Over the Ocean and Across the Continent...

...to my parent's house we go!

One important thing about this blog entry:

I am not publishing this until December 24, 2006. My mom reads this blog and thus, publishing this on the date when I begin this journey of 6000+ miles and my American Express card doing some tough exercise to the tune of about $1400 entirely defeats the purpose of being on my parent's doorstep on December 24, ringing the doorbell and saying "Yoo-hoo! Guess who is here?" in a high-pitched, grandmother-ly voice (which, I think, is hilarious). Or, I can come up through the basement, and then just APPEAR in the living room.

Oh, the options and elements of surprise. I just hope I don't give my parents heart attacks.

(Note: Obviously, this is going to be a LONG entry. You were warned.)

November 21, 2006: Operation - Surprise the Parents

It all began with the following premise: I have two weeks off at the end of December. Before I came to Japan, I was exploring my options of what I will do over the holiday break, which I probably have sketched out in previous entries. To clarify:

1) Go to Hong Kong with Deena

OR

2) Go to Philippines with Mel.

Over the course of my first two months in Japan, another option presented itself, because a ticket to Hong Kong is $1300 from Osaka (WTF?!?!?!?!?):

3) Mel comes visit me in Japan.

The idea of visiting Deena in Korea over Xmas was nil, precisely because I have those 6 weeks off between Kyoto Uni and Ritsumeikan Uni. So I knew I was going to Korea in February or March. Hong Kong was out because of the ticket price; I found an amazing hotel that was reasonably priced from The Frugal Traveler column in the NYTimes so that was ok to go, as Jodie Foster would say. However, since I did not know when my vacation was exactly (and neither did Deena hers), I couldn't make any travel plans before I came to Japan (when tickets would have been cheaper). So, bye bye Hong Kong. I'll visit it through Wong Kar Wai movies for the moment, even if they do take place in the 60's.

Obviously, I did not want to just sit on my butt during the holidays. Yeah, I know "OMG, COME ON you are in Kyoto! Celebrate it Japanese style!"

I got a year and a half here. Don't worry. There is still another October-March set come next year. So I get two chances to see pretty autumn leaves and two chances to see the temple bells ring 108 times at New Year. Besides, I am coercing the familia (that is my parents, Leah and probably Mel, if he can) to come HERE for Xmas and New Year '07, as opposed to my mom and sister coming in spring '07. I want my dad to come too and since he runs the ice cream truck in the spring and summer, he isn't able to travel for extended periods of time during the hot months. We go out when it rains. It's a quirk of the family. All families have quirks.

Quirkiness aside, the idea of Mel coming to Kyoto was slowly being put on the back burner because of this revelation and another option:

4) It is cheaper for me to come home than for Mel to come to Japan,

SO...

I will come home for two weeks. Specifically, 17 days.

It's holiday season in the U.S. In Japan, people go back home for New Year (remember the inaka from your lessons!) and Christmas is more of a couples holiday. So travel is normal, not crazy. Hence, ticket prices aren't unreasonable.

And besides! Nothing kicks butt more than Christmas in New York. I have been to Times Square on New Year's twice already. It rocks. And I still need to go ice skating in either Rockefeller Center or Central Park's Wollman Rink. Last time I went skating, I was 5 years old at the Queens rink. There is a video of me, going around on my toepicks and whining the whole time. Oh, the embarrasing memories.

I had mentioned in passing to my mom (gotta love Skype) that I am considering coming home, but I haven't brought up the subject again. Since she knows that it's too expensive for Mel to come to Japan, I told Mel, Deena and my sister (who I told that I wanted to surprise the 'rents) that I am going to KOREA. To visit DEENA. NO NYC.

So now, I am in the process of finding my ticket. Mel is better at searching than me, so he was able to get the Osaka-Detroit-NYC and vice versa; I was getting results that would have me either in a 12 hour layover in Honolulu going to NYC (via Minneapolis, so then it would be two connections), or an overnight layover in Columbus going back to Kyoto (then Detroit, then Osaka so two connections again), and me losing out on time with the familia.

Granted, a 12-hour layover in Honolulu would be sweet. I was looking foward to getting a lei. But I would have arrived in NYC on December 24, at 10:30 am (at LGA which is like a hop skip and jump away from my house, but still). Yes, it makes the whole ambiance of "coming home for Christmas" very sweet, but no.

Need.To.Maximize.Time.In. NYC.

Hence, I am skipping class on January 5, a Friday. We have vacation from 12/23 to 1/4, but we come back on the 5th and THEN we have a three day weekend. They should have just given us the Friday off. Bah. I double-checked the requirements for that class, and since its just weekly quizzes and no midterm, I can skip safely. Plus I am going to tell my teacher; we had to write an essay in Japanese on our "O-Sho-Gatsu" (New Year) but for the kids from the US and Europe, New Year is just one big party where you're up all night then you pass out the next day (because you were up all night), she told us we can write about Christmas. I wrote two pages on Christmas in NYC, so I think I will be in the clear, as I got really nice comments about my essay.

Stay tuned - still need to get my ticket.

November 22, 2006: The Most Essential Piece for the Plan

I got my plane ticket. Or rather, Mel got the ticket for me and charged it on my credit card - I was on Skype when he did the whole thing. Unfortunately, I will not be arriving on the 23 of December as originally planned, but on the 24th. Nonetheless, there are two upshots:

1) ticket is $100 cheaper

and

2) I do not have crazy layovers lasting more than 12 hours. This is a neat and tidy KIX-DTW-LGA and LGA-DTW-KIX plane ticket.

So, turns out I will be surprising my parents on Christmas Eve. However, I will not jump out of a box, as someone (I won't mention who) hysterically mentioned.

I'm still debating on just coming up through the basement (point being, totally shock them by just simply acting as I would if I was already in the house, leading to the reaction of "Where did you come from?!?!?") or ring the doorbell. Unfortunately, I cannot take a poll on this, as it will spoil the surprise.

Think, think, think. As Winnie-the-Pooh would say.

November 29, 2006: Of Bed-Lifts and Coercion

I was complaining to my mom about how the curtains in Japan are ridiculously expensive (4000 YEN A PANEL?!?! WTF?!?!) or this cheap crap from the 100yen shop that will fall apart within a week. I got curtains for now (lime green and totally clashes with the pink and brown motif of my apartment, but I need them for now), being that I know that when I go home, a trip to Ikea is in order. My mom was going to send me a care package anyways with cereal (as in right proper Corn Pops, Costco size!) bed sheet set, etc. because she is a mom, and was clamoring for my new address.

I then told her my fib: "Ma, don't send me anything. I am going to Korea to visit Deena for about a week so if you send me anything, I probably won't be home to accept it. So mail me the stuff AFTER the Christmas break."

She totally bought it. Even asked me when I was going to go - "Oh, December 24th so I can be there Xmas Eve and all," was what I said. Haha. I am going to be flying in her direction the 24th.

But I almost let it out. Instead of just a mattress, I might be buying a bed frame and keeping that bed unit thing up against the wall, since the mattresses at Muji and Nitori (Japanese version of Ikea) don't fit the unit's bed frame exaclty. However, if my futon mattress fits in the part that is slightly sunken in so that the mattress will lie plumb with the frame and won't sink, then I will get just the mattress. Maybe.

Point is, I was looking at bed lifts (you know, the ones college kids use to raise the beds in the dorms so that they have extra storage underneath) and I told my mom as I was explaining my mattress problems, "I am looking at Bed Bath and Beyond right now so that I can buy bed lifts to raise the bed frame...which you are going to have to ship to me in January." OoOoO, I almost left her hanging there.

And I think I will go with the coming-through-the-basement route. Cat told me that when she surprised her parents on Columbus day, she just walked into the living room and since her mother wasn't expecting anything, the look on her face was priceless. I will probably get the same reaction if I ring the doorbell, but I think coming up the stairs in my slippers and with a "Ho-hum, what's for dinner?" attitude, the reaction will be even better.

December 3, 2006: A 25-Day Late Cake

I am still going to have a cake, but in NYC. I’m thinking that Mel and I will celebrate our birthday’s together, as his is on December 31. And I will go out with the girls as well so not only do I get to see them but I also go out for my birthday. 25 days late but who is counting?

December 16, 2006: SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!

I really need to shut up. I almost let it out to my mom on two separate occasions. However, according to Leah, the parents are totally oblvivious - even though we got 4 tickets to go see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. My mom found out about that; she was planning to go to Florida after Xmas and Leah was like NO!

Mom: "Why?"
Leah: "Because...oh drat, we got you and daddy tickets to Phantom of the Opera."
Mom: "OoOoO...Daddy is going to love that! But why four?"
Leah:".......Mel is coming too!"

December 23, 2006: Subbering brom a Stubbed Ub Dose

I was reading over this blog, checking for spelling mistakes because I am a horrible typer. I noticed that I wrote that I would come up from the basement in my slippers - but I don't wear slippers at home.

Point is, I wear slippers in Japan because everyone does. Shows that I am getting used the Japanese lifestyle here.

Nonetheless, I return home to the States a sick person. My parents will be recieving an "Ill Maria" for Christmas.

It never fails. Almost ever December/Janaury, I get sick. I have been taking Vitamin C pills, using Purell, washing my hands AND I live in a country where people wear face masks when they are sick so they don't get the people around them sick. My immune system is WEAK. Boo, immune system.

On Thursday night, I felt the all too familiar tinglings of a sore throat. All too familiar because I have a LONG and extensive history with them, especially as a child. I was in a bit of a panic, because I didn't want to get any worse - anyone remember when I had the abcessed (sp?) tonsil before I came to London? I didn't want to get any more sick than I was.

So, Friday morning, I hightailed it to the doctor at the health center. He probably thought I was a paranoid American pill-popper. Seriously - the first question that my flatmate asked me back in England was, "Are all Americans pill poppers?"

It's not that I am a pill popper. It's that I have a history of bad sore throats. Do I want to get any worse? Plus, I have over 24 hours of traveling ahead of me. Thank god I was able to get an aisle seat at least.

Cost of session with doctor and prescriptions: 320 yen. Awesome. I got medicine for 4 days. One of the medicines is actually this salty powedered stuff - heaven help customs if they try to take that away from me. My prescriptions don't come in the standard bottle that they have in the States with the printed label, its just in an official little envelope bag with my name (in katakana) and indicating how long the medicine is for and how many times a day I have to take it (3x, with food). My pills are Mucosolvan anyone heard of it? I googled it before I took it and apparently, its one of the most common medicines in the world used for coughs and colds. Go figure, I don't know it because the FDA hasn't approved it yet.

Good thing is that within a day or too the tingling was gone. Preventative measures worked! So now I have just a cold. My mom just noticed on Skype so I had to admit that I had a small cold, which is nothing major anyway. Just that sore throat thing worried me.

So my bags are packed, I'm ready to go, and I'm standing here in the airport with a lot of packets of tissues in hand. My mom is totally clueless. She told her coworkers at work that I am going to Korea for Christmas. The only people that know I am coming are a few friends (both college and family), Mel and Leah. None of my relatives know, and none of the relatives of my family friends (which are like family) know.

Tee-hee. EVERYONE is going to be surprised.

"Hi - achoo! - I'm home!"