Monster Mosquitos and much more!

This past month and a half has been unbelievable busy! Every time I seem to get a free minute, and think about writing this Blog, something comes up that has me running around like crazy. The Girls' schools are keeping them busy- Maya has joined Girl Scouts and LOVES it. This is her first "after school" activity, which means she has to take the late bus home. The late bus does not arrive home from school until after 5pm, and because Maya doesn't know anyone on her assigned late bus, she has changed to one where she does know someone...however, this bus is a bit further away from our place, which means longer walks to and from to get her, and later dinner times! Hanna has made quite a few friends at school, and many days the kids go to the park right by the train station to play before going home. She has told me now that she is going to marry both her friends Will and Alex...should I be worried? Scott's job is going 100 times better than it was in the Spring. He has a changed interpreters, has several key positions filled and everything overall is going much better than before we went home for the summer. As for me, I am keeping busy with work, as well as working out. I have decided to make this a year of getting into "the greatest shape of my (adult) life"! I attend a bootcamp class, play tennis 1-2 times a week and run/lift the other days. I feel so much better and much more in shape! Aside from that, it is life as normal- school activities, church activities (Maya is making her 1st communion this year, and there is a TON of homework each week to start preparing..much different than when I was making mine and attending Sunday school), family outings and just every day life. It is really amazing how similar our life is here!

Mosquitoes
Last Spring, we were warned about the mosquitoes here in Tokyo. We were told they were terrible, that the bites were really itchy, and that many kids had issues because the mosquitoes here in Japan were different than those in the States. We had no problems in the Spring, but this fall has been horrendous. I am talking small little mosquitoes that have fly like instincts...nearly impossible to kill on the first try. My kids have bites all over their legs...Maya even had them so bad that they became infected- had to take her to the Dr. and get her antibiotics- her legs were completely spotted and swollen..poor thing!

Toilet wipes
So I recently had another "Japan" moment. I went to an all purpose store- one that sells a little bit of everything (sort of like a Walgreen's, minus the pharmacy). I was looking for Toilet wipes for Hanna- we ran out of ours from the States, and they are a necessity for us! Of course, everything is in Japanese- some things, like Band aids, are very easy to figure out...others, not so much! So, I find the area with diapers, etc., and I choose what I thought were Toilet Wipes, including a container for them. Hanna used them for about 2 weeks and all was well...then one day, I go to pick Hanna up from school, and there are the same "bum" wipes sitting on the counter in her room...I asked her teacher why they had Toilet wipes in the classroom- only to find out they are actually anti-bacterial wipes! Hanna had been wiping her bottom with non-flush able hand wipes! UUGGH! My friend Emme, who is Japanese, started laughing at me and showed up the next day with real Toilet wipes! It is good to have Japanese friends! :)

Bike Riding

This past weekend Hanna learned how to ride a 2 wheel bike! She is 4 1/2, and did FANTASTIC!! I was so proud of her!! She is completely unafraid and cruises around like she has been doing it forever. We will now be able to go to so many more parks and ride bikes as a family- it is so exciting!! :)

Hong Kong
We have scheduled a 4 day trip to Hong Kong for Thanksgiving. We are staying at the Hong Kong Disney Hollywood Hotel, though we plan on only going to Disney one day while we are there. We have been hooked up with a tailor who we will be visiting to get some suits and dresses made for Scott and I while we are there, as well as touring around Hong Kong.

Rakuten Open 2010

On October 7th, I went to my first professional ATP Tennis tournament. I had such a great time- it is amazing how smooth and easy they make it look! The were many outdoor courts, where we watched some of the women play, as well as Gael Monfils warm up, and then we had the chance to see Andy Roddick play (and win!), as well as a few others. The bummer was that we had to leave to get our kids at 3pm...which means we missed Monfils actually play, as well as RAFAEL NADAL!!! UUGGGHHH. For those of you who play tennis, you know what a bummer that this was! Nadal won the tournament and declared he will return next year..so I will plan better and make sure I don't have to leave next October!

Japanese Sports Day

ASIJ, Maya's school, celebrates Japanese Sports day near the actual Japanese Sports day National Holiday. The National Sports day holiday was declared in Japan in 1964, when Japan was chosen to host the summer Olympics. Japan was the first nation outside of North American and Europe to be selected to host an Olympics, and they were very proud of that fact. They made the Monday closest to October 10th National Sports day, with the intention of getting people out and active! I had the chance to go out and watch the games, and it turned out to be really enjoyable. Maya's 2nd grade team won all 3 events they participated in (though the point of Japanese Sports day is just to get in some Physical Activity-and not to win!). They were separated into a red team and a white team (Maya's team), with each grade being split to make one of the teams. They then compete against the other colored team in their grade. They pushed a big ball down the field and around a cone (with a partner) and back, threw bean bags into a mesh, high net, and did the traditional tug of war. The Japanese Sensei's taught each colored team a particular cheer, so the kids were chanting and bouncing up and down- it is amazing how competitive the kids are at such a young age! I am looking forward to next year, when both of my kids will be at ASIJ and so many of their events they will both be participating in!

Getting a Driver's license in Tokyo...what a PROCESS!

Before moving to Tokyo, Scott and I went to AAA and bought ourselves each an International Driver's license. This license is good for 1 year, and allows you to drive in Japan just like you would in the States (no training required!). After 1 year, you need to get a Japanese driver's license, or you may no longer drive in Japan. Most other countries (or so it seems) have an agreement with Japan to just go to the Driving Center, fill out some paperwork, pay a fee and there you go- you have your Japanese driver's license. However, because the license process is the States is State mandated, and not U.S. Government mandated, Japan has not signed such an agreement with the U.S.

This summer, we found out that the license center in Samezu, which is where the majority, if not all, Gaijen take their tests, is being torn down. Originally, it was supposed to be in July, then got pushed to end of October, and now, it is in December...so we had to get on it PRONTO (even though our International license's were good until January). The largest reason being that there is a TON of documentation on the actual course, how to drive it, when to put your blinker on, how fast to go, etc...you see, the entire test is in Japanese, so if you don't understand Japanese, you will not know where the instructor is telling you to go! We did not want to end up at a license center outside the city, where less English is spoken, and there is no help on the course.

Step 1- Foreign License Translation
Obtaining a license here in Japan is NO easy feat. There are three steps- getting your foreign license translated into Japanese, taking a written test/eye test (thankfully in English), and then taking the actual driving test on a test course (In Japanese). Our relocation company took our licenses and got them translated for us. Luckily, we had them to help us with this- most people have NO ONE, and therefore, spend hours running around Tokyo getting this done. The other thing is that you must have proof that you drove in your previous country for 3 months in a row (you didn't just get a license, and never use it). So, even if your license was obtained in 1995, you have to have proof that you actually lived in the country and used it....we had to get the Michigan Department of Motor Vehicles to send a letter to the Japanese government giving a history of our driving record. We also had to have transcripts from Michigan Tech University stating the years we attended (so that they coincided with a 3 month period of having a valid license). We finally had to show a few utility bills during this time period as well. Our relocation coordinator, Miki, was SO VERY worried that this would not be enough proof, but it turned out to be enough to please the Japanese License official just fine, and we were cleared to be able to APPLY for a Japanese license. Crazy, no?

Step 2- The Written Test/Eye Test
We made an appointment with the Driving center to come down and take the written test, and then the eye test. We arrived at 8:30am. Even though you make your appointment for a particular time, that doesn't mean you actually go in, take your test/exam and then leave. You have to stand in one line to put the application in, they you sit down and wait...then they call you back up and they talk (in Japanese to Miki) for a bit, then you sit back down again. Then they call you up to go into the room to take your test. Luckily, we also had a TON of example tests from others who had completed the process and created sites on how to successfully take your driver's test. Scott and I passed without any issues, as most of the questions were ones we had seen in the examples. We then had to go back out to the waiting area and sit...then they called us back up, gave us whatever info we needed to go get the eye test done. We proceeded to have to go downstairs and stand in line for the eye test. This portion was unbelievably easy- what color is the ball- yellow, blue or red, etc. Not tough at all. From there we had to go back upstairs to sit and wait until they called us to come up and get the paperwork needed to go back downstairs and schedule the driving test....aaahhhh...so very Japanese!! (By that, I mean, very slow and methodical- not good or bad, just not like it is at home!) It took us until after lunch to get done doing the (literally) 10 minute written test and 2 minute vision test!!

Step 3- Driving test
This is the toughest part of the entire Japanese Driver's License process. The course is not super difficult- if you have driven in and around Tokyo at all prior to taking the test, you have encountered all the situations that appear within the course. There are cones (obstructions) that force you to change lanes (ooohhh...I know, sounds tough), stop lights, green arrows, really tight S curves, L curve with hanging bars (that you can't touch- automatic fail if you do), etc. However, the test is COMPLETELY in Japanese and they are SUPER picky about safety and doing things exactly how you should be doing it- checking all of your mirrors in an exaggerated fashion anytime you turn or change lanes, stopping behind the white line and not touching it, putting your blinkers on for the exact amount of time they feel is necessary, pumping your brakes and being done braking before entering any turns, not touching the diamonds or triangles painted in the middle of the road when you turn...a lot of things to think about. Not to mention, the entire time, the instructor is giving you instructions in Japanese on what you need to do next! If you do any of these things incorrectly, they deduct points- you have to have 70/100 points to pass. Things like grazing a curb, not putting on your seat belt, not coming to a full stop at a light or stop sign- all automatic failures...they don't even let you finish the course- they make you drive right back to the start. Keep in mind that here, we drive on the opposite side of the car, opposite side of the road, turn signal handle and windshield wiper are on opposite sides (so yes, when I first started driving, I would turn on my windshield wipers instead of my blinker!! Funny, eh!??). Everything is from a completely different angle and perspective. I would NEVER recommend anyone taking this test without driving around Tokyo first (I have seen some people do it- it is UGLY).

On our test day, it is in the high 80s, 100% humidity, and they have us in this little, non air conditioned room, as we listen to the instructor (in Japanese) explain the course and how you are supposed to drive it, things that are automatic failures, etc. for about 25 minutes. He also was VERY strict- got into an argument with one of the ladies about her shoes not being appropriate (they are very picky about what you wear and how you present yourself as well- they want to see that you are SERIOUS about getting your license), and told us that we better not hurt his brand new car (no smile came with this- our Relocation helper was like- oh no...). They assign you a number and that is the number in which you are to drive. I was number 14 out of 15- not cool. I had to sit almost the entire morning watching people drive, and getting more and more nervous. Scott was number 10, so he got to go a bit earlier than I. When the number before you is driving, you sit in the back seat while they drive, so you can see the actual course, which is about the only nice thing about the process. We watched as almost everyone failed before us. Scott got in and passed no problem- whizzed right through it. I, however, failed!! UUGGHH. It was not because I wasn't doing a good job overall- I grazed a curb on a left turn, which is an automatic failure (they also deduct if you do not move over to the left before turning, to cut off motorcycles- I moved over too far!). My instructor, who was so strict with everyone else, was SO nice to me. He even spoke to me in English at parts, which according to everyone else, he didn't do with them! When I grazed the curb, both of us went "ooohhh" at the same exact time. I felt so bad- not only did I let myself down, but this cute, young Japanese man was let down too!! He did, however, let me finish the L and S curve portion (which in all actuality, is the most difficult part!) before he made me drive back to the beginning. He then proceeded to tell Miki that if I hadn't grazed the curb, I would have passed- that I was doing great, and he had no doubts that I would pass it the second time! I was SO upset and very disappointed- the turn that I grazed the curb is the exact same type of turn that I make everyday out of our neighborhood to bring Hanna to school! I ended up coming home, and Scott had to stay until 3pm to wait to get his license. Out of 15 people, 6 passed.

I then had to reschedule to take the test again. Originally, I had scheduled to do it October 1. Then Miki informed me that if I do it before my birthday, the license will only be good until my birthday, 2012 (October 9), but if I wait until after my birthday, it will be good until my birthday 2013! When it expires, I will have to go down to the License center and listen to a 3 hour lecture, in Japanese, about the rules of the road, safety, etc...NO THANKS! Not that we plan to be here that long, but if by some chance we stay past June 2012, I will now not have to retake. I retook the test on October 18th, and was quite nervous about it. I had to repeat the same process (taking a cab at 7:30 to get to the license center by 8:15- if you are even a minute past 8:30, they will not allow you to take the test!), but luckily I was assigned to be the #3 driver- so if I failed, I could go home nearly right away, and if I passed, well, who cares- pressure was off and I would have to wait all day anyway! The instructor was a little bit more relaxed in the 30 minute presentation, but spoke no English to me at all. I ended up passing the second time without issue, and got my license at 1:30pm that day. There were only 5 people who passed- all women (that is completely unusual- most males pass on the first try, and most females don't- I chalk it up to nerves! Most of the repeats were on their 3rd and 4th time trying, so I didn't feel too bad!) Overall, they say that 80% of all Foreigners fail on their first attempt...crazy.

So, we now have Japanese Driver's license, and, unless we have some major driving issues, will not have to go to Samezu or any other license center again while we are here in Japan! YAHOOO!

Start of School

We arrived back in Japan the day after Scott's 35th birthday. The flight was fairly uneventful....pretty smooth, and overall, just a typical flight. We flew Delta, and I am not sure if we will fly them again. Scott's company flies us First Class, due to the length of the flight (13 hours). Our tickets back this summer were unbelievably expensive (someone at the travel agency dropped the ball- by the time they booked our tickets, they were almost DOUBLE the price I found them for--but that is another story!). My seat had no Video system that worked, and a seat that wouldn't hold position- so two of the main reasons you buy a first class ticket didn't work! All the stewardess' could say was "sorry" and one even went so far as to tell me that Delta was refurbishing their planes this fall, so they weren't putting any money into anything that didn't work...so basically, everyone who bought a ticket prior to that was stuck with whatever disfunctionality their seat had, with no other options. UUGGGHHH!! Curses to Delta, I tell you.

This trip back, we all had horrible jet lag. I am not sure if it was because it was a gazillion degrees outside (OK, like 95+ and 100% humidity!), or what, but we all struggled for over a week to get back to some sort of normal. Hanna started school only 4 days after arriving...NOT smart on our part. She was so tired and out of sorts that she screamed, kicked and fought me and the teachers the first 5 days of school- wouldn't go into her room, said loudly- I HATE my school, kicked, flailed, and bawled...not fun. By day 6 though, she was declaring her love for her school, and now is enjoying it very much. Her teachers, Ms. Carr-Berry and Ms. Tomoto are great, and very patient, thank goodness! Her class has 20 kids in it, and she is getting the opportunity this year to make friends, which is really nice!


Hanna's 1st day at Yoyogi International School

Maya's 2nd grade teacher's name is Mrs. Lavender, and Maya liked her right off the bat. This year, there was only 1 person she knew in her class, and it didn't bother her one little bit. She is enjoying it and her bus ride very much. ASIJ is very into getting the most out of each student, and I think they put her in a class, with a teacher that will pull our her strengths! We have parent share conferences next week to discuss Maya with her teacher- how we can best set up a successful year for her in Ms.Lavender's class. Each set of parents gets a 15 min conference to discuss their child with the teacher at the beginning of the year, so that they know how to encourage each child in the way that suits them best. What a great idea, no? I think we are getting very spoiled by these international schools, and it may be very difficult to come back to a regular public school!!


Maya's 1st Day of 2nd Grade at ASIJ