Poltergeist

Poltergeist:  When I was a teenager there was a very scary movie about a haunted house called Poltergeist.  I went to see it about 12 times.  It was so ceeepy but oddly fascinating.  In an effort to save money the construction company that built the housing development moved the headstones of a graveyard, but not the remains.  So the house was haunted by Poltergeist.  They could move objects across the counter, throw things, and tried to suck the youngest child of the family into a closet containing a vortex.   My scary movie days are over because it invites creepyness into my subconscious.   When I walked back from the park I found a graveyard.   The pig-like stones are wearing pink aprons.   

Here is a close up view.   The pots are for placing incense sticks, offerings.

Some relatives place flowers on the stones.   This graveyard is next to my apartment.  Keep you fingers crossed that their are no Poltergeist.  I am oddly, not creeped out about living next to a cemetery.

This was the oddest offering I saw.   Sitting on the stone is an empty beer can.   I guess this person really loved beer when he or she was alive!

Functionally Illiterate

Functionally Illiterate:  It is, as my literacy coordinator mother knows, possible to be literate in one language and illiterate in another.   What kinds of coping mechanisms are used to function in a society where one is not literate.   

1. Watch what other people do.  In the supermarket they put a basket in a cart.  When it is time to pay they take the basket out of the cart and put it next to the scanning device.  The cashier scans each item and puts it in a different color basket.  She gives you enough plastic bags to bag your own groceries and then you pay your bill.  You take your new grocery basket to a counter and place your items in your bags.  Fold the flaps between the handles and tape them down.

2.  Smile a lot and be sorry.  I accidentally shop lifted this weekend.  Each section of the department store requires you pay them for the items in the section.   The cashier held up the hat and pointed to the section of the store where I got the item.  I took the hat back and paid there.  So sorry.

3.  Look at pictures.   In some restaurants they have pictures or displays of food items.  You point to the item and possibly the size and nod.

4.  When in doubt agree with them.  Yes, yes I agree with you.  I have no idea what you are saying but yes.  Do I want to jump off a bridge with you, yes.

5.  Try to use the language.  I am determined to learn key phrases. Everyone gets a good morning even if it is a mumbled Ohio..... Everyone gets a thank you, domo arrigato.

6.  Learn to read, write, and speak the language.  I have been diligently listening to my conversation tapes.  I just started to learn the Hiragana alphabet.  There are 46 characters and as Kyle would say it is a baby alphabet because most preschools learning it before kindergarten.   The cards I am using have Hiragana characters on one side and pneumonic devices and pronounciation on the other side.

7.  Laugh at yourself.  Three young boys in my class were pointing and laughing at me.  I asked Mayu why and she said your hair is curly.  I didn't realize that was a laughing matter but I laughed along too.  When I was near the train station some young boys were riding by on their bikes and one said hi.  So I said hello.  They started laughing and said Ohio.... It wasn't until I reached the corner that I realized that they were saying hai, which means yes.  I laughed and smiled and went on my way.

Hanazono Park

Hanazono Park:  This flowering tree is near an entrance to Hanazono Park.

Here is a close up of the flowers.  Locust? 

Here is the playground at the park.

The top of a rocket ship shaped slide.

At the bottom of the slide.

A rock wall.

A baseball game.

Playing soccer.

A track and field event.

Catching frogs.

Serious fishermen.

A stream leading into the pond.

The park was full of life.  Lots of dads were flying kites, fishing, or playing soccer with their kids.   They were even playing with them on the playground.  I only saw a couple of mothers with children.  I wonder where they go on Sunday mornings?

Flowers

Flowers:  These are my new favorite flowers the Japanese Morning Glory.  There are some behind my apartment and more at school.

Sunflowers are blooming now.  This patch is in our school garden.

This patch of sunflowers is between my house and the train station.

These flowers are part of a lamppost at the train station.  

These daisy-like flowers are at the park.  Yellow flowers are so sunny, they make me smile!

Signs

Signs:  as the song goes "signs, signs, everywhere are signs, blocking the scenery, changing my mind, ..." As I said on FB McD was a disappointment no Diet Coke, only Coke Zero.   Yuck!

Does this mean they chop or cars or do they mean sharing, like renting?

I thought baseball was invented in the US by Abner Doubleday?

Japanese characters like the Power Rangers on a convenience store window.

I think they serve eggs for breakfast here, but I am only guessing.

My local train station.

I was hoping this was a store to rent bicycles, but when I went back by they were selling them.   They were surprisingly affordable.

Maybe they can bring books to me???? Since I don't have a car.

Guess what they sell?   Yes, eye glasses.

Not being able to read Japanese is an endless source of amusement.  You guess what a store sells and it is possible you are very wrong.....or surprisingly right.

Apartment

This is my apartment complex.   My unit is on the first floor beneath the brown balcony. 

The two windows to the left of the balcony go to my bedroom.  In the forground is a small cemetery. The first night I came back from work I saw an older woman dusting the monuments with hand held duster.

This is my bedroom.  To the left of the bed is a large closet and desk.   

This is the shower/tub. To shower you close the bifold doors, stand next to the tub on the floor, and let the water drain under the tub.  The panel on the left side of the doorway programs the tub.

The sink is between the shower and the laundry room.

My laundry room!  Thank goodness I have a washing machine!!!!!!!!

The toilet has its very own room.  The door swings in an arc rather than on a hinge.

The control panel for the toilet.

My kitchen.  Small but efficient.

My living room.

Hummingbirds Learning Center and Garden

Hummingbirds Learning Center and Garden:  Pictured above is HLC taken from the parking lot.

The close up view of the front of the building is a preview of the garden. 

 To get to the quaint entrance gate, you walk down the sidewalk from the parking lot past the white building in the foreground.   

A little statue of Raggedy Ann gardening iis tucked behind the gate.

The picture above is of the garden from across the street.

Our gardening house is tucked into the middle of the garden beyond the grape trellis.  

The furrows are quite long.  The majority of the garden contains fruits and vegetables.  If you look closely you can see a few sunflowers in the foreground on the right.

This is a close-up of the sunflowers.