Back in Business

Wow! A lot has happened since my last post. Too much, in fact, to write it all here, so I'll give you the nitty-gritty.

The biggest news is that we've decided to come home after one year! We are enjoying Japan, but we want to leave on a positive note and continue on to other things like grad school, jobs or whatever else comes our way. So, in August we will be flying back to the US!

Shawn is 24! We celebrated Shawn's birthday this weekend with some friends in the neighboring town of Hita. I gift wrapped Shawn's present in layer upon layer of wrapping paper, bags, tissue paper and any other paper product I could find laying around the house. It took him a good 20 minutes to open it! Here are some pis of Shawn and his gift:









This is a final action shot of Shawn enjoying his new presents.





After breakfast in bed and a long day of work, we headed to Hita. We did take a camera, but unfortunately forgot to take it out of our backpack while we were there... A good time was had by all, it started with dinner, progressed to a poker game at a bar called Scarface, then a darts bar, and two convenient stores. I had to crash at 2:30am, but Shawn came home at 5:30 am another year older :)

Next, I got my computer fixed! It's back safe and sound. I think it was actually a good experience for me to part with my computer for a while. As a result, I was more productive at work than I could have imagined! Instead of surfing the web at my desk I was planning lessons, cleaning my desk, reading books...it's crazy how much time I waste on my computer each day. So, now I have been only taking out my computer at work in the afternoons after I'm finished with my classes. I found a nice balance.

Two weekends ago Shawn and I were invited to a mountain town called Yufuin with my Spanish Class. It was an overnight stay in a retreat style house that the Oita University Medical Center owns. One of the Spanish students is a big wig there so he gets lots of perks. Anyway, it was super Japanese and a good opportunity to experience Japanese customs that sometimes we miss out on.

The following picture is of everyone sitting under a 'kotatsu' which is a table that has two layers. In between the layers is a large blanket that fans out from all sides. Underneath the kotatsu is a heater that keeps everything under the blanket. Yet another way the Japanese beat the cold cold winter with no central heating. Everyone sits under the kotatsu and visits, plays games, eats, whatever. It was so warm. I wish I could sleep under the kotatsu.



Some people in my Spanish class. Notice that with the exception of our teacher, Jose, everyone is easily 30 years older than us!



No, we all aren't wearing uniforms. By this time we had already entered the 'onsen' - large communal bath. Men first, women second. Then, after you wash and soak, you wear these yukata with large fatter quilted jackets over the top for warmth. It was fun lounging around in these pajamas with people we really didn't even know!



The hospital also owns some property across the street from this house which the Japanese people called an 'antique house.' It is from about 200 years ago with the thatched V-style roof. They took us on a tour and inside were all kinds of relics from the distant past - tools, dishes, clothes, basic household stuff. The place used to be a pharmacy so there were all kinds of medical tools, scales, balances, mortar, pestels, some instruments I couldn't describe and lots of little compartments for all the drugs. It was really cool to see. On the second floor they keep (kept? I'm not sure if they still do) silkworms. There were also all kinds of carpenters tools, farmers tools, you name it we saw it. It was really really cool. It's not a museum or anything, but I'm sure all that stuff is worth a lot of money. The whole house was made of only wood - not even any nails. Here is a picture of it:



At this point I handed the camera over to Shawn so he could get some artsy-fartsy pictures - which he did and hopefully he will post!

Here are some other random pictures. We ate shabu-shabu which is where you have a plate of raw meat and boiling water. You "shabu-shabu" the meat for about 30 seconds and then eat it. You dip it in the water until it boils to your liking. It was pretty good. We also had tons of other food not pictured including sashimi, clams, vegetbales, rice, and other unknowns. It was a huge meal!



Before we went home we drove to Mt. Aso, Kyushu's famous mountain/volcano and walked around the bottom in a beautiful field of grass. Lovely.







It was a really nice weekend. And it was a very interesting mix of Spanish, English and Japanese. Everyone there spoke all three! It was great.

In other news - my little sister, Rachael, is coming to visit me!! I am cho-excited! She will be here for her spring break which also semi-coincides with mine. So, we'll be heading to Tokyo together for her final days here. It should be fun! The first of what I hope will be many visitors.

Look for more blogs in the near future! I have a whole week of tests coming up which means no class and lots of sitting at my desk catching up on things like this.