Olympics

Who know badminton, table tennis, and Judo would be so captivating/exciting?!

I guess whenever you are watching such skill, especially in a situation where you are invested in a competitor, it is all such artwork.

I already fell asleep but set an alarm to wake me for the men's gymnastics :-) Gymnastics is one of the only sports that doesn't allow you to watch recorded videos later.

Watching the Olympics from another country

After some troubles, I have been setup to watch the Olympics in three different ways. First, Channel BS101 airs Olympics events here in Japan. It is probably similar to watching the Olympics on NBC in the US. Secondly, I can watch what NBC airs on TV, through a website that only allows you to watch US Network channels outside the US (it is a paid service with a 30 day free trial). Finally, I can watch NBCOlympics.com online by logging into a US-computer, thanks bro'. This is really valuable because what NBC decides the majority of Americans want to watch is not always what I would choose to watch. For example, they chose basketball over soccer.

It is interesting to see how another country chooses to direct its focus. Instead of showing the events the US is competing in, they show the sports that Japan is competing in. In the events that both countries are competing, Japan chooses to focus on different sports than the US. For example, they have aired a lot of Judo, badminton, and weight-lifting. Who knew Asians kicked so much butt in weight lifting?! I really enjoyed watching Judo. It was amusing to see Hungary beat the Japan women and Russia beat the Japan men. In one match, the Japan man went to throw the Russian man but the Russian wrapped himself around the Japan man, like a little spider monkey, then he stepped down, spun, and threw the Japan competitor to the ground. It was both scrappy and finess simultaneously. The badminton Olympians are really talented also! All points were scored by shots just an inch inside the boundary lines.

It is interesting to see another country approach the Olympics. Perhaps it should have occurred to me that Japan would focus on Japan. In the US, they show a lot more of other competing countries during an event but I am realizing that they too really generally air events that the US is competing in.

N' likes to watch soccer also. It looks like we will watch some games together, if they are ever aired at a reasonable time (while the trains are running). It will be fun to watch the Olympics with a sweet girl from another country.

"Weird foods" article

This video/article was posted on yahoo and I thought it was funny b/c so much of the meals you find here in Japan.


Lychee fruit= delicious

Octopus= good. I want to try to prepare it the way they suggested. It sounds amazing and something I can accomplish in my tiny kitchen.

Natoo= horrid, horrid, horrid. I gave it a fair try but have no qualms about telling the Japanese folks that I think natoo is disgusting. They laugh at me b/c they know it isn't for everybody, even in Japan.


http://screen.yahoo.com/the-best-foods-you-ve-never-had-30035236.html?pb_list=809f7f41-46e5-4104-9eba-e0702551faaf

I try to not be judgmental of any of the foods or customs here. Things that seem "weird" to me are based on what I was exposed to in the US, which is different than all other countries also. Some American things that are normal or tasty to me are gross/unappealing to foreigners. I try to go into everything here with that attitude.

Ordering pizza online, on a Japanese website

I found out they have Dominoes and Pizza Hut in Japan. Since there was a crazy storm with thunder that shook my building and I was working on my presentation, I thought it might be a good day to order pizza (delivery). First I had to figure out how to register on the website, then I had to create a profile that included my address (which is wayyy more detailed than in the US), and finally I had to place the order. At a later point, the website bifurcate into English and Japanese so I was able to place my order in English :-) To reach that point though, I had to click on several buttons for which I had no idea what they said. Thankfully, websites follow the same formulaic organization around the world: click left button for continue/accept and right button for cancel/go back. Also thankfully, some things are translated automatically on my computer so I knew that line asked for email address, password, etc when filling out the profile.

So this is what it is like to be illiterate :-)
My brain got a good workout with what would normally have been a simple task back home.

When the pizza arrived, the man said some things, handed me some things, I handed him some money and thanked him, then he said more stuff I couldn't understand, we exchanged many bows, and he departed. It seemed like he thought I understood what he was saying :-p but I had no idea at all.
The "medium" pizza was tiny! Portions here are so different! I always finish my meals and often go for a snack later. They make me feel like I have lost my ability to control how much I eat. I'm not sure what will happen after I return to the giant US portions.

Cooking Japanese food

I cooked yakisoba for my lab on Friday. It was delicious. The lab had a portable electric pan so I was able to cook the food in the lunch room.

The first batch had yakisoba noodles + shrimp + cabbage + mushrooms + carrots + white/salt/pepper sauce.
The second batch had yakisoba noodles + shrimp + squid + egg + cabbage + mushroom + carrots + brown sweet sauce.

I have been trying to begin each day with the mindset of "how can I serve people today?" I have been trying to keep this mindset in mind throughout the day. I feel like I require so much assistance and can give back so little in this country where everything is so foreign. I wish so much I could make things for them but I cannot find the ingredients in stores and do not have an oven. I require so much help with reading and finding things. And also require much assistance with experiments, considering all of their equipment is so different.

The woman who has been helping me so much loves cheese. I have had some delicious pastry-wrapped, baked brie and I would love to make some for her. I do not know if she has ever had some before. Maybe during her time in Germany? There are so many things like this I would like to share but simply cannot.

Baseball in Japan

It is no secret, Japan loves its baseball. I went to watch my local team, the Dragons. They have been the central region champions for many years (not consecutively), including 2011. This year they are in second place. They were playing the Osaka Tigers.

While there might have only been two other foreigners in the entire stadium, we ended up sitting next to a nice American pilot who was in town on a 48hr layover.

So much of the game atmosphere was the same as in America. When the players came to the plate, they each had their song, most (80%) of which were in English. Number 6 must have been special because he did not have a radio song; when he came to the plate, the official cheering section of fans played him a song. He was their #4 batter so he must also be a favorite in skill. Some of the cheers were also the same; for example:
clap-clap, clap-clap-clap, clap-clap-clap-clap, boom-boom
and
doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-dooooo, CHARGE!
The large screen would show pictures and the words were in English.
I'm betting baseball fans have a better English understanding than others.
*There are also two channels here that seem to air American baseball constantly. Go Red Sox!

The game went pretty quickly and took 3 hours in total. After the earthquake, last year, they implemented a time-limit for games of 3.5hrs, to conserve electricity. With this new rule, some games end in a tie. This game, however, did not :-) The Dragons won soundly (4-0). Maybe 5-0 or 6-0?

While they are called the Dragons, their mascot is a koala. I'm not sure why since a dragon is pretty awesome. They are all about kuwaii (cute) things here so I can see how the koala would help sell souvenirs but I would think they would have both a dragon and koala in that case. Maybe dragons have too many religious links to be used as silly mascots? They also had these kuwaii yoshi characters that ran around with pom-poms, cheering. Baseball has cheerleaders. The women were so tiny!

The food selection was amusing. Instead of peanuts, people ate edimame. Instead of a burger/McDonalds, people ate bento boxes with rice, sushi, veggies (you could get the meals in cute jersey-shaped lunch boxes.

The best part was the official cheering section for each team. Fans had giant flags with the team logo, drums, trumpets, and costumes. They would lead the fans in the majority of cheers while their team was up to bat. When the other team was up to bat, all fans remained respectfully-quiet. There was no jeering toward either umpires or opposing fans, though at one point I did see some Dragons fans tease a Tigers fan. Almost everybody in the stadium had these little bats they would bang together with the beat. While the Dragons' cheering section was fun, the Tigers' cheering section was amazing. They were extremely-lively and creative. I enjoyed when the Tigers were batting so I could listen to their band. Apparently, the Tigers are known throughout the country for having the most enthusiastic fans. They are probably the most similar to Americans.

The cost of a ticket: 2600 yen.
I attended the game with K'. It was great. I would go again.

Differences in graduate programs: quals

The people here have asked me, on a few occasions, about my qualifying exams/ my grad program. My boss (from grad school) had visited before I came and he apparently told them about my graduate program and my exams (probably because I had just taken my final qualifying exam before his visit). My Japan boss talks about how much more difficult my program is.

Most PhD programs (in the United States SPECIFICALLY) have some form of qualifying/comprehensive exams. They vary a lot but the general rule is that they are difficult and important. I am bringing this up because I just found out the massacre in Colorado was committed by a student after failing his qualifying exam (in neuroscience). It is under debate about whether he is insane (schizophrenia that was induced by the stress of failing) or faking it. After failing, he immediately dropped out. Then he went on to kill 12 and injure 58. 

Let's face it, my program isn't easy-- especially since they implemented a new curriculum which I affectionately referred to as "Psycho Class." I learned a crap-load in a very short period of time. I can credit my program for that. What I don't like is when people (like my Japan adviser) credit my program (or my program tries to take credit for) with my ability to think. I came with that trait built-in.


I just took my final qualifying/comprehensive exam. In my nervous moments (which were thankfully not often), I hoped to pass so I wouldn't have to have the "what will I do with my life now?" moments. While I would not want to exact harm on others, this stranger's murderous rampage having taken place after failing a qualifying exam in an area of my research-interest, hit home.

I meet a lot of international students here who are looking at international PhD programs. They tend to not consider the US because they make it difficult to get in (exams) and the programs are long and difficult. It was interesting to hear.

Bowling, the universal language

I had the opportunity to go bowling with folks from the Environmental Studies building. We occupied 6 lanes, with 4 people in each lane. The lanes were assigned randomly by drawing letters/numbers from a bag. Communication is limited, but the folks there were pretty good with English. I believe everyone was a student.

People kept saying "ooshi" while bowling. I learned a new word today :-) ooshi means "close/ close call." That is definitely something expressed a lot in English when bowling also. Despite my limited Japanese vocabulary, it is pretty easy to tell what people are saying (to me or each other) when bowling b/c the ideas/feelings are pretty universal. The exaggerated body language, that is typical of bowling, also helps. 

I had a pretty good first game, an okay second game (score decreased by 10pts), and a not-so-awesome third game (score decreased by another 40 points). My arm is tired :-) but my heart is full.

Near the end of the evening, I spotted a triad of giant bowling pins with holes in them. I went to check them out and found them to be costumes! :-) I'm also a big fan of the Hello Kitty bowling ball... and the fact that it was 11 lbs...

Festivals and kimonos

On Friday night I was at a local bar with the international crowd (the same bar where evil centipedes attack). B' invited me to join them for fireworks the next evening. Then N' said she was going to meet up with B' before the event to help her put on her kimono. I thought N' was also going to be in attendance; unfortunately, she had to work. She did, however, offer to lend me one of her kimonos. So that is how I came to have a fabulously-unexpected N' night. 

Getting dressed for the evening. N' helping me into her yukata

In summer, most major cities in Japan have fireworks every weekend. This past weekend was the largest in N': with 30,000 fireworks over 50 minutes. The fireworks alone would have been great. 

Heart-shaped fireworks = love for N'

The fireworks were not the only special activity of the evening. 45minutes before the start of the fireworks, a parade began with floats from all of the sub-divisions of N. After the parade, women entered the field performing Japanese folk dances, wearing kimonos and holding a round uchiwa fan. The traditional Japanese folk dancing was both beautiful and fun. Their movements reminded me of Hawiian hula dancing. 

Folk dancing

Dancing along

Then the fireworks began. The combination of fireworks, music, and a field of dancing was almost overwhelmingly-perfect in creating a festive atmosphere. 

Just chillin' with some samurai 

My whole evening took place in a yukata. A yukata is a summer kimono. Instead of silk, they are made from cotton(?) and very airy. They are also much more affordable. I am considering purchasing a yukata. Aside from one Halloween, it is difficult to find a time to wear a kimono in the US (outside of San Francisco). I found a Japanese festival scheduled for September in A-T-L. There are so many great activities at the festival, I really hope to attend! Company welcome* 

Sumo sumo sumo

I had the pleasure of attending a sumo wrestling tournament. The tickets were "sold out" but there were many empty seats. The morning was practice sessions for amateur wrestlers. The afternoon was for official tournament fights.

["According to Japanese legend the very origin of the Japanese race depended on the outcome of a sumo match." Sumo dates back 1500 years as a sport. In the Nara Period, the grand sumo tournament was a ceremonial banquet to celebrate peace on Earth and bountiful harvests. The early wrestling techniques combined elements of both boxing and wrestling, with few/no holds barred.]
-Sumo pamphlet

The sumo ring is called the dohyo, the name derived from the straw rice bags that demarcate the different ring areas. The raised ring is made of clay and covered with sand. A match is won by pushing your opponent out of the ring, or if your any part of your opponent touches the ground first (including a fingertip or the topknot of hair). There are no weight divisions.

The tournament lasts 15 days, with each contender fighting one match/day. The winner is determined by the rikishi that has the best records of wins vs losses. The winner is awarded the Emperor's Cup. The cup is given by the governor of the region the tournament takes place in. Women are not permitted to enter the ring so in the case of a female governor, another must conduct the ritual.

The top wrestler is awarded the position of yokozuna. To earn this rank, someone must win two consecutive tournaments, while already in the position of ozeki (the position directly-below yokozuna). Once you become a yokozuna, you cannot loose your position but when you stop excelling, you are expected to retire, for the good of the sport. Currently, there is only one yokozuna, placing a lot of weight on his shoulders.

The tournament begins with a ring-entering ceremony. The wrestlers enter the ring in inverse-order of their rankings. They wear decorative kesho-mawashi (ceremonial aprons), made of silk. The yokozuna does not participate in this ceremony.

After the others leave the ring, the yokozuna enters, wearing a massive braided rope (weighing ~30lbs). During the doho-iri ceremony, he clap his hands together to attract the attention of the gods, then extend his arms to the sides and turn palms upward to show he is concealing no weapons. Then he lifts his leg high in the air and stamps it down, to drive out evil from the dohyo. 

Yokozuna Hakuho

Between fights, a man sings (I do not know what). The fights are officiated by the tategyoji: a man in extravagant robes. You can identify their ranking (as an official) by the color of their tassel and if they were wearing socks and sandals (a sign for the highest ranking). He announces the names of the contestants between rounds; each wrestler chooses a poetic name. Many have references to mountains, rivers, or the sea. If there was a uncertainty in the results, five other judges (in black) would discuss the fight, independent of the head-official. 

Before fighting, the wrestlers perform several ceremonies. They rinse their mouth with water to cleans mind and body; they wipe their bodies with a paper towel; and they raid their arms to the sides and stamp their feet. They also throw salt into the ring: to purify it and ward off injuries. Only sumo wrestlers of a certain rank are permitted to throw salt.  Wrestlers squat with their knuckles on the ground, glaring at each other and then return to their corners to grab more salt to throw (repeat process over and over to intimidate for the full 4 minutes allowed). The yokozuna was the only man who meditated in his corner. The rest of them slapped their butt, thighs, chest, face in what I believe both prepares them for physical contact, as well as hopes to intimidate their opponent and pump up the crowd. You could tell who was going to win the match based on how crazy he was. The guys who slapped their own face tended to go out with animalistic intensity, and did leave victorious.

Sumo wrestlers are naked, except for a silk loincloth called the mawashi. Many tactics revolve around maneuvering the opponent by their mawashi. 

One of my favorites because it shows how the little guy can win against a giant sumo wrestler. 

I paid a lot more attention to the boutes than the folks with whom I was watching sumo wrestling. I kept track of which match it was and looked at their statistics to see how even the competition was/ who was the favorite. Sometimes it was a case of someone who is 6-0 and another who is 1-5. People would shout the name of the favorite. Everybody has to begin somewhere and I wanted the underdog to feel good also so sometimes I would shout the name of the other contender. He never won. 


I had so much fun at the sumo tournament. It shocks me how few natives have attended the tournament live. I'm hoping to have more of these Japan-specific experiences. 

Miming scissors

I just got my bangs cut tonight. It involved a combination of my broken Japanese, their broken English, and lots and lots of miming. He said it cost 1015yen; that would convert to $13. This is way more than anybody would ever change in the US for a two minute service. Even considering that things cost more in Japan, I have to think this is pretty steep. I have no way to know if that is what they normally charge but I was already there, in desperate need, and not sure about my other options.

The two gentlemen there were very nice and the one who cut my hair did a good job. It couldn't have been easy considering my hair was simultaneously sticky and frizzy having walked and biked in the storm. I can see again! Yatta!

International adventures with family

My brother officially bought his plane ticket to visit me in Japan! YAY! So excited!
<3 my brother <3

He will arrive August 21st and leave August 30th. Now to plan out what adventures we will have!
I am the type of person who likes to try random weird things and he is not, at all. So we will have to compromise on the activities. This will be our first vacation together. 

As I was shopping in the grocery store, I found a snack that even I am a bit creeped out by (at least by the picture of what is inside). This snack was next to a bag of candied whole fish (with eyes removed). Food here is crazy. It made me realize how different my vacation experience would be if my father was to come.

Note the actual cracker/filling in the upper-left corner

My bro's ticket only cost $1048! What a great deal!
Any other rich folk want to take advantage of some free lodging, feel free to visit Japan before August 21st O:-) Bring your whole family if you want. I have 30ft^2 of open space. Long shot, I know....

My home away from home

I live in a 16m^2 apartment. If that is hard to imagine in metric units, the conversion is 172ft^2. To get a better idea, think of the size of a 13ft x 13ft room. This room would include your bedroom, living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom. Initially, the place felt really cramped and unorganized. The bed was on the left wall, jutting out into the room, with the bookshelf between the bed and the back wall (on which the sliding balcony doors are). The desk was on the back wall directly in front of where you enter the apartment, to the right of the sliding glass balcony doors. The dining room table, fridge, microwave, rice maker, and water heater, were all on the right wall. I never took a picture of the apartment because I could never get it to look neat enough. I hated having to walk around my bed over getting ready in the morning: the bookshelf serves as a shelf for my food, preening equipment, papers/books, socks, and underwear. About two weeks ago, I moved the furniture around and immediately felt so much better. Now the bed is the only thing on the right wall/back wall to the right of the doors. Everything else is pretty much on the left wall. The room feels so much larger now and the traffic flow is much better. The only problem is that the air conditioner drips water only my bed now.

The bathroom is possibly the tiniest full bathroom ever. The toilet is set at an angle so that you can squeeze past it, the bathtub indents in the middle so you can stand in front of the little mirror, and the tub is as wide as the little sink. Conveniently, the ceiling in the shower comes down to 5'5" for 75% of the width so I have to keep my head in the narrow space between the ceiling and the shower curtain; I pretty much have my face in the curtain. Thankfully, I have yet to hit my head on the corner of the ceiling, though it does tend to get shampoo on it from the occasional brush-by. Yes, the shower head is detachable but I generally just end up bending my knees and leaning to get under it because there is not enough room to lift my arms to hold the shower head. Plus side: I take super short showers here :-) I had a guest stay at my apartment to watch Sumo wrestling, she never returned from the bathroom without commenting on how tiny it was and how it was an adventure to try and use. She also ragged on my rock hard bean pillow. 

I have a washing machine, which is great. Unfortunately, I do not have a dryer. Sometimes I need to wash my clothes twice because when it rains for three days, they do not dry quickly enough and end up smelling like a locker room (which is much worse than when they were in the hamper as "dirty" the first time). 

I have a kitchen :-) It has a sink and a stovetop burner. I miss having an oven... sooo much. So many of my typical meals are cooked in an oven. I do have a microwave though. I think I have used the microwave once.

The international housing apartment is maybe 2km from lab? I'm not sure but it takes about 20 min to walk there, 10 min to bike there (up hill), or 5 min to bike home (due to traffic lights). Side note* everyone abides by the pedestrian laws: not crossing if it says not to cross, even if it is a minor side street and nobody is around. I am not a huge fan of arriving at work wet from either rain or sweat but I do enjoy how the exercise it built into my daily-routine. 

My biggest complaint about the accommodations is the quality. The floor boards are pealing. You are not allowed to wear shoes inside homes in Japan but my floor splinters constantly. I cannot move without my socks catching on the floor and I don't dare go barefoot. I have slippers and some very cliche house shoes I wear at home. In addition, the mold is very visible on the walls. In the most OCD moment of my life, I vacuumed the walls. You shouldn't be able to hear clicking sounds from products being removed from the walls. Still, I was unable to remove the mold. Side note* I'm not actually OCD, I just hate feeling sick from mold allergies. Even all of these things wouldn't be bad for a temporary residence in such a fun country... until I found out my unit is basically the most expensive possible international housing option. I have seen the other places; they are closer and/or nicer and all less expensive (some 75% less/mo). I think it is completely unacceptable to rent out university units in this condition. 

So there ya go. If I didn't own so much stuff, I would consider moving into a ~550ft^2 studio in G-A; it would feel like a palace after this.  

Working hard or... working hard

Japanese work long, long hours!

It is 11:15pm in lab right now. I will be here for another 4hours (maybe more?). I love that there are several others folks here still. I doubt there will still be someone here when I finish, but I bet there will be a postdoc here at 1am still. As I am in this foreign country, in this foreign lab to work, I like that the folks in my lab work a lot also.

I would love to be home by now, especially b/c I have a lot to do tomorrow and would like to begin it before noon, but I didn't feel the need to be home before 10pm. What would I be returning to? A small, crap-hole of an apartment. No, things in Japan are not pristine. That is a fallacy. Things here are old, run-down, and moldy.

It has gotten me thinking...
I wanted to live in a nice place next year, one I could live in for 3 years continuously and make a real, home of it. But now, I am thinking about getting a small, crappy apartment, or living with 5 other people. Something so that I would prefer to spend time outside of my home... like I do here. Unfortunately, I go crazy sitting in the tiny closet that is my office back in the A-T-L and the lab would be empty. Okay, so maybe a tiny crap-hole is not an option. I don't even think my belongings could fit into a studio apt. Mostly I just want to live closer to campus and spend less on rent. It works well for here though. 

Welp... two folks just left so the office is empty. I think there are still some (2?) folks in the lab still. I'm probably not going to get home until 4am. Stupid cells, grow faster.

EDIT*

The last person to leave departed around 2am. Still, there WAS someone in lab when I left... someone had come in for the next day at 4:30am :-o I did not see them but I knew someone was there b/c the elevator was back on the 4th floor, instead of the basement, and our lab is  basically the only one on that floor. I looked around in the office to see if anybody was inside, before locking the door. I found one person... sleeping on a small mattress in the back office (behind a occupied, do not disturb screen). I only saw their feet so I am not sure who it is. I know they were not there all night because the keys for a lab bike were hanging on a peg and none were there at 4am when I had gone down to the basement lab. Good to know there is a mattress in the office... not sure how it works and not sure if I want to ask about it...

I despite my long hours there, I was still able to ride my bike home in the light... of sunrise :-o

Break from fun for a week

"Promise me you'll always remember...
you're BRAVER than you believe,
and STRONGER than you seem,
and SMARTER than you think"
--Christopher Robin to Pooh


No new adventures this weekend. I admit to chickening out about getting on a train or bus to another city by myself and not know what would happen there. I do regret wasting a weekend sitting inside, editing/working and watching old Heroes episodes. But I will forgive myself this decision. I had enough to worry about with work deadlines and too many other uncertainties. I am really at the brink of (or past) one deadline already (not know the deadline is not conducive to calm) and found out I only have 1 month to finish everything here (my supervisors are going to be leaving the country for vacation several weeks early). This laziness was my kindness to myself. I hope to wrap up some work things by Tuesday so I can return to enjoying Japan as an adventure. My capacity for whelming has its limits.

AHH! Stress can exist on work vacation

Too much to do simultaneously. Too much stupid stuff for too many hours that I don't want to do, getting in the way of the things I need to do. Too many unknowns.

I have a lot of work I have to finish before Saturday morning and I have to attend a stupid meeting all afternoon. There was something I wanted* to attend at 8:30pm. Tomorrow, I am going to attempt to take a train to another city in Japan, by myself. And then stick my suitcase, hopefully, in a locker at the train station? I don't have a backpack. The shoulder bag I had is ripping from all of the weight of my computer so I cannot use it. I am suppose to meet people in Kyoto, who will be coming from the very southern tip of Japan but I don't want to depend on them to not change their plans. We are suppose to get a hotel Saturday night. But if they don't make it, I cannot afford a place by myself. It is so difficult to get around and I fear getting lost.

I'm stressed today :-(
A postdoc told me not to worry about the two presentations I have to give in lab. That they are good for practicing communicating what is important, how presenting is important, etc. I had to work hard to let him keep talking for 30min about it b/c I am NOT worried about those two presentations, I am annoyed that I have to do them when they get in the way of working, also, his speech about not stressing was getting in the way of the stuff I have to finish by the meeting which will take up the remainder of my day. I don't have an endless amount of time here! :-I Now I only have 40min before stupid lab meeting. Three hour meetings where people speak slowly and in hushed tones is torture for trying to stay awake.

I think the professor intentionally schedules lab meetings for Friday afternoon/evening and Monday morning so that people cannot go on any extended trips. I will never get to go more than a few towns over for the weekends during me work time :-(

BLAH.

Material items I miss, a running tally

Chips- I was thinking how much I missed potato chips of any sort, especially Doritos. Coincidentally, a coworker brought "potato chips" to work yesterday, for everyone to share. I was excited... until I bit into one. This "chip" was LEMON flavored. Sigh* It wasn't bad, it just wasn't a chip as I think of them.

Cereal- I like cereal variety and there are only two kinds I have found in multiple grocery stores. Cereal really is a good source of iron for me. When I don't eat it, I do not get enough iron in my diet and end up exhausted.

Pizza 


Pillows stuffed with cotton/foam/fathers- My pillow is filled with large beans. I went to buy a pillow and found soft pillows, covered with pockets filled with beans. What is with these people and minimalistic, hard surfaces? I did find what I would think of as a normal pillow but it was ~9000yen and that is too much for 2.5months.

Ballroom dancing, an international language

On Saturday, I attempted to find the ballroom dancing club. I knew they were meeting in the Engineering Building 7A (symbol, symbol, symbol 7A). I had a map of that region of the campus (in Japanese) as well as one with a few buildings in English (thank, freaking, heaven). It took me 10min to orient the map initially... then another 20min to find my building, which was only a few blocks away. My adventures consisted of comparing the curves of streets (b/c there are no street names), comparing the shapes of buildings and where they compared to the combinations of street intersections, as well as a few signs on the buildings (in Japanese). I knew I was on the right track when I finally found Grad School of Engineering, Building 1, then I found Bldg 3 so I could compare the two on the map and find the street 7A was on. I'm pretty sure I said "YAY!" out loud. I did successfully find building 7A (despite there being no sign anywhere on the building) but it was closed and under construction. It turns out they were meeting on a different university campus on Saturday! I wish they had put that information on the calendar (or anywhere!) on their website.

Yesterday, I attended the ballroom dancing club meeting at my university. Two of my coworkers walked me to the meeting and then proceeded to stay and watch... the entire thing. As it has been two years since I moved away from my AZ ballroom dancing community, I certainly felt a little physically-awkward but I had not forgotten the steps. I was so intensely-involved before that it would probably take more than a decade for me to forget the basics.

The practice was very interesting to see. The women were on one side of the room and the men on the other. And they (we) practiced the basics over and over and over. They (we) also practiced their "basic" combination of steps over and over and over for waltz and quickstep. Still all without a partner. Then we moved on to latin where we practiced the basic steps for rhumba, cha-cha, and samba. This is not dissimilar to what we would do in AZ; yet, it somehow felt different: more military-like. Between each dance, the leader (student) would call out something and then they would all shout "hai" (yes/agreement) and then change to the new task. A very kind woman (pictured in teal top and black skirt) helped explain things to me throughout the process. With her broken English, my broken Japanese, and my notepad for writing, we were able to get through the class well. She was very complementary and said she wanted to dance with me again. It was nice to know my cluelessness was not unwelcome. It was also nice to hear that I had done very well, but I would have been happy to return to improve, even if I had sucked completely. They are so precise and I learned a lot of international standard and latin technique details since they obviously are not going to dance "American style."

"For the special occasion of [my] company" (and that of my coworkers who were STILL there watching), they performed for us. I felt super-uncomfortable having them change their routine on my/our account but it was totally worth it! One couple danced a waltz. It was really spectacular. Then another couple performed a cha-cha. When the couples walked out onto the floor, their choice of apparel for the day, as well as their mannerisms/attitude embodied the dance and showed me that they definitely specialize in the style they performed. When the sassy cha-cha couple came out, I couldn't help but feel like M'Bunny was performing for me, in little Asian woman form. When I watch a good dance, I get goosebumps and/or tear up a bit. I had to take some calming breaths. It was also partial agony to watch but not be dancing myself. I miss experiencing a really great dance.

I really enjoyed my time during the dance club meeting and was very happy to be able to return for more. It was also an intense workout and I'm always happy to get in semi-hidden exercise. UNFORTUNATELY, this was their last official practice because their summer entrance exams are coming up. The room is available  M-F 4:30pm-7:30pm for practicing but I'm not sure what I would practice without others there. I will probably continue to go on Wednesday evenings.

The American Scientist

My boss told me I am not like Japanese students :-p
He said it is a good thing: that I am independent-minded, have a clear vision of what I want to do, and understand the most important scientific questions.
He said it is probably an American quality :-p

He then went on to talk about all the good ideas I have and my understanding of their goals. That he wants to talk more about the research. It was kind of like: I think we can learn a lot from each other.

I talk a lot in the US, even for the United States. I also talk a lot here. I have been secretly afraid that I am being toooo "American" and should just sit there and keep quiet, without question. I wanted to reassure him I am here to do it their way and learn from them because they are the experts. I was disappointed that they changed the course of action because I was almost done but I trust they know how to get the optimal and quickest result, in the end.

I love my lab here. My adviser, the assistant professors, the postdocs, and the students are all great. I do wish they spoke better English and/or I spoke better Japanese but I think this obstacle adds to my experience.

I am proud to have an independent mind. I am proud of my skills. I am proud to be an American ;-)

Recipes for microwaves!

I found a mochi recipe that neither involved a mortar and pestle nor an oven. :-)
I found a recipe that utilizes a microwave! AND it has ice cream in it.

I'm off to buy the ingredients for it now... if I can figure out where they are in the grocery store and identify them!

http://www.ehow.com/how_2041584_mochi-ice-cream.html

Oh wait, I don't have an air-tight container... yet.