Wednesday, October 31, 2001

Whoosh time flies. Officially three months to go... and though the countdown may be on for some, I am choosing to bury my head in the ground and pretend its not happening... after all I am japanese aren't I?!
Okay last weekend I went on the Kyoto tour. (If you are either Jessica or Fred, I am sad you couldn't come but I am not going to cushion the blow if you choose to read this!) (and i can see those puppy dog eyes Jess, stop it now!) It was a lot of fun. I think, despite my adamant belief that I have zero maternal instincts as a result of being hard-arse and tough girl, it may be time to accept that I do my share of mothering when the opportunity arises. Infact, lets not dance around the topic- the truth is I am the PIEE Mummy. I didn't realise it until we all went on the trip and I was hugging everyone and checking up on how their lives and their host families were going and dealing out advice on strict host mums and telling them it would be all okay soon. It was lame, I was so...motherly.... *turning up of nose*
But it was the first time I saw the new kids since the orientation where I gave them the motivational speech, so I had to check up on them, or so goes my excuse! Back to Kyoto, anyway, I think I have to say that Kyoto is the coolest place I have been to so far. It made me realise just how unrelaxed Tokyo is. Kyoto had an entirely different atmosphere. Five minutes after entering the university I swore to work as hard as I could to achieve the dream of coming back one day to study. The motivation wore off about five minutes later when we were forced to consume soggy fat coated noodles in salty slime soup masquerading as Udon (Japanese noodles) in the canteen but I could always bring lunch from home. My mind wanders like a toothless old man in his vegetable garden, sorry. Back to Kyoto. I have decided if Tokyo is the New York of Japan, then Kyoto is the San Francisco or Vancouver or even a bit Sydney-ish. If Tokyo fashion is red, and chunky and plastic, Kyoto is rust coloured, and second hand and dred-locked. In other words its a bit more my style.
We really just cruised the whole weekend. The weather was perfect, what my mother would describe as 'brisk' but clear. I even saw my second set of japanese stars. I appreciate nature more now I see so little of it!
We 'Temple-hopped' and saw the golden temple (made of gold for those of us who need further explanation!) as well as the 3000 soldiers (gees these names sound boring in english!) which totally flipped me out, there is something very eerie about 3000 statues staring at you, but maybe I am just paranoid after japanese rush hour trains, and at least these soldiers weren't trying to pick me up in bad english.
I have truly learned to appreciate public bathing (watch out!) its amazing how memorable Deep and meaningfuls are when you are squeezed naked in to a boiling bath with someone, you don't get much more open than that! Thank you to Amy and Kylie for those deep and meaningfuls, they will be with me always.
I don't really know what to tell you about the weekend, I met a cute Swedish boy, who lives too far away for my liking (probably a good thing he is too young, but it was nice to feel attractive instead of too big and too loud for once) and I got to know Jon a lot better too. I loved and hated Japan for all that it was and wasn't, as always. And I learned that no matter how much you dislike someone at first glance, if you give it a go you can almost learn to like anyone. You need the reassurance that you are fighting the same fights and winning the same victories no matter who you are sharing them with when you are so far from home.
Karaoke, McDonalds stalking, Caramello koala eating, 3am bathing, so many anecdotes so little time...
I am having a vague day but if I think of any more to say I will add it later...
Love to you all. I wish you could have been here this weekend, its the only way to have a clue how content I feel right now..
posted by Claire English @ 10:09 PM

Saturday, October 13, 2001

Hello, back again. I actually meant to write this last Monday but have been typical exchange student emotionally unstable ball of rage all month so decided to let it wait until i got back on top of things... and here I am. Hurrah!
Well yesterday was the anniversary of 6 months since i left. Which scared me senseless as I have no idea where the last month went and I don't think I have improved my speaking in the last month at all- eek!
But what i really wanted to write about was visiting the Pixies a few weeks back.
And no, my host mother hasn't been cooking with the wrong kind of mushrooms, and no Tori Amos has not convinced me faeries exist, yet... I am talking about my host grandparents. They were very, different. In a good way. (And yes these ones were very much ALIVE incase you are thinking of the last time!) I will tell you how it started...
Well we got up to leave by 6am to get there by 11am, but of course on Shigeno/Claire time that meant leaving at 6:50 with my host father pulling his hair out and the dogs waking up the entire neighbourhood and Maki refusing to leave the bathroom- oh I will miss them so! Anyway we drove for hours and hours and I pretty much slept the whole way there and was really vague and sleepy when we first arrived. Actually I was asleep when we first arrived, my host mum shook me awake and we were parked infront of this strange construction, I wouldn't have called it a house it seemed to be put together with pieces of blue tarpaulin and rotting wood with a homemade wooden garage type thing attached to the front of the house.
As I was staring blankly and confusedly (that's not a word is it?!) around something else bounded in to view. It was a white haired toothless old man in his half unbuttoned pajamas doing what appeared to be galloping towards the car. MY first reaction was to start shouting 'Alright everyone don't panic, obviously someone has escaped from the crazy home we saw a few kilometers back, noone make any sudden moves or make direct eye contact and everything will be fine.' Unfortunately my HOST MUM's first reaction was to exclaim loudly 'Daddy! We're here!' Yes, the toothless old man was the wise, well known doctor specialising in cancer I had heard so much about.
So, as not to be rude I slooowly climbed out of the car- and landed up to my calves in fresh mud. Fantastic. I am great with first impressions. Of course I had been preparing for quite a different afternoon and had dressed up in my good pants, feather belt, Heeled boots, and make up, and was beginning to feel stupider by the second. Even Maki had dressed down (Pravda Jeans, Victoria's Secret Underwear band showing ofcourse, Black three quarter GAP top, and for the first time ever- flat shoes.) Why didn't I take the hint? So as we waded our way through the mud, to the jungle like garden, and eventually inside I tried to compose myself as my host family continued to piss themselves laughing at me. There are downsides to being treated like a regular member of the family - you still get teased!
So we got inside and did the introductions which included meeting my host grandmother, who, although I didn't have a tape measure, I am quite certain was approximately 4 foot tall! Also with inaka (country) style simple clothing (the pajamas weren't pajamas at all) and a big crooked smile. She was quite gorgeous, She sort of looked like she jumped out of a children's story book, a little like the tree in Pocahontas.
She was cooking Tempura which is deep-fried vegetables or seafood. They live very close to the beach and have a large, and very wild, vegetable garden so she had a lot to cook. And I mean a lot. This happened three weeks ago and we would still be eating the left overs if Yuki hadn't chucked a fit and threw the rest of it out a fortnight ago. There were plates and plates and plates of it. But she wasn't half done yet and she asked Maki and I to go outside and pick some vegetables. Easier said than done. My host grandfather took me out first to show me the general direction of where all the different vegetables were. He was actually really lovely. I have no idea what he said at all, he speaks old japanese that is extra difficult to understand, and was speaking too fast so I worked on perfecting my 'Oh really?' and 'Of course, hahahah' and blank but interested smile. So it was all good. My host family were impressed because he is known for absolutely chewing your ear off and I must have looked like I was paying attention. Damn I will have good people skills after this!
So Maki and I were handed an empty basket and told to go and pick vegetables. We eyed each other nervously as we ventured in to the wilderness. To make this shorter I will just tell you how we looked when we got back in to the kitchen. Maki had a large hole in the back of her Victoria's secret underwear where she had been snagged by a twig. My hair had been blown in to a style so big the eighties would have been impressed. My pants had various unidentifiable dark coloured stains on the knees and butt, our hands and nails were brown and yucky, Maki was muttering obscenities (or what I assume was obscenities, It may have been prayers of thanks that we made it back alive) and we were both looking a lot less respectable than when we left. It was funny I suppose... pity about my pants!
So I think after that we ate, and ate, and ate, and ate. Whilst listening to english christmas carols as it was the only foreign music they owned and it was supposed to make me feel at home! and they gave me a large pinecone. yes I know, I have no idea why either. Something to do with christmas?
We spent the rest of the day at the beach and chatting and stuff, and I sort of began to understand these little pixie people. They were happy without any of the plastic shiny things in life I guess. Happy to eat the fish he caught and the vegetable they picked.
It was a change from Tokyo, that's for sure!!
It started to get dark and I watched them jumping about gathering things here and there, and we packed up the car with what would fill half a fruit and vegetable store (Mum, these figs are incredible! and the fig jam is even better!) and set off for home.
Maki got a big grin on her face as we were leaving as my host grandparents were holding little envelopes. Which we were given on the way out and told to open in the car. There was one for each of us. I thanked them and headed out to the car. We waved goodbye to them and drove back to the lights and the chainstores and the city. About half way home i opened the envelope. There was money inside. Now, the most i have ever been given in cash in my life for even a birthday is $50. Inside this envelope was what is now the equivalent of $200.
Coming from a house where you could count the number of light switches on both hands.
I was visited by the Pixies. One without teeth and one who looks like a tree from a disney cartoon. Cool, huh?
posted by Claire English @ 3:23 PM

Tuesday, October 09, 2001

Hello everyone!
I just got back from a long weekend at Jessica's and realised how nice it is to have a break! I got home to have the video rental guy getting angry at me for bringing my CD's back a couple of days late ( I mean really, should you be able to put a time limit on musical enjoyment?) And the forms for the student train ticket for my trip to Kyoto at the end of the month (yay!) and ofcourse- school....
Now I know some of you back home think you have done eigtheenth birthday parties a hundred times, but I am writing this to let you know, you ain't done an eighteenth 'til you've done it jappo style!
It was Jessica's culture festival on Sunday and her Birthday Party on Monday so I was there from the preparations right through til we threw them all out at the end. It was so cute guys! We did everything short of pin the tail on the donkey and pass the parcel! It was the only eighteenth I have ever been to where the main meal was raw fish sushi and drink was Oolong tea- ofcourse we made up for that by eating our weight in fried Chicken and Cadbury chocolate someone sent- hurrah for chocolate with a sugar and fat content (Japanese chocolate tastes like rock hard sugared cardboard)- so it was fun anyway.
We had a catch up with the other gaijin as well (hello to Lisa, John and Fred- wasnt it fun?!) I have a feeling between the slightly leud jokes, which although we sensored in the translation, probably didnt help, and my various renditions of tokyo slang in boy form as well as forcing them to turn off the J-pop and listen to Kate Bush, probably left the japanese guests slightly concerned and frightened about their safety- but we had months of culture shock I am sure they can cope with an afternoon of it...
I actually sort of realised that the jokes that left me in tears and rolling on the floor were not at all funny to the japanese, and wouldnt be at all funny to people at home- so it seems we have created a whole new form of humor, we arent Japanese, but we aren't 100% Australian either (thanks to Andi and Maki my english is appalling!) so we just make lots of jokes about what freaks we are... its funny if you are one of us... Hmmm.
As we were eating lunch and speaking in our rediculous Japlish sentences to eachother I just kept getting hit with these waves of 'Aw I love these people' which is amusing considering how hostile I was to them in the beginning. Now I just watch them quietly while they gabble in their Aussie accent japanese and listen to the way we have all really managed to handle this- we have really come a long way. And I just think to myself that I am so glad that even though we are so completely different and mismatched, I am so glad we have that little bit of comfort.
I am more and more content as the weeks pass. Partly because the language is easier and partly because i know i dont have that much time left.
The last three months are supposed to be the best, and I think that might be true.
Happy Birthday again Jess, and thanks for a great weekend!
Bye everyone...not long now....
posted by Claire English @ 3:56 PM

Saturday, October 06, 2001

Hmm I have been slack again and not been bothered for a few weeks, sorry. I did write one and then I scrapped it because I was pretending to be funnier than I actually was...!!
So, I hope everyone is fine, and that its a bit warmer in Brisbane than it is here, the winter will surely be the end of me...!
It has been an interesting two weeks, beginning with the rediculous 6 month low that most exchange students get (which ofcourse I was adimant I wouldn't get and was thus affected twice as badly) which was anything but fun, but made me a bit more realistic about things- eventually you have to tell people you have enough trouble fighting your own fights and dont need others as well... but we all know it will be a long time before I sort that problem out- my mum still hasn't!
Also the social event of the year (here is ocha-co social life in a nutshell) the school Bunkasai or culture festival. Every school has one and the bigger and richer the school the better they are. Unfortunately our school is dirty and poor but it was pretty good anyway... Japanese school boys are just so pretty and funky, I just sat for hours with Andi watching them strut it was funny.

Everyone had to pick jobs and tents to do, there was one for rock bands and various ones for food, and one to make glass flowers, and manga tents where you could buy postcards and drawings and be drawn etc, and one for peoples rights and charities with a charity bazzar selling everything from old sports shoes to antique jewellery, and ikebana, and hmm... lots more.
The volleyball team had to cook Yakisoba (flavoured noodles with stir fry cabbage and vegetables) unfortuantely I think we would be shut down by the health inspectors within minutes if we ever considered opening up for real, that or all our customers would die of starvation waiting for Eru and Claire to artistically sprinkle fish flakes and nori (seaweed) over the noodles ensuring not to take attention away from the pretty pink ginger bundles in the corners (it took us about 15 minutes from order time to get it on to the table- for a school festival thats a pretty lame effort but we had fun) And I was the girl who screamed 'IRASHAIMASE, OKYASAMA DOZO' (welcome, go ahead customers!) at the charity bazaar so I did my bit.

I also watched a few of the bands- all with nonsensical english names because thats what's cool. My art friends band was called 'Met Met' their set was called 'never dead ever good' and the girls from my grade's band was called 'Styrish brains' It was meant to be Stylish brains but there appears to be a typo...gotta love japan.
I have about 15 weeks left so its not long at all now. I had a momentus day yesterday when I realised that for the last few weeks I have actually understood life skills class. And yesterday I was able to listen, understand and contribute in a somewhat valid way so hurrah for me! I cant believe it has taken this long but I suppose it is a class for year 11 students and my japanese is lower than or equal to first grade primary school level, so it is not too bad an effort! Lifeskills involves classes on credit cards, and marriage legalities, so I am sure to be equipped with many vital life skills when I get home....
There was an anecdote about meeting my host mums parents but I will get that up soon...after all these ones were alive so I even have something to write about...!
See you in three and a half months or so...

posted by Claire English @ 4:16 PM