Cake is good.
30 June 2010
29 June 2010
re: Stacks
So I'm finally getting around to posting about 網野!
This is a gig that ドン does every year. It's this beach clean-up weekend event thing at 琴引浜 in northern 京都 called はだし, meaning Barefoot. Let me tell you, this beach is beautiful, but there's a lot of trash that washes up from off-shore fishing, shipping, Korea and China.
The weekend began Friday evening. Jen and I went to class, raced home, packed, and biked out to Sunday practice place, 西陣. Biking with heavy bags is super hard. It's this precarious balancing act that tips every time you turn a corner... or hit a bump... or shift your weight. Somehow we managed.
At 西陣 we met up with ひらく who showed us how the way to bike to Ritsumeikan. It's not too far actually. We parked our bikes there, then walked to the parking lot of 和風さと restaurant. We were some of the first ones there. にゃんちゅ was our driver for the evening. Once everyone else arrived, we loaded up and headed out. During the ride we got to talk with some of the other new members. にっしー、ひらく、えっちゃん、and 二号 all rode with us.
The drive took a good 3 hours. We stopped once for food at 天下一品 (otherwise known as 天一), this ramen place that has super good really thick broth. It was about midnight when we finally arrived.
Some of the older members had gone earlier to clean up the place and set up. When we came in they made some more food and we had a bit to drink. I kinda knocked out after a bit because I was super tired, but there were quite some antics going on. ひらく、nicknamed ガンダム because he's built like a freakin Gundam, ended up getting super drunk after like a couple beers (surprisingly light-weight) and sleeping in the closet.
Later on that night everyone else arrived and the antics continued. It was really quite fun, even though I was dying. The room we were in was really just one giant tatami-mat room. They just laid out a ton of futons and everyone just slept where they wanted. When people started to crash, the partiers moved to one side of the room.
The next day we woke up early, had breakfast, cleaned up the beds, and walked down to the event. The ladies helped stuff bags and collate pamphlets for the event coordinators, while the guys went down on the beach to set up the stage for the concert.
Before lunch we registered for the beach run. You could do a 2K (all in the sand), 4K (also all in the sand), or 8K (part sand, part mountain). Jen and I were the only ones to register for the 4K from ドン. I won't say it was a mistake, but we really should have listened to にゃんちゅ when he said it was super しんどい。
At any rate, we grabbed a light lunch from the やたい set up in the parking area. There was all kinds of good food, but we didn't want to be running on a full stomach.
That turned out to be a good idea since I felt quite close to vomiting what little I did eat at about the 800M mark. Running in sand is the worst idea ever. Jen and I were the last people for the entire race. One of the event coordinators ran with us giving us tips and cheering us on. This guy was probably in his late 60's and super out-pacing us.
We ended up coming in last in the 4K group, but within our subdivision of women ages 18-30 we were first and second...which makes sense seeing as we were the only ones in that division!
Our prize for coming in first and second was a box of freshly caught fish and a backpack. Then on top of that they had a raffle. Jen ended up winning the biggest prize: a 10kilo bag of really expensive rice. (She still hasn't eaten it... I don't think she knows where to start!)
That evening we went to a nearby onsen to clean up and relax. We went in two groups, so when everyone got back, we all shared a meal of curry. Felt like family.
The next day was the same morning routine, but when we went down to the beach, it was to pick up trash. We found some random stuff. I found a lightbulb, Barbie arm, and full glass bottle of water. Jen found a pair of glasses. There was a lot of trash on that beach. Trash like you wouldn't believe.
Lunch was at the やたい again. We had some 取り放題焼きそば (all you can carry Yaki Soba). It was super cheap and super delicious. We ate while watching the concert. It was 4 hours long. They had a mega line-up-- ドン was amongst them.
That evening we drove home.
I never got to go swimming, but that's okay. I got to dip my feet and got kinda tan (even if it was a farmer's tan), which was fun. I missed the beach.
It was an awesome weekend. I feel like we got to talk to some of the other members we don't usually talk to--broke down some walls.
I also learned that I never ever want to run a 4K in the sand again.
Good weekend, for sure!
Love until later,
Caitlin D.
This is a gig that ドン does every year. It's this beach clean-up weekend event thing at 琴引浜 in northern 京都 called はだし, meaning Barefoot. Let me tell you, this beach is beautiful, but there's a lot of trash that washes up from off-shore fishing, shipping, Korea and China.
The weekend began Friday evening. Jen and I went to class, raced home, packed, and biked out to Sunday practice place, 西陣. Biking with heavy bags is super hard. It's this precarious balancing act that tips every time you turn a corner... or hit a bump... or shift your weight. Somehow we managed.
At 西陣 we met up with ひらく who showed us how the way to bike to Ritsumeikan. It's not too far actually. We parked our bikes there, then walked to the parking lot of 和風さと restaurant. We were some of the first ones there. にゃんちゅ was our driver for the evening. Once everyone else arrived, we loaded up and headed out. During the ride we got to talk with some of the other new members. にっしー、ひらく、えっちゃん、and 二号 all rode with us.
The drive took a good 3 hours. We stopped once for food at 天下一品 (otherwise known as 天一), this ramen place that has super good really thick broth. It was about midnight when we finally arrived.
Some of the older members had gone earlier to clean up the place and set up. When we came in they made some more food and we had a bit to drink. I kinda knocked out after a bit because I was super tired, but there were quite some antics going on. ひらく、nicknamed ガンダム because he's built like a freakin Gundam, ended up getting super drunk after like a couple beers (surprisingly light-weight) and sleeping in the closet.
Later on that night everyone else arrived and the antics continued. It was really quite fun, even though I was dying. The room we were in was really just one giant tatami-mat room. They just laid out a ton of futons and everyone just slept where they wanted. When people started to crash, the partiers moved to one side of the room.
The next day we woke up early, had breakfast, cleaned up the beds, and walked down to the event. The ladies helped stuff bags and collate pamphlets for the event coordinators, while the guys went down on the beach to set up the stage for the concert.
Before lunch we registered for the beach run. You could do a 2K (all in the sand), 4K (also all in the sand), or 8K (part sand, part mountain). Jen and I were the only ones to register for the 4K from ドン. I won't say it was a mistake, but we really should have listened to にゃんちゅ when he said it was super しんどい。
At any rate, we grabbed a light lunch from the やたい set up in the parking area. There was all kinds of good food, but we didn't want to be running on a full stomach.
That turned out to be a good idea since I felt quite close to vomiting what little I did eat at about the 800M mark. Running in sand is the worst idea ever. Jen and I were the last people for the entire race. One of the event coordinators ran with us giving us tips and cheering us on. This guy was probably in his late 60's and super out-pacing us.
We ended up coming in last in the 4K group, but within our subdivision of women ages 18-30 we were first and second...which makes sense seeing as we were the only ones in that division!
Our prize for coming in first and second was a box of freshly caught fish and a backpack. Then on top of that they had a raffle. Jen ended up winning the biggest prize: a 10kilo bag of really expensive rice. (She still hasn't eaten it... I don't think she knows where to start!)
That evening we went to a nearby onsen to clean up and relax. We went in two groups, so when everyone got back, we all shared a meal of curry. Felt like family.
The next day was the same morning routine, but when we went down to the beach, it was to pick up trash. We found some random stuff. I found a lightbulb, Barbie arm, and full glass bottle of water. Jen found a pair of glasses. There was a lot of trash on that beach. Trash like you wouldn't believe.
Lunch was at the やたい again. We had some 取り放題焼きそば (all you can carry Yaki Soba). It was super cheap and super delicious. We ate while watching the concert. It was 4 hours long. They had a mega line-up-- ドン was amongst them.
That evening we drove home.
I never got to go swimming, but that's okay. I got to dip my feet and got kinda tan (even if it was a farmer's tan), which was fun. I missed the beach.
It was an awesome weekend. I feel like we got to talk to some of the other members we don't usually talk to--broke down some walls.
I also learned that I never ever want to run a 4K in the sand again.
Good weekend, for sure!
Love until later,
Caitlin D.
25 June 2010
The Birth and Death of the Day
空き箱やん、僕は。
Jen and I got home super late from taiko yesterday. They did auditions for the dance part of ドン荒馬. I'm playing the fue for it, so I didn't have to worry, but Jen did. I felt a little upset with ミカミン, the 新入生 that is the leader for ドン荒馬. She ended up placing Jen and Milanti together to dance, the two foreign girls, and keeping herself, にっしーand チロ together for the audition. I wouldn't have even noticed if they hadn't been doing basically the same thing with ぶち. For ぶち, Jen, Milanti, and I all got put on the same drum.
At any rate, Jen and Miranti didn't get picked to perform. They're both really upset about it, but there's not much that can be done now.
Anyway, after the auditions were over we had practice for 三宅. 玉 told me I improved a lot over the course of practice. I'm working really hard and I'm glad it shows. I'm super excited to get to be learning from such talented players.
That practice ran till about 10:30pm and then we had to put away all the equipment and bike from Ritsumeikan, which is a fair distance. We got a little distracted though. We ended up going down by the riverside for a late snack and just to talk.
Before we knew it, it was 1am. Needless to say we dashed home and got into bed.
Then today we went over to Costco. I finally got my BBQ chicken pizza and a hot dog. It was super good. Then we did some clothes shopping.
I felt a little bad because Henry got dragged along for the ride. I think he had fun though.... I think.
I got a nice tank top and a skirt. It's very summery and cute. I'm quite excited to go wear it out! Jen and I were both so excited about what we got that we decided to wear it while we watched an episode of Doctor Who tonight.
So I'm going to go hop in the shower, put on my cute outfit, and call Jen.
Love until later,
Caitlin D.
Jen and I got home super late from taiko yesterday. They did auditions for the dance part of ドン荒馬. I'm playing the fue for it, so I didn't have to worry, but Jen did. I felt a little upset with ミカミン, the 新入生 that is the leader for ドン荒馬. She ended up placing Jen and Milanti together to dance, the two foreign girls, and keeping herself, にっしーand チロ together for the audition. I wouldn't have even noticed if they hadn't been doing basically the same thing with ぶち. For ぶち, Jen, Milanti, and I all got put on the same drum.
At any rate, Jen and Miranti didn't get picked to perform. They're both really upset about it, but there's not much that can be done now.
Anyway, after the auditions were over we had practice for 三宅. 玉 told me I improved a lot over the course of practice. I'm working really hard and I'm glad it shows. I'm super excited to get to be learning from such talented players.
That practice ran till about 10:30pm and then we had to put away all the equipment and bike from Ritsumeikan, which is a fair distance. We got a little distracted though. We ended up going down by the riverside for a late snack and just to talk.
Before we knew it, it was 1am. Needless to say we dashed home and got into bed.
Then today we went over to Costco. I finally got my BBQ chicken pizza and a hot dog. It was super good. Then we did some clothes shopping.
I felt a little bad because Henry got dragged along for the ride. I think he had fun though.... I think.
I got a nice tank top and a skirt. It's very summery and cute. I'm quite excited to go wear it out! Jen and I were both so excited about what we got that we decided to wear it while we watched an episode of Doctor Who tonight.
So I'm going to go hop in the shower, put on my cute outfit, and call Jen.
Love until later,
Caitlin D.
22 June 2010
涙、甘いて
もうええなあ。昨日が特に悪かった。それよりひどいって言った方がええかも。やっぱり30分間に7本ショットはけっこうしんどい。さらに、窓を殴るのは危ない。私の手ーがまだ痛い。でも、ぜんぜんええよ。手ーの痛さは心の痛さより区らしちゃう。
おかしいやん、これ。心が急に重なった。この感じが好きちゃう。
Oh what to do now...
Taiko
School
Jen's sister
SPITZ
新人公演
Pack
Go home
Wisdom teeth remove
Taiko
Work
School
Funny how life never really changes. We move around a lot and the places and faces change, but when you get right down to it, it's the same everywhere.
Also I cut my hair. It feels very nice--very light. When I walked into taiko practice everyone was surprised. It was funny. Everyone said 「似合ってるよ！」
Practice was nice tonight. Getting close with these people makes me not want to go home. I may not be incredibly close to any of them, but I will definitely miss them when I go.
I was kinda sleepy, so I curled up in a little ball in the corner of the room and napped a bit. When I woke up Yamada's girlfriend, Pikumin, Panna, and a few others were all standing around me staring going 「かわいいなあ〜！」It gave me a start. Hahahaha
In complete contrast to that warm fuzzy, Jen and I got ramen after practice and these 3 middle-aged 会社員 who'd just gotten off work got seated next to us. We made a mistake ordering and said 「ちさ」instead of 「しょう」. The kanji can be read both ways, but that was our inexperience showing through. The guys would not stop talking about it. They had a discussion about foreigners the whole time we were eating. Jen and I understood every word. They were being super rude, but they didn't think we could understand. Which was dumb on their part because we were speaking Japanese to each other the whole time. We wanted to punch them so badly.
Anyway, I've got some homework that needs doing.
Love until later,
Caitlin D.
おかしいやん、これ。心が急に重なった。この感じが好きちゃう。
Oh what to do now...
Taiko
School
Jen's sister
SPITZ
新人公演
Pack
Go home
Wisdom teeth remove
Taiko
Work
School
Funny how life never really changes. We move around a lot and the places and faces change, but when you get right down to it, it's the same everywhere.
Also I cut my hair. It feels very nice--very light. When I walked into taiko practice everyone was surprised. It was funny. Everyone said 「似合ってるよ！」
Practice was nice tonight. Getting close with these people makes me not want to go home. I may not be incredibly close to any of them, but I will definitely miss them when I go.
I was kinda sleepy, so I curled up in a little ball in the corner of the room and napped a bit. When I woke up Yamada's girlfriend, Pikumin, Panna, and a few others were all standing around me staring going 「かわいいなあ〜！」It gave me a start. Hahahaha
In complete contrast to that warm fuzzy, Jen and I got ramen after practice and these 3 middle-aged 会社員 who'd just gotten off work got seated next to us. We made a mistake ordering and said 「ちさ」instead of 「しょう」. The kanji can be read both ways, but that was our inexperience showing through. The guys would not stop talking about it. They had a discussion about foreigners the whole time we were eating. Jen and I understood every word. They were being super rude, but they didn't think we could understand. Which was dumb on their part because we were speaking Japanese to each other the whole time. We wanted to punch them so badly.
Anyway, I've got some homework that needs doing.
Love until later,
Caitlin D.
14 June 2010
Window
So I know that the next post should be dedicated to my trip to 網野 (Amino) with ドン (Don), but I've got other things on my mind lately.
As summer grows nearer, so does the one year mark. Everything is starting to come full circle. I can feel it in the air--the feel of returning. It sounds really weird, but that's how it feels to me. The rain of 梅雨 (tsuyu- rainy season), the feel of the humidity on my skin, the smell of wet earth, the summer style... They make me feel like I did when I first came to Japan and I get kind of excited.
Then I remember that I've already been her for almost a year. My time here has come and gone. There have been good times and bad. Definitely had a few rough patches... I never thought I would miss Riverside so much, that's for sure. Probably a naïve mistake on my part.
I have made some mistakes here, too. Probably done some things I shouldn't have, and didn't do some things I should have...but all in all, I feel like my time here has been good. Through the strife, I learned a lot about myself and the people around me, too. I made some dear friends and saw some beautiful places.
I do wish I could have travelled more, but I'll just think of it as saving a little for later.
I'm excited for what the future holds. I'm not too sure where I'm headed in the long run, but does anyone really?
So for now I'll just appreciate the feel of coming full circle and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Then 少しずつ I'll figure out more what I want and where I'm headed.
I'm okay with that.
Love until later,
Caitlin D.
As summer grows nearer, so does the one year mark. Everything is starting to come full circle. I can feel it in the air--the feel of returning. It sounds really weird, but that's how it feels to me. The rain of 梅雨 (tsuyu- rainy season), the feel of the humidity on my skin, the smell of wet earth, the summer style... They make me feel like I did when I first came to Japan and I get kind of excited.
Then I remember that I've already been her for almost a year. My time here has come and gone. There have been good times and bad. Definitely had a few rough patches... I never thought I would miss Riverside so much, that's for sure. Probably a naïve mistake on my part.
I have made some mistakes here, too. Probably done some things I shouldn't have, and didn't do some things I should have...but all in all, I feel like my time here has been good. Through the strife, I learned a lot about myself and the people around me, too. I made some dear friends and saw some beautiful places.
I do wish I could have travelled more, but I'll just think of it as saving a little for later.
I'm excited for what the future holds. I'm not too sure where I'm headed in the long run, but does anyone really?
So for now I'll just appreciate the feel of coming full circle and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Then 少しずつ I'll figure out more what I want and where I'm headed.
I'm okay with that.
Love until later,
Caitlin D.
13 June 2010
Triumphant
Well, it's probably about time I put up my adventures of the last few weekends.
First up- Yosano.
Jen and I left Kyoto-eki on a bus around 8am. There were a lot of people enrolled in this little excursion. Most people were from Kyo-dai, but there were a few from various other schools. Jen and I were the only Americans in the group.
After a several hour bus ride through the beautiful countryside of Kyoto, we arrived in Yosano. The bus driver got a little lost once we got in the city (the roads are very narrow and rather maze like), but we got to the Cultural center eventually. Once we got in, there was a brief introduction and they sent us along with our host families for the afternoon.
Jen and I got placed in the same house, which was nice. Our host family had super heavy Kansai accents, so we only understood about 60-70% of what they said. Osaka and Kyoto accents aren't so bad, but once you start moving out of the cities they get harder to understand. We both felt a little bad because we'd just give them blank stares sometimes.
At any rate, they were really great people. We got lunch with our Mom and Brother (19 y.o.) then went on a boat ride. You can get these little shrimp flavored things and hold them out for the birds and they come right up and eat them out of your hand. It was super fun. Our host mom bought us some souvenirs, too.
They actually bought us a lot of stuff that weekend. After eating an absolute ton of food, we went back to house and met Dad and Grandma. They were both really sweet. The house was way cool, too! They could heat the floors of the kitchen and family room and there was a voice that told you when the bath was ready and an alarm you could set for the whole house. So freakin awesome. I want a house like that when I get rich.
We ate dinner after baths. They literally had a boat load of food. It was all so delicious, but we didn't finish all of it. I think I must have put on at least 5 lbs in two days, I ate so much.
We crashed around 10 pm and woke up at 7am the next morning. We got dressed and packed up all our stuff and threw it in the car. Taka, our brother, drove us over to the cultural center. We actually got side-swiped on the way there. I wonder if it was his first car accident...
No one got hurt. He called his dad and we went over to the Center, just barely catching the bus to the rice fields. Taka came to take pictures of us while we worked. It was suuuuper weird. As you step in the rice patty, your foot sinks down in mud up to about your knees. Our group planted half of the field and a local elementary school and their parents planted the other half. I really don't know how the pros get their lines of rice so straight.
They told us that morning that a TV crew from KBS Kyoto would be filming and doing interviews for a segment. It airs this Thursday. I actually got interviewed as I was coming out for a break. I think it was because of my ridiculous hat, but whatever. They asked me if I'd ever done this before and what it felt like. I said it felt kinda gross having the mud between my toes. Maybe I'll even get aired in the segment!
After the field was done, we went back to the cultural center and ate with our host families at this pot luck. It was intense. There was so much food there. I didn't know where to start. It was so nice having home cooked food and not having to make it for myself.
There was a taiko performance as well. Jen and I enjoyed watching it with an experienced eye. There was this one girl you could tell was new because she kept making faces when she messed up. Now I know how obvious I look when I do that.
Once the hunger was satiated, the people putting on the event asked each person to talk for a minute about their home country. Jen and I were at a bit of a loss, so we went up together. Our host dad called us a manzai because we were cracking jokes and passing the mic back and forth. さすがアメリカ人だよ。
And then it was all over. We got jilted hugs from Dad and Brother at Mom's command and then waved goodbye.
Since then Mom has called us. They're printing pictures of the rice planting and sending them to us. It was nice to hear from her again... even if we couldn't understand everything she was saying to us!
Made me feel a little more at home here in Japan. Family really is important, even if they're not your real family.
I think I'll end this post here. I need to get some homework done before I go to sleep and I have a long day tomorrow.
Promise to post about Amino with Don soon!
Love until later,
Caitlin D.
First up- Yosano.
Jen and I left Kyoto-eki on a bus around 8am. There were a lot of people enrolled in this little excursion. Most people were from Kyo-dai, but there were a few from various other schools. Jen and I were the only Americans in the group.
After a several hour bus ride through the beautiful countryside of Kyoto, we arrived in Yosano. The bus driver got a little lost once we got in the city (the roads are very narrow and rather maze like), but we got to the Cultural center eventually. Once we got in, there was a brief introduction and they sent us along with our host families for the afternoon.
Jen and I got placed in the same house, which was nice. Our host family had super heavy Kansai accents, so we only understood about 60-70% of what they said. Osaka and Kyoto accents aren't so bad, but once you start moving out of the cities they get harder to understand. We both felt a little bad because we'd just give them blank stares sometimes.
At any rate, they were really great people. We got lunch with our Mom and Brother (19 y.o.) then went on a boat ride. You can get these little shrimp flavored things and hold them out for the birds and they come right up and eat them out of your hand. It was super fun. Our host mom bought us some souvenirs, too.
They actually bought us a lot of stuff that weekend. After eating an absolute ton of food, we went back to house and met Dad and Grandma. They were both really sweet. The house was way cool, too! They could heat the floors of the kitchen and family room and there was a voice that told you when the bath was ready and an alarm you could set for the whole house. So freakin awesome. I want a house like that when I get rich.
We ate dinner after baths. They literally had a boat load of food. It was all so delicious, but we didn't finish all of it. I think I must have put on at least 5 lbs in two days, I ate so much.
We crashed around 10 pm and woke up at 7am the next morning. We got dressed and packed up all our stuff and threw it in the car. Taka, our brother, drove us over to the cultural center. We actually got side-swiped on the way there. I wonder if it was his first car accident...
No one got hurt. He called his dad and we went over to the Center, just barely catching the bus to the rice fields. Taka came to take pictures of us while we worked. It was suuuuper weird. As you step in the rice patty, your foot sinks down in mud up to about your knees. Our group planted half of the field and a local elementary school and their parents planted the other half. I really don't know how the pros get their lines of rice so straight.
They told us that morning that a TV crew from KBS Kyoto would be filming and doing interviews for a segment. It airs this Thursday. I actually got interviewed as I was coming out for a break. I think it was because of my ridiculous hat, but whatever. They asked me if I'd ever done this before and what it felt like. I said it felt kinda gross having the mud between my toes. Maybe I'll even get aired in the segment!
After the field was done, we went back to the cultural center and ate with our host families at this pot luck. It was intense. There was so much food there. I didn't know where to start. It was so nice having home cooked food and not having to make it for myself.
There was a taiko performance as well. Jen and I enjoyed watching it with an experienced eye. There was this one girl you could tell was new because she kept making faces when she messed up. Now I know how obvious I look when I do that.
Once the hunger was satiated, the people putting on the event asked each person to talk for a minute about their home country. Jen and I were at a bit of a loss, so we went up together. Our host dad called us a manzai because we were cracking jokes and passing the mic back and forth. さすがアメリカ人だよ。
And then it was all over. We got jilted hugs from Dad and Brother at Mom's command and then waved goodbye.
Since then Mom has called us. They're printing pictures of the rice planting and sending them to us. It was nice to hear from her again... even if we couldn't understand everything she was saying to us!
Made me feel a little more at home here in Japan. Family really is important, even if they're not your real family.
I think I'll end this post here. I need to get some homework done before I go to sleep and I have a long day tomorrow.
Promise to post about Amino with Don soon!
Love until later,
Caitlin D.
04 June 2010
Infinite Mirror
Before I head out for the beach I wanted to let you guys have the link to my new picture place.
This is where I'll be uploading my pictures instead of Facebook. Sorry you guys can't stalk me anymore...
This album is all the Yosano pictures. Enjoy! I apologize that there aren't too many of them.
I'll be back on Sunday night with pictures and stories and maybe a few new blisters.
Love until later,
Caitlin D.
02 June 2010
Passacaglia
Kinda stressed out with classes and taiko right now.
More to come on the rice planting weekend in Yosano. That'll probably come along with the taiko trip to Amino.
Deactivated the Facebook for a while. I'll be back someday. I just needed a break. Wonder what I'll do with all that extra time now...
68 days. Count it out.
Love until later,
Caitlin D.
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