Hitting the Ground Running

In only 42 days I am moving to Japan and I think I am starting to hit a slight panic mode. Okay maybe more than a slight panic mode.

There is so much I still need to do here, not just before we move next month, but before they pack our stuff for the sea shipment on December 18. I have been busy stocking up on medicines (you can't find simple items like Tylenol very easily and medicines are 1/2 the strength in Japan. And speciality items such as Leptovox) or Viagra, you might as well forget it), food (cereal, granola bars, canned goods, dressings, peanut butter, mac & cheese, oatmeal, pancake mix, etc) and household goods (laundry soap, shampoos & conditioners, soaps, dishwasher liquid, Kleenex, paper towels, etc) I have picked out new master bedding, kitchen rugs and towels, bath towels and area rugs for the kids bedrooms. Even though our dining room is already full of stuff, I still have a long list of things I need to buy this week.

1. Shelves for linens to put in the storage room
2. Shelves for toys to put in the storage room
3. Baskets and bins for the kids closests and the bathroom cabinets
4. Some type of storage/drawer unit for Chris's closet (We are not taking his dresser)
5. Spare sheets for Chris's & Emily's beds
6. Extra razor blades & Emily's face wash
7. Picture frames
   
8. New kitchen dishes (We are keeping ours here to use and then put into storage)
   
9. Blank DVD Disks
10. Extra boxes of contacts
11. Artificial Christmas tree
    
12. Some last food items
    

This weekend I managed to sort Sam's bookshelf, Barbies and all our DVDs and VHS tapes. Although Sam has outgrown many books on her shelf I just cannot part with them. Some of them were mine and Matt's when we were kids, and others have been passed through all three of my kids. So into storage will go a whole tub of board and toddler books. I figure someday my grandchildren can have them.

Besides shopping for the above items, I have a whole list of things that needs to be done before next week. Just a few of the most important things include:

1. Mail Visa paperwork **MUST DO BY TUESDAY**
   
2. Starting to pull out clothes and items that we will be taking with us on the plane and put into suitcases.
3. Finish Christmas shopping & wrap gifts.
   
4. Sort through toy closet, dress up clothes and doll basket to take stuff that kids no longer play with or have outgrown to Guardian Angel store.
   
5. Organize office, purge magazines, file paperwork, sort through supplies.
   
6. Backup laptop and burn photo CDs.
   
7. Pick pictures to print and place in frames.
   
8. Clean junk drawer in kitchen.
9. Clean out dining room hutch and sort recipe books.
   
10. Call boat storage place and find a storage place for van.
    
11. Call painters for quotes to get bonus room and master bedroom painted.
12. Call rental agent regarding paperwork for January to get our house rented out.
    
13. Sort through game closet to decide what goes and what will be stored.
14. Organize coat closet.
15. Make hotel reservations for Dec. 19 - Dec. 22 and then Jan. 16 - Jan. 19.
    

All of the above needs to be done while I have to get the kids to school, homework done, get groceries for this week, gymnastics practices (everyday this week), laundry, cleaning the house, 2 Japanese classes, finish work for one client and set up meetings for another client. I am way behind in my blog reading and I apologize. I promise I will get to them soon. I am also going to get a small real tree for the kids to decorate so we have something "Christmasy" here. Plus it will be a nice surprise for Matt (who will be here in 9 days!!).

Things are crazy around here right now trying to get things done, but it is probably a good thing. It keeps me from worrying about moving 7,200 miles away, the transition, the kids, missing our friends and family, and just being scared/nervous about this whole adventure we are about to embark upon.

Oyasuminasi! (Means goodnight in Japanese)

Arrived Safe and Sound

I am here! I am where soon will be called "home". Wow. I still can’t believe I will be living here. I think once we actually start looking at houses maybe it will seem more real. Until then it's just Matt and I on a trip enjoying the sites.

The plane ride was good. I flew from Raleigh to Detroit and then straight into Osaka, Japan. The flight wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Because of the distance Cat always flies us business class. I had my own LCD TV set, radio and even video game system. The food was actually decent and I loved the free drinks.

It was already dark when I got in here (it seems to get dark early) so I couldn't see much except for the outline of the mountains. Stepping off the plane my first thoughts were dang it is hot. It is incredibly humid here. Much more than NC.

We spent all Sunday exploring the area on our own before our guide meets us. We managed to find the school and even a few of the areas we will be looking at houses.

Ferris wheel in Harborland.
The front of the Canadian Academy, the school the kids will attend.

Street in Shoyia neighborhood.

View across the harbor.
Walking up the huge hill into Shoyia neighborhood.
Back yard of one of the houses we will be seeing on Wednesday.

It’s going to take some getting used to living in a city. The train system the first night looked so overwhelming, but after taking it everywhere yesterday it actually is pretty simple. (as long as you have a map)

I think I could just sit everyday and people watch. If someone can figure out the fashion statement here I would love to hear it. Anything goes. And I mean ANYTHING. I probably saw 20+ people in Uggs. Some people had winter stocking caps on (even though its the same here in the winter as NC). The only non-heeled woman shoe I saw was crocs. And the shoes... Oh my. I love shoes. Leggings with shorts. Shorts and tights. Mini skirts and thigh high socks. Thigh high boots. The younger guys in skinny jeans. Straighted hair (on men!!). And the list just goes on.

Shopping... There are more stores than people. Kid you not. It is the strangest thing. Some expensive, some not. I already found Gap and we have quickly found a store called Uniqol that we love.


The first night we had pizza for supper. Not what you would think as pizza though. And mozzarella & tomato salad! It was to die for. Matt said that the food here is amazing. He was right. I had an actual Japanese lunch and last night we went to a "Japanese steakhouse". The menu’s aren’t in English, heck nothing is in English, but they have pics and between that and a word guide we were able to figure out what to get. I can say water, beer and wine in Japanese. You know, the important words. Eating will be an experience that is for sure.


The bugs are scary. There is a common centipede that is poisonous and I think all the bugs are on steroids. We found this dead bug and its about as long as my fist. No joke. Then we had one buzz past us and we thought it was a bird.


Our toilet seat is heated and it has a butt washer and dryer on it! It is the weirdest thing ever.


Today is our first official day of our house hunting trip. We are meeting our guide for orientation and then going to tour the school and then look at our first set of houses. Then tonight one of the expats are hosting us for supper.

My sleep schedule is so screwed up. I didn't sleep well the first night, despite only the 2 hours I slept on the plane. Last night I crashed at 8pm and now am wide awake at 2:30 am. I am sure once I get on a schedule it will be Friday and I will be going back.

After being here less than 36 hours I can honestly say this is where we are supposed to be. This is going to be an amazing adventure for our family. The experience the kids will have in the 3 years we are here will be life changing. I cannot wait for them to see everything themselves.

You can see more pics from our first day here. If you watch the slide show make sure you mark to see the titles and comments so you will know what you are seeing.

Thailand -- Phuket Town

On our third day in Thailand we decided to take half a day and see where many locals go –– Phuket Town. (Now is called Phuket City) Many times Phuket Town is overlooked for the beaches or other sea tours, but for those who do go it is neat to see all the hustle and bustle of the "city".

There were so many things to do there. The zoo, Butterfly Gardens, "Farmers" markets, shopping, Pearl House, offices and much more. We opted to hop in a tuk tuk and just go to the different shops, markets and walk around. I had hoped to find Old Phuket Town to look at the buildings and history, but we never made it there before our driver had to get us.

Doesn't Matt look excited sitting in the back of a tuk tuk?

There were several "farmers" markets in Phuket Town. It was interesting to walk around looking at what was for sale and watching the locals interact. Some of the items I could never imagine eating. I learned that Thailand (and Matt says many countries) does not refrigerate their eggs. And the fruit, oh the fruit. If I could have I would have bought it all. I had some of the most awesome fruit in my life while on this trip.

Dried fish anyone?
There were aisles upon aisles of fruit.

These pineapples would be about 30¢ in the US and the oranges (which were always green) would have been about $1.

Another thing I learned on this trip was that nothing (and I mean NOTHING) foodwise is ever wasted. Some of the things you can never imagine eating are eaten in Thailand (and lots of Asia) Ducks are just smoked or cooked whole –– head, beak and all. If you order chicken, unless it states chicken breast, it is fair game as to what parts you are eating. The pork is actually very good in Thailand (I was surprised). I just hope that what I ate was never this:

Yes that is a hog head and yes that is some part of skin just draped on the side. And yes, people bought this.

One interesting thing about Thailand is mode of transportation. You do not see many big SUVs but you do see lots of pickup trucks and cars. I thought it would be more like Europe, small cars everywhere. But this may because many people use scooters as their primary mode of transportation. Everywhere you look you see people on scooters. Sometimes many people on the same scooter. Several times we saw a scooter with 4 people hanging off it. And helmets? The driver will wear one but that is usually it. And many times you will see small kids hanging off the scooter, usually without a helmet. With the windy, hilly roads I cannot imagine riding a scooter. People fly around those roads and being on a tiny scooter would be terrifying.

Everywhere you looked you saw scooters for sale or rent.

While in Phuket Town we opted to try some good Old Mickey D's rather than some of the more native foods. After some of the food we saw at the markets I think we were ready for something a bit more familiar. And let me tell you this was some of the best McDonald's I have ever eaten.

Thailand is beautiful. Just look at the background.


We spent about 4 hours in Phuket Town walking around and shopping. I got a few dresses and a pair of shoes that has quickly become one of my favorites. Matt got some Callaway golf clubs polo shirts, a custom suit and a few dress shirts (can't beat a custom suit and 2 dress shirts for $200 US dollars.) We also got some Thai silk, Phuket River pearl earrings, and a few other items to bring back for the kids and my mom.

Matt convinced me to buy this dress. Lots of people around here are wearing something similar so why not. Plus I loved the color. And hey, it only cost me $9.

As usual, I have more pictures posted here.

Stay tuned, lots of more to post about our trip.

For Your Weekend Viewing Pleasure

Have a great weekend. I'm off to find me some magazines.