Ryan
Chasing greatness

Somehow, even though we rarely make plans, we always wind up doing something on the weekends.  Mami had called us to see if we wanted to eat dinner together and watch Prison Break with her.  We love Mami so we said we’d love too.  Sometime Saturday Mami called and said that instead we were all going to a BBQ held by our company’s owner.

Now, we know the owners and they know us.  I wouldn’t say we are friends or anything like that, just sort of like professionally friendly.  So we were surprised that they invited us to their home for a cookout.

It took roughly 11 months and 2 weeks for us to eat arguably the best meal in the country.  Turns out that the owner is also a professional chef.  It showed.  I ate until I was full.  Then I ate more.  About the time I felt sick I slackened my pace, but I didn’t stop.

Jim also came back to Japan today.  His job ran out in March and returned back to America in late April.  Since Greg went to Vietnam to see his new daughter being born, that left MES in a pickle.  So they paid for Jim’s ticket and he is back.  He essentially had a 2.5 week vacation at home.

Today, Sunday, we went to a theme park with Ayumi and her family.  Megan and Ayumi are like mother and daughter, but I have never really spent any time with Ayumi or her family.  So we went to a place called, “Little World.”

This is really a “Theme park.”  It has small areas in a park that are each themed around one country’s building style.  There were a lot more countries than any of us anticipated.  We got to this place around 11:30AM and left the park at 5PM.  I have a bit of a sunburn, Megan can barely keep her eyes open, and Ayumi’s family received a brief education on the beauty of wheat beer, skype, and pirated Nintendo DS games.

Thats really all I have to offer anyone.

I’m too tired to go into any details about the small things that made this weekend as great as it was, but it was really great.

I haven’t written in a while.  Mostly because there hasn’t really been a whole lot to say.

Actually that is only half true.

Greg left MES and us on Thursday, April  30th.  If anyone who reads this has ever known someone that has been so amazingly brilliant, not only at their job, but also in life, then you know how hard it is to say, “Good bye.”  I’ll be the first to admit that I never anticipated being a teacher.  I knew teaching English in Japan was my best ticket to live in Japan and see down the side streets and darker ally’s that tourists’ gazes cannot reach.  I became a teacher to live that dream, and I have  succeeded.

I never would have expected to find a role-model here.  He was Greg.

You could get into the entire destiny debate.  Argue if people are born for a task or not.  Greg is an artist an born teacher.  Anyone who meets him would unhesitatingly say so.  However, he returned to Vietnam to be with his family and new daughter.  I can only wish him the best.

I can only look back on the lessons I have learned and the great memories I have had.

All of that being said, it is, “Golden Week.”  This is the public holiday that all of Japan has.  Of course travel is marked up outrageously because of that very reason.  We have opted to stay in and pack.  We have learned the lesson of our predecessors, which is, “Don’t wait until the last minute to pack up.”

I have already prepared a box to send home with clothes, a sleeping bag, and a Nintendo 64 with 8 games an 4 controllers.  Yes, the nerd exists, and anyone who visits our life-changing place in the states can sample video games they remember, in Japanese.

Megan is taking on this task of cleaning and packing with absolute dedication.  As long as a new episode of Desperate Housewives isn’t buffering.  I, myself, have other goals.  First, to finish my stupid Zombie video game.  As it stands, I have a city generator.  My second goal is to finish, “The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass.”  If I don’t finish it, I’ll forget it.  Anyone who plays RPGs will know how much of a pain in the ass that is.

Anyway, I haven’t written because I didn’t know what to write about Greg leaving.  I also didn’t know what to write about our leaving.  I still don’t.  

All I can say is that he will be missed.  Forever.  Really.

Okay. So as of April 18th 2009 I have been married to the most wonderful person in the world. That wonderful person just burped and farted at me.

No regrets.

She’ll probably yell at me for writing that, and for not writing an entire entry just about my love an devotion to her, but she’ll hear the same response as always, “Low expectations.”

All of that being said, my Dad will be returning home tomorrow. He has been wonderful to have around. He has seen both a personal and traditional side of Japan without too much stomach problems.

I will say I have had a great time with him and our last month here working will be more memorable now that he has been here.

Its about time I got off my butt and fixed some pictures.

Really, what happened was that I wake up early to hang out with my Dad, so I have lots of time to kill.

Anyway, I have edited some pictures from Hiroshima, Thailand, and Sakura. Check it out.

So my dad arrived safely at around 8PM on Friday night. Moments before we left to go pick him up at the train station everyone at work had broken into a chorus of the “Tanuki” schoolyard song.

Tan Tan Tanuki
No kintama wa
Kaze mo nai no ni
Bura Bura

“Ra ra racoon dog’s
Big golden balls
Even when there is no wind
They sway to and fro”

The next morning we woke up early and took my dad for a Morning set. Basically the Gifu area is famous for giving you free breakfast with your coffee. It was quite nice.

We then saw everything Gifu had to offer before lunch. We went to the park and saw the “Silver Army” getting ready with their war banners. They were going to clean the park. Retired people have been mobilized.

We took the ropeway up to the castle and saw all of Gifu’s majesty. That was a great 10 minutes.

By then we headed back to the apartment before going to lunch with Greg. He took us to a great restaurant that served really great sandwiches for Japan. After that Greg took us to Inaba shrine. This is a gorgeous shrine. One of the best I’ve seen in Japan.

He had us walk through the many Tori gates that is there for couples for a good marriage as it was our one year anniversary.

After that we went to the mall to get some souvenirs. We weren’t successful.

When we got back to the apartment my dad and I got ready for the party that night and then rested our eyes for about 20 minutes before going to Nagoya for Jim’s 900th farewell party.

The party was really pretty great. It had great people, unique food (Completely unidentifiable), and an amazing accordion band.

Day one was really quite successful and exhausting.

The next day we took the car and drove to Mino to see the historic streets and see the famous paper crafts. Souvenier shopping was more successful here, but we had started the day off by loosening up our wallets at the grocery store and liquor store.

Know those stupid half cans of soda they sometimes give you on planes, or that annoying girlfriends buy because they are “cute?” Well you can half those again and put beer in them. A 6-pack is 100 yen. I’m not making this up.

He bought that, some pre-mixed Gin & Tonics, a dehydrated squid, and a mystery pack of snacks for his workers.

At the grocery store there were tons of people doing their Sunday shopping. There was quite a large crowd around the seafood section, and the reason why was that they had a whole yellow-fin tuna there. Like 4 feet long. A guy came out, armed with 3 knives. One was a saw blade, one was a large butcher knife, and the final was a 2 foot long katana. He quartered the fish, and then packaged individual portions to order right in front of you. I got some for dinner.

Today, Dad is going to watch one of my lessons. One of my craziest ones. Should be good fun. Tonight for dinner is Yaki-Niku (Grill your own meat!).