Okinawa 101：ゴーヤ

Go-ya

In the Okinawan dialect, Nigauri is called Goya. 

It is said that the bitter taste of Goya is very refreshing in the heat of summer days. A famous yet simple Goya dish would be frying it with pork and eggs, called Goya Champuru. It probably is sold in all Okinawa restaurants. Also, goya is a rich source of vitamin C, and other nutrients that helps keeping the skin beautiful. Personally I think it's pretty bitter, but since it's healthy to the body, I should start eating more. :) 

Sources -  Wonder Okinawa and Digi-joho Tokyo

you, you, you and you.

Konnichiwa こんにちは! *Good afternoon*
Genki desu ka 元気ですか?? *How are you??

It’s already finals week for the students over here, so it will be pretty quiet for Lisa-the teaching-assistant this couple days. Their first day of exam is on December 1st. Excuse me, DECEMBER FIRST? Whaaat??? That means I have passed my 2-month mark in Okinawa!! SAFE!! *clap clap clap*

This semester of school will be done on 12/28. Before school ends there will be some more prepping for class days, hanging out with the kids days or off to different adventures on weekend days. (Sad FYI: I am working on Christmas. But I am hoping to wear my 100yen Rudolph hairband to work. Ho ho ho)

After the 28th, Lisa is off to Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura, and Hakone!!!!!! I was happy to fight for the tickets on Skymark (Japanese priceline?) last month with Hannah. The tickets are about the price of flying to NYC from MN. And for accommodations, Hannah and I are staying about half the time in hotel, half the time at my friend Nozomi’s grandparents place! Dividing the average costs of hotels, it was a pretty good deal. :]

I am very excited to see Tokyo again in a MONTH and meeting up with some of my old friends. I met Nozomi when I studied in Tokyo 2 years ago, and we have kept a good relationship since. On the other hand, most of my friends are traveling out of Tokyo with their families to other prefectures up north or FRANCE for their Christmas/New Year trips. So I will have to go back. (haha) My family will also be off to China with Grandma for a couple days. So I won’t be seeing them for New Years. But! I am going home for Chinese New Year, which I have missed for five years now. I can’t wait for it, and I am grateful Okinawa is so close to home and the job I have is so kind about letting me taking days off without too much hassle.

I cannot believe Christmas is coming so soon! Graduation, traveling with mom, summer at home, started working in Okinawa and BAM, it is Christmas already! BAM! Becky’s BABIES will be here!!! Ahem, I have distracted myself here. Oh yes, I am excited to see Shibuya crossing, the romantic red brick warehouses again. Seeing the Japanese big Buddha first time, visiting the Little Prince museum, going to hot springs, and visiting national parks overlooking the Mt Fuji!!! It will be a blast.

Back to reality real quick, what I am trying to say in this blog was that I have been enjoying the simple and quiet schedule I have here. It might be boring to some, but I like my simple life – eat, pray, work, travel and love.

My days usually go like this: Get up, go to work, two or three hours of classes in the morning, co-workers will share treats they got from trips to everyone (and sometimes that’ll be my breakfast) then yes! Lunch time! Go to the “Bento street” across the street for my lunch box or eat out somewhere, sometimes walk to the “Kon-bi-ni”, the convenient store, “Lawson” for a snack, or browse around magazines. Then coming back with usually just one class in the afternoon, so I correct student’s homework or prep for class materials. I should consider bringing my laptop in to edit the pictures when I have down time. But I probably shouldn’t.

Life is good, work wise…I am not freaking out as much anymore, and I am getting better at being punctual. Also I have been eating (haha), occasionally I bring lunchboxes I made the night before. And maybe 80% the kids I teach like me and smile when I talk to them. (5 of them are my new BFFs…haha).

I consider that a big SUCCESS.

Living wise, I am also visiting different places each weekend, discovering new places to walk around and I have not seen other spider yesterday. (haha) Also, I am glad to use the down time as my study time this week. I am taking a Japanese Language Proficiency Test on Sunday. I am failing it, but I just might have the luck to pass it. If I really pass it, I would truly believe I can do whatever I want.

Remember that blog about me losing it during that monthly work meeting? I am still scared of it... because last month’s meeting I was able to skip it. 2 hours of listening to Japanese is not the worst, 2 hours of listening and sitting and doing nothing else make me nervous. I am too used multitasking since college and have million things going on. It’s hard to just sit and do one thing for me now. Hehehe.

love, Lisa

p.s. I will put up pictures soon. I was able to get some good ones because it stopped raining and it is not cloudy so much anymore. Yay. Lunch time!

it's golden

If you know how the bottom of a pool looks like when it’s sunny…maybe you will know what I am trying to say here. That beautiful reflection in gold color was on my office window today.

I looooooove the light around five to seven in the afternoon. It’s beautiful this second, and next second it’s gone. That’s why it’s even more precious, magical and beautiful.

Around five o'clock was the time to get home from school when I was in high school in Hong Kong. I remember trying to catch my favorite radio show every day after school after saying goodbye to my friends at the bus stop.

I have started to get used to life here in Okinawa, and the more time I have worked with the students, the more I thought about my own high school days. I miss hanging out with everybody and just be upset with simple things and then forgetting about it.

Life was so simple then. Well, it's really not that complicated for me these days either. It's great and I enjoy being simple. Anyways, that pretty golden light and shadows on the window I saw today encouraged me to write to you.

Hope all is well,
Lisa

p.s. I am loving the weather here in Okinawa... I can finally smell the crisp autumn breeze! It's getting chilly! p.p.s. Debate contest will be on this coming Wednesday, and that means there will be no more working until 9pm! Happy November!

A week after I left home,

mom came to visit. She told me because each time we talked on the phone, she felt my voice was less genki than the day before and to the point that she was worried about the living situation. "I found cheap tickets." she said. <3 

She stayed at my apartment for a week and helped me moved in (with new frying pan, cooker, hangers, food,  and LOTS of cleaning supplies and a suitcase full of winter clothes that I couldn't bring with because of the limit with my air ticket.)

Mom, Hannah and I tried to go out as much as we could after work, but mostly we were trying to clean the apartment. It is a nice and spacious apartment, however because my arrival was postponed...during the hot summer days, many big but thin, long legs spiders came to live in my closet. And hid under the drawers.

I did not touch any of the closets the first week because I was too tired and didn't have time or mainly the motivation to do it... When mom and I have pull all the drawers out and after she had killed 10+ spiders while I was at work, there was 10+ more spiders waiting for us to vacuum. (I am starting to itch as I type this.)

Mom bought me a small vacuum to get the dirty job done, we got wipes for the tatami mats, did hardcore cleaning that week. I didn't remember having many hours of sleep. But it's all clean now...thanks to Mom!

dinner with co-workers, vice principal & his wife

Langkawi

hello there ;)  sorry I haven't been writing, but my summer has been pretty quiet and I haven't been going out to take pictures much compare to last summer. But the pictures above are some pictures I took when I visited Malaysia last week.

as for the job in Japan, I will fly to Okinawa in exactly a month. The plan now is I will be travelling in Tokyo for a week before I start to work on the 27th. Seriously though, I have been staying at home reading and studying. And visiting my grandmas more than my friends. :P

I miss you all. love, Lisa

Chicago 2010

you are the first ones who see this sets of chicago photos!


it was another windy day in chicago when we took this picture...

i wore two jackets, but it was still pretty windy to walk around...
we spent saturday morning until monday evening in chicago...
we thought we did most of everything in chicago (during winter)

every new friend we met told us we should have visited chicago
in the summer, because there are much more things to do...

such as, going to parks (lay on the grass and look at clouds or stars)
going to the lake shore beaches (and play with the sunshine)
walk around downtown...(and have a pizza or hot dog)

they said it's not too hot in summer...it's almost perfect there..

but, diana and i were there for our spring break in march...
everything was still snowy!
(while in st. joseph, a place where winter is usually longer than
everywhere else, was surprisingly warmer than chicago!)

anyhow, we did as much as we can sight-seeing wise...
and had a gooooood time in the wind city.

hahappy friday!

Be happy! It's Friday!

I would be catching up some hours of internship during the weekend.
Gotta investigate different people and see if they would
allow me to take pictures of them during their practice time.

I will be taking pictures of students here doing
winter sports, intramural sports, and performing art related things...

And catching up some more nutrition reading too.

I believe my body this semester (and hopefully in the future) would get healthier.
Because I'm dancing 2 hours every week at least, couple buddies are bringing me
to work out, while I will be more alert of what I am eating...

Hazzaa!


Have a beautiful weekend!

My 2009

Back to Minnesota from Tokyo/HK to finish junior year

Lived in a 4-person apartment

Performed in Asian New Year

Went to visit Becky and met Travis in UT



Seeing brother growing taller everyday

Enjoyed every bits of summer


Continuing the search for places to take pictures


Tour guided three groups of people..


Hanging out with PX at home




Introducing people to him


Jumped and danced at a band concert

Owning my own DSLR

Turned 21.

Got attacked by a wasp.

Loved by funny friends

Organized a mini show with Paula.

Went to Travis and Becky's wedding.

Having fun with new friends

and the sweet old ones

Living in a different 4-person apartment

Saw my 1st shooting star...

...

Happy 2010...!!

I can't wait to see what it'd be like
but I know it is going to be awesome!!! ;)

Happy New Year!

...