Mai the superhero

If I were a superhero, I supposed I'd look like this:

But.... I suppose I am a bit of a superhero on days when I am in family mode and I actually look like this:

Fire Beneath My Rear End

I almost got fired by one of my important clients today.

I've been a bit behind on my work lately, and missed some of my deadlines. He is running an important corporation, so he was not happy about this... to say the least.

So, I tried to resolve the situation and sent him some work. I could tell he was still upset with me, cause he only sent one sentence in response.

"I have read your work and I must admit it is very impressive." end of email

Whew, that was a close one.

Isaiah has been sick nonstop the past couple of weeks. That daycare is like a setup. They must have a thing going with the medical system here. Some kind of kickback based on the amount of kids you send there from your school. So, I have been running a bed and breakfast and an infirmary here at the apartment 24-7. Hence, my work has suffered.

anyway, that's why there have been no updates. But I will scare my japanese scary story soon.

Mai

Fire In My Belly

The Indian food burned, like no other... I sat in the restuarant , tears in my eyes and sinuses wide open, wondering why on earth I had decided to order the daily special...

First of all, I broke rule #1 of dining abroad while extremely hungry. I order something that was written in another language that I don't speak, that was not accompanied by a photo, and was listed as a "daily special".

Now, I happen to have eaten a great deal of Indian food in my lifetime... but never ever was the menu written in Japanese.

But, hey... I figured I was out with my friend... having a great time... why not take a chance. So, we both did. Then stared at each other across the table with tears brimming in our eyes from the heat that was beginning to also make our lips swell... until we burst out laughing.

Unfortunately I don't have a photo of what we looked like... but I guarantee you, I won't be ordering that dish ever again!

Whew!
Mai

A Walk Along Cloud 9- Japanese Hot Springs

Have you ever taken a walk along Cloud 9? Well, two weeks ago I did when I made my first visit to the Japanese hot springs.

Picture yourself stress free and completely relaxed... surrounded by pure serenity and natures most precious scenery. Now, imagine your body submerged in natural, healing, hot water... clean and clear. And one more thing... you are completely butt naked.

I swear I have never felt so at ease in my life. The hot springs made me feel like a pampered goddess. Once I got there, all of my inhibitions were left behind. I felt so comfortable with myself, my body, and the experience that I was about to have. As I peeled away my clothes, I felt like I was taking away layers of stress and preoccupation. I didn't care about anything... all I could do is feel the tension melting away from my muscles.

There is a process that must be followed at the hot springs in order to ensure the natural beauty and effects are preserved. Cleanliness is first, and you are required to shower before entering the hot springs and you are prohibited from taking bathing suits and other items of clothing in with you.

During our visit, the women all went to the outdoor hot springs first. I had no idea of the amazing scenery that I was about to witness. The outdoor japanese hot springs are set in the middle of the forest, and there are lights that illuminate the natural setting. It was a cool evening so you could see the steam rising from your body and the springs. Each area has a different temperature and you can switch springs at your leisure. If you lean against the natural stone you can see fish swimming in the clear river that runs below the edge of the rocks. If you are lucky, you may even spot a deer lapping water nearby. My friend told me about a visit where she saw a monkey in the trees above. (I am not sure if that was so relaxing)

After spending a half hour in the outdoor hot springs, the women were informed that it was almost time for the men's slot to begin. So, we headed indoors to go to the other hot springs.

Just as I thought it couldn't get any better, Part 2 began. This time the area was not as large, but the water was just as relaxing. They had areas where you could just lay back and watch the stars as you soaked and immersed your skin in the minerals. I layed back and thought about the women that had been doing this for hundreds of years...I thought about how I would never go again without the onsens.

After we exited the second set of japanese springs we went inside to the womens room to sit and shower, shampoo, cleanse, and pamper ourselves. Then, just when you think it is over... you go into another set of indoor hot springs for one last good soak. Upon exiting, you don't rinse the minerals... as they are good for your body and well being. You towel down, dress, and leave as radiant and rejuvinated as you could possibly be.

Above you will see a photo of the whole group before entering the hot springs that evening!

Ah... such pleasure and serenity. I will never go without the hot springs again!

A song comes to mind as I reflect on this experience... (smile)

"At first I was afraid, I was petrified,

Thinking everyone would be looking at my backside.

I spent all those lonely nights

Thinking how I'd do it wrong

Then, I grew strong

I let go and went along..."

("I Will Survive Remix by Mai Campbell")

One Happy Toddler.

There is nothing that will bring a smile to my face faster than seeing my baby boy laughing. This picture is a perfect example of what it feels like to be happy!

Isaiah & Iku (and if you look closely you can get a glimpse of mom in the background!)

And yes, I know I am a bit behind on my blogs. Don't worry I have about 10 coming back to back for ya!

Mai

Wind in my face

By the way,

It was extremely windy in Sendai yesterday. Iku says there is a Typhoon coming.

Isaiah doesn't like the wind blowing in his face, so he scrunches his nose up and tries to cover his body from it each time. You can see him scrunching in action on this photo that Iku took! I thought it was funny. :)

Mai

Festivals in Sendai, Japan

Yesterday there were festivals going on everywhere in Sendai.

It was great to see all of the beautiful costumes and performances in the various suburbs of Sendai. Isaiah (although very sleepy) wanted to run around and go on stage. He didn't appreciate me holding him back from his attempts to steal the show. In the photo you, if you take a good look at his expression... he isn't exactly smiling at the camera. That was taken after he got upset with me for not letting him run out with the other children.

I went on my first Japanese "road-trip" yesterday with Iku and a Romanian woman named Roxanna. We went to Niigita (I may have spelled that wrong) for Mike's basketball game. It's a two hour drive from Sendai by car. Isaiah slept most of the way there... we passed many rice fields and the countryside on the way there. The stadium was very big, and there were vendors outside with all kinds of foods cooked fresh in front of you. Isaiah ate Yaki Sobi. I had some type of shrimp dumpling. I wish I had tried this cabbage dish though... my friends all got it and when I sampled it, it was delicious!

Midori, Yuko, Junko, "Kenichi's Wife" (her name begins with a Y, but I can't remember it right now), Iku, Roxanna and I all had a really good time. The 89ers had a 20 point lead for most of the game, but in the last quarter they lost by 3 points. We couldn't believe it! But, it happens...

I didn't get home until late because after we drove back to Sendai I still had to catch the subway back to our house. Me, Mike, and Ryan had a casino night. I was the dealer and we played Blackjack for 10 cents a hand for a couple hours. In the end, the bank went for bust... they took all my money! Who says the house is at an advantage???

Well, I must get my nerve up for our hot spring visit in a couple hours. Thanks for all the moral support to those of you that have left messages about the hot springs!! LOL

Sayonara for now!
Mai

A Special Thank You

I'd just like to send out a special thank you to the runny nose toddler at the daycare center. If it weren't for you, none of our throats would have been sore this weekend.

Arigato!

Crouching Toddler Hidden Cellphone

My 18 month old son has turned into a ninja overnight.

He suddenly has taken on this stealth like sneaking persona...to get into all kinds of things he knows he is not supposed to mess with.

Like just now, the room was very quiet... so I went over and saw that he had my cellphone tucked away into his pajama pants. He also goes into my purse (when I am not paying attention) and takes my cellphone, opens it, and calls people from my call list. I am telling you... I have got to figure out how to lock the keys on my phone. Apparently, he has... and I couldn't get incoming calls for an entire day. My friend, Yuko, came to my house to inform me that my phone said "Hello. I am driving now," each time she tried to call me.

You probably are thinking I should get some things to keep him interested and active. That's not the problem. I have a giant toy bag stocked with toys, blocks, books, activities... but it's electronics he wants. More than anything he wants to play with our cellphones, the laptop, and the remote controls, oh and the cable box.

I bought him a toy cellphone that really talks... do you think he wanted to play with that silly thing???

Uh, oh.. he has Mike's eyeglasses... gotta run!

Mai

Just When You Think You're Safe...

Your man gets you.

Remember how I was so relieved about the "no tattoos in the hot springs" news the other day?

Well, Mike called me this afternoon to inform me that his head coached has arranged for us to attend the hot springs with him on Monday, so we were going. Oh, and yeah... his teammate Ryan is going with us.

Before I hung up with an attitude he informed me that although we do have to be naked in the hot springs, the one his coach chose is divided amongst gender.

Naked hot springs here I come...

The things you do for culture!

Maybe I can take some saran wrap to at least feel like I am covered up...

Creative Mai Takes On The World

Creative Mai Takes On The World

Let's Go Streaking!

Well... I just found out last night that because I have tattoos I am not allowed in many of the hot springs. Tattoos here are associated with the Japanese mafia. So there will be no skinny dipping in the hot springs for Mai!!!

So...
By the way, that tattoo picture is not of me!! :)

Views From A Japanese Window

Last night... sometime around midnight, I heard the clickity clacking of what sounded like heels on the pavement on the street below.

I wonder who that was running, and where was "she" running to so late at night. I sat and gave scenerios of who it could be and what they were doing out so late. He thought it was funny.

In the morning, when I look outside our patio window, all I see is rooftops. Some rooftops are like those you would picture when you imagine a home in Japan... with all of the tiles, curves, and architectural detail. Other apartment rooftops are very flat and you see a couple peaks here and there. On this particular morning it is very cloudy and you can feel the moisture in the air. Daylight enters our apartment around 5am each morning. At times it makes you feel like you have a tinge of insomnia. Your mind is telling you it's morning since it's light outside, but your body is screaming "COME ON YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!". Although Mike has a watch, a clock, and a cellphone with a display he insists upon asking me every morning around 5am, "What time is it Mai?"

As I posted on my blog, Isaiah caught a cold at school. I should have known this was coming when I picked him up two days ago and a runny nose kid greeted me at the door. I gave Isaiah that instant look like, "I sure hope you weren't playing with HIM." And of course... sure enough he must have been. I wish you could see my interaction with his teachers and headmaster (Teachers are called "Sen-se" here--- Mi-ho-san is one of Isaiah's teachers, Michi-ko-san is the headmaster). It's gotta be hilarious from the outside looking in... me with my limited vocabulary and keen sense of Pictionary--- them with their limited English and wonderful expressions. They laugh at my Japanish and encourage me by saying "Very Good Communication". I actually would have attended my Japanese class yesterday, but I was home taking care of Isaiah, thanks to the runny nose kid. Miho and Michiko say that Isaiah plays really well and communicates with the other children with his expressions and is laughing all day. That makes me smile, because I love to see him happy.

Well, I have to call a client in Chicago now...I have to add some "sizzle" to the copy on her nutritional website.

All is well in Japan.

Matane,
Mai

French Toast and Bacon

Here in Japan, Michael is always... always hungry. I gotta admit, the portions ARE pretty small here. But hey, I have to work with what I have. Even the grocery shopping carts are petite here. So, you can really only buy a small amount of food at a time. It wouldn't make sense to buy a bunch of food, because the refrigerator is small.

Somehow due to the portion size I end up cooking 3 meals a day. You see, because the sizes are smaller, there aren't really any leftovers once Mike gets done eating.

For breakfast this morning I cooked french toast, bacon, and eggs. Isaiah ate a banana, cereal and a piece of bacon as well.

Last night I cooked my homemade version of sweet and sour chicken which turned out to be really tasty...

Mike told me 3 times how much he liked dinner last night... so I think that recipe is a keeper.

Don't Be Jealous

Last weekend my friends got together and had a ball in New York City.

If you look to the right, you will see Lauren, Joslyn, Angie, and Dom just having a grand ole time at a club.

Am I jealous??? YEAH.

Sike... I gotta admit, seeing the pictures DID make me miss my girls a whole lot, but I am so happy they had a great time.. Afterall, they deserve it.

I remember the last time we partied hard in New York. We thought we were the hype squad of the club and so did everyone else! We danced and danced and laughed and sang like nobody was watching...

Maybe I can convince one of them to come over here to club with me in Tokyo....

Get your passports ready ladies!

If you had to guess what these 4 ladies did for a living what would you say? Well, Lauren is an interior designer, Joslyn (excuse me Dr. JBones) is a doctor, and Angie and Dominique are both actresses (also juggling other professions). An eclectic crew huh? Think that's untraditional you should see us when we all get together!!!

This post is dedicated to all my homies who ain't here :)

Mai

Another Eating Adventure in Japan

Today I ate something called Onigiri with Iku.

MUY DELICIOSO!!! TRES BIEN!!! YUMMY YUMMY!!!

And that comes from someone who was quite skeptical at first.

It was like packed rice wrapped in seaweed with a little pork and shrimp inside. There were 4 pieces and it was served with some sliced pickles of some sort.

My friend, Iku, at a sandwich that was like crustless bread with a piece of breaded pork inside.

I thought I would still be hungry after eating what looked like an American appetizer, but I was very satisfied.

So Onigiri gets two thumbs up in this sista's book!

Matane,

Mai

Stacking Writer's Blocks

It only takes one moment of hesitation for a writer's workload to pile up.

A case of writer's block left me with a heavy load recently.

I am not sure how it began... maybe with the fact that we renovated a house, moved to another country, and immersed ourselves in another culture (simultaneously) got the best of me.

Want to know the cure to writer's block? Write something that takes very little brainpower to release all those distracting thoughts from your mind.

Daycare Initiation Process

Well, I am supposed to be in my first official Japanese class today but, I was informed that Isaiah has begun his daycare initiation process at 10pm last night.

Normally he sleeps from 8pm until 7 or 8am, but not last night. He woke up at 10pm screaming and didn't stop until around 5am. I tried everything... I thought it was his new mattress. I thought he didn't eat enough at dinnertime and was hungry. I thought his room was not dark enough. But sure enough at 5am I saw the trickle of mucus running from his nose. "Ah...," I thought to myself, "it's the daycare initiation blues."

I happens everytime. By the time we are through traveling this guy should have a really strong immune system cause he's getting exposed to all kinds of strains of colds from kids.

So, around 8am I called my friend Iku and told her I will have to start my class next week instead.

I suppose it was inevitable.

Let the Pediacare begin!

Motherhood calls...

Lady Mai in NYC

This photo always makes me think of good times in NYC.... This makes me miss my friends. I can't say I miss the crowded subway though. Or the smoking roommate. But man it's great to have good friends that you can laugh with and just relax in being you....

Brooklyn WHAT!!!

For my homies who ain't here !!
LOL

Big Sister Lactose

Lazy Ladies in the States

Living in Japan has already showed me clearly that we are very lazy in the United States.

They walk EVERYWHERE here. I swear I should have brought better shoes.

And when they aren't walking... they are riding bicycles.

Forget "having children" being an excuse. Cause the women here are quick to strap a baby on their back and jump on a bicycle to go somewhere. IN HIGH HEELS mind you.

The fact that the women here walk for miles and miles, ride bicycles (and motorcycles at times) does not stop them from doing it in top fashion. Yes, you read right the first time. They walk for miles and ride bicycles with babies strapped on their back with skirts and high heel shoes on.

I feel very out of place walking around pushing Isaiah's stroller with my sneakers on. But, I must spare my feet cause I know that if I attempt to keep up with the Joneses I will suffer from hammertime for years! (For those of you who don't know what "hammertime" means, it basically means busted looked toes.)

Yesterday I had to drop Isaiah off at his Japanese school for the afternoon and it was pouring raining outside. I was baffled as to what I could do to keep the rain off of us. Clearly he is way to heavy for me to try to carry a full mile... and I can't push this umbrella stroller and hold an umbrella over our heads. Not to mention I JUST flatironed my hair.

So... I had to sacrifice the hairstyle and threw on a sweatshirt and took the umbrella to hold over my baby's head so at least he wouldn't get wet.

I have found the true Superwomen of the world. Here in Japan they do it all... and without attitude.

I've got some lessons to learn... clearly.

Creative Mai

Put In My Place

Apparently I am quite uncultured.

Once I posted my message about being grossed out from eating cow tongue my inbox became flooded with emails from family and friends. They wanted to school me on how cow tongue is a delicacy and something they happen to love.

So.... it is I who is shameless for turning up my nose to this delicacy.

I have to admit... that gravy was quite tasty before I knew what it was.......


Creative Mai

I'm Getting Naked Under My Clothes - Sept 25, 2006

"This is Japanese Custom," has become the most popular phrase in my daily interactions lately.

I went shopping with Midori and Iku today. I had such a wonderful time. They showed me all the great places to get deals in Sendai.

During lunch I asked them where I could go to get a relaxing massage and maybe sit in a sauna or something like that. They told me about the Japanese hot springs. After hearing all the wonderful things about these natural hot springs it was set.

I was all for going. But, before we could set a date Midori said, "But there is one thing, you cannot wear clothes here in the hot springs."

I was like, "You mean you have to be butt naked???"

"Yes," she replies with a serious nodd.

I looked to Iku, who nodded as well.

"You mean butt naked, but is it co-ed?"

"Yes." Midori replied, looking somewhat amused at me.

So, I sat and thought about it. "But don't people look at you?"

"NO!," She exclaimed looking shocked. "Well, maybe just a little... but no."

"This is Japanese cutsom, Mai" they told me. It seems like I am hearing that a lot lately.

Now, I don't know about the rest of you... but if I am in a place where everyone is butt naked, I am going to look.


So... the questions sit in my mind:

a. Do I go to the hot springs and get butt naked and relax and enjoy the nature of things?

b. And if I go, do I take an occasional glance for goodness sakes?

c. Can I have a shot of sake first to get my nerve up???

d. Will they take special notice to me because I am a black woman when I am naked?

I am thoroughly amused by these questions as I seriously debate entering the world of nudity.


Ah, to culturally assimilate...

This is the life! :)
Mai

Lost In Translation... Well, Sort Of - Sept 22, 2006

Konnichiwa!... or Ohayo (Good Morning) rather

I know it's long overdue, but I figured I should write to say we have arrived to Japan safely. Isaiah was wonderful on the plane ride. We had a direct flight from Detroit, which was 14 hours. After we got to Tokyo we had to catch the bullet train to Sendai. When we arrived the entire team met us at the station and we immediately went to dinner as a group and they gave me and Mike new cellphones that were already active. Our address is the same as I posted before. If you haven't already, please download Skype to your computer. We are able to call anyone who has Skype internationally for free. If you have a webcam it works even better... If we call anyone that doesn't have Skype, the rates are just 2 cents per minute.

Visual Dependency
I truly must thank my family for years of practice in playing Pictionary at a time like this... I have to admit embarrasingly that I go around town drawing pictures of what I am trying to say when my attempt at Japanese fails me. Luckily, everyone here has been understanding and I am always greeted with a smile .... well, maybe it's more of a laugh. Apparently, to Isaiah, I look as though I am also practicing sign language since I am much more expressive with my hands here and he has begun signing things at people when they talk to him. This is not a country where I can even attempt to get by cheating with my English... I found a free japenese class for adults with children under 9 that I am going to begin. All I have to purchase is the text book.

Sendai... what it's like
I really should begin journaling our travels. Seriously. I don't know what I was thinking... Mike and I talk about the similarities and differences in cultures everywhere we go. We have a list of characteristics that we loved about different places.

Downtown Sendai is like a unique blend of New York City's Times Square and downtown Auckland, NZ. This was quite surprising, as I expected it to be very small and unmodern. It takes me about 15 minutes to get from our suburb, Sendai- Izumi Chuo, to downtown where it's quite bustling. Okay, the difference between Sendai and NYC is that Sendai is super clean. They have very strict recycling laws here and you don't find trash cans all over either.

It rained the first few days after we arrived, and we had serious jet-lag. Actually, we still do and wake up faithfull at 4am each night. This week the weather has been beautiful. People walk around with umbrellas when it's sunny outside, and that's different.

Portions are served very small here compared to America. And Japanese people in Sendai drink Green Tea like it's water. You are supposed to drink at least a pint of green tea per day for maximum effects.

Deja Vu
Right now as I am typing, Isaiah is screaming "DAD-DY!" out of the patio screen window that overlooks a small street. I am laughing to myself because I remember Kiana doing the same thing to Keino when they lived in an apartment building near Howard University and saying how inappropriate it was! :) Mike is gone a lot at practice... I mean they work him hard here. He gets picked up at like 9am each morning and dropped off around 9pm. They say it will lighten up once the season begins in November. He's been on two road trips so far for exhibition games and they go for a training camp in the mountains for 4 days in about a week or so. Hence, Isaiah has been missing him and randomly yelling out DAHDEE after he hasn't seen him for hours and goes into my purse for my cellphone and says "DAHDEE" when he flips it open, thinking that's how he can talk to Mike. Everyone is very supportive here it seems.

I take Isaiah down the street (3 blocks away) to the mall to play with other kids everyday after I am done with my work. Isaiah, for some reason, gravitates to the older kids that like to do flips and somersalts in the play area. Luckily it is well cushioned. They really like to touch his hair when they see him. And the children always run up to me and say "Hello", but if I try to say anything else in English to them they look at me strangely... so I assume they know the word "Hello" and assume I am American when they see me.

All About The Benja-Yens!
Man oh man it's expensive here in Japan. I bought cheap discount towels last week that cost $20 a piece. A box of oatmeal cost $6 and a jar of spaghetti sauce was also $6 bucks. I took a cab the first time I went downtown, and when we arrived it cost $30!! Needless to say, I take the subway now which costs around 2 dollars (200 yen). Isaiah really likes riding the subway trains.

Midori, Yuko, and Junko
I have 3 friends here that I talk to regularly, so far. The coach's wife Midori (who has lived in Arizona and Cali for 2 years previously and understands most English), Yuko (the trainer's wife who has me call her husband's cellphone when she doesn't understand what I am trying say to her), and Junko (the assistant coach's wife, who seems super nice but doesn't speak English except "Nice to meet you."). Midori is a dental hygenist and takes classes in the evenings. Yuko is more "earthy" and invited me to take ceramics class with her. Yuko tells me different people want to meet me so they can practice their English with me. Yuko has offered to take care of Isaiah whenever I want to go do something. I have no idea what Junko does during the daytime because I haven't figured out how to ask yet. I have learned that you cannot say you want ANYTHING here without someone going to get it. Seriously. The Japanese culture is extremely accomodating, to say the least. Everyone is so helpful and generous with hospitality here. Everytime Mike comes home he has something that someone wanted to send to us. We have to be careful not to express needing or wanting anything around here.

The only thing I haven't been able to find that I want is applesauce for Isaiah. This post is getting long... sorry. I know I have left so much out, but I could go on and on with stories and details. Sent with lots of love from across the Pacific.

Sayonara,Mai

Tongue In My Teeth In Japan - Sept 30, 2006

Bet you are wondering what in the world that means, huh?

You can't imagine.

Well, let me explain...Yesterday Mike's team (The 89ers) had an exhibition game here in Sendai against a team called The Broncos. I had it set up where I was meeting my friends Iku and Yuko at the subway stop near the Stadium an hour before the game. Iku was going to introduce me to some more of her friends there. (Sidenote: Iku speaks English pretty well, she spent some time in Australia learning in a course this year. She's a grad student the same age as me, whose boyfriend, Shinya, is Mike's teammate).

So, anyway... back to the story. Isaiah and I arrived to the station on time, and he had a ball walking up all the stairs holding the girl's hands. The game was very exciting. This league is really profesisonal so, they pull out all the stops. Isaiah was dancing around and clapping his hands and yelling when the crowd would chant together. There were yellow jerseys and scarfs everywhere...like I said, it was exciting.

Anyway, I went to the restroom, and when I returned Junko passed me a bottle of tea and a warm package with food in it. I noddled "Arigato" (thank you) and Iku explained to me that her boyfriend's parents bought them for us and the food was a meat patty that was very good. The tea was absolutely delicious and I had to admit the meat patty was quite scrumptuos.

Well, the game continued and we talked and watched and laughed together. I was half way done with my meat patty when the girl to the left of me asked how I liked it. I said it was very tasty and the gravy was good. She replied "Beef tongue." I thought I didn't hear her right, or she'd got her English screwed it. So I smiled and turned to Iku for a quick translation. She nodded her head and said "Beef Tongue. Yes. This is Beef Tongue you are eating it. Do you like it?" I said, "Wait, do you mean from a cow???" She smiled... "Yes. It's good, right."

Oh snap.

So, I sat faced with a cultural dilemma. I didn't want to offend...and Shegan warned me that if I turn food down that is given to me, I will offend in Japanese culture. But, the images of cow's tongues in my mind began to make my stomach turn. So, I tried to suck it up and continue to eat because they were watching me. I took another bite. A big one to get it over with. That succulent gravy was now cow tongue gravy in my mouth... I could feel the texture of the tongue when the meat rolled around my mouth. I tried to smile. I began to feel the nausea rise and I thought of what I was eating and what it looked like before it was cooked. I just couldn't get past the psychological. I tried to not feel like I had been tricked... shoot, maybe they thought I liked eating things such as cow tongue.

Isaiah shreiked and broke my trance. I felt his diaper and YES! It was wet!!! My son had saved me from a very very unfavorable situation. I quickly scooped him up and excused myself, carefully placing the meat patty in the diaper bag.

I went to the family restroom, and after I was done changing Isaiah I felt something uncomfortable between my teeth. I looked in the mirror and sure enough, there between my teeth was a hanging piece of cow tongue. And that is the story of how I got tongue in my teeth in Japan.

Mike's team (The 89ers) won, and Mike had a good game. He thought it was so incredibly funny when I told him what happened that he decided to share it with the other American import, Ryan. Does this make me closed-minded? Am I unwilling to totally immerse myself in other cultures? Should I feel bad for not wanting to eat cow tongue with tasty gravy?

So the moral of the story is... beware of the Japanese "meat patty". No, it's always ask what the heck it is before you eat it. (And keep a diaper-wearing toddler nearby).

And to think, I was worried when Midori wanted to take me for Japanese Meatballs last week...

Toothpick anyone?

Yours Truly,

Culturally Adventurous Mai (Apparently)