I just got hooked on this thing called Pinterest. Pretty fun!
https://pinterest.com/heidimouse/
04 November, 2011
it's been a while!
I haven't been much of a blogger lately. Life has been good and full in the past few months. I have a lovely man in my life, which results in less time for internetting, but that's OK! This summer I didn't really go anywhere on vacation, but my man, W, and I did lots of weekend activities. My kindred spirit friend Abbe and her husband Patrick moved away at the end of the summer, and they had a bucket list of things to do in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest before leaving, and we were fortunate to be a part of some of those adventures. We were also inspired to create our own bucket list. It's a pretty great idea, I think. Anytime we think of anything that we want to do at some point, we pull out my iphone and add it to the list. We have already knocked off a number of those things, and some of them will be repeated again. Hood River was a highlight. We went there twice this summer to watch windsurfing and kitesurfing, and W LOVES to windsurf, so we will go back again so he can actually windsurf there too. It's a beautiful place on the Columbia River near Mount Hood in Oregon. Another item on the list was sailing, which we did on Lake Union, and on Green Lake this summer. Sailing in the middle of our own city... How convenient! The Lake Union one was cool, because the Center for Wooden Boats has free rides on Sundays, and they have all kinds of old sailboats of various sizes and ages. We got to be on a pretty big schooner, and W even got to steer for a while and help raise the sails. At Green Lake we rented a tiny sailboat. Other adventures of the past several months included a little time in Portland; a wine-tasting day in the Tri-Cities area of Washington; hiking at Mount Rainier with friends, which was very snowy, but warm at the same time, and very beautiful; helping friends one weekend as they are building a cabin at the Columbia River; watching Seattle Sounders games; a weekend on Orcas Island with friends; and savoring every moment I could with Abbe before she left! She and I had a lovely spa day together, and lots of dear moments.
So now Abbe is across the country. She and I have a long history by now. We met in college and became very close friends beginning in our junior year. After we graduated from college I went to my internship in Michigan for a year and she came to Seattle for a year to do voluntary service. Then when those one year terms were up, we decided to find jobs in the same city and share an apartment. We lived in Indiana for barely a year before we moved to Seattle, which Abbe had missed as soon as she left. So 9 years ago, we moved to Seattle, and the first four of those years Abbe and I lived together. Living with a very close friend has a limited lifespan though, and 5 years ago we got our own apartments, but still lived fairly near to each other, and still spent a lot of time together. Going to Abbe's house was like going home too. I always felt completely relaxed and comfortable there. She got married a couple of years ago, and now she and Patrick have moved closer to her family to start the next phase of their life together. The good thing for me is that they are only a couple of hours from where my mom and dad live, so I already have a plan to see them at New Year's when I go visit my family. It's been a little surreal since they left almost 2 months ago. I almost still feel like they are on a long vacation sometimes. I think the only reason I haven't been depressed over it is that I have a companion in my life now. For so long Abbe and I joked that were like a married couple, and that when we got separate apartments that we divorced. The thing is, it was kind of true, and it was honestly hard for me to adjust when she met her husband and he became her main person. I got used to it eventually though, and he became a good friend too. When Abbe and Patrick told me last winter that they would be moving, I remember saying that I better have a boyfriend by the time they leave, otherwise I would be a wreck! Anyway, Abbe and I have such a deep friendship, we are pretty much like family to each other, and we know we will always be kindred spirit friends. We dream of taking vacations together with our families someday, lots of visits, and hopefully sitting on a front porch in rocking chairs when we are old ladies, still laughing our heads off at ridiculous things.
So now I have another main person in my life too, which makes me feel so thankful and blessed. W came into my life at the perfect time for a number of reasons. It's wonderful to feel so loved and have someone checking in on me all the time, and someone who is always there to do things with. When you're single and over 30, that becomes a lot harder to find and much more cherished! I know another over 30 woman who has also had some trials in her love life and is now also dating a wonderful guy, and we have joked with each other that when you finally find a good man and have a good solid relationship, you hold on!!... but not TOO tight! It's just a wonderful thing to have someone to go through daily life with, good things and bad, and I have longed for that for a long time, so I am really happy and grateful. I would say I am more content than I have been in a long time. As my grandpa R once told my sister, "Love is the greatest thing".
So now Abbe is across the country. She and I have a long history by now. We met in college and became very close friends beginning in our junior year. After we graduated from college I went to my internship in Michigan for a year and she came to Seattle for a year to do voluntary service. Then when those one year terms were up, we decided to find jobs in the same city and share an apartment. We lived in Indiana for barely a year before we moved to Seattle, which Abbe had missed as soon as she left. So 9 years ago, we moved to Seattle, and the first four of those years Abbe and I lived together. Living with a very close friend has a limited lifespan though, and 5 years ago we got our own apartments, but still lived fairly near to each other, and still spent a lot of time together. Going to Abbe's house was like going home too. I always felt completely relaxed and comfortable there. She got married a couple of years ago, and now she and Patrick have moved closer to her family to start the next phase of their life together. The good thing for me is that they are only a couple of hours from where my mom and dad live, so I already have a plan to see them at New Year's when I go visit my family. It's been a little surreal since they left almost 2 months ago. I almost still feel like they are on a long vacation sometimes. I think the only reason I haven't been depressed over it is that I have a companion in my life now. For so long Abbe and I joked that were like a married couple, and that when we got separate apartments that we divorced. The thing is, it was kind of true, and it was honestly hard for me to adjust when she met her husband and he became her main person. I got used to it eventually though, and he became a good friend too. When Abbe and Patrick told me last winter that they would be moving, I remember saying that I better have a boyfriend by the time they leave, otherwise I would be a wreck! Anyway, Abbe and I have such a deep friendship, we are pretty much like family to each other, and we know we will always be kindred spirit friends. We dream of taking vacations together with our families someday, lots of visits, and hopefully sitting on a front porch in rocking chairs when we are old ladies, still laughing our heads off at ridiculous things.
So now I have another main person in my life too, which makes me feel so thankful and blessed. W came into my life at the perfect time for a number of reasons. It's wonderful to feel so loved and have someone checking in on me all the time, and someone who is always there to do things with. When you're single and over 30, that becomes a lot harder to find and much more cherished! I know another over 30 woman who has also had some trials in her love life and is now also dating a wonderful guy, and we have joked with each other that when you finally find a good man and have a good solid relationship, you hold on!!... but not TOO tight! It's just a wonderful thing to have someone to go through daily life with, good things and bad, and I have longed for that for a long time, so I am really happy and grateful. I would say I am more content than I have been in a long time. As my grandpa R once told my sister, "Love is the greatest thing".
03 May, 2011
wise words
Are we seeking power for power’s sake? Or are we seeking to make the world and our nation better places to live? If we seek the latter, violence can never provide the answer. The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
27 April, 2011
finally, a trip report
I have been back now for over three weeks, back in the real world. My trip to Seoul and to southern Japan was great. This report/reflection will be long, so you may want to read in installments.... :)
In Seoul I visited my friends Amy, Joe, and Naomi. It was nice to see what their daily life is like, their home, where Joe works, Naomi's preschool, the grocery store, the bus and train they take around etc. Now when they write on their blog or facebook about their life, I can really picture it.
One highlight while I was there was my birthday, which we celebrated with a yummy cake and going for norebang (renting a room and singing karaoke). Amy wasn't able to get the major reverb turned off (I was of no help), so it was super loud and echo-y, which was hilarious because we were screaming into our shower-capped mics to hear ourselves and giving ourselves sore throats. It was a lot of fun! We sang some Alanis, Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkson, ABBA and more ABBA (for Naomi), Cyndi Lauper. Good stuff.
Earlier that day Amy and I went to the Olympic Park too, which was really cool. The Seoul Summer Olympics in 1988 were the first Summer Olympics I remember watching, and it was a big deal because our own Canadian Ben Johnson was a favorite for the 100 metre dash... and then he won...and then he had his gold medal taken away because they found out he had taken steroids. What a rollercoaster for a little groupie like me. I also remember Carolyn Waldo, the synchronized swimming champ from Canada. It was pretty cool to be where those Olympics happened.
Another fun excursion was the Dongdaemun Market where Amy buys quilting supplies. This was basically a giant, multi-storied indoor market. Amy's friend and neighbor Rora came with us that day, and it was nice to meet a local and someone who has become a friend for Amy. What a kind, generous woman.
Another day Rora came with Amy and I to the bathhouse in their neighborhood. Amy and I had gone another day with Naomi, but this was a more relaxing grown-ups time. This time I got a body scrub and mini massage, which was great, but also funny to me, not being able to communicate with the woman who was doing it. Whenever I needed to turn over or whatever, it was a little confusing what I was supposed to be doing! I had been to a Korean-style bathhouse, ironically, with Amy before. She and I and two others went together 4 years ago in the Seattle area when Amy was about 8 months pregnant. I would say that one was pretty authentic now that I have been to one in Korea too, just a little different. Getting your body scrubbed by a stranger is quite an experience. I am so glad that I am not so self-conscious about my body anymore. Everyone has one, and no one's is perfect (or hardly anyone's!). It is quite freeing to be able to experience something like that and not have a huge amount of anxiety over it, and actually enjoy it!
Another fun outing was going to Seoul Tower, which had beautiful views in all directions of Seoul. It also had a beautiful washroom!
We ate a lot of food, which involved cooking at the table, either grilling/BBQ, stirfry, or soup. I had some good food, but I wouldn't say Korean food is on my favorites list. There is a lot of red chili paste in many dishes which gives the food a spicy kick, but also tends to make many foods taste the same. I really enjoyed the BBQ (inside at the table) that we had the first night. I did appreciate that there were lots of vegetables, especially cabbage, in meals. I also enjoyed making soup at our table the last night (shabu shabu). That was tasty. And I have to mention the pastries. I love the little European-inspired bakeries in Korea (and Japan and Hong Kong). It was definitely a weakness of mine for the whole trip. Oh yum. There were also the little fish-shaped pastries filled with sweet red bean paste sold on the street in Seoul that I really liked. Another street food, the hot dog on a stick, battered and covered in bits of french fries sounded good, but got old really fast after a few bites! And I wasn't a fan of the rice cakes in red spicy sauce. But another thing I did love was that there were a lot of coffee shops, and it wasn't that easy to get sugar-free or non-fat, so I indulged and drank a fair number of rich, sugary mochas, topped with a mountain of whipped cream. Delicious!
After being in Seoul for 5 days, I went to Japan. The itinerary was changed only a few days before going there. Instead of going to Tokyo, I decided to go to Osaka, because in Tokyo the concerns from radiation were still pretty uncertain due to the the Fukushima nuclear disaster as a result of the earthquake two weeks before. They were still having aftershocks too and have even had a few big ones since I left Japan. In retrospect, if I had gone to Tokyo it probably would have been fine, but hindsight is 20/20. The other part of my trip could still happen, which was Kyoto and Hiroshima, which are also south of Tokyo and had been unaffected by the earthquake, and there were no concerns of radiation there. So I flew to Osaka and stayed there for 2 nights. I had no idea what to do in Osaka, but I figured it out the first morning. It was overwhelming at first in Japan, not speaking any Japanese, not quite getting how the subway tickets/fares worked, and not really knowing what I wanted to do in Osaka. But I figured it out pretty quickly. The language barrier was definitely a factor the entire time I was in Japan, because I don't speak ANY Japanese, and I certainly don't know how to read the Japanese symbols, and there was very little use of our alphabet to write Japanese words (I forget the terms for these different ways of writing out Japanese), but anyway, that made translating signs very hard.
Osaka, I'm told, is the most similar to Tokyo of any other Japanese city. Shopping seemed to be the biggest thing there. I was there the first 2 days of my Japan part of the trip, and the last night as well, since that was where I was flying out of. I walked around a lot in the shopping areas, such as Namba. So many places to shop and eat.
Regarding the food in Japan... I loved that many restaurants had extensive displays of fake food so you knew what they served there. It was definitely helpful when I couldn't read the language. I wasn't very adventurous with food in Japan, because I am a little wary of seafood and meat when I don't know exactly what it is. I stayed pretty safe with Japanese omelet (big pile of rice in the shape of a western omelet, with a layer of egg on top and then any number of toppings), really yummy authentic ramen noodle soup, rice bowls with egg (I had one with tempura shrimp and leeks on top), pork cutlet, okonomiyaki, to name a few. I was actually surprised I didn't see more sushi. It didn't seem as common as some of those other dishes, but maybe that was because I couldn't read most signs! I was struck by how much egg is eaten there. It's a part of many main dishes. Egg salad sandwiches were also really common in convenience stores, almost as the main sandwich option, sometimes with a slice of ham in it too. Eating out I found it really hard to eat many fruits and vegetables, which was somewhat surprising to me (well, the vegetables). As I mentioned before, coffee shops are very common, and I had a good number of lattes and mochas in Japan too...and the pastries, once again. I also loved the Crunky chocolate bars and bite sized versions of these.
So, back to the journey... after a day in Osaka, I took the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima. I actually stayed at a hostel just southwest of Hiroshima about 20 minutes by train at a place called Miyajima, or rather by the ferry terminal where a quick ferry ride takes you to the island of Miyajima. The hostel was 3 blocks from the train station, which was really nice. The island of Miyajima has a temple and a famous shrine called the O-torii shrine, which appears to be floating on the water. I had seen pictures of it before. It was a beautiful place with tiny wild deer walking around amongst the people, eating almost anything, food or otherwise, from people's hands. I got to know some people at the hostel there, which was nice after a couple of days of not really having people to talk with.
I spent my only full day in that area in the city of Hiroshima. The Peace Park which memorializes the atom bomb that was dropped there in 1945 was pretty awe-inspiring. The park is in the center of the area that was bombed. It has the A-bomb dome which was one of the only buildings left standing in that area after the bomb went off. There were also a couple of museums there telling the stories of survivors, people who died, the events leading up to the bombing and why Hiroshima ended up being chosen as the target, information about nuclear weapons and how Hiroshima and various organizations are working to promote nuclear disarmament around the world. It was really sobering and disturbing to learn more about what happened there. Since I was a little girl I have known that this happened, because we had a book that had a bunch of different peace themed stories, including the story of Sadako Sasaki who was exposed to the radiation when the A-bomb went off when she was a toddler, and then how she became sick with leukemia as a result when she was 11. She decided to fold 1000 paper cranes, because of a legend which said that if a sick person folded that many paper cranes they would get well. She died when she was 12 years old. There is a Children's Memorial monument at the Peace Park that has a statue of Sadako, and has pavilions containing many chains of paper cranes. People continue to make paper cranes and send them to Hiroshima. While I was in Hiroshima I thought about the people there, and how they have turned this terrible occurrence into a mission to promote peace around the world. Ever since then, the mayors of Hiroshima have sent letters of protest to world leaders whose countries have nuclear weapons. I was really glad I went to Hiroshima. I also found it really ironic that I was in Japan during this nuclear crisis that is going on there at Fukushima, and visiting this historic site where a nuclear bomb had been dropped, and at the same time I happened to be reading a novel that took place during the 50's or early 60's in Nevada when they were doing nuclear bomb testing in the desert. It was a little surreal.
The next day I took the Shinkansen to Kyoto where I stayed for 3 days. In Kyoto I visited several temples and did a lot of walking. I stayed in a capsule hotel, which was...interesting. I wouldn't recommend it for more than a night probably, but it worked out fine. There were separate sleeping floors and locker/shower floors with men and women on different floors. The weird thing was that I had to check in and check out everyday and got a different locker and capsule to sleep in every night. The little locker I got wasn't big enough for both of my bags (neither of which was bigger than a carry-on suitcase, by the way), so every night I had to leave my bigger bag in a locker at the reception desk and just bring what I needed for the night up to the locker room with me. And everyday I had to leave both bags with reception there. The capsule itself was comfortable to sleep in. There was only a thin shade to draw for privacy, but not for sound-proofing, so it was a little noisy when people were coming and going at night and in the morning, and if people were coughing. Thankfully I wasn't near any snorers, so I slept well. The mattresses were comfortable. The hotel was really clean, it was in a great location, and I wasn't really in Japan to hang out in my hotel anyway, so really it was a fine place to sleep for a few nights, but I was ready for something else when I checked out the last day.
One of the highlights in Kyoto was seeing the Gion district, which is famous for geisha, or geiko as they prefer to be called in Kyoto. It still has a lot of the old charm of traditional buildings and streets and red lanterns hanging outside of buildings. One night I actually went on a walking tour of the area which was to learn about the geisha culture which is certainly not what it once was, but there are still young ladies who choose this. We saw some of the famous teahouses and dormitories for geisha and maiko (the apprentice geisha). We could even see some parties happening in a few windows with geisha and maiko there. It was pretty interesting.
From Kyoto, I went back to Osaka for my last night and flew home back through Seoul the next day. It was quite an adventure. I am glad I took the step of traveling somewhere really alone, and I am happy I got to go visit my dear friend Amy in her home across the world.
In Seoul I visited my friends Amy, Joe, and Naomi. It was nice to see what their daily life is like, their home, where Joe works, Naomi's preschool, the grocery store, the bus and train they take around etc. Now when they write on their blog or facebook about their life, I can really picture it.
One highlight while I was there was my birthday, which we celebrated with a yummy cake and going for norebang (renting a room and singing karaoke). Amy wasn't able to get the major reverb turned off (I was of no help), so it was super loud and echo-y, which was hilarious because we were screaming into our shower-capped mics to hear ourselves and giving ourselves sore throats. It was a lot of fun! We sang some Alanis, Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkson, ABBA and more ABBA (for Naomi), Cyndi Lauper. Good stuff.
Earlier that day Amy and I went to the Olympic Park too, which was really cool. The Seoul Summer Olympics in 1988 were the first Summer Olympics I remember watching, and it was a big deal because our own Canadian Ben Johnson was a favorite for the 100 metre dash... and then he won...and then he had his gold medal taken away because they found out he had taken steroids. What a rollercoaster for a little groupie like me. I also remember Carolyn Waldo, the synchronized swimming champ from Canada. It was pretty cool to be where those Olympics happened.
Another fun excursion was the Dongdaemun Market where Amy buys quilting supplies. This was basically a giant, multi-storied indoor market. Amy's friend and neighbor Rora came with us that day, and it was nice to meet a local and someone who has become a friend for Amy. What a kind, generous woman.
Another day Rora came with Amy and I to the bathhouse in their neighborhood. Amy and I had gone another day with Naomi, but this was a more relaxing grown-ups time. This time I got a body scrub and mini massage, which was great, but also funny to me, not being able to communicate with the woman who was doing it. Whenever I needed to turn over or whatever, it was a little confusing what I was supposed to be doing! I had been to a Korean-style bathhouse, ironically, with Amy before. She and I and two others went together 4 years ago in the Seattle area when Amy was about 8 months pregnant. I would say that one was pretty authentic now that I have been to one in Korea too, just a little different. Getting your body scrubbed by a stranger is quite an experience. I am so glad that I am not so self-conscious about my body anymore. Everyone has one, and no one's is perfect (or hardly anyone's!). It is quite freeing to be able to experience something like that and not have a huge amount of anxiety over it, and actually enjoy it!
Another fun outing was going to Seoul Tower, which had beautiful views in all directions of Seoul. It also had a beautiful washroom!
We ate a lot of food, which involved cooking at the table, either grilling/BBQ, stirfry, or soup. I had some good food, but I wouldn't say Korean food is on my favorites list. There is a lot of red chili paste in many dishes which gives the food a spicy kick, but also tends to make many foods taste the same. I really enjoyed the BBQ (inside at the table) that we had the first night. I did appreciate that there were lots of vegetables, especially cabbage, in meals. I also enjoyed making soup at our table the last night (shabu shabu). That was tasty. And I have to mention the pastries. I love the little European-inspired bakeries in Korea (and Japan and Hong Kong). It was definitely a weakness of mine for the whole trip. Oh yum. There were also the little fish-shaped pastries filled with sweet red bean paste sold on the street in Seoul that I really liked. Another street food, the hot dog on a stick, battered and covered in bits of french fries sounded good, but got old really fast after a few bites! And I wasn't a fan of the rice cakes in red spicy sauce. But another thing I did love was that there were a lot of coffee shops, and it wasn't that easy to get sugar-free or non-fat, so I indulged and drank a fair number of rich, sugary mochas, topped with a mountain of whipped cream. Delicious!
After being in Seoul for 5 days, I went to Japan. The itinerary was changed only a few days before going there. Instead of going to Tokyo, I decided to go to Osaka, because in Tokyo the concerns from radiation were still pretty uncertain due to the the Fukushima nuclear disaster as a result of the earthquake two weeks before. They were still having aftershocks too and have even had a few big ones since I left Japan. In retrospect, if I had gone to Tokyo it probably would have been fine, but hindsight is 20/20. The other part of my trip could still happen, which was Kyoto and Hiroshima, which are also south of Tokyo and had been unaffected by the earthquake, and there were no concerns of radiation there. So I flew to Osaka and stayed there for 2 nights. I had no idea what to do in Osaka, but I figured it out the first morning. It was overwhelming at first in Japan, not speaking any Japanese, not quite getting how the subway tickets/fares worked, and not really knowing what I wanted to do in Osaka. But I figured it out pretty quickly. The language barrier was definitely a factor the entire time I was in Japan, because I don't speak ANY Japanese, and I certainly don't know how to read the Japanese symbols, and there was very little use of our alphabet to write Japanese words (I forget the terms for these different ways of writing out Japanese), but anyway, that made translating signs very hard.
Osaka, I'm told, is the most similar to Tokyo of any other Japanese city. Shopping seemed to be the biggest thing there. I was there the first 2 days of my Japan part of the trip, and the last night as well, since that was where I was flying out of. I walked around a lot in the shopping areas, such as Namba. So many places to shop and eat.
Regarding the food in Japan... I loved that many restaurants had extensive displays of fake food so you knew what they served there. It was definitely helpful when I couldn't read the language. I wasn't very adventurous with food in Japan, because I am a little wary of seafood and meat when I don't know exactly what it is. I stayed pretty safe with Japanese omelet (big pile of rice in the shape of a western omelet, with a layer of egg on top and then any number of toppings), really yummy authentic ramen noodle soup, rice bowls with egg (I had one with tempura shrimp and leeks on top), pork cutlet, okonomiyaki, to name a few. I was actually surprised I didn't see more sushi. It didn't seem as common as some of those other dishes, but maybe that was because I couldn't read most signs! I was struck by how much egg is eaten there. It's a part of many main dishes. Egg salad sandwiches were also really common in convenience stores, almost as the main sandwich option, sometimes with a slice of ham in it too. Eating out I found it really hard to eat many fruits and vegetables, which was somewhat surprising to me (well, the vegetables). As I mentioned before, coffee shops are very common, and I had a good number of lattes and mochas in Japan too...and the pastries, once again. I also loved the Crunky chocolate bars and bite sized versions of these.
So, back to the journey... after a day in Osaka, I took the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima. I actually stayed at a hostel just southwest of Hiroshima about 20 minutes by train at a place called Miyajima, or rather by the ferry terminal where a quick ferry ride takes you to the island of Miyajima. The hostel was 3 blocks from the train station, which was really nice. The island of Miyajima has a temple and a famous shrine called the O-torii shrine, which appears to be floating on the water. I had seen pictures of it before. It was a beautiful place with tiny wild deer walking around amongst the people, eating almost anything, food or otherwise, from people's hands. I got to know some people at the hostel there, which was nice after a couple of days of not really having people to talk with.
I spent my only full day in that area in the city of Hiroshima. The Peace Park which memorializes the atom bomb that was dropped there in 1945 was pretty awe-inspiring. The park is in the center of the area that was bombed. It has the A-bomb dome which was one of the only buildings left standing in that area after the bomb went off. There were also a couple of museums there telling the stories of survivors, people who died, the events leading up to the bombing and why Hiroshima ended up being chosen as the target, information about nuclear weapons and how Hiroshima and various organizations are working to promote nuclear disarmament around the world. It was really sobering and disturbing to learn more about what happened there. Since I was a little girl I have known that this happened, because we had a book that had a bunch of different peace themed stories, including the story of Sadako Sasaki who was exposed to the radiation when the A-bomb went off when she was a toddler, and then how she became sick with leukemia as a result when she was 11. She decided to fold 1000 paper cranes, because of a legend which said that if a sick person folded that many paper cranes they would get well. She died when she was 12 years old. There is a Children's Memorial monument at the Peace Park that has a statue of Sadako, and has pavilions containing many chains of paper cranes. People continue to make paper cranes and send them to Hiroshima. While I was in Hiroshima I thought about the people there, and how they have turned this terrible occurrence into a mission to promote peace around the world. Ever since then, the mayors of Hiroshima have sent letters of protest to world leaders whose countries have nuclear weapons. I was really glad I went to Hiroshima. I also found it really ironic that I was in Japan during this nuclear crisis that is going on there at Fukushima, and visiting this historic site where a nuclear bomb had been dropped, and at the same time I happened to be reading a novel that took place during the 50's or early 60's in Nevada when they were doing nuclear bomb testing in the desert. It was a little surreal.
The next day I took the Shinkansen to Kyoto where I stayed for 3 days. In Kyoto I visited several temples and did a lot of walking. I stayed in a capsule hotel, which was...interesting. I wouldn't recommend it for more than a night probably, but it worked out fine. There were separate sleeping floors and locker/shower floors with men and women on different floors. The weird thing was that I had to check in and check out everyday and got a different locker and capsule to sleep in every night. The little locker I got wasn't big enough for both of my bags (neither of which was bigger than a carry-on suitcase, by the way), so every night I had to leave my bigger bag in a locker at the reception desk and just bring what I needed for the night up to the locker room with me. And everyday I had to leave both bags with reception there. The capsule itself was comfortable to sleep in. There was only a thin shade to draw for privacy, but not for sound-proofing, so it was a little noisy when people were coming and going at night and in the morning, and if people were coughing. Thankfully I wasn't near any snorers, so I slept well. The mattresses were comfortable. The hotel was really clean, it was in a great location, and I wasn't really in Japan to hang out in my hotel anyway, so really it was a fine place to sleep for a few nights, but I was ready for something else when I checked out the last day.
One of the highlights in Kyoto was seeing the Gion district, which is famous for geisha, or geiko as they prefer to be called in Kyoto. It still has a lot of the old charm of traditional buildings and streets and red lanterns hanging outside of buildings. One night I actually went on a walking tour of the area which was to learn about the geisha culture which is certainly not what it once was, but there are still young ladies who choose this. We saw some of the famous teahouses and dormitories for geisha and maiko (the apprentice geisha). We could even see some parties happening in a few windows with geisha and maiko there. It was pretty interesting.
From Kyoto, I went back to Osaka for my last night and flew home back through Seoul the next day. It was quite an adventure. I am glad I took the step of traveling somewhere really alone, and I am happy I got to go visit my dear friend Amy in her home across the world.
15 March, 2011
Japan trip plans still pending
It's now 5 days since the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. It is unimaginable to me what the people in northeastern Japan are going through right now. The devastation is so overwhelming just from the earthquake and tsunami, but then to have to worry about radiation too is absolutely terrible. It must feel like hell on earth.
It is now 5 days until I go to Seoul and 9 days until I am supposed to fly to Tokyo. I still haven't made any decisions. A couple of days ago I was more sure about going to Japan, but now I'm not so sure.
It's turned out to be kind of controversial even, to think about going to Japan. I have been reading travel forums online daily, and some people are really adamant that it is disrespectful to travel to Japan at all, even unaffected regions, at this time, but then there are others saying that Japan needs tourism especially now to support their economy.
Now the biggest factor is the radiation from the nuclear plants, which basically overrides the other factors. That is scarier than anything. Right now it is making me think Tokyo is probably not the best idea.
My latest thought is that I will try to change my flight and fly into another further south city in Japan for the second part of my trip. So far Kyoto and Hiroshima, which were already on my itinerary, seem to be functioning normally. I haven't made any cancellations or anything yet. I think I'll still wait a little while to see what happens. I have time. I am glad this doesn't affect my trip to Seoul to see my friends. I am also glad that my flights are based out of Seoul, which should make it easier to make changes. The worst case scenario would be that I wouldn't get on the flights from Seoul to Tokyo and back as scheduled.
It is now 5 days until I go to Seoul and 9 days until I am supposed to fly to Tokyo. I still haven't made any decisions. A couple of days ago I was more sure about going to Japan, but now I'm not so sure.
It's turned out to be kind of controversial even, to think about going to Japan. I have been reading travel forums online daily, and some people are really adamant that it is disrespectful to travel to Japan at all, even unaffected regions, at this time, but then there are others saying that Japan needs tourism especially now to support their economy.
Now the biggest factor is the radiation from the nuclear plants, which basically overrides the other factors. That is scarier than anything. Right now it is making me think Tokyo is probably not the best idea.
My latest thought is that I will try to change my flight and fly into another further south city in Japan for the second part of my trip. So far Kyoto and Hiroshima, which were already on my itinerary, seem to be functioning normally. I haven't made any cancellations or anything yet. I think I'll still wait a little while to see what happens. I have time. I am glad this doesn't affect my trip to Seoul to see my friends. I am also glad that my flights are based out of Seoul, which should make it easier to make changes. The worst case scenario would be that I wouldn't get on the flights from Seoul to Tokyo and back as scheduled.
12 March, 2011
zwieback with friends
uncertain travel plans
I've been getting excited for the past several months for my trip to visit my friends Amy, Joe, and Naomi in Seoul, South Korea. These friends moved there this past summer, and I pretty much decided almost as soon as I found out that they were going that I would take that opportunity to go visit them and see another country. Then I decided to also go to Japan while over there, since it's only a 2 hour flight away!
Well, the plan is to leave 1 week from tomorrow for Seoul, then go to Tokyo 5 days later, which is less than 2 weeks from now. Now with the earthquake that has just happened in Japan, I am not sure what is going to happen with my trip! It's just crazy what happened over there! I am so thankful it didn't happen while I was already there. Of course this won't affect my visit to Seoul, which is great. I'd be really sad if the natural disaster prevented me from seeing my friends. I haven't made any decisions yet, as far as the Japan portion of my trip. I think I will wait a few more days and see what happens. I think the biggest concern for me is aftershocks. I don't know if those nuclear plants further north are anything I should worry about. The good thing is that my plan is to go to Tokyo, then to Hiroshima and Kyoto, which are even further away from where the earthquake and tsunami happened. I had no plans to go north. I really hope it will still work out to go to Japan! I have really looked forward to it!
In the meantime, I am still getting my things together to travel next weekend!
Well, the plan is to leave 1 week from tomorrow for Seoul, then go to Tokyo 5 days later, which is less than 2 weeks from now. Now with the earthquake that has just happened in Japan, I am not sure what is going to happen with my trip! It's just crazy what happened over there! I am so thankful it didn't happen while I was already there. Of course this won't affect my visit to Seoul, which is great. I'd be really sad if the natural disaster prevented me from seeing my friends. I haven't made any decisions yet, as far as the Japan portion of my trip. I think I will wait a few more days and see what happens. I think the biggest concern for me is aftershocks. I don't know if those nuclear plants further north are anything I should worry about. The good thing is that my plan is to go to Tokyo, then to Hiroshima and Kyoto, which are even further away from where the earthquake and tsunami happened. I had no plans to go north. I really hope it will still work out to go to Japan! I have really looked forward to it!
In the meantime, I am still getting my things together to travel next weekend!
21 February, 2011
weekend in Vancouver
My dad was telling me more about his trip to Saskatchewan for my grandpa's 96th birthday a few weeks ago, and said that on the way home he spent some time writing some observations about a few of his family members. I think I should do that. I remember my dad also saying he did something similar when he worked in a meat packing plant briefly in the middle of his med school years. It was a boring job, but he said that as a mental exercise he would go through each of his family members (even extended, I believe, which is huge, so it would take a very long time!) and just think about that person for a moment. That seems almost like a prayer to me.
Adele - Someone Like You (Live in Her Home)
My friend Amanda put this on her blog, and I loved it too! She has a powerful voice, and the song itself resonates with my own experience.
09 February, 2011
the cuisine of Venice!
Last night my friend AR and I went to a local natural food market for a class on the food and wine of Venice and the Veneto. I thought it would be a more hands on cooking class, but it was really a demo. Even though it wasn't totally what I expected, I still loved it! I have all the recipes to try at home on my own, and I learned quite a bit about the regional cooking around Venice, the agriculture, the wine etc. All of the food and wine was really excellent!
The first course was Beet Carpaccio, which was thinly sliced beets on top of caramelized onion, drizzled with olive oil and topped with rosemary & olive oil asiago cheese. Yum. It was served with Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio "Riff".
Then we had roasted wine makers sausages, which was chicken sausage with red onion, radicchio, fennel, grapes, thyme, and rosemary. The wine for this course was a red called Giuseppe Lonardi Valpolicella Ripasso.
Then last was zaleti cookies served with blood orange gelato. These are cookies made with corn flour. Very tasty! We had Trevisiol Prosecco Extra Dry as our wine with dessert.
And here is my friend who went to the class with me! We really need to do another one sometime!
The first course was Beet Carpaccio, which was thinly sliced beets on top of caramelized onion, drizzled with olive oil and topped with rosemary & olive oil asiago cheese. Yum. It was served with Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio "Riff".
The second course was Risi e Bisi, which is a risotto with peas and pancetta. Delicious!! This was served with another white wine: Inama Soave Classico.
Then last was zaleti cookies served with blood orange gelato. These are cookies made with corn flour. Very tasty! We had Trevisiol Prosecco Extra Dry as our wine with dessert.
And here is my friend who went to the class with me! We really need to do another one sometime!
remembering a patient
The patient that I have been writing about for the past couple of months ended up passing away 2 weeks ago. I will never forget this special girl who hung in there longer than anyone thought she possibly could.I attended her memorial service. It was good to have the chance to see her mom and sister again and give them big hugs, as she died in the night and then next day when I came to work they were all gone.
There were so many flowers that they took apart some of the big arrangements even before people left and were giving out little bouquets to people as they left. It's nice to have something around still to remind me of her.
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