spring has come. . . :-)

Well, not that we ever really had "winter" here -- seriously, it's been so warm here. Last year I remember my feet freezing under my desk while I tried to work on the computer. This year not only is it a lot nicer, but I've gotten smarter and moved my computer to the table, and type while sitting on the hot carpet. (Why didn't I think of this last year?!)
I went to this park on Monday afternoon. I heard about it from a friend at church. She said it was tucked into a residential area, but gave me directions, and true to the Japanese love for nature, there were a lot of people there!!
And it was soo beautiful!! I know the cherry blossoms are famous here, and they are really incredible, I really enjoy the plum blossoms as well. For one thing, the fact that they bloom already in February is pretty exciting for a Manitoban. . .
. . . and they smell soo wonderful!! Seriously, I want to wear a necklace of them, or find some way to "bottle" the smell so I can carry it with me. Reminds me of when I was younger and the lilacs out behind my house. Those things are potent!! :-)
There were all different colours and kinds of trees, including the weeping plum trees.
Japanese people often enjoy picnics under the blossoms. I thought it was neat how this playground is completely surrounded by the flowering trees!

Since Japanese people love nature so much, things like stationary, traditional desserts and even ads use themes from nature. This picture reminds me of the way plum blossoms are often drawn in pictures, or on pottery.

Recently I've been trying to read a Psalm in the morning to focus my mind on praising God -- and to remind me just how AMAZING He is. This morning I read,
"Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song." Ps. 28:6-7

May He be the joy of our hearts and the strength we rely on, as we trust in Him.

it's bus tour time!!

For any of you who enjoyed reading about the previous episodes (ie. cherry blossom viewing and all-you-can-eat-cherry-picking), we are on the road again. Sit back, relax in the comfort of your seat, and join the adventures of (l-r) Kimie, Kazuko and I. . . on a "marathon" to experience the culinary pleasures of Ise (city about 2 hours from here). Japan is famous for having special local foods pretty much anywhere -- they're good at creating (using fresh foods from the area -- mountains, sea, etc.), induldging in and making conversation surrounding these "meibutsu" (special foods).
7:05 -- leave my house 7:40 -- tour leaves from near Toyota station
1st stop 9:10 (ie. breakfast) -- sushi -- the fish, and the other is a salted leaf with sushi rice and sesame inside (the pink stuff is pickled ginger -- I've given up on Japanese pickles, though :-s )
2nd stop 10:10 (ie. morning snack) -- we "boarded" this ship and sat down for. . .
these delectable shells -- couldn't tell you the names, but quite the display, eh?
Spotted these plum blossoms at the 2nd place -- it's lovely to have flowers in February (though it is much earlier than usual this year!!) Everyone is already in "spring mode" here. . . I can live with that! ;-)

3rd stop 11:15 (ie. lunch) top l clockwise -- raw tuna fish on sushi rice / shells, shrimp and vegetables in broth (heated from below) / Ise noodles (homemade -- fat and really good in winter!)
We visited the Ise Shrine -- the "top" shrine in all of Japan, and therefore a huge tourist attraction. At the top of these stairs, there is an area where people can stand before another gate, drop some moeny into a box, clap their hands together, and send up a wish or "prayer" for health, safety or any other personal desire.
This week in class, one of my students said that what most Japanese claim as "religion" isn't the same as a "faith" like mine. . . she said it's almost like feeling they must recognize their "responsibility" to honour their anscestors by carrying on the family traditions and participating in the rituals of Buddhism. Something that's common for the majority of Japanese people, I believe.
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. . . He himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. . . . God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though he is not far from each one of us." Acts 17:24,5,7
The God of the Bible doesn' t live in places on this earth that we honour and worship, He lives in human hearts, in us!! Please pray for the freedom of God's truth to break through like a wave over the country of Japan. . . and that the Japanese would know the true purpose and meaning of their lives!
4th stop 2:30 (ie. afternoon snack) "All-you-can-eat-strawberry-picking" (not like we really needed the "all-you-can-eat" part today, but you gotta get your money's worth ;-s) Anyways, we took bets on how many we could eat before leaving the bus -- the other two thought "at least 30", and I was betting on 40-50. The results? (l-r) Kazuko -- 32 (mostly small, so she could make it to 30!), Kimie -- 40, and me -- 42 (I couldn't lose to Kimie ;-), and the 41st wasn't very sweet, so. . . after 20, though, you start feeling your stomach!!)

5th stop 3:15 (ie. supper?!?) BBQ with meat, cabbage, and eggplant Considering that this was a mere 1/2 an hour after I'd eaten my 42nd strawberry, it was basically not so much a "oh, that looks good" as a "well, we've only got 1/2 an hour, so better get on with the grilling" (which you do in the middle of your table) How do you like the "bibs"?!
6th (and thankfully LAST) stop 4:15 Rice topped with small shells and seaweed -- over which you pour a broth, and eat kind of like soup. It was good, I think. . . ;-)
So, I am officially an "expert" on the foods of Ise, I guess. I am definitely full, but it was all really good, actually, and nice to spend time with Kimie and Kazuko. They have both been coming to classes since I started here almost 2 years ago, and I have appreciated each of them a great deal. So, maybe I can organize a tour of Boissevain for Spring 2008?! (Better get working on those "meibutsu". . . ;-)

"Indo kareh"

(that's "code" for Indian curry. . .) One of the families from church spent 4 years in India, and so I asked Keiko if she could lead the cooking class this month and teach us how to make curry. We made chicken curry, yogurt salad, flavoured rice with peas in it, and tandoori chicken. I had no idea how to make Indian curry, since at home we used tomato soup, and in Japan they use a flavour block that already has the thickening "built in".
Guess what it is in Indian curry?? (we didn't use any flour or cornstarch) -- onions!!! Yeah, we cut about 4 big ones into chunks, and fried on high for about 1/2 an hour until they had browned and shrunk down into almost nothing -- and then started adding the spices (pretty, eh?), chicken, yogurt and tomatoes. Fry another 1/2 hour and then add some water and there you have it. I was impressed, and let me tell you, the authentic stuff made from scratch may take a lot of time, but it's worth it!
Keiko, on right, with Kumiko (the pastor's wife)
Everyone at the cooking class this time. It was a really small group since the flu has been going around. . . and almost all of the kids in my kindergarten class are going into grade 1 next year (no, it's not a pass-fail thing, but the kids here usually go for 2 years, sometimes 3, and kindergarten is totally unconnected to "school") So, those mothers all had a meeting at the school that day, which was too bad!! Kaori, the woman in the orange came for the first time, even though Tomoko from church, who invited her, couldn't make it. So that was neat and hopefully she keeps coming!
This afternoon, I had the chance to talk to a group of grade 6 kids about. . . Canada and Canadian "culture". They had come to ask for volunteers at the Japanese class I'm taking. . . and at first I thought they just wanted someone to answer questions for the kids so I agreed. . . it was only after I was "hooked in" that I realized it was a presentation! But, it was a lot of fun, and a good experience -- the kids had done some research on their own, and I even found out a few things I didn't know about our country!! ;-)
I was a little worried about not having anything to talk about (the other two women going were from Korea and Taiwan -- must be nice to have traditional culture, I thought!). But, I tried to introduce the idea to them about Candian culture being a whole bunch of different cultures existing and interacting together (ok, well, I couldn't say things quite as eloquently as that, but you get the idea!) In a country where there aren't many days when I'm not looked at wonderingly, or don't hear comments about English, or "look at the foreigner" "is she ever tall!", these kids have no idea about what a "German Canadian" or "Chinese Canadian" or an "East Indian Canadian" is. Here is pretty clear-cut who's a foreigner, well, at least the white ones, which really make up a small minority of foreigners. Out of the one percent of so of the population that is foreign, the majority are Chinese and Korean.
Makes me realize that even though we may not have the "distinct identity" of the same language and way of life, or may not have specific clothing and arts that have been carefully passed down from generation to generation, we have a richness and uniqueness that we can only fully appreciate by valuing our own culture and that of those around us.
They asked us to teach the kids a game or song in English too, so we did "Shake a Friend's Hand" -- I added in "Give a high 5" and "Link a friend's arm" ;-) and played "Red Rover". The game didn't go quite as well as I hoped (they weren't quite as serious about it as I used to remember being in elementary. . .), but fun, nonetheless!
I think it's neat how they want to introduce the kids to other cultures to try and promote understanding and acceptance. . . something we can all learn!

I love you more than applesauce

I love you more than applesauce,
Than peaches and a plum,
Than chocolate hearts and cherry tarts,
And berry bubblegum.

I love you more than marzipan,
Than marmalade on toast,
Oh I love pies of any size,
But I love you the most!

*Jack Prelutsky*

and my version. . .

I love you more than lazy summer days,
Than pineapple and strawberries in fondue,
Than getting mail and hiking a trail,
And rowing in a canoe.

I love you more than music or dancing,
Than a good-old weiner roast,
Oh I love mochi and azuki beans,
But I love you the most!

(FYI "mochi" is a soft, gooey rice "cake" that is often eaten with azuki beans that have been softened, sweetened, and formed into a paste -- all I can say is "YUM!!")

I used this poem with some of my classes this week and got them to write their own original poems. I was soo impressed with the things they came up with -- like themes on nature, animals, romance, food, Korean TV dramas, sports, alcohol (that was a 45 year old woman). . . It might seem hard at first, but once you get going it's hard to narrow things down. Let me know what you create!
Sending my love to you, my dear friends and family, this Valentine's! We love because we have been loved. Thanks for being you -- I love you.