One year later

There are just so many documentaries and pictures that I continue to read that break my heart and make me joyous at the same time. So many lost lives, so many broken families, and so much heartbreak.  Yet, there's such quick rebuilding and such hope that continues to emanate from the the tsunami survivors.  I encourage anyone who might still be reading this blog to take a moment and appreciate our lives and the stability and security we are experiencing each day.  It was just one year ago that so many of my friend's lives changed forever.

For those with more time on their hands, please take the time to watch some documentaries and see that Japan is trying their hardest to rebuild the destructed part of their nation.

Children of the tsunami by BBC (featuring my former Japanese colleague, Naomi):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_AxnoNrr_8&feature=youtu.be

Bringing it close to you: a map showing what a Fukushima nuclear destruction would have looked like in the USA:
http://grist.org/list/map-shows-what-a-u-s-fukushima-could-have-looked-like/

Japan's battered coast: then and now:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/world/japans-coast-then-and-now/

Thank you from Japan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=SS-sWdAQsYg&vq=medium

A great big thank you from me, as well because my friends are still living in emergency housing and still rebuilding their lives.

If you're looking for a worthwhile donation, I encourage you to donate to the Japan Society.  Below is a detailed message from them demonstrating that 100% of their donations go to organizations that need them in the destructed areas:


"We are pleased to announce eight additional grants totaling $1.6 million from the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. This brings total allocations from the Fund to $7.2 million, distributed to 19 organizations representing 25 projects that directly serve people affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011.

The latest round of allocations supports six new grantees and two previous grantees. Projects range from orphan care, evacuee services and healthcare for people still living in temporary housing, to education workshops throughout Tohoku, promoting creative arts from the region, building a community center, and summer camps for children in Fukushima, which continues to cope with its nuclear crisis. The organizations receiving grants are Ashinaga, Association for the Corporate Support for the Arts, Japan Civil Network for Disaster Relief in East Japan, NPO Jibunmirai Club, Studio for Cultural Exchange, Tumugiya, the Japan Primary Care Association and Supporting Union for the Practical Use of Educational Resources.

The Japan Earthquake Relief Fund, launched on March 12, 2011, has received over $12.5 million as of March 5, 2012 from over 22,000 individuals, companies and foundations. Contributions have been received from all 50 states, and nearly 60 countries around the world. One hundred percent of the fund goes directly to support people affected by the disasters.

For a complete summary of organizations and projects supported by the Relief Fund to date, visit: http://www.japansociety.org/earthquake"

Please donate to Japan

If you read and followed my blog for the two years that I lived in Japan, you might realize that the affected areas was exactly where I lived.  The days following the earthquake and tsunami have been heartwrenching for me.  It took many days of worrying sick until some information started floating through the internet that some of my friends are okay.  I am only now starting to receive first hand emails from my friends.  But, what do you say to someone who tells you that both of their parents died, or their entire home that their family has owned for hundreds of years was washed away, or that many of their friends died?  What do you say back?

I am asking you to please consider donating.  At this time, I can only make referrals to donate to larger organizations.  However, if you'd like to wait, I'm trying to determine how I can donate directly to Ishinomaki.

Redcross

Text "redcross" to

90999 for US

30333 For Canada

or visit https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052

 For UK

 http://www.redcross.org.uk/Donate-Now/Make-a-single-donation/Japan-Tsunami-Appeal

 Send cheques or call 08450 53 53 53. Donate online through the link above.

Global Giving

http://www.globalgiving.org/ - I gave 100 to this organization, they in turn work with the other organizations.

or text "Japan" to 50555 (US only I assume)

Japan Society

Recommended by the US Japanese Consulate, they also work with other organizations, like Redcross.

https://www.japansociety.org/japan_earthquake_relief_fund

Shelterbox

Can donate in 18 currencies

Provides shelter boxes.  Each box supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless.  

http://www.shelterbox.org/

Save the Children:

https://secure.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6239465/k.544E/Childrens_Emergency_Fund/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?msource=wenlpaqk0311 (US/International)

http://www.savethechildren.org.au/what-we-do/emergencies/japan-disaster (Australia)

http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/Tsunami-and-quake-hit-Japan.htm (UK)

Doctors Without Borders:

https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=214&hbc=1%3Fref%3Dmain-menu

Salvation Army

text "Japan" to 80888 (US only I assume) 

New cooking blog!

Hey folks -

I've decided I like to cook so much that I want you to read my cooking blog:

http://www.eggyveggiekitchen.blogspot.com/http://www.eggyveggiekitchen.blogspot.com/

This blog (vagabond Sara) will be used for my travel stories.  In my daily routine of cooking, please check out my yummy recipes!!!!

Chinese language lessons

I started taking a Chinese class at the end of January. I'm not learning very fast, but that's my own fault. I'm not practicing much out of class. We have a main instructor and a sort of TA. I call her the teacher in training because she'll be doing it next semester. Our instructor is Fred, who happens to be one of my favorite international students of all time. He'll be at my wedding, so everyone will have the opportunity to meet this amazing young man. Fred is the first international student I met when I started my job here. If I could adopt a Chinese adult, it would be Fred. Once you meet him, you'll see why.

Anyways, I'm not progressing very fast, but I know I will. The class is an interested group of people. All from students to professors to grad students and local people from the community. Chinese is grammatically easier than Japanese. The grammar is very similar to English. However, pronunciation and memorizing words has been difficult for me. There are four different tones which changes the word meaning. It also seems that the word 'shi' is used constantly.

So, until mid- May, you can expect me to be learning Chinese :)

I love to cook

I came back from Japan and over the course of the last 16 months I have grown a love for cooking.

I make mostly "ethnic" foods. With some good old American classics. I love it because I'm vegetarian. A lot of people go on and on about how can I be a vegetarian. Well, if you tasted my amazing recipes, you wouldn't need your meat. I love soups. They are by far my favorite things to make.

Tonight, I made Indian food.


The top bowls are mulligatawny soup. The first time I made it, it was horrible. Tonight, it's pretty great. I will let Jon finalize that opinion. The bottom bowls are butter tofu curry. It's made from the same recipe as butter chicken curry. Naturally, I substituted the chicken for tofu.

Some others of my favorites:

These dishes above and below this text is a Korean dish called bibimbap. It usually includes beef, but of course, I leave it out. It's sooooo good!

annnnddd....

Lentil Soup
So good that the first time Jon and I made it
we ate a whole pot. We've never accomplished that since.

I'm back folks!

I think I'm going to start blogging again. I miss it. I don't know if anyone actually will look at this anymore. But, it's worth a shot.

I started this blog when I was 22. Now, I'm 26. That's pretty crazy. For my 26th birthday, Jon took me to Point Au Roche lodge which is about 10 miles north of Plattsburgh. It's across from our favorite state park called Point Au Roche. This is where we have gone for many hikes and of course, this is where Jon proposed to me.


Jon had the room decorated so that it came with champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and candles. It was a rainy day, so we definitely took advantage of being inside the lodge more than being in the park.

I feel so fortunate to live in such a gorgeous part of the United States.

Back in the Adirondack's

One of the reasons I love Plattsburgh so much is because it's so close to the Adirondack State Park. This is 6 million acres of nearly undisturbed land, mostly mountainous. There are 46 peaks over 4,000 feet (1,219 m) and those that summit all 46 are called 46ers. Jon and I have decided to try to become one of those elite hikers.

The first hike we did this fall was to Indian Head. This one isn't a high peak, but offers spectacular views of the Lower Ausable Lake. It's an easy, short nice hike. We spent hours at the top to ourselves. We couldn't believe that we didn't run into a single other person.


The second hike I did was Noonmark with my friend Julie. This one was much more strenuous with the summit at 2175 feet.




The third hike I did this season was with my colleague/friend Cody. We drove a short distance to do another simple hike that leaves you with spectacular views. This hike is called "Silver Lake" since you get to see the lake that is called that.

Montreal

Plattsburgh is only an hour south of Montreal. I have always loved this city and clearly still do. After working about 70 hours in a week for orientation, my colleages and I had a bit of a "disorientation" in Montreal. My office is very small and we all get along really great. I feel I was able to easily walk into friendships because of this. So, here's a bit of an introductory blog.

The picture below is of Cat and I in front of a church in the evening in Montreal. Cat is my direct supervisor at work.

This is Cody and I in Old Montreal. Cody is a student advisor for issues mostly concerning visa and immigration. Him and i started at the same time. A great part of working with Cody is that he also spent time in Japan on JET for two years. It's helped with my transition back to America. We can share small stories about Japan and it helps keep it alive in my head!

Sara's Crib Season 3

It's been a long time, but here it is - my home!

Japanese things in America (1)

I got a new cell phone today, my first day back in Plattsburgh. I've already found some "Japanese things in America", and maybe I'll kind of do a series on that.

All Japanese cells phones have what foreigners call "ketai bling". I don't know the proper terminology for it. However, a ketai means cell phone...and bling..means bling as we know it in English. There are little hooks on the top of cell phones, which people put all types of souvenirs or memorabilia.

I was thrilled when I saw my cell phone has a spot for me to put bling on. I've got all sorts of bling as goodbye gifts and now I can use them.

My model and current bling is a gift that my ikebana teacher made for me as a goodbye present.



Honestly, I am so thrilled over ketai bling in America.

PS email me for the #!

emotions

I finally lost all control of my emotions and cried tonight. It was the farewell party for my adult class and I couldn't hold it in anymore. When I left Plattsburgh nearly two years ago, I felt so full of life and happy. I came to Japan and felt that I lost a lot of that. But, as I am leaving Japan, it's true, I am again, full of life and happy. I didn't think I could find such real and good friendship as I had found in Plattsburgh. But, I did...I found it in my students, my young students and especially my adult students, I found it in the other foreign English teachers this year, I've built it with other Japanese people who mean so much to me, my friend Yumie, my Japanese tutor, my ikebana teacher and co-student, the people at the board of education who help me...the list goes on and on. I always looked at my photos from the end of my life in Plattsburgh as a student and felt that I was looking at a truly happy Sara. Now, I look at the photos I am taking now...with my students, with my friends with everyone around me.....and I see a truly happy Sara again. I made the best decision of my life by staying for a second year in Japan...

The Office, Japanese Style

One of my favorite TV programs is The Office. I nearly died when I saw this clip from Saturday Night Life combining my favorite American TV show with my Japanese life. It's quite accurate! I love it!

The T's in Tokyo

I met Mom and Dad at the hotel since I had to work on that Friday. The time seemed to pass so slowly taking the train from Ishinomaki all the way to Ueno, the district in Tokyo I decided we would stay in. As I walked through the doors, Dad was there waiting to meet me in the lobby. He took me by surprise. We took care of checking in and I finally got to see Mom upstairs in her room. I was ecstatic that they were able to figure out how to get to the hotel by themselves. I was worried that they might get a bit lost and need to call.

Our first dinner was in a small alleyway in the streets of Ueno. Mom and Dad tried their first real Japanese food dining outside. They really enjoyed yakitori, grilled chicken on a stick, edamame, and other food that evening. A drunken old businessman that wanted "communication" with foreigners sat down at our table and chatted my ears off. I felt bad since Mom and Dad couldn't understand. I excused myself after about a 20 minute conversation with the drunkard.

Our first full day in Tokyo was jam-packed of sites and I am so glad that we did it all on that day. We woke up early and went to Asakusa, a district I have been to uncountable times in the past. There's a famous shopping street and very large temple, 5-storey pagoda and Japanese gardens. As always, the street and temple area was full of visitors and sight-seers from all over Japan and the world. Mom was in heaven, we must have shopped on that street for almost two hours.

Afterwards, we took the Sumida River Cruise from Asakusa to the Hama Rikyu Teien Gardens. Claimed to be one of the best gardens to see in Tokyo. The river cruise was interesting, you see the looming towers of Tokyo around you and I believe in only this one stretch, we passed under something like 13 bridges

It was about a half hour long until we finally arrived to the gardens. The garden/park was really big and a good get-away from the craziness of Tokyo. There's a pond in it, mini-Fuji-san, lots of Japanese flowers and trees and just a nice stroll.

After that, we had lunch in Shiodome. We had curry-udon which both mom and dad enjoyed. Then, we went to all the different districts of Tokyo. We checked out Shibuya, which has the potentially the busiest crosswalk in the whole world. We watched people pass over it a few times before going to join the crowd. It started raining while we were walking around.

From there, we went to Harajuku, my favorite shopping district and finally to Shinjuku, the part of Tokyo that people probably see the most photos of. It's famous for it's neon lights and towering buildings. Unfortunately, by this time, it was down pouring, so we had coffee in a Mister Donuts. I decided to take them to an izakaya for dinner.

The next and our last day in Tokyo, it was still overcast when we woke up. I was able to take them to Tosho-gu Shrine in Ueno which is one of the few shrines to have made it through all the disasters that Tokyo has been through.

It dates back from hundreds of years ago. As it was the first shrine Mom and Dad had seen, they were very impressed. The rain started coming down hard as we finished. So, we spent the rest of the day, until 6pm at the National Museum. I think it was a good introduction of Japan for them. Our last stop of the day was to Roppongi Hills, an amazing living, working and shopping complex that took over a decade to build. We only saw one tower of the whole complex and it was fantastic. I can't even imagine how much it costs to live there. The restaurant we had dinner at was so Western, I completely forgot we were even in Japan anymore.

That was our last adventure in Tokyo. The next morning we woke up early and rode the shinkansen to Kyoto.

for all the photos of Tokyo, click here

My official return home date

I have put down a deposit and getting my tickets tomorrow. I'm flying back to the USA on July 27th. Whether I go straight to Plattsburgh or have time to go to Buffalo first depends on if I get my dream job. I had my second interview with them last night. I should know in a week or a bit more if I am offered the position. Either way, I am headed back to the USA on July 27th.


It's too soon.

Maiko Makeover!

While in Kyoto, Mom and I had a "maiko makeover." Most Westerners will understand this as we were geisha's. In fact, a maiko is a geisha apprentice. As a maiko, we wore white make-up, bright red lipstick, black eye make-up and our kimono and obi (the belt around a kimono) is more vibrant than a geisha. Most Westerners see this and think it's a geisha but in fact it's not. We had our make-up done in about 20 minutes, then we got to choose our own kimono. From there, we were dressed up in the kimono and chose the obi. Next, came the wig which was heavier than I had ever expected. Last, we had to wobble in the proper sandals for kimonos. Then, we got to go outside for photos! It was really funny to see the photos! We look so different. The hardest part was taking all that make-up off. It took forever!

Parents in Japan!

My parents are flying somewhere between NY and Japan right now. I will see them in like 16 hours. YAY YAY YAY YAY! I can't express my excitement. I am thrilled they will be here..so soon. How will I ever make it through work tomorrow? We're going to be in Tokyo for 3 days and then Kyoto for 5 and then they will come back up to Ishinomaki for the weekend to meet all my awesome friends here. :0)

Earthquakes scare me now

I was surprised to learn that my mom had no clue that there were so many earthquakes in Japan. As quoted from the BBC, "Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries and experiences thousands of minor tremors each year. " Certainly, I have felt many of them in my almost two years here. On Saturday morning, my time...there was a pretty serious earthquake measuring at 7.2 on the Richter scale only 50 kilometers North of me. I didn't feel it because I was in another prefecture planning on going hiking. When we learned of the earthquake and the severity of it's magnitude, we immediately drove back home...

In case you missed this news..

Click here to see it

Anyways, my prefecture is due to get an earthquake even worse than this one within the upcoming months. I only hope that I am out of Japan when it does occur. But, in case I'm not...I've prepared an excellent earthquake kit and my escape route. It still scares the shit out of me though. Blah.

On positive news, for those of you who haven't heard.... I have a phone interview this Tuesday with my dream job. If I get it...I'll pretty much be the happiest person alive. Wish me luck and cross your fingers for me!

Random Parades

One lazy Sunday afternoon I was laying in my apartment reading a book on globalization when suddenly very loud music started. It continued slowly that I finally decided to go out to see what all the commotion was. Ruth had the same idea and we found a parade passing by our apartment with dozens and dozens of kids in their traditional yukatas and floats of interesting decorations. Some of boats and others just cars decorated with traditional Japanese decorations.

Here is my terrible recording jobs...but enjoy anyways!

and the lasts begin...

I have already had 3 lasts.

1. Last day at one of the best elementary schools I taught at between the 15 different elementary schools I was placed at in the past two years.
2. Last day with my volunteer position as a Peer Support volunteer for other English teachers within Japan.
3. Last day teaching the advanced adult class on Global Issues that I started this past year.

With all these 3 lasts, I am starting to wonder if I made the right decision in going home?

Life's tough.

Mount Asahi

In the beginning of May, there are quite a few national holidays that fall at the same time. This usually gives everyone a good chunk off of work to go places. As everyone gets these national holidays, traveling within Japan can be a nightmare because everyone is traveling. Japan isn't the only country that has this Golden week, but so does China and Korea and maybe others that I am not aware of. Thus, everything is hiked up and overcrowded at this time of the year.

I went on a 3 day and 2 night hiking trip during this time. I went with my two faithful hiking buddies and their family. It was Suzuki-san, Kimura-san and his wife and niece. The first day was probably the most difficult day for me. I wasn't used to having my big backpack on yet. We hiked uphill for about 5 hours on this day. We stayed in mountain huts both of the nights. (See pictures below, one from the inside and one from the outside)





I was overly sore after the first day, I was worried I wouldn't make it through all 3 days. But, surprisingly after resting a bit, my body started feeling a bit better. We were in bed really early to get up the next day. The second day was a lot of uphill and downhill hiking through the snow. We reached our highest peak at 1870 meters on the second day. The second day, at the mountain hut, the overseer man was a rather crazy man. It didn't help that he was drunk. The guy kept telling me to speak in Japanese and that English wasn't allowed. It didn't matter that I actually was speaking in Japanese, he kept reminding me. He was a bit crazy....

(from the highest peak)

And then, we woke up to a sunrise that I will never ever forget. There was a 'sea of clouds' with only the tip of the mountain we were staying on peeking out from the top. Then the most colorful, vibrant sunrise. It's one of my top sunrises ever. It was totally worth it.

The 3 day hike was great. :0)

Please click HERE if you want to see all my photos.