Photo Recap

Apparently I am a little behind in the photo posting department but here are a few.

Images of Halloween, Homecoming, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The exchange

(To see more click the picture above)

Let it snow!!

This is Aya's first real bout with snow - the snow she's seen a few weeks back was just a dusting - a mere 1/2 inch or so.

This time we've received nearly 2 back-to-back storms, she came out after the first one to offer assistance in shoveling the driveway, but quickly thought better of it since it was 26F.

We did encourage her to stay just enough to be able to slide down the unplowed street by our home. She had fun briefly until the cold seeped into her bones.

She had not yet purchased gloves and boots, though we strongly suggested that she should. She stated that the other students don't wear them; typical New England teens who are used to wearing just a hooded-sweatshirt (hoodie), no gloves and just sneakers in conditions like this. But Aya who is from a very warm climate can't mimic the locals for very long.

Later that evening we went glove and boot shopping - we are waiting to see if they get put to use.

This is Halloween

Aya expressed that she was interested in the American traditions such as Halloween and Christmas.

I thought it was only fair to introduce her to what teenagers enjoy during the spooky season.

We took a trip with my daughter’s arts & craft club to Salem, Massachusetts. The town was having a festival specifically to celebrate Halloween and the fact that Salem is deemed the town in America to have its first Witch Trials back circa late 1700’s.

It was a little over 2 hours to get there and once there we did a lot of walking. She entered one of the Nation’s first candy shops there and viewed the “House of the 7 Gables” from the parking lot. Heard it was an interesting tour (though we did not have time to do the tour).

Some of the bizarre things we viewed that days while walking around town was this family dressed in blood-spattered clothing (much like the people in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie) walking around pushing a baby carriage fully of severed body parts (disturbing to say the least) – it’s the side of the Halloween that could be left to the imagination. I supposed one could call it a roving art exhibit of the macabre.

We also isolated a date to visit a Haunted House walk-through (not a real one). I was doing a search on the web for something fun, similar to what I was used to as a kid and found this place in Douglas, Ma.

The Haunted Mansion Douglas

Of course, the night I choose was dark and stormy, literally. Fortunately for October, the weather wasn’t freezing. The rain was relentless – I can’t remember the last time I was more drenched – though I had partial cover from an umbrella and wore what I thought was a water-proof jacket. The cue for entry of this event was winding outside by a garage. The entry fee of course was the best part – all we had to do is purchase canned goods (vegetables and the like). At first I thought, how good could a thing like this that doesn’t charge real admission – I later was surprised all the work these people put into, I left impressed.

I brought all my daughters (Aya and my own). I hadn’t completely made up my mind about bringing my youngest 10 to this place, but since no one else was home to watch her, I thought she would be able to handle it; and she did.

Though Halloween has passed, I did pick up pumpkins to carve one night this week – it’s not just the day, but the events she will remember and bring home with her.

She had made a few friends at school, one of whom is that girl from Thailand who invited Aya to go Trick-or-Treating. Even though we expressed our dismay, since she is approaching 18 years old and that American kids aren't usually given candy at that age if they go door-to-door. She went to a neighboring town where there are more homes in close proximity (more candy) and accepts older teens (probably in lieu of getting their cars toilet papered, eagerly give out candy instead).

Weeks seem to pass more quickly as Fall approaches.

The week came and went fairly fast, each day Aya was burdened with homework. I had to assist her on several occasions as she didn't get the full meaning of what some of the questions being asked in the History essay questions and with some of the Math word problems.

Friday soon approached, on this night the High School had a dance. In the past my oldest said these dances were boring and that the local church dances were more entertaining. I quickly pointed out to her that the church dances seemed to be more unregulated in such areas as age requirements being upheld and event the capacity of the church basement in question (in case of fire), it seemed the church was more concerned with profit than the number of attendees.

I convinced her to bring Aya to the High School dance to at least show her what they are like in the United States. To my daughter's surprise the dance was actually fun and entertaining compared to the Junior High Dances which she said no one attends. It turns out that some of her friends who made it into the church dance (over age), since it is supposed to be restricted to 5th thru 8th grade, were kicked out.

Aya said she had fun regardless, though it was held outside and the weather was typical September weather mid-50's - which she says is very cold to her.

On Saturday we spent the day down on Connecticut's shoreline in Waterford and New London - walked along the beach and got our feet wet. The water temperature at first was even icy to me, but it took about 10 minutes for it to feel tolerable.

We combed the beach for collectibles and while walking along the wave breaker (rocks) we showed her our New England 3 leafed friend "Poison Ivy", which was jutting out from some of the shrubs around the beach area already turning a mottled red.

Later we went over to Harkness Park, which was an Estate at one time of someone very wealthy, since then turned into a public park which over-looked the ocean (Long Island Sound).

In the home of the Estate and around its garden was a nice wedding, so she got to see an American Style wedding from afar. We spend a great deal on the vast lawn and found a kite which someone had lost with string intact and spent time trying to keep it aloft.

We went for some Hot Dogs at a joint called Fred's Shanty Restaurant, was better than Krusty Krab of Spongebob Squarepants. Food wasn't bad - fried clams were good. The girls went for the foot long hot dogs.

Later that evening we took a trip to the Mohegan Indian Casino. Aya had been studying about how the Native Americans were treated during the U.S. Westward expansion (take over in general), where she learned how some tribes fell into poverty, where others had rose from the ashes so to speak and developed one of the World's most successful Casino on and off the reservation. Apparently they aren't doing too bad for themselves, judging by the ever expanding buildings and hotels they are building. Even the big name entertainers are taking note and can't ignore places in little ol' Connecticut.

Foxwood's Resort Casino, another casino in South Eastern Connecticut was the first, but it seems the Mohegan's have taken that recipe and added more flavor to it and they both seem to cater to a different crowd. No matter how you slice it, someone is making money.

It was a long day to say the least, judging by the sleeping children in the car on the way home - but rest assured they weren't bored. Which is basically a typical statement from my own daughter and many teenagers. I stop to ponder how teenagers can get bored, when they have 10x more things to play with than I used to as a kid and 20x more things to do than my parents. We didn't have all this technology and could not even see 200 channels on cable or satellite. Not to mention I-pods, MP3's, Gameboys, PSP, X-Box, PC's, Huge Malls, Large Movie Theaters, NetFlix - the list grows and grows.

I would like just for once to send my daughter to Siberia and have her experience life in that climate and isolation - then she can say she's bored.

Party Time

Yesterday we took the Kayaks out on the lake again which she enjoyed, though she does more sightseeing than paddling, as my arms can attest to that - it was a good work out none-the-less.

As the end of Summer draws near, you can start to see some of the leaves start to change. She seemed excited to learn that the leaves here in New England turn various colors (Red, Yellow, Orange etc) but did not really know of Evergreen trees which remain green throughout the year.

Today we prepare to go down to Connecticut and have a pool party for my youngest. Its just with family, but it is her birthday.

Typically we just burger and dog it up then jump in the pool and have water fights. Just a lazy day for the most part - but this will be something Aya would enjoy.

Although she lives in Okinawa and by the beach, she tells me she doesn't go swimming much, to add to this, she doesn't really own what we call a bathing suit. She told me that the kids her age just wear T-Shirts and shorts to go swimming in public and that she only wore a bathing suit in her school only. She said she feels strange out in public with a bathing suit on and most likely won't wear one here.

Leaving early to get a head start; my wife wants to pick up some groceries on the way down and of course hit up Dunkin Donuts (cause America runs on Dunkin).

Shorter days and time is short.

The mornings are cooler and we can start to see the turning or some of the Maple tree leaves. It is sort of depressing if you enjoy Summer and realize that you've either worked through most of it or that it just seemed to go by so quickly.

Aya is officially out of her first bankroll after using most of it on clothing and foods that she likes. She is expecting to get more wired money, but neither of us realized that it would take 4 days to get money deposited from a foreign bank into a U.S. Bank.

Aya as of late, has been allowed to use the Internet a little more freely. She writes to some of her friends and checks some of the Yahoo-News in Japan. I understand we are supposed limit her access to friends and family of her native country because it may rob from the immersion effect and/or possibly worsen any homesickness she may have.

She sat and played Monopoly with my daughters; we could see that they seemed to be more open during play time. Aya won the game and my daughters seek revenge. Apparently Monopoly is an internationally known game - Parker Brother's get around.