.::* Living and Dreaming *::.

EcoVillage of Hope: My volunteer experience at an Orphanage in China

2007-09-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

During my time in Hong Kong, I decided to volunteer at the Taishan Orphanage in China through a non-profit organization in Calgary called the EcoVillage of Hope. I thought I’d get sick of Hong Kong and while I was in still in Japan, I had a vision to volunteer at an orphanage. Coincidence has it, I told Liz and she told me how she met two women from Calgary during her trip in China and how they were planning to start a non-profit organization in China and it involved work at an orphanage. Well, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. In between spending time with my family in Hong Kong, I would go up to Taishan by bus to help get the orphanage project started.

The project is quite complicated but I’m going to explain it as best I can. The first part of it is to help build sustainability in a village called Nam On. From Nam On, we hired some women to work as caretakers of the children in the Taishan Orphanage. This is a method of providing the women with an income. Further, we’re going to look at the methods of cultivation in place and see how we can help the village build sustainability. Here I have to add that I learned that peanuts grow from the ground and not on trees. I pulled some up myself! Also, volunteers who come from abroad like myself got to live in a house in Nam On village and the organization paid for the rent, which is another method of income for the villagers. A woman from the village also cooked our meals.
There is a whole lot more to the project such as helping the government to build tourism in Nam On and North Mountain (where I went white water rafting!) Also, the organization is looking to build an orphanage in Nam On Village. In October, a director from Canada will be filming a documentary of the area too. There is much to be done and after this project is done, the hope is to move into more remote areas of China to help build sustainability there as well.

I wish that I had more time to spend in Taishan because a lot of help is needed. Also, it was kind of a shock to me when I saw the children in the orphanage. I hadn’t expected them to be physically or mentally handicapped. Also, there was only 1 caretaker to 14 children, 3 of them which were only months old. But once we got the women in, we changed the whole place. On the first day, there was no color in the room, no smiles, no laughter, and barely any movement. By the time I left, the kids were laughing and playing with one another and showing more emotion. The disabled children were responding to our touch and were able to move a little bit on their own. It left a very good feeling.
However, I felt uneasy when I left because the 3 new volunteers did not even last 3 days. I think the culture shock was too much for them having to live in a village were the bathing water sometimes comes out yellow and working with children with disabilities and ugly heat rashes all over their bodies. Honestly though, if you have the heart to help, you can get through anything.

Anyways, I really hope that this organization can find the people that it needs. I would go back in a flash if I weren’t so broke at the moment. If you or know someone who would be interested in this, please get into contact with me and I will get you in touch with the right people.

Pictures: http://ucalgary.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31711418&l=8cb06&id=120601852

Hong Kong Once Again: June 22 - July 22

2007-09-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

So after backpacking through a huge chunk of Asia, Liz and I had a week in Hong Kong together before she returned to Canada. We shopped, partied and took it easy. The best part was a boat trip with her friends (AIESEC members and interns). About 30 of us rented a boat and set out for a day of sunbathing, swimming, wick boarding and banana boating. It was so much fun and we got some really great pictures out of it.
After Liz left, I helped the MC and interns move to their new flat. It took forever for us to pack things up and only so little time for the movers to empty out the apartment and move everything to the new place. The new place is amazing. It’s actually two apartments that are above one another that are connected by a spiraling staircase. The rooms are bigger than the old place and there are more so there will be double the amount of people living there. Plus, there is so much space to just hang out and of course, have parties. I forgot, half of the roof is theirs too. I’m sooo envious!

Whilst in Hong Kong, I met up with Godwin who was on his way to Adeline, Australian to start his AIESEC internship. We spent a day at Stanley shopping and looking at scenery. And I got to spend time with Liz's friends who took me to shek-o beach, Lamma Islang, the golfing range, 10th anniversary handover fireworks, etc.
Two of my aunts and 3 cousins (from Vietnam and Canada) had arranged to go to Hong Kong too so I decided to extend my Asia stay longer to spend time with them. It was a good decision because we had so much fun together. My uncle Lex’s friend had an empty one-bedroom apartment that he let us use. It was a beautiful place and perfect for a couple to live in. My aunts slept in the bedroom and us cousins slept in the living room. We had just enough space. Let me mention now that we were 6 females but we had no problem sharing the one bathroom. The atmosphere was great and we were always laughing and amusing ourselves. We shopped our hearts out, went to Disneyland Hong Kong, went to Ocean Park, gorged in yummy food and saw what needed to be seen of Hong Kong (The Peak, Lantau Island, Avenue of Stars, etc.). Now we’re plotting to all meet again in Hong Kong in 3 years.

Pictures: http://ucalgary.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051917&l=83caa&id=120601852

I didn’t know that I had relatives in Hong Kong but it turns out that I do. One of them is my uncle Lex who’s a director and producer of Hong Kong movies. He took us to a karaoke bar one night that turned out to be a night to remember. Two of my cousins left their passports at home and had no other forms of ID on them. It just so happened that the police arrived to check everyone’s IDs…just like in the Hong Kong movies. The lights were turned on, the music turned off and one by one, we handed our IDs over. My cousins got taken back to the police station and I had to go home to retrieve them so that I could get my cousins out. Not to be mean but I thought the whole thing was really, really funny. I mean, they got to ride in a police car and they saw the inside of a holding cell. The cops were doing a shift change and were about to lock my cousins up but Lee Lee challenged them and said that they didn’t commit any crime. They let my cousins back out before they got their pants sued.

Anyways, after the police station, we went back to the bar because my uncle invited his celebrity friend to hang out with us. It was so cool. The whole night I felt like I was in a movie or something. You know, having the police take my cousins away, partying with celebrities. I never thought much of this guy but after meeting him in real life, I realized that he was pretty good looking!

Pictures: http://ucalgary.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2052478&l=60bf7&id=120601852

Thailand, Chiang Mai: June 15-20

2007-08-04T00:44:00.000-07:00

To get to Chiang Mai from Bangkok, we took the overnight sleeper train. I found it quite comfortable but the train broke down in the morning and arrived a couple hours late. Also, don’t expect first class bathrooms. Instead, you get to watch the ground go by as you peak into the hole so be careful of dropping something important down there.

Once we arrived, we saw people with a sign for Libra Guesthouse and I remembered someone we met along our trip telling us good things about it. The people offered us a free ride to check out the guesthouse whether we stayed or not so we had nothing to loose. Libra Guesthouse is family owned so the atmosphere is really good. Liz and I got food poisoning at one point and they took care of us. They even postponed a trek that we had signed up for because we and two other people were too sick to go.
There were many things to do in Chiang Mai. We went to watch a Muay Thai Boxing match, which I thought would be more interesting. I thought it’d be more elbows and knees action like the movie Ong Bak, but it was like regular boxing with the gloves. There were musical instruments accompanying the fight though so that was a bit different. Plus some of the sets had 12 year old boys fighting so that was a little bit of turn off. One guy got knocked out but I was in the bathroom. Also, the judges kept talking to Liz and I. One of the judges found it heard to believe that I wasn’t Thai and everyone who walked by him, he would ask what race they thought I was. I guess I stood out in an audience full of foreigners. Most of the other Thai people were in the standing area betting or in the bleachers further away.

Since Thailand was our last stop, we did a lot of shopping. There is a huge night market that I think is open every night and a Sunday market which is of course open on Sunday’s. Just ask your hostel and they’ll direct you to those places. I like shopping in Thailand. The style of clothes is nice and it’s cheap if you know how to bargain. Even if you don’t, it’s still cheaper than home. It’s a good thing I’m too lazy to carry too much stuff home, otherwise I could open a shop back at home!
Liz and I both really wanted to see some Thai dancing so we booked a dinner at the Cultural Centre and we even got a free shuttle there and back from our hostel. The food wasn’t great but the dancing was really good. Liz even volunteered herself to go dance on stage with the dancers. Back to the food, I think this is where we got our food poisoning so be careful if you do decide to go this route.

We had wanted to learn some Thai cooking but with our food poisoning pushing our trek a day back we ran out of time. Instead, we opted for some relaxing Thai massage. I had a massage in Hong Kong and came out in more pain than I did walking in but this one was different. The girl hit all the right pressure points and I came out perfectly relaxed and happy.

Now the adventure begins and it wasn’t a pretty beginning. I still felt a little bit sick and it didn’t help that we rode in the back of a truck through a winding road for 2 or 3 hours. I wasn’t the only one sick too. Another girl just got food poisoning and one girl was sick from her malaria pills. The hike on the first day wasn’t a pretty one. We got to a waterfall for lunch but I couldn’t eat and I’m sure a few other people couldn’t. Then we hiked to the village were we’d be staying but it had started to rain so it felt like, well you know. I felt so relieved when I finally got to lay down in our flimsy hut with chickens and dogs running beneath our floor. Of course, the most annoying thing were the roosters that started crowing early in the morning. I’m thinking like 4am, maybe even earlier and it’s not just a single crow. It’s about 40 roosters crowing for at least half an hour, right beneath us and all around us.
That was crappy day number 1. Day 2 gets better but a few of us are still in pretty bad shape. Remember, I had only managed to stomach about 2 spoonfuls of food for the entire day before. We hiked for 3.5 hours before stopping for lunch. Lunch I was able to manage. Instant noodles! I can’t digest rice when I’m sick I think. Anyways. After lunch was a 2 hour bamboo raft ride down to the next village. For 2 hours, our feet were submerged in the murky river water. Our guide hit a log and I saw a rat jump into that water. And to think I was going to jump in for a swim. We arrived at the next village and after settling in, the villagers had set up a mini market for us to buy souvenirs. Also, after dinner some of the men sat with us and played some card game with us.
The next day was much better. We got a truck ride to a cave, which I didn’t find that interesting. The exciting part of the day was the elephant ride. The one that Liz and I rode on was called Spicy Girl and she was smaller than all the other elephants. Also, our elephant guide kept saying, “Oh my Buddha” and I thought that was funny. These elephants kept picking things up along the way to eat and splashing us with stream water. I didn’t see the elephants being mistreated, which was good because we were worried about them using hooks to scratch the back of the elephants’ ears. The only threatening thing was a thin bamboo rode that our guide usually used to hit a tree branch to make our elephant move on.

And that concludes our trip in Thailand!

Pictures: http://ucalgary.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2047290&l=b54db&id=120601852

Thailand, Bangkok and Tiger Temple: June 11-14

2007-07-29T03:42:00.000-07:00

Bangkok: We found Asha Guesthouse on the internet and it turned out to be a decent place with nice surroundings. The only drawback was that it was in an inconvenient location. Despite that, we still stayed at Asha’s for all three days that we were in Bangkok.

On the day that we arrived, we saw everyone wearing yellow shirts in honour of the king’s 80th birthday so on our way to the Suan Lum Night Bazaar we picked up some for ourselves. Somehow, the moment that we put on the shirts we instantly felt happier. Maybe because our shirts were bright yellow or maybe it was because we fit in so well.

Some of the sightseeing things we did: Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha, Reclining Buddha, Dusit Palace (because we got free tickets from our Grand Palace tickets), Wat Arun Wararam and Chinatown. And of course, people tried to con us. Outside the Grand Palace, someone tried to tell us that it was closed and that he could get a tuk tuk for us to take us to the “Lucky Buddha” which, lucky for us, is open only once a month and that day happened to be that day. We stuck with our plan and then as we were walking into the Grand Palace, we saw a sign that warned us not to listen to strangers who talk about the “Lucky Buddha” and that the Palace was open everyday. Another time, we tried to take a tuk tuk to the train station so that we could buy tickets to Chiang Mai but the driver took us to a travel agent even though we kept arguing that we wanted to go to the train station. We ended up getting off and walking the rest of the way.

A friend told Liz and I about how in the movie theatres in Thailand you have to stand for the king’s anthem. Out of curiosity, we went to watch Shrek 3 and as a treat we got popcorn and some Bacardi Breezers. We wanted to try the first class tickets but opted for the regular priced tickets. Apparently though, you get to go into a VIP room before the movie and you get unlimited popcorn and drinks.

Pictures: http://ucalgary.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2047207&l=a4d1b&id=120601852

Tiger Temple: One of the things that I really wanted to do during our trip was to visit the tiger temple and pet some tigers. My aunt had a picture with one when she was younger and I always wanted to do the same since I was a kid. Who thought I’d actually get the chance to! We took a bus to Kanchanaburi and then we got on another bus to get closer to the temple. From the main road, it was about a 15 minute walk on a dirt road. Once you get to the place where the tigers are, there are lots of staff that will take your camera and your hand and walk you to each of the tigers so that you can take pictures with them. You can take as many pictures as you want. You can also get a picture with the tiger’s head in your lap but you have to pay a little bit of money and wait until the tiger falls asleep. If you stay till around 4:30pm, you can watch the tiger feeding but we left before that time. I think the tigers are vegetarian too.
Back in Kanchanaburi, we also visited the Bridge over the River Kwai. There’s a whole history behind this bridge and how the Japanese used prisoners of war to build it. Google it for the whole story because I’m not even sure myself.

Pictures: http://ucalgary.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2047209&l=8742e&id=120601852

Vietnam coast: June 4-11

2007-07-25T04:22:00.000-07:00

Mekone Delta: We did a day trip to the Mekone Delta hoping to do something active but we were a little bit disappointed. We booked a tour and ended up spending most of the day sitting on a slow moving boat with a really loud motor. We went through the Cai Bai Market, which I thought would be more interesting based on the description given by our tour guide on the bus. It’s a market were you need a boat to go through and you buy item off of boats. The way you can tell what each boat is selling is by what they hang on their bamboo stick lifted into the air. I thought there would be more activity and we would actually get to go shopping but we just drove through it quickly. After that, we went to see how rice paper, coconut candy and popped rice are made and do some taste testing. The tour also included a lunch and a little bit of live Vietnamese music for entertainment. At least this tour was cheap ($7USD including bus to get there and back to Ho Chi Minh)

Nga Trang: After our day trip to the Mekone, we hopped on an overnight but to Nga Trang. Not exactly the most comfortable ride in the world but again it was cheap (a few dollars). We stayed at a place called Truc Linh, which wasn’t too bad but I wished we had picked the room with the balcony instead of the one with a tiny seaview.

There was a lot to do in Nga Trang and my cousin Ly Ly would say that it’s the best place to go for the beach in Vietnam. On our first day we decided to go to the spa to rejuvenate. Hot weather also makes us pretty lethargic. We took a taxi to the Thap Ba Hot Springs and enjoyed a pretty unappealing mud bath, soaking in mineral water, and then swimming in mineral water. Yes, we paid money to sit a tub full of mud, mud that is normally associated with dirtiness and we were neck deep in it. I really hope that our bodies got some benefit from it, otherwise it’s pretty gross.

The next day, we went snorkeling around Mun Island with Vinadive. We had a decent lunch on the boat and we got to go into the water twice. It was my first time snorkeling and it was so much fun. I used a lifejacket because I’m not a very good swimmer and it felt like I was flying above the sea world. By the end though, the current was getting too strong and I almost got seasick. After that, we looked for a place to shower because we hadn’t booked a room for the night. We ended up going to a beauty salon and Liz got a massage while I got my hair washed and the shower came free. Liz’s massage was only $5USD but when it came to tipping, the girls were expecting $5 but we would only give the percentage that we were used to. The service really wasn’t that good, otherwise there’d be no disagreement.

Hoi An: After another overnight bus, we arrived in Hoi An and actually let a guy convince us to stay at the hotel he was trying to market. It turned out to be a great place, called Phuoc An Hotel. There was a swimming pool, free breakfast, free bicycle rentals and the rooms are great. The only downfall is that all the staff are desperate to make commission so they are always trying to get you to go to their sister tailor store or get you to book a tour through them.

Hoi An is known for its tailors who custom make clothes and even shoes. We tried to get some things made but it takes a bit of effort because you have to keep going back so that they can make adjustments. Also, the things we had made weren’t really spectacular. I think next time, we’d have to go prepared with the right pictures and think through what we really want.

Aside from shopping, we also signed up for a cooking class and learned how to make pho, tofu and vegetables and lemon grass chicken. Our food was delicious and it was nice to have someone prepare all the things for us and then clean up after us. I can’t remember what the restaurant was called but the woman was really really nice. We made sure to leave a really good tip. Also, two famous dishes in Hoi An are Cao Lao and White Rose. Make sure to give it a try if you’re in town because I haven’t really seen it around in other places.

We went on a My Son tour of the Chum Ruins one day and it was absolutely baking that day. It was kind of a substitute for missing Ankor Wat this time around. I know it doesn’t compare but it was still pretty neat to see. I think restoration is in place but it’s difficult because the technique for building the structures have been lost. Nothing is used as mortar to hold the pieces together.

It seems like we did a lot in Hoi An but we actually had a lot of free time, mostly to hide from the heat of the day. Liz took mid-afternoon naps and I swam in the pool and actually read a book. It felt like how a relaxing vacation should feel like.

Hanoi: After a painful night bus to get to Hue and then transfer to get to Hanoi, we discovered that our plane ticket out of Vietnam was for June 11 and not June 10 so we had to stay a day in Hanoi. It was just our luck to check into Joy Hotel were our hotel room flooded and we ended up in an argument with the employees. I came down in the morning to let someone know that our room flooded and a guy had the nerve to hand me a mop. Mop or no mop, there was really too much water for me to try to clean up on my own. The guy told me someone would come and after a few hours, no one came and we had to check out to rush to the airport. I left a backpack on the floor so some of my things were wet. I asked to borrow a hairdryer from front desk to blowdry my documents and that was later used against me saying that I used a high power consumption device. I still think the staff was being unfair and irresponsible and it really makes to mad to think about it. So spread the word and warm people about the Joy Hotel in Hanoi in the Old Quarters.

Before our bad luck with the hotel, we visited the Museum of Ethnology. There are sooo many different tribes in Vietnam to read about that eventually my mind glazed over until we got to the part about the stamps being used when things were rationed. I can’t imagine life were consumption was controlled beyond the point were your needs are not met.

More Pictures to Come

Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh: May 30 - June 3

2007-06-28T02:09:00.000-07:00

I had no idea what to expect when we got to Ho Chi Minh. I tried to call my dad in Singapore to find out if my uncles even knew that Liz and I were coming but the payphone wouldn't connect so we just had to hope for the best.

When we came out of the airport, I had the feeling of being a celebrity because there were so many people sitting and standing and watching us while waiting for the arrivals to come out. Some people even brought their own little stools so it really seemed like they were in an audience and we were on the stage. Anyways, I scanned through the swarm of people not really knowing what to look for since I have never met any of my family members in Vietnam and all of a sudden I saw a sign with my name on it - the only English name in the vicinity. That was very exciting. I pointed to the sign and then at me and that's how I met two of my cousins, Khanh and LeeLee (English name Ruby).

Liz and I met many of my relatives and it took us a long time to remember who was who. It was pretty interesting. My aunt from New York was there and it was so good to see her again. Even though I've never met my other aunts and uncles before, they all treated me like they knew me my whole life. They definitely took good care of Liz and I but it got a little bit confusing when one uncle calls me up to tell me to get ready so that he could take us out and another uncle shows up at our door telling us that he'll take us out. My two aunts and one uncle from Calgary flew in a couple days after us too and it didn't feel like I haven't seen them for months. It was kind of neat. A thing about my family is that not everyone can speak Chinese, especially the wives of my uncles and also their children.

Now the reason why Liz and I were (and a few other relatives) in Ho Chi Minh was because my cousin MiMi was getting married. Only my parents and my grandma were missing. My parents are hard workers and spend money to go anywhere far and my grandma was just there a month before to celebrate her 80th birthday. Anyways, everyone was preparing for the wedding but someone was still always available to babysit Liz and I. My cousin Hoa took us for some sightseeing like the President's House which gave a different perspective on what happened in Vietnam War, which someone told me is called the American war there. One of my uncles took us out to his bar and then a nightclub. I thought that was really funny but it was a fun night because Liz and I got to ride on motobikes in this city that has really crazy traffic. My cousin Khanh took me out to a nightclub one night and I realized how cool it was to have cousins the same age. Ruby would also take us out a lot with her friends. They even took us to the Cu Chi tunnels , which were used during the war to defeat the US. The people lived in these narrow tunnels that had many levels and rooms underground. Unless you were the size of Liz and I, you would not fit through the opening.

Back to the wedding. On the wedding day, everyone was so busy trying to get ready that they all forgot about Liz and I so we had one day of freedom to ourselves...kind of. In the morning, the groom and his party would come to the our house but in order for them to gain access, they had to give a red pocket full of money to the bride's party. There would be some negotiating and teasing but once that is done, everyone goes into the house and the newly weds have to bow to the ancestor table, exchange rings, offer tea to the parents, grandparents and anyone else in the family that has a higher "rank" than the newlyweds. Then the bride leaves to go to the grooms residence to prepare for the banquet at night.

At the banquet, the bride and groom get to pour champagne down a pyramid of glasses, offer wine to the parents, cut the cake and take a lot of pictures with the guests. Also, the bride changes her dress a couple of times during the evening. The people would just show up, eat, sing some karaoke and the evening would be over before 10pm. Liz and I found it weird that the party would end so early but that's just what we are used to I guess.

I really miss my relatives now. I want to know more about them since they know so much about me. I can't wait to go back in August to see them again. Also, they know where all the best food is in Ho Chi Minh!

Wedding Pictures:
http://ucalgary.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2042737&l=1aa32&id=120601852
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2489&l=6ff92&id=506384345

Sightseeing Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2488&l=86458&id=506384345

Singapore, May 29

2007-06-24T04:46:00.000-07:00

I think we ended up in Singapore because we found an affordable plane ticket back to Vietnam from there but it was worth dropping by to see what it was like. We took a bus from Melaka to get to Singapore and we headed straight to Little India to look for a cheap and clean hostel. We checked into something called Fragrant House or something which had an IKEA feel to it.

To keep ourselves busy, we decided to walk all over town. We did such a good job at killing time that we almost missed the Night Safari. The last train back into the more central area of Singapore ended around 11:30pm. We didn't get to Chinatown to have some hawker food for dinner until 7:30pm and the zoo is kind of near the edge of the city so it took a long time for us to get there afterwards. I think we had less than an hour to whip through the zoo so we hopped on one of those carts that takes you around the zoo with a girl narrating in a voice that seemed like it lacked true expression. We even managed to get some pictures with some animals in the end too. You know, the ones where you get to pet the snake and look like you're pals with a little cub.

Pictures: http://ucalgary.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2041368&l=ff10f&id=120601852

Malaysia, Melaka: May 26-28

2007-06-21T07:13:00.000-07:00

We actually spent all of the 26 travelling from the islands to Melaka. When we got into Melaka we got a little bit confused because the city looked very deserted. It was weird and we had a bit of trouble looking for the area where all the hostels were. We tracked it down after spotting a foreigner riding a bike down the street and asking him for directions. We checked into a place called Traveller's Lodge which was a nice place with a nice living room area. We even felt like cooking our own dinner there one night. Coleslaw with chicken, raisons and apples and it was surprisingly good.

Melaka has a lot of sightseeing. We went to see St. Paul's hill and the Sultan's Palace and that was enough for us. We checked out Chinatown one night and saw some really great food there so we planned to go back the next night but the next night, the place was completely deserted. Apparently, Chinatown is only lively on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. That was just too bad on our part. We did a bit of shopping but not much since we didn't want to haul our stuff all around asia with us. Oh and we went for a rickshaw ride one night.

The best thing that we did was sign up for a bike tour with our hostel. Our bike guide's name is Alias and his business is called "Melaka on Wheels". You'll see him mentioned in the next Edition of Lonely Planet so he'll probably be a busy guy after that. His bike trip is good because he took us through the palm tree plantation and rubber plantation and along the way you get to see all these different trees baring all sorts of fruits. Durian, jackfruit, pineapples, bananas, starfruit, rambutan, papayas, dragonfruits, custard apples and even herbs and coffee beans and cocoa. He sends you home with a lot of new knowledge and if the fruit is ripe, you get to try it. He also made us some toys from seeds and rubber and told us a lot of funny jokes. It was definately worth our money.

Pictures: http://ucalgary.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2041365&l=c09ea&id=120601852

Malaysia, Perhentian Islands: May 23-25

2007-06-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

After a jungle adventure, it makes sense to plop ourselves on a nice beach. We travelled by bus and then by speedboat to the Perhentian Islands after Taman Negara. On our rush to get to the islands, we didn't stop at an ATM to refresh our funds so we each had about $30 each to spend on Long Beach which is on the smaller island. It was fine, but that meant we couldn't go snorkelling. We are kicking ourselves now because we have been told that it is the best snorkeling since there aren't that many tourists and you get to see turtles and sharks. We instead invested in doing our laundry. Clothes that have gone through the jungle smells really rancid so getting them cleaned was definately a priority.

Anyways, we stayed at the cheapest chalet that we could find called Symphony Chalet. Our place was pretty good. The guys who worked there were from Thailand and we would chat with them while swinging in the hammocks during the heat of the day when it was too hot to do anything but nothing. We got some swimming and sunbathing done, watched some movies at the restaurants, picked tiny seashells, and I managed to get a million mosquito/ sandfly bites on my legs. It's kind of sad but Liz and I got bored of the beach really fast. Maybe if we tried to party we'd have better stories to tell but we were in bed pretty early everynight. Oh well. The island is beautiful and I would go back just to try the snorkeling maybe.

Pictures: http://ucalgary.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2041364&l=067d0&id=120601852

Jungle Pictures

2007-06-04T22:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been out of the loop. I am in Vietnam now but I promised jungle pictures from Malaysia so here they are now...

http://ucalgary.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2038805&l=96e9e&id=120601852

Hope to catch up soon!

Malaysia, Taman Negara: May 19-23

2007-05-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

We had to get the adventure started somehow so we decided to head for the jungles in Taman Negara. A bus picked us up from our hostel and dropped us off a hotel where we had to transfer to a bigger bus. Then from that bus, we had to transfer to a boat to get to Kuala Tahan. We arrived at LBK restaurant where we booked for a trip into the jungles. The people there were really nice and were able to arrange something for us despite there being a shortage of guides at that moment. They were getting ready for 1000 Singaporeans to come in a few days after us. That night, we stayed at Tahan guesthouse which had a decent bathroom where you shower over the squat toilet but the room was super moldy and stinky. I would rather sleep in a cave...which we did in the jungle.

We ended up with a guide from orang asli (stands for aboriginal people) and he was really great. It was his first time guiding people on the Keniam trail because he normally takes people on a different trail but his cooking was good and he taught us about different plants and things. He also liked us so much that he offered and extra day of activities for free. Also with us was a Malaysian who lives in New Zealand and a Danish couple.

But, let's start from the beginning. For our first day, we got to take a boat ride to the canopy walkway first. It was neat, you walk along a bridge among the treetops but half of it was closed for renovations. I'm sometimes afraid of heights but I was lucky that the fear didn't kick in at that time. Next, we took a boat to the start of our hike and from there we hiked 8km/4 hours to a cave where we would stay the night. We were gross and drenched in sweat but the little brown stream didn't look appealing enough to bath in. So we hung our stinky clothes on a line and put on our jammies for dinner and some sleep. Mosquitos were not a problem but leeches were a big problem. Bug spray over shoes and socks work to some extent but wearing shorts is the best so that you can hopefully catch them before they crawl up to your more delicate body parts. I had one on my thigh even though I was wearing shorts. They don't hurt but they sure do leave a big mess.

The next day was another 8km hike but at the halfway point, we stopped at a bigger steam. The water was a little less brown but the swim was very refreshing. I know I probably shouldn't be swimming in frech water but I swim in the lakes in Canada and there are parasite there too so that was my justification. There aren't supposed to be leeches in the water but on my way out I found one on my arm. They're small ones but it's still discomforting to find something sucking your blood.

At the end of the hike, we took a boat to Kuala Tahan to restock on water and food before going to the orang asli village. The village was fun. Liz and I played with the kids who didn't know a word of English and they were interested in us but refused to join in as we sang and danced. John our guide cooked us dinner and we ate in his hut which was covered with cochroaches. It was quite the unique experience. Back at the hut where we were supposed to sleep, I discovered these massive spiders on the ceiling (size of my palm). Some of them were holding onto eggs which made them even nastier. It started to rain lightly and a couple of them dropped from the ceiling which really feaked me out. One of the other guys was more afraid of spiders than I was and I felt a relieved when we asked to stay in another hut. I still couldn't sleep that night because the jungle noise was too loud for me.

The extra activities that our guide provided us was night hunting where we saw a baby leopard, a hike out to a bat cave where we slide in bat droppings and I got a bat in my face, and another stream where we went for another swim. We also got to try the blowpipe and Liz actually hit the head of our target. That was kind of cool. I was so tired during our hike that I started to clap my hands and at one point I didn't realize that the group had stopped so I ended up slapping both of Liz's butt cheeks. It was quite funny and from then on, I was just being silly to stay awake. We danced for the kids at the village again and back at Kuala Tahan, we talked to a guy who introduced himself as Brad Pitt. He was a funny one and he reminded Liz of someone. We actually started calling him Eric.

We had to stay one more night in Kuala Tahan before moving on to our next destination and this time, we stayed at Liana Hostel I think and it was much better than our last. There was even a nice frog in the room that scared me at first because I couldn't figure out what the thumping sound was coming from. Better than a big nasty spider!

Pictures: On the way...I need faster internet!

Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur: May 17-18

2007-05-18T04:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know how we got so lucky but we arrived in KL past midnight expecting to be stranded or something but we were able to catch the last bus (Aerobus company) from the airport to the city. Not only that, but the people were nice enough to deliver us straight to the front steps of our hostel for 2 extra ringgets because it was the last bus. We stayed at a hostel called Equator Hostel which was in the Golden Triangle section of town. It's a cute little place and pretty clean with internet and laundry service. The people are VERY friendly. Also, things look far away on a map but Liz and I managed to get to most places by walking.

Some of the sightseeing we did in KL: Petronus towers, KL Tower, Chinatown, Little India, Central Market, Batu Caves, Masjik Jamek (mosque), and the city forest. In the Batu caves, some guy was holding a huge snake and Liz and I got to pet it. Also there were monkeys EVERYWHERE!

Also, on our way to see the Petronus towers, we passed by this table on the sidewalk selling buffet style lunch wrapped in wax paper and banana leaf. It looked cool so we tried it out and it was really good. No travellers diarrhea so thumbs up to that.

Another cool thing was at the Malaysia Tourism Centre, Liz and I saw a performance of Malaysian dances. Since Malaysia is so multicultural there was a lot of different style of dances. All of them were really neat to see and it makes me think of Malaysia as an Asian Canada. At the tourism centre we also got to try out Batik painting. We bought kits that had outlines done for us and we got an artist to show us how to paint.

Next up, some jungle trekking and a beach.

Pictures: http://ucalgary.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036089&l=31799&id=120601852

Vietnam: May 14-16

2007-05-18T03:46:00.000-07:00

Hanoi: This city is pretty crazy. Motorbikes and people everywhere and cars trying to squeeze in between. We found our bus to get to the Old Quaters pretty easily but the minute we got off the bus, some guy came up to us pretending that he was there to receive us when really, we had not made any reservations anywhere yet. We let him show us his rooms though (at the Golden Dragon) and they were decent so we stayed.

For the day, we tried the street food and searched for a tour to get right out of the city. It took us awhile but we found a tour to go to Halong Bay for 2 days and 1 night on a boat for only $27 US. We booked this tour from Camillia Hotel 3 and the lady was so nice. She even offered us free breakfast before our tour and she booked us a private taxi to get us to the airport after our tour. It was kind of sketchy since this "taxi" was unmarked but it turned out to be a really really nice ride and well worth it. We were worried that we wouldn't get back in time for our flight out of Vietnam but everything was taken care of.

Halong Bay: This part of the trip was the best. We took a minibus to Halong Bay and got on a boat that took us to see some caves and for swimming in the ocean. We stayed on the boat for the night and when we woke up, we went kayaking and then more swimming. There was a lot of waiting around and I think that came with the price that we paid for the tour. I didn't mind it, especially since I don't know if by paying a little more, things would have been any better. Our toilet in our room didn't work though but the lady at the hotel did warn us that the cheaper tour was on an older boat so that was no big deal. The food was nothing to brag about but overall, the trip was worth it. Liz got a sunburn and my bug bites started to blister but I think that was the worst of it.

Pictures: http://ucalgary.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036087&l=bb5c0&id=120601852

East Asia Tour

2007-05-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick update on what has been happening over the last couple of weeks.

Nagoya, Japan - April 27 - May 3: Liz came to visit me for a few days to kickstart our tour of Asia. We went for dinner with my boss who also offered to drive us to Ontake San (an active Volcano) for a hike the next day. We went to the volcano and discovered that there was too much snow for us to be able to hike so we just went for a quick hike near the base and saw a couple of really pretty waterfalls. The cool thing about these waterfalls is that pilgrims come here to do some training which involves them sitting/standing under the pressure of the waterfall. We got lucky and ran into some people doing that. It was pretty interesting to see.

My boss also rented a cabin in the mountains so we stayed the night. After out hike we went to a hot spring. The next day on our way back to Nagoya, we stopped at a really small village. We saw a museum and walked along the main streets bustling with tourists and souvenir shops. Johny had a takoyaki party for us when we got back and that was fun.

The next day we went sightseeing: Nagoya Castle, The Robot Museum and downtown. We went on the ferris wheel attached to a building downtown and had a romantic picnic dinner next to a water fountain.

The last things to do were farewells and AIESEC NILC had a farewell party for me. It was really nice to see everyone. We made food and played a trivia quiz. Also, Miki made a farewell presentation for me and it was absolutely lovely. Afterwards, a few of us went to Izakaya and Liz and I decided to walk home afterwards which took an hour and a half.

My roommate Satoko took Liz and I to the aquarium and we saw the dolphin and killer whale show. Then we went to the Italian Village for a snack and kaiten sushi for dinner.

Packing was such a pain. I had too much stuff and ended up mailing 3 boxes home from Taiwan. It was cheaper there and I just couldn't lug my stuff with me all the way to Hong Kong. I think all of the AIESEC local showed up at the airport to see me off and that was amazing. I never expected so many people to be there and it was weird to say goodbye. Hopefully I will get to go back at the end of August for a day or two to see everyone again.

Taipei, Taiwan - May 3-7: Henry came to the airport to pick Liz and I up. We went straight to Taipei to meet up with Abner and Brenda and dropped off our luggage at Abner's place for a couple of hours. We all went to Roehe Street Night Market and there we had some street food. We tried a mild version of stinky tofu which wasn't too bad and this slimy oyster pancake which I didn't like too much. We also had shaved ice servced with mango, strawberries and kiwi and topped with a lot of condensed milk. Very sweet and satisfying. Then we went to Henry's place to stay the night there.

Aside from eating a lot of food in Taipei, we did a bit of sightseeing. We saw the National Palace Museum and garden which were packed with Japanese and Chinese tourists. Aiya, and we thought we had left them behind in Japan. We also saw Chang Kai SHek Memorial, the President's Office building and Sun Yat Sen Memorial. One night we went to a small village called Jioufun on the mountain side and spent some time at a teahouse. It was a nice view but what got most of our attention were the ants on our table drinking from the droplets of sweet tea and they were carrying off some of our dried cuttlefish crumbs.

Liz got frustrated with the city and I got a little bit bored so Henry took us hiking to get away from it all. We went to Yuanshan and hiked Mt. Cising. We got to see the milk pond which really looks quite milky from the sediments. Also along the way was a nice waterfall except that it was fenced away. It was good to do something else. I was really out of shape though but I guess this is my warm up for the rest of Asia.

And on a final note, we watched the movie called "Curse of the Golden Flower". It's kind of weird, a little too Hollywood and along the lines of "House of Flying Daggers". For me, I think I would have liked to waste my time watching something else.

Seoul, Korea - May 7-10: Liz and I arrived in Seoul kind of late. We hopped on a bus and went straight to our hostel, Seoul Backpackers. It's a cute place and as far as hostels go, it's relatively clean. Hanmin met us at the hostel and took us out for a drink and Korean pizza/panacke. It was really nice of him to wait up for us and make sure that we got to our hostel safely.

In Korea, we had to go to the Vietnam Embassy so that Liz could get her visa for Vietnam. Also, we got to try on Hanbok dresses at the tourist centre and we saw Changdeokgung Palace and Secret Garden and the Gyeongbokgung Palace (we got to try on some armor costumes too). Hanmin gave us a tour of 1/4 of the Korea University campus and now Liz is convinced that she wants to do an academic exchange here when she starts her masters. It really is amazing.

Seoul is really amazing too. It's so spacious here and it seems really peaceful. It's definately really beautiful. Hanmin also met up with us every night and took us around so we have been spoiled so far on our trip. Not only that but we got Hanmin to give Liz and I Korean names. I'm Su-jin and Liz is Hee-jin. I forgot what they mean but I'm sure they're something good.

Now a Liz moment. At the airport when we were trying to find our bus to go to the hostel, some guy came up to us trying to get us to follow him. Liz immediately assumes he's a cab driver and refused to follow him. Then we found out he was trying to tell us where the lineup for the bus was, which was on the other side of a pillar. At this point, the man says to us, "you make me so angry" and waves his hand in a circular motion beside his head. I think that's universal for, you're dumb.

Hong Kong, China - May 10-14: We decided on a stop in Hong Kong to get ready for the real backpacking adventure in South Asia. It was really nice because we got to see people we knew again. Also, Liz and I got our hair permed and I'm really glad we did because it's so easy to take care of now. Less maintenance AND we look good.

We did a bit of shopping for things we needed on our trip, went to Jean Philippe's farewell dinner, made our own sushi dinner, went to Tribecca for some dancing and we also managed to squeeze in a super easy hike to Lung Ke beach. The beach was really nice and secluded. I think it might be my first ocean beach too! First of many...

Finishing my internship

2007-04-24T03:38:00.000-07:00

So I am finished my internship and Liz arrives tomorrow! Sorry for not writing for so long but I have been busy. Maybe because it's my last month, but this month has been really great. With AIESEC I have been making documents and giving many presentations, including one in front of a classroom of 300 students. I didn't talk much but I was surprised that my legs didn't buckle under me. It was fun but I wish I had more time to prepare since I only found out a couple hours before hand what I had to do. Also, I've been going out for lunch and dinner with AIESEC members a lot too.

AIESEC event for "First Step" at a recycle station

One of the highlights of the last couple of weeks was what the people here call "Cake Viking". It's essentially a cake buffet but there was also pasta and a few other items that you could call lunch. The cakes were sooo good though and they were light so you could lots. Well I could anyways. After that, we (AIESEC members and I) went to take some purikura (sticker pictures) and sang some karaoke. Karaoke is cheap if you go during the day, like $1.30 for half an hour compared to the night time rate of over $12 per half hour. That was fun even though I have no talent for singing.

I also watch Blood Diamond at Midland Square at Nagoya Station. They have leather seats and prices are cheaper if you go to a late show. And by cheap I mean like $12. Normally it would cost $18. You know you're in Japan when...

Johny had another party at his house and this time he made okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake). It was the best okonomiyaki that I've ever had! Also, Johny helped me pick some Japanese movies to watch. I thought I could start learning Japanese by watching more Japanese movies...of course with English subtitles!

A random event was joining a club at Nagoya City University for a tea ceremony practice. I was teaching English to some AIESEC members and an exchange student who knew the AIESECers came by to talk to us. He told us he was there for tea ceremony and the AIESECer members insisted that I try it out so I did. It was a pretty unique experience and thank goodness it was really informal. Everything is done in a special way like how you enter the room, how you open and close the door, how to accept your sweets, how to drink your tea, how to admire your cup, etc. It was hard for me to take in everything that was going on because I was told to bow a lot. There was a girl making tea in a pot that was set inside of the floor and there were girls entering the room to bring us sweets and clear away the dishes and cups. There's also a little fan that you have to place a certain way depending on what is going on. So, that was just a quick rundown of tea ceremony. The room that we were practicing in was really cute. It had a tiny door and the Australian guy was REALLY tall so he looked funny trying to crawl through it. We all had to crawl through it so that's how tiny the door was.

I saw Sarah for the last time on Sunday. It felt like a normal day until she mentioned that it is most likely the last time that we saw each other....maybe even forever. That made me feel weird. I thought I was used to people coming and going since that was how it was like with the interns in Calgary. Well, for this special occassion, luck was not on our side. We tried to watch a movie but couldn't find the theatre. We tried another one but that one had closed down already so we were on a wild goose chase. Of course it also started to rain and we were both already sick. We ended up just having lunch and shopping. Oh well, at least I got to see Sarah!

Also, I started packing! I HATE packing and like I expected, I have too much stuff. And taking all the clothes that I don't want to the recycle station takes an enormous effort since there are specific times and each location only has one day of the week were you can chuck your stuff. Not only that but I have to ride my bike to the recycle station and I have a lot to leave behind. Wish me luck!

Izakaya, more cartilage please!

2007-04-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

So I had the privilege of joining the boys for some izakaya at their favorite hang out. Izakaya is a Japanese style pub where people have a few drinks over some appetizers. On Friday nights, this type of place gets filled by business men but on a Monday night, I guess the students take over?

Chicken gizzard, chicken heart and something discribed as being near the liver.

Chicken cartilage and fried noodles in the background.

Anyways, this wasn't anything like the izakaya that I've been to before. The boys ordered some of their favorite dishes which included chicken heart, liver, gizzard and even cartiledge! The cartiledge was a bit weird for me. I had a hard time believing that our bodies could digest it. The weirdness continues. Have you ever had a deep fried garlic? The whole thing just chucked into the deep fryer, then served. It is a little bit toned down from the thing raw but it still tasted like garlic.

Deep Fried Garlic.

Deep fried rape blossoms.

Not everything was out of the ordinary though. There was katsu (pork) on a stick, some fried noodles, fried mochi (rice cake) with soy sauce, and a many other things. I'm glad that I tagged along on what is a normal activity for a Japanese person. I feel educated somehow.

Deep fried mochi with soy sauce. I love mochi!

Ieyasu Festival in Okazaki

2007-04-09T23:56:00.000-07:00

I went to a festival in Okazaki (Ieyasu Festival) where Sarah (Kent’s friend) lives. It was a pretty big festival. Something like Heritage Days in Edmonton and this city is only 500,000 people. I guess a lot of people from neighboring cities come out for this event. There were a lot of booths selling food and I went all out and tried as much as I could. There was also a parade and a big performance where I got to see archers on horses, people dressed in armor, people with guns firing blanks, a little show with a shogun and his small army, girls from the Miss Okazaki contest, dancers, etc. It was a lot of fun and the cherry blossoms were sooo pretty. When evening falls, light bulbs in the trees are lit up and it gets really romantic by the time nighttime comes around. And all this is along the bank of a river!
I stayed after the festival to hang out with Sarah and her co-workers. I really enjoy being around a variety of people. It was funny because there were 3 Australians from different parts of Australia and they were making fun of each other. It’s like rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton. Also, I learned that there are no lions in Australia, something that I never thought about but something that did come up in a conversation about the Australian outback. :D
Another thing that I discovered was that there is a train station near my house. So instead of walking to the subway and riding it half an hour north to transfer to a train that passes by my place anyways, I could have walked the same distance to the train station as the subway station. Oh well, you live and you learn.

Pictures: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2093376225

Adventures of Little Miss dTran

2007-04-07T23:50:00.000-07:00

I went for a bike ride today despite signs of rain. I wanted to get to the mall across the city mostly because I was feeling guilty from eating so much junk food lately. I also wanted to see if I could do it. Well, I got lost many times and ended up biking on small roads with no sidewalks. That should have been a sign that I was not on the right roads but I made it about an hour later. It started to rain just before I got to the mall and it was still raining when I left. I still managed to get lost going home. I ended up in a park with few lampposts and I got kind of scared. I panicked but kept going. What choice did I have? I made it home in one piece so that little adventure was well worth it.

At least I found a park that had really pretty cherry blossoms on the way. My little bonus.

Back in AIESEC's hands

2007-04-06T06:09:00.000-07:00

So my boss has decided that for my last month in Japan, I am to work for AIESEC. My work is passed onto the AIESEC members and/or the guitar club at the university because I can't play the guitar well enough to test an oscillator thingie by ear. Something like that. I am to this day curious as to why I was selected for my job. I specifically made clear that my guitar playing abilities were nil although I did make an effort to try after getting the job.

Anyways, it took me a while to find out that I had been traded in. And on my first day at my new office, I sat in on a meeting held 99% in Japanese by AIESEC staff. I think they were trying to figure out what to do with me since I was such an abrupt addition. I heard my name mentioned a few times, and they stopped once in awhile to ask me questions. That was the 1% held in English. I have worked for AIESEC for just one week and I LOVE it. I am much more busier now but I'm doing something a lot more meaningful. My tasks are 1. Help with recruitment, 2. Develop tools with the Incoming Exchange portfolio, 3. Teach AIESEC members English, 4. Work on the environmental project called "First Step".

This week I have been working on recruitment. I have been working on a presentation to be shown next week at the 3 Induction seminars. Yesturday, I helped passed out flyers to the stream of freshmen flowing into the university. It's quite funny how all the clubs move in on this steam and load up the freshmen with flyers. Never have I seen so much paper flying about.
Today, AIESEC set up a booth along with all the other clubs and we worked hard on selling AIESEC. I was tired but I think it was mostly the sun that zapped my energy. I like sunlight but find that I get irratated from it quite easily. This coming from a person who's traveling south Asia for 2 months soon. Oh dear.

Anyways, it is finally the week-end and the cherry blossoms are still a bloomin!

Pictures: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2093682762

Ohanami (Flower gazing)

2007-04-01T00:41:00.000-07:00

Today the AIESEC members and I went out for a picnic under the cherry blossom trees. Cherry blossoms have a short blooming period so the park was packed with people. We got a spot next the the soccor field which was a dirt field unlike what I'm used to seeing in Canada with grass and lots of mosquitos! Anyways, on occasions like these, drinking alcohol in public is permitted so we spent a good deal of the day sitting, eating and drinking. Actually, I've seen a group of grown men drinking alcohol in the middle of a busy train station once, and also in the middle of the airport come to think of it. So I don't really know what the rule is.

I also get to bike to work under the cherry blossoms. It's so nice with the petals slowly coming down on you. Why can't they stay longer???

Pictures: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2093796344&idx=0

Inuyama Castle and Monkey Park

2007-03-30T23:41:00.000-07:00

I had another day to go exploring and this time, I went to Inuyama with Gon-chan and Mai-chan. First, we met up at Nagoya station and bought bento boxes for lunch. Then we got on the Meitetsu train and away we went. Just a comment, I don't think the Meitetsu is foreigner friendly either, all schedules and train routes are in Japanese so thank goodness I had company!
Anyways, we got to Inuyama and headed straight for the castle which is the oldest standing castle in Japan and is one of the National Treasures. A lot of the structures have been destoyed but the main castle is still standing. This castle seems small for a castle even though it's 6 levels high. Still, I was excited to be in a real castle from 400 years ago. There is not much inside the castle but there were pictures of all the other castles in Japan. I wish I could visit all of them but that will be for another time in life. On the castle grounds we had a picnic lunch under cherry blossoms which were just starting to bloom.

Afterwards, we went to Monkey Park since the day was still young. To get there, we had to take a monorail. I got confused and thought that the monorail itself was $19 (1900 yen) but the price actually includes the park admission. Attractions in Japan are not cheap! Anyways, I saw a lot of monkeys and a lot of baby monkeys too. Sooo cute. Some of them weren't even in cages. It seems a shallow pond of water helps keep them on their little islands. That doesn't explain the monkey's that wander freely above your head on a suspension bridge though. Oh, and we got to feed the monkeys in monkey valley. There were a couple that would clap their hands at you to get you to throw food at them. Questionnable practice? Well, I had fun.

Pictures: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2093914931

A day to myself in Osaka

2007-03-26T23:39:00.000-07:00

I had to apply for a visa for when I go to Vietnam so I decided to do it in person at the Consulate in Osaka so that I could also spend the day looking around. I was kind of scared going by myself because I was using the local rapid trains which aren't exactly tourist friendly since all the timetables are in Japanese and you pass through the most remote places. I was lucky to come across an English site (http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi?JP_MODE=0) where you can search the trains you need to take in order to get you where you want to go. I only had to switch trains once going there and returning so I was lucky. Even then though, there was one time when I had 5 minutes to find my next train and I ended up hopping onto one just before the doors closed and I wasn't even sure it was the right train. Also, the trains get really full so going to Osaka, I had to stand for the 3 hours that it took to get there.

Anyways, I found a Vietnamese restaurant and was excited to finally get my fill of Vietnamese food. I haven't come across any in Nagoya yet. I also ended up buying a new camera. It's so sweet but I will blog about that some other day after I've gotten used to using it.

I also went to Osaka port where the aquarium is. Of course I had to go see more fishies and my favorite - the jellyfish! The main attraction of this aquarium is the whale shark which swims around in the main tank which you basically walk around in a spiral till you get to the bottom. When I saw it, the biggest of the sting rays was swimming with it like the two were buddies. It was cute. In the same tank are other fish and smaller sharks.

Pictures: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2093974333

Baking 101

2007-03-24T22:58:00.000-07:00

Hiroko and I went to a couple of cooking classes at ABC cooking studio in the Sakae Parco department store. It was so much fun and our treats were sooo yummy. Also, my apartment doesn't have an oven so I had not been able to practice baking for so long. This cooking studio is great. It's got all the supplies and a lot of space. You also get to see what other people are making too. Each instructor gets a maxium of 5 students so it's a really good learning environment and it's really cheap. Our intro classes were only 800yen or $8.00. The only drawback is that instruction is only in Japanese. That's where Hiroko comes in...

Hiroko decorating her strawberry cheesecake

Me mixing the cheesecake batter

Our yummy strawberry cheesecakes

Hiroko and I giving our bread dough some bench time

Our yummy Cafe-au-lait bread

Modeling in Macau

2007-03-21T04:40:00.000-07:00

Location: Macau
Time: From Dusk till Dawn
Models: David, Diana, JP, Liz and Serge
Level of Fun: Off the charts!!!

The Photo Shoot:

http://ucalgary.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2027893&l=68d17&id=120601852

Bento Boxes: Part 2

2007-03-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

Shopping for a bento box is hard if you are in a department store basement and there are about a million choices for you to choose from. The store opened at 10am and right away, it was flooded with people looking to buy their lunch for the day. You can get cheap ones that come in foam boxes made to look like wood, or you could buy more expensive ones where the box is actually made out of wood and it's wrapped in a nice piece of cloth. The food is also more detailed, you get your vegetables carved into pretty things like flowers and leaves.

My bento box was a simple one that came in a foam box, but I chose one with lots of variety. I really love that wagon wheel looking thing. It's crunchy and absorbs flavour really well. Actually, I loved everything in here!
My friend chose a nicer meal that came in a two tier box. Ooo fancy. I got to keep his pink cloth though.

It's a good thing I didn't pull out my peanut butter and jelly sandwich while everyone else had their mouth watering bento boxes. And yes, that's right, peanut butter and jelly....which I found out that the interns from the UK and the States have never tried. Weird. Then I went into peanut butter and banana sandwiches and peanut butter and apple...ok so who is the weird one???

Kyoto with AIESEC members

2007-03-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

Yesturday, I went to Kyoto with a group of AIESEC memebers (Mai, Miki, Shinpei, Gon-chan, Mineshi, Koichi and Aaron). It was so much fun. We left Nagoya on the JR train at 7:39am and got to Kyoto around 3 hours later. We bought bento boxes from the department store at Kyoto station for lunch and headed off to see Nijo-jo....a castle! The inside of this castle was absolutely gorgeous. We weren't allowed to take pictures which was a shame so I recommend that you go and visit if you're ever in town. This castle is about 400 years old, with some parts of it being newer as structures were added to it. Most castles in Japan were distroyed by fire and by the war so most castles are rebuilt and are not as old and authentic. The neat thing about this castle is not only its size but the floors were built to squeak when you walk on them so that no one could sneak around. Annoying? But hey, what can you do when security cameras weren't invented yet right?
After the castle, we went to a Jusco to see how they require you to pay for their plastic shopping bags to encourage people to bring their own re-usable bags. Like I said before, The Real Canadian Superstore does this in Canada and I just learned that it is already common in Finland. (Thanks Krista, I appreciate your email!). I thought this was going to be the highlight of the trip but it didn't really turn out to be that way. Some members bought the Jusco re-usable bags as souvenirs and we bought some items from the store to see how much they charged for bags. It was kind of funny. Oh and I bought some Cherry Blossom Ice cream which tastes like cinnamon ice cream.

Next we went to visit some shrines and temples. We walked towards Gion and visited a buddhist temple which is supposed to be where the origin of buddhism started in Japan...or Kyoto, or it was the head temple. I'm not sure. We went and watched a ceremony for a bit. I think there was a funeral prayer going on.

After that, we walked and passed by a shrine for beauty. Us girls stopped here to make a wish and bless ourselves from the fountain of beauty. Then we read some of the wishes hanging off the wishing posts. I read one that was in English about someone asking for a small ice age to happen in Europe. I guess they got hit with a heat wave or something. It was kind of funny.

We continued walking and went through a bigger shrine where the girls again got their love fortunes. Mine was translated by the AIESECers as something along the lines of, you are searching for love and there is a lot around, your lover is close and something something, put your faith in Gion and God and you will be blessed. Not only am I curious to know what my future is going to be, but I am also wondering how much of my forture was lost in translation.

We kept walking around some more and found a street vendor selling candied fruit. I think the girls took advantage of everything during this trip and we made out to buy ourselves some sweet indulgences. I had a mandarin orange one and I definately recommend it. I think it is my new favorite with the chocolate banana next. I've also tried the chocolate pineapple which was messy and candied grape, which had seeds!

We walked by a Starbucks and I had to hop in to check out their tumblers. The Kyoto tumbler was really pretty (it had shiny gold flecks on it too to emphasize the Golden temple I think). 5 of us walked our of Starbucks with new Kyoto tumblers and we got free coffee with them. Mmmm, white chocolate mocha. I couldn't finish mine because the next thing that we did was go to a dessert cafe. It's the second day in the same week that I overdosed on sweets. Oh well, today I shall be good.

Pictures:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2094377799

Congratulations!!! I LOVE YOU AIESEC CALGARY

2007-03-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

I got the most wonderful gift in an email today. It was a video made by my VP OGX, Peter, who was responsible for sending me away on my internship. It was his farewell message and a welcome message from the incoming VP OGX, Sunny. Also, I was awarded by the MD portfolio at the International Gala a few weeks ago, which I obviously couldn't attend, but thanks for thinking of me everyone. Watching the video almost made me cry, I miss you AIESEC Calgary

My dear friends who I want to congratulate:

Liz - for the outstanding SN award, I think the people in Hong Kong will have to agree with this, you are an AMAZING intern!
Kent - for outstanding OGX member, he's an intern himself living in Cairo but he still helps me out with my SN needs!
Amber and Godwin - for passing the last review board, more friends for me to visit abroad!
Serge - for outstanding ER member, you deserve this for being so passionate and caring AND you helped us win the spirit keg! Good luck for next review board!
Iris - for outstanding ICX member, for being the ENCANA manager and bringing in 12 interns, for representing Canada at the next International Conference
Laura - for outstanding CD member, for being the best Director of Intern Reception ever!
Vania - for outstanding CADA member, for becoming the next LCP

EB 06-07 - for an outstanding year and giving your leadership to help us win local of the year and the spirit keg
EB 07-08 - mostly newbies who I haven't met yet, I hope the high outcomes of the last year will be able to push you to exceed expectations in the next. Good luck!

Oh I almost forgot:
Congrats to Layial, Harshitha and Messalina for being selected for the CEED program.

I hope, I didn't forget anyone else!!!

White Day and Nagoya Aquarium

2007-03-14T05:06:00.000-07:00

Today is White day and it is similar to Valentine's day, except it is the ladies this time who get pampered. My boss took me to a busy Italian restaurant for lunch as a treat and it was full of women. 1. The restaurant is close to a women's college and 2. The lunch set comes with a dessert buffet! So, I stuffed myself silly with lotsa sweets. My boss and I each had a plate full before the salad came, then after the salad came, and then pasta came in time because I was getting tired of the sweetness, and we finished the meal with as much dessert as we could fill the gaps in our stomachs with. Oh delicious goodness...well worth the discomfort when I had to go back to work.

On Sunday, I met up with Sarah again and we went to visit the aquarium. I LOVE the aquarium. I used to love swimming when I was a kid but I grew up to not be a good swimmer at all soo all that passion goes into animals that can swim.....minus the ones that can bite off a part of your body...toes included. My favorite are the jellyfishes. I'd probably pee myself if I was ever in the same water as one but they are so fascinating to watch inside a tank. I even went home and Wiki'd them. Nagoya aquarium is not bad although I haven't been to enough to make a comparison with anything. Worth a visit since there isn't much to do in Nagoya.

More Pictures: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2094488007

Bento Boxes, Pink Mold and Grocery Store for the Elderly

2007-03-09T21:45:00.000-08:00

...that's what the highlights of the rest of the work week consisted of. I should probably add blisters from my guitar lessons but that's really not that interesting.

Bento Boxes (Japanese lunch boxes): My 3rd guitar lesson was with Gon Chan who brought along a wonderful delight for lunch. A bento box made by his mom. It was really pretty lunch and I was really envious. First because I had to make my own lunches after elementary school and second, I never put in any effort for an elaborate lunch...though at one time I did experiment with mangos and mint leaves. Anyways, I asked lots of questions because I was really curious. Apparently, Gon Chan's mom makes him a bento box every morning and he is the only family member to get one. You're wondering so what? Well, looking at the details of his lunch, it looked like his mom made 3 or 4 different dishes packed into what looked like paper cups that you bake muffins in and she also decorated his rice with a sour plum or something to make it look like the flag of Japan. So much effort! I feel sorry for my future children because I openly admit that I am NOT a morning person!
The next day, Gon Chan brought another bento box with him and I just had to take another picture.
Pink Mold: I was only slightly curious at first to find that my Spam had turned pink after I left it in the fridge for a month. I wasn't familiar with Spam so I didn't think much of it when I threw it out. But a couple nights ago, I opened a jar of mushroom sauce that I had also left in the fridge for too long to find more pink mold. My conclusion? In Japan, mold is slimey pink and not fuzzy green. I will have to confirm that by leaving my bread somewhere to rot though. Stay tuned for that!

Grocery Store for the Elderly: So biking home from guitar lesson yesturday, I biked past a grocery store that had bananas outside for about $1 per bundle of 5. I was like score, turned my bike around and decided to do my grocery shopping there. (Produce is expensive in Japan and I haven't been getting my fill of fruits because of it.) Anyways, the grocery store already looked kind of sketchy, then when I walk in, I only saw old people. My first thought was, "I really hope I'm not trespassing into the elderly territory and that I don't need a senior citizen card to shop here." But I was already inside and I had a defence maneuver...speak English and people will leave you alone. I was craving fish so I walked over to the fish counter and looked at the selection. A cute old woman walked over to me to try to talk about the fish to me until I finally broke it to her in English that I couldn't understand her.

Instead of backing off, she got really excited. She kept pointing at me while talking to her husband and tried to give me advice on the fish still. I decided on some salmon because that's all I can recognise and I think she tried to tell me to cook it in butter or something. Anyways, I proceeded to pay. She caught sight of the Canadian flag I had stiched on my backpack and got excited again. Her husband asked how old I was and if I was in homestay or something, etc. I finally got out of there and with a 15 cent discount on my fish. :)

That night I happily cooked my fish. I don't think I did a good job though. It was dripping with butter and not in a nice way. Oh well, it was all fun.

Rock and Roll

2007-03-06T02:22:00.000-08:00

The theme of this week is Rock and Roll. Why? Well, Sunday started out with me biking to the "downtown" of Nagoya which I think is Sakae. It took me an hour and it was a gorgeous day. I was really at peace with myself. On my way though, I passed an old man riding in his wheelchair and on the back of his ride, he has a sign that said, "Too old to Rock and Roll, Too Young to Die". I thought that was sooo cute.

Yesturday, I went to an AIESEC event centered on the Philippines where we made some Japanese food and Filipino dessert. There were games (Musical Chairs and a Filipino game similar to it but partners have to stand on a piece of newspaper that shrink in size everytime), presentations, and problem solving. It beat being at work - my boss is out of town and he asked the AIESEC members to babysit me for the week.

The pictures tell a better story: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2094787971

My Cooking Group minus Mineshi

Filipino Game

Anyways, after the event, I joined Gon Chan and Seko for some tasty ramen and a Bloc Party Concert, which goes well with my theme don't you think? I haven't been to many concerts (Edgefest in Junior High, Christina Aguilera in High School - don't ask why, and Black Eyed Peas last year) so yah, this was kind of new for me. There weren't a lot of people so I got to get really close to the band. The mosh pit was small but I still got pushed around between 2nd and 5th row. It was kind of dangerous. I started out in the middle but eventually ended up on one of the sides behind some short asian girls. It was great because I was right infront of one of the guitarists who I actually made eye contact with at one point. It's just so much cooler to have someone playing the guitar and looking into your eyes. Don't get me wrong though, there were no sparks there. Anyways, the experience was really cool and now I'm excited to go to another concert! As for the music...I have to admit, I had never heard this band before but I borrowed some cds from Gon Chan to catch up.

Today, I started my guitar lessons. My boss requested that an AIESECer teach me how to play the guitar so each day I get a new teacher. Why such an odd request? I think I am expected to start playing the guitar for work. The product that I am doing testing on is an optical amplifier and I'm guessing that I will have to see how well it works with an actual electric guitar. Fun stuff. My fingers hurt though. I don't know how much playing time I can squeeze in over the next few days. But, ROCK ON!!!

A Naked Festival and St. Patrick's day Parade

2007-03-03T03:33:00.000-08:00

So my boss let me have Friday off so that I could go to the Konomiya Naked Festival (Hadaka Matsuri). This festival started in the year 767 and happens on the 13th day of the lunar calendar. What happens at this festival? A lot of men, wearing only white loin clothes, carry these big bamboo poles and charge throught the streets towards Konomiya shrine. When I say charge, I mean more stumble drunkenly. Some other stuff happens at the shrine but I didn't see any of it because we were in a bad location and I was too short! Someone did mention butt slapping to pass off your bad luck to these people but lucky for me, I didn't have any bad luck to pass off.

Pictures: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2094916799&idx=0

Today was a day of running some errands. I met up with Aaron at Osu Kannon and lucky for us, we caught a St. Patrick's parade complete with a marching band. It was kind of entertaining seeing Japanese people decked out in green and clover stickers, celebrating the day by congregating in front of a BUDDHIST temple. Aaron was also quick to point out a girl in a witches costume. Anything goes in Japan!

We also checked out a tattoo parlor. If you want a tattoo, don't do it in Japan cuz it'll cost you your good arm and the other leg. $200 for a consultation, then $600 for each session for anyone who is curious. Maybe that is just the one place we went to but I am no longer curious to find out.

Catching Up

2007-02-28T17:10:00.000-08:00

It's been a really long time since my last post and it's not because I got lazy, it's because a lot of things have been happening. My life is quite out of balance and my schedule turned upside down. I went to Hong Kong for a short week and right after that, I was hit with the most intense culture shock when I returned to Japan. Right after my return, Liz and I started getting serious about our 2 month Asia tour and we're working out the flights and everything. Not only that, my parents called and asked if I wanted to stay in Asia longer because I have a cousin getting married in Taiwan over the summer and my aunt wants me to travel with her. Plus, I am looking for a job at the same time. Things are mellowing out though and I think I have a handle on life again. So I finally have the brain power to update my blog!

Let's go backwards... my boss took me to the Agriculture centre to look at the plum blossoms on Wednesday. So BEAUTIFUL!!! I love it. And I got to see some cows and chickens too. It sure beats working!

...On Sunday, I finally met up with Kent's friend, Sarah. We both wanted to go to Nagoya Aquarium but it closed before we could get our sleepy selves out there. Instead, we walked around Nagoya Port, took some puri kara (Japanese photo sticker booth), and hit Little Italy. We took a 5 minute boat tour on the man made canal, quite romantic but we had a small family in the boat with us so it was cramping our style. No sparks there. For dinner, we had pizza which involved pointing at something random on the Japanese menu. The risk was well worth it. We got ourselves some greasy goodness. To finish off, we had some gelato. Not as large a selection as I'm used to back home but it's good enough.

...On Saturday, it was Sayana's (Russian Intern) farewell day. She gave a presentation about her time in Nagoya, then we had dinner at an AIESEC members house, then we went clubbing at Club ID. I didn't get to spend much time with Sayana while she was here but it's still sad to see her leave. It means we definately won't get to spend more time together later on! After the club, Aaron and I couldn't go home because the trains had stopped so we went to Denny's to satisfy my hunger and then we went in search of a bar that we had heard about from someone we met a few weeks back. We knew it was in the red light district so away we went, walking through a shady part of town. There are clothings stores here that stay open all night! Anyways, we eventually found the bar, after having dessert at a convenience store. I like a guy who can share my passion for sweets. But yah, the guy who sat next to me at the bar offered me a mint and I just stared at him, so he offered it to Aaron who actually ate it...then whispered to me that if he passed out to make sure he didn't leave with the guy. Who does that?!?! Oh well, interesting times indeed.

HONG KONG!!!

I got back from Hong Kong last Tuesday. It was a nice trip. I got to see Liz and Serge again but it was weird. It was like we were never parted. Liz is the same but with darker hair, which has faded to a rather suiting color for Liz. And Serge is the same cept he was wearing his new stuff from Hong Kong. From the airport, we took the bus back to Liz's apartment. It was a long ride, not really scenic since there was kind of a fog which I think is mostly pollution. It wasn't so nice to see Hong Kong from the air either.

Anyways, I arrived on Valentine's day and to celebrate a lot of people came over and we had chocolate fondu with fruits and candy. There was the rule that if anyone dropped their food into the fondu pot, they'd have to kiss the person on their right so we were all careful, except for all the guys who were sitting next to each other. Also, we visited the New Year's market and got flowers to decorate the apartment with. I love flowers and they lasted till I left.

The next day, Liz took me to some of the markets but I wasn't in the mood to buy anything. That night, we went for Karaoke and I actually enjoyed it. I never liked karaoke before.

Serge and I helped Liz give a presentation about Salsa to her co-workers. It was their monthly team bonding thing where a person gives a presentation about something they like. After that, we got to do Chinese calligraphy as a treat for Chinese New Years. Liz's co-workers helped us write wishes and it was a lot of fun. Liz had to keep working so Serge and I went for bodies massages. It was my first massage in my life so I was excited. Boy was I in for a surprise. Instead of falling asleep and catching up on some zzz's, I was actually in pain. My back hurt when I touched it afterwards but I think in the end, it helped for when I went hiking the next day. The funny story here is that the people thought Serge and I were a couple so they left us in the same room to change.

That night, we went to a place for a seafood dinner in Sai Kung. What I didn't like was being bombarded by all these people trying to get you into their restaurant but, it was cool to see all the live seafood in the tanks. I didn't like the food much in Hong Kong and that includes this place. Afterwards, we stayed up and watched one of Serge's crazy Japanese movies. Even the title was crazy which is why I can't remember what it was.

Next, we went hiking on Lantou Island. Liz and her hiking partner, Jean Philip from France, have been fine tuning their hiking experience to really show Serge and I a good time. We ended up hiking up a dry river path with huge rocks and lotsa spiders. I think the only casualties were Liz getting stung by a caterpiller and me slipping on a rock when it started to rain. Oh and one of the other girls kept banging her shin everytime she took out her camera. It was quite an adventure and I think it'll prep me for South Asia...maybe...hmmm, hotter climate = bigger bugs. We'll see.

I spent the coming of New Years waiting to get into a nightclub. It was a fun night though. Egle from Lithuania was a REALLY good dancer. In the morning, we went for dim sum. Oh how I miss dim sum! Then we went to a temple which was kind of a dangerous place to go on New Years. People had handfuls of incense and they had to carry them above their heads because of all the smoke coming out of them. That just meant that the tall interns got incense in their faces while ashes fell on us little people. I think we spent more time in the line up to get into the temple than we did in the temple. Oh well, I thought it was worth seeing since you don't really get that in Calgary. Next was the New Years parade. There were so many people and when the parade started, people actually got trapped in different quadrants. I was seperated from Liz and Serge and couldn't get to them until the parade ended. It was crazy and the parade wasn't even as good as the one for the Calgary Stampede. Oh well, afterwards, we went for Indian food which was really good. I think the spices helped to make the food taste good. I think the meat and veggies have a funny taste to them in Hong Kong. Especially the milk!!! Bleh. To end the night, we stayed up to watch City of God and talked till 6am with one of Liz's roommates, Frank.

To end the trip, we went to watch a Chinese movie called "Protege". It had Andy Lau and Danial Wu in it and it's about an undercover cop trying to bust a drug lord. It brought me back to my childhood of watching Hong Kong movies. For Liz, I think she found it amusing and I don't think Serge liked it. I do admit that it gets cheesy but it was really cool to see the scenes in the movie match the places where I had actually just been! Plus, Andy Lau an Danial Wu...drool.

Right after that, we caught the ferry to spend the night in Macau with two other interns, Jean Philip and David from Nigeria. Meaning, another night of no sleep! Our taxi ride was an adventure. Our taxi driver didn't want to take us where we wanted to go and we probably ended up paying more for our ride than we should of...but in the end, it was only like $3 a person. We went to visit the Ruins of St.Paul and walked around the streets with the European style buildings. The boys got some meat jerky and we had dinner at a Polish Restaurant. Then we hit the casinos and took a lot of pictures of us in goofy poses. We lasted the night but by morning, we were pretty well spent. We tried to watch the sunrise along the harbour but it was too cloudy. We went back to a casino to have some buffet breakfast and most of us ended up falling asleep at the table. To kill some time before our ferry back to Hong Kong, we went to Macau tower and then took a taxi to tour Macau for like 15 minutes.

After getting back to Hong Kong, I had to leave right away to go back to Japan. I was sad to leave and I almost cried on the plane. I not only miss Liz and Serge, but all the great people I met in Hong Kong. I am jealous that Liz gets to hang out with so many interns from so many places. Makes for a very interesting crowd. But, I will see Liz again in a couple months...and we're probably going to be really sick of each other 2 months after that... after out Asia tour together!!! I can't wait.

...Pictures of Hong Kong to come...

Culture Shock

2007-02-11T08:27:00.000-08:00

I guess if the meaning of culture shock is just noticing how things are different around you then I am definately in culture shock and I definately will still be experiencing it when I leave. I've talked to people who have been here for years and they say that the still find things different or surprising even. It's fun...but I can see how culture shock can be straining because it does take effort to take notice of things, call it overstimulation?

I'm pretty sure I haven't been homesick yet. Sure I miss people, but that's about it. I actually don't miss my parents at all and I think that's because I grew up pretty independantly from them. I'm actually thinking about whether I want to go home after this. I think I have a fear of returning home or something. Also, there are just too many other places that seem more attractive. I haven't settled on anything realistic yet and plus I have to return to Calgary to rebuild my foundation before I go off into the world again. Kind of like putting gas in your car and taking it in for a check-up. Anyways, I think I'm starting to settle in more now. I would have been here for 3 months in 1 more week. I'm just doing more with other people now and I am really loving this living on my own thing. I can't understand how people can do a 3 month internship. It's definately not enough!

Today, I decided to ride my bike to have dinner (nabe again) at an AIESECers new apartment. It was only a half hour bike ride and I realized how much I miss of Nagoya by taking the subway. I even found a pachinko places named after me! So, I must ride my bike more often to see more. Considering how big this city is, I can say that I really haven't seen much of it at all! I've seen more of Tokyo than I have of this city. Also, riding my bike home, I was reminded of the times I drove my car around at night when no one was on the streets. It's a nice feeling, very comforting and relaxing.

I am sooo full from dinner but here I am eating mini donuts. It's because after seeing the movie yesturday, I asked Aaron if he's had a donut in Japan yet. I've seen lots of donut places around, you can even get them at the convience store, but I've never tried them here yet. Then he started craving a donut and since he had missed his bus, we decided to try to explore around Nagoya station and find a donut shop. We never did end up finding one, there's actually not a whole lot around Nagoya station. But, ever since then, I have been craving donuts and here I am, eating them. :)

Oh one last thing! Seko, you mentioned to be wary of gangs around Sakae and Shin-Sakae.... Actually, Yusaku told me to be careful of guys trying to hit on me (pick me up) there because that's what guys do there. He told me that to defend myself that I just need to speak English and they'll leave me alone. Do you think that will work with the gangs too?

"First Step" - A project by an AIESECer

2007-02-11T07:26:00.000-08:00

The other day, an AIESECer approached me and told me about a project that he is working on called "First Step". His initiative involves promoting the concepts of "My Bag" and "My stick" where you bring your own re-usable shopping bag instead of using the bags provided by stores and where you bring your own re-usable chopsticks where ever you go to avoid using the disposable chopsticks in restaurants. He called the "bag" and the "chopstick" symbols of "a disposable days" which I find really true.

It really surprises me why restaurants would use disposable chopsticks in a country that has no room for waste. Sure, they burn their garbage and they're heavy into recycling, but the process of recycling also produces waste - more energy is used to recycle things than to make something from scratch. This raises another question in my mind. Why do companies use so much packaging? Quite often, I buy a bag of something, say candy and I open the bag to find that every piece is individually wrapped. Maybe this is to prevent me from eating the whole bag of candy at once but it seems like such a waste...even if it does get recycled, it seems contradictory. Why create more work for yourself?

Anyways, back to the project. The point is for us to address the issues of the environment and "My Bag" and "My Chopstick" are the first steps for us to act on.

The first event for this project was for us to go watch "An Inconvenient Truth" yesturday. It's a pretty interesting movie, most of it is about global warming but there is also alot about Al Gore's life outside of his work around global warming. What frustrated me most was that it seemed like the answer to global warming is in the hands of stubborn politicians. Even if everyone on the world took a small step in doing something for the environment, it doesn't amount to what a new act or law related to global warming can do. That is just what I felt from the movie, I am sure there is more to it.

In March, there is going to be a trip to Kyoto to see the "Community Service" of a super market chain called AEON. They are planning to start a "pay-shopping bag movement" which I think is similar to what The Real Canadian Superstore does in Canada.

Then in April, there is going to be a seminar about "My Bag" where I guess they're going to make me talk about shopping bags because the goal is to "know about shopping bag in foreign countries". We'll also be reflecting back on the whole project and see where we've gotten ourselves.

I'm kind of excited. I've never been in an environmental club before even though I've always wanted to do my part.

The Small Differences

2007-02-09T00:45:00.000-08:00

Due to my bosses great organizing skills, I am now sitting in a sound proof room blogging on scrap pieces of paper because the equipment isn't hooked up and he has tied himself up in a meeting in the room, where my precious internet is, so he can't get me started to so some work. I could just sit here and stare off into space but luckily, I brought my iPod and a pen with me. I am back to my old self of not being about to sit still so while I feel like I am in prison, I can catch up on some blogging!

Where to start is the difficult questions. I have taken many notes since I have been here. Hmm, I was talking to my friend Ala about discovering new things everyday so maybe I should start talking about my discoveries. Also, I was talking to an Australian guy at an English Cafe the other day and I asked him when he was planning on leaving Japan. He said he doesn't plan to leave until he ceases to be surprised...he's been here for a year and a half already!

Dining:
-etiquette: before a meal you have to say itadakimasu (I will eat/drink) and after a meal you have to say gotisousama deshita (To appreciate the food)
-moist towels: these are given to you before a meal so that you can clean your hands, also, they're usually heated first
-beeper: when you are ready to order, you can use this to get immediate attention
-instant orders: orders are placed on a portable hand held device which I think goes straight to the kitchen and your bill
-smoking: still allowed
-disposable chopsticks: it's weird to see for a country that is conscious on waste, but it's in every restaurant that you go to

Shopping:
-self bagging: you have to bag your own groceries. Basically, the cashier rings in your items and puts them into another basket which you take to the bagging counter and proceed to bag your groceries however you like
-the dish: this is where you put your money

Fashion:
-make-up: girls here seem to be obsessed with it. It's not uncommon to see a girl pull out this giant mirror to check herself. Girls carry giant make-up cases that are comparable to that of a professional make-up artist. You'll also see girls do their make-up on the train, or right at the dinner table in a restaurant.
-Tokyo Princess: the Russian intern introduced this concept to me. It's true, there are a lot of cookie-cutter girls out there. Basically, they have golden blond hair with loose waves and lots of volume, heavy eyeliner that makes their eyes like ginormous, they wear high heels and LV purses. Not only that, it's the middle of winter and they still wear short shorts and skirts!
-Sweatsuits: this style I find kinda of odd. From the neck up, girls look like Tokyo princess, but from neck down, they're in oversized sweats.
-Typical guys: Big hair, sometimes similar to the girl who they are with, shiny puffy jacket with fur trimming on the hood, straight leg designer jeans with "stylish" rips, cowboy boots
-Classy: This I really like, peacoats and suits. Designer shoes and accessories. Modest hair and make-up

Cellphones:
-On trains: they have to be on silent or off if you're in the zone reserved for seniors. Apparently, they interfere with pacemakers. Also, people don't really talk on their phones, they're usually emailing or textmessaging
-Charms: everyone has a ridiculous amount of things hanging off their cellphones, including small stuffed animals
-Gems: Another popular thing are gems glued onto the phone. Very Hollywood!

Vending Machines:
-Cigarettes, and they're cheap too, like $3 a pack
-Beer, also cheap, comparable to pop
-Normal Beverages, hot and cold
-French Fries
-Ice Cream
-Rumor: Underwear, I have yet to find this!

Houses:
-heating: no central heating so my roommate and I hang out in our own rooms next to our little space heaters
-windows: single pane, I hear everything!
-tatami mats: instead of carpet, I have tatami mats on my floor
-beds: people are starting to use western beds but I sleep the traditional way, on the floor on a futon

Bathroom:
-nothing to dry your hand with: people carry hankerchiefs for this reason
-squat toilet: there are western toilets but sometimes, you just have to deal with this
-public washrooms: they're everywhere, in subways stations, parks, outside shrines, etc.
-special toilets: heated toilet seats, jets to clean your bum

Other differences:
-recycling: you have to seperate your garbage into burnables, unburnables and recyclables, even at the train station, McDonald's, just everywhere!
-pointing at the nose: people do this when they are referring to themselves
-sidewalks: this is where you walk and bike which means, bigger sidewalks, smaller roads. What surprised me was when I saw a motorcycle coming straight for me. Bikes can be parked on the sidewalk. Oddly enough, I've even seen cars drive right onto the sidwalk...on purpose.
-right of way: is on the left
-constuction: there is a lot of road construction in Nagoya, in fact, on my way to work. However, construction doesn't mean, you've got to find a detour. Nope, the construction happens around the traffic...and for pedestrians, they get right of way. Meaning, workers have to stop what they're doing and move if their work is obstructing the path for the person.
-advertisements: companies put advertisements on kleenex packages and give them away to people on thes street. Great for when you encounter a public bathroom with no toilet paper!
-dogs: people treat their dogs like people. They dress them up and give them nice hairstyles...including a mohawk! I've also seen a many carry his dog on his shoulder like it was a parrot!
-DVDs: the zoning is different so I had to change the settings on my computer to play DVDs from here.

A Challenge to the work week....

2007-02-08T04:56:00.000-08:00

This post actually has nothing to do with work. It's about what I'm trying to do after work. Normally, I kick back to a rented DVD or I read a book but I wanted to be a rebel this week and avoid the video store and my bookshelf altogether.

Monday was slow, I cooked up a bunch of stuff, did some beading and spent a lot of time online.

On Tuesday, rode my bike around and I called Liz up randomly to chat. Normally I give her a warning but I was lucky and caught her just before she went for a run.

On Wednesday, I shopped and then I did the weirdest thing, I scrubbed down the kitchen. The fear of turning into my mom, the clean-o-holic, flashed through my mind so after an hour I stopped and went back online.

Today, for the first time I walked the dog. That little bugger left me not 1 but 2 stinky presents. Actually, 3 because he wasn't quite finished with his second poop or something. Sometimes, it felt like he was walking me since it was him who was dragging me along. It was fun though. I wonder if he's a runner cuz I found a great paved spot for running along a river when I went for a bike ride. When I mean run, I think I mean walk. I haven't ran since my junior high track team!

In the news today, a gangster boss is shot dead in his car in Tokyo and in revenge, rounds of shots were directed at the headquarters of rival gang. Hmmm, in my mind, I still believe that these things only happen in movies. Well, it's a good thing that I don't live in Tokyo!

Who knows what will happen tomorrow but I know I've got to start packing for Hong Kong soon. I have a tendancy to pack last minute in which case I always forget my toothpaste, facewash or pajamas. Packing for Japan was no different! I think I've finally gotten used to my Japanese toothpaste though. It tastes like flowers or something.

I need a cooking lesson....

2007-02-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

So the other day, I discovered these packages in the supermarket that are sauces for asian dishes and right on the back are illustrations to the exact ingredients you need to add, which to me is important because I can't read the Japanese instructions. I call home telling my mom this great discovery just to hear her tell me that all I need is a bit of salt and sugar and maybe some soy sauce for color to cook my meat and vegetables in. I was surpised that I thought cooking involved so much more. I tried it and like Alan said, the meat and vegetables are what brings the flavours to a dish!

Okay, but now I have more questions:

Deep frying food is not healthy...but what if you deep fry in olive oil?
How many days can you leave leftovers in the fridge for?
Why does my leftover eggplant dish turn purple in the fridge, then go back to being brown after I heat it up?
If there's no mold, is expired food still okay to eat?
How long can I leave meat to defrost in the fridge?

Wah, so many questions! Help!

A great week-end

2007-02-05T02:21:00.000-08:00

After bugging Yusaku to take me clubbing since I first arrived, we finally found the time and rounded up enough people to go. On Friday, we started off the night with all-you-can-eat grill and drinks. Then we walked down to Club ID and danced the night away. Cover charge for ladies was about $20 but you get 4 drinks with it. For guys it was $30. Things like this make me appreciate being a girl more. Oh, and we all got coupons for $10 off our next visit!
The clubbing experience in Japan is only a little bit different. The club we went to had a techno beat floor, a lounging floor and a hip-hop floor. On the techno-ish floor, it looked like there were regulars there because more than a few times, the people were dancing in sync, like there was a dance to the song or something. On the hip-hop floor, the new intern from the US, Aaron, kept sarcasticly commenting on the hip-hop style of wear. It was kind of dark for me to see, plus I am not 6'2 like Aaron so I didn't get much of a good view but I think I know what he is talking about. Imagine guys my height in oversized clothing. ;) Another thing about the dancing is that people dance facing the dj unlike what I'm used to, dancing in a circle with your friends.
The dancing was fun and the tequila really good. Okay, when in Japan, drink sake but tequila is my favorite! There were 5 of us who went to Club ID, 2 of us were interns, and 2 had never been clubbing before. I think we were all satisfied with the night but I know the 3 Japanese boys were super tired because they all fell asleep at the restaurant that we went to afterwards. After playing some pranks, Aaron and I left them some money for our drinks and went in search for another bar. By the time we were done, the subway was running again so we could all go home and sleep in our nice warm beds!

Pictures: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2095846791

On Saturday I had to prepare for my Canadian Culture Presentation to the AIESECers. After that, I met up with Aaron and brought him the a cafe called, My English Room, where George, the intern from the UK works. Here, we met Japanese people who go to this cafe to practice speaking English with each other and with the foreigners who work there. It's an interesting concept, they also give Japanese lessons to foreigners so it has lots to offer.

On Sunday, I gave my presentation about myself, Canada and my time in Japan. Then the AIESECers presented to me Valentine's day and McDonald's in Japan. It was fun. The Valentine's presentation made me laugh really hard. One person explained it like this, guys try to be nice this month to girls because on Valentine's day, girls give boys chocolate. The amount of chocolate a guy receives shows his worthiness. If a guy does not receive enough chocolate, he will have to go and buy chocolate for himself to feel better. Another person explained it as a celebration in 3 ways; girls give chocolate to boys to show LOVE, girls give their male friends chocolate, girls also give their female friends chocolate. I had to ask what the difference between friendship chocolate and love chocolate and it's the price!

In Japan, there is also White day and on this day, guys have to give girls chocolate or cookies or other sweets. BUT, guys have to spend MORE money on their gift so they have to work very hard this month!

After the presentations, we went into a room that had these kitchenette stations and we all divided up into groups to make pancakes! It was really cool. I had requested for there to be pancakes because I had brought Maple Syrup with me from Canada and there was no way I was bringing it back with me. I also brought Canadian Whiskey which I still have lots of so there will be a Whiskey party some night!

To finish up the week-end we went bowling again. I think it's starting to grow on me. Someone told me that I'd start liking it after I get a strike and I think they're right!

Typical Japanese Lunch

2007-02-01T06:23:00.000-08:00

I have Japanese food for lunch quite often and it looks something like this...

Clockwise from top left: raw octopus with cucumber in vinegar sauce, fish, leek, kishamin noodles, raw fish, rice, soy sauce, picked vegetables

Clockwise from top left: raw fish, say sauce, white radish in miso sauce, soba noodles, leek emptied into noodles, raw fish on top of rice, hidden pickled vegetables

Clockwise from top left: teriyaky chicken with white radish on top, deep fried something (maybe fish or pork), salad, pickled vegetable, miso soup, tofu, rice

If you're interested in food from all around the world, check out this blog that many interns around the world contribute to: http://worldfoodculture.blogspot.com/

Kent keeps reminding me to update on the food blog - I hope you are happy now, I did it just for you!

Same food, different taste

2007-01-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

I've been indulging in junk food lately and that's when it hit me to write about how food tastes different here. In Japan, there are Oreo cookies, but they're not as sweet as the American version. There are Ritz crackers, but they do not have as much crystalized salt on them. There are Pringles, but there is not as much seasoning on them...your fingers don't get sticky with flavouring when you're done. You're probably thinking...so food is less flavourful? It's actually quite the opposite. I think in Japan, they have just the right amount of flavouring and when you're done, you feel just right...rather than craving more junk food. When I come home, I think I'm going to die from sensory overkill!

Now onto fruits and vegetables. The stawberries are much smaller, the bananas decent sized, the cucumbers are really cute and petit, but apples are pretty big...but I think they're natural? Anyways, small or big, they're all packed with sensational flavour. In Canada, I didn't really like strawberries because even if they are sweet, the don't have much of a strawberry taste. I can't wait to test out the other fruit! I'm not sure which ones are imported though but I'm sure only the best stuff will get imported anyways. Japan is all about freshness and good taste....except for "nato"...which is a bean in this sticky paste and to me, tastes horrible but people here love it.

The thing about Tokyo...

2007-01-26T18:11:00.000-08:00

You'd think that mankind would stop sprawling when we run out of land but apparently, we can make our own land! I knew that the new Hong Kong airport is built on man-made land but I found out on my last trip to Tokyo a couple of days ago that even Tokyo has a new area developping from man-made land as well. I guess you can build upwards only so much but this adding a new plot of land seems unnatural. Calgary is is concerned with it's own urban sprawl...but how does it compare to this I ask?

Anyways, I made a few new discoveries on my trip to Tokyo. Instead of using the metro, I used the train that is above ground called the JR line. There are lots of other train lines available too but I can only learn so much in a day! It's neat, like combination of the C-train and Vancouver's Sky train. Oh, but in the new land, there is a line that is exactly like the Sky-train...no conductor. You get a nice view of everything if you sit at the front so it was really nice!

I didn't do a lot in Tokyo this time. I was mostly there for a Photonics Exhibition but I got one day all to myself in which I spent shopping. I've been trying to stay away from that but I ended up spending a lot of money. Oh well, you only live once.

I took the overnight bus home and this time, I tried my best to stay up to look at the views. It was really cool. In Tokyo, they build highways on top of roads and other overpasses. So looking out the window, I was faced with the 5th story of apartment and business buildings. It felt very futuristic. And then I fell asleep and woke up to find myself home again.

Strike! ... eh well not for me ...

2007-01-22T02:41:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I had a really busy day. First, I went to an AIESEC Preperation event for the 2 new SNs. It was intersting what was being introduced. One SN was preparing to go to Poland on an internship that is to promote Peace awareness in high school students. The other SN is going to the Philipinnes to work for an NGO which has something to do with providing support to Philipinno women who come to Japan to work in the adult entertainment industry. Aside from presentations, we also played games that challenged our knowldge about the two countries where these two SN were going. At the end, there was a lesson on shuji which is traditional Japanese writing but I had to leave early and missed that.

I went to a place called "My English Room" where the other intern, George, works. I wanted to talk to a guy there who does a lot of hiking in Japan since I was interested in doing some hikes myself. We established that now is too cold for hiking and that I have to wait until spring. So I've got to find something else to do until then!

After that, I met up with some AIESECers and we had dinner at this place where they have a set menu which includes unlimited parfaits. I had three parfaits but the guys had 5 or 6 each. Mmmm, I can't wait to do that again! We then went bowling but we had to wait for a couple of lanes. There were plenty of games to keep us busy until we could bowl. We took some sticker pictures in a picture booth, played some video games and we also played the games where you have to try to pick up a prize. I got a keychain out of that which was exciting. Then we got to bowling and I actually hate bowling but despite that I had a lot of fun. Why do I hate bowling? I just don't like the thought of putting my fingers into a really heavy ball that I have to roll across a greasy lane just to knock down some pins...but things can change. I might leave Japan loving the game!

Oh and I met the new intern Aaron from the States. He's the one on the top left corner.

Hiroshima and Miyajima

2007-01-21T10:27:00.000-08:00

Last week-end I took a little trip down to Hiroshima because my boss said I had a couple days off work and George, the other intern, was already planning to go. So on Saturday, I got on the overnight bus to Hiroshima...alone because I had bought the wrong bus ticket and was going a day earlier than George. I spent Sunday doing a bit of shopping, walking around town and going to a contemporary art museum. That evening, I met some interesting people at the youth hostel who told me about their travels. One of the guys is a location manager for movies which was really cool. We searched him up on IMDB and he's got some really well known movies on his profile like Titanic, Man on Fire, Zorro, etc.

When George came, we did a lot of sight-seeing. We saw a lot of memorials for the atomic bombing of the city and we also the Peace Memorial Museum. That place is jam packed with information and I wish we had more time so that we could look at things more thoroughly, but Hiroshima has a lot to offer. We went to two other art museums, a really famous garden, the Hiroshima Castle and of course, we tried the okonomiyaki. At night we couldn't do a lot of sight-seeing since a lot of places closed by 5pm so we went to a pub to hang out or we went shopping.

For half a day, we went to Miyajima to see the Great Torii of Itsukushima Shrine. I didn't realize that this gate, which I've seen in pictures before, was in Miyajima but when I realized how close it was to where we were, I convinced George that we should go see it. Again I wish we had more time so that we could do a hike up the mountain but it got dark really fast. What surprised me were the deer roaming freely around. They would even come up to you and let you pet them. I had one try to get at my bag filled with pastries. It was really weird seeing them everywhere and interacting with people. In Canada, that is a big no no.

I had never thought of going to Hiroshima before but I'm glad that I decided to tag along with George. I learned that fewer people were going to Hiroshima to learn about the tragedies that had happened there and I thought that it was too bad since this place has a lot of important history associated with it and it really tries to promote peace around the world. When I first saw the a-dome, I thought it looked like a movie set. After going through the Peace Memorial Museum, I realized the significance of it more and I was glad that the building was made into a World Heritage Site instead of being torn down.

Pictures:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2096390537

My Two Months

2007-01-18T06:21:00.001-08:00

I just realized that today, I have officially been in Japan for 2 months. Time is flying by and I'm definately making the most of it. I will try to update about my trip to Hiroshima soon. Yup, another trip that kind of happened out of the blue! But here's a toast to my monthiversary.

Adoptive Family Number 3

2007-01-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

Just before my winter vacation was over, I stayed with another AIESEC member, Azusa, and her family. Her house was cool, it's split into two, kind of like a duplex, and before her grandparents passed away, they lived in the other half of the place. That's kind of nice for her parents when they were starting out, have nice home cooked meals and still have their own space.

Anyways, that night her brother showed us pictures of his trip to Okinawa. I hope I can go there someday. It's beachy. However, their famous food is a bitter vegetable and every meal that he had had some of it in it. Gross. But, they also have dragon fruit which sounds yummy.

After dinner, he played the mandarin for us. It was nice, he played some songs that I recognised and I think it was the first time that I've heard the mandarin. At least being played live! I really appreciate live performances now...after being invited to so many jazz concerts, thank you Henry for the introduction!

I really enjoy the japanese home experience but I do appreciate also living on my own and forcing myself to cook. Also, my schedule is so sporatic, I would drive my family insane. In Canada, I have always been independant and my parents never worried too much about me. However, it is true that a japanese home is a unique experience to be had.

The interesting thing about staying with these AIESECers families is that they are always surprised to find out that I am asian, Chinese to be exact, and also that I can use chopsticks very well. I think they were expecting someone completely different but their interest in my background and in Canada is genuine and I appreciate all that.

Snowboarding In Nagano Prefecture

2007-01-06T20:22:00.001-08:00

After not being able to sleep on the overnight bus, we got to Togari Ski Resort Village, picked up our snowboard rentals from our hostel (White Village) and then hit the slopes right away. I was kind of surprised, especially since I was still half asleep and no one had told me anything about what was going on. Despite that, I picked up my feet and followed everyone else.

I wasn't the only beginner so we started out at the bottom of a hill, with the ones who knew how to snowboard showing us how to put on our boards, how to walk around with one foot attached and how to stand up. The gliding down the hill part we kind of had to figure out by feel and on my part, there was a lot of falling.

Then it was time to get on that ski lift and go to the top...and to painfully make our way down. I fell alot but by my second or third run, I made it to the bottom falling only 2 or 3 times. That doesn't include the top of the hill where the snow was melting and the mud was showing, the bend was very sharp and my turning isn't that good yet. I think that day, I only made 5 runs because my arms were getting too weak for me to lift myself up after everytime I fell. I thought I could rest and hit the slopes the next day...but that's a different story.

We had lunch at the ski slope, but for dinner we were fed at the hostel. That was nice. There was also a hot spring at the hostel...and yup, another public bath! I got shafted and got only cold water at my shower so I got clean as fast as I could and got out. We finished the night by a drinking party and games. We played Uno, some Japanese game called nuki, and a silent game. I think we ended the night pretty early, 10 or 11, but we were all pretty pooped out.

My sleep was horrible. I tried to roll over on my futon and discovered that I was too stiff to move an inch. Not only that, my throat was hurting more and more. By the time I woke up, I was a mess. I had no voice and I had trouble moving. I couldn't even lift my arms up above my head. So, instead of having another go at it on the slopes, I spent the day reading and taking a walk around town. We had breakfast at the hostel...maybe it was a bed and breakfast...and then lunch at the slopes again. There was snow coming down in clumps so although it was good for snowboarding, it was not so good for seeing where you were going.

We left in the afternoon and got back to Nagoya by night. Since we got back earlier than expected, we all went for some ramen. That was a good thing because I don't think I would have had the energy left to cook!

I absolutely love snowboarding. Thank goodness I am much better at it than skiing. If you've ever been skiing with me, you'd understand. Until next time...

Pictures:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2096999866

New Years Celebration

2007-01-06T20:21:00.001-08:00

To celebrate the new year, some AIESECers got together for lunch and then we went to a shrine or temple. George and I have been trying to figure out the difference between the two but in the end, I think the two terms are still ambiguous. Temples are associated with Buddism and Shrines with Sintoism but in Japan, the two have kind of merged throughout history. So, I am sorry if I get my temples and shrines mixed up.

(The Interns)

In the evening, our LC got together with the other 2 LCs in Nagoya and we had a drinking party. For less than $30, you get lots of food and unlimited drinks for 90 minutes. Not bad. It was fun but I lost my voice to the sake and because of that, I now have a nasty cold.

Right after the party, I got on a bus with 12 other AIESEC members and we headed off for our snowboarding trip!

Pictures:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2097001266

Girls in Kimonos

2007-01-03T03:16:00.001-08:00

Today my roommate, Satoko, and I got dressed up in kimonos and hit the streets. First, we got dressed at her sister's house since neither of knew how to tie the belt. Then I was told to stand with my toes pointed in instead of out. It was a conscious effort I tell you! Another effort is walking. You can only take small steps when wearing a kimono. I actually laughed out loud when I realized how slow my roommate and I were walking through the subway station. At one point, I lifted my dress a little to try to run and my Satoko was shaking her hand at me saying "no no". I had to wear normal shoes since the Japanese shoes that my roommate had were too small for me. That was okay since it was the kimono that counted. Sitting was not very comfortable. It was tight around the body and I had to be careful not to crush my beautiful bow so I had to sit up in a moving car. Good ab workout though.

When we were ready, we drove to the subway and took the subway to Osu Kannon temple where we prayed and bought some food from the food stalls. Then we walked through the streets where all the shops were and spent a few hours browsing around. We then took the subway back to the car and went to a park on a hill to see the city. There were people flying kites which was pretty neat. After taking more pictures, we went for kaiten sushi where the dishes were only 105 yen each (or $1). Still tastier than what we can get in Canada.

Asking around, I found out that most girls don't have kimonos. I borrowed mine from Satoko's older sister. I guess they are expensive, quite a bit more than a grad dress but still, I thought it was one of those things that Japanese girls should have. Also, on the coming of age day, the annual celebration of people who have turned 20 during the last year, all the girls are dressed in kimono but like a wedding dress, they can be rented instead of bought. Oh well, I don't have a grad dress so who am I to say anything?

My roommate said that the last time that she wore a kimono was when she was 12 so it was an exciting day for both of us. It was a day well spent!

Pictures: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2097181488

Takayama and Fukugawa

2007-01-03T01:20:00.000-08:00

January 1, 2007:

Adatchan and I met up at Nagoya station to depart for Takayama but we missed our bus by a minute so we had to take the train instead. The express was booked out so we had to switch trains twice and after almost 4 hours, we made it Takayama. Shinpei met up with us and together we walked around the city. It's a small city but such a beautiful and quiet place. The air was crisp with coldness and there was snow on the ground. I hate the cold in Nagoya but in this place, even though it's even colder, I find it very inviting. Maybe it's the fresh mountain air, or maybe it just felt like home. This feeling is hard to discribe, the houses are traditional style and this place is a major destination for tourists, but I felt very comfortable walking around, like I belonged there and not just another tourist.

Anyways, after walking through the Old Private Houses where there are shops that sell Japanese snacks and souvenirs, we tried to go to the Goverment House but it was closed. We then went to city hall and got there just as it was closing but we were allowed to walk around inside still. I discovered, and with a little bit of explaining from the boys, that most tourist attractions in Japan have ink stamps for tourists to use for memorabilia. That, I think is really cool.

Takayama is in the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture and Hida is famous for it's sarubobo dolls. The first time I saw one, I thought the doll was strange. It has no face. But after going to Takayama and seeing stores full of them in lots of different sizes and colors, I started to get really fond of them. Each color represents something, like Love, Health, Study, etc. And sometimes you see characters like Hello Kitty dressed up like one. Very cute.

I also fell in love with a kind of sweet from Takayama. I don't know how to discribe it and I have absolutely no idea what it is. Probably lots of sugar and gluten. I like the one covered in wheat powder and the green one with red bean paste in the middle. Can you tell that Takayama is becoming my favorite place yet?

After freezing our little toes off, the three of us got picked up by Shinpei's dad and we got a ride back to Shinpei's house. For dinner we grilled the beef that Takayama is known for and had a whole table full of food. We also had sake, beer, and some plum wine for me. I do have to say though, Shinpei picked a bottle of sake that was dryer than the dessert but he enjoyed it so kudos to him. It's a good thing his parents had sake that was more appetizing for my tastes.

After dinner, we went to a hot spring, another thing that is popular in Takayama. Shinpei's mom showed me the in and outs of the public bath and contrary to my initial fears of walking around butt naked, it was pretty natural. You first rinse off your cleaning station, then rinse yourself off. Then get into the hot bath. We also went outside to soak in the natural hot spring which smelled like rotten eggs so you know it's got to be mineral water. Then, you go back to your station and wash up with soap, rinse, then get back into the bath to soak. I think you can also wash up at the very beginning too, that was what I had always thought. There was also a sauna but I felt just right so I skipped out on that. What a perfect way to end the day.

January 2, 2007:

Shinpei's mom took the three of us out to Fukugawa. This city is much smaller than Takayama but it has really great scenery. Fukugawa is knows for it's carpentry, sake, and I think the carp that swim through the canals of the city in the spring and summer. There were less people walking around so it was nice and peaceful. With the nice old style houses and mountains in the background, Takayama and Fukugawa make the Hida region my favorite so far in Japan. I also had my first rice balls on a stick here.

Finished with the sightseeing, we went back to Takayama to see the festival floats in the museum. I thought this place was really cool. There were big drums that you can bang on, some miniture sized floats and Japanese-laquered folding screens to see, and also the real floats which had marionettes that came alive at certain times. Each float took turns and there were also life sized marionettes. My favorite were the ones that played the big drums. I had always wanted to see a show with the big drums and who knew my first show would be performed by life sized dolls?

For lunch we went for kaiten sushi which was super yummy. You don't know sushi until you try it in Japan. The variety of fish is overwhelming and it's so much tastier. Maybe because the fish is fresher. However, I did learn that the price of tuna is rising because tuna is become scarce and there are protection laws on them. Good thing there are many substitutes! For desert, we went to a place near Takayama station. I think Shinpei's mom knows the way to my heart...my sweet tooth. Also, she treated all of us as if we were all her children but of course, she only had embarassing stories of Shinpei to tell.

After buying some souvenirs, Adatchan and I had to board the bus back to Nagoya. This was a great trip and I was disappointed to have to leave. I can't wait to go back in the spring though! I'd go back more often if I could but I guess I have to give other places in Japan a fair chance too.

Pictures: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2097183378

Akemashita Omedetou Gozaimasu

2007-01-02T07:26:00.000-08:00

So it turns out that I didn't have to spend new years alone after all. Hiroko came over and she cooked me a yummy dinner and we watched "About a Boy" and some Japanese new years concert. Then we sat around talking until past midnight. We were watching the clock but we somehow missed the countdown and we forgot to open the beer. It was a simple celebration and it was perfect. I wouldn't have wished for anything different. I hope everyone got to enjoy their new years and I wish happiness and good fortune for everyone!

Thank you Adatchan for teaching me the new years phrase in Japanese...I will have to write about Takayama later...

Rice Cooker

2006-12-29T20:01:00.000-08:00

It's hard enough to try to cook when you're not a very good cook to begin with, but lucky me, I also have the liberty of trying to use appliances that aren't labelled in English. I had my roommate show me how to use the gas stove... which is easy actually and you don't even need the labels but I have burners at home and never used a gas stove before. That was a small hurdle.

Next was the microwave. My roommate had showed me, maybe on the first or second day that I was here how to use it, but a few days later, when I actualy did need to use it, it took me another few days to figure it out. You're probably wondering how I managed to heat my food without knowing how to use the microwave? Let's just say, I might have been defrosting my food rather than heating it....actually, I have no idea. That was a bigger hurdle.

The biggest hurdle so far is the rice cooker. At home, my mom always made the rice. I have an idea of how to use a rice cooker but when I pulled out the one in the apartment I got a little perplexed. There were a few extra bottons labelled in Japanese and a little display screen. After randomly hitting the buttons, I found that maybe you can set your own timer or something. Maybe this rice cooker has multiple uses. All I wanted to do was make some rice so after hitting some more random buttons (I know which one is the cancell/stop button, it's the same as the microwave) and leaving it I just hoped that something good will come out of it.

After seeing some steam and having the smell of rice come out of the device, I got hopeful. Then when it beeped I was happy to see cooked rice. I do have to admit, it is a little bit soggy but I know how to fix that, you just leave it warming in the rice cooker for a long time. I thought ahead and intended to make the rice for dinner instead of for lunch. Tonight though, I'm going to attempt to make gratin in the toaster oven. I thought all it did was toast but clearly in English it actually says, "Toast 2-3 minutes, Cookies 2.5-3.5 minutes and Gratin 13-15 minutes". It's also got an English phrase with really bad sentence structure but I'm going to ignore that.

Yes, I'm going to make a good little housewife outta myself. :)

End of Year Party

2006-12-29T17:45:00.000-08:00

Last night AIESEC held a party to celebrate the end of the year. We started off by meeting at the Nagoya station and then all walking to a restaurant (there were at least 40 of us) where we had a lot of appetizers and unlimited drinks and of course socializing. After that, some people went home and the rest of us walked to another restaurant for more food and drinks. I decided to call it quits after this second party so that I could catch the last subway home but whoever was left I believe went to karaoke. It was a fun night and I had been itching to socialize since the beginning of the holidays.

Pictures:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2097424080

On the subway on my way home though, I met a guy who actually had lived in Calgary before. I was reading "The Historian" and he asked if I was reading an English book and then we got onto talking. I told him I was from Canada and from Calgary and he said that he lived there for a while. He mentioned living in Rundle and Marlborough so that's a really weird coincidence. It was very exciting to meet another foreigner, especially one who had lived in my home town. He's been here for 5 years though so I think Calgary would be very different for him now. We swapped emails so maybe I'll get to make another network of friends. I don't usually talk to strangers but I think living in a foreign country calls for it.

Finally, a home cooked meal!

2006-12-28T03:10:00.000-08:00

Last night, I had the best meal since being in Japan. I was invited by an AIESECer, Miki, to stay with her for a night and her mom and grandma cooked a really tasty meal. Nothing beats a home cooked meal! We had pumpkin and sausage baked in gratin sauce, salad with bacon and eggs, pan fried salmon, rice, tofu, octopus and cucumber in vinegar sauce, chicken in teriyaki sauce (I think)... there was so much food, I think I might have forgotten to mention some! I also had endless cups of green tea, which actually was probably the thing that kept me up for most of the night.

Miki's mom took us to buy some accessories for snowboarding. That was fun, and a little tiring since there was so much stuff to choose from but at least we are now ready!

I'd like to say thank you to Miki and her family for having me be their guest. Everyone did their best to speak to me, even the grandma who didn't speak a work of English but despite that, I understood her quite well. Also, she is such a lively and healthy looking grandma! I hope I have just as much energy when I get to her age. Actually, Miki's whole family look really young, very good gene pool indeed.

Christmas for Couples, New Years for Family

2006-12-23T02:03:00.000-08:00

In an effort to not be alone on New Years Eve, I've been searching for someone to hang out with. But, either people are working or they have family to be with. I did learn something though. In Japan, Christmas is considered to be more for couples to celebrate together whereas for New Years, it's time for families to be together. The New Years celebrationg lasts a lot longer than back in Canada so even though a lot of people who I know are working on the big day, they are mostly with family the rest of the time... I think.

In Canada, Christmas is mostly for families to be together and since my family doesn't really celebrate Christmas, I think I'll be able to get along fine being on my own during that time. But for New Years, I look forward to being in the company of friends so I am going to really miss that when the time comes. Especially since I'll be missing out on the National Conference in Edmonton this year. Girls and boys, I will be thinking of you!!!! And another yearly ritual that I will miss out on, a cabin trip with my girlfriends!

But hey, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"....so in Japan I will spend New Years with the family I have here...me! I have also been invited to some AIESEC members' houses before and after New Years day so I am very excited about that.

Also, thank you AIESEC members for always thinking of me. Today, I went shopping, ate lunch and saw Casino Royale with a few AIESECers. Most of them have never seen a James Bond movie before, nor do they see movies often at all. It was fun but I can kind of see why it may not be a popular thing to do. It's about $18 for an adult ticket, $15 for a student. I'm still curious about how people spend their free time though....got a few more months to figure that one out!

My workplace

2006-12-22T01:07:00.000-08:00

..........My boss's desk

My desk....we share the same office....

.....my Japanese keyboard, I actually got used to the keys on this thing and I can still use my own laptop without trouble. This is quite a bit different than the keyboards back at home, for example, you've got to use your left thumb for the space bar instead of the right. A lot of the symbols are in different place too, and you can type in Japanese....but I'm not that good yet!

AIESEC Alumni Party

2006-12-21T17:40:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to the AIESEC Alumni Event that was held in collaboration between the 3 AIESEC locals here. There was a presentation given by an alumni who talked about interns that had come to Nagoya when he was in AIESEC more than 26 years ago. He also talked about his own internship in Turkey and other places he had gone, like the United States and Singapore. I didn't understand his presentation since it was given in Japanese, but I did get the chance to talk to him during the networking section of the night.

Since the internet was not in use back then, this alumni actually had his internship cancelled but didn't find out until he had landed in Turkey. So he had no airport reception and he almost didn't have a job. Although the firm that he was supposed to work for had shut down some of its operations due to the oil crisis, he was lucky and the company let him work for a month. At, least, that's how I understand it.

The best part of the presentation I think was a video he had of an intern who went to Nagoya 27 years ago. He got into contact with this person who was from the United States and asked him to do a video for this presentation. It makes me think of how deep AIESEC roots are. Things go way back and I'm excited to be a part of it and to think how it will be in the future, 26 years from now. I could even be making a video for future AIESEC babies!

At the end of the event, I was asked to introduce myself to the whole group and I was surprised that the alumni were asking me questions in really good English. I guess to do business internationally, it is important to know English. I was happy that I got to go to this event, it was definately a good experience. I also learned that the new President of the International Energy Association will be an AIESEC alumni of Japan!

Downgrading

2006-12-17T00:39:00.000-08:00

I miss my car, I do. So convenient, especially for shopping and bringing home bags of new clothes or groceries. Now I ride a shopping bicycle. Also quite convenient and much cheaper but there's no protection from the weather, I can't take home bags of new stuff (maybe that's a good thing), the brakes squeak and the bell doesn't work when it rains. It sure does beat waiting for a bus though (I'm impatient when it comes to that) and I get my excercise! It takes 30 minutes to ride to work, and about 15 minutes to get home from work. Nagoya is a very hilly area but I am getting better at climbing hills and going longer distances. Maybe I will start riding my mountain bike more when I get back to Calgary. But my dear Civic, you are my number 1!

Japanese Food - Okonamiyaki and Takoyaki

2006-12-17T00:33:00.000-08:00

Japanese meals are always very ornamental and neatly prepared with the freshest ingredients. My first introduction though, will be something that I haven't tried eating before... okonamiyaki - which is kind of like a Japanese Pancake type deal and you get to make it yourself at the restaurant that I went to, and takoyaki - deep fried octopus balls.I'm not sure what is in the mix, but I see squid and an egg.
Here, we have the mixture from the bowl on the left and on the right, we have noodle with vegetables, egg and pork.

I find there are always things that accompany the main course. Here, we have miso soup, rice with raw fish on top and a cabbage salad.

I love dessert, here we have green tea ice cream (better than in Calgary), red beans and some whipped cream.

When talking to people, they always tell me that takoyaki is similar to okonamiyaki but I don't really know what they mean. Maybe something got lost in translation. Takoyaki is balls of octopus deep fried in a thin batter and then covered with thinly sliced dried onion. I burnt my tongue eating this so I didn't really enjoy it, plus it was really squishy.

Japanese Culture Lesson 2 - What Year is it???

2006-12-14T17:47:00.000-08:00

I noticed this right away but didn't question it until a few days ago. Instead of putting 06 for the year, people have been putting 18 for the year and the reason is, it's the 18th year of reign for the current emperor, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Akihito. If you want to see a picture of the Emperor, go to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_of_Japan. People sometimes still use 2006 for the year, but if you're in Japan and someone writes down a different year, don't question them, they're most likely right.

Also, I didn't realize that there was an emperor in Japan. I knew they existed before, but the thought never occured to me that there would be one in power today. Plus, according to Wikipedia, he's the only reigning emperor in the world. Ignorance is not always a bad thing, I'm learning so many interesting things which is very stimilating for my curiosity! If I had known all this, I wouldn't have an embarassing story to tell...

Japanese Culture Lesson 1 - The QR code

2006-12-13T21:17:00.000-08:00

Before I start, I'd like to say that I saw people planting flowers in the planters at the train station and I thought to myself...but what about winter? It's getting chilly and rainy, but I guess it doesn't get really cold for awhile.

I discovered something really cool the other day and thought I'd share. In Japan, they have this coding system which is similar to the barcode but has much more coding capabilities... try several hundred time more information. It's called the QR coding system and you can find more information at this site: http://www.denso-wave.com/qrcode/qrfeature-e.html . The cool thing about this is that people can scan this code into their phones and get information through the internet on their phones. For example, my friend and I scanned in the code from a McDonald's cheeseburger wrapper and we got the nutritional value of it! And I see this code everywhere, on advertisements on the subway, on flyers, on my McDonald's food... Only problem, my phone doesn't have a camera nor can I go on the internet. I must be the only person here. :( But the information ends up being in Japanese anyways so it's not like I could do much with it yet.

December 6-8 - Yokohama and Tokyo

2006-12-10T21:13:00.000-08:00

I know, three weeks in Japan and I've already been to 5 cities outside of Nagoya. And it doesn't stop, I think more trips are being planned as I write this. But here's the story to my visit to Japan's two biggest cities...

December 6 - Yokohama and Tokyo
On the Shinkensen (bullet train) ride from Nagoya to Yokohama, we saw Mount Fuji. My boss told me that you can only see Mt. Fuji 20% of the time because it is usually covered by clouds. He said I was very lucky that I was able to see it.

I was in Yokohama to accompany my boss on a photonics exhibition. There were some really neat things being displayed. I didn't recognise what the smaller components were, a lot of lights and laser type devices. But then there were the vitual reality stuff that was really cool. I saw a cartoon in 3D but that gave me a headache that lingered for the rest of the day. I wish there were more English or that I could miraculously understand Japanese, I would have liked to learn more about what I was seeing.

After the exhibition, we walked around the bay area where the Clock Ferris Wheel and Landmark Tower are. We also saw the Nippon Maru Sailing Ship which was developed for the marines but was used in World War II as a transport ship. It's a really beautiful ship that has found home in Yokohama for people to visit.

We went to Tokyo in the evening and visited the Asakusa Temple. I got my fortune there and it turned out to be the best fortune that you can get. That made my day and I'm dieing to tell my mom. Basically, it says it's a good time for travel, a sick person will be healed, marriage and moving will be good and all that good stuff. Along the road to the temple, there were yet again street vendors and we got to try out some Japanese treats. I had some sweet Sake and it was so yummy. It was warm and tasted a lot better than the strong sake you get at resaurants.

Then I checked into the youth hostel nearby and I started my solo journey in Tokyo.

Pictures of Yokohama:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2098191693
Pictures of Asakusa in Tokyo:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2098190482

December 7 - Tokyo
Akihabara is famous in Tokyo as the "Electric Town" and it was close to where I was staying so I decided to start my journey there. There were many electronic stores and a lot of duty free shops. Also, in a few shops, I found a lot of salespeople who spoke English and Chinese so I guess this is the place for foreign tourists to go!

Next, I headed over to Ikebukuro because my guidebook said that there was an HMV store there. I bought 3 cds and then found out that Tokyo has a few other HMV stores and that my stop in Ikebukuro wasn't even necessary. Oh well, at least I can say that I've been there.

I decided to go to Shinjuku next since there was still daylight and I was warned that this area is known for its red light district. I stayed till it got a bit dark but never found the red light district. Maybe that is a good thing but I was kind of curious at the same time. I did see the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office, really tall building!

Harajuku was my next stop and it ended up being my favorite part of the trip. I walked down a street that had all the designer shops and well... I can't afford designer anything so I only walked down the street and took pictures of the shops. Then I found the street where the bold fashion of Harajuku were and that's were my interest was sparked. I didn't see many people dressed in funky fashions but I think those people mostly come out on the week-ends. I did see a few punky people and even saw a tourist stop a couple of them to take pictures. Anyways, the things being sold here were much more unique than the Louis Vitton purses that everyone in the streets already had. Also, the prices were more reasonable too! I only ended up buying a pair of shoes for less than $20 and they're so comfortable!

I heard Shibuya was also a great place for shopping so I quickly made a stop there before calling it a night. I didn't find it as interesting as Harajuku but there were definatly a lot more people! I came out of the metro station onto this giant intersection and when the pedestrian light turns green, the intersection just gets filled with people. It was a pretty cool sight to see. Not only that but Shinjuku and Shibuya have these really tall skyscrapers and there are so many of them! Looking up, it felt like I was falling downwards.

I must add that the Tokyo transit system is kind of complicated. There are actually two types of subways and then there is the JR line that runs within the city. I got a day pass for the two subways only and thank goodness because I was switching between the two systems like crazy and would have had my pockets emptied without it. I should have gotten the pass to include the JR line too, travelling would have been much more convenient but I didn't know where to buy this pass. I survived though and am quite proud of my logisitical skills!

Pictures of the day:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2098188837

December 8 - Tokyo
So my last day in Tokyo. I decided to buy my overnight ticket first and lucky for me, some officer at the bus station offered to help me buy the ticket from the machine that was only in Japanese and even show me where I had to board my bus.

Then it was off to the Imperial Palace Garden. I would have loved to see the Palace itself but it is only open to public twice a year. On the Emperor's birthday and the 2nd day of New Years. I saw the Tokyo Tower and decided to walk to it. It was a good idea because I walked by all the government buildings and I saw important people getting into black, expensive, chauffeured cars and there were guards at the entrance of every building. Something I've never seen before except in movies.

Tokyo Tower wasn't a big wow for me. It was more like, that's it? I think the business buildings were more impressive and taller so I was expecting more. On my way to Tokyo Tower I saw a set of stairs that reminded me of Hong Kong. I've never been to Hong Kong but I've seen lots of movies. I decided to climb those stairs and I ended up at a really nice shrine. It's interesting how there are all these shrines everywhere. I guess back at home, there are lots of churches and places of worships too, but I never notice them.

After Tokyo Tower, I went to Roppongi Hills. It turns out to be a really posh area. Really nice, and I definately didn't fit in with my backpack and runners. I took some nice pictures, then went to Ginza since I had lots of time to kill. Again, there were lots of expensive shops and cafes and I was getting tired of walking around so I decided to go back to Tokyo Train station to wait for my bus.

What really annoyed me was that there were no seats at the station, nor at the underground mall. I ended up walking for 2 hours looking for a place to rest and my legs were all wobbly. Another annoyance that I found while in Tokyo is the lack of garbage cans. I ended up walking around with garbage in my hands for long periods of time. At the same time, there is no litter anywhere. I don't understand how it all works!

The overnight bus was not comfy but it was cheap. Like $50. I actually ended up falling off my seat when the bus driver braked really hard. I guess I should have been using my seatbelt instead of lying down!

Overall, great trip and I can't wait to go back. I have an idea of what I want to do next time!

Pictures of the day:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2098147663

AIESEC in Nagoya City University LCP Election

2006-12-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

I had the honour of attending the LCP election for my host AIESEC local and it was definately a different process than how we do it back at home. For one, it's a full 2 days (I was only there for 3 hours on the last day) and I'm talking over 12 hours a day. It's really intensive and they really take things seriously here.For one thing, members are not allowed to miss more than 2 general assemblies or else they are "fired". For this election to be valid, at least 2/3 of the members of the local have to be present throughout the whole process or else voting cannot take place. At this election, I counted 39 members, 3 candidates, 2 moderators, and me, the spectator that didn't understand all the japanese being spoken. Yes, it was all in Japanese and no I did not fall asleep.

There were some things that were like back at home. Speeches and Q and A. But on top of that, there were sessions that focuses on the candidates personalities, their manifestos (which were 60 pages long!), etc. and then seperate Q and A for those. Another thing is, each candidate has to have someone who recommends them for the position and these recommendors have to give a presentation as well. Just imagine being grilled by questions on who you are as a person and your vision for the local for 24 hours. I have to give these guys a lot of credit for going through with this, and also the local for showing so much dedication to the organization. By the time I showed up, I can tell that these people went through a lot.
And then came voting and the announcement of who won the election. Yes, they do this at the end of day 2. During the count, the room was unbearably quiet and you can tell everyone was so nervous. And instead of dumping a water on the winner of the election, this is what happened. When the winner is announced, everyone pushes over the tables, the guys run up onto the stage and tosses the winner. Poor Yusaku, they accidently dropped him but he was okay. Then, they toss the other candidates as a show of respect. The candidates still have to give speeches after and by this time, everyone was crying and were very emotional.
Kudos to AIESEC in Nagoya City University for selecting a new President and CONGRATULATIONS Yusaku on your success!

December 2 - Asuke in Toyota City

2006-12-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

My roommate had a day off today so I went with her and her older sister’s family to Asuke which is in Toyota City. It was about an hours drive away and it’s in the mountains kind of. Compared to the Rocky Mountains, the mountains here so far seem like big hills but maybe that’s just my opinion.

Again, when we got to our destination, we had to walk through an area that sold treats and souvenirs. I haven’t actually stopped to try out the treats yet but I’m really tempted to. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of opportunities in the future though.

The scenery in this place was amazing. Oh Amber, you’d love it here! Living in Calgary, you kind of miss autumn. The trees don’t stay red for very long and before you know it, you’ve practically gone from summer to winter. Anyways, there was a little village that we went to that kind of reminds me of Heritage Park back at home except with a Japanese Heritage and a much smaller scale. I immediately thought of Liz since Heritage Park is her favorite place in Calgary. Here there were people weaving fabric, welding knives, making paper, making umbrellas out of paper, etc. in their normal settings except with lots of tourists milling about. It was a lot of fun.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the monkey! There was a man and a monkey performing. Basically, the man would sing and the monkey would act out whatever the man was singing about. Then the monkey did some tricks that involved jumping through hoops. I took some videos but don’t know how to put them on here so you’ll just have to come see for yourself!! It might seem like cruelty to animals but I’ve always wanted to see something like this since I saw a lot of it in the olden age Chinese movies growing up. It’s kind of cultural right?

Pictures
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2098647806

November 30 - Osaka and Kyoto

2006-12-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

Today I had my first glimpse of Osaka and Kyoto. Mr. Maeda and I went to a Fuel Cell Exhibition in Osaka but we also got the opportunity to see a very popular street called Dotonbori beforehand. It’s a very lively street with lots of people. There are restaurants and Pachinko (more on this later) and just lots of lights and advertisements. The streets feeding off this one has some shops I think. We didn’t stay long since we had to get to the exhibition.

Again, everything at the exhibition was in Japanese, however, for the seminar, they had translation devices. I only got to use mine for 5 minutes since we only got to catch the tail end of it.

After that, we went to Kyoto to see the Kiyomizu Temple. To get there we had to walk up a hill but along the way there are lots of shops and restaurants selling a variety of treats and souvenirs. The temple itself was pretty interesting but I found it was more like a tourist trap. There were signs to urge people to vote for the temple to become one of the Seven Wonders of the World and there were lots of booths selling charms and trinkets. You can also buy fortunes and there were lots of shrines were you could throw in a coin and ask for a blessing. I am familiar with some of the rituals and charms since I grew up watching Chinese television and have become slightly superstitious but being at this temple, I didn’t buy into most of what was going on. Still, I was happy to have a chance to see this temple, especially in the autumn when all the leaves were red and the view was fantastic.

I don’t know if it was because there was the lighting of the temple at night or if it’s just a popular place but there were a lot of people at the temple. Mr. Maeda and I left to have dinner but we went back again to see it at night. The temple only has night viewings two times a year and it’s really pretty when it’s lit up. A little bit spooky too but you’ll see in the pictures. Also, you can pay to actually go into some buildings. We went into one and we basically walked around in the dark until we got to a stone sculpture and then we were out again. I’m guessing there is something special about the stone because people touched it and said a prayer when they walked by. We also paid to see a special garden, however the tour guide spoke in Japanese and I completely missed out on the whole story around it. I was actually too tired to fully enjoy the experience. The sleeping on the floor deal is catching up to me. I need to find a new mattress!

Pictures
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2098650403

My First Week in Nagoya

2006-11-23T22:32:00.000-08:00

I have went MIA for the past week as I’ve been settling in. Here is an update on my week. After I get used to this life, I will start writing about how things are different here. There is much to tell so if this update bores you to tears, just wait, there are a lot of really interesting stories that I want to share later!

Day 1 - First Day of work

Today, 3 AIESECers took me to meet the company that I will be working for while I am in Japan. Despite being with 3 local people, we still ended up getting a little bit lost. Either they just have a really bad sense of direction, or the roads here are just hard to navigate. The funny thing is, I think one of them had a GPS system on their phone.

Anyways, other than that, the company meet and greet was great. I work at Toyota Technological Institute but I work for a company called Trimatiz. Mr. Maeda is my boss and I will mostly be working with him. I’m not really sure if I have co-workers yet. I’ve me some people, but I don’t know if they actually work for the company that I work for, or if they’re just other people from the institute.

Today, I didn’t actually work. Mr. Maeda and the AIESECers helped me to get my foreign registration card, a bank account and cell phone. There was a lot of running around and translation being done. I am so grateful for all the help that I got. Especially since I still don’t know the city at all nor the language. Every document was in Japanese.

Also, in Japan, everyone has a name stamp and I needed one to open a bank account. I had to go to a convenience store and randomly pick out one since I don’t have a Japanese name. I picked sheep tree, I thought there couldn’t be anything wrong with that one, but it’s too late now if it’s got a bad connotation.

I was sooo tired after the day, but so happy to get all this done and over with.

Day 2 – Exhibition

Mr. Maeda took me to a technological exhibition. It would have been really interesting, if it wasn’t all in Japanese! We were in Sakae, a really popular place in Nagoya so Mr.Maeda ended up taking me around to site-see. There is this really cool monument called “Oasis 21”. Someone at the exhibition told me it symbolized the Earth being a water star. At the top, there is a pond of water and every hour, music would play and there would be a water show. Beneath it, two stories below, there are shops surrounding a concert hall. The place is just amazing.

Other points of interest, there is the Nagoya TV tower and there are lots of expensive shops like Coach and Louis Vitton and high end department stores. Lots of resturants and karaoke places.

Actually, after the exhibition, Mr. Maeda took me out for some Japanese food and drinks. I had some fruit Sake and it tasted like Sprite. Yum. Then we went for some karaoke. Mr. Maeda is a light hearted person and I think he likes to enjoy life. He travels quite a bit and is eager to learn English. Also, he’s teaching me Japanese and he’ll be bringing me to his business travels around Japan so I’ll hopefully get to see a lot. I feel really lucky to be working with Mr. Maeda and having the opportunity to live in Japan.

Day 3 – At the office

I was introduced to a device that Mr. Maeda is working on at the moment. I don’t really know what the purpose of it is but I got to sit in a sound proof room listening to the Sound of Music Soundtrack. The rest of the time, Mr. Maeda told me to use the internet and at the end of the day, I got my first lesson on Japanese.

Lunch was a little bit more interesting. Mr. Maeda took me to a Mazda dealership because he is getting a new car and needs to change the ownership of his old car. It was quite an interesting experience. We got served coffee while Mr. Maeda was getting information and at the end of it, he got a gift, which he gave to me. It was a mug with towels, nothing outrageous but I thought it was such a nice gesture. Not only that, when we were pulling out of the parking lot, the man who Mr. Maeda was talking to, actually got out onto the street to stop the traffic so that we could safely get out. I was definitely impressed by this but I think it’s customary for the Japanese to go out of their way to please each other.

After work, I attempted grocery shopping. For the first half hour, I was just too overwhelmed by everything. Back in Calgary, I rarely go grocery shopping and when I do, I get lots of junk food or sometimes, things for a simple lunch. My first thought was, what am I doing here? Maybe I can just eat at the convenience store but then I saw a box of cereal and I convinced myself that it couldn’t be that hard. I started simple though. I went for some ham, cheese, lettuce, bread, cereal and milk since I don’t know how to use the gas stove at home yet. It took me awhile to figure out what was cheese and what was margarine since they were places next to each other. Then, it took me awhile to figure out what milk to get. There were a lot of brands with lots of numbers on them but I resorted to the only thing that I could read... “low fat milk” was written on only one of the cartons so I thought that was safe. Also, instead of chocolate milk, there is coffee milk and there’s quite a lot of it. In my opinion – gross!

I have to comment though, that groceries are uber expensive. I think I could have saved more money eating at the convenience store. For 6 slices of thick bread it was about $2. And it’s mostly white bread, very hard to find whole wheat, or anything healthy. My tiny box of cereal which can probably serve me 4 or 5 times was about $4.20. Oh well. I was really happy to eat the cereal, it’s like my new comfort food.

Day 4 – Thanksgiving National Holiday

I didn’t have to work today so I went shopping! Not a good idea since I haven’t got paid yet but nonetheless, it was fun! I bought a pair of black knee high stiletto boots. I see lots of girls wearing them here and I love them. I also got myself a wool sweater that had deer on them. It reminds me of the sweaters that Liz’s grandma knits.

There was also a welcome party for the new interns in Nagoya today. George is the other intern from AIESEC in Nagoya City University and he is from England. I am also and intern for this university local. There is Sayana from Russia and she is an intern for AIESEC in Nagoya University, a different local. During this welcome party, there was a presentation on 9 types of trips that we as a local can choose to go on. They’re things like visiting the oldest Castle in Japan, going to the hot springs, going to Kyoto, going to watch a baseball game etc. I’m excited to do some site-seeing.

For dinner, we had “Nabe”. It’s like what I know as hot pot. There’s a pot with soup base in the centre of the table and you throw in all the meat and vegetables in it to cook. Then, when everything is cooked, everyone digs right in and grabs food from the pot into their bowls. I learned that you can’t be shy or what you want to eat will be gone before you can get to it! It was very delicious and fun. Of course, there was drinking too and it doesn’t take a lot for the students here to get tipsy. I didn’t see anyone get too drunk though. There are some people who do not drink at all though, mostly the girls.

Oh yah, I don't know why people here have the day off. Someone told me it was because it was thanksgiving, but talking to the people back home, they pointed out that thanksgiving is an american holiday. So, who knows!

Day 5 – Normal Day

I think I’m starting to get used to life here a bit. I wake up in the mornings now and find myself tangled in my blankets and my mat has shifted. That’s when I know I’m getting comfortable, it takes more time to make my bed but it’s something I never do back in Calgary. Living with a stranger I feel like I need to be a little more orderly. I know my room is starting to get a bit messy but I think some new furniture will help.

Today my room mate has a day off and we’re going to go have dinner together after I’m done work. I’m really looking forward to it. My very first room mate and so far, everything has been great!

Pictures

Sakae
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2099037958

Welcome Party at Nagoya City University (includes picture of AIESEC office)
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2099037391

Safe and Sound in Nagoya

2006-11-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

After a 13 hour flight to Taipei from Vancouver, then another 2 hours from Taipei to Nagoya, I am finally here and settling in. AIESEC in Japan, Nagoya City University came to the airport last night to greet me. I feel bad because most of them took the train and it's over an hour train ride to get to the airport. Otherwise, it was great to see everyone. I really appreciate them taking me to my host family and answering my questions about how to do the simplest things in Japan. I had to ask my room mate how to use the toilet and the bath. Oh and by the way, my toilet water doesn't spin, it just comes out and down in one big splash.

Some other things that I've noticed is that the cars here are really clean. Maybe I'm the only person in Calgary who doesn't wash their car but here, everything is shiny and new. Also, when people park in a parking lot, they always back into the stalls. I recognise some cars that we have in North America but there are a lot here that we don't have back home. And some of the colors are really cool. Like pearly pastel colors. I'll take some pictures later.

Today I got the day all to myself. My room mate, Satoko, works all day (2 jobs) and I think the AIESECers are busy. So I went exploring. There's a nice park behind my apartment that I intend to explore further. I also found another park that was really beautiful and it almost made me cry when I saw it. Maybe it was too much like a dream than a reality. You have to understand, I have not been to many places in my life. This is my first international experience.

Aside from the parks and seeing what the streets were like, I attempted some shopping. I found a 100 Yen store, equivalent to our dollar stores and got some things to organize my junk with. I also did a bit of grocery shopping and I got lunch from a convenience store. I thought that was the less overwhelming choice for now. They have lots of interesting looking things that I can't wait to try out.

So far, I don't think I've experienced any culture shock or homesickness. I'm sure it'll hit me sometime soon. Everything is okay so far. This is also my first time living on my own, so there's a lot that I am going through at the same time. I do love my new room. It's so uncluttered but we'll see how long that will last. I start my new job tomorrow. I still have no idea what to expect but I'm really happy to know that an AIESECer will be taking me to my first day of work by bus. That relieves quite a bit of stress for me.

There are about a million things I want to point out but I just can't think of them right now. Things are really different here but at the same time, I don't feel out of place yet. Maybe it's because I look like everyone else here or I haven't had the chance to talk to any japanese people. I do have to say, it is still a bit of a struggle talking to the people who do know English, I have to talk slower and keep things simple.

Oh yah, I did almost get hit by a car today. The intersections here are kind of funny. I have been making a conscious effort to look right for cars but because of the angle of the streets, you kind of have to look behind to the right and if you're just not paying attention, things might not be pretty. I think I might have angered a few drivers today.

Some pictures of my first day: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2099282580

In Limbo

2006-11-16T17:24:00.000-08:00

I am currently in Vancouver visiting some friends before I go off and move to Japan. For the first time in my life, I am feeling homesick because I realize that after Vancouver, I will not be going home. The feeling is just too weird.

Despite that, I did have some good moments while in Vancouver. I got to see some raccoons which I've never seen before... maybe at the zoo but that's not the same as having them peering at you on the side of the car. I got to spend some time with AIESEC UBC and SFU. Thanks Jen for hosting me and taking me everywhere! You're the best.

Also it was raining so much on the first day that I got here. It kind of dampened my mood since I had to limit my sightseeing. But I survived. It reminds me of the summer that Calgary got so rainy that it flooded everywhere and our watersystem got all backed up. Yup, murky water in every toilet and I'm 100% sure it's not human waste.

Quick Update

2006-10-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

You know time is just flying by when you look at your wall calendar and realize that you haven't changed it for 2 months. Just a quick update. I am getting ready for my internship in Japan. My anxiety levels are excalating and I am definately feeling really emotional at this time. Let's just say I am scared shitless and I am sad to leave. At the same time, I applied for this and I don't want to let anyone down by chickening out. I will be pumped, but not at this moment.

I just came back from a Western Regional Conference, yes, AIESEC. It was really awesome. I don't have time to debrief yet but hopefully when I get some pictures I can highlight the key points.

Also, I got to visit Irene and her new apartment last week-end. It's a really nice apartment and we had a lot of fun. A few of us got to go up and we got to see a bit of Edmonton's night life. That was a lot of fun. Shopping was great too, I don't think I bought anything though. Except a shot glass for Kyle. You owe me one! No wait, I bought a hair straightener too...dope. So much for saving up!

Oh yah, I also got a new MacBook. It is super awesome, but some features that I got used to using on a pc have gone missing so I'm getting used to that. Hopefully, I will be up and running at full speed soon and my posting life will just bloom.

What does an American, an Austrian and an Estonian have in common?

2006-09-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

The best multi-cultural party ever of course!

There was lotsa yummy food....

Lotsa mingling...

And lotsa fun!!!
Thank you Ave, Katie and Christina for letting us eat your food and trashing your place once again. For more pics... http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2101516231

Oh Friday

2006-09-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, you know summer's ended when you reflect on the last couple weeks and you're having trouble remembering what you did because you probably didn't do anything at all. Well, I guess I did do something, it's just not as much as before. Also, I must save money to travel and go on an internship and the best way to do that? Stay at home and eat at home. At least the summer was fun! I guess I haven't been bloggin on my own site about the summer fun...here's a recap: lots of trips, lots of good weather, lots of birthdays, lots of intern receptions, lots of dinners, lots of shopping, etc.

Oh yah, the Encana Event for our AIESEC partnership with Encana was last week. It was held at the Cantos Music Foundation and aside from some speeches, some food and some mingling, we all got a tour of this place which has a kind of museum of the evolution of music on the top level. There were pipe organs, pianos, synthesizers, electronic instruments and much more. You're probably thinking, "oh bore me to death why don't you?" but I highly recommend this place. The girl who took us around the place played some of the intruments so it's really interactive. Elton John's first piano is also at this place so you can say ooo ahhh....Here's a pic of Eldon and I bartending, although you can't see the bar but we were behind it!

Shane had his birthday party at Ranchman's last Saturday and let's just say, between Alan and I alone, we got him 10 shots. Um, Shane's not in the picture but I'm pretty sure he doesn't mind.

Camping in Drumheller - September 1-4

2006-09-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Drumheller was fun but it's not an ideal place to be camping, especially in a tent. The campgrounds are mostly for RVs and although I think we were at one of the best sites around, there was a lot of traffic going through our site, late at night and early in the morning.

The days were really hot and dry but at night it got super cold. We had to get extra blankets and sleeping bags in town. Oh and town was a 5 minute drive away and our site had washrooms and even a pool so it wasn't like we were roughing it at all.

For fun, we visited the Suspension bridge, the HooDoos, the largest dinosaur statue in the world, the Tyrrell Museum, hiked the badlands, biked in Horse Thief Canyon and ate a lot of food and listened to Amber and Jeremy sing Disney songs. Here's some good advice, don't bike in Horse thief canyon unless you're a hard core biker who would rather carry a bike through the terrain than ride or if you know this canyon well. Horse shoe canyon looks more bikable.

I think I prefer to be in the mountains than in this valley personally although I was really excited to see the badlands when we were first driving in. It's very different from what I'm used to seeing. If you know me, I prefer the shade under the trees.

For more pictures go to http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2102191255

I didn't take as many pictures as normal since there were 3 cameras present but hopefully I'll have access to the other pictures soon!

Winning the life-long lottery

2006-08-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, my company had a golf tournament which was supposed to be a nice, get out of the office and do some team bonding type of event. It was sooo much fun. Everyone was very outgoing and the pro golfers were very patient with us not so pro golfers. Some of my co-workers even bought me drinks out on the golf course... I do believe it improved my swings aside from making things more fun.

Anyways, after the dinner and after the door prizes were drawn, some
of my co-workers - the more high level ones- were saying that they didn't really care about choosing a good prize even if their names were drawn first. What really got me interested was that one of the ladies said she doesn't care about winning because she had already won the life-long lottery. I was curious so I asked her what she was talking about, and she explained that her life-long lottery was finding the perfect partner. She and her husband have been together since they were 19. I have seen pictures of her 2 daughters and they are really beautiful. She gives credit to the good gene pools :) Of course, that story had my heart melting. It's so cute. I hope I get just as lucky!

I told Amber that story and she was like, "I know, my grandparents have been together for 50 years! It's sweet." And for the rest of the lunch break we gushed about finding life-long companions. :)

Mt. Baldy

2006-08-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

Alan and I went hiking on Sunday. We were supposed to hike the Wasootch Creek Trail but ended up on the Baldy Pass Trail. It was a good hike though, not as steep as Mt. Indefatigable but I can say that my butt is a little sore from the climb. Don't expect great scenery until you get near the top though. You'll be walking mostly through trees and a bit through some shale, but it's really peaceful at the top and you get to see a wide valley covered with trees on one side. We only ran into 7 people altogether going up and half of those people were on mountain bikes coming down from the other side of the mountain.

My New Hobby

2006-08-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

I don't know how to explain this but of late, I have grown to love the outdoors and to lead a more active life. Maybe it was because a co-worker was constantly mocking me over donuts and candy that it is easier to prevent health risks than to reverse them. Or maybe it was because I see other co-workers riding their bikes to work everyday or going for runs at lunch and them telling me about their great trips to the mountains, hiking, biking and scrambling. It could be because I needed a challenge, a lifestyle change or a new hobby to keep me out of trouble. Whatever it is, I hope it'll stick. I bought a new mountain bike last week and I'm excited to see where it'll take me. And in a couple of weeks, I'll get to go camping... something that I've been waiting to do all summer.

Hopefully, next summer, Liz and I will both be back in Canada so that we can do the West Coast Trails together. I always thought she was a crazy one talking about her first trip last year and living out of a backpack for a week. But now I see it differently. It sounds like a wonderful idea. I remember when she took me hiking on Mt. Indefatigable. I thought I wasn't going to make it physically, but it really clears your mind out when all you have to concentrate on is making it up the mountain. And in the end, after you've pushed your body to work so hard, you actually feel good!

What's more encouraging is having so many people available to help me explore this newfound passion. My boss came into work from vacation with 26 stitches in her leg from a biking accident but that doesn't really scare me. It's got me really curious to know what it's like to be riding in the mountains, to love it through the scars.

And I got Alan to help me pick a bike and to take me out for some test rides. We explored some bike paths in Calgary and found a really pretty park called Pearsons Estates I think. Something both Alan and I never knew existed in Calgary. Oh and we also saw some pelicans on the Bow River and some snakes on the pathways and we found a fish hatchery. Exploring is pretty cool, I love it!

My World is Colorful

2006-07-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

I was talking to Liz on MSN today and she inspired me to make another post. I didn't realize that people actually came and read the stuff that's on this blog, but now that I know, here's a little more insight into who I am.

I dream to one day be able to buy some funky rain boots and find the biggest rain puddle to jump in. When I visit Japan, I will re-start my sticky pic collection. I hope to someday, meet all the Sanrio Characters or start my own Hello Kitty amusement park and bring them to life. I will have a daughter named Emma who will be the love of my life. I will have a son named Tristan who will be my bundle of joy. I will not be filthy rich nor penniless, but living in peace and comfort. I wish for people to care more about one another, to truly stop and take notice of each other, to make one small effort to make someone smile. Welcome to my world of simple happiness.

Life is Sweet

2006-07-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hiking with Liz and Amber, Kananaskis : June 24

Kelowna : July 1-3

Flora and Anthony's Wedding : July 22

Hmmm, I don't really have anything to rant about. Life right now is pretty sweet. I could die and be satisfied I think. I have made many friends within the past year, and I think I've actually made a difference in some of their lives. I have a job which helped me to buy my beautiful car. And not only that, the people at work have been really encouraging me to do what I want and have offered to help. They'd promote me if I wasn't planning on going on an internship abroad.

The only thing missing is a real companion. I went to a wedding on Saturday and it was really sweet. I'm not exactly envious to have a companion like that but having someone close would be nice. My close friends seem to like to travel to faraway places or at least to get out of Calgary. Like Liz in Hong Kong, Shannon and Irene in Edmonton. Oh well, soon I will get to have my own adventures. And I still have many awesome friends in Calgary... well for the moment they're still here anyways :) There is much in life yet to be explored.

Lotsa Love to the People I Care About!

My life in pictures

2006-07-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.imagestation.com/members/liljunebug

To the graduates of 2006

2006-06-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

I went to my brother's high school graduation ceremony today and there was this one speaker who truly inspired me. Dr. Rod Elford, BPE. MD. CCFP. MSc. I really want to share with you, a bit of what he said.

First off, he came on stage on his motorcycle in order to have his moment remembered by all the graduates. His speech had three main points. 1. Life sucks 2. Life is sweet 3. And sometimes we die. The point that really stick with me is that 3.sometimes we die. And it is usually not until we discover that we are about to die that we truly try to make the most of our lives and live! This is when people quit their jobs, leave school, go travelling, connect with people, spend all their money or give to the poor.

There is a saying "Live like you're going to die tomorrow". But if we lived like we were going to die tomorrow, we'd have no jobs, not education, no money. So instead, we should "Live like you're going to die tomorrow, but also live like you might actually get old and wrinkly".

So live your life to the fullest people. Work hard but let yourself have some play. Enjoy the company of others now! Go ahead and spend some money and share your wealth. And to those who are graduating and moving on, I wish you the best of luck.

Ellen's Birthday

2006-05-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ellen!

NLDC: May 3 - 8, 2006

2006-05-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

How to describe the conference with words? I have no idea... here are some random pics...

Stole this pic....

from this guy's blog....

Eligible Calgarian Bachelors, get them while they're still haWt!

For more on the conference... visit Calgary's Blog until I get my hands on more pictures and stories!

HoT

2006-05-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

You just never know what you'll find digging through other people's pictures online. I found this on @ Edmonton's blog, apparently Nithya took it at the NC over New Years and I didn't meet her until NLDC last week! Anyways, it's Devon from @Sask and me in the hot tub with our clothes on the last night of the conference. Great times!

Toronto: May 2 - 3, 2006

2006-05-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

I hadn't planned on going to Toronto but I'm glad I did. Toronto is sooo much fun! I stayed with Kyle for two days and two nights. Did a lot of touring and shopping on my own while Kyle worked and then we spent some time chilling over some drinks and watching the OC.

On my first day I wanted to find Queen street but I got really lost so instead I found the only recognisable thing and followed it. The great CN tower!

I went to the Harbour next because I wanted to see what it was like. There wasn't much to see at this time of year but it was still pretty.

Kyle took me to a bar that's on the 50th something floor of some building. The view was great and we had yummy Ice Wine - which Kyle said was actually just a late harvest wine.

Self portrait of Kyle and me.

I went to the show mueseum on Day 2. I took pictures of over 150 pairs of shoes. These are only one of my favorite that turned out okay.

Montreal: April 27 - May 1, 2006

2006-05-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

Montreal was awesome - everything that we wanted to see was so close and easy to get to. I was there for 5 days and 4 nights but of course that wasn't enough. But good thing I left when I did because Montreal had a lot of great stores and I'm only allowed to bring back so many suitcases!

Henry and I, infront of a building that might possibly be part of McGill

Hiking up a hill to get a panarama view of the city. The actually goal was to find St.Josef cathedral....something like that, but it was on the other hill. Sam, Henry, Kyle and Alan

Atop the tower of the Olympic Stadium. Nithia and Melissa from @ Edmonton and Shane from @ Calgary.

Same tower, Graham and Mark from @ Edmonton and Henry and Angela from @ Calgary.

Other places we saw: St. Catherine's for lots of shopping, St. Laurent for more shopping, Schwartz's for THE best smoked meat sandwiches, Chez Cora for best breakfast, Livings nightclub, Super Sex, Metropolis nightclub, Chinatown, Biodome, Old port, Old Montreal and I saw my first Ballet - Gisele!

2006-04-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

I went to my first baptism this Sunday with Messalina and Tim. The cute baby is Mess's little cousin who apparently laughed everytime Father Bruce talked. I just can't get over the cuteness!!!

Need some INSPIRATION

2006-04-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys,

I was trying to find a quote for myself that would describe who I am. Can you help me out if you know any inspirational quotes? They don't necessarily need to be for me, they could even be ones that you live by, or ones that you find motivational. I'm just in that philisophical mood... you know?

.........d

Beep Beep, get outta the way!

2006-04-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

My HOT new ride... it's a little dirty cuz I haven' taken it to the car wash yet. It's so good on gas, I've only used half a tank of gas and i've had it for a week and a half. Need some mats though... also need a little help buying stuff for it. I don't know what fits. Who's up for a road trip?!?

Journey to Scandalous - In the Beginning

2006-03-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

Scandalous? Here we go.... It all started with Romanian Culture Night. Who else misses Zsuzsi??? I sure do and I only knew her for maybe a week?

You know you're lazy when

2006-03-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

So, I just finished work on a Sunday evening and I would go home except I didn't drive today.... instead, I am still at work trying to create my very own blog. Good thing or bad thing???