Category: Random

I don’t really know about the title of this blog except that it is all about random things.  Here it goes!  :

I walked out of the Center on my way to buy paint at Daiso (100 Yen shop/Dollar store), turned the corner to walk to the intersection and was run over by a bicycle.  After he began apologizing in Japanese and I apologized in English, we both established that the other one was ok, and we went on our ways.

I wanted to buy batteries, but DeoDeo (electronics store) is being remodeled, so I had to settle for just getting paint today.  It was ok

I walked into Daiso and was looking around.  I saw a transvestite…the first transsexual person I’ve seen in Japan since I’ve been here.  We have a lot of metrosexual guys, but they are firmly hetero…but this was obviously and trans.  He wore a skirt, had dark, thick eyeliner on, and man legs…he also made a loud clodding noise as he walked around the store.  I could tell when he was coming near my aisle.

Katakana is a great thing.  It “Japanese-izes” just about any English word.  “Cup” becomes “ka-pu”…and so forth.  Once I learn how to read it, I will be set. 

I now have a Japanese dad.  It is Yoshio-san at Quixote restaurant.  He gave me 9 tickets for the Wind Ensemble Concert in June, on Father’s Day.  That will be fun. 

I got off the train at Ayaragi and several men in construction worker uniforms were holding banners and handing out leaflets. I thought maybe it would be my first encounter with striking in Japan.  Alas, they were pamphlets detailing with pictures and bright colored words which side of the street bicycles should be ridden on…also, that you should not ride a bicycle under the influence, tandem, or side by side talking with someone else.  After my first encounter with a bicycle today, I’m pretty glad they are handing out the flyers en masse.

I was practicing with Noriko-san the music for Sunday, b/c I’m supposed to sing on the Praise Team with Eri (in Japanese, mind you).  So, I’ve been going over the words and such…and Noriko stopped by the Center to practice the piano, so I thought I’d run through with her, confident that she would help me through any problems I was having.  We got through the first song alright, and the second one, until Noriko started laughing so hard that she couldn’t play anymore.  The Japanese characters had been written out in the Romaji (english letters) so that I could quickly get the sounds, and she told me to say a certain word as “shu”, which means Lord.  But I couldn’t find “shu” on my page, only “syu”.  So, I kept singing and saying “syu” and she started laughing again.  Turns out that I was saying “vinegar” instead of “Lord.”  Thankfully she corrected me, so I should be safe Sunday morning, but everyone is getting a good laugh out of it.

Oh, there’s a burger place by Sea Mall called “Lotteria.”  If that wasn’t weird enough, they sell “straight burgers”…as opposed to crooked ones?  eh?

Also, they play American country music outside of the KFC…just saying…that’s weird…country music in Japan??  Well…country music at all?  hmmm…it follows me everywhere…

Oh, and the Mister Donut sells…yes, doughnuts…but also Chinese noodles, soup, and dumplings.  It’s a great world we’re living in.

Today, I went with Taka, after my classes, to see about getting a cell phone.  It’s the only thing that is keeping me from reeeeeally exploring my surroundings…the fear that I will get lost and will never be able to find my way back…unless I have a cell phone…then, I don’t know what I’ll do…maybe call someone who can help me and then have them talk to someone on the street who can tell them where I am.  Anywho, we went to the Softbank store to get the info about the phone, and much to my amazement, I see two very familiar faces on the wall, smiling and holding phones.  They are Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt.  Yes, endorsing a Japanese cell phone company.  You can imagine my surprise to see two, American actors, holding cell phones to their ears like they actually use Softbank.  I expressed my concern about the legitimacy of the company, to use American actors, who couldn’t possibly be serviced by the Japanese company, to endorse their phones.  He said, well, they are well known and were paid a lot of money.

This led me to wonder…do all the movie stars who “use” certain products in the States actually use those products?!  If American actors can really go overseas and pose for advertisements of foreign products and services that they have no access to in their own homes…what about the national products and advertisements?!  It threw open a part of my mind that had never been exposed, and now it is cold and harsh with the forces of nature…that actors would lie about actually using products just to make a profit.  Is Michael Jordan really a Hanes guy?  Does Cindy Crawford really drink Pepsi?  Or is she a Coke babe?  What about Queen Latifah…what if she isn’t a CoverGirl?

   My week has been so uneventful/eventful that I forgot to update since (I think) Monday!  So sorry!  My last blog was about the sad situation in China following the 7.9 earthquake.  I cannot even fathom the number 50,000+ believed to be dead.  That number does not compute in my mind to something tangible.  I hope you continue to keep the residents of Sichuan Province in your prayers…also the many Chinese tourists visiting the area, and tourists from foreign countries.  The Sichuan area is so beautiful and attracts much tourism for China and the towns and cities. 

   I had a brand new class Tuesday morning.  It’s not new to the program, but new to me, because the women had said they would be busy until May…so it was delayed.  So they are a bunch of 5 women, all housewives, and very wealthy.  I guess they all intimidate the other teachers, even Taka, but they are really nice, and we got along great.  I led the Bible Time, and the English is minimal, but it still went really well.  Our story was on The Calling of Samuel.  I’ve always loved that story, and they thought it was funny…how Eli kept telling Samuel to go back to bed and basically leave him alone, until he realized it was God calling the kid.  They personalized it and said they’d probably tell their kids the same thing, and thenlock the door after them.  Pray for more openness with these women.  PS.  One of them is in the Shimonoseki Orchestra, so I’m going to see about maybe joining up with them.  It would be great.  I don’t know what night they practice on, so that will be the only thing to stop me.

   I went to Quixote today for lunch.  It was only Yoshio and Satsuki, which is fine.  They are great to chat with.  They try their hardest to communicate without knowing much English, and I try the same with Japanese.  The environment is not really conducive to fine dining, though.  I’ve realized even more that I’m sure there are mice in the walls, and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen insects scamper across the floor.  But I just choke the thoughts back and think about loving these people and them coming to know Christ.  Yoshio also smokes in the kitchen, but he is pretty discreet about it…it doesn’t bother me somehow.  Satsuki was going on and on about how wonderful I sounded on Sunday.  Samantha had given her testimony as well, and Satsuki said she did such a great job, and she had tears coming down her cheeks.  I was so touched by that.  I just feel like these two people are open and generous.  They are both 56 (?) and basically grew up together.  I don’t know if their spouses are still alive, but they are dear friends with each other, working together, and sharing in each others’ lives.  Satsuki said that I am a dear friend, and they are so glad that I come to see them.  I asked about Shirayama and she said she was fine, and I had missed her by one day.  It’s been a few weeks since I had seen her, but I’m still going to go to the concert.  I think I’ll take her a rose…if I can find one.  They also help me with practicing my Japanese.  We’ll go through some convo and they will correct me and give me some new vocab, and then oo and aw as I repeat it.  Satsuki asked if I can speak Japanese, and I said, just a little (choto, choto).  She said that my choto Japanese is the best.  🙂  They are so sweet.  I would love to be able to introduce them to you in heaven when we all get there…pray for them that more would be awakened in them besides just being “dear friends.”

  Also, my uncle Tom is doing worse.  The tumor is pressing against his spine and making it hard to control his pain.  They don’t expect him to last much longer.  My uncle Tim, Aunts Kathy and Connie, and my grandparents are down there pretty much making their last visit.  Please pray that the pain can be controlled enough so that Uncle Tom can go home.  He doesn’t want to go in the hospital.  Oh, and his granddaughter, Carleigh, turned 2 a couple days ago.  bittersweet.  Thanks for your prayers, they are much appreciated.

I don’t really have anything to say on my own account tonight.  I found a ladder leading up to the roof on the side of the building from our back patio.  So, I decided to climb up it to our roof.  It was great…here are some pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2821846&l=c881b&id=500635206

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2821847&l=48fc4&id=500635206

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Enjoy those.  Also, Taka, Samantha and I had dinner at Quixote restaurant.  Yoshio was very glad to see us.

I came home to find news of an earthquake in the southwest of China.  It was pretty massive, in case you haven’t heard.  I know some folks from that area, so I feel connected to it, also, I had worked just south of there when I was there a few years back.  The biggest thing that I can see prayer for are the 900-some middle school students who have been buried under their three-story school building.  Pray for their safety and recovery.  I’m just so sad about this.  China will always be dear in my heart…I’m thankful that it happened further away from the Three Gorges Dam, as if that had been damaged so many more would be in danger from flooding.  Also, with the Olympics coming up in Beijing, they will not likely withhold details of this disaster for fear of criticism, but also in hopes of encouraging sympathy.  Keep these people in your prayers.  Many are not likely Christians.  I don’t even know what else to say. 

I forgot to mention another interesting point I learned from my visit to Quixote this past Thursday.  I think I spoke about Tanabe-san, the gentleman at the restaurant helping in translating and cross-lingual communications.  I found out that he was a teacher.  I asked him where, and he said that he used to teach everything…but now he was “too tired.”  I figured out that “too tired” meant “retired” and chuckled and continued the conversation.

  One thing that’s common with the Japanese is that they only know a few adjectives in English, and so they’ll use those adjectives until they’re run into the ground.  Tanabe-san kept saying, “I’m not boring, I’m [kakashite] exciting!”  I asked him why he was exciting, and he said, “It’s [mutsukashi] difficult to live in Japan.  It’s hard to live in Japan, so I used to be in the Japanese [insert Japanese word that I can’t remember].  In America, you call it the mafia!”

  I started laughing…I couldn’t help myself…this man looked like such a gentle grandpa-like man…I laughed in disbelief…and when I checked the faces of the restaurant owners for verification…I couldn’t decide if he was joking with me or if he was, in fact, telling the truth.  I told him my family’s history, and he seemed amused by that as well.  Then the conversation turned to something else and all was well. 

  Tomorrow is Mother’s Day…so Happy Mother’s Day all you mothers!  I am playing my violin for the service with the praise team, and I’m pretty excited about that.  I ask that you pray that the Quixote restaurant owners would come to hear me!  Then, they could hear the Gospel too!  I also found out that there is a Shimonoseki Orchestra.  Apparently one of the previous missionaries played with them, and David Crane (one of the other Pioneer missionaries) didn’t seem to think it would be hard for me to get in either.  They only practice once a week…maybe…and they perform just once a year in the fall.  So, I might, might, might be able to play with a city orchestra in JAPAN!  Hah.  It’s so funny…I’ve always thought that Japan was so much more advanced in string playing, but it doesn’t seem to be…at least in the general population…unless it’s just Shimonoseki’s style.  Who knows!  That’s it for today…not much, but have a great Sunday!!

So, last Thursday was my day of infamy…where I felt harrassed at every corner by people who didn’t care that I couldn’t speak Japanese, but ended with a nice punctuation mark of bats in the moonlight, darting around catching mosquitoes. 

  This Thursday was quite different.  I talked with my eldest sister through Skype and checked in on my uncle Tom…things are completely out of the hands of the doctors…there is nothing at all they can do except make him comfortable…only God could change the course of this tide.  I managed to get all my lesson plans done for the rest of the week by 1:30ish.  I then stepped out to drop some postcards off at the post office.  I was already planning on having a late lunch at Brasserie Quixote, but the co-owner, Satsuki-san, had stepped out to take care of the potted pansies by the door, so I stopped to say hello to her.  She tried to rush me inside right away, but I showed her my postcards and motioned that I would come back. 

  They were waiting for me when I got back.  It was kind of funny.  Almost like they were staring intently at the door until I came through, and they all did a sort of cheer when I said hello!  I sat at the bar this time, and ordered my favorite of omuraiss.  People may laugh that I order the same thing…but I usually only go there once a week, and I know that I like the omuraiss…so why change?  🙂  I’m a creature of habit..especially when I can’t read what else is on the menu. 

  I’m so glad that God set up this place for me to have a ministry.  I really enjoy conversing with the people, and now that I’m learning some more Japanese, I can practice it with them, and get to know them more.  They correct me when I need it, and help me out…kind of an even trade as I share English with them that they don’t know.  It’s pretty much a hangout for people involved in the wind ensemble.  I found out the concert next month is just a pick-up concert…which I didn’t understand…but it’s just two solo instruments with the piano…the clarinet (my friend from my first visit, Shiroyama) and the flute.  Yashio-san (the conductor/restaurant owner) showed me the music and it looks really beautiful, so I’m very excited about it.  The clarinet piece is by Schumann and the flute piece is by Donjon, who I’ve never heard of, I’ll have to wiki him.

  I mentioned that I’m playing my violin at church this Sunday.  Yashio-san misunderstood me and thought I was asking if the restaurant was open on Sundays.  He abruptly said “Clooooosed” with a big grin.  I grinned back and said that I was playing my violin on Sunday for Mother’s Day.  I had to explain Mother’s Day, and then where exactly I was playing.  I had a brochure for the English ministry, which has a map for both sites, so I pointed to Kawanaka and he studied it, really curious about the kyookai (church).  I told him he could keep it, and another man there, Tanabe-san, asked for one as well.  I kind of left the topic at that, not wanting to put them in an awkward position by inviting them to hear me if they didn’t want to come.  But Yashio-san asked what time I would be playing.  So I told him it was at 10a, and then we both kind of trailed off to other topics.  I told Taka about it, and he seemed to think that was encouraging that he might actually come to hear me play!  And with that, Taka is preaching that morning, so maybe he (and anyone he might bring with him) will hear the Gospel!  Please please PLEASE pray that he might come and hear…it would be amazing to me if it actually happened! 

  Another great point…I was relaying the story to Taka and Samantha, and I was afraid I was pronouncing Shiroyama’s name wrong.  So I corrected myself and said, Shiriyama.  Taka started up and asked me what her name was again.  I repeated, Shiriyama…and said, “It means ‘White Mountain’.”  Taka started laughing really hard and corrected me that it is really Shiroyama and to never make that mistake again.  Turns out the Shiri means “butt” and I was actually calling her the misfortunate name of “Butt Mountain.”  I’m soooooo glad I made that mistake in front of a teammate and not another Japanese person, or worse! one of the ensembles members and Shiroyama.  So crazy how one letter difference changes the whole meaning! 

So, right across the Kanmon Strait, on the other island of Kyushu, in the prefecture of Kitakyushu, you will find Moji.  Moji is a port city, and it seems to have been one of the first places really modernized in Japan.  It became the hub for trends and international products for Japan in the 1920’s.  This makes it particularly enjoyable for shopping and walking and whatnot in present day.  One part has been designated at Mojiko, and it has the oldest train station building in all of Japan.  It is really neat.  Since it’s Japan, naturally the structures have the pointed and elaborate style of Japanese buildings…but with the foreign influence, especially that of the Dutch, a lot of the buildings reflect the slated decorations of Holland buildings.  It is a really neat area to go explore and to walk around.  The ocean is on one side, and then mountains form the backdrop for the other. 

Yesterday, we went to the museum that Eri used to work at.  It’s a historical museum for Shimonoseki/Moji area, focusing on the developments in that region, some of the folklore and whatnot, and the major battles that occurred.  I couldn’t take any pictures, but the exhibits were so elaborate!  Some were made of paper, some clay, some fabric, wood, etc…they were artistic renderings of the historical people and events of Shimonoseki.  I learned that as a legend, the strait was blocked by a small mountain, with only a little hole in the middle to allow passage of small ships.  One day, the empress and her fleet was going through the strait to meet the enemy on the other side.  In the night, the mountain was mysteriously taken away, and the strait was opened up for the fleet to pass, allowing for the empress’ victory.  The remains of the mountain moved from their place and formed the island of Hikoshima (the place I walk to frequently).  It was an interesting story, myth, of course…but very neat.  The part of the strait that had been blocked is actually where the great Shimonoseki Bridge spans across between the islands.

It was a really nice time yesterday because Samantha is done with her schoolwork for the year, and so is a little less stressed out.  Also, Eri and her sister Ayako are Christians, and that makes for a very nice time of fellowship.  They both speak English very, very, very well.  Ayako is 24 (I think) and lives and works in Fukuoka, so she’s not up here often, but she came up for Golden Week and we got to hang out.  Eri is 19 and is quickly becoming a good friend for me.  I have a link to the pictures I took below, so feel free to check them out!  Oh, I’m particularly pleased with one photo that I took of a little performance monkey. Oh, and we saw the same trick artist performing on the boardwalk.  It was funny…he yelled at me for having my hands clasped (to support me as I was sitting kind of funny) while he wanted everyone to clap, or be prepared to clap.  Very fun time!  Everyone have a great week!  And thanks for your prayers with my uncle.  I really appreciate them.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=109608&l=93f41&id=500635206

I wanted to ask for prayer from you this morning/evening.  My dad is in Alabama right now visiting with my Uncle Tom who has been fighting a severe form of cancer for the last several months.  He has been back in the hospital for a few days and is not doing well at all.  He is so weak and things do not look good.  There are three new tumors that have sort of converged on each other, forming a massive growth all along his waist, clear from his back and across his stomach.  They are so large that it makes him look about four months pregnant.  The doctors have just declared that it is inoperable, but they haven’t given any timeframe.  They have him on a high level of morphine, so there are some moments when he’s very lucid (I talked to Dad and he said that he was very jovial with some of the many visitors that he’s been having) but other times he’s slurring his words and in extreme pain.

Please pray for him.  God can still heal him completely…because God is a God of miracles.  I know that God can use my uncle to demonstrate His power to the world.  But if it’s not His will, pray for Tom’s wife, Cindy, and their children, Candi and Jody.  Candy, herself, has some medical problems as she had a stroke maybe two years ago (from a combination of migraine medication and birth control) and she is now pregnant.  She’s under close watch of her doctors, but they say everything looks great for her.  (Candi’s also married to Chad and they have a sweet little girl named Carleigh)

And pray for my family too…this will be the first time someone close to me has passed away.  I know there’s nothing that I could do, but being so far away, I feel even more powerless.  I know that God will comfort me, but it’s sad that I can’t be with my family during this time.  But God knows what He’s doing, and I will focus my heart on the hope and joy of seeing my uncle again in heaven.

Thanks for your prayers. 🙂

Today was a day characterized by failure in communication.  Rather, it was a good day, amidst a few bad conversations.  Let me explain:

On my way to mail a letter that I was extremely happy to mail, I stepped up to the crosswalk, pushed the button for the signal to come up, and then waited alongside the busy street.  The intersection isn’t so much an intersection as much as the busy Yamato Street and a few businesses that needed an outlet on to the street and a place for pedestrians to cross easily.  Therefore, it takes a long time before the signal decides to stop the traffic and let people and bicycles to cross.  As I was waiting, an older woman rode up on her bicycle.  She had a white mask over her face and when she arrived at the intersection, she dismounted and pulled the mask down to her chin.  I said “Konichiwa!” proudly and was answered with another “konichiwa” and a strand of phrases in Japanese that I have no idea what they mean.  I promptly told her, “I don’t understand Japanese” in Japanese, which usually stops any further flow of dialog, especially with older Japanese people.  However, this seemed to only throw fuel on the fire.  As she clutched her bicycle handles, she raised her voice and sent another set of Japanese phrases at me…in the flurry of words, she released her bicycle and began making wild motions at me with her hands.  I had no idea what she was talking about.  So I again said, “wakarimasen…sumimasen (I don’t understand…I’m sorry).” and then looked away from her.  She kept muttering things…even yelled at a woman walking on the other side of the street.  She picked up her speech with me again, and made a motion to push the button.  She thought this whole time that I hadn’t pushed the button and that we were going to stand there for all eternity until someone else walked up and pushed the button for us to cross.  The light changed and I motioned for her to go…which she did and then quickly passed me and I ducked into the post office, much relieved.

The second occurence happened after I disembarked from the train at the Ayaragi station.  There had been a young woman on the train sitting across from me with bright pink and white striped socks that came up to her knees, and thick eyeliner on, coming out from her eyes in a line, true 60’s-70’s style.  I was walking away from the station setting out to walk up to the church when I felt a tap right in the middle of my back.  I turned around and the woman started asking me something in Japanese.  I thought maybe I had left something on the train…but she didn’t have anything…just herself and her rapidly spoken Japanese.  I heard her say, “America” and I answered in the affirmative, hoping it would trigger her using English.  It didn’t, surprisingly, because at her age she would have studied English through most of her time at school…but she seemed like she didn’t know any English.  I told her I was an English teacher, and then we were at an impass.  She kept talking to me, no matter how many times I told her I didn’t understand.  I think I finally got what she was trying to tell me…she pointed at me and said, “Kawai!  kawai!”  which means, cute!  So, either she thought I was cute, or my outfit was cute.  I think I heard her say “German.” But I wasn’t about to open THAT door with my two phrases of, “Sprechensi deutch?” and “Komensin hir mein kin.” and don’t forget gazundheit.  After a while of awkwardness, she said goodbye and went off in the other direction.

The third and last event was again at the Ayaragi station waiting for the train to come for Shimonoseki.  It was running a little late, but they usually are in the evenings.  An elderly woman was sitting down in the station and an older business man had just arrived in a taxi, and I was sitting down as well, just a seat down from the woman.  The man asked the woman something and since they were pointing and looking at the timetable, I assumed it was about the train being late.  Then he turned to me and asked me something in Japanese.  I told him I didn’t understand Japanese…getting tired of using that phrase.  Like the others, it didn’t stop him one bit as he went on and on, earnestly seeking an answer from me to his question that I had no idea what he was asking!  He wore himself out and turned around.  Me, in my goofiness and…possibly…idiocy…pulled out my phrase book and managed to say that the train was late…the woman answered, “choto…choto”  (a little bit, a little bit).  The man revived and started talking to me again in Japanese…I said quickly that I am an English teacher…and he said something which I assumed was him asking me where I taught at.  I told him Shimonoseki Christian Center.  I handed him a flyer and told him to keep it.  He said without hardly any accent in English, “I want to teach me English.”  Heh.  I told him to call the number and get the information…but since we could no longer communicate, I said goodbye and walked out to the platform.

In all of this…the day was still, however, a good one because, walking back from the church to Ayaragi station, I found myself surrounded by a group of bats swooping down and catching the mosquitos all around me.  It was amazing, and I was so excited.  Yes, I was excited about the bats.  I’m weird, but you know this.  So, after all this…at least there were bats.  🙂