一年生 in Japan comes with about 30 minutes of homework everyday (pretty much on par with what I was told to expect in first grade in the USA). Everyday C has 2 worksheets, a reading passage, and memorization of math equations.
It was the math equations that were the most difficult to figure out at first. They start by doing addition like this:
4は２と_____ which is backwards from the way we are taught in the USA, so it took me about 2 weeks to figure out it meant 4 = 2 + ____. I had a hard time explaining it to my son as well. And of course the teacher mentioned she was concerned that C wasn't understanding it after the first week. I just had to (with translation help) explain that it was a very different way of learning math from what we were taught in the USA and it will take some time to adjust.
Now, 3 months later, C has no problem with math (not that he ever did, but it just took a bit of time to adjust) and he is now memorizing equations like these:
１ たつ ２は ＿＿＿＿ meaning 1 + 2 = _____
and
４ ひく ３は ＿＿＿＿＿ meaning 4 - 3 = ____
I hadn't thought math would be the biggest hurdle we would face at first, but so far we've been able to work on hiragana without too many issues. There are definitely words I have to look up in the dictionary and some that we just can't puzzle out, but honestly they are pretty rare. I thought it would be more difficult for C to learn hiragana, but he seems to be picking it up really fast.
I also just found it really interesting at how math is introduced and taught in Japan. It is a lot of memorization of basic equations as well as a variety of worksheets and story problems. It's actually been really fun to read the story problems and be able to understand what the questions are. I can understand the schoolwork of a Japanese 6 year old - I don't know whether to be proud or slightly offended ;) Gotta start somewhere I suppose.
Along with hiragana practice, math and memorizing equations, C has to practice reading Japanese from a textbook everyday. It's really a cute book and definitely something I want to bring back with us when we go home. He's doing pretty well, better than I expected quite honestly. Plus every week they go to the school library and he brings home 2-3 books which he likes to read to me before bedtime. Overall he's getting a lot of practice in Japanese, so I'm very happy that he is doing so well and enjoying it.
I also make him do English 'homework' everyday. It's pretty easy for me to tack on an extra worksheet as long as he's doing homework anyway. Luckily we get home fairly early - between 4:30 and 6:15 depending on the day of the week. We have time to do homework and even watch some TV usually before bedtime. Some JET's are not so lucky as to be able to get home so early, it just depends on your school and schedule.
We're both looking forward to summer though! Only one more week of school and then it's summer break! We have some fun adventures planned, so it should be a great break. ;) and i finally get to read some books!!
A Single Parent's Journey moving to Japan with the JET Program
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Things I wish I'd known before coming to Japan....
I've been terrible about keeping up with this blog - I'm sorry. I had so many grand plans of blogging, doing my design work, homeschooling my son, and traveling (on top of teaching) - I just haven't had time to all of it. However, I can at least share some insight I've learned in my first year here.
Things to know in the first few months: (aka things I wish I’d known)
-- and of course ESID, so these things apply to my situation, but may not apply to yours --
If you are a single parent from the USA - you must 'prove' your single status by submitting a notarized document from the US embassy saying you are single and the sole supporter of your child. Typically a Japanese person would use their family registry, however since we don't have a family registry (to the astonishment of my city hall) you must get this form to prove your single status. I tried to use a tax return, but they wouldn't accept it. It cost $50 (in 2013) *check the embassy website for costs now...plus my train to get there and back. So I recommend that you go during Tokyo orientation if you can and save yourself the day of Nenkyuu and the costs of getting to either Osaka or Tokyo. You must make an appointment with the embassy, bring your passport and confirmation of the appointment. I know you'll be jetlagged and exhausted, but getting that paper in Tokyo will save you money and nenkyuu time because the embassy is closed on Japanese and American holidays. You can get the child payment without the document, but if you are a single parent, you are eligible for a much larger payment. It varies from city to city I believe, however just to give you an idea…in my town, every family receives 10,000 yen per child, but as a single parent I receive 41,100 yen additional. I don’t know how much it would increase if you had more than one child. It is paid every 4 months directly into your bank account. I lost about 4 months of the increased payment, because I didn’t have the document, so if you get the notarized letter in Tokyo, it will be paid to you much faster. You can download the form from the embassy website and you’ll have to include your name, address in Japan, you’re a US citizen, and a message that you are the sole supporter of your child, nobody else is living with you or supporting you financially, etc. If you are divorced you must include that date. You will have to raise your right hand and swear that all the information is true in front of the notary. They’ll stamp it and you’ll be golden. You also will have to get it translated into Japanese, by someone. Depending on your city it may need or may not need to be an official translation.
ESID (I know, I know)…however, in my case initial startup expenses were a lot. The first few months were really tough, however after I got through them, now I’m able to save almost $1000 a month (again…ESID, you may be able to save more or less), so if you can just make it through the first few months you’ll be alright. I also had to pay an astronomical amount of key money and a pet deposit – so the first few months for me were incredibly tight, you may be lucky and not have to pay key money (most JETs don’t). Also just getting used to only getting paid once a month was an adjustment as well.
I don’t think anyone can truly prepare you for how exhausted you’ll be for the first few months – every person, every child will react differently to the new situation. My advice is to just relax and try not to do too much in the first few months. It took us a good 6-7 months to really be comfortable and settle in completely. I highly recommend you plan to spend at least 2 years in Japan. As the end of my first year draws close, I really feel like we can finally start exploring Japan a lot more and language-wise, my son has really just started speaking Japanese fluently. Another year and he will be completely fluent. – I need to study!! -- ;)
I had grand plans of studying Japanese, doing my graphic design work, sketching, working on my portfolio, etc…after work --- one year later and it still hasn’t happened. Partially because my computer needs updating and I need to buy new programs, –but that doesn’t have anything to do with sketching or studying Japanese -- but mostly because I’ve just been too tired to work or study after C is in bed. Although I’m finally at a point where I can start working on my stuff again, and I’ve started taking classes on Coursera.
Housework in Japan is a never ending battle and there is a learning curve. I will add some helpful recipes for combating mold in the shower, getting stains out of the electric kettle and so on….things I’ve learned over the course of my year here (or you can just do an online search). You’ll need a good vacuum cleaner because the amount of dust bunnies that collect is amazing – they really do multiply like bunnies. I have to vacuum at least every other day. Oh, I’ve also included a recipe for an amazing cake baked in the rice cooker…A bit embarrassing, but I’ve eaten a lot of cake in my year here… warm chocolate cake and coffee are my motivation and reward for staying up and getting stuff done after C has gone to sleep! ;)
Rice freezes really well! Don’t waste rice, like I did at first because I didn’t know any better. It’s hard to make just one serving of rice, so if you make a lot and freeze some in individual portions while it’s still slightly warm (you need the moisture), you can pop it in the microwave in the mornings and it is just like it was fresh from the cooker. Good way to save time for bentos in the morning (plus you don’t have to clean the rice cooker as often either!) Or for breakfast you can eat rice with some milk and cinnamon sugar on top and it’s kind of like a hot cereal. Also, when you make dinner, set aside some for bentos, it's pretty easy to make miniature versions of dinner foods that you can freeze later for quick bentos.
If I think of more, I will add to this post, but the notarized letter was the biggest thing I wanted to share for you guys who are incoming this year. Best of luck to you! I've really enjoyed my first year here, and I'm looking forward to my second! Let's rock this year! ;)
Things to know in the first few months: (aka things I wish I’d known)
-- and of course ESID, so these things apply to my situation, but may not apply to yours --
If you are a single parent from the USA - you must 'prove' your single status by submitting a notarized document from the US embassy saying you are single and the sole supporter of your child. Typically a Japanese person would use their family registry, however since we don't have a family registry (to the astonishment of my city hall) you must get this form to prove your single status. I tried to use a tax return, but they wouldn't accept it. It cost $50 (in 2013) *check the embassy website for costs now...plus my train to get there and back. So I recommend that you go during Tokyo orientation if you can and save yourself the day of Nenkyuu and the costs of getting to either Osaka or Tokyo. You must make an appointment with the embassy, bring your passport and confirmation of the appointment. I know you'll be jetlagged and exhausted, but getting that paper in Tokyo will save you money and nenkyuu time because the embassy is closed on Japanese and American holidays. You can get the child payment without the document, but if you are a single parent, you are eligible for a much larger payment. It varies from city to city I believe, however just to give you an idea…in my town, every family receives 10,000 yen per child, but as a single parent I receive 41,100 yen additional. I don’t know how much it would increase if you had more than one child. It is paid every 4 months directly into your bank account. I lost about 4 months of the increased payment, because I didn’t have the document, so if you get the notarized letter in Tokyo, it will be paid to you much faster. You can download the form from the embassy website and you’ll have to include your name, address in Japan, you’re a US citizen, and a message that you are the sole supporter of your child, nobody else is living with you or supporting you financially, etc. If you are divorced you must include that date. You will have to raise your right hand and swear that all the information is true in front of the notary. They’ll stamp it and you’ll be golden. You also will have to get it translated into Japanese, by someone. Depending on your city it may need or may not need to be an official translation.
ESID (I know, I know)…however, in my case initial startup expenses were a lot. The first few months were really tough, however after I got through them, now I’m able to save almost $1000 a month (again…ESID, you may be able to save more or less), so if you can just make it through the first few months you’ll be alright. I also had to pay an astronomical amount of key money and a pet deposit – so the first few months for me were incredibly tight, you may be lucky and not have to pay key money (most JETs don’t). Also just getting used to only getting paid once a month was an adjustment as well.
I don’t think anyone can truly prepare you for how exhausted you’ll be for the first few months – every person, every child will react differently to the new situation. My advice is to just relax and try not to do too much in the first few months. It took us a good 6-7 months to really be comfortable and settle in completely. I highly recommend you plan to spend at least 2 years in Japan. As the end of my first year draws close, I really feel like we can finally start exploring Japan a lot more and language-wise, my son has really just started speaking Japanese fluently. Another year and he will be completely fluent. – I need to study!! -- ;)
I had grand plans of studying Japanese, doing my graphic design work, sketching, working on my portfolio, etc…after work --- one year later and it still hasn’t happened. Partially because my computer needs updating and I need to buy new programs, –but that doesn’t have anything to do with sketching or studying Japanese -- but mostly because I’ve just been too tired to work or study after C is in bed. Although I’m finally at a point where I can start working on my stuff again, and I’ve started taking classes on Coursera.
Housework in Japan is a never ending battle and there is a learning curve. I will add some helpful recipes for combating mold in the shower, getting stains out of the electric kettle and so on….things I’ve learned over the course of my year here (or you can just do an online search). You’ll need a good vacuum cleaner because the amount of dust bunnies that collect is amazing – they really do multiply like bunnies. I have to vacuum at least every other day. Oh, I’ve also included a recipe for an amazing cake baked in the rice cooker…A bit embarrassing, but I’ve eaten a lot of cake in my year here… warm chocolate cake and coffee are my motivation and reward for staying up and getting stuff done after C has gone to sleep! ;)
Rice freezes really well! Don’t waste rice, like I did at first because I didn’t know any better. It’s hard to make just one serving of rice, so if you make a lot and freeze some in individual portions while it’s still slightly warm (you need the moisture), you can pop it in the microwave in the mornings and it is just like it was fresh from the cooker. Good way to save time for bentos in the morning (plus you don’t have to clean the rice cooker as often either!) Or for breakfast you can eat rice with some milk and cinnamon sugar on top and it’s kind of like a hot cereal. Also, when you make dinner, set aside some for bentos, it's pretty easy to make miniature versions of dinner foods that you can freeze later for quick bentos.
If I think of more, I will add to this post, but the notarized letter was the biggest thing I wanted to share for you guys who are incoming this year. Best of luck to you! I've really enjoyed my first year here, and I'm looking forward to my second! Let's rock this year! ;)
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Planning the future - always trying to stay one step ahead....
First thing to understand about me is I am a planner. I have plans for vacations I want to take with C in high school already. I started considering moving back to Japan when C was born. I really started planning the details six months before I applied to the JET Program, and more than a year and a half before we moved here. Now with a year and a half left, it’s time for me to start planning our return to America. Two years in Japan is what I always planned. It’s the perfect amount of time for us I think. Career, money, travel and learning Japanese-wise, both positive and negative, it all boils down to 2 years. I also don’t plan on returning to Texas when I move back, so I have to set up a whole new life in a completely different city.
So here is what I’ve started looking into for our return. I don’t have an answer for most of these – honestly I have more questions than answers at this point – but just food for thought (and my own organizational sanity)…
Timing – if we leave Japan at the end of July/early August and school starts in the states in early September, how to get him registered for school from half a world away, find a place to live, get a car, a job and insurance, and get all of our stuff from storage in Texas to Seattle. How to travel and enjoy the last few weeks in Japan and still make it back in time to set up a life, adjust to reverse culture shock, Jet-lag and settling in, before the start of the school year.
School registration starts in February in Seattle…
How to logistically get myself to Seattle for a visit to see if it’s really where I want to live permanently before we leave Japan. Pretty sure it is, but I’ve never actually been there, so I want to visit first. My idea is this Christmas holiday, fly from Japan to Texas, drop off C in Texas with my parents, fly to Seattle, spend a few days there and then fly back home to Texas. Spend Christmas with family and then C and I will fly back to Japan. Not exactly a relaxing vacation for me, but I’m not seeing a whole lot of other options. I could break it up into 2 separate trips but that would be so expensive it’s not worth it.
Oh – and what to do with the cat for 2 weeks while we’re visiting home.
How do I fit in everything I want to see and need to do in a few days in Seattle?
How do I register C for school from Japan? There is a school in Seattle that offers a half day Japanese Immersion program that I would love for C to be able to get into, however I won’t be a resident until a few weeks before school starts. Will this program be full by then? And it says that 2nd graders will need to test into the program so they can keep up with the work that is taught in Japanese. When is that test given? Plus it’s in one of the most expensive parts of the city, so basically I’m looking at studio apartments to get us residency status before I can think about looking for a more spacious place.
There is talk about the school potentially becoming an open enrollment school (anyone living anywhere in Seattle can attend, not just the local neighborhood kids) however that opens up a whole other set of issues I don’t want to worry about until I have to. If it does become open enrollment, there is the potential for a lottery system if too may people apply to get in. On the other hand, we could live in a cheaper area of seattle….
How quickly can I find a job so I can fill out a rental agreement and afford said studio apartment? Or better yet, is it possible to have a job set up when we arrive in Seattle?
How am I going to make a studio apartment work with a three bedroom house’s worth of stuff, a kid and a cat??!! Even if it’s just short term….
How to I physically move stuff from Texas to Seattle? How much will it cost to hire someone to help me get all my stuff to Seattle and move it into my apartment?
Is it possible to not need a car (at least for the short term) in Seattle? Depending on where my job is in relation to where we live, maybe bike and bus are options.
After school care – where/what is available and can I reserve a spot for C before establishing residency? How much is it and can I afford it?
Insurance!!! Good gracious! Insurance is a huge question – even if it is temporary or private insurance and with the new rules for Obama-care how does all that stuff work? (please keep political comments to yourself)
Culture shock – how do I do all of this and help C through reverse culture shock while probably dealing with it myself. At least when we moved to Japan I had a week before C arrived to set up everything, get utilities, a phone, etc established….In Seattle, I won’t have that time to get things established before C arrives.
And…how will he react? He reverted to a screaming 2 year old for a little while when we moved to Japan because of the stress of the move and new school. Now he’s back to his usual sweet self, but how will his behavior be affected upon our return? I think we’re both going to be exhausted the first few months back.
Money – how much is this all going to cost and can we travel and enjoy Japan while still saving enough to make it through (with some emergency savings) another international move?
Seattle is much more expensive than Texas. What is the cost of living and how do I know my potential salary is fair and how much do I need to be asking for based on my experience and work history?
How will my 2 years in Japan negatively affect my chances of getting a good job in my field quickly? Also, with few contacts in Seattle, I don’t have a network of co-workers to ask around for job openings like I do in Texas…
Positive things about moving to Seattle are:
I have a friend in Seattle who can show me around and works in the same field, so they may be able to help me find a job
I am quite certain it’s ‘where I belong’
I love the rain!
It’s a big city for design and advertising, so I’m hoping finding a job won’t take too long. Even if it’s just freelance for a little while, I can deal with that.
Farmer’s Market!!!!
Coffee!!!
Larger Japanese community and immersion school for C
It’s quite daunting when I try to think about it. Even more so than moving to Japan where housing was already set up for me, someone was here making sure the utilities were scheduled to be turned on the day I moved in, I had a job and insurance lined up, and C was already enrolled in daycare. Though there were a lot of stressful unknowns moving to Japan, there are just as many if not more unknowns about moving back. At least I will know how to go about getting things done, and I can speak the language. Plus my friends and family will still be far away, but much closer than now if I need to ask for help or advice.
...and this is why I plan things so far in advance!
So here is what I’ve started looking into for our return. I don’t have an answer for most of these – honestly I have more questions than answers at this point – but just food for thought (and my own organizational sanity)…
Timing – if we leave Japan at the end of July/early August and school starts in the states in early September, how to get him registered for school from half a world away, find a place to live, get a car, a job and insurance, and get all of our stuff from storage in Texas to Seattle. How to travel and enjoy the last few weeks in Japan and still make it back in time to set up a life, adjust to reverse culture shock, Jet-lag and settling in, before the start of the school year.
School registration starts in February in Seattle…
How to logistically get myself to Seattle for a visit to see if it’s really where I want to live permanently before we leave Japan. Pretty sure it is, but I’ve never actually been there, so I want to visit first. My idea is this Christmas holiday, fly from Japan to Texas, drop off C in Texas with my parents, fly to Seattle, spend a few days there and then fly back home to Texas. Spend Christmas with family and then C and I will fly back to Japan. Not exactly a relaxing vacation for me, but I’m not seeing a whole lot of other options. I could break it up into 2 separate trips but that would be so expensive it’s not worth it.
Oh – and what to do with the cat for 2 weeks while we’re visiting home.
How do I fit in everything I want to see and need to do in a few days in Seattle?
How do I register C for school from Japan? There is a school in Seattle that offers a half day Japanese Immersion program that I would love for C to be able to get into, however I won’t be a resident until a few weeks before school starts. Will this program be full by then? And it says that 2nd graders will need to test into the program so they can keep up with the work that is taught in Japanese. When is that test given? Plus it’s in one of the most expensive parts of the city, so basically I’m looking at studio apartments to get us residency status before I can think about looking for a more spacious place.
There is talk about the school potentially becoming an open enrollment school (anyone living anywhere in Seattle can attend, not just the local neighborhood kids) however that opens up a whole other set of issues I don’t want to worry about until I have to. If it does become open enrollment, there is the potential for a lottery system if too may people apply to get in. On the other hand, we could live in a cheaper area of seattle….
How quickly can I find a job so I can fill out a rental agreement and afford said studio apartment? Or better yet, is it possible to have a job set up when we arrive in Seattle?
How am I going to make a studio apartment work with a three bedroom house’s worth of stuff, a kid and a cat??!! Even if it’s just short term….
How to I physically move stuff from Texas to Seattle? How much will it cost to hire someone to help me get all my stuff to Seattle and move it into my apartment?
Is it possible to not need a car (at least for the short term) in Seattle? Depending on where my job is in relation to where we live, maybe bike and bus are options.
After school care – where/what is available and can I reserve a spot for C before establishing residency? How much is it and can I afford it?
Insurance!!! Good gracious! Insurance is a huge question – even if it is temporary or private insurance and with the new rules for Obama-care how does all that stuff work? (please keep political comments to yourself)
Culture shock – how do I do all of this and help C through reverse culture shock while probably dealing with it myself. At least when we moved to Japan I had a week before C arrived to set up everything, get utilities, a phone, etc established….In Seattle, I won’t have that time to get things established before C arrives.
And…how will he react? He reverted to a screaming 2 year old for a little while when we moved to Japan because of the stress of the move and new school. Now he’s back to his usual sweet self, but how will his behavior be affected upon our return? I think we’re both going to be exhausted the first few months back.
Money – how much is this all going to cost and can we travel and enjoy Japan while still saving enough to make it through (with some emergency savings) another international move?
Seattle is much more expensive than Texas. What is the cost of living and how do I know my potential salary is fair and how much do I need to be asking for based on my experience and work history?
How will my 2 years in Japan negatively affect my chances of getting a good job in my field quickly? Also, with few contacts in Seattle, I don’t have a network of co-workers to ask around for job openings like I do in Texas…
Positive things about moving to Seattle are:
I have a friend in Seattle who can show me around and works in the same field, so they may be able to help me find a job
I am quite certain it’s ‘where I belong’
I love the rain!
It’s a big city for design and advertising, so I’m hoping finding a job won’t take too long. Even if it’s just freelance for a little while, I can deal with that.
Farmer’s Market!!!!
Coffee!!!
Larger Japanese community and immersion school for C
It’s quite daunting when I try to think about it. Even more so than moving to Japan where housing was already set up for me, someone was here making sure the utilities were scheduled to be turned on the day I moved in, I had a job and insurance lined up, and C was already enrolled in daycare. Though there were a lot of stressful unknowns moving to Japan, there are just as many if not more unknowns about moving back. At least I will know how to go about getting things done, and I can speak the language. Plus my friends and family will still be far away, but much closer than now if I need to ask for help or advice.
...and this is why I plan things so far in advance!
Homeschooling
Following my lengthy post on school enrollment, I thought I’d share some of the things I do with my son to keep him caught up with American school. These are just my methods, there is no right or wrong way to teach a child - do whatever works for your family.
Basically – I concentrate on English reading, writing and spelling. If we have time we do either: math, science, or geography. Usually it’s during lunch on Sunday, and weather permitting we’ll go on a picnic to the park and do lessons with a round of running around in-between. Also, just to keep it interesting – on days the weather isn’t so nice, sometimes we’ll go out to eat lunch and study there.
As always – Pinterest is a great source for teaching ideas and materials.
There are also many online homeschooling resources for parents. And lots of free printable worksheets floating around on the internet.
We brought with us a big (and very heavy) workbook. I got it at Barnes & Noble, it’s called ‘Complete Curriculum’ – first grade. It has different sections for reading, spelling, math, and Language arts. Every weekend we do one chapter from each section…but if we are running short on time I just concentrate on reading and English.
Sight word flash cards – I downloaded a list of required sight words from my local ISD in the USA and we’ve been working on those words. Sometimes we just use them as flash cards, but other times, I’ll have him race to slap the word before I can, or make some other type of game out of it…just to keep it fun. I will start adding more words as soon as C has mastered the basic Kindergarten and 1st grade list.
Reading stories – of course we read stories before bed every night. I pick a book for C to read to me, and he picks a book for me to read to him. We usually read for 20-30 minutes before bedtime.
I’ve started having C write and draw stories – you can download story paper (ie. Half blank, half with writing lines) online…we just print it out and staple it together…we also mail some of them to a friend who is the same age to help him read and write as well…and get some in return. ;) the boys love getting each others stories.
Highlights magazine – YES! They ship internationally!!! Every 2 months C gets a new magazine in the mail of stories and activities. This is part of C’s Christmas present every year from family.
Spelling – We use ABC letters to spell words (we have wooden ones, but they could be made out of anything). They just make it more of an activity and more hands on, than just writing out the words. We start with sight words and will build from there.
I also brought over rolls of change and a few small bills to help C to learn to count American money – nightmare to get through airport security!!! If I did it over again I’d probably just use fake money – or print out and laminate photos when I got to Japan. Though I thought it would be important to use real money, so he got used to counting real money. I admit – I’ve been lax on this lesson.
As for science – I just try to use everyday activities to teach science. Cooking dinner or baking something – I’ll ask C ‘what do you think will happen when I add ingredient A to ingredient B?’ Then we will see if his ‘hypothesis’ was correct or not. Simple stuff…nothing elaborate. If we are baking muffins or whatever I’ll ask him how batter changes when we add heat. Also – will it sink or float in the bathtub is a science activity. There are lots of ways to introducing science without a planned out lesson.
Math – I’m not so worried about C learning math, because he will learn it in Japanese school as well. We do simple activities if we have time, if not we skip it.
Geography – I haven’t really done any sort of geography lesson as of yet. I’m honestly not sure what kind of geography kids learn in first grade. I’m also not as worried about this, though now I think maybe I should incorporate a little lesson into this week’s homeschooling session…
Basically – I concentrate on English reading, writing and spelling. If we have time we do either: math, science, or geography. Usually it’s during lunch on Sunday, and weather permitting we’ll go on a picnic to the park and do lessons with a round of running around in-between. Also, just to keep it interesting – on days the weather isn’t so nice, sometimes we’ll go out to eat lunch and study there.
As always – Pinterest is a great source for teaching ideas and materials.
There are also many online homeschooling resources for parents. And lots of free printable worksheets floating around on the internet.
We brought with us a big (and very heavy) workbook. I got it at Barnes & Noble, it’s called ‘Complete Curriculum’ – first grade. It has different sections for reading, spelling, math, and Language arts. Every weekend we do one chapter from each section…but if we are running short on time I just concentrate on reading and English.
Sight word flash cards – I downloaded a list of required sight words from my local ISD in the USA and we’ve been working on those words. Sometimes we just use them as flash cards, but other times, I’ll have him race to slap the word before I can, or make some other type of game out of it…just to keep it fun. I will start adding more words as soon as C has mastered the basic Kindergarten and 1st grade list.
Reading stories – of course we read stories before bed every night. I pick a book for C to read to me, and he picks a book for me to read to him. We usually read for 20-30 minutes before bedtime.
I’ve started having C write and draw stories – you can download story paper (ie. Half blank, half with writing lines) online…we just print it out and staple it together…we also mail some of them to a friend who is the same age to help him read and write as well…and get some in return. ;) the boys love getting each others stories.
Highlights magazine – YES! They ship internationally!!! Every 2 months C gets a new magazine in the mail of stories and activities. This is part of C’s Christmas present every year from family.
Spelling – We use ABC letters to spell words (we have wooden ones, but they could be made out of anything). They just make it more of an activity and more hands on, than just writing out the words. We start with sight words and will build from there.
I also brought over rolls of change and a few small bills to help C to learn to count American money – nightmare to get through airport security!!! If I did it over again I’d probably just use fake money – or print out and laminate photos when I got to Japan. Though I thought it would be important to use real money, so he got used to counting real money. I admit – I’ve been lax on this lesson.
As for science – I just try to use everyday activities to teach science. Cooking dinner or baking something – I’ll ask C ‘what do you think will happen when I add ingredient A to ingredient B?’ Then we will see if his ‘hypothesis’ was correct or not. Simple stuff…nothing elaborate. If we are baking muffins or whatever I’ll ask him how batter changes when we add heat. Also – will it sink or float in the bathtub is a science activity. There are lots of ways to introducing science without a planned out lesson.
Math – I’m not so worried about C learning math, because he will learn it in Japanese school as well. We do simple activities if we have time, if not we skip it.
Geography – I haven’t really done any sort of geography lesson as of yet. I’m honestly not sure what kind of geography kids learn in first grade. I’m also not as worried about this, though now I think maybe I should incorporate a little lesson into this week’s homeschooling session…
Enrolling C in Elementary School
EISD…I know, I hated that phrase so much when I was getting ready to move to Japan. But it really is true. Nobody can give you a magical answer, as much as we wish they could. So here is my experience with elementary school enrollment.
C will start first grade this April in Japan. So, a few months after we moved in, we had to go to the city hall to fill out a registration form. Someone in this department spoke some English, so all in all, very easy to do on my own. I went on a Tuesday evening since the city hall stays open till 7 on Tuesdays in my city.
You will get a postcard in the mail telling you which local school your child will attend. It will be all in Japanese, except my child’s name was printed in Romanji, so after a little help translating I understood where he would go to school. I was told to take the card to the elementary school, so I took it to the elementary school, but I’m not really sure I was supposed to because nothing happened after that. They just nodded and said okay, said hi to C and we were on our way – so I’m still not sure if I was supposed to take it to the school or not…
1st meeting - You will get another postcard notifying you of the introductory meeting/health check. Most all elementary school meetings are held during working hours…I know, it sucks…but しょうがない (it can’t be helped)…because this is Japan where (generally) mothers don’t work. It’s very difficult to be a full-time working mother in Japan. Anyway…back on topic…the intro meeting lasts about 3 hours. The kids go off with the elementary school kids and teachers for a health-check (I warned C that this was going to happen so he wouldn’t get scared) but it’s not a big deal if your child wants you to go with, several of the Japanese kids wouldn’t go without their mothers…and unless you speak Japnese, you won’t understand most of the parent lecture anyways. I didn’t, I sat and listened, looked at the papers the other parents were looking at and didn’t understand most of what was going on. ;) fun times. There was a pause at the end of the presentation and many of the mothers ran (literally ran!) to a table set up on the side of the room and the nice lady behind the table was handing out packets of forms to fill out. I sat confused for a moment before I realized they were probably signing up for after-school care…then I semi-panicked and ran over to the table too. She gave me a packet and after it was clear I had no idea what was going on, she called a teacher over who spoke English and I was able to sign up for the after-school care program. The thing about it is, it’s done based on need, similar to hoikuen. So for me, I was at the top of the list because there is nobody else to care for my son…however, depending on your situation, you may or may not get a spot in the after-school care program. Unfortunately there is a huge deficit of child-care in Japan right now.
Meeting 2 – this was for the after-school care program (thank goodness it was on a Saturday!). I went with C and with the help of my limited Japanese, the program teachers limited English and translations on smart phones, we managed pretty well. I got a big packet of papers - I don’t know what it is exactly…
Meeting 3 – My JTE tells me that the after-school program teacher has called her and asked that we attend another meeting together with all the parents. Yet another information session, I’m not sure why it couldn’t have been all rolled into one…but it’s not… So, this one is on a Saturday as well, the after-school program is good about scheduling meetings outside of working hours at least. However it happens to be Graduation day at my base school...anyway we work out another day to meet. I felt bad that my JTE had to give up part of her Saturday to help me, but I didn’t have much of a choice. Basically this meeting was covering the rules, costs and supplies C would need for the after-school care. This meeting took 3 hours and then there was coffee/tea and snack afterwards. It was a nice gesture of hospitality, so please don’t get me wrong when I say….why did it have to take 3 hours?? I don’t know! It could have easily been done in an hour in my opinion…
Meeting 4 – This is another elementary school meeting where you order school supplies, uniforms, etc…You will get an order form in the mail. This meeting is during the week and lasts 3-4 hours. Depending on your school you may or may not have uniforms (most elementary schools in Japan do not), C’s does. So – there are 2 copies of each order form, I thought one was for my use, one to turn in, so I translated and wrote all over one copy, but…apparently not, the school needs both. oops!. You need to fill out both copies and then the school will make another copy. ?? I don’t know why so many copies are needed. C’s elementary school actually had a translator from the local BOE come out to help me for this meeting which was amazingly thoughtful of them. The kids went off and explored the school, sat in a classroom for a bit while the parents were told about the school supplies (the ones not listed on the order forms) that each child would need. Let me tell you – they are extensive!!! I’ve got a running excel documents of school expenses that I will upload once I have completed school supply shopping. There will also be vendors there from the uniform companies with samples so your kid can try on the Jackets, hats, shorts, gym uniform, etc…and you can order the right size Aside from the uniform itself, pretty much everything else can be found at a local store…I’ve notated this on that excel file I mentioned. The biggest thing I need to mention here is ORDER THE PRE-PRINTED NAME STICKERS!!! Everything – down to every little counting chip and dice in the math set (which has probably 200 pcs) – has to have your child’s name on it. EVERYTHING!! Each crayon, the box lid and base, Every pencil, eraser…etc…it’s pretty intense. You do not want to have to write your child’s name that many times, on teeny tiny little stickers. There will be certain things you must order from the school – for example, the uniform and that math set I mentioned above. But check Amazon or your local store for the other stuff, I’ve found it’s usually cheaper. A lot of the small things can be purchased at the ¥100 store. I did not have to pay for the ordered school supplies at this point in time. This was also the meeting where I met another parent who speaks English fluently and she offered to help me out if I had any questions! Hurray! She even asked the principle if her child and mine could be in the same class. Double hurray!!!
Meeting 5 – ** Update - yes, this took about 10 minutes and it was just pay and pickup the items we had ordered.
This meeting is next week – so I will update this post after I have attended it, but I have been told it is a ‘shopping day’ from 3-4 pm. From what I understand this is the day that we pay and pick up all the things we ordered from meeting 4. This is also during the week – but luckily, it happens to be a test day at my school, so I have been told that if I come in an hour early it won’t be a problem to leave an hour early. My nenkyuu is in short supply, and what I do have left is needed for C’s entrance ceremony and graduation from daycare ceremony.
****NOTE: I have been told by a Japanese mother that I need a white suit for the elementary entrance ceremony (only 1st grade mom’s need a white suit) – I found one at the department store but it was ¥10,200 yen!! (three pieces; cropped jacket, white skirt, black dress). Surprisingly it’s very cute, but expensive for a suit I will have little occasion to wear again. I expected the suit, because it’s a formal occasion, but I did not know it had to be white…so consider yourself forewarned!! You will see a whole section of white suits in the department stores starting in February or so. They will probably not be for sale after mid-march, so it is best to get one while you can…also they come in a limited number of sizes on the rack, so you may have to shop around a bit depending on your body type.
The children (if they have uniforms) wear their uniforms for the entrance ceremony – however, if your school does not have uniforms, the child is expected to wear a suit, or formal dress - so I’ve been told. Please be sure to ask someone what the appropriate dress code is, because it is likely that nobody will think to mention it since it is common cultural knowledge to the Japanese. Another unexpected expense…
I was very upset to see that most parents were just wearing their black or grey suits....I suggest using the 'gaijin card' in situation such as these because I wasn't happy when I saw that not everyone was in a white suit (like I was told they would be)...however I suppose the silver lining is that I have used the suit more than once for entrance ceremony, photos at school, open school day, and some other days where the dress/jacket was very appropriate...so not a complete waste of money.
**I found it easier to print my own name stickers for all the things C needs at school. First of all, C's name was misspelled on the ones we had ordered, but also, there weren't enough for all the things we had to label. So I printed my own and was able to make lots more stickers. I even added Pokemon because I could and C loves Pokemon! I will try to share the file if I can figure out a way.
C will start first grade this April in Japan. So, a few months after we moved in, we had to go to the city hall to fill out a registration form. Someone in this department spoke some English, so all in all, very easy to do on my own. I went on a Tuesday evening since the city hall stays open till 7 on Tuesdays in my city.
You will get a postcard in the mail telling you which local school your child will attend. It will be all in Japanese, except my child’s name was printed in Romanji, so after a little help translating I understood where he would go to school. I was told to take the card to the elementary school, so I took it to the elementary school, but I’m not really sure I was supposed to because nothing happened after that. They just nodded and said okay, said hi to C and we were on our way – so I’m still not sure if I was supposed to take it to the school or not…
1st meeting - You will get another postcard notifying you of the introductory meeting/health check. Most all elementary school meetings are held during working hours…I know, it sucks…but しょうがない (it can’t be helped)…because this is Japan where (generally) mothers don’t work. It’s very difficult to be a full-time working mother in Japan. Anyway…back on topic…the intro meeting lasts about 3 hours. The kids go off with the elementary school kids and teachers for a health-check (I warned C that this was going to happen so he wouldn’t get scared) but it’s not a big deal if your child wants you to go with, several of the Japanese kids wouldn’t go without their mothers…and unless you speak Japnese, you won’t understand most of the parent lecture anyways. I didn’t, I sat and listened, looked at the papers the other parents were looking at and didn’t understand most of what was going on. ;) fun times. There was a pause at the end of the presentation and many of the mothers ran (literally ran!) to a table set up on the side of the room and the nice lady behind the table was handing out packets of forms to fill out. I sat confused for a moment before I realized they were probably signing up for after-school care…then I semi-panicked and ran over to the table too. She gave me a packet and after it was clear I had no idea what was going on, she called a teacher over who spoke English and I was able to sign up for the after-school care program. The thing about it is, it’s done based on need, similar to hoikuen. So for me, I was at the top of the list because there is nobody else to care for my son…however, depending on your situation, you may or may not get a spot in the after-school care program. Unfortunately there is a huge deficit of child-care in Japan right now.
Meeting 2 – this was for the after-school care program (thank goodness it was on a Saturday!). I went with C and with the help of my limited Japanese, the program teachers limited English and translations on smart phones, we managed pretty well. I got a big packet of papers - I don’t know what it is exactly…
Meeting 3 – My JTE tells me that the after-school program teacher has called her and asked that we attend another meeting together with all the parents. Yet another information session, I’m not sure why it couldn’t have been all rolled into one…but it’s not… So, this one is on a Saturday as well, the after-school program is good about scheduling meetings outside of working hours at least. However it happens to be Graduation day at my base school...anyway we work out another day to meet. I felt bad that my JTE had to give up part of her Saturday to help me, but I didn’t have much of a choice. Basically this meeting was covering the rules, costs and supplies C would need for the after-school care. This meeting took 3 hours and then there was coffee/tea and snack afterwards. It was a nice gesture of hospitality, so please don’t get me wrong when I say….why did it have to take 3 hours?? I don’t know! It could have easily been done in an hour in my opinion…
Meeting 4 – This is another elementary school meeting where you order school supplies, uniforms, etc…You will get an order form in the mail. This meeting is during the week and lasts 3-4 hours. Depending on your school you may or may not have uniforms (most elementary schools in Japan do not), C’s does. So – there are 2 copies of each order form, I thought one was for my use, one to turn in, so I translated and wrote all over one copy, but…apparently not, the school needs both. oops!. You need to fill out both copies and then the school will make another copy. ?? I don’t know why so many copies are needed. C’s elementary school actually had a translator from the local BOE come out to help me for this meeting which was amazingly thoughtful of them. The kids went off and explored the school, sat in a classroom for a bit while the parents were told about the school supplies (the ones not listed on the order forms) that each child would need. Let me tell you – they are extensive!!! I’ve got a running excel documents of school expenses that I will upload once I have completed school supply shopping. There will also be vendors there from the uniform companies with samples so your kid can try on the Jackets, hats, shorts, gym uniform, etc…and you can order the right size Aside from the uniform itself, pretty much everything else can be found at a local store…I’ve notated this on that excel file I mentioned. The biggest thing I need to mention here is ORDER THE PRE-PRINTED NAME STICKERS!!! Everything – down to every little counting chip and dice in the math set (which has probably 200 pcs) – has to have your child’s name on it. EVERYTHING!! Each crayon, the box lid and base, Every pencil, eraser…etc…it’s pretty intense. You do not want to have to write your child’s name that many times, on teeny tiny little stickers. There will be certain things you must order from the school – for example, the uniform and that math set I mentioned above. But check Amazon or your local store for the other stuff, I’ve found it’s usually cheaper. A lot of the small things can be purchased at the ¥100 store. I did not have to pay for the ordered school supplies at this point in time. This was also the meeting where I met another parent who speaks English fluently and she offered to help me out if I had any questions! Hurray! She even asked the principle if her child and mine could be in the same class. Double hurray!!!
Meeting 5 – ** Update - yes, this took about 10 minutes and it was just pay and pickup the items we had ordered.
This meeting is next week – so I will update this post after I have attended it, but I have been told it is a ‘shopping day’ from 3-4 pm. From what I understand this is the day that we pay and pick up all the things we ordered from meeting 4. This is also during the week – but luckily, it happens to be a test day at my school, so I have been told that if I come in an hour early it won’t be a problem to leave an hour early. My nenkyuu is in short supply, and what I do have left is needed for C’s entrance ceremony and graduation from daycare ceremony.
****NOTE: I have been told by a Japanese mother that I need a white suit for the elementary entrance ceremony (only 1st grade mom’s need a white suit) – I found one at the department store but it was ¥10,200 yen!! (three pieces; cropped jacket, white skirt, black dress). Surprisingly it’s very cute, but expensive for a suit I will have little occasion to wear again. I expected the suit, because it’s a formal occasion, but I did not know it had to be white…so consider yourself forewarned!! You will see a whole section of white suits in the department stores starting in February or so. They will probably not be for sale after mid-march, so it is best to get one while you can…also they come in a limited number of sizes on the rack, so you may have to shop around a bit depending on your body type.
The children (if they have uniforms) wear their uniforms for the entrance ceremony – however, if your school does not have uniforms, the child is expected to wear a suit, or formal dress - so I’ve been told. Please be sure to ask someone what the appropriate dress code is, because it is likely that nobody will think to mention it since it is common cultural knowledge to the Japanese. Another unexpected expense…
I was very upset to see that most parents were just wearing their black or grey suits....I suggest using the 'gaijin card' in situation such as these because I wasn't happy when I saw that not everyone was in a white suit (like I was told they would be)...however I suppose the silver lining is that I have used the suit more than once for entrance ceremony, photos at school, open school day, and some other days where the dress/jacket was very appropriate...so not a complete waste of money.
**I found it easier to print my own name stickers for all the things C needs at school. First of all, C's name was misspelled on the ones we had ordered, but also, there weren't enough for all the things we had to label. So I printed my own and was able to make lots more stickers. I even added Pokemon because I could and C loves Pokemon! I will try to share the file if I can figure out a way.
Making it a home....
On a lighter note….I wanted to take a moment and tell you all how I’ve made the transition as easy as possible for myself and C and made our little apartment in Japan into a home. It takes time, but if you’re crafty this post will be for you! I love Pinterest, so feel free to follow me – I have several boards just for Japan.
First, before we even arrived in Japan, I shipped over a poster and some removable wall stickers for my son’s room of his favorite characters. I also brought a twin sheet set, which fits his Japanese futon, but in retrospect, too much trouble to be worth it…I don’t recommend it.
After we got to Japan, C and I went to Nitori (like a Japanese Ikea) and we bought new bedding; futon duvet, and duvet cover. I also purchased some shelves and things to give us much needed storage space in the kitchen. I made some cheap sofa pillows from felt shapes and basic pillow covers from Nitori as well. Felt is a great material – cheap, colorful and easy to work with. You can either just glue it onto the pillow cover with regular white glue or you can sew it on. I did both because I have a child and a cat running around and jumping on the sofa. You can get multi-packs or big rolls of felt at Daiso (￥100 store). Daiso is great for cheap ways to decorate your home. They have a lot of seasonal things as well.
As for artwork, I just printed out a bunch of images that I found on Pinterest and taped them to the wall. Nothing fancy, but they are colorful and fun. We ended up buying a printer/scanner, but you could easily take the images on a thumbdrive to the combini to print them out. We have added some of our own photos and artwork (mostly C’s drawings of pokemon) to the collage.
The only hard thing to find was good Christmas decorations. The best selection we found was at Nitori, though I’ve heard that IKEA and Costco are good as well – they just are not very close to us so we haven’t ever been there. We bought a 5ft tree at Nitori, but lights and ornaments (cheap plastic ones) were SO expensive!!! We hit the after Christmas sales in America while we were home for the holidays and shipped some lights back to use next Christmas. We also hosted a craft party where we made our own ornaments from felt, saltwater dough, origami, and other things. This year I plan on doing the same, it was really fun and everyone went home with a few ornaments made by others as well as their own. We also made cut paper snowflakes to hang in the windows and from the ceiling. Our elf on a shelf also followed us to Japan – what a clever elf! His name is Cramden, and C was so excited to see him on the first day of December. He had to call his grandma and grandpa in America that morning to tell them all about it. Luckily, it worked out with the time difference (and a little forewarning from myself) so they were able to answer the skype call at 5 pm! Little things make all the difference, especially keeping special traditions the same in both countries.
So my favorite places to find things are definitely Nitori and the ￥100 store, Pinterest is my favorite source of inspiration, there are so many things to try! Now just to find the time….
First, before we even arrived in Japan, I shipped over a poster and some removable wall stickers for my son’s room of his favorite characters. I also brought a twin sheet set, which fits his Japanese futon, but in retrospect, too much trouble to be worth it…I don’t recommend it.
After we got to Japan, C and I went to Nitori (like a Japanese Ikea) and we bought new bedding; futon duvet, and duvet cover. I also purchased some shelves and things to give us much needed storage space in the kitchen. I made some cheap sofa pillows from felt shapes and basic pillow covers from Nitori as well. Felt is a great material – cheap, colorful and easy to work with. You can either just glue it onto the pillow cover with regular white glue or you can sew it on. I did both because I have a child and a cat running around and jumping on the sofa. You can get multi-packs or big rolls of felt at Daiso (￥100 store). Daiso is great for cheap ways to decorate your home. They have a lot of seasonal things as well.
As for artwork, I just printed out a bunch of images that I found on Pinterest and taped them to the wall. Nothing fancy, but they are colorful and fun. We ended up buying a printer/scanner, but you could easily take the images on a thumbdrive to the combini to print them out. We have added some of our own photos and artwork (mostly C’s drawings of pokemon) to the collage.
The only hard thing to find was good Christmas decorations. The best selection we found was at Nitori, though I’ve heard that IKEA and Costco are good as well – they just are not very close to us so we haven’t ever been there. We bought a 5ft tree at Nitori, but lights and ornaments (cheap plastic ones) were SO expensive!!! We hit the after Christmas sales in America while we were home for the holidays and shipped some lights back to use next Christmas. We also hosted a craft party where we made our own ornaments from felt, saltwater dough, origami, and other things. This year I plan on doing the same, it was really fun and everyone went home with a few ornaments made by others as well as their own. We also made cut paper snowflakes to hang in the windows and from the ceiling. Our elf on a shelf also followed us to Japan – what a clever elf! His name is Cramden, and C was so excited to see him on the first day of December. He had to call his grandma and grandpa in America that morning to tell them all about it. Luckily, it worked out with the time difference (and a little forewarning from myself) so they were able to answer the skype call at 5 pm! Little things make all the difference, especially keeping special traditions the same in both countries.
So my favorite places to find things are definitely Nitori and the ￥100 store, Pinterest is my favorite source of inspiration, there are so many things to try! Now just to find the time….
On an Even Keel
From January 2014 -
Well - it's been six months since we moved to Japan and we've finally completely settled in and it's feeling like home. It took about four months for us to get to the point where we could start getting out and exploring Okayama. Everyday wasn't exhausting and we were able to enjoy exploring our city. We have found so many cool places now, and every weekend we find somewhere new.
In December we got C signed up for piano lessons and I've just figured out how to rent a piano for him to practice. You can go online to the Yamaha website and rent any sort of instrument. It has to be done online, and through the wonders of Google Translate you can fill out the rental agreement form and have them deliver an instrument right to your house. I'll let you know if I experience any hiccups in the process, but so far, other than the time spent translating the form, it's been a pretty easy process.
C just had his 6th birthday which was fun, but pretty low-key. It was on a weekday, so we both had school. I gave him a scooter - but what he really wanted was a bicycle. Kids bikes are just so expensive in Japan! They are 1.5 to 2 times the price of an adults bike, it just doesn't make sense! I made him a strawberry cake - his request - and it was really delicious! It was nice to find a recipe that used real ingredients instead of strawberry Jello or anything like that. I put some pokemon figures on top of the cake and he loved it.
Even though Okayama is the sunniest prefecture in Japan, the winter is getting me down a bit. The cold is getting to me. There just isn't any escaping it. It's cold outside, biking to school and work...and it's cold inside the apartment until I have the heater on for a bit...and even then, it just takes the chill away, it's never truly central-air kind of warm. I also can't believe how much I've been eating! Just keeping warm my body has been burning through calories so quickly! There are days when I just want to crawl under the kotatsu and stay there. Laundry takes a day or 2 to dry which makes me have to plan out when to do laundry even more. I was only semi-joking with my mom the other day when I said that my first thought on waking up on Saturday morning is 'I have to get the laundry out to dry!' ... otherwise it isn't dry by Monday.
Pre-Christmas was a bit rough for everyone. It's probably always tough for foreigners living in a country that doesn't really celebrate Christmas, I was homesick for all the activities of Christmas preparations, and really - just the 'magic' of the season was missing. However we were lucky enough to be able to go home for Christmas for a long visit, and it was great. Completely refreshed me, and I felt so relieved and relaxed upon coming back to Japan. When we returned, it also felt like we were really coming home for the first time, which was a nice feeling as well.
Well - it's been six months since we moved to Japan and we've finally completely settled in and it's feeling like home. It took about four months for us to get to the point where we could start getting out and exploring Okayama. Everyday wasn't exhausting and we were able to enjoy exploring our city. We have found so many cool places now, and every weekend we find somewhere new.
In December we got C signed up for piano lessons and I've just figured out how to rent a piano for him to practice. You can go online to the Yamaha website and rent any sort of instrument. It has to be done online, and through the wonders of Google Translate you can fill out the rental agreement form and have them deliver an instrument right to your house. I'll let you know if I experience any hiccups in the process, but so far, other than the time spent translating the form, it's been a pretty easy process.
C just had his 6th birthday which was fun, but pretty low-key. It was on a weekday, so we both had school. I gave him a scooter - but what he really wanted was a bicycle. Kids bikes are just so expensive in Japan! They are 1.5 to 2 times the price of an adults bike, it just doesn't make sense! I made him a strawberry cake - his request - and it was really delicious! It was nice to find a recipe that used real ingredients instead of strawberry Jello or anything like that. I put some pokemon figures on top of the cake and he loved it.
Even though Okayama is the sunniest prefecture in Japan, the winter is getting me down a bit. The cold is getting to me. There just isn't any escaping it. It's cold outside, biking to school and work...and it's cold inside the apartment until I have the heater on for a bit...and even then, it just takes the chill away, it's never truly central-air kind of warm. I also can't believe how much I've been eating! Just keeping warm my body has been burning through calories so quickly! There are days when I just want to crawl under the kotatsu and stay there. Laundry takes a day or 2 to dry which makes me have to plan out when to do laundry even more. I was only semi-joking with my mom the other day when I said that my first thought on waking up on Saturday morning is 'I have to get the laundry out to dry!' ... otherwise it isn't dry by Monday.
Pre-Christmas was a bit rough for everyone. It's probably always tough for foreigners living in a country that doesn't really celebrate Christmas, I was homesick for all the activities of Christmas preparations, and really - just the 'magic' of the season was missing. However we were lucky enough to be able to go home for Christmas for a long visit, and it was great. Completely refreshed me, and I felt so relieved and relaxed upon coming back to Japan. When we returned, it also felt like we were really coming home for the first time, which was a nice feeling as well.
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