22 May, 2016
Stories of Japanese people meeting Jesus
Here is a six minute video with many Japanese and other Asians telling briefly how they met Jesus (most are between 20 and 30 seconds long).
21 May, 2016
Different measuring systems
Today is the first Saturday in many that we've not gone to a sporting event early on Saturday morning and remained there almost all day. I do love being a sporting mum (yep I've grown, this morning I saw this post I wrote five years ago where I was struggling with this exact issue).
I love that it gives me connecting and conversation points with my now-big boys. I love seeing them be challenged and learn from their successes and failures. I also love it that it is tonnes of non-screen time for them. It also helps fulfill my "extrovert" needs as we travel too and fro and spend the whole day with other parents who've become friends. However I do struggle with the all-Saturday commitment and the tiredness that brings.
But today, and for quite a few more Saturdays in the coming months, we don't have live sporting events to attend (next one is early September). So I slept in, laid in, and then have been baking ever since. Ah, the luxury.
I wanted to add a slight twist on the baking for you today. I've written before about how I make substitutions here a lot for things that are hard to get, or expensive.
There's another challenge to baking/cooking. Many of you will be aware that Australian measurements differ from other countries. These days I use recipes from Australia, as well as recipes from international friends and even, as many of you do I'm sure, recipes from the internet. It isn't uncommon to be baking stuff with different measurements. I cope by using a Japanese cup (200ml, same as the US) as well as my Australian cup measure (250ml). I also have both Australian and Japanese tablespoons (20 & 15ml). My scales are Japanese and in grams, so I have a chart on the side of my fridge that helps with ounces etc. Actually this whole challenge isn't that foreign. Many of the recipes I grew up making with my mum were in ounces too.
What I'm wondering now, is what do Australians in Australia cope with the different measurements they encounter in recipes sourced off the internet?
Editor's note: since this was published (yes, just a few minutes ago) an American friend told me that American cups are 8oz or 236ml! Arggh!
There's another challenge to baking/cooking. Many of you will be aware that Australian measurements differ from other countries. These days I use recipes from Australia, as well as recipes from international friends and even, as many of you do I'm sure, recipes from the internet. It isn't uncommon to be baking stuff with different measurements. I cope by using a Japanese cup (200ml, same as the US) as well as my Australian cup measure (250ml). I also have both Australian and Japanese tablespoons (20 & 15ml). My scales are Japanese and in grams, so I have a chart on the side of my fridge that helps with ounces etc. Actually this whole challenge isn't that foreign. Many of the recipes I grew up making with my mum were in ounces too.
What I'm wondering now, is what do Australians in Australia cope with the different measurements they encounter in recipes sourced off the internet?
Editor's note: since this was published (yes, just a few minutes ago) an American friend told me that American cups are 8oz or 236ml! Arggh!
20 May, 2016
Dental success
Today I not only went to the dentist, I made appointments for three more family members all by myself. I feel accomplished!
Medical and dental are two areas where it's easy to feel very shaky when you're overseas. This week we've been hearing of the medical dramas of friends/colleagues who've just arrived in Taiwan with their toddler and baby for the first time, so don't have much language yet. I feel for them! Thankfully they have had good help from English-speakers.
So we got good dental care in Australia and were told to get checkups six months after we got back to Japan in July last year. Well soon after we arrived in Japan we discovered that the kind dentist I mentioned here had retired. So I was without a dentist. I'd like to write "the hunt began" but it didn't really. It wasn't until April that I finally got around to finding a dentist that would be able to cope with my limited dental Japanese.
Got to love their English, though. The conclusion on my teeth when I finally got an appointment was "we can't see any cavities or gum disease, so your brushing mustn't be too bad"!
Then they explained that they couldn't clean all my teeth that day. What? They explained that Japanese medical insurance doesn't cover it. So you have to have your teeth cleaned over two separate appointments. I don't know what our previous dentists did (maybe they fiddled the books?) but we've never had to have two appointments just for teeth cleaning before.
Nevertheless, I got the rest of my teeth attended to today, all by myself. And I've arranged for the rest of the family as well! The third boy sees a dentist/orthodontist regularly. They clean all his teeth every time (he's never had such clean teeth). But probably insurance isn't covering that!
Sometimes small things are so satisfying.
I had meant to try to squeeze a ride to the park today, but discovering this morning that I had a mid-morning dental appointment put a stop to that thought. I did ride, though, to the dentist, post office, and two grocery stores. None of them very far away, but it was a short ride and I kept my eyes open for beautiful flowers. There are so many at this time of year! I stopped to take a photo of these beauties gracing an otherwise dull concrete retaining wall next to our river.
Medical and dental are two areas where it's easy to feel very shaky when you're overseas. This week we've been hearing of the medical dramas of friends/colleagues who've just arrived in Taiwan with their toddler and baby for the first time, so don't have much language yet. I feel for them! Thankfully they have had good help from English-speakers.
So we got good dental care in Australia and were told to get checkups six months after we got back to Japan in July last year. Well soon after we arrived in Japan we discovered that the kind dentist I mentioned here had retired. So I was without a dentist. I'd like to write "the hunt began" but it didn't really. It wasn't until April that I finally got around to finding a dentist that would be able to cope with my limited dental Japanese.
Got to love their English, though. The conclusion on my teeth when I finally got an appointment was "we can't see any cavities or gum disease, so your brushing mustn't be too bad"!
Then they explained that they couldn't clean all my teeth that day. What? They explained that Japanese medical insurance doesn't cover it. So you have to have your teeth cleaned over two separate appointments. I don't know what our previous dentists did (maybe they fiddled the books?) but we've never had to have two appointments just for teeth cleaning before.
Nevertheless, I got the rest of my teeth attended to today, all by myself. And I've arranged for the rest of the family as well! The third boy sees a dentist/orthodontist regularly. They clean all his teeth every time (he's never had such clean teeth). But probably insurance isn't covering that!
Sometimes small things are so satisfying.
I had meant to try to squeeze a ride to the park today, but discovering this morning that I had a mid-morning dental appointment put a stop to that thought. I did ride, though, to the dentist, post office, and two grocery stores. None of them very far away, but it was a short ride and I kept my eyes open for beautiful flowers. There are so many at this time of year! I stopped to take a photo of these beauties gracing an otherwise dull concrete retaining wall next to our river.
19 May, 2016
Differences between higher education systems US vs UK
I came across this interesting webpage, it's aimed at people looking at higher education in the UK and USA and comes up with some enlightening differences that I've summarised below (understanding that I've not experienced either system personally).
Length of time to finish a degree
US takes generally a year longer than in the UK (barring Scotland where a bachelor degree is four years). "Courses are shorter in the UK because the course programs are generally much more focused than in the US." The same would go for Australia. US degrees include a lot of general stuff not specific to the degree you end up with. They believe in a well-rounded education.
Academic term
The calendars are different. The UK system is not as standardised across the country and of course doesn't have a Thanksgiving holiday. Australia is different again, starting in February and ending in November, generally using a two-semester system, sometimes including a third semester during the summer for those who want to get ahead.
University organisation
This relates to depth (UK) vs breath (US), but also how you apply to get into a university. I'll leave you to read the article if you're interested.
Cost
US is generally higher even for locals. The government has some control over the ceiling of fees in the UK, but in the US it's much more varied.
Accommodation
Both countries provide residence halls in which to live. They are similar, except that in the UK students generally have a bedroom themselves (that was my experience in Australia) but in the US it is common to have at least one other person you share with. There are apparently differences in catering too. It seems to me that the ratio of students living in residential situations in Australia is quite low compared to the UK and US (though I have no stats to compare).
Homework
This is a big difference I see between Australia and the US system. The US has constant assignments, whereas the UK might have a couple or none at all, just an exam at the end.
Grades
US based on overall performance on everything, UK based mostly on the final exam.
We're not intending that any of our kids go to either country for higher education, at least not first-up. If they decide to go there later, that's their choice. But this is interesting to me because our kids are in an American-style school where many if not more of their peers will end up in the US tertiary education system. The Australian tertiary system is closer to the UK system than the US system, though, from what I understand, quite different from both in the high school years.
I occasionally hear people who've never moved out of their passport culture complain about education choices and how hard it is. I generally restrain myself from telling them of how challenging it can be if you live cross-culturally! There are many more factors to consider and sometimes less choice isn't necessarily good.
edu
 |
| Not directly related to the article, but fun anyway. Our eldest will turn 17 this month. That was a huge year for me—the year that I finished high school, got my licence, moved out of home, and started uni. This photo was taken later in the year I started uni, my first car! I can't believe, though, that I'll soon have a 17 year old in my house! |
Length of time to finish a degree
US takes generally a year longer than in the UK (barring Scotland where a bachelor degree is four years). "Courses are shorter in the UK because the course programs are generally much more focused than in the US." The same would go for Australia. US degrees include a lot of general stuff not specific to the degree you end up with. They believe in a well-rounded education.
The curriculum of many undergraduate programs is based on a “liberal arts” philosophy in which students are required to study courses from a range of subjects to form a broad educational foundation. These general education courses include study in English composition, social sciences, humanities, history, mathematics and natural or physical sciences. (from here)I, for example, did a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy. From day one we were studying anatomy, psychology, human development etc., not history or English. The only maths we did was statistics in psychology.
Academic term
The calendars are different. The UK system is not as standardised across the country and of course doesn't have a Thanksgiving holiday. Australia is different again, starting in February and ending in November, generally using a two-semester system, sometimes including a third semester during the summer for those who want to get ahead.
University organisation
This relates to depth (UK) vs breath (US), but also how you apply to get into a university. I'll leave you to read the article if you're interested.
Cost
US is generally higher even for locals. The government has some control over the ceiling of fees in the UK, but in the US it's much more varied.
Accommodation
Both countries provide residence halls in which to live. They are similar, except that in the UK students generally have a bedroom themselves (that was my experience in Australia) but in the US it is common to have at least one other person you share with. There are apparently differences in catering too. It seems to me that the ratio of students living in residential situations in Australia is quite low compared to the UK and US (though I have no stats to compare).
Homework
This is a big difference I see between Australia and the US system. The US has constant assignments, whereas the UK might have a couple or none at all, just an exam at the end.
Grades
US based on overall performance on everything, UK based mostly on the final exam.
We're not intending that any of our kids go to either country for higher education, at least not first-up. If they decide to go there later, that's their choice. But this is interesting to me because our kids are in an American-style school where many if not more of their peers will end up in the US tertiary education system. The Australian tertiary system is closer to the UK system than the US system, though, from what I understand, quite different from both in the high school years.
I occasionally hear people who've never moved out of their passport culture complain about education choices and how hard it is. I generally restrain myself from telling them of how challenging it can be if you live cross-culturally! There are many more factors to consider and sometimes less choice isn't necessarily good.
edu
18 May, 2016
American biscuits vs Australian scones (Part 2)
Recipe 1: American biscuit
Recipe 2: Australian scone
Most guessed right. The chief difference (aside from the ratio of baking powder to flour) that I can see is how the recipe recommends they be served. Both American and Australian say "with jam" but the American adds "or with sausage gravy for breakfast" and the Australian adds "and cream".
Interestingly this morning I had coffee with a friend at a well-known American coffee chain. The food case had, lined up (now I wish I'd taken a photo): scones, American biscuits, and cookies. The main visible difference between the scones and biscuits was "bits" added. The biscuits were plain and round and the scones had chocolate chips or dried fruit and were triangle-shaped.
This is making me hungry plus hankering after a baking session . . . but I've got other work to do before the kids come home.
However, I'll leave you with a recipe for Australian Pumpkin Scones, just in case you were feeling like me. This is a recipe by a famous lady from my home state. I lived and worked in her home town for a while too: Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen, but I can't claim to having met her.
Here's a bit of a story I found here about these scones:
Recipe 2: Australian scone
Most guessed right. The chief difference (aside from the ratio of baking powder to flour) that I can see is how the recipe recommends they be served. Both American and Australian say "with jam" but the American adds "or with sausage gravy for breakfast" and the Australian adds "and cream".
Interestingly this morning I had coffee with a friend at a well-known American coffee chain. The food case had, lined up (now I wish I'd taken a photo): scones, American biscuits, and cookies. The main visible difference between the scones and biscuits was "bits" added. The biscuits were plain and round and the scones had chocolate chips or dried fruit and were triangle-shaped.
This is making me hungry plus hankering after a baking session . . . but I've got other work to do before the kids come home.
However, I'll leave you with a recipe for Australian Pumpkin Scones, just in case you were feeling like me. This is a recipe by a famous lady from my home state. I lived and worked in her home town for a while too: Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen, but I can't claim to having met her.
Here's a bit of a story I found here about these scones:
Pumpkin scones . . . became very popular in Australia as a must have with a cuppa. They were made very famous by the wife of one of our longest serving Premiers of Queensland, Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen.
Lady Flo, was famous for greeting visiting journalists and dignitaries with a cuppa and a batch of freshly baked pumpkin scones. Just a little side comment and for a bit of a giggle she even wrote a book titled 'Politics and Pumpkin Scones'.
17 May, 2016
Amercian biscuit vs Australia scone (Part 1)
Okay, so I encountered American biscuits on the weekend. They aren't as unique as perhaps people think they are. To prove it, I have a small quiz. Can you guess which of the below ingredient list is for American biscuits vs an Australian scone?
I've edited the ingredients, only so that you can't tell from units or terminology which country they come from.
 |
| (The photos aren't from these recipes, just one is an Aussie scone and the other is an American biscuit.) |
Recipe number one
• Flour — 2 cups
• Baking powder — 1 tablespoon
• Salt — 1 teaspoon
• Butter, cold, cut into small cubes — ½ cup
• Milk — ⅔ cup
• Baking powder — 1 tablespoon
• Salt — 1 teaspoon
• Butter, cold, cut into small cubes — ½ cup
• Milk — ⅔ cup
Recipe number two
o Flour, for dusting
o 3 cups flour
o 3 teaspoons baking powder
o 3 oz butter, cubed
o 1-1¼ cups milk
I'll give you the links for the recipes tomorrow.
More free high-quality photos
Magazine Training International has published a list of more free high-quality photo sites (see here for a previous list I linked to): http://magazinetraining.com/top-10-sites-for-free-high-quality-photos/#comment-227
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