This is Tokyo University - nice, huh?? The top picture is The Old Gate aka The Red Gate and the bottom photo is a traditional Japanese garden on land granted by the Shogunate. The campus is beautiful and everyone has been very welcoming. Last night they threw me a party with good Japanese food and beer (I had orange drink!). It finally rained during the night so this morning it is cool, breezy, and the air is clear. It's like a whole new city. I plan on visiting some gardens that are right here in Komagome and are supposed to be beautiful (that and a little laundry today). The peanut and I are just going to chill and have a laid back day. Tomorrow the group will visit Kamakura where we will commune with the great Buddha and visit many temples. Another long day of walking. Mom, I am sooooo grateful for the shoes!!!! All this walking can be a little trying on my swelling ankles but I also think it is good for the little peanut that Mom has ventured beyond her desk in the cave at UM. He's awake this morning too and says hi to all. I hope that he has gotten over his jetlag as I think his mom finally has too. Ok, off the bakery for some morning nosh. Love to all. e-

Long Week

It's Friday nite and I am so ready for bed. It has been a long day in a series of long days. Today we toured the Obiyashi (I'm spelling this wrong) Corporation's research facility. Very cool place with lots of serious geek stuff - 3D shake table, giant centerfuge with attached shake table, and a new building for testing structural members under FIRE and load. It's like twice the fun - loading to failure at 1015 degrees c. After that I went back to the University for a welcome party on my behalf. I've been walking all day and it is soooo hot here, I just wanted to make sure I got something posted so Alan has something to read tomorrow morning :) or is that this morning - I don't know this time thing is confusing to me too. G'Nite and I'll see y'all later!

Settling In

This is the neighborhood I am staying in. It is a
pretty quiet residential area. I am in one of the most densly populated areas of Tokyo - it may look crazy and busy but it's just a function of all the lights. There are a lot of small shops and restaurants and this is looking at the tunnel that runs under the train station.
My school mates will be jealous. I am on the seventh floor with a desk in the corner that faces a wall of windows on both sides of me. I have a wonderful view of the campus and the city from up here. Do you guys even remember sunlight??
Ok back to work!

Whew!

Hi All! I made it to Tokyo University where I finally have a steady and reliable internet connection although I am having problems with this website for some reason. I'll do my best. The plane on the way took an extra stop in Anchorage because we had some issues with the toilets but otherwise things were uneventful. Planes are not built for pregnant women and I imagine the flight back may be even more trying but less noticable since I will probably be just happy to be heading home by that time. Yesturday was a long one we got up and had a welcome meet and greet at Waseda University with the Japanese program director and representatives from the NSF. They told us that 165 of former students of their research programs have gone on to win the Nobel Prize. Wow! I will just be happy to make it through without emabarassing myself! (Don't hold your breath, Mom, that is one awards ceremony we won't be going to.)
In the afternoon we went siteseeing on a bus around Tokyo. The first stop was Tokyo tower which looks much like the Eiffel Tower but in red. That's the pic on the right. We went to the middle observation tower and the view was amazing. Tokyo is very hazy this time of year so we couldn't see Mt Fuji but it was still impressive. The city just goes on forever in every direction!! There isn't one city center but everywhere is. I haven't seen any super skyscrapers but everywhere the buildings are 30-60 stories high. I imagine this has much to do with the danger of Earthquakes. We also had a chance to see the outside of the Imperial Palace which was once the home of the shogun who owned Tokyo. There are two moats that surround the palace grounds The first encloses the Palace grounds but the area between the first and second is filled with Tokyo commerce so you are driving along a major street and boom you are crossing over a very! old moat with stone walls and bridges. The contrast is crazy. Next we went to a large Buddhist Temple whose name I can't recall. There is actually 2 temples and a Shinto shrine on the grounds. I got the peanut blessed here and received a good fortune for him. This is better than it sounds. It isn't like fortune cookies where all the fortunes are good - most are not favorable but his was!
After this and more I was exhausted! Today I am sitting at a desk at the University and I can see out my window a giant ferris wheel and roller coaster. I wonder what this is. It would be fun to go on a ferris wheel in Tokyo. I imagine the view of the city would be cool!
Enough for now because I too am procrastinating working. Lotsa love to all and I should be able to keep in better touch now! Sayonara, e-

I'm Here!!

Hi everyone! I want to let you know that I have arrived safely. I am sitting on the balcony where we get just enough of someone's wireless to log on. We have had a long day of siteseeing and I am jetlagged and tired so I will get you more info tomorrow. Love to all, e-

Off To Japan!!

Today I was up at 6am. This is a pretty typical reaction when I'm excited about something. I can fall asleep just fine but as soon as the sun is up so am I. It's like if I get up sooner, it'll happen sooner, or something like that. I am almost all packed. Aaron has promised to make me and the peanut some delicious homemade waffles and then we are off to the airport at noon. Suzy once told me that she is addicted to her senses and I so relate to that. I am daydreaming about all the new smells, sites, tastes, and sounds that Japan will be. I wonder what will be in store for me. I love an adventure!!

Countdown Begins - A Case of Nerves

So I am awake at 7am this morning because I'm getting a little nervous and excited. Today I have a lot of laundry and packing to do as well as a taking care of some last minute details. I don't know if this would be as scary if I wasn't pregnant. It's not as if I think anything is going to go wrong - my pregnancy has been totally normal up to now, I think it is more that this is a natural time of introspection and nesting for me rather than a running around the world type time - that and a good dose of fear of the unknown. I guess in the big scheme of things 5 weeks isn't such a long time. Many of my friends at UM have chosen to come to a different country to study for 5 years. That's truely a long time to be away from family and friends! I imagine how scary that must have been for them. I guess I will be okay.

Orientation in St Louis

This is the group I will be traveling with. We met last week for orientation in St. Louis. Good group - I think we'll have a lot of fun. Lauren is the other woman besides me and she's a peach, this is good since we'll be rooming together. While in St Louis we went to this amazing place called the City Museum. It's this undescribable playground/jungle gym madness. It's worth a trip to St. Louis just to go there. Check it out.

Three Year Anniversary

Aaron and I got married three years ago today at noon. One of the best decisions I've ever made. We started our day by taking the little kitty, Cleo, to the vet. She had an absess on her backside where she must have gotten bitten by another cat. She'll be alright but for awhile she looks a bit like a baboon from the back. We both have work to do this afternoon but then we are going to see the New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band for a rockin' good time tonight! I can't believe I am leaving in just a few days! Wow, I'm going to miss this guy!

Five More Days

These are Aaron and my cats. The little one is the mama of the behemoth. They are both rather entertaining as they contain a lot of 'character'. Somedays I wish my day looked like theirs. eat, sleep, sleep some more, yell at the squirrels, eat...repeat...
Today I am five days from departure and I don't think I'm five days from being ready but oh well... I still make time for naps. The peanut requires that I do.
Last night Aaron, peanut and I went to Top of the Park and saw NoMo play. It was a beautiful night and the band is this great local jazz group. We ran into some friends, danced under the open sky and had a great time. I think peanut likes jazz. Ahhh... life is good.

Happy Father's Day

Aren't they cute?? These are my crazy neices and nephews. The two boys on the right and the littlest one belong to my brother, Alan, and his wife, Barb. The other two nutbutts belong to my oldest (very old!!) brother, Jim, and his wife Margaret. Happy Father's Day guys!

I'm so glad people are responding positively to the blog idea. I'm excited because it feels like I get to bring you all along now. That makes it much less scary somehow. Thanks and please feel free to add commentary!

The peanut is kicking up a storm. It sometimes gives me an upset stomach there is so much wiggling going on. I hope this isn't too much of an indicator of things to come. Whew...

Flight Info

For those who want to know:
Going There -
Flight: NWA 25
Date: June 25th
Departs Detroit: 2:30 pm
Arrives Tokyo Narita: 4:25 pm June 26th

Coming Back -
Flight: NWA 26
Date: July 29
Departs Tokyo Narita: 3:00 pm
Arrives Detroit: 1:45 pm

Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of EST an easy reference is:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/
I'll put this in the link section for those who don't like math.

This is Aaron. My husband and my best friend. It's going to be really hard to be away from him for five weeks pregnant with our first child. I think this picture was taken a few years ago at Grand Haven beach. We had ridden the motorcycle out to the beach for the afternoon with some friends. An awesome day. I am incredible blessed in my life today. I have a husband who loves and supports me in my crazy efforts to educate myself, I am pregnant with our first child - something I had almost given up hope on, I have great friends who cheer for me when I am feeling down and with me when I am feeling up, and my family is great, I don't think I could manage any of this without my brother, Alan, taking care of the house renting for us. Feeling groovy!! Thanks for joining me on my journey...

e and peanut one week before takeoff

ok, I'm sitting at Matt and Maria's and we decided the best way to keep in touch with everyone was to keep a blog of my journey to Tokyo this summer. So here I am. I'm going now because we are about to start watching a movie but I will do more work on all of this tomorrow.