Left the house around four to travel to Osaka city to the Tenjin (spelling?) Festival. Very crowded. Try to imagaine Marta on a Braves home game day...except everyone is wearing Kimonos and wood sandals. I decided to embrace how different I was that day and rock an afro puff.
The festival was basically a parade on water..same premise just not on the street since the streets are so narrow here. Riding in a taxi is enough to make you want to take a shot of SAKE and put a blindfold on. Me and the family got there about 5.30 with everyone else. I was looking for a place to sit amongst the army people everywhere. Little did I know, my host mom had made reservations to have dinner ON one of the boats. Hell, I was sitting next to the major of Osaka. The festival was rounded out with a fireworks show.
On to the "Betty"... a drag queen club. These were the most beautiful women I had ever seen... not to mention I size I was used to...over 5'6 and curves. All these women were post-op. I know this because I took pictures..and I was sitting up front in the VIP section...
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Living La Vida Kyote
Monday I went to Kyote, the old capital of Japan. Kyote is a very historical place with tons of temples and places where shoguns would chill with their posse. Very cool. One place had hummingbird floors so when you walk on them they chirp (pre ADT). I saw a Geisha...actually I saw three. The first one I thought "Wow! She is so pretty!" and then my host mom smacked me with excitement and said "Geisha! Do you know?". Of course. How could I have been so dense. In my defense, they don't dress the same way during the day as they do at night. They didn't have the painted face and lips going on...but beautiful none the less. This story would be better with pictures....very sorry.
Then lunch...up until this point I haven't really had any issues with food. Everything for the most part has been within my comfort zone. The resturant we went to was very beautiful. We had to ride halfway up the side of a mountain to get there. This place was pretty swank. The view was fantastic...the food...oh dear lord...
It came in a box that you uncap. I didn't recognize anything in there except for a small crab and a fish with the head still on. I tried all of it...that's all I can respectfully say.
Then lunch...up until this point I haven't really had any issues with food. Everything for the most part has been within my comfort zone. The resturant we went to was very beautiful. We had to ride halfway up the side of a mountain to get there. This place was pretty swank. The view was fantastic...the food...oh dear lord...
It came in a box that you uncap. I didn't recognize anything in there except for a small crab and a fish with the head still on. I tried all of it...that's all I can respectfully say.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Catching Up
Wednesday 7/19/06
I waited out the whole day for my sushi dinner that has been in the making since I arrived. In the afternoon, I took Diki out for a walk. Then we ventured to the city for SUSHI. It was a very small and elegant resturant. My host family says its the best sushi in Osaka. I tried things that were not on the menu and things that did not even have a name. Name or no name...it was damn tasty. Afterwards, we picked up some cream puffs and ice candy (ice cream). When we got back to the house to eat the goodies, Eri, my host sister put some dry ice in a bowl of water while we feasted on the sweet goodness. I do not know what the dry ice was about but it was pretty awesome. It felt like my birthday.
I also went to the 100 yen store (its the dollar store) and bought some soop. My body wersh will not lather here.
Thursday
Rain
Rain
Rain
next....
Friday
I watch CNN at breakfast (CNN and FOX are the only stations in English) and in southern Japan there are some pretty damn freakish mudslides going on. I am just glad it aint here.
Bright and early-7 am, Diki's trainer drops by for a session. Poor Diki. He has selective memory like I do. Later in the day we had a LABO function at the house. I felt like Joan Cleaver. We sang songs and made crafts. No comments from the peanut gallery. Anyhoo...while the chil'ren were making oragami I was partaking in a Tea Ceremony. It's very similar to that scene in the Karate Kid where Daniel-san is in Okinawa and he's crushing on the cute Japanese girl. They have this tea ceremony and turn the bowl three times. I digress. The tea in this tea ceremony is a big thumbs down. It's green AND opaque. There was some kind of gummy shit at the bottom of the bowl. I just couldn't do it folks. No offense...I just couldn't.
So to introduce myself to the women, my host mom suggested I show them my photos off my laptop. These 30 something married with children women kept wanting to see more pictures of Christopher and Matthew. They were very disappointed to find our their age. Also, having a pool like I have translates into me being very rich. Someone forgot to send me the memo.
Something my host mom said that was interesting:
"American women seem to be very proud of their chest."
(We were watching 90210)
I am going to leave that one alone.
So I was trying to get to bed Friday night after all the festivites when I heard this noise. At first, I thought it was crying babies (not a dead crying baby, Matthew. I am sorry, hon, I just couldn't resist). OF course I freaked out because I was thinking about this time that I read about a serial killer in the US who used a recording of a crying baby to lure women outside of their house. Then I thought back to all the horror movies I had seen. I did some statistics in my head concerning black people in a foreign country with big curiousities for the unknown, and I decided to stay put. If I decided to be dumb I could end up on CNN hanging from a cherry blossom tree gutted like a fish. I looked around for a feasible weapon... a liter of coke and a hairdryer. Unprepared yet again. So I laid there with my eyes wide open for awhile. Then something hit my window. I jumped up...hit my head on the hanging lamp and running my shin into the low table. FFFUUUUCCCCKKKK. So I fell to the ground and listened for awhile....
.....
.....
.....
Two CATS. Doing to the do. Apparently Japanese cats having sex sound like American crying babies. Where was Diki in all this?
Don't laugh.
I waited out the whole day for my sushi dinner that has been in the making since I arrived. In the afternoon, I took Diki out for a walk. Then we ventured to the city for SUSHI. It was a very small and elegant resturant. My host family says its the best sushi in Osaka. I tried things that were not on the menu and things that did not even have a name. Name or no name...it was damn tasty. Afterwards, we picked up some cream puffs and ice candy (ice cream). When we got back to the house to eat the goodies, Eri, my host sister put some dry ice in a bowl of water while we feasted on the sweet goodness. I do not know what the dry ice was about but it was pretty awesome. It felt like my birthday.
I also went to the 100 yen store (its the dollar store) and bought some soop. My body wersh will not lather here.
Thursday
Rain
Rain
Rain
next....
Friday
I watch CNN at breakfast (CNN and FOX are the only stations in English) and in southern Japan there are some pretty damn freakish mudslides going on. I am just glad it aint here.
Bright and early-7 am, Diki's trainer drops by for a session. Poor Diki. He has selective memory like I do. Later in the day we had a LABO function at the house. I felt like Joan Cleaver. We sang songs and made crafts. No comments from the peanut gallery. Anyhoo...while the chil'ren were making oragami I was partaking in a Tea Ceremony. It's very similar to that scene in the Karate Kid where Daniel-san is in Okinawa and he's crushing on the cute Japanese girl. They have this tea ceremony and turn the bowl three times. I digress. The tea in this tea ceremony is a big thumbs down. It's green AND opaque. There was some kind of gummy shit at the bottom of the bowl. I just couldn't do it folks. No offense...I just couldn't.
So to introduce myself to the women, my host mom suggested I show them my photos off my laptop. These 30 something married with children women kept wanting to see more pictures of Christopher and Matthew. They were very disappointed to find our their age. Also, having a pool like I have translates into me being very rich. Someone forgot to send me the memo.
Something my host mom said that was interesting:
"American women seem to be very proud of their chest."
(We were watching 90210)
I am going to leave that one alone.
So I was trying to get to bed Friday night after all the festivites when I heard this noise. At first, I thought it was crying babies (not a dead crying baby, Matthew. I am sorry, hon, I just couldn't resist). OF course I freaked out because I was thinking about this time that I read about a serial killer in the US who used a recording of a crying baby to lure women outside of their house. Then I thought back to all the horror movies I had seen. I did some statistics in my head concerning black people in a foreign country with big curiousities for the unknown, and I decided to stay put. If I decided to be dumb I could end up on CNN hanging from a cherry blossom tree gutted like a fish. I looked around for a feasible weapon... a liter of coke and a hairdryer. Unprepared yet again. So I laid there with my eyes wide open for awhile. Then something hit my window. I jumped up...hit my head on the hanging lamp and running my shin into the low table. FFFUUUUCCCCKKKK. So I fell to the ground and listened for awhile....
.....
.....
.....
Two CATS. Doing to the do. Apparently Japanese cats having sex sound like American crying babies. Where was Diki in all this?
Don't laugh.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
One Week Down
Monday
I took the subway to the city to go to the LABO Party. On the way, my host mom and I had Japanese pizza. Not so good. While I was eating, this little old woman grabs me and is talking to my host mom in Japanese. The woman is touching all over my hands and arms. She was asking my host mom why was I in Japan, where was I from, and she was making comments on how fit I was. Yes, I made sure she said fit. If not, I was gonna pop some poor old lady. She kept grabbing me and saying how strong I was. Maybe she wanted me to carry her groceries. I do not know. Once the old lady left my host mom starts screaming SEXUAL HARRASSMENT. It is so funny the words she knows in English and the ones she does not. I told Yoshi about it over dinner and he asked me if the the old woman was "a resbian". I choked on my salad.
The LABO party was pretty fun. I took lots of pics. Basically the party is a youth gathering for all the kids in LABO program. That would be some of the kids I am in charge of and their host brother or sister. There were about 40 of them and it lasted about three hours. Then we had "tea time" which is where all the kids bring snacks and set them on four long tables and it is a damn free for all. Did not get pics of this. Lesson I have learned: rechargeable batteries suck and you should always have extra.
Rock, paper, scissors is a VERY big deal here. It is how most decisions are made. I am thinking about instituting this when I get back. Smack a bitch? Rock, paper, scissors.
Tuesday
The day came for ME to cook dinner. HOLY CRAP. So me and my host mom ventured to the mall/market thingy and the post office. What an ordeal just to get some stamps and postcards. They only had Tiger (baseball team) postcards, so for my faithful readers this is what you will probably be getting in the mail soon. Find the humor. I know I did. I bought everything I needed to make chicken parmesan for my family. At the market I was armed with a shopping cart and a dictionary. WOW. Dangerous. In the process of fighting over a chicken breast I lost my umbrella. I got the chicken breast, though. I cooked this meal in a kichen with no AC, standing over boiling noodles and steaming sauce, next to a counter that reaches about 3/4 up my thigh. Pics of this to come when I get back. I am typing this blog on my host sisters OLD Imac. I am not trying to push it.
My mother would be proud. My adventures in the kitchen were a hit. They asked me where I learned such mad skills. I told em, "my mama". Yoshi was eating and he kept yelling, "Rae Number 1!"
I got a headache after all that. Went to bed with it....woke up with it...it almost landed me a trip to the hospital. Not to panic...Japanese people go to the hospital for a cold so it is not near as serious as it sounds.
I took the subway to the city to go to the LABO Party. On the way, my host mom and I had Japanese pizza. Not so good. While I was eating, this little old woman grabs me and is talking to my host mom in Japanese. The woman is touching all over my hands and arms. She was asking my host mom why was I in Japan, where was I from, and she was making comments on how fit I was. Yes, I made sure she said fit. If not, I was gonna pop some poor old lady. She kept grabbing me and saying how strong I was. Maybe she wanted me to carry her groceries. I do not know. Once the old lady left my host mom starts screaming SEXUAL HARRASSMENT. It is so funny the words she knows in English and the ones she does not. I told Yoshi about it over dinner and he asked me if the the old woman was "a resbian". I choked on my salad.
The LABO party was pretty fun. I took lots of pics. Basically the party is a youth gathering for all the kids in LABO program. That would be some of the kids I am in charge of and their host brother or sister. There were about 40 of them and it lasted about three hours. Then we had "tea time" which is where all the kids bring snacks and set them on four long tables and it is a damn free for all. Did not get pics of this. Lesson I have learned: rechargeable batteries suck and you should always have extra.
Rock, paper, scissors is a VERY big deal here. It is how most decisions are made. I am thinking about instituting this when I get back. Smack a bitch? Rock, paper, scissors.
Tuesday
The day came for ME to cook dinner. HOLY CRAP. So me and my host mom ventured to the mall/market thingy and the post office. What an ordeal just to get some stamps and postcards. They only had Tiger (baseball team) postcards, so for my faithful readers this is what you will probably be getting in the mail soon. Find the humor. I know I did. I bought everything I needed to make chicken parmesan for my family. At the market I was armed with a shopping cart and a dictionary. WOW. Dangerous. In the process of fighting over a chicken breast I lost my umbrella. I got the chicken breast, though. I cooked this meal in a kichen with no AC, standing over boiling noodles and steaming sauce, next to a counter that reaches about 3/4 up my thigh. Pics of this to come when I get back. I am typing this blog on my host sisters OLD Imac. I am not trying to push it.
My mother would be proud. My adventures in the kitchen were a hit. They asked me where I learned such mad skills. I told em, "my mama". Yoshi was eating and he kept yelling, "Rae Number 1!"
I got a headache after all that. Went to bed with it....woke up with it...it almost landed me a trip to the hospital. Not to panic...Japanese people go to the hospital for a cold so it is not near as serious as it sounds.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Home In Osaka
The Bullet Train took about three hours and then I was on the subway for about another hour or so. It is so friggin humid here. Sweat was running down places I do not want to discuss. My host mom met me at the subway and we took a taxie to the house. The doors open and shut automatically on taxies. Way cool.
My host family is great. I took a shower as soon as I got there and as soon as I got out I started sweating...just like GA. My host dad, Yoshi is a hoot. When I walked in the door for the first time he was watching the baseball game, drinking a beer, and smoking a cig. I am not sure why that was so funny. Yoshi drinks and smokes but his cute little wife does not. They took me out for a celebratory dinner...Korean. It is all a blur considering all the Saki and beer Yoshi and I drank. My host mom says we are pefect for eachother. They complimented me on my teeth a lot and Yoshi kept saying how much he liked my spirit. Saki is a wonderful thing.
I met the dog...DIKI (translation: strong boy). They were afraid that I would be scared of big dogs so I showed them a picture of Godiva. They understood. At this house the toilets are set into the ground. This is rather intimidating a takes some getting used to. This is probably the only time I wish I had a penis. Although that would only postpone the inevitable dropping the kids off at the pool. Last time I tried to squat to pee, I caught a cramp in my shin.
We have scheduled a cooking contest. My host mom is already claiming she is going to win. Does this sound familiar?
So Raschelle is hard to say in Japanese so they just call me Rae. It sounds more like Lay. I just cannot stop smiling.
Have you noticed that I am not typing contractions? It is because I cannot find the apostrophe key on the keyboard. HA!
My host family is great. I took a shower as soon as I got there and as soon as I got out I started sweating...just like GA. My host dad, Yoshi is a hoot. When I walked in the door for the first time he was watching the baseball game, drinking a beer, and smoking a cig. I am not sure why that was so funny. Yoshi drinks and smokes but his cute little wife does not. They took me out for a celebratory dinner...Korean. It is all a blur considering all the Saki and beer Yoshi and I drank. My host mom says we are pefect for eachother. They complimented me on my teeth a lot and Yoshi kept saying how much he liked my spirit. Saki is a wonderful thing.
I met the dog...DIKI (translation: strong boy). They were afraid that I would be scared of big dogs so I showed them a picture of Godiva. They understood. At this house the toilets are set into the ground. This is rather intimidating a takes some getting used to. This is probably the only time I wish I had a penis. Although that would only postpone the inevitable dropping the kids off at the pool. Last time I tried to squat to pee, I caught a cramp in my shin.
We have scheduled a cooking contest. My host mom is already claiming she is going to win. Does this sound familiar?
So Raschelle is hard to say in Japanese so they just call me Rae. It sounds more like Lay. I just cannot stop smiling.
Have you noticed that I am not typing contractions? It is because I cannot find the apostrophe key on the keyboard. HA!
Let the Adventures Begin
1. The toilets
They come in all shapes and sizes. They have all kinds of buttons and fountains. Hell, some of then acutally play music. The one in the hotel filled with water when I sat on it. This was a little scary for me considering my deep rooted childhood fear of overflowing toilets.
2. I am Rich Bitch
I exchanged my money at the airport. The rate was 112 yen to 1 dollar.
3. On the way to the hotel...
I saw the biggest damn ferris wheel ever and Disneyland.
4. Convenience Stores
The eptiome of convenience. These stores have it all. It brings back sweet memoires of the QT only better. You can buy hard liquor, real food, send mail and pay your bills. So basically it is a Nylund one stop shoppe.
5. Hotter than a MOTHER
More like humid. Just like GA but without airconditioning.
6. I took a bullet train to Osaka and I am damn glad it was not a plane. I have seen enough of those for awhile. I was on my way to Tokyo Station and spotted a 711. It is the first one I have seen in real life. BOO
7. There seems to be a shortage of chairs here so people just squat. I tried this and I fell.
They come in all shapes and sizes. They have all kinds of buttons and fountains. Hell, some of then acutally play music. The one in the hotel filled with water when I sat on it. This was a little scary for me considering my deep rooted childhood fear of overflowing toilets.
2. I am Rich Bitch
I exchanged my money at the airport. The rate was 112 yen to 1 dollar.
3. On the way to the hotel...
I saw the biggest damn ferris wheel ever and Disneyland.
4. Convenience Stores
The eptiome of convenience. These stores have it all. It brings back sweet memoires of the QT only better. You can buy hard liquor, real food, send mail and pay your bills. So basically it is a Nylund one stop shoppe.
5. Hotter than a MOTHER
More like humid. Just like GA but without airconditioning.
6. I took a bullet train to Osaka and I am damn glad it was not a plane. I have seen enough of those for awhile. I was on my way to Tokyo Station and spotted a 711. It is the first one I have seen in real life. BOO
7. There seems to be a shortage of chairs here so people just squat. I tried this and I fell.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Overnight In Seattle and Da Plane
By the time I got to Trinity Lutheran for the orientation I was having lunch and dinner at the same time. I ate mashed potatoes with chopsticks. Enough said. I made some last minute phone calls to some friends to get mailing addresses. Julia and her parents dropped by to pay me a visit. Ruth bought some beers at the store and I drank them in the back of a rental car. Do not judge me. When I got back to Trinity Lutheran of course I was locked out past curfew and slightly tipsy. Julia and _i made enought racket to wake a RA so I stumbled to bed. At around two I had to pee so friggin bad. I was sleeping nekkid and had to run down the hall in nothing but a towel barely covering my arse.
I had a dream that all the items in my luggage got misplaced somehow. Lucklily for me it was just a dream. I woke up and had some breakfast minus the chopsticks. The buses actually got there early to get us to the airport. Big change from the day before. I sat on the concrete when I got in Seattle for so long I was scared I was going to get the piles.
By the time we gto seventy some odd kids though security we were at the gate THREE whole hours early. I got a little lump in my throat boarding the plane but I am not a punk I swear.
Did I mention that 70 kids on an international flight is insane? People saw us coming and parted like the Red Sea. I had an aisle seat all the way to Japan. It has its up and downsides. If you are claustrophobic you are in heaven. If you are trying to sleep and every fifteen minutes some kid is asking you if they can get up....well....it is a problem.
I had a dream that all the items in my luggage got misplaced somehow. Lucklily for me it was just a dream. I woke up and had some breakfast minus the chopsticks. The buses actually got there early to get us to the airport. Big change from the day before. I sat on the concrete when I got in Seattle for so long I was scared I was going to get the piles.
By the time we gto seventy some odd kids though security we were at the gate THREE whole hours early. I got a little lump in my throat boarding the plane but I am not a punk I swear.
Did I mention that 70 kids on an international flight is insane? People saw us coming and parted like the Red Sea. I had an aisle seat all the way to Japan. It has its up and downsides. If you are claustrophobic you are in heaven. If you are trying to sleep and every fifteen minutes some kid is asking you if they can get up....well....it is a problem.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
No Sleep til' Japan
This weekend was so friggin' awesome. I am so excited that I got spend it with people that mean the most. It started out with Friday being my last day at my job. It felt like the longest day ever. There was tons to do, and my patience was short. I drove to Macon to hang out with Christopher. I saw the new place. It's pretty sweet. I almost had a heart attack when I used the potty. Christopher has a lovely rubber cockroach sitting on the back of the toilet. Ya'll know how I am about roaches. Of course, Christopher was very excited about this. This was the purpose of the cockroach....to scare the hell out of poor people trying to use the bathroom. The apartment is equipped with high ass ceilings and tons of musical instruments. HEAVEN. Spacious and charming, but men still live there. It's great. Stayed up until about five a.m. and the night was not complete until we grilled deer meat with a homemade marinade made of salad dressing, soy sauce, and oregano....on the porch...with a cute little grill. The next day, we (Chris, Scott and I) went to The Bodies Exhibition. VERY COOL. It got really good when Christopher walked up behind me when we were looking at female corpse and says "Hey baby, let me get in those guts." Onward to the Brew House. We met up with Matthew, Robert, and Sharon. Had some pints. Went to the RRD show. Man, I am a party animal. I got drunk off of PBR for the first time. Thank you, Scott. Had some "dasani" with Vinny. Crashed at a sweet house in East Atlanta...cuddled with a kitty..woke up to Christopher in a tree hammock and Matthew air-mailing a blue soccer ball. Had some breakfast with the Nylunds and went on my merry way back home. Whew....good times.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Sayonara Bitches
It was fourth of July and it's only a week until I venture off to Japan. Could you need any better reason to throw down? I haven't had a good party like this in a long time. I would like to give a shot out to the sponsors of this party. Without you, it would have been crap. Thank you PBR, Red Rocket Deluxe and Lie and Wait. Your contributions to the fun were greatly appreciated.
Christopher getting his hair did by two lovely young ladies.
In exchange for the hair services he got to ride my niece's inflatable jet ski. It has an eightly pound weight limit.
Randy get your finger out of Chad's hole. I think that jet ski was the most popular thing at my party besides my mom's food.
Nyah's first victim.....I mean "client". Apparently you have to get liquored up for that.
Christopher getting his hair did by two lovely young ladies.
In exchange for the hair services he got to ride my niece's inflatable jet ski. It has an eightly pound weight limit.
Randy get your finger out of Chad's hole. I think that jet ski was the most popular thing at my party besides my mom's food.
Nyah's first victim.....I mean "client". Apparently you have to get liquored up for that.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Good Times In A Glass (Part II)
So I discovered this wonderful thing called Picassa. You might have heard of it. So I am adding pictures to my previous post. I am so excited I could touch myself.
Why does Christopher's State Patrol hat make people look so damn cool?
Prom at Backwoods. Everyone please take note of the napkin flower do-flichy on the wrist. Compliments of Marlee.
Why does Christopher's State Patrol hat make people look so damn cool?
Prom at Backwoods. Everyone please take note of the napkin flower do-flichy on the wrist. Compliments of Marlee.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
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