Our move to Japan Day 0-7

A factual account of our first week in Japan through the eyes of a very tired mother…

Saturday/Sunday April 1st/2nd Day 0

Day zero started at 0330. With about three hours of sleep under our belt, my husband and I loaded up our kids and gear into two cars and ran late to the Kalamazoo airport. Thankfully, our check in went smoothly as the man behind the Delta desk tagged four car seats, three suitcases and two boxes. Everyone was very helpful and friendly, even the man stuck behind us in the security line who helped us push through five roller bags, a stroller and multiple backpacks (thank you, thank you!). We barely had enough time for a quick bathroom break before hurrying the girls to the gate and boarding the plane. The girls loved the short ride and we arrived at the Detroit airport within the hour. We had four hours until our next departure, a 14-hour trip to Japan. The girls had fun wheeling around their carry-ons and seeing the airport. We arrived back to the departure gate as they were boarding. Yes, we are working on our time management skills, we are in a continual state of learning—but it is also hard to keep up with details when we are hauling around such a rowdy bunch. Things fell apart from there. Loren’s company told us the seats booked for us were a few rows apart, but when we boarded we also found out they were separated by the flight attendant galley and some seats were in front of the others instead of in a row. Loren and I had to decide which kids to split up with who and we had a few mini melt downs. It took a while for the flight attendants to realize the situation. Maybe it sank in when I informed one of them that we may be going back and forth to help each other, and I was told we would not be allowed to rotate seats during service times. She came back a few minutes later stating she had arranged for someone to switch seats in order for Loren to keep the three older children with him so I could “take care of just my baby”. I freaked out then, thinking about how I would be separated from my family for 14 hours on this journey to Japan together. I lost it when I lost a kid, because at least I had half of my family with me. I felt like a crazy lady as the people began shifting seats and in tears I asked if Kitty could stay with me. Also, Loren would have a three, five and six-year-old solo, which also sounded a little crazy just in bathroom breaks alone. In tears I prayed that the flight would be ok and that I could get through it. I was so thankful Kitty was next to me and I was clutching London like a toddler with her teddy bear. Right before take off, a friendly flight attendant came up to me and said they found a couple to switch seats and we could all move up with Loren and the other kids after take-off. THANK YOU LORD, thank you. We moved up and I could finally breath and we coped through a full day on a plane with our girls. Loren was up and down with the girls, “Dad!”, “Dad!”, “Dad!”, “can you help me”, “I need to go potty”, “can you get my pajamas”, “I dropped my snacks”, “can you change the channel”, “how do you turn this up”. We buzzed back and forth and around. I was kiddy corner to Loren with baby London, a 1 ½ year old on a long flight midday. She did pretty well until about 6 hours in after she got a short nap. It was like trying to entertain and contain a puppy—so cute but so naughty, and just in time for lights off. While everyone was trying to sleep she was like a baby zombie who never requires a wink of sleep. We ate snacks, played play dough, watched a clip of Coco, sat with daddy, read a book, played with baby doll, walked up the aisle, walked down the aisle, cuddled, whined, listened to music, walked over to the

bathroom, ate more snacks, tried to lay down, played window clings, ate snacks, walked the aisle, sat with daddy, screamed, watched a clip of Paddington, ate play dough, cuddled, sang a song, went to the bathroom with mom, laughed, tore up window clings, cried, walked to the bathroom with dad, poked sisters sleeping….now she is sleeping. Do I sleep? I am too wired, I’ll watch a movie…we have 4 hours of flight time left.

We landed about 1430 and got to our house about 1700. As the relocation lady walked Loren through the house, I try to feed the kids snacks and contain the kid tornadoes hearing “I’m hungry” a million times. It was two more hours at the house signing and reading paperwork. It is now 1900 and we are exhausted, but we have no food at the house and I am not taking these kids to a restaurant. We find a convenience store and buy noodles in a bowl and a few other things. As we are eating, I am falling asleep at the kitchen table. First day complete and we are all alive.

 

 

Monday April 2nd 0300 Day 1

Good morning! Kids are awake…because back in Michigan it is three o’clock in the afternoon. We watch cartoons in Japanese until the sun comes up and Loren leaves for work. At 9 am I am in a fog and the kids have way too much energy for me to keep up with. We eat all of our convenience store snacks in those six hours. I am scrounging our luggage for snacks and make everyone take a nap. Later we go back to the convenience store for lunch and go to the park. It has been pretty hot and sunny out. We get back and the girls take a bath.

Some of the things I am loving are definitely the bathroom set up. The kids had a blast hanging out in the water. Loren got home around 1830 and I am so dead…I passed out around 5 pm on the couch and the kids trashed the house with garbage and play dough. We manage to make it to McDonalds for some dinner and then walk over to the grocery store.

Avalyn fell asleep in the stroller and doesn’t even remember going to the store. We checked out and crammed all of our mini size groceries (loaf of four slices of bread, a 3 oz block of cheese, a 1 cup size of frozen berries…etc) into our stroller. We worked it out and slept fast and hard that night.

Tuesday April 3rd 0330 Day 2

Loren leaves at 0830 to go take care of paperwork and complete city registration. I figure out the washer and hang our cloths outside to dry.

As I am hanging clothes, I meet our back neighbors who have two granddaughters who attend Avalyn’s elementary school. The Japanese enjoy gift giving and we give the girls candy necklaces we brought from America. It starts a long gift exchange that spans the afternoon and ends with the girls becoming the new owners of a cup of pet fish. We get our sea shipment delivery and I now have cooking pans and some other essentials. Late afternoon Loren returns and I take the middle kids with an interpreter to their kindergarten school for an interview and uniform fitting. Well, three hours later I am still sitting there trying to figure out details for the next week and the kids are passed out on the floor snoring. We cut our time short (still not done!) because of the snoring and I pack them in the car. The ladies were so nice at the school, it was hard to be upset. I get home and we put all the kids to bed and sit down to another convenience store meal after Loren gets back from more paperwork at 2000.

Wednesday April 4th 0100 Day 3

Good morning! Bubby boo is awake and wants to play. Later that day we take the girls on a train to Nagoya to get our cell phones. We visited the Disney store and had a great time taking the girls to get chicken wings at Yamachan.

This was the first day I was able to have a few clear thoughts. God turned some pages in my heart and spoke to me as we traveled the packed train stations and stores. I have always been more of the “be still and know that I am God” type of person. I find tranquility in nature and always felt closer to God when I was surrounded by his creation, always feeling like I needed to get away and find peace and joy in the simpler things. Kind of the exact opposite of the cities of Japan I have been spending my time in lately. But then God said, these people are my creation. It was like I was on a nature walk of the human race…God’s ultimate creation. I am finding Japan challenging, but I am not discouraged. We can absolutely not do this on our own and God has been with us in every step. Our air shipment comes in and we now have London’s pack n play, so no more baby walking around the house at 1 am!

Thursday April 5th 0400 Day 4

We wait for the sun to rise and then Kitty and I take a few trips to the store with our wagon. Later, we take the girls to the park a few houses down and they play for a long time. There are many kids at the park and they teach the girls how to play Japanese games. It was been great having so many children around for the girls to play with, and they are loving it. We bring Trader Joes suckers to the park to share and the other kids start bringing us candy and snacks…cookies, chips…and we wish we would have brought more American treats to share with our new friends!

Friday April 6th 0500 Day 5

In the morning we attend the first-grade entrance ceremony for Avalyn. More on all that and school details in a later post. I take Avalyn out on her own for the afternoon. I can tell she is a little stressed, tired, and not herself.
Saturday April 7th 0500 Day 6
School supply shopping with my Japanese friend and her mom. Thank you Lord for those ladies, I am not sure how I would have figured that out, and I would have had to take a taxi to a million stores.

Sunday April 8th 0600 Day 7

Almost caught up on sleep. Took a lunch trip to McDonalds and took our wagon to the grocery store. Spent some time getting Avalyn ready for her first official day of school. The day entailed google translating paperwork and labeling every single item of her school supplies, including pencils and indoor shoes and shoe bags. Went to sleep hoping I didn’t forget something.