School started in August and somehow it is already November. Amie has all four kids involved with the swim team, so they are always at the pool. A faint hint of chlorine can be smelled in the house from time to time. They are all swimming well. The boys are constantly improving their times. This is Lila's first season and she's fun to watch. During the breast stroke every time she breaks the surface to breath she has a smile on her face. She also is constantly looking to see where the other kids are...competitive much? For only six she's quick!
Amie is teaching three groups of Japanese women and is really enjoying it. One of the women she helps isn't so much teaching her English but helping her translate English to Japanese for TV shows and movies. Two of the major projects she's worked on are Disney's Phineas and Ferb, and the newest movie Big Hero Six. She's spent the last couple of months helping with the translation, so she was able to read the story line and see parts of the movie. We went and saw the movie as a family this weekend, it was awesome. What really makes the movie special for Amie is that the story is based on a Japanese Marvel Comic so there are a lot of Japanese references in the movie. For Amie to say she helped with the movie while she was living in Japan is something she'll always have to remember. Very cool.
What have I done? Besides work? I had to make a trip to the US Embassy in Tokyo. It was a simple matter of renewing my Passport. I thought is was going to be cool, not sure why but I was excited. Well it was somewhat of a let down. They were very helpful but it wasn't anything special. There wasn't a Marine guarding the gate (that I could see) or anything like that, the grounds looked like just another office building. The idea of running up to the gate to the safety of the US Embassy just isn't going to happen like in the movies. Not that I anticipated getting into some kind of trouble or needing to run up to the gate, I realize Japan is low threat, but you're not getting into the Embassy unless you've made an appointment on-line 3 weeks prior. Lame!
Heck, there was more excitement when I got into a car accident in Tokyo. You haven't lived until you've experienced a car accident in another country. To clarify, car accident is a bit extreme, it was a fender bender. Really it was just me backing our car into a parked car. I dented his fender, my car had zero damage. We were in the parking lot of Saint Mary's International School after the kids had a swim meet. It was dark, raining, and somehow we had picked up two extra kids. As I pulled out of my spot in the traditionally small Japanese parking lot I bumped into the other car.
The owner of the other car wasn't even there. The first thing they tell you at the Area Orientation Brief is to call US security if there is an accident. So we did and we called the police and we started looking for the owner. I am very thankful of the St Mary's assistant coach who hung around in order to translate. The owner finally arrived and he was actually the Founder of the school and a Monk/Brother and he was French Canadian to boot. So now we have Japanese Police (no English), our swim coach translator, a Monk with a thick accent (but still spoke Japanese and English) and yours truly. I provided zero to the situation. I figured my work was done, I hit his car and started this process, it was probably best if I just looked sorry and kept quiet. In the end, it went very smoothly (not surprisingly). We exchanged information and the insurance companies had it all sorted out within a week! The one English phrase the police used when he was trying to determine where on my car I hit the other car was "Where is point of attack!" Gotta love it out here. Even as the dummy that hit the other car, everyone was extremely helpful.
