Halloween? (pre-blog)

As an Aussie girl, I don't have much experience with Halloween.  Sure, nightclubs like to run with the theme around this time of year, but the extent of costuming for girls goes simply to slutty "whatever" (as in slutty nurse, slutty witch, slutty police officer etc).  Maybe as a kid I dressed up once or twice, though truthfully I can only vaguely recall my little brother dressing up as seaweed for an under-the-sea themed disco one year.  And there was certainly no such thing as trick-or-treating.  Halloween just isn't the done thing in Oz, I guess.

At school in Japan however, I am expected to be the walking authority on all things Halloween - especially at elementary school where I am charged with teaching Halloween lore and coming up with exciting Halloween crafts/activities for all my lessons.  Much like having to teach Thanksgiving last year (you know, because we foreigners all hail from the States..?!), Halloween always leaves me feeling a little out of my depth.  And it's not only at elementary school that my indulgence in this unfamiliar holiday is expected: every year, as part of our "training", all ALTs are required to spend a day together at a local (high-performing) high school, playing English games with the students IN COSTUME!!!  That's right, last year I had to don fancy dress, drive to a high-achievers high school 45 minutes away and under the guise of professional development, play games all day.  Not feeling particularly festive at the time, I decided to dress as a vampire - which was easy enough in all black clothing, a cape, talcum-powdered face, smeared red lipstick and dodgy homemade vampire fangs.  This year however, I am planning something little different and sooooooooo not my usual style.  Stay tuned for the pictures next week!

School aside, Halloween seems to be a big thing amongst the foreign population in Japan too.  I don't know whether this is because a majority them are from the States or whether it's simply a result of adults getting excited about any chance to get dressed up and run around town like kids...?  Regardless, in this prefecture Halloween is a massive event.  Several ALTs that live in the same apartment building usually host an open house party, then the horde moves on to the local watering holes in the city for further Halloween themed revelry.  Naturally, many of the costumes at these events err on the "adult" side (a far cry from the PG rated requirements at English Day).  Last year saw me dress up as a 1920's flapper for example.  This year, though not attending the Tokushima parties (I'll be heading to a club night in Kagawa instead), I shall also be rocking a not-safe-for-work outfit.  But again, dear reader, you'll have to wait until next week for the scoop and pictures!

Last year's Halloween efforts (L-R): Ashleigh, Natasha, Tori, Claire & myself.

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaack!

It was with trepidation that I returned to Japan last week, though I have to say being back has been almost as good as being away.  Here's why.

Friday Night Lights

Running amok in Tokushima wasn't high on my agenda post-return, but the adventures of Friday night made staying local worthwhile.  Running into characters at the clubs, flirting with suit-clad salarymen, satisfying my  all-you-can-drink urges with a mere 1000yen for 4 hours (approx 13AUD), midnight snacking on some of THE MOST DELICIOUS chicken wings I have ever tasted and waking everyone up at the crack of dawn on Saturday with my incessant alarm...  Not quite the homecoming I had planned, but memorable nonetheless.


Kobe Kids

Having spoken to my Melbourne mate Jarryd prior to visiting Australia, this weekend of madness had been in the works for quite a while.  At the last minute though I decided to drag my friend Greg along and introduce him to the delights of Kobe - a city that, as a new JET, he hadn't been to yet.  And so on Saturday morning we travelled by bus to Kobe.  The beautiful city is about an hour and a half away from Tokushima - so why I have only been there twice before is beyond me!

Stepping off the bus and being greeted by the super stylish Jarryd was delightful.  All squeals and hipster clothing, we hugged and then made our way to a little cafe under the train tracks for an avocado hamburger lunch, hangover-cure coffee and initial gossip sesh.  Wandering around the sea-breeze swept city afterwards was pure bliss, as we took in smells of Chinatown and rifled through a Saturday market at Harbourland.

Post-market-shopping break with Jarryd (pic courtesy of Greg C)

But it was always about the party and Saturday night held nothing back.  We went back to Jarryd's Port Island pad for a few pre-drinks, pop music and preening then headed out to Bar Iznt for a nomihodai birthday extravaganza.  Meeting dozens of new JETs and getting our drink on was just the tonic needed and by 10pm all three of us were more than a little cut.  Cue purikura picture time and an eventful walk to Sonic Club, before we began boozing again to the most entertaining DJ set I've heard in a long time.

With free entry for foreigners, cheap drinks, amazing music and more hot guys than you could poke a stick at, Sonic Club was a blast and the fact that we rolled home at 4am via Tits Park and a few relentless 20-year-old Japanese boys was testament to the good time I was having.

The hangover sucked balls however, and after dragging our sorry asses out of bed and through the shower at 11am we eventually made it the short distance to Ikea for Jarryd's weekend "church visit".  Swedish meatballs, coffee and shopping made up for the pounding in my head for sure!  Though it was all too pleasant to catch some light R&R back at the apartment in the afternoon, listening to K-Pop and browsing apps on our iphones.

Before we knew it, it was time for Greg and I to catch the Portliner back to Sannomiya Station and line up for the Bus of Doom back to Tokushima.  All in all, a rip roaring weekend and a fantastic start back in Japan after all the bullshit that was.  I'd leave you with a picture or two of Kobe city, but in all honesty, I didn't take any - I was far too busy enjoying myself to spend even a single second behind a lense!  Oh well, next time dear readers. xx

I did, however, spend some time getting my picture taken - here's us at a purikura booth circa 10pm!

Chilli Olives and Chocolate Milk

For those not in the know, it's been a rough couple of months for me emotionally speaking.  Having put myself in a position of ridiculous vulnerability, every possible distress and heartache seemed to pile on top of one another until even the smallest of things would turn me into an anxious mess.  Coming home seemed like a smart way of dealing with the situation, by: a) getting me as far away as possible from the madness and b) giving me a chance to redefine my identity in the context of Australia and my loved ones, instead of Japan and JETs.  And from the moment I touched down at Perth International Airport, (most) things have been golden...  Here are a few highlights so far:


Welcome Home
Prepared for an onslaught of questions regarding my year-long absence and suitcase packed full of sake bottles and lollies, I was pleasantly surprised at airport customs when the officials took one look at my passport/arrival card and kindly waved me straight through to the exit, cheerfully adding a "welcome home love" to the end.  The fact that my Mum and brother had driven up to the airport to surprise me - wielding a meat pie no less - had me in tears as soon as I spotted them.  Of course, you can't cry and chew at the same time though, so...


Food, Glorious Food
Choosing dinky-di Western meals from an entire menu that I can read has been A-MAZING.  Bacon breakfast bagels with cream cheese one day, authentic Burmese curries the next.  Cheese sausages, meat pies, chilli olives, chunks of cheddar and homemade chocolate milk.  It's been one culinary rediscovery after another and I haven't even hit the supermarket yet.  Looking forward to my first BBQ Aussie steak and sausages any day now...


Touching My Roots - Myanmar and The Lady
Looking for ways to make myself feel more like "me," I have been toying with the idea of travelling to Burma for Christmas and New Years.  Ever since I was a little girl, I've felt Burma calling me and still feel that pull deep inside my heart today.  I've been ignoring it for so long, but I'm starting to wonder whether this is, in fact, what I've been looking for all these years?  In any case, spending time with my Burmese family, eating Burmese food, watching the Luc Besson film about Aung San Suu Kyi and re-reading a Lonely Planet Burma guide book has made the decision for me...  To Burma I must go.  Not only am I looking forward to the trip, but see the planning for it to be a welcome distraction from the tediousness that this life has started to become.  The very idea of setting foot in the Motherland has given me strength and helped me to close myself off from all of the unimportant and irrelevant things that I let myself get caught up in lately too.  If I thought coming home to Australia was going to be good for me, I can only imagine how magical "going home" to Burma will be.  The countdown begins!


Shopping Up A Storm
I'd forgotten how much I loved Australian fashion!  None of the bland colours of Japan - here the girls aren't afraid to pop in tones of fuschia, emerald and citrine yellow.  The shoes are delectable, the dresses are sexy, the tops are casual Aussie cool.  There's hardly a pastel palette or polka dot to be seen and I, for one, am in retail heaven.