Calm Before the Storm

Today the newspaper said Melor is the largest typhoon in over 10 years to hit here. Luckily the Super Typhoon at a category 5 is now at a category 2. It is anticipated to still make landfall somewhere in the Kansai area (where we live) as a category 1 or just barely a tropical storm. It has been raining here most of the day and the wind is really picking up. The worst is supposed to hit sometime between midnight and 7 am. Nothing like a seven hour window, huh? Our house is pretty sheltered and we live close enough to the mountain that hopefully we are shielded from some of this.

School has been canceled for tomorrow. Matt's work is closed. The US embassy here is closed until afternoon. Flights have been canceled. The ropeway is closed. But guess what?! The drivers license bureau is still open. And sadly that is where Matt and I are supposed to be tomorrow am. Of course that is all up in the air depending on how the storm comes through and if trains are running.

As Matt's boss's wife told me, come this time tomorrow, I will have lived through my first (and hopefully only!) typhoon. That's why I came to Japan, right? All for the experiences. Sadly, I never thought that included typhoons.

So there you go mom–– an update. Saves you a call. Ha ha

Adventures of Daily Living in Japan Part 1

I have spent the past few weeks showing pictures and experiences from some of our trips. I thought maybe I would share some stories every once in a while of our daily living here.

On Wednesday mornings I volunteer in the CHIC office. After my shift I usually hit the Subway on Rokko Island for lunch (it is my attempt at an American sandwich fix) and then head to the grocery store before coming home. This week the line for Subway was out the door so I just grabbed a few groceries and then came home. After I put away the groceries I decided to venture out, mail a few packages and then look for something to eat for lunch.

We live in a pretty residential area so I decided to go to the post office and then head to the little grocery store about a 1/2 mile from the house and see what they had in their "deli" area. A "deli" area in a Japanese grocery store typically consists of sushi, noodles, rice, salads (not what we would think of salads), tempura, yakitori and other Japanese foods. Not a Sara Lee or Boars Head piece of ham, turkey or cheese in sight.

So after I gave 2 pints of blood and a kidney to the post office I went to the Lifestore. I was looking for some fried rice or yakisoba but they were all out. I noticed a small unmarked shop caddy corner across the street that was full of people. I thought to go check it out. It looked like a bakery/sandwich type place so I went in. As soon as I walked in everyone stopped and stared. It was like they had never seen a gaijin (the Japanese slang for foreigner) before. It had to have been 30 seconds before people moved. Then everyone was greeting me in Japanese.

I quickly realized this store was a fancy bakery with some awesome looking cakes, desserts and pastries with the Patisseries all working fast and furiously at more yummy looking treats. The store had a whole area designated to wrapping purchases in fancy boxes and bows for presents. Needless to say there was not a sandwich in sight. I was so flustered that I grabbed two tiny little muffin like things (I mean tiny) and went up to pay. They wound up being ¥68 each (approx. 68¢) and when they started saying some spiel in Japanese all I could understand was the word "present" so I quickly said "Hai Hai" (yes yes). So they spent the next 5 minutes wrapping these two less than thumb size muffins and I rushed out with a pretty wrapped box and bow.

I have no idea why I got so flustered nor do I have any idea why I grabbed the tiny little muffins instead of one of the amazing looking desserts nor do I know why I had them wrapped as a present. I am sure they were thinking what a cheap woman.

In the end the muffins were quite tasty and I found out that this bakery had been featured in one of the area magazines. Maybe next time I will actually buy something worth wrapping and giving to someone else rather than gifting myself. And from the looks of the yummy baked good I will need to give a bottle of apidexin as well. Ha ha

Bangkok Day 1 - Spring Break 2009

Our first day was spent touring The Grand Palace, Wat Pa, the local shopping area, taking a boat up the river and eating some awesome food at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was really a cultural experience to see some of the history of Thailand and also to see how people live today.

The Grand Palace







Wat Po (The Reclining Buddha)





View from a River Boat



Local Shopping



Hard Rock Cafe (AKA- REAL Western Food)





You can see many more photos from our first day here. Next up? Dream World –– Thailand's version of "Disney World".

Ohayou gozaimasu!

Good morning! (Actually good evening for most of my readers here) We made it to Japan, safe and sound, and surprisingly without any issues. Sometimes I still have to pinch myself to believe that I am actually living in Japan, as it has not completely sunk in. I think once our own belongings make it here (hopefully only one more week) and we start to turn this house into "ours" things will seem much more real.

Monday morning the kids, myself and 10 pieces of luggage left for the airport at 6:45 am. The first leg of the trip was smooth sailing and we had a few hours to play around in the Detroit airport.

We asked one of the few Americans waiting at the gate to take our picture. He had a bit of trouble trying to figure my camera out, but at least I have the moment captured.

Our flight was delayed about 30 minutes due to the cleaning crew taking their sweet time, but soon enough we boarded the airplane for Japan.


The girls sat together and Chris and I sat behind them. Initially the kids were going to switch back and forth, but in the end none of them switched seats. As the plane turned to head down the final runway I snapped a picture of my final look as a US resident for the next 3 years. As much as my stomach was turning in anticipation, I also felt excitement and a peace at the adventure we were about to embark on.


The kids did amazing on the plane. They had the flight crew wrapped around their fingers, so much that they came off the plane with a ton of free NWA items. I had to check once we landed to make sure these were really my kids and not some switch made back in Detroit.

It was so neat watching the kids press their faces against the window as they got their first glimpse of their home for the next 3 years. As Chris put it "Wow. This is nothing like I thought."

We are still adjusting to the time difference. We are 14 hours ahead of EST. It is a big adjustment, but I think we are almost there. I managed to sleep until 4 am today, Sami until 6 am, Chris until 7 am and Emily is still sleeping.

Our few days here have been full of getting the kids established for school, unpacking suitcases, getting forms filled out and slowly meeting people. Our neighbors two doors down brought us brownies and we went to dinner with the neighbors next door last night. Tonight we are going to dinner with someone from Matt's work.

The kids are loving the train and are slowly getting used to walking everywhere. Eventually we will have a car, but still the train will be the primary source for transportation.


Wednesday we had to go into Osaka to get some forms notarized at the American Consulate. Afterwards, we walked around and took in the sites and treated the kids to a Japanese lunch.


The one big adjustment and intriguing part of the culture is the food. Grocery stores are always packed. Packaging is much smaller than in the US. People tend to go to the store everyday or every other day rather than stocking up for a week. The exception is going to Costco. Yesterday Matt's boss took me to get a membership and to help stock up our freezer. Apparently chicken breast is not popular with Japanese due to it's lack of grease, so we can buy 4 lbs for $8!

Food overall tends to be more expensive than in the US, but I have already figured out some tricks (like Costco). The produce here is amazing. The fruit is so good it melts in your mouth. It is more than worth the extra few pennies we spend on them. I am sure I will be blogging alot about the food here as it is a whole adventure itself.

I did manage to cook lo mein one night. It turned out pretty good.

Drinking is pretty big here. While beer tends to be expensive, spirits are much cheaper. For example, a bottle of Absolute is $12. Many of the Japanese men like to drink and smoke. In fact in some places they have "shot bars." I am not totally sure how they work, but it was interesting seeing one in the middle of a shopping center.



The kids start school on Monday. It will be good for them to get established and start making friends. Emily already has met our neighbor, who is the same grade as her and they hit it off really well. We visited the school on Thursday and they finished some final testing and got a tour and met some of the teachers. I can't even begin to say what an awesome experience this school is going to be for them.

So there is our last few days in a nutshell. Nothing real exciting, but yet it is all exciting at the same time. Everything we do is a new experience. Now that we are here and I am able to see how the kids react to Japan, I think the Jacobs' will be just fine here.

It's Not GoodBye, But Until Next Time

It is 1:45 am and we leave for the airport in less than 5 hours. We found out we were moving to Japan in September and some days it seems like time has flown and other days the time has drug on (especially on days when Matt was already in Japan and I was having a trying day with the kids). But the day is here and it is mixed with emotion.

Today my heart broke watching Emily burst into tears after she finished her gymnastics meet (which she did awesome at, but that is a post for later) and several times throughout the day as she said good bye to those who she has grown to call her sisters, brothers and second mothers and fathers. It broke my heart watching her friends cry. Sam cried, but well it's Sam. She feeds off those around her right now. Chris hasn't shown much emotion, but since he is still awake with me, my guess is he is more worried then he lets on (hey we will at least be on Japan time, ha ha). I have to, once again, be the strong one for my children. I can't cry or let them see just how nervous I am about this whole move (well honestly right now it is just the flight with these three that have me terrified).

It is hard to leave our friends, our family, our house, the area we have grown to love and the schools. I have four friends who are going through personal struggles and I hope they know how I am there for them no matter the distance. It will be hard to see family for a large chunk of time rather than 2 or 3 times throughout the year, even though we will actually see them more days than what we do now. It was strange leaving my house tonight, empty, knowing that some family will be living in it (hopefully) until we return. But in the end, this is temporary, and we will be back. That brings a sense of peace.

At the same time, I know that this is an opportunity of a lifetime for our family, especially our children. The experiences they gain will help mold them into the people they will be. No matter what, this is a time they will never forget. They will get to travel to places not many people, let alone children, get to travel. They will get to learn another language and culture. They will get to go to an amazing school. Emily will train at a premier gym in Japan. I won't get into it, but there are so many things that have happened that there is no doubt in my mind that this is a complete God thing and this is where we are supposed to be. And this is what I remind myself when I get worried, nervous or upset.

So no, this isn't a goodbye to all my American friends and family. It is just an "I'll see you later." And stay tuned, I have a feeling there will be some interesting and silly blogging ahead as we embark upon this journey. With us Jacobs', how could it not?

Special Guest Blogger

Matt and I are working to make the transition from North Carolina to Japan as easy as possible for the kids. While this is an incredibly scary time for all of us (even Matt is nervous), it is also exciting and an opportunity of a lifetime for our family.

I had meetings the past two days with the kid's school guidance counselors. One of the things suggested was to allow the kids to be "part of the process." To let them "journal" to friends and family about what they are doing here in general, what they are doing for the move, what they are feeling or are excited about and once we are there about their daily findings and experiences. So what better way to allow them to do so but on a blog. The kids are not ready to keep their own blog, so for now I will let them be "special guests blogger" here and maybe someday they can start their own "Experiences From Life" blog.

So today your special guest blogger is Emily, our 12 year old daughter.

Hi, we are getting ready to move to Japan(the big move). I am excited to be able to see the world other than the US. I can't wait to be able to go to Australia. I will love to see the kangaroos, koala's and I am looking forward to seeing where the Olympics were held. I am a fan of the gymnastics. Oh,and that brings me to my gymnastics. I am glad I will get to compete level 7 before I move WITHOUT uprises. I will be able to compete two level 7 meets. I am glad that I will be able to go to some school dances with my friends. Maybe if i am lucky i can go up to shops on main (a store where every one goes to hang out and they have a Starbucks-type place, popcorn machines and games that you can play) if my mom lets me. :-)

Syonara,
Emily

**All the "special guests" blog posts will be left unedited, other than spelling**