May 12, 2009 Fun at the Kofu Orphanage

Konbanwa
CJ is busy all week at work with a BIG product launch and dinner meetings so I have some time to get this blog updated, pack for my upcoming trip to MN and Honduras and have been trying to line up some volunteer work here for the fall. CJ and I had a great weekend and I actually went to work with him on Saturday morning to help put some binders together for the sales and marketing meeting. You know me always like shuffling papers around. We were so surprised and delighted while we were waiting for the train when our friend Shoehi tapped us on the shoulder. WOW..if that is not CRAZY. In this BIG city we have now ran into him 2 different times. Fun..we had a nice chat and visit on the train as he went up to Tokyo for his Toefl English class and we headed towards work. He showed us a few good books he was reading about The Japanese and International issues. He is going to school to be an International lawyer.
We bid him farewell and then enjoyed a walk along the wooded path and duck pond on the way to and from Graco KK. It sure looked alot different there now, than when I went at cherry season in late March. No more pink trees and now everything was green and full of leaves. There were quite a few yellow iris and 3 or 4 purple ones on the bank of the pond, and lots of pink and white lilly pads making a tarp over much of the water. Only a few ducks were swimming about and I saw about 6 or 7 turtles poking their heads above the water to see who was out there.
After the binders were completed I stopped for a haircut when I found a place for 980yen. Yahoo that is the cheapest I have seen here, most charge 5000yen and I refuse to pay that every 5 weeks. So I went in and said I wanted a cut and thinning and the girl was a bit nervous I think as I told her in English. She tried to talk with me in Japanese, but no such luck. I told her whatever she would do, will be better than what I had. No worries. So then she led me first to the locker where I locked my bags in and took the key and then when I sat down she gave me an eye glass case to hold my glasses in while she cut my hair. WOW...such service:-) She did a great job and it feels so nice to not look like GUMBY head.
We then went out for lunch and after we made our way to the book store Shohei told us about in Yokohama Station. There we found the two books he was talking about and also I got my first Manga cartoon book in English so I can see what this rage is all about. I got Volumne one of Fruit Basket which is a teen romance story I guess? It is actually rather odd and I am not exactly sure I am reading it correctly either. The books all open opposite of ours and then I am not sure if I am to go down and up left to right or just right to left and back and forth down the page...
CJ finished the book on Internationalization on the train and then when we got home I read it and now he has taken it to share with guys and gals at work.
Sunday we slept in and then enjoyed a chat with Kalen via Skype for Mom's Day. Mikey left Monday for Iowa and his summer of Shakespeare. Got nice note from Graham and had a good long chat with him a few days earlier in the week. They are both well and keeping busy. Looking forward to seeing them both next weekend in MN. Yea!
CJ and I then made our way up to Tokyo's Yoyoji park for the Jamaican ONE LOVE festival. It was a beautiful day and lots of people were there to rock to the reggae rhythms. It was interesting to see some alternative looking Japanese folks and not so reserved in their black suits and white shirts. We even saw a few exposed tattoos which is not a real accepted thing here in Japan. We enjoyed some good jerk chicken tacos and I kept my fingers crossed that the spanish folks and one white guy who all had a bit too much to drink kept themselves in line. It was actually a bit awkward and felt quite subdued for a concert. We hung around a bit and enjoyed the many different artists coming out to sing one song with the band. Some were pretty good, but the pronounciation of some words sounded a bit funny and were not even close I don't think to what Bob Marley wrote them as. They are entertainers though and do get into their singing.
We then made our way back through Yoyoji park where tons more people were just hanging out on theri little plastic tarps and having picnics, some samuari couples were doing sai battles, the lone guy was jumping around to his boom box. The Elvis wannebee twisters were there and dancing up a storm like all other Sunday's. Across the way on the plaza only a few Harajuku girls were out strutting theri stuff and actually more boys were there holding there FREE HUGS signs and waiting for soem takers.
We made our way home for some dinner and the next episode of American Idol. We were so happy when Matt got saved. He reminds me of Kalen's man friend Michael. I know you in the USA are down to the last 3, but we still have 8 here in Japan. Sumo started again this weekend and so if I am around the next 15 days I can watch the top 2 divisons wrestle each day at 4-6pm.
Monday May 11, 2009 I had another long chat with my mom for Mothers Day and also found out my dad got himself a new 3 wheel bike to ride. He is so happy to now have some freedom to move about and go to the grocery store. I am hoping my mom might try it out and get one for herself as well? They are doing well and enjoyed seeing their grandson Stafford graduate with his Masters Degree in Psychology last week. Mark's daughter Sarah also left for NYC with her man friend Cameron in toe this time around. She is doing well with her modeling out there and he is going to try and find some tech work I think.
Today Tuesday May 12 I had two meetings one at St Maur International school acrtoss the street and it looks like I will have many different volunteer opportunities available to help with in the fall.:-) Also my two new pals Janice and Lynnn from YIWC joined me today and we went to the Kofu orphanage to work with the preschool kids there. We will go back next Monday and then we hopefully will get to go weekly and help/play and teach them some English through songs and games? There is about 10 kids and they are so cute with their jet black stick straight hair, big almond eyes and cute little smiles. Reina and Noboru were two kids that stood out for me just in our 1 hour meeting. I sadly can not put pics of them up on the web if their face is showing, but I can show pics of their surroundings and the backs of their head ro blur their faces. So guess there will be more stories than pics of those days.
So now I need to pack my stuff and get things in order for my 1 month trip to Honduras. Will be busy there taking new pics of all the children,and having them write letters, answer new profile questions...We will be in MN for a few weeks too and looks as if the neighbors house will be ready after the fire and they get to move back into their new fireproof house.
I am getting all kinds of letters from my new found Japanese friends I have been meeting in the parks and along the streets. Yesterday I got a nice letter from Miyuki-san the man who sang to us on the Boardwalk. It was all in Japanese but two lines and so I had my friend Futakami-san help me out today with the translation. I also got another cute art decorated letter from Yojiro-san that is his 4th already sincne we met April 5th. Today I came home to a note and photos from Riye and her papa Aiko who I met in the Park. Shohei and Maggie from China write me emails as well, so I am finally making some native friends her and it is so fun. Now I really need to wrok on my Japanese.
Well I am pooped after the long walk today, being in the hot room with the kids. I am going to have to take my sweat rag with me there, that is for sure. It isn't even hot here yet, and I was already sweating like a SWINE..geez I hope that doesn't make me more susceptible to the flu? ha-ha
Looks like I will miss my black and white painting classes in the next week, but I hope to go again next fall when they start up again? I did enjoy that. I may have calligraphy this Thursday and who knows CJ and I may go back up to Yoyoji this weekend for the Thai festival. We will see how tired he is after being out late every night this week. They are sure to have some good food there, don't you think.
Or perhaps I need to go check Sankeien Gardens out and see what their Iris display looks like. The Jasmine vines were in bloom here the last 2 weeks and it smelt so good as you walked down the street. I can not tell what the fragrance is from now that fills the air, but something else is giving off a great natural perfume smell.
Looks like strawberry season is coming to an end here :-( and watermelons and bing cherries, tiny grapes are starting to show up at the fruit markets. I have enjoyed a few very ripe, tasty and juicy mangoes as well.
Well I guess that's enough for now....I am off to bed to rest my head and hope you all have a great day or night
Karla