Bathrooms in Japan are pretty interesting. First of all, the toilet is in it’s own room. You open a door to a room about the size of a linen closet and you’ll find a toilet… and that’s it. I found this troubling on my first trip to Japan to meet Aya’s parents. Not only was I meeting them for the first time, but I’d be living with them for ten days. The bathroom situation can always be tricky when you’re meeting people for the first time. After you meet your girlfriend’s parents, you don’t want to be that guy who kills the bathroom. This was a major concern as I knew I’d be eating all kinds of food I’d never had before, some of which were raw. I had no idea how my stomach would handle that situation. I was really counting on the “shower mist” maneuver. You know, when you “go” right before you take a shower. No matter what happened in there, the shower mist would cover it all up. But with the toilet being in it’s own room the size of a closet located far away from the shower, operation “shower mist” wouldn’t work. We all got to know each other really well.
SHIKKAKU! (FAIL!)
With Ellie being a halvsies kid, Aya and I want her to be bilingual and bicultural.  But with Aya gone during the weekdays, I was beginning to worry that maybe she wasn’t getting equal time with the Japanese language. At the same time I was also looking for something new to do with Ellie. The repetitive winter routine had gotten, well… repetitive. I had looked into a baby swim class, but I felt it was too expensive for what it was. Plus, I don’t like wearing shorts let alone a swimsuit. So I started researching for a Japanese story time in the area, and I found one! Continue reading “SHIKKAKU! (FAIL!)”
DADA?
It’s funny how sometimes no matter what you plan, or how much you prepare, somethings are just out of your control. Â During our pregnancy I had so much time to fantasize about my new life with our baby. Â I had almost a year to build up this image of how I saw myself as a parent and what my relationship with our kid will be like. Â Since I had no experience with newborns or any babies at all, all of my visions were of Ellie as a toddler or older. Â I envisioned us sitting on the couch listening to Led Zeppelin or the Beatles together. Â Me telling her stories about why I liked those songs or what made them so great, and her just looking at me quietly. Â I pictured the typical Kodak moment of playing in the leaves during the fall, or her holding my hand while I wandered the aisles of Home Depot. Â I also pictured the stereotypical scene of coming home from work. Â In my mind I’d bust through the door with a big smile on my face and my arms wide open, and Ellie would squeal in excitement, “Dad’s home!” and then she’d run and give me a big hug. Â But newborn babies don’t do much except lay there, cry, and poop. Â And as you are adjusting to that and realigning the images in your head, life throws you a curve ball. Continue reading “DADA?”
LOST IN TRANSLATION: THE TOILET GOD
When Aya’s parents were in town we settled into a nice routine. They’d play with Ellie all day, or we’d be out shopping, and then we’d come home for dinner. After dinner, Aya would put Ellie down, and then we’d all meet at the dinner table for dessert and coffee. This is when we’d all chat and catch up. Well, they would chat and catch up. I’d mostly sit there and laugh when they would laugh just so I would feel like I was part of the conversation. But on the last night, I really wanted to actually participate a little more.
THANKSGIVING
One great thing about living in a multi-cultural home is that Ellie gets to celebrate both American and Japanese holidays. Thanksgiving wasn’t so much about pilgrims and native Americans in our house this year. It was more about east meets west. Aya’s parents were in town from Japan to visit, and we were able to include her family with our regular Thanksgiving dinner this year. The typical crowd is us, my folks, my brother Patrick, his wife Kristen, grandma, my good friend Rob, and his fiance Jesse. And also this year, Aya’s parents.