blue's FIRST day

We arrived in Tokyo on a Tuesday and Blue started school that next Monday. I was glad for it to be a part of our immediate routine. The school is Willowbrook International School and Blue is attending three mornings a week in the English-only class. They also offer dual language programs in Japanese/English or Chinese/English. The school is very similar to Four Seasons (Blue's Austin school) in its approach but very different in its feel. The rooms are small and somewhat sparse and there is no outside play space. The children walk to the park occasionally and there is an indoor gym. The teachers are very calm and warm. He is one of several older boys in the class and most of the friends don't speak much English. Blue is still reluctant to go in the mornings which is a change for him and talks often about his friends and experiences back in Austin. I am hopeful he will grow to like it a bit more.

     

I started documenting our first walk to school not realizing just how eventful it would become. It was really a tough journey for such little legs. We had maybe a seven minute walk to the train. Then a twenty minute train ride. Then a twenty minute uphill walk to the school. Those times are child-paced and Blue broke down in tears a couple times. He was nervous and wet his pants mid-walk too - thus the outfit change. But we made it and it was a little bit easier the next time around...

gotta get OUT

In our search for something to do nearby with the kids during the day, we headed for a bit of green Graham found on the map. Turns out that it was Hama Rikyu - a landscape garden in the middle of a bunch of big buildings. It was unbelievably hot outside but the scenery was quite pretty. I think I must have been too hot to take many pictures.

  

On a picture note, I haven't really taken my big camera out and about yet. So most of what you are seeing are iPhone pics. There is just so much to carry and there is so much walking that I just haven't worked up the energy to lug it about. 

tiny TINY space

For two weeks after we arrived, we stayed at a service apartment near Graham's office in Ginza. The space was about 450 square feet with a kitchen, bathroom, living area, and bedroom all in one big room about the size of our sunroom back home. Which meant that whenever one child woke up in the middle of the night adjusting to the time change everyone woke up! We unearthed the noise machine and stuck Wiley at one end of the room (the kitchen) and Blue at the other. To say that was a success would be an exaggeration but it got us by. Blue developed some bad sleeping habits with his bed being right next to ours. We are still working to overcome them weeks later. 

 

 

   

 

 

   

The kitchen was tiny but we still managed to cook oatmeal each morning and spaghetti and ramen a couple times for dinner. After sleeping, the second hardest thing about the apartment was having to eat out for every meal. Eating out is NOT kid-friendly here. No high chairs. Small, quiet restaurants. And unfamiliar food. I have never been so happy to grocery shop and meal plan as I am here in Tokyo. 

The bathroom was the one bright spot. I should do a separate posts on Japanese bathrooms... But until then, just know they are nice. 

 

 

The other semi-bright spot was the location. I say "semi" because it was not close to Blue's school which he started during the second week of our service apartment stay. Which meant my mornings were quite the ordeal and totally exhausting. But it was close to lots of fun shops (Ginza is sort of the Tokyo version of Fifth Avenue, but bigger) and the Tsukiji fish market which meant good sushi for Graham. Blue was a particular fan of a nearby toy store. On our last visit we let him pick out one thing and he got the dinosaur from Toy Story. He calls is Japanese T Rex. Because it speaks Japanese. 

things BLUE says

This was from a while back, but it still makes me laugh...

Mom:  These are my flip flops. Do you hear me flip floppin'?
Blue:  I'm boot'n.

the OTHER side

Sorry for the long radio silence folks and thanks for your patience. We made it to the other side of the world! We packed up our house in Austin and left it in very good hands, passed off Lucy to some good friends for the year, tried desperately to foresee and plan for the Duval house remodel, packed eleven huge duffel bags full of clothes, toys, kitchen supplies, and American souvenirs, said some sad goodbyes, and boarded the plane.

 

 

We had a short little flight to Dallas first thing Monday morning and then settled in for the long 12 hour leg from Dallas direct to Tokyo. The kids did amazingly well. We didn't even come close to using all the toys and snacks we brought along. And we didn't have a breakdown until after we got all our bags through customs and were headed to the train. At that point, it was 3 or 4am Texas time and Blue especially was looking very tired. We were greeted by all of Graham's Japanese co-workers once we got to the hotel with plans to take us to dinner! A sweet thought but there was no way the babies were going to make it through that. So Graham went ahead and the kids and I were in bed by 7pm.

 

 

We are staying in a service apartment while our apartment details are getting worked out, and while it is better than I was prepared for, it is still quite small and basically just one open room. Adjusting to time change has been tricky in such a small space. We were all failing miserably until I unearthed the sound machine from the bags. Now Blue can wake up and have a cry about not wanting to go back to sleep and Wiley can sleep through it. One week later and I think we are all mostly adjusted. The hardest part now is that Blue's little pallet is right next to our bed and such close proximity is tough for our chatty one. Most mornings we have been up by 6am and our the door an hour or so later. Nothing really opens until 10 or 11 though so we have been doing lots of morning strolls.

 

 

 

 

 

The morning strolls provide good exercise for the kids but not the good, free, run around, explore, kind of exercise they are used to. More of the - hold my hand in the street, watch out, keep up - kind of exercise. We found a good park though, near the apartment we hope to settle into, that has places to just be. This same park is also used by the school Blue will be attending so I am sure we will all become very familiar with it.

Sayonara for now. That is literally one of maybe four Japanese words I know. A project for when we feel a little more settled I think. 

she's all THAT

These were taken about a month or so ago now. Back when Wiley required the walker or a hand to get around on two legs. She is wearing one of my old dresses and found a pair of Blue's sunglasses that actually stay on her face - she thought she was special! I guess she is...

off to TOKYO

We have some big news...

We are moving to Tokyo for a year! That's right... How many of you though it was going to be Baby No. 3? Nope.

The picture above seems to me something like Graham's worst nightmare. Or maybe this is...

But then you also have stuff like this:

It will definitely be an interesting year. 

Graham's company (Indeed) got bought last year by a big Japanese company (Recruit). And Recruit wants an office in Tokyo to help train some of their engineers to be more like Indeed engineers. So Graham and another Indeed guy are going over to get it started.

And the kids and I will be tagging along. Although if our past abroad experience (India, summer '06) is any indication we will all have a much better time than Graham!

Blue will be going to an international preschool three mornings a week which will be a great way for us all to meet other young families. There will be lots of fun cultural differences to learn about. Like Uwabaki (indoor shoes):

We will be in temporary housing for a bit while we find an apartment and while I am preparing myself for very small spaces I still think I will be in for a shock. I have learned little to no Japanese. All I can say is sumimasen (a form of apology) and takenegi nuki (no onion). I asked the Japanese contingent how to say the latter. Gotta be prepared! Really though, I should crack down on that.

We leave in late August and have most everything taken care of. And by that I mean, we have a plan in place. We still have to actually clear out all the closets and do a million other tasks before everything is literally taken care of. Will definitely keep the blog updated along the way. There should be lots of great stories to tell by the time it is all over!