Piczo

Okinawa Rotary Trip

Okay so I just got back from our only Rotary sponsored All-exchange student trip to Okinawa! I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had. It was amazing. I realize that this entry is going to be really long, probably a little boring from all the details. And for this I apoligize, but I don't want to forget anything about the weekend that I learned so much about myself, my friends, and my life in Japan. So anyway Friday after track, I come home, and am told about the trip. I kind of forgot about it actually. I shoved a couple outfits, a bathing suit, and my beastly camera in a bag and was done. My host family tried to give me some info about the island, but that ended in watching Star Wars in Japanese and arguments over what episode was better. haha. So I went to bed kind of late slowly getting excited for the trip. October 28--- When my alarm clock went off I did my morning routine, threw my backpack over my shoulder and was off. One of the Rotary club president, Uemura-san, picked me up and we drove the hour and a half to Takamatsu in Kagawa. There we met Mary Beth, ALthea, Okuda-san, and Sen-san. I bid farewell to Uemura-san and jumped in the truck with the others. The trip had officially begun... the drive to Takamatsu airport was relatively short and filled with making fun of the Japanese culture. Not necessarily making fun of it but just pointing out the things that bother us. Like how girls pick their arm hair in class. hehe. The thing is that I can't talk about this kind of stuff with anyone else. Japanese people get offended and defensive. And people at home don't know what I'm talking about, so it's great. At the airport we parked and unloaded the truck. We also met up with our tour guide, who gave us Bento lunches. The others checked in bags, but I have a seperation issue, as Mary Beth pointed out, so I carried all my stuff on the plane. Before we got on the plane we all wanted to get some chocolate. One thing about Japanese people is that they have a way with English. My chocolate was called Crunky, Mem's Fran, and Althea's Asse. Crunky, Fran, and Ass. One heck of a combination. haha. On the airplane we all read and talked and laughed about Crunky, Ass, and Fran. I got yelled at for having my bag not perfectly under the seat. Japanese Apple Juice tastes like Candied apple. The ride was about 1 hour and a half. It was pretty great. When we landed in Naha Airport, we walked out to meet our onsight Tour Guide. Instead we spotted a Starbucks and jumped in line before we even asked. I was in heaven with my Vanilla Mocha. The rest of the people got there bags and we headed out to meet the bus and onsight tour guide. Seeing as there were 3 exchange students, 2 chaperones, and 2 tour guides, and a driver. I figured we would have gotten a snug little van. Instead we got a huge coach bus all to ourselves (later renamed the Squirt Bus for interesting reasons.) The ride was only about 20 minutes but we saw much of the Southern portion of the Island. And I'll be the first to admit that I was so suprised at how build up it really was. Not to say it wasn't beautiful, with hibiscuses and palm trees lining the streets. Our first stop was Shuri Castle Park. The castle building was Ryuukyuan (okinawan) with heavy influences from Japanese and Chinese Cultures. More than 450 years of cultural relations with China, Japan, and other Southeast Asian nations produced a culture or unique and artistic heritage that made up the Kingdom of Ryuukyuu. Though the castle was truly amazing, it took me a while to realize it wasn't the original but a new version. The original was destroyed in the Battle for Okinawa, and only a small rock wall exists from its structure. Anyway when we arrived at the Castle, we were informed that all the Kanji characters were actually in Chinese, which is pretty cool. The castle had 5 or 6 gates, which got pretty annoying quickly. We also had an encounter with our first Okinawan Shishi, which is like this cross between a dog or a lion. It"s really this scary looking ugly creature thing that is supposed to protect the family from bad spirits. They are placed outside the gate, and we climbed on them and pretended to ride them. For the final gate we had to climb a stairway that was built so that you had to continually bow as you walked up. I thought that was pretty brilliant for the king. Before we entered the main part of the castle we watched an Okinawan dance, where none of the 3 of us could figure out if the dancers were guys or girls. We took a bunch more pictures and then took off our shoes and headed into the castle. We saw the calligraphy and the painting of all the old kings. Every picture made the king look like a whale. We took some more pictures and then headed back outside. The castle was nothing like Japanese style castles and you could see that Okinawan culture is extremely different. Another thing we noticed is that there were alot of gaijins around. Alot. Probably from the American base. And to have ot be the total reverse situation, we were the ones staring now. We really are turning Japanese. It's so great to see other gaijins, but I think it's a bit strange when a gaijin calls another gaijin gaijin. hehe. Back in the Bus our onsight tour guide, a very peppy happy smiling lady in yellow, sang us some traditional Okinawan songs and showed us how to use the the Okinawan Clacker instrument. It was great, even though I think those clackers are a headaches worst nightmare. The hotel was an hour away and we drove throw a highway with the American Military Base. I've heard some things about the relationship between the base and Okinawans. So I asked the onsight guide. She smiled and pointed out that the Japanese flag and the American flag waving side by side over the main base. She also said that the base employs over 8,000 Japanese people. It seemed like a good enough answer for me. We kept driving and I noticed that Okinwa has a strong Chinese/Japanese influence mixed in with Western civilization. It's very much like Hawaii, except more built up. We arrived at the Busena Terrace Resort, and were instantly amazed. I did not know what to expect but certainly nothing like this. The nicest and probably most expensive resort on Okinawa was ours for the next 2 nights. The resort was even a host to the G8 summit in 2000. We sat out in the front looking out onto the ocean and drank lemon juice as we waited for our room. The key was attached to an ugly wooden fish with one eye. SO much for a nice hotel...hehe. The room was a nice spacious area with a viranda and 3 beds for us exchange students. After we got settled we took our cameras to the beach. The resort is right on the amazing beach. We were just in time to see the sunset and stick our feet in the surf. The water was a little chilly but the scenery was amazing. We were surronded by green hills over the water, palm trees, thousands of hibiscuses, crystal clear water, and a great sunset. We climbed the life guard chair and looked out. I love standing beside the ocean because no matter where you are in the world, this body of water connects you to everything and you feel so small standing beside something so big. Eventually we headed to the La Tida Restaurant Buffet and met up with Okuda-san, Sen-san, and the Tour Guide for a French buffet. Well, Japanese French buffet. When we walked in the waiters were setting up a huge Jack-o-Lantern. They don't celebrate Halloween here, but the American base has some influence. It was pretty cool to see the pumpkin but even cooler to see Altheas reaction. They don't have Halloween in Australia, so she was pretty amazed. We even took some pictures. At dinner we ordered Mango juices and made a plate of food. When we sat down we had some deep conversations. I'll admit its really nice to be able to have an intellectual conversation without having to use gestures or explain what every other word means. We sat the 3 of us on a deck overlooking the ocean with candle light and a slight breeze... it was great. Not only to do I get to learn all about Japan but I also get to learn a little bit about Australia. And Althea and I both agreed that Steve Irwins death was very sad. hehe. One cool thing is that I have actually been to her home city before; Townsville, Australia. In 2004 I traveled with the Student Amabassador program there and slpet at the Aquarium in the Townsville. And I've even started picking up Aussie words like Togs for bathing suit and others... After a while we got dessert, vanilla ice cream with strawberry and chocolate topping, strawberry cake, and vanilla mousse. We ate happily, although Mary Beth and I were dreading the next event. Actually dreading is probably an understatement. So after the adults were finished, we all headed to the other side of the resort for Karaoke. I figured we would be in a Bar and having to stand up in front of everyone to sing something. Boy, was I wrong. After begging and pleading not to do it, we were whisked into a tiny room with a tv, given 2 microsphones, and some books with songs. The chaperones went first and sang Frank Sinatra and some other oldies. Then they left for the bar. Althea went next, and we quickly realized why she liked Karaoke so much. Her voice was amazing. I envied her none chalant attitude towards singing in front of other people. But the mic made its way to me and I've learned here that life is too short not to have a little fun. My first song was a duet with Althea and it was AWESOME. No, not my voice, but its great fun. Eventually we even got Mary Beth to sing. Kiss Me, Sk8r Boi, Toxic, Mmm Bop, All The Small Things, Butterfly, and a hundred other pop songs filled the room as we laughed and sang (or attempted to.) Some songs made us get up and dance around the room while singing. Some made us just sit there and watch the Japanese attempt at a music video for the song. We turned off the lights and danced and laughed and sang. I really couldn't acurately describe how much fun it was. The Japanese are brillant for coming up with something so great. We spent a little over 2 hours singing and eventually we needed water because our voices were getting creamed. Those of you who know me well probably can not believe that I actually did it. And I actually I can't believe how much I really enjoyed it. When we were forced to head back, me and Mary Beth, who originally dreaded Karaoke, could not stop raving about it. The whole walk back was spent talking about what a great time and how someone should have clued us into the fact that Japanese karaoke is awesome. It was that great, if you can believe it. Okuda-san and Sen-san were pretty drunk when we met up with them. And they didn't like the idea of heading back yet. So we asked them if we could break into the mini-fridge and drink the beer and they happily agreed. Our tour guide even pretended to not hear our plans. But alas, back in the room, we took showers and got into bed. By the time I was out of the shower, Mem and Althea were asleep. But I was still laughing about Crunky, Ass, and Fran... October 29--- The alarm clock rang at 6 because we had planned on heading for a swim in the pool. But we all just rolled back over and slept till 7. We were so tired from the previous night and when I spoke I realized that my voice was pretty dead. Nonetheless we got ready, although extremely slowly, seemingly taking our time doing everything. Then we went to the La Tida buffet for breakfast. We had to return because me and Mem forgot our meal cards. Eventually we had sat down and then got to the buffet table. Seeing as I don't eat breakfast because it makes me sick here, I tried very hard to chose a light selection. Mostly pan. My favorite was the Chococro, a small piece of toast, oozing with melted Chocolate. Absolutely delicious. The 3 of us even packed some for the ride. Other than that we all pretty much got different things. And the reason I tell you this is because we all ended up getting really sick. Anyway we sat at breakfast talking about stuff from home. All 3 of us have in common the fact that we used to sucked our thumb. Althea even carried her teddy bear with her for a picture in paradise. We also talked about the days events and mentioned at various time how awesome Karaoke was... haha. After breakfast we met up with the chaperones and the tour guide and got onto our private coach bus. Then we had an hour drive to Churaumi Suizokukan, or Okinawa Aquarium. It was a very unenjoyable and painful ride. I sat in the front seat wondering how I was going to make it the Aquarium without dying. The peppy onsight tour guide sang and played instruments and I wanted to scream at her to shut up. It was horrible. Mem turned to me at some point and I explained that I felt like crap probably because I wasn't used to eating breakfast. I was convinced I was the only one who felt the I did. Boy was I wrong. As soon as the bus pulled up it became a race between the 3 exchange students to the bathroom. Excuse my profanity... but relief! And when I walked out, still feeling a little upset, I saw the faces of Althea and Mem. They wore the same relieving expression I wore. You know you have good friends when you can just talk about that kind of stuff without embarrassment. Well I have great friends then. We trudged onto the aquarium, taking various pictures at certain landmarks. It was so much fun as we laughed at how disgusting we are and tried to figure out what we ate. In the aquarium we were amazed at the beautiful fish displays. The last time I went to an aquarium, oddly enough I was in Altheas city of Townsville. Goes to show how small the world is, right? Eventually we all took on Round 2... sorry. The final exhibit inside, the whale shark tank, was absolutely incredible. Around this point, though, our tour guide, informed Okuda-san and Sen-san why we kept having to stop. And it was absolutely horrible because every time we looked at them, they waved and smiled. I kept trying to be embarrassed but my 3 trips to the onsen and 1 attempt at Karaoke have really influenced what embarrasses me these days. Anyway, just picture 3 girls, sick as dogs, and yet in total awe watching how peaceful the fish are. The Whale Shark Swam softly back and forth, surronded by Manta Rays and other beautiful fish. We could have stood there all day, but our stomachs wouldn't have allowed it. After brief Omiyagi shopping, we went to the Porpose tank for the show. Like 3 loud giggling Japanese girls, we exchange students overly enjoyed the show. Except every time we looked at Okuda-san and Sen-san they smiled and waved us at us, and I secretly hoped they would get sick too. And sure enough after some more Omiyagi shopping, Okuda-san disappeared and came back with a relieved expression. HAHAHA Now can you guess who was smiling and waving? Unfortunately we had to depart the aquarium, though we could have spent all day there. After a 40 minute drive, in which I even participated in the peppy tour guides songs, we arrived at Ryuukyuumura. It's basically a traditional Okinawan village, before Japan owned it when it was its own country. We first went to a restaurant where we served Taco Rice, but then it was taken away before we could eat it. Instead we were supposed to get a traditional Okinawan dish, so we had to wait. Okinawan food is very different from Japanese food, and I was eager to try something new. We waited it out by watching a famous Okinawa dance show and then taking a few photos with the dancers. When we returned, our lunch was set. Okinawan Soba, much more different than Japanese Soba, but tasty nonetheless. Tacigomi Rice, which is really really good even though I've had it many times before. And Goya, Ham, and Egg dish. Goya is a really faul salty tasting vegetable, but isn't too bad when cooked. So we feasted, not realizing just how hungry we really were. After lunch, we went into the Ryuukyuu village for some exploring of ancient Okinawa. We toured some of the old building and structures. Eventually we ended up in the art room with our own little Shi Shi's. We were too paint them any way we wanted! Althea and Mary Beth did a good job, but I totally emasculated mine and turned it into a wimpy little thing with perfect teeth. haha. I sat in Saza position, which is the tradition Japanese position of sitting on the calves and feet. After we were finished I could barely walk from the pain... We quickly climbed a small hill to see a 3D show. In old times Okinawans used to have matches between mongooses and snakes to see who would win. Now it is illegal but we got to see a 3D Show about it. The Mongoose won. Afterwards as we were heading out, the employees gave us a brown powder and some water. The brown powder, made from the inside of snake skin is supposedly good for hang overs. So that's when I ate the very interesting Internal Snake insides. It was pretty tasty in a weird way. And the funny thing is that that wasn't nearly as interesting as was yet to be eaten. We continued touring the village, until we went back to the bus. The drive was pretty quick to Manzamou, which is a large cliff looking out over the ocean. We saw a famous rock structure that supposedly looks like a elephant trunk sucking water from the ocean. Then the wind picked up and we practically got blown over fighting our way back to the bus. Back at the bus we had a 30 minute drive back to the resort, which was spent pretty quietly. When we got back, the girls headed upstairs and got on our bathing suits and headed for some swimming. Althea and Mary Beth went on the waterslide. Then screamed at how cold it was. Grey Clouds moved in and it felt like a big storm was on its way to the Island. So we went into the huge indoor pool. I wasn't even embarrassed to be in my bikini. I'm changing so much. There are things here I do that I would never ever do at home. Anyways we talked like we were old friends, laughing about Crunky, Ass, and Fran, choking about our little incident at the aquarium, talking about our dreams. Althea is going to Medical School when she returns to Australia. And me and Mary Beth have no clue what to do. We also talked about our cultures. Australia teenagers drink and party alot and are pretty relaxed, American teenagers rebel but still generally cling to the Puritan roots... haha. It's funny to think her people came from convicts and our people came from exiled Religious fanatics. I've spent barely 2 days with this Aussie and I already am picking up a bunch of words from her. Likewise as well. She now says Beast alot... that makes me laugh. A little Japanese girl drifted over to listen to our English, we then spoke to her in Japanese. I can almost here her telling her mom that 3 freaky looking girls were speaking an alien language and then spoke to her in the proper and perfect language. That's the Japanese for ya... Eventually we decided to head back to the room for showers. I went first and then got dressed for dinner. With some time to kill, I sat out on the deck with Althea. The wind blew heavily and the grey clouds hovered over our heads. She was writing in her diary and asked what she was writing. She just said the important stuff that she doesn't want to forget, like the how we had to go to the bathroom so badly and yet still felt the beauty of the whale shark in the aquarium today. It's the little things like that I don't want to forget either. We shared some almonds and I read a book while she wrote. It was really wonderful. Then Mary Beth switched places with Althea and we talked about home and stuff. After we were all dressed and ready, we made our way to the lobby to meet up with everyone for dinner. Chinese food. Rather, Japanese Chinese food. It is very different than American Chinese food. The walk down to the restaurant was nice because the walk was lighted by large owl lamps. When we got to the restaurant, the 3 of us noticed that one meal costed $100 a person. There 6 of us, plus the cost of Sake. Probably about $750. Amazing. It was like a million courses, all which were incredibly tasty. The first and most interesting was Pig Ears, Pig Hooves, and Jellyfish platter. I didn't even think twice about eating it. It was all really tasty, especially the pig ears. They are this strangely salty meat that I enjoyed, even though I remembered that usually dogs eat them at home. Jellyfish wasn't bad either, even though I have a bit of a texture issue when it comes to gummy things. Pig Hoof was also okay. The next platters included, Crab with good sauce on it, Curry Beef, Pork Fried Rice, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I don't know the name of. Dessert was even great. Milk Jello, Green Tea Tarte, and this Sweet Yam Biscuit. Throughout the meal we spoke to the chaperones. I got a few compliments on my Japanese which really made me happy. When Althea and the chaperones speak I can usually understand the majority of it. But then I can't speak it to save my life. I know I keep saying that. But you have to understand I really am proud of myself for how much I understand, and frustrated that I can't speak. The single greatest part of the dinner was when the chaperones how many time we all needed to use the toilet and then laughed as all 5 of us held up the same amount of fingers. Besides being disgusted I was so happy to be around people that I could really have this conversation with. Then Althea asked if she could try some Sake. She is nearly 18, which is legal drinking age in Australia. So they thought it would be okay. But then we all got a try at it. I figure you can't go to Japan without trying some Sake. Mary Beth went first and practically spit it out. I went next. I sniffed it, thought well this is going to be gross, then took a big sip. It wasn't incredibly awful, not that it was very tasty either. But what stood out was that it was really warm, which I thought was pretty weird. Althea went next and finished it. She liked it. So yes, Julie Garner tried Japanese alcohol called Sake. After dinner, we all tried to figure out what to do with ourselves. Okuda-san and Sen-san were perfectly content to do what they did last night, find a bar stool and get incredibly drunk. Our tour guide wanted to do something fun. So Karaoke was suggested. And thus, the second night in a row was spent singing and dancing in our little room to Brittany Spears, Sugar Ray, Mandy Moore, Christina Aguilara, and many other bad pop artists. I always sing even though I secretly turn the microphone off. For this I got yelled at. I officially know that I chose bad songs. And yet again we had an amazing time. Shortly before the 2 hours was up, Okuda-san and Sen-san returned to the room to sing a little. Okuda-san did really well, but Sen-san, well eh... he tried. Not that I should be talking haha. It was pretty funny 2 watch 2 old drunk men singing Japanese Pop. Afterwards we all headed back to the hotel and slept absolutely wonderfully. We had quite an interesting day. haha. October 30--- We awoke at 7 to the alarm clock and slowly got ready. We had to pack everything as today we would be leaving Okinawa, sadly of course. At breakfast we tempted fate and went back to the restaurant from yesterday. I had my Choco Cros and I also tried Bread Pudding. Pretty interesting stuff to say the least. It really is bread and pudding. I even got seconds. I did a stupid thing and had 2 full glasses of orange juice and a coffee. At breakfast we talked about how much we really enjoy being here. It's interesting because not one of us really wanted to come to Japan as a first choice. Mem wanted to go to Italy, Althea wanted to go to Peru, and I wanted Austria. And yet here we are, having the best time ever. I have a theory, that everyone that puts down Japan as a first choice does it because they think they know all about this place. Manga, Jpop, Anime, Samurais, ya know the whole stereotypical vision of Japan. And yet those are the people that hate here and leave early. Like the 3 of us, who came here with no expectations, no stereotypes, no assumptions. We are the kind of exchange student that does well here. After brekkie, we went back to the room for the last time and grabbed everything for the bus. We watched a little bit of Sesame Street first, because there is a great English channel. And who doesn't love Sesame Street? We were nearly late for leaving. We got on our big Coach bus for the last time and were greeted by the very peppy lady. But today I was feeling much much better so I sang along with her and allowed her to do the clacker things without flashing her a dirty look. I even listened to much of her conversation and suprised myself at being able to understand the good majority of it, probably because she kept saying Steak. haha. The bus ride was about an hour to our destination, Kokusai Street or International Street. There we had about 3 hours for Omiyagi shopping and eating. Our first stop was the bathroom because 2 OJ's and a coffee caught up with me pretty quick. Then we started down the busy street that was full of Omiyagi shopping. And I can finally say after a lesson or two from Althea that I am getting really good at Omiyagi Shopping. In case you don't know what Omiyagi Shopping is I will repeat it again. It is the act of buying gifts. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. In America you buy your immediate friends small pens or little souvenirs from your destination. Here you buy your family members a food item that is popular at the destination, and your friends either candy or small key chains with Hello Kitty or something else from the destination. I bought for my host family these salty cracker things that taste like a sweet Oyster Cracker. In Okinawa the famous foods are there Donuts things, that take like Zeppoles without Grease and Sugar, Sweet Yam biscuits, sweet Oyster Crackers, Milk Cracker with okinawa written on them, Okinawan Crepe, and other small strange stuff. I picked up a bunch of candy for my friends. And I also bought myself a Hello Kitty Okinawa cell phone charm, since I collect them. Anyway as we shopped we stopped in on many of these stores, only to realize that they all sold the exact same stuff in every place. That's the way it is everywhere in Japan. All Omiyagi stores at your destination sell the same exact stuff. We ended up stopping in a Character Store, and there I realized just how Japanese I really am. I almost had a coniption when I saw a lifesize Care Bear and I referred to everything as cute or kawaii. But I wasn't alone. Finally I excerted some self control and pulled myself out of the store before I spent hundreds of dollars on Disney, Snoopy, Care Bears, Hello Kitty, Anpan Man, and Draemon. We kept straight and ended up in a little arcade off the main street. We found an Import shop and it was pretty hard not buying this American candy set. Althea, on the other hand, bought a bag of Milky Ways made is Australia. I didn't realize that they actually made that kind of stuff in Aus. Mary Beth and Althea bought fresh Pineapple as I drifted from store to store in search of Omiyagi. Then when they were done, we bought an Okinawan Doughnut and split in 3 ways. Like I said before it tastes like a Zeppole not covered in pounds of grease and sugar. It was really good and I'm glad I tried it. Afterwards we had to make a decision about lunch. Western food was what we really needed. And thus we headed for an over the top expensive Cowboy Steakhouse. It was so great to be in a real restaurant where we got our own menus (Japanese restaurants give one menu for the whole table.) Mary Beth ordered a steak, but me and Althea wanted to try Taco Rice. It's now an official Okinawan dish, but they stole it from the American base. The Americans stole it from the Mexicans. So in the end we all got cheated... hehe. Althea also got a Pina Colada for herself and I got a Mango Daquiri... that was pretty fun. wink wink. The meal was great. Taco Rice is so good. It's something I want to make when I go home. Just thinking about it is making me hungry again... hehe. After we paid (gulp!) we still had some more shopping to do and a little time to do it. We hit some more stores and then made our way back to the bus. Naha Airport was not far and the bus ride was kind of sad. Sen-san had left earlier so it was just the 3 of us, Okuda-san, and our Tour Guide. The peppy lady really grew on me. As we got out of the bus for a final picture peppy looked at Althea, Me, and Mary Beth and said, "I your Okinawa friend." And we said "We are your American friends (Australian)" We took a picture and said goodbye. Inside the airport, they checked the bags in. I didn't though and thus regretted it when I carried 3 large bags in terminal. I even had to buy a large bag to carry everything in it. When will I ever learn? After some more shopping we got into the terminal, made a quick stop at Starbucks (I'm addicted to Coffee!) and made our way onto the plane. It was a quiet ride back, as we all drifted in and out of slumber. It was kind of sad when we landed in Takamatsu. As we piled into Okuda-sans car, our tour guide gave us some candy and declared she was really going to miss us. She even did something very un-Japanese and gave us a huge hug each. I was soooooo happy. I love hugs and miss them dearly. Then we got into the car and headed for a highway stop where Uemura-san would pick me up. The car ride was filled with Althea and Okuda-san's discussion on last years troublesome exchange students. I understood most of it. Especially the part when they said that Tosajoshi (my high school) would except 2 more girls next year because I have been so great. Being the perfect exchange student has paid off. When we arrived it was so hard to say goodbye to Althea and MAry Beth. I gave them huge hugs but I'll admit I'm worried that we won't all get to see each other again as nothing is planned and Althea leaves in January. I guess we will just have to see. In the car with Uemura we talked a lot about Okinawa even though I couldn't understand most of what he said. I put on my Ipod and rested for the hour ride back home to Kochi. And we drove through the mountains at nights. I arrived back home with a warm welcome. And I presented my Omiyagi, which was well received. Then I unpacked, ate dinner, got ready for school, and went to bed.