Hello everyone! Sorry it has been longer than I would have liked since my last post. Some of you may have noticed I have made some changes to my website. I have been wanting to do some design upgrades, and I wasn’t comfortable making a post until I was somewhat happy with things. I still have a lot of changes and additions I want to make, but this is a start. I hope you think it looks nice. One major change I hope you all take note of is that the Domain has changed to www.RobMilchling.com. No longer do I have to include that ugly suffix “.wordpress.com” now it is MINE! I am still working on a photo page where I can upload my better photos for you to check out. My main aim is to stay away from blowing up my Facebook page with updates. I figure if people really want to know what is up with me, they can just look on my website. Saying that makes me feel so progressive haha. It has been fun playing with all of the different design options. This whole week I have been putting off studying Japanese to work on this. Bottom line is I really hope everyone likes what I did. And remember, www.RobMilchling.com you can delete the wordpress.com domain name from your history, that is the boring version.
Anywayyyy… This week has been another good one. I partied pretty hard last weekend. Saturday night I went out in Osaka with some coworkers to celebrate someone’s last day at our branch. We all had a good time, but they all ended up heading home by midnight. After I parted ways with work friends I went to meet up with my friend Koichi at a club across town. He was there partying with some of his friends, some of whom I had met before. We stayed at the club dancing until about 5am then went to get some food. I ended up catching the train home at 645am then going straight to bed for a few hours. I was so thankful it was raining that day, made sleeping so much better! I really needed the recharge. I didn’t do much of anything the rest of that day (Sunday). The next day I met up with Greg (friend from training) and his friend, who was visiting from home, in Nara. We went to the park with all the deer. It was more fun with friends, we were messing with the deer a little more. We bought some rice crackers, which are for sale all over the park for people to feed the deer, and went to town. Greg actually fed one a rice cracker he had in his teeth, kind of like “Lady & the Tramp” style. I think he may have even gotten some tongue action in there too. A little weird, but funny. We were trying to see who could get the most deer to follow them, but the deer were not so cooperative. They didn’t give chase because they knew there would be plenty of other people coming by with more food. These deer are quite smart. They even bow to you if you bow to them! I am not even joking.They do it to beg too. It is more of a rock and roll head bang than a bow, but supposedly the monks or priests that live in the temples have taught them how to “bow” over the years. It is really cool.
After we ran out of rice crackers, we wandered up the hill to some of the temples. We went to a very famous one which was closed the last time I was there. It is called Todai-ji temple; this temple is home to a famous statue of Buddha that is almost 50 feet tall. Even before we got inside to see Buddha I decided that this temple was the coolest thing I had seen in Japan so far. This temple was massive. It is so amazing how these people built these things. They are so big, and the architecture is beautiful. The most amazing part is that they never even used nails to build them. It blows my mind. I am definitely going to include some photos of this place for you to see.. After Todai-ji we went to some of the other places I had been the last time I visited this park, then went to get some food before heading home. All in all it was a great weekend, I have had a lot of those lately. There is still a lot to see in this country, so my itinerary is getting pretty full. I have been learning of new places to go faster than I have been able to visit them. In order to see everything I may have to stretch my explorations into the week before work. 
This week I did actually go to see some cherry blossoms one morning before work. My friend and coworker Ayako was asking around the office if anyone wanted to go to this castle that wasn’t too far from work, and of course I said I was in. I have been telling everyone that if there is anything they want to do just let me know and I am there, as long as I don’t already have obligations. Finally someone took me up on it. This castle was not as big as any of the others but it was still very cool. It was like a little village, with several buildings all on top of the hill within the castle walls. The main reason we went was for the cherry blossoms. There are cherry trees everywhere in this country. Some places are very famous and have big cherry blossom parties called Hanami, but there are at least a few cherry trees within sight wherever you go. These Hanami parties remind me of a fair or carnival in the US. There are many vendors in tents lined up alongside of the walkways selling food, toys, candy, they even have games where you can win different things. It looks just like a fair back home, but the feeling is much different. The Japanese love there cherry blossoms, and since they are only around for about 2-3 weeks a year everyone joins in a celebration. It is impossible to describe the feeling at these hanami parties. EVERYONE gets excited about these trees; old people, young people, men, women, it is a huge deal. I feel very lucky to have arrived here in time to experience this time of year. I have gotten into the spirit as well. Like everyone else in the country, I am trying to make the most of this season and see as much as I can.
Yesterday, I went with some coworkers to a park that is famous for having a lot of cherry trees, including one of the oldest in the region. The park had a few temples and shrines as well, so there was a lot to see. This Hanami was the biggest I have been to so far. There were people everywhere, it was hard to walk. I think everyone else was a little annoyed by the crowd, but I wasn’t bothered much since I was taller than pretty much everyone else there 🙂 Times like these I am very happy I am tall, but when I am I walking through a Japanese sized door, trying to cook in my Japanese sized kitchen, or sleeping in my Japanese sized bed, I find my size less enjoyable. I try to stay focused on the upside of things though, I walk faster than my Japanese friends, and I do well in Japanese crowds, I have yet to play any sports here but I am hoping to add that to the list of pros soon….. Sooooo, where was I? Cherry blossoms! It is just awesome how these trees are such a huge part of the Japanese culture. The park in Kyoto which usually closes before dusk, stayed open until 9 or 10 for people who wanted to come to celebrate. There were tons of people out enjoying the night even though it was the coldest day/night in weeks. The trees and temples were all lit up with spotlights, it looked like the hill was full of glowing trees. I can’t explain it, and I doubt you will really be able to tell from the pictures but it was really beautiful. Another thing here that has been unlike anything else I have seen before. If any of you ever want to visit Japan in the future, I suggest coming in late March/early April cherry blossom season is amazing, and the weather is much nicer than it is in Baltimore this time of year. Kyoto was awesome, I am definitely going to go back there a few more times. Even without the cherry blossoms, there is a lot to see there. I feel like I only saw a very small portion the other day.
I was off work today as well, but none of my friends had any plans, so I decided to take a solo trip into Osaka to a river that is famous for…. you guessed it cherry blossoms. I didn’t know what else to do and it was a nice day, so I figured I might as well take advantage of the season, since it only lasts so long. The Japanese actually say that the cherry blossoms come every year to remind them how short life is, and how beauty doesn’t last forever. It is a very happy time right now, but I am told that later in April people get a little upset when the blossoms go away. So, I just had to get out and experience some more of this flash of beauty before it was gone. I looked online and consulted Ayako for famous cherry blossom places that I could make a day trip to, and decided to go to Sakuranomiya. Sakuranomiya is an area in Osaka next to the river. Both sides of the river have bike/foot paths along the water’s edge, and these paths are all shaded by cherry trees. So, there is this river in the middle of a massive city with sky scrapers all around, and it is lined on either side with pink blooming cherry trees for about 2-3 miles. It was incredible, there were a lot of people there as well, despite it being Monday. I saw several groups of people in business attire having picnics, who I am guessing got off work early or were taking a long lunch to enjoy the season. I took a lot of pictures here, one of which is in the little slide show at the top of this home page. I am really happy I am here right now to see this season. I didn’t ever expect to be so into cherry blossoms but I think I am catching the spirit of the season. It is an interesting feeling in the air right now, kind of like the feeling of the winter holiday season in the states. Very cool.
This week wasn’t all cherry blossoms though, I did work. Every day at work is getting easier and easier for me. I am really getting the hang of my time management, I have a much better idea of what I need to do to get ready for the lessons. I am also getting to know my students much better which is making me even more comfortable. I am starting to feel like a part of the school community, no longer just the new foreign guy at the front of the class. Kids classes started this week too so I have the first bit of those behind me now, which was one of the last things I was nervous about. Most of the kids seem to like me, if they are not so friendly at first I make it a point to get them to laugh by the end of the class. I had a 5 year old in a private lesson on Saturday. I was very nervous about that. She had been very shy with me when I tried to talk to her in the lobby in the past, and I figured it would be even tougher getting her to warm up to me when it was just her and I in the classroom, but it ended up going very well. She didn’t say anything at first, just smiled and giggled from the other side of the room, but by the end of the class I had her reading to me and then when it was time to go she was trying to hold me back from leaving her. I think she is my favorite student now, the cutest kid I have ever seen, and she adores me too. I think my manager was very happy to see her and I getting along so well after class. She has complimented me several times on how I interact with students, not just the kids but I have been building relationships with the adults as well. She is surprised at how well I am remembering everyone’s names. One of my other coworkers said she was jealous of me for that. I am very happy that the boss seems to be pleased with me so far, it makes everything else a lot less stressful, and I am able to focus on my students more.
Saturday night was a party at work. It was a potluck sort of party where everyone brought a different dish, there was beer and wine as well. About 20-25 students came, it was great getting to talk to everyone outside of class. Even some of the lower level students came out. It was difficult to have conversations with them at times, but everyone was in a good mood. The party was to welcome myself and another new teacher Yukari, who recently transferred to our branch, and also to say goodbye to a teacher, Hiro, who had been working at our branch for a few years. Hiro is only a few years older than me, and likes to joke around a lot, he and I had been getting along very very well, and I am sad to see him leave. He is moving to his wife’s hometown in Russia. I think someone in he family is sick or something which is unfortunate, but I think Hiro is excited about the adventure. It is cool how all the teachers I work with are kind of like minded. Everyone knows at least 2 languages, most know 3 or 4. Everyone has lived at least one or two other countries before taking this job. I have never been around such a worldly group of people before, it is a lot of fun to trade stories and hear about different cultures. I really like my coworkers.
So the party was a lot of fun, it definitely made me feel much more welcome. I was very happy to be with everyone in a less formal setting. This weekend was a very good one all together. The cherry blossoms should be around for another week or two, so I am sure I will have a few more chances to get out and enjoy that. Next Sunday I am planning on going to a mountain that is covered in these cherry trees. All of my students told me I had to go there, but I should wait a week or 2 since the higher elevation causes the trees to bloom later. I am glad I have plans. I hate sitting around waiting for things to do.
I hope everyone enjoyed reading this, and I hope you like the new site! I need to get to bed. I just realized it is getting pretty late here. Have a good week everyone. I hope to hear from you soon.