The Tropical Girl's Guide for Surviving Winter in Japan Part 2

Wow... took me a whole year to write the sequel to my winter survival tips article. Last year, I and my colleagues experienced our first-ever winter in Japan and it was a real challenge. When this year's winter rolled around, we were a bit more prepared than before.

Compared to last year's winter, this winter is definitely colder. Last year we had exactly one snow day that lasted about half a day. This year, we had a snow day where the white landscape lasted for a week and a half. After this episode, we had several more snow days and it was really nice but annoying. (Snow looks really nice and all, but I really hate it.)

So as promised I am giving several tips for keeping your room warm in the winter.

Tip #1

Mind the Flooring

Insulating the floor is one of the first steps in keeping your room warm. If you have your space heater on and warming the place everything is moot if the floor is not insulated. So if your room is not lined with tatami, you can consider going to a recycle shop or a second-hand shop to get those hot carpets (ホットカーペット). Or even a simple non-heated carpet will do as long as the heat does not escape as fast.

It's really nice and warm to sit on

Tip #2

Get a Bed Heater/Electric Blanket (電気毛布ーでんきもうふ）

Most heaters in Japan have a 3-hour timer that has them auto shutdown. So in the morning, you might find your little tootsies near frozen. One cheap and convenient way to address this is by buying a bed heater or otherwise known as an electric blanket. I got one for about 2000 円from Amazon JP. This can be set to a comfortable medium setting and should keep you toasty till the morning.

I have this exact one at home

Tip # 3

Insulate your Windows

If your room loses heat through the floor, it does too with your windows. One way to conserve heat is to insulate your windows with bubble wrap or the window insulating material that you can buy off a 100 yen store. It's temporary, won't damage the window (because that matters especially for your security deposit), and is quite cheap. All you have to do is to spritz the windows generously with water and let the bubble wrap cling on to the wet glass. Voila, this allows the heat from the sun to enter the room but contains the heat a little longer when the sun goes down. 

And when you're stress, you can pop the bubbles!

Tip #4

Get Warm Beddings

These usually go on sale in every home improvement store and department stores once autumn comes around. These are the heavier, chunkier, fleecier (is that even a word??) types of blankets that surface when the colder seasons come along. Don't be afraid to layer a blanket upon a blanket.

The bed beckons...

First Day High

Atarashii Kotoba

O hisashiburi desu ne - It's been a while... Typically an expression used when you haven't seen someone, or something in a while.
Konnichiwa - good day. Generic greeting for anyone. Usually used from 10 am till there is daylight.
Hanami - sakura (cherry blossom) viewing
Zairyuu card - Residence card issued to us when we first landed in Japan as ryuugakusei.
Ryuugakusei - Foreign exchange student
Yakuba - Town hall
Kokumin Kenko Hokenshou - National Health Insurance card
obento - packed lunch
arubaito - part time job

First Day High

Konnichiwa!!! O hisashiburi desu ne!

Wow, seriously, it has been a long time. Hahaha! Sorry for not updating you guys in a long while. Life as a working student here in Japan can be quite time consuming and basically, tiring. But, all in a day's work. Now, a lot has gone down since the last entry. We've experienced snow (for a day), our first hanami, we've also taken the JLPT N4 exams back in July, we experienced the Oarai summer, and a lot more. I will probably make entries on those, hopefully once a week. (Or once in two weeks, if time permits.)


So going back to the 711 crew series.

After arriving and settling and exploring for a day in Oarai, we went to school for the first time. We had our bikes and we set out to retrace the way to school after being shown where the school was, exactly once.

Since we girls lived together and since it was our first day, we all agreed to go to school together. Using our super sharp memories, we set out in search for our school and where it was exactly. Needless to say, we nearly ended up in Hitachinaka because, well we forgot to turn left at the 711 corner.

So after a bit of struggle with the language barrier and such...Leizel was able to ask for directions and got us to school with ample time to take a picture.

Us on our first day.

I wouldn't say it was our first day of school exactly, it was more of an entrance exam of sorts. We were made to take a Japanese language aptitude test to see which student goes to what class. Thankfully enough, and since there were only 7 of us, we all ended up in the same class. After the exam, we had a quick interview to asses our speaking skills.

With all the assessments done, we were then whisked away to the Yakuba to have our zairyuu cards stamped with our addresses and for the issuance of our Kokumin Kenko Hokenshou.

We were then given the rest of the day off.

The next day, we had the opening ceremony where the officers of the school were introduced, as well as short speeches from each officer. There was also a garbage disposal orientation (Japan is very particular with garbage disposal. Schedules, sorting, etc.) picture taking for the school ID, and a quick round robin of introductions from the students. Our particular batch of students is quite small so we were all asked to make self introductions in Japanese.

With the whirlwind of events all done, we then had to fill out bank application forms to open our very first Japanese bank account. In preparation for this, our names were written one by one on the board by our Japanese teacher and we had to copy these for our bank forms.

And that's how our first day of school went.

Again, we were given the rest of the day off with the reminder to bring obento for the next day because we start with arubaito after class.

See you next time for the next episode. ^___^

A Day in the Life of the Filipino Students in Oarai

For more information on Oarai International Exchange Academy, you can contact me via Facebook or Instagram, or by commenting on this article. 

Life in a different country is never easy. You are far from family, friends, loved ones, and the comforts of home. Everything might look fun and glamorous in picture-perfect pictures but those, are but moments. A fleeting glimpse at the everyday life of a person.

We are the first Filipino student delegates of the Oarai International Exchange Academy (大洗国際交流アカデミー), a Japanese language school set in the quaint little coastal town of Oarai in the Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. We came to Japan with minimal knowledge of the language and have been, since arriving, consistently learning and improving our grasp of the language. Life in Japan, in Oarai in particular, has been quite the adventure with all the ups and downs and everything in between. Our life here is full of discoveries, realizations, little victories, a lot of tears, and a lot of hard work. We always look like we're having fun in pictures because, to tell the truth, we are. But the fun is just the tip of the iceberg.

Our first ever group photo.

Upon arriving in Oarai, we were overwhelmed by the stark difference in cultures. Some of us have experiences in traveling abroad but nothing could have prepared us for what was in store. We are all full-blooded Filipinos and have all been raised the Filipino way. Of course, each family has its own values and traditions, but generally speaking, we are Filipinos through and through. Needless to say, our first challenge was the language and culture barrier. Unlike traveling abroad for leisure, coming to a town like Oarai was a culture shock. Virtually no one speaks English and those who do, barely speak the language.

Our home away from home, 711.

The only place of comfort and familiarity was the local 711 store. It became our hangout, go-to place, and lifesaver. We went to 711 mainly for the internet connection and for the clean and comfortable toilet. This may seem funny but going to the toilet also presented a challenge as the toilet seats get freezing cold and the water to wash with feels like it came from Antarctica, so a warm toilet seat and a bidet are quite the lifesaver.

The 711 nights.

Another battle to fight was the daily bout of homesickness. Especially for those with kids they left behind, it was almost debilitating. For me personally, homesickness hit me around 3 months in. The adrenaline rush of settling into a foreign place kept me occupied and when finally everything settled into a routine, that's when it hit real hard. But thankfully enough, we kept each other sane, providing support and comfort whenever one needs it.

School started soon after we arrived, and we were introduced to our part-time jobs right after. Now, we seven came from different occupations and industries. A couple of us are teachers and entrepreneurs, one is an insurance expert and hotel connoisseur, a few come from different technical industries. We were all used to office work and, so to say, professional jobs. Who would have thought that upon arriving in Japan, we would all embark on our first manual labor stint.

The Philippine Farmers, in Japan.

We worked at a sweet potato product company. They make dried sweet potato (ほしいも) of different kinds, shapes, and sizes. So everything from harvesting to packing, we were involved in. Now, this is a perfectly normal job in Japan. But for us who are not used to manual labor, the struggle is real. Some of us broke down in tears from the exhaustion and exertion. It was not a glamorous job like we imagined, but, we are proud to say, we survived it all.

Winter Wonderland!

We have only been here for a few months, and we still have a lot to encounter, a lot of challenges to overcome, and a lot of mountains to conquer, but as long as we have each other and the support of those around us, we are sure to succeed. Every day is a new day, and every day is another step closer to our goals. Years from now, we might find ourselves on different paths, but we will be eternally grateful that at one point, this is where it all started. In our hometown away from home, our Oarai.

The First Batch

The Tropical Girl's Guide for Surviving Winter in Japan Part 1

I am a tropical girl. And I love it! I love the sun, the heat, the tan you get from walking from your car to the mall entrance. I love everything about the tropics. Okay, maybe not everything, because I do hate the flies and mosquitoes and the smell of dried sweat. But still, I am happy with the muggy temperature of my homeland.

I was thrown into a whirlwind of events when I decided to go for my dream of going to study in Japan. And to add the cherry on top of my ice cream sundae, I was set to fly and arrive right smack in the middle of autumn. Not bad, cool weather, red leaves and all.

And then the temperature starts dropping.

And dropping.

And... now, daily, we get -7 degrees Celsius every morning.

Quick disclaimer...I am by no means an expert in surviving the freezer-like temperatures but this is a memoir on how I am currently surviving the sub-zero temperatures.

So, how will a girl, who loves the sun and the heat so much, survive winter in a coastal town with a sub-zero daily temperature?

Okay, this is going to be part one and we will talk about how to keep yourself (like literally your body) warm during winter. I will make another post regarding how to keep warm at home next time.

Tip#1
Layer, on top of layer, on top of layer!

Coming from a tropical country, I have never, in my entire life, needed to wear thermal underwear. Heck, I didn't even know such a thing existed. But these warm overall, long johns kinda things will save your life. Uniqlo will be your new best friend with their HeatTech apparel that you can purchase for cheap. (They tend to go on sale a lot) Also, don't be afraid to wear 3 or 4 layers of thermal underwear... believe me when I say that shivering is not a fun thing to do when you're out and about.

Also, look out for flea markets from time to time. We are blessed that Oarai holds a flea market called "Free market" in the Marine tower grounds twice a month and we were able to score winter coats and jackets for as low as 300 yen.

And, forget about fashion. Just dress warmly. Thankfully enough, people here dress weirdly that no one really notices that you're not color coordinated and all.

Tip#2
Moisturize!!!

Japanese winters can be so dry. To think that this is a coastal town. On the first week, (it wasn't even winter then) I got what was called a windburn. My skin was literally hurting like when you get a sunburn, only this was due to the cold wind blasting in your face. So the best way to make sure you don't start peeling like old paint on a plaster wall is to moisturize. My go-to products are the classic Nivea creme, Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, Nivea Extra Repair Lotion (boys, this is scentless so this will work wonders for you!), Nivea Vitamin E Moisture lip (no scent, no tint, and flavor as well) and the Nivea soft for face, hand, and body for my on-the-go moisturizing needs. Works for boys and girls. Most of the products I am showing here are scentless and gender-neutral.

My winter moisturizing arsenal

Tip#3
Buy winter gloves, winter socks, and invest in earmuffs!

Nothing hurts more than your toes and fingers freezing to bits. Like literally, it hurts!!! Not to mention your ears. Invest in a pair of gloves that are waterproof and are similar in material to winter jackets. If all else fails, a friend recommended ski gloves. A bit bulky and annoying, but they should do well in keeping your digits from freezing off.

As for socks, you can buy those from 100 yen shops available all over Japan. Just buy 5-6 pairs and you should be fine. Provided you do laundry every week.

As for earmuffs, if you can't seem to find a pair, you can make do with mufflers and winter hats that cover the ears. Believe me when I say that it hurts like a (female dog) if you leave your ears exposed. You'd do well to invest in 2 or 3 beanies and you should scrape by.

Bonus note: the same friend who recommended the ski gloves also recommends rainboots and raincoats to help fend off the cold winter. I tried it personally and it helps!!! You just look weird wearing a raincoat in sunny weather, but hell, I'm cold!

Tip#4
Kairo!

Boy, you have got to love the Japanese and their brains! Kairo packs are little iron and something-filled packs that once exposed to oxygen creates an exothermic reaction thus creating heat up to such time the chemical reaction is complete. (Okay, that sounded a little nerdy, but I'm so sorry, I just can't help myself, I love science and math!) These things can be bought literally anywhere in Japan during the winter season. They come in different shapes, sizes, stick-able and nonadhesive, special foot kairo, and so on. How to use it? Just rip open the packet and expose it to oxygen. This can be a real lifesaver when you no longer can produce your own heat fast enough. 

A word of advice, these things can literally burn you so if you are going for the adhesive-backed ones, don't stick to skin. Only on clothes. 

*時 (ji)- denotes approximately how many hours the kairo should give off heat. Try to remember this kanji.

Tip#5

Keep the Neck Warm!

Okay, I've only been here for 4 months so I can't claim to understand tv shows just yet, but I happened to see one of these shows that were conducting a comparative experiment on how to wear mufflers to keep you the warmest. So I won't go into detail regarding that but I have concluded from that short clip and my own personal experience that the more you keep your neck (and ears) warm, the less cold you'll be. So again, like the bargain hunter that I am, I recommend you visit your local 100 yen shop for boa neck warmers, scarfs, and mufflers. 

So these tips should keep you warm enough to live another day. But, as promised, I will be writing part 2 for this survival guide. That time, I will be talking about how to keep your room warm, what stuff to invest in, and a few tricks that are keeping me warm at home.

Kirei Ja Arimasen!

Atarashii Kotoba

Kirei - beautiful
~ja arimasen - negative form (this is appended to an adjective, noun, or adverb indicative of the negative version of said word)
hai - yes
iie - no
kudasai - please
arigatou gozaimasu -thank you very much
sumimasen - excuse me
gomenasai - I'm sorry
ohayou gozaimasu - Good morning
konnichiwa - Hello/good day

Kirei ja arimasen!
This is a side story of an on-going joke we have amongst the group. The next episode is still in the works. ;p

Upon landing in Japan, we were armed with our very, VERY limited vocabulary of the Japanese language. Of course we know the basics such as: hai, iie, kudasai, arigatou gozaimasu, ohayou gozaimasu, sumimasen, gomenasai and konnichiwa. We also know a few descriptors here and there, some we've heard from anime, some from friends and some from family members who have settled here in Japan.

Kirei is an adjective used to describe something beautiful, clean, and pristine. But mostly, when referring to people, it means beautiful.

Because, we are.

Now, from the very first day we have been in Japan, Jerome has this habit of asking anyone and everyone (but most of the time it's either Carol or Regine) "Are you beautiful?". He asks this usually in our native tongue, but since we are learning Japanese after all, he tends to ask this in Japanese as well.

Carol-san wa, kirei desu ka? (Carol, are you beautiful?)

With which he promptly answers his own question with:

Kirei ja arimasen!!!

"Are you beautiful?!"

I know the story seems senseless but it's funny because even with our lessons, this particular string of words keep following us around.

On our first day in the factory:

Most of the things the people we work with say, we basically and hopelessly could not understand. But one word apparently stuck, it was making sure that the packing was kirei. 



In school, learning about adjectives:

We were taught that kirei is a "-na" form adjective. It is used to describe people, places, and objects that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

And when we were learning about negatives (ja arimasen)

And recently when we were learning about the casual form of speech. (kirei janai!)

I know that this is not the end of the Kirei ja arimasen series. But I wanted to make an entry regarding this so as not to forget.

Now let me end this entry with a picture worth...well you decide! Hahaha!

The Legend of the 711 Crew

The Legend of the 711 Crew

After arriving in Oarai and initially settling down in our respective apartments, one major problem hit us like a ton of bricks. We were hopelessly and totally disconnected from the net and have no way of communicating with loved ones, friends, families, enemies, and whoever else in the world.

Now, I for one, was overly excited to share everything I'm seeing and experiencing with my family and my best friend. But since our phones don't have sim cards,don't work and were not really compatible with Japanese networks, (we haven't actually tried since prepaid sim cards are not really a thing here and they are not really big on selling just sim cards. I'll probably make a post regarding that as well...maybe soon.) we were, in a word, screwed.

We had hoped that the apartments we were to be provided will have had internet set up for us, but unfortunately, they didn't. So here we were, miles and an ocean away from home, stranded in a small coastal, a bit old fashioned and totally remote town (with the nearest McDonald's about a 15-20 minute bike-ride away) with no internet connection.

And thus came our lifesaver:

711 Oarai Ekimae Dori

On our first night, we stayed till 10 pm. It was cute since we were all seated in a row, by the light of 711, each busy with our own video calls and chats. Everyone was eager to get in touch with family back home. Here we were, 7 strangers thrown together in a strange place in a foreign land. Imagine, the first time we all met in person was in the airport, for our flight, to Japan.  711 became the central venue for us to meet and get together, whether we wanted to or not. You could say it became our "headquarters".

Since we arrived on a Sunday, the town was very quiet and not many cars were around. We spent the time eating, talking, sharing and bonding on that first night in Oarai.  The next day, Oct 10th was a national holiday so we were given the day to spend for ourselves.

We never really made plans on what we would do or where we would go. But everyone, unknowingly, got together in 711. It was like fate, like destiny, like... like... okay I'm out of descriptors. Anyway, this became our sort of habit. And that continued on for the next few weeks that we would all unknowingly meet up in 711, planned and unplanned, on and off.

Since the boys and girls have separate apartments, 711 became the avenue for us to grow closer and get to know each other more. Whenever we would go on one of our shenanigans (of course initiated by the alpha Jerome), 711 is always our go to place.

Internet connection was the biggest issue thus far that we have encountered on our first land fall in our quaint little town of Oarai. And 711 was our biggest and most generous supporter during our first few weeks. It was the place that served as our mini refuge and lifesaver.

And thus, we dubbed ourselves as the Oarai Ekimae Dori 711 Crew, the lost girls and boys of Oarai.

A special word of thanks to Japan Connected-free Wifi app by NTT Broadband Platform Inc. that gave us additional connectivity during our early days here.


Till next time!

As for the next episode... First day of School. First Day High!!!

Jiko Shoukai: Presenting the Oarai Isohamacho 711-Crew

Atarashii Kotoba (New Words)
From this post forward, I will start the post with the Atarashii Kotoba section to introduce a few basic Japanese phrases, words, and expressions to help you with learning a little bit of Japanese while being entertained with the colorful life of Silak.

Jiko shoukai - self- introduction

The 711 Crew


I arrived in Japan on the 9th of October 2016. I arrived here on an early morning plane with 6 other Filipinos for the commencement of our life as students in Japan. We were part of a program that allowed us to study and work part-time in an international language exchange school for the next year and a half.

Now, before the trip, none of these 7 people (myself included) have ever met in person. We may have chatted online via Facebook once or twice, but we were complete strangers to each other. So to make sure everybody is on the same page with the subsequent posts of the future, we will be doing a quick jiko-shoukai of the 711-crew.

Sunshine

Yours truly. I am the author and writer of this little story.

I am a blogger, a nerd, a control freak, and somewhat a shopaholic. I love Japanese food, and I hate the cold weather. I love dressing cute, and I am particularly fond of boots. I usually wander off alone and am a bit of a weirdo. I have loved Japan and its culture for a long time. I am also a bit of an explainer with a compulsion to explain everything.




Jerome

Jerome is the alpha of the group. He tends to be the bossiest of them all but is also the voice of reason most of the time. He is the instigator of most of the escapades the group has. He has a powerful personality, and tends to end every sentence with "charot." Jerome can very well be the life of any party, and can definitely light up a room with his presence. This guy never goes unnoticed.



Liezel

Leizel is the little explorer of the group that tends to get lost and discover places all on her own. She is the epitome of the independent woman, able to do anything and everything on her own.  She is spunky and sweet but is a bit strict. Well, of course, she is a teacher. One more thing to love about Leizel is her friendliness and being approachable even with strangers. She has a healthy curiosity for life and culture, and basically anything under the sun.




Richard

Richard is the eldest and the father figure of the group. He is the voice of maturity and is the kindest and most caring among the crew. He is quiet most of the time and can be caught in contemplative pauses from time to time due to the struggle of missing his family back home. But, this has never stopped him from doing his job and whatever is required of him. Don't let that quiet facade fool you though, this guy is well equipped with throwing perfectly timed punchlines, enough to get everyone rolling on the floor laughing.




Regine

Regine is the second youngest of the group and tends to be a little bit headstrong at times. She is always on the go and can go for weeks without rest. She always gives her one hundred percent at work, and will always be able to live up to what needs to be done. She loves fun, can be a little rough around the edges, and a bit scaredy, but this sweetheart definitely has a lot of potentials.





Toshi

Toshi is the artistic soul of the group. As is obvious with the picture. He tends to be dramatic in his pictures and is full of artistic ideas. He is also musically inclined and has a nice set of pipes according to the alpha. He is the mysterious guy that seems to keep his activities on the down-low. He is the number one Japan lover among the crew and is the most knowledgeable regarding anything Japanese.





Carol

Carol is the youngest of the group and is our little ray of sunshine. Her laughter is one that does not go unnoticed. She is our little homebody that takes a lot of coaxing to get out of the house to explore our little hometown. She always has a lot of food to share from day one and loves going on group activities. She is the youngest but definitely not the weakest. This girl has faced many struggles and is one who can face anything the world throws at her.




And there we have it, folks. The 711 crew of Oarai study and work program. In the next episode, we will be regaling you with the story behind how these 7 people became the 711 crew.

The First Day in Oarai

 Our flight left Manila at around 12:30 in the early morning and we were provided with one hot meal prior to our arrival to Japan. We arrived at Narita airport at around 5 in the morning. We then waited for our van to pick us up and we proceeded with our 2-hour drive to the town of Oarai in Ibaraki-ken.

The first day was a flurry of events that I may have forgotten a lot of already. But let me try to reconstruct as much of what I can remember.

We arrived in Oarai at roughly around 10 in the morning. The first stop was at the school's office to pick up some provisions that we will be given. We were provided with futons, dishes, basic household items, etc. After which we were shown to our respective apartments. We were dropped off and told to be ready in an hour, we will be picked up at around 1 pm. So we hurriedly unloaded our stuff and picked rooms.

At around 1 indeed our teacher picked us up from the apartment for lunch.

This was the first encounter I had with a Japanese supermarket. Now what I love about Japanese supermarkets are the bento boxes you can buy. I'll have a separate post on supermarket food. But for that day I settled with yakisoba and sparkling water. (The sparkling water was a mistake. I thought it was plain water.) We then proceeded with a hurried tour of our new home town.

We were taken to our school and then to a household store that sells anything you might need for your homes like tools, soaps, heaters, and the occasional water and noodles. It's basically a hardware store with some items from the grocery and the pharmacy.
Our school provided us with bicycles (jitensha) for us to use to get to school and to get to various places here. Oarai is such a small town that you can use your bike to get to anywhere around town.

Our bicycles.

Here's a funny anecdote of what happened next. After the purchase of our bikes, we were told to bike our way back to the apartment. This is just for us to get used to the route going to and from home. So as we proceeded to plow our way back, we got lost that our teacher had to look for us. We agreed to meet back at 711 just in case we got lost (which we did). And this 711 in Isohamacho, became our sort of go-to place since we all didn't have internet and we were all anxious to inform our families back in the Philippines that we are okay.

And from that point forward, we became the 711 crew.
In my next post, I'll be writing about the 711 crew and its colorful cast.

Youkoso! Welcome to Japan!

Around October or November of 2014, I was mindlessly scrolling around Facebook when I came across a page offering a study and work program in Japan. And, like so many times before, I just gave it a mindless try, thinking that it was going to end up like most of my failed endeavors of going to the Land of the Rising Sun.

As far back as I can remember, Japanese animation has been part of the Philippine airwaves. With Voltes V and Daimos at the helm, not counting Bioman, Shaider, Ultraman and a few other shows I have forgotten, the Japanese influence can really be felt. But, it was with the early 90's animania that really left a mark in my young brain that I subconsciously pursued up until now.

A little bit of history regarding my childhood:

I became hooked with Japanese anime with the dawn of Sailormoon. Growing up, I was actually not allowed to watch TV except Friday nights and throughout the weekend. Screen time ends on Sundays, 8 pm. So fortunately for me, Sailormoon airs on Saturdays (feel free to comment if I'm wrong since my memory isn't exactly razor sharp anymore :p). 

Everything after that is all a Jpop blur. There was Magic Knight Rayearth, Ranma 1/2, then Rurouni Kenshin, Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball, Card Captor Sakura, Fushigi Yuugi, Legend of Escaflowne, and the list goes on. It's kind of nostalgic looking back on those anime fangirling days. I'd be happy to discuss some of the shows mentioned here and would be happy to hear about other shows you remember from that era.

I'll probably write a separate post on anime soon, but for now that should be enough background.

So all through out elementary and high school, the Japan fever burned on. I started learning about the writing styles and wanted to learn the language. I wanted to go to Japan eventually but it was never really a reality and had always been a far off dream.

But now, Here I am!

The First Batch

I am now officially a lost girl in Japan. In the next few posts, I will be writing about my adventures in this quaint little town of Oarai where I am currently a student and a part timer. I will be working in collaboration with my classmates (I am not a particularly snap happy person so I will be regularly be stealing their pictures for reference -just kidding! All pictures will be properly credited to owners) to chronicle our bumbling, stumbling, action-packed adventures here. 

Giving up the dream

This post is long overdue. About, a little over 2 years overdue. I have changed my blog's name to integrate it with my new blog that is more centered and I would say more of the real ME.

I started this blog to document my journey supposedly to being someone I wished to be. But as what always happens with me, I keep changing my mind. In my head I think, "all this time and you still don't know yourself well enough to know that at one point you will have to accept the fact that you are just dreaming?" The impossible dream is as what it claims to be... An impossible dream.

Despite the decision to give up, deep in my heart I still have that longing to be a doctor. But, let's face it... I'm too old to start with this and I do have my little angel to care for. Maybe this journey isn't about who I want to be, but who I'm meant to be.

February of 2011, I gave up my job teaching English online to go back to a job I really did not want to be in so as for me to save up for tuition to take up Med School supposedly about now, June 2012. I set up goals and a strict budget plan to save up for the expenses I am expecting. I laid everything out. How much I will be allocating for living expenses, for my sweetheart's upkeep, I was willing to live the way I had been living when I was earning 1/3 the amount I will be earning with my new company. So I went and got re-hired with this company, and everything started according to plan.

It started that way anyway.

Before long, I was back to my old ways again. Living paycheck to paycheck. Going on shopping sprees and spending more than I could cover each pay period, getting deep into debt again, the list goes on. What happened to my good intentions I so nobly started with? My resolutions? Flushed down the loo I guess. 2011 for me was one hell of a year. I regret a lot of things that happened then, but I did get to enjoy myself a lot as well. The question remains though, was everything really worth it? I learned a lot during this last fall I had, but what of the time I wasted? Where were the dreams of nobility, of being a doctor, self sacrifice, all those seemingly empty words I have spewed over and over and over again?

It's a vicious cycle.

I hit rock bottom. My attitude suddenly takes a turn for the better. I am given a break. I start with a world of good intentions. I meet someone. I forget my resolutions. I fall into the pit again. My family bails me out. I hit rock bottom. And on it goes...

Thankfully enough, maturity hits, at one point or another. Each time the cycle starts, I mature a little bit. I learn a little bit. I finally came to terms with the issues I've been having and all that. I finally came into terms with the issues I've been having. I finally see the cycle. I can make a conscious effort to break free. But as with any bad habit, it is one tough bitch to break.

After the fall of 2011, the rock bottom of 2012 commenced.

I went back to my pattern of perennial absences, lates and all. I started losing interest in my job and had to drag my ass off bed, swearing the hell of having to get up at 3 am to get to shift, every single freaking day. The job took a turn for the worse where the only break you can catch is that breathing room of half a minute before the next call comes in. In addition to that, I had a lot of things to pay off. I hated my life, and my life hated me. The feeling was mutual. 2012 was a really hard year for me and I couldn't wait for it to be over.

A peek at the silver lining.

2012 was not a total loss though. Late 2012, my mom succeeded in nagging me into inquiring about the teacher certification program in one of the nearby colleges.  I do have a degree in engineering but it seems that unknowingly, I have a skill, and a liking to teaching. I just made the deadline for the upcoming November class qualifiers then. In other words, I went in for an inquiry, I ended up signing up for the class. And I would like to note that I am thankful for my supervisor backing me up with the management to give me the weekends off to accommodate my class hours. Had I waited another week before the inquiry, I would have ended up taking the next class and missing this opportunity I have right now.

Anyway, 2013 held an air of hope for me. I started the year, not really right, but it was a better start than 2012. In retrospect, it almost seems that the timing is all too perfect for this to have been orchestrated by human hands. And thus, I have completely abandoned the dream of medical nature. It seems that I am not meant to be a doctor, but rather, I was meant to be a teacher.

White Sauce for Pasta: Alfredo vs Carbonara

I first heard the word "carbonara" from a classmate back when I was in elementary. At the time, I had no idea what that was, all I knew was that it was a kind of spaghetti dish. As I started experimenting in the kitchen, I came up with a recipe, cream, cheese, and milk, that I called carbonara, bless my heart, which I so firmly believed it to be. Then, later on, when we finally had paid cable at home, I watched a cooking show, I think it was Nigella Lawson's but I forgot exactly which one, and she made that similar dish but to my surprise, she used eggs and cheese. So to enlighten us a little bit...

Filipino Concept of Pasta (Spaghetti) Dishes

Spaghetti - as the name suggests, this dish uses spaghetti noodles topped with tomato-based meat sauce (to the effect of Bolognese) characterized by a sweet and slightly spicy taste. Now the meat sauce can sometimes contain, hotdogs, sausages, ham, etc. And depending on availability or the amount of spaghetti to be produced, ketchup may be an extender. On top of the sauce is a sprinkle of cheese most commonly cheddar.

Carbonara - most commonly known as white spaghetti (to the effect of Alfredo) sauced with either milk or cream base, meat (either ground pork/beef or bacon bits), and occasionally button mushrooms.

But what exactly is the difference between Carbonara and Alfredo?
*Wait... there's a difference?!*

Pasta Definitions

Alfredo - or more commonly known as Fettuccine Alfredo. It is a pasta dish made from fettuccine pasta tossed with Parmesan cheese and butter

"The Alfredo sauce originated at a restaurant owned by Alfredo de Lelio in Rome back in 1914. It was said that He created a special light dish for his pregnant wife when she could not tolerate heavy tomato sauces. The original Alfredo was egg fettuccine with butter and Parmigiano cheese. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks often stopped into his establishment which in turn attracted other Hollywood actors and the dish was talked about and recreated in America with the addition of heavy cream." [1]

Carbonara - is an Italian pasta dish is based on eggs, cheese (Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano), bacon (guanciale or pancetta), and black pepper.

"As the name is derived from Carbonaro (the Italian word for charcoal burner), some believe the dish was first made as a hearty meal for Italian charcoal workers. The etymology gave rise to the term "coal miner's spaghetti", which is used to refer to spaghetti ala carbonara in parts of the United States. It has even been suggested that it was created by, or as a tribute to, the Carbonari ("charcoal men"), a secret society prominent in the unification of Italy. It seems more likely that it is an urban dish from Rome." [2]


Spaghetti -  is a long, thin, cylindrical pasta of Italian origin. Spaghetti is made of semolina or flour and water. Italian dried spaghetti is made from durum wheat semolina, but outside of Italy, it may be made with other kinds of flour. Traditionally, most spaghetti was 50 cm (20 in) long, but shorter lengths gained in popularity during the latter half of the 20th century and now spaghetti is most commonly available in 25–30 cm (10–12 in) lengths. A variety of pasta dishes are based on it, from spaghetti ala Carbonara or garlic and oil to spaghetti with tomato sauce, meat and other sauces.
Spaghetti is the plural form of the Italian word spaghetto, which is a diminutive of spago, meaning "thin string" or "twine."

What is this heavy, creamy sauce then?

Looking at definitions here, it seems that neither of the two sauces comprise of the heavy cream or milk that we Filipinos have grown accustomed to in white spaghetti. Then upon more scouring on the web, I stumbled upon another white sauce which perfectly describes our beloved white sauce. A far cry from the two other sauces I've thus discussed but is a staple for Lasagne dishes. The Béchamel sauce. But what is this Béchamel sauce that I speak of...

Béchamel sauce (English: /bɛʃəˈmɛl, beɪʃəˈmɛl/[1] French: [beʃamɛl]), also known as white sauce, is one of the mother sauces of French cuisine and is used in many recipes of Italian cuisine, for example lasagne. It is used as the base for other sauces (such as Mornay sauce, which is Béchamel with cheese). [3]

But whatever the sources or origins. We don't really need to get into the nitty-gritty of the details to enjoy a nice creamy/cheesy pasta dish now do we? As long as you make one to suit your, and your loved ones' taste, then all is good. We all have our family secret recipes right?

And now... let me share my own favorite Carbonara recipe :) Enjoy!

Silak's Adapted Carbonara Recipe

Ingredients:

500g Pasta (Spaghetti, fettuccine, or linguine will do fine)
350g grated cheese (if you can find parmesan great, but any grocery available cheese will do)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
250 g ground meat (again, depends on what is available, sausages, pecorino ham,  or plain ground pork)
2 tbsp butter
2 medium-sized eggs (beaten together)
ground black pepper
salt

Procedure:

1. Cook the pasta in salt water. Make sure that the water tastes like seawater to ensure that the pasta seeps in a little bit of the flavor. When the pasta is just about al dente (make sure that it does not quite reach the al dente state, it has to be a little bit hard to bite but already flexible), drain and runs through cold water to arrest the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

2. Melt butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. As soon as the butter is liquefied, add the garlic, continue to cook under medium heat. Do not turn up the heat and take your time with the garlic to ensure that the garlic infuses the butter with flavor. Once the butter appears clear and the garlic soft enough, add the ground meat.

3. Sauté the meat with the garlic until the meat releases some of its own oils. At this point, start adding the ground cheese by the tablespoonful. The cheese should melt as you keep stirring. Add water
(1/4 cup at a time) to help with the melting process. Continue adding cheese and water until all the cheese has been incorporated. You should end with a thick soup-like consistency.

4. Place the same pot where you cooked the pasta in over medium heat, put in the pasta, and pour in the cheese sauce. Mix and make sure that the pasta is evenly coated. This should take about 5 minutes, then turn heat to very low.

5.  Mix in the eggs and make sure that the pasta is evenly coated. Keep mixing to avoid the eggs from curdling. Once you get the smooth creamy consistency of the pasta, remove it from heat but continue mixing.

6. Sprinkle with black pepper and make sure that the pepper bits are visible.