My New Hometown

I haven't posted in far to long, so let me fill you in on what has been going on in 

my life. 

First of all, I have been very busy with classes and school. SO much adventure has been catching up to me, leaving me exhausted. Bummer. I have been trying to catch up on sleep, but for one  reason or another, I never quite can. So maybe I am not actually tired, rather just busy. I should learn the difference. 

Last weekend I decided to go down to the Port of Kobe to check it out. I hadn't seen the Port tower in person yet, well at least not close up. I have been hanging out in Port Island from time to time with a friend and going to Ikea and from the bride you can see the Tower. 

So I took a train to Kobe and decided I would go for a walk near the water. The weather was beautiful, even though it was slightly chilly. I was waiting for a day like this to explore the port due to the fact that a Port always looks better in the sunlight, which we don't get a lot of here during the winter. However, on this day the sun was shining and I was pumped. I walked around a shopping area and everything near the water which is called a number of things; Kobe Harborland, Mosaic, etc) so I am not quite sure what to call it. There is a movie theatre, so I rode up to the third floor to check it out. Prices were normal for Japan and they were only playing Seven Pounds and Mama Mia! for English films, so I decided exploring would be more fun.

I headed back downstairs to check out the bistros and restaurants that line the area. There were also all kind of specialty shops including a real gelato stand and a specialty clothing store for dogs. They just love to dress their pups to the tee. It's crazier than you can even imagine. They have raincoats and fur coats... as if a dog can't get wet and doesn't have fur or hair of it's own. Ha, as all fashion is in Japan, it is about the fashion, never to serve a purpose. Perhaps this is why I see girls wearing shorts and heels in the dead of winter. 

I turned a corner around the side of a restaurant that puts fleece blankets out so diners can eat outside even in the winter, and there it was. Beautiful. Standing tall, bright red, staring right at me. It was much grander in person than I could have imagined. I snapped some photos and headed over towards the small 'amusement park' they have there to check that out. 

After this, I just walked around Kobe. I found a few cool shops and restaurants and an import store that had a huge selection of Diet Dr. Pepper for 117 yen a can ;). I only bought one for the road. I am trying to kick that habit, which is easy if I don't have a can of Diet Dr. staring me in the face. I took my soda pop on the train and called it a day, but not before stopping at Yoshinoya for a gyudon. MMM.

Side Note: There are YOSHINOYA in THE US now! The website says that there are locations in California, New York City, Arizona, and Las Vegas. Make sure to check it out. When I get back to NY we will be frequenting that place.

Fun Facts, Information, and Quotes from Students and friends alike:

This is to all of my AMC friends: I had a student of a beginner level in class the other day during a lesson on movies talk about the movie Australia. When asked what the movie was about, she hesitated and proceeded with  "It's a love story, about... about...ehh... people in Australia." I laughed for about 5 minutes due to the fact that it is obviously not clear to anyone what the heck this movie was even about. Not anyone in the world. I remember the days of people coming into the theatre and asking what that movie was about. I could never really give a better answer than my student. Awesome. This was probably one of the shining moments of the last couple of weeks.

I learned that people in Japan still eat Whale. I knew they did, but somehow I forgot and upon being reminded I was freaked out. Kujira is what is called in Japanese and it can be bought at the supermarket from time to time. It is cheaper than most fish. They asked me what I thought of whale hunting, but swear they don't eat it. They said that their parents used to eat it as part of school lunch and that it was fried, mmm whale fritters. :(

While teaching a lesson in one of my intermediate classes I learned where the term 'best man' originated from. Apparently, it was from a time when men used to go to neighboring towns and kidnap their wives. They would bring a friend of family member that was the largest and strongest to protect them and help them kidnap the bride of their choice. Somehow, over time, this originated into the form that it is today. This one is for you Bryan and Cortney. Hah. I love you.

*** This is the most beautiful and wonderful thing I will ever type in this blog.

I have a student that I teach private lessons to and she is just a wonderful and beautiful lady. She is always sweet and smiling and tells me stories of her family and her life. She has a husband who works away five days a week and a daughter who is away at school, but instead of feeling alone, she loves her independence. I admire that about her. 

So, in class last week, I asked her favorite flower. She said it was a carnation. This was almost shocking to me, because with all of the beautiful flowers in the world, why would she choose a carnation? I asked her why and this was her response. " I like carnations because they look very weak and fragile, but they are the strongest flower." This statement was so poetic, so beautiful that I literally sat there and contemplated its perfection in its simplicity. As time went on in the lesson, I realized that the carnation is her. She seems so fragile, so sweet, but she is a strong woman. I told her this and she responded with "it is like you too, like us". I was almost moved to tears. So amazing. I can't even say anything more about this without getting chills. This truly was so important to me. 

With that amazing story, I will leave you for now. Don't worry, there will me more adventures to come. This is not goodbye... merely a see you later....