Kappore

Kappore Time!!!! Wow what a great time to be in Japan, especially Shimizu. Summer time in Japan has basically festival after festival of all shapes and sizes. Perhaps it's the best way to take your mind of the fact that it's soooo b****y hot and humid.
Shimizu's Port Festival is a 3-day festival on the first weekend of August, with the Kappore dance event held on the Friday and Saturday nights. OEK traditionally has a team that participates on one of those nights.
This year we had over 90 students and family members in our team, plus many other people came and cheered us on.
Way to go everyone who came and especially those who stayed until the end. Anyone who has tried will agree that three solid hours of dancing in the Japanese Summer evening heat is no mean feat. For those students who would like to join next year keep you eye out for posters about it at the school (usually just after Golden Week) and get in quick.

My parents are off traveling again!

ThIS TIME they are off to England for a week and then they are going to Russia for 3 weeks. They will stay in a ship which will travel along the rivers from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
As my mother isn’t so well this means she doesn’t have to move from hotel to hotel but she can take her bedroom with her. When she feels well she can explore the marvels of the Russian landscape and culture and when she is tired she can stay in her cabin and rest – isn’t that perfect!
And dad is there to look after her and share in lots of good times. May they be happy!

Of course it is scary traveling when you are not well but my mother and father want to live their lives as fully as possible until they die! What good role models!!!

So photoes of my mother and me! (the photo with dad was blurry!)



These are an important photoes as I won’t see her for 3 months. When she arrives back in Australia I will be in Japan! So I will miss her but the happiness is that we are out in the world living our lives and this is the celebration.

So on the 15th September I will be back in Shimizu and looking forward to meeting new students, old students, the great staff at OEK and all my wonderful friends! I will stay for 2 months
And to make it even better my daughter Maya and my grandson Izumo will be coming too!!!

LUCKY ME

ANOTHER 100 TREES PLANTED

ANOTHER 100 TREES PLANTED – THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF OEK AND ALL OUR STUDENTS!

A PART OF OUR STUDENT FEES GOES INTO SUPPORTING ME HAVING THE TIME TO GO AND PLANT TREES = BY BEING ONE OF OUR STUDENTS YOU ARE HELPING TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE!!!
Morning coffee finished and I am off into the bush with my wheelbarrow full of goodies


August should be the time of rain. But you can see next to the wheel barrow the dry red sand!!!

So the next wheel barrow is full of water! So instead of spending time only planting trees a lot of time is needed to go and water all the young babies in the ground – and that is nearly 350 – a lot of carrying water – and getting fit!

AND THEN …
While planting Catherine yelled my name and I went running – but it wasn’t an emergency ~ she was pointing at what looked like a strange bush
~ but it was a great gift…

It was an ECHIDNA!!!
It was a very special moment because it is very hard to find an echidna ~ they have to find you!



(If you want to know more about echidnas read the blog below this one.)

Too much attention so she/he decided to start burrowing but we knew this little echidna was looking for dinner so we left her (or him) to doing what echidnas have to do.

15 minutes later we went back and it had totally disappeared

I am happy planting trees cos I know that life is indeed precious. I want in any little way help this echidna and all the wild creatures have a good life – and for this they only need wild habitats ~ not our money or our comfortable world ~ they ask for so little.

Wild creatures can not live on land when it is like this – no food or shelter …


So why are humans destroying more and more wilderness – more houses, more mining, more, more and more ~ it is a sadder world as we are just taking too much – our desires for more things are our amongst our greatest challenges!
May we rise to the challenge so that one day you or your children or your grandchildren or even your great grandchildren ~ meet an echidna in the wild!
fABULOUS

ALL ABOUT THE ECHIDNA

The Echidna is one of the world’s greatest survivors. They are the oldest surviving group of mammals on our planet, all the way back to the age of the dinosaurs. The platypus and the echidna are the only egg laying mammals in the world.

Not big bold or beautiful, the echidna is the ultimate survivor. It has a small roundish body covered with spines, and intelligent eyes set near the base of a leathery bird-like beak. The nostrils are at the tip with a tiny mouth opening on the underside. It has no teeth. The mouth only opens the width of the tongue - the tongue can extend up to 17cms while darting rapidly in and out gathering food such as grubs, earthworms and insect eggs.

They are independent little animals. They live solitary lives except during the breeding season. They use up to 200 hectares for a home range, which is large for an animal that generally weighs less than 5 kg.
They live up to 50 years.
They must be 5 to 7 years old before they have their first young and that they are not prolific breeders. Up to 50% of young may die reaching adulthood.
The survivors leave their home area when they are about a year old. Some travel over 45Kms before establishing a home range.
Low population numbers and dispersal of the young mean that they do not compete with each other for food or shelter.

It is hard work and you need a lot of luck to find an Echidna. They do not return to ‘home dens’ or burrows on a regular basis and they don't often use the same pathways. Also echidnas walk silently, blend in with their surroundings and rarely emit any sounds.

Because of their lifestyle, we have no idea how many echidnas are left. Historic data clearly show a decline.

Their survival is being jeopardised by introduced predators –foxes & dogs – and by competition from rabbits. A number of ‘quiet killers’ have become evident - herbicides, pesticides, and other chemicals enter the food chain and claim the lives of echidnas as well as other native species.

What are the continued survival chances of the echidna in an increasingly hostile world? One of the most outstanding characteristics is their individualism.
Different in so many respects from other mammals – an egglaying, slow reproducer, with low body temp, non aggressive and not territorial – the echidna still remains an undisputed giant among mammalian survivors.

OEK FAREWELLS GENEVIEVE AND MISATO

In July OEK had to farewell 2 young remarkable women – Misato our assistant manager and Geneveive, our wonderful ESL teacher

Their wonderful work and their presence at OEK touched many and this is indeed is a precious thing ~ All the staff and many students really enjoyed working with them.

For me the gift has been seeing these 2 young women transform more into their potential. They took on responsibility and really tried to do their best and thus make OEK the unique ESL centre that it is.

I believe they opened their arms and hearts to many at OEK and hopefully good memories are the jewels that will remain with all of us as we continue to journey into our lives!!!

I wrote this to Genevieve and I also want o share the same message with Misato ~~~
“I see within you ‘happiness’ and when it is not apart of your journeying, it will always be just around the corner. I believe that good things will indeed continue for you ~ I have no idea what your future holds for you or what dreams are being created but may they take you into your knowledge and your wisdom. Whether it is going back to studies or finding a job ~ may it feed your essence.”

So thank you for challenging yourselves in becoming members of the OEK staff and all the complexities of the work that you undertook wholeheartedly!!!

ARTEMIS ~ PLANTING TREES!

ABOUT 300 TREES PLANTED & ONLY 350 TO GO!!!

We are planting our trees to make a corridor – hopefully when these trees grow they will join 1 bush block with another. This corridor effect will be wonderful.
For the wild echidnas and


for the wild wombats ~it will provide more safety to roam and to find food.




For the wild birds ~ it will provide food, shelter and nesting sites.



For humans the benefit will help create a wind barrier which makes life easier as when the strong winds blow in the valley they also blow sand.

Now it is wheat and barley so the valley has transformed into a most beautiful green. However in the summer the landscape can be barren and parched and where there is a wind the sand blows with it …


For the earth – we are very grateful to have this beautiful earth – how many millions of life forms do we share this planet with – each bringing its richness – even if we don’t experience it as we live in cities there is an exchange – we all eat fish, and some of us love the seaweeds – our amazing oceans and what lives within them !!!




MY STEADY COMPANION
Bogart my patient mate often accompanies me in my tree planting expeditions.
The trees behind him are the ones we planted 2 years ago.



RECYCLING CARTONS AND BAMBOO
We have to protect the young saplings and we do this with milk or juice cartons. The bamboo stakes come from my husband Fumio – he is a gardener and in the winter does a lot of pruning. So he brings them home and we strip them of their leaves and then cut them to size.
Why? - This helps to prevent the rabbits eating them, the wind blowing them over and in the summer the sand from burying them.



WATERING THE TREES
This is the hardest job of all and we will have to do this for at least a year.
Why – because we are in drought. It is the middle of winter but when you dig a shallow hole it is just dry red sand!!! So we have to carry water in buckets and it is heavy work – but I know if the trees could smile they would when we pour water over them!



THE CHALLENGE



To plant as many trees as quickly as possible. But to also have the wisdom in knowing they all need to be watered and that means carrying buckets of water over a distance and in the summer the challenge is to remember the joy of it!

OEK ~ WE ARE PLANTING TREES!

I had the pleasure of meeting Trevor and his wife.
I went to their house to pick up 650 little babies ~ Baby trees I am talking about!!!


In 20 years Trevor and his wife have seeded nearly 20,000 trees!!!
They see it as one small step in their hopes to help reforest Australia.
It’s a big job they do – mixing up potting soils, planting, watering, nurturing ~ until they’re big enough to say goodbye.

They volunteer for an organization called Trees for Life.
http://www.treesforlife.org.au/home/
It is a huge undertaking and requires a lot of effort from many people.
Trees for life have volunteers that collect seeds from all the different natural habitats.
More volunteers then organize the seeds and allocate them to growers, like Trevor.
Others find people who want to grow them – they found Artemis.
So I had the pleasure of meeting them ~ sharing stories of our lives over a cup of tea.
For many volunteers, as so Trevor, it is what they do in joy and for love of the earth.

Since colonization of Australia we have had been cutting down and changing our native forests ~ now they estimate we have lost four-fifths of our total forests in Australia.
Rushing into the future with economic growth ringing in our ears we have not cared about what the future consequences would be. Now some of the people alive at this time are realizing the incredible negative impacts this has had on all our river systems, our soils, our wild creatures…

So now these trees are starting a brand new life. It is tough out there in the mallee.
Not enough rain, sandy soils that in the summer are blown by the wind and can bury them, rabbits, insects …
2 years ago I planted at Artemis with some help over 1,000 trees. Then the drought came.
Lot of buckets of water were carried over sandy soils to where these small trees struggled to live… 150 survived.
But that is 150 new trees that were able to overcome all the odds.
That’s bravery.


If we just sit in the negatives we loose out.
It is my choice to be apart of life – even by doing such a small thing as planting a tree.

Now whenever I go to Artemis – I plant trees.


These trees are under the OEK banner. Our OEK students come to our language centre ~ supporting us which then allows me to go and plant these trees.
So by learning English at such a great place you are also helping the environment!!!

In this wonderful way you are also involved!!!
May they grow, creating habitat for the wild birds and animals – and may they call back the rain …..

More stories and photos will follow

MEMORIES

The last week of lessons and a wonderful break for 3 weeks for you to enjoy the summer ~ no complaining about the heat please. Adelaide is in the middle of winter and it is cold! I wish I was in Shimizu with you all now as I am also going to miss out in joining you in Minato Matsuri. I have a great photo that reminds me of dancing last year in 2006, the sweat and laughter and I was lucky to share it with my son Shinya who joined in.

MESSAGE TO OEK FROM RED CATHERINE

I REALLY WANT TO SAY TO EVERYONE AT OEK A BIG SPECIAL THANK YOU FROM ME AND ALL THE ANIMALS FOR THE MONEY RAISED FOR ARTEMIS TO HELP TO PAY FOR WATER.
I was saving the money to buy a rainwater tank as water is so very vital here in the Mallee. It doesn’t rain very much where I live and water is precious.
My bore is my main source of water and comes from 200feet beneath the ground.
But my bore pump broke. This was a huge problem. When it was brought to the surface we discovered the pump, the motor, the casing, (called a shroud) and the water pipe all needed to be replaced.
So your donation went towards the cost of the new bore pump.
It took 3 weeks to get it fixed. Luckily I had just enough water in my small rainwater tank. So I had to carry buckets of water to all the animals for 3 weeks. Finally I have water once again. Now I just have to dig the pipe into the ground to stop animals and humans falling over it.
I have just been reading that so many countries no longer have clean water, and yet water is essential to all life!
It is winter here and today it is a misty rain day, not enough to soak the ground but enough to make you cold. The goats are snuggled up in their beds with fresh hay, the dogs are in the front of the slow combustion kitchen fire and I'm going to make a cup of tea and once again, thank you all so very much for your kind and generous support!!!

BLESSINGS, or in THE ROMANI LANGUAGE we say BARAKA

GOOD NEWS STORY – DAPHNE THE SHEEP

Daphne entered Red Catherine’s life a tiny lamb ~ a delivery of sheep to a new pasture went wrong and Catherine ended up with dying lambs ~ anyway this little soul survived and you can see how well! Catherine bottle fed her with Romi and Tipi’s milk – they are Catherine’s goats! And so she has become a fat & gorgeous sheep and promises to have wonderful wool – she answers to her name and comes trotting over like a little doggy! Well Catherine (even though she misses her!) has found her a wonderful new home! She has a
great paddock to live in with lots of grass and trees and yes, the company of another sheep - so have a good life Daphne – Good-bye!

Life is about love

The story doesn’t end here – 1 animal goes and then she gets another phone call
“We need your help! ~ can you rescue a ???”
– Now can you guess what animal she has just rescued is?

At Artemis - HELLO! WHO AM I?

Hello – I am an Australian Marsupial – a Ring Tailed Possum – my name is Sweetie and I am a sweetie too!
I like twirling my tail around tree branches (and noses). I am a rescued animal and I need a human mum because I don’t know how to look after myself or find my own food in the wild.
So I need to live in a cage. I sleep all day and come out in the evening.
Red Catherine has been my mum for 10 years now! She looks after me and every evening she gives me lots of yummy things to eat like fruit and fresh vegetables from her vegetable garden. She also gives me fresh branches of gum trees in my cage which I love.

RED CATHERINE AND HER LIFE ON ‘ARTEMIS’

It gives me a lot of pleasure to bring you stories about Red Catherine and her life on Artemis
She is a wonderful Romany woman with lots of stories to tell.
The name of Red Catherine’s property is ARTEMIS and it is 157 acres.

It is a lot of land for 1 woman to look after!!! And she looks after it so well!
Artemis is located in a remote area about one and a half hours from Adelaide, South Australia.
In Australia we call this Mallee Country. Mallee is land that doesn’t get much rain and the trees don’t grow very tall. It has the beauty of open spaces, wide skies, hot shimmering summers and star filled nights.

She gives all her time and money to rescuing animals – farm animals, wild animals, cats and dogs and birds. At the moment she is looking after about 80 animals.
Her mission is in creating a not for profit sanctuary for all creatures in need of rescuing or in need of a home

We have aslo put a lot of time & effort into re-vegetating parts of her land with native trees and bushes to provide local habitat for the wild birds and animals.
2 years ago we planted 1,500 trees but because of the drought only about 120 of them still live.
But better than none! This winter we will plant about 800 gum & wattle trees. Please let it rain!!!

CAN YOU HELP - GIVE IT A TRY HEY!

Would you like to volunteer as one of our blog translators?
It would be wonderful to have a list of OEK students who have a good understanding of English and would be happy to help with translating a part of this blog into Japanese!!!
It is not perfection we are looking for but interaction!
If parts of this blog can be translated then the stories will become accessible to our language centre's student’s parents!
This is a ‘win win’ situation as everyone’s English will improve.
In Shimizu there are not many opportunities where you need English. This newsletter can be an opportunity for you ~ the more you use and understand language the better or the more fluent you become.
If in translating a part of the newsletter or think you can assist others in understanding any parts of the newsletter, please contact me or Mark or Kotoe at info@oshaberieikaiwa.com

the beginning of oshaberi

This blog is being created so we can share our stories about our lives between Australia & Japan, with old & new teachers and with our wonderful students and friends in Japan.
We also hope our students and friends will have an active voice too.
We would like your questions/ photos/ or feedback. It is not just about correct grammar, it is about communication.
Hopefully it will be a fun thing for all of us from time to time to share in!!!