The Kuipers in Japan

Number 11: "Finders Keepers" Does NOT apply here...

2011-07-02T17:36:00.001+09:00

We were teachers at a conversational English school prior to working at Tamasei. One day at work I overheard another teacher talking about what had just happened in one of his lessons. A student (these were mostly adult students) had gotten frustrated with the teacher because the teacher had said that if he found an unmarked envelope with cash in it he wouldn't turn it in to the police. To the student this was unthinkable. Actually, the other students in the class room felt the same way. That the envelope should, indeed, be turned into the police. The reasoning? because that money isn't yours. It belongs to someone else. At this point the English saying, "finders, keepers" was brought into the lesson and the Japanese couldn't believe we had such a saying. The concept alludes them. It doesn't apply here.

I miss that about Japan. If you leave something some where, camera, purse, money, phone, or even a sweat towel you can be sure it will be there when you come looking for it or if it's not there it is probably at the nearest koban (police box).

A Koban

Seem weird that I included a sweat towel in the list above of lost items? Well, let me tell you about that story. It was our first encounter with the social rule of "leave things where you found them". In the summers in Japan it is HOT. But, not just regular hot but HIGH in humidity hot. The sweat just pours off of you and you NEED a sweat towel. A little towel about the size of a wash cloth but not the consistency of a washcloth. It is a much lighter weight. When Jason and I first arrived in the hottest month, August, we quickly learned the necessity of having a sweat towel. One day on the way to work I couldn't find mine. No idea where it had gone. We had a 20 min walk to the train station so I couldn't search long and we had to head out. As we approached the station there was my towel. Someone had picked my towel up off of the ground and draped it very nicely over a railing so that the person who lost it could see it and/or so it wouldn't get trampled on if it remained on the ground. I was so shocked. I had never seen anything like this.

The Japanese so trust that people won't take things that aren't theirs that often when I pulled my bike up to our grocery store bike parking, unmanned bicycles had groceries or items previously purchased else where just sitting in their baskets. The guarded, ever-suspicious American in me could never bring myself to do this.

Once when we were traveling through China we left our camera in an airplane seat. We never got that camera back and all we could think to ourselves was that if we were in Japan or had lost it on a Japanese airline that camera would more than likely have been returned to us. We were that sure in this social norm of the Japanese.

If you go to Japan remember that "finders keepers" doesn't apply in this culture. And if you lose your camera or anything else valuable (or not so valuable) you can almost be certain that it is either where you left it or someone turned it in to the police. That is, if a Japanese person picked it up, of course. :)

Number 12: Tamagawa Seigakuin

2011-06-30T04:44:00.001+09:00

I have to admit, I've been avoiding this thing. Not sure why. But, let me just say this...I really miss Japan. How can I count down all the great little idiosyncrasies I love about that country? How do I make that which may be abstract to you become as tangible as I have experienced it? The reality is I can't and that frustrates me. So, I avoid writing anything completely and just say I miss it. People then ask what I miss and I just can't explain it so I throw out the generic, the easily explainable, "food, people, and just the culture overall." But, I think I should push through this silly negativism and finish the list already!! I have also been motivated by the approaching one year mark of us having left Japan. I can't believe it's nearly been a year already.

So, here goes the long overdue continuation of the list....

Number 12: Tamagawa Seigakuin (the school where we worked):

the students...These girls are not your average teenagers...well, not your average American teenagers, anyway. American teenagers scare me sometimes...seriously. So much attitude and chips on the shoulder (now, I know they aren't all that way and, yes, I AM making a generalization. I do know several teens from the states that aren't like this.) which can make it difficult to sometimes just step in and have fun with them. It seems like there needs to be a stand-off first or something to prove to them that you can "handle" them and be trusted. Not with these girls. They are fun (yes, some have attitudes but it's rare) and have a friendly disposition overall towards their teachers. They laugh easily and try to talk with you in what little English they know and they try hard. It's precious. Sixteen and seventeen year-olds love Care Bears, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse and basically any other love-able cartoon character. There's an unexplainable innocence to them that is endearing.

They also do really funny things when they see us. I miss having some really funny interactions with them. For example, when we first started at the school they were very excited about my husband and me working there. I guess because we were foreigners AND we were foreigners that were married. I assume that in their minds we were like the couples they see portrayed in American films. Every time they would see us together they would put their hands into the shape of a heart and say, "lub, lub" for "love, love" but some times they can't pronounce the "v" sound. So cute.

One girl once took a particular liking to Jason, my hubs, and the first time she met him she leaned in and sniffed him!! Then, she ran away screaming with glee and excitement and hands flailing in the air above her head. Jason and I just looked at each other like, "What? Did that just happen?!?" We laughed so hard.

Whenever our students would see us out in public in a casual setting (not school functions in the community) and there was a group of more than two of them we were often met with screams like they had just seen their favorite celebrity. Pumps up the ego for sure. :) Once, my husband and I were at a concert that featured a band from the states and when the concert was over we were walking out amidst the large group of people and past workers when we ran into some of our students. They screamed with so much excitement and at such an ear-piercing pitch that one of the workers (he was a foreigner) leaned over to Jason and said, "great show, man"!!! The reaction of our students seeing us made that worker think Jason had just performed in the show!! HA!

I miss these girls. They are just precious to my heart and I am so thankful for Facebook because I get to keep in touch with them even though we are an ocean apart. Tamasei students, I miss you a lot!!

the teachers at Tamasei...
We had some great co-workers at Tamasei. First, the foriegners. Jason and myself were two of five Conversational English Teachers who worked at this school of 80+ faculty and over 1,000 students. The rest of our colleagues were Japanese. And, embarrassingly to myself, most of them could speak English (I am excluding the Japanese English teachers) better than Jason or I could Japanese. I mean, here we are in their country and they are trying their best to get to know us through OUR language! Such a hospitable attitude (another thing I love about these people)!

It was interesting being in the minority along with our three other foreigner co-workers. We had our own little sub-culture amidst the larger one of our school. When we would get frustrated with some of the cultural things within the school, especially the things we didn't understand, it was nice to have people around us who could relate. We were the rookies of the bunch. Mike and Roger had been in Japan for close to 20 years each and Amanda close to 10 years. It was so nice having them to explain aspects of the culture that can allude you. I miss these three individuals. They are amazing people. Here's some pics of them....

Amanda is the beautiful lady on the far right of the picture and she is standing there with her beautiful family.

This is Roger. I love this picture of him. He has such a soft heart.

Here's us with Mike. We did lots of things with Mike. He's awesome. These were the students that screamed when they saw us at the concert. This is that same night. :)

Then, there was the Japanese English Teachers. They were so much fun. Some even became my dear friends. Here's some pics of these great people. I always enjoyed conversations with them. Sometimes I could give them English pointers and they would give me Japanese lessons. Such gracious people. Here's some pics of these great people...

Here is Kato-sensei; Suzuki-sensei; and Sato-sensei. Super lovely ladies.

Some of the English teachers. Hiromi-san and Sayaka-san. Sayaka and I were pregnant together. I will write more about her in a future post. :)

Harada-sensei and Hatori-sensei. Hatori-sensei is always one for a laugh!

The school did some pretty fun things too. Here's some video of the "sports festival". They do some activities that would NEVER fly in the U.S. seeing as how we tend to be a "sue-happy" society. The overall tendency of our society to try to squeeze every little penny out of a situation has robbed us of being able to do some fun things. See below....

video 1 is of a relay
video 2 good ol' fashioned chicken fight. :)

Numbers 15,14, and 13...

2010-06-28T17:21:00.001+09:00

The next few on my list don't need much explanation so I have decided to include them all on one entry. I think this may be my M.O. for the next several posts so that I can get them all in before we leave Japan in 18 days!! What?!?! How did time sneak up on me so fast? I'm not ready in so many ways, but time marches on, as they say, and there is no stopping it. Anyway, back to the list....

#15: Walking Everywhere
On average I walk about a mile or two a day. It's about a 12 minute walk to the train station, about a 10 min walk to the grocery store and about a 15-20 minute walk to some of our favorite places in Jiyugaoka (the name of the area where we live). If it's raining and you run out of diapers you have no choice but to get out there. I put the rain cover on the stroller, pull out the umbrella, and if it's really coming down I put on the rain boots (gum boots, galoshes, or whatever you may call them in your country) and off we go. Also, we don't walk just in our neighborhood necessarily but where ever you end up you walk a lot there too. In the US, if you want to go to the movies the process may look like something as follows: walk to your car, drive to the theater, get out of your car and walk 100 meters or so (but if it's too far we shamelessly ask the driver to drop us off at the entrance...no sense in the whole group having to exert a little bit of effort) to the entrance. Going to the movies here requires a lot more than just that. It's not exhausting it's just...different. You walk...you walk to the station, you walk from the station to the theater and all that walking will take around 20 minutes or more... it's just the way things are.

At night people are walking all through out the neighborhood. This is somewhat of a strange sight for this American at 9pm when you come across about 10-15 other people on their way home at night from their various activities in the day. I just never saw this when I lived in the US. In the states I remember feeling a little scared and apprehensive and wondering if the person who was coming up behind me or coming toward me had ill thoughts towards my well-being and I would begin to think out my plan of escape if I were to be attacked. I made sure I left my house with pepper spray in hand. Here that just isn't the case (in entry #3 will be missing the feeling of safety). I will miss walking everywhere. In the states (New York city excluded), if you want to walk you have to carve some time out in your day. Here it's just part of the normal goings on of life in Japan.

# 14: Our Grocery Delivery Service
Delivery services are common in Japan and a rule of thumb in the "mama" realm in Japan is once you have a baby you get a grocery delivery service. The reason being is, again, you don't drive...you usually either walk or ride your bike to the store and with a little one in tow this makes for quite a tricky journey.

Once a week my fruits, vegetables, milk, break, eggs, tofu (hey, this is japan), diapers, specialty items for baby, and other japanese items comes to our front door. It is fabulous. The cost of delivery...a whopping $2 and the prices aren't much more expensive than that at the grocery store. If any of you reading this blog know where I can get good grocery delivery service I would be more than happy to know. There is a big difference, however, in the frequency of trips to the grocery store in Japan in comparison to that of the US. It is common to go once, maybe twice a week to pick up items you need for that night or the next day's meals. You don't buy in bulk. You buy a little but go often. I don't like going to the store that's why our grocery delivery service makes my countdown. Yes, I will miss this for sure!

Our frozen items, cold items, and dry items come in these nifty little bins that the delivery man will pick up the following week so they can be reused.

My order forms...you name it they've got it. Stuff for babies, clothes, shoes, household items, cleaning items, and food. The pink form below the catalogs is my order form. Thankfully they also have English assistance available. Lucky me!

#13: Small Portion Sizes
I heard it once said that the Japanese only eat until they are 80% full. That's smart eating right there! It shows too.

When I lived in the US I was diagnosed with IBS (irratable bowel syndrome) and it sucked! My stomach ached ALL THE TIME!! Once we moved to Japan, however, my stomach troubles ceased to exist! It was incredible and such a relief to be living free of stomach/intestinal pain. When we would go back to the states to visit my stomach troubles would return again. This can only lead me to conclude that American food is bad for my health! We eat tons of red meat and smother our food with cheese and then we deep fry it all. UGh...just the thought makes my stomach hurt. Plus, we eat REALLY BIG portions. The portion sizes in Japan are considerably smaller...and it's wonderful. I have never left a Japanese eating establishment overly stuffed and in pain because I gorged myself on too much food. Plus, the presentation of the food is simply beautiful.

I am nervous about leaving this style of eating. I am going to have to really exercise self control and restraint once I move back. It is all too easy to fall back into the eating habits of the good ol' U.S. of A. Jesus, lead me on!

The next two pictures are from one of our favorite restaurants. Don't you just love the presentation. So pretty and everything on the menu if very healthy.

Sigh....pushing out all three of these items made me sad. Oh, Japan, how I will miss you and your ways. Hopefully, one day, we can come back to stay. :)

#16: Public Transportation

2010-05-31T15:57:00.009+09:00

Here in Japan we don't own a car. Really, there's no need and that freedom is nice. That is why I have put public transportation on my list of things we are going to miss about Japan. It's somewhat convenient and earth-friendly. :)

Deacon loves the trains!

A rare occasion....a bench all to ourselves. :)

This is the inside of the station we use the most, Den-en-chofu.

Figuring out the train system in Japan is a daunting task. But, once you've accomplished it everything starts falling into place and it's quite easy from that point.

A map and the listings of how much it costs to get from where you are to where you're going. Underneath the map are the ticket machines.

In America a teenager looks forward to the day they turn 16 because with it comes a driver's license and with that, a new-found sense of freedom. Here in Japan that just isn't the case. Many people don't even have a driver's license, or if they do they got it much later in life than 16 years old. They don't need it. Getting somewhere one doesn't need to rely on always having a licensed driver. Just hop on a train. You can get almost anywhere in Japan via public transportation. Be it train, bus, taxi, and/or ferry.

Little guy waiting for his train to get to school.

We have been able to go to a lot of places in Japan thanks to an amazing rail system. Here we are on a shinkansen (bullet train) with our friends.

My wonderful and dear friends, Jennifer and Evonne, came to visit us in Japan. We took a trip out of the city and I was asking them where we were going. As you can see, no one was all that excited that I was taking this video. :)

Trains have a lot of great amenities. We took a trip down south to the Izu Peninsula and on that train ride our train had a children's play room. Deacon had a blast. :)

One thing, however, I WON'T miss about public transportation is crowded trains. They are AWFUL. Seriously, packed. Just when you think no one else can get on five more people seem to fit! It puts the stuffing-clowns-into-a-car feat at a circus to shame. It's that bad. If you have ever heard rumors of people having to be pushed into trains by station attendants just to get the doors of the train to shut because they are so crowded the rumors are true. I have seen it only once (it's mainly during the morning rush hour which I try to avoid) and it makes me stare. Even though my mama taught me that staring is rude, I just can't help it. It's unlike anything I have ever seen. I have posted a video below from youtube.com. We have never taken a pic...I think we were too busy staring in amazement to think about pulling out a camera.

I posted this on a post a long time ago but I figured it needed to be re-posted for this entry because it's just so funny. This happened to me after we had been here maybe two months and hasn't happened since. I'm so glad we got it on video.

#17: Mt. Fuji

2010-05-06T09:51:00.005+09:00

The first four months we were in Japan the majestic Fuji was elusive to us. We even went to a spot where it was almost a guarantee we could see it but it never appeared. I like to think the mountain is shy often hiding behind clouds. My first glimpse of Fuji was in May of 2008. It was breathtaking. It's like I was looking at a painting or a picture or huge backdrop or something. It just didn't seem real. I took a pic that day but as always with majestic scenery the pictures don't do Fuji justice.

Jason has climbed this beast and we hope to do so again at the end of July just before we leave Japan. I can't not climb this thing! :) This mountain (or dormant volcano) is beautiful. I love it because it stands alone and it ascends gradually when you look at it from far away. I am so thankful that I have been able to see it on just more than one occasion. I will miss having the possibility of seeing it. Seeing Mt. Fuji is not part of our daily life but it is one of those things that have made this place, this country, beautiful for us.

These pics below aren't ours but I wanted to post some that showed a more "thorough" view of Mt. Fuji and some with cherry blossoms (also one of my favorites).

#18: Seto

2010-05-06T09:28:00.004+09:00

Tucked away on a very tiny street is a small restaurant named, Seto. Seriously, it's tiny. There is only space for about 7 people to sit down at a bar. The chefs, a precious little elderly couple, have a very small space in which to maneuver. This place is fabulous for more reasons than just delicious food. The atmosphere is comfy and familiar. People come in and talk to one another. It's the Japanese version of the local dinner/coffee shop of the U.S.

Whenever we go we always get the same thing...chicken katsu. Basically, fried chicken but not fried chicken like in the U.S. There are no bones just succulent chunks of chicken, battered in a flaky breading and smothered in a delicious sauce that is common to Japanese katsu. This sauce, however, is homemade and better than any other katsu sauce I've had in Japan. The rest of the dish is served with a cabbage salad (love cabbage now thanks to Japan), the best miso soup, pickled daikon (a root vegetable that is a staple in Japanese foods), and a bowl of rice. I will most certainly miss this little place, the people, the feeling of it, and the food.

The front of the restaurant. This picture shows the width of this place...see, it's tiny.

The precious elderly couple who own and run this place. It's just the two of them. :)

Jason took this pic from the outside looking in. Where the picture cuts off on the right hand side is where the wall is. Walking between the wall and the stools is like scooting between people in rows of seats....slide front foot out, bring the back foot to the front foot and repeat the shuffle as you scoot along to your stool.

Enjoying some fabulous food. Jason's cousin, Ryan, was in town visiting us. Jason took this pic from the outside, through a little window, looking in.

After the meal Deacon and I hop onto the bike to head home. He loves riding in the bike and where his helmet...or "hat" as he calls it. :)

Hiccup in the countdown....

2010-05-05T21:40:00.002+09:00

We lost our camera on our trip to China in March. Hence, I have been delayed on my countdown. Having no camera to easily tote around to capture the shots necessary to document all that I need/want to has caused me some slight delay. However, there is good news...we have just received our new camera in the mail. I have been taking pics and so the posting will commence. Hopefully at a some what rapid pace because I have a lot of catching up to do.

#19: Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)

2010-04-07T09:12:00.005+09:00

One of my favorite Sakura trees in our neighborhood. Pic taken 2008

We left for Indonesia and China on Friday, March 19th and the cherry blossoms ("sakura" in japanese) were still tucked away in the buds. When we returned on April 1st they were in full bloom here in Tokyo! Their beauty is breathtaking to me. I could stare at them for hours.

This is our third Sakura season. During Sakura '08 it was just Jason and myself. Sakura '09 I was 9 months pregnant making us 2.5. Finally, Sakura 2010 there is three! Jason, myself, and our beautiful baby boy, Deacon who will be one year old on the 15th of this month! Is that for real?

I will greatly miss the cherry trees of Japan. I know there are cherry trees in the US but it's just not the same. The Japanese gather friends, and food, and booze and sit underneath the trees enjoying the beauty and taking in the nature. There is even a word for this experience... ohanami. I think literally translated it means to view the flowers. (Japanese speakers please correct me on this if I'm wrong.) I will miss the picnics and the time spent with friends underneath these trees. It's not only about the blooming of the flower but also what this time of year seems to do to this culture. Like the blossoms, people seem to open up a little more themselves.

Jason and me in Ueno Park. Sakura '08

Jason and me and baby in Naka-Meguro. 2009

This is a cherry blossom tree outside of our school. This pic was taken 2009.

View of the Sakura trees in Naka-Meguro this year, 2010.

Jason and me in Naka-Meguro 2010 and Deacon asleep in the stroller.

The Kuiper Fam in Yokohama 2010!

#20: Customer Service

2010-04-05T17:40:00.003+09:00

Our recent trip to China has made me VERY aware of the next item on my list of things I will miss about Japan...FABULOUS customer service. I mean simply awesome! Yes, of course, there is the occasional establishment that makes me frustrated but our experience, as a whole, has shown us that Japan takes care of their customers. Let me give you an example, our friend told us this story about a year ago. He and his family had order McDonald's for take out. They got their food home and realized they didn't have their french fries. My friend called McDonald's and told them they had forgotten the fries. After numerous apologies on the phone a McDonald's employee then DROVE the fries to my friend's house! This is good customer service! Stories like this are not the exception but the rule.

I will greatly miss the customer service here. Another small example, when you leave a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) they will sometimes come outside to wave, bow, and see you off until you are out of site. When Jason took a trip with the school down to Kyushu there were several staff members of the hotel where they were staying lined up waiting outside to greet the buses as they pulled into the establishment. You are always greeted when you enter a store and always thanked when you leave a store....even if you didn't buy anything.

Also, when unexpected things happen such as a poopy diaper explosion on an airplane seconds before take-off they react with patience, kindness, and a desire to help in any way they can.

If you have to wait in line to give your order or check out at a register, you are apologized to for having to wait. And if you have to wait for a little longer than the norm (about 3-5 minutes) they apologize for the hard wait you had to endure...seriously, they say that....in Japanese, of course. Sometimes we get a waiter that bows to us before he takes our order (kinda like a greeting) and after he takes it before he walks away and this is at a cheap restaurant.

Requests from customers is expected unlike in the US when you feel like you almost have to apologize for asking the staff to help you with something.

We were talking to some people from the Netherlands when we were in Indonesia and they had lived in the states for a time and they said that the US had very good customer service and I thought to myself, "Have you ever been to Japan? Because if you had, you wouldn't be saying such things."

#21: The Onsen

2010-03-15T21:24:00.010+09:00

Doesn't take me long, does it? Yep, I am already behind...sheesh! Well, anyway, without further ado I give you #21...THE ONSEN!

I LOVE the onsen. I will GREATLY miss the onsen. If I were doing this in order of things I will miss the most with the most being at number one the onsen would easily be in my top five. Going to the onsen is a great past time for the Japanese people. It's not just about relaxing but also hanging out with your friends.

So, what is an onsen exactly? The onsen uses water that is pulled up from the earth directly underneath the building that is above it. The kicker, that is difficult for most North Americans to handle(other countries possibly too), is that you go in the buff. That's right, NO BATHING SUITS ALLOWED! Yes, you have to go with a mixed crowd, men and women in the same area......haha...no, that parts not true. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention. :) The baths ARE separated into men and women. There are all different kinds of baths. Certain waters are known to have great minerals. Certain areas of Japan are known more for their onsens and people make special trips just to enjoy them. There are baths inside and outside. My favorite experience was when we went to an onsen that was outside and along the ground there was snow and it ran along side a river. Beautiful. The last picture posted in this entry is from that particular onsen. Some of these onsen are a couple of a hundred years old. The atmosphere and landscaping is often very natural looking...lots of wood and greenery. Some of the waters are different temperatures and may vary from bath to bath and location to location.

Here's the process:

Step 1: go into the changing room and strip down.

Step 2: take your very small 3ft X 1ft towel with you that is just big enough to hide the essentials and walk to the showering area. in the showering area there are no such things as stalls...you're naked! what's the point in stalls?!? Also, you sit down on a little stool to bathe. see below pic.

Step 3: bathe yourself...head to toe.

Step 4: circumspectly stand up from your bathing stool and embrace the fact that you are being seen (but, the japanese are polite, they don't stare...too often anyway)

step 5: make your way to soak and relax in the wonderfully hot waters of the japanese bath. but, be sure NOT to get your bathing towel in the water...this is seen as rude. As that is the towel you just washed your body with...don't put that dirty thing in the clean water! Most people fold the towel and put in on their head (I do this. But first, before leaving the showering area, I get it wet with cold water. I place it on my head to keep me cool) or fold it neatly and place it out side the onsen water.

step 6: SOAK and RELAX..dab yourself with cool water so you don't pass out (Alina Croall! :P) as necessary then go back to.....SOAK and RELAX, SOAK and RELAX.

I never feel quite as relaxed and rested as I do after I get out of the onsen. Not sure what it is about this style of bathing but it is so relaxing. Well, it is for those who can get past the fact they are naked in front of everyone.

I have posted some pics of some of the onsens we have been to. The first four pics shown aren't ours. They were taken from the website of the location. The last one is of Jason and two of our friends, Bernie and Mike.

Inside at one of our favorites: Shiraku Onsen in Yakou (15-20 minutes from our house)

This is from the Hotel Green Plaza in Hakone (about 2 hours away). Yes, you can see Mt. Fuji from the bath outside. It doesn't seem real.

Another outside bath, at the onsen we went to just this past weekend, in Shimoda. It was a great vacay away from Tokyo. (Will blog about that trip later)

The inside of the onsen at Kanaya Ryokan in Shizuoka. Same onsen as the pic above.

In Gunma in the snow. disclaimer: I, Abby, a female, did not take this pic. :)

#22 Free Health Care for Deacon...

2010-02-28T20:08:00.003+09:00

It's hard to figure out what to tell you I will miss because the activities I have on my list aren't particularly exciting. But, they are things I will miss none the less. So, to kick off my list of things I will miss I have chosen this one (btw, these are in no particular order)....

Free Health Care for Deacon

All I have to do is to take this little orange piece (i would take a pic but it's got some personal info on it that I would rather not show) of paper with us to the doctor. I have no idea what it says but all I know is that I need to take it. One particular procedure that had to be done on Deacon's eye would have cost about $300 US dollars was free!

This is a great thing about national health care here in Japan. We had to make numerous trips to the hospital and even one to the ER when Deacon got the R.S. Virus and we left without having to pay a dime (or a yen). Immunizations, Check-ups, etc...all free. AND, to top it off, for the first year of Deacon's life the government gives us about $100 US dollars a month to cover any other expenses. Amazing.

I think the price of medical expenses will be one thing for me that I might experience as reverse culture shock when we return to the US. Not looking forward to that. So that makes this one thing I will absolutely miss.

22 things in 22 weeks...

2010-02-25T09:09:00.003+09:00

I did a count the other day and we have 22 weeks remaining of our time here in Japan. That seems like such a long and short time all at once. Thinking about leaving has got me pretty emotional and trying to take in all that we have done here and all that we love about this country. So, I have started to make a list of things and people we will miss here in Japan. HOPEFULLY, I will give you 22 things we will miss...one for each week. But, if I am on the ball, I will possibly throw in a few extra here and there. My goal, however, is 22. It's not that it's hard to come up with 22 things it's just that it's hard to document all the things and people I want to tell you about in this place.

Topics will cover our favorite foods and drinks, our favorite activities and places, and, most importantly, our favorite people. I will try to post one tomorrow. I am looking forward to sharing this all with you!!

To Get Dinner...

2010-02-22T21:49:00.005+09:00

Sometimes we like to go out to eat...who doesn't, right? I recently wrote a post about going to the grocery store that was done via pictures. So, this time I thought I would step it up a notch and give you some live action shots of us out and about again in our neighborhood. This time we bike our way from our apartment to Jiyugaoka (about 5 min bike ride) to go get some yummy dinner. I took this video while I was riding my bike...no, it's not the safest way and yes, i did almost wreck and/or run over people a few times, one of which I catch on video. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did the challenge of biking at night while videoing and simultaneously weaving around people and cars.

I have been trying to publish this video for the past several days and have been unsuccessful. But, after clicking on a few things and hitting the "ok" button when prompted whether I knew I needed to or not, I got this puppy saved, edited, and uploaded to "YouTube". I also came to the realization that I WILL be one of those people when I am older who can't figure out how to operate all the new gadgets and will need to rely on the experience of my grandchildren. Sigh, my life is flashing before my eyes.... Anway, back to the topic, here's the video......

We went to our favourite (for some reason I felt like typing British English there) obento shop, "deli breeze" and rented a movie from "Tsutaya".

Some Deacon Videos...

2010-01-31T22:25:00.001+09:00

Here is Deacon meeting his cousin Marcus for the first time. Marcus is 4 months older than Deacon. Deacon was excited...Marcus, not so sure.

We ride on trains A LOT here. Deacon sits in front of us in his stroller. Just decided to capture the moment.

Deacon and Daddy playing around...

Grocery Shopping

2010-01-30T21:44:00.008+09:00

When you travel to another country as a tourist there are things that you get to experience that are geared toward just that...tourists. However, when you travel to another country and get to be in someone's home who lives in that country, you can experience a part of the culture that tourists don't see fully...the daily aspects of life. So, instead of giving you landscape or traditional Japanese pictures and experiences I am here today to give you the mundane. And what could be more mundane than going to the grocery store?

This is the street that we walk down to get to our local grocery store. Armed with our shopping bags we make the 7-ish minute walk to Coop down this narrow strip of pavement and pass many shops and people along the way. A french restaurant, a dental clinic, a sewing shop, a liquor store, an electronics store, a sushi restaurant, a pharmacy, a few houses and apartment complexes, a tofu store, an ice shop....basically, a wide variety of establishments all along this street!

Inside the store....

I am as tall as all the shelves. In front of me is a wide selection of green tea!

Many varieties of rice from which to choose. I have no idea what makes one different from another or why different ones are so expensive. We just grab which ever bag it seems most people have taken. :) That method has served us well.

The checkout....
Do you see how small the shopping baskets are compared to those in the States? This is as big as they come in Japanese stores.

After our stop at the grocery store we make our way to the vegetable and fruit vendor. We can buy fruits and veggies from Coop but the produce isn't as tasty and the prices aren't as cheap.

A loaded down stroller with all our goodies!

Then back home to unload it all and we will make the trip again next week or sometimes later in the week.

A Christmas recap....

2010-01-27T14:51:00.007+09:00

Deacon and I spent from December 1st-January 10th in the good ole' U.S. of A. It was nice to be home. Jason came later because he had to stay in Japan for work. He arrived on the 19th of December. After two and a half weeks apart it was beyond wonderful to see him again!

Here's our time at home in pictures!

We spent a couple of weeks in my stomping grounds...Boyd, Tejas.
Deacon got to hang out a lot on this trip with his great-grandparents! Dee Dee and Papa Bill!

With Aunt Mary and his Santa suit his great-aunt Christy gave him.

Time back to the US wouldn't be complete without a visit to Lubbock to see the Lathams! We LOVE THEM A LOT! Too bad Papa Scott is missing from this picture.

We then went up to Nebraska to see all of Jason's family. In spite the three of us being sick for a majority of the week it was still a good trip. I wish we'd had more time there.

Deacon got to meet his cousin Marc for the 1st time at Christmas...well, all his cousins actually. Marc is 4 months older than Deacon.

All bundled up to brave the Nebraska cold!!

Kuiper Christmas Eve celebration. We read some scripture, sang some songs, and even had a snippet from Shakespeare preformed by my 8 year old nephew Braden.

Here is Braden preforming a monologue from Julius Caesar. My niece, Samantha is a dead Julius Caesar. Braden is Marc Antony

The Babies...Marcus and Deacon

All the grandkids.

Leaving Nebraska and saying good-bye to grandma and grandpa Kuiper very early in the morning.

After Nebraska we headed down to Florida for some not-so-warm weather. That was a bit of a bummer. However, it didn't stop us from having a good time at Disney World. We did 5 theme parks in 5 days!! Phew...we were worn out!

Family pic in the Magic Kingdom

The Kuip-RRRRs after Pirates of the Caribbean

Everyone needs a pair of mouse ears!

All tuckered out. Love his little feet sticking out from underneath the blankets.

Florida was great. Then, we went back to Texas to relax a bit before heading off to Japan again.

We got to spend some time with the Reeves and Deacon got to meet his new friend, Lily!!

We loved our time in the states and we are ready to move back. We will be making our final trip across the pacific in july. It will be here before we know it.

Getting "excited" for the long plane ride.

We were very blessed to get the bulk head seat where we could use the bassinet for Deacon. I think he liked being up high.

What a wonderful trip! The time went fast but we will be back in the US before we know it.

Funny Engrish

2009-10-17T08:51:00.003+09:00

I can never quite figure out Japan and their English...or Engrish. You see, the Japanese often get their "R"s and "L"s confused. For example, when playing "Scattagories" with some of my English students and they were having to come up with nouns that began with the letter "L" they came up with "Lalph Lauren" instead of Ralph Lauren for a brand name. Or, a sign that is near our neighborhood has a picture of a lit match with a circle and crossed out that reads, "No Open Frame". It happens quite often.

Well, not only do they get their "L"s and "R"s mixed up but they also have the most interesting/confusing English translation on their signs and products. When my mom was visiting Japan I would often see her staring intently on a sign or reading a t-shirt trying to figure out what the shirt was saying. "Mom," I said, "Don't even try to figure it out. It doesn't make sense."

Lately, we have spotted many signs and advertisements reminding people of etiquette (train etiquette, social etiquette). Which have proven to be some of the most consistently entertaining signs. Below are some of these pics. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

The Sweet Taste of Bitterness

2009-10-16T16:10:00.003+09:00

Have you ever wonder what God tastes like? The Isrealites believe the taste of honey is the taste of God. Not that God tastes like honey but that to taste Him is sweet. I think somewhere along the way I had forgotten this.

One night at the small group we attend we were having worship. I was singing a song that I had heard many many times. The familiarity had lost it's meaning. I was disconnected from the message of the music and my heart was not worshiping the Lord. The Holy Spirit brought this to my attention. "Lord" I asked, "what has happened to me? What has happened to my relationship with you?" I thought to myself, "there was a time in my walk with You when it didn't matter what song I sang or how many times I sang it because I got to be with you during worship. I used to be so excited to sing to you no matter how "familiar" the song."

Then He brought to my mind a verse I had heard and memorized about 7 years ago.....

"He who is full loathes honey.
But, to he who is hungry
even what is bitter tastes sweet."
-Prov. 27:7

I had become full. Full of pride and of thinking that I needed some other teaching that was "deeper" or "more intellectual". Or, some music that was newer with "fresh" lyrics. I am ridiculous....I am prideful. God revealed to me that I had come to loathe the sweet taste of Him. I wouldn't even open my mouth to "eat" because my pride had me thinking I was full.

I was convicted. I prayed and the Lord brought another verse, "He who humbles himself will be exalted." Humble yourself, abby....that's what the Lord was saying to me. The Lord revealed to me all the ways that I had allowed myself to foolishly think I could be or was ever full of Him. Then, suddenly, things began to taste sweet again.

I had forgotten the joy of obedience, the beautiful gift of surrender, and the peace from humility. The Lord, since He reminded me of this verse six weeks ago, has been so near to me. Really, He has always been this near to me...I just never realized that I was so hungry. He has renewed my heart and spirit and soul. My heart is overwhelmed by His love and His pursuit of me. He did not correct me with condemnation but with a gentle reminder spoken from His Love for me which I do not deserve nor did anything to obtain. He gives freely.

Now, everything tastes sweet again...even that which is "bitter".

Airline Present and Jason's Humor

2009-10-07T19:48:00.005+09:00

On our flight to Okinawa the very nice airline gave gifts to all the children on the flight. There wasn't really any great choice for an infant so we went with what looked the most interesting to us. So even though this present is meant for children Jason and I had too much fun playing with the toys ourselves. (Warning some images not appropriate for children :) ) And had a tribute to the movie "Napoleon Dynamite" in the process.

The package reads: Kisenue Doubutsu (Dress the Animals...roughly translated)

The package included two plastic four-legged animals and small pieces of reversible cloth with velcro that had patterns resembling a cow, a cheetah, a tiger, a zebra, and a little band for the mane of a lion.

A zebra (didn't you know that zebras have wiskers?!?) and a tiger....

The reverse side: A cow and a cheetah...

A lion and a tiger....OH MY!!!

The result of a lion and a tiger....ah hmm....a LIGER!!

Oh, the things we do for entertainment on an airplane!

Okinawa: A trip to the Aquarium

2009-09-28T14:42:00.008+09:00

We really wanted to see the aquarium while we were in Okinawa. Which may not seem like the most exciting of things to do but the truth is, we love aquariums. We visited an aquarium in Vancover, Canada on our honeymoon and now it seems we are trying to visit as many cool aquariums as possible in as many different coutries as possible.
So far we have a grand total of.... 3 (US, Canada, Japan).

We dressed Deacon in a sailor outfit for the outing. Seemed appropriate. :)

He is excited to see the whale shark and Manta Rays!

We had a long taxi journey to the aquarium...it was about an hour and half drive from our hotel!! A little piece of information the travel agent failed to tell us when we bought the package with an aquarium visit. Chalk it up to language barrier. But, we made the best of it and we were able to "rent" a taxi for 6 hours for a reasonable price. Deacon fell asleep on the journey holding my water bottle!

A picture of a VERY large viewing area. One of the biggest or the biggest in the world. I posted several pics so you can see the massive size of the glass, the size of the manta rays, and the size of the whale shark. There are people on the bottom of the pictures so you can get an idea of scale.

The viewing glass...

The Manta Ray...check out that wing span! Their wing span can get up to 6 feet in length.

Whale Shark...easily the largest sea creature I have ever seen in person.

There was a model to demonstrate the thickness of the glass. It's a little hard to tell but from Deacon's left shoulder to the tip of the brochure is how thick the glass is. It has to be to with stand the pressure. I think it measured somewhere around 2 feet??

We caught a dolphin show (always one of my faves) and Jason got us a coconut drink. That is a real coconut we are drinking from. Very "Cast Away"-ish only A LOT easier to get to. We had the help of a guy with a machete.

Also, we stumbled up this...Sea turtles in buckets. Not a main attraction and I don't think it's meant to be seen by guests but entertaining none-the-less.

A sea turtle not in a bucket....maybe they rotate? Deacon enjoyed watching them.

It was a day of family fun!

First Family Vacation!! Okinawa...a Trip to the Beach

2009-09-25T09:12:00.000+09:00

After the many visitors that came to see us in August we got to take a family trip down to Okinawa. It was nice to get away from the craziness of Tokyo for a couple of days and enjoy our first vacation with our son, Deacon.

Deacon had his first Japanese domestic plane ride. He did awesome! Slept almost the whole way. However, right when we sat down on the plane Deacon's diaper failed to do it's job. Jason turns to me and says, "I feel something warm. Did he pee all over me?" Nope...pee would have been much better. Poop got all over Jason's pants and in between his legs onto the airplane seat. We were incredibly unprepared! I am usually prepared..extra clothes, wipes, diapers, towels, etc. But, nope, not this time. We only had a couple of wipes left which made clean-up some what of a challenge. To add to the terrible timing of the moment the crew and passengers had to wait until we got cleaned up to take-off. But, the Japanese being who they are, continued to ask if we needed help in any way and never once told us to hurry because they were waiting on us. They showed us a lot of grace in many ways.

Checking out the aquarium in the airport.

When we arrived to our hotel we decided we would go check out the beach. It was quite a sunny day and on our walk back from the beach Deacon decided to bury his head into the crook of Jason's arm.

And, now, that's how he likes to fall asleep when Dad is holding him! Too funny! Always makes me giggle.

View from our room down to the pool.

Day at the Beach!!

First time in the Pacific Ocean!

Tired Baby

Beach days are always great days!

The A-bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima

2009-09-24T08:27:00.003+09:00

Nagasaki and Hiroshima are the two cities that the United States dropped atomic bombs on towards the end of World War II. Last year Jason took a school trip to Nagasaki. On that trip he visited the A-bomb Memorial site. After hearing his stories of what he saw and heard there I knew that before we left Japan I needed to see one or both museums.

My sisters came to visit us in August and we all decided that we would journey down from Tokyo to Hiroshima to see the A-bomb Museum and Memorial Center. I don't think I was quite prepared to see all that I saw. It could be easy to walk into that place and just numb out. It could be very simple to experience it only with your mind and not your emotions. After all, pushing your emotions aside would be the safe way to walk through such a museum. That way you don't have to deal with the questions that will inevitably come....God, why did you allow this?? Why are the hearts of man so evil?? As an American, how do I respond to this horror that we caused on a nation??

My tears flowed as I walked through each room. Being a mom has now made my heart more vulnerable, i think. My heart would ache and the tears would come very easily at the stories of children who were killed during the explosion of the bomb. After a while I had to take a break from listening to the stories on my headset. Whole families, bloodlines were wiped out. So many people suffered so terribly.

If it is ever possible for you to visit the Memorial Museums in either Nagasaki or Hiroshima I think it is necessary you do so. Every person should visit it so they can see the damage, horror, destruction done by the use of nuclear weapons.

Below are some pictures of our trip to the museum and Peace Memorial Park. We didn't take many pictures inside the museum because I think we just didn't think about it. I guess our minds were preoccupied.

A-bomb Dome: The Hiroshima Industrial Promotion Hall was constructed in 1915. On August 6, 1945 it was instantly destroyed by the first atomic bombing in human history. Flames enveloped the ceiling of the dome and consumed the entire building, killing everyone within. The parts of the walls, which withstood the blast because it came from above, together with the steel frame have become a symbol of Hiroshima. (taken from a brochure)

There were many strands of 1,000 cranes hung around the Memorial Tower to the Mobilized Students.

The Japanese have a legend that states that anyone who folds 1,000 cranes will be granted one wish. Sadako Sasaki was a small school girl who believed in this tale. She was diagnosed with leukemia as a result of the radiation from the atomic bomb. She tried to fold 1,000 cranes because she believed if she could then she would be healed. Sadako didn't live long enough to finish her goal. After her death, her school mates picked up where she left off and fulfilled her dream of making 1,000 cranes in her memory. Now, 1,000 cranes together has also become a symbol for peace.

Cenotaph for the A-bomb victims

This jacket was being worn by a female student when the bomb dropped.

A picture of the aftermath (1 of 2)

Continuation of previous picture (2 of 2)

A drawing in the museum. "Injured with Their Clothes Torn Apart and Skin Hanging Down" The artist said this, "The injured were silently escaping for the suburbs like ghosts along the bank with their hair disheveled, clothes torn apart, and skin hanging down. They looked like nothing on earth." Drawn by, Kichisuke Yoshimura

A model showing the hypocenter and the destruction. Homes were wiped away as though nothing had ever been there.

The warhead

"Shinichi Tetsutani (then 3 years and 11 months) loved to ride this tricycle. That morning, he was riding in front of his house when, in a sudden flash, he and his tricycle were badly burned. He died that night. His father felt he was too young to be buried in a lonely grave away from home, and thinking he could still play with the tricycle, he buried Shinichi with the tricycle in the backyard.

In the summer of 1985, forty years later, his father dug up Shinichi's remains and transferred them to the family grave.

The tricycle and helmet were donated to the Peace Memorial Museum." (taken from the plaque that accompanied the tricycle)

Glass jars that melted together instantly from the intense heat of the bomb.

The End of India...Finally

2009-09-17T09:01:00.000+09:00

On the third morning of our trip I woke up with a fever and an extreme case of dehydration. I could barely move. It was decided that it was best to take me to a small village called Kaza which was about a 3 hour drive away. There was a hospital there. Cheryl Barton went with me since Jason had to drive the motorcycle. Let me tell you how amazing and timely it was that I got sick where I did...we were out in the middle of nothing. Had I been sick one or two days later finding a place to take me would have been extremely difficult. If I had to get sick, the timing and location were perfect. :)

Along the drive I was in and out of sleep or consciousness...not sure which. However, I did wake up to the sound of a VERY loud boom....the sound of an explosion. I was almost positive we were being shot at but, as I learned later, we had barely cleared dynamite being detonated. As we were driving a man was running towards our vehicle screaming and waving his arms to stop. Our driver decided it was best not to because he was afraid the man was a robber and he didn't want to take a risk with two white women in the car. When the dynamite went off our driver was VERY angry....he said the man should have had a red flag or some kind of marker. Out there worker men don't wear brightly colored vests with reflective tape....just pants and sometimes a shirt.

When we arrived at the hospital I saw the doctor and he decided to admit me right away. He had diagnosed me with extreme dehydration, altitude sickness, and an infection that he was unsure of but would do blood tests for. I am not quite sure how to describe the hospital to you. The walls were made of bare cinder block. There was no glass on some of the windows. The electricity was out and in order for it to come on the doctor had to requisition it if/when he had to do procedures that required the use of machines. And the most disgusting part....no toilets....well, at least not ones with running water due to some renovation of the plumbing that had apparently taken much longer than originally projected. The only clean toilet was outside about 100 meters away from the hospital behind a locked door and you had to ask the nurse for a key....that is if you could find the nurse. Inside there were toilets but NOT at all clean and wouldn't you know it....a case of diarhea decides to hit me. The only place to go was in a toilet where every square inch of the concrete floor was covered in human feces....feces piled in the corner like a pyramid...smeared into the concrete....it was every where. It was awful....I still slightly gag when I think about it. It has taken months for me to get to this point where I can talk about it without gagging. I didn't quite make it to the toilet and as a result had to change clothes in that bathroom.....now that was a trick! Feverish, shaky, clammy, light-headed, nasueas, and incredibly thirsty whilst trying to put on clean clothes with out dragging my pants leg through poop. believe it or not, i made it out of there without poop on the pants!! In the pants, however, not quite as fortunate. :)

While this hospital was lacking in many of the modern day technologies, the staff and the doctor were amazing. I had to receive an IV drip for my dehydration and this cute little plump nurse with missing teeth, leathered skin, gray hair tied back in a bun, and bright eyes was very skilled at getting that IV in my arm. She also had to draw blood and that was one of the most painless blood draws I have ever had. Her English was limited but we got along just fine with smiles and gestures. She may have been in a poor part of the world but she knew what she was doing when it came to her job.

Also, I had a wonderful roommate in my little hospital room. Gatuk was a 22 year old woman with kidney stones. She was in pain but that didn't stop her from changing out her own IV bag when it came time. I was impressed....I had no idea how to change my IV bag but Gatuk worked it with great skill and ease. I thought maybe she was a nurse also but nope, she was a teacher. She was from Nepal and had a two-year old son....she told me repeadetly how much she missed her baby and how badly she wanted to hold him again. She was worried about me because she had overheard that I was pregnant. She didn't say much to me about it but would often just stare at me with a worried look on her face.

It took me four days to recover. I slept a lot and often worried and prayed for the safety of the little one in my tummy. But, over and over again, I could feel the Lord saying to me that the baby was safe and to not fear.

When we headed out I still wasn't 100% better so I decided to ride laying down in the SUV for much of the first day back on the road. Our very last day of the trip I rode with Jason the whole way. It was quite fun and the roads were a little smoother. We got to camp out under beautiful skies the next few days.

We returned to Manali (where we started) and I was elated to be able to shower. I didn't shower for 5 days and I STUNK to high heaven!! I was happy to be back in Manali because, while I had a wonderful time, I was ready to go back to Japan. India had kicked me in my hind parts! We spent one full day in Manali before our return to New Delhi. The day before we left we had another scare with the pregnancy. I was spotting. We decided to take me to a mission hospital in Manali. My mind was racing all over the place. I kept praying and clinging to the Lord for His peace. "Lord, not my will but your's be done" Still over and over again I kept hearing Him say the baby was safe and not to fear. I am so thankful the Lord is so faithful to speak to us and give us His peace. He is so loving to His children. The trip to the hospital was filled with tears, I got scolded by a 22 year old doctor for riding motorcycles on the road we went down (it was extremely rough in parts). I put my hands in my face and said "i know, I know...I should've known better!" She immediately grabbed me (she was all of 5 foot) and hugged me and said everything would be ok just no more motorcycles. (i thought to myself after the doctor's appointment...duh, pregnant women aren't even allowed on roller coasters! what the heck was I thinking getting on a motorcycle!!!??) The exam and the sonogram showed that the baby was still tucked away safely inside. I was filled with relief and many tears were shed by our group at the good news.

Our trip in India was the trip of a life time. I am so thankful we went and got to see and do all that we got to see and do. Sadly, I still can't eat curry. :( I hope one day I will be able to again.

India Trip (video)

2009-06-06T22:48:00.002+09:00

Sorry for the shakiness of the video but here we are starting off. Notice the paved roads....it didn't stay that way for long.

India (Part 2) Into the Himalayas

2009-06-05T22:02:00.000+09:00

The continuation on India (part 1)

So, after Taj Mahal we made the journey back into Delhi to stay at our guest house for the night. We were staying at a Tibetan Refugee Camp/Complex. It was quite an interesting stay. Twice during the night we heard knocks at our door which didn't help me sleep very comfortably. Throughout the day at the Taj Mahal and on our drive back into Delhi I constantly found myself hiding my face and my hair behind my hooded jacket because anytime we would stop at any point on the road for an amount of time beggars would bang on our windows. We were instructed not to look at them but only hold up a hand and wave them off. Outside of the Taj Mahal a little boy, who wasn't more than 10, came up to me selling something. I am not sure what he was selling because I wasn't interested in his merchandise but rather, his story. This was a first for me....a child beggar following me for 20 paces or more begging and pleading that I buy from him. Whining and exclaiming and pleading for my money. How did he get here? Was he doing this willingly? Does he get to go to school? Does he do this everyday? The begging happened on so many different occasions....an old woman outside of our guest house in Delhi, the little boy, the teenage boy who beat on my window with a force that I thought it would shatter, the little girl wanting me to buy newspapers, this all happening in the first day and of course, it wouldn't be the last. So, when the knocks on the door of our room came late at night I was just sure someone was looking for us and any money we had. My fear is ridiculous...these people (for the most part) aren't criminals....they are the poor. I fear that maybe some where along the way I have merged the two....or at least I do when I am confronted by them which causes me to not see them. Sigh.....i have a long way to go and a lot to learn.

Early the next morning we hopped into another van and this time headed for a much longer trip into a village at the foothills of the Himalayas called Manali. It was about a 12-14 hour (can't remember exactly) car ride but thankfully this time we had AC! From Manali we would begin our motorcycle ascent into the Himalayas. Our route was initially meant to take us into Leh which is in Kashmir State but upon our arrival in Manali to discuss our travel plans with our guide we learned that there was civil unrest and protests in that state and it would no longer be safe for us to travel there. So, we had to plan another route. Which was actually really great as the altitudes on the new route were lower than those of the original route and I, because I was pregnant, was unable to take the altitude sickness medication. However, we would still be reaching altitudes of around 14-15,ooo feet. I had never been this high before in my life. I was worried about altitude sickness as it is NOT something to mess around with.

The next morning we began our 9 day journey. Now, I have to brag on my husband....he had NEVER driven a motorcycle before...well, actually he had but only two times and not on any long excursion but rather up and down a small street in tokyo on our friend mike's bike. Flat paved streets cannot compare to rocky, pot-holed "roads" of our Himalayan trek. and Jason worked it like a pro. Jugdish (not at all how you spell his name but that's how i remember to pronounce it) one of the 8 member crew told me by the end of the trip that Jason was a very good driver. I can attest to that too. Jason had to drive across some rocky passes through rushing water. If he had made one wrong move he would have been over the edge.....to say I was nervous during those moments is an understatement. Terrible scenarios were playing in my head at such crossings. The common one...."my child is going to grow up fatherless!" But, praise God for His faithfulness for He protected us in SO many ways on our excursion.

Now, I won't break down every day of the journey, that would take to long and become a little monotonous because the days (for the most part) went something like this.....get up, eat breakfast, climb on the bikes, bike until lunch, after lunch we would bike until we made it to our camp grounds which was usually around dinner time. The things we saw and the people we met are something I will never forget. Nor will I ever forget how sick I was. I was more sick than I had been in all of my life and this is no exaggeration but I will get to that part later. I have some very....um, unique stories to go along with that.

So we left Manali and wound our way up into the foothills of the Himalayas. They were astoundingly beautiful. Also along the way I got my first glimpse of a Yak! He/She didn't do much. ;)
Here are some pics of our first few days of travels.....

Here's where we began....Manali

This is a view from our guest house of Manali.

The Helmets....protecting our heads for only $3 USD!

One of Jason's shots of our bikes....

Starting off...

As we rode up a heavy fog began to descend over the mountains and brought with it some cold rain.

Our camp grounds on night 1....and there are our wet clothes drying after we got soaked from the first day's ride.

The next morning....can you believe what we got to wake up to? We arrived at dusk and under fog so the clear skies were a wonderful treat the next morning. The blue in the skies was some of the most clear blue skies I have ever seen.

View from our campsite the first morning.

Three of the eight crew members that followed us and set up camp for us. In this picture (L to R) is our cook, our mechanic, and the driver that followed us with our clothes and water. These were some fun guys and super helpful.

Day 2...I'm not smiling. Not for any particular reason....I guess I just missed the cue.

Stopping for some tea. India has the best tea. Chai...but it's not your Starbucks chai or anything else found in the grocery store....it's just delicious beyond words.

THE YAK! with a saddle...which cracks me up! and I can't help but sing to myself..."yakkity yak...don't talk back"

Jason...this is actually a day 1 pic but doesn't he look good on this thing!? :)

Encountering a heard of sheep and goats. There were lots up there.

And here is our campsite for night number 2 where I got SICK as a dog. I climbed in and out of that tent approximately 8 times during the night to go throw up and well....you know. And yes, it was all happening at the same time!!! I woke up dehydrated and feverish. So, morning 3 began with a mad dash to a small village hospital about a 3 hour drive away.....I'll pick up there next time.

Deacon Scott....

2009-05-28T08:42:00.004+09:00

is a month and a half old already! Man, time has flown by!

I haven't posted on here in a good while partly because I would rather sleep than sit in our uncomfortable computer chair....I have made several secret wishes that we had wireless. :)

Deacon Scott Kuiper has arrived! He made his appearance on April 15th at 2:53 pm after a VERY LONG labor. I was having strong contractions for a total of 38 hours!! But really really strong ones for a total of 24 hours....man, it was intense. I went to the hospital at 8pm on Tuesday night after 5 hours of contractions coming every 5 minutes apart and then upon arrival to the hospital discovered I was only 1cm dilated!! Talk about discouraging. So, I checked into my hospital room and continued to labor ALL night long! At 5:30am they checked me again and I was dilated to only 4cm. The doctor said I should be moving right along then at 1cm per hour....yeah right! At 10:30am I was only dilated to 6cm. At 11am the doctor came in and said that labor was progressing too slow and that I had three options....1. continue laboring as I had been 2. break my water to see the color of the amniotic fluid to see if the baby was in distress or 3. use pitocin to speed up labor I knew immediately that I wanted option number 2....not sure why but there was no debate. I knew my water needed to be broken. After they broke my water things started moving very quickly and Deacon came 4 hours later.

Labor is intense but SOOO worth it. It was wonderful to get to hold my son in my arms....no feeling can describe it. Every pain that a body experiences is to tell you that something is wrong with your body, that you have a problem that needs to be checked out. However, labor pain is something different entirely. It's the one pain that a woman experiences that is bringing forth life and is not about something being wrong with the body. There is something profound about that fact that I can't quite put my finger on. Any insights?

Motherhood has been such an adjustment. The first two weeks...no, make that three weeks were so hard. So many things are thrown your way all at once. You are exhausted, your nipples are cracked and sore (sorry fellas) from trying to breastfeed, your emotions are all over the place and you can't control them which makes you even more emotional, you've got pain from squeezing something the size of a watermelon out of something the size of a lemon or you've had surgery that has made sneezing more painful than you could imagine, and the list could go on.....BUT it is SOOOo worth it! I couldn't have made it through this first month of his life without the help from my mother (she came for a month total and was here the first two weeks of Deacon's life) and my wonderful fabulous husband. Jason is so amazing. I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband as him (he?). He is such a great father, too. He loves his son so much and that is very clear! Thank you, honey!

Here's a picture of our precious son at one month old....

After a bath....

India part 2 coming soon.....already got parts of it written and saved in a draft. :)

Just a Quick Favor

2009-04-25T14:20:00.002+09:00

My friend, Susan Parry, is a fabulous woman, mother, and friend. She is also a runner. I admire her perseverance in the run as I have always hoped to be able to love running this way. I love running but going beyond 5 miles is next to impossible (maybe I just need to train more :) ) but, anyway, back to the topic at hand....my friend has entered in a contest for a chance to make it to the marathon of her choice. Please follow this link and click on "Vote for this entry" or scroll down and write a review to help her earn points. Here's a quick little bio about her......

Let's send Susan to the Honolulu Marathon!

Susan is a dedicated wife, mother, and friend. She and Mark have 3 amazing children, 2 of which they have brought home through adoption from Korea! As a family they have impacted the lives of many through teaching overseas, working for fair wages for coffee bean growers, and ministering to inner city kids through Kids Across America.

Read Susan's story "A Refuge" and vote every day to send her to Honolulu!

You can also post on your facebook, twitter, or blog to give her even more points!

Click on the following link to vote! Thank you!!!

http://tinyurl.com/dfknsg

Tales of India.....7 months later (part 1)

2009-03-21T20:54:00.008+09:00

With the arrival of our son approaching (only two more weeks until the due date) I have been recounting my pregnancy and all of the blessings that have come with it. The Lord has been so faithful through out it all but I want to share with you how we experienced His faithfulness and goodness while on a trip to India when I was six weeks preggo.

In August of 2008, Jason and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to India with our friends, the Barton's, and take an adventurous journey through the foothills of the Himalayas via motorcycles. We were out and about camping for 9 days. Through the course of the 9 days I only took a shower once! Man, I never knew I could stink so bad! For some who are much more experienced at adventure than myself this may seem rather short and minuet but it was quite a feat for me. Also, while in India I got INCREDIBLY sick! I honestly have never been this sick in all of my life but God did some amazing things through this journey which I hope to be able to recount clearly over the course of the next few blog entries. You may wonder why I have waited 7 months to even start telling you about this and that answer is simple....I couldn't tell any stories without gagging or becoming slightly queasy at the thought of India. I am not sure if that was largely in part to being pregnant or what exactly but thankfully, I think I am mostly over it. Well, with the exception of an aversion to curry but I don't think that's going to go away for quite some time.

So, here's how it all took place....
Jason and I took off from Tokyo and landed in Hong Kong where we had hoped to spend a couple of days exploring this city before catching a flight to New Delhi. I don't have much to say about Hong Kong except that it has a cool cityscape. I am sure overall it's a great city but we didn't have much of an opportunity to explore it because upon our arrival we both felt a little sick which kept us indoors for one of the days we could have been out site seeing. But, we did get to take a ride on the Peak Tram where we got a great view of the city from above. Here is a picture of Hong Kong at night.

After our couple of days here we met up with our friends, Bernie and Cheryl Barton, in the airport to fly to New Delhi. We arrived in New Delhi around 2:30 in the morning and immediately began to feel cultural differences. India was a whole new cultural experience for me. The smells, the sites, the people, the food....everything. The gaping chasm that exists between the destitute and the wealthy is an aspect of this culture I have yet to fully grasp. Not really sure if I ever will. People were waiting outside the airport to beg for money, food, anything. Scattered along side the road ways were homeless people sleeping on thin mats with cracked, bare feet poking out from underneath the blankets that were too short to cover their bodies. They slept close to the buzzing and constant passing of cars to be near the exhaust as it kept the mosquitoes away. I tried to process what I was seeing but everything was coming all at once....it was overwhelming. This was my first encounter with such frequency of poverty. I began to scold myself for not seeing things like this sooner.....for not being closer to the broken.....I didn't quite know what to do with my lack of experience with these sites and to be honest I still don't but I hope I am never so used to them that I become numb to the idea that people shouldn't live this way. Hearts.....souls should be tended to, taken care of, loved. I wondered if these people had known such things but the wondering and the unknowing of how to process all that I was seeing in a matter of 30 minutes left me....well, numb. It was too much. So, I narrowed my view and never REALLY looked around me. I didn't know how. I was stunned. I would like to say that after seeing all of this as we drove through Delhi inspired me to do something different, noble, or philanthropic but that just isn't true....and I want to know why that is and I am not done trying to figure that out. Anyway....

When we landed in Delhi we were met up by some of the Barton's friends who live in India. It was decided prior to our arrival that when we flew in we would have a rental van waiting to pick us up and drive us all to the Taj Mahal in Agra. It was said to be a three or four hour trip but ended up taking closer to 6. We rode through the night so we could make it to the Taj Mahal in the early morning to beat the heat. However, there really is no beating the heat in India. It was hot no matter what time of the day. After a long car ride we arrived at the Taj Mahal. Ever since I saw this landmark inside one of my history books in Jr. High, I knew this was one place I wanted to see. It was cool getting to fulfill a dream and hope I had had since I was about 12. However, while the Taj Mahal is beautiful and exquisite, it just doesn't compare to the beauty and majesty of the Himalayas. But, I still really enjoyed being there and I am grateful to have seen it.

Disclaimer: (please excuse my very poor punctuation....I have never been good at figuring out where commas go.)

Ookii desu ne?!?!

2009-02-21T20:49:00.004+09:00

I am at my limit. For the past few months my belly has grown as the wonderful, beautiful boy inside me is growing and this growth has not gone unnoticed. Now, I wish I could say that people have given words of enthusiasm and kindness to accompany my belly as it increases in size, but that has just not been the case. For the past two months I have heard AT LEAST 4-5 times a day how large/big/huge my belly is. I am tired of it. So, I am shamelessly using my blog to write about this frustration. I sometimes try to avoid using my blog as a place for venting and save that for my personal journal, but not today. I have had enough of it. I can only take so much. I smile on the outside and say, "yeah, it is." but inside I want to say, "SHUT UP!" Should I just chalk this lack of noble thought to pregnancy hormone? Maybe, but then again, maybe I need to learn to ask people, in some wonderfully witty manner that teaches people a lesson in holding their tongue whilst also remaining respectful, to not say such things. Anyone got any ideas?

The camel's back broke today. I came home and cried on my husband's shoulder. Just wishing for the comments to stop and instead to be replaced by joyful phrases that communicate excitement. There have been a small number of people who have loved on me through encouraging words while here in Japan but sadly it's not enough to counteract the much larger number of the frequency of certain adjectives that should never be said to a pregnant woman. Word to the wise....only tell a pregnant woman how beautiful she is. Say nothing about her belly, small or large. Tell her you are excited for her. Share in her joy and quit acting like we have or should have the "right" to hear your opinion.

88

2009-02-06T11:26:00.002+09:00

This is the number that is running through my mind on a loop. 8-8. For 8 months along and only 8 weeks to go until our little treasure (as the very cute, petite elderly nun working at the hospital said) arrives and changes everything about daily life as I know it. I am excited for this change and a little apprehensive but I guess that's to be expected.

This whole process has been amazing to me. There is a person growing inside of me! How wondefully weird is that!? As he has grown, the space available for him to move around in has become smaller and smaller, and now I can kinda tell what part of him is sticking out and making my belly all sorts of funny shapes. We can't wait to meet him. I often wonder what he looks like. Will he have Jason's eyes? My hair color? What will we name him? That has yet to be discovered.

So, as the day draws near and my belly grows please pray for the continued health of our baby and myself. Also, I would appreciate your prayers for a safe delivery. Can't wait to share pictures with you!

Under Pressure

2009-01-30T09:52:00.002+09:00

Japan is a beautiful country. Home of the cherry blossoms and Mt. Fuji and some beautiful traditions. Japan is full of beautiful things and people. However, there is one custom that arrives every year around this time that I really dislike for these people. School entrance exams.

The pressure for these entrance exams is HIGH. Who takes these exams? Young children who want to get into elementary school. Eleven to twelve year olds who want to get into junior high school. 14-16 year olds who want to get into high school. 17-19 year old who want to get into college and on and on. At almost every mile stone of education these children are placed under serious pressure to pass and do well on these exams. Families prepare and study months in advance. They go to the school they want their son or daughter to get into and register for the exam. Here at Tamasei one prospective student arrived to register on the schools doorsteps around 4:30 in the morning.

Here is an excerpt from my friend, Cheryl's blog about this same subject.....

Monday and Tuesday, February 2 and 3, Tamagawa Seigakuin will conduct entrance examinations for approximately 750 current sixth grade girls who will begin their junior high school careers in April. (80 percent of those registered for Monday are also registered for the second day.) About 50 percent of them will pass the exam. Of these, Tama Sei expects to welcome 168 new first year junior high girls. (Many students take exams at several schools and, if they succeed in more than one, will enter their first choice.)

This weekend will be a time of great pressure in many homes as Monday and Tuesday approach. Actually, the stress has been building for some time. Some of these girls have been studying intensely for months in preparation (we hope)—if not by their own choice, then by the will of their parents. One father of a sixth grader who will take Monday’s exam told me late last fall that he and his wife had lowered the boom: no more special events and outings on weekends from then until exam time. “Weekends have become your study time,” they announced to their daughter who apparently hadn’t been taking her studying very seriously. They also were threatening to take her cell phone away, if necessary, in order to keep her on track. This would be, according to the daughter, the worst possible thing they could do--a fate nearly worse than death.

For the graduating seniors here at Tamasei the school releases the seniors for January through March to study for the entrance exams that they will be taking to get into university. I remember when I had heard my friend in the U.S. say that he had been studying for the BAR exam for two months and I thought that was intense! However, studying two months for a test is a normal thing to do every 3-5 years here. Phew! These students are unlike what I would picture I would be like if I was given two months to study for an exam. I would take a month or two off and then study for the last week. But not in Japan. Not these students. Especially not the women. Women make up only 38% of the student body population of universities in Japan. (according to www.educationpolicy.org) The pressure is high. It's part of this culture, I guess. Everyone has to go through it. However, that doesn't make it easy or less stressful.

Pressure to perform and do well in Japan is part of everyday life. Around 90 suicides are committed a DAY in this country. People are constantly depressed but rarely discuss their problems as there aren't enough mental health and counseling services available to meet the need. Plus, it's not yet as socially acceptable as in the U.S. to just discuss emotional issues with a counselor. The stigma seems to be that you only go to a counselor if you have serious mental issues. Teachers, businessmen, and other workers work non-stop. Students study constantly as standardized testing is plentiful.

I hate pressure. I rebel against it. For some Japanese people it may be no big deal but I see many times that it is. People here are tired, stressed, and overwhelmed with expectations. Of course, like anything, there are exceptions to this. My heart hurts for the Japanese. They are beautiful people and I wish for them to know the peace of the Lord when the world around them allows them to feel anything but. I pray for those who know Jesus that during this time they would experience His love and grace in abundance. That they would know He loves them even if they fail an entrance exam or make a mistake at work. May His grace cover their hearts and quiet their souls and minds.

Celebration of New Life

2008-11-28T10:51:00.006+09:00

Our small group celebrated the joy of a new little life last night. Also, we were able to have some Turkey and pumpkin pie which was a delightful feast. I didn't think we would get to have any turkey at all on Thanksgiving Day. But, thanks to some amazing small group members the turkey was had!! We really enjoy our small group. There are several countries and cultures represented which makes for a lot of fun times. We have people from Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Gabon, the UK, the US, Japan, and Indonesia. We are very thankful for these people and we are thankful for the time we got to spend last night celebrating the birth of little Takudzwa Lesley Njowa. Takudzwa is shona for respected or honored.

Wina and Taku

Wina and Jason gettin some food.

The Bartons, Violet, and Nancy (the mama). And River's on the floor.

Myself with Taku. He is absolutely beautiful!

The group. Minus a few people.

The proud Papa...Diamond.

The Past Little Bit

2008-11-25T11:32:00.005+09:00

I really wish I was better at this whole blogging thing....sigh. It has been so long since I have told you what we are doing that I have too much to write. So, to try to give you an effecient yet complete version of what we have been up to I bring you my least favorite way of giving information....a bullet list.

"Fun" things we have done this past month or more:

Jason and I attended the Tokyo Passion Worship conference here in Tokyo. It was fabulous. The worship was amazing....Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, and David Crowder Band. Mr. Giglio spoke and it was great as well. A funny thing happened at the end of the conference. We were leaving and some of Jason's students spotted him in the lobby and were SO excited to see him that they began screaming! Seriously, you would've thought Jason was a movie star or something! Well, one Western fella did. After the girls gave Jason some room a man came up to Jason and shook his hand saying, "Thanks for the great concert tonight." HAHAHA. Because of the students having such an "over-the-top" reaction some man thought Jason was in one of the bands. It was TOO funny!
Jason and I have been able to take some school trips with the grades we work with. Jason went to the western most part of Japan to Nagasaki which is in Kyushu. There Jason saw some really great historical sites. The J3 (Freshman) went to the A-bomb museum. Jason said it was intense and it really got to him and shook him up. I hope to see this museum one day too. I remember feeling a lot of shock after the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN as well as a small exhibit at a Holocaust Museum. I can only imagine Jason felt much of the same or worse. It seemed that way as he described some of things documented as well as hearing a testimony from a woman who was 4 at the time of the bombing. Also, Jason got to see the memorial dedicated to the many Christians that were martyred in that part of Japan. He had a really great time on this trip. I too had fun but my trip was on a little bit of a smaller scale.
We have enjoyed this journey of pregnancy! We found out that we are having a baby boy! Let me tell you, he moves A LOT! We can't wait to meet him and hold him in our arms.
We voted by absentee.
Have added new dinner items to our menu. This was a big feat for us. Not having an oven can be a little limiting and sometimes it's hard to read the labels of some of the food. One new item we love...Tofu Chili! Seriously, so good. I never knew I would/could cook with Tofu.

Fun things about Japan:

I have wanted to share this for quite some time but have gone back and forth about it's appropriateness or embarassment factor but what the hey...I really want to tell you about the flushing sound button. The toilets in Japan are fantastic! Heated seats, automatic raising and lowering of toilet seats, and the flushing sound button! I don't know about you but I hate having to go to the "bathroom" when others can hear me. Ladies, you know what I mean. But, with the "flush" button that worry is a thing in the past....or at least waiting for me in America. When you sit down to go you just wave your hand in front of this sensor and then out of a small speaker comes a flushing sound. It's loud enough to cover up anything and also common enough that when present every woman uses it all the time! It's the best. It's a fantatstic invention.
The Japanese (for the most part) are a very cautious people. I have noticed this a lot since being pregnant. Many of my co-workers are so sweetly concerned with my activities during pregnancy. When I took the trip with the J1 class I was asked if it was safe for me to ride on the charter bus we were taking. The question took me by suprise but my co-workers weren't put at ease until I received an email from my doctor clearing me for the two-hour bus trip. This is just one example. They are very considerate.

Some "not-so-fun" things:

We have to find a new apartment because the one we live in is TOO small for us and a new little baby. We went with our Japanese friend from our small group and ran into some problems. People don't want to rent to foreigners. The real estate agent was very difficult to work with and not exactly nice. That was a frustrating experience. Thankfully our persistent friend strongly encouraged to try one more place and we had a MUCH better experience.
I have to make a decision about next year's work situation and I don't feel like I can do that until I find a good day-care and I can't search for the day care until I know where we will be living....sigh. So for these not-so-fun things please pray for us.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I.O.U.S.A.: The Movie

2008-11-07T14:57:00.002+09:00

Please watch this video. It's about 30 minutes long but very informative about the state and condition of our nation's spending.
I.O.U.S.A.: The Movie

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Japan and the Movies

2008-11-03T21:04:00.003+09:00

We went to the movies on Saturday this weekend. I love going to the movies and it is a special treat in Japan because it is just so darn expensive. On the first day of the month movie tickets are 1,000 yen. About the equivalent of $10 USD. They regularly run somewhere about $17-$20 USD. So since the first of the month hit on a Saturday we seized our opportunity for some discounted cinema entertainment. Like I said, I love going to the movies and Japan makes that experience even more delightful (despite the high prices). At the movies you can choose between butter popcorn OR carmel popcorn OR you can get both delightful options in a tub with a divider! How cool is that? I get really excited at the smell of caramel corn here in Japan. It's just delicious. Also, when you pre-purchase your tickets you get to pick your seats because there is reserved seating! Could it be any more convenient? No stress about wondering how early to get there to make sure you have a good seat! You can show up 5 minutes before the show starts and have the best seat in the house (provided you booked this seat on the internet or from your cell phone in advance)! Awww....the little things I like about this country.

Remembering Why I like it Here

2008-10-07T21:19:00.003+09:00

Lately I have been having some difficulty with the Japanese culture. The reason being, we have entered stage 2 of culture shock, "Frustration/Rejection Stage". In this stage many things about the culture you are living in becoming frustrating, annoying, and seem stupid in comparison to the way things are done in your home country. I have been dealing with this for about the past month or so now until today when the character of the Japanese people reminded me of how much I really do like this country in spite of the things I have difficulty adjusting to.

Here's what happened...I was riding on a train to go to my doctor appointment in downtown Tokyo. It was around 9:30 in the morning which is still when most of the trains going into Tokyo-proper are still very crowded and my train was no exception. On crowded trains in Japan you lose all sense of personal space...it no longer exists. People are pushing you in the back without any spoken words, grunts, or looks. It's quite odd really. Silent pushing and cramming....nothing like that would ever go on in the states. Well, as weather has cooled down here some of the trains haved turned off their AC system. Why? I don't know. Many bodies + Enclosed space = NEED FOR AC!! So, a crowded train with many, many bodies crammed into one another without any air blowing on you makes for one miserably hot ride. It seemed miserably hot to this pregnant lady, at least. As we were pulling into our destination station I started to get a little woozy. Then, my ears began to ring and everything around me seemed to go silent. So, I leaned forward and grabbed onto the nearest rail not caring who I was reaching over (I can reach over people here...they aren't so tall). I couldn't catch my breath. "Stay up, Abby. Stay up." This of course was my pride cheering me on...not wanting to look like a stupid gaijin (foreigner). But, in spite of trying to cheer myself on my knees gave way and I blacked out...at least I think I did. Maybe for a second or so. The next thing I remember someone on my right was touching my arm and trying to look into my face and on my left was a woman trying to give me her seat. I wanted to take it but as I was going the train doors opened and the crowd of people behind me pushed me forward. The ladies who were to my right and left grabbed me by the arms (Japanese women may be small but they are strong) and helped me off the train and onto the platform. I was wobbly and was trying to stand up but couldn't. They stayed near me until I was ok and even after I said I was I think they followed me for a little ways just to make sure. These ladies took care of me. It was a care and concern that I would expect from my friends and family, not strangers. I was a stranger and they helped me. For this and so many other reason I am thankful to get to interact with these people. Although I may not understand why they do things the way they do sometimes (i.e. in my work place), the people of Japan have been nothing but kind and hospitable. If I had to faint on a train in a foreign country, I am thankful I was in Japan when I did it.

Mundane #2

2008-09-19T16:29:00.002+09:00

I have been having the urge to update this blog within the past few days but have come to a type of "blogger's" block everytime I sit down to write. So...I thought maybe I would just update with the mundane. I have yet to update you on our trip to Hong Kong and India and that is only because I can't stomach thinking/talking about it long enough to give you the good details so maybe I can commision my amazing husband to type it up and add a few pics. But, until then, here is just a little bit of what is going on in our lives since starting back up the second semester of school.

We have recently become addicted to the tv show "Heroes". It is quite an intriguing story and at first we thought it was even a little odd. But we pushed through and we are now hooked. We are just starting season 2 and can't wait for season 3 to begin. We have also started back up our Japanese lessons. Jason and I are quite a pair. I wish we could combine our powers to make one good language person. Jason has good pronunciation while I suck at it and I have good listening and can pick out the words and phrases while he has trouble hearing seperate words. Our teachers jokes that hopefully our baby will be able to put these two together and can speak Japanese. I think she thinks we are a lost cause and hopes our child will be the redeeming factor. :)

I am quite tired all day long....courtesy of pregnancy and my "morning" sickness occurs at night. I really think we need to find a new name for "morning" sickness. :) One thing that doesn't help my nausea is the man that sits next to me. He burps a lot at random times during the day. It didn't bother me until now again, thanks to the pregnancy. We have many decisions to make in the near future. We need to find another apartment because ours is too small and we need to figure out the timeline of my pregnancy leave. We are just unsure about all of it. There are many details that need to be taken care of in between all of this. I hope we will be able to move into our new apartment at least a month or two before the baby arrives!

Pictures will be posted soon of India....I hope. Anyone have a good recommendation for a website where we can post all of our pics and just provide people with a link to see them. We have SOOOO many pictures.

Baby Kuiper!!!

2008-09-09T21:45:00.003+09:00

Exciting news..... we are pregnant! I am about 10 and a half weeks which puts our baby arriving on April 7th (approximately of course ;) )!! We are super excited and can't wait. We were a little anxious at first because I was about 6 weeks when I got very sick in India. I had a fever of 102F and after doing some reading I discovered this could be something that could harm the baby. Needless to say, I was super worried and anxious up until today when I had my first doctors appointment. The doctor put my mind at ease with all his knowledge and then I was even more relaxed once we did the ultrasound and found out that everything was normal. So, please pray for the baby whenever you happen to think about it. Throughout all of this anxiety and worry the Lord has been so faithful. Not only because things turned out well but just His presence. The Lord would quickly call us to pray or speak softly to our hearts that He was near and good and in control. Many times I was faced with my lack of trusting in the GOODNESS of God but I am grateful beyond words of His tenderness towards my doubts. He did not scold me or tell me to have bigger faith.....He just walked with us. He was there. He never left. Also, in my fear I was reminded of how narrow my view of what "good" really is. "Good" isn't necessarily "normal". Good is the Kingdom and the things of His Kingdom and that shine His character, nature, and glory. Good is much bigger and SO different from the world. How wonderful that is!!! Thank you for celebrating with us!

Hanabi (Fireworks)

2008-08-30T14:44:00.000+09:00

I tried to post this before we left for India but the video wouldn't load properly. So, i tried again today and was successful! I wanted to share this sooner but I guess better late than never, right?

Japan is a country that celebrates the seasons. In Fall, the Japanese celebrate the changing of the color of the leaves. With spring comes the Hanami, the viewing of the Cherry Blossoms. When the summer rides in on the wave of heat the Japanese celebrate with many festivals! One festival is the viewing of fireworks. And man, do the Japanese KNOW how to put on a fireworks show. It easily rivals what is seen in NYC or even Disney World. We were invited to celebrate with our friend, Tomoyu who we know from the gym we go to. The experience was fabulous!! I tried to capture as much of the splendor as my little Canon would allow but pictures just don't do the experience justice. The fireworks show lasted for about an hour and 15 minutes with a few breaks in between. ENJOY!

A couple of little Ladies enjoying the show. Notice the peace sign comes out at an early age! They were SOOOOO KAWAII (rhymes with hawaii and means CUTE!)

The crew enjoying the show! Tomoyu is the one next to me.

The ladies

Before it all begins

We are excited!

It was a SEA of people. This shot is MAYBE 1/4 of the crowd!

Here is a video of the fireworks action....FYI this is NOT the Grand Finale!!! In Jason's words (at the end of the video)....SUGOI!! (means AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, WOW!)

We Are Safely Back!!

2008-08-23T21:37:00.002+09:00

Well, we have arrived back in Tokyo!! It feels sooo good to be back. The trip to India was long and hard. I, Abby, got VERY sick. But the Lord was very good to provide all that I needed at the perfect times. I will write more about our adventure later and post some pics but for now I just wanted to put the word out that we are back! While we were gone there were some storms in Japan that we think may have fried our internet modem and we have to wait until Monday to get that fixed and tonight is Saturday. :( As soon as the internet in our apartment gets back up and running I will fill you in on all the details.

Birthday Package from Friends!!

2008-07-27T22:34:00.012+09:00

I got a package for my birthday from my amazing friends, Evonne and Jennifer! I was super excited and it was such a thoughtful gift. With each little thing they put a fun little rhyme on it. How great are they!?

Divin in! Loved the package stuffing!

Reading the card. Amazing and encouraging words...yes, there were tears. i am sooo blessed to have friends like them! They are two amazing women in my life who always speak truth to me and listen to me! Thank you dear friends for your consistency while I have been here....and the fun skype calls!!! Love you!

The First gift...Lotion! can't find any here!! and when Jen and Eves came to Japan they brought me some! Because of them my skin will stay hydrated! Thanks, ladies!

Jason also liked this gift....well, mostly the rhyme.

Second gift....Stickers...the rhyme...
Get Excited!
Hike up your knickers, cause here's some STICKERS!

Third gift...a BIKE BELL!!! our bikes our are main mode of transportation, second...our feet, third, the trains. the bell has flashy lights too when you ring it! i have the coolest bike bell in all of Japan!
How about a BIKE BELL to keep you humming....
on your new bike so they'll know you're coming!

Fourth gift....FIBER ONE bars. I love these things! And when Jen came to Japan this was another one of my requests....thanks, JEN!

Fifth gift....School of Rock! Oh yeah! I love Jack Blacke.
Be the coolest teacher on your block....
Start your own Japanese School of Rock!!!

sixth gift....COOKIES! Oh how I miss cookies. They were white chocolate macadamia nut! Whenever I would go to Subway with Eves....I would always be tempted by these things and many times...I caved. Thanks, Eves!!

Here are some COOKIES to make your tummy mooshy
So you can tak a break from all the Sushi!

Seventh gift....Mini Mario Game! This thing is fun on the long train rides and the short ones! :)

To play on the trains some Super Mario Brothers
Don't go to sleep like all the others!

Also, thanks to my husband the photographer! P.S. My husband is AMAZING!

Rumblings beneath the Surface

2008-07-27T01:24:00.002+09:00

It's 1:30a.m. and I am still wide awake. Not really sure why....I think it might have something to do with the restlessness of my heart that is making my mind and body that way. Not really sure what it is all about exactly. I just know what it is doing to me. It is making me discontent, insecure, frustrated, angry, annoyed....

I want to slap it around and tell it how I feel so that it will leave me alone. I want to not care. I want it to not matter. I want it to stop making these rumblings beneath the surface. When did I give it permission to keep me up at night? Maybe when it found a friend or two to help it slap me around....to laugh at my face, to make fun of me, to say things behind my back but really I heard it all. And then it turns around, as if i didn't see anything, and wants to be my friend and parade around as if it cares....but really it will move on to another heart and just leave me trying to figure out what happened.

Where we work

2008-07-16T17:29:00.001+09:00

So, I realized that I have never posted pics or talked about where we work here in Japan. My apologies. The tree in the pictures is the Japanese cherry blossom. I can't wait until next April when they pop out again.
Tamagawa Seigakuin - Main BuildingTamagawa Seigakuin- Annex building

There are about 1080 students that go to this school. I see new faces everyday and love getting to smile and wave at each one of them. Sometimes they just stare at me...probably because they aren't too sure what to say or they are just insecure about their English speaking abilities. We teach everyday. Some days the teaching load is lighter than others. Jason teaches J3 and S2 (the equivalent of Freshman and Juniors in High School) and I teach J1 and J2 (the equivalent of 7th and 8th graders). I never thought I would want to teach jr. high students but the Japanese students are really well behaved....for the most part. Some of course like to challenge and push a bit but it is nothing too bad like what I have experienced from some students in the States.

The Summer is beginning now and I am glad to have the time off. However, it doesn't seem that the students get too much time off. I just sat down at my desk and discovered a paper that lays out the student's homework for the summer!! It seems that the Japanese never take a break. So one term down and five more to go! We are enjoying it!

Interesting

2008-07-09T23:20:00.003+09:00

So, the law is changing now for smokers in Japan. Now, all smokers have to register for a certain kind of identity card specifically for the purchase of tobacco. Starting on the 1st of July no one in Japan can purchase cigarettes without this card but even further action has been taken to prevent underage smoking. I received this email from the Japanese newsletter I subscribe to and I found today's article interesting and wanted to share.

from Namiko Abe
I read an article about a tobacco vending machine that can detect if the purchaser is a minor. In some countries, the purchase of tobacco can be very strict. In Japan, it can be easily purchased from vending machines, which are located everywhere. This newly developed machine has a built-in camera that measures facial wrinkles, pupil size and other features. The population of smokers is quite high in Japan. It is 29.2 % (as of 2007) and the fifth highest in the world following Greece, Turkey, Netherlands and Hungary. I think people are concerned about health nowadays, but when I was little, the men of my dad's age were almost all smokers. I wonder how effective this new machine will be in preventing youth from smoking?

Where is the Relief to the Pressure?

2008-07-02T10:42:00.003+09:00

It all started when one of my friends (who is fluent in Japanese) was talking to another teacher in the break room. He said one sentence in Japanese that confused me because of all that was eliminated from it. He said, "eki kara demo" which means "station from also" however we would reorder that to say....But, what about from the station? But, you see, this is the thing about the Japanese language...much is omitted from the sentences. Many times it is the subject. Can you imagine speaking English and almost always leaving out the subject in your sentences? I know I can't. As Americans, words are very important to us. We need them to understand. Well chosen words create good writers, good speakers, good teachers, etc. This has been one of the difficult things for me in comprehending the Japanese language. Much is omitted from sentences. So, then, how do you know what someone is talking about? The answer: you pay VERY close attention and you try to guess. Yes, guess. Foriegners have to do more quessing, I think, because the culture isn't our own. But, if you are Japanese, you should know what the other person is thinking, feeling, wanting. You should assume. It is expected that you should get it right. Talk about pressure!

The Japanese, being raised in this expectation have an uncanny ability to figure this out. However, if they are wrong, they immediately feel shamed and embarassed. There is no room for failure in this culture. Many students don't speak up in class for fear they will be wrong. When my students finish the simpilest of exercises and I try to check it, they quickly cover it and say, "not yet". Then proceed to check and recheck and this worksheet isn't even for a grade. Put this mentatlity into a work environment. If your boss requests something of you, you don't ask too many questions. You figure out what he wants and you check and recheck to make sure it's right. The result....long working hours and a lot of stress. Because the expectation is that you should know.

I learned this while my friend explained it to me after I asked questions about his sentence. The language reflects the culture or rather the culture reflects the language. Which one, I am not sure, maybe it is both. Not linear but ciclical. As I pondered all this new information and tried to wrap my American/Western mind around it I wondered about all of this in realtionship to knowing Jesus Christ. So, I asked. How can the Japanese understand grace when it doesn't exist in their own culture? How do they see this picture of Jesus? How do they even explain it? I got an answer from one of the Bible Teachers at this school who happened to be standing at the sink. Her answer was something like this: Some Japanese come to see this grace because it has been shown to them through other believers from other countries (i.e. America, Canada, Australia, England, on and on). The Japanese see grace in other people and then can therefore come to understand for themselves in relationship with a loving God who doesn't "shame" you if you fail.

I began thinking about Matthew 9: 36-38. "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Please pray with me that the Lord would send His workers. That out of Japan, out of other countries, He would bring His laborers to love on these people. These people who know pressure but not a burden that is light. They know shame but not grace to redeem. My heart breaks for this culture. They need Jesus. He has so much love to give them, pray their hearts would be open to receive it.

Lost in Translation

2008-06-26T16:28:00.002+09:00

A funny thing happened today in class. I was teaching my students adjectives that describe people. For example, artistic, athletic, musical, funny, friendly, and smart. Well, with each word I asked my students to give an example of the teachers at the school whom they thought matched the adjectives. I would give them suggestions and they would either agree or disagree. However, something really funny happened when we got to the word smart. I gave an example of a male scienct teacher and the girls began to laugh a lot!! They noticed the confused look on my face and said...in broken English....That teacher is not slim! Realizing what was happening I began to laugh. I learned something new today...smart in Japan means slim. How those connect or are related I have no idea but it is just too funny. Oh, the joys of living in another country. :)

Good Times

2008-06-25T13:52:00.003+09:00

I just got back from a wonderful weekend with a couple of my friends. Alina and I went down to visit our friend, Millie in Kobe. It was such a wonderful and nice break from the crowds and stiffness of the city. In the Kansai area (southern part), men gave up their seats for us and help me with my luggage!! I have NEVER had that in Tokyo. So, I was thankful to get a little "Southern Hospitality".

One night we went to a Bath House where we lounged around in several different "types" of saunas. (No, we weren't naked in this kind of "Stone Spa"). We went with two of Millie's friends from here in Japan. These two women were TOO much fun!! Since they knew what they were doing they were our "tour guides" in the spa. Our first room was a HOT salt room. We laid on rocks of salt and let the heat consume us. The temp was 55 C!! Yes, that's 131 F! After each hot room you go into a cold room. It reminded me of a really fancy walk in cooler in a restaurant. :) Then it was off to the charcoal room. Japanese believe in the healing properties of charcoal. The marbled stoned floor was heated we had to run out because it was so hot. But it was wonderful while we were laying in there. (p.s. we are given a hug towel to lay underneath us while we relax) That room was around 44 degree Celsius. After another quick stay in the Ice room we made our way to a wonderful room. It smelled of cedar and cloves. Its was so sweet and a delight on the senses. It wasn't too strong at all! This spa was absolutely wonderful! We had such a good time! Also, on this trip I participated in my first Yoga class! Wow! Talk about amazing. Why i haven't done it before, I don't know but I was sure missing out. Great exercise with minimum impact. PERFECT! And you feel great afterwards.

The trip was such a delight. It was relaxing and peaceful. I really hope I get to go to Kobe again soon. It would even be great if one day we could live there!

Answers to Emi's Questions

2008-06-18T11:21:00.013+09:00

One of my favorite people posted these questions on my comments and I wanted to take the time now to answer them! Thanks Emi for asking!

1) What is the life of a child (ages 6-12)in Japan like, from what you have observed?

The life a child in Japan seems to be very similar to that of a child in the states. Go to school, come home and eat, homework, and then off to bed.

2) What sports are in Japan?

Japan has many of the same sports that are in the states. But some are more popular than others. Baseball is a very popular sport and tennis is increasing in popularity. Basketball and Football are not so popular.

Tamasei (the school where we work) has a LARGE variety of sports that are imported. Basketball, Volleyball, Softball, Tennis, Rythmic Gymnastics, Dance, Cheerleading, Badminton. I think there are others but I am drawing a blank. Tamasei also has a traditional sports club known as Kendo (Japanese sword fighting with swords made from bamboo). Here are some pictures of a Kendo match we saw while we were in Nagano-ken at the Matsumoto Castle festival. P.S. These are not Tamasei students.

Getting ready for the match.

The fight is on!

3) What are the hot things to do in Japan?

Hmm....this is a good one. I think anything to do with friends. This includes going out to eat and hanging out and talking for a long time. (you can do that at restaurants here, where as in the states you eat and leave quickly) Free time is rare for adults in Japan. The Japanese work long hours sometimes seven days a week. College students mostly like to go out with their friends. One thing that is popular among young girls is Pulikula. This is a really fancy picture booth where you get to take fun and crazy pictures and then decorate them on a computer in all sorts of crazy ways afterward. The states should really get one of these things. Check out the example below. It's a lot of fun!

1) The Booth 2)Collection 3)The Decorating Monitor 4)Finished Product

4) What do they like to do during free time? (If they get any.)

For housewifes they like to go and chat for a long time with their friends or go shopping. For the men it is usually sleeping, golf, or using their free time to do more work.
A recent thing is for couples to go play tennis together with other couples.

Thanks for asking! Please feel free to ask more if you got 'em!!

Mundane

2008-06-13T15:22:00.002+09:00

So, I think I always approach this blog writing thing thinking I need to give you some great story and while I may not do so good at that part I still put pressure on myself to make it worth your while....which i still want to do but today...i don't think I have anything worth while...just wanted to share a little of the mundane here in Japan. So, here goes....

Today my eye hurts. Not really sure why but I think it might have something to do with staring at the computer all day. Today at school is a light day of teaching so what I usually end up doing on Fridays after lesson planning for the next week, is sit and try to catch up on emails and facebook and other misc. tasks. So, that is why today I did a lot of staring at the computer. Yesterday was my birthday and a few of the people made it really special for me. Especially my husband. He is awesome! He bought me tickets to go see STOMP in July and I am super excited about it. This has always been something I have wanted to see!!

We are preparing for our trip to Hong Kong and India and it's hard to believe we will be leaving in about 7 weeks already. I can't wait and I am excited to share all of the pictures and adventures with yall. Also, classes are almost finished here. The last day of classes is July 9th! Hard to believe this semster is almost over! It feels like it just got started.

Today I need to go to the grocery store. I go about once a week and that is taking some getting used to. People in Japan don't buy in bulk. You only buy what you need for the week. Also, we just got our bikes!! Which I am so glad about! We bought one new and got another one for free used from a friend. This will make trips to the grocery store much easier! Thankfully!

Got any questions? Please feel free to ask! I would love to answer them! :)

Summer is starting!

2008-06-11T17:21:00.003+09:00

We are feeling the heat come on as the humidity in Japan begins to increase. I haven't worn my hair down all day since May because it turns into a ball of frizz after I leave the apartment. However, even though the weather may be uncomfortable we are still loving our jobs and we are currently in the process of deciding whether or not we want to stay until April 2o10. It's a tough call and we have been praying a lot and once we know I will update this thing. But, until then just wanted to share a few things about our time here that have been really funny or have just been fun because it is so different.

First....Story:
Jason and I go to Japanese lessons every Tuesday night and when we arrive there is a room where we have to take off our outdoor shoes, put them in the designated shoe lockers where we exchange them for slippers appropriate for indoors. You may not know this but this is the Japanese way. In many cases you remove your shoes before entering a building and put on indoor shoes or slippers. Well, when arrived at lessons the other night I took off my shoes and put them in the locker and got out my slippers. That night I wore flip-flops. I tell you this because flip-flops are NOT at all common in Japan because they look too much like indoor shoes. So after lessons were over I went to go put on my shoes. I opened the locker I thought I had put my shoes in only to discover a pair of black men's shoes. I thought to myself, "That's odd. Well, maybe I have the wrong locker." So, I checked all the other lockers and couldn't find my shoes. Then a thought popped into my head, "Ohh man, what if someone is wearing my shoes!?" So, I put the indoor slippers back on and headed into the lesson room. I told my teacher what I thought had happened and she got the biggest kick out of the possibility that someone had on my shoes. So, in the scuffle of it all other teacher's got involved and a search party bigger than was necessary began. It was quite humorous to watch us go around the room peeking under tables at peoples feet and getting questioning looks. But, then, I spotted my shoes across the room! And they were on some man's feet!! Now, what? I have never had to approach a stranger before to ask for my shoes back! I mean, what does a person say in that situation especially when the person isn't a native English speaker? All I could do was point, smile, and say, "Um, excuse me, you have on my shoes." In the background huddled around me are the Japanese teachers laughing at the awkwardness of the situation and trying to help me understand the mans rapid explanation. He was late and he didn't pay attention. So, we awkwardly exchanged shoes amidst the laughter and conversation (which I couldn't understand because it was all in Japanese) and I walked away with embarrassment and delight because this is really only the kind of thing that can happen in Japan.

Second.....video:
Coldstone in Japan. Even here they will sing one if you fling one!

Smells that take you Home

2008-05-28T13:20:00.002+09:00

Smells are an interesting thing. They are a catalyst to memories either sweet or bitter. I never really remember which smells will immediately take my mind back to a place or time until they wash over me or go floating by on the air. Smells immediately trigger emotions. Sometimes this is a refreshing escape and other times, scratches the surface of pain or sadness. Or, makes you recognize that what was once present in your life is momentarily or indefinitly absent.

I am in a place far away from the smells that are familiar to me. I have never noticed how removed I am from such familiarities until today as I was walking to the bathroom. In Japan, it is rare that you find hand towels in the public bathrooms. So unless you want to wipe your hands on your pants or wait until it dries, you have to carry your own hand towel around. So, in an effort to fit in a little better, I try to remember my hand towel. However, I often forget. Except for today....I remembered. As I grabbed my towel and dabbed it across my slightly sticky, sweaty face (Japanese don't get as hot as westerners so the AC isn't set quite as low and it is always humid here.) I was suprised by a familiar smell....downy fabric softner (this brand of fabric softener isn't as familiar here as it is in the states. So, finding some is a small accomplishment). Instantly, the fragrance made me feel comfortable, it made me feel familiar. In Japan, I am constantly aware that I am different. This isn't too terrible of a thing, it's just that it is always there. So, I was immediately thankful to have a smell that was an old companion. This land is full of unfamiliar smells....foods...air...insides of shops...everything it seems.

Although I was momentarily able to escape, I became aware of the familiarity that was missing here. Friends, family, language, stores, knowing where to go, how to cook, and the list goes on. This is just a part of the process. This is just a part of where the Lord has us. But, I am thankful for the days/moments when smells remind me of things that used to be part of my daily life. So, I was thankful that today, on my way to the bathroom, familiarity suprised me and took me home.

The Beauty of Sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom)

2008-04-02T21:11:00.005+09:00

Cherry Blossoms in Ueno park along with the thousand of people.
Sakura (Cherry Blossom) with a Pagoda in the Background.
A close up of the blossom.
When I enter Heaven, I hope to see the beautiful Sakura there.
The Japanese love the Cherry Blossoms. The Sakura bloom in the Spring and sadly, their glory only lasts about a week. (I wish they could last a month or more.) There is even a group that "chase" the bloom of the cherry blossom. They start in the south and then work their way to the north. The Japanese come out by the millions to see these trees in various parks around the country. They put tarps down and have picnics under the tent of blossoms. You can't see it in the pictures but people are squeezed in close underneath the trees. Here they laugh, drink, and relax. Which is rare for the Japanese. I may be silly, but I see this Sakura season as the Lord giving grace and mercy to these people. I see the blossoming of the trees as the Lord's deep love for these people who don't know Him. He calls them out to sit beneath His creation and to give them a time of rest. He showers them with beauty and beckons them. He is the True Giver who mercifully gives even if those who receive the gift don't acknowledge Him.

To the Japanese, the Sakura are a strong symbol of the breath of a life against time. Meaning, once we bloom we are only here for a short while to make it beautiful. I love this analogy. It is another way that the Lord teaches His lessons through His creation. He uses the grape vine, the fig tree, the mountains, the valleys, the deserts, and on and on to teach us about His character and His nature. I pray that the Japanese's hearts would be captured by the beauty of God in His world and that they would see that it is the Lord who has made all these things. They do appreciate nature and creation but they turn and give thanks to false gods. I pray the Lord would rip through this deception and instead they would worship Jesus for the beauty of His world. Please pray with me for this. Amen!

Back in the swing of things....sort of.

2008-03-29T21:15:00.003+09:00

We are back in Japan! I am thankful to be here and I am excited/nervous/scared about becoming a teacher all over again. For some people, it seems, teaching comes really easy. I have many friends who are teachers and they seem to do it with so much confidence and ease. I'm really afraid I am just going to suck. They, whoever "they" is, say that you need confidence. Where can I find that? and how much does it cost? because I am all out.

I know that it will all be ok. I know that in my head but it doesn't keep the rest of me from freaking out just a little bit. I know that the Lord will sustain me and give me wisdom but I am just going to have to walk through all of the awkward newness to understand that in my heart; For the Truth to spill and saturated me until I am in peace along with Him. Underneath it all, I am excited.

Things have gone a lot smoother this time around and we arrived just in time to see the Cherry Blossoms (Sakura) pop out. They are so beautiful. Think "Last Samurai" and you will have a glimpse of that tree. Jason and I are looking forward to going into Tokyo tomorrow to take some pictures of the trees. The weather here is really nice right now. It's a perfect temperature and it's not very humid. Which is nice because come summer I drip like a water faucet. The Japanese carry around hand towels to wipe the sweat off their faces and backs of their necks. However, the women don't wipe....they pat.

I appreciate Japan. I am very glad we are here.

The Makings of A Good Almond Bar

2008-03-18T15:28:00.004+09:00

There is something I would like to share with yall. It is a recipe that I got from my sister-in-law, Michelle for Almond Bars. It is simple in all aspects. My husband and I LOVE them and, if you give it a try, I hope you will too.

Almond Bars

1 1/2 C. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Flour
1 1/2 sticks of Butter (softened)
2 eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
4 tsp. Almond extract

Spread into greased 9X9 pan. Sprinkle generously with sugar before baking. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until light brown.

ENJOY!

A Few Picks of Our Travels

2008-02-23T07:18:00.022+09:00

We have been to a lot of places since we have been back to the states. Just the other day we counted how many states we had been to in the past two months. We have been to: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. This brings our grand total to ten states in just 60 days. Now, I know some people can easily surpass us with how much they may travel for business or many other reasons but we are quite shocked by it. We are tired but grateful for our time. So, to commemorate some of our travels I have included some of our pictures from the trip.

A sunset in Iowa in December.

Before we made it to Jason's family Christmas in Nebraska, we headed into Branson to visit many of our friends. The first pic is of me with the amazing, Angela Dube and the second is with the fantastic, Kati Burkdoll.

We had a great time with Jason's family at Christmas. Here is Teresa, Jason's sister, playing with our niece, Samantha. Samantha belongs to Colleen and Erik. Colleen is Jason's second oldest sister.

Some more of the Kuiper family making some Christmas memories.

After Christmas at the Kuiper family we went skiing with my family in Red River, New Mexico. It was soo much fun to be with the Marcum family. Jason and I learned how to snowboard and there was a lot falling as well as aches and pains. The picture below on the left is of Kelly, my sister and her boyfriend, Logan. Logan was a great teacher. On the right is a picture of Jason and me acting like snowboard pros....yeah right.

We were able to be in Boyd for my youngest sister, Sarah's, 16th birthday party. I got a picture of the cake and not much else. Sorry, sis. :( I think i just really liked the candles. hehe.

Jason and I got to visit Memorial Stadium. Home to my husband's favorite team, the Nebraska Huskers. Here we are posing in the Heisman Trophy room with our best Heisman stance we could muster up. The bottom left picture is of us standing inside of Memorial Stadium and the bottom left is the outside of the arena. I felt a little like a cheater..you know, going and looking at all that Husker paraphanalia. I'm a Red Raider at heart but I did it to support my husband. However, I did sing the Matador's song inside my head from time to time. I guess it was my weird little way of proving my loyalty. Silly.

After our trip in Nebraska we journeyed further north to Wisconsin. Here we are with Nate, Jason's cousin, and Nate's wife, Summer in a local coffee shop. They taught us how to play cribbage which is now our favorite game. Also, on this particular day it was -40 degrees outside. I don't think I have been in that cold of weather in my life. Phew. After Eau Claire, Wisconsin we went to Milwaukee to visit Jason's sister, Colleen and her family. We had so much fun playing with our niece, Clara in the snow.

We have had such a great time and it isn't over yet. We are in Texas now and I plan on taking more pictures of our time here. I will post those next.

The Count Down Begins

2008-02-21T09:46:00.001+09:00

Today is February 20, 2008 and we leave for Japan on March 19^th. It’s hard to believe it is now less than a month before we take off for Tokyo for the second time. This time when we go back to Japan we will be living about 50 minutes closer to Tokyo which puts Tokyo only about a 15 minute train ride away.

We will be teaching conversational English at an all girls Christian school. The school has about 1,000 Junior and Senior High students. We have already visited the school and we are looking forward to getting to know the students.

We are also excited to see our friends in Japan again. We have just recently committed to going on an adventure to India in August with several of our friends. I am looking forward to the adventure and getting to experience another culture. We also have hopes to explore some of China, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, or Thailand. It would be great to visit all of these countries but even just two would be wonderful.

I feel more comfortable about going to Japan this time around. The first time I was really nervous but this time I am super excited. I believe it has something to do with knowing what we are getting ourselves into this go-around.

2008 Hopes

2008-01-08T11:56:00.001+09:00

Many of my friends have a "to do" List for their lives. On this list my friends put things that they hope to do one day no matter how big or small. These lists include such things as running half-marathons, going rock climbing and milking cows. So, I began to think about starting a list that is similar. Instead of a life to do list I would like to create a "to do" list to be accomplished in one year. Here it goes....

Learn how to speak Japanese enough to have a small conversation
Run a half-marathon
Memorize 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John

Ok....so maybe this list isn't that long. If you have any suggestions or have done fun things that you think I should try please give me a comment and let me know. I am taking suggestions.
Love to you all!

Too Many Thoughts to Give This a Title

2007-12-22T15:21:00.001+09:00

My heart is full of love. We are home from Japan for three months and we are taking this time to freely travel and visit many friends and family who are spread out over the mid-west. This has been a time of rest and deep appreciation. I am so grateful for this time the Lord has given us with our community. It has been a type of sabbatical for my heart.

We have only been back for a few weeks and already I feel so refreshed and renewed. I am quite suprised that we have had this opportunity, actually. I wouldn't have considered us "burnt out" or "worn out" so the notion of a "sabbatical" almost seems undeserved. In my mind only life-long "missionaries" or pastors get this much time off. But....maybe that is what we are. Maybe we are all just that...missionaries or pastors. Not that you or I may necessarily be under these titles in the worlds eyes but I think we are in His eyes. He asks that all of us see our path with the purpose of making Him known. A pastor is no more "closer" to God than a plumber if they are both being obedient to the Lord's calling on their life.

It's funny to me how we lift pastors and missionaries above all other "ministries"(jobs). Yes, these people are incredible and amazing but they are just the same as accountants or teachers who love the Lord....they are people seeking Him. I write this because we are asked a lot if what we are doing is "mission work". I always reply yes, even though it may not be "officially" (by the world's standards) titled that. Jason and I are following the Lord's calling. We are seeking to make Him known in every aspect of this journey on which He has walked with us. I am sad for those who think they are some how less holy or righteous because they aren't in "ministry". Where ever the Lord has you....that is your ministry. Being in ministry is a wonderful thing...and I challenge you to think about the definition of ministry.

The world is large and lost. There is pain EVERYWHERE. There is sadness and tears in many a crevice of the world's heart. The world needs the Body of Christ to love it. It is not the job of just missionaries or pastors. It is the calling of all of those who love Him. There is an aching world and I look upon it and many times, feel defeat. I want to love others as deeply as Christ has loved me but I get stuck in my own agenda, judgement, and sin; and it cripples me. I doubt. I judge in my heart. I analyze with my own wisdom which, according to 1 Corinthians, isn't much and I would have to agree. So....that is when He shows me that I have tried to love on my own. That is when He shows me I have stepped out from under the shadow of His wings. That is when He shows me that I can only love through His power, through the Holy Spirit...through Him. I am learning. I must remember not to get frustrated with the process. I desire to have the patience of Moses, who waited 80 years before stepping into his purpose. I desire to wait on the Lord and be trained by Him until He says I am ready. Ready for what? I'm not sure but I will wait when He tells me to wait and I will go when He tells me to go.

So....where do I start....where do you start....where do we start. We pray. It's the only thing we can do when we are unsure of where to go. The only thing when we doubt and have nothing left to give. However, just as much as we talk....we must listen. And He is speaking. You hear Him. Remember who HE, HIM, I AM has made you. He wants to talk with you about that. We want instant results from the Lord....well, at least I do. But I have to remember what He says about His timing....."The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness." 2 Pet. 3:9 So, I will pray that you would please pray with me for the movement of His Holy Spirit across His lands. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayers and direct your heart and please pray for me that I may also pray with you and that the Holy Spririt would guide my prayers and heart.

My heart is full.

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each another and forgive whatever grievances you may have with one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity. " -Colossians 3:12-14 (the verses after that are really great too :) )

the Lord's timing is perfect

2007-11-27T09:25:00.000+09:00

So, first let me say….What!? Jason and I were prepared to head back to the states thinking our opportunities in Japan were finished and over but on the day that we went to book our plane tickets we got a phone call from our friends, the Barton’s (they have been missionaries to Japan for about 29 years), asking us if we had already booked our ticket. “Well, no not yet but we were about to.” We answered. “Well don’t! Wait, because we may have a job opportunity for you.” replied Cheryl. You see, Bernie is a principal at an all girls Christian Japanese Jr. and Sr. High School and there was a sudden, unexpected opening at his school for two teachers to teach conversational English. We couldn’t believe it. We met with the Barton’s for dinner to discuss the details of the position and we couldn’t believe what we were hearing….everything sounded great. So, we went home and began to pray about what the Lord wanted us to do. After much prayer and thought we have decided to take the positions. We are so excited and we can’t believe how the Lord worked it all out! He is so good! We will go home for three months and we will return in mid-March because Japan’s spring semester begins in April. So, we get to go home for the holidays, spend some more quality time with friends and family and then move back to Japan. We will be moving into a much healthier situation and we are excited to see what the Lord is going to do in the next year in Japan! Please continue to pray for us as we will need to change our VISAs over to the school and cancel our current ones. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem but please pray that all goes smoothly. Also, please pray for us as we prepare to go back. We will be studying the language more intensely when we come back to the states so as to communicate more clearly with these girls about Jesus and who He is and His Kingdom.

God’s timing is so perfect and although periods of waiting were so hard I am so glad that we did wait on Him. He is faithful to always provide in whatever circumstance.

relaxing in Kobe (south-central japan)

2007-11-14T12:13:00.000+09:00

We have come to Kobe for the weekend with our friends, the Barton's. The Barton's have been missionaries to Japan for 29 years. This is a very impressive factor to me. I don't know if I could live in another country for that long. Their story is amazing to me. They were pastors of a church in Kobe for a long time (somewhere around 23 years or so) and then they were called to move away to Tokyo where Mr. Barton became a principal of a Christian school. When they left Kobe they had some replacement pastors but they came and left very quickly and since that time there has been one other pastor but hasn't stayed long. So, this church that they have pastored for so long is without a pastor now and the Bartons visit about once a month to this church to encourage the believers.

On this particular visit they invited us to come along to see Kobe and to experience another part of Japan. We were so thankful for this opportunity but we were unsure of what exactly to do because on the day the Bartons were leaving there was an information session in regards to the new company. The pull to want to have information and some sort of understanding was pulling at our decision to stay in Tokyo and forego the trip this time in hope that we might still be in Japan the next time they came for a visit. However, after much thinking and praying we decided to go on the trip. Although it would seem to make sense to go get some information we had been waiting for, we just didn't have a peace about staying. Thankfully, after a converstation with a co-worker who attended the meeting and after reading some news articles, we discovered we had made the best decision. Any of the information we needed we could get from the internet and from the Nova office at a later date. So, we got the information we needed and some relaxing time in Kobe.

We have felt more at peace here than we have in Japan in a long time. ummm, maybe not more at peace just more at home, more still. We attended our first church service here in Japan and although it was all in Japanese it was such a blessing. We visited Kyoto, which we have been wanting to do and this was a great time and opportunity.

I write all this to say that in this time of waiting and chaos the Lord has been so good to give us some peace and beautiful moments to see and experience him. He is so faithful and so loving and so good. In all of this he has walked with us through these days of directional blindness. He is guiding us. to Him be all praise and glory! Amen!

NOVA update

2007-11-08T23:26:00.000+09:00

so here's the 411 on what is going on so far with our jobs....NOVA closed on Oct. 26th, filed for court protection from creditors, and fired President Nozumo Sahashi all in the same day. We have not been to work since that time. the court appointed two lawyers to find sponsors to take over the company and if they did not find a sponsor by Nov. 5th the lawyers would begin bankruptcy procedures for Nova. Well, a sponsor has been found and will take over nova. However, the new company will only open 30 of the near 700 schools initially with a goal to open nearly 200 schools in the future. the company said they would employee any nova teachers who wished to work for them but have yet to explain how they plan to employ over 4,000 instructors in only 30 schools during the first phase of restructuring. Also, we might have to reapply for our jobs but that might just be a rumor. Updates and information come very slowly. So, we are waiting to hear more. In regards to our unpaid wages for the months of September and October, we are in the dark about this as well. However, in the midst of all of these unknowns God has been so faithful to provide for us. We have a place to sleep and enough food for a day whereas many nova teachers have been evicted from their apartment and are living on just one meal a day. the Lord has given us all we need for today and He will give us all that we need for tomorrow. We praise Him for all He has done for us. Words can't express how thankful we are that He continues to provide peace in our hearts and minds and for our physical needs. He is so Good! Please continue to pray for us if you think about us. We love you and miss you all!

the Goodness of God

2007-11-06T21:31:00.000+09:00

When we experience Jesus, when we experience his holy spirit, no words can quite explain the inward, personal journey that we have been traveling nor can we accurately describe all the small details and wonders that one encounters. Were we ever really meant to explain it with in such a way so that those listening or reading will fully understand? I think maybe not because if we could do that…if we could experience things through someone’s words what would be the point of the Holy Spirit? Only He can speak to those places in our heart where we need His light and truth…nothing/no one else can do that.

I have been on a difficult but beautifully sweet journey with the Lord over the past months while here in Japan. Words can not do it justice and it will sound like something you may have already heard once in a sermon somewhere or from some book you may have read or from another friends personal story but to me it (the lessons I am learning) are far more real than I have ever known them to be. Where the Lord has me walking is like a journey through the highest mountains. It is on the highest mountain peaks that you can catch a view with our eyes but never with a camera…it is impossible to capture the beauty and splendor, you need to be on that peak yourself to really understand what you have seen in pictures or heard described. The climb to the highest peaks is steep and can make the muscles and joints in your body ache and groan with ever step but the experience of the journey is one that you will not soon forget. This is where Jesus and I are…we are climbing the mountain together and I am learning some hard and wonderful lessons. These are not lessons of knowledge from books or just understanding scripture from my own reading but these are lessons that only come from the revelation and the breath of the Holy Spirit. I am learning that chaos is all around me and in me but He is always constant. I am beginning to understand the importance of waiting on him past my normal threshold of waiting time. I am learning just how faithful of a provider He is. I am learning to trust Him more deeply than I did three months ago. I am learning surrender. I am recognizing where I like to live by my own agenda because that feels safe when really what He has in store for me is a lot more fun. Who knew I had to come to Japan to learn all these things?

God is so good. Although we don’t know for sure if we still have jobs we are being provided for in every way. We have food for today and a place to sleep which is amazing because our landlord has let us continue to live here in spite of the rent not being paid for three months. This is Jesus. We have not lacked or had a want for anything in these chaotic days. He has given us peace. We have not worried and have not been afraid….we have been impatient and eager for answers but the Holy Spirit quickly reminds us to wait. So we remain in waiting, eager and ready for what the Lord desires and wants. We are eager but not impatient and the two are very different. Thank you to the body and to all the saints who have been praying for us and with us. You are an encouragement to us and a huge support system whom without this time would be much harder. Thank you for being saints, a royal priesthood and such a great cloud of witnesses.

your prayers are needed

2007-10-27T01:22:00.000+09:00

i am writing this quick blog to let our loved ones know some more information about our work situation. we were called this morning and told not to go into work today because the president of NOVA has stepped down as well as many other upper management folks. NOVA will be closed for 10 days and a group of lawyers have decided to take on the NOVA case and try to find a sponsor for NOVA to try to rehabilitate the company. However, if the lawyers fail to do so NOVA will be forced to officially declare bankruptcy. we will be able to receive up to 80% of the money we are owed. so, we will have to wait for 10 days to hear any news.

so wha will we do next if nova fails? we are wondering what the answer to that question is also. we would like to stay in japan but maybe that is not what the Lord has in mind. We are just praying for his guidance and protection in the midst of so many questions. We know he has a plan and we will trust him. We have a lot of peace right now and we are not afraid. this has to be jesus! i am thankful that He is protecting us and for his daily provisions. Please pray for us whenver you think about it.

We will update more whenever we have more news. Until then we will enjoy our time off :)

tribute to the trains

2007-10-23T23:43:00.000+09:00

Although circumstances with our jobs are still difficult, we are still loving the time we are having together here in japan. We have had some wonderful food and seen some wonderful things. We have figured out the train system which is a huge feat for any foreigner traveling these parts. We stare at the board that shows the route of the train hoping some how all those Japanese characters will begin to make sense but, as you can probably imagine….they never do and so we hope for the best when we hop on a train. So, considering all of the time and effort and hard earned cash we have used on these trains we would like to give a tribute to the Japan Railways.

Jason took this pic while we were doing what we do on a daily basis….waiting for a train.

We take this train ever day for work and to go into tokyo....

there are few benches and chairs at the station and we walk a lot so any time we get a chance to rest our legs we take it. We often have to stand on the trains because they are so crowded.

a lot of people sleep on the trains and sometimes these sleepers are so out of it that they sleep on you....check out the video below. jason caught it in action.

inside the rain and a cute little girl with bunny ears on

here's the train map posted above the ticket machines

a cute little fella waiting for the train and one is never too young to start text messaging which is a very popular past time while riding the trains in japan.

turning Japanese

2007-10-13T21:29:00.000+09:00

It has taken me much longer than is acceptable to write this blog entry. We spilled water on a table which our computer was sitting on and now we have a keyboard with a few of the keys not working. Two of which are the “t” key and the “y” key. So, we have to copy and paste ever t and y that goes into any sort of letter so…writing any sort of response or email takes quite some time. We are trying to decide on the best course of action to repair our sick keyboard.

Well, we have been in Japan now for about two months and we are getting more acquainted with the new culture with each passing day. At first, it was very difficult to be here. We experienced some culture shock for about two weeks after our arrival and we were quite surprised with all the emotion that living in a new culture can bring. Everything was so new. We were far away from anything that was familiar.

We started our new jobs as English Instructors about five days after we got in japan. Training was intense. We got a lot of information all at once but now we are much more comfortable in our jobs and we are starting to get to know some of the students a lot better. Although we are feeling more and more comfortable in our job, things with the company we work for are not looking so great. There is a lot of talk about bankruptcy and we just received a fax today from the president stating that we aren’t getting paid when we are supposed to because there are not enough funds to do so. Jason and I have been praying about what to do in the next few days. This whole situation has become much more serious since we got here. NOVA has taken a nose dive in the public’s eye and financially. NOVA was caught in an advertising scandal back in June and the punishment handed out was that NOVA wasn't allowed to enroll any new students and some students were upset about the situation so they asked for refunds of their already prepaid contracts. so, what is happening to NOVA is what happened with some of the banks during the great depression. NOVA customers deposited their money and then a mad rush came to withdraw it all back out again. Leaving NOVA with only output and no means of input since they were not allowed to enroll new students for 6 months. so, Please pray for us as we seek the Lord about what we should do in regards to this situation. We don’t want to leave japan yet but we need jobs so….we are looking and trusting that the Lord knows what is going on and that He will provide for us.

Being in Japan has really helped me to slow down. I realize since being here that m life in the states was too busy. Too full of activity…..although all that I did I loved, I just did too much. I am much more still in Japan even though our future here is much more shaky. The Lord is teaching me a lot about surrender and more about his character and His deep love for all of his children. I am very content here and this has only come within the last few weeks which is quite ironic since the current situation, under any other circumstances, would make me nervous and anxious.

We have also seen some great parts of traditional Japanese culture. We went to a sumo tournament, walked around the beautiful East Garden of the Imperial Palace, have had an overpriced, but delicious sushi meal, and we are learning how to read and write in Japanese.We are planning some trips in the near future to some great countryside in a couple of weeks as well as a trip to the southern part of japan sometime in November with Jason’s cousin, Ryan who is also a teacher in the same company.

We are excited to see what all the Lord has to show us. Please pray for us when you think of us as we seek what the Lord would want us to do next if the company we work for fails to survive. Also, please pray for our living situation as we live in a NOVA accommodation and if NOVA fails we will not have a place to live. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and I will try to write more than just an update very soon.

1st picture: taken from the east garden of the imperial palace....its a wonderful retreat from the very loud and very busy city life

2nd picture: our expensive sushi (we were a bit shocked when we walked into the restaurant) but a wonderful presentation! also, it was delicious!

video: taken while we were at our first sumo match.

Closer and Closer

2007-07-29T08:16:00.000+09:00

It's hard to believe that the day for us to leave for Japan is getting closer. We are at 16 days and counting down. We will fly out on the 6th of August for Seattle where we will spend a couple of days with Jason's sister and some of Jason's college friends. We are really excited about this time to relax in our favorite part of America...the west coast.

After seeing friends and family we will fly out from Seattle on August the 14th for the Tokyo/Narita Airport. We will be living in Sagamihara-Shi (city) in the Kanagawa(State) Prefecture. To most, this may mean absolutely nothing so in effort to try to clarify our where abouts go to the link below to gain a visual of our location.
http://web-japan.org/region/index.html
Directions for link:
1. Under "Search By Words" click on the letter "K"
2. Under "List of Prefectures" click on "Kanagawa"
3. At this point, a map of the Kanagawa Prefecture should pop up and the city where we will be living is "Sagamihara
4. You can scroll down to the bottom of the new page that should have popped up and under "Other Local Information of Kanagawa Prefecture" you can browse around and find some beautiful pictures of the region we will be staying in.

Also, to learn more about the teaching we will be doing you can go to the website, www.teachinjapan.com.

We will be writing more soon and if you want to know our physical address you can email me at absttu10@yahoo.com.

Love, Grace, and peace to you all!
The Kuipers

My Intro

2007-07-10T01:30:00.000+09:00

So....I have a blog and seeing as how this is my first post I will make a few disclaimers and maybe a stab at my reasoning for writing this blog.

First of all....I'm not a very good writer and I always lost during the first round of my 3rd grade class room spelling bee's so please understand my frequent misspelled words, so please don't expect perfection or deep, profound thoughts.

Second, I am about to move to Japan with my husband and this blog is a way to update all of our dear friends and family about our adventure in a new culture, a new land, and new jobs. We will be teaching english to the Japanese citizens. We are very excited and don't quite know what to expect. I have done a lot of reading but I need to experience things to really know what all is going on. Please pray for us when you think about it.

Third, to all of our beloved friends and family who take time out of your busy day to read my thoughts and to read about what is going on in our lives....I am humbled that you would do so.

We are going to miss you all....my heart groans and aches.....We love you!