Crazy first few days in Tokyo

So...I am sure you may be wondering how the first few days of ours have gone in Tokyo....a bit difficult to say whether they have been good or bad...really, they have been different, overwhelming, emotional and crazy. Can 4 days cover all those things?

We arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday (Monday in the U.S)...the flight was 13 hours, the time difference is 14 hours. Four days later, and we are still not sleeping well. The girls were fantastic on the flight over- Maya thought it was like staying in a "hotel" in the air, while Hanna was just glad she could watch whatever she wanted and didn't have to "compromise" with Maya. By the time we got to our hotel, it was 7pm, and we were all beat. Scott went down and grabbed McDonald's from the bottom floor of the hotel...needless to say, he did NOT get it right, according to the girls (meltdown #1 of a gazillion that we have had this week). They do not have Ranch dressing here...so I guess I am going to have to carry a bottle in my purse at all times, in case of an emergency! He also couldn't get apple juice..apparently the little kids over here like White grapefruit juice (WHAT???), so he got the girls each one of those...which sat on the table and didn't get a second glance once the girls found out what they were. Lastly, he forgot ketchup...OH MY GOD. According to Maya- he didn't get anything right, and she was NEVER going to be able to eat in Japan....so, please expect a very skinny 9 year old when we get back from here...

Day #2- move into our apartment....(in case I forgot to say it, we had 8 HUGE suitcases, 4 carry ons, 2 stuffed monkeys, and 2 kids from Detroit to Dallas, rechecking in Dallas to go to Narita...we were one big spectacle, and had a lot of people staring at us in all airports and had to do it again from the hotel to the apartment, with two kids who had been up since 2am)...the rental furniture was here when we arrived (small victory!), but I will tell you- it is a lot less when you see it in actual, than when you are filling out a form for plates, cups, towels, etc. Apparently saying you needed measuring cups means you get 1 cup...checking the kitchen utensils box gives you 1 spatula, a butter knife and an egg beater..no can opener, no wooden spoons, no oven mitts...and somewhere in there, we didn't even get wash clothes...I think I washed my face with a floor mat last night (Scott was wondering what the heck I was doing..but hey- you have to make do, right??).

We also made our first attempt at shopping at a Japanese grocery store. With 2 kids...at lunch time, and with a 30 min walk away. I know, I know- what were we thinking?? The only thing I can say, is we were really tired, and not thinking at all! It was completely overwhelming...we went to the OK store, which seems to be the equivalent of our idea of a Meijer or Super Walmart..but in a lot less space and with five times as many people, and everything, obviously in Japanese...oh yeah, and you can't drive to the grocery (no parking)- you walk, so everything you buy has to be carried back, or have legs so it can walk back with you! Needless to say, Maya saw Octopus and started bawling, because we don't eat octopus in the United States, and Hanna thought it would be a good time to run up and down the aisles and pick up everything she could. So...we took a cab back home and though overwhelmed, at least had some food to eat.

Day #3- found us walking about a mile (yes, with both girls- Scott and I had to share carrying Hanna, and I think are both on our way to giving ourselves hernias) to get registered as Aliens...we have to do this withing a few weeks of being here, or we can't stay...or open bank accounts, or buy me a mobile phone (as they are called here)...or get Maya's 1/2 off Suica (train) pass...we had help with this, which made the process go fairly smoothly. Once back, we had a playdate with a little girl, Sarah, who will be in Maya's school at ASIJ. I have been VERY fortunate to have found connections and contacts here prior to moving- we have had SO much help that we really have no reason to be able to complain about much of anything. Sarah's mom, Miwa, is my neighbor to neighbor contact, and has signed up to help me figure things out here in Tokyo, and for that, I am so grateful. She is Japanese, speaks fluent Japanese, and seems like a very warm person- I am really looking forward to getting to know her better. We have also made friends with one of our neighbors, Karen, who we met while we were over here on our house hunting trip. Karen has been completely unbelieveable in her help and with sharing her knowledge. She took me to a different grocery store yesterday and walked me through the entire store- which is going to be so helpful. She has brought us cookies (chocolate chip- yum!), and showed us how to work our rice cooker, heating system, showers, etc (everything here is electronic!!)...she has been completely fantastic. And best of all, her husband has the NFL package, and has invited Scott over to watch the games on Sunday- something he desperately needs- some downtime, watching Football. :)

Day #4- Hanna's 4th Birthday! Today was a great day, all things considered. It was Hanna's 4th birthday, and we tried as hard as we could to make it as special as we could... We took the girls to visit Hanna's preschool- which they both really liked. I think it is going to be a tremendous fit for Hanna (or at least I am hoping it will be!). Her teacher, Mrs. Jennifer seems great, and Hanna really seemed to like her and the preschool (the play area the best though...). Mrs. Jennifer even gave Hanna a Happy Birthday Hat, with her name on it, and darn it, Hanna wore it ALL day long- until she got into her PJs tonite. It was really nice, and made Hanna so happy. From the preschool, we went to the Kiil's home. Skip and Mariann Kiil moved here to Tokyo in November from Portage. We had the opportunity to get together with Mariann and the kids before they moved over- their oldest two are Maya's and Hanna's ages...Jackson will be in Maya's first grade at ASIJ, so she will be going to school next week knowing two kids already. We spent some time over there, getting reacquainted, and letting the kids play, and then took Hanna for a birthday lunch at TGI Fridays (they sing Happy Birthday and give a free kid's sundae to the birthday girl!).

Today was also the first day the girls rode the trains, and I will tell you, they LOVED it. The only part they don't like is getting from the apartment to the train (a good 10 min walk with two kids) and then getting from the train to wherever we are going from there (which is always a solid 10-15 minutes, no matter what you are doing). We now know that everything here is going to take twice as long to do, especially when you are taking two little kids on long walks around the city!! Maya loved having her own Suica (train) pass and Hanna insisted on using mine and running it through every time....she doesn't need her own, as kids under 6 ride free (yeah, us!! About the only thing we save money on here!!) Hanna had fun playing and trying to communicate with all the Japanese people- she even asked one if she spoke Japanese!! :) The people here seem to really like our kids and are very interested in them- you don't see blondies much, so they really stick out!

We capped our day by having Domino's Pizza (MUCH better than in the states- it was delicious!), and eating birthday cake (I packed a cake mix, frosting,candles and a cake pan in our checked luggage!). It was a pretty darn good night...the only unfortunate thing is that our Air Shipment isn't here yet...and Hanna's gifts are on it so she didn't have much to open (one gift from Grandma Murphy and one from us, bought in Dallas, when we realized the others might not make it). Hanna was too darn tired to really care, so she was not one bit upset...and is looking forward to opening her gifts when they get here!

I think once our air shipment arrives (mid next week hopefully), we will feel so much better, and have so much more (like toys!!). I have found someone to take me to Costco next week to get some things, and Maya and Hanna both start school next week..so that is what we will be doing in the near future!!