Vegas Adventures

To recap from last time, my friend Lester found round trip tickets and 1 week in a hotel near the strip in Las Vegas for $350. It would be silly to say no, and now I’m extra broke, but I like to think that I like to spend my money on experiences more than material goods. Luckily for me, Lester was on a budget too, so we complimented each other. We bought our tickets Sunday morning on the 20th, and left on Monday the 22nd. As I like to say, I’m flexible and this sounded like a chance of a lifetime.

We started our morning nice and early, and sat on the plane while they defrosted the ice covering it. Soon, no more cold eh? We’re off to a desert in the far south after all. Alas, deserts are places of extremes, and I was glad to have brought my jacket and toque. As we flew over the landscape, we passed the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam; mere teasers at that height, yet still very impressive.

When you enter the airport, you can tell you’re in a very different place. The terminal is crowded with slot machines, and Lester and I spun a promotional wheel as we arrived, winning less than impressive lint rollers. Surprisingly, “The Strip” as its called, is a quick ride away from the airport. We checked in to the Hooters hotel, where surprisingly, they were advertising a male striptease show. For those who don’t know, “Hooters” is a chain of restaurants probably most famous for their waiting staff of pneumatic women wearing revealing clothes, so their choice of show seemed somewhat contradictory.

I soon learnt all the hotels have their own stage and shows they play (almost?) nightly. One of our first stops was at a “tix4tonight” stand, where you can buy tickets for shows at a discount. We secured tickets for a Cirque Du Soleil show: “Zoomanity,” and then proceeded to tour around the area. Lots to do, lots to see. Because of the strips’ large scale, you can spend a long time just walking around.

I didn’t know what to expect, other than Vegas to be a legendary tourist city. However most people had hyped it up to the point, not unlike an over-hyped movie, that set up unrealistic expectations. Sure it’s huge and flashy, but not that much different from my home away from home I’ve lived in for 3 years. I could draw lots of parallels to Japan, from the flashy lights everywhere, to the mobile advertisements circling the strip. At first I was making an interesting mental list like that, but it’s not fair to critique a new place in that fashion.

I kept thinking: if everyone I know likes this place so much, how come they never really visited Japan? In the end, I guess the most glaring answer to that is English and gambling. Though, I was pleasantly surprised by the huge usage of Spanish everywhere. Even fast food workers would switch between the two languages effortlessly, and I ponder how things would be different in Canada if knowing French was a requirement to work a till at a burger joint. I’d assume it is down East, but I’ll have to go there to find out. (Someday friends! Someday…)

But back to Vegas, we managed to see a couple hotels like the MGM and New York New York. I borrowed my mom’s camera again, but Lester said I probably shouldn’t take photos on the gambling floors. Unfortunately, gambling is the majority of floor space at most places, so I just got shots of surrounding areas.

What there was to take shots of was absolutely amazing. Exhibits that change with the seasons, like a Botanical Garden that flew in world class pumpkins for their Thanksgiving display. Huge water shows playing every 20 minutes. One place followed up a song and dance with floating boats and displays suspended from the roof, where attractive people danced and threw down beads to anyone cheering.

On our first walk, we secured a large pack of beer, bringing its price down to around $1 a can. There were a couple nights where we’d relax after a long day of walking the strip by sitting in the hot tub and drinking those cheap, frosty beverages. Most of the time we were alone, as all the locals considered it to be super cold outside, but we were happy not to be surrounded by a meter of snow like in Saskatchewan.

Up and down the strip are various cosplayers (like Akihabara in Japan) posing for pictures in various outfits like Elvis naturally, Homer Simpson, Pirates of the Caribbean, and other famous American cultural icons. One act we passed was a girl in a tutu and thong, trying to escape a straight jacket, even though it meant rolling around on the cold, dirty sidewalk to do so. Other performers would be doing balancing or juggling acts and so on.

I definitely like the feel of the city, especially at night. I liked the oversized, almost cartoon-inspired looking hotels and their themes: a giant pyramid called the ‘Luxor’, a medieval castle called ‘Excalibur,’ a Greek inspired ‘Caesar’s Palace’ and an Italian inspired ‘Venetian’ among others. You can tell a lot of money is spent here, from just how beautiful a lot of things are, as I’m sure they’re constantly maintained if not fully renovated like that botanical garden frequently.

Yikes, 2 pages in and I didn’t finish talking about our first night. We watched Zoomanity, which is a “sensual” show, and very amusing. The acrobatics were phenomenal, and the show was fulfilling while leaving you wanting more. One of the highlights I thought was early in the show when 2 girls swam around and flipped into a large fish bowl. The schoolgirl with the hoola hoops was pretty neat too.

In all, this was an excellent introduction to Cirque Du Soleil for me, and I was hungry for more. I was lucky enough to watch another show, this one named “Ka” later in the week. This show was a lot more serious, and the stunts were a lot more impressive. The stage and the theater itself is a marvel. I had a loose understanding of the story however, but perhaps what I was watching is ‘high art’ for all I know.

I heard “O” is perhaps the best Cirque Du Soleil show, but maybe because of that, I couldn’t procure cheap tickets like all the other shows. I was on a budget after all, and I’m sure I’ll probably be back to Vegas someday.

Most of our nights weren’t very late, which I found odd considering it to be the “City that Never Sleeps”, but I appreciated the rest from all the walking we did. That first day was a killer naturally, but Lester and I did pretty well after that. On the second day we bought tour tickets for the Grand Canyon and the Hoover dam. We spent the afternoon in the hot tub drinking, and spent the night walking the strip again.

We had hoped to save money after spending so much on the tours, that we tried to see some of the many free shows they have playing. Unfortunately for us, most of those shows are outdoors and it was an oddly windy night, cancelling many things. We still covered a lot of ground though, walking in and around various casinos and hotels, as you can see pictured all over this blog.

We got up early Wednesday and headed out to the Grand Canyon. The tour bus driver was a very political girl, and listening to her talk was like being in church as depicted in many southern African American movies I had seen. Until then I thought it was interesting, but now I was getting the full cultural experience. At first it was really cool, but after an hour or two it got annoying with the constant politics, and many people on the bus vocally agreeing or disagreeing with every 2 words she said.

Luckily after a couple hours she put on a documentary of the Hoover Dam first, then later of the Grand Canyon. We had quickly stopped there earlier for pictures, but it was a long trip to the Canyon so we had time. When we did arrive and walked out to it, it was like walking to the edge of the world. The ground falls down sharply, and out into the void… was a blizzard.

Just our Canadian luck, it was snowing. It hadn’t snowed in the Canyon since 1992, so looking at it another way… we were lucky? It was really interesting seeing the canyon on one side, then seeing some tanned tourists on the other completely ignoring it, taking pictures of themselves instead holding up a tiny clump of snow near their face. I guess like Ann, they hadn’t seen snow before, so why not eh?

One thing I love is the word “Canada” because it’s a simple enough word to pick up in any language. Lester was walking around the snow in his shorts, and some Chinese tourists were laughing and talking up a storm. Of course, the only word I understood from them was “Canada” but I still wondered a bit how they knew where we were from ;)

Luckily we had 3 hours, which went by way too fast, and the blizzard cleared up enough to see more of the canyon. Lester’s camera is much better than mine for piercing the white haze, so my pictures didn’t really turn out. The place looks a lot better in person anyways. If you have trouble fitting things in a picture frame, the Canyon is hard to fit in your eye frame. It was just so big, that I couldn’t see as much of it at once as I was trying to. It was everywhere, and it was massive. Words don’t do this place justice.

We spent hours soaking up the atmosphere, while keeping an eye on the time. It takes a while to absorb what you’re looking at, and it’s very humbling. I definitely want to come back again sometime, and when I do, I want to go white water rafting down it.

Well, back on the bus watching Hollywood movies for the long haul back. A Chinese lady didn’t have very good English and missed her ride home unfortunately. The landscape is expansive and bleak out in the desert, but I’m glad I got to see this as opposed to all the other stereotypical desert you usually see, for example in Egypt. This was more like what you’d see Wile-E-Coyote running around in.

Now it was Thursday, and we celebrated American Thanksgiving through a Turkey buffet at the hotel. We had a lot of good meals in Vegas, including an all-day buffet for $25. We only went twice because of how much we ate though we were free to come and go all day and the second time I only was able to see one isle of food before I was full, missing a whole separate isle of food.

It was a slow day of recouping and digesting turkey, but we saw another show, Penn & Teller that night. I’ve always been a fan, though I haven’t seen as many episodes of their TV show, ‘bullshit’, as I would have liked. I really enjoyed it anyways, and am happy those guys do the work that they do: things like speaking out for civil liberties, and exposing frauds who prey on the vulnerable.

Now it was Friday, or the American Cultural Phenomenon better known as “Black Friday.” It was pure coincidence our trip worked out this way, and we definitely saw a spike in traffic on the strip during the Thanksgiving holiday; with one rumor I overheard being over 250,000 people came in. For those who don’t know, “Black Friday” is the day after Thanksgiving, and the ‘first’ day of Christmas shopping. Many stores go out of their way with huge deals and what not, making the event as anticipated and crowded as Canadian Boxing Day.

We spent the morning at the Premium Outlet Mall where I got most of my Christmas presents for the year. To give an example of the sales, one store we walked into was 50% off, then 10% off that, then 15% off that. Almost 75% off everything in the store basically (key word being basically) and since that was confusing, they had charts posted around the store telling you about how much items were worth. As an example, I got a $150 coat for around $60.

In the Afternoon we went to an Electronics shop that was even more crowded and crazy than the many outlet malls. I’m used to big crowds because of where I lived the last 3 years, but it didn’t make the outing any less stressful. I was thinking of getting a camera to replace my lost one, but oddly electronics usually aren’t discounted as much as clothing or other items.

To unwind that night we watched Carrot Top do some comedy at the Luxor. I was amazed the hotel, although pyramid shaped, was hollow on the inside. Despite his bad commercials, he was quite hilarious and we had a great time again. At the Luxor they had other displays like human bodies cased in glass, and Titanic salvage on display. I didn’t have time to go see, and it was kinda pricey, but maybe next time.

On Saturday we went to the Hoover Dam for a tour. The scale of this place, again, is just awesome; 50ft diameter overflow-tunnels among other crazy things. We were able to go into the turbine room, and interestingly enough, most of them were turned off. Apparently there has been a severe drought the last 20 years and the water levels are at a record low. Soon the Federal Government may step in, as the dam’s main purpose is providing water, not power.

Even though we had 3 hours to lounge around again, it went by too fast. We walked along the top and got a bit of vertigo looking over the massive sides, as both were high up. You could see the “bathtub rim” where the water is suppose to rise up to far removed from the actual water line. The dam stretches across the Nevada/Arizona boarder and time zone; so two different clocks are displayed accordingly. It is such an amazing place with lots to take in, especially with that huge new bypass bridge that recently opened.

Like tours in Thailand and so on, the bus stopped at a tourist trap gift shop. This time it was an overpriced chocolate factory, but the samples were tasty. We got back into town and I called my friend Ike, who I haven’t seen since we left Japan together, as he was in town for his stag party.

It’s an amazing life we had before cell phones, as he didn’t have a way to reach me. I went to his hotel where he was waiting for me, and called him from the front desk. In all, we were only able to hang out for an hour, but I got him that lovely duty-free alcohol from the airport as a gift.

We played a bit of “texas hold’em”, but what a terrible game they made out of it. I had to watch for over 30 minutes before I figured how the betting worked on the table, and when I did play, 3 hands and 3 folds later I was out $30. I guess it was an experience, but it’s like they’re not even pretending that you have a chance to win money in Vegas anymore it was that bad.

I suppose the recession is bad and those big hotels don’t pay for themselves, but still. For the most part I stayed away from the gambling, and the longest I went was about ½ hour at a $3 blackjack table at our hotel. The only upside is that the drinks are free, but if you’re losing that much money it’s not really worth it. I remember Lester put $20 in a slot machine, and slowly would press the ‘spin’ button.

When I asked why he was taking his time, he responded ‘to try and make it last longer’. Even spinning slowly at a 25 cent machine, $20 only buys you around 2 minutes of ‘entertainment’, if that. Normally I hate slot machines completely, but Lester put the idea in my head that “you can play blackjack all day and maybe come out $100 up, but on the slots all it takes is one spin.” I ended up trying some with him, but naturally, lost everything in minutes so I didn’t play much.

Anyways, I had to leave Ike because I was seeing that ‘Ka’ show while Lester was off seeing an Elvis Cirque Du Soleil as he saw ‘Ka’ already. I had a feeling it was tailored more towards Elvis fans so I wasn’t interested. Anyways, I was hoping to meet up with Ike after his show was done around midnight, as he had to leave early in the morning. I had Hooter’s wings with Les for supper, bided my time in my room, and before I knew it I woke up after 1 in the morning in my clothes. Sorry Ike, I’ll have to catch up with you next time :( I hope the wedding goes great! Again, Congratulations!

Sunday, lazy Sunday. We did some shopping at the “Bass Pro Shop” and ate at a “Jack in the Box” fast food place. Whenever I saw a fast food place in the states, I couldn’t help but feel annoyed at how much Canadians are getting ripped off at their fast food joints. It’s unfortunate really.

After some more shopping we went back to the strip and found a Nascar Café place, of which Lester is a growing enthusiast; he was telling me some tidbits from his large book: “Nascar for Dummies” and I was humbled how much was involved in a seemingly simple sport. Anyways, it was Lester’s birthday the next day when our plane left, and it was our last night, so it was time to let loose and party.

After racing the simulation cars for a couple hours, I was usually a clear champion. We ate food at an adjacent sports bar advertising “every sport all the time.” Imagine our disappointment then, when we couldn’t find the Grey Cup game playing (Canada’s Football Championship). This, despite being able to take bets on the game with terrible odds too. For example, you’d have to bet $100 to win $10 if your team won (either team). Who takes those odds? Is that even legal? Ridiculous.

We did in fact find the game on channel 500 something, but they weren’t subscribed, so we relied on Lester’s friend text messaging him updates. The main draw to this place was their huge burrito where you can watch people trying to eat it on a live webcam, and the monster beer tube that fit a gallon. I was surprised at how Lester was putting his drinks away, and I tried to keep up with him. 5 minutes in and the first one was 1/2 empty.

The huge burrito challenge is 6 pounds, but I grabbed the 1-pound variant and had trouble finishing that. After, we raced the Nascars simulators some more and this time Lester kicked my butt each time. I’m not sure if that makes him a ‘real’ winner though, as he just drives drunk better I guess.

After we had more time to kill before our last show started, so we split another gallon of beer. The show this time was called “Striptease” in honour of our last night and his b-day. The main performer was some “Pet of the Year” from Hustler magazine on the December cover, so after the show Lester bought a copy in commemoration. Although he tried to silence me, I still pointed him out when the girls made their rounds so he got a Birthday gift: some special attention from the performer. I think he was reluctant to attend that show, but that made up for everything.

After the show we were drunk and exchanged our ticket/voucher for chips, where we hit the roulette table and I was up a good amount by hitting lucky on number 33. That luck didn’t last long though, and I walked away with most of those chips I think, though it was a bit of a haze.

It was fun, but we weren’t up too late and a bit hung-over in the morning. Our plane left in the afternoon, so we took a stroll around the strip as a way to say farewell to this great time. I don’t think we did too much, and were back in Regina by that night.

I know this feels rushed, but it’s way too long for a normal update, and I wrote over half of it a week or two ago. Anyways, I was hoping to get in one big road trip before working again, and this was a great time. I apologize to all the friends I have across this continent, and hope I can visit them next time. I hope to have a December update before the year closes. In the meantime, Merry Christmas ^_^

"Your only limitations are those you set up in your mind, or permit others to set up for you." -Og Mandino

tnoy

November November

It’s been a good month, despite the excess snow and ice accumulating. The snow pile on the side of the driveway tells a tale of a longer winter ahead. I was able to enjoy a nice walk with my Mom and sister Melissa, during one of the lulls of the snow pounding. When contrasted with a colour other than white, it really is beautiful, and I'm glad I can use my mom's camera to take pictures while my other one remains suspended in limbo. A couple days will be white, and a couple days will be spring weather. I’ll take what I can get, and it’s beautiful while it lasts.

Melissa had a medical in Moose Jaw one day, so it was my first Saskatchewan road trip since I’ve been back. It was a nice little day out at the airbase where we saw the Snow Birds practicing.

Later on we did some shopping in town but didn’t stay too long once Melissa was happy with her new clothes. She half jokes that she needs to be at work to save money where she doesn’t even buy lunch.

For the most part I’m happy to just spend time with others. Usually if I call Melissa up to do anything it will have to be watching TV or a movie, so I’m enthusiastic should alternative excursions arise. One night she was over, and I just decided to make some Peanut Butter cookies. It only took an hour and was quite tasty. It’s easy, so why not eh? You can have chats on the side while you do it, whereas the TV is a sedative generally.

I call Ann quite a bit, and I can sense things are getting tough on her. I’m on vacation while she’s working hard, and really just waiting to see what I’m going to do before we can be together again. It’s been about 6 months since we’ve seen each other. She's doing well though, though she told me recently she works 7 days a week with 2 jobs at the moment; it can be a tough life in Thailand.

Come Nov 11^th, Remembrance Day, we went to Regina’s central park. Melissa was in her Navy uniform, and I was early enough to get a good spot to stand and watch the proceedings.

I was a bit surprised how many Christian references and prayers were made, given how the people who fought and died were most likely of many different backgrounds, but that’s the way it goes around here I guess. I was happy there were many people out there braving to cold to give thanks to those who have fallen.

I saw a Universityof Regina hockey game with my friend Ken at the renovated Agribition area. There were many hockey rinks, and many more Canadians drinking beer and watching the proceedings. It was a cultural event and fairly entertaining even if our team lost.

It was a good time to visit the Schoenroth side of the family this month. For the first time since I’ve been back, there was a birthday gathering as I had been looking forward to; a chance to catch up with some of my huge family. What struck me right away were all the children suddenly running around where there really hasn’t been since I was little. More disturbing than that, I didn’t really know any of them.

It was one of those weird moments of realization that my childhood generation has come and gone, had their chance to run around under tables and lick the icing off candles. It was great, but now I can’t help but feel I was one of those “boring” adults that just talked about stuff instead of running around and playing games. Luckily not all is lost though; my friend Baden and I were visiting in the basement in-between games of make-belief gunfights with kids that were shooting up the place. It was as fun as ever, even if we never really got off the couch. My brother John came down to join us later, but he was too ‘mature’ to play along. That’s ok, more fun for us. I think I’m a lot better with kids now, after having taught them for years.

Before all that, I made an effort to go from room to room, person to person, and try to touch base again. Everyone is as lively as I remember, and catching up was as easy as it was enjoyable. I’ve been warned by people coming back not to get upset when you get asked “how was Japan?” over and over, as there is no way to sum up 3 years of your life in a 3 worded question.

No, if someone was interested in knowing something, they asked a great question, which I’d try to follow up with a great story. I feel like I’m full of those now, as I feel I’ve lived a lifetime of adventure in those short years. It’s not like I want to talk about myself for hours either and if I try, as I’ve learnt, I’ll lose my voice after a while. I usually like to hear other people’s stories more than I like telling my own, and like Larry King said: "I never learned anything while I was talking."

The time went fast at the party of course, but luckily it was followed up with another one not long later: my dad’s 60^th birthday. He made a Turkey feast and it was nice to go and see the old farmhouse again. There was more cake, more family, more laughter to be enjoyed by all. Happy Birthday Dad.

That morning the same day however my buddy Lester asked me: “Hey, want to go to Las Vegas for a week?” He found round trip airfare, including hotel accommodation on the strip for 1 week for $380 after taxes (and me putting in for extra health insurance; I’ve heard too many horror stories about the American Health System to take a chance).

I know I didn’t want to go on a potentially pricey holiday before I had a job, but what a deal eh? Some of my friends told me they would be angry with me if I said ‘no’. So for next time, look forward to some Vegas stories ^_^

"When you talk, you repeat what you already know; when you listen, you often learn something." -Jared Sparks

(I know this quote is almost identical to the Larry King one earlier, but it’s just as good)

tnoy

Incongruent Ramblings and Halloween

While I’m not as busy as I had been previously, time is still whizzing by quite fast. I’m putting a little effort into job hunting, though not overly. It was funny when I met one of my sister’s friends a couple weeks back and they asked me what I do. When I answered, “I’m unemployed” they stuttered a bit before being lost for something to say. I guess that’s pretty uncommon, but I suppose I didn’t help the conversation much with such a simple answer, followed by a smile and a ‘peace’ sign.

I’ve been reading books, sleeping in, and playing games a lot. Though, it seems I spend more time installing and tweaking/modding games than playing them now; I suppose video games are largely becoming a thing of the past to me. It’s an expensive hobby really, so I mostly get older/cheaper games that are still good. I do have some savings, but not extensive, and I’m reluctant to spend it without knowing when/where my next paycheck will come from.

Regina is a city, situated in a place, where outside spending times with friends and family, you’re going to need money to do anything slightly entertaining. I’ve persuaded several family members to go on road trips, or play games together largely in vain. That’s not to say I’m not having fun, and we aren’t having good times together, but I’m starting to hunger for more excitement and adventures again.

My camera is still lost and I still haven’t bought a replacement; I figure I’ll hold off until a large event to give it time to show up somewhere. Though hope for finding it, along with those games I misplaced (?) somewhere in Japan is dwindling. I’ve been using Mom’s camera a bit, so atleast I can show you some pictures even if I don’t have many new ones. These early pics are the leaf covered beach my brother John and I visited.

I’ve written this post over several days making it disjointed, but now it’s Halloween and I’d like to put it up before November rolls over. I went to Chris’ place yesterday where we carved pumpkins. It was a great idea and I’m very proud of my “One Piece” pumpkin. They made an impressive one as well of “puss in boots”; that cat from Shrek.

John is a crazy brother as always, betting money on football games now. I watched the game with him last week, mostly because he was cheering against the Roughriders; something I needed to see to believe. Sure enough, they were terrible and lost, so we were glad to be cheering against them, and he won over $100 on his ticket. Before I went home, he had another ticket ready to go for some NFL picks even though he didn’t really know anything about the league. As long as he’s enjoying himself I suppose, I know he’s smarter than becoming a reckless gambler.

We got a ton of snow in Saskatchewan this week, and I spent almost 3 hours shoveling it on Thursday maybe. I figure I moved a couple tons of wet snow, and the next day my entire back was stiff so I moved and sounded like an old man. I’m much better now, and a lot of the snow has melted since then, but it was a good workout eh?

My Aunt had a steak night fundraiser, which coincidentally felt like a mini family reunion. I saw many folks that not only hadn’t seen me in years, but also didn’t even know I was home. I suggested to many of them we should have a large family gathering to get reacquainted, but everyone seems to be waiting for Christmas for that.

I half expected to be gone by October already, and here it’s November. It’s looking like yes, maybe I will be here for Christmas. Perhaps it’s time I started to get more serious about finding employment and stop enjoying my daily vacation so much. It was a good feeling finally updating my blog again; it feels more like something I want to do, and less of a chore now :) Perhaps I can try to be more frequent than once a month.

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." -Walt Disney

tnoy

Endless Holiday in Regina

I haven’t really wanted to update while relaxing, but it’s almost October already, and if I don’t post anything in September that would be pretty embarrassing. Patty called me up the other day to see if I made any “life goals” yet, and while they are there, have been pending due to holiday.

Speaking of which, I guess I should mention Victoria as I left off there last time. We made a grand list of things to do, but only touched a couple of them. Patty saved up holidays for years and works way too hard, so the first day or two was spent sleeping in and catching up. I got to meet her awesome boyfriend who cooked, and gave me beer frequently.

Probably the highlight of the trip was when we went zip lining. It was amazing swinging around the trees and putting your life to little metal wheels rolling on a cable suspended high off the ground. I took a video on one of my trips and really enjoyed the whole thing.

We did a lot despite there being things we couldn’t do. There was a campfire ban due to how dry everything was. Huge fires were raging in B.C. that made it to Regina even. Another awesome thing we did was visiting a nearby observatory with a huge telescope.

I wasn’t there very long, maybe 4 or 5 days. I’ve been in Regina ever since, visiting many different friends and family. There may be many people I haven’t seen yet, though the number was much higher than I thought it would be.

I’ve been eating pizza and buffalo wings frequently, and having Canadian beer. With my friend Lester, we went mini golfing. With my friend Matt, we’ve played some Dungeons and Dragons. With my friend Chris, we played a board game after some amazing food. The majority of August was spent simply meeting people and visiting for hours on end; a couple times I visited my Grandparents, showing them pictures and talking until I lost my voice. I had a night at my mom’s too, when people came over for food and pictures after. Noriko came from Japan and visited for almost a week as well.

Things have slowed down a bit in the last couple weeks, but I’m still having fun. When I call Ann, often there isn’t much to say when talking about “what’s new.” She still can’t visit, and as for working here, they are still processing requests from November of last year. So, I could get a job somewhere and wait a year for her to come join me, or just live that year in Thailand.

It took me a couple of weeks to warm up to the idea. I’m not a big Bangkok fan, but who knows right, it could be fun. Once we’ve lived together for a year, there shouldn’t be so much red tape to go traveling together and such. It’s unfortunate huge shipping crates of smuggled immigrants are finding refuge in Canada, but when you try going through the proper routes they make it impossible.

But anyways, here I have hardly a page written up but it has been very difficult. I lost my camera a couple weeks back at my sister’s house during a football game, and don’t have many pictures; the ones I'm posting are over a month old. It’s quite baffling really, how it was in my hand one minute, but at the end of the night is completely gone. I’m afraid to buy a new one because I just know it’ll turn up somewhere eventually.

I get inspired periodically to write something down on this blog, just little blurbs about life in general mostly. I’ve signed up to the gym finally to try and lose weight for real, and it’s been a good experience so far.

I read a quote a while back, about how friends are there not just waiting until they can talk, or try to change you, but to just enjoy your company. I’m paraphrasing of course, but it struck a chord with me. My friends here are a lot different from my friends in Japan, but I enjoy their company just the same. It took a number of weeks to “get used to” being back in Regina, so I guess it’s better than the over 2 years it took in Japan.

The sky is huge here, and as a result, the fall colours are a bit harder to view compared to seeing a mountain covered in the multicolor. I see things, like Japanese commercials on TV, or their beer at the liquor store; either Regina has become more international, or I have for noticing it now.

I’m off to watch a movie at my sister’s house now, and trying to post this before October comes. I’ll try and update more frequently maybe? This has been a really good, relaxing holiday so far ^_^

"Life does not happen to us, it happens from us." -Mike Wickett

tnoy

Summer in Vancouver

Well, I’ve been in Canada a month now and I haven’t posted a new entry. I finally finished the last of my unpacking today, so maybe I’m ‘caught up’ enough to dip into this hobby yet again; after all, I still have friends in Japan that may take interest in my travels. I suspect the format and feel of my blog may change a lot; always try something new eh? It may even get a face lift as I figure out my next big adventure.

My first week back, now over 3 weeks ago, was a big trip to Vancouver. I stayed with my friend Steve, who was awesome enough to meet me at the airport and help me haul my heavy luggage back to his place to stay. I was wired from the lack of sleep, being back, and seeing my good friend that I babbled incessantly. I was relating many things as I saw them, and sharing many stories of my time in Japan.

The “Reverse Culture Shock”, an overused phrase hanging heavily over my head before departure was feared, and perhaps I took a proactive attempt to breach it prematurely. Upon relating my fears, my friend had no idea what I was talking about, so I should probably explain: “Reverse Culture Shock” is usually worse than culture shock itself, as I should be more familiar and comfortable with my native culture. Since I’ve been absent so long: my country has changed, my friends have changed, and I have changed. Some people have a hard time coping with that, as I remember one former JET was quoted as saying: “I felt like I had no home to return to anymore”

Oh ya, and transferring in the States was terrible. Despite my need to only transfer, I still had to go through customs, find my luggage, check it again, run around, get stopped and asked awkward questions among other things. I had over 2 hours to make my transfer, but because of the system I almost missed that flight, and had to sprint a great distance to catch it. I was not amused. By comparison when I got to Vancouver, after landing I saw Steve within 15 minutes maybe. If I can help it, I’ll book flights that never transfer in the states again. They treated my possible missed departure like everyday business, while I panicked wondering what I’d have to do if I’d missed my flight like they were trying to make me.

Anyways, Vancouver is awesome. That first night Steve took me out for some amazing hamburgers and we geeked out watching TV shows and drinking Canadian beers after. Of course, I had a beer or two every day in Vancouver, and marveled at the diverse selection found there. Steve had to work the next day, I guess Friday the 30^th (I gained a day by crossing the Pacific) so I walked from his place to downtown; a beautiful trip over some huge bridges adorning the skyline. The only thing odd I found was many of the skyscrapers were identical to each other; apparently many employed the same architect.

Now downtown, I stopped for pizza at a little shop. I was delighted to have some Canadian pizza again, full of flavour, and a small side of wings. My first acquaintance I sat with was a pleasant girl, and we had a good talk. After she left, and homeless man came in and took her can from the table. Stranger ye, after that there was another man with perhaps some mental problems; for he would eat really fast, then convulse while speaking in tongues. After the first minute, I wondered if he was choking, but soon enough he would stuff his face some more, before his next session of crazy garble.

There were many homeless, and the smell of drugs was everywhere. I was informed you can leave a can/bottle anywhere in the city and it would be cleaned up within 10 minutes. They never caused me any problems, and in a way were keeping the city clean, but it was still a shock to experience again. Unlike Sydney though, the subway was very clean, and much more frequent; I highly enjoyed the public transit.

It was a long weekend because of a “BC day” that was new. What also was new was the “Harmony Tax”, which does little more than add the Provincial and Government taxes together, and make the price of food more expensive. It’s still hard getting used to adding 12% more money to everything I purchase, and harder yet feeling obligated to add another 10% or so for tips at restaurants. I already miss the service of Japan, or atleast being able to get my own water; many a times already I’ve tried flagging a waitress in vain, or spent half a meal thirsty. Yet, they must be tipped apparently.

Maybe there is more to write about than I thought; I know the depression and other stuff didn’t hit until the 2^nd or 3^rd week back, but I should try and keep these stories to Vancouver, as it was all fun ^_^ Steve took me out to the famous (and therefore tourist heavy) “Granville Island”, where we saw his old Pastry Chef school, had the best Fish -n- Chips in Vancouver, and bought fresh produce like blueberries for cheap at the farmer’s market. That night, he made some “Texas Style” chili, which is different from the normal chili I’m used to with beans and such, but it was delicious.

Sunday was a gloomy day, and we spent it indoors at the HR MacMillan Space Centre. I didn’t expect to be there all day, but we were bouncing from the planetarium to the main museum constantly because they had new and interesting shows playing every hour. It was tough, given my jet lag, being in a dark room and reclining on a soft chair to look at the stars above; I started snoring during one show. I’m so glad we went though, but am a bit sad we missed the pride week festivities across the lake; I doubt you’ll see a party like that in Regina or anything.

I think it was Monday now, and we caught up with my friend Erika again; a teacher from Okaya during my first year in Japan, and I met up with her when I visited last year in Victoria. We went for some delicious sushi, then later she took us to “wreck beach”, a clothing optional establishment. It was right beside the university, and it was quite the attraction. Most people had clothes on of course, but it was still full of crazy sites like a naked man standing and paddling on a surfboard, or a guy wearing only a cape.

The police came by once, and despite the place smelling like drugs, they were only concerned with open alcohol. People warned others of the upcoming inspection, so we were safe, but the group beside us wasn’t so lucky for some reason. All that happened was their beer got poured out and I think they got a warning. When they were gone, we continued drinking. That night Erika made us some awesome tacos.

Steve was back to work on Tuesday so I went exploring. Everyone talked about this big, awesome aquarium, so after getting lost downtown exploring for a while, I gave it a look. I was very disappointed and would recommend anyone go to any one of the many aquariums I had seen in Japan for a much better time. Stanley Park was really cool though, even if I only saw a little bit. Right away, there were a couple raccoons on the tree and I hadn’t seen them before. In my excitement, I was ready to point them out to others passing by before realizing they treated them like pests. Sure enough later on they scared some girls off a bench so they could rummage a nearby garbage can. Oh well, for the brief time I saw them they were kind of cute.

I think Wednesday was my last day in Vancouver, though I don’t have many pictures and doubt I did much. It seemed I was sleeping in until noon each day, but I had a lot of fun. Steve is a great cook and made lots of food, while we drank beers and watched geeky shows. “Burn Notice”, “Community” and more joined a list of TV shows I should probably watch, but just don’t have the time to.

I booked a bus to Victoria, bid farewell to my good friend, and stayed with my sister for the next 4 days or so.

"Improve relationships with others by assuming that they can hear everything you say about them." -Stephen R. Covey

tnoy

So Long Japan, and Thanks for all the Fish

Although I only got home around 1 in the morning, Tuesday, July 20^th was a holiday because of the festival that weekend. Although I don’t remember much from that day, I’m fairly certain I cleaned more. That night was my farewell party with Yayoi.

We went for soba and other party foods at a local restaurant. There, I was treated to a speech from Momose Sensei, where he thanked me for the group, saying kind things like how I understood the students well, could be counted on for fun lessons in advance, and that I was always kind to the kids. It was a very kind speech, and a very special night.

Wednesday was another farewell party with some of the Adult Students again, but much smaller this time, and we went for Unagi (eel), a summer specialty. It was delicious if you’ve ever had the stuff, and we bid farewell to each other yet again, as it was the last time I could see them before going home.

On Thursday was my last day at Tatsuno High School. The kids were well behaved, and we played games for my last 2 classes with them. I was very happy for the last class when I said “good morning” the whole class greeted me back. I knew I could finish on a high note. After school, many students came by with many different presents, and we talked for a good while.

When I wasn’t busy, I wrote up thank you cards with my email to other teachers, and gave them parting presents. I couldn’t find any Canadian wine anywhere; so then I looked for Maple cookies. Alas I couldn’t find those either, so I got other cookies, and they were well received. That night we had our farewell party together at another restaurant in Ina. It was delicious again, and Komagome Sensei tried to keep up with me; we had over 2 liters each.

Of the 5 teachers, 3 have been teaching with me for the whole 3 years. Only Kumagai Sensei couldn’t make the party, because he got the chicken pox or something, and has been in the hospital for weeks. Komagome sensei was tasked with my farewell speech, and had many kind words for me, like how I taught him much more than just teaching, and that he would miss me dearly. We all had a hard farewell, the Japanese kind where they stood at the restaurant waving at me until I walked out of sight. I will miss them deeply.

I caught myself taking pictures and movies of mundane things; pictures of my desk, the hallway, driving north, my train station, and more. Even when I look at them now, they bring back good memories, and I’m happy to have records of them. When I look at the pictures of my friends, and those who came to wish me well, I am flooded with recollections of the good times we shared.

After parties everyday, Friday night was more subdued for a chance of respite. I went out for a simple supper with Thi while we waited for Richard to get out of his work party and then had an early night. On Saturday we met up with Sorin and Molly, and went for a quick swim in the Tenryu River near a campground I visited last year.

It was still beautiful, surrounded by rich green trees and grass. We even saw some snake skins lying around. We jumped into the water and cooled down, as the hot summer days of late were very taxing. It’s amazing how a hot, hot day quickly becomes a nice day when you’re out swimming.

We went to Okaya after and saw the movie “Inception” because with a movie rumored to be this good, you need to see it before you hear spoilers; otherwise it would have been a tough call to pick between seeing it, and Toy Story 3. It was a really good movie as we were told, and I still look forward to seeing the new Toy Story sometime, though now it’ll have to be in Canada.

That night, Neal’s friend Michelle was celebrating her birthday at the castle. For it, they had a keg after eating monstrous hamburgers. It was a really good idea for a party, and we played Frisbee in the dark because it had little lights built in. Other teachers came by, and more farewell words were shared; it’s interesting to see how large exoduses play out among social circles.

On Sunday we had more time to take a slightly longer drive to that breathtaking waterhole near Komagane. I hadn’t been there since my welcome party 3 years ago, where I met many people for the first time. It’s funny how things came full circle, as this was my last Sunday in Japan.

It was still a splendor to behold, and still icy to jump in. This time I had the courage to jump, but hit the bottom after a small jump. I guess taking off from high up was not meant to be, but it didn’t stop us from having fun. After a couple hours of this, we started to pack up, and were hit by a monsoon.

The downpour was wicked, and Richard went scrambling for the car to pick us up. As we drove out of it though, it was an interesting freak storm that affected just a small area, climbing over the Alps and washing a line from East to West; just a couple kilometers north and south were dry. It sure was cool to see.

That night was my last farewell party, and it was at Mervin’s house. We only decided on it Friday maybe, and I didn’t really invite anyone. Mervin made some calls though, and it was a fun little gathering with lots of freshly made food from some of his Pilipino friends.

On Monday I taught my last 2 classes in Japan, and that night went to my favourite restaurant, kappa sushi, for the last time. I met up with 7 others, and lined up all my favourite dishes for pictures and consumption. I went to that restaurant maybe every week, and have a profound love for sushi and wasabi thanks to it.

I traded farewells with other people I wouldn’t be seeing again before Thursday, and that night, I slept on the floor of my empty house. I had a cushion I would throw in the garbage in the morning, but despite that, I am very proud of the way I was able to clean up everything in my house and get ready to go; it’s own type of therapy. I realized that I had been cleaning for over 5 weeks, and having hard farewells with many good friends for over 2 weeks that I was all played out.

I had made my peace with Japan, was all cried out, and ready to move on with my life.

On Tuesday I gave my farewell speech to Yayoi and never broke down like I did at Tatsuno thanks to my newfound closure. I got choked up obviously, and so were my kids, and we were able to be happy about our time together in unison. When I walked through the gym this time where they parted and clapped their hands, some would come and shake my hand. I patted some backs, waved, and we all celebrated the joy that was my tenure here.

It was another busy day, as they all have been, with thank you cards, gifts, last minute errands such as cleaning out my bank, handing over my car and house keys, paperwork and more. When it was time, I shook hands, hugged some, and made my way to the door (after throwing my shoes in the garbage; there wasn’t any room in my luggage)

To my surprise, everyone followed me. Soon I was leading a procession to the door, and was joined by other teachers along the way that took notice. At the entrance we ran into even more people, and the girls softball team. I wanted one last picture together, and everyone was happy to oblige. They gave me thanks; I shed my last tears, and had another long walk home, with everyone standing at the entrance, waving to me until I was out of sight. I now understand why they do that in Japan, and it touched my soul.

I went home and finished filling my suitcases. Took my last photos of my empty house, and tried to make the “5-minute” walk with all of my heavy luggage; it took half an hour. I hoped to catch up with Richard for one last beer together, but was obviously falling behind time. He ran up the hill though to shake my hand and bid me farewell before quickly running to his own bus, one taking him to Tokyo and later Vietnam. I hope he has a good trip like what Neal and I had 2 years ago.

I somehow made it to my train on time. I rode it for an hour north, taking in my surroundings, and the novelty of riding a train. Craig and Lauren picked me up at the station, and together we joined Kayo for some subs. A novelty food in Japan, sure, but it was delicious, and it was great to see my good friends again before I left.

Craig took me to Mervin’s after, where I could size up a scale and have an idea of what I was looking at. My large bag was over 10kg overweight. My heart sunk when I saw that, and started doing major surgery to its insides. Some presents had to be thrown out, most of my socks and underwear, and many articles of clothing filled one of Mervin’s garbage bags. While it was fraught with tough calls, it was encouraging to know I was that much closer to being ready for Thursday.

We watched ‘The Shawshank Redemption” that night before going to sleep, and laughed at how we could draw awkward analogies to my departure and that classic film. In the morning, Wednesday, I took the 5-minute taxi to the train station, and it cost twice what my half hour train to Matsumoto was. I sure won’t miss the taxis here, but atleast it took my luggage for me. In Matsumoto, there was a fleet of taxis, all with running engines of course, but it’s a lot easier now to not let things bug me.

Neal came and picked me up, and I parked my luggage at his house. He had work, so I could relax that morning, and later we got lunch; my last bowl of ramen. After lunch I cancelled my cell phone, and looked for a couple presents with not much luck; I hardly had any luggage space after all.

Neal joined me later, and together with Michelle we had all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ for my last supper in Japan. After, we played games at Neal’s house. It was a long hot day, and I was ragged from all the activities as of late, but was still grateful for chance to spend time with my good friend before leaving.

On Thursday morning, I was awakened to Neal making me breakfast. I was exhausted, but forced myself out of bed to try and make the most of our time together. It was short lived, as before long the airport taxi was calling. For $20 than making my own way to the airport, it would pick me up and take me straight there; a huge convenience, especially considering all my bags.

We both refused to say ‘goodbye’ to each other, and instead we look forward to the next time we can meet up again. I’ve said it before (and believe it) with other friends of course, though saying it to the last friendly face before leaving still made me choke up, and I told him to have a good day in an effort to break some of the somber overtone. Life is a celebration, not a funeral. I will miss my dear friend.

So there I was, at the airport, typing this up while waiting for the flight that will end “Anthony’s Amazing Asian Adventure.” I handed in my foreigner card, checked in my luggage, and was even stopped in a random security check. The police saluted me when they walked off, thanking me for my 3 years of service here.

I’m ready to go home, and I am forever grateful for making the best decision of my life by coming here. 3 years have come and gone, and I consider myself a lucky man to have experienced it, to have had the chance to learn and grow from it, and to meet all the amazing people that I have. To all my friends I made here in Japan, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You will be missed, and you will never be forgotten. To all my friends and family back home in Canada, thank you for your love and support, and I will see you soon.

Until we meet again, have a good one and take care ^_^

tnoy