A day in the life of me!

Bear with me on this one...I know I talk about my Mobara life a lot but please keep in mind that I'm still rather excited about the whole prospect. I do feel rather grown up and adult like...house, bills, 9 to 5 job...so obviously I'm going to blog about it over and over again. So, here goes...welcome to my life for one day. Please leave your sanity and common sense at the door and enjoy the ride!

This is what Japanese countryside life is like. I'm going to promise you from now, I am not exaggerating or embellishing for the sake of humor! So, my day starts somewhere between 7 and 7:30am where I throw myself out of bed and stumble to the kitchen for water. I think that in Japan this is regarded as strange. I have reached this conclusion as every morning, my flat mate (who is cooking her lunch and dinner by 7am) looks at me like I'm a crazy person for drinking water that early in the morning! Moving on...

Breakfast is always an interesting affair! We have breakfast in the main dining room and it is prepared by these lovely middle aged ladies who constantly keep me guessing as to what I'm being served. The usual cuisine will include salad, fruit, fish, cooked veggies, and a meat dish. The standard food items are rice, miso soup and natto. For those of you who haven't heard of natto yet, let me help you out. Natto is fermented soy beans and has a rather off-putting smell and taste. However, the Japanese like it and swear it helps keep them healthy and helps to keep a woman's hormones balanced. Now, although I am known for my unpleasant bouts of PMS I still will take my chances and go with raving lunatic behavior rather then eat fermented soy beans. But, that's just me! Although, many people think Japanese breakfast is weird, I like it. It's an excuse to have another full main course meal and not feel like a complete piglet. You have to love the Japanese for this innovative concept. During breakfast, I tune in to my favorite Japanese soap opera, which is focused around a family who own an Okonomiyaki (Japan's version of a pizza) shop somewhere in Japan. In all honesty, that's as far as I've gotten to understanding what it's all about. However, lately I did figure out that one of the main characters was re-united with her biological Father who was a music teacher from Tokyo that no-one knew about. I think I am making fair progress!

I walk to work which takes approximately 20 minutes depending on how much I've eaten at breakfast. My walk is rather interesting. I walk past a few factories and all of the workers will be lined up outside doing their morning exercises whilst a lady's voice instructs them over a loud speaker. The only time I complain about walking is when it rains! I am Maltese and as you might all know we don't have a lot of rain. So, last Friday when I looked outside and saw that it was raining, I didn't think much of it. I grabbed my coat, my pink beanie and a plastic umbrella and off I went. Well, to sum up that experience, Japan rain is slightly different to Malta rain. I ended up going for a lovely swim on the main road leading to my company and on reaching the changing road found enough foliage in my shoes that I could have saved a rain forest or two. Needless to say, next rain day I'm phoning someone and begging them for a lift. At the gate of the company I have to show my identification card so as to be able to enter the building. I must say, I do find this rather amusing. Firstly, I am the only foreigner within the entire plant and secondly I honestly doubt there are any other gaijins walking around at 8am trying to trespass on Mitsui Chemicals premises through the main gate. This is followed by a short walk to the changing rooms where I get decked up in my lovely lime green track-suit like attire and off I go for a day of office and laboratory duty. On busy days, time flies and we don't stop moving but on slow days time stops and at times I do get slightly restless sitting at the computer day. I will blog about Mitsui Chemicals some other time.

Konnyaku

Work is over by 17:10pm and not a minute earlier or later and off I go to amuse myself in this little country village. This is getting easier as time progresses. I blog more often, Exercise from time to time, watch some shows on the internet and explore the shops in Mobara (yes, there are a few shop-like buildings which sell stuff). My latest strategy to keeping busy is experimenting with Japanese food I have never cooked before. This is proving to turn up a few rather interesting ingredients; two most notable ones would be: Renkon, which is lotus root. I think this veggie is great. Not only does it look completely unusual, it actually tastes rather good.  The second Japanese food I have discovered is known as the Japanese miracle food as it has very little of anything except water and fiber. Our bodies can't digest it, so it just sweeps through the intestine (I don't think I need to elaborate any further). It is called konnyaku and it is one of the weirdest things I have ever tasted or seen. It looks like cut up jelly fish and tastes like something chewy and bouncy. However, it isn't that bad and I did throw it into my miso soup this evening. I will leave it to you guys to form your own opinions.


Well, another Mobara evening is over,

Good night

Happy Valentine's Day!

Well Valentine's Day came and went just like every other day. Like everything else, in Japan, Valentine's Day is celebrated in a completely different way then the rest of the world! Here, on Valentine's Day ladies are expected to give the men in their lives (including colleges, friends, family members, etc.) chocolates and men are not expected to give any gifts. However, on the 3rd of March, they celebrate White Valentine's day which is also known as Woman's day. On this day, men are expected to reciprocate with gifts that are more expensive than the chocolates they received. The chocolate given to a boyfriend or husband is called honmeicyoko whilst that given to a man friend or superior in the company is called giricyoko. All supermarkets and departments stores dedicate large section of their shops for chocolate displays, offering a large variety of chocolates.

However, Western traditions die hard and I got given a present anyways ( I got flowers too!)!   I got to watch Cirque du Soleil at Disney Land, which was truly amazing. The show was fantastic and I'm completely in love with the whole Disney Land resort which is like one big fairy tale. Here, one can find Tokyo Disney Land, Tokyo Disney Sea, Ikspiari shopping mall, plenty of hotels and the Cirque du Soleil theater. This is the only theater to be built solely for the  Cirque du Soleil performances and I have to admit the stage is truly a mechanical dream. They don't allow for any photos to be taken during the performances but visit the website to see how amazing the acts are! (http://www.zed.co.jp/home_en.php)

At work, one lady in our unit collected money from all of us and bought all the men a box of chocolate. The team leaders and our unit director got given bigger and fancier boxes of chocolate. However, the 14th was a Monday and plenty of work needed to get done! A television crew came to Mitsui Chemicals to tape the procedures carried out in the laboratories. Since I'm the only foreigner in the Mobara unit of the company, they spent plenty of time filming me carrying out different procedures. The clip will air on the 22nd of February and we'll have to see if they edit me out. It was an interesting experience to see how Japanese TV stations carry out their filming outside of the studio. Although, after spending a few evening watching Japanese television I have realized that they have an immense love for filming programs about Japanese food, European countries, soap operas, news and some of the most random subjects imaginable.

This week has also reminded me how caring and immensely helpful Japanese people are. The charger for my laptop broke over the weekend and I couldn't use it. Yesterday, I took the charger to work to ask my team members if I could buy a replacement in Mobara. One of my team- members offered to drive me around Mobara after work to look for one. We tried the three largest department stores in town and couldn't find one that was compatible. So, he then drove me home, waited till I wrote down all of my computer's specifications, went home and found one on the internet. This morning he informed me about the price, showed me the picture and this evening he is going to buy it. It will arrive in three days. However, he was stressing as it meant spending three days without a laptop. So, he went around the unit asking people to check their laptop chargers, found me one which was compatible and got Sakai-San (another member of the unit) to lend it to me till I get my new one. Thus, tonight I sit here in my room blogging on a fully functional laptop. This is what the people I work with are like. Every time I need something they try their best to help me out in whatever way they can. In the last two months, there very been numerous occasions where they have completely outdid any expectations I've had. It really helps to have such amazing, helpful people around me. Japan is not an easy place to survive but the Japanese people definitely make it a lot easier and more enjoyable. Also, I've been invited to my first young people's nomikai! This is a drinking party in which everyone gets completely wasted and blows off some steam! I must admit I am rather excited!

One last thing...a small piece of personal sharing...today is a special day for me. On the 15th of February 2008 my older sister was involved in a car accident and spent four days in a coma fighting for her life. I must admit that was the scariest, most horrifying experience I have ever been through and I'm glad we all came out alive, stronger and more determined to make the most out of life. I love you Nikki more and more each day. I thank God every day for being on your side and giving you the strength to pull through and continue to light up my life with your smile and warm my heart with your love.

My one and only Sis

I love you xxx

Random pieces

When I started this blog my aim was to just keep a record of what I've done, seen and learnt. I wanted to keep emotions and personal thoughts and feelings out of it simply because in my mind these were meant to be kept private, not shared for the world to read. However, the more I blog, the more I find myself wanting to share random thoughts and feelings. I've realized that without these bits and pieces, the stories I write about will lack color and I guess lack life. I discovered this site this morning (today is a public holiday in Japan and I've treated myself to a late morning bed session) called we feel fine (http://www.wefeelfine.org/) which reminded me just how important feelings are. If someone can design a program which tracks how people are feeling all over the world  through what they blog about, then feelings must be rather important. So here goes...

Another week has gone by...time is passing so quickly. I've been away from home for five and a half months! I already feel as though a year is not long enough and that I'm not going to see or do all that I set out to do while I'm here. If I had to be honest, the only thing I really want to leave Japan with is the feeling that I've left a better person; some one wiser, more mature, open-minded and educated in many different ways. I want to leave here knowing that I've learnt more not simply about biology and how to work in a laboratory but also about life, relationships and myself. I want to leave less scared of life and what it throws my way...with a bit more trust in destiny and faith, knowing that even if the dots don't connect right now..one day they will and the whole picture would be a bit clearer.

 I guess the reason why I think I have the chance to leave Japan with these things is not because there is a secret stream of enlightenment hiding in the fields of Mobara but because this is the first time I'm alone, away from the people and the lifestyle that has defined me for so long. This year away from home has given me the chance to wipe out a blank canvas and paint whatever I want to without affecting the people I love or not living up to my responsibilities. I'm always been so scared that I'll drop the balls I'm juggling and hurt somebody, and now the balls have just disappeared and I'm free to walk around. I've realized that I have the opportunity to find out who I want to be and slowly start becoming that person.Surprisingly enough, the first thing I've learnt is that to do this I have to first be completely happy with who I am now...acceptance is the first step toward change.

Mount Bundai ski slope

On a lighter note, last weekend in Kita-kata was amazing. I had a lovely weekend with my family and they took me to the mountains for sledging which was my first time on a mountain and a ski lift!! Haha it's amazing how young and rookie-like I feel sometimes. It's really cool to experience so many new things and remember that there are so many things for me to do and see in the world. Every time I see or do something new, it serves as a reminder that the world is full of first times and that life is all about getting out there and experiencing them all.

Happy weekend xxxx

My Kita-kata family 

Bean's Day!!

So, today is the 3rd of February and in Japan it is also known as bean's throwing day or the Setsubun festival. It is a Japanese traditional that coincides with the beginning of the New Year (using the old Japanese calendar, which is the same as the Chinese one) were families come together to chase out evil from their homes and wish good luck to enter by throwing soy beans.

The father in the family wears a mask of a devil and the rest of the family throw beans at him in the doorway whilst chanting "evil go out, good luck come in" The reason why I'm sharing this bit of Japanese tradition is because today my boss at work wore a mask and the rest of us threw beans at him! It was a truly enjoyable experience. After throwing beans, everyone is allowed to eat as many beans as their age...in my case 23 beans! It was nice to be part of something so Japanese.

The rest of the month has been very busy too! We've had tea parties in the green house built on the company grounds and we've had parties to celebrate the end of a successful project. We've also worked very hard, spending long days in the labs carrying out so many techniques that I have only read about. It's absolutely amazing to be able to carry out PCR, DNA sequencing, purification, electrophoresis, transformation, culturing, screening and so many other procedures on  a daily basis. Also, this week we hosted 13 delegates from Delft university.

 The professors amongst them gave us presentations on the research that they are conducting and explained how Delft is working with many different companies (including: Danone, Nestle, Heineken, DSM and many others) in the form of consortia. This arrangement is helping research to progress at an incredibly fast rate. They have done a very good job with setting up an ideal situation which allows for the progression of research towards cleaner and more efficient energy sources, healthier consumables and many other products. At the end of this year, the building of a state-of-the-earth bio-pilot plant will commence. This will allow for anything researchers need to be found in one place and unlimited resources to be available. As for the work being done, it's mind-blowing! Professor Isabel Arends is doing some impressive work with enzymes as bio-catalysts and DSM are taking pro-biotic nutrients to a whole new level of efficiency. I sat there, listening for three hours and could not believe how lucky I am to be where I am. For the first time I am witnessing what science does in the real world and not simply on paper. At the end of the presentations, an open discussion was held in which European and Japanese minds came together to try and begin to close the gap between Japan's and Europe's idea of biotechnology. It's at times like these that people in my situation realize just how closed off Japan is from the rest of the world. It also made me realize how rare opportunities like mine are...very few European people have the opportunity to enter and be part of Japanese industry. The language barrier and the differences in mentality do not make it any easier.

What else have I been up to...well during the week I relax and sleep too much in Mobara and on the weekend I live it up in Tokyo! Last weekend, we had dinner at this really cool place in Harajuku! It was really cool and the food was really good too! The place is called Nabi and I think it's my favourite place so far. We then headed to Atom for a good dance which lasted till 6am! Needless to say Saturday was obviously spent recovering from such severe sleep deprivation. Sunday, I caught up with an ex-Vulcanus student who has remained in Japan working with Mitsui Chemicals. We met in Shibuya (my long awaited return to Shibuya...my, my how much I missed it!)

This week, we are off to brave the cold up North in Aizuwakamatsu! The time has come to catch up with my host family and enjoy being part of a family for a little while!

Catch you all soon!