For those doubters and non-believers out there, if you know me well you know of at least a few of my incredible God stories. Stuff like that you just can't make up. The truth is just too amazing.
A very quick update -
My bank cleared up the Visa issue - got the apartment!!
Terrified about rush hour in the subways in Tokyo - a solution was revealed to me that cost the same - an airport bus that has a direct route to Tokyo Air Terminal from the Narita Airport! and luggage is handled free!! The taxi ride from there is less than $20.
My laptop - I was told it may not be repaired or arrive until the middle of next week. Due to the wonderful people at Hewlett Packard and Fed-ex - AND GOD!! - I just found out it will be delivered today!!!
Everything has come together perfectly. Only one more challenge - how do I fit everything into 2 suitcases???
Any ideas or suggestions welcome!
Praise GOD!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Trials and Triumphs
My buddy Murphy has discovered we are trying the impossible and is tagging along. I guess he couldn't miss out on the opportunity :) So yes - everything that could go wrong - almost - is. But I believe heartily that it will all work out in the end! God is with me on this one!
So to update those of you who have had the blessing of not hearing me rant on the phone, here is the story. It all started one day after a particularly long night on duty at the rescue squad. I was exhausted as I stumbled home watching twilight turn into morning. I slowly climbed the stairs, knowing I had exactly 100 minutes until my children returned home for our typical busy day. Just enough time to strip down and crawl into bed for a short nap. I didn't empty my pockets, and as I climbed out of my pants, I managed to step on the contents in my back pocket, seriously bending my credit/debit card. For those of you who do not know how I operate - that card is my life. I rarely use cash, and I never use credit - so without that little peice of plastic, I wander hoplessly in a fog of confusion...
So not to be distressed about it, I let myself fall into a peaceful slumber and dream my recurring dream about a tsunami hitting Japan. I woke up and called the bank asking for a replacement. They said it would cancel my existing card as a credit card, but they could have it rushed to my local branch in 3 days. Wonderful I thought. By the way, it expires in June (while we will be in Japan) - could you please have that date changed at the same time. Sure - no problem. And I went about the rest of my crazy day.
The card came in the mail. Oops - wrong expiration date. Order a new replacement. It comes three days later - getting nervous now as I am needing to put up deposits for lodging in Tokyo. Trying to be patient. (PS I am not good at that). Another card comes - wrong date again. So I call and have a lengthy conversation where they insist they will have it corrected and give me the new expiration date so I can make reservations (11/2009). Suddenly I am getting called that the card is invalid. So I wait and it arrives - the date was actually 2008. OK - so I frantically call several places in Japan in the middle of the night (daytime there) and try to sort it all out. Mostly trying to convince the other person in terribly broken Japanese that I am not a thief and that I can actually pay for what I say I can. Finally the day arrives that the new card comes, only due to all of the confusion and attempts at an invalid card, my account has now been blocked by Visa!
I have one week until I leave and the lovely woman who helped me arrange for a wonderful apartment in Tokyo now thinks I am part of a credit card fraud ring. OK - maybe not because I do talk to her everyday and insist my bank will send a letter of apology any day. (One of the best things about being a member of a Credit Union - they take good care of you). So I finally got the right card and the right expiration date, and have it unblocked!! I am now waiting for another business day to begin in Tokyo to see if the apartment company is willing to try one last time!!
But as this is sorted out...my laptop has decided to stop functioning. It is ok because it is still under warranty and I can simply ship it to HP and they will fix it. But it may not be back before Tuesday - our departure day - and they emphatically do NOT ship to Japan. However, they will be happy to leave it on my doorstep if I am not home. (For 3 months). I am now praying that it arrives before we depart.
I am certain though that whatever happens, it will all work out for the best. All these trials will turn into triumphs and make me appreciate the good all that much more. We must remember we would not know the power of love without hate. We could not see the mercy of forgiveness without blame. We would not know the true value of a friend without knowing lonliness. And we cannot know the amazing blessings in our lives without struggles.
Well - have to run again. Keep you updated soon!
God is an amazing God!!
So to update those of you who have had the blessing of not hearing me rant on the phone, here is the story. It all started one day after a particularly long night on duty at the rescue squad. I was exhausted as I stumbled home watching twilight turn into morning. I slowly climbed the stairs, knowing I had exactly 100 minutes until my children returned home for our typical busy day. Just enough time to strip down and crawl into bed for a short nap. I didn't empty my pockets, and as I climbed out of my pants, I managed to step on the contents in my back pocket, seriously bending my credit/debit card. For those of you who do not know how I operate - that card is my life. I rarely use cash, and I never use credit - so without that little peice of plastic, I wander hoplessly in a fog of confusion...
So not to be distressed about it, I let myself fall into a peaceful slumber and dream my recurring dream about a tsunami hitting Japan. I woke up and called the bank asking for a replacement. They said it would cancel my existing card as a credit card, but they could have it rushed to my local branch in 3 days. Wonderful I thought. By the way, it expires in June (while we will be in Japan) - could you please have that date changed at the same time. Sure - no problem. And I went about the rest of my crazy day.
The card came in the mail. Oops - wrong expiration date. Order a new replacement. It comes three days later - getting nervous now as I am needing to put up deposits for lodging in Tokyo. Trying to be patient. (PS I am not good at that). Another card comes - wrong date again. So I call and have a lengthy conversation where they insist they will have it corrected and give me the new expiration date so I can make reservations (11/2009). Suddenly I am getting called that the card is invalid. So I wait and it arrives - the date was actually 2008. OK - so I frantically call several places in Japan in the middle of the night (daytime there) and try to sort it all out. Mostly trying to convince the other person in terribly broken Japanese that I am not a thief and that I can actually pay for what I say I can. Finally the day arrives that the new card comes, only due to all of the confusion and attempts at an invalid card, my account has now been blocked by Visa!
I have one week until I leave and the lovely woman who helped me arrange for a wonderful apartment in Tokyo now thinks I am part of a credit card fraud ring. OK - maybe not because I do talk to her everyday and insist my bank will send a letter of apology any day. (One of the best things about being a member of a Credit Union - they take good care of you). So I finally got the right card and the right expiration date, and have it unblocked!! I am now waiting for another business day to begin in Tokyo to see if the apartment company is willing to try one last time!!
But as this is sorted out...my laptop has decided to stop functioning. It is ok because it is still under warranty and I can simply ship it to HP and they will fix it. But it may not be back before Tuesday - our departure day - and they emphatically do NOT ship to Japan. However, they will be happy to leave it on my doorstep if I am not home. (For 3 months). I am now praying that it arrives before we depart.
I am certain though that whatever happens, it will all work out for the best. All these trials will turn into triumphs and make me appreciate the good all that much more. We must remember we would not know the power of love without hate. We could not see the mercy of forgiveness without blame. We would not know the true value of a friend without knowing lonliness. And we cannot know the amazing blessings in our lives without struggles.
Well - have to run again. Keep you updated soon!
God is an amazing God!!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Well, getting ready is harder than I thought. But I wanted a challenge - and here it is. What we have so far - an I -Pod, a camera, and a laptop :)
OK, so although I survive here with little else, Japan requires a bit more. We have been shopping for new clothes. They are a bit more conservative so we are going with capris for the girls and khakis for the little guy. Trying to find things that will transition to summer well. A few shorts and swimsuits. It is an island after all. We hope to do plenty of swimming,a nd maybe even some diving! I may have that set up very soon. I am bummed because my entire wardrobe revolves around jeans and they are not what is in over there.
Besides clothes, we are stocking up on OTC meds - Zyrtec for allergies especially. Most of what we allow here OTC is very hard to get even by Rx over there. Deodorant and toothpaste are two more hard to find items. We are set in that area I think. We are also bringing over a bunch of easter candy - M&M's and Skittles to hand out to all the people nice to us. It is the custom over there to hand out treats and gifts to everyone. It will be fun to have something especially American and fun and yummy to share!
Plans - now here is the fun part!! We are set on two apartments. One is in Tokyo - can you believe I got it for the same price as staying in the cheapest Youth Hostel dorm room! Yeah me!!!I rock I rock oh yeah... OK - sorry for that. Well it turns out to be quite the pad. I will write more about it when we are there - but we probably will not have windows because the rooms are lined up on each floor in a straight line - most rooms max out at about 20m2 (20 meters squared). Not very big! And that includes the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, laundry, closet, etc! But they are well equipped. The toilet in this one has a computerized flushing system with many buttons I am afraid to try (one sprays water on you :)). The washer/dryer is only one machine. You put in the clothes and soap, turn it on, and when it is done, they are dry! We also get high speed internet and a plasma TV with cable - all in Japanese of course (except CNN). So many cool feature! I will try and post some pics here if I can figure out how.
We will be there for three weeks. We hope to explore Tokyo to the max by then. We will be going to the Children's Hall - 5 stories of free stuff to explore with a rooftop playground and skate park. We will also definately look up the Sony building. Apparently you get to try out all the latest games - even before they are released. Then it is a move via the bullet train going 300mph to Kyoto. We have a two bedroom apartment there in the heart of the historical city. Again, if I can I will post pics.
After that we hope to meet up with a firend living in Northern Japan on our way to a horse farm. We will be staying there a week before going to a silk making farm. Perhaps we will see monkeys flying through the forest trees. We hope so.
So much to do - have to run. Forgive the typos - still have a broken finger :(
Hope to write again soon!!
OK, so although I survive here with little else, Japan requires a bit more. We have been shopping for new clothes. They are a bit more conservative so we are going with capris for the girls and khakis for the little guy. Trying to find things that will transition to summer well. A few shorts and swimsuits. It is an island after all. We hope to do plenty of swimming,a nd maybe even some diving! I may have that set up very soon. I am bummed because my entire wardrobe revolves around jeans and they are not what is in over there.
Besides clothes, we are stocking up on OTC meds - Zyrtec for allergies especially. Most of what we allow here OTC is very hard to get even by Rx over there. Deodorant and toothpaste are two more hard to find items. We are set in that area I think. We are also bringing over a bunch of easter candy - M&M's and Skittles to hand out to all the people nice to us. It is the custom over there to hand out treats and gifts to everyone. It will be fun to have something especially American and fun and yummy to share!
Plans - now here is the fun part!! We are set on two apartments. One is in Tokyo - can you believe I got it for the same price as staying in the cheapest Youth Hostel dorm room! Yeah me!!!I rock I rock oh yeah... OK - sorry for that. Well it turns out to be quite the pad. I will write more about it when we are there - but we probably will not have windows because the rooms are lined up on each floor in a straight line - most rooms max out at about 20m2 (20 meters squared). Not very big! And that includes the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, laundry, closet, etc! But they are well equipped. The toilet in this one has a computerized flushing system with many buttons I am afraid to try (one sprays water on you :)). The washer/dryer is only one machine. You put in the clothes and soap, turn it on, and when it is done, they are dry! We also get high speed internet and a plasma TV with cable - all in Japanese of course (except CNN). So many cool feature! I will try and post some pics here if I can figure out how.
We will be there for three weeks. We hope to explore Tokyo to the max by then. We will be going to the Children's Hall - 5 stories of free stuff to explore with a rooftop playground and skate park. We will also definately look up the Sony building. Apparently you get to try out all the latest games - even before they are released. Then it is a move via the bullet train going 300mph to Kyoto. We have a two bedroom apartment there in the heart of the historical city. Again, if I can I will post pics.
After that we hope to meet up with a firend living in Northern Japan on our way to a horse farm. We will be staying there a week before going to a silk making farm. Perhaps we will see monkeys flying through the forest trees. We hope so.
So much to do - have to run. Forgive the typos - still have a broken finger :(
Hope to write again soon!!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Getting Ready
Welcome to Adventures in Japan. We are getting ready for our trip which starts on April 1, 2008. Yes, I know it is April Fools, and I am hoping my buddy Murphy will take the day off so that all goes smoothly :)
We have begun the process of planning and preparation. I am such a boy scout - trying hard to think of everything, but winging it is really my gift, so I will be putting all my faith in God to keep us safe and for me to at least remember our passports!
I will be posting here as often as we have internet access. Some of the places we are going are quite remote - but have patience, those will be the best stories.
To those who stumble upon this page and don't know us - here is a brief introduction. (Please excuse the typos - I broke my index finger, so I am not tyoing well :P
I am Mom - aka Christine. I am a single mom homeschooling two amazing kids. We live in Midlothian, Virginia USA (just outside the state capital of Richmond). I work as a caregiver for a man here. His name is Ed and he is a dear firend. We will miss him, but are lucky to get to come back and still work for him. I also teach/tutor other homeschoolers, and work as a nanny. In my spare time, I volunteer as an EMT-E with Louisa County Rescue Squad in Louisa, VA and Manchester Volunteer Rescue Squad in Chesterfield, VA. I am going to REALLY miss all you guys!!! Send me the stroies of all the "good calls"!! I was a professional photographer BC (before children) and my wonderful sister has equipped me with a new camera for our journey. It is through that lens that I will share this new world we are about to discover.
Jeremy - age 10. Lego crazed robot loving, Wii playing every chance he gets, superstar. He is the true inspiration for not giving up on this dream of living in Japan. I will tell that story later. So this trip is for you baby!! He loves to read anything and everything. He loves to build things, archery, ride bikes, try new foods, explore, and help me find my way when I am lost. And that is all the time! I know I am the luckiest mom in the world!!
Ashley - age 8. Loves animals. All animals. If we had a kitten farm with horses, puppies, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, etc. she would be in heaven. We hope to discover the farm life in her honor. Hopefully at a goat farm taking care of the new babies, and a horse farm learning archery on horseback. We are also planning on swimming with the dolphins. Mostly, we are hoping to discover new animals, both in the sea and on land. Monkeys especially. She loves to ride bikes, explore, eat, and play with her stuffed animals. Love you baby!!
For all you frugal types and dreamers with doubts - I am going to post tips and ways to travel on a skinny dime. We are doing things a little diffewrent. We cannot afford hotels, and really do not want to travel as tourists. We want to LIVE Japan. We want to meet the people and share their lives and customs. We are really going to explore and make new friends. So for anyone who has any dream at all - do not wait - make it happen now. Believe is is already happening and it is!!
Special thanks to Grandma Sue and Grandpa Leonard for not telling us we are crazy - but believing in me to do anything. We are especially thankful for their generous gifts that are helping to make this dream come true. WE LOVE YOU!! And can't wait to see you Grandma.
And to my loving and incredibly supportive sister. You are the one person who has ALWAYS been there for me - always helping me through the rough times, always believing in me even when I didn't. You are so amazing. I couldn't do this without your words echoing in my head. Love you to death!!
OK - so here we go. Time to get ready.
We have begun the process of planning and preparation. I am such a boy scout - trying hard to think of everything, but winging it is really my gift, so I will be putting all my faith in God to keep us safe and for me to at least remember our passports!
I will be posting here as often as we have internet access. Some of the places we are going are quite remote - but have patience, those will be the best stories.
To those who stumble upon this page and don't know us - here is a brief introduction. (Please excuse the typos - I broke my index finger, so I am not tyoing well :P
I am Mom - aka Christine. I am a single mom homeschooling two amazing kids. We live in Midlothian, Virginia USA (just outside the state capital of Richmond). I work as a caregiver for a man here. His name is Ed and he is a dear firend. We will miss him, but are lucky to get to come back and still work for him. I also teach/tutor other homeschoolers, and work as a nanny. In my spare time, I volunteer as an EMT-E with Louisa County Rescue Squad in Louisa, VA and Manchester Volunteer Rescue Squad in Chesterfield, VA. I am going to REALLY miss all you guys!!! Send me the stroies of all the "good calls"!! I was a professional photographer BC (before children) and my wonderful sister has equipped me with a new camera for our journey. It is through that lens that I will share this new world we are about to discover.
Jeremy - age 10. Lego crazed robot loving, Wii playing every chance he gets, superstar. He is the true inspiration for not giving up on this dream of living in Japan. I will tell that story later. So this trip is for you baby!! He loves to read anything and everything. He loves to build things, archery, ride bikes, try new foods, explore, and help me find my way when I am lost. And that is all the time! I know I am the luckiest mom in the world!!
Ashley - age 8. Loves animals. All animals. If we had a kitten farm with horses, puppies, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, etc. she would be in heaven. We hope to discover the farm life in her honor. Hopefully at a goat farm taking care of the new babies, and a horse farm learning archery on horseback. We are also planning on swimming with the dolphins. Mostly, we are hoping to discover new animals, both in the sea and on land. Monkeys especially. She loves to ride bikes, explore, eat, and play with her stuffed animals. Love you baby!!
For all you frugal types and dreamers with doubts - I am going to post tips and ways to travel on a skinny dime. We are doing things a little diffewrent. We cannot afford hotels, and really do not want to travel as tourists. We want to LIVE Japan. We want to meet the people and share their lives and customs. We are really going to explore and make new friends. So for anyone who has any dream at all - do not wait - make it happen now. Believe is is already happening and it is!!
Special thanks to Grandma Sue and Grandpa Leonard for not telling us we are crazy - but believing in me to do anything. We are especially thankful for their generous gifts that are helping to make this dream come true. WE LOVE YOU!! And can't wait to see you Grandma.
And to my loving and incredibly supportive sister. You are the one person who has ALWAYS been there for me - always helping me through the rough times, always believing in me even when I didn't. You are so amazing. I couldn't do this without your words echoing in my head. Love you to death!!
OK - so here we go. Time to get ready.
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