Woot - long weekend!

This week i met up with a few more people from the net. One guy's name is Hiroto and he was pretty cool. We went out to chatan town and had tea, it was at one of thoes sushi train places (exept they don't call them that here :p). I lost the stylus for my denshi jisho (electronic dictionary) and i had to go to the electronic store and order in a new one, luckily they only cost around 315yen. I also bought a new bikini and it is pink :) very pretty. We went to the beach (not to swim) and there were heaps of cats around! They are all strays and so skinny - i wanted to take one home.

Joe picked up a radio thing for me that can play my ipod too. I am happy but we only get two radio stations here - one in English and one in Japanese. I like to listen to the Japanese one at night when i am going to sleep.

This week Andrew has been waking me up early (like 5-6am) and Ariana has been sleeping! I don't mind so much beacuse one child is easier to look after than two. During the day i was doing the dishes and Ariana and Andrew were upstairs. They were being quiet so when i went up there i saw they had got into the paint! It was a big mess :p

I really wanted to go swimming on the weekend beacuse i finally got a bikini and there was a typhoon in Taipei. Because of this it meant that the weather here was crap and i couldn't go to the beach or Rocktoberfest because it was cancelled.

On Friday the bad weather started and the kids and i made a fort :p so that was fun. I had been waiting for crap weather before we did that because it takes so much time and effort to set it up. Anyway later on i met up with another person from the net named Ayami. She and i went out and just hung out for a while. We bought some fireworks but when we went to set them up we got told we couldn't :( Eventually we did it anyway but not many. Hopefully we can do that again sometime :)

On Saturday i initally planned to go to a Japanese pub with my friend Atsushi but he wasn't feeling well :( But i did go to the shops and pick up my stylus and see some fireworks on the way home which was nice. We also got some tapes for the video camera so i was able to play around with it in the afternoon.

On Sunday Hiroto and i went to the Shurijo Castle park http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuri_Castle (they go there in Azumanga daioh). It was really beautiful and we had some sweet ice. After that we went to Uruma city to do more sightseeing and i saw the weirdest thing! The toilets in some places here are in the ground - meaning you have to squat :( They flush and everything but i still think it is kinda gross :s This picture i got of the net but it is exactley like the one i had to use. We also went into a pet shop and in the small animal cages you can actually put your hand in and pick them up! I was holding these adorable hampsters and they also had squirells, feretts and weird looking birds. I was amazed about how tame they were - now i want one! On the way home we were driving and there were these weird guys in suits on the side of the road. I had the camera right there so i filmed it but i had no idea what they were doing there!

On Monday Joe and Felicia had the day off so it gave me the day off too! I went with Felicia and Ariana to the shops and bought a new skirt. We also had lunch out and i had a teriyaki chicken burger - it was really nice! I met a few more of Felicia's friends and came home.

Well that's about all i have to say for the moment. I plan to get a photobucket account and put mroe photos that arent so brilliant quality on there for you all to see. Including that one of thoes guys in suits :p I also bought a phone card so now i can call people :) yay! Sorry i have been late in replying to emails - there are many emails from home and new friends so it's hard to keep up with. Have a good week and i will post again soon

-Alicia

It's so hot!

Hey again. This was a pretty good week. On Monday and Tuesday i didn't do much exept go out for tea in the evening. On Wednesday i caught a bus for the first time to Chatown. The busses here are pretty expensive so that sucks! I went to the electronic store and bought a Japanese to English electronic dictionary. It was expensive but i was really happy to get one because i have wanted one for so long. It recognizes kanji so i can draw them in with a stylus and find out what it says so that rocks! I found some English instructions on the ineternet so i know how to use it. Later i went to the shoping centre and when i was leaving i saw these two girls doing this dancing/singing/rapping thing. It was weird but they were pretty good, if i knew what they were saying. Above is a picture if me and Ariana being silly in front of the webcam :p

I have talked to a few different people in Japanese and it has been good so far. Most of the time it is just sales people but sometimes i see this lady when the kids and i go for a walk and she always says hello. She asked me once wether the kids were my siblings and i didn't know how to say i was their nanny so i just said yes - lol. I have also been talking to alot of American people. I am not quite used to saying the words they use like ketchup and diapers also buiscits are not sweet they are these pastry things (they call buiscits cookies).

On friday it was airman appreciation day which mean Felicia and Joe came home early and i got the afternoon off! I went to the max value and bought a dvd, and even though it's in Japanese the kids still watch it (i am so sick of watching charlotts web and spongebob squarepants). I also bought a text book for my Japanese, i am trying to learn Kanji. The weird thing is the text on it, it says: "You are the only one. Heal your mind my singing voice." I also picked up a manga comic thing, i want to practice reading and there is kanji with furigana (the small hirigana above it) so that will help me too. I found a website with the kanji children in grade 1 in Japan learn (there are 80) so i am starting with that but there are so many to learn. There is a kanji dictionary called the Daikanwa Jiten and it contains 50,000 different kanji which is thought to be comprehensive but more recent mainland Chinese dictionarys contain 80,000 or more characters but most of these are not in common use in either Japan nor China. I got that information from wikipedia so it is probably true.

I was looking at stuff on youtube recently and i found this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brh6KRvQHBc it is a live action version of the simpsons intro i thought it was pretty good. I also found this Japanese thing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFVoLz88hiU it is too weird! I have been watching lots of naruto too ^_^ thanks mick!

I went to a 100 yen store for the first time on Saturday :) i bought a bunch of stuff - it was fun! I saw thoes party popper cone shaped things you see in anime alot and when i have something to celebrate i will buy some. I have been enjoying it so far here but i have been a bit lonley so i decided to make some Japanese friends. On Saturday night i met up with a Japanese girl from the internet. Her name is Rian, she is 20 and lives in Yomitan too. She is nice and we had a good time, we went out for drinks and to some random arcade. There was this little market on and it was really cool, i want to go back there sometime.

On Sunday Felicia and i went shopping and i ate at Moss burger. I remember one of my Japanese teachers Kaoru said was good - i told her if i went to Japan i would eat there and now i have! I had a rice burger which is like a normal burger but the patties are just rice - i liked it. The one thing we thought was funny was their slogan was 'hamburger is my life'. I have also tried a matcha (green tea powder) flavoured ice cream and it is nice, not alot like matcha though.

Not much else to say really, i want to do more shopping and go into Naha city but by bus it'll cost me $10-$15 one way so i am hoping one of my new friends can take me :) There are lots of things i want to see in the area like the castle ruins and Rocktober fest is on next week (Like Octoberfest but with Japanese rock music). Also i am still trying to find a bikini for myself - it seems really hard but it shouldn't be because it is so hot here (some days its over 30 degrees) and there are so many nice beaches! So that's all for now, thanks for everyones nice comments and emails i would love to know what's happening with everyone too. I will post again next week.

-Alicia

1 week after work...

Hi everyone who bothers to read this, sorry it is long!

It has been pretty good, the kids are mostly good and we are getting into a routine now. I get up around 6am and have a shower, most of the time the kids don't wake until 6:30. I make myself a coffee and something to eat while they come down and I get them some breakfast. After they have eaten and cleaned up we usually go for a walk to the park (while it is still cool - and assuming it doesnt rain). When we get back i put on a DVD so i can rest for a bit (it gets really hot and the pram is heavy to push). During the day we do various things, but around 11:15 i make lunch so at 11:30 they can eat. After i have cleaned Andrew up i put him to bed - and he usually sleeps 2-4hrs! I let Ariana play computer games while i clean up the lunch mess and when i am done we do something that Andrew is too small to do. Around 4pm Joe or Felicia come home and that's all for me!

I like to go for walks around the place, there are alot of things i want to take photos of but i still dont have my camera (stupid ebay). I have my SLR and i have been playing with it but i don't like to take millions of photos with it because film and developing etc. The area is really beautiful, there are sugar cane feilds everywhere - some right near our house. The view here is lovley too, you can see the ocean from the window. The picture to the left is part of my backyard and some of the view, it is prettier from upstairs. In my bedroom at night i can see the city lights from one of the islands here and it's really nice too. The weather is crazy here, one day it's really hot and sunny the next it's really windy and rainy (but not cold). It starts to cool down in December but it never gets lower than around 15 degrees c.

I have been to the local max value (a large supermarket) and it is quite strange. They have lots of advertising around the place (video and radio) and one time i was walking and i heard a song from the radio singing "denshi renji" which means microwave lol. I found that things werent heaps expensive which is good (exept mellons which are $12-$15 but can be more in different seasons!) I also saw alcohol and fireworks in the ailses, which is nice i guess. I recently bought fantasia on DVD for around $5! I have wanted that for ages and although it has Japanese subtitles there isn't much talking in it. I also bought a bag wich is clear and has cute clovers on it, i need something i can throw everything into when i take the kids for a walk - good for going to the beach with as well. I went to the local mall (thing) and bought clothing, i was happy! The things i have seen are pretty decent too.

I have been on the American base several times now. I was surprized because it was so big - they have resturants, dorms, swimming pools, shops, bank, cinema, church and lots more. If you wanted you would never have to leave the base (i don't know why you would). It is weird going there because it is like a whole other country - i am experiance this Amreican culture as well as the Japanese so it is quite strange but i like it. I got to try Reece's peanut butter cups and i really like them :) The things on base are pretty cheap, and it is nice to have a place that speaks English too. Oh and alcohol is cheap too, i saw some of that absolut vodka (around $40AU at home) for half the price here! I bought some of that lychee liqure here and it is really nice (if you like lychees).

Some other random news I have decided to try a different type of Japanese drink from the vending machines every day. I have had a few different sports drinks, teas and juices. There are so many different types it is fun trying them, they taste different to drinks from home. I bought a new mobile phone :) it is black and nice looking and it came with a mini stationary kit (?). The brand is softbank which i thought was weird but it was cheap ($50 + $30 worth of credit free). I have been looking for some friends in Okinawa to show me around and practice my Japanese on, i want to meet someone who is around my age but i have alot of older people msging me :s oh well.

This weekend Joe and Felicia had some people over from work for a BBQ. It was nice to meet new people and not hang around kids all the time! On Sunday two of their friends and us went to the aquirium. It was the first thing i got to see besides going on my walks and down to the base. It was so full but it was still nice to see. We had Japanese food for lunch and then went back home.

Not much else to say, i have been busy alot and i hope to soon figure out the bus system here. I really want to buy an electronic dictionary so i am investigating that :) i am having a good time though. I might update my blog weekly for people to look at but i will stop emailing you all coz i dont think everyone cares that much. Hope everything is good in Australia (i have been watching chaser online and looking at the news every now and then). Cya

-Alicia

Arrival

Hello!

My flight to Taipei was kinda boring. I watched 3 movies and some other things. When i got there i was surprized because i thought i had to book a hotel for myself, but the airlines organized it for me! It was really muggy and hot there, but everything was air conditioned. They took us to this fancy country club and gave us free breakfast and lunch. There was one channel on the TV in English (CNN) and all this free stuff in the room so i was happy.

The next day it rained in the morning and then went for a walk. It was alot cooler but it was still uncomfortable. I saw alot of shrines and stuff like that, but we were too far away from any shops so i couldn't buy anything! I was supposed to call some people but i lost my mobile phone! The phone itself wasn't such a loss, but now i don't have anyones numbers anymore! So if you want to email me your number do that at some point!

The bus took us to the airport and i got the chance to buy some souvineers (so the money i exchanged for taxis wasnt in vein). The flight to Okinawa was only an hour and 10 minutes and when i got there it was hot (even in the evening). Right now is Japan's Autum, but because Okinawa is right down the bottom of Japan it is quite warm. Okinawa is famous for it's different dialect, beaches and typhoons. I am staying in Yomitan (see map) After i filled out heaps of forms i saw Felicia and Joe and they drove me home!

It was weird being in Japan, there are vending machines everywhere! I knew this before i came but i saw vending machines for cigerettes and alchohol. They said once they saw someone stop his car in the middle of the street and run out to get something from one once.

Felicia, Joe and the kids are all really nice. They are only in their 20's so it's nice to be around people that i can hang out with too. The house is really cool too, two stories and has air conditioning ^_^.

Last night there was a typhoon here, it wasn't very bad but it was weird seeing the storm and hearing the wind. Lots of trees around here are held up with wood so they don't blow over becayse typhoons are so common.

That's all for now, i start working on monday and i had a bit of time to get to know the kids. I will probably update in a week or so. Cya!

Delays

It turns out I am not flying out on Saturday anymore! The situation is I had to send my visa to the passport office in Melbourne and I was told by the post office people it only takes two days to send via registered post. Anyway the visa office sent the passport on time but it didn’t arrive here on time so I have had to delay the flight to next Wednesday, which means I won’t get to Okinawa until Thursday! I feel really bad for a few people (the family I am going to be working for and my friend Rina who is meeting up with me) but I can’t get on a plane without a passport or visa! Anyway this means I have a few more days in Sydney with my Dad (which is good). So I am really frustrated at the moment with the post office, this makes it harder for a lot of people.

In other news has everyone been watching what the chaser guys are doing at APEC? LOL! Also as a side note my Dad has this radio in his car which is security code protected. Anyway he got the car second hand and at one point the radio had to be taken out and when it was put back in the code needed to be re-entered. Well my Dad did not know this code so for about 3 months has had no radio. He has been randomly typing in 4 digit codes but it seemed highly unlikely to actually guess it. When I came to visit he told me about it so I thought I would try typing in random codes to see if I could get it – and I did! On my fourth try I had a good feeling about these numbers and what do you know – radio again! So yay for me and my lucky numbers!

That’s all for now.
-Alicia

Sydney

Well I am in Sydney at the moment. I got here last night and I will be here until Saturday morning when I leave for Taipei (Taiwan) and I leave for Okinawa on the Sunday morning (yes I have to spend a night in Taipei!).

The next few days will just be visiting family and such. I don’t really have a lot to say except thanks to everyone who came to the airport or saw me off in the previous weeks. It means a lot to me that everyone was there and I wish I had more time to see people. Also thanks to everyone for showing their support for me doing this, I don’t know what I would do without you guys!

I hope everyone has a good time while I am gone (not too good :p) and please keep me informed on all the news etc because I doubt I will have a lot of time. That’s all for now, I will post again when I am leaving for Japan (probably). Wish me luck for the trip.

-Alicia

Confirmed!

I have officially got a job in Japan now! I am going to be an au pair for an American family in Okinawa. For anyone who care they went to Okinawa in Azumanga daioh (anime) on a class trip. Anyway the children are 3 and 1! I know that is young but I think this will be a great experience for me. I am leaving Sydney on the 8th of September and stopping in Taipei (Taiwan) before I arrive in Japan on the 9th.

I am going to take many photos with my new camera (which I will get soon from ebay) and post some here, but all the good ones will be on my deviantart account, (see the side). That’s all for now.

-Alicia