The Fish Market
Posted on June 14, 2011 - Filed Under Uncategorized
We headed down to the local fish market on Sunday afternoon. We had some basic directions but because everything is in Japanese we found it only through internet photo’s others have taken of the market. Both children fell asleep on the car ride to the market. When we arrived we woke up our grumpy five year old and put sleeping Wyatt in the stroller.
The fish market has a restaurant/cafeteria attached to it where you can have them cook the fish you just bought or order off their menu. The menu of course was completely in Japanese. The cafeteria seems to be very popular with the locals, all the indoor air conditioned tables were full and most of the outside tables. Jason and I stood off to the side looking at the menu hanging from the ceiling. The cafeteria was packed with people ordering and picking up trays of food. Each tray of food contained a “set.” Japanese sets are usually a main dish with a couple of side dishes. Usually a set will include a bowl of fish broth or rice, some fried or raw fish and something fermented like Kimmie or seaweed (this is considered a salad). Much of the food on the trays we have never seen. After peeking at what others were eating, I sure Jason was gonna bail on our fish market lunch experience. Nothing was in English and no pictures of the food were available except for what we saw the local folks eating. While Jason and I stood in the corner debating whether we should stay and eat, a man stood up from one of the tables and came over to us. He said (in English) there was an English menu and went over to the counter to get it for us. He showed us what he was eating and told Jason he would probably like it because it was fried fish. I immediately saw the sushi set on the menu. Decision made, at least for me.
I ordered the food while Jason and the kids went outside to the vending machines to get drinks. Since there was no place for us to eat inside, we sat outside. Fortunately for us, it was shaded and they had a couple fans running. Even though the day was incredibly hot, there was a decent breeze that kept us from complaining too much.
After we ate, we went over to the market to check out what they had. We deciding that buying a whole fish and waiting for it to be fileted wasn’t going to workout, and went for the fish that was already packaged. I ended up picking out some fresh head-on prawns (shrimp) and a large piece of Mahi-mahi fish that was just fileted.
For our fish time at a Japanese fish market I think we did quite well. I’m not sure I will ever get Jason back there to eat but I will definitely be headed back to pick up some more fresh fish. I wonder if I can get the sushi set to go?
Go
Posted on June 10, 2011 - Filed Under Uncategorized
Jason and I were talking last night about starting new jobs and how those experiences can be really positive or very painful. Since we both have had our fair share of “new” jobs, we had quite a bit to talk about. One of our conversations was about how so many times, when we have started a new position, training is non-existent. It’s the sink or swim philosophy that so many companies subscribe to. Too many times we have had a “trainer” that is too busy to give the time needed to answer all of your questions. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve had jobs where training has been excellent, but I’ve also taken positions where it’s all about figuring it out on your own. Even better (sarcasm), you ask for job clarification from your co-workers and they give you vague, useless answers. Anyway, our conversation reminded me of an experience I had in elementary school gym class.
My first gym teacher, Mr. Nomasnick, was a big man. As I recall, he was very out of shape and had one of those large beer bellys only a true Brown’s fan could appreciate. At the beginning of our 40 minute class our teacher would squeeze his large body into one of those tiny child-size desk/chair combinations and stay in it for the duration of class. As a child, I remember wondering how he could possibly be a gym teacher. Anyway, one day Mr. Nomisnick grabbed his megaphone and told us to each get a jump rope and spread out. He then told us to make a circle around ourselves with the jump rope. After all of us completed the task we all stood inside each of our circles, waiting to be given the rules of the game. We waited, and waited, and waited. Our teach just sat squeezed tightly in that desk/chair staring at us. Minutes passed. Then, slowly, he raised his megaphone and said, “Go.” From what I can remember, the class and I spent the rest of the gym class standing in silence and extremely confused. What were we expected to do? The class bell finally rang, and we lined up to head back to class.
I’m not really sure why I remember that experience of my childhood. Just from my limited experience working with students, I can only guess that the teacher was waiting for a leader to emerge and give us direction - that never happened, by the way. Jason and I have both had supervisors like Mr. Nomisnick and agreed that the best we can do is try to stay positive in our new positions and just “Go.”
Jason would just like to add that training does exist in his new job, just not the training he needs to fulfill his specific responsibilities. But he written about that elsewhere, so there’s no need to repeat it.
Beach weekend
Posted on June 6, 2011 - Filed Under Uncategorized
This past weekend Maggie and I enjoyed a nice weekend at the beach together with two other families. Originally, Jason and Wyatt had planned to come with us. Thursday night, though, I realized how difficult it would be to take Wyatt so Jason decided to stay home with him. Wyatt is about to turn two years old in a couple weeks and needs to be constantly monitored. He managed to escape out the front door twice last week and one of those times I found him riding Maggie’s scooter down the sidewalk. A week ago he thought it was a good idea to put his Lightning McQueen ride-on on the couch and ride it off. Needless to say, I needed a break!
The weekend was fairly relaxing. It didn’t rain and Maggie had a blast playing with her 3 girlfriends all day at the beach. It was very nice to just have my independent 5 year old to watch. I really don’t think she knew I was there half the time. We did have a few eventful thing happen though. K’s daughter decided to disappear up the lifeguard’s post and no one could find her for a couple minutes. D lost her wedding ring somewhere between wakeboarding and the beach. Unfortunately it was never found. And last, Maggie lost her first tooth!
Maggie and the other girls were jumping up and down excited when she realized her tooth was gone. She ran out of the hotel room where she was playing and said very seriously to all the adults, “Has anyone seen a tooth that use to be in my mouth but now is not? Funny! We looked everywhere for her tooth but never found it. I told Maggie that the tooth fairy must have taken it already and not to worry. I realized a bit later that I ate part of her hotdog and I probably ate it. I didn’t tell her that though, she would have been so mad at me! I am excited she lost her first tooth but also a bit sad. I think I’m sad because Jason and I were so excited when that tooth, her first tooth, came in. I still can’t believe there is a pretty good possibility ate it.
Jason and Wyatt had a nice relaxing weekend at home. Wyatt got a bunch of matchbox cars and played with then non-stop. They went outside alot and had the typical “man weekend” - not much talking, just hanging out.
It’s nice to be back home again. The weekend was very refreshing for me and I definitely feel more relaxed. We have another beach weekend planned in July, this time just a family. Unfortunately we might have to cancel it because of Jason’s work.
Fake it till you make it
Posted on June 3, 2011 - Filed Under Uncategorized
Another work related post…
I have pleaded with my bosses to tell me what my responsibilities and duties are. At the most general level, I am apparently going to be in charge of one part of the overall office. The person I work directly for, JN, is leaving and there is no replacement scheduled. So, I am essentially going to be filling those shoes as well as those I would normally fill in my position. Needless to say, that’s a lot and there’s a lot I am going to need to know and be able to do. Despite my repeated requests for a simple list of duties and areas I am accountable for, those in charge give me vague descriptions at best. Therefore, I am coming to a realization about my office: My bosses are not planning on telling me exactly what my duties and responsibilities are because they want me to find out for myself.
I wouldn’t normally think there’s a conspiracy afoot. Though I do tend to think people aren’t always honest and forthcoming, I also think folks realize the importance of training and, if not training, then at least passing along simple information. However, this situation is a little different. A couple of weeks ago, we had an event during which we practiced the most important part of our job. I was on point for the day shift. The supervisors saw fit to—intentionally, as I became aware of after the fact—give me a weak team. Weak in the sense that I am weak: I had never been through one of these practice sessions and neither had any of them, save one—basically weak from inexperience. After all was over, I found out about this during my critique session. (By the way, you know what’s really funny? One of the people who offered me some criticisms said that there was no leadership or direction provided during my shift. My internal response was, “No shit. I didn’t know what they or I was supposed to be doing.” Well, with my situation of not getting a list of duties or training on how to fulfill them, the bosses in the shop are coming up short on leadership and direction. It’s so easy to criticize someone else; what’s not easy is to do so to yourself. And you look like a real shitbag when you tell someone they’re wrong and they are able to legitimately say you are also wrong on the same thing.)So, I have reason to believe there’s more going on behind the scenes than I am aware of.
This all leaves me with two choices: continue asking for something it doesn’t look like they are willing to give me, the result of which is to continue looking weak; or to, as I picked up from someone else a long time ago, fake it till I make it. This second option seems to be the one people want. They would prefer to not be reminded there is someone who needs them to take some time and do something inconvenient—train the new guy. I get that, by the way. Training new people can be a real pain in the ass. It takes a long time; it’s another task, on top of everything else; and it’s really nice to get someone new who can hit the ground running and essentially train themselves. But training is a big part of our job and for people to be unwilling to do it is pretty shitty. And, I might add, I would be much more inclined and able to train myself if I knew what I needed to train on.
If only cameras followed us around everywhere we go
Posted on June 2, 2011 - Filed Under Uncategorized
Wow. I knew that entering two new phases of my career—a completely new job specialization and moving up on the supervisory ladder—a few months ago would bring a whole host of challenges. I also knew that moving the family to another country would do the same thing. But knowing something conceptually or intellectually is entirely different from experiencing it. I think of all the times I have told or tried to warn someone that what they were about to face was going to be hard and they seemed to blow me off (my little sister comes to mind). A few people mentioned to me that this would sometimes be difficult and I didn’t exactly blow them off, but I know it was hard for me to really get it—until now.
I am learning a great deal of things—mostly about myself—from work. I need to start recording these things somehow. Sure, I could choose a diary or something similar, but my original idea for this blog was for it to show our family’s passage through time and how we change as a result. Well, this period in my life has the potential to change me, for the better or not. Controlling (or at least influencing) which of those two it is begins with ‘watching the tapes’, meaning that I must reflect back over what has happened and capture the valuable lessons. Professional athletes and their coaches/trainers watch video recordings of their games to analyze them for strengths and weaknesses in both the team’s and individuals’ performance. They then use that knowledge to dictate what they work in their next training sessions, in the hope that they can control/eliminate the weak areas and more effectively apply their strengths. I think life is a series of games that we can learn from in order to make ourselves better the next time around. The problem is, we either don’t know how important it is to review our performance or we don’t make the time to do so. And we also need others we trust to review the ‘tapes’ with us because of how limited our own perspective can be. So, it can be hard, there’s no doubt. But it’s vital if we want to be better at what we are doing.
Our first Typhoon experience
Posted on May 29, 2011 - Filed Under Uncategorized
Around 3pm yesterday the winds began to pickup on the island. Initially, the winds were fairly light. Maggie wanted to go outside to play with our neighbor’s children so I went with her and took Wyatt as well. After dinner, around 6pm the storm quickly moved in. At 7pm we experienced sustained winds probably around 50mph (a guess). We mainly used our facebook connections as our main information on tracking the storm because it was pretty much the only way we could keep up-to-date on the approaching typhoon. I stepped out into our entryway around then to check out the winds and the only way to describe the sound I heard was like standing next to a fast moving freight train. The wind continued to blow at a constant speed and the gusts were around 70mph (a guess again). Inside, all of our windows seemed to be ‘breathing” and howling.
Around 10pm we decided to put our super-hyper children to bed. We went upstairs and that is when the power went out. After retrieving our flashlight, Jason and I agreed we felt very uncomfortable having the children sleep in their rooms. Wyatt’s room is on the corner and his windows were shaking and whistling pretty bad. Maggie didn’t want to go to bed alone. We moved the kids to the downstairs couch and finally got them to sleep at 11pm. Jason and I went outside at this time. The noise outside can only be described as standing at the ocean with a 60mph freight train passing behind you and a large jet engine plane powering up and getting ready to take off. Inside, we watched the wind from our large living room window. Debris was flying through the air and then what looked to be the top of a smokestack rolled to our back porch. Amazingly, there was no rain, just tremendous wind. And when I say tremendous wind, I mean it. The rest of the night I was in and out of sleep because of how loud the howling in the house was and I was really nervous about the windows. Then around 3am, everything stopped. No wind, no noise. It was very eerie. Just like that, the storm was gone.
We took a walk this morning to assess the damage on other streets. We talked with one local woman about the storm and she said this typhoon surprised and surpassed everyone’s expectations. Many of the area trees were damaged or blown down. Folks who didn’t take the time to secure items lost them to the wind. Our five palm trees in the back took quite a beating but are still standing. The ‘jungle’ areas close to us look like they were cleared out by a machete and you can actually see what the insides look like (Maggie and I often wondered what was inside these areas—now we know). From reading folks who have posted comments on facebook, many houses have minor damage - windows broken and lighter parts of houses ripped off. We did regain power after a couple hours but many had to wait longer. The majority of power lines are above ground here. We heard that the local expressway was shut down for a couple hours after the storm due to debris.
Based on Weather Underground, the winds reached between 85-100mph and Typhoon Songda was only considered a Category 1 hurricane. Most of the houses on the island are build with concrete to withstand super-typhoons. If we ever live in Florida or another hurricane prone area, I’m not sticking around to experience one in the States. Here in Okinawa, we have no choice but to ride it out.
Here’s a video shot and put online by someone we don’t know. They shot it at night (I really hope they had a good reason for being out at midnight because it was pretty bad where we live at that time), so you can’t really see much. They seem to have caught the mild part of the storm; our experience was much different. Just thought you might be interested.
Typhoon
Posted on May 27, 2011 - Filed Under Uncategorized
Well, there is always a first for everything. We are in the process of preparing for our first Typhoon experience here in Okinawa. Based on the current information we should see Typhoon Songda hit us on early Sunday morning. It is currently called a super-typhoon and by Western hurricane standards it’s a Category 3 with winds between 111-130mph. Should be interesting….
Kids gone wild!
Posted on May 26, 2011 - Filed Under Uncategorized
The first couple times driving in Okinawa I would be curious and look into the car next to me at a stop light. Okay, I still do that. Anyway, most of the time it was just an adult driving alone in the car probably going to work or maybe running errands. But one time (and many times since) I saw two small children moving around in the backseat. What? No car seats? Nope.
It seems here in Okinawa, once a child reaches 3 or 4 years old, car seats are optional. I can only imagine how others would react if in the U.S. a parent let her children free in the backseat while driving. The 911 hotline would probably light up! But, in Okinawa, it is fairly normal to see children peaking out of the backseat window or moving around in a car. Most of us over the age of 30 probably have memories of doing this as a child and our parents screaming at us to sit down. Our children, however, will have no memories other than being strapped in the back seat of a vehicle, only to hope to out grow a booster seat by the time they reach legal driving age.
I’m not really sure why Okinawans don’t enforce some type of car seat regulation. The speed limit here on most roads is around 30mph. On the main expressway, the limit is 80km or 50mph. I have noticed that Okinawans do own car seats for their very young children - babies and toddlers. It might be because most children begin kindergarten at age 3 and the parents feel once children start school they are old enough to be in the car without a seat. Maybe it has something to do with the smallness of Japanese vehicles. Whatever it is, you never hear of any accidents with harm done to children. As an American living here, we have to follow our homeland laws. No free rides here for Maggie and Wyatt.
How to pay - Okinawan style
Posted on May 23, 2011 - Filed Under Uncategorized
The purchasing of items is done differently here in Okinawa than in the states. Whether cash or card, it is customary to place your currency on a small tray, not by hand to hand contact. The cashier takes your payment off the tray and at the end of the transaction, your card is actually presented to you by open hands. If you paid in cash, your change is returned to the tray. So I have been told, you should take your money from the tray and not count it. Counting money in front of the cashier is rude because you are presuming that he/she/the business is trying to cheat you. On many occasions I have tried to hand my money to the cashier only to receive the tray. Sometimes I get a gentle point to the tray on the table. I even make them laugh a little when I give the, “whoops, forgot” look. Even the McDonald’s drive thru uses a tray for money.
The other night we went to a ramen noodle restaurant. Noodles are pretty much a staple of the Okinawan diet in addition to fish and pork. Ramen noodles are very similar to the ones American college students dine on except here they are made fresh and are usually accompanied with a fish or meat broth. When we entered the restaurant, we were immediately directed to a money/ordering vending machine. First we deposited our money (yen) into the machine and then we chose our food based on the pictures on the machine. The pictures are similar to the ones in an American Chinese takeout restaurant except you have to use your imagination a bit more here! We made a quick decision (amazing for me - I know!) and punched in our dinner choices. When we finished ordering, the machine spit out tickets to give to the server waiting for our order.
At many local restaurants, a server will greet you at your table. I have noticed that many carry small wireless devises that electronically send your order to the kitchen. After your meal, you head up to the cashier and your server presents you with a food receipt. Servers do not take your payment at the table. I think I have only been to one restaurant in the states that used this type of ordering - although it is probably more popular in the big cities.
A couple weekends ago I went to a sushi restaurant with some friends. In this restaurant, sushi was served rotary style. There were many more Japanese than Americans so we figured it must be the place to go to get decent sushi. All the tables and booths were situated around a large oval. Inside the oval was where sushi chiefs prepared all kinds of sushi and bistro-style Japanese food. When the chiefs finished an item, he placed it on a color coded dish and added it to the rotary belt that circled all the tables. When something looks good or interesting, you just grab the plate off the belt. Each color dish has a different price which is listed on the wall and at your table for convenience. There is also a chart at the table providing you more information about what you are about to eat. Obvious still so guessing involved! At the end of the meal, a server comes around and quickly scans each plate (yes, a bar code is actually on the plate) and gives you a total. You pay at the front with your receipt, again using a tray.
I obviously find eating out here in Okinawa to be very interesting. In a future blog, I will explain how to order at my favorite (so far) sushi bar. Hopefully soon we will all visit some of the historical places on the island and I will share our experience with you. But for now, just remember to put your money on the tray here in Japan.
“I don’t like myself”
Posted on May 22, 2011 - Filed Under Uncategorized
Maggie is, apparently, at a really hard age right now. Or, and this is probably the truth of it, she’s showing that we weren’t ‘hard’ enough on her earlier. Anyway, the problem is disobedience. We tell her to do something or not do something and she does the opposite. One way I see it is that she needs taught/trained/instructed regarding her place relative to our place. If I am right, that’s a hard process. Discipline is never easy and it never feels good at the moment, but if it works, it results in the ultimate virtue of life–self-discipline.
Well, tonight the issue was the couch or, more precisely, playing on the couch. And whatever she does, her little brother does. That becomes the problem: playing on the couch is dangerous for a little guy who can’t control his fall as well as his big sister can. In fact, he hit his head pretty hard the other night (our floor consists of concrete with a thin layer of carpet). So, in an effort to get Maggie to be my ‘assistant’ in getting Wyatt to not play on the couch, I have to remind Maggie to only sit or lay down. That might seem like not such a big deal, but she can be quite the tempest sometimes. Not to mention, I have really been drilling her hard lately about doing what we say. Well, tonight I had to remind Maggie about the need to restrain herself as both of them were once again horsing around on the furniture. I then walked out of the room and when I returned two minutes later, she was doing it again. I put my hand down on her little rear end with intensity; she didn’t like that very much.
Here comes the point of this little story. She went upstairs to get a bath and prepare for bed. I went up too and she said to me, “I don’t like myself.” Yes, it was instantly heartbreaking, especially since I didn’t know if I had something to do with it. So, I sat down with her and dug a little into the issue. According to her, she really doesn’t like being five years old because it’s no fun because of all the things she isn’t able to do. She was the picture of self-pity. Erin and I tried to point out to her all the things she is able to do and I told her she needs to be patient with herself because it takes time to learn things. Who knows whether she was attempting to bullshit us. She seemed okay after her bath, but there’s a big worry in my head about it. I guess we’ll see; this is probably the beginning of years of therapy.
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