Our First Ski Trip

It's Christmas Day here in good ol' Kitami, Japan, so my husband and I decided to go skiing for the first time since we moved here (two years ago). We went to the local ski hill, Wakamatsu. This was my husband's second time ever skiing; the first time being when we was a kid. I hadn't been skiing in, at least, six years, so it was all pretty exciting. Here's a video I took from one of our runs.

Needless to say, it was a great time! Can't wait to go again after I fully recover from this trip!

Merry Christmas

Though we may be many miles away, I want to wish all my friends and family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I love and miss you all!

The Blow & Eat Technique

As I watched a child discover an uneaten snack from snack time, proceed to blow on it, and then eat it. I learned that the blow and eat technique is universal!

A Sad Day...

Tonight, I went to my first funeral in Japan. One of my closest co-worker's daughter died a few days ago and tonight was the service. It was heart wrenching.

The service was very ceremonial, like most things of importance in Japan. Two monks came out and said some prayers and then someone gave a eulogy for the family. I managed to keep in my sorrow until we greeted the family when we were leaving.

My heart weeps for Muchan-sensei and her family. I wish that I could express my sadness for her and let her know that I am here for her. She is such an amazing person and things like this shouldn't happen to people like her. My heart goes out to her!

Winter Has Arrived...

I have been so lucky this year because today the snow came late...for Hokkaido! I wished it away, and it worked! Unfortunately, it is here now and my running has come to an abrupt halt. Also, my apartment has gotten colder.

Discrimination

Today in my morning class, made up of five women all 50+ years of age, we talked about discrimination. It was an interesting discussion. I taught them about the civil war and the discrimination between blacks & whites. They were all very interested to learn such a thing about a country that is now so culturally diverse.

Then I asked them if there was ever discrimination in Japan? They couldn't think of any. I was surprised because, I believe, discrimination is all over Japan. Though it may not be as obvious as what we knew of America, but it's definitely here. I, myself, have gotten the looks and even been asked "Why am I here?", and not in the "I'm just curious" way. Plus, there is the discrimination for Koreans and Chinese. Let's be honest, none of them like each other. In fact, one of my students told a story about when she was in China and some angry Chinese woman asked the friend they were with, who was also Chinese, why she was helping a couple of Japanese people.

Discrimination is everywhere! I just want to help open my students' eyes to the topic and make sure they recognize it and don't do it themselves. Very enlightening!

Thinking back...

Tonight I was having a chat with one of my students about what it was like for me when I first moved to Japan. It didn't take long to remember those feelings. The feeling of always being stared at by everyone! But, I think, the hardest thing for me to get used to was being surrounded by a sea of Japanese.

In America, we have all different ethnicities around us. So, to suddenly go from the majority to the minority can be an almost frightening experience. It was like being a giant red spot on a white piece of paper. That was probably one of the lowest parts of my time here. It's a feeling I can't really put into words and don't really ever want to experience again.