Weddings Japanese Style

There is a shocking lack of Japanese culture in Japan. When I was sitting in the States with my National Geographic I was picturing a place where everyone wore kimonos and commuted in rickshaws and sat on the floor eating noodles with chopsticks. I expected gilded temples and buddhas and pagodas.

But Japan is extremely modern, and in the process of modernizing they Westernized as well. My first impression of Okinawa was neon. There were so many lights that I couldn't even find the stoplights. There were modern concrete and glass buildings and traffic jams. The first "attraction" I was taken to was a giant ferris wheel on top of a mall. We drank Starbucks coffee. Aside from the fact that the signs were in Japanese, I could have been on a street in LA.

Oh well, I thought. It's probably just this part of the city. I assumed that if I drove away from downtown I would find "real Japan." Well it took a significant amount of driving, flying, train travel, and walking to get there, but I found "real Japan" in Nara this last trip.

This is a traditional wedding at a traditional shrine in traditional Nara:

Complete with kimonos...
And a rickshaw...It's a beautiful country if you know where to look!

It's Been a While

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. My excuse is that I've been busy (it happens when you work three jobs and go to grad school at the same time), and Peter's excuse is that he has unreliable internet access. So here's an update:

Peter spent about six weeks doing sustainment training in Kuwait in January. That meant he spent a lot of time sleeping in a tent and herding sheep and camels off the firing range so he could practice shooting his rifle. Since then details about his whereabouts have been pretty hazy. He is back on his ship and they are sailing somewhere, but not headed home yet. He spent a few days in Dubai, and I believe that was the last time he was on solid ground (although who knows what he isn't allowed to tell me). The bad news was that his deployment was extended by a month, so now the earliest I will see him is June. I am planning to fly back to the States to see him when the boat comes in, but that depends on my work schedule.


I have been busy working, studying, and traveling. I decided that individual tutoring in the classroom for college algebra was taking too much of my time, so I filmed my entire series of college algebra lectures and posted them online. The thought was that now I can send the videos out to students and "tutor" without leaving the comfort of my home. It was a great plan, but it was a lot of work. I am in the midst of my Masters program. I recently finished a course on curriculum and lesson planning, and now I am taking a research class - because it wouldn't be graduate work without research.


I also spent the past two weeks visiting with my parents, who came to visit me in Japan. We spent the first week hanging out here in Okinawa, where their sightseeing was slightly hampered by an order restricting Americans to the military bases. Luckily, the restrictions were lifted a couple days before they left, so they did get to see a few of the sights. We left Okinawa together to travel to mainland Japan, where we visited the cities of Nara, Himeji, and Kyoto. The photos included in this blog are some of my favorites from the trip. If I am feeling bloggingly enthusiastic, maybe I will post more soon.

Love to all,
Kristin

PS - To anyone who is interested, my brother has a blog too: sdelalla.blogspot.com. Check it out to see some of his artwork - he's pretty amazing!