I went to Japan

Before I go and complain that I only had a mere 5 days of vacation, I realize this is an opportunity that not many get to have, and so I will not be salty about the amount of time I am able to spend travelling. 

Our school calendar is designed in such a way that at the end of each school term (there being four in total), a number of days off are designated to allow the teachers to rest and recover. I usually take advantage of this time to explore little parts of the continent that I  have not yet explored, or that I might find a few friends in. In this case, the end of our first term allowed me 5 days to get a small taste of the land of the rising sun, THE EMPIRE OF Japan.

(just regular Japan)

There are some people I know that idolize and revere this country for its various qualities. I'm not one of those people.Unless it's got a selection of antiquated motorcycles for rent, or an insured 23 year old Buick waiting within its borders, I go into these things with minimal standards and an apathetic attitude.

I'll skip the details of the things said and done there, because pictures , and also because things ran so smoothly that I didn't even embarrass myself ONCE.

There were two things about Japan that were especially evident. Foremost, Japan is a SILENT COUNTRY. You don't speak on the train. You don't speak in the streets. You don't  speak too loudly indoors because the country is inhabited completely by church mice. This is difficult for me. Perhaps I did embarrass myself a few times. I couldn't even roll my small suitcase down most streets because the gentle rumbling noise of the wheels on the pavement was too harsh and disturbing for the tone of the neighbourhood. It was a unique quality that was not all that easy to adapt to. 

Secondly, Japan impressed me with its astounding cleanliness. While this may come as something taken for granted for those who live in Canada, Macau is not a clean place. China is not a clean place. But in Japan, everything of human creation: sidewalks, streets, parks, subway stations, EVERYTHING, was kept in meticulously tidy order. Even the hanging handles on the trains that usually feel greasy, moist or smutzy were sanitary to a level usually reserved for your dinner plate.

The other things you may have thought about the country are also true. Yes, the trains run on time, religiously so. Yes, the people are polite, less than 2 thank you's in an interaction would be surprising. Japan is as thoroughly organized and civilized a country as one could possibly be. I am now back in Macau to begin another term of teaching, and it is just now that I realize the certain things I appreciate most about Japan. Only now, days after my return, that I have realize that I miss the manners, and respect for the environment. 

Hey, also. Thanks for reading this blog. I have a hard time keeping up with what everyone's doing, especially as we all wander off down our own paths and do adult things. I wish I could better track what's going on with everyone, but it's nice to see a few people check out what I've written and posted cause that's neat. Makes the whole thing worth doing, ya know?

September

It's been a whole month. I left Canada on a plane a good 30-some days ago and now it's been an entire month. I feel like it's been a lot longer, but that could be my hazy memory and poor attention to detail. I'm back in Macau for another year of 4th grade teaching. 

I'm really grateful to have seen so many cool people, both new and old since the school year has begun. New staff at our school, other teachers from around town, locals, Portuguese, the lot. There are some pretty cool cats in this city/country, and lots of opportunities to hang out. Best part of it all is they encourage me (directly or indirectly) to break free of my miserable habits and try new stuff. I'm  dressing much better due to the persistent good advice of my room mate, and now playing squash due to the insistence of a buddy of mine. 

Look at those charming characters 

Yup, that's a sport. I play sports, because I own active wear and a water bottle and throw the towel around my neck like an athlete who does sports in active wear. But with the passing of time, contracts expire and we lose a few friends too. I suppose that happens no matter where you go, I'm no special snowflake. 

This year's new batch of kids may be the best yet, although that may just be my perspective, as these students haven't been tarnished by my bad manners and excessive volume. That may yet change yet. Each new year brings new challenges and rewards, but you can read that on an inspirational poster with an artsy cursive font. As you can see by my impeccable MS paint skills, I've protected their privacy and enhanced the photograph simultaneously. 

This isn't Japan. These are steaks.

In a few weeks, I have a period of time off that I'll be using to go to Japan for the first time. I've heard good things about it but I will have to go there for myself to see if it's a country I'm fond of. That should be neat. If you have any recommendations I'll take 'em. 

What a MESS

Macau is still about the same, although with a little less foliage. Now that it's the beginning of year #3, I suppose it would be a good idea to do a little self-improvement since I've got this teacher thing down. Health, creativity, number of neat shirts with cool patterns, who knows. Maybe I'll do some redecorating I still have some lovely framed maps & paintings I'd like to put up, which means drilling holes in walls, putting studs in holes, and hanging pictures securely enough to inflate my ego and assure myself that I can fix anything (the same feeling you get when changing light bulbs and tightening pot lids or cabinet handles). Gotta get ready for a Canadian Thanksgiving extravaganza after all. 

A bunch of pals

While it's only the beginning of the school year, I've been constantly thinking about if and when it's time to leave Asia and return home. Ideas of home loom in my head, ideas of rooming with pals from back home, having chili nights & board games hangs, and driving that Buick of mine in rain, sleet, snow or shine. MMMM-MM. Yessir. Every summer/Christmas I return, I'm reminded of so many of the things I took for granted that I now enjoy so much. 

A mom-cooked meal

It's a decision I'll have to make soon, as applications for teaching positions will open and close relatively quickly. But you're not concerned about that, you're here to see if I screwed up another seemingly simple aspect of life. How rude!

Well, it just so happens that I recently did...  

On the penultimate full day of my summer vacation, after packing my things and paying the collection of parking tickets that I had accumulated, I decided to pull an all-nighter to combat the jet lag and time difference in Macau. I arrived at the airport in Toronto with luggage packed to the limit, and a cozy outfit to make sleeping on the plane a breeze. I arrived at Pearson airport and sat in the lobby to allow my flight's excessively long check-in line to dissipate (this is also part of my scheme to get bumped to business class). Unfortunately, my outfit was a little too cozy, as when I rested my eyes for only a short moment, I slipped out of consciousness for almost two hours.... 
It's in these 'Oh Shit' moments that I lose the arrogance and cavalier attitude towards the things I can and cannot do. You can strategically be the last one to board an airplane in order to plunk yourself down in a business seat, but you cannot get on said airplane if you haven't checked in before the desks close. A very gracious Air Canada employee allowed me to purchase a ticket on the following day's flight for a mere $100, when it could have been ten-times that amount. Perhaps I will take this as a sign to respect the check-in process. Or perhaps not, time will tell. 

It only cost me an extra hundo to do this again

And in a short time, perhaps I'll have more disgraceful experiences to share, who knows.

Take care

Typhoon Hato

What used to be the scaffolding next to our school

Hello again! It's been quite the long absence from writing. I suppose I didn't really put the time aside to keep it up,  perhaps I was content with my surroundings and didn't think to share any new happenings of China-not-China. I would say sorry, but I'm an adult and owe an apology to no one but myself so just be lucky with what you get. 

Wind was strong enough to push this over

In the world of a teacher's head, September is the start of a brand new year. New students, new school policies, new colleagues, and new stories to tell about each of them. Unfortunately, this story is less of the silly type and more of the serious type. 

And knock this down

And rip down trees

And twist this like a stick 

Or just take most of them away completely

This is the north end of town

As a disclaimer - This was a significant natural disaster - There are photos and videos below that represent the intensity of the storm, and accordingly may be uncomfortable to see.Typhoon Hato was the most powerful storm to hit Macau in half a century. Here in Asia, they have a different system to categorize storms. Typhoons, Hurricanes and Cyclones are all the same thing, just with different names. I was not present for the storm, a story I will explain in a later, more light-hearted post. However, the vast majority of my colleagues and friends were in Macau, some at work or away from their homes when it hit. 

In a bit of political dissent (something I don't often do on public forums), the Macau government was very late in issuing a serious storm warning to residents. If you follow local news at home, you may recall forecasters tracking storms and predicting their landfall and intensity, usually giving lots of warning time. For whatever reason, that didn't take place in the South China sea last week. 

On the morning of Wednesday, August 23rd, even after Hong Kong and mainland China had emergency warnings issued that closed businesses, schools & government offices, in Macau there was no serious warning until the storm was almost upon the city. Locals were ill-prepared, some people were even caught at work, out running errands or even in the streets. You might notice buses & vehicles still travelling the roads, and pedestrians trying to make their way to their homes/shelter. This is the consequence of such a late warning being issued. There is still some debate over why things transpired the way that they did (indecisive weather services, a reluctance on the part of the many casinos to provide typhoon weather overtime pay to its many employees, etc.), I hear different things as I watch my facebook feed. Ultimately, a very embarrassing and shameful job on the part of the government. (Let's hope I don't lose my work visa for saying that...)

Here is a link to Time's report of the storm
http://time.com/4917981/typhoon-hato-macau-aftermath/

I'll have to find a new place to get lunch now...

Just a few of the knocked in windows

During the actual chaos (as you can see from the video), the winds were kind of very nuts. Blowing trucks over, ripping trees apart & out of the ground, and sending debris soaring through the air. One particular apartment complex (where quite a few of my friends live) had the vast majority of its windows on all its south-facing buildings blown in (as in, the wind pushed the large panes of glass so hard they shattered and blew into the apartments. I've heard a few funny stories of the shoddy build quality at what presents itself as an upscale living community, but that is the most surprising (and concerning) bit of news I've heard in that respect. I've been told stories by friends & colleagues of having to sit in the bathrooms/corridors of their apartments to stay away from potentially harmful blow-ins. The fact that the wind also carries chunks of trees, garbage, shop signs, and random rusty metal bits (courtesy of the construction sites which leave them lying around), I'm not surprised that a lot of people were worried about their buildings being peppered with not-so-fun surprises.

You may have heard about Hurricane Harvey that recently hit Texas and the Caribbean. In comparison, wind speeds and intensity was similar (Harvey was a little stronger), while damage costs were much higher in the U.S. & Central America largely due to the more widespread flooding. Nasty stuff.

Macau is now looking quite a bite more bare and ravaged. Trees have been largely torn down or dismembered, many shops are missing their large metal hanging signs, vehicles (especially buses) have lost a lot of glass, and there is of course the flood damage to neighbourhoods in the north end of town. 

I'm grateful that those I know in Macau stayed safe and were unhurt by the storm, although I can't say that about all the locals. Definitely a powerful and humbling force of nature that is not often seen.

---

Go Travel, You Dingus!

This is Macau, so I'm technically not travelling in this pic...

I like to travel. It's fun. You might like to travel too. It's fun. If you want to travel, read this. If you don't, you're not fun and you can go kick rocks. I won't give you advice on how to do it, but I will give you advice on how NOT to do it, since I've done that already. So here goes. 


Before You Pack
If you're not sure where you want to go, there are lots of travel blogs (like one written by a charming and charismatic Canadian based in Macau) to help you ignite your imagination. When people ask me where to go (since I'm such a wise and trusted source of information), I'd say to let your interests guide you. You'll likely be pleasantly surprised by the things you discover in an unfamiliar place. But I'll probably say to come visit me and I'll take care of the rest.  

I won't smile for pictures tho

Having a passport helps

Unless you've got a large stash of drug/oil/international school salary money readily at your disposal for such an expedition, it might help to save up for your trip. Asking your parents for their credit card information is made more embarrassing when you admit to needing a bailout for things such as bus passes and concert tickets. I put a little money away every so often. This also means it doesn't auto go into my belly via pizza, beer or large amounts of chicken wings. It works better than you'd think, and you can trust me because I teach 4th grade math.  Your local bank will probably do the best job of giving you the currency you want, although they can also give you currencies you don't want. 

Now it's time to... 

Book your Shit

Google Flights has a couple neat features that make brainstorming and booking pretty easy. SkyScanner is another website that has a handy 'flight rating' system that helps to balance the cost, duration and convenience of a trip into a quantifiable score (in case you didn't realize a 14 hour layover & change of airport would be an inconvenience), but your choices are many. You can also stowaway on a container ship and see where it takes you, that could be fun. 

This place came with a nice cat

If you've never looked into AirBnB, it's a pretty darn neat program. It's an online program that allows travelers (or homeowners) to rent a bed, room or entire place in the city of your choice. It's often cheaper than a hotel, more comfortable & private than a hostel, and can cater to your preferences & taste. Heck, I even use it to look at people's apartments because I'm a snoop and need guidance on how to make my own place look respectable. It also means you can rent trendy places and pretend you're a sophisticated adult.

Or, if you're an employed adult who likes the sophistication and service of a hotel, there are ways to pair flight deals with. Travel websites like Expedia & the other ones have all kinds of handy promotions to entice you into using their services.  

One last thing, it's helpful to learn a few key phrases because it's polite & convenient for those place that aren't so English friendly. A few important ones I stick with are:
- "Thank You", because your mother taught you to use your goddamn manners
- "That one, please", because food is tasty and it's important to keep putting it in your face
- "Where is the Toilet", because that food is sometimes disagreeable and you need the facilities to deal with this new and urgent situation. 

Go Have Fun
The rest is up to you really. You're an adult, do what you want. 

Go by yourself and be majestic

Go with friends and share an experience

Touch the bugs

Taste coffee from a weasel's digestive system

Make friends with funny animals

Get sunburned at the beach

Put too many chilis in your pho

Appreciate architecture

Smell the spices 

Get nostalgic 

Eat things that look like rocks

Look at city lights and say 'neat'

Look at old things and say 'neat'

Drive cars to neat places

Don't crash cars in neat places

Stay hydrated 

Write to your friends

Look at things you don't understand

Go on a hike

Stay very hydrated

Collect funny money

Do impractical things

In the end, maybe you have a good time, maybe you get food poisoning and stay in the musty hostel for the entire trip. Doesn't matter, you'll have some good instagram material and a few more stamps in your passport. It may even make you appreciate home a little more.