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DATE: 11/19/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
Beautiful morning, late sunrise over a calm harbor. We did our morning
exercise. I thank Mr. Teshima for telling me that the raw egg goes on the rice
and not in the glass. We had an extra hour before departure so Ronald (now
known as Panda as R's and L's are too hard to say) and Mayumi (Krista's
middle name) went out to get me a supply of Diet Coke. We have more room
since Panda isn't sharing his room. We left port with a calm sea, standing on
the deck with life preservers on as Oahu pulled slowly away.
We sat with the teachers (sensei) and set up a schedule for Panda and
Mayumi to follow. They are in group A led by Tamura and Kanada. Tomorrow
they have dinner duty from 14 to 19 o'clock. I will teach conversational English
to the group that is having a study day for a half hour each day. The A-team
will have watch the next day- that is in 2 separate four hour shifts either engine
room or helm. The following day will be maintenance work day starting at 8:30.
Then comes a study day in the classroom learning engineering or navigation,
depending what class they join. Each team (A,B,C,D) rotates around the general
duties of Food, Watch, Work and Study. Within each group there are many
sub-groups.
The whole crew has been very polite and allows for our lack of experience or
knowing what to do. After lunch we had an evacuation drill to make up for the
fire drill we missed at Roosevelt. We had to put on warm clothes, don our
lifejackets, grab our hard hats and survival suits, and meet at our assigned life
raft. We counted off to our leader. I was roku, my roommate Mayumi was go.
Panda is on the port side of the ship (in his own private suite) and so assigned a
different life raft. He must have done his duty as everyone was accounted for.
Both of the students are a little under the influence of the slow roll of the
ship. We cannot see land anymore as Mayumi looks out her porthole watching
the sea, looking for mermaids.
Posted by: Ronald, (now known as Panda):
I feel sick. Schedule is very confusing. Esophagus clumpy. I can taste the puke
right now. Morning exercise was so fun. Hilarious. The food is too carby.
Lunch is curry, I love curry. OMG currry! I am almost at my limit. OMG
curry! I can't refuse curry, it is the only thing to have with rice.
-after the blow-
Curry was good but it had mushrooms in it. It could have had more meat. Two
more games of frustration and I am going to lie down.
Posted by: Krista, (now Mayumi):
Japanese people are really nice. They play funny games. I feel like I am on a
never ending Tea-cup ride. I am never eating a raw egg again. I am ready to
blow, but nothing comes out.
-after the blow-
I didn't know puke could come out your nose! I feel a lot better. Curry was
delicious.
Evacuation drill.
DATE: 11/20/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
We had a calm crossing and had new view of Kauai, Ni'ihau and Lehua Rock as we passed. Don't know why Kamehameha had such trouble getting across. I hope I sent off yesterday's blog successfully. I left the radio room and went through the wheel house only to find that a bunch of kids are driving this boat! I hope we find Japan! The roll of the ship has Panda incapacitated. Mayumi is making friends, eating, drinking, and throwing up after meals. She is still maintaining good cheer. This evening they will have their first work assignment. I plotted our location on my amazing iphone and we had a wonderful star chart of the night sky. We found Jupiter and several constellations. We marveled at what knowledge the ancient mariners must have had and wondered how Kahoa (past Ocean Club President and Rough Rider Grad) is doing on his training to become a Navigator on the Hokule'a. The moon is waxing gibbous and lit a silver path back towards Oahu. We watched distant lightning make orange ball explosions in the clouds and thought maybe our friends and loved ones were worried about us as we glided smoothly over the calm sea in the moonlight.
Krista - Mayumi:
I still can't eat. I saw a bird cruising around the boat and saw flying fish for the first time. I enjoyed watching seniors experience Salt and Vinegar chips for their first time. They were sorry they had bought them based on the picture on the package. Mrs. Williams and I almost got in trouble for being on the front deck after dark. If I hadn't turned on my camera to try and take pictures of the stars we would have not been seen by the helmsmen. We went aft and watched the distant fireworks of a lightning storm where Oahu used to be.
Ronald - Panda:
Today I woke up feeling well. I sat up- oh nevermind- feel like crap. Went to brush my teeth and saw Mrs. Williams awesome slippers by the girls bath and then I went back to sleep. Since then people barge in on me all the time with "are you OK?" "Are you OK?" I finally woke up for lunch. Every one eats so much, how do they eat so much? I have food duty in two hours- not looking forward to that. Signing off-Deadliest Catch Day 2.
Study time.
Sorting floats.
Counting fishhooks.
DATE: 11/21/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
Today is warm, cloudy with a slight sea. Still very nice weather. Mayumi and Panda have watch at the helm from 8 to noon and again from 8 at night (20) till midnight (24). Mostly they both seem to be making progress at getting sea legs. Last night after dinner duty they stayed and Panda represented Roosevelt, Hawaii, and the Entire United States in the international championship of some old school action PSP Game. It was a typical play off schedule with Panda building a following as he won each round. Little did his family suspect as he must have played endless hours in middle school perfecting his skill, that one day it would come in handy for international relations. When he won the grand championship there were high fives and a racous song that goes along with a dance. I wish I had the video camera. It was of world cup proportions!
Panda:
Today - What a wonderful day, I felt great. I had duty today. I went to the helm only to find that it rocks a lot more up there. BOOM I was puking again. But I did conquer the Japanese in a PSP championship last night. Todays lunch was unagi. I think I ate lots of calories, but Mrs. Williams pointed out that I was both anorexic and bulimic and I did not need to worry. I have watch from 8 to midnight tonight. I need to figure out how to get out of it. My diet Coke tastes stale so I am not drinking it, I can probably sell it to Mrs. Williams when she finishes hers. This is Ronald signing off Deadliest Catch Day 3.
Mayumi:
I only puked once yesterday and nothing today. I actually finished a meal for the first time in three days. Ronald is trimming his nails which means I wont get any more battle scars during Frustration games. We did morning excercise. I almost fell off the boat. My animal crackers have come in handy. There is not enough time to write all the kanji that is on this ship. Gomennasai kitaguchi sensei!
Navigation watch.
DATE: 11/22/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
The sea is slight but now there is pitch as well as roll. Panda's brain will need to adjust. Mayumi and Panda have night watch. The helm is kept dark and the full moon lights up the surrounding sea. The Kaiyu Maru has no regard for waves this small and she sets down her bow sending foam jumping out of the way. There are repeating white plumes of spray lighting up in the moonlight. Mayumi had planned to write down kanji but the gauges are lit in dim red light. She can see the kanji but she can't see her paper! Panda is just holding on wondering how he is going to last for four hours. They will work till midnight. I will go slosh around in a salt water furo. The ocean water used to cool the engines is then used to take hot baths, or scrub the decks before being returned to the ocean. We can willfully waste hot water and still be green. I just have a fresh water rinse after the furo. I stopped by the classroom area to find students watching a video they had taken of Hawaiian dancers. They were watching over and over and trying to learn the steps. None of them could match the well practiced grace of the Roosevelt student. I know the student as one of the A's in my period 4. As a teacher I always begin to believe that I know my students and it is sort of sad to realize that I only know such a narrow part of each student and you all have so much more amazing talents that I will never get to see. Pono, you will be happy to know that somewhere south of Laysan atoll in the middle of the nowhere, there are 3 Japanese boys and one Japanese girl trying very hard to match your smooth elegance.
Panda:
I was begging to have steak yesterday, and that is what we had. I also stuffed myself with grapes. Then a nap before night duty. Ronald had night duty. The small kid that had to wake me for duty was scared to wake me and brought along the first officer. Then night duty at the helm. I could feel the grapes stuck in my throat. It took major heaves to cough up a grape ball. After round two of my life's worst puking adventure I just stood there. After the third puke I got dismissed from duty. I said thank you Lord, and went to bed. I woke at six only to find it was five. They changed the clocks so back to bed until Mrs. Williams came to wake me for morning exercise. I couldn't find where they were so I just waited at breakfast. Mrs. Williams came and told me that the Captain felt sorry for me and sent me soda crackers and juice. Score! This is Deadliest Catch Day 4 signing off.
P.S. I am not doing night duty ever again!
Mayumi:
Last night I stayed with Kanada and Masaya upstairs while Panda pretended his eggo was preggo and ditched duty. The whole time he was glaring at the sea and no one wanted to talk to him. He came over and asked for a bag. Then said "no the other one" (the big one). Then he was sick and left. Good thing he left because there turned out to be an extra hour since the clocks all turned backwards. When I finally went to sleep I dreamed about Panda yelling at me "give me a bag! No! The other one!" I woke up with my hand in my pocket in a panic trying to quickly find a bag. Then I find he is not even there. Ronald is not only scaring the whole crew with his glower he is even scaring me in my sleep. I learned a lot of Japanese weather words and we spent a lot of time describing clouds. Almost every log they write says "cloudy but fine".
DATE: 11/23/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
Yesterday we spent the afternoon on the aft deck hanging out with the crew and tying knots. They also took two swordfish bills out of the freezer and cleaned them, scraping off the skin and fashioning ropes to them so they could drag them behind the ship to clean them. Most of their awls used for splicing line are made out of swordfish bills. They will drag it until the fat is out and they turn white (at least that is what I got out of our sign language). Mayumi is no longer sick and loves being out on deck, she worked on her braided line over and over trying to get it right. I am sure she is impressing the crew with her due diligence. We went in for dinner to find that the menu was fish heads, big tuna heads deep fried. I wish I had face book to post pictures of them. I impressed the sensei by knowing where the good meat is under the cheek and going for it. I could hear Panda getting the girls at his table to eat eyes and brains, they were having lots of fun. Glad he isn't sick anymore. After dinner we still had a following sea and the ride was pleasant. Mayumi and I went on the top deck to stargaze before the moon came up. We had picked out Cygnus and the great square of Pegasus when the first officer joined us with his starbook and flashlight. He showed us Andromeda as the Milky way became more distinct. The moon rose and even though it is waning, it still looked full. We returned downstairs and all did homework. Panda is feeling much better today and is even getting ahead on math homework. Ms. Matsui will be proud of him.
This morning brought a change in the ocean, we have a moderate sea, gusty winds and lots of white caps. Mayumi doesn't even notice except that it is hard to walk. Panda has taken notice and does not feel well again. Panda and Mayumi both did wash. Panda made sad faces and got one of the sensei to help him figure out how to use the washing machine. They also both had Navigation class and learned how to figure out our latitude using the sextant. They were both in my English class today and they helped to get students to talk more. The seas are rougher and after lunch Panda felt sick all over again. He is bummed that the feeling has come back and he stumbled off to bed. Mayumi is out on the top deck watching our three albatross that are accompanying us across the sea (they had nothing better to do) and she is learning how to splice line.
Panda:
So today, I woke up only because Mrs. Williams came in and turned on the light and said "Good Morning". I did those silly morning ballet moves. Then I realized it was rougher. I tried to cheat at English class and got our points deducted. It is getting rough again and I got sick again. I hate the open water and want to be on dry land. I'm feeling like I might be getting sick. Not good. I am still not looking forward to night duty again. The next one is midnight to four a.m. I need to work on an escape plan. Excuse me while I go puke. Signing off Deadliest Catch Day 5.
Mayumi:
Today I learned how to use a sextant but it didn't work because it was cloudy and every degree off is a nautical mile off. I along with my team Muscle beat Ronald and his team Brain at Pictionary. My team is smart and strong not just nerds. I was showing some students my math homework. They thought it was so hard. I let them play with my graphing calculator. They were impressed. I learned how to make a rope bracelet thing that isn't supposed to be a bracelet. It is some fancy shmancy rope thing. I finally mastered it after 5 hours. I might have forgotten it already. I need to wash my chopsticks again. We had noodles for lunch. I am having fun. I have not felt sick for two days.
Splicing line.
DATE: 11/24/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
Mayumi came back with her spliced line and the freezer master took us on a tour of the Freezer. We were ice skating across the floor. Ko came by later and told us that Mayumi would be excused from freezer work tomorrow since being cold is not good for women. It turns out that Mayumi can make a much better pouty face than Panda. Ko went off feeling badly. It is study day and we all did homework in the afternoon. The sea calmed herself and Panda came back to life. Good news- we interrupt this blog to let you know that Mayumi's pouty face must have torn the heart strings of the powers that be and we will all be allowed to be in the freezer room for a short tour. The women must be well bundled up... especially around the middle.
Dinner was so good. We had gyoza, chicken, salad, and two types of grade A sashimi. Much better than the hag fish roe. There was water melon for dessert. Massive amounts of watermelon was consumed by all the kids. Mayumi taught a bunch of us to play zoo and we had a noisy game that entertained everyone.
Last night the weather continued to worsen. The moon was obscured and the only light on the ocean came from the fairy sparks made by the bioluminencent plankton in the wake. Mayumi talked a couple of the girls into coming on deck with us. They were excited by the glowing water. We were in a squall and all of us watched flashes of lightning play across the night sky.
This morning all deck work and morning exercise was cancelled. We can no longer leave things anywhere. If you don't put things away, the Kaiyu Maru throws it at you. Walking is now climbing up very steep hills and just when you put major energy into it, it turns into a free for all down hill charge. Panda and Mayumi both did breakfast duty today. Mayumi is bouncing around the ship enjoying every minute. You can hear her Hawaiian slippers slapping the deck as she charges down the halls.
Panda:
I know for sure I am not doing night duty tomorrow. I woke up this morning and went to puke. White foam with a hint of ginger flavor. I can't walk, stand, sit or anything. "Expletive this!" Why did I ever want to come on this trip? Mom was right as I told her the wonderful experiences I would have. "Expletive this!" I am currently going through classical conditioning with my music and nausea. The crew is totally worried about the Panda. When you stress out endangered species, they don't reproduce. Everyone is being nice to the Panda. I mentioned hambuger and they are fixing hamburgers today. They are getting creative and putting noodles in hot dog buns as well. On the bright side, I am getting the V cut just from my special vomit workout. Biceps need work. I would keep going on but I am lazy. This is Ronald Li signing off- Deadliest Catch day 6. I am off - see you soon.
Mayumi:
Today walking down the hall is giving me bruises. I had breakfast duty this morning. Oh, I learned how to splice line and I saw glowing plankton and lightning. Ronald has been telling me about the grossest movies. I don't want to see any of them. It is hard to sleep on my side since the boat is rolling. I found out Ronald is a lazy problem solver as he let his ladder bang against the bed all night too lazy to move it. I taught everyone to play zoo. Everyone whacks each other on the head if they mess up. I found out that Ronald uses the Panda excuse all the time.
DATE: 11/25/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
We moved the clock back another hour last night and we are now on the East side of the world as we went up past 180 degrees West and now we are working our way down the East numbers. Yesterday was a rough day and after two of the girls were jogging around on the deck they decided that we should all stay indoors. It was a rough sea, the swells were well over 8 feet and the boat was moving. Panda and Mayumi had midnight watch and were up till 4 in the morning, I let them sleep when I woke for morning exercises. The ocean is a lot more mellow today, we did our morning stretch on the top deck and I watched our three albatross catch the malolo that flew off our wake. Panda and Mayumi slept through breakfast, but Mayumi was up for the freezer tour. The freezer is minus 70 degrees, it flash freezes the fish so fast that the water can't expand and damage the meat. It is so cold we couldn't take camera's or any metal in with us. All earings, necklaces, watches had to come off. The Captain came down and brought us hats, gloves and socks. We got to put on giant moon boots and Antarctica suits. We felt like astronauts as we clomped our way into the freezer. They showed us the flash freeze room the fish stay in for several hours then they coat the fish with a layer of water/ice to protect them and insulate them. We went down a ladder into the fish room and there was tons and tons of fish. Big Ahi, Marlin, Opah, Mahi mahi all frozen solid. Mayumi's hair was wisping out of her hat and there was a layer of frost so we all got to see what she will look like with gray hair. Our noses and fingers were getting cold, we had only been in there for 10 minutes. When they are processing fish each freezer shift lasts an hour. Brrrr. We came back up and I did my English class. Then Panda got up and we all did homework till lunch. Lunch was a dark curry, pretty good. Panda and Mayumi have watch at noon so they are off driving the boat as I write this.
Mayumi:
I found out I am not too graceful, I am really clumsy judging from how many times I walked into the wall yesterday. It is really hard to do homework on the ship, there are so many distractions. Last night's Night Watch was interesting. Ronald actually was there the whole time. I think he talked the whole time. I was excited to see stars but you could only see them outside, the front of the ship was cloudy skies. I missed breakfast after working till four and slept in for morning exercise. I saw the freezer room. The blue marlin were all bigger than me. When breathing through my nose my nose froze. My hair turned white but we were wearing major bundle up clothes. My hands still got cold. The temp is -70. Oh, we are having sushi for dinner tonight. Oh yeah, last night (early this morning) I stepped on Ronalds foot like 10 times. Ronald talked all night.
Panda:
Last night I watched two horror movies. I was thinking run #$*%& run. I couldn't sleep after that so my escape plan for night duty wasn't happening. I went. We had conversations about foods that we have eaten, how many children we want and when they are coming to Hawaii. The students don't Facebook! The have Mixi instead so we weren't sure how we were going to stay in touch. Masaya will be coming back with the ship in Feb. We are going to take him to Yogurtland and we will take them diving. We talked about where we want to live and what we want to do. I hope Mr. Morioka reads this blog because it has been too rough to work out! I am now waiting for lunch. This is Ronald Li, Deadliest Catch Day 7 signing off.
Bundled up for the freezer.
DATE: 11/26/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
The afternoon saw the skies become clearer and the seas become slighter. I visited the wheel house but missed when Panda and Mayumi were driving. I guess they did alright as I did not notice any drastic change in direction and or speed. They were just talking and passing the time watching the albatross off the bow; in fact, it didn't look like anyone was driving. They had a bowl of dragon fruit up there, tasted like kiwi except better. It was bright red and white. I worked out with Ko today, we did a half hour of marching around the decks, up and down flights of stairs and around the outside of the ship on two levels. It looked like we were playing follow the leader and we managed to pickup some students following us so we were a band of four for awhile, but they quit as soon as they came across their friends on the aft deck. They were tying handles on the awls that they are making out of sword fish bills. There are still three bills being towed behind the boat. After watch duty, Panda and Mayumi both went down to the kitchen and helped make sushi for dinner. Dinner was yet another wonderful meal that I could have eaten two of. I thought I was going to get nothing but miso and natto, but I have been eating very well. Still not a fan of the raw egg breakfast thing.
This evening Panda, Mayumi and I went out to star gaze as it is a clear night. The students can now find many constellations, but they were actually hard to see with all the stars. There were so many many stars. We talked about magnetic fields, zeniths, light years, star brightness, planets, and satellites, all while laying flat on our backs gazing at the heavens. Ah, the only way to teach. Then we worked out our work out program for tomorrow. Panda is telling me that I have to do 30 pushups every set. HA! It is not like I am going to get credit from Mr. Morioka. I think I will wait for the roll of the ship to do each one.
Mayumi:
I just found out that ear lobes can be stretched 4 inches. I am speechless.
Panda:
So this morning I woke up at 6:30 because the sensei with bald white hair woke me up. Then I did morning exercise, breakfast, and went to scrub deck duty. It was cool. I worked on my Sr. project and am almost done with it. One more argument and the conclusion. Then at lunch one of the students could pull his earlobe so far. He can cover his cheek. William sensei and Mayumi were making noise so I turned around to see the largest earlobe known to man. Now we are digesting lunch so we can go work out. I have a craving for hot pot and Yakiniku. Those are going to be my Japan wishes. I am going to eat lots and lots of meat. Yesterday we went stargazing. We saw so many stars. We saw the Milky Way, the horse, the square, a satellite, and two stars close together but different colors. I thought it was an airplane but Mrs. Williams says they are there every night and are binary stars. This is Ronald Li Deadliest Catch day 7 signing off. I am going to work out.
Mayumi after regaining the ability to speak:
Today I painted and scrubbed the deck. Lunch was really really really good Butterfish. Last night I spotted my first satellite. There were tons of stars. Right now I am waiting for Ronald to finish digesting his lunch so we can go work out. Ronald and I are talking about what we will look like at 27. Ronald thinks I will be skinny with a lab coat, pony tail and a very serious attitude. He says I will probably be a geneticist.
Watch duty.
Sushi for dinner.
DATE: 11/27/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
Yesterday was maintenance day. Panda and Mayumi scrubbed the decks in the morning, then painted fresh paint on the port side of the main deck. Panda left before he got stuck with painting and worked on his senior project. After lunch we did a Morioka 30-30-30-30 work out. We were entertaining the crew with our antics. Two of the girls that sit at the same meal table as Panda and Mayumi joined in and I was the only one smart enough not to attempt any pull-ups. If determination counted then they did wonders, but they were more like pull half ways. They are extra entertaining with the roll of the ship. I was the one with the weakest core and first to give out on planks, but I got the thunder thighs and can sit against the wall until the cows come home. They also disapproved of my version of one legged leg lifts. "They are not called legs lifts!" Which begs the question is one leg lifted twice the same as two legs lifted once? "Mrs. Williams does it always have to turn into a math problem? Give me thirty more crunches."
The crew members were bundling line and I left Panda and Mayumi helping while I went to send off the blog in the radio room. I passed the navigation maps. So far we have traveled 2600 nautical miles with about 1400 more to go. The sea is slight and following and the sun is shinning brightly. The Captain's Log is written in Japanese on one page and the international navigational language of English on the other page. I met up with Mayumi and Panda again and we all did school work in the afternoon. At four I met up with Ko and we did an hour of power walking around the ship. Dinner was miso and salad, kalbi and kimchee, sashimi, tofu with shoyu, green onion and ginger, and pineapple for desert. Mmmmm. So what ever got 'worked off' most certainly was replaced with deliciousness. This morning we woke up to a downpour. Morning exercise was cancelled due to rain. We had American breakfast; there were three pieces of bread, a hot dog bun, shredded cabbage, scrambled egg, a sausage, ketchup, strawberry jelly and what might have been peanut butter in a toothpaste tube. Toasters were also placed on every table. It was good fun picking what to put where. The rain must have pushed down all the waves because the sea is now calm. By 7:30 I had my coffee on deck under clear skies watching the big rain cloud behind us. Another beautiful day. Today is study day and Panda and Mayumi along with the rest of A team were all in my English class. We played telephone (I really don't know anything about teaching conversational English), and name words that came up on William sensei's screen saver. One student actually knew the word juggling! (I gave that 5 points!) Panda and Mayumi were required to call out in Japanese, but I couldn't tell if they were right or not so I didn't give them any points. They are now in their navigation class. Students have to present tomorrow what they have learned on this trip. They have been madly working on power points and were up late last night. We are invited to listen to the senior group. There are 15 students along with the first officer and first engineer and us. Mayumi is scheduled to present about Hawaiian fishing at around 10. She was hoping to just teach A team and maybe one other team in a small group of 5, she was not planning on the first officers being there. Nothing like a real audience to get you nervous. Especially since her team mates are all stressing their subject areas and doing last minute research.
Panda:
Today I woke up cuz Mrs. Williams woke me up only to find there was no exercise. I went outside and saw her with her big hair she looks like Godzilla swaying down the hall. We had delicious Americanized breakfast today. We had class, once again Krista's group won because my group is not as good at English. We played telephone and I had to talk really slowly. Mrs Williams accused me of cheating again but she had no proof so there were no minus points. The sensei with glasses was talking about their next trip in Japanese- I almost understood everything in Japanese. They invited us to come to Ala Moana Beach Park and play softball with them. I hope we can get fieldtrip forms and go visit my fellow tomodachi. Plus we have the yogurtland plan. Today we had saba for lunch- too stinky for me. Everyone here loves to put mayonnaise on everything. I finished my first chapter of Psych notes. I actually spent twice as long to make my notes nice for Mr. Taba. I passed out Krista's chocolate coconut macnuts to everyone. Now I seem like a nice sweet Panda. Chocolate + Endangered Species = Lots of Love. Now is biology class, then I can go work out.
Mayumi:
Today is study day but I snuck away and was working with my friends on deck. Mrs. Williams caught me so I went to class. Now I am preparing for my presentation tomorrow just like every other senior on this ship. I think that when we get off this boat I will be heavier than Ronald- I am scarfing down everything and he barely eats.
My Goal for Today: I am going to finish all my homework. I think that when this trip is over I am going to miss everyone on this boat. We beat Panda's group once again, team Muscle scores another touchdown! Everyone should listen to Japanese Reggae music, it is very interesting. Right now I don't want to do homework, I want to play with ropes and get blisters on my hands. Don't want to write anymore. Back to senior project.
Mrs. Williams' sunset workout.
DATE: 11/28/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
Woke up this morning to find that we had gotten too far ahead of the sun again and the clocks had been turned back at midnight. An extra hour of sleep, I guess if you spent your life traveling east you could sleep more. Like the arctic tern that lives only at the poles and always avoids darkness by flying across the globe to where there is 24 hour daylight. I could have an eastward migration just for that extra hour every few days. Panda got up at the usual time and got in an hour of study before morning exercise. I made him more copies of Mr. Taba's Cornell notes papers so he could continue on with very nice neat notes for A.P. Psych. Today is presentation day and all the 13th grade students along with Mayumi were scheduled to give presentations. The students had to make power points just like Roosevelts' senior project. Most of their subjects were somewhat technical. But I did learn a lot from the power points. This ship makes its water using reverse osmosis of seawater and uses and makes about 12 tons of water a day. Yesterday we used 14 tons so we were asked to be careful. The student did his project on the filters they use and how they have been developed. There was a project on fuel economy and ship speed, a project on engine oil quality and temperature, a project on freezer efficiency as it relates to seawater temperature. Electrical switch boards and voltage use of light bulbs, barometer readings and temperature fluctuations, one on bearing replacement. One student even took his classmates weight at the start of the trip and again in Hawaii and found that students on average had lost a little weight. Mayumi did her presentation last, it was for her senior project, she had learned about old Hawaiian octopus lures and learned how to make them. She taught all of the seniors and the teachers about Hawaiian fishing methods and how to make the octopus lures. Students enjoyed her project and she did a nice job although it was difficult to be everywhere at once and watching what everyone was doing. Panda and Mayumi have lunch duty today and I believe there is a Morioka 30-30-30 workout plan at three.
Panda:
Today I woke up early and was alone in the mess room. It was only 5:30. I a head start on my psych. I only have A.P. Bio., the resources on my Sr. Project paper and workouts for Morioka. Lunch was hot soba. Today is a boring day, I have just done homework and listen to presentations that I can't understand. I will work out this afternoon. This is Ronald Li, Deadliest Catch day 10 signing off. I am sorry for forgetting my trademark sign off yesterday, and for sending two day 7s.
Mayumi:
Today I did my presentation, it went better than I expected. Some people got it, others didn't. It wasn't as embarrassing as I thought since everyone else had to talk. Everyone on the ship is a jump rope master. Kenta and Mataoshi love to work out. Every time they are off, they work out. I am so excited; night duty again tomorrow! Panda owes me two meals in Japan. He should owe me three but there is a discrepancy in the terms of the bet. Panda looks grouchy when he jumps rope. I jumped rope for the first time in 5 years. I even did a double. I learned that some people gain weight and others lose weight while on board. Bye friends!
Mayumi teaching.
DATE: 11/29/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
Yesterday after presentations, there was a feeling of relief and joy among the students. The hair clippers came out and peer pressure and happy feeling meant the loss of much hair. Students cut their hair in many ugly patterns, I scolded them on behalf of mothers everywhere, took their pictures and encouraged them to continue cutting. Kanada, who is on A team with Panda and Mayumi, is one who now is bald. So sad. I did power walk workout with Ko and then what is now called Morioka 30's. There is a feeling like the trip is coming to an end as we filled out customs forms and final exams are tomorrow. The students are like seniors near the end of the year, that horrible place that they have hated for the last four years, they suddenly realize will be gone out of their lives. Their friends, enemies, teachers will all be gone and these are the precious few days to make the best of those relationships. We got the new work schedule printed out and found out that the students stay and clean and unload the boat until Dec. 10 while we go and visit their school. Mayumi and Panda both felt bad that their friends won't be with us when we go to Suisan High School. Last night everyone was studying for the morning's final semester exams. Panda and Mayumi were doing their homework and I watched the friends share and laugh together I realized that they really are mixing in and enjoying themselves. It will be hard for them to part company. I am getting better at teaching English, I am now giving team points to team members that come up to me during the day and have English conversations with me. I get a lot of "Good Morning William sensei. How are you today? I am on team C." I now have to carry my grade sheet around with me at all times. The power of the bonus point! Panda and Mayumi had watch from 4 a.m. till 8 a.m. The winds have picked up and the sea is moderate and building. They saw another ship last night, they assumed it was probably an enemy missile ship. Fortunately we avoided any interactions and it just passed in the night. They have played too many video games. The exams are going on and the ship is as quiet as I have ever seen it. Mayumi is reading on deck and planning to nap. Panda is doing wash since the washers are all empty now. I will continue with my school work.
Panda:
Today I had night duty and slept for only one hour. I had a weird dream but forgot it before I could tell Krista. It was 4 a.m. when I got up for duty. I actually set my alarm and was on time. I learned some new vocabulary but was beat by 8 a.m. when we got off. I thought I would work on phych., but they were painting and all I could smell was fumes. I went to my room to lie down and the fumes were there too. I tried to ignore them but I became convinced they were killing me. I closed off my room and I put my shirt on my face and became more overcome by fumes. There were fumes everywhere so I gave up and did laundry. I had forgotten how. I managed to turn on the water and wondered where the water was going since the washer was still dry. I seem to have flooded the bathroom. I went and asked Mrs. Williams who said: "laundry is done the same way you did it last time." She finally helped me and I managed to get my clothes washed. There were still fumes so I went up on deck and joined Krista and the crew on deck tying nets over floats. I spent 40 minutes working on it when they started spray painting paint fumes on deck too. It was everywhere! I worked on my knots and finally finished it only to find that it won't fit on the float! It is only the size of a helmet, I made my own little helmet. They gave it to me (since it was useless) and now I have a net helmet haunting me in my room. I almost napped but then it was lunch. Lunch was salmon, which I don't like, but they also had bulgogi which is what I ate. I felt like fainting/ hungry/ fumed out/ headachey. Here I am after lunch trying to convince Mrs. Williams to go into my fume filled room and get my psych. book. She hasn't been convinced yet. This is a very long blog and we only have 5 days left. 5 more days and I can kiss land. Oh yeah, we saw a ship called the Coral Islanders Two. It was exciting to see it on the radar. As I said, this is a very long blog. Signing off Deadliest Catch Day 11. I am off to risk my life for phych.
Mayumi:
Today I learned how to make this basket thing that goes around the buoys. I messed up the first one and now I have a basket for my books. The next one is coming out way better. It now needs captain approval. Ronald was getting sick from paint fumes today, but I got used to it and couldn't smell them. Oh my gosh! Yesterday people became bald! I was so sad and wanted to cry. They used to have beautiful hair. Guys would come out of a room suddenly bald! What is up with guys shaving their heads on boats? I want to see Panda next. I think it would be hella funny and everytime I rubbed his head I would get good luck. I need to go finish my net thing so I am signing off deadliest catch whatever bye.
Hair cuts.
DATE: 11/30/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
The calm sea ended last night as the wind and sea picked up strength. This morning there was no exercise as it was raining too hard. I went aft to sip my coffee and managed to find the one dry spot to hang out and enjoy the stormy sea. The visibility was poor and it was gray and stormy truly "Victory At Sea" weather. I felt like I was a lobster fisherman off the coast of Nova Scotia in a Nor'easter Gale. We traveled north to see an island that was just north of us. It sticks out of the water like La Perouse Island in Hawaii. It sticks up about 100 meters and is quite impressive, especially with the stormy gray weather and the waves crashing against the coast. We all went on deck in our life jackets to watch it pass by. Of course Panda said: "That's it? We came all the way up the stairs and you made me put on shoes just for that?" He is the epitome of teenageness. We also had a fire drill which for us is about the same as evacuation, but for the crew it is different, they have to shut doors, pull hoses and hit levers. They are still folding up all the fire hoses. We have changed our route a little, instead of going between the islands as they did when they departed, we will go around south of Japan and come into Fukuoka from the Korea side. The plan is to anchor outside the harbor by Dec. 4 and come into the harbor on the morning of the 5th. Students were checking to see if they got TV reception yet - there is no sign of land other than that rock! Today was a work / maintenance day for Panda and Mayumi, but since it is so rough and wet they are off duty all day. Much to the delight of A team (except Mayumi who jumps towards the sea and salt spray). It will be a good chance for them to catch up on school work.
Panda:
Today I woke up at 7. I was looking around but no one was there. I did my morning bath stuff, I have a bet with Krista that I can be positive. I am planning on just being quiet to win. I was confuzzled by our duties today. We had no work even though it was work day. We changed the course of the boat just to see a giant rock. Ko said that maybe tonight we might get cell service. I can't wait to talk to everyone and see what they want for Christmas. Yesterday I wanted chicken and we got chicken for dinner so my wish with the cook today is for Beef. Beef. Beef. Mrs. Williams says I always get my wish. Yesterday during night watch we spotted another ship, it was at least three times bigger than we are. I am thinking what I want to buy in Japan. I am excited to see land, and to go to Suisan High School, I am looking forward to making another speech. Talking is my forte. I am also looking forward to pigging out on Japanese food. Krista is behind on her school work because she has been spending her free time working with the crew. This is Ronald Li signing off Deadliest Catch Day 12. P.S. I need to go finish my Sr. Project.
Mayumi:
I don't want to do homework. I want to go on deck and feel the cold air on my face. Homework is such a blur. I am stuck inside when I could be outside, such a waste. I am waiting for the dryer to be open. This is Krista Lee signing off Deadliest Catch. I have to do homework- no comment. I finished my buoy basket thing yesterday. I accomplished it and the captain said it was good. This is what I could be doing. My pencil just poked me. Today is perfect weather to be outside. Ok, for real this time, Krista Lee Deadliest Catch signing off.
Mayumi's buoy.
DATE: 12/01/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
Yesterday was rough, waves crashing over our bow, for the most part we were stuck indoors. Students slept, did school work, and laundry. Today is sunny and the sea is moderate. Our decks are dry again and we have seen many ships. However the air seems to have changed, I don't think anyone will be doing sit ups on deck with shorts on anymore. There is a crispness that was not there before. Our first sign of land is TV reception! The ship receives a shipping news everyday and the ship version of a news paper is posted on the board to keep people up to date with news events. Now they can keep up with their TV shows! I walked in to the mess hall for breakfast to find everyone glued to a morning children's program. The eyes had the glazed over look of first time TV watchers, I found myself watching the program as they did fun freezing science experiments. They blew soap bubbles and let them freeze into ice, pretty cool! Of course it was a giant stuffed green caterpillar that was doing it. A bright green version of Barney. We are all thinking about the end of our voyage even though there are three more days until we tie up. Today is study day, but A team class is going over their exams so Mayumi and Panda are free to work on finishing up their senior project. Students back at Roosevelt must be feeling the crunch as well. I don't know if anyone reads this, since it is 'send only' I feel like I am writing notes in a bottle and tossing them overboard. But incase any of my seniors are reading this, get-er-done! Send me what you have and I will try and look at it when I check into a hotel on the 5th. Good luck!
Panda:
Today I woke up. 6:30 sharp. I went outside and did morning exercise in the freezing air. We had class and there was a big wall between me and my group trying to come up with a conversation in English. It was frustrating. Mrs. Williams came and helped. After class we went to the mess hall and watched outdated Korean drama. Then suddenly everyone came in and there was the feeling of being in trouble, a big black cloud was with us. There was tons of tension and a teacher came in and there was a super stern conversation which I thought was a scolding I thought we were all in trouble, but it turned out that we were doing a big cleaning. I got in the wrong group and I worked outside then we came in and I cleaned my room. You can actually see the floor now. Krista got out a container of chocolate covered macadamia nuts and distributed it around. The steering dude gave us soda crackers, juice and yaki soba in return. 600% profit. Todays lunch was flounder. I have not had that in awhile it was the best lunch. We had dango in a spicy soup. Oh yeah, we have TV now. I am waiting for service. I don't have anyting else, this is Ronald Li signing off Deadliest Catch Day 13. P.S. only 3 days left. I can smell land already. Oh, and maybe we will get to see Korea. That would be cool.
Mayumi:
Right now I have a food baby cuz I ate so much but I do have definition of my abdomenis rectus (that is Ms. Williams talking) I really need to exercise. I am not getting skinny with all this chocolate, rice, fish. It is fun making conversations with team muscle. Oh we have T.V. service and I haven't seen TV in so long. I saw them freeze a bubble. So cool. I want to do that in Japan, and I want to freeze a wet towel and make it into funny shapes. I don't want this trip to end, I want it to go on longer. There is still things I haven't done yet. Today we cleaned the mess hall and made it squeaky clean. I am going to work out and do homework; this is Krista signing off Deadliest Catch day Panda.
Team muscle and team brain.
DATE: 12/02/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
Last night the steady roll of the ship changed. You could feel the confused sea adding a new dimension. I know the feeling as reflected waves telling me that land was near. We are also turning head on into the sea making the boat pound more than it has. The morning brought a rough sea again and I knew better than to get up for morning exercise. We could see land out of the windows and after breakfast, Panda, Mayumi and I hung out on the aft deck watching the many ships and looking at the mountains of Japan. The ship is pounding and throwing up spray, while we edge our way around the south of Japan. It feels like Magellan rounding the Cape of Good Hope or "Rounding the Horn" of South America. The land distant and misty and the sea is showing us no mercy. I hope we come into some calmer seas soon. I somehow thought it would be calmer close to shore. Everyone is trying their phone reception and I think a few people actually have reception since I saw the cook talking on the phone. The TV has been on constantly and we had breakfast with morning shows. Last night we watched "Disaster Date", an MTV show in English with sub titles. Panda and Mayumi taught some hand clapping water bottle passing game (ice breaker that they learned freshmen year) to a bunch of other students and they were having a ton of fun last night. It was a game that needed no English skill and so many students joined in. Today they helped me with English class and they have off till kitchen duty for dinner, 4 till 7. It will be their last time in the kitchen. I will try and go take pictures of the kitchen crew who like everyone else are super nice. Well, back to school work.
Panda:
Today I woke up at 5:50 and only one teacher was up. Breakfast was scrambled eggs. I ate a little and went on deck with Mrs. Williams. There is land! But I still have no service on my phone. The waves are really rough, my room is freezing cold and I am feeling sick again. Today's lunch was KFC it was good. Me and Krista are arguing about who does the better bottle clapping technique. Why did they re-route our trip? It is super rough. Lunch was good, I wonder what is for dinner? What is with all the fish? It was not smart to take the scenic route. I still haven't figured out how to stay in touch with the people I've met here. Today in Mrs. Williams class it was much better than the last two days. Our group was good and we were better than Krista's group. This is Ronald Li Deadliest Catch day 14 signing off. (Because Krista told me to)
Mayumi:
I'm blogging now because I want to go outside. I helped get lunch ready today even though I have dinner duty. I am really sad because after 3 more days I probably won't see everyone again. The bottle clapping game is really fun. I still need to finish homework but it is so rough that typing on Ronald's computer makes me feel sick. It is too cold and rough and the crew is not doing anything fun. I have nothing left to do. I am going to hang out on the back deck and watch the waves.
Mr. Williams - Webmaster:
Our original plan to have Mrs. Williams update this web page directly from the ship didn't work, so she has been e-mailing the updates to me and I have been updating the page for her. Tomorrow morning (Friday, December 3rd) I board a plane for Japan to go meet the ship when it arrives, so it may be a couple of days before you see another update on this page.
Mayumi on the windy deck.
DATE: 12/04/2010
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
I realize that by my normal blog time tomorrow, Chuck the web page maker will have left to meet us at the dock. I will not be able to send this, but I thought I would continue on with everyone's blog just for the sake of a journal for us in the future. I spent the entire day working on my Masters thesis again. I just got another section done so I am celebrating by writing this. Mayumi and Panda spent the day with the other children, playing cards and passing the time. Mayumi also worked more on her senior project. Panda is off to do wash again. They are helping with dinner and are wiping up and carrying off dishes as I write this. I beat the crowds to a bath and am ready for bed except it is only 6:30. We can see lighthouses blinking at us from shore as we circled the south of Kyushu Island. It was too cloudy and rough to see very far and I did not see any sign of Korea; maybe tomorrow. I know there is a three hour ferry from one country to the other so it seems like we should be able to see it.
The morning brought calm seas and a glorious sun rise. Venus and the new moon had just risen as we did our morning exercise in the cold crisp air. Mayumi and I stayed on deck to watch the sun rise over the land of the rising sun. It was so cold we ran in had breakfast and dressed warmer and we all came back up on deck in time to watch the sun rise. It is a clear day, we can see Korea on our Port side and Kyushu on the Starboard, Hakata lays out in front of us, just around the next corner. The sea birds are all near shore birds, no signs of the albatross. There are ships passing us regularly. Panda and Mayumi have morning watch and will actually have things to watch for. Mayumi was waxing nostalgic and ready to stay on board forever, but Panda got her thinking about buying a dress for the Winter Ball and she is looking forward to the excitement ahead.
Panda:
Today is our last day. Hallelujah; Jesus Christ; Amen; KFC God and every Lord Above. I am still trying to figure out how to keep in touch with people. I feel fat after eating a bowl and a half of rice at lunch. I can't figure out why my phone has no service. I am discriminated against. Nothing to say, nice trip, life goes on, good bye. Ronald Li signing off Deadliest Catch Final Chapter.
Mayumi:
So today I got up for morning exercise and wore two pairs of pants, a long sleeve jacket and gloves. I went outside and it was so cold. I thought I was going to die. We all huddled in to one small spot hoping for warmth. Then right before watch duty I had to do laundry. I did it so fast and was almost late. I got it done and it sat in the washer for four hours and I just put it in the dryer after we got off duty. I saw others cleaning the deck and I saw Ice Master squirt everyone with the hose. I felt bad for them, but it was funny. Kenta has a rilakkuma shirt on, it is so cute I want to take a picture of it. I feel sleepy. I don't want to give a speech tomorrow and my blog is finally longer than Ronalds. Outside feels like a really cold AC room. It isn't freezing, I might survive. Still have homework but have sort of given up on that. This is Annchan Deadliest Catch Last Day.
Jumping for joy! Land in sight!
DATE: 12/05/2010
Posted by: Panda:
Today - was hot. Ceremony was cool. I'm completely jealous that Mrs. Williams had tiramisu for dessert. Mayumi and I stayed on the boat to be with our friends. We had curry. We had okay Ramen for dinner. I bought 3 big bottles of Cal Pice and drank a whole bottle. Mr. & Mrs. Williams spent an hour in my room working on trying to get Internet with limited success. Then I got my computer out and got on no problem. Facebook tested me and I failed the "who is this friend?" multiple choice friend questions since I was logging in from Japan. I pressed the start button and it said you failed at knowing your friends, try again in an hour. I spent 2 hours watching slow loading dramas and went to bed at 1:30. Ronald Li signing off Japan day 1.
P.S. I have a migraine.
Mrs. Williams:
Arrival - Landing at the pier on a calm morning.
We put on our helmets and life jackets on the cold clear morning and pulled into Fukuoka. The principal who waved goodbye to us in Hawaii was waving hello. Chuck & Naomi also showed up. All of the students and crew had to get out their purchases as we waited for customs to go through the boat. We were allowed off with the immigration officials as they took us through the International Immigration Terminal. The building was empty as the ferries from Korea were not due yet. Like immigration offices the world over, in a giant empty hall, with lines marked out, the 4 of us had to stand in line #1 behind the marked area and wait our turn. The fact that they open up for our arrival was to be the first of a long line of royal treatment.
We were to go to lunch, but just the short time off the ship made Mayumi and Panda overjoyed to reunite with the students still trapped aboard. They quickly chose to have lunch with their friends and let us boring grownups go have lunch on our own.
The students of Suisan school showed up at the pier and by the time of our return from lunch the entire student body was there for our disembarking. The taiko drum was beating, cameras were flashing, and we were called upon for speech making. Mayumi made a wonderful heartfelt speech.
We checked into our hotel, and Mr. Ono and the English teacher Yasu took us to a shrine and then to our first taste of shopping! We had seriously delicious Ramen at a small shop near our hotel, followed by ice cream at McDonald's!
Welcome ceremony at the pier in Fukuoka.
DATE: 12/06/10
Posted by: Mayumi:
Yesterday was the ceremony and I made my speech that morning. Everyone was reading my writing but not understanding. I was really sad to leave. I said "Aloha" and everyone was quiet. Then I was super nervous giving my speech. I am glad it's over. I got to eat lunch with them one last time and the goodbyes were so fast. I miss the Suisan students already and I want to go see them and sell the fish. This trip was really good. Oh yeah and we went shopping I met the Ice Master (and he had his 4 year old daughter with him. She is so cute!).
(Today at the school) There were pictures of us everywhere! I gave a speech there. Oh, I played with turtles. A girl made a picture of us, Anime style; too bad I don't look like that in real life. They are all about drawing pictures of us. I learned how to write "rose", too bad I can't make the kanji as well as the teacher.
Anime drawings done by a student.
Poster of us. These were all over the school!
Drawings on the wall in the conference room.
Panda:
Today we went to go visit Suisan High. I was looking forward to it. Oh and on the way to the school we drove past this statue with the internal organs exposed from the esophagus down which I thought was cool but I didn't get picture unfortunately. So we were going through the neighborhood where Suisan High was located. It was very nice next to the water and had a beach like Hawaii. I could see myself living there. We arrived at Suisan and I looked around and WE WERE EVERYWHERE! Pictures and posters posted everywhere, and I found that hilarious and at the same time realized that this project was a big deal for the school. We sat in the conference room and realized MORE drawings had been created. It looked nothing like us and Mrs. Williams had a super double chin which made me crack up. The school Senior Class officers kept us company. We had really good mochi dessert that day. After that we had some assembly. The assembly was dedicated to us and we all had to do a speech that was WONDERFULLY translated by Ko. There was one chick during the lei-ing ceremony so I had to lei and hug her. As I was hugging her these 2 girls in the front row of the assembly were saying "Oh he hugged you, I'm so jealous!" And I was thinking cool whatever. Then we had a tour of the aquaculture farms. I totally wanted to see all of their fish since my Senior Project is on Aquaculture. Unfortunately we were short on time so all we did was go on a brief boat ride and watched a guy gathering fish from his nets, and then he gave us a fish similar to an angelfish. After that we ran out of time and had to go visit the mayor. We quickly rushed there and saw the mayor and did a lot of bowing, etc. After that the VP was like oh we have a little bit more time, do you want to go back to the school and see something? And I abruptly said I want to see the aquaculture some more. And so we went and saw the other fish. We saw flounder, puffers, and shrimp. Oh and one of them is a turtle lover, he's officially my new BFF. After we did diving maintenance or whatever. The meat processing was alright. And then came calligraphy. I'm so confused with calligraphy I can go about it all day. Well I wrote the kanji "Love" and everyone was like Oh that's beautiful. And I'm thinking that's crap. How is this beautiful? I don't understand what good calligraphy is. Then the teacher gave me a stamp / crest thing with my nickname Panda on there. I love that stamp. It's awesome. And then we were heading to the dorm. That day I craved yakiniku (well, no, actually yesterday) and then today we had yakiniku. Everyone loves Panda.
Mayumi and Panda show their calligraphy talents with the sensei.
Mrs. Williams:
Whirlwind Suisan Tour Day
All the hard work of two weeks of personality adjustment for Panda - having to stand watch, scrub decks, and prepare meals - was erased in a day of Emperor treatment as we arrived at the school. The Junior Class officers were pulled out of class and we met in the Principal's conference room. The walls were adorned with pictures of us! The first thing was a school assembly in the gym. The Semaphore Team said "Welcome" to us in flags. Then we made more speeches and had a question & answer session. Most of the students were too shy to ask questions.
Back to the conference room where the students made a presentation and then we toured the school. All of the students were really friendly and had presentations prepared. We went to the aquaculture class and they decorated the halls with aqua life. They had made us picture frames decorated with knots and shells. They suited us up to go see their kelp farm. We got rubber overalls and boots, then we jumped on a boat and zipped out into the bay. A fisherman also came out and pulled up his lay net as a demonstration. We all wanted to see his catch and we ignored the admin guys waiting to take us to see the mayor. The truly beautiful thing about being out on the ocean. It is like being out surfing at Publics as a kid and seeing your mom waving from the pier that it is time to come in. There's something about being in or on the ocean that makes it possible to put responsibility on PAUSE.
Off to meet Tatsuo Koyama, the Mayor of Fukutsu City, Panda whining about not having enough time to see all the aquaculture! The mayor had been to Hawaii and had met Calvin Say, the Hawaii State Speaker of the House. He took the time and interest to share in our adventures of the past weeks. We left with the feeling that the city cared about education and opportunity.
Meeting the Mayor of Fukutsu City.
Back in time to tour the aquaculture area. The students farmed fugu for fancy restaurants, koi, flounder, turtles, and goldfish. They even had goldfish with panda coloration. We had bento lunch with the student officers and then went to visit the scuba diving and maintenance classes. They had student presentations about what they had learned in the class. Besides having been diving in Okinawa, they could maintain their regulators and equipment. "Why don't we have these kind of classes?" from Panda and Mayumi.
We next went to the food prep class where Panda and Mayumi put on their aprons, boots, hair nets, and gloves and helped in the assembly of pork sausage. Chuck and I helped in the taste testing. It was delicious. Basically Chuck and I sat in the corner eating, drinking tea (also bottled by students), and chatting while the students all worked cutting up meat.
The next class we went to was calligraphy class. I was scared about how poorly I would do, so I picked "ichi" as my kanji to learn. The professor showed us how to hold the brush, make the ink, and gave us stacks of paper to practice on. Apparently Panda has a natural gift and everyone got very excited about his ability. Now that I know he has such talent, I will demand better handwriting from him. Mayumi asked how to write the kanji for "rose" and everyone said "Hmm, that kanji is very difficult, maybe too difficult for you." She set her chin, kicked out her elbow and gripped the brush. I just need to tell her that becoming a veterinarian is maybe too difficult for her. They had made stamps for Mayumi and Panda to sign their calligraphy and glued them to scrolls.
The next class took place back at the dormitory. For Japanese Culture class the had a tea ceremony for us. They had wonderful sweets and the girls were in traditional kimono. I felt very honored. Then the girls dressed Mayumi and I in traditional kimono for dinner. They had a spectacular feast of sukiyaki and yakitori set up. We cooked and ate until we were full and then we ate a little more. After dinner students had prepared entertainment for us. I had to think of a Roosevelt talent show as they performed. Mayumi and I left the dorm and went to our home stay, leaving Chuck and Panda giving juggling lessons.
Our home stay was wonderful. Soon we had no less than 4 dictionaries on the table. Mrs. Nakamura the Japanese Culture teacher also stayed. Our discussions were esoteric and philosophical as we made origami sumo players. I went to bed and Mayumi stayed up late into the night, periodically running into our room to get some item for show, saying things like "These guys are so great!" as she rummaged around. Our room smelled of fresh tatami and our beds were made of blankets and comforters stacked up to the princess level. We slept in the most snuggly beds possible.
DATE: 12/7/10
Posted by: Mrs. Williams:
The morning brought gray skies and rain. We were sad to leave the Kawakami residence. They gave us their umbrellas and waved goodbye as we went back to the dorms to meet Chuck and Panda. They had been having a great time too and we compared notes as they brought around the bus for the day's travel. The day was a school holiday for the students since they had come down to the pier on Sunday to meet the boat. Several students came along and the kids took over the back of the bus. We went to the National Museum. The curator gave us a personal tour and we could see relics from the past, pottery that has lasted over 1,000 years and is still beautiful. I wonder if I have made anything that will still be beautiful 1,000 years from now? All for now, off to the shrine.
Touring the National Museum in Fukuoka.
Mayumi:
The home stay family was great! I enjoyed interacting with the home economics teacher that we
stayed with. The home stay family, the home economics teacher, Mrs. Williams and I stayed up late
and talked about a lot of interesting things. I immediately felt welcomed and a part of the family. My
only wish would have been to stay a bit longer. I felt like there was so much more to learn.
Mrs. Williams and Mayumi with their home stay hosts.
Mayumi under her snuggly futons.
After a restful sleep under layers of thick blankets called futons, we jumped into another long day. Meeting the
superintendent and assembly man were great. We shook their hands and received a lot of "omiyage".
Then, we took a bus to the police station where we met more important people. Apparently today
there was a holiday for the students because of the Kaiyu Maru ceremony being held on the weekend.
Panda and I talked to the students the whole time on the bus. We were able to eat lunch and tour the
museum with the students. After experiencing their museum, I think all museums should have a hands
on kids sections. It was awesome! The day seemed to be at a "rush" pace as we did not get to see much
or have a chance to buy anything. I love the weather, as I had a chance to walk in the rain with the clear
umbrellas. The worst part of the day was finding out my memory card was full and my camera was
dying. There are so many pictures I missed. I hope Ms. Williams or Panda can share some pictures.
Panda and Mayumi enjoy the hands-on kids section of the National Museum in Fukuoka with some of their Japanese student friends.
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