Skip to main content

typhoon day two

It's still raining. I don't think it stopped at all last night. Is this what it's like to be in the rainforest?


Many businesses are closed, including my gym. (So much sad face!!) The grocery store and convenience stores are open, though--businesses that are chain stores, in other words--so at least I won't starve. Plus I still have power, and internet, and no work, so this day isn't at all bad. The air is still humid, but VERY cool, and I've been leaving my door and window open and getting some excellent airflow through my apartment. I haven't turned on my fan all day. I hope this is what typhoon season means, that the weather will be getting cooler from here on out.


I went out and bought a German sausage, drinkable yogurt, and some little donuts for breakfast. I've been on a peanut-butter-eating spree lately, and I think it means I haven't been getting enough protein. I've been feeling weak at the gym, too, especially when lifting weights. A friend of mine who has been here for a year said that she had the same problem, although her solution was to eat blood pudding and I don't think I'm up for doing that quite yet. I think I'll just eat tofu and find places with less fatty meat. There's a food stand down the street that I'm really hoping is open today so I can go there for lunch. If not, I'm eating sushi. I need the protein and devouring jars of peanut butter ain't gonna cut it.


My camera's battery is near dead, otherwise I'd have film and pictures to show of the typhoon, aka Rain, Rain That Won't Go Away. I'm charging the battery now, so hopefully I'll have something to display later today!


UPDATE:


Battery semi-charged, sushi eaten, and the gym is open! As soon as I digest this deliciousness, I am going to go run/bike and generally exercise.
Earlier, and prior to this sushi-eating, Amelia called me out of the blue and asked if I'd been by the gym yet to see if it was open; I said I had, and it was closed. She then mentioned she was going to Sushi Express, and I suggested we go together. I've been there three times, now, and already I'm getting myself a cup of tea, grabbing chopsticks and filling a little plate of soy sauce like a pro.
I had five plates today. I was really hungry. :) First I ate my favorite, pastries with red bean paste in the middle. They're absolutely delicious.
Next I had grilled eel (I think), and shrimp and pineapple salad, which is just like tuna salad except with shrimp and pineapple. They pile it on top of little sushi rice patties wrapped in seaweed. It's very tasty. I tried ginger with it, my first time eating ginger, and it tastes a little pickled. Yum. :) I love eating at Sushi Express, because everything tastes wholesome and healthy, and unfried! I followed the eel up with milk pudding w/ brown sugar topping.
It didn't last long.
Finally I had cheese lobster salad Mexican-style, which was like the shrimp salad except with cheese, lobster, olives, and a bit of spice. Really tasty. Sometime I'm going to have to try the okra slices and the fried bean curd. Have I mentioned that pretty much everything in this place looks delicious?
After this, Amelia and I went to the gym to see if it was open, and the employees outside the doors said it would be open in ten minutes. We were so excited; we high-fived and everything, probably making the people there think we were nuts. She and I are both really serious about fitness, though, and in Taiwan, where nutrition labels are semi-informative (it says it has 100 calories per serving but there are five servings, for example) and most food is fried (Want some noodles and vegetables? Sure, let us fry/boil it in oil, first.) it's a little imperative to work out regularly to keep your calorie-loss count on par with what you're consuming. Especially since it isn't possible to eat sushi every day.


So Amelia and I went our separate ways, because we both just ate huge meals, but we'll definitely be returning to the gym to get our fitness on. Woot!!


More pics of Typhoon Day:


 A claw machine in the mall; with little plushie Spiderman AND Venom! Adorable!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

That's one small confirmation email for Caitlin... one giant leap forward toward Japan. This evening I spoke with a representative from the Tokyo office of my employer company, Interac. The purpose of the phone call was to discuss a confirmed placement they had available for me, should I accept it: Hitachinaka, a city in Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan. Hitachinaka is a seaside city located about two to three hours (by train) north-east of Tokyo. As I understand it, I'd be driving between a few schools, namely elementary and jr. high schools, and there should be a few other foreigners in the area for me to learn from and make friends with while I'm settling in, which would be very welcome in a foreign country. Just now I sent an email confirmation to Interac, accepting the placement. My new destination is Hitachinaka, which I cannot yet say three times fast without getting tongue-tied but will have to learn quickly! There are some absolutely gorgeous scenery p...

gojira is hungry

On my first day of teaching, I played a game with some of my classes that is called "Wolf," but I renamed it "Gojira" (Godzilla) to make it a bit more culturally accessible. The game has Gojira (me) "sleeping," while the students call out a question, such as "What's your name?". If I give the key answer ("My name is Gojira!" and not, say, "My name is Pikachu."), I pretend to chase a few lucky students back to their seats. If I catch them, I get a point. If I don't catch them, the students (as a group) get a point. I'm explaining this to you so you understand who "Gojira" is in the context of this update. Gojira is me. And every day, after chasing around kids, Gojira is very hungry. I have two burners in my little "kitchen" area, plus a sink, some shelves, and a cabinet the size of a shoebox. This is my space. Still, it's infinitely more cooking room and appliances than I had in Taiwan. I...

Updates: The Journey in Asia Continues

Hey peeps! Ever since I came back from Asia, this blog has been dead. Mostly that's because there's very little to talk about when your occupation is "unemployed" and your location is "my house, I've Lived Here All My Life, USA." I've spent most of my time re-learning how to be American and searching for jobs in Japan. And finally, finally, all that hard work has paid off. I have secured myself one (1) job with an ALT company in Japan. I have no idea where I'll be in Japan, what school I'll be at, or what grades I'll be teaching. However, this does not matter. Not at all. Not even a little bit. Because finally, after two years of working toward this and many years of imagining and dreaming (and being quite sure it would never actually happen), I am going to Japan. MARCH 2014! (As long as my VISA and and Eligibility Application all go through, so, cross your fingers for me on that, please.) In the mean time, I'm working on ...