the cut-off age for summer camps, because he isn't 5, yet.  So, I am glad William and I are headed home for a few weeks this summer.  Tim will have to hold down camp here.

We did get news that we're going to have to wait a bit more for the house that we want.  We'll certainly be setting a few records for staying at the Navy Lodge!  Hey, someone has to hold that record!!!   I think I need to have a T-shirt made that says how long we've stayed here.  I did hear one of the volunteers that sit in the lobby and greet new folks say the other day, "Is she STILL here?!?"  Yep!

So, I was a bit depressed, as I truly am ready to be in my own home with my own items!  Tim and I were talking, and if we do the whole time here in the lodge that we can, and we only spend 3 years here, that we will have spent 10% of our time in a hotel!  Yes, we are almost 10% through our obligation here!  Time has flown, hasn't it?  I told Tim that we need to write down the places we want to go and see here in Japan, because the time will fly by, and if we want to go see these things, we'll have to start now!

BTW, we are going to Disneyland on Memorial Day.  It's nice having an American holiday that doesn't coincide with Japanese ones.  We got on the bus.  Someone told me about it.  I thought she already had tickets.  Turns out, she was on the waiting list.  I showed up the afternoon that the waiting list people who had been called weren't showing up to pay.  So, the lady said, "They have until 6 to come in and pay.  If they don't, we release the tickets.  So, if you're here on Thursday morning, you might get lucky."  I did!  So, I know if I'm on a waiting list, and don't get called, that I can sneak in at the last second and see if the one who did get called came and paid!  

We went to see 'Horton Hears a Who.'  There might not be the most recent first runs here, but the tickets for all of us were $8, and 3 sodas (and we could get small and medium that were appropriately sized), popcorn and 2 candies were $8.75.  Now, THAT'S a deal!!!  

So, that is our lives.  Lots of play time for William.  Not a lot of excitement... just a lot of waiting!

Balance

Well, it has been awhile since I've posted.

For awhile, our internet was so flaky that I was losing what I'd typed on things, and it was annoying.  Then I became just lazy.

We have a wonderful family across from us at the lodge.  Their son is 7, and is like a perfect older brother to William.  The age difference happens to be large enough that sometimes they don't always play together, but they do seem to enjoy each other, and especially each other's toys.  They both like to run and have fun, and keep each other occupied.  Life is good.

On the playground by the lodge, there is a teeter-totter, and they love to get it balanced just right between them. 

It has turned rainy here.  My car needed new windshield wipers.  That turned out to be an ordeal, as the places here kept telling us we had to go to the Mercedes dealership.  I was about to make the trek, but Tim kept saying something about standardization, and was able to find wipers that would fit, but were too long, so he had to cut them off.  He said cutting the steal was an ordeal, but they work!

He also got me a navigation system for Mother's Day.  It is a GPS that speaks to you in English, and you get directions for where to drive in Japan.  Sometimes, when the signs are in kanji, this is good.  And, well, there's just the whole, "Where the heck am I?" thing going on, and the language barrier to asking directions.  I'm delighted to have it.  We can also use it in other cars, so when we rent a car (for larger visiting groups, hint, hint) or use Tim's car, we can use it to it's full potential.  

I had the most relaxing mother's day.  I didn't do a thing.  I read a mystery book by one of my favorite authors (J.A. Jance).  I even got a gift from William.  He kept quiet while I took a nap.  Ahh... that is LIFE!!!  He gave me a card and a pot with a small seed sprouting in it.  Once we watered it, the seedling is no longer visible.  It will grow!

Tim went to Tokyo with 2 guys from work.  He needed to buy the navigation system, and it was the electronics district.  Might as well take 2 engineers along with him.  I had more fun just relaxing!

minor earth quake

Just in case they report it on the news, we had a big enough earthquake to wake me up from my sleep.  A little rock and rolling, and then I woke up Tim.  It lasted quite awhile.  I'm sorry to say it was only a 2 where we were.  Tim and I were guessing 3.  Tokyo was closer to the epicenter, and felt 3.

We are fine.  William never woke up.  Both Tim and I got back to sleep!

Shopping Trip

 Yesterday I had a successful trip off base, to a store, got groceries, and got back in plenty of time to pick up William from pre-school.

What I love about the stores here is that most of them have their parking on the roof.  Space is at a premium, and therefore it's best to utilize it to its maximum potential.  Although it makes me realize that in an event of an earthquake, it would be the best to get the heck out of the building!

Not being able to read the labels reminds me of the Korean immigrant story.  They'd come to the US, and went to the store to find something to eat.  They'd purchased a can of chicken and brought it back to their hotel.  When they opened it, they found white lard inside.  For those of you too young to remember life before trans fats, Crisco is a solidified fat that you used for pie crusts and frying chicken in.  The can had a picture of perfectly fried chicken on the outside.

I guess what things are by what section they are in.  Japanese don't have as many cheese or milk products as we do.  But, if something is in the milk section, I'm pretty sure it's milk or soy based.  The packaging can be so different, that you're unsure if it's a yogurt, or a sour cream, or something that has gone bad.  And I can't read the kanji!

Occasionally, there is something in Katakana or hirigana on the packaging at the store, and I am able to decipher it.  Well, I can say the

 word, I might not know what it means.  The top sign is in Katakana, bah-bay-kee-ya---kanji, and the bottom says koe-ah-rah-bah-su.. you can understand the bus part of that.  Katakana is a way of writing the Japanese alphabet that is different than their native hiriganas (see the slide sign in the middle? sue-bay-ree-dah-ee).  Usually, it is used when writing foreign words.  Kanji characters are the Chinese form of writing.

I've decided that when there are two fruits that are the same, the higher priced one with a lot of kanji by it, is the organic version.  Maybe it just says, 'Grown in Japan.'  

I hear a lot of cross-talk about the genetically engineered produce here.  I don't have any strong feelings against it.  I figure that we have to do something special to catch our production up to feed the billions of people infesting the earth.

On base, the price of rice is 1/3 of what it is on the economy.  I just received an email that they would limit rice sales here at the commissary.  I've seen no empty shelves.

I saw something on Japanese television you wouldn't see in the states.  It had an ad for a small rice planting tractor!  Or at least, that is what I think it was.  I don't know, it could have been an ad for chicken meat.

The Penny Situation

William loves money.  He loves to play with it (see pic).  He loves to count it and do math with it.  Most of all, he loves to buy things in vending machines with it.  There are vending machines everywhere in Japan.  It's nice, because you can buy a cool drink anywhere when you need it.  

His favorite drink is Qoo.  I think it's a green apple, or melon flavor.  

Tim usually has change in his pockets, and William loves to claim some of them as his own.  He has quite a few yen.  Yen are worth about a penny, and are really light.  

We don't use pennies over here.  On base, they primarily use American currency.  But, they round up or down to the nearest 5 or 10.

I have a friend who is convinced that they are ripping us off.  She calls it the 'Penny Situation' and insists that somehow they are getting the better end of the deal.  Actually, she's got the funniest rant about it.

I am remembering the death of the centime in France.  Basically, France, before they went Euro, realized it was pointless to have centimes (at the time, I think it was valued at less than a cent).  So, shopping totals were rounded either up or down, to the nearest 5 or 10.  The 5 centime coin as the lowest denomination.  It worked in your favor as much as it worked against.  

The only thing I've noticed here, is that if something would ring up to $5.02, you HAVE to give them at least $5.05 for them to ring you up and finish the transaction.  They will GIVE YOU BACK the .05 (because it rounds down), but they seem to think that they need it in their hands in order to put that sum into the cash register.

For me, THAT is the 'Penny Situation.'   Hello?  Put $5.05 in as the cash I've given you, and it will round it down to the $5 I've handed you.  I have actually had to pull out a $20.00 to buy something that was $5.02.  My $5 bill wasn't good enough, she wouldn't ring it up.  Of course, I got $15 back.

Sometimes, as I wait in long lines at the NEX, I wonder if we're being held up as each poor fool who is buying something is being made to come up with that additional .05 before they'll ring them up, then has to take the time to re-pocket that same .05.  I am considering starting a nickel dish here, kind of like the penny dishes you see at mini-marts back home.  But this one needs only ONE nickel.  

Children's Day

Kodomo no hi is Children's Day in Japan.  May 5, or 5/5, originally known as 'boy day.'  

In Japan, they put up koinobori to show how many boys are in the house.

A friend tells me (I don't know her source, so I don't know if it's true) that you put up a

 black large koi (carp fish) for the dad, and the first boy is a red koi.

When we were by the zoo in Yokohama, they

 had many huge ones hung out over the valley.  They were spectacular.  I got us a small one at the 100 Yen Store (a buck) that we have in our hotel room.

Tim went out with guys from back home last night.  I think he enjoyed having some fun without us tagging along.  I am a bit concerned, as he chose to go to a karaoke place.  Charlie's is the place to hang out.  He came back smelling like smoke.  That is one thing about Japan that I don't like.  Smoking is everywhere.  I hate it at the restaurants.  I want to have clean air!!!

William broke my nose the other night.  He was ultra mad at -whatever- and we were trying to ignore the fuss.  He finally sought me out, and I was trying to talk him through the reason and the logic that only HE wasn't getting what he wanted because he was having a fuss.  Then he head butted me.  

I hit the floor, and William looked like Mel Gibson in all the movies where he head butts someone.  Didn't faze him in the least.

I heard the loud pop, and knew it was bad.  It even knocked loose some teeth.  Today I could brush my teeth and even eat a bit without being in dire pain.  The septum is definitely compromised.  William has been reminded several times that mom is not happy about this.  I know he didn't mean to, but that is little solace when I'm in pain.  

Kannonzaki Park

Yesterday was one of those glorious spring days.  It was sunny and warm, but not too warm!

I ran into a friend who said, "Let's go to Kannonzaki Park!"  I couldn't say 'yes' fast enough!

She had told us about this place, but when we ventured out there, it wasn't clear to me which way to go to get to the long roller slide in the woods.  Having a guided expedition was like a dream come true!

She packed us lunch, and we were off on an adventure.  It was a trek up the hill, but it was so worth it!  By the slide is this wonderful boat structure to play on.  William was so torn.  He loved the slide (it was really fast) but he also wanted to play on this boat!  

Best of all, he had a buddy along to play with.  At one point, we were at a different play structure in this huge park, and they were holding onto a rail and walking on a little thicker rail.  Below was a rope net, in case any kid fell, but they were way up there.  At the end, there is a long step-over to the platform (this would never be allowed in the states, there were many places a kid could fall through and down) and I heard Josh say something like 'this is scary.'  William rejoined with, "I'm scared, too," and proceeded to follow him onto the platform.  

If you'd like to see the whole park, go to this link with the slide at the end.  

It was one of those perfect days, where the kids only whine a bit when leaving, because they are so pooped out from all the hiking, climbing, sliding and FUN.