The Chiro

I just survived my first trip to a Japanese chiropractor! Yay!!! I had a headache for a couple of weeks, and it was mostly better by the time I managed to find a chiro, but I went anyway in the hope that he could make me all better.

It was quite scary! I got the number from a referral service, so had no recommendations or any idea what he was like or if the Japanese idea of a chiro is anything like the Aussie version. But I went, armed with my Japanese translator (who has never been to the chiro herself). We arrived in good time, and I was a little worried... it smelled like a hospital, and the people looked like doctors and nurses in their little uniforms... I just wanted a neck alignment!!

But it was all good and he seemed to do all the same stuff as the Aussie chiro's, so it felt nice and familiar. And he seemed to know what he was doing. I still have a bit of a headache, but that could be due to my cold and the resulting lack of sleep last night.

So it was all good, and tonight I am about to go to the movies with Valerie, who I haven't seen in ages, so that'll be fun! I'm gonna go get ready now, cuz we're going to Taco Bell for dinner!! Yay!!

Taking it for granted

There's nothing like going without for a short while to make you realise how much you take for granted. On Friday we had no hot water... I did not enjoy my icey cold half-shower that morning! And I refused to wash my hair in it, which meant I spent the rest of the day feeling yuck and self-conscious about it. Hot water... normally I don't even think about it, but not everyone has it. Boy am I glad I do! I really enjoyed my hot shower on Sat morning!

I heard that in Aust the Christmas decorations have been up in the stores for a while now. It's just started here. Halloween & Thanksgiving are over, so everyone is gearing up for Christmas. Not that people get the day off work or really do much to celebrate it, but any excuse to decorate will do!! The autumn leaves displayed everywhere (even in the vending machines!) are coming down and being replaced by 'snow' and christmas lights. So pretty!!! I'll have to redecorate my room, too!

Will be a bit of a strange Christmas for me - my first away from family!! But its on my day off, so I'll go to church, and there will be Nova Christmas parties on both Christmas Eve and Christmas night. And a couple days later... it's off to Thailand!!! Martina and I are using the New Year closing period, heading over there on the 28th of Dec, and coming back on Jan 3rd! Very exciting! Will be a bit warmer there than here, too, and it will be nice to get a bit of sunshine in middle of winter.

Have yourselves a merry little Sunday, and enjoy all your Christmas shopping!! (I don't need any stuff to add to my already overflowing room, but don't forget to send me a card or an email!! XXOO)

Craziness

We all know that you shouldn't drink and drive, but apparently you shouldn't drink and fly either. Don't know if you read about it in the papers or not, but a French woman recently flew to Australia for a holiday. Being a very nervous flyer, she took sleeping tablets and was drinking before she got on the plane. Mid-flight, a flight attendent spotted her, unlit cigarette in mouth and lighter in hand, tampering with the emergency exit!!

She said she wanted to go out for a smoke!!!

(Postscript: Upon her arrival, she was greeted by the friendly Australian Federal Police, and had to go to court for endangering lives, but she was released on a good behaviour bond.)

Okinawa highlights

Well, on the first night, we didn:t go to Chizuru`s home - we stayed in this little cabin on a mountain side - very cute, but it didn`t have a door! (It was free!) I wasn`t stressed, cuz, hey, it`s Japan! In the middle of the night, tho, I half woke up and was concious of someone standing in the doorway... I was trying really hard to wake myself up and open my eyes properly, when I noticed him looking in our backpacks!! Boy, did that wake me up! I sat bolt upright, pointed at him, and full-on yelled - `Hey, don`t take that!!!` Suddenly, I realised I was pointing at the wall of Chizuru`s house, and she was sleepily staring at me, going, `What the...?` Oops! It was just a dream!! What really happened was...

Sunday:
- leisurely start - 11am bus to Fukuoka to catch my plane
- Chizuru had hired a car to pick me up from the airport and take me to Shuri-jo (Shuri Castle)
- very funky castle!!!
- ate Baskin Robbins icecream while watching some awesome street performers - teenage drummers and break dancers
Monday:
- met some other Nova staff, Tomoko & Maki, and went snorkling at the beautiful beach
- went out for tea with the above staff and some Nova teachers - out very late
Tuesday:
- slept in, then watched Japanese daytime soaps (suprisingly fun! I loved one called Wedding Planners, and watched it Wed morn as well!)
- went shopping in Naha - fun, fun, fun - bought a sarong, elmo couch blanket and some jewelry
- Tomoko works in Naha and drove us the 40min home so we didn:t have to catch a bus
Wednesday:
- went to Big Dip for an icecream sundae for breakfast :)
- caught another ride with Tomoko back to Naha, then the monorail to the airport
- home in time for tea and a video with Rachel

Memories:
- Shisa everywhere!!!! (A lion/dog dragon thing that is on all the roofs and verandahs for protection, and available in every imaginable form of souveneir - kinda cute, kinda ugly
- childhood flashbacks - surrounded by hybiscus and bouganvillia flowers, juicy wonderful delicious pineapple, and perfect weather (even when its raining!)
- trees all propped up with little logs to help theｍ withstand the yearly typhoons
- yelling in middle of the night and scaring both Chizuru and myself half to death!

Friends & birthdays

Had an absolutely fantabulous day yesterday! Went to my Japanese class in the morning, and was learning all these new adjectives - it made my brain hurt, but when she marked my homework from the previous week, I got it almost all right!! Yay!! Then Erika and Odette (2 Dutch girls from Jap class) and I went to the movies - my first time in Japan!! We saw The Chocolate Factory - very fun!!! We went to Starbucks for a little while, then they left to get on with their days, but I stayed for a while to study. I ended up chatting to these two 25yr old Japanese chics, and we swapped numbers, so will hopefully catch up some day. I eventually toodled off to work at 5pm and had fun there for 4 hrs - my 3 little chibikos (2yr olds) were absolutely adorable!! After work we went out for Korean BBQ to welcome the new guys and celebrate Martina's b'day (today - Happy Birthday Martina!!!) - we all absolutely stuffed ourselves with red meat - that's my iron fix for the next month! I was home in bed by 1am, feeling all happy and snug under my doona now that we have nice cool weather. Big smiley day!!

Tomorrow I'm off to Okinawa for 3 nights - yay!! I'll be visiting Chizuru, a Nova staff member who was transferred there for a couple of months... we'll spend time hanging out at the beach, and whatever else takes our fancy - should be fun!

Hugs & kisses to you all!!