February 2012
45 posts
GRADUATION DAY
Yes, I succumbed and bought one of these Typical-Japanese-Woman-Special-Day-Suit-And-Flower-Pin-Combos!
I feel like my gran. BUT it’s what all the cool kids* are wearing.
*Every other teacher in my school # No More Standing Out In The Crowd!
Graduation is turning into a humdinger, with a lot...
Solo singing practice : Let it Be by The Beatles. I am a secret Beatles NON-FAN. I just don’t ‘get’ their music. I am now singing with 3 male teachers and the song has been lowered a few million octaves and now I can barely sing it. I am a MEZZO soprano, people. Not a bullfrog. Tomorrow is going to be very embarrassing.
SInging practice today at 6:45 pm # tired of...
February Photo A Day # 9 : Front Door
Dear Road Heating : I love you. # no falling 2012 # no snow shoveling 2012 # no GI Joe arm muscles 2012
ALSO : Hokkaido winter = leave home in the morning when it’s dark… come home at night… when it’s dark. Serious lack of Vit D.
How To Write About Africa →
The other South African nomad sent me this article yesterday and it addresses a problem that is very dear to my heart (aka if one more person refers to Africa as if she were one country, I might have a heart attack.)
It says : In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country. It is hot and dusty with rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals and tall, thin people who are starving. Or it is...
The Africa They Forget to Show Us: Nairobi, Kenya
What a brilliant idea for a post : The Africa They Forget to Show Us. Because believe me, if you have never lived in Africa, you have no idea what it’s like. TV, movies, news, music… it’s all slightly off kilter. (I’m sure that’s true for any country)
africaisdonesuffering:
February Photo A Day # 8 : The Sun
(I’m already bored to death by this meme.)
Letter From A Graduating Student
`Do you remember you once told us “Every girl should be strong. Girls should not be afraid to say how they feel and girls should not be afraid of how powerful they are” ? I agree with you and your words have changed and encouraged me. I have tried to be comfortable with making a change and not being shy or cute.`
THIS MADE MY DAY! If I can save just one little starfish, it will...
Anonymous asked: your blog is amazing and you are very honest. What are 5 things about you we don't know?
恋仲
Recently (and by this, I mean Yesterday) I started reading the blog of another South African girl living in Tokyo with her Japanese man (this makes THREE of us. Soon, AN ARMY! Or, alternatively, a girl pop group.) Her blog is called Rurousha - which means ‘Nomad’ in Japanese… freaky deaky.
She recently wrote a post called `Life With A Japanese Man` . She says, `One of the...
January Book Tally
One of the things I am trying to do this year is get back into a habit of reading. Since leaving varsity, time available for reading has been replaced by WORKING. It’s a sick cycle - get a job- to get money -to buy books- BUT have no time to read because -have a job. I thought that I would share what I read each month because a) i know some of you guys are book worms too and b) If I...
February Photo A Day # 7 : A Button
Holy Sherbet
I am too scared to open my messages because there is a giant red ‘35’ hovering over the envelope button. THIRTY FIVE UNREAD MESSAGES?! Ok. You have (passive aggressively) made your case known and I will now go and activate the comment function. (Tumblr is weird that way - commenting is really hard. Its the one thing that Tumblr loses out to Blogspot to. I have to change my blog layout...
Anonymous asked: Derishus! Recipe? Or is it sorta kinda a mishmash?
redcafe asked: Why does your dinner look like restaurant food? Now Tak is jealous and want me to enter Saporro Sarah's cooking school... unless bf did the cooking? Even home food is better in Hokkaido... sigh.
Tornado Potatoes
Ok. I Googled them :
(Picture source)
I have eaten them before, at a summer festival in downtown Sapporo. They were delicious! BIG recommend!
P.S. Is it just me, or have I blogged more today that ever before in my whole entire life? I am exhausted. I think I have typing elbow.
girlwhobringshay asked: Randomly late comment on Owl Man: Another ALT in my town had the exact same thing happen to her the last time she visited Sapporo... except he gave her 1000Yen. She also looks "Russian" but usually shows as much leg as Shojo Jidai. So maybe a fan service bonus?
lifelovekorea asked: to reply to that anonymous post. Nobody ever gave me money, but about the "looking slightly russian" In korean being mistaken for a Russian girl isn't a good thing since Russian girl = prostitute, or korean men seem to think like that. I don't dislike Russian people but when I'm in Korea and a Korean person asks me if I look Russian I feel offended. And if they gave me...
Anonymous asked: With all the philosophical questions/comments, this seems a little stupid, but where in Gods name do you find clothes? I'm not quite as tall as you, but I have trouble finding L/S shirts that don't stop before my wrists HERE (here being the US). I'm already stocking up on jeans and the like, but I'm wondering if shopping will be a complete loss over there. Where do you shop? Am...
Anonymous asked: I'm behind in reading your posts but cracked up at the owly old man. The same thing happened to me when I lived in China. An old man passed me as I was strolling merrily along and did the stop and double take, mumbled something, gave me 5RMB and moseyed off. I'm almost sure I don't dress entirely like a hobo. Although like you suffer from 6ftness, am Saffa and accused of looking...
Anonymous asked: Maybe I don't say it enough but...you're my world.
Anonymous asked: Oh, the new hair color is so beautiful. I love it so much!
andthentherewerecupcakes asked: are "tornado potatoes" a japanese thing or what? i had some at an asian night market at the japanese stall this past weekend. they were amazing but i had never heard of them before and i was wondering if you had?
Anonymous asked: Hi Sarah - Jess from VT here. Remember I had mentioned I applied to JET in hopes of coming to Sapporo? No interview for me. Im crushed! I'm sure i'll get over this set back somehow, but I was wondering if you in all your wisdom (seriously!) had any advice for a down an out chick like me. Besides setting myself up in a hotel, how else could I get to Japan? Mebbe sleep on your couch for a...
Question Spam about to commence, but first...
Look at this MASSIVE ホタテ (scallop) I ate yesterday in 鍋 ：
IT’S A MONSTER! I swear, sea creatures are getting bigger and bigger and soon, they are going to COME ON LAND AND KILL US ALLLLL.
(We all know how much I hate fish.)
Little Friday Horror Story in Pictures
A little backstory on The Child In The Corner Phenomenon :
Best friend Shakti and I met in university when I started working the same part time job as her. We were in the same uni , but enrolled in different courses and on opposite campuses, so I don’t know if we would have met had I not applied for work at her book store. (Although I like to think the stars had aligned and we were...
midorimoriko asked: Happy Question! Whats your favorite smell? Rando, I know, but this question always makes me happy :)
stwaberrycheesecake asked: I feel like I've told you this before, but ( in the least creepiest way possible ) I'm kind of in love with your life.
Anonymous asked: Your last post was really funny! Who did you reblog it from?
iamnotaghost asked: It's refreshing to read your logical opinions on ethno-porn tourism (for anyone thinking that I'm refering to the sex tourism industry and is all like 'wut', I'm not). I'm pretty outspoken about it, but it's drowned out by the dominant ideas about how it's fundamentally a good thing. In general, I love reading your blog. Thanks!
Anonymous asked: Dearest Sarah, your fellow Witsie in Canada is back. I just want to say that having a photograph of themselves is not going to feed these children when they are hungry nor keep them warm when it is cold. When your life lacks the very basic human necessities, 1st world luxuries take a back seat. Also, dude what are we doing living in countries where there is negative temperature??! The North Face...
January 2012
82 posts
Usually I hate memes. However, I feel like in February, it being the most poncey month of them all, this kind of behaviour is overlooked. (Any other takers? Sophia? Sarra? Vina? Erin? Joey? Peer pressure.)
“All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be...”
– Chuck Palahniuk
Welcome to the first mini meltdown of February....
I don’t know why I keep being surprised whenever new months show up. It’s not like they’re unannounced - I know they’re coming at least 28 days in advance, but I just can’t get used to how quickly life goes by.
January was an unmotivated haze of snowy blizzards and frozen, fumbly hands, and I can’t bear to let February be like that. Do you know that for about...
I love you, Japanland
Im sitting on a bus, trundling through downtown Sapporo after having run away from the office (not a single other teacher had left and I always feel awkward and guilty being the first to depart -CATHOLIC GUILT).
Just before I left , I was sitting at my desk ‘working’ and secretly listening to music, when I accidentally pulled my earphones out of my laptop and some loud, obnoxious song...