Sihanoukville

The three days we spent in Sihanoukville were definitely my favorite part of the vacation. It was good to just relax, enjoy nice weather and food in good company. I was especially excited because we had Kori along with us. It was great to have girl to hang with, not to mention someone to share Japan stories with. She is also teaching English in a small mountain town in Japan. Rob, Kori and I arrived early in the morning after an all night bus ride. We met Jon, checked in to a guesthouse on the beach and headed for a morning beverage. The Mekong buck I drank was enough to knock me out for the rest of the afternoon. That night we headed to a beach party consisting of dancing barefoot and playing with fire. Don't be surprised that I found a new trick to try and practice while on vacation and dancing with fire sticks was it.

The next day we took a small tour boat to a practically deserted island for snorkeling and lunch. It would have been enjoyable had we not drank and stayed up so late the previous night. I have never before, experienced sea sickness along with dirty travel stomach problems. The boats you see in the picture below are what we took. The water was rough and the boats rocked with the waves. It was awful. Arriving to the island we were rewarded with uncrowded beaches and delicious food.

The best beach activities: collecting sea shells and chillin' in hammocks!

There is the little hut we stayed in.

four great people one giant swing!

Angkor What?

When it rained, which happened often I was able to stop inside and make a few sketches of architecture, the carvings and different colours/textures within the temples and surrounding grounds. Even though I did not understand most of the stories of carvings I viewed their detail and quantity amazed me.

Cambodia

The first thing I remember about Cambodia was the extensive amounts of people offering you rides. When I arrived at the airport to meet Rob and Jon there weren't there quite yet. As I walked out it was just a swarm of Khmer men's persuading me to catch a ride on either their motorbike, in a TUK TUK or taxi. I didn't capture a picture of it because I was trying to be invisible. However, below is an image of this sort of thing: Tuk Tuk men on the move after our boat landed close to Siem Reap. The boat ride from Phomn Penh was relaxing and it allowed me to see a lot of Cambodia's countryside. Floating villages and stilted houses were the norm. The Khmer people live and work on the water. Something I had never even really considered or thought about being a land dweller from Saskatchewan. It was a great to watch as we cruised by.

In Phnom Penh, we did mostly some sight seeing and market shopping. It was the first few days of my vacation and I was just getting used to the new area I had arrived in. Below is the Silver Pagoda. There was such beautiful architecture. For me most enjoyable because of how colourful the buildings are.

The markets were most interesting for me. At this time I was not ready to buy anything, but Rob convinced me to get a pair of Ray Ban rip off sunglasses. It was a good $3 purchase. Sadly I ended up losing them in Bangkok the last day of my trip. The markets were so huge! Anything you could possibly need was there, in massive quantities...and cheap too! At every booth there was a salesperson usually females, even young children. Their voices echo in my mind still, "come on lady, I sell to you cheap cheap". That statement still echos in my brain. When it comes down to buying just name your price and you've got it!

Modes of transportation and safety are much different in Cambodia than home and in Japan. I love this picture especially. However, unfortuanately it was not uncommon to see a parent and their child cruising on a motor bike, the small child in front not strapped in or anything.

Lastly, in Phnom Penh we spent one depressing but important day at Tuol Sleng SP21 (security prison) and The Killing Fields. Two places that show remains and give information about the Genocide of Pol Pot's communist regime during 1975-1978.

Some things just can't be captured on camera...

Lately I have not been using my camera as much as I first arrived. It is okay for me to keep memories this way, for me to know but nobody else. But then when I realize I want ot write about it I think I should have a picture for that. Most blog readers aren't always into reading, mostly just skimmiing and looking at the pictures. But I like to write, so to make a long story short here is my weekend. Wilfred and I wenjoyed the hot Saturday at a nice and cool waterfall where I made some skectches for a painting I will givce him. Then we headed to Yamagata city for for dinner. On the way home I had to do a u-turn (we were chasing the fireworks in the distance). The turn was cut short when my left front tire hit a drain ditch on the side of the road an dI was stuck! Again the narrow roads in Japan and holes in the sides of the road got the best of me. Thankfully Japanese people are helpful and after flagging down a car with a couple in it, ringing the door of a house near we were in business. The guy in the car was speechelss and didn't know what to do, but the family who just finished ther evening bath came out and got the nice young, buff neighbour (for a japanese) from across the way to help. He initiated the lifiting and both guys pushed and I reversed! It was a close call and now I'm pretty sure my car has nine lives.

This is a picture of the Reggae festival Wilfred, Takako, Ken, Liam, Yuji and I went to up the mountain near the Nagai damn that same evening. It was awesome!! I was so happy to see young, fun characters in Nagai, that doens't usually happen. We eneded up talking with a group of firends who are in two different bands all from around Yamagata and Miyagi. Being in the mountains, listening to live musc really was the perfect summer night.

This week I have been busy and each day it rains I am thankful because I feel I can slow down a bit and get some stuff done. Plus then my apartment is much cooler! I really should figure out how to work the air conditioner. I am a bit afraid to try agian because last time I couldn't figure out how to switch from heat to the cool air I desired.

I've really become good at multitasking here in Japan. Lately is seems that everything I do is combined with melting! And on Sunday I was able to do three things at once, watch the Rider game on TSN.com, do 5 paintings and survive not melting away in my hot apartment. It was nice to enjoy some of the things familiar from home.

Lastly, below is the piece I arranged at Ikebana monday night. I really enjoyed woring with these strange Japanese flowers. It turned out quite well I think.

Like a child!

Here I am with two of my students Takuma and Norihiko at our Summer BBQ!

Today marks the first day of no kindergarten lunch for almost a month! The reason being they have a few weeks off school and a bunch of half days because of summer. I am excited. I am very curious to see how I feel not having to eat that food.

Since I could eat whatever I wanted today, I went home made a delicious taco salad. It took longer than I expected so I did not make it back until 7pm. I was not gone longer than an hour which is the amount of time I get for dinner. BUT I was still 20 minutes late for sitting in the office. As a new rule made in June we have to be there even when we don't teach lessons.

Tonight I don't teach so I figured the 20 minute change in dinner break wouldn't be a problem. Apparantly, it was. My manager is super great, but sometimes his work ideals and my Canadian mentality do no mix. I had not abided by the exact time schedule which was wrong and I was told that. I just felt like a child and I constantly feel that way because rules keep changing.

I just wish I could grow up again...its a wierd balance struggle I'm having. I live alone so I have all the freedom and independence I want, but there are parts to my job and life in Japan where no choice is given, and strong rules apply. This is hard for me, very hard for me. So at times, I guess I try to bend the rules or push them. In my defence, I feel this is only natural considering who I am. As a Canadian I am used to free choice, openess and trust. So when I feel I am being punished for what other teachers have done in the past, and things I have done unintentionally, it really gets my blood flowing. I love Japan, its people, culture, food...etc but working here is tough at times. I just want to be accepted for who I am, for my ability to teach and that be that....the other stuff shouldn't matter. The best way of dealing with this usually comes in the form of drinking!!

Here I am, making a drink, behind the bar at Paradise. A local hot spot!
My upcoming vacation to Thailand and Cambodia will be good, hopefully I can get rid of all my frustrations with work and all the rules and come home and enjoy Japan again!!

Car Jam!

This is my sweet K car! I absolutely love it! It has a CD player!! and is not made in the 90's!

It's Friday night, which means I am pretty tired from the week. Unless there is a party in Nagai or drinking event at Lesley, usually I just chill out in my apartment after chatroom. Sometimes I get to catch up with Mandy and Rodney on scype which is always really nice to have home friends to talk with! Anyways, this week was unusually stressful and long I think due to the rain and strange circumstances going on at my school. The school will be going from two teachers to one. I am the lucky one who keeps a job (because of contract start/end time) and will be the lone survivor in this game we call English teaching in rural Japan. My current situations feels more like a burden...to be the only teacher in a small town, small school in a foreign country. The way my school is, no set curriculum, no real guidance at either school, means I kind of will be running the show. Cool maybe...but in Nagai it might feel like being the last person left on earth. This week we've been preparing and talking about class changes and and I am getting a little disheartened, not feeling so up to the challenge. To add probably 6 new privatenclasses, and three kindergarten classes to my regular week schedule is a lot of extra work. Now I am lonely and go crazy during the week for real conversation, someone to really listen, understand and respond to my thoughts and opinions. So when my coworker Wilfred leaves I really don't know what I will do. Only time will tell. It will be interesting to see how I react in August when yeah, I will be forced to really do everything on my own, and with no help from Wilfred and his mad Japanese skills.

So rainy days, thinking about change, loneliness got me down. When I saw the surveillance camera in my classroom yesterday I was in total shock! I couldn't believe it was there. Why was it there? Did they really need to spy on me?!....my mood worsened. I was ready to pack up and leave.

In the end, after my temper cooled, I asked about the cameras and apparently they are there so parents can watch classes in the near future. All I have to do is try to forget they exist, and avoid picking my wedgies in that corner of the room and all is well!

To end the long week I wanted to relax and watch a movie. Wilfred and I went to the video store to get a rental card. I needed or sort of needed his help, but life is easier when he does the conversing and I get less embarrassed. After dropping him off I ended up going down this alley that got smaller and smaller until I could no longer fit. After a 15 point turn I was going back the way I came and tried to squeeze through until....kkkkkkrrrrrr, I heard a scratching noise. My car was too close on the left side. I ran to Wilfred's apartment to get his help. We ended up lifting the car over a bit then he directed me through. A small scratch was left, but no serious harm done. My adrenaline level was so high. How could I think to take it down such a narrow alley...I'm not the brightest person and maybe too risky??

I love my car and need to take care of it and be more cautious.

I also LOVE that last weekend I was riding my bike so fast and vigorously that my front tire popped and was flat in a second. Yeah I'm a biking machine. I was pretty far out in the country and had a long walk back to the road.

This kid below, Hiroo is my ultimate favorite. He is so smiley all the time I can not get enough of his bright attitude. I love his shirt, his younger sister also has one in pink, they wear them on the same day. It's hilarious, especially because she has snot running down her nose, ALWAYS. The double shirts, funny caption plus snotty nose are just too much for me to handle sometimes!

Last but not least, I love the crowd spirit at the baseball game I watched last weekend. The game was relatively boring, we lost, in total there were only three runs but I had a good time...people watching. It was interesting to see the Japanese version of a ball game! Here's a video I captured of their favorite chant!

Mysteries

So the biggest mystery in my life in Japan is why I am gaining weight and why I am so tired during work. I think the two go hand in hand. The schedule is tiring and teaching in general takes a lot out of me but I think it might have something to do with the school lunch. After kindergarten I come home and am absolutely exhausted. The kids wear me out, but I also feel like the food I'm eating is not the balance I need or am used to. I've tried cutting down on how much kindergarten food I eat, but then I just crave more food and snack all afternoon. Somehow I cannot justify coming home and eating a second lunch?? I'm definitely trying to eat balanced meals and exercising outside of work but somehow I've still gotten a freshman 15!!. Every time I talk to my mom we discuss what could possibly make me gain weight and make my hormone balance broken...still after almost 6 months. I guess as much as humans can easily relocate and adapt to different surroundings our bodies still have a difficult time adjusting. Even though mentally you don't feel the stress of all the changes the body does and reacts with anger. And right now mine still hates me!!

Take a look at what I've been eating for lunch the last while. We usually have a soup, a vegetable, cold salad and some fried meat/fish then I bring brown rice. Maybe it doesn't look to appetizing, but its not so bad. My favorite days are when we get fruit with lunch. Lately though, I am just sick of eating cafeteria made food. Coming from a place where we are given so many choices it is hard to have to eat this lunch every work day. Somedays, I just want a sandwich and carrot sticks so bad!!

I remember the first school lunch I ate at kindergarten. I am pretty sure all my manners were absolutely wrong. I can recall the students correcting me on how I ate and everything I did wrong during that meal. I swear I almost cried from the torture of being corrected by young children. They sure made me feel different that day! haha. Lunch has gotten better since then and I am enjoying the kids more and more as we can communicate a little better. I am starting to really see inside the complex character of a Japanese child. Below I have taken a video of the ending of lunch when we say thank you for the delicious food. I was trying to be discrete so that is why the aim is a little off!

As for the mystery of weight gain, I am unsure. Is it the food? Is it stress? or possibly from drinking too much?? If you have a chance please give your input on the topic.