Callie’s in South Korea

First few weeks in Busan...

2011-09-18T21:38:00.009+09:00

Where have the past 3 weeks gone?!?!?

Hard to believe I moved to Busan 3 weeks ago.

Absolutely loving it so far.

The first weekend was spent on my hands and knees SCRUBBING my apartment clean. We heard in the EPIK orientation that if you move into a dirty apartment - it is actually good luck. But I think it's a lazy excuse for the previous teachers. At least I found a jar of sealed peanut butter to reward my hard work.

I lucked out apartment-wise. I have a big (for Busan) apartment... with a big bathroom (don't have to shower over the toilet like other teachers), a huge fridge/kitchen... and 2 (count em) 2 bedrooms. One for me and the other for a mini office/guest room with a futon. There's even a mini balcony to dry clothes and hang out on. Not too shabby.

My school is also amazing. I'm at a VERY high level high school in Busan. But pretty much everything EPIK told us to expect - was completely and udderly wrong. I do NOT have any co-teachers and instead run all of my classes solo. I teach essay writing classes, reading classes (currently reading The House on Mango Street.) I also teach the Chinese exchange students every day - which means a LOT of lesson planning. There are 10 of them and their levels range from VERY VERY low to one girl who is fluent. Wish me luck. On top of that I teach the English teachers English once a week and also teach gifted Jr.High School students every other Saturday. They are SUPER high level, and I am teaching them the novel - The Giver. At least the Saturday class is for extra moooolah. Yesterday, I also was a judge for a speech contest.

So.... I am kept VERY VERY busy at school. I have been staying after school til about 7pm each night just to keep my head above water. It's a little difficult when I hear the other EPIK teachers saying how they can leave at 2pm and have troubles finding ways to fill their time at school. But I'm hoping after a few more weeks I'll be able to finish all my lesson planning within my work hours: 8:30 - 5pm. At least my kids make it worth the extra work.

A few weeknights and on the weekends I have been meeting up with other EPIK teachers to explore Busan. The beaches are a blast... soaking up the rays during the day and partying on the beach at night.

This Thursday I'm teaching a free sunset yoga on the beach class for some teachers in Busan. Should be fun! :-)

Busan is HUGE... there are sooooo many cool little neighborhoods and University areas.... I haven't even made a tiny dent yet.

This past weekend a group of us headed out to Taejong-Dae for some hiking... It was gorgeous!!!

and so far..... yes..... I'm in love with Busan!

Day 3 -5 of our EPIK orientation

2011-08-22T21:05:00.011+09:00

Day 3 and 4 of orientation was jammed full of classes ranging from elementary school reading skills to Tae Kwon Do to lesson planning to Korean language and history.

So far Tae Kwon Do was my favorite! They had us running around like fools up and down the gym doing twists, turns, body rolls, kicks, punches… all while screaming from the bottom of our bellies.

Our dorm rooms are nice… with internet in the rooms, A/C, and awesome views. The dormitory here has ZERO tolerance for alcohol… One guy already got sent home for being caught with alcohol in his room. So if you’re coming for orientation, DON’T risk it. It’s NOT worth it. There are plenty of bars and restaurants walking distance from the University and the city center is only a $5 cab ride away.

A few of us decided to go check out the Jeonju dance scene last night. We took a cab to the city and did a bit of street shopping. Was comforting to know I can buy an array of sequenced sparkly scrunchies and headbands at 10pm on a Sunday night.

Also LOVED the motto of the Korean underwear shop: "WILL YOU PLAY WITH ME!!!!!"

Since it was a Sunday night, we didn’t expect too much action at the dance club… but around 11pm the University students started trickling in. I tried to bump and grind my way over to them and make new friends, but they were not interested. Instead, all they wanted to do was practice their choreographed K-pop line dancing. I’ve got two syllables for that… AWE-SOME. When I get to Busan, I will definitely have to hit up the clubs and start learning some K-pop moves. Maybe then they will open up to learning some of my bumpin’ and grindin’ skillz.

Day 5 of orientation was a cultural fieldtrip to Hanok Village, Nambu Market, a cultural center where we made Korean fans and watched the local papermaking process.

We ate a deeeeelish lunch of bibimbap and then headed over to Gyeonggijeon Shrine for a Samulnori performance before driving to Keumsan Temple, with time to splash around in the nearby river which had a stone waterslide.

Normally I would be running about… but my legs were SOOOOO sore from a combination of climbing the 15 flights of stairs (should’ve waited for the elevator), Tae Kwon Do boot camp, and dancing all night long the night before.

Hard to believe we’re already half way through orientation. The next few days will be packed with more classes and preparing for a mock lesson we will teach. Luckily we were put in groups of 3 and only have to present for 15 minutes. We will find out our exact placements on Day 9! Can’t wait to find out which school I will be at.

Hopefully I can squeeze in another night out dancing if my legs recover from last night.

An EPIK Adventure begins!

2011-08-19T21:24:00.007+09:00

A new adventure begins.... This time in the land of kimchi!!! (spicy fermented cabbage)

I arrived in South Korea yesterday to start a one year contract teaching English in public schools through the EPIK program.

Over 1,000 eager yet groggy EPIK teachers landed in Seoul, where EPIK was waiting to greet and shuttle us on buses to our various orientation venues. We all have to attend a mandatory ten day orientation covering culture, language, the Korean education system, teaching, with a field trip or two sprinkled in between.

My orientation is at Jeonju University which is a 4 hour bus ride south of Seoul. They pulled over at a rest stop half way through the trip. I was amazed to find a "Lactating Station." I wasn't lactating at that time, so I opted for the florescent pink ladies' room next to the K-pop music stand instead. We didn't arrive to Jeonju until just before midnight. We loaded our bags off the bus, were given a care package form EPIK (containing a banana, apple juice, pastry, an awesome pink EPIK towel, alarm clock which I still can't figure out, and other goodies) we were assigned a roommate for orientation, headed up to our dorm room, groggily unpacked, showered and then CRASHED.

The first 1/2 day of orientation consisted of getting our medical exam. It was set in a huge auditorium on stage. They shuffled us through 10 or so different stations... including a trailer park x-ray van set up outside. Many of us were dehydrated after our flights, but weren't allow to eat or drink for 10 hours before the exam... yet were expected to give a urine sample. I didn't perform too well under the pressure. ;-)

After medical we had the whole afternoon to relax. I went back to the room to stretch out and get my blood flowing again with some yoga - but 20 minutes into it, a guy with a mask opened my door and came in with a long tubed weed killer looking machine and without any explanation started spraying every nook, corner, and cranny with some weird mist!!!! bizarre...

Afraid of inhaling who knows what, I decided to try and find the University gym. I was wandering around aimlessly, and asked a guy where the gym was. He didn't speak a lick of English, so I started playing charades and pumped some pretend iron. His eyes lit up with excitement and told me "CAR!" I jumped in and he was kind enough to drop me at the gym. We had a conversation neither one of us could understand... it was so sweet and reminded me of Japan. :-)

The gym also brought back memories of my first gym experience in Japan at the JET orientation in Tokyo (http://whereiscallie.blogspot.com/2008/07/callie-in-tokyo-gym.html) But instead of mechanical workout bulls - Korea was all about shaking machines. My legs turned to jello as I stood on this vibrating, shaking, balancing pad... then after that I joined a cute granny as we strapped belts around our bottoms and were shook up even more. I watched the cute granny and copied some of her cool moves on the shaker.

After lunch we had a few hours to rest before the opening ceremony – which was surprisingly very entertaining! I remember the opening ceremony of JET – which was speech after speech after speech after speeeeeeech. EPIK took their ceremony up a notch by having different cultural performances. Colorful fan dancing, Korean drumming, dancing with drums, the awesome man with a huge rope on his head which he twirled around, and my favorite – The Jeonju University’s Tae Kwon Do team. They started out with serious intense music with screams, punches and traditional forms of Tae Kwon Do… then all of a sudden the music cut and uppity cheery K-pop (Korean pop music) blared through the speakers and they went into a cheesy high school musicalesque choreographed routine!!! I loved it. Too funny. They also were doing acrobatic flips, spins, and kicks breaking boards, and chopping apples with their feet flinging the remains into the audience. Not what I expected from an opening ceremony… I was quite impressed and forgot about my jetlag.

Jeonju University live up to it's motto on our towels: "The Place for Superstars!" yessssssss......

After the ceremony we were broke into our classes which were divided by the cities we are placed in. Each class has two Korean leaders who filled us in on the rules and schedule for the following 9 days. They also helped us apply for a bank account, and signed us up for Korean classes. Here we go again!!!

At 6pm they had a Welcome Dinner… which was overflowing with food, food, and more food. Kimchi, sushi, tofu, stirfries, fried rice, bean salads, fruit trays, dessert tables, and more. We had a toast and spent the rest of the evening chatting.

Two days down.... only 8 more left to go. ;-)

Nightlife in Rishikesh...

2011-04-01T19:52:00.000+09:00

Holy HOLI!!!!

2011-03-31T19:48:00.004+09:00

Holi is a spring religious festival here in India.... They celebrate it by throwing colored powder and buckets of water on eachother... and dancing the day away! (my kind of festival!!!) One of my yoga teachers explained that the meaning behind putting the colored powder on your neighbors, friends, and strangers so that we lose our identification, and look inside instead of externally. Unfortunately, Holi in many places has turned into a drunken crazed festival with a lot of groping from florescent pink powdered men. Luckily, we found safety within the walls of our yoga ashram, and the surrounding streets. We did venture out, but only made it a few houses down before getting DOUSED with buckets of water from the neighboring kids on the rooftops. We danced on the streets for hours as our faces and bodies constantly changed colors... Happy HOLI!!!! ;-D

even the cows of Rishikesh took part in Holi! ;-)

All men (and cows) are created equal...

2011-03-29T20:32:00.000+09:00

Stephanie and I were taking a stroll to Ram Jhulla bridge and came across this cow who was helping himself to a drink from the local watering station...

Not only is it OK for cows to help themselves to water..... but as we were being entertained watching this cow, a man strolled over to help him take a big swig of water. Cows have it made here in India. ;-)

Singing the night away...

2011-03-20T20:42:00.010+09:00

Nights in Rishikesh... Since Rishikesh is a "holy city," you can't find any alcohol or meat being sold. Supposedly there are a few "secret menus" where one can find the hidden bottle of beer or chicken leg. So what does one do at night to entertain oneself in Rishikesh???? Well... you can sleep... or meditate... or hang out at the various restaurants and tea houses... One night we were invited to a bon fire singing party on the roof of one of the restaurants. A funny German guy with a guitar led us in mantras and songs about peace, love, and happiness... Soon Stevie, Katherin and I found ourselves up swirling and dancing about the fire. Who needs a disco when we have bonfires under the starry sky?!?? I found the lyrics to one of the songs we sung... hahaha.... :-) Every little cell in my body is happy Every little cell in my body is well Every little cell in my body is happy Every little cell in my body is well Feel so good Feel so swell Every little cell in my body is well Feel so good Feel so swell Every little cell in my body is well

Rafting down Mother Ganga

2011-03-20T19:31:00.003+09:00

16 yoga teachers in training decided to raft down Mother Ganga on our day off.

For only $7 we had 3.5 hours of rafting time down the Ganges river. Not too shabby, eh?!

The rapids only went up to level 3.8, but it was heaps of fun. I have been rafting in Ecuador and Uganda, but Mother Ganga's rapids were more like mini-roller coasters, as she swooped us up and down with her swells. It was amazing to raft down one of the holiest rivers in the world. :-)

There was also a bit of cliff diving towards the end of the rapids.

Davvi took some awesome video footage of our trip... check it out!!!
http://www.itsgoodforus.com/video-rafting-on-ganges-river-in-rishikesh-india/

Mother Ganga... I love you!

Yoga Class

2011-03-15T18:04:00.001+09:00

A friend put together this stop motion video of one of our yoga classes here at Yog Peeth. :-)

http://www.itsgoodforus.com/video-a-really-quick-look-at-yoga-class/

A new home for Yog Peeth...

2011-03-07T10:33:00.007+09:00

One Sunday, Yog Peeth arranged for us to go see the spot for their new home.

Currently they are renting out Krishna Cottage, which is up the hill from Ram Jhulla bridge in Rishikesh.

Their plan to move towards a sustainable existence... They bought a gorgeous piece of land a few kilometers East along the Ganges river. To reach their new home you have to hike about 20 minutes uphill along a beautiful serene trail which passes a serene waterfall.

We saw the construction in progress, explored the nearby village, had tea, helped lay some stones, ate lunch, hiked to the waterfall, before heading back to Krishna Cottage.

Unfortunately I caught a strong stomach bug on the hike, and had to run/hobble back up to the construction site... there are no toilets built yet... so let's just say I left my mark. ;-)

They don't expect to finish until at least next year.... but I am jealous of the groups who will have the opportunity to take the course in the mountains.

Start of the hike up to the new home of Yog Peeth

A temple with views....

2011-03-06T19:14:00.008+09:00

Last Sunday, Yog Peeth arranged to take us on a day trip to Konjaburi temple.

Konjaburi temple is perched on top of the foothills of the Himalayas. The views were stunning... but sadly if you travel up a mountain in India it means steep, curvy, crazy, belly turning roads. Somehow I kept my eyes on the horizon and was able to keep my breakfast down... but others were not as lucky.

Luckily at the top we were able to re-gain our balance, mind, and enjoy the beauty of the Himalayas.

Here are some of my photos from the trip... I hope you also enjoy my first photo shoot for my up and coming bollywood career!!! ;-)

The Yog Peeth Family ;-)

The drive back...

Neerghat Waterfall

2011-03-01T16:39:00.000+09:00

Adele, one of my really good friends I met in Kenya, came out to see me in Rishikesh...

Before she came, I had been in Rishikesh for over a month studying yoga , but still had not hit up any of the sights.

It was a good chance to see some of the surroundings and re-hash some great and crazy Kenyan stories.

After a breakfast overlooking the Ganges river, we set off for Neerghat Waterfall... It's about 3 km uphill from Laxman Jhulla bridge.

From the entrance gate you pay 30 rupees to enter (70 cents), then the gate keeper chicken scratches a map on how to hike up to see the 3 waterfalls.

It's a nice 1/2 day trip if you want to escape Rishikesh and get a dose of nature.

Another bonus was the pool beneath the waterfalls where you can have little fish nibble off dead skin off your weary feet.

Teacher Training Course and Monkey Pee

2011-02-18T00:38:00.002+09:00

Today, while in the yoga hall, a monkey peed on us.

I love India.

It's hard to believe that we are almost done with week two of our Teacher Training Course at Yog Peeth, Rishikesh. Our days are filled with Yoga Asanas (poses), learning anatomy and philosophy, eating, drinking masala chai, sunbathing on the rooftops, pouring water through our nostrils, chasing monkeys away, meditating, memorizing mantras, eating some more, studying, and more yoga yoga yoga.. I'm in heaven!!!

Here is our schedule:

5:30 - 6:30am... Meditation in my room
6:30... Tea
7:00 - 7:15... Cleansing... Neti pot
7:15 - 7:30... Mantra Chanting
7:30 - 9:30... Yoga Asanas
9:45... Breakfast
10:45 - 11:45... Philosophy Class
1pm... Lunch
3-4pm... Anatomy/Physiology
4:30 - 6:30pm... Yoga Asanas, Pranayama, and Meditation
7pm... Dinner
9-10pm... Meditation in my room

I remember back to day one of our TTC... we woke up at 6:30, drank some chai, and then were handed a plastic little teapot-type-thingie and were introduced to the wonderful world of jala neti. Jala neti (neti pot) is a device used for nasal irrigation. We filled our neti pots with warm salty water, tipped our heads, shoved the spout into one nostril and waited til it drizzled out the other nostril. I was no longer a neti pot virgin. My head was burning and I felt like I had just swallowed a gallon of warm salt water up my nose. ouch... But I'm happy to report that I am now LOVING my neti pot and it has become a routine in my life... just like brushing my teeth.

I am so happy I came to India to study yoga and receive my teacher training certificate in yoga's birthplace. In the States I found so much of the yoga to be just another form of exercise... Most of the studios are "power yoga!" or "iron yoga!" They focus on the physical aspects such as sweating your butt off, losing weight, trying to stretch your body as far as you can, and competition was heavy in the air.

Here at Yog Peeth, we have taken a huge leap back (or rather I should say forward) and have started from the basics. We started with the Pawanmuktasana series which is a group of asanas (poses) which loosen up the joints of the body. It is a very relaxing, meditative yoga, where you learn to build your awareness of every single muscle, joint, bone, and cell of your body. Many grew impatient the first few days of classes, but soon we realized how powerful this series was and how we were building up our strength from the inside out. Now, we are into week two and have slowly been adding on poses, but with so much awareness... which is what yoga is all about.

In anatomy class, we have learned about cells, the nervous system, the endocrine system, the musculoskeletal system, and stress... I was never a big fan of biology or anatomy growing up... but I have been so fascinated by our classes. I ran out to buy a huge book on anatomy and find myself buried in it with excitement! hahah... But the more I learn about the body... the more I understand my own practice... and the more I'll be able to help my future students with their practice. Our lectures are wonderful because he relates everything back to yoga.

We also have been having a lot of debates and discussions in our philosophy class... We learned about the origin of yoga, the different paths of yoga, the 6 philosophies, spoke on the differences between consciousness and awareness, and are now getting into Sankhya and Vedanta... But really what I find yoga to be is the journey between YOU (the appearance which is always changing) and YOU (the reality which never changes.)

I'm excited to see the 30 of us learn, grow, and go along this jouney together... but hopefully the monkeys will keep their peeing to a minimum...

Yoga in Rishikesh

2011-02-09T17:36:00.008+09:00

The first chapter of our yoga adventure has come to an end...

For the last 6 weeks, Stephanie and I have been taking drop-in yoga classes around Rishikesh.

After sampling various classes around town - we fell in love with two very different classes.

In the mornings we would attend Kamal's Ashtanga classes from 8:30 - 10:45am. The class was Mysore style... meaning that you go through the Primary Series of Ashtanga on your own breath. It is amazing to watch our progress over just 4 weeks. With Kamal we learned how to connect our movement with breath, and breath with movement. My practice deepened so much with this increased awareness. I also learned a lot about anatomy and about the importance of alignment in each pose. His adjustments are strong, powerful, and helped me to understand my own body. Many people say that ashtanga is not a "spiritual" type of yoga. But yoga is yoga. It is all spiritual if you put your mind inside and practice with awareness. If you are new to yoga, and find yourself in Rishikesh... you can attend Kamal's evening classes from 5 - 7pm. In the evening session he leads you through the primary series and helps you with the use of blocks and belts so that your maintain proper alignment. At first, Ashtanga IS very physical... but with patience, persistence and awareness... it will become a very spiritual practice as well.

In the evenings we fell in love with Surinder Singh's class. His class has more of a Hatha yoga feel. He has the most amazing heart and energy which he brings with him 100% into each class. His classes are daily from 8:30 - 11am (at Raj Deep Hotel) and 4:30 - 7pm (at Green Hotel). The first half hour is a set of warming up exercises to loosen the joints and warm the body, then we move into sun salutations, into a set of asanas, followed by the loveliest savasana!!!! (he even sings the word: reeeeelaaaaax....) Afterwards, he opens to any questions we have, and will give a bit of philosophy and share his experiences with yoga and incorporating it into your daily life. He has such a warm heart, and gives his full attention into each and every student. He pats you on the back, gives you a big thumbs up, and encourages you in each and every pose. Where Kamal's adjustments are very hands-on, Surinder is able to give you an adjustment just by glancing at you in the eye and giving you a slight gesture... but his adjustments are just as.... if not more powerful because you experience the adjustment on your own and adjust yourself from the inside out. I have grown so much in his classes and caught a glimpse of how deep yoga practice can be.

Just from these two teachers, and giving my 100% these past 4 weeks, my spiritual journey has taken me deeper and deeper... I have fallen in love with yoga all over again and can't wait to begin my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training course this week at Yog Peeth.

If you find yourself in Rishikesh... I hope you will have the opportunity to attend Kamal and Surinder's classes. If you do.... send them my love. :-)

Afternoons in Rishikesh

2011-02-02T23:59:00.005+09:00

Our afternoons are usually filled sunbathing and reading in the gardens at Parmarth...

or indulging in the fruit, yogurt, and muesli amazingness at our local hangout: "The Office..."

Meeting and chatting to friends on the street...

Having a cup of chai with friends from yoga class...

Spending time with Mother Ganges...

Shanti, Shanti, Shanti...

Compassionate Communication

2011-02-02T23:41:00.002+09:00

Stephanie and I went to a "Compassionate Communication" workshop at Trika Yoga last Sunday.

The workshop was based on Marshall B. Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication. Nonviolent Communication is a conflict resolution process developed by Marshall Rosenburg. It focuses on two things: honest self-expression - expressing oneself in a way that's likely to inspire compassion in others, and empathy - listening with deep compassion.

for more information on NVC please visit: https://www.cnvc.org/

Delhi Belly

2011-01-23T20:35:00.006+09:00

Ufffffff......

After a month of being in India, Stephanie and I finally experienced the infamous Delhi Belly. (or should I be calling it Rishikesh belly???)

Whatever you call it.... it's no fun.

It hit us the evening after the Music Ashram Blessing party. I was the first to go.... A wave a nausea enveloped me, and soon found myself wincing and toppled over in bed. Stephanie helped comfort me, and lead me to the toilet, but 3 hours later she was hit with the exact same thing.

Steph and I were up the entire night taking turns in the bathroom.

I realized you can't let your guard down while in India. I had a false sense of security in regards to the food here. We have been in India for almost a month now with zero problems. We started out so safe.... using bottled water to brush our teeth, showering with our mouths zipped up tight, only eating the hot food which was offered to us in the ashram... but after a few weeks, we started to slowly trust the filtered water at the ashram, drank the delicious (and cheap!) street chai, ate snacks off the street, and had no problems.

I find it difficult to say no to food when attending a cultural event. I remember thinking twice before eating the sweets and fruits that were generously offered to us... but we got swept up in the moment... and with our stomachs growling for food, we scarfed down the sweet snacks.

I cannot even look at this photo without feeling nauseous all over again. Uffff....

Luckily, our waves of nausea and violent bouts only lasted 12 hours.

As day broke, we wrapped ourselves in our blankets and headed down the street with what little energy we had to go to the shop. One of the beggars on the street must have noticed our condition and blessed us while saying: "God sends his power to you." ;-) The following 24 hours were spent sleeping the day away, sipping on flat cokes, sprites and ginger ales, and then finally gaining the courage to try eating some plain biscuits.

We also found electral, which is India's gatorade. If you find yourself sick in India, go to any street stall and ask for it... It only costs 15 rupees. You mix it into a liter of bottled water and WALLAH! You can start re-gaining your liquids and strength.

At least we learned our lesson... and will be much safer from now on.

Devi's Music Ashram

2011-01-23T20:11:00.020+09:00

Last week, Stephanie and I went to scout out yoga classes on the other side of the bridge. As we fought off the hoards of little children begging for rupees, we climbed the hill through the market area and came across a young man dressed in a white robe. Without a common language between us, we shared smiles, and somehow ended up accompanying him to his harmonium lesson at the Sivananda ashram. We were welcomed by the long bearded, orange robed, swami-ji, took a seat, and were given tin cups of hot chai. We listened and bopped along to the 7 or so harmonium and tabla musicians in training.

(The harmonium is a portable keyboard/accordian. Tabla are a set of hand drums)

Two friendly sisters, Neeti and Neha, sat across from us, introduced themselves, and answered our harmonium and tabla questions. They were originally from Bihar, but moved to Rishikesh to open a music ashram. At the end of the lesson, we found ourselves in a tuk-tuk with them to go see the construction of thier ashram.

We were told their sister, Devi Bhojpuri, is a famous singer of Bihar and Jharkhand. http://devismelody.weebly.com/ The music ashram is going to be a place to celebrate life with music, dance and meditation. Devi's Music Ahsram will arrange many events such as musical concerts, dance performances, kirtan, painting and photography exhibits, book fairs, daily yoga and meditation, music and dance classes, and more.

Neeti invited us to the opening and blessing of the ashram. How could we say no?!??!

We arrived the morning of the 22nd and were soon whisked away in chanting, prayers, singing, dancing, and more. A man came to give official blessings to the ashram. They set up pictures of dieties, offered fruit, money, flowers, and incense. Everything received a bindhi (red dot).... the bananas, the money, the paintings, and even us.

Towards the end of the 2 hour blessing, they passed out Indian sweets and fruit, and then danced and sang the afternoon away.

The music ashram is now officially open, but the scheduled meditation, music, and yoga is set to start in February 2011. ;-)

Pranayama

2011-01-21T19:17:00.004+09:00

We've been missing in action this past week because we've been busy breathing.

Stephanie and I took a 7 day intensive Pranayama course at Tattva yoga shala.

Pranayama means "the extension of the life force." Many believe here that a person has a set number of breaths in one lifetime. Therefore, a person who breathes short, fast breaths will live shorter than a person who breathes long, deep, slow breaths. Pranayama is a series of breathing exercises and controls, which helps you extend your breath and life force. It also helps you to clear your mind, control your mind, control the energy within yourself, and purify nadis.

I have done bits and pieces of pranayama in my Sivananda yoga classes, and at other studios... but never had the opportunity to properly study it.

We started out learning abdominal breathing, chest breathing, and then focused on the yogic breath (which uses both abdominal and chest breathing.)

After learning the basic breathing techniques, we moved onto Nadi Shodhana Pranayama. In Nadi Shodhana Pranayama, you use your thumb to close your right nostril, to breath through the left, then switch to close your left nostril with your ring finger, and breath through the right nostril. We learned various techniques, lengthening exercises, how to incorporate ratios, holds, bandha locks, and more.

We also studied Uddiyana Bandha, Kapal Bhati Pranayama, Bhastrika, mudras, cooling pranayamas, and more... Although we couldn't stop from laughing as we practiced the dog breath pose... you kneel down with your hands down like a dog.... and stick your tongue out as far as possible, while making panting like breaths! ;-)

We left class each and every day feeling high on life. It has improved our yoga practice tremendously, as we are now even more aware of our breath and how to incorporate it into our asanas.

But pranayama isn't only for those who do yoga. It is universal... so anyone and everyone can benefit!!!!

Breathing is life.

I highly recommend you to get high on pranayama. ;-)

Great book to get you started if you can't find a course near you: Iyengar's Light on Pranayama http://www.amazon.com/Light-Pranayama-Yogic-Art-Breathing/dp/0824506863

A gorgeous misty winter day on Laxman Jhula Bridge

2011-01-15T00:27:00.002+09:00

Off to Rishikesh market...

2011-01-15T00:18:00.002+09:00

Stephanie and I took the afternoon off of yoga to travel into Rishikesh town and check out the market.

For only 5 rupees (11 cents) we caught a tuk tuk and zoomed and swerved our way into Rishikesh town.

We wandered around in awe at all the colors, fresh veggies, fruits, colorful saris for sale, peanut vendors, sweet shops, home stores, and mooooore....

We window shopped, bought some clothespins, and feasted on delicious, fresh and chewy 12 rupee (26 cents) huge naan. Can't beat that!!!! mmmmm......

We enjoyed exploring the city... to check out all the action..... but were just as happy to arrive back home to our quiet and peaceful yoga town. ;-)

Shakti Durga and the white robed fly swatters...

2011-01-14T23:41:00.006+09:00

When you stay at an ashram, you meet very interesting people.

During mealtimes, we couldn't help but notice a huge group of people dressed in all white warming their hands over their food and swatting at it like there were swarms of flies hovering above it.

We later found out that they were an Australian group who came to Rishikesh on a retreat with their guru Shakti Durga. We spoke to a few of the crystal wearing, white robed Australians, and found out they were having a public satsang later in the week. Stephanie and I HAD to go to see what they were all about.

They opened their public satsang with a yoga performance by some local youth. I'm all about yoga, but when you see 5 - 9 year olds contorting their bodies in bizarre formations for our pleasure... it kind of makes you feel a bit awkard. They then sang, and chanted. This was followed by an enchanting sitar player.

After a short break their guru, Shaki Durga, came to the stage and gave her messages of peace for the world. She encouraged us to open our hearts and see the divine inside. She said once you raise your own vibrations you will find the passion in your heart. Then, came time for the singing, music, and chanting. Shakti Durga said: "We've been united in many past lives together.... so we've been practicing this for a loooooooooooong time."

We joined their satsang openly.... trying not to judge. I honestly did feel amazing vibrations during their singing, music, and chanting... but was it because it was spiritual??? or was it just because it was great music??? Probably the latter.

Then it was time for blessings. The crowd gathered in a line to head to the front to receive blessings. We watched as people laid down on the ground at the guru's feet as she raised a hand up to the sky and swooped it to their forehead. Others in their group were coughing like crazy (we were later told they were coughing because their throat chakra had become unblocked. weird.) Stephanie and I gave each other that "what in the world are we doing here" look... but decided to give it a go anyways...

It was my first experience being blessed... and was quite bizarre. Stephanie was matched with the guru, and I with her "beloved" Shiva something something. (They all greet you with their "spiritual" names...) I kneeled there for what seemed to be ages. Maybe he knew I needed extra help with this whole spiritual heart opening thing. ;-)

The next evening at the internet cafe, a woman approached me and asked if I had received a blessing from "Shiva blah blah"... she then told me it was one of the most beautiful blessings she has seen. Whoa. Bizarre.

We were glad we went to experience what a guru gathering was all about... but it was definitely not for us.

If you want to read more on Shakti Durga and her Harmony Center Foundation... the website is:
http://www.harmonycentrefoundation.org/about-us/shakti-durga

Sri Ved Niketan Ashram

2011-01-13T19:20:00.002+09:00

The other day Stephanie and I decided to check out Sri Ved Niketan Ashram which is just down the river from Parmarth.

Rooms there are only 125 rupees ($2.50) a night which include 2 yoga classes a day. We wanted to first check out the yoga class to see what the ashram was like before we made a move.......

The ashram itself is a lot more run-down than it's neighbor Parmarth. It is a concrete courtyard with a desolate atmosphere, and disgruntled guys at the front desk. The main hall where the yoga class is conducted was painted colorfully and opened up into the concrete courtyard.

We attended the "advanced yoga class" which was from 8:30 - 10am. The teacher arrived 15 minutes late, and by then our bodies and digits were almost frozen off. Since the yoga hall is completely open, there is no warmth whatsoever. We were expecting to do a few sun salutations to get our bodies warmed up... but no! We were led in meditation, and then found ourselves sticking our fingers in our ears while repeating "OM" a gazillion times. Normally I don't mind long meditation sessions... but when you are FREEZING your butt off, and can't feel your fingers and toes... I can only take so much. We gave eachother a glance.... and about 45 minutes later he finally finished our "OM"ing, laying about, and then ordered the students to line against the wall to do the scorpion pose!!! HUH!??! We weren't even warmed up... and he wants us to go straight into the backbending scorpion pose?!?!? No thank you... So Stephanie and I gave each other a knowing glance, and as fast as we could packed up our mats and darted out of that place!!!!!!!!!!! I never in my life have walked out of a yoga class before... (especially one that costs 75 cents.)

I was really disappointed with Sri Ved Niketan. Possibly the class would be better in the summer... but if you're visiting Rishikesh in the winter... beware of Sri Ved's yoga classes!!!

Shopping in Rishikesh

2011-01-10T00:30:00.001+09:00

Parmarth

2011-01-09T23:36:00.014+09:00

We have now been at Parmarth Ashram for 10 days.... but we are starting to question the true spirituality of this place. The more we stay here, the more it seems to be more of a hotel for foreigners and Indian tourists. I can't complain since their "donation" for staying is 300 rupees (about $6) per day per person in a shared room. That includes your room, three meals a day, a yoga class in the morning, meditation class in the evening and the public Aarti which takes place every evening along the Ganges river. Not too shabby, eh???

BUT...... I was hoping for something more. You always hear how spiritual India is, and how many people come here to take a few steps on their spiritual path... so I was hoping to do the same.

We went to a few of the garden talks given by Swami-ji and the Western woman who also wears an orange robe. She spoke of how Parmarth is not dedicated to one path... Instead, it is for people on a spiritual path. The only requirement of staying here at Parmarth is that you leave one step further on your path than when you arrived. She spoke of spirituality: "We are all one. At your core you are divine, so you and I are part of each other, and every creature is part of God."

(the couple next to Swami-ji are Japanese and came to Rishikesh to have an Indian traditional wedding. For three days at the ashram, we felt like we were back in Japan!)

But for a place that speaks so highly of "oneness," I find it contradictory how the guru here is put up on such a high pedastool. His picture is in gold frames everywhere you go. When he enters the garden, or room, everyone is silent, stands, and bows down to him. His face is plastered on all these signs and billboards around town.... now wait.... is that advertising "oneness?" Hrmmm...

Also, I have been extremely disappointed with some of the staff here. At one of the fire ceremonies, one of the bearded men in orange robes (of striking resemblence to Swami-ji) was leading some Indian tourists in the ceremony. However, as he was passing around the flowers, and placing the red dots on the people, he was looking away as if he had never been so bored in his life!!!! Makes me think if they are doing the ceremony from their heart, or to put on a show for the tourists to get donations. Hrmmmm....

Another thing... We had originally booked two weeks at Parmarth, but we wanted to stay another week. We asked the middle aged vested man at the desk if it was possible to extend our stay and he replied with a sharp, "NO!!! NO WAY! WE ARE FULLY BOOKED! MANY GROUPS COME. NO!" Not the kind of response you expect to get from a a worker at an ashram.

If you find yourself at Parmarth, just make sure to direct ALL your questions to the younger guy at the front desk, or with the white robed woman (we asked her the next day about staying longer, and without hesitation she told us to stay as long as we'd like!)

So, as for now, we will stay here for the gorgeous grounds, the delicious food, filtered water, and we are able to meet heaps of interesting people from around the world. But as for spirituality... we will start looking elsewhere.

Meals at the ashram.... YUM!!!!

Parmarth's website: http://www.parmarth.com/home.html

Our Yoga Journey Begins...

2011-01-06T19:42:00.004+09:00

One of the main reasons I wanted to come to India was to study yoga, improve my own practice, and learn how to teach it to others.

We were drawn to Rishikesh because it is a small city FILLED with different styles and classes of yoga.

From February until the end of March, Stephanie and I will take a 200 hour Teacher Training Course (TTC) in Hatha yoga. Before our TTC begins, we are going around to the various studios and ashrams to get a taste of the kinds of yoga and teachers Rishikesh has to offer.

For the next 3 weeks we are focusing on Ashtanga Yoga. Yesterday, we started a week-long "Art of Adjustments" course offered by Yogi Kamal. He is a master of adjustments in Ashtanga yoga.

After only 2 days of class with Kamal, we have been stretched, bended, and put into positions we never even dreamed we could do!!!

My first class, he picked me up while in headstand and had me bending over backwards into scorpion pose with my back arching, and toes touching my forehead. holy crapola. He has magic , is so gentle, yet pushes me to my limit without going past it. The studio where we practice is right on the banks of the Ganges, with floor to ceiling windows. We instantly knew we wanted to spend a good chunk of time with Yogi Kamal so bought a 3 week pass.

Our daily schedule is:

8:30 - 10:30 am : Ashtanga Primary Series
11 - 1 pm : Art of Adjustment Course
1pm : Lunch and relax
2 - 4 pm : Review and study the poses and adjustments we learned
5 - 7 pm : Ashtanga MySore Style
7pm : Dinner, relax, review, and CRASH!!!

It is intense, but at the same time extremely relaxing and energizing.

To review and practice our adjustments, we head up to the rooftop of the ashram where there is a gorgeous view of the city and the Ganges river. We hang our laundry out to dry, roll out our mats, and dodge the occasional monkey that comes darting over the roof where we practice.

Off to our evening session now........ Namaste

Photos

2011-01-05T13:25:00.000+09:00

You can find my first batch of photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calliesorensen/

Ayruveda Diagnosis

2011-01-05T12:57:00.008+09:00

I love random happenings...

Two days ago, Stephanie and I were wandering around Rishikesh when a plump, jolly, older man approached us with a BIG smile. "Where you from!?!?!" He almost burst at the seams when Stephanie said she was from Florida. 25 years ago Satish moved to Florida from India... It was at that moment he took us under his wings. His wife passed away a few years ago, so he spends 3 months in Rishikesh every year. Satish was ECSTATIC we also were staying for three months., and told us how we'd be spending our days - we would take long walks together for our health, he would show us the local canteens which are dirt cheap yet the best food in India, he would teach us about his country and culture, and more. How could we refuse to have our own Indian dad here in Rishikesh???

I mentioned in passing that I was interested in learning about Ayurveda. Ayurveda in sanskrit breaks down to: āyus, meaning "longevity", and veda, meaning "related to knowledge" or "science". It is a traditional Indian system of medicine which has been around for 1,000's of years.

Satish grabbed us by the wrists and took us to a charitable hospital and straight into a doctor's room. We met Dr. J. P. Rathi, who is an Ayurveda doctor in Rishikesh, and after talking with him in broken English for about 40 minutes we had an appointment for an Ayurveda diagnosis the next day at 12 for only $5.

After our meeting, we went around the local bookshops to pick out a book on Ayurveda. Stephanie and I spent the rest of the evening, and the next morning studying up on the art of Ayurveda healing, so we could better understand Dr. Rathi's teachings.

Dr. Rathi led us to a rooftop where he would explain to us the history of Ayurveda. He explained to us patiently about the four vedas, three gunas, and the three dosas: Vata (air and space), Pitta (fire and water), Kapha (water and earth.) It was all extremely interesting, but I started to get a little nervous when he spoke of pancha karma - which is how to clean and detoxify the body. They can do so (depending on the illness/disease) through forced vomiting, enemas, catheters, strapping leather around your head while dripping oil on you... or the way I would prefer - oil and herb massages.

After his lecture he gave us a diagnosis. He chanted a mantra, took our pulse, checked out our body type, asked a few questions about our sleep patterns and bowel movements... then gave us our diagnosis. He said I am definitely 101% a Vatta-Pitta. Vatta probably 65% and Pitta 35%. While Stephanie was a Kapha-Vatta. He gave us suggestions on how to live accordingly.

I'm still clueless, but at least am beginning to understand the basics around Ayurveda, and can't wait to read up more on my airy fiery ways.

Arrival in Rishikesh

2011-01-02T15:50:00.013+09:00

How do I even begin trying to describe this fascinating, colorful, spiritual, bizarre, beautiful country???

Getting to Rishikesh from Delhi was an adventure. We were woken up at 4:15am with shouts from our driver outside the hostel gates. We took off through the dark sleepy streets of Delhi. Indian drivers are.... how do I put it??? CRAZY!!! I thought Kenyan drivers were the worst... until I arrived in India. The comforting thing is that there seems to be a rhyme and a reason to the chaos on the roads.

There definitely is a hierarchy to the roads. #1 is the cows... being sacred and all... they have the right away to everything in India. After cows, it goes to vehicles... the bigger you are, the better. Then the crazy weaving bicycles, and last of all, the pedestrians. You have to be aggresive and know these rules to drive in India. I would be eaten alive if I drove here. I trusted our quiet yet aggresive driver with his gods and goddesses on the dashboard to protect us, sat back, and read my book with a smile on my face.

Right before reaching Rishikesh, he took us through Rajaii National Park which was gorgeous. He told us to lookout for elephants and tigers... I tried my elephant call out the window to see one, but our driver quickly replied: "NO! elephant... one leg... kick... you down. But Tiger... no problem."

Our first stop in India is the Parmarth ashram in Rishikesh. We were dropped at their door, and entered this mystical, peaceful city within a city. There were gardens, orange painted buildings, statues of shiva, fountains, monkeys guarding the grounds... We checked in at reception and were led to our cute, quaint little room which will be our home for at least the next two weeks.

We headed off to join the New Years meditation retreat which was already in progress. First on the list was the "World Peace Yagna." It was a sacred fire ceremony which was on the bank of the Ganges river. Stephanie and I were clueless as to what was going on, but tried to follow the locals. We through spices into the fire and listened to their enveloping chanting. Holy crap I realized... WE'RE IN INDIA!!!!!!!!!!

Our yoga teachers in Japan, Tae-sensei and Fuku-sensei, flew out to stay at Parmarth with us for the New Years Retreat. It was sooooo great to see familiar faces and share our first few days in India with them. They took us on a tour of the streets of Rishikesh, pointing out various ashrams and yoga studios we can check out during our three month stay in Rishikesh. Tae and Fuku pushed my yoga to new heights, so I am grateful to start my journey in India with them by our sides.

In the evening was satsang and darshan. We gathered in a garden and met Swami-ji for the first time. He had a HUGE beard, and was dressed in an orange robe. He sat in the middle of the garden and gave words of advice, answering any questions that people had.

Before bed was meditation, bhajans and kirtan in the main hall. We sat down in the main hall surrounded by little monks in training. They ranged in age from 6 - 20 years old. They sang out songs and prayers led by a man with this boxed Indian accordian. We meditated and joined in by clapping our hands and swaying about. We went up to the boys afterwards and wished them a happy new year.

On the way back to our room, we enjoyed the millions of stars that were out, and watched some of the little monks play with a fire outside in the garden.

As midnight struck, we heard some fireworks in the distance, jumped on our beds... so excited to finally be here in India.

Our India Adventure Begins!!!

2010-12-31T02:22:00.004+09:00

As we enter terminal 5 at o'hare airport.... all the kiosks are empty.... except for one airline which has a looooooooooooong twisting line of people. As we near closer, the colors pop from saris hidden under winter jackets, beards are in full effect, and a unique smell starts to envelop us. We approach the line, hear an announcement... "The flight has been delayed for 4 hours." I turn to look at a little old woman who grins with big glasses and yellowing teeth as she says, "WELCOME TO INDIA!!!!"

and our adventure begins.

After finishing 2 years teaching english in the JET program in Sapporo, Japan... I decided to head off to India where I will study yoga and meditation for 3 months in Rishikesh with my friend Stephanie. After that, there is no set plan. I hope to travel, find a volunteer opportunity or two, hike the himalayans in Nepal, and see what other opportunities pop up.

Before even touching down, I have already started to fall in love with India. As we were in line for tickets, we started chatting with a family of 8 cute roly poly elderly Indians. Within a few minutes they invited us to attend the week-long wedding they were going to. I realllllllllllly wanted to jump on that opportunity, but we are meeting our yoga teachers from Japan in Rishikesh on New Years Eve. shucks!!!!!!!!!! (later, while waiting for the toilet on the plane, another mother invites me to her sister's daughter's wedding)

Indians, like Japanese, are very friendly. The difference is that Japanese are timid and shy to approach you at times. This is NOT the case with the Indians we have met so far. As we sat waiting for our flight, two Air India workers approached us, chatted us up, gave us tips for traveling in India, offered to help us find volunteer opportunities through their relatives in India, and even told us to go stay with their uncle. hahahha... One of them even found me on facebook... they sure work fast and are NOT shy!!!

One big difference between Japan and India is the food. We were given "tasty peanuts" and some orange juice after taking off.... and the spice hit me full throttle. I was hiccuping out of control!!! The choice for dinner was vegetarian or spicy chicken. I opted for vegetarian which was deeeelish but had a huge kick to it. After eating Japanese rice, sushi, sashimi, okonomiyaki, soba, etc for two years, my spice tolerance has decreased dramatically. I need to re-train my tongue!

The 14 hour flight from Chicago to Delhi flew by... especially since we had our own TVs with unlimited bollywood music videos and films. I can't wait to learn how to shake it like the bollywood stars!!!

We got our first bollywood lesson from the cab driver who blasted his music and shook his stuff as he weaved in and out of cars, tuk tuks, people, and even a cow or two.

Off to bed...... tomorrow we are off to Rishikesh!!!!!

do what you love, and do it often!!!

2010-12-30T02:40:00.002+09:00

Ikuya's first Halloween

2010-10-31T13:41:00.000+09:00

He decided to go as the all-American Superman...

I decided to go as the all-Japanese Hello Kitty...

We then headed downtown Chicago for the Halsted Little Street of Horrors parade

Wisconsin Dells

2010-10-20T12:33:00.000+09:00

My family has been going to Wisconsin Dells and Devil's Lake every fall since I was born. It is the perfect combination of American cheesy touristy fun and the great outdoors.

Ikuya arrived in America for his very first time in October, so guess where we took him first!??!?!

We hiked, went to my favorite apple orchard Sky-Hi, went on wooden coasters, 5 story go-kart courses, got soaked at the water parks, had a skee-ball championship and more!

Nashville and St. Louis

2010-10-08T12:03:00.000+09:00

Peace Corps reunions in Nashville and St. Louis

2010-10-08T10:49:00.000+09:00

After finishing the Vipassana course, I hopped on a plane down to Nashville to go see my Peace Corps Kenya buddies Kim and Maria.

After a day playing around in Nashville, we headed out to the Ponderosa. How do I even describe the Ponderosa??? It's magical. A friend from Kenya and the "old man" bought a run down old barn in the middle of nowhere Tennessee, and are converting it into a farm house. I was lucky enough to go out there, help around the house, and have some good ole hillbilly fun. I even taught the old man how to do a headstand.

Here is just one example of how cool the old man is. He leaves the price tag on everything he buys from garage sales. I love him.

Another weekend, we drove down to see other Peace Corps Kenya buddies, Sheila and Ann, in St. Louis.

After heading out to see the arch, we had a bite of pizza, danced at karaoke, then ended the night with a Kenyan dancing pow wow back at Sheila's.

Sheila also took us to the City Museum in St. Louis which is one of my new all time favorite places!!!! It's a huge pile of recycled junk strung, twisted, and tied up a 10 story warehouse. You run wild through all the twists, turns, tunnels, cages, planes, buses, ferris wheels, and mole holes.

Before driving back home, we had one last day on Sheila's family's farm... We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the bonfire, played on the tractors, then went on a hay ride at night! Good ole American fun!!!! ;-)

Hawaii cruisin!

2010-10-07T12:58:00.001+09:00

My Mom and I went on a cruise to Hawaii at the end of September for 2 weeks. With the economy down, cruising has become dirt cheap!

We flew to Honolulu, and then cruised around to Kauai, Kona, Hilo, and Maui. We then had an amazing 5 days of pure relaxation as we sailed to Mexico before heading back to Chicago. :-)

Home Sweet Home

2010-09-01T10:17:00.000+09:00

I find it still hard to believe my 2 year stint in the JET program has come to an end.

One of the first things that has shocked me is American SIZES!!!!!!!!

Everything in America is HUGE. The food, the portions, the people, the children, the clothes, the houses, the cars, the dogs... the list goes on.

I was also in shock with how CHEAP (and huge) fruit is in the states!!!

A huge watermelon for $2.88?!?!?!? I'm in HEAVEN!!!!!

These babies would run me at least $40 in Japan.

I think I ate 5 watermelons my first weekend back. No exaggeration.

It was also shocking to come back home and see that 4 of my girlfriends from high school had popped out little humans while I was in Japan.

too cute!

My first weekend back, my parents threw a welcome back to America BBQ...

note: Marimokkori LOVES America

After being home for about a week, I headed out to Pecatonica, IL for two weeks to volunteer and serve at a Vipassana meditation course.

http://www.dhamma.org

Sheila's Visit to Japan

2010-04-05T19:57:00.003+09:00

My friend, Sheila, from Peace Corps Kenya came to visit me in Japan.

In Kenya, she was my closest volunteer. By closest I mean a two hour walk, 2.5 hour matatu ride and then another 30 minutes walk. ;-)

It was her first time to Japan so I had heaps of fun showing her around!

Her first meal in Japan was soup curry - my favorite Sapporo specialty!

We also went out for sushi with my student and her family. It was deeeeelish!!!

Although we passed on the raw whale.

She LOVED sushi and I got her hooked on the supermarket bargain sushi. From about 7pm most of the supermarkets in Japan mark down food - including huge sushi platters. We each bought a 10 piece sushi set for 200 yen ! ($2)

One of the days we took a day trip to Otaru which is a pretty little port town famous for it's canal, shopping, glass blowing and music boxes.

It also has a shop where you can buy MEGA takoyaki (octopus balls)!!!! mmm...

We also took her to a Sapporo Ham Fighters baseball game at Sapporo Dome and met BB!

We wrapped up her trip by going to an all you can eat yaki niku (grilled meat) restaurant and then gathering 20 friends together to sing the night away at karaoke!

Kwaheri Sheila. Ninakumiss SANA!!!

Asahikawa Snow Festival

2010-02-21T10:20:00.000+09:00

Yeeeeeeeah National Holidays!!!

We had a National Holiday on a Thursday so Ikuya and I took a road trip to Asahikawa to see the final day of their winter festival.

We drove out on Wednesday night to catch the mars-like laser show in Tokiwa Park.

One thing is for sure.... Asahikawa is waaaaaay more freeeeeezin' than Sapporo!!! Luckily they had a bunch of igloos, and ice bars set up where you can warm up in with a hot chocolate, hot coffee or mulled wine....

Like Susukino in Sapporo, Asahikawa had a bunch of ice sculptures spread out around the town.

The next day we went to the Asahikawa Science Center and Planetarium which opened about 2 years ago... If you have a few hours to spare in Asahikawa I definitely recommend it!!! There are heaps of interactive exhibits and rides as well as a great planetarium show.

Video clips from Asahikawa ;-)

We even found a color wheel and had a little girl spin us the colors so we could do a camera shoot ;-)

After getting spinned about and walking on the moon we went for a big hot bowl of the famous Asahikawa miso ramen at Yoshinos... It reminded me of an American diner... we sat at the counter and watched them sweat over huge pots of ramen and bean sprouts.... it was sooooooo good!!!

After filling our bellies with hot ramen we went to Santa Present Park (great name, eh???)

There was barely anyone there... so we practically had the entire Santa hill to ourselves!!! Which is a good thing because I absolutely stink at snowboarding and can't control my direction or speed! ;-0

In the evening we met up with some of the Asahikawa English teachers to watch the final show at the Winter Festival. They had street dancing performances - my favorite was a hip hop group which had a mix of adults, high school kids and even elementary kids... They were rokkkkkin!

After the dancing there was a short break... we wandered the snow fest and watched the kids fly down the snow/ice slides... They also had a bunch of snow sculptures dotted around...

After the break it was time for TAIKO drumming!!!

These crazy guys came out in the minus minus minus below freezin freezin freezin cold in tiny tank tops to drum away!

They were one of the best groups I've seen... They combined traditional taiko drumming with a modern beat. Heaps of fun to watch!

The finale was amazing because the taiko drummers final beat was synced PERFECTLY with the fireworks over the icy dragon! Great end of the night to our awesome getaway in Asahikawa. ;-)

Sapporo Snow Festival and Triple Whammy B-day!

2010-02-18T23:00:00.000+09:00

On the way to the triple whammy birthday party we went over to Sapporo's Snow Festival.

Last year my Mom came to Sapporo for the 60th anniversary of the festival. This year we wanted to see the festival through kids' eyes so we met up with a sweet Japanese family my Dad and I met randomly when he visited Sapporo.

The festival wasn't as impressive as last year's... but it was heaps of fun to wander around with the kids. I gave the little girl a piggy back ride through the festival. She guided me where to go and kept screaming "DE-KAI!!!!" (HUGE!!!) while pointing at each sculpture... Even though my ears were ringin' by the end she definitely was a little heat pack for my back. ;-)

After the fest we went over to Buddy Buddy's for a fun Triple Whammy Birthday Party with good friends, food and drinks... (and a DELICIOUS homemade cake made by our Japanese teacher!!!)

Otaru Snow Light Path Festival

2010-02-18T19:21:00.007+09:00

For Ikuya's Birthday we drove to Otaru to see the Snow Light Path Festival.

Hundreds and hundreds of candles are lit in the canal and along the old railway track... The pathways are also filled with snow sculptures, figures, peanut men, tree guys and more... all built by the Otaru locals and other volunteers.

Everything was CHO KAWAIIIIIII (sooooo cute) as always! ;-)

Celebrating New Years in Hokkaido!

2010-02-14T15:12:00.006+09:00

Even though I miss the sandy warm relaxing beaches of Thailand, it feels good to be back in Sapporo. I really do love this city.

I flew back on a Friday and the following morning I took the train out to Obihiro to see Ikuya’s family and celebrate Oshougatsu (New Years.) My parents had sent a big Christmas package so we had a mini Christmas celebration and attempted to make a gingerbread house with his cousins. The gingerbread house only lasted about 30 minutes before it collapsed - so we all dove in and fought to eat it!!!! Yum!

I also celebrated New Years with MADO – a free Japanese conversation group. They had heaps of food from around the world... Plus dancing, singing, and talent shows...

Bangkok, Koh Lanta and Khao Sok...

2010-02-13T21:29:00.016+09:00

After volunteering at Baan Dada Children’s Home in Western Thailand, we headed back to Bangkok. While in Bangkok we ate and ate and ate and ate. Street food and fruit smoothies were all I could think about!!!

We did manage to tear ourselves away from stuffing our face in order to visit a few tourist sites. First on the list was the Grand Palace. After that was Wat Pho for a look around. Both were gorgeous! I really recommend going if you have a day in Bangkok ;-)

After having a look around we had a well deserved Thai massage at the Wat Po Massage School. Thai massages are AMAZING… for those of you who aren’t familiar, Thai massages differ from other massages in that you lay on the floor and the massager uses their entire body – arms, legs, weight, whole body to stretch pull and swing you in ways you never thought you could!!! I looooved it! And what was even better was that a one hour session only set you back $6 - $9!!! Needless to say we got a few while in Thailand.

That next night we took a night bus down to the islands to RELAX RELAX and RELAX. Taking transport really tests ones patience. I was lucky to be traveling with Justin who is also laid back. I felt bad for the dozens of other tourists who were complaining, swearing, yelling at the locals for things not leaving on time or for transfers they didn’t know about. What I don’t understand is that they MUST know they are traveling in a developing country, so you can’t expect 5 star service, eh??? Plus all these little twists and unexpected turns are part of the adventure, yo!

We finally arrived to our first destination – Koh Lanta!!!! We were planning on hopping to another island or two during the week but we loved the relaxed chill atmosphere of the beach so much we ended up staying there the ENTIRE TIME! The hotels offered heaps of snorkeling trips, cave swims, island hopping tours… we did try one but then realized we had to exert way more energy than we wanted to! Hahaha… so we went back to our hammocks, sipped our fresh juices, ate to our heart’s content, slept, sunbathed, swam, chatted, journaled, read, and relaxed some more.

The sunsets were AMAZING every evening... pictures just don't justify the beauty...

We did decide to get our butts out of our hammocks one day to try a Thai cooking course. We learned about the different spices and how to use them. In one afternoon we cooked 5 dishes: coconut chicken curry soup, a sweet and sour dish, fried rice, masaman curry, and deep fried banana fritters. I’m in love with Thai food and it was all sooo good. Although we ate so much we couldn’t move for a day and a half.

Luckily by new years eve I got my energy back and somehow stayed awake til midnight to watch the fireworks, fireshows and fire lanterns go off. It was an amazing week and exactly what I needed!!!

forgot to mention Gertrude... the tarantula I spotted on the wastebasket in our bathroom!!!!! :-0

I woke up Justin to help me carry her outside...

At least she got us mentally prepared to head off into the rainforest.

On our way back up to Bangkok we stopped off at Koh Sok National Park which is one of the oldest rainforests. We stayed at Arts Bungalows which is an awesome location in itself right smack in the jungle. We had monkeys swinging overhead and the awesome wooden restaurant area was right next to the river which doubled as the monkey’s bathing pool. We could sit for hours reading and watching the little guys. They also had a tarzan rope which you could jump off the mini cliff and swing into the river. But after seeing an Italian tourist slice his whole foot open we passed.

Instead we went for a hike on our own through the rainforest. We hit some traffic when we came across an entire family of monkeys playing in the road. We tried to sneak pass, but they would get angry and charge at us. Justin tried throwing a stick which they just threw back at us. Luckily after 30 minutes a British family came trekking by with a guide so we latched onto them and they helped us pass. PHEW!!!! They were our new best friends.

The next day we took a canoe trip down the river which was gorgeous. We felt like we were in a video game with the huge staggering cliffs, snakes above us dangling from the trees, weird creatures scurrying out of the water.

Back in Bangkok for our last day we met up with another ALT English teacher from Sendai and explored the city together. The night before we left we spotted a big group of Deaf Thai youth. Since sign language is not international, I normally have a hard time communicating with Deaf people from other countries… but decided to give it a try. To my surprise they could understand and used a lot of American Sign Language!!! I ended up hanging out with them and chatting for a few hours. They were so much fun. But sadly a lot of them were involved in the sex trade industry either as prostitutes, lady boys or strippers. I told them they should open up a foot massage parlor on the tourist drag in Bangkok! We chatted about a few ideas for them. They were really open and so excited to chat.

Before we flew out the next day we shopped for omiyage (souvenirs) for our teachers and students, and ate as much food as we could fit in our bellies before flying back to cold snowy Sapporo.

What an amazing trip!!! I'd really love to go back to Thailand one day and explore the Northern bit and go up into Laos.... I hear nothing but good things ;-)

Homestay in Western Kachanaburi

2010-02-06T12:02:00.012+09:00

Also while out in Western Thailand we did a home stay in western Kanchanaburi... It was a great opportunity to get out into the 'boonies' of Thailand. There were no roads out to the village so some of the locals came out to pick us up by boat.

It was great to be back in a developing country. We slept practically outside in the Thai/Burmese jungle... with sounds of insects, crickets, toads, and of course roosters as our alarms.

To me it was comforting and reminded me of my time in East Africa and I slept soooo soundly - but to some of the others they woke up with dark circles around their eyes and could give a play by play of every minute and noise throughout the night.

i love children because they can have fun no matter where they are and no matter what they have/or don't have.

We hiked, went fishing, learned how they made rice, went to a woman's house to watch her weave... and ate sooooooo much deeeelicious food!

Christmas in Thailand

2010-02-06T11:11:00.008+09:00

One of my jobs at Baan Dada Children's Home was to organize and put on the Christmas party for the little ones!!!

With the help of the other volunteers we compiled a list of fun English Christmas games and activities to play Christmas morning. We taught them Christmas vocab - then I dispersed pictures of each word to the volunteers and had the kids run to the corresponding word I shouted out. Check out the video for clips of the game ;-) We also played fruit basket, pin the nose on rudolph... Christmas music FREEZE dancing and more...

After that we headed out back to run a crazy relay race (including my favorite from Hokkaido English Challenge - spit in the bucket!!!) The kids loved the games and luckily we wore em out enough so they snoozed in the afternoon so we could prepare Christmas dinner!

On Christmas Eve we had an art project with the little ones and made tons and tons of paper chains to decorate the kitchen/dining area... On Christmas Day it was a huge project to cook enough pizza, pasta, mango ice cream and cake for over 80 people!!! Justin found it especially challenging to make a deeeelish pasta sauce especially since the home doesn't eat garlic, onions or mushrooms... yikes!

I think my arms still ache from crankin and churnin that mango ice cream with the kids for hours upon hours! it was soooooo good tho! worth every minute ;-)

We also went out Christmas caroling around the neighboring village... and the children put on a traditional Karen dance...

Of course Christmas wasn't the same without my family and my mom's home cooked food... but with the kids and fun we had, it was definitely one of the most memorable Christmases! ;-)

more pics of Baan Dada...

2010-02-06T11:00:00.000+09:00

The kids were just oooooozing of love at Baan Dada. From the second we pulled up they were hanging on us like monkeys giving hugs galore and smooches.

It was a fun challenge to teach the little guys how to read and write English. We also had art classes and gave them the pencils and crayons my students in Japan had gathered for them...

We also did pen pal letters with some of the older kids at Baan Dada. My students in Japan wrote letters about themselves and described Japanese culture. We read these letters together with the kids at Baan Dada and they wrote back to my kids in Japan.

This was one of my favorite kids... Wallawoot. He was found abandoned at a hospital completely malnourished. They also believe he was born prematurely. Despite having developmental disabilities he was one of the happiest most loving kids at the home.

My favorite was calling out to him: "WALLA-WALLA-WALLA....!" then having him say "WASSSSSUP?!!?!??"

awww... what a great group of kids.

And THANK YOU to all of my teachers and Hokkaido ALTs for donating money to Baan Dada!

If you find yourself in Thailand I definitely recommend heading over to Baan Dada to help out in whatever way you can ;-)

http://baandada.org/

Baan Dada Children's Home, Thailand

2010-02-06T10:37:00.011+09:00

Over winter break four English teachers from Hokkaido (including myself) flew over to Thailand to volunteer at Baan Dada Children's Home... Justin wrote up an article on our trip for the Hokkaido JET magazine:

Baan Dada Children’s Home, in Western Thailand about 20 km from the Burmese border, is home to around 60 children, many of whom are refugees from across the border. The home is run by two “Dada’s,” or “brothers,” affectionately named Dada One and Dada Two, who oversee all the daily logistics from picking up the children from school to pushing the citizenship paperwork so the children can go to school. Although often referred to as an orphanage, only about 9 of the children are actually orphans. The rest of them have family, but most have left their families in the Thai mountains or Burma to come to the home. While many of the children have enough sad stories to fill several lifetimes, I would have had no idea when I saw their happy and forever smiling faces (except, of course, for when they’re being the little terrors that children can so often be).

Four of us from Hokkaido (Alistair Shelley-Kutchan, Callie Sorensen-Sapporo, Giselle Gonzalez-Nayoro, and Justin Genziano-Tanno) left our frozen wasteland for the warmer climate promised in Thailand. But rather than immediately hitting the famed beaches and islands, we made a week-long trip out west to Sangkhlaburi—not-so-much the tourist destination, but surprisingly one of the most beautiful and unspoiled areas of Thailand. We went with the JET volunteer organization GoMad, which consisted of four other ALTs from down south (a larger group of about 20 JETs went to another, more established home, Baan Unrak). As we arrived at Baan Dada, we were greeted by a cavalcade of children and two golden retrievers, a bit of an unexpected surprise when you’re in the middle of the Thai jungle. We were tackled by their affection and soon each of us had two or three additional appendages bearing a strong resemblance to children.

While there, we were left to help in any way we deemed fit. The boys took to the hard manual labor and helped to dig gravel for a cement mix. We extended a cement courtyard by about 40 square meters. (By the by, that’s a lot of digging and hauling and hoeing…in about 31 degree weather. We’re quite the studs, and have the traps and delts to prove it.) The ladies had equally exhausting work directly with the children. They worked on making Christmas decorations, organized miniature English lessons, helped write pen pal letters, and took turns churning ice cream (whew!). Our big cornerstone was organizing the events of Christmas day. We arranged half a day of games and activities for the younger children, including a very rousing game of pin the nose on Rudolph. We all pitched in to make dinner that night, which was to be spaghetti, pizza, apple cake, and mango ice cream. I’m proud to say that I made the (amazingly delicious) sauce for the spaghetti…from scratch…for 80 people…without any onions or garlic. Oh, and did I mention that we were in the middle of the Thai jungle?

In addition to the help we were able to offer by our presence, we were able to conjure up a significant amount of money to donate to the home. Along with Project Outreach’s donation of 50,000 yen (a big thanks to you all who donated), between nine of us, we were able to fundraise over $5,000 (US) for the home. With that money, the home was able to pay off longstanding debts with the hardware stores and clothing suppliers (for school uniforms) it regularly uses in town, and help fund their vaccination program. We even went with them to make the payments. Won’t lie as it felt pretty good to see exactly where the money goes.

Being there for scantly a week is hardly enough time to get to know each of the kids and make a significant impact on their lives. After all, they’ve got people walking in and out of their lives every couple of days. The biggest impact is left with those that have volunteered, and that impact is best shared. As we boarded our minivan, we stopped for photo-ops with the cute kids and exchanged big toothy grins for good-byes. I know that they probably won’t remember me and will cling on to the next volunteer much like they do with every volunteer. And likewise for me as I won’t remember which one was Mala-oo versus Mala-ee. But again, it’s the impact on me that counts. So here I am, telling you, that it was a remarkable experience.

Christmas in Sapporo

2009-12-16T22:08:00.001+09:00

I’m still surprised by how much Japan decorates for Christmas despite not really celebrating it at all on Christmas Day… Here in Japan Christmas is a holiday meant more for romantic couples than for families or baby Jesus. It's also a time to eat expensive but cute Christmas cakes and Kentucky Fried Chicken. (see last year's post on our KFC xmas)

This year we went to see the huge x-mas tree in Sapporo Factory which they light up and animate each year. They also had live music and various performers...

Also every year is the Sapporo Illumination which takes place along Odori Park. They light up Christmas trees and make wired lit up decorations in various shapes and designs which stretch for blocks. My favorite was in the middle of one of the blocks they had this woman in fur in a heated bubble playing a crazy moog synthesizer… she was rockin out to MJ tunes.

Near the TV tower in Odori park they also have the German Xmas market which has more singing, dancing, music, german and Russian shops, roasted almonds, and heaps and heaps of sausages for sale!

Thanks to my Aunt and Uncle down in Texas we had a mini Christmas party at home… I put out my mini tree and we ate and devoured all of the snacks they wrapped up.

I also bought ingredients so Ikuya can make his first gingerbread house!!! Being an architect, I’m sure it will look way better than any of the ones I slapped together in the past ;-)

Probably my favorite Christmas spotting this year was the big wooden tanuki in Tanuki Koji Shopping arcade… Tanuki is a big raccoon dog with huge testicles which you rub for good luck. This year tanuki got all dolled up and covered himself with Christmas lights and donned a Santa hat and beard… KAWAII!!!!!

His sidekick was even dressed up as a reindeer with fancy bells and garland. Hahahaha…

A bit down from tanuki were festive school girls jumping and dancing with stuffed animals in short skirts in the middle of the freezing cold. I guess… why not.

At school we also had a crazy Xmas party... I love my students because they join me in dressing up, dancing, singing and much much more!!!

I wish I could upload my videos of the santa balloon stuffing relay race.... amazzzzzzzzzing!

The holiday season also brought many friends together for good ole merry making ;-)

One of the English teachers in Sapporo also threw a Christmas "kira kira" party where you could get all lighted and sparkled up in the spirit of Christmas ;-)

At another party we had a Xmas costume/cake/chicken/secret santa gift exchange... ho ho ho!

The holidays are a time for friends, family and lots of lovin!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and I'll catch ya in 2010!

xoxo Callie

Arashi concert visit

2009-12-15T21:48:00.005+09:00

Ikuya’s mom, Aunt and cousin made a road trip from Tokachi to Sapporo. His cousin was soooo excited because she had back to back tickets for Arashi… probably the most popular Japanese boy pop bands!

At Japanese pop concerts merchandise is a must for the youngins…. His cousin came home with armloads of posters and fans of each of the boy members…. Ikuya tried to blend in.

His cousin even hand made her clothes for the concert!!! She made a sequinced kira kira jacket which her favorite member wore at one of their first concerts.

Each of the members of Arashi has a corresponding bright color.... so all weekend in Sapporo you could see groups of girls decked out from head to toe in their favorite boy's color!!!

Ikuya and I cooked up a huge breakfast feast in the morning… and we spent the day walking around Sapporo and took his mom to COSTCO for the first time while his cousin and Aunt went for round 2 of Arashi. I absolutely love taking Japanese people to COSTCO for their first time. Seeing their dropped jaws and wide eyes are priceless!

Nabe Party... one way to stay warm!!!

2009-12-15T21:41:00.006+09:00

With winter fast approaching here in Hokkaido… the locals like to stay warm by breaking out the nabe dishes!!!!

A few friends and I decided to try and keep warm by throwing our own nabe party…..

For those of you who don’t know nabe it is a DELICIOUS concoction of veggies, tofu, noodles, mochi, spices or sauces and meat or seafood. You cook it all at the table while continuously adding various ingredients and changing up the pot…. It’s probably one of my favorite Japanese foods! Mmm….

Steph even broke out her homemade ume-shu which she had made last summer… yummm….

Homemade dessert by the girls.......

Sapporo Design Week

2009-12-15T21:37:00.004+09:00

Even though I left my career as a Designer… it’s nice to every once in awhile check out what other designers and artists are doing. During the Sapporo Design Week, Ikuya and I went to a few exhibitions and galleries...

Here are some photos from the Sapporo Citizen Art Gallery…. A few months ago someone asked me to pose for a painting… but little did I know that it was later going to be shown during the Sapporo Design Week! ;-0

He gave me free tickets to the gallery, but when I asked Ikuya to join me, I didn’t tell him I would actually appear in one of the paintings... so he was shocked when turning the corner only to find a huge life sized painting entitled “Callie.” Hahaha…

My favorite sculpture was this one of a middle aged man giving a granny a piggy back ride.

Not too sure what this designer was thinking when he made this sign for the art gallery...

;-0

The new holiday drink in Hokkaido...

2009-12-14T18:10:00.002+09:00

This is the newest drink I've found in Hokkaido... LOVE MODE GINGER.... its a pink sparkly diamond studded design with a sexy zip up the side... now who WOULDN'T want to buy this zero cal ginger ale??? The Japanese sure do know how to market their products, eh?

There's also a red bean paste Pepsi out for sale... mmm...

Her and baby's loo....

2009-12-14T17:00:00.000+09:00

awwwwww....

everything is cho cute in japan.... even the toilets!

80's Winter Ball

2009-12-08T22:05:00.003+09:00

When 300 English teachers from around Hokkaido gathered together in Sapporo for the annual ALT conference last week... we couldn't stop ourselves from throwing an 80's Winter Ball!!!!!!!

I was in heaven with the neon colors, lace, scrunchies, denim, crimpers, David Bowie appearance, and amazing 80's tunes and 3 hours of non-stop dancing!!!

I don't think it's an accident I was born in 1980!!! yeeee haw.

(thanks to ross... sir pekoism for some of the shots!)

There was also a silent art auction where HEC (Hokkaido English Camp) raised over $700!!! whoo hoooo! go HEC!

Turkey Day in Japan

2009-12-08T21:50:00.003+09:00

It's hard being away from family and friends on the holidays... but luckily a big group of English teachers in Sapporo got together for a big home cooked turkey dinner... turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and MORE.... yummm....

check out my friend crystal's blog for pics!

http://thiessentwosomejapan.blogspot.com/2009/11/all-american-thanksgiving-hosted-by.html

Chicken Dancing at the Old Folks Home...

2009-11-23T15:52:00.009+09:00

One of my friends here in Sapporo works at an old folks home... She doesn't speak a lick of English, so when she invited me to go to an International festival at the home I couldn't resist... but little did I know that the festival was going to center around ME!!! oh no!!! I later found out that I was going to give a talk on America and myself and experiences in Japan... all in Japanese. ;-0

They also asked me to sing a few songs and dance with the grannies and grandpas...

I also had a table set up with a bunch of pictures of my family, Chicago, life in Kenya and more...

They had sooooo many questions ;-)

They also formed a long line to touch my skin and my hair... hahah...

At the end of my presentation I passed out these little American flags with red, white and blue flowers on them. Everyone was soooooo excited!!! A few of the grandmas even wheeled back to their rooms to fetch various kinds of presents to come back and give me! they were soooo cute.... I got a bunch of knitted goods, a pink beaded bracelet, a dolphin snow globe and more! hahaha... soooo sweet.

My friends and the rest of the staff were so fun and great with everyone at the home... they even hand crafted American Flag skirts to sport at the festival! ;-)

After the presentation we were invited to eat lunch and chat with everyone. They had a delicious lunch of food from all over the world and even sculpted a big buddha, map and cut out picture boards. ;-)

It was great fun and they invited me to go back and chat with them in January... can't wait! ;-)

Halloweeeeeen!

2009-11-23T14:00:00.000+09:00

For Halloween a few of us from Hokkaido flew down to Tokyo for the weekend.

We stayed at our first capsule hotel in Asakusa!!!

We woke up on the morning of Halloween and decided to wear our costumes all day as we explored around Asakusa and the rest of Tokyo...

I decided to represent Hokkaido by dressing as Super Marimokkori!!! The excited green algae ball... (search my blog for more on marimo if you don't know about him yet!)

Everyone was so excited to see us all dressed up and I was shocked at how many people knew who I was... Even lil old grannies were shouting "MARIMOKKORI!!!!!"

Maid Cafe in Akihabara...

Then a crazy themed theatrical dinner at Kagayas...

After dinner we headed off for a dose of Halloween nightlife in Tokyo... soooo many people were dressed up and the club at night was PACKED FULL.... I even found another Marimokkori friend!

The next morning we had a lazy breakfast and shopped in Harajuku... and swung by the bridge to see the cosplay girls...

Back in Sapporo there were more Halloween celebrations to be had.

At both of my schools... I didn't think that Marimokkori would be appropriate... so I decided to surprise them by borrowing a student's uniform and wearing it all day at school. One of the teachers had a blue wig in her desk so I decided to throw that on too ;-)

In class we played bobbing for apples, the body part guessing game, and had heaps more spooky fun!

At home Ikuya and I made a jack-o-lantern.... it was his first one and probably better than any jack-o-lantern I ever carved!!! Especially considering we used a cheap regular knife. ;-)

Hope everyone back home had a spooktacular Halloween as well!!!!! xoxo

I wish all our lives were a musical...

2009-11-12T23:08:00.001+09:00

http://improveverywhere.com/2009/11/05/i-love-lunch-the-musical/

Onuma National Park

2009-11-09T23:11:00.000+09:00

Another stop on the way home from Hakodate was Onuma National Park... It's a gorgeous park where you can spend a relaxing few hours rowing, hiking, fishing, strolling, and biking around...

we grabbed a picnic lunch and headed out on the rowboats for an hour... paddling around the lake and islands... then went on foot over the dozens of footbridges which connect the little islands.

It's a beautiful stop if you're on the way to or from Hakodate ;-)

Seaweed festival.... why not???

2009-11-09T23:05:00.000+09:00

On the way home from Hakodate we stopped off at the seaweed center.... and we were soooo lucky to go on the SEAWEED FESTIVAL DAY!!!

we scarfed down on seaweed popcorn, shaved ice with sugar flavored toppings and then took a wander thru the intriguing and free seaweed museum which ended in the BIGGEST EVER seaweed shopping mall. you could buy seaweed everything!!!! and soooo many free samples. i was so seaweeded out... but did fall in love with the seaweed jello shots. mmm..... so bought a bag to take home ;-)

Hakodate getaway...

2009-11-09T22:54:00.001+09:00

With Ikuya being a typically hard workin' Japanese guy, it's hard to find time to take a trip... but luckily a few weeks ago he got a few days off in a row so we headed on a road trip down to Hakodate!!!!

Before heading into Hakodate town we purified ourselves at the Trappestine Convent... it was pretty funny watching the Japanese tourists pose like Jesus on the cross for photos... oh dear...

Our first stop in Hakodate was the Goryokaku Tower which overlooks the star shaped fort/park. The view was gorgeous from the top of the tower!!! The weather was also amazing (especially since a typhoon was scheduled to hit that day!)

When I think of Hakodate I think of the amazing squid dance and festival. Sadly I couldn't make it this past summer... but we made sure to pose and visit with as many squids as possible!

not only did we pose with em but we also ate em.... sorry squid!!!

the squid ramen mix was DEEEELish as was the black squid ink gyoza!!! yum yum!

I passed on the fresh sea urchin at the morning market tho.

my favorite in hakodate was watching the children fish for squid...

The other famous thing in Hakodate is Lucky Pierrot... a greasy burger joint which themed circus/angel/50's/etc restaurants dotted all around the city.

We were lucky to grab a swinged chair seat before we dived head first into their greasy burger and chinese chicken sandwiches... mmmmm......

Hakodate IS a beautiful city... with the old buildings, brick warehouses, cobbled streets...

The night view of Hakodate is famous and ranked one of the top night views in the world... I was a bit suspicious but it actually was gorgeous!!! If you go - I recommend escaping the crowds by grabbing a candle lit table at the cafe which had perfect (and quiet AND warm) views over the city!

yeeeeeeeah hakodate!!!!!!!!

Tissue anyone???

2009-11-09T17:57:00.000+09:00

Asahiyama Zoo...

2009-10-22T17:20:00.007+09:00

I haven't been keen on the idea of going to a zoo after living in Kenya... but when we were passing through Asahikawa on the way home from the Mushroom festival and had a bit of time to kill, I decided to see what a Japanese zoo was like!

The first thing I did notice was how cute everything was (surprise surprise)... from the signs, to the drinking fountains to the trash cans to the vending machines to the.... to the.....

The other thing I really liked about the zoo was all of the viewing tubes and tunnels that weaved in and out of each habitat.... we watched the penguins and seals jump, dive, feed and play around us...

The monkey tube was fun too.... but it was more of a crap smearing tube with foggy views and cheeky monkeys...

They also had little spaceship pod viewing spots within the habitats... we got soooo lucky with the wolf sightings and other animals!!!

Another thing they had was all sorts of bizarre tightrope walks and ladders that went overhead of the walkways... you just have to learn to look up and duck or dodge when the timings right.

I'm glad I didn't give up on zoos altogether after Kenya... it was a cute zoo and heaps of fun... but of course it paled in comparison to watching the animals on safari in East Africa. ;-)

Mushroom Festival.... why not???

2009-10-22T16:51:00.007+09:00

mushrooms mushrooms everywhere!!!!

last month a bunch of JETs went to the Aibetsu Mushroom Festival after a weekend of camping...

You could buy and eat ALL KINDS o' mushrooms... mushroom soups, mushroom curry, mushroom breads, pickled mushrooms, mushroom cakes, dried mushrooms, mushy mushrooms, pots o' mushrooms and more...

and of COURSE since this is amazing Japan.... they just had to have a mascot for this mushroom festival!!!!! SUPER AIBETSU MUSHROOM MAN!!!!! he was a bit shy at first, but soon warmed up to us ;-)

The fashion at the mushroom festival was pretty unbelievably good. i gotta get outta the city more often! ;-)

HIP HIP HOORAY for mushrooms!!!!

WHyyyyy America whhhhyyyyy?????

2009-10-06T23:03:00.001+09:00

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/