What would you ask?

I think it's only fair to check in with you all and let you know that things are looking much rosier since Monday.  For one, the mailbox situation is all better.  And the printer issue has an end (hopefully) in sight.  And then yesterday I nabbed a great airfare for an autumn vacation for D & me.  I looked back - we travel regularly, but the last time we traveled together AND neither of us was working - ie, a real vacation - was August 2006.  How did the time slip by so quickly?

Anyway, in a nutshell, from the perspective of Wednesday versus Monday, this week is much improved.

So what's ahead?  On Friday I have an interesting item on the calendar! 

Are you familiar with the JET Programme run by the government of Japan?  JET = Japan Exchange & Teaching, and this government program recruits individuals from around the globe to work in Japan for 1-5 years either as a teacher, a cultural liaison, or a sports coach.  This year's newest JETs will be departing next month, and the Japanese Consulate in Seattle has organized an in-depth cultural orientation for them prior to departure.

And my role?  I have the opportunity to participate by staffing a Q&A table.  Specifically, the new JETs provide the Qs and I do my best to provide the As. I'm really looking forward to it!

If you were about to set out abroad - perhaps for the first time in your life, or even if just for the first time to live as an expat - what questions would you have?  Please comment them to me below - I'm very interested in your questions (they might give me some insights on what I'll be asked on Friday!).

Thanks!

A Long Day

Generally speaking, I look forward to today - June 21st, that is.  It's the Summer Solstice here in the northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year!  For my latitude, that means the sun doesn't set today until 9:10 pm and soft, dusky twilight will linger for an hour or so after that.

But today ended up being a long day in a completely different sense.  And I'm really glad it's finally drawing to a close.

So what's my list of gripes?  Well, nothing too earth-shatteringly terrible, but today I feel like a salmon that's swimming its way upstream, fighting against the current.  In other words, it has to be gotten through & done, but it's a frustrating and tiring and seemingly endless endeavor.

The neighbor installed a new mailbox, simultaneously knocking ours askew & smashing the door shut.  And mailboxes with doors that won't open/close just don't work very well.  So we had to talk about getting that rectified.

The screen on my brand new computer (which I still love) has a troubling tendency to randomly blink off.  Fortunately tech support was able to direct me to a download that patches this.  But shouldn't a brand new computer already have all the latest patches?

The wireless printer that is allegedly compatible with Windows 7 died when I used the installation wizard to connect it to my new network.  This is actually the 2nd one.  The first one died, too, but tech support had promised me it was a fluke and sent a brand new replacement.  Well, this time when I called in my 'fluke' had graduated to a 'known issue'.  So....they're sending me a brand new replacement.  I'm rather doubtful that this THIRD printer will react any differently than the first or second ones.  But tech support claims they've fixed the issue.  So we'll see.

Although all of the above are resolving themselves, it simply makes for a lonnnnng day when you have to contact people (neighbors, tech support and more tech support) with problems.  Even when everyone involved is mutually interested in working things out, it's exhausting to be the complainant.  I don't enjoy it one little bit.

So, as a reward to myself for slogging through all these issues, raising them and setting resolutions in motion, I let myself escape from the office for the afternoon.  I thought, what a perfect time to run a few errands - return books to the library, pick up some things at the store...basically, get some fresh air and hopefully a refreshed state of mind.

Do you really think that was going to happen?  Was I being hopelessly naive?  Or is Murphy's Law taking action? 

I hadn't gotten very far before I become a front row witness to some major road rage.  I was sitting at a red light waiting for it to change when the SUV in front of me suddenly rammed the truck in front of it.  This was followed by lots of yelling and screaming on the part of the instigating driver who then proceeded to throw a shovel at the truck, which by then was intent on escaping and had tried pulling around via the shoulder.  Long story short, Crazy Guy ran back to his SUV and chased after the truck off down the road.   But I - as a front row witness - got to hang around and file a report with the police.  I hope they catch Crazy Guy!

I'm back home now.  Finally.  And enjoying a cup of tea D made me.  Do you think this day is getting close to ending?  Because I'm definitely done with it.  Can't wait for tomorrow.  Which hopefully won't be quite as long.

A rose by any other name...

...would smell as sweet.  Isn't that what Shakespeare said?

Hmmm, well what about garbage?

Garbage is on my mind at the moment, because we're thinking of canceling our pick-up service.  Not something I ever thought I'd be considering!  But over the past few years, it seems that we have less & less accumulating.  We compost a lot.  Recycle more.  And what does that leave?  Just the odd bits of plastic or foam that can't be otherwise disposed of.  We realized that in recent months we haven't even managed to fill the garbage can once a month, let alone once a week.

And then the most recent bill from the garbage collection company came.  And we thought - what exactly are we paying them for?  Wouldn't it be nice to have that bit of change in our pockets instead?

A little sleuthing around uncovered the fact that we can dispose of our recycling for free at a neighborhood recycle center.  And it's possible to dump one's own trash as the transfer station - $20 for the first 360 lbs.  I don't think we would be able to come up with 360 lbs in an entire year!  But, even paying $20 for the occasional bag a few times a year would be cheaper than paying monthly to the garbage company.

So, does garbage by any other name smell as 'sweet'?  Nope!  I think compost (free dirt for the garden [grin]) and extra cash in my pocket smell even sweeter!

Just check back with me in 6 months to see how this experiment has worked...

Financial (Dis)Incentives

There are many reasons why people live as expats.  Career.  Military.  Education.  Love.  Wanderlust.  Refuge.  But there's another one, too:  Finance.

For example, we've all heard about people who retire to countries with lower costs of living to stretch their retirement funds further.  In this regard, finance can be a strong incentive to pull up roots and resettle abroad.

But finance can have a different sort of impact on expats, too, and not one that's positive.  Especially for Americans living abroad.

The New York Times ran an article back in December of 2006 about changes to US tax law that resulted in higher taxes for US expats.  These changes subsequently led to an increase in the number of American expats renouncing their citizenship.  According to that article, the US is the only developed nation that taxes its citizens based on citizenship rather than residency - effectively requiring Americans abroad to pay taxes twice: once to their country of residence and once again to the US.

Even if your income falls below the threshold triggering an actual tax payment, Americans abroad still must file the paperwork year after year.

This spring, the New York Times once more ran an article on this topic.  The trend of Americans giving up their citizenship continues, with numbers growing each year.  And this time the complaints are not limited to tax requirements.  Apparently the Patriot Act, meant to keep terrorists and criminals from opening US bank accounts, is also costing Americans abroad without a permanent US address to lose their accounts, too.

I didn't personally experience this problem.  While abroad, I've always had a permanent US address available for situations just like this.  But what if we sold our US home and didn't have a family member willing to let us use their address?  I would not be happy to lose the right to maintain a US bank account.  And I certainly wouldn't be happy to be lumped in with terrorists and criminals!

What's your experience, financially, with being an expat - American or otherwise?  If the financial issues / loss of rights were sufficiently frustrating, would you be moved to relinquish your citizenship of birth?  How big a disincentive would it take for you to take such a drastic step?  Or would you?  For some of us, citizenship is merely a label, but for others of us it strikes right to the core of our identity.

Personally, I can't say which way I would go.  I guess I haven't reached the point of sufficient angst yet where I would be forced to make that choice.  I hope I never am.

Anonymity - a classic post

Earlier today I was asked, "What is my greatest dream?"  And I almost posted on that, because a question like this really connects with the essence of who I am.  There's so much I want to share, to write, to express about this dream - how it is important to me and all of its various facets.

But then I realized that that would become a book!  Because my dream isn't a simple accomplishment, it's to achieve the type of life where I can revel in being me.  It's complex, because there are so many aspects that come together to form this existence, my dream, that is.

But in a nutshell, one big piece of my dream is returning to Japan - ideally to Motoyama, the small town tucked away in the mountains of Shikoku that so felt like home to me that I knew I belonged there from the very beginning.  And then I found this old post from my Motoyama blog, and I think today is the perfect time to share it with you. 

I remember well the emotions I was feeling as I wrote that post.  I was sitting alone in a hotel room, feeling like so many of my worlds were colliding.  I was back in Tokyo, crowded with memories as it was the first place I ever lived in Japan.  I was away from my adopted home of Motoyama, feeling lonely and invisible.  And the very next day my American Mom together with a good family friend from London were due to arrive.  Past & Present.  East & West.  I was feeling pulled in many directions.  And here is the result.

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Anonymity

I spent all day today walking around town, and nobody even spared me a second glance. Not a single person stopped me to chat. There were no cries of "Margie-sensei" from passing school children. From first light this morning to late night tonight, I existed in a state of uncommon anonymity. I am in Tokyo.

Tokyo is another world from Motoyama. Here gaijin (foreigners) are a dime a dozen. Streets are packed with cars and pedestrians, and like any metropolis people are caught up in their own thoughts, hurrying to and fro, with no time to pause and chat with a neighborhood newcomer...were one to even be recognized as such here.

Yesterday as I walked the 3 blocks from my apartment to City Hall with my knapsack on my back (I'm here in Tokyo for a week), I caused all sorts of second looks, and one gal even came out and accompanied me, asking was I leaving? Would I be coming back? And to be sure to be careful and to take care of myself in Tokyo as she saw me off at the office door. And when Yumiko-san from work ran me to the airport, she didn't merely drop me off, she parked, came inside, walked me through all the various points and waited until it was time for me to depart. I'm sure many of you are familiar with the catch phrase "It takes a village to raise a child"? Well, Motoyama is the village and I am the child.

I'm certain I've mentioned before that together with Karen and Michael (from Scotland, the chef at Shikisaikan), I comprise one-third of the caucasian population of Motoyama. Thus by sheer circumstance I live a highly visible life. Karen's been in this position for three years, and she can attest to the fact that no matter how much one benefits from the attention (random invitations, regular gifts of garden fruits and veggies, excellent for one's self-esteem), there are times it wears on one. When you hide away in your apartment with the curtains closed, just so that if you happen to randomly sneeze, five people won't comment on it over the course of the next week and worry that you have caught a cold.

Comparing Tokyo to Motoyama is like comparing sea cucumbers with garden-variety cucumbers. In the case of the cucumbers their similarities pretty much start and end at the same point - with their name. Tokyo and Motoyama may both be Japanese, but other than that common label they exist in two entirely separate worlds. Motoyama is quaint, it is a Japanese Brigadoon.

(For those of you potentially unfamiliar with the musical Brigadoon, here is a very brief summary excerpted from http://www.durham.net/~neilmac/brigdoon.htm:

In Lerner's play, the Scottish village of Brigadoon became enchanted centuries ago. The community remained unchanging and invisible to the outside world except for one, special day every hundred years, when it could be seen and visited by outsiders. Visitors might be allowed to stay, but if anyone ever left Brigadoon, the miracle would be broken -- and that would be the end of them all.)

In Motoyama traditions are still part of daily life, they are not just performed as cultural exhibitions. Time moves slowly at a relaxed pace. And things are done the way they have been for generations. Persimmons hang drying from the rafters of houses, obaasans (grannies) stand out in the street chatting, and foreign influences are few and far between.

In Tokyo, tradition takes a distant second to modern innovation. Everyone is in a hurry, oblivious to those around them. And shops, restaurants and movie theaters all reflect a myriad of cultures, the globe in miniature. Not only does a single foreigner fail to draw a second glance, so did the middle-aged man I saw dressed in a fashionable skirt, blouse and stockings paired with high heels and a chic purse - not to mention carefully coiffed hair - standing across the tracks from me at the subway station. Tokyo-ites really have already seen it all.

It only took an hour on the plane from Kochi to reach Tokyo, but I really feel like I have entered a parallel universe, an alternate scenario of Japan, if you will. You know, how sometimes sci-fi writers will explore what a place might be like if history had taken a different course?

But all that said, I am having a great time. Albeit a very different experience than I do at home in Motoyama. Tokyo is full of "Hisashiburi" ("it's been a long time") and "Natsukashii" (nostalgic) moments for me. It was the first place I ever lived in Japan, back in 1989. It is somewhere I have visited regularly over the past 16 years. I have watch it grow, change and evolve. It has really become an international city like never before. And as I walked and rode around the city today - having breakfast, lunch and dinner with various friends, not to mention visiting an art museum, window-shopping and sightseeing, I am constantly confronted with deja-vu moments when I realize I have been here before or done this previously.

Standing in Shibuya station, looking out over the main intersection from a second-floor walkway, I realized that I had stood at the same point taking in the same view numerous times over the years. Billboards have gradually been replaced by high tech video imaging - static ads are now live videos that appear to play over the windows of the surrouding skyscrapers. And the main cafe directly across from the station is a giant Starbucks. No longer just a small coffee shop tucked in the Pike Place Market, is it? All this change, viewed in increments over time, makes me wonder how I have changed over the years as well. What if I had a series of snapshots taken over the years, of me standing at that window. First the wide-eyed 16-year-old experiencing a major metropolis for the first time, later a college student, then a newlywed...and eventually a 33-year-old women in mid-career. Hmmm, put that up alongside parallel shots of this Shibuya crossroads and it would make for an interesting juxtaposition. Such a shame that I couldn't think of this back then...or know that I would be back so often. No way to backtrack now.

I have one more day tomorrow to revisit and explore this fascinating city that has woven its way into the fabric of my life. Then Monday morning it's off to Chiba (the neighboring prefecture - basically known for being where Narita airport is located) for a 3-day conference, ie 3 days stuck inside a hotel meeting room. And then back to Motoyama, with its clean air and incredibly crisp, cool mountain water that I am already missing. But I have enjoyed this interlude. And I know I will come again.

posted by Margie @ 10:12 PM

Vegetarian...or not?

Over the years, apparently I've done a pretty good impression of being vegetarian.  I never intended to, and I've never claimed the label for myself.  But I do have a marked preference for veggie dishes, so I suspect this is the root of these mistaken assumptions.

One of my good friends in Japan claims that I must have been a rabbit 'in a former life.' And another time when I was traveling in Europe a friend of mine went out of her way to make sure everything she offered me was "flesh-free."

So maybe I should just make everyone correct and give up eating meat?

But then again, maybe I wouldn't have to.  I've run across some pretty liberal definitions of 'vegetarian' in my time...

In the US, in fact, I've met a number of self-proclaimed vegetarians who consider anything but red meat as fair game (yes, pun intended!).  And in Japan I felt for my truly vegetarian expat friends who were frustrated beyond belief that 'vegetarian' over there includes fish from the point of view of many people.  After all, Japanese cooking so frequently uses dashi (fish stock) as an ingredient that vegetarian purists could be hard put to avoid this fleshly contaminant unless they do all their cooking themselves.

And I'll never forget the 2 weeks I spent traveling around Myanmar with a Dutch friend and her Burmese husband.  She was vegetarian, and while vegetable dishes were plentiful wherever we went...they all seemed to be seasoned with fish sauce!

Of course, there's the other end of the spectrum, too.  I remember back to some of my earlier visits to the Soviet Union / Russia in the late '80s and early '90s.  On a couple of occasions one of my fellow travelers was a vegetarian.  Our hosts (both host families as well as when we were in hotels) were a bit confounded by the vegetarian meal requests.  Result?  Cucumbers!  I can remember one vegetarian lady who said after a month in Russia that if she never saw another cucumber in her life it would be too soon.

Oh, and so long as I'm reminiscing on the topic of vegetarianism...a word to the wise about an Urban Legend.  I spent a number of years working in the travel industry doing tour operation.  Anyone who has ever signed up for a group tour has probably filled out a form that includes a question regarding dietary requests & restrictions.  Well, there's an urban legend out there that claims vegetarian meals on airlines are much better than the regular ones.  You would not believe how many people mark "vegetarian" on their traveler info forms just so they can have "better" meals on the airplane.  Number 1:  vegetarian meals and regular meals aboard airplanes are equally mediocre.  Trust me on this.  Number 2:  understand - if you mark vegetarian so that you can get a vegetarian meal on the plane, I don't know you only mean the plane!  You really don't want to know how many people complained afterwards that they were served vegetarian meals for their entire tour.  Well, what did you think would happen?

So there you have it.  Being vegetarian just isn't so simple as it seems.  Got any good stories of your own to share?  I'd love to hear them!  Feel free to use the comments box, eh? :-)

The Shape of Snakes

I was thinking about a book I read last November.  It was The Shape of Snakes by Minette Walters.  Have you read it?  For some reason, it's been one of those books that sticks in my mind.
 
I do like to read, and I read a lot.  And I read quickly.  And I have to say, about 90% of the time I'm reading fiction for pleasure, I don't really recall much detail about the story even 15 minutes after I've finished it - I'll just know I enjoyed it.  I think that's because I'm not reading to retain, like I do with non-fiction.  Part of the relaxation of reading fiction is not needing to pay such close and strict attention as when I'm actively seeking to study or learn from a book.

But in the case of this book, here I am seven months down the road and various bits and pieces continue to pop into my head for pondering at random moments.

So what's the book about?  And why has it been so compelling?

Well, the easy answer to the first question is - it's a murder mystery.  A women discovers the crazy lady from a house down the block dead in the street.  And she's convinced it's murder, even though the authorities decree otherwise.  She becomes fixated on solving the murder, and that's the thread that ties the entire work together.

As for why has it been so compelling, well, that, I think, is thanks to the author and her storytelling.  To begin, Ms. Walters' characters can't be easily categorized - no one is clearly a hero and no one is clearly a villain.  And maybe that strikes really close to home, because within ourselves I suspect we all find shades of gray.  Of course, it's nice in books when everything neatly lines up - people are good or people are bad - but in reality good people sometimes knowingly choose to do bad things; bad people can change and become better; and then there's that whole category of people whose motives aren't clear at all.  They really confound us.  And there's a lot of that to be found in The Shape of Snakes.

The Shape of Snakes is not a comfortable book in other ways, either.  I read it at the recommendation of a friend, and afterwards I remarked - it's odd, but despite the entire book being narrated from the point of view of the main character, she remains shadowy.  We never even learn her first name!  So despite being in her head, we're denied that simple label that would allow us to feel we have been introduced and know her.  But we're not obviously denied.  We get clues - initials, nicknames and such.  We're tantalized even as the information is withheld.  My friend hadn't even realized we never learn her complete true name, and that was after reading the book twice!  Just one more way Ms. Walters keeps her readers unsettled as they read about an unsettling event twisted up in an unsettling plot.

Do I recommend this book?  Definitely!  It's a well crafted story cleverly written.  And it will keep you guessing until the very end...and keep you thinking even beyond that.  And you know what?  With the magic forgetfulness I have for recreational reading, I must admit I've forgotten quite who DID do it.  So I guess I'll get the full pleasure of suspense when I read it again!