Tuesday, 20 April 2010
We've had a busy couple of months with Kana's (can't find the photos) and Lisa's graduation and then Kana's entrance ceremony
Lisa and her friend Nami
Lisa at the entrance to her University
Kana and Lisa in the University grounds
On both days it was really cold and raining slightly for Lisa but pouring down for Kana. Although the ceremonies were held at the main campus in Nishinomiya, their campus is in Sanda which is actually much prettier although smaller and even colder!
Kana seems to be enjoying herself so far and already has a group of friends that she mainly hangs out with (1 other girl and 3 boys). I thinks she was getting fed up at the beginning with everyone asking if she was Lisa's sister but seems to have got over that now.
Lisa came back home at the end of February after living alone for 3 years and to be quite honest I wasn't really looking forward to it, thinking it would be stressful for everyone but surprisingly, it's been really good to have her back home and she's fitted back like she's never been away. She's still living a life of leisure with a couple of days here and there where she has to go for exams for her company but she starts working properly from the 2nd week of May although the first week they have an 'orientation' program staying at a hotel. I think she's quite looking forward to it.
Keita is now in his 3rd and final year of junior high school and has the school baseball coach for his homeroom teacher. (I was just relieved that he stayed in class '3' which means I didn't have to sew on new labels for his sports clothes!) Baseball wise things are going okay although they haven't done that great in any of the tournaments so far this year. For players like Keita or his friend Riku, it doesn't really matter that much because they have already been 'spotted' but for the other boys, they really need to get good results in the tournaments. The last tournament looked promising - Keita pitched really well for the first two stages (and got another write up and his photo in the paper again) which got them into the main part but the following week they got beaten in the first of two matches. The coach had wanted to play Keita in the 2nd match since it looked like the first team would be an easy win but because of errors, we lost! There are still a few more tournaments though so hopefully they'll do better.
We've also had the first 'meeting' to talk about what senior high school they kids want to go to but we've been told not to make any decisions before the summer. Although I haven't been formally told, I know there are a few schools who have asked for him and there is one or two schools I'D like him to go to but we'll just have to wait and see.
Aya and Daisuke now have 2 dogs - one they bought themselves and one I bought as a surprise for Aya's birthday.
The female, Mocha
The male, Rex
We'd bought Rex planning to give him to Aya 4 days later but because Mocha (who was really small) caught bronchitis, the vet said we should keep them apart for about 3 weeks so I ended up keeping him in my office for that time since we couldn't let him come upstairs without having all his injections plus I didn't fancy his chances with Spike and Daisy! They are now 4 months old and have grown a lot, especially Rex. It was nice having a pup again but also nice to be able to hand him over. Aya was just about demented with them at one point and I'm sure regretted getting them more than once but they've settled down a bit now.
And that's basically it! English lessons are a headache at the moment trying to reschedule classes and make room for another new one but hopefully that's going to get resolved this week. Until it does, I have combined two classes so now have 14 x 8/9 year olds in one class. Last week Lisa helped and hopefully she will again this week too - if not, it'll be pretty stressful as they aren't the most well behaved class to start with!
Lisa and her friend Nami
Lisa at the entrance to her University
Kana and Lisa in the University grounds
On both days it was really cold and raining slightly for Lisa but pouring down for Kana. Although the ceremonies were held at the main campus in Nishinomiya, their campus is in Sanda which is actually much prettier although smaller and even colder!
Kana seems to be enjoying herself so far and already has a group of friends that she mainly hangs out with (1 other girl and 3 boys). I thinks she was getting fed up at the beginning with everyone asking if she was Lisa's sister but seems to have got over that now.
Lisa came back home at the end of February after living alone for 3 years and to be quite honest I wasn't really looking forward to it, thinking it would be stressful for everyone but surprisingly, it's been really good to have her back home and she's fitted back like she's never been away. She's still living a life of leisure with a couple of days here and there where she has to go for exams for her company but she starts working properly from the 2nd week of May although the first week they have an 'orientation' program staying at a hotel. I think she's quite looking forward to it.
Keita is now in his 3rd and final year of junior high school and has the school baseball coach for his homeroom teacher. (I was just relieved that he stayed in class '3' which means I didn't have to sew on new labels for his sports clothes!) Baseball wise things are going okay although they haven't done that great in any of the tournaments so far this year. For players like Keita or his friend Riku, it doesn't really matter that much because they have already been 'spotted' but for the other boys, they really need to get good results in the tournaments. The last tournament looked promising - Keita pitched really well for the first two stages (and got another write up and his photo in the paper again) which got them into the main part but the following week they got beaten in the first of two matches. The coach had wanted to play Keita in the 2nd match since it looked like the first team would be an easy win but because of errors, we lost! There are still a few more tournaments though so hopefully they'll do better.
We've also had the first 'meeting' to talk about what senior high school they kids want to go to but we've been told not to make any decisions before the summer. Although I haven't been formally told, I know there are a few schools who have asked for him and there is one or two schools I'D like him to go to but we'll just have to wait and see.
Aya and Daisuke now have 2 dogs - one they bought themselves and one I bought as a surprise for Aya's birthday.
The female, Mocha
The male, Rex
We'd bought Rex planning to give him to Aya 4 days later but because Mocha (who was really small) caught bronchitis, the vet said we should keep them apart for about 3 weeks so I ended up keeping him in my office for that time since we couldn't let him come upstairs without having all his injections plus I didn't fancy his chances with Spike and Daisy! They are now 4 months old and have grown a lot, especially Rex. It was nice having a pup again but also nice to be able to hand him over. Aya was just about demented with them at one point and I'm sure regretted getting them more than once but they've settled down a bit now.
And that's basically it! English lessons are a headache at the moment trying to reschedule classes and make room for another new one but hopefully that's going to get resolved this week. Until it does, I have combined two classes so now have 14 x 8/9 year olds in one class. Last week Lisa helped and hopefully she will again this week too - if not, it'll be pretty stressful as they aren't the most well behaved class to start with!
Monday, 18 January 2010
A pretty uneventful weekend.
It's been nice not having to go to BB every Sat/Sun apart from the duty days and means I have time to relax and do whatever I like. It also means that I'm finally able to meet up with some friends from the English group and have some great English conversation for a change!
On Sunday we went to the home since they were having a 'rice cake eating' party. It was quite funny seeing all the men and women pounding the rice (they are all at different levels of senility). Setsuo's father had his turn too but wasn't really that interested! They made the rice cakes and those that could, got to eat it. It was a shame for Setsuo's father because he really loves it but because of the choking hazard, wasn't allowed any (he did get zenzai which is red bean soup with small bits of mochi in it) and he kept pointing to the rice cakes and motioning that he wanted some.
And that was the weekend!
It's been nice not having to go to BB every Sat/Sun apart from the duty days and means I have time to relax and do whatever I like. It also means that I'm finally able to meet up with some friends from the English group and have some great English conversation for a change!
On Sunday we went to the home since they were having a 'rice cake eating' party. It was quite funny seeing all the men and women pounding the rice (they are all at different levels of senility). Setsuo's father had his turn too but wasn't really that interested! They made the rice cakes and those that could, got to eat it. It was a shame for Setsuo's father because he really loves it but because of the choking hazard, wasn't allowed any (he did get zenzai which is red bean soup with small bits of mochi in it) and he kept pointing to the rice cakes and motioning that he wanted some.
And that was the weekend!
Thursday, 14 January 2010
So far, we've still managed to escape all the snow that's going about the country (world?) but it sure is cold these days. This morning when I did the usual ritual of wiping down the window frames, the condensation that had gathered had actual frozen in both Keita's and our bedrooms (Kana is lucky enough to have a her bedroom on a different side of the house). Even though there was ice on the frames, the rooms themselves are quite warm once we get over the initial shock of going from warm living room but I think it really is time to get the blankets out again. The pond where the turtles are in is also covered in ice but I reckon it's warmer with that layer - or do they need it broken to breathe? They haven't been appearing for a while so I think they must be sleeping for the winter (either that or dead from lack of air - now that I've typed that, I'm going to have to go and check after work!)
Because I had a 'New Year' party to go to on my birthday, we had the family one a day earlier. We intended going out for a Chinese meal but because it was so cold, we ended up going to a pub restaurant in Juso instead and then came back here for presents and cake. The NY party was for the mothers and boys in the school baseball club and although Keita is only there for training practice ie he can't use those balls so doesn't play in any matches (in fact doesn't even have the uniform other than the cap!) we were both invited too. All but one of the mothers I know either from Keita's last BB club or the kindergarten he used to go to so it was a good boozy night! Luckily next day was also a school day so we all got home at a reasonable time.
Other than that, not a great deal else has been happening.
Because I had a 'New Year' party to go to on my birthday, we had the family one a day earlier. We intended going out for a Chinese meal but because it was so cold, we ended up going to a pub restaurant in Juso instead and then came back here for presents and cake. The NY party was for the mothers and boys in the school baseball club and although Keita is only there for training practice ie he can't use those balls so doesn't play in any matches (in fact doesn't even have the uniform other than the cap!) we were both invited too. All but one of the mothers I know either from Keita's last BB club or the kindergarten he used to go to so it was a good boozy night! Luckily next day was also a school day so we all got home at a reasonable time.
Other than that, not a great deal else has been happening.
Thursday, 7 January 2010
Monday, 4 January 2010
Happy New Year!!
After 13 days off, I'm now officially back at work although only have one lesson this afternoon (and one student from there has already cancelled - maybe the other two will too!)
Because I had the school Christmas party earlier last year, the last week of teaching went past quickly and with less stress than usual. On the 23rd Dec we went to the young carpenters wedding which was nice as he is Korean so there were a lot of guests in Korean outfits (he and his wife also changed into Hanbok too). Since the next day was Christmas Eve, it meant the usual last minute shopping for me but we got everything we needed and all wrapped up and placed under the tree (in the classroom).
Christmas day was a normal working day here but once Setsuo, Aya and Daisuke were finished we all went out for dinner as usual and then came back for the presents. A lot of people think it strange to keep the presents until night time but it's something we've always done (birthdays too) since it means we all have time to be together without one of us needing to rush off to work, school or whatever. By the time everything was opened and looked at it was almost midnight which meant bedtime for me and Keita who had baseball early the next morning.
Setsuo finished work on Dec 28 and we also had the bonenkai (end of year party) for his company that night but after that it was just relaxing with a bit of food shopping thrown in. Now that there is just us in the house, there's no pressure to make traditional japanese new year food but I did buy/cook what I knew everyone would like. On New Year's Eve Kana and Keita wanted to watch one program whereas the rest of us didn't so they went into Keita's room. After about an hour though, Setsuo and Lisa both fell asleep so I read for a few hours and then it was time for the NY noodles. We always end up too full and unable to sleep so this year we shared 4 portions between the 5 of us (actually I thought there was more until I looked in the cupboard!) and what we did have was probably a much better amount. I think I was first in bed, followed shortly by Setsuo and Keita lasted until around 2am but Kana and Lisa stayed up until 5.30 watching TV. Needless to say they weren't around until about lunch time. Aya & Daisuke had gone to the temple in Kyoto (they were brave because it was blowing a gale and easily the coldest day/night we'd had so far). They hadn't got home until 5am but she still managed to come round by lunch time. After having something to eat we went to see Setsuo's father in the home. He was especially delighted to see Keita and I haven't seen him smile so much for ages. This home looks like it's a lot better than the last one and he seems to have settled in fine. It's also great for us as it's only about 10 minutes away by car so hopefully we can go and visit during the week too. On the 2nd we all got up early and were out the house to collect Aya by 8am and headed off to the gravesite in Kyoto. After a sushi lunch we were back home by 1pm and had time to just chill out.
Yesterday was the start of the year at baseball and there was loads to be done as we are now the 'top year'. Because a lot of the previous students are really only home during NY, we have to prepare food, drinks etc for all the boys and families that have 'graduated' from the club. There was probably about 150 of us. The younger year's mothers really helped a lot too which was good as there are only 9 of us in our year (there are a few more boys but some have parents who are divorced, mothers sick, etc) After getting home, I had 3 loads of washing to get through plus all the things from BB so I was in bed relatively early again.
All in all it's probably been one of best holidays for ages. It was nice to be able to spend so much time with us all together - usually there is at least one missing - and the kids really get on well with each other now that they are all older.
I've left my camera upstairs and can't be bothered going for it so will add photos next time.
No real new year resolutions other than trying to find a bit more time to see friends (other than baseball ones!) and to post here a bit more often!
Hope everyone had a great holiday and that 2010 is a good year for us all.
After 13 days off, I'm now officially back at work although only have one lesson this afternoon (and one student from there has already cancelled - maybe the other two will too!)
Because I had the school Christmas party earlier last year, the last week of teaching went past quickly and with less stress than usual. On the 23rd Dec we went to the young carpenters wedding which was nice as he is Korean so there were a lot of guests in Korean outfits (he and his wife also changed into Hanbok too). Since the next day was Christmas Eve, it meant the usual last minute shopping for me but we got everything we needed and all wrapped up and placed under the tree (in the classroom).
Christmas day was a normal working day here but once Setsuo, Aya and Daisuke were finished we all went out for dinner as usual and then came back for the presents. A lot of people think it strange to keep the presents until night time but it's something we've always done (birthdays too) since it means we all have time to be together without one of us needing to rush off to work, school or whatever. By the time everything was opened and looked at it was almost midnight which meant bedtime for me and Keita who had baseball early the next morning.
Setsuo finished work on Dec 28 and we also had the bonenkai (end of year party) for his company that night but after that it was just relaxing with a bit of food shopping thrown in. Now that there is just us in the house, there's no pressure to make traditional japanese new year food but I did buy/cook what I knew everyone would like. On New Year's Eve Kana and Keita wanted to watch one program whereas the rest of us didn't so they went into Keita's room. After about an hour though, Setsuo and Lisa both fell asleep so I read for a few hours and then it was time for the NY noodles. We always end up too full and unable to sleep so this year we shared 4 portions between the 5 of us (actually I thought there was more until I looked in the cupboard!) and what we did have was probably a much better amount. I think I was first in bed, followed shortly by Setsuo and Keita lasted until around 2am but Kana and Lisa stayed up until 5.30 watching TV. Needless to say they weren't around until about lunch time. Aya & Daisuke had gone to the temple in Kyoto (they were brave because it was blowing a gale and easily the coldest day/night we'd had so far). They hadn't got home until 5am but she still managed to come round by lunch time. After having something to eat we went to see Setsuo's father in the home. He was especially delighted to see Keita and I haven't seen him smile so much for ages. This home looks like it's a lot better than the last one and he seems to have settled in fine. It's also great for us as it's only about 10 minutes away by car so hopefully we can go and visit during the week too. On the 2nd we all got up early and were out the house to collect Aya by 8am and headed off to the gravesite in Kyoto. After a sushi lunch we were back home by 1pm and had time to just chill out.
Yesterday was the start of the year at baseball and there was loads to be done as we are now the 'top year'. Because a lot of the previous students are really only home during NY, we have to prepare food, drinks etc for all the boys and families that have 'graduated' from the club. There was probably about 150 of us. The younger year's mothers really helped a lot too which was good as there are only 9 of us in our year (there are a few more boys but some have parents who are divorced, mothers sick, etc) After getting home, I had 3 loads of washing to get through plus all the things from BB so I was in bed relatively early again.
All in all it's probably been one of best holidays for ages. It was nice to be able to spend so much time with us all together - usually there is at least one missing - and the kids really get on well with each other now that they are all older.
I've left my camera upstairs and can't be bothered going for it so will add photos next time.
No real new year resolutions other than trying to find a bit more time to see friends (other than baseball ones!) and to post here a bit more often!
Hope everyone had a great holiday and that 2010 is a good year for us all.
Friday, 6 November 2009
Bet you thought I'd fallen off the face of the earth! I've still been around and reading everyone's blogs but just never having time to post anything to my own.
We've had a never ending round of hospitals this past month
1. Setsuo was finally diagnosed as having gallstones but because of a waiting list for the operation, he ended up getting jaundice so was in hospital for 10 days, out for just over a week then back in again for the op plus a week.
2. On the day of Setsuo's operation, after I just got back and was taking the dog to the vets (see below), I got a phone call to say that Setsuo's father had been admitted to a different hospital with pneumonia and because of his age it was a bit touch and go. I managed to get him tranferred to the same hospital and he's genki again although has bed sores - how the home didn't pick up on that I don't know but that's a post for a different day. He's still in hospital but we're looking at other options for when he gets discharged.
3. During that time Keita hurt his elbow ligaments so that was another round of 3 different clincs/hospitals for MRI's and then to see a sports specialist but with a bit of luck he should be back in action mid-December.
4. Also during that time, we found out Daisy's cancer has come back again plus she had an eye infection so it's still a constant round of vet visits. She's going for an examination tomorrow to see if her heart will stand a general anaesthetic and if so, will get the lump removed.
5. To top it all off, I got a whopping big sty so just in case I wasn't already sick of hospitals, I got the pleasure of going to the eye doctor!
So THAT'S why I've not been blogging!
Thankfully my mum was over and was a godsend in holding down the fort but it was a shame we didn't get to do anything at all, especially since my dad also came for the last 2 weeks. Hopefully next time.
Other news
Kana passed her exams for Uni so will be following in Lisa's footsteps (but hopefully will do more work!)
Aya and Daisuke moved flats - even nearer this time!
And believe it or not, as from today, I've pulled a muscle in my back! I think we must have used up our share of bad karma by now!!!
We've had a never ending round of hospitals this past month
1. Setsuo was finally diagnosed as having gallstones but because of a waiting list for the operation, he ended up getting jaundice so was in hospital for 10 days, out for just over a week then back in again for the op plus a week.
2. On the day of Setsuo's operation, after I just got back and was taking the dog to the vets (see below), I got a phone call to say that Setsuo's father had been admitted to a different hospital with pneumonia and because of his age it was a bit touch and go. I managed to get him tranferred to the same hospital and he's genki again although has bed sores - how the home didn't pick up on that I don't know but that's a post for a different day. He's still in hospital but we're looking at other options for when he gets discharged.
3. During that time Keita hurt his elbow ligaments so that was another round of 3 different clincs/hospitals for MRI's and then to see a sports specialist but with a bit of luck he should be back in action mid-December.
4. Also during that time, we found out Daisy's cancer has come back again plus she had an eye infection so it's still a constant round of vet visits. She's going for an examination tomorrow to see if her heart will stand a general anaesthetic and if so, will get the lump removed.
5. To top it all off, I got a whopping big sty so just in case I wasn't already sick of hospitals, I got the pleasure of going to the eye doctor!
So THAT'S why I've not been blogging!
Thankfully my mum was over and was a godsend in holding down the fort but it was a shame we didn't get to do anything at all, especially since my dad also came for the last 2 weeks. Hopefully next time.
Other news
Kana passed her exams for Uni so will be following in Lisa's footsteps (but hopefully will do more work!)
Aya and Daisuke moved flats - even nearer this time!
And believe it or not, as from today, I've pulled a muscle in my back! I think we must have used up our share of bad karma by now!!!
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