Our First Post from Japan--only 2 months late!

Wow, can it be? Can I really have figured out how to use this thing? Probably not but we'll see. I still don't know how to add pictures to the blog, so if anyone who is more "blog" savvy than I knows how to do so, I would appreciate any help whatsoever! :)

Well, Matt and I have been in Japan (日本） since July 30th, 2006 and are finally settled in, have a routine established (at least for the weekdays when we are teaching for 8-10 hours a day), and are becoming more and more adventurous each week we are residents of this island country. However, I shouldn't candy-coat any of this--we had rough moments when we first got here and there were many dinners salted with tears and hours wondering why we ever chose to come to such a godforsakenly hot area of the world. But, just as the summer heat and humidity gradually subsides, so too does our extreme culture shock and intense feelings of isolation and sadness. With the cooler September and October weather and the more frequent views of Fuji-san from our balcony, we have come to appreciate our little spot in Yamanashi-ken (山梨県) and our amazing opportunity to live and work abroad in a culture both vastly different and unsettling similar to America.

I hope most of you have been receiving the emails I've sent the past few months. In case you haven't (and you would still like to read about all the "firsts" we've experienced here), please email me at jafaulhaber@gmail.com and I will forward those on to you. Perhaps I will find a way (again, any help would be greatly appreciated) to link those emails onto here (or to at least copy and paste--that, I think, I can handle on my own). Either way, I'll find a way to update you more fully than I can right now.

However, let me run through a brief recap of all we have done, just in case you are curious or, like me, have already forgotten what happened in the last 2 months:

-saw Tokyo (東京) for the first time--I cannot even begin to explain to you how MASSIVE this city is. I hope to go back many times to get a better sense of it myself.
-discovered that the Japanese drink amazing cold teas (oocha--王茶)! So far, I have gulped down these types: oolong, green tea (macha), wheat, barely, lemon tea, jasmine, and milk tea.
-came to Yamanashi-ken; found our apartment in Ryuo (竜王) (in Kai-shi); hated every minute we had to sit in our dirty, hot, suana-like residence; cleaned; threw out trash and other items; made it our own; enjoy it much more now.
-felt isolation, culture shock and regret all at once--NOT recommended.
-got our first piece of international mail--and every time we get a letter or box now, it still feels as exciting as that first time.
-went to karaoke (multiple times).
-got my keitai (cellphone) and was amazed by the spiffy graphics and emailing functions. I've also come to appreciate keitai straps (cute little bangles you attach to your cellphone--what can I say, I adapt well on some levels).
-saw my first buddhist temple (Kuonji Temple) and climbed the 287 vertical, stone steps to Nirvana. I also saw my first koi in the ponds around the temple.
-climbed Mt. Minobu with a bunch of ALT friends. My first "mountain" climb of my life!
-had my first camping experience ever at Motosuko (Lake Motosu)--found that sleeping on volcanic rock is not so fun but I survived and wouldn't be opposed to camping again in the near future.
-gave my first speech in Japanese in front of my school--students and staff. Got a round of applause even though I am sure I butchered most of the words.
-taught my first class; made my first lesson plan; realized that all my students DON'T look the same--even though they have the same hair color and uniforms.
-climbed Mt. Fuji!!!!! Yes, I did! I can't believe I am still alive, though. If you haven't gotten my email about Fuji-san, I will send it to you. I don't think I have enough energy to recount it here. But let me say, in retrospect, seeing the sunrise atop that huge volcano was pretty awesome--I'm not going to lie.
-saw and entered my first authentic Japanese castle, Matsumoto-jo. AMAZING! I can't wait to see more!
-experienced onsen twice; can't wait to go with Megan again!
-ate a bunch of sushi (すし), tempura (天ぷら), rice (ごはん) and udon (うどん)!
-rode the shinkansen (bullet train).
-visited Kobe and the Oue family. Went to Osaka and also saw the "Rainbow Bridge."
-went to many festivals--Katsunuma Wine Festival, Paul Rausch County Festival in Kiyosato, Ichikawadaimon Fireworks Festival.
-discovered manju (little floury balls with sweet bean paste inside--a tasty little snack!).
-harvested rice--I used both a hand sickle and a special bundling machine to cut the rice stalks.
-sat through my first Japanese drama--Gojira (Godzilla). Had a very hard time understanding what was happening and have come to the conclusion that Japanese drama (just like Japanese television) is out of control!
-saw monkeys in Kobe's China Town; felt bad for them all dressed up in their little outfits.
-drove on the opposite side the road--I was terrified at first but now it is very natural.

Oh geez, I can't think of it all tonight. Needless to say, we've been keeping busy, meeting new people (both other foreigners and some Japanese as well), traveling around, and eating lots and lots of amazing Japanese food!

It is now 8pm on Thursday night and I will probably wind this up. I have had a long day of teaching--my students are learning the parts of the body and phrases for visiting the doctor--and I have some things to do here before bed (which, by the way, is three futons piled up on the floor--oh to have a regular bed again!). I hope that, from tonight on, I will be able to use this more as a journal and less as an unofficial email to everyone reading what I write. I can't promise that I will update it every day, but I will try to at least write something once or twice a week. For now, just know that we are adjusting and miss you all so much!

J&M