Highs and lows

A fact of traveling is that not every day can be a good day. I don't know if I'd classify today as "bad" (we've had far worse in our travels, that's for sure!), but it was more of a challenge on an emotional level. It's hard to even put a finger on what went "wrong" exactly, but it was a lot of head butting... probably due to the fact that there are constantly 3 differing opinions on what we should be doing at any given time and there are varying levels of patience for the boys from each of the parents on this team. We're struggling to find our groove and settle into a rhythm that works for all 4 of us. Granted, it is only our second full day in Kessenuma, but I think all of us are ready to get past this liminal stage and grasp on to some structure. That may be a few weeks coming, however...

We spent the day getting the community center set up for our use. The church bought a rice maker, hot plate, and microwave for the volunteers' use, so we opened those and arranged them. We also went to Aeon (it's the Japanese version of Target or Walmart) and bought supplies to serve our visitors coffee or tea and cookies, as well as bought ourselves some food to make dinner at the community center so we don't have to eat out all the time.

We also got Kai's tent set up at the center. We brought along a little tent for the boys to retreat to when they have "had enough." One thing I remember very clearly from living in Japan with a baby was that he got a LOT of attention. There were times when it was obvious to us that Kai needed a break, but this tended to cause the (primarily older) women to coo in his face even more, in an attempt to get him to smile/stop crying (it usually didn't work, but that didn't stop them from trying!) Our hope is that we can provide a space for Kai and Niko that is "their room" that they can control and escape to as necessary. Hopefully we can lay Niko down for naps in their on occasion as well.

After we ate lunch and did a little more set up, we attempted to find the ¥100 store (their much cooler version of a dollar store). Apparently there is only one in all of Kessenuma and it proved to be rather hard to find. It took us 3 tries, but we got to see much of the city in the process! (In our own defense, Mr. Sato gave Dan the "easiest to explain" directions, but it was a really long, round about way of describing it and there were 3 major options we could have taken... we unfortunately took the correct option last!) Due to the long drive, both boys fell asleep and we opted to sit in the car and let them nap before going into the store. This was a blessing, as Dan and I finally got to connect for the first time without trying to wrangle the boys or fight off sleep. We were able to discuss where we felt the trip was going and how we might change tactics to make the family a happier group. As I mentioned before, I hope that we can fall into a bit of a routine soon. Because we are the first group here, there is no established schedule (part of our job) and the word hasn't really gotten out that we're here. The group from Tokyo (which, unfortunately, is supposed to come the two days that Dan has meetings in Tokyo for work) will be going around the city, spreading the word, but for now no one knows we're here. We are also waiting on getting some fliers that WE can hand out... we aren't able to even tell people where the center is. Dan and I are starting to get some ideas formulated to see if there are some suggestions we can make to the church to make our time here more useful so that the volunteers that are coming later will have a good foundation of people to help!

The day ended on a fairly good note... had to exercise some major self control not to spend all our vacation cash at the ¥100 store! Oh my word... I LOVE that place. We at least got a few fun things amidst the "boring" necessities we needed as well. We each got to pick out a little bowl for our cereal (they're supposed to be used for miso soup, but they'll work better than the tea cups we've been using the last 2 mornings!) Kai was so excited about his purple bowl that says "Purple is grape's color." Mine is this really pretty bowl with simple sparrows on it... I love it! Kai helped me pick out a yellow bee bowl for Niko, and Dan's is a really fun bowl that has a frog face "peeking" out the side. We'll definitely be using these for snacks for years to come! :o) Kai also picked out a super cute spatula that is shaped like a smiling fish for our cooking needs. We paid for that one ourselves also, so I guess the next volunteer will need to buy one, but this one is most definitely coming home with me. It's pretty much amazing. We've found that Kai really likes to help "shop"... he likes to pick things out and put them in the cart/carry them himself. I guess if it curbs tantrums, I'm totally fine with it. He chose the sponge for washing dishes here at the hotel (shaped like a smiling octopus/squid... I'm sensing a smiling object theme going this week). That part of shopping has been fun. We're probably going to come home with a lot of 4-year-old handpicked swag.

We came back to the hotel for a really sophisticated and health-conscious dinner of add hot water ramen bowls (sometimes fast and easy is where it's at...) and then Kai and Dan attempted a game of hide and seek in the hotel room. Kai thought Dan's feet peeking out from under the curtain was the funniest thing all day.

And now Dan and I are hanging out in the extra room while the boys slumber peacefully in the bedroom. You may all mark this day on the calendar... Dan and I made it past 8 p.m. today! That being said, I'm guessing we won't make it much longer... been awake since 5 a.m. with the boys. Oof. That takes a toll. But we are starting to get back to "normal" in this time zone and we can hope to have some together time "after hours". That, too, will help with the family-working-together-ness challenge, methinks!

Ahh, pillows are calling my name and eyes are getting droopy. Probably shouldn't have followed the ramen with a bunch of Mejii chocolates, but we're only here for a month, so... ;o)