Kids kids kids....

I don't know if you can even see those elementary school kids at all (quick cell-phone pic...). I obviously had to take it from very far away, so I wouldn't seem like a creep, and so that their faces wouldn't be visible. I'm not allowed to post faces, of course!

But these kids are wearing bright yellow caps, and have bright yellow backpacks! I usually don't see the elementary kids walking to school because I don't have to be to school until 8:25a...and elementary must start at 7:30. This day, I needed to be at school at 7:00a.m. for some emergency lesson planning. And boy, was it worth it!!

I saw various groups of these angels walk by. It was always one or two 5th-6th graders...with five or six K-2nd graders following, with another 6th grader at the end. Each group looked like a little pack of chicks!! Sooooooooo cute~! I wonder who sets its up, but it seemed very organized, like those older students were in charge of the well-being of the younger ones.

I often can't handle all the cuteness around. I can't go shopping on Sunday's anymore because that is the day where all the babies come out. They attack. They are TOO CUTE~! If I need to go out, I take someone with me. This last Saturday, me, Christina and Whitney all suffered from CBS, or cute baby syndrome.

Japan is always talking about the declining birthrate. It is very often that I hear about the declining birthrate for something or another. Whether it be about social security, or lack of people in certain professions, or anything. Its a big deal in Japan. Everyone is worried. But I think that here in Hofu, there is a baby boom. Too many cute kids in Hofu. It's true.

Now how shall I treat this CBS.........

:)

Here is me in a few years! (click!)

.

Suegatake mountain

At my favorite school-my special needs school-I usually teach 2nd, 3rd, and 5th, and English club. One day 5th was cancelled due to testing, so I have a couple free periods. I decided to hike up the mountain overlooking the school.

What job will I ever have again, where I can just go take a hike? :)

Here, you can see the school on the right side of the photo. So not too difficult of a climb. About 35 minutes for me. The way down was much harder, because at one point its so steep! Hi school! I love you!

Costco!

I am officially out of real cheese! And onion bagels! Time for a Costco run!

Oh, if only it were that easy. Costco around here is in the Fukuoka area....maybe 2 1/2 or 3 hours away? When I went with Chris and Monica...the tolls were over $20 each way. Tolls!!!?

Its not easy to drive around here, with so many places being toll only. And so expensive! I miss my tollroads back home. On my worst month, while commuting 3 hours per day, I didn't even spend $100 on tolls. Here...forty bucks for one shopping trip?

Ahhhh!! Okay, we all know that I'd pay it in a heartbeat for more cheese. Monica? :D Jk.

P. I. Z. Z. A. ~~~ I miss you!

Laughable

Kitsch Bar in Costa Mesa should really offer up their name to my bar here in Hofu. The name of my bar: Laughable. But Kitsch Bar would be a perfect name for it!

The manager is just 24, and kind of crazy! He says that he just opened an English dictionary, and picked the most interesting word on that page, to decide the name of his bar.

Even going to the bathroom there, is an adventure. You have to squat, with dozens of Mario's watching you.

At Laughable, all drinks are 5ooY. If you aren't sitting at the bar, and on the couches in the back, you have to honk a horn to get service. If you get bored, they have shelves and shelves of old retro-type games. You can play Operation, Jenga, Hungry Hungry Hippos.

You can play darts, slots, tetris. Or you can sit back an make friends with all the friendlies. You aren't allowed to go into Laughable without being friendly. That is the rule.

Where else can you drink a beer, and play Super Mario Kart on a wall! Lately I have been playing old school super Mario. Sometimes the owner agrees to give me a free drink if I can beat him. He's kind of an expert though. But I've gotten one or two out of it!

I started an arm wrestling competition, just for fun. Every single person in the bar that night got involved.

And because of that, I found out that I was officially the biggest weakling in the entire bar. The 100 pound, 2o year old bartender was even able to smash me down in a few seconds!

Wish I could take all of you guys one night! (My American friends).

Japan.... Common' Japan...

I just have to write this super short post on a very inappropriate subject, so you can see how strange the land I live in can be...

My favorite students ever went on a school trip to Hokkaido. 2 girls. They brought me back these souvenirs. They tried to explain to me about how popular and cute these characters are. I deeply appreciate that they wanted to get me a souvenir.

The teacher of that class tried to help explain to me about this character... I just wasn't understanding her, or so I thought. I thought that I was totally mishearing things, and that there was a severe language barrier problem.

I got for sure that the character name is : まりもっこり　or Marimokkori. I decided to stop listening to the teacher who was struggling so unsuccessfully yet excitedly... trying to explain him to me... and just google search it. Because I was hearing words like "arousal" and "green goo". Boy, was I surprised to find out more about this character (and how the teachers English was better than I thought)....which were given to me BY STUDENTS with TEACHERS standing all around, none of whom thought this was weird.

If you do not want to be weird'ed out, then don't check out these websites:

Marimokkori on Wikipedia (so yes, you can open it at work)

And here, lots of pictures of the character (to awkwardly laugh at once you understand the name of the character).

I am not the only one to find it bizarre and a little creepy that this is a normal souvenir to give after visiting Hokkaido, right? Maybe its just me...

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding something still...

One of my favorite things...

Cooking time!!!

Yes. One of my favorite things... is pulling together resources and creating an awesome Mexican meal. I brought the tortillas and salsa, Anna had the taco seasonings and real queso sauce, Gretchen bought some Coronas. "Memory night" as my co-worker always says!

Chilling at Anna's house is my favorite pastime. But I can't call it Anna's house anymore, because she finished her contract and went back to Texas..... I miss you Anna :(

Hopefully calling it "Gretchen's house" will start to flow off my tongue better, soon! Tom stopped by for a sec...but it was primarily a girl's Mexican night!

Below--we discovered chatroulette, and danced Beyonce dances to strangers for hours.

Another Mexican night soon! Just need to make it back to Costco somehow...

By the way, in my neck of Japan, these "lime-like" fruits that we put in our coronas cost like $2.oo each! Sorry I like flooding you with irrelevant tidbits. :)

山口 means Mountain Mouth

So there is Japan! (Except for Okinawa! I didn't forget you Okinawa!). You can see my prefecture over at the bottom left corner of the main island. Yamaguchi Prefecture!! The items in parenthesis are what each prefecture is famous for. So my prefecture is famous for Blowfish! "Fugu" desu. I finally tried Blowfish/Fugu for the first time at my graduation party. It had a very distinctive flavor. No one at the table knew it Fugu (deep fried) until they bit into it. I'm glad that I didn't take the first bite, because I appreciated being told what it was before I ate it.

But I did try it, and I did like it. I do not know how to describe the flavor, other than that once you try it, you will always know what it tastes like. And no, it did not poison me. I'm still alive. Thank you for wondering. :) If there really is a danger to eating it, Yamaguchi prefecture would be the safest place on Earth to eat it...

Yamaguchi Prefecture is pretty cool. Pretty cool. Countryside, probably. But cool countryside.

Yamaguchi!!!!

山　口　！！！

(As you can see, Yamaguchi also has the easiest Kanji out out any prefecture in Japan...)

Farming in Three Acts

Once Upon a Time on a beautiful Sunday afternoon...

I went farming, takuan makin' and scavenging with my friend Tom, and was then lucky enough to be invited back for dinner with his awesome family!!

Act 1: Farming

I love farming. You know why? I love wearing those boots. They're not mine. But I get to borrow them whenever I'm put to work. As you can see, I also got to handle a sickle. Many a favorite memory of mine involves a sickle.

The farm is awesome. Here I managed to pull out a daikon. So far I haven't been made to pull any weeds or do any real work. I just get lots of free daikon, carrots, peppers, herbs, etc. But then again, I think the devil gives you years of happiness before taking your soul. (jk I'm looking forward to actually helping at the farm rather than take take take!)

Act 2: Starting the Takuan Process

So Takuan.....Takuan.... what is it? I know what it is already because they used to feed it to me all the time at the Korean Preschool that I worked at. But the Koreans call it Tamujii.

It is kind of like pickled radish, I guess? Its good.

Basking in the clouds, washing, peeling, cutting, smothering.

After the Daikon is in

that state --->

And salt is poured all over it, you close up the bag, and put 30 kilograms worth of rocks on top, and let it sit for a couple of weeks.

I quite possibly messed up some of that information, so please, check out Tom's blog.

Act 3: Scavenging (Or foraging as the British say)

Scavenging for a rare flower bud...hukinotou (butterbur flowerheads).

...not an easy task.

I think that I was able to find about 3. And I ate about 3 later on, so I'm not a help!

Exciting stuff, exciting stuff!

My day is finished out by eating the fruits of our labor. An oishii (delicious) salad comprised of only our farm pickings' accompanied this deep fried butterbar.

Many people do not like the taste. It is pretty bitter. But I love it. And Tom's wife Izumi is quite possibly the best cook in town.

I guess this was a comedy, 'cause there is definitely no bad ending!

100

Hello! Steff here. So this is post #100. I have to do something different, for post #100, right? What to do, what to do. Besides put up a photobooth pic of the only picture I have with half-decent hair...

When I typed into google: "Ways to celebrate 100", the very top sentence of the very first page to pop up, tells me to finish this sentence: "I wish I had 100 _____________ because _________________."

Okay. Fine random website. I wish I had 100 ...(refraining from saying 100 million dollars)...I wish I had 100 friends/acquaintances who are famous because much to the annoyance of my more chill friends, I get very starstruck. I don't want to be famous myself. I just want the friends in high places, who will get me seats at the Oscars or pass me scripts for upcoming shows, or let me babysit their kids.

Number 1 friend: David Hewlett

Number 2 friend: Britney Spears (seriously, I know I'm all over the place)

Number 20: The Geico Gecko

Number 100: The guy who plays Andy on Weeds

(100 is still up there! No offense Andy from Weeds!)

Anyways, while I'm here, I'm just going to talk. Thats a little different from a normal post too, right? Anyone who knows me knows that coming here on this program was pretty much, one of the last things that I wanted to do. But I believe that for me, everything is working out to plan. I'm not sure who's plan I mean. But I think I am suppose to be here. I've gone through some terrible times here (who likes Octobers and Novembers anyways?!). Work is pretty easy, but nothing else is! But I, right now, feel happy. I have learned so much. There are certain people I should thank for helping me, but they know who they are.

I still don't know if staying another year was the right choice. I still haven't lost any more than a couple of pounds! I still feel lonely all the time. I still wish I could see my friends and family every day! I still hate Japanese food! I still can't speak Japanese! I still can't feel my hands or feet even though the heat has now been on for an hour. But I think things are going to be alright. Good in fact. And absolutely marvelous after I get home. But good for now. And hopefully post 101 will show you some more of that goodness. :) See ya!

P.S.

I wish I had 100 extra minutes of sleep per night.

I wish I had a 100 free passes that I could use when I make a mistake.

I wish I could look 100 years into the future, and make sure we're still kicking!

I wish I had 100 different kinds of fruit trees and bushes in my backyard.

I wish I had 100 new episodes of old great shows to watch. [shows that were canceled but need at least 100 more episodes :( ie. Arrested Development, SGA, Doctor Who Played by Tennant, Roswell, Life on Mars, Jericho, October Road, Angel, Dead Like Me.....oh there's dozens, I'm sure, of shows which I feel got canceled too early.]

What do you guys have to add about your wish for 100 somethings.....?

FF13

Just a quick post in honor of Final Fantasy 13, which came out only yesterday in America (Dec. 17th in Japan). These photos are care of Shimonoseki Dustin, who managed to collect all of the special cans! (I only have 4!) These are actually called "Final Fantasy Elixir[s]"!!! Any FF nerd like me can get excited about that! This elixir tastes a bit like Sprite, so I love it!

I can not wait to play. I'm so happy I have a PS3 here. Have some games on the way (this and Bioshock 2), so I'll be a happy camper in a few days.

Anyone else who's already played FF13? Was it worth the wait? I've been waiting for years.......

Just in case anyone doesn't know. My name is spelled Steffanie with two f's. This is because my father was a bit psychic and knew that the Japanese were going to be coming out with something mind-blowingly awesome in just a few years. And he knew it would be FFantasy apparently. :) Also, if I get another tattoo, it will be a mog (Moogle, Mogli...whichever you want to call it)

Have a wonderful day everyone! (Its cooooooooooooooold over here in Japan.)

It's that time...

The Japanese school year starts on April 1st. Whenever I tell anyone my birthday, they go "REALLY????" and giggle incessantly. The way the age cut-off works...I would always be the absolute youngest one in my class, if I'd grown up in Japan. In any case, with the new school year fast approaching, I know that I should be excited to meet my new batch of genki [super lively] first year students. But all I can think about is the classes and students I won't be teaching any more!

Graduation was March 1st (I definitely need to try to do a post on that), so during most of March, I must come into the office (I'm contracted to work 20 days a month) but have absolutely nothing to do. I had to say most of my goodbyes in late February. The students that didn't graduate, still wander around the school, presumably in between being tested and tested and tested.

I did teach today, and will again next Tuesday, at my special needs school. Today there, I had to say goodbye to one of my classes. And I cried. And another class, I had to tell them that next week would be my last week with them. And I cried. !!! I need to pull myself together, man! But Muah ha ha, I got a couple of the students to cry with me.

Because I am on the subject of the special needs school, I want to briefly tell you about one of my students that just amazes me. This student is not deaf like many of my students there, but rather is there for what has best been described to me as "social awkwardness". He may have a type of autism? I'm unsure. But every single time I ask him a question, he manages to work a "train" into his answer. What did you do on Saturday? "I watched train on Youtube". What is your favorite subject? "I study about Shinkansen [bullet-train]." What did you eat for breakfast this morning? "Toast with a side of train." I'm just joking about that last one.

This kid loves trains. Only recently have I been coming to realize that he doesn't just love trains. He knows trains. He knows when each Shinkansen was put into commission. He knows all the lines. He knows exactly every difference between the styles of trains, the speeds, the timetables. That last part came up today, because I asked him "What did you do this weekend?" and he replied "I studied timetables" and stupid me thought that he was talking about multiplication.

I told him that I want to go to Yakushima Island, and asked him if there is a train that would take me all the way to the tip of Kyushuu to catch the ferry. And what rolled off of his tongue? Exactness. Which train I could take to Fukuoka. Which "limited express" I should transfer to. Which city I would have to transfer in again, and how long the wait would be at that station, and which train would finish my trip to the ferry. He told me exactly what time I would arrive in Kagoshima city, granted I followed his directions accurately.

I was wide-eyed in utter amazement. My co-teacher knew all about his genius. My co-teacher lives at a small station, totally not near the station where this student lives. He needed to be in Hiroshima by 6pm last Saturday, so on Friday, he asked the student what time he should leave. Out pops the perfect answer, tailored to my co-teachers exact train stop.

And now, I will never get to hear about trains anymore. :( I'll go bust into his new class just to say hi though!

Bye, wonderful students!

Simple Scenery

It seems like EVERYTHING in Central Hofu is currently under construction. Everyone is getting ready for the National Games held in Yamaguchi in 2011. When I ride my bike to school in the morning, at least 10 different construction/road workers bow at me, while holding their hand out in the "You May Pass" position.

But then, when you get outside of the center....there is some pretty beautiful stuff all around. Here are a few of my scenes while walking to my far-away favorite school. Very Japanese countryside. This is the kind of place that I'd want to raise my children, with my beautiful wife, after losing the Battle of the Last Samurai. ;) eeer, If I were Tom Cruise of course.

Iwakuni

So this refers back to my February 11th post "Some Holiday." If you can recall, I went to Iwakuni with some friends.

I mentioned that Iwakuni was a smart spot to put a Mexican restaurant in. The U.S. Marine Corps Air Station employs over 10,000 employees, about half of them being American, probably with certain dietary needs, such as myself. (Referring to the need to NOT eat Japanese food everyday.)

We all had a great time eating at Mike's Tex Mex.

After finishing our amazing lunch (by the way, I'd never call it amazing back in my hometown Southern Cali....but there was real cheese, so I'm not complaining), we went to walk around Kikko Park which was certainly a beautiful area.

We didn't see any of their famous white snakes, which apparently only be found in Iwakuni, but we did see plenty of ice-cream (soft-serve) shops. It may have been but a cold, and windy day, but they had dozens and dozens of flavors!

I picked up green tea flavor with sprinkles...Wasn't adventurous enough for the pumpkin, or red bean.

The park area was lovely. As you can see the cherry blossoms are starting to arrive in Japan (although I think these are actually Plum Blossoms, and the Sakura or Cherry Blossoms really do come at a more specific time). My friend in the middle there is leaving Japan soon! Oh how I will miss her!

We wanted to make sure that we really made the 2 hour drive to Iwakuni worth it, so we opted to buy tickets into Iwakuni Castle! The castle itself wasn't that amazing, but it was on the top of a mountain, that we got to take a cable car thing up to. I loved the cable car ride, because the little voice on the loudspeaker thanked us to for hard work once we reached the top. (haha, like your car Tom). It is really hard work getting to the top of a mountain inside a swinging tram.

Iwakuni Castle is generally just filled with a lot of Samurai swords and such, but the top level provides a great viewpoint!

Here you can see the city below, and on the bottom left, you can make out the famous bridge...the reason for which everyone knows Iwakuni.

This is that bridge. It is the subject of many pieces of beautiful art. It is called "Kintai-kyo" and is one of the three most famous bridges in Japan. Thats because when it was first built, it was built using no nails. We found nails though. Guess they didn't want it to be washed away again...

But, this bridge is the symbol of Iwakuni. In fact, I learned the Japanese Sign Language for "Iwakuni" in my special needs school. And the sign has nothing to do with the name of the city itself.

The sign is the sign for "bridge"...but you do it 3 times in a row. (for the 3 main arches of the bridge). I even asked my supervisor at that school if a deaf person in Northern Japan would recognize that sign. She said, "certainly yes! Iwakuni's bridge is famous all around!" I'm glad to have visited a place that was so famous "all around!"

Anna, Mike, Gretchen, Satoko and Noriko...having all the fun without me! Awesome picture though. :) Wish it weren't so fuzzy! Bye everyone!

80's Party

Last Saturday we had an AJET event. AJET I think is, Association of JETs...hahah I don't know, but it is our social network here in Yamaguchi. Each prefecture has their own AJET.

So they planned an 80's themed event, and it was fun, for sure! I am sure that I will never be able to wear those socks or that scroongie in my hair again, but it was fun.

Here's Brooke, me, and Zile.

Brooke, Rachel, Amy, and Callie did a good job at staying on the dance floor all night. Most of the 15-20 people that showed up for the party just sat back and took advantage of the Nomihoudai (2 hours of all you can drink).

Amy there, by the way, won best dancer AND best dressed! I was vying for best dancer for the first 20 minutes or so, but gave up.

I promise more people danced than this. hehe. I just obviously didn't have my camera ready at the right times.

This all went down at a Salsa Club type bar place in Kokura (which is on a whole other island from where I live! I live at the tip of the main island, so it only takes me about an hour and a half to train it to the southern most island).

And finally, here is some of the crew leaving after a long night of partying and after-partying. Not that long of a night actually. We had to take the last train back up to the main island, which is around midnight.

Many JETs just stayed out all night and took the FIRST train back up at around 5am. I am not hard-core like that.