- Lots of transition, mostly surrounding our move to Australia for home assignment. Change of country, house, schools, roles, and even time without children.
- Our youngest began attending Pre-Prep or kindergarten 3 days a week. For the first time in 10 years, I've had regular child-free time.
- Two new nephews born into our families.
- Some answers about one of our sons.
- First time in several years that we've been together with all our families.
- Trip to Manila. As a result of dreaming about the future with our youngest heading off to school, I've been moving in the direction of writing and editing. The foreseeable future involves working with the editor of Japan Harvest, a magazine by and for missionaries in Japan. My trip to Manila was a definitive step towards that goal, attending a Christian magazine editing conference.
- I began blogging this year. It has been an interesting foray into a different mode of communication with people who support us (and many who don't). My goal - to help people to see what a missionary's life is really like.
- 40 is coming closer!
31 December, 2009
Looking back at 2009
It is somewhat traditional to look back over the year on New Year's Eve. Here are a few things that came to mind yesterday as I thought about 2009:
Labels:
looking back
Food for Thought
The New Year is the greatest festival in Japan. People of all classes and occupations in the entire country celebrate it, but it is an intensely personal family affair. Members share the many firsts of the New Year like the first sunrise; the first shrine visit and the first food.
No cooking is done for three days with the exception of the hearty New Years soup. Fish, black beans, rolled omelette and vegetables are prepared in advance and served from beautifully decorated multi-tiered trays. The dishes served to celebrate the New Year have special meanings, and with some variations, are enjoyed in every home in the nation.
Datemaki, sweet rolled omelette, symbolises many auspicious days ahead.
Kazunoku, herring roe eggs, symbolises fertility and are eaten to fulfil the desire for many children in the family.
Kuromame, black soybeans, typifies good health, longevity and the ability to work willingly and skillfully.
Tazukuri are small dried sardines cooked in soy sauce. The fish were used historically to fertilize rice paddies, and eating it symbolises a prayer for an abundant harvest.
Renkon is lotus root and with its many holes it depicts the idea of ease in seeing through things and perceiving a bright future ahead.
To let the overworked stomach rest, nanakusa-gayu, a seven-herb rice soup, is prepared on the 7th and 15th day of January!
After three days of families doing everything together, slowly over the next two weeks, work and studies are commenced with new promises, intentions and ideals for the year ahead.
Source: Neil Verwey jm@japanmission.org
Labels:
Japan
27 December, 2009
Bits n pieces
We're at the end of a week in my in-law's territory. I choose 'territory' carefully. They all live close or in a small town in central Queensland. A long way from where we usually live.
We've hovered between my batchelor (divorced) dad-in-law's place and my sister-in-law's - almost neighbours but about 17 km via a dirt road apart. My mother-in-law has been staying with my sister-in-law and my brother-in-law lives and works in town (40 km away). Lots of 'in-laws!
It has been a little weird to try to manage a family around an elderly man who usually lives alone and has his own ways of doing things (and own standards of hygiene). A challenge to help him cook dinner while he's hovering over your shoulder! We haven't done too badly, but we're ready to leave tomorrow.
In top of all this, I managed to bite the inside of my cheek a couple of days before Christmas and it became infected. My face has swollen on one side and eating and drinking is pretty painful. Sleep comes after Panedine is injested. Oh the joys. I did get fairly prompt medical attention at the small local hospital, though. Better medical treatment than I've experienced closer to home.
The boys have had a great time in the Aussie bush. Tractor rides, introduction to REAL guns, riding 4 wheelers, mowing lawns (yes, they have them - bore water is amazing up here), dogs, cows, utes, water fights etc.
We are glad they can connect with rural Australia. Neither of us were brought up in the country, but our parents did and we therefore spent parts of holidays in the country and feel some sort of connection with that part of our large country. It is a good experience for any kid growing up in the city, especially in a foreign country, but who lays claim to being Australian.
26 December, 2009
Aussie Jingle Bells
Wondering about Christmas in Australia? Here is a small slice:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz_KlcDXvqQ
24 December, 2009
Christmas contrasts
Last Christmas we were in cold Toyko. No snow, but still close to zero degrees outside. We ate a baked dinner with friends we'd known less than six months. The closest we got to family was on Skype. When we looked out the window we saw one or more houses very close by.
This Christmas we are in rural Australia. Sweltering in heat hot enough to make running around outside under sprinklers a fun activity. We're spending it with family - most of whom have known most of us since birth. Cold ham, salad and pudding is on the menu. When we look out the windows of the house we're staying in, we cannot see any other house. No tarred road in sight, in fact. No internet access either.
Lots of contrasts, in fact the two experiences are about as far apart as is possible.
However, there is more than one similarity. Of course we are celebrating the same event, the birth of Jesus Christ our saviour. But there's another: a small degree of loneliness. That might be obvious for our life in Japan, but here in country Australia there is very little understanding of our life in Japan. Our passion for the Japanese just seems odd to most. We do our best to fit in with our family, but we really are the odd ones out.
Nevertheless, we are really enjoying this Christmas in Australia. There is much more familiarity to it than we usually experience at Christmas time. We're relaxing and having a good time.
I won't be back online for a while, so here's wishing you a happy and very special Christmas.
Labels:
adjusting to Australia,
Christmas,
family,
Japan
18 December, 2009
Adjusting to Christmas with family

Labels:
adjusting to Australia,
Christmas,
family,
parenting
15 December, 2009
Ninth anniversary


- It is a privilege to serve our Lord in this way.
- Dependency on God is a great way to live. Lots of surprises!
- Life is less predictable that you think.
- It is not necessary to own a house.
- "No debt" is a great place to be.
- International moves are tough.
- Raising children away from your home culture is very difficult.
- Missionary is not a synonym for evangelist.
- We don't have to be like other people - God values us as the individuals he made us to be.
Labels:
Japan,
looking back,
missionaries
14 December, 2009
Aussie Christmas outside
Christmas time in Australia is hot. Did you non-Aussies realise? Therefore it is perfect for outdoor carols concerts. This is one we went to just down the road. It was put on by a church and slightly unusual. Actually not much carols singing, mostly a Christmas musical put on by the church. The musical included some popular songs that you wouldn't usually associate with Christmas like, Herod singing, "You make me want to shout"! Nevertheless it was a lovely evening.
The evening finished off with the inevitable fireworks.

Stressed out Australians

- It's hot (mid to high 30s C which is around 100 degrees F). This means not only the kids get frayed, but their parents do too.
- School holidays. The boys have again needed to learn to live with each other all day, every day. Us too!
- They are excited about Christmas coming. This is a usual problem. School finishing three weeks before Christmas is new for them.
- Change is in the air - we're leaving soon to visit family in rural Queensland.
Labels:
children's behaviour,
Christmas,
parenting,
stress
12 December, 2009
The week in review

Labels:
family,
holidays,
medical,
meeting people
11 December, 2009
Another fact of life for missionaries

Labels:
medical,
missionaries
10 December, 2009
More information please
Sometimes other people want more information that we know, like "How long will you remain in Japan?".
Our missionary journey over the last nearly 12 years has taught us to cope with a fair bit of uncertainty, but often we also want more information than we know. Our current not-enough-information situation is how long our next term in Japan is likely to be.
So it was an encouragement to read this in our quiet time this morning:
I know who holds the future, And I know who holds my hand; With God things don't just happen- Everything by Him is planned. SmithBacked up by this from scripture:
"In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:6Praise God that He knows and it is not all up to us!
Labels:
future
09 December, 2009
Kid's Musings December 09
I recently put my two oldest to work road-testing my recent newsletter for kids - Kid's Musings.
This is what they were working on:
(This is page two. Page one is about different Japanese words and concepts that have made it into the English language)
Let me know if you'd like it for your kids too.

Labels:
prayer letter,
writing
08 December, 2009
Our day at Movie World*
- We lost a boy...and found him again. Even with four adults and a one-to-one ratio on boys (we had my sister's 5 y.o. too), we managed to lose a child. At one of the shows our 4 y.o. and his cousin were at the front playing with bubbles from the show when the show ended and adults streamed past the kids on their way out. Apparently our 4 y.o. got carried away in the flow and ended up somewhere completely different. Thankfully a kind couple took him to the lost child place and we eventually headed there too after ascertaining he wasn't in the immediate vicinity of the show. Always a heart stopping moment, when you lose a child!
- Seeing our middle child, who is usually first-time-negative (meaning the first time he encounters something new, be it food or people or a place, he is tentative and usually not interested in saying "yes"), warm to the experience and go on most of the age appropriate rides. (That is a shocking sentence, sorry.)
- The lack of enthusiasm of the park's staff. At such a place, when you've paid large bickies to get in, you expect the staff will embrace you into an exciting experience. Most of the employees, however, seemed like they were counting the time until the end of their shift and they could get away from these annoying patrons.
- Time spent with extended family is always valuable. Living in another country, we don't get to see them that often. We also never know when their (or our) time on earth will be over, so every moment together is valuable.
- Building memories for our kids. We don't live a lifestyle that enables us to accumulate heaps of stuff. But memories are totally portable and never need packing or storing.
Labels:
family,
home assignment
06 December, 2009
You're FROM Japan?
Yesterday we went to a birthday party for a pre-Prep (kindy) friend of our 4 y.o. The first Australian kids birthday party we've been free to attend. It was cute to see two of our children greeted by hugs from (female) classmates.
Even more interesting was the opportunity to stand around and chat with parents we've only seen in passing over the last six months. Several had heard rumours that we had some association with Japan, but didn't know what to think. I wonder if that is why they never said much more than, "Hi", because such a rumour is hard to fathom!
I found out that one child had gone home and said their new classmate (our 4 y.o.) was "from Japan". You can imagine his mother's face when she saw our son - blond and blue eyed. She thought it was just another 4 y.o. non-nonsensical conversation.
Another child brought home the news that our 7 y.o. had been absent for a day because "he's gone back to Japan"...for a day?
You can see how our family easily gets surrounded in a mystery that renders casual conversation before and after school (and even at a party) potentially awkward!
Labels:
adjusting to Australia,
boys
04 December, 2009
Early Christmas present
I received an early Christmas present this week. Our eldest son, who struggled to adjust to his new school these last six months asked,
"Will we go back to the same school next time we come back to Australia?"
Later the significance of that exchange hit me and I clarified it with him,
"Do you mean that you like your school now?"
"Yes" they all chorused.
Ahh, thank you Lord.
Labels:
adjusting to Australia,
boys,
parenting,
thankful
03 December, 2009
Recipe for fudge
One Bowl Chocolate Fudge
450g chocolate chips
395g can of sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts (optional)
1. Add chocolate chips and condensed milk to saucepan. Stir over moderate heat until combined.
2. Stir in vanilla and walnuts.
3. Spread in foil-lined 20 cm square pan/tin.
4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and the cut, but leave in pan.
5. Refrigerate for 1 ½ hours more or until firm, then remove from pan.
Hint - cut into tiny pieces because it is very rich!
Joke's on you

01 December, 2009
Help to go around the world in 80 minutes

Labels:
ideas,
international
30 November, 2009
CAJ must read my blog!
The Christian Academy in Japan (where my husband usually works) must read this blog! They put this in their weekly bulletin which came out today:
Why don't we put in a grass playing field? We will be redoing the drainage and surface of our playing field in December. After extensive research and consultation with competing contractors, it was determined that any sort of grass surface would not hold up to the three seasons of sports, dI wonder what the new surface will look like then?aily playground use, and weekend and other activities including parking. Artificial turf surfaces were considered but are very expensive both to install and maintain, as well as to replace.
Labels:
CAJ
29 November, 2009
Church in a shed
Today we helped run a church service in a shed on someone's property. Unfortunately the temperatures were in the high 30s (Celcius). It was stinking! I have to admit I felt as flat at the people who were facing me as I spoke. I just hope something of what I said made a difference for someone.
In the midst of it all we mentioned that there is no grass on playgrounds in Japan - at Japanese
schools as well as at the school my husband works at - Christian Academy in Japan. A bloke came up to us afterwards and admitted he was the groundkeeper for a local school. He wondered why no grass. The place we were meeting has been in drought for quite a number of years. He wondered if a lack of rain might be the answer - but no, most of Japan gets more than sufficient rain. Perhaps the amount of traffic the grass needs to endure? Perhaps it is just a cultural thing. Strange, really, that Australia is addicted to grass (and swimming pools) when our rainfall is so low in so many places. Traditional? It would be difficult for most Australians to imagine going to school without a grassy oval to play on!
Labels:
deputation,
differences,
Japan,
summer
27 November, 2009
Reverse culture shock...still

Labels:
packing
26 November, 2009
Finally it all fits together

- It is hot.
- We have Christmas carols playing.
- The Christmas cakes have fruit in them.
- Schools are breaking up for the year - the end of the school year.
- and the icing on the cake, so to speak:
- Cricket is playing on (free-to-air) TV in the background.
Labels:
adjusting to Australia,
Christmas
25 November, 2009
Hermit crabs still live

Labels:
pets
23 November, 2009
Shopping moods

Labels:
emotions,
shopping in Australia
Slipped my mind
I thought of a great little blog post to put here, but was walking the kids to school and now I'm back - it's gone. Maybe I left it at school too? Now off to the gym and the weekly groceries, it may slip back into conscious recall, you never know.
Labels:
memory
21 November, 2009
Summertime relaxing in Brissie

20 November, 2009
Trying on my old career

Labels:
Occupational Therapy.,
work
19 November, 2009
Feeling competant?
One of the things I like when my husband goes away is that I get to do everything. Weird? Let me explain.
Living in a foreign country where you don't speak the language well makes you feel incompetent. Live there for many years and it can get you down. You can easily begin to believe that you have never been capable.
One of the great things about coming back to Australia is that I can talk to (almost) anyone. I can do my own banking with ease. I can fill out forms with no help. I can make phone calls without even thinking about it. Going to the doctor is a breeze and I don't have to take my dictionary (unless we are interpreting Japanese immunisation records). Hey, I even took the car to the mechanic last week and talked to him both face to face and on the phone.
I'm remembering that I once was a competent professional who held down a challenging job, managed my own finances and even lived on my own for two years. It is good to remember these things.
My husband is a wonderful partner in the business of living and raising a family. In fact he is exceptionally competent in many things and in Japan is more competent than me because he's managed to learn more Japanese than me. Therefore when we're in Japan I lean on him a lot. He does the banking, he makes many of the phone calls, reads the kindy notices and fills out the forms.
He enjoys being in Australia because I am much less dependent on him. When he is away in Japan I feel very fragile. When he is away in Australia I feel a bit shaky, but much less so.
I do know that my self-worth doesn't come from what I can do, it ultimately comes from Christ and that I am loved and accepted by Him. However I don't think it hurts to remember the abilities that He's given us and use them when we can. Actually the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) tells us that God wants us to use, and presumably appreciate, the abilities He's given us.
I am thankful for all these things - for a wonderful husband, for a Lord who loves me and for the opportunity to live in Australia where I can communicate easily. Last week God was very gracious to me in providing all the help and strength I needed to survive the week. He also gently reminded me that the gifts and abilities He has given me are sufficient for where He's placed me.
Living in a foreign country where you don't speak the language well makes you feel incompetent. Live there for many years and it can get you down. You can easily begin to believe that you have never been capable.
One of the great things about coming back to Australia is that I can talk to (almost) anyone. I can do my own banking with ease. I can fill out forms with no help. I can make phone calls without even thinking about it. Going to the doctor is a breeze and I don't have to take my dictionary (unless we are interpreting Japanese immunisation records). Hey, I even took the car to the mechanic last week and talked to him both face to face and on the phone.
I'm remembering that I once was a competent professional who held down a challenging job, managed my own finances and even lived on my own for two years. It is good to remember these things.
My husband is a wonderful partner in the business of living and raising a family. In fact he is exceptionally competent in many things and in Japan is more competent than me because he's managed to learn more Japanese than me. Therefore when we're in Japan I lean on him a lot. He does the banking, he makes many of the phone calls, reads the kindy notices and fills out the forms.
He enjoys being in Australia because I am much less dependent on him. When he is away in Japan I feel very fragile. When he is away in Australia I feel a bit shaky, but much less so.
I do know that my self-worth doesn't come from what I can do, it ultimately comes from Christ and that I am loved and accepted by Him. However I don't think it hurts to remember the abilities that He's given us and use them when we can. Actually the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) tells us that God wants us to use, and presumably appreciate, the abilities He's given us.
I am thankful for all these things - for a wonderful husband, for a Lord who loves me and for the opportunity to live in Australia where I can communicate easily. Last week God was very gracious to me in providing all the help and strength I needed to survive the week. He also gently reminded me that the gifts and abilities He has given me are sufficient for where He's placed me.
Labels:
about me,
adjusting to Australia,
Japan,
Japanese language
18 November, 2009
Depressing shopping

"Some people wear more skin than that."Ain't that the truth. My aim is to "wear" as little skin as possible!
Labels:
shopping in Australia,
sport
17 November, 2009
Satay chicken recipe

Labels:
food
Origami sumo wrestlers
16 November, 2009
I was wrong
They loved their Satay Chicken, sweet chilli sauce and all. Our 7 y.o. asked for seconds - the ultimate complement when cooking for kids!
I am falling in love with my slow cooker.
Another unpredictable day in our house

We picked him up at the train station this morning and had breakfast at McDonalds (one of my boys wants to know why Aussies call it Maccas). First time I think I have ever done this, goes against the grain. However, it ended up being scarily similar to what I normally eat for breakfast - muesli and yoghurt, orange juice and coffee. Even more scary is that our 7 y.o. ate his McMuffin with immense speed and continues to rave about it. We took the boys to school on the way home from Maccas.
At home David first emptied his bags all over the bed and then collapsed - on the lounge. I'd diligently cleared a space on the bed, knowing he'd be exhausted (after doing a couple of all-nighters several weeks ago), but he grumpily declared that he wasn't going to allow himself a proper sleep or he'd not sleep tonight. Before I left for the gym and grocery shopping, he was quite asleep. It would have been more comfortable in bed! Finally got to the gym!
I had almost constant kids last week, with gastro taking all my child-free time away, so no gym. Even a week without exercise was noticeable, today my muscles were protesting earlier than usual. About five minutes into Woolies (Woolworthes grocery store) my phone rang. Our 4 y.o. had just thrown up at Pre-Prep (like kindy). This is a bizarre virus. 7 y.o. hadn't thrown up since last Wednesday - where did our 4 y.o. get it from? So, grocery shopping prematurely interrupted, I raced back to school to pick our youngest up. Drove home and found David finally horizontal in bed. I wondered whether to leave them together and go and finish my shopping, but decided to risk it, being someone who is persistent - I'd planned to shop after all! Returned an hour later with all the goods to last us another week and found the youngest family member asleep.
David had awoken refreshed and was checking email and almost back to normal. He made me lunch - one thing I'd missed. I hate making lunch at lunch-time. 4 y.o. threw up again after lunch. The trouble is he's been having sympathy pains since his big brother became ill over a week ago. It is hard to know what is the truth and what is wishful thinking. Though I have to admit, actual vomit is pretty convincing.
Later this afternoon David also rang the taxation office to sort out a large tax bill that we errantly received last week. It was solved pretty quickly. Apparently, he was given bad advice by the previous person he rang there and put figures in the wrong boxes. The tax office was treating our earnings in Japan as overseas business investment-type stuff and promptly started billing us for the year to come as well as charging us several thousands of dollars in taxation for last year! We're so glad it is mostly sorted out now (waiting till we get the reassessment to say it is totally sorted out).
Now I am going to go and get a new recipe for Satay Chicken out of the slow cooker and try to persuade three of my family members to eat it. It has Sweet Chilli sauce in it. I'm rather suspecting that this experiment is going to end badly. Maybe I should pack my cooking ambitions away and just serve them plain hot dogs, sauce-less meatballs and plain cheese pizzas. Doesn't do much for my taste buds, but certainly promotes family harmony. So, there is a sample of the most interesting bits of our day.
Are we ordinary? Yes we are!
Labels:
children,
food,
kindergarten,
money,
sickness
14 November, 2009
Fun doing deputation
Labels:
deputation,
food,
Japan,
Japanese language
13 November, 2009
When I'm an adult...
We periodically get asked what our children love about Japan. Difficult question to answer, because it is just the place they live, not an exotic place they've travelled to on holidays. However my 4 y.o. gave me interesting insight this morning. He said,
When I get to be an adult I want to live in Japan because my raincoat is there because it rains a lot and the lawn is never brown.What lawn? Never mind. As a 4 y.o. he already has a broader view of the world than most of his peers.
Labels:
adjusting to Australia,
Australia,
Japan,
TCKs
12 November, 2009
A spear in the wash
Labels:
boys,
sickness,
sole parenting
10 November, 2009
I'm frustrated
It is amazing how, in a day, frustrations can build up. Today, our 7 y.o. continued to have occasional diarrhoea. He seemed sparky, but every now and then a rush to the little boys room. So he's still home.
I've had to cancel tomorrow - the day I'd planned to indulge in some leisurely shopping for me. First frustration.
Second frustration. Getting the boys to swimming. I'm lucky, David usually does this. It wasn't too bad, except that our ill son looked pretty flaky. Poor kid, getting dragged to school for pick-up and then to swimming. But there was no one to leave him with, so in the car we got.
Third frustration. When we got there I realised that our youngest had forgotten his goggles. Pointed it out while we were waiting the half an hour for his lesson (shouldn't have) and he whinged and whined and cajoled until his ill brother finally relented to walk back to the car with us to retrieve the goggles. 7 y.o. decided he couldn't walk all the way to the car, so I said to both of them to wait for me at the entrance and I'd drive around and get them. Did they believe me? No, 7 y.o. changed his mind while I was walking and 4 y.o. came running through the car park a fraction later as I manoeuvred the car back to his spot. He almost ran out onto a busy road.
I raced home trying hard to stay to the speed limit; we only live about six minutes from the pool but several traffic lights bar the way. Dashed into the house, retrieved hotly desired goggles and raced back to the pool, all while our 10 y.o. did laps of the pool in his lesson. Dragged our sick 7 y.o. back into the swimming pool arena.
The next one blindsided me. 4 y.o. who loves water, refused to get into the swimming pool. He was pretty creative in coming up with excuses, from "I'm shy" to "I want to swim in that lane (next one)." After all that I'd done to ensure he'd have a good lesson, I could hardly believe it. Sat next to the pool stunned for several minutes, occasionally expressing my disbelief to my sons.
At least our 10 y.o. had a good lesson. And the kind lady at the front desk said that we could have make-up lessons for both the younger ones. She is not obliged to do that, it was a soothing balm to my ruffled soul.
Now all I need is my husband home so I can verbally offload the whole frustrating story. But, there are still six sleeps left.
Labels:
boys,
sole parenting
08 November, 2009
Husband leaves. Child develops gastro. Figures.
WARNING: If you have a delicate stomach, go to someone else's blog today!
If you are a Facebook friend this title may be familiar. It is what I posted yesterday. Yes, our 7 y.o. had diarrhoea and vomiting yesterday and still hasn't picked up on energy or appetite yet.
He managed a spectacular vomit in front of all three visitors I had in the house at the time. Two left rapidly (they were nearly going anyway, this just made their leaving speedier). The other, bless him, stayed around until I had all the boys in bed. He took the others for a walk while I spent a considerable amount of time making our house liveable again and was the source of much hilarity all afternoon. Male second grade teachers are pretty rare and certainly a precious breed. This one loves boys and is most happy to go (in conversation) to the places that boys always tend to go. He happened to be reading a page to the other two about vomit at the exact time when their brother provided a brilliant example of the topic at hand.
We always struggle to have decent table conversation and it's worse when there is only one adult. Unfortunately current events have made it infinitely worse - they can hardly stay away from our amazing event of the weekend. Our 7 y.o. can't wait to get back to school and tell his friends that he "pooed his pants five times"! Our 4 y.o. is wondering out loud why the vomit was multi coloured and mostly contained vegetables as well as numerous other things like what a "vomiting bug" might look like.
Thankfully the other two don't show signs of illness. I haven't vomited (not even when I cleaned up the dining room yesterday), but I'm a tad worried about the other end...
The most unfortunate thing about this is that a much anticipated birthday party involving several of our best friends and their children is starting up about now. And we're missing it. Tragic for this extrovert who usually lives in a different country to these friends and has few opportunities to meet them. Oh well. At least they all live in Brisbane and we still have eight months left in the country. There'll be other opportunities.
07 November, 2009
Meaning of English words imported into Japanese
Here are the meanings of the words I posted a few days ago.
- Manshon - mansion. But the meaning is different. This is a large fairly modern apartment block. Japanese are amazed that the meaning of the English word is for a large house that usually only has one family in it.
- Sutaduresu taiya - studless tyres. English? Yes, but not where I come from. These are tyres used on snowy roads, but have not studs (which wreck the roads).
- Sutovu - stove. Again a different meaning. This is a heater.
- Aian - iron.
- Pasocon - PC - personal computer.
- Beeza - visa
- Youkari - eucalyptus tree
- Lordo (has two meanings) - lord and load
- Sutsukesu - suitcase
- Makudonarudo - McDonalds
Labels:
Japanese language
06 November, 2009
The end of a quiet week, but it isn't over yet
Yes, it has been a delightfully quiet week. One that I've even been able to contemplate non-essentials like vacuuming corners and writing non-urgent articles. But..
Tomorrow David flies to Perth (check your atlas, if you're unfamiliar with Australian geography - he'll be on the plane for about five hours - Perth is in the south-west corner of Australia and Brisbane is on the east coast).
He'll be there for nine sleeps. I'll be here with three boys for the same length of time, though it will seem much longer on this side of the country than his!
The last times we've done significant deputation (1999-2000 and 2004-5) we've all done the Western Australia trip. We have several supporting churches over there and OMF over there needs all the encouragement we can give them. The sheer fact of the matter is that we've grown larger as a family and take up more aeroplane seats - a financial concern. And two of the boys are in school now. So, I'm staying home and David is doing it alone. I'm doing the week alone too - with our three crazy, energetic boys.
Not that he has it easy either. He's going to have a pretty full schedule. We also work as a team during these years at home. We're a typical introvert-extrovert couple. I do the chatting and networking side of deputation with more ease than my husband.
The one thing in my favour is that for the first time ever (during a separation) I'll have everyone at "school" for three days he is away. Easier than the month we did apart two years ago. I had the kids with me all the time (and they were two years younger - meaning a two year old tantrum thrower) and we were living in someone else's house.
Anyway, pray for us all, please. Be ready for crazy updates too!

Labels:
boys,
deputation,
family
05 November, 2009
Square Watermelons


Labels:
Japan
English words in Japanese
A friend commented on this post mentioning all the foreign words that Japanese absorb into their language. He was absolutely correct. Can you see the wonderful "English" in this photo?
Here are some others, see if you can guess their meanings (for fun, please hold back if you speak Japanese and let the non-Japanese speakers have a go):
(I've typed them as close as I can to how they sound in Japanese.)

- Manshon
- Sutaduresu taiya
- Sutovu
- Aian
- Pasocon
- Beeza
- Youkari
- Lordo (has two meanings)
- Sutsukesu
- Makudonarudo
Answers here.
Labels:
Japanese language
04 November, 2009
A jus?

Labels:
food
Christmas nearly here?

03 November, 2009
Pets for show-and-tell, vacuuming and writing
Yes, the hermies, as they've lovingly become known as in our house - easier than Jessica, Jaz and Spikey, made it to show and tell today. They seem to be fine, though possibly a little tired.
Once they were settled and enjoying great fame at PrePrep (like kindergarten), I finished off an article I wrote called "Loving missionaries with your questions". It is based on a lot of what I've said on this blog over the last couple of months. Thanks for your comments, some of which I used. I've sent it off to be published in our small denominational magazine. I'm thinking of doing some rewriting and submitting it some other places too.
While I was doing final editing, David rode off and posted his last assignment for the year. Yay! So, just to celebrate, we did some much needed cleaning. Such fun :) Actually it is far more fun when done in community (now you know my personality). I did a "corners and all" vacuum that took hours and David cleaned the toilets and washed a floor rug. Heaps more that could be done, but I've run out of housekeeping enthusiasm for today. It is far more fun writing stuff. Cleaning is a very satisfying task, but it has to be one of world's most easily undone. At least my 7 y.o. came in and noticed, "Why is the house all clean?" he asked! Now you know what my house usually looks like too.
02 November, 2009
Saturday went...
really well!
I wore my summer kimono (yukata) for the first half of the evening and managed to find a girl almost the right size for our "girl's" kimono. We ate Japanese food (curry rice and miso) with chopsticks, did origami together, gave people a taste of Japanese language, showed videos on below-the-surface of Japan and had a lot of fun. People came away with a deeper understanding of Japan, the culture and what it might feel like to live there.
We did have to cut a few things out of the program, like the slipper relay and questions at the end, but overall it was a good evening and lots of people gave us good feedback at the end. The main thing we kept hearing was that most missionaries just stand up the front and talk or show videos (or slides) - boring - but that our evening was "the best missionary event I've ever been to"! It was interactive and not at all static. People will remember it for much longer.
What we really want is for more church groups to get enthusiastic about a program like this. It was not a small thing to organise, but very worthwhile. We'd happily do dozens of these, and even though they are more work, we'd rather do them than stand up the front of churches for a 10 minute missionary "spot".
We had 100 people come to this small church. Quite a lot weren't even from this church. More than a dozen knew me as a child - a bit scary. However no dodgy stories of my childhood were told that I know of. One man who knew my parents before they were married recounted to us some of the message given at our wedding!
We're all tired today. The boys were up till almost 10pm on Saturday night. Hoping that the fairly blank diary for this week translates into a quiet week. But now I'm off to the bank, gym and grocery store.
Labels:
deputation,
missionaries
01 November, 2009
Outside face, inside face
Last month I wrote this small piece for our monthly news/prayer letter:
Relationships in Japan
Japan is a challenging place to make new relationships. It is a group society, yet they are not as communal as many other Asians. In some countries the place to meet people is on the street or at the market, but not in Japan. People are not in and out of each others homes, either. Japanese usually have long-term relationships which are based around work, education or location (i.e. neighbours).
Relative status difference governs relationships and language. If they don’t know your ‘status’ in relation to theirs, they are nervous about talking with you. Avoidance of eye contact with strangers is noticeable.
Tatemae and Honne refer to a key aspect of Japanese culture, the public persona and real feelings.
Tatemae is a face that Japanese show in public. They may have a specific role due to their social status or position in the specific group (such as corporation or company). They behave as they are expected to behave in the specific situation, regardless of their personal opinions about the matter. In a land where population density is high, the use of tatemae is a key component to avoiding conflict. Japanese are very good at avoiding confrontation. To the westerner, this may sound dishonest, but I think Australians are pretty good at avoiding confrontation, too!
Honne refers to real feelings and opinions. It is not something one is encouraged to show in public, especially during business dealings. It is something a Japanese shows only to his closest friends (or sometimes when drunk) and family. Rarely did we become close enough friends to hear real feelings and opinions.
People have been quite intrigued and have asked lots of questions about it (good questions).
What do you think? How different is this to what we do in Australia? We put on our "outside" faces too, don't you think. Possibly not to the same extent, but we certainly do it.
Labels:
Japan
31 October, 2009
Japanese vending machines
I miss vending machines! Truly. In Japan and especially in Tokyo they are everywhere and very convenient. Australian drinks are so expensive compared to ones you can buy from Japanese vending machines. But drinks are not the only thing you can buy from vending machines in Japan. Check this out for an eye opening look at the variety of things you can buy.
Time is money or is it?

Labels:
deputation,
missionaries,
money,
parenting
30 October, 2009
More on wearing my summer kimono
Labels:
deputation
TV is not playing what I want...
29 October, 2009
Things about me that have changed
Someone pointed out yesterday that we've lived in Japan for almost a decade. Sounds imposing when you put it like that.
I've have noticed a few things that I probably do differently to 10 years ago, and not just because I'm older!
- I use my hands to illustrate some of my words, like numbers. This comes of learning another language and lacking confidence that people will understand your words. Interesting that it has translated over into English.
- I've been told I speak softly (except when dealing with children who aren't responding). I don't think that this was particularly a characteristic of mine before I went to Japan. A couple of theories - possibly just Japanese. I wonder if it is also born of sticking out so much and trying to compensate by speaking softly?
- I don't like my shoes on in the house, though possibly that was the case before.
- I can tend to go over the top in humour or speaking my mind, just because I can.
- I speak to people in lines, chat to bank employees, checkout chicks - just because I can!
- I pay less attention to what others think. For years we've been living in another culture, with lots of people paying a lot of attention to us. In the end I've had to largely disregard them and get on with doing my own thing. Sounds weird, but here's an example; managing my kids in public. In Japan they attract a lot of attention in public, just because of the way they look. Dealing with bad behaviour in public is tricky in the face of that. I've had to block out the fact that lots of people are observing us and get on with managing my family as best I can.
- Related to the above but slightly different - I've grown fairly comfortable with me (this is a sign of age too, I know). We are living lives so different from most of the people around us - here and in Japan - that we've had to find our own plimsoll lines. How much we can take on, when to say no, even what to feed my family, how to manage my own kids, and what my own role will be outside of my home-maker role. With so few people as role models it has not been easy and negative comparison with others is a potential trap.
Labels:
about me
28 October, 2009
Should I wear my summer kimono?
27 October, 2009
Japanese customs

Some false assumptions among many Japanese that’s slowly being dispelled by time is the “uniqueness” of Japan...(and therefore)
- Japan is the only country that has four seasons;
- foreigners can’t understand Japan; (nor can they speak Japanese)
- only Japanese can use chopsticks properly.
It's absolutely true. So many times people have commented on my amazing ability to speak Japanese (or use chopsticks) when I've only uttered a short phrase, no better than a primary schooler might do....
Here's another key insight:
...and more. Especially if you have white babies or children. We've had ladies nearly swooning at the "cuteness" of our kids! It is wonderful to be in a land at present where we don't stick out. And in fact, where it doesn't matter too much if you do!Drawing attention to yourself as an individual is a huge no-no: don’t blow your nose in public, try to avoid eating while on the go, and don’t speak on your cell phone in crowded public areas like trains or buses.
The main problem with this is that foreigners simply can’t avoid standing out; we stick out like sore thumbs no matter how long we’ve been here, or how much we know about Japanese culture and society.
As a result, being in Japan gives foreigners the status of D-level celebrities: you’ll get glances...
Labels:
Australia,
Japan,
Japanese language
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)