Pete's Blog from Down Under!

Avoiding the political rat-race

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:21:00 +0000

Hi fellow sufferers,

As many of you would have realised, I am now ensconced in the foreign ministry doing work on Japan and Korea. Whilst its nice to be working on some familiar content, it is occassionally odd meddling in Japan affairs from afar. Look back only three months and its strange to think one was reasonably well integrated into a small Nagano city.

Life over the next few months is going to be dominated by elections. Most kiwis have been touched by the dragged out affair of the American elections more than our own round of voting. Nevertheless, we are now in the final run-down to the polls here and at every turn we are assaulted by ads and talk. I would normally not comment, except to say that part of my work time inevitably gets taken up too by the twisted political scene in Tokyo. Yes, we have to contemplate elections in Japan too.

What I am proposing as the best antidote to all this pernicious politicking is to take to the hills and find time for some spring tramping. Unless times have really changed, you don’t end up running into an election billboard as you approach Neils Forks, don’t have to suffer verbal rubbish during a morning chorus in St Arnaud, and you don’t get assaulted by electoral roll thugs as you tear own the Tehrenikau Valley. I invite all of you to a mass exodus to the hills over the next few weeks. It would be great to catch up with more folk and restore some sense of balance to this mad world.

Regards,
Pete

A Family Spring in Japan

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:13:00 +0000

Kia ora,

A spring cool snap in Komoro has forced me to finally sit down at the keyboard and write down my thoughts on my recent family trip around Japan. Having been separated from the folks by 8000km for nine months it was fantastic to see them when they arrived in Tokyo on 19th April. The trip had been long in planning. Here are some of the highlights from the trip!

19th - 21st April - Tokyo
I have still not been enticed into spending massive amounts of time in Japan's biggest city. A mass of people and shiny lights the place is something completely new to a country-loving kiwi like me. Nevertheless, to give the family a quick tour of the place we hit four rather lively sections of the city. The family stood there mouths gaping at the excessive crowds in Shibuya on a weekend night, took in the ridiculous clowning about by maids and monsters in Akihabara on Sunday, explored the old market in Ueno and enjoyed fresh sashimi at Tsukiji fish market before we left on the Monday. It was a truly busy few days and completely different from what they were next to see. I can totally recommend these four places to people with a short time in Tokyo. They are exciting places and really illustrate different dimensions of this complex city.

21st - 23rd April - Kyoto
Next stop was Kyoto. Arriving after the school hordes but before the Golden Week crowds we were treated to a fantastic few days in the old capital, far removed from the teeming streets of Tokyo. The first day we went to Nanzenji, an absolutely magnificent temple nestled amongst some of Kyoto's many hills. Accompanied only by some young Japanese women in their silk kimonos, the temple visit was one of the best stops of the trip. Nanzenji has a small but beautiful garden built by one of the old Emperors. It also has a tea house and temple complex where you can sit and reflect, take in the beautiful scenery. Despite also visiting Ginkakuji, Kinkakuji, and many other temples it was Nanzenji that left its mark. On the last day in Kyoto we managed to meet my old host mother at Tofukuji, south of Kyoto station. We had a great time catching up and exploring this beautiful place. Go there in Autumn if you can. The temple is surrounded by beautiful forest that turns every shade of red and orange during this season.

23rd - 27th April - Travelling through Nagano Prefecture
Since it is my home base in Japan, I decided to take my family for a long trip back through Nagano Prefecture. For anyone else wanting to visit this area, our route may work well from you. We trained from Kyoto to Nakatsugawa (through Nagoya), from where we could join on to the old Nakasendo highway. This ancient road ran from Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto, and was the inland route that complemented the old coastal Tokaido highway. Much of the Nakasendo weaved its way through Shinshu (the old name for Nagano), and the southern parts of this highway have luckily been preserved for visitors to explore and travel. We walked the common route between Magome and Tsumago (in Kiso Valley), which were post towns on the highway, staying off at some traditional Japanese inns (ryokan). Again, we were blessed with few crowds, as well as cherry blossoms in season. The highlight was an absolutely superb night at Fujioto Ryokan in Tsumago. Run by a delightful family, including a daughter who speaks very good English, this inn has both an amazing history and beauty. Our room looked out on their amazing garden and the ancient road.

From Kiso Valley we travelled through Matsumoto to Komoro, stopping off at the city's majestic black castle. Having visited Himeji on previous trips my family did not know what to expect. In many ways this black castle is finer than the rather ostentatious Himeji. In Komoro we relaxed and enjoyed the local area's delicious soba noodles. The cherry blossoms in Kaikoen were unfortunately in their last few days, but it was still good to see something of their beauty. As a final flourish in Nagano we had a morning in Karuizawa before returning to Tokyo.

27th April- 4th May - Hokkaido
In Tokyo the family split. With my siblings making the journey home for work and university I set out with my parents for a week in Hokkaido. I had been looking forward to visiting the northern island of Japan for a long time and was not to be disappointed. Whilst we were to miss some of the wonderful summer flowers that this part of the world is famous for, we could not have managed the crowds that flock to Hokkaido at these times. Instead, we reached the northern islands during a particularly quiet phase, and an unseasonably warm snap.

Sapporo was our first stop. Although without a long history to commend it, Sapporo is a very pleasant modern city with great restaurants and a rather lively night scene. Here we had the best sashimi of our trip! We did a day trip to Shiraoi, where there is a museum dedicated to the native Ainu people of Hokkaido. With live bears on show, as well as cultural performances the museum is an interesting place to visit. One couldn't help spotting the similarities between the Ainu and the native Americans, obviously from the same stock before the later group migrated over the ancient land bridge. An interesting stop!

From Sapporo we flew to Rishiri Island in the far north. Bordering Russian territories, the environment of Rishiri and nearby Rebun is truly rugged. Famed for their wildflowers, at other times of the year these islands are thrashed by strong winds and winter snow and ice. Much of the winter snow had melted by the time we got there, but Rishiri's volcano was still coated in copious amounts of white. The mountain is called Rishiri Fuji, in regards to its shape, which from certain angles resembles Fuji. The mountain is also flanked by forest and several lakes. The coast is dotted with four small fishing towns, which specialise in sea urchin and a type of edible seaweed called combu, both highly sought after. We went around the island and visited these places by taxi. My poor Japanese was given a true working over as I had to try and translate what the driver was saying to my parents. Then, when we finally had to move on the island was struck by high winds. We ended up at the island's tiny airport wondering whether we would get off...

We did get off and made it to our final destination, the area around Abashiri in the far East. Here we hired a car and toured Hokkaido's magical national parks of Shiretoko and Akan. On the way we drove past some of the many acres of dairy farms that Hokkaido is also famous for. The highlight of this part of the trip was Shiretoko National Park. Whilst my mother was for some reason disappointed that she didn't meet a brown bear, we saw the five lakes and some other areas that this park is famous for. The territory is truly wild, like some of New Zealand's national parks, and would be fantastic to hike through and explore. Actually, if someone wanted to go ski touring it would be perfect for that. There is an abundance of wildlife, and in particular an overabundance of deer. Again, in early spring the park was not displaying all of its colors, but we had the place largely to ourselves. We had a good night at a youth hostel in the park itself before driving back through Akan National Park. Including a sizeable lake, there were some similarities between Akan and Taupo. There we spotted some keen trout fishermen and got a great view of the surrounding land.

On 4th May I found myself winging my way back to Tokyo and saying goodbye to my parents for another few months. It was a good farewell though as our rather ambitious trip came off very well. Having visited the north and seen more of Kyoto and Kiso I feel that I have seen a bit more of this country. Despite the often mentioned cultural similarities between Japanese of all parts of the land, I feel that the geography lends the different regions a truly unique feel. I hope that these highlights can give a few others some ideas for their trips. It was a very special spring soujourn!

気を付けて
Peter

昼休み　Spring Break

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:22:00 +0000

Alright, so it has been ages since I updated my blog. I know, I'm a terrible internet person but it takes so long to get through all this correspondence. What prompted me to get back on the page was my recent spring trip. After months of struggling through a frigid Komoro winter I made it through to spring. What better to do in Japan in Spring but to go touring the country? Not only is the weather fantastic but you get the chance to see some stunning cherry blossoms. This time I was on the road with an Australian friend who is now working in Cambridge, England. He flew over for eight days, and we really made the most of the experience. Here's a run down of where we got to:

Okinawa

Our first top was the very south of Japan, the beautiful islands of Okinawa. With only two and a half days to kill the plan had been to visit the small island of Tokashiki for a day and then attack some of the more popular attractions on the main island. After arriving in a relaxed Naha by 747 though we were dismayed to see that the Tokashiki ferry was cancelled due to heavy rain. After quickly reorganising plans we spent the first day around Naha and Shuri and then travelled up to Nago in the evening.

We saw the rather sobering exhibitions at the old wartime Japanese Naval Headquarters, as well as the reconstructions of the Okinawan capital at Shuri. Nago had some beautiful beaches around it and we ended up staying in something that resembled a Japanese hippyville on the beach. Add into the mix copious amounts of Awamori (Okinawan rice wine), a friendly crew of Tokyo girls and guys, and it was a fantastic night. Okinawa is a place to go back to. We had a great few days there but we really didn't hit all the spots we would have liked to.

The place has fantastic food and it is a truly odd experience moving from the humming corporate scene of the mainland onto this relaxed and comfortable island retreat. We were surprised that it wasn't more touristy, or maybe we were just good at avoiding the crowds. As much as we saw of the Americans was some F-15 fighters about to take off and some massive patriot missile launchers. If you head to Okinawa go off the beaten track!

Nagasaki

My mate had wanted to visit Hiroshima during his stay, but having already been there and acting on a hunch that Nagasaki would hold more promise I booked us tickets there. In fact we flew to Fukuoka and then took a train to this wonderful hill and port city. This has to be the most beautiful city I have visited in Japan, and to make it even better we stayed in the most wonderful of hostels. We arrived at Akari Hostel rather stuffed after all the travel, but were soon to find two wonderful hosts in the Japanese couple who own the place. We were staying in the old quarter of Nagasaki, where one can wander through a whole street of old temples and shrines. We spent the first afternoon exploring an ancient cemetery near these temples and in doing so conquering one of Nagasaki's many hills. With the sakura in half bloom already it was simply stunning. Afterwards we explored the market streets of the old town that run down to Dejima, the old Dutch trading quarter.

They have rebuilt Dejima as true to the history books as possible and its an interesting place to visit.

The next morning we wore more somber faces as we explored Nagasaki's peace park and museum. The atomic bomb hit only one portion of the city all those years ago, but the havoc it wreaked on that area is something that should never be forgotten. The museum was well put together, but the beauty of the city only reinforced the sadness one feels in visiting such sites. We cleared that out of our systems somewhat by visiting some other remaining Dutch sites in the afternoon. If you are planning to visit one of the peace museums then I can recommend Nagasaki strongly. Having been to both, Nagasaki offers not only that glimpse into atomic devastation, but carries along with it some fascinating colonial history and Japanese tradition that will help you weather the A-bomb exhibits. It is a truly beautiful place!

Kansai region

It was then onto Osaka for a couple of days. After questioning some local folk in a downtown Osaka pub we concluded that there was not a heck of a lot in this massive city that we really wanted to do. On the first day we did some rather standard tourist things such as visit Osaka-jo and the fantastic Osaka aquarium. We really wanted to see something new though.

Before we did, we had a rather special second night. Ten years previous I stayed for two weeks in Sakai City, right next to Osaka. My host family were absolutely fantastic and so before my trip I sent a letter to them asking whether it would be possible to catch up. Not only did we catch up, but my host mother had us to stay for the night and cooked the most fabulous dinner.

It was great to see my host sister and hear that she is doing well. They also geared us up for a quick trip to Nara the next day. There we did the standard fare temple visits, and had a really top notch Japanese lunch in one of the back alleys.

Tokyo

The final stop in the trip was back in Tokyo. I have actually spent surprisingly little time in the big city this year and so it was good to see it for a few days. We stayed with another mate of

mine near Shibuya, where we enjoyed the nightlife the first night. The second day dawned a bit overcast but that didn't really take away from the fact that it was 花見祭り, cherry blossom festival. We had a great time exploring Akasuka and some other park areas. My friend left on the Sunday but I still had the rest of that day to enjoy more of the cherry blossoms and fun in Ueno Park.

Now its back to school in Komoro, but it was a spring vacation well spent. Sorry for the rather messy entry, but I hope I gave you a glimpse into a couple of spots that I was lucky enough to visit. Part two of tripping in Japan will be coming up in May after I have travelled around the place again with my family. Until then, take care.

More Skiing...

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:14:00 +0000

Location: Freezing Komoro

Mood: calm

Kia ora,
Its been pretty good over here in Komoro-shi the last week or so despite it being now well past the comfortably-cold stage and into frigid territory. Most mornings I wake up and de-ice my bathroom before thawing out my contact lenses and checking out how many degrees below zero the ‘inside house’ temperature is! So much for Dunedin....

I’m back into school now and the first week was pretty cruisey. My third year class only has three periods left and then they are on study leave. We are having interviews and a party and then thats it. As for the first years, they continue to sleep through lesson plans as usual. Even give them a funky homemade NZ board game and they bow their heads.

This Saturday was a mission of a day, but absolutely fantastic. I went back to Shiga Kogen for ‘another’ days skiing. When we arrived it was really snowing quite heavily and I had that, ‘crap, here’s another freezing Shiga day’ feel. However, it cleared up really nicely and the snow was the best yet. It was so unbelievably light and you felt like you were floating. There’s always unskied pow under the lifts here in Japan, so I got first crack at some pearler runs. In the evening a rowdy bunch of us got together to watch a Japanese movie that one of our number was an extra in. It was great to see some folk after the big New Years break.

Today I had a relaxing morning and went to a charity lunch for a Nepalese school. A Nepalese guy who lives here arranges it all for the international community and its a great idea. I was actually thinking that doing six months work in Nepal was another option for my post-JET wanderings, so its great to have a Nepalese contact here who can put me on track.

Otherwise its back to the books. I had done a good job of preserving all of my unpaid leave until the last 4 or 5 months, so can make the most of travel in country in a month or two. I’m doing a bit of reading up and starting to lay travel plans for two trips, with a mate in March and with my folks in April. Its 50/50 I’ll get to Alaska in June, and then I’ll be in SE Asia in July/August.

All the best,
P.

A late 'Happy New Years'

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 07:19:00 +0000

Hey folk,

I’m pretty late with it, but hope you all had a good new years and Christmas. Most of the JET folk I know here headed over to SE Asia or back home, so to all of them I hope your travels went well. As for the folk back home, enjoy the good summer!

You can check out my video for full details, but I stayed in Komoro for Christmas. I had seven people over to my place and we all celebrated with stacks of food and dancing. It was a tad tricky to get turkey and ham, so we just had a rather eclectic mix of Japanese, Western and Thai. Nadia, bless her soul, somehow managed to make a pumpkin pie- my favourite dessert- so bless her!

On the skiing front it has been pretty good. I have mainly skied on trail in the three main Nagano areas - Hakuba, Nozawa Onsen and Shiga Kogen. All these fields have pretty good powder snow, but its sometimes hard to find enough vertical to really make the runs interesting. I’ve worked out a few areas now, so will focus on getting back to these areas. I’m also keen to try a couple of fields in the neighboring prefecture- Myoko amongst others. Then, a couple of folk will probably head up backcountry, so I might aim to get good enough to join them.

I’m looking for friends’ feedback on post-Japan options. I’m kinda floundering around trying to see if its an option getting some 4-6 months work in Singapore or the US, but don’t really know where to look or what kind of thing to do. Obviously I could do research or policy, and I would kind of like to try out something in the environmental policy line. It’d be cool to be able to work on something like that overseas and be able to travel in the weekends. The general plan is to be back in NZ around Jan/Feb 09 and to either do environmental policy or foreign affairs....again, pretty preliminary and different, so give me some views if you can.

The next six months is shaping up to be most exciting. I have two or three decent chunks of holiday in Japan and then a trip to Alaska. That’s without mentioning more skiing and weekend fun. I’ll keep you posted.

Some general notes for JETs and other folk- I posted both some lesson plan and a copy of my thesis in my file box on my facebook profile. Please check them out if they would be of interest or help- that’s what I put them up for.

All the best for 2008!
Pete

Hitting the slopes

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:21:00 +0000

Kia ora folk,

First to all the JETs and other Japanese folk out there, I hope your travels go well and look forward to catching up when you’re all back in January. I’m going to be enjoying the powder snow for you, so you will have to catch up! I also uploaded some of my lesson plans onto Facebook if they are any use to you.

For folks back home, its been a pretty cool few weeks. We’re just breaking into the ski season, and with Christmas just around the corner we have been partying and have fun both at school and outside.

Three weeks ago we had our big Nagano JET mid-year conference in Shiojiri. We all stayed over at the conference hall there, and it was great to catch up. Whilst I always seriously question the value of talk-fests, it was an interesting time. The fact that I had a Japanese test on the Sunday meant that I couldn’t partake in the evening festivities as much. The test was on Sunday in a city called Matsumoto, so Saturday was spent studying. I did pop out in the evening though to a dinner party with one of my high school’s english teachers. He is quite young and just got married. Him and his mates were heaps of fun, but probably kept me up a bit late for the next day...oh what we do to ourselves! The test was a bit of a mission, but it was good to sit it, if just to find out how my language is progressing. If taken from a self-assessment I would not say particularly well.

The next week was full on. I went with my aussi mate Jono, and Utah friend Eric to Nozawa Onsen. This ski field had cheap tickets for early season so we thought we’d give it a go. Whilst the open runs were limited to the top four on the mountain it was already apparent that Japanese snow was going to outclass the kiwi stuff.

After getting back from the mountain I had only an hour or two to prepare myself for a massive Christmas party. I had offered my place for the Saku JET block’s Christmas do, and it was a pretty big thing. I would say forty or so people turned up and enjoyed some Christmas drinks and spirit together. It was one of those nights- seeing how many people we could sleep on my floor. It was hilarious getting up in the morning and trying to find my way to the toilet without crushing someone under foot. All in all it was a pretty successful party and people came from far and wide. After all the fun Sunday was spent on recovery. We hit a local hot spring and just let the bodies recover.

Last weekend was dedicated to skiing. We went up to a massive field called Shiga Kogen. I was again impressed by the snow, but the actual slopes were not all that challenging. Of course it is early days exploring the fields, but I think we will really need to hunt for some vertical slope. The Sunday was VERY cold, and we were pretty much skiing through a blizzard- all worth it though.

Now, I am enjoying some short days at school before Christmas in which to catch up on planning and paperwork. After Christmas it is back to the hills. I should get at least half a dozen (and hopefully more) days up the mountains before school starts again. I also want to check out Japanese New Years at the main temple in Nagano. Its meant to be pretty big and exciting.

Lots of love goes out to folk back home. Its pretty different not being round familiar faces for Christmas, even though I am used to being in different places. I am sure you will all have a great one!

All the best,
Pete

Roppongi and Kiso Valley

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 07:22:00 +0000

Kia ora,

Hope folks at home aren’t getting too despondent about the typically dismal performance of the NZ cricketeers. Going into a rather cold winter I am missing at least watching the games!

Last weekend was a bit of a blow out over here. I don’t know if anybody watched the news closely enough, but you may have seen that there was a big NZ festival in Tokyo? A group of us kiwi JETs had arranged to catch up for this festival in Roppongi, so I caught the shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo last Saturday. It was worth the 6am start! The Asama shinkansen is awesome. It only takes about 70 minutes to get from the next major town to central Tokyo.

The kiwi festival in Roppongi was a mix of NZ food and product stalls, as well as fashion and music performances. Three of the girls who came over with us are in the kiwi Kapa Haka group based in Japan and they did a great performance- well done folk! There was then performances by Rhombus, Nesian Mystik and Hayley Westenra. I was highly interested in the food, as it was my first opportunity in months to have lamb chops, steak and moneiths and tui. I even caught up with an old school mate who I hadn’t seen for five years and who has been living in Tokyo. All around a great two day festival, catch up, and way to spend the weekend.

This weekend has been much more Japaneesie. I headed down with a couple of other English teachers to a couple of traditional style Japanese towns in the Kiso valley. We walked between two, and stayed the night at a Ryokan (Japanese style-inn). You can check out the photos, but it was really beautiful!

I forgot to add that we have prepared for skiing in earnest here too. I got my first few runs of the season on Friday at a field that is straight up the hill from my house, about 20 minutes away. The snow was still very average but it was an opportunity to loosen the legs and test out new gear. Its going to be a good one.

We’re running down to Christmas already so let me know what’s up!
All the best,
P.

Quick take

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 07:24:00 +0000

Hey folks,

Just added a few pics from the weekend’s activities. We woke up to fairly heavy rain on Saturday, so decided to postpone our walk in Tateshina. I caught up with Jono, Jo and Leslie, some of the Ueda JETs, and Jo’s friend Mahiko though. We checked out Ueda-jo’s autumn colours, which were rather attractive. We then went to a soba restaurant and checked out the soba making. Later that night we went to a mate’s party in Saku.

I’m trying to force myself to do some Japanese study here so took the books out on Sunday. Luckily it was another crumby day, making it easier to hide behind books. This weekend I’m off to Tokyo. I will have plenty of news after that one no doubt.

Bye for now,
Pete

Japan Update

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:25:00 +0000

Kia ora,

It has been a busy old time over here in Japan the last three or four weeks. Sorry for not being in better contact but I’ve been busy exploring the area and going to festivals and concerts. Here’s a run down on my exciting Nagano weekends. I’ve only just managed to get a few clear days to take stock and catch up with folk. The second year students from my school have gone to Okinawa on a school trip and the school decided it would be rather nice if the remaining teachers only had to teach morning classes. It is very nice.

Anyways, onwards with the update…

After my first Kitaaiki adventure and ski purchase things started to get really busy at school. The pattern was generally one of finishing lesson plans at the last minute, ending the week worn out, but still wanting to make the most of the weekends. I will mainly explain the weekends then.

Saturday 20th

The first weekend I need to pick up on is October 20th/21st, the weekend the ABs should have been holding aloft the Webb Ellis trophy. Luckily I had backup plans. On this day my school had a big music concert at the local hall. The school is known for its music classes and the standard of the concert was really high. The students did a couple of well known chorus, brass band and orchestra pieces. It was great to go along and they all appreciated that I went.

Sunday 21st

I hit another school event on the Sunday. The agricultural school I visit once a month had their annual festival. Despite only teaching there infrequently I thought I would turn up, give them some support, and see what kinds of things they did. They had produce for sale that the kids had made, whilst the students also cooked up takoyaki and yakisoba for hungry punters. Inside the classrooms they were showing off a whole range of students’ work including woodcarving, calligraphy, ikebana, you name it. There’s some pretty talented kids there even if they aren’t top academics.

For the whole next week I really hit Halloween lessons hard. The kiwi in me was not necessarily keen to dabble in American commercialised holidays, but it was a fun event to get the kids into. I turned up to class in a ‘scream’ constume, which instantly drew gasps and a flurry of cellphone pictures. The students were equally stunned when I asked for volunteers for apple bobbing. The few that dared really made the classes. The rest of the bunch were content wailing out trick or treat in the hope of getting some candy.

Saturday 27th

The real Halloween fun came that Saturday though. I drove for about three hours to a city called Ina in the southern part of the prefecture. Its situated on a river and surrounded by the alps much like many other cities in the prefecture. However, it lacked the elegance that Ueda and Komoro seem to have. Maybe some more exploration time would have modified this initial impression of mine, as I really hit town to party.

The main event was helping out at a kids’ Halloween festival at the Chamber of Commerce. The chamber was using it as an event to breath life back into a part of town that had seen better days. Us JETs, dressed up in our costumes, were really glorified display pieces. The kids came along to make Jack-o-lanterns and get their faces painted, and whilst Belinda and Cristine did an admirable job on the facepainting I felt that the rest of us were rather surplus to need when it came to carving. Nevertheless, it was a pretty good event and they shouted us some great food after.

The real fun came that night though. I was staying with a CIR called Patricia (for those not in Nagano) and there were a bunch of other JETs along for the party. We went to a small club called the Gram and pretty much rocked the place down. I can’t remember enjoying dancing so much! Maybe it was the fact that people weren’t shitface drunk like in Wellington…maybe it was the fact that its easier to dance in a bunch of slightly more reserved people that are Japanese young people. Anyways, check out the incriminating shots. We rocked out of the place after the last songs around 4am!

Sunday 28th

So, with 4am in mind, Sunday was at best limited. We hit a family restaurant (and drink bar) for a lunch, and then I got on my way home. I can’t say I didn’t keep busy for the next few days but I definitely felt the after affects of quite a night out on the town.

Friday 2nd Nov

Finally, last weekend was just as busy. On the Friday I had driven up to a city called Chikuma, about an hour and a half from Komoro and pretty close to Nagano city. My kiwi mate Don is a CIR there and had me and one of our key CIR’s, an aussi called Ben, over for the night. It was nice to have a few beers with folk from down under, especially after what had been a pretty hectic week. I had had to fill in for two JTEs who had been sick and teach some extra second year classes too. They all went really well, but I was wilting by the time I reached Friday evening.

Saturday 3rd Nov

Don had me over because he enrolled the help of a fellow kiwi for the Chikuma international festival. Our kiwi gig was the good old haka, which we first blurted out to a group of children and their parents at a youth club. We then moved on to perform the same thing in front of the main festival crowd. The festival was held in a park next to the Chikuma history museum. We did a pretty effective version of ka mate (and I also did my school haka), and then checked out the museum. It was rather amazing because not only was the museum itself so well put together but also on the site was the huge tomb of a local ruler. It was built into a hill that gave a commanding view of the surrounding city- a great perspective for a visitor. We slowly cruised back to Komoro after a busy day.

Don took off to Kitaaiki to do some planning for another international festival the next day. I stayed in Komoro though as my friends Prentiss and Sachiko held a Halloween party at their place. Three other JETs came along, and there were a host of Japanese folk I had met a while back. It was great to make a few new contacts too!

Sunday 4th Nov

Lucky for me I did not have to be in Kitaaiki until later on Sunday afternoon. Fully thrashed already, I at least had time to huddle under my warm blankets in Komoro until mid-morning. Then I got a new couch delivered to complete my living room furniture and had to quickly hit the road. It was quite neat because we hit an onsen in Koumi village before moving on to Kitaaiki. Nothing is more relaxing than onsens, especially when the weather is getting colder.

The Kitaaiki international festival was pretty cool and us kiwi’s got in on the act twice. First, we really put on a show with the haka. Check out our rather racey photos of our performance! We decided we’d try and wear something as close to traditional Maori dress as possible, so got some dried reed from the homestore and wrapped it round ourselves. Our makeup artist (another JET) drew some face moku. The only problem was that the reeds didn’t like staying around the hips like a traditional Maori skirt. I nearly ended up losing the thing and scaring the crowd with my tighty whities! That would not have been a good look.

All the JETs then put together an assortment of different dishes from around the world. Don and I did some ANZAC bickies, whilst Ben made some sausage rolls, and one of the Chinese CIRs did some dumplings, and so on…Everything turned out fab except that we spent hours making the things and the food all disappeared in minutes. The local ‘gobble-guts’ boys tore through most of the dishes leaving very little for other punters. It was a shame, but we couldn’t do much.

The final piece from us JETs was a crazy dress up performance of YMCA- good fun!

So, I’m now planning a day walk for the coming weekend. It’s the beautiful Japanese autumn at the moment, and even though the evenings are horridly chilly already the leaves are gorgeous. A few of us thought we would get a walk in before they all disappear. I’m also hitting another party on Saturday. Sunday I have another school concert and then might go to Matsumoto to buy some fancy ski bindings. I’m still not really stopping. I also just finished the final, library copy of my thesis, so that was another thing on my mind. In the extra two days that I wish were attached to each week I would finish editing a Shinto manuscript this guy wants me to check, and actually do some proper Japanese study. So, if you have some way of donating me extra time I am in desperate need of it. I’m having a blast but forever on the run!!!

Take care and send a lone kiwi some southern news.
Pete

Climbing Fuji

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:26:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

I have added a video blog of my Fuji expedition but those of you with slower connections may want to read on instead. Check out the new photos of this trip, as well as some older pics of Sugadaira I forgot to add.

We have been enjoying several long weekends over here. These provide the perfect opportunity to do regional travel. High on several of our lists was Fuji-san before the weather got too cold. The volcano was ‘officially’ closed to visitors for the season on September 5th. All this means is that if you can climb after closing you escape the many hordes that climb the famous mountain during official season.

I took off on Saturday afternoon with another JET from Saku, Eric, and two private English teachers also from Saku, Ashley and Shane. I had only met Eric before but quickly made friends with the other two. Eric would fit in nicely in NZ, as he is one of those great guys who just gets on and does things. We planned to do this trip a few weeks ago and Saturday was D-Day. We loaded up his new Pajero-mini (now the mini-P!) and got on the road, him minus any international drivers license, and me having forgotten mine. Oh well, when ya gotta go, ya gotta go. We weren’t going to stop.

The ride to Fuji from Saku/Komoro is only a couple of hours but we missed the first turn off to the mountain and ended up driving around it part way. Driving in Japan can be an experience, and this night was no exception. After quizzing multiple 7/11 shop attendants we rolled into the Fuji start area at around 2 in the morning. In typical Japanese style they lock all park gates and camping is illegal in most places. Determined not to waste money on expensive accomodation though we set up the tents along the trail.

The next day dawned fine but cloudy, and luckily we decided to start out early to get up the mountain. We started from about 1100m elevation, station 1 on Fuji, and climbed the whole way to the top, about 13 hours worth of walking. The first five stations were really neat as they follow up the historic horse track. Along the way there are tori gates and other religious icons, as well as old laid stone tracks. The forest is quite pretty and quite different from anything back home. The thing that really brought home the differences from back home though was filling up with udon noodles for lunch at the fifth station, just above the bushline. It was great to have a steaming, tasty bowl of noodles, but did make it feel like we were still in suburbia.

From the fifth station it was a bit of a hard slog up the rocky volcano to the summit. After gaining some fellow campers, a keen French-man and another great Aussi guy, we forged ahead. Although we didn’t finally break camp on the summit until about 9pm, we dealt pretty well with altitude and the steep climb. We planned it pretty well too as it is kinda illegal to set up camp of Fuji, but nobody was there in the dark to prevent us.

So, we woke up 4.15 on the Monday to catch the non-present sunrise from a prime position. It was a bit of a disappointment, but was still good to have cruised up Japan’s highest mountain. The way down was much quicker and by two we were all sitting in the mini-P considering a relaxing onsen-bath and Japanese all you can drink bars. All in all it was a great trip, and really got me back into some decent walking. In final irony, as soon as we emerged from all-you-could-drink, a crystal clear Fuji emerged from behind the clouds.....I will conquer a cloudless Fuji in ski-season, armed with some new skis......

Video update

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:27:00 +0000

Hey folk, hope the rugby viewing is going ok! We’re having a good time over here. I’ve just been having tea with some JET friends an putting together some listening tests for my classes next week - good fun! We sat down and had a dessert of NZ ice-cream after.

Just got a new webcam, so I can now video blog or video call people. I know you can get video on Yahoo, iChat and AOL, but I prefer using skype, so I’m mainly going to use it through that. (The main thing is I use a single program for all my chat programs and I ain’t going to bloat out my system by running multiple programs). If you haven’t added me to skype then please do.

A few of us may be heading up Mt Fuji this weekend. Its officially the end of climbing season, but thats the best time to go as you avoid all the middle aged folk showing off their new hiking gear. It was bad enough goin up Mt. Asama a couple of weeks back. I whipped past a few folk in only my stubbies and singlet - Fred Dagg would have been proud.

Right, take it easy folk and keep me up to date with what’s happening. Pete

Its the end of the golden weather...

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 12:53:00 +0000

There have been numerous rumblings along the New Zealand JET grapevine this week. With the holiday grace period rapidly winding down for all us newby teachers, attention has been drawn towards hard work and the fact that we ain't in kiwi any more. With the last gasps of holiday freedom have also gone the oppressively hot nights. In fact if anything has got me through the last week or so it has been the fantastically cool evenings and mornings.

With another week (and shortage of blog posts) has also come a much more sound reflection on my new town of residence. After hearing that the population was 40,000 whilst I was in Wellington, I was thinking that Komoro may rival a kiwi town such as Wanganui in size. I was wrong. If Komoro has 40,000 people they are spread across many smaller towns, set into the hills, perched on the plains, or lying prone in the valleys. Its not that the distances are huge, but the central town feels more like one of 10,000 people. This is not helped by the dreamy feel of mainstreet Komoro. On a good day the old town speakers blurt out the Beatles non-stop. On a bad day you are caught by Hawaiian tunes that infect every nook and cranny of the place.

Last weekend I made a particularly interesting journey across the Komoro railroad tracks and into the valley. I walked down past roadside cemeteries, rice paddies and strangely located apartments before reaching the Chikuma River. Whilst it could not rival a New Zealand backcountry river, it was most refreshing walking along the water's edge. From there I attempted to clamber up one of the local hills, past a large strawberry farm, to where I thought a Buddhist temple was hidden. I was glad to run into a local, as I had unwittingly clambered up at least 500 metres too far. Taking off at a cracking pace the old man guided me back down a narrow garden-like path until I was staring at what I had come for - Nunobiki Kannon-ji. Legend had it that an old lady organised the building of this impressive temple directly into a cliff face after being turned away from atheism by a head priest in Nagano. Even if one doubts the story the location and architecture were fantastic. The place was truly hidden.

No other event in the past week has rivaled the temple. I have made steady progress with teachers at school, and signed up for some interesting activities. I have not had the time to see any comparable sights around the town though. Most likely further explorations will have to go on the backburner as the work schedule is now filled up and I need to decide what school club activity/ies to try. In the absence of any rugby, squash and cricket I am having a difficult time deciding. I figure that the Japanese favourites, baseball and soccer may be a tad difficult to suddenly learn.

The local JET block leaders here have been fantastic and have provided some great weekend opportunities for the next couple of months. During the weekend just past we hit karaoke, a Japanese favourite. This coming weekend we are attending a huge fireworks spectacular at a lakeside town called Suwa. Then, the week after we have a hike planned in one of the close by national parks. Add to that training for a half marathon in late October and some serious rugby viewing and it is going to be a very busy period. I hope I can get some good shots of these events so that I can beam them back.

I hope that everybody is enjoying the last throes of a particularly pathetic New Zealand winter. I expect some World Cup news and predictions and look forward to reading your updates.
Pete

SkypeIn for Wellington folk

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 06:28:00 +0000

Hi everyone,
Good news for phones- for all the folk with a Wellington landline you can call me from it for free on (04) 889-0803. I bought a SkypeIn number, which is basically a virtual number in Wellington that is forwarded to my computer’s internet phone service. You pay nothing, and there’s a voicemail if I’m not there. I’d love to keep in contact, so please feel free to give me a call anytime. I’m three hours behind you.
All the best,
Pete

Photos

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 06:31:00 +0000

Ok, so I bit the bullet and uploaded photos onto facebook too- with fast internet they load up so much better than through google, plus you can tag them. Its a tad quiet round here at the moment at it is Obon, and most people seem to be doing family things. I’m tired from the heat I think, so its kanji study day!

Would I knock the bastard off already!?

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:07:00 +0000

Dear all,

It is currently summer break in Japan, which leaves some JETs with the opportunity to travel, get their bearings within their local communities, and catch up on life in general. I am one of those lucky JETs. The trick to scoring a long summer break is to turn up to school dressed in a suitably vague countenance, but seemingly willing to do your duty. When the local teachers (who want themselves to score as many days holiday as possible) approach you, the trick is to say very little. The conversation usually ends with you scoring leave in a way that they are happy with. For the poor JETs with strict schools, or with too much eagerness to escape, the result can be a bit less pleasant. So, long holiday in hand I have set about both better acquainting myself with the community, as well as exploring a few local sites.

My priority for the weekend was exploring our local volcano, Mt Asama. One of Japan's more active cones, he lies up above my house smouldering all day long.
Occassionally some impressive plumes of ash shoot out, but conveniently get blown over Gunma Prefecture instead of Nagano. Now I could have tackled this beast by heading straight up from my house, but other JETs and teachers had told me that it was best done from the Kuruizawa side. The problem was that Kuruizawa is the most popular little resort town in the area, and everybody loves driving their car there. Therefore, by the time I had driven two friends up (in one of their cars) we were completely lacking in motivation for climbing up a volcano. Instead we played the tourists and toured around the resort town. It was fun, but not quite expected. We returned to Komoro to sleep off the day, but only after cooking up a storm!

On Sunday we did a little better, but I am ashamed to say that we still failed to conquer the mountain. Now in a group of four we headed to the main viewing area for Asama, which was situated on a recent (c.100 year old) lava flow on the eastern flanks. The viewing area had a Japanese style hike, barely longer than a NZ cruise down to the corner dairy. In saying that, the actual geography was stunning. The lava flow had left a contorted landscape with a mix of smooth and rough outposts of rock. In between were young fir trees and alpine plants, whilst some keen Japanese had long ago constructed a shinto shrine. Part of the problem with climbing at this point would have been that the lava flow was just too rough. A better deal would be found on a scoria slope on the other side. Moreover, the group was keen to find the local lake. This also proved difficult, and I ended up back in my house that night considering another defeat.

Monday dawned fine, but after dinners and trips I had to do some tidying up. Nevertheless, after the experience of Kuruizawa I had the feeling that my Asama-climbing luck would be better on the Komoro side. To test this theory I biked part of the way up the highlands above Komoro and enjoyed every minute of it. This leaves me with a future task of conquering Asama from the local highlands. If I can't do it this break at least I know where to start.

My main problem in Japan so far has been a lack of wheels. I have been sitting back in my living room contemplating how much easier it would be if I had a car. Luckily a JET friend in Ueda is upgrading and offered me his little Daihatsu! That's right, we drive granny cars here. They're cheap, economical on fuel and generally come with 4wd as standard. I went for a test drive today and it'll do. It has the 4wd for mountains, and also a ski rack. My winter skiing will come along that much better if I can get up and down the mountains by car. Write in now if you want the 'pete in geriatric car' pics.

The rest of the time has been pretty quiet. Tonight was summer festival, but most of this was devoted to young kids. There was formation dancing, roman candle-like fireworks and festival food. All in all it was a short night though and I was sitting wondering if I had missed something. It was great to go along though as it is very tricky building bridges with the local community. Very few people speak english and my Japanese is very limited at the moment. I will persevere though, and look forward to reporting back soon with more in depth information on the people. By the way, there are more pictures in my web albums from this week. Check them out.

I trust everyone is gearing up for rugby world cup and loving the cold! Lots of love, Pete

First post from Komoro-shi

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:06:00 +0000

A big hello from Komoro city, Nagano, Japan. What a two weeks! There is so much to write about, as each day has been so busy. I suppose I should start from day one, and at the same time warn that all I can do is list the many things I have done in rough form. After waving goodbye to a collection of friends and family at Wellington airport (and thanks again for coming by the way!), we made it up to Auckland, and my mate Chris picked me up from our hotel about 8pm. We had a pretty good last NZ dinner in Parnell and then strangely got dragged to his girlfriend's brother's 21st. He was doing the yardie and the whole bit, but Chris wanted to go, so dropped me back about 12. Good to see him!

The Sunday, we flew out earliesh morning, ran into an old rugby mate at the airport. The flight was actually pretty sweet because there were about thirty JETs (including myself) and maybe only another 20 people on the flight. I also watched a couple of good flicks that I would recommend seeing -- Letters from Iwo Jima and Black Sheep. Anyways, we got in to Narita airport and there were just hordes of other JETs from the US, UK, Aussi etc. We had a bit of a frustrating wait for a bus, and didn't get to our five-star hotel until about 8 at night (11pm NZ time). Since we were still all together, all us kiwis decided to straight away hit a Japanese
pub. Basically the way they work is that you have a long Japanese table for the group and everyone paid 3,000 yen ($30ish) for all you could drink and a large set menu of food. It was fantastic. Being typical kiwis, loud and fun, we attracted the attention of a group of workmen partying next to us. They were totally drunk (as Japanese are at these events) and wanted
photos. Then, we left the pub and someone had the idea to do Karaoke. Not only did we do Karaoke but the Japanese guys we met came along and paid for the whole thing!

Monday was boring until afternoon because we had a whole lot of information sessions that mainly seemed to incorporate scaremonger tactics and way too much formality. We decided we'd had enough and cruised off to Akiharbura, the electronics district of Tokyo in the afternoon. I went out with the other JETs who are working in my prefecture in the evening, mainly americans and a few scots and aussies. We had another pub meal but not as good, then more Karaoke.

Tuesday we had more sessions in the morning, which were more informative. I went to those. Then, we had a reception at the NZ Embassy, which is in a great part of town and has a stunning reception hall and garden. They put on some light food, ambassador talked to us all, and then we were free to cruise down to Shibuya, the party area of Tokyo, neon lights and thousands of people. I actually ended up talking with a guy at the embassy whose MA I had used a lot in my own; very random. Nic Dempster's partners parents are also diplomats and he was there staying, so we went out for cocktails at the top of one of the tall towers. It was pretty primo. Karaoke again after.

Wednesday we cruised off to our prefectures, kinda like provinces or states. Most prefectures have about 60-120 JETs, and our group from Tokyo was the first half of the new bunch of JETs who were arriving. We all fit on a tour bus and drove deep inland. The bus trip was great because it let us get to know eachother very well. I'm top friends already with a whole bunch of folk, which will come in handy when I travel. Anyways, we got to Nagano around four and met our supervisor teachers from our schools. Mine is a lady called Kitano, who speaks reasonable english and is an absolute delight. She was happy to help with anything. That day we had to straight away travel an hour and a half by car to Komoro, my city. We went to get
an 'Alien Registration' card, which all foreigners have to get in order to live here and buy cars, cellphones etc. We also went briefly to the school, where I met the Vice Principal. He seems very friendly, and used to do Chinese history, so was interested in my work. Then I got dropped off in the evening to my new abode. It was pretty basic to start with, but does have plenty of room and all the amenities I need. Knowing that the new JETs would be home alone, this American second-year girl called Erika did a big drive round and took us out to tea with the experienced folk! We had another pub meal that brought more faces to remember.

Thursday I got my cellphone but it only calls out for 60 minutes a month and international calls are hideously expensive. I wouldnt even try it, although having one is a necessity for calling friends in country. I got a Hanko, which is a Japanese stamp that they use on official documents instead of signing. I had to get a special one because of my European name. I ordered internet, stocked up on first bits of shopping etc. Late night reordering the house.

Friday I spent the day at school. Two of the English teachers took me out to lunch and seemed convinced that there must be some kind of sushi that I did not like. It was great, and a big feed. Much of the day was spent meeting people, and I was taken to the second school that I will work at.

Saturday was festival day-- we went to a city called Matsumoto for what
they call BonBon. This is a starting ceremony for the larger Obon festival, in which their ancestors are said to come back from the dead for a short period of time. Erika drove myself, and two other JETs (Natalie and John) to a friend's place and we trained the last part of the way. Since we got there too early we checked out the impressive castle in the city. We then joined a large group of JETs who were to participate in the festival street parade. We all dressed up in Japanese clothes, and we had to march with other Japanese groups chanting the festival song repetitively for three hours. The good thing was that it was
basically a street drinking party and there was food included afterwards. Little did we know that we would have to march and dance for three hours, the only stops being to down alcohol. Being a small drinker I became rather innovative at passing off the alcohol to other people or avoiding it altogether. It was the only thing that kept me standing. After the festival we crashed at a friend’s place reasonably near Matsumoto.

By the time we woke up Sunday was well and truly marching along. Nevertheless, after a drive back through the mountains, a bit like a smaller version of the rimutaka road, we did a spot of house shopping in Komoro. There I was buying herbs for a garden and complaining that I missed New Zealand plants when my friend pointed a plant out to me….I did a double take. Next to the herbs, labelled in Japanese Katakana were two New Zealand manuka bushes, and rather cheap at that. I bought them both and they will form the core of my new Komoro garden. The other JETs in the area, who mostly live in apartments are excited with the idea of using my place as a market garden. We need to get onto it though as winter will creep up quicker than expected. After garden planning we went to the houses of two JETs who were about to return home. First we went to the house of a rural JET from Ireland who had somehow managed to massively overstock on spices and books, to Erika and my benefit. We happily took a whole lot of books and kitchen stuff off her hands and moved on to the next place. There an American girl kindly gave me some more kitchen stocks. All in all a successful day of item collecting!

Monday was fairly routine in that I spent much of the day at school trying to plan my first lessons. The place is very quiet at the moment and so there was no great pressure on me. In fact, I spent most of the time learning kanji and tidying up other loose ends. As a thank you for all the driving I had Erika and a couple of other JETs (Amanda and Eric) over to tea. I must say that I pulled off a fresh pasta sauce on a Japanese gastop cooker very well, and Erika complemented it with a fine plate of bruschetta, even with fresh mozzarella. Who says you can’t cook Italian in Japan!

The next day was more exciting. At two my supervisor decided we had had enough of work and took her children and me to Ueda to see the Tanabata festival displays. The place was decked out in the brightest streamers and cartoon figures for the children. It was interesting to see, and the children were so cute – us JETs have concluded that Japanese children are the most adorable in the world, and even the most macho dude could not ignore the fact. Anyway, after that my supervisor invited me back to her place for dinner and cooked some very nice tempura. I had a great tea. It was interesting to see that her modern, Western-style house was situated right next to an ancient Japanese tomb that you could actually crawl into and explore. It was an interesting evening and right now I feel very in debt to my supervisor.

So it is now Wednesday, and I fear that I am merely listing a whole lot of semi-dull recent happenings. I just wanted to give people a bit of an idea of all the things run-off-his-feet Pete is up to. I hope to get back to some more considered writing once I have more time to plan things. The next installment will probably be about Mt Asama, a large volcano. A JET in Ueda called Natalie is going to go there with me. At this stage we may not climb the volcano but there are many interesting walks in the area. Luckily she has a car and we can share the driving. However, I may decide to buy a car myself in the next few months, especially to make it easier to hit the slopes. I would really appreciate any friends updates as it is nice to have contact with home. If I am slow replying I apologise. With all the best wishes, Pete.

Made it

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 06:32:00 +0000

Hi folks, I’m now back in the web of international communications, beaming out to you from Komoro, Nagano. I’ve been a bit slow on the internet front as I have spent the last week in school meetings over here, and kitting my new place out with the basics. You will hear more soon - all I will say to you is that things have started with a hiss and a roar, the people are very kind, and my Japanese is abismal. Rock on, P.

Done...well, close enough

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:33:00 +0000

Hey folks,

Finished my thesis today! Got to the point where I just didn’t care any more- just nailed that print button and didn’t look back. So, the good news is that I might catch up with a few folk now. I have 3ish weeks till I fly out so seriously get on the txt machine if you can catch up.

Btw, the cold weather is awesome. Lets go rugby season.

Cheers
P.

Game 1 - Way to go!

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 22:25:00 +0000

You've gotta love that jo-grin! Well folks, I reinvigorated the social life by watching the All Blacks beat the Springboks in Durban last night. Post your comments about the game if your a fan!

As for me? We had a few folk going on about handling errors -- don't expect anything different next time they play the republic either. The point is this; they played into South Africa's hands through three phase, close ruck and maul rugby that first twenty minutes...once they got through their traditionally thick rugby skulls the phases and general game needed speeding up South Africa was in trouble. Their passes are high-risk, therefore the handling errors. But, they outmaneuvre virtually all comers.

We're holding trials for lock on Monday! A bit of a worry. On the other hand, how about those scrums! Player of the match was deservedly Rodney, whilst the commentators' need eye surgery before blind pete if they think Bobby Skinstad had a good game.

To end on Joe. Henry's done a great job upping his work rate and the guy is a legend. He's never going to be able to take that huge grin off his face when he's in open space. Why do so when it gets hard pub holder-uppers to even laugh and see the bright side. Hard to think I played that guy in fifth form!

C yas, Pete

Major Blog Update!

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 04:21:00 +0000

To all the faithful who kindly keep in contact - apologies for the complete lack of communication for months. I have been saying to a few people, one would be more social if locked up in a closet for a year than one is writing a thesis. For someone who in a previous life prided themselves on keeping in contact, self-reflection is an utterly unrewarding practice these days. So, with the woeful last eight months in mind, here's the beginning of my self-correction campaign - a much more swishly templated bog, complete with inbuild chat interface and skype link. There's something else behind this all...

About two months ago I got my 'letter'! That's right, [for those of you at least up with the news that I had applied for the Japanese English Teaching program], I'm heading to Komoro in Japan. For those with no clue where that is (most of you?), it is a town of 40,000 people about 20 minutes train journey from Nagano, where they held the 1998 Winter Olympics. How could one ask for a better location? Over thirty skifields in the area, large national park complete with proper hiking trails and trout fishing rivers - Pete's heaven Japan-style. With that in mind, as well as the fact I will be living in a rent-free house, I am expecting my home for the next year to become a hub for touring kiwi skiiers and outdoors folk! Certainly, if you would like to enquire about visiting then fire away.

The second update is also very positive. See my old post below and you will see that my old boxer dog kicked the bucket last year. It was a bit of a shock to the whole clan, so we are absolutely thrilled that we now have not one, but two rambunctious new boxer pups to keep us occupied. We have a red female called Gemma, and a brindle male called Boston. For those of you in Wellington, I recommend you inviting yourselves round to the Carter residence whilst these pups are still small. They are adorable.

I'm going to call it quits on writing long posts, but I will end by saying, I have nearly knocked the bastard off! That's right, I have nearly completed my history masters. It is in final formatting and editing process and then will be handed in with much pomp and ceremony, in other words dispensed with at the office as soon as possible on a rugby night, then down to the pub for viewing and catching up on missed drinks.

I'm looking forward to hearing from a few people over the next month before I take off. I hope that you will take the time out to catch up. I'm simplifying communication electronically to this site, with my main Google Picassa page and e-mail. I am signed up for a million other services, which do work, but lets go for simplicity people. Skype rocks too.

All the best to everyone,

Pete

New photos galore

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 11:25:00 +0000

I very seldom get to updating this bog, but bear with me. I will let you know when changes are afoot. This time, I have added a whole lot of new pictures to my photo page. If you click on the link 'My Photos', on the left, you will be taken to this page. There is a picture gallery of my recent graduation and from a short tramp now up. In the future there may even be some quirky old-school photos on this page, so watch out!

NEWS!!!

Our tramp on Monday/Tuesday was fantastic. Leaving the city, the work, the masters, really did my mind some good. We sure get tied to desks in the city. Many of us lose perspective on what is truly important. What is? To me, the outdoors and exploration. Anyway....my good friends Fi and Tristan brought along some other comrades on this trip. It's always great to meet new trampers, and Cat, Luhan and Philip were no exception. We took an easy stroll to 'Totara Hilton' (Totara Flats Hut), and had a quiet night. The weather hit us the next day. From about five o'clock the rain poured down and the rivers rose. We were lucky to get out that day before the true southerly front hit.

Apart from this small excursion, the big event in my life had been a trip down to Dunedin and Christchurch. This was travel at its best; all paid for by the university and my work, staying at backpackers and meeting many more new people. The idea of the trip was to find out what relevant material the archives had for my thesis and work projects. However, I had plenty of fun on the side.

Going back to June, the old honors class had a great time at graduation. Only a select group made it to the parade, but it was well worth it. As you can see from the pics, I had a bit of a problem wearing pink. The other thing that gets me is that they take the fur away from you when you upgrade to an honors degree! I want fur darn it.

You know the drill folks -- keep in touch and check out what I've put up. Too many people are going AWOL, so write-back darn it.

Pete.

Tribute to a boxer dog! Meg (RIP 6/5/2006)

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Tue, 09 May 2006 08:54:00 +0000

Those of you unlucky enough to have been dragged screaming into the Carter lair, may have been fortunate enough, in between nightmarish moments, to have met my boxer dog Meg. More loveable than any other member of the family, Meg entertained us all for a twelve years. I count myself lucky that she lasted that long. Boxer dogs seldom do. I also count myself lucky that I deserted friends early on Friday night (or late on Saturday morning) and so got the chance to spend time with my dog for one last time. In the last stages of heart failure, she had to be put down soon after.

Most of you reading this post are probably thinking, here's another whacko pet owner who has lost touch with reality. I pity you if you do think this. Here's to Chris in Auckland, who has similar affection for his cats, our family friends the Humbles in Wellington, who equally cherish time with theirs. Pets are more than just dumb animals. They are what their owners make them! For me, I could spend time with the dog and know I wasn't going to have to put up with smart arse comments, as I usually would with friends. Meg was more loyal, as I found out, that many so-called friends. Furthermore, you can watch their growth and development. It does hurt when they finally kick the bucket, but usually you have experienced plenty, reaped plenty of great memories by the time they do go.

We got Meg when I was eleven. Again, like many pets she chose us. On inspecting a bouncy litter of boxer pups in Seatoun it was Meg who stole the spotlight and stunned all the family. She jumped, she licked, she pounced, she had great character. Whilst she lost the Christain Cullen step along the way, she still had amazing character till her very last day. One knew she would always be on the watch out for rabbits, sheep and cows. One also knew that one could have her cheer you up with her ridiculous stub tail. It wagged away wildly when she saw you coming.

Those of you who knew Meg will also realise that she was a highly spoilt house dog. Yes, she had gourmet taste buds (conveniently backed up by her health problems, which required her to have lean meat). She also had her own comfy chair and free romp over much of the house. However, I question how spoilt she actually was. Even though pampered in the material sense, this pampered pooch also had to spend long hours alone whilst the rest of the family worked at the office. I would counsel anyone getting a dog to think twice! Dogs need social time. I will not get another until I know I have time to include it in much of what I did. Maybe I could take a boxer pup along to work at uni!

I would not be surprised if Meg's time of passing was politically judged. She heard those pesky politicians raising the issue of microchips and said, 'not me!'. Unfortunately, not having the youthful boxer energy necessary to outdodge the legislators, she made a martyr of herself. For those of you abroad, led by the Labour Party, NZ Parliament has had the ridiculous idea of microchipping every dog in the land. Now this would be a brilliant idea if one had the ability to use microchips to directly PREVENT dog attacks. However, the microchips in no way do this. Instead, after, and only after the dog has dug its canines into the little girl's leg, let go, and then run off, is the chip pressed into use. The dog is tracked and destroyed; that is, assuming that the dog is microchipped. For those of you who know anything about dog registers (precursor to microchips), the incidence of attacks by dogs that are not registered (i.e. illegal) is much higher than for registered dogs; so the problem is the bad owners who don't register their bad dogs. Well, unless you enforce microchips a darn sight better than registers then there's going to be little effect at all. There will still be some vicous dogs that never get chipped (or subsequently caught if they do attack). Even if more attack dogs do get caught we haven't PREVENTED any dog attacks from actually happening in the first place.

I don't want to get any more political, suffice to say that I believe that anyone who abuses dogs should be 'first against the wall' when the revolution comes. However, I will leave you with two contrasting pics...one of a nervous little pup all those years back, and one of the veteran neighbourhood watchdog, ready for action! Bark on.

Why play rugby?

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 00:20:00 +0000

It's now lunchtime on a beautiful autumn Saturday. I would love to be out right now in the Tararuas listening to the sweet bird calls and catching up with all Fi's goss from teachers' college. Instead I am cogitating at my desk about everything I have go myself into. It is likely to be a long weekend. Whilst my first years party away and head back home for a fortnight off, I am stuck in a deep depression about the oval ball game.

My problems started earlier in the year when I had one of those half-baked ideas that I should back into team sport. Team sports pose great challenges as not only do they push you physically but they also rely so much on leadership skills. I learnt more socially from captaining my school First XV than I have in five years of strolling the uni campus. President Truman once said that leadership was getting people to do what they didn't want to do. Rugby teams can sometimes be a little like that. The people there want to be part of the culture associated with the game but you have to force them to put in the hard yards. Not only did I think that getting back into the game would force me into a postition of leadership but also force me to learn about a different part of society in order to successful integrate.

The following is written not to in any way discriminate against people or stereotype. It is merely to tell the truth of what the Wellington rugby scene is like. I don't mind pulling a few punches in order to tell the truth. Strolling onto the ground on a Saturday my team is like a Samoan eclipse. Myself, Hiram and Craig are the only pakeha faces. The Samoans (and islanders) are fantastic footy player. They're quicker, more skilled and much larger than myself and many other pakeha players. However, playing in this environment can also be a real struggle. Getting them to train hard, build on team communication and motivation is seriously difficult. Furthermore, their actual style of play is fundamentally different. I have been taught more along Canterbury (hard drilled and technique based) lines, whereas these guys play the typical Wellington style (loose, innovative but also potentially disorganised). My style relies on hard practices, team talk and organisation, things I can neither commit to or get from the club. In fact, the mere realisation that they still talk in Samoan most of the time in the club sheds is a real barrier. Maybe if I picked up a few words of their language it would make it easier...no time to learn another language though.

The end result is that the start of the new season has been most depressing. Not only have I failed to really make strides in getting to know the team, but I am also physically struggling. 80kg vs. 130kg is not a fair battle. Even though my fitness is miles better than the large lads, once I get off working 50+ hours a weak I am simply too tired to play to my full potential. That leaves me with a choice; hang up the boots (for good, since I won't start playing again if I stop), or struggle on and risk major injury and overwork. Whilst the tenor of this post may be slightly negative, the aim of it is to work through the issue at hand. By making the issue public I am asking for opinions from all you blog readers out there. Do you think Pete should struggle on or quit?

I won't rant politically for too long. However, I will let you just think of how the team situation applies to wider society. It is my hypothesis that my failure to immediately integrate into the team is analogous to problems between island groups and mainstream pakeha groups in NZ society. I got on famously with my Samoan teammates when playing in Under 21's, but like this years Senior First's effort, it took a while. I don't think many pakeha New Zealanders bother truly trying to understand these different groups, their culture and their problems in this country. Multi-culturalism in NZ should not let itself get too sidetracked by the 'indigenous peoples' issue and instead strive to address wider problems, other groups. Only then will all of us be able to break down real social barriers and improve the lot of all NZ'ers. I used to stumble home late at night to my flat in Anderson Terrace past rows of council flats. If friends were with me they would shy away from these areas, afraid that some 'violent islander' would come and bash them. Quite often someone would, actually, emerge from the shadows and watch our progress up the street. However, I usually shocked my pakeha friend by exchanging friendly greetings with Semi or Ti from the club...the 'violent islanders' my friends were cowering in fear of.

I'm on the hunt for other blogs to link to, so if you see mine and also have your own site, drop me a comment with address and I will add a link (and enjoy reading your posts!) Above is a pic of Pete and team in more dedicated RugbyHead days. Once we'd crushed the boys' drinking and drug habits they did pretty well against bigger teams. Spirit is what counts! Don't let anyone crush your spirit. All the best, Pete (small but mean).

Back into the Neil Young....

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 10:26:00 +0000

G'day,

For all of you out there feeling a bit worn out, under the weather, like I do, sit your butt down with a cold one and take the time to listen to old Neil Young records. The man is a master. After a day of deep thought, (something not to common in Pete land), there is nothing better than listen Neil slag off that monkey of a President that inhabits the White House. If you don't know what album I am talking about, I am referring to his album Greendale, which is a thinly veiled attack on Bush's Alaskan policies. Neil also makes American gas guzzlers look pathetic in the extreme. For a split second they thought Neil had converted to their side, since he crawled up to them in a brand new hummer. However, under the hood lay not a stinking big diesel engine, but a clean burning bio-fuel job. Why do I harp on about the man? Not only does he practice what he preaches, but he writes darn fine music. If you hadn't picked up yet, this blog is going to cover my latest music listenings mixed in with mild attacks on the establishment. I'll have to be vewy vewy quiet though.....Mr. Bush may be listening and I don't want to get my passport revoked before entering George Washington (It may be ok once they have passed my qualification).

So what else have I been up to? This evening involved getting beaten and bruised at another Senior First rugby training. For those of you who thought I had lost interest in the oval ball game, I relapsed. I got drafted back into the top team at Wellington Club, which is pretty tough going. On the positive side, the most useful thing I may get out of the season may be a smattering of Samoan. Let's hope they don't teach me all the dirty words. It really is tough juggling work and top rugby though, and my body is starting
to feel the affects. If any of you see me in 50 years time you can help contribute to my hip replacement procedure and various other joint operations.

I just wrote a rather inspired but also rather risky section on work related stuff, which has since been scrubbed. To sum up the work situation, I finished a draft proposal for my supervisor, Malcolm McKinnon (yes, 'The Headmaster's' brother), today. I am lucky to have him as supervisor as after ten minutes of looking at the thing he had fully critiqued it. I will have my work cut out reaching his standard, but when you are talking supervisors that is a good thing.

I am going to hit the sack, get some rest for the dentist's drill tomorrow morning. Keep working and remember all you kiwi's, you don't know how lucky you are!

L'il Pete

petevanness@gmail.com (Pete Carter) — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 07:14:00 +0000

From the 'goodness guru' types who brought you such diet schemes as the Atkin's diet, fantastic fitness products such as the ab-flex, comes the Gluten Free, Goodness Free!!! scheme. That's right, remove all the bread, pasta and other wheaty products from your diet and you will feel like a new man....
As you can tell, I am highly critical of the modern panacea for quick-fix health plans. Normally the plan advocate comes complete with a modern marketing degree earned from some backstreet tertiary institution in the depths of Wales. These people seldom surface for air in the regular world, and try to fleece the population of their hard earned cash through television promotions and good old e-mail spamming. The even more worrying thing about this whole business is that those around you get suckered into it. How?
I only mention this as some individual had the audacity to suggest that I should try one of these 'programs' in order to have more energy for my rugby. As soon as I translated his mumbo-jumbo and learnt that it meant moving away from kiwi classics such as the meat pie, chelsea bun and even marmite i was out of there.
This was the most ridiculous episode in a day that was, otherwise, taken up by database work. For those of you who haven't been submitted to my life story in the past few weeks, I have been pretty much overrun with work. The Singapore Archives wants me to find 'anything' related to Singapore in the whole NZ archives building, and I have barely scratched the surface of my microfilm/database work on Liverpool shipping at Victoria University. Being in the history field is not easy going.
This post is merely a beginning. I hope I will find time to post more often, keep you up to date. However, in the meantime, I have to plan a protest against tomorrow's CCP visit to Wellington. All the Chinese scholars amongst you, bring yourselves down to the center city and join in!
I hope everyone is going well, and since I now have a website, blog, e-mail and virtually all major types of internet chat service, you have no excuse for losing contact.
Cheers, P.