I've begun the official countdown...in 4 days, 18 hours and 35 minutes I jet off to Oz and then Vietnam for almost a month of vacay! Whoo hoo, I'm ecstatic to eat mouthwatering mangoes and macadamia nuts. And, I'm even tossing around the idea of tasting kangaroo! M.S. and I'll fly into Sydney and spend Christmas with the Surrys. Then, on the 26th we'll pick up our rockin' rental at Avis and head north for the Woodford Folk Festival! Note: this incredible international fete includes much more than funky folk tunes. It's a 6-day PARTY with live musical performances, dance and art workshops, political discussions, guest speakers, and outrageous eats from all over the world! I'm going to be belly dancing my booty off, bush-walking bare-naked...whoops, barefoot I mean, and belting out be-bop to blues by Eric Bibb, The Big Easy, and 8 Ball Aitken. For more info. check out the following site: http://www.woodfordfolkfestival.com
On 01.04.06 we'll fly into Ho Chi Minh City, and have a week to trek around the jungle on elephants, tour the Viet Cong caves, and scuba dive off the southern coast. Don't worry, we've not yet booked accommodation, but we promise to steer clear of chicken coups! I don't know the exact dong - dollar exchange at the moment, but I do believe we'll get the best bang for our buck at backpacker bunkhouses. I've just finished reading the Lonely Planet guidebook and I'm especially keen to get an ao dai custom made, visit the War Remnants Museum, and see the great Cao Dai temple in HCMC!
Happy holidays to all of you family and friends. I wish you peace, many blessings, and lots of love!
09 December 2005
02 November 2005
"When in Rome do as the Romans do..."
This was said to me within the first week of my arrival in Aomori in August of 2003. Initially, I believed the statement to be entirely unjust and ethnocentric. It was a Toyama teacher's reaction to my nose ring. At the time I felt that I was being forced to surrender my individuality to become a cookie cutter stereotype of Toyama's idealized JET program ALT living in Japan. However, in hindsight I realize that I was probably overly sensitive as I was trying to transition and adjust to my new situation in Aomori. And furthermore, a recent encounter with "shokuchudoku" or food poisoning, has even convinced me that this assertion has some validity attached to it.
The "sashimi" raw scallops I oinked out on Tuesday night were tasty, but definitely not worth the terror they put me through from 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. I awoke in a startled panic and instantly knew something was amiss. I was slick with sweat and it felt like someone had grabbed my gut and turned everything 180 degrees. I dashed for the toilet, but instead ended up in fetal position on my tiled black and white leopard shower room floor for the next two hours. I don't need to disgust you with details, but allow me to say this was definitely the lowlight of my week!
To return from my wild tangent, connect the dots, and explain the veracious value of today's title; yes, it is sometimes wise "when in Japan to do as the Japanese do". Wasabi and ginger are not simultaneously served solely for decor. Rather, they are meant to be consumed to counteract any unpleasantries that could arise from not-so-fresh fish. I've heard this before, and will indubitably heed the advice in the future.
The "sashimi" raw scallops I oinked out on Tuesday night were tasty, but definitely not worth the terror they put me through from 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. I awoke in a startled panic and instantly knew something was amiss. I was slick with sweat and it felt like someone had grabbed my gut and turned everything 180 degrees. I dashed for the toilet, but instead ended up in fetal position on my tiled black and white leopard shower room floor for the next two hours. I don't need to disgust you with details, but allow me to say this was definitely the lowlight of my week!
To return from my wild tangent, connect the dots, and explain the veracious value of today's title; yes, it is sometimes wise "when in Japan to do as the Japanese do". Wasabi and ginger are not simultaneously served solely for decor. Rather, they are meant to be consumed to counteract any unpleasantries that could arise from not-so-fresh fish. I've heard this before, and will indubitably heed the advice in the future.
08 October 2005
Fantastic Fuji Feat & Footie Fun
Last weekend I took a mini-road trip with 4 JET mates! We jaunted southwest in G.M.'s lass *Shiela* on Thursday, stopping for respites at our favorite "Conbinis": Lawsons and Sunkus, and that night at an Indonesian restaurant to celebrate M.S.'s birthday! Just after midnight we made it to the base of Japan's tallest mountain and pondered the idea of initiating our trek with headlamps right then. Though, after a moment's consideration we all agreed that some shut eye was desperately needed (and desired) before our historic hike! In no more than 15 minutes we had our gigantic tent pitched, mattress pads inflated, and were snug and sound in our sleeping bags.
By 10 a.m. the following day we were at Fuji's 5th station geared with *genki* gorp and full camelbacks. We took the "before" photo and set out on our strut to the summit. Along our climb we took tons of candid and posed pictures, and 4.5 hrs. later we touched the top and simultaneously started singing "We are the champions..." There, we randomly met two gregarious Germans who offered us a celebratory sip of some authentic brew. We shot raw footage on my digi-Canon Ixy, selected souvenir stones (which we later "re-gave" to the mountain when we learned it was the ultimate Japanese faux pas), and began our stuttering zig zag gallop down the mountain. At sundown we returned to the car park were M.S. was awaiting us with hot basil and veggie pizza! We crammed into the car, sped to the nearest hot spa, and relaxed in the warm waters.
Saturday took us to Nagano for a soccer tourney! This year we had enough female athletes from Aomori-ken for our own team: The Ringo Stars (note: "ringo" means apple in Japanese which is what Aomori is famous for!) Our ragamuffin rockstars lost the 1st game against Tochigi in PKs, won the 2nd (2-0), and narrowly missed the 3rd (1-0)! The next day we were placed at the top of the 2nd division. We no longer looked like hooligans, but almost like a real team! We won our 1st two games: 2-1 and 4-2, but lost in the championship match to Chiba 2-1. We all were incredibly impressed with our hard work, and happy to still have 3 players injury free! Of the 7 injured we had a twisted ankle, hurt toe, pulled groin, strained/possibly torn ACL, swollen lip, stitched up cheek, and I escaped with a scratched eye.
I've no travels in the near future, but am planning a 3.5 week trip to Australia and Vietnam with M.S. in December and January! Stay tuned for an untimely update.
By 10 a.m. the following day we were at Fuji's 5th station geared with *genki* gorp and full camelbacks. We took the "before" photo and set out on our strut to the summit. Along our climb we took tons of candid and posed pictures, and 4.5 hrs. later we touched the top and simultaneously started singing "We are the champions..." There, we randomly met two gregarious Germans who offered us a celebratory sip of some authentic brew. We shot raw footage on my digi-Canon Ixy, selected souvenir stones (which we later "re-gave" to the mountain when we learned it was the ultimate Japanese faux pas), and began our stuttering zig zag gallop down the mountain. At sundown we returned to the car park were M.S. was awaiting us with hot basil and veggie pizza! We crammed into the car, sped to the nearest hot spa, and relaxed in the warm waters.
Saturday took us to Nagano for a soccer tourney! This year we had enough female athletes from Aomori-ken for our own team: The Ringo Stars (note: "ringo" means apple in Japanese which is what Aomori is famous for!) Our ragamuffin rockstars lost the 1st game against Tochigi in PKs, won the 2nd (2-0), and narrowly missed the 3rd (1-0)! The next day we were placed at the top of the 2nd division. We no longer looked like hooligans, but almost like a real team! We won our 1st two games: 2-1 and 4-2, but lost in the championship match to Chiba 2-1. We all were incredibly impressed with our hard work, and happy to still have 3 players injury free! Of the 7 injured we had a twisted ankle, hurt toe, pulled groin, strained/possibly torn ACL, swollen lip, stitched up cheek, and I escaped with a scratched eye.
I've no travels in the near future, but am planning a 3.5 week trip to Australia and Vietnam with M.S. in December and January! Stay tuned for an untimely update.
17 September 2005
Mt. Iwaki & Sushi "Maki" Rolls
It's that time of the month again...to update my blog for all of my "avid" readers! He he he...September has been full of fun. I've been adventuring out around Aomori prefecture on my new Yamaha 50cc scooter! My latest and greatest highlights are a hike up Mt. Iwaki (in preparation for my pilgrimage up Mt. Fuji on 09/30!) and last night's wild and crazy sushi "maki" making fiesta with B.E.
M.S., G.M., B.E. and I conquered Mt. Iwaki last Sunday. We ascended slowly but steadily, taking lots of "brief breaks" to re-fuel with trail mix and take snapshots of ourselves perfectly posed on "kami" (god) rocks. Conversation on the climb ranged from repetitive random remarks of M.S. on the subject of a Macro-lens, and "would you rather" questions...like, "Would you rather spend the rest of your life traveling but unable to return to your home country, or vice versa, never able to leave your homeland?" Being the incredible itinerants we are (at present anyway), we all elected the first option. Though, I would mandate family and friends to regularly visit me! We reached the peak in time to see sunset, and for a few seconds I stood still, mesmerized by a kaleidoscopical mural of intense hues painted across the sky. I forgot about my hurting hamstrings, and was overcome with gratitude...for life, for love, and for the opportunity to be there in that instant.
Then, last night B.E. and I prepared an immaculate Japanese feast! We made our own sushi "maki" (rolls) and tried out some interesting combinations. My favorite was the salmon, avocado and cucumber mix, though the egg and apple amalgam was a close second! We also cooked up homemade miso soup and boiled "edamame" (soy beans) with sea salt. Speaking of which, did you know that sea salt has approximately 50 trace vitamins and minerals and ordinary table salt has only 2?! Discard overly chemically refined table salt which is primarily composed of sodium chloride and opt for the "good stuff"--celtic sea salt. How was that pitch delivered? Are you convinced?
Peace, prosperity and productivity to you all...thanks for introducing me to that T.Y.!
M.S., G.M., B.E. and I conquered Mt. Iwaki last Sunday. We ascended slowly but steadily, taking lots of "brief breaks" to re-fuel with trail mix and take snapshots of ourselves perfectly posed on "kami" (god) rocks. Conversation on the climb ranged from repetitive random remarks of M.S. on the subject of a Macro-lens, and "would you rather" questions...like, "Would you rather spend the rest of your life traveling but unable to return to your home country, or vice versa, never able to leave your homeland?" Being the incredible itinerants we are (at present anyway), we all elected the first option. Though, I would mandate family and friends to regularly visit me! We reached the peak in time to see sunset, and for a few seconds I stood still, mesmerized by a kaleidoscopical mural of intense hues painted across the sky. I forgot about my hurting hamstrings, and was overcome with gratitude...for life, for love, and for the opportunity to be there in that instant.
Then, last night B.E. and I prepared an immaculate Japanese feast! We made our own sushi "maki" (rolls) and tried out some interesting combinations. My favorite was the salmon, avocado and cucumber mix, though the egg and apple amalgam was a close second! We also cooked up homemade miso soup and boiled "edamame" (soy beans) with sea salt. Speaking of which, did you know that sea salt has approximately 50 trace vitamins and minerals and ordinary table salt has only 2?! Discard overly chemically refined table salt which is primarily composed of sodium chloride and opt for the "good stuff"--celtic sea salt. How was that pitch delivered? Are you convinced?
Peace, prosperity and productivity to you all...thanks for introducing me to that T.Y.!
28 August 2005
Minnesota and Summer Break Finale!
I recently returned from a lightening trip to Minnesota! I was there for exactly 7 days, and in that span of time I managed to travel to all edges of the state. I flew into Minneapolis and ate at an outrageous organic raw foods restaurant, attended a funeral for my great-uncle Lyle in Hawley, re-visited my University in Morris, interviewed for an Ambassadorial Scholarship with Rotary International in Duluth (and I've just received confirmation that I've been selected for one!), spent a night on the Iron Range in Aurora with good friends T.R. and L.R., and I had 2 whole days in my hometown: Little Falls. The highlights include making homemade pizza in Mo-town, rollerblading along the Mississippi, playing morning basketball with my papa, and jamming on the guitar with my brother Andrew!
Tomorrow Toyama H.S. will resume normal classes so I celebrated my last day of summer break with baking biscuits and biking to Asamushi beach for an impromptu sand volleyball tourney! Then, tonight I met friends at my favorite Korean BBQ restaurant "Gyu Kaku" and had some delicious "bibimba" --which is steamed rice topped with marinated bean sprouts and other vegetables and served in a hot stone bowl. For those who often read my rambles, do you notice a common theme? Somehow food always works it's way into my life...I love to write about it, read about it, make it, and most definitely eat it!
Tomorrow Toyama H.S. will resume normal classes so I celebrated my last day of summer break with baking biscuits and biking to Asamushi beach for an impromptu sand volleyball tourney! Then, tonight I met friends at my favorite Korean BBQ restaurant "Gyu Kaku" and had some delicious "bibimba" --which is steamed rice topped with marinated bean sprouts and other vegetables and served in a hot stone bowl. For those who often read my rambles, do you notice a common theme? Somehow food always works it's way into my life...I love to write about it, read about it, make it, and most definitely eat it!
26 July 2005
Scooter trip, Rye beer bread & more...
Yeah for summer! Toyama H.S. is now "officially" on break...meaning, the students only have to attend classes in the a.m. versus all day! I still have to make appearances at school, but I'm allowed to deviate from the 8-4 monotonous grind. Yesterday I spent the morning finishing J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (which I highly recommend!), and today I'm baking rye beer bread. I just got a loaf out of the oven and had a substantial slice smothered in raspberry jam. Good food is just the greatest...I couldn't say that enough.
On the subject of taste buds and such...I joined a gourmet club! We meet monthly, and potluck specialty dishes of a pre-determined theme. Last Sunday we did Indian cuisine. I made a chickpea curry salad which went over well! We'll do Spain next so I'm entertaining the idea of making some gazpacho. That is Spanish isn't it? Any other creative ideas are most certainly welcome!
Then, to address today's title "scooter trip"...I took one last weekend to visit my friend R.A. The drive was spectacular, the sun was shining, and by the time I reached "Shiura" my thighs and forearms were the same color as my red Yamaha Beluga! I have got to start using sunscreen. We spent the afternoon trekking around, posing for pictures, and in the evening at a campfire for a BBQ. I indulged on grilled "kabocha" (pumpkin), some skewered chicken, and "hotate" (scallops) in soy sauce.
The highlight of the evening was a conversation with a local surfer where we spoke of the Japanese spirit and how it's expressed in events like the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri...which is coming up the first week of August! From the 2nd-7th the population of Aomori City will nearly triple with festival enthusiasts to partake in the parades, view the fireworks, and listen to the rhythms and melodies of the Nebuta drums and flutes!
On the subject of taste buds and such...I joined a gourmet club! We meet monthly, and potluck specialty dishes of a pre-determined theme. Last Sunday we did Indian cuisine. I made a chickpea curry salad which went over well! We'll do Spain next so I'm entertaining the idea of making some gazpacho. That is Spanish isn't it? Any other creative ideas are most certainly welcome!
Then, to address today's title "scooter trip"...I took one last weekend to visit my friend R.A. The drive was spectacular, the sun was shining, and by the time I reached "Shiura" my thighs and forearms were the same color as my red Yamaha Beluga! I have got to start using sunscreen. We spent the afternoon trekking around, posing for pictures, and in the evening at a campfire for a BBQ. I indulged on grilled "kabocha" (pumpkin), some skewered chicken, and "hotate" (scallops) in soy sauce.
The highlight of the evening was a conversation with a local surfer where we spoke of the Japanese spirit and how it's expressed in events like the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri...which is coming up the first week of August! From the 2nd-7th the population of Aomori City will nearly triple with festival enthusiasts to partake in the parades, view the fireworks, and listen to the rhythms and melodies of the Nebuta drums and flutes!
02 July 2005
Birthday Musings...
Wow, the last week has been a bizarre one! I played in a sand VB tourney with B.Y. and D.Y., swam to an island 850 meters away from Asamushi sunset beach, attended a massive end of the year Aomori Rotary party where I was coerced to solo on "Edelweiss" accompanied by E.P. on the saxophone, and I celebrated my 25th birthday! I received many e-mails and cards saying "Can you believe you are a quarter of a century old?!" And yep, I guess I can believe that I've lived 9,100 and some days on this earth. During that time I've been super fortunate to have met and befriended some really cool people, traveled to wonderful places around the globe, loved a lot, cried a little, and learned more about myself, others, and the weird and wacky ways of the world than I could ever realize.
For some reason this year a multitude of people remembered my birthday. It might have been the increasing popularity of sites like bebo.com, or maybe it was because I celebrated my 1/2 birthday with a bash and reminded family and friends on the 29th of each month how many months were left until the ultra important day-June 29th! He he he...anyway, I have about 20 e-mails I've yet to respond to, and many more people to thank for their cards and gifts. The best birthday prezzie of this year was probably the one I gave to myself: my undergraduate loans are finally paid off! Yippee...it feels really good to be debt free.
Friday night T.B. threw me a wild birthday party in Aomori after the Governor’s farewell party. We kicked things off at "Crazy Horse", a quaint bar in a pedestrian alley off of Shinmachi. There were 40 invites so we were jam packed shoulder to shoulder but it was great! The "ni jikai" brought us to "King of Kings", which blared a lot of 80's dance tunes. The entrance fee was 1,500 yen for ladies and 2,500 yen for gents (roughly $15 & $25) which included two drink tix. We took over the dance floor and and A.B. and I twirled around combining a bit of swing, hip hop and complete craziness. At one point I had the grand idea of trying to crowd surf. But unfortunately, I could only get two other enthusiasts to join me in this venture. T.Y. kept me in check as I tried several times to perform acrobatic moves which weren't conducive to keeping my short black skirt in an appropriate position. I'm told F.C. took some amusing photos which I'm excited (& nervous!) to see. Maybe they'll fill in the bits of the evening which are presently a tad hazy.
For some reason this year a multitude of people remembered my birthday. It might have been the increasing popularity of sites like bebo.com, or maybe it was because I celebrated my 1/2 birthday with a bash and reminded family and friends on the 29th of each month how many months were left until the ultra important day-June 29th! He he he...anyway, I have about 20 e-mails I've yet to respond to, and many more people to thank for their cards and gifts. The best birthday prezzie of this year was probably the one I gave to myself: my undergraduate loans are finally paid off! Yippee...it feels really good to be debt free.
Friday night T.B. threw me a wild birthday party in Aomori after the Governor’s farewell party. We kicked things off at "Crazy Horse", a quaint bar in a pedestrian alley off of Shinmachi. There were 40 invites so we were jam packed shoulder to shoulder but it was great! The "ni jikai" brought us to "King of Kings", which blared a lot of 80's dance tunes. The entrance fee was 1,500 yen for ladies and 2,500 yen for gents (roughly $15 & $25) which included two drink tix. We took over the dance floor and and A.B. and I twirled around combining a bit of swing, hip hop and complete craziness. At one point I had the grand idea of trying to crowd surf. But unfortunately, I could only get two other enthusiasts to join me in this venture. T.Y. kept me in check as I tried several times to perform acrobatic moves which weren't conducive to keeping my short black skirt in an appropriate position. I'm told F.C. took some amusing photos which I'm excited (& nervous!) to see. Maybe they'll fill in the bits of the evening which are presently a tad hazy.
19 June 2005
Lackadaisical Sunday
...Yippee...gotta love the weekend...especially sunny Sundays with no obligations. Today my good girlfriend T.B. stopped over. We hung out a hammock I got from Thailand and enjoyed the beautiful landscape from my 3rd story porch. From there I see multi-colored tin roofs of flats, my snowboarding wonderland: Mt. Hakkoda, and when I'm lucky, Mt. Iwaki which is approximately 45k's away.
Conversation began with our dreams for the future. In a wicked short 6 weeks many ALTs will be finishing the Japan JET chapter of their lives and seeking out their next step. Although I've re-contracted for a third year, I can't help but to look ahead and to begin to draw out blueprints for my future. Do I wish to return to school? Should I backpack around the world? There are so many possibilities that I sometimes overwhelm myself.
When asked what my superlative goal in life is I've decided from now on to answer that I'm not sure. What I do know is that I've talents and abilities that could be utilized in many ways. But ultimately, what I wish for is to be the best I can be in whatever situation I find myself, to always seek knowledge and personal growth, and to love the people that surround me.
Conversation began with our dreams for the future. In a wicked short 6 weeks many ALTs will be finishing the Japan JET chapter of their lives and seeking out their next step. Although I've re-contracted for a third year, I can't help but to look ahead and to begin to draw out blueprints for my future. Do I wish to return to school? Should I backpack around the world? There are so many possibilities that I sometimes overwhelm myself.
When asked what my superlative goal in life is I've decided from now on to answer that I'm not sure. What I do know is that I've talents and abilities that could be utilized in many ways. But ultimately, what I wish for is to be the best I can be in whatever situation I find myself, to always seek knowledge and personal growth, and to love the people that surround me.
04 June 2005
"technologically advanced"
To be trendy I decided to create a blog. I've no prior experience or any idea really of how to go about this, but I figure it's a challenge, and I've got little to lose.
I'm not quite sure how I feel about blogs yet. I don't really know if I want to allow anyone to read what I've written. I'm more accustomed to sending "private" e-mails to friends and family. But still, an on-line journal seems intriguing. Maybe my writing will become more effortless and fluid. Maybe it'll inspire me to contribute something of value to the worldwide web, or, maybe I'll just end up jotting random tid bits of my daily life. This wouldn't be so bad either.
Yesterday I went crazy with quinoa. In one of my favorite cookbooks entitled "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon I found a recipe for Ecuadorian Quinoa Casserole. Because I happened to have some of this native Andes crop on hand, as well as 2 kilo. of chicken (which I won at 10k race a while ago for placing 6th!) to use up, I decided to give it a go. After twelve hours of pre-soaking the quinoa in filtered warm water and whey, making a homemade chicken stock, and adding one of my favorite ingredients-coconut cream-I delightfully found myself indulging on pure deliciousness. And, the best part is that my "bentos" for the week are already prepared...I've got enough leftover to fill a gallon ice cream pail!
I'm not quite sure how I feel about blogs yet. I don't really know if I want to allow anyone to read what I've written. I'm more accustomed to sending "private" e-mails to friends and family. But still, an on-line journal seems intriguing. Maybe my writing will become more effortless and fluid. Maybe it'll inspire me to contribute something of value to the worldwide web, or, maybe I'll just end up jotting random tid bits of my daily life. This wouldn't be so bad either.
Yesterday I went crazy with quinoa. In one of my favorite cookbooks entitled "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon I found a recipe for Ecuadorian Quinoa Casserole. Because I happened to have some of this native Andes crop on hand, as well as 2 kilo. of chicken (which I won at 10k race a while ago for placing 6th!) to use up, I decided to give it a go. After twelve hours of pre-soaking the quinoa in filtered warm water and whey, making a homemade chicken stock, and adding one of my favorite ingredients-coconut cream-I delightfully found myself indulging on pure deliciousness. And, the best part is that my "bentos" for the week are already prepared...I've got enough leftover to fill a gallon ice cream pail!
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