English as she is spoken

Last Saturday, Dave and I had the great privilege of being invited to the Japanese School with whom The British School shares a building, to judge their spoken English competition.  There were many students who took part and they all seemed amazingly calm in such nerve wracking circumstances.  Some had to recite a speech made by President Obama about education, some had to write and then repeat their own argument for or against something and then we had recitations from The Odyssy (odd choice, I thought) and from Ceasars "Lend me your ears" speech.

To be honest, I was in awe of them all.  None of them had English as a first language but all of them spoke with such fluency that it put even first language speakers to shame.  I doubt many of my fellow students at 14 could have spoken so well, and so publicly (apart from the one who went on to be a politician, of course). 

The judging was very difficult - the criteria given to us was very demanding.  The students had to look the part, sound the part and give the impression of being the part!  A huge task.  They all did brilliantly, some more brilliantly than others!  The other judges were a Professor from Waseda University and a teacher of English at the school.  We did well and managed to pick all the right students to win.  One girl gave a fabulous presentation on the power of happiness only to burst into tears when she heard she had first prize!  There was a certain irony, we thought.

Another interesting day in the life of the Williams's.

Thoughts on Jet Lag

I have been suffering from jetlag for five days now.  It is nearly over - I am quite sure but I have come to the conclusion that it is like a mild form of  mental illness. 

1. You can't sleep when others are sleeping and you inhabit a world that is dark and grey, flinching from the bright lights that herald the morning sun - knowing you will only want to go to sleep now that everyone has woken up.
2. You find it impossible to eat when others do.  You feel hungry at the most odd times - I actually ate two breakfasts one day - one at 4 am and the other, with Dave at the right time.  It felt right.  Lunch is a no-no but come 3pm I was reaching for the kitkats and anything else that had a million calories a bite.  Dinner?  Well, that's a little easier, you see, it should be your lunchtime in that other place.
3. You do odd things.  Why did I leave that glass in the wardrobe with the sweaters - as my husband kindly pointed out? And why did I put my diary in the fridge?

Thankfully these symptoms pass and you get back into the swing of things.  I had rather thought that the more transitions I made, the easier it would become to adjust - it seems to be the opposite.  Flying to England is not such a problem - it takes 36 hours and I am back on track but coming this way, east, is a nightmare and it is the same for everyone I talk to about it here.  Weird, isn't it?  Still, as I quickly remind myself - it's a bit of a privilege to be able to moan about jet lag, isn't it?

China on my mind

To those of you reading this, you will notice no changes; however to me, as a writer, I can tell you I have discovered the secret of enjoyable blogging:  wifi.  As I write this on the new laptop, I am sitting on one of the balconies looking towards Mt Fuji (I can't see it - there's too much haze), enjoying the sunshine.  I used to have to write in the study - a darker room with some great features:  a large screen and a wider keyboard mostly.  The wifi was my doing - what fun I had setting that up, but on to other things.

China. Remember when we were there?  Remember tales of travelling on our first Chinese bullet train, me feeling like Michael Palin, eating unforgettable delicacies which I eventually learned to refuse politely?  Well it really was deja vu for us. 

Early May saw us on an early morning flight to Beijing to celebrate the wedding of our lovely friend Helen.  Helen used to work in the office at Rego school in Tianjin and became a surrogate daughter for us.  Her wonderful ways with the English language entertained us and soothed us over the two years we shared with her and her command of Mandarin got me out of jail free - being arrested for not reporting as an alien in my early weeks in the country.

She and Michael set the date of their wedding by interrogating the spirits and gods at a Taoist shrine - they came up with 4.13 pm  on a particular day in May - so we were all duly summoned to a lovely Chinese Restaurant, overlooking the Haihe River where the Master of Ceremonies was installed to conduct her Chinese wedding.

We arrived a little early and , to be honest, it didn't look like there was much going on at the place the taxi dumped us (having negotiated an inflated fare by stating that his meter did not work - oh that old chestnut I thought! Still, doubling what should have been a pound to make it two seemed quite a bargain really compared to taxi rates in Tokyo!)  The building looked as though it might just be still under construction but a few conversations, with lots of gesticulations and smiles, later and we found we were in the right spot.

She arrived in the traditional red car and was greeted by her husband to be who carried her all the way to the fifth floor - ah.... bless.  The firecrackers were so very noisy and the bad spirits well and truly chased away.  She looked stunning and a bit shocked by it all - she spotted Dave standing well back and shouted "Oh Principal!" - it was a lovely greeting.  We were treated like royalty all afternoon.  We met her parents for the very first time and were greeted warmly - an invitation to go to their home was issued immediately and the fact that we had come all the way from Japan seemed to make them all feel very happy.  We were humbled by the whole day - it was wonderful to see our old friends and they, in return, seemed so pleased to see us.  We had a fabulous time with Max, Sara and Frank, May and Harry and many others.

The wedding was true China meets Las Vegas and it was hugely emotional for us all - I even shed a tear or two while they decared undying love for each other (you had to be there really!).  Dave and I both think they are well suited and  hope they lead long and happy lives together.

We did not waste our time in China and took the chance to revisit a few of our favourite haunts - we stayed in Beijing, travelling to Tianjin on the bullet train.  It was such a privilege to feel so at home in a country that we have learned to enjoy - we really felt we knew what we were doing!  When it was time to leave we were a little sad - it is unlikely that we will return - Helen's wedding was the last thing on our agenda and that period of our lives is probably closed forever - but who knows?  Babies will be born and if we can, we will travel to see them too.

The Kindness of Strangers (and friends!)

Volcanic Ash?  Yes, we did get stuck.  We'd been back for Jemma and Ben's wedding and then to our dismay discovered that our carefully laid plans to get back to Tokyo were absolutely snookered.

We'd planned to fly the day after the wedding and all our arrangements hinged on that.  It was not to be.  As Sunday 18th April neared it became very clear that the skies would not be open any time soon.

A quick email to a very good friend of ours was greeted with an absolute yes and we thank Ann hugely for allowing us to stay in her home - even when she wasn't there!  Even now, looking at all the TV reports of the time, we thank our lucky stars (and Ann) for being so comfortable during the delay!  The enforced downtime was good for the soul and we explored Reading as never before.  (Recommend the Jamie's Italian just outside the Oracle!!)

We pretty much kept to our plans and I had to return the hire car to Healthrow on the Sunday as planned.  I drove up an eerily quiet M4 heading to Heathrow with road signs saying "Heathrow Airport Closed" all the way. It was about 7pm and I did rather wonder if the Hire Car place would be open.  The roads around the airport were amazingly easy to navigate - no one on them! 

Herz was indeed open and the staff there could not have been more helpful.  I returned the car and waited in line for a receipt.  In front of me were two men - I thought they were friends but no, the first man had driven all the way from Madrid and to avoid paying the extortionate 3000 Euros that Herz were demanding to drop the car off in a different country, he had waited outside all day with a sign in Spanish saying "Please take this car back to Madrid".  It had paid off.  The second man was from Madrid and was looking for a car to take him there.  We got chatting and he actually offered to take me to Madrid to catch a flight for Tokyo. I explained that my husband and luggage were in Reading so I was unable to go with him.  He was so sweet and said that he had a Channel Tunnel Train booked and did not have time to go via Reading or he would have done so.  It warmed my heart.

The elderly couple I met on the Herz bus were also very sweet - over from Canada, they had finished their visit with relatives in Wales and now could not get back.  They were preparing to sleep on the bus station floor until things changed.  I suggested going outside of Heathrow to get a hotel room and I really hope they did.

Now the volcano has started up again..... we have travel plans for the summer - most of which do not invlove going anywhere near the northern hemisphere but for just two and half weeks we will be in the UK.  If you get a call from us saying we are stranded.... please take pity on us - your garden shed may come in handy!

Cuddles and Confetti - what a week!

On a Tuesday in early April, little Ruby Elizabeth arrived  - so her nickname, of course, is Ruby Tuesday.  She weighed 7lbs 5ozs and is a beautiful and settled little girl.  She is, quite simply, adorable.  Now, this is not new news to all you grandparents out there, but this is my very first encounter with a grandchild albeit a step grandchild.  Dave and I were on a flight within the week and had the enormous pleasure of spending five days in Liverpool, dropping in for cuddles and telling her all about our life in Tokyo! Her mum and dad, Sian and Andrew, are wonderful parents and we know she has the best start in life.  What a privilege to spend time with them all and, for us, Skype is a magical invention - we saw her within 24 hours!

It was something of a week - not only did Ruby arrive but my very own youngest little girl, Jemma (in pink and who will not relish this description!) married her best friend Ben.  They have known each other since they were teenagers and Ben's mum and I used to joke about becoming The In-Laws - no joke:  on Saturday 17th April, it really happened.  It was a beautiful day in Salisbury and Jemma looked amazing.  The wedding was a small affair and we all had a wonderful day.  Sadly Dave and I had to leave after the lunch - the party continued!  We had to get back to Heathrow to see if there was any chance of our flight the following day. This is a story for another blog - it's quite a tale with stories of the kindness of strangers and our friends.

Hot springs and little fishes

The day dawned bright and sunny and I headed off to meet my Japanese friend at Roppongi station to sample the delights of a real, Japanese onsen (public bath).  It is in Odaiba - a part of Tokyo Bay which has been built on reclaimed land.  The train out there has the most wonderful view and is well worth the trip!  What amazed me most about Odaiba was the wind strength.  It was blowing a real gale and whipping up the dust out there - not a bit like the sheltered parts of Tokyo that I usually frequent.

The Onsen is built in the traditional style and the whole place resembles an old fashioned village from the Edo period.  So having taken off your shoes and paid a modest sum for entry you are guided to the counter where you choose  your Yukata - a casual dressing gown type thing that covers you from neck to calf or toe.  There is a good selection in many sizes and we were soon kitted out.

We headed outside.  It was a lovely day and the temperature was not too low.  This part of the Onsen was, what the Americans call, co-ed - mixed, male and female so you keep your yukata firmly tied!  We spotted a place that has a shallow pool with doctor fish in it.  These are small black catfish like fish that just love to chomp their way through the dead skin on your feet.  We plonked our feet in the pool and the agony/ecstasy began.  The feeling was like a million bubbles bursting all over your feet - very gentle and very tickly!!  A fellow Japanese guest screamed throughout the whole process ....  but kept her feet firmly in the water!  The effect, after 15 minutes, is beautifully manicured feet - quite the best I've ever had!  I will return.

The rest of the place (single sex places this time) was full of hot springs to wallow in, steam rooms to indulge yourself and a couple of places which were very unusual - there was the sand bath (yep, had to have a go at that) and the hot salt bath (nope, not doing that!).  In the sand bath we were wrapped in our yukatas, in towels and then buried in hot volcanic sand.  The sand was at 43 C.  They bury you from your neck all the way to your toes.  The sand is hot and very heavy and they keep checking on you.  Believe me they need to!  You cannot move and you perspire very heavily for 15 minutes then they unwrap you and guide  you to a cold shower.  I'm sure it does you good.  It left me feeling very sleepy and totally spaced out! 

We took a break, ate an ice cream and then headed off for lunch.  There were plenty of places to be massaged and pummelled if that was your fancy.  It was a great day out - another tick in the box for things to do in Japan!

Jet Lag and other irritations

I know it seem churlish of me, but I have to confess to being fed up with jet lag - nice to be able to travel, I hear you say, so stop moaning!  It's just that, as I sit here, at 2.42 in the morning, there is no one else on line to chat to so it feels as though I'm the last person on the planet.  I'm not one to suffer from insomnia so this is a frustrating experience for me.

The reason for the jet lag is that we have been back in the UK doing the recruitment for Dave's school out here in Japan.  It was great fun to be able to see some old friends and to spend my mother's birthday with her.  We arranged a lunch for a few friends and family and we had a fabulous day at Brancaster.  The sun shone, the wind was gentle and the company was fantastic.  Ryan drove up from London just to be with us and that was such a wonderful thing.  It was also an absolute treat to be able to spend a couple of days with Kirsty who helped me to take out an old cat flap and put in a new one for my mum.  It was not without its tribulations - of the four screws one was not going to undo and we had to enlist the help of a neighbour - brute force was the answer and neither of us had the oomph!  Fitting the new one was a cinch by comparison.  Dave, meanwhile, was travelling the country, observing teachers and working very hard!  Do I feel guilty?  Not really  :)

I was also lucky enough to spend the following day in London with Jemma, Ruth, Kirsty, Manda,and Jean searching for (and finding) the perfect wedding dress for 17th April.  What a blessing to to take part in that rite of passage and what fun we had.  Lunch was good too - a Dim Sum restaurant just off Carnaby Street. 

While we were in the UK our lap top picked up a virus - it was a huge inconvenience and I tried to get PC World in Swindon to fix it for us.  They happly took my eighty pounds to fix it and then had the gall to tell me they didn't have time to get to it!  We were not happy.  Still they did refund the money - just as well!!!  However, it meant that we were without internet for a couple of days and having arrived back after the long haul flight I had to set to and resurrect the old desk top machine that has been sitting in the corner of the study for months since our arrival in Tokyo.  Actually, it's quite nice to be able to see a huge screen so it's not all bad news!

So back to the beginning - now I'm nine hours out of synch with Tokyo and writing my blog!  The joys of travel!  Off to make tea now - care to join me?