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Well, as if by some kind of strange clairvoyance, my life has become filled with all
kinds of interesting items. In my last post, I mentioned that I sometimes have little
to write about, and thus update after a longer interval. I find that kind of funny in
light of recent events.
First of all, I will start with my spring break in Okinawa. We flew to Okinawa in two
hours, and landed in a nice rain shower which decided to last for another few hours.
Grant's brother is a marine on a base in Okinawa, and since he had a bit of time off,
he helped us move some of our luggage(and Grant) to the hotel while the other three
of us took a cab. Cabs in Japan are expensive, but when you split the cost between
three or four people, it is much more affordable. Also, Okinawan prices are a bit
lower than most of Japan.
We checked in, and wrote up a list of things we would like to have for the week, and
Grant's brother took Grant to the base for the night. The next day, we magically had
food and drinks for the rest of the week. While Grant was gone, Zem, Paul and I walked
around Naha, the city we were staying in. We got some lunch, enjoyed the now 80-degree
sunny weather, and headed back. On the way, I saw a barber shop offering haircuts for
all of 900 yen. Now, most places in Nagoya offer haircuts for upwards of 5000 yen,
with a discount for students. So I could effectively get a haircut in most of Japan,
for close to $30. But here was a place that offered them for cheaper than anywhere
I have seen in America, let alone Japan! So I got a haircut, nice and short, to
enjoy Okinawa with minimal sweatiness. While I was being trimmed, Paul and Zem
played with a stray kitten outside the barbershop.
That night, we hung around the hotel room, had a few drinks and watched TV. We also
discovered that our rooms offered Sega for only 500 yen a day. So we knew what we
had to do. We played Sega until the wee hours of the morning. "My head hurts when I
try to thought."
Our hotel rooms were quite nice, and since we were there for a week, we were able to
"move in" and unpack our stuff. I had also brought my guitar, which I can barely live
without. It proved to be a good decision, as we played a ton over the week, and Paul
even learned a few chords, and seems quite excited to learn the guitar. However, the
only song he can play right now is Tom Petty's Freefallin'. This makes for an annoying
week of "Hey guys! Wanna hear a song I just wrote? Here is it.." and of course, hearing
the now sickeningly familiar "Freefallin'" chord progression.. what have I done?
The next day was decent weather, and Grant's brother's girlfriend drove us to a nice
beach, which had absolutely nobody but us on it. Also, there were a few clouds and it
was windy, but compared to the frigidity of Nagoya, it was great. One of the problems
we had with beaches was that most of them are not swimmable, at least not without
dive boots on. Virtually all of the island is rock and coral shores, so you can lay
out on the beach, but not swim in the water too much. Luckily, this beach wasn't too
bad and we got by with only our sandals on. I stepped on what I think was a sea
cucumber(Jill, little help?) and it began to string out this glowing neon string which
might have been blood of some sort, or something. Anyway, we were kinda freaked out,
and these things were everywhere, so we got out of the water. On the beach, we sunned
and slept. I read a bit, Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein. Fitting for
Japan, I thought.
That night, as Paul and Grant played Sega Baseball, Zem and I bleached our hair blonde.
The next few days were quite rainy, and windy if they weren't rainy. Our windows would
blow shut, and trees were bent over backwards. No beach on these days. Grant went to
help his brother pack and move his belongings, so we were without Grant for a day or
so. More Sega, more guitar, more reading. A little card playing. It seems that
almost everything opens for public use in April. Unfortunately, our last day was the
30th of March. That Friday, it was reasonably sunny, and we were determined to get to
a beach at least one more time. So we took a cab, splitting the enormous fare.
I am quite sure now that this whole cab thing had been a setup from the moment he saw
us. He picked us up and we mentioned that we were headed to a beach. So he showed us
brochures of this glass-bottom-boat tour. We kinda nodded and said "looks cool." We
understood about half of what the guy was saying, and he seemed to be talking fast
just so that we would be confused. We ended up at the place, and he took us to a
counter, where he shouted some lady's name and she came to the window. He had just
conned us into a 1500 yen apiece boat tour.
After the tour, he was waiting for us, and we got back into the cab. He took us the
rest of the way to the "beach" and showed us where to get the tickets. We soon
realized the whole deal. You see, there was no beach here, you pay for a boat ride
to a small island where you can use the beach there. But no beach here, no siree.
The boat ticket was 2500 yen. Almost 2500 bucks.
And the kicker, was that the last boat returning was at 5:00pm, and it was already
past 3pm. So we would have an hour and a half on an island beach for 2500 yen.
We got there, and since the island is surrounded by sharp rocks, we had to get onto
a row boat with two grungy looking guys who then pulled us in toward shore. Even they
didn't get too close to shore. We ended up walking(in our shoes and socks) in 6 inches
of ocean water and stepping on rocks that were three inches under the water's surface.
On a positive note, the beach was almost empty, and nice and sandy. There were also a
coupla little caves and stuff on the island. I got a little sun, read, we swam(needed
the sandals again) and relaxed. Then we headed back an hour and a half later.
That night we headed out for a last meal, of lobster and shrimp, cooked right in front
of us. It was very delicious. The wine wasn't up to par, exactly, but ok. Unfortunately,
it ended up making me quite sick. But the food was great going both ways.
That was the most expensive dinner I have ever paid for.
We returned the next morning, settling our bills and packing up.
This last day soured my experience a bit, but overall it was a great time, a great
experience, and one of my favorites was taking Paul and Zem to a snack bar. Their first
time, of course. Singing karaoke in front of people you don't know, buying expensive
beers and talking to old Japanese ladies who hit on you and compliment your every move
and word. And being bought drinks by a Japanese guy who owned the building.
One of the other best parts about Spring Break were the various reactions to my hair.
I love it like this, and most people like it as well. It was highly complimented,
especially for having done it ourselves, in the hotel bathrooms. Zem's looks pretty
natural, but Paul's.. well, I hope to get pictures up here so you can see them for
yourselves.
Tuesday night, I went out to play pool and get some dinner with Paul. When I returned
that night, I found what will make up part two of this update.
My host mother was not alone. In fact, she had her three kids and her only granddaughter
in the dining room. They were poring over papers(not the little one, she was running
around playing and making noise, as always). It was a somber time, and I knew something
was wrong. They explained to me that my host father is in the hospital, and that he was
unconscious. Also, that I was to go to Nanzan's housing office to see about switching
living arrangements. He was probably not going to make it. He was in intensive care.
This is a huge shock, naturally. First of all, my host mother feels truly guilty about
having me move, especially since I have already moved once(for a similar reason, right?)
I was so shocked, shaken up.. I took a long bath, thought and prayed. Any prayers you
can offer for my host father and host family in this time of need are most welcome.
The next day we had hanami, which is flower watching. Our class met at a park to enjoy
the flowers, but my mind was elsewhere. I was anxious to 1)find out how my host father
was doing, and 2) find out where I was going to be living. After "class," I went to
school and talked to the school. They had already spoken with my host mom and I told
them I wanted to be in a dorm this time. 24 hours later, I had moved into the dorm.
At this very moment, I still do not know how my host father is, or specifically what
is wrong with him. He is 69 years old, and has some circulation problems which are
probably the cause. It is doubtful that he will survive this ordeal, and if not, my
(now former) host mother will be moving to Tokyo to live with her grown children.
I am living in the dorm, and have been since Thursday. Thursday night, I went to
another hanami, with some friends. It turned out to be one of the best times I have
had in Japan since being here. First, I needed a distraction from my thoughts. Second,
Japan is incredibly gorgeous right now. There are tons of cherry trees, and they are
all blooming and now shedding their blossoms. People go to parks and sit on the grass
or blankets and drink and talk and eat and look at the flowers and joke. At night, it
is just as beautiful. Thursday night was like this. After being there for a while, we
were invited to join this Japanese company's spread, which I guess is sorta like
tailgating. And we did, talking to them in Japanese, drinking their drinks and eating
their food. Two Japanese businessmen decided it would be a good idea to take off some
of their clothing, and run around in boxers. One climbed up a tree, where he shed his
boxers and stood there like the king of the mountain. Naked as a jaybird, he was. The
other, following suit(or removing suit, I guess) climbed, then ran around naked and
jumped in the small river. Everyone was cheering him on. And the funniest part is, not
a single person will mention it at the office the next morning. Or ever. He was drunk,
and in Japan, things you do while you're drunk don't count. They never happened.
Later, after my three-thousandth trip to the bathroom, I was coming back and saw a few
guys playing guitar on a blanket. I was listening, and they saw me. I ended up sitting
with them for a bit, playing and jamming with them. I played all kinds of stuff that
they would recognize, and the guy tried to finish up with Tears in Heaven, which he
completely ruined. His friends were teasing him about it, and I said I could do it,
which I did. Lots of fun.
I went back to the dorm and went to bed. I am only a 5 minute walk from school now, so
I can sleep in a bit longer than before. So I take complete advantage of the extra
hour of sleep.
My room is wonderful, I have my own room(no roommate) and my own bathroom with toilet
and sink. I have a desk, a bed, shelves and a dresser. And a huge closet. Unfortunately,
the spring is here, and my allergies(or a cold that's going around) is hitting hard. I
think I'm almost over it, though.
I have to cook for myself, which is another new item. So far I have made tuna-salad
sandwiches and burnt two eggs which were attempted fried eggs. I didn't realize that
their cooking thing heated up so quick. I will make spaghetti tonight, I think. I know
I can do that. It's a communal kitchen, and I am kinda embarassed by my complete
ineptitude. I can cook, but not when I don't know what the ingredients are, or how to
read the recipes or anything. Oh bother. I want to make yakisoba, udon, and stuff like
that. I don't even know how to make rice with the machines they use.
In the last coupla weeks I finished "Stranger in a Strange Land," "Dave Barry Does Japan,"
and Stephen King's "The Stand." Actually, I just finished this last one last night. I
recommend all three. Especially "The Stand."
Well kids, there it is. Nanzan's got the Freshman on campus for orientation stuff, so
almost all the computer labs are blocked off. This one is open today, so I got in here,
but I can't guarantee anything for the future. I will try to keep on schedule. Until
then, peace, love, and prayers.
Chas