Skiing Again!

We decided to risk the possible lack of snow this past Saturday and go skiing. And thank God we did! When we arrived, the sun was shining, it was warm, and the snow was corn-y. Also, because of the poor conditions, most people seemed to be avoiding the slopes and we almost never had to wait in a lift line. Halfway through the day, it began to snow, so all of the runs were covered in a fine powder. It was so, so much fun and such a great way to spend the weekend. After skiing, we drove to Kinosaki Onsen for a long, hot soak in one of the hot springs there. Then, it was back to my house for tacos (purchased in England, of all places), hot-buttered-run and freshly baked apple pie (the latter two courtesy of Jennie, my own personal hero). Somehow, we found room for four people to sleep in my tiny apartment and we didn't get up until 1 PM the following afternoon. What an excellent weekend!

The weather is beautiful! The skiing sucks!

Lately, the weather feels more like mid-March than late January. The air has that fresh, spring smell, the birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and it most definitely is NOT snowing. Anywhere. The ski conditions are so dire, in fact, that our school ski trip has been canceled for the first time ever. Though I volunteered to be a chaperone and ski instructor, I'm secretly relieved that it's off. I don't want to pay $250 for the joy of watching a hundred teenagers ski and throw snowballs at each other. That said, I still want to enjoy skiing on my own time and, sadly, the warm weather means that it's not possible. I'm beginning to feel opressed by the not-too-warm, not-too-cold weather because there's very little that I can do outside. I still go running, but my town is laid-out along a narrow valley, so my running routes consist of either (a) running up the road and back or (b) running down the road and back. So, since winter seems to have skipped Japan this year, all I can do is wait until spring. Hurry up and get here already!

School Lunch, Part II

Another memorable school lunch. This is a small, dried fish, coated in something sweet (honey?) and sprinkled with sesami seeds. Delicious!

Skiing at Hatchi-Kita

I went skiing with friends at Hatchi-Kita yesterday. It hasn't snowed very much here this winter and dirt and rock were showing through in several places (the PNW has been stealing all the snow!). They had a snow machine going at full blast to make up for it, but it wasn't doing a very good job at covering the bare patches. Much to his chagrine, Luke got some deep scratches on the bottom of his snowboard. I was using rental skis, so I didn't care very much, but the thought of falling on those rocks sent shivers to the bottom of my fluorescent green rental boots.

There may not have been a lot of snow, but the view was still pretty nice. We had to take the lift down to the other side of the mountain because the run leading to it was closed.

Despite the crappy conditions, I had a really good time. Look at how big my smile is in this picture!

Next weekend is the Tajima ski trip. I might try snowboarding for a day - it's been a while since I've gone and, with all of the black runs closed, I might as well go for something new. I hope it snows, I hope it snows, I hope it snows!

Parking Ticket Woes (I never know what's going on)

Over the weekend, I parked my car in the Uniqlo parking lot, which is vast and never more than half full. Usually, it's not a problem to park there overnight, but this time when I arrived at my car, I saw that it had an absurdly large sign tucked under the windshield wiper. The kanji was incomprehensible to me, but the picture defied linguistic limitations – an enormous red circle with a line through it; the world-wide sign for BAD. "Crap," I thought. "A parking ticket."

On my drive home, I contemplated how much The Parking Ticket would cost. It couldn't be less than 2,000 yen, but probably not more than 5,000. Right? Wrong. There was a ticket waiting for me in my mailbox, which I read with a nauseous, sinking feeling. As predicted, it wasn't less than 2,000 yen, but it was definitely more than 5,000. This parking ticket was 27,260 yen, which is the approximate equivalent of $250. Oh . . . my . . . God. I had to blink back tears.

I took the ticket to school with me the next day and showed my friend, Hiromi. "Look at this parking ticket!" I waived the offensive thing in front of her face. "Tell me what this says!"

"Eeeeeehhhh?! Honto?! 27,260 yen! SO expensive!" She turned the ticket it over and read the back, as well. "And you have to pay it by today! Or it will become even more expensive! You'll have to take it to City Hall."

My stress level was at its peak. How would I pay for the rest of my trip to Hokkaido? How would I put any money in savings? Would I get to City Hall before it closed? Where could I find a hairstylist that knows how to cut western-style hair?! Unrelated, true, but stress is a funny thing.

At City Hall, the woman at the reception desk looked at The Parking Ticket and shook her head before launching into a long and, I assumed, detailed explanation in Japanese. I was only able to catch the words 'bank account,' 'money transfer,' and 'do you understand?' I nodded my head frantically, "Yes, I understand!" But I didn't. I didn't understand at all. 5 PM was quickly approaching and I needed to pay The Parking Ticket or risk deportation. The consequences were quickly multiplying in my head.

I sprinted across the street to the Toyooka International Association, praying that my friend Takako was in. She was! "Takako-san, help me!" I gasped. "Where can I pay this parking ticket?!"

Takako looked at The Parking Ticket. She looked at me. She looked at The Parking Ticket. She looked at me. She looked at the back of The Parking Ticket. She looked at me. Then she started laughing. I laughed, too, but not because I was amused.

"Ailey," she said. "This isn't a parking ticket. This is a notice from the school board that they're going to transfer 27,260 yen into your bank account today to pay for the mid-year conference expenses."

"So, wait. This isn't a parking ticket?" The realization was slow in seeping into my brain. "You mean that this is money that I'm going to be getting? I don't have to pay this money to anyone?"

"No," she said. "Which is good, because that would be a really expensive parking ticket." She laughed some more. "But maybe you shouldn't leave your car at Uniqlo overnight anymore."

I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!!!

And you can only begin to imagine my deep feeling of bleakness when, getting off the train, I had to wade through shin-deep slush to get to the taxi, then wade through shin-deep slush again to get to my house. Once inside, instead of being greeted by a warm rush of air and the smells of dinner cooking, I shivered my way into five sweaters and avoided the refrigerator as it seems to be emitting a pungent odor. Such is life back in the real world. And don't even get me started on the fact that school starts tomorrow! When, oh when, can I go on vacation again?

Last day in the Western World!

Today is my last full day in the United Kingdom. It has been such an awesome trip and so, so busy. I spent Christmas in Luton with Ritchie's family, saw Oxford, St. Albans, Cambridge (fun to see Ritchie go all dreamy-eyed as he showed me around, Pembroke, his former college), and London. I've spent the past four days in Newcastle with my friend from Japan, Liz. We went up to Edinburgh for a night and a day and had a raucous time, enjoying the castle, Christmas Market, and beautiful scenery. Other than spending time with Ritchie and Liz, my favorite parts of the trip have been seeing the Tower of London and the British Museum (SO much old shit!), walking around Cambridge, and the trip to Edinburgh. I've also loved eating fish and chips and various pies, as well as drinking tea for breakfast and pints with lunch. I'll be sad to leave the Western World, but I've stocked up on English tea and chocolates, so that should tide me over for a while. My Canadian friend just sent me a message, warning me not to come home with an English accent. Quite.