What's missing from 2015 (January)

Two princesses on New Year's Day　(Belgium)

Trying out a New Year's present

snow on Monte Reale (18/01/2015)

Going on a trip to Japan (21/01/2015)

Auro and Tosca still talk about their day at Kids Plaza (Osaka)

Osaka Castle

Checking on Jan Haring (Sakai, Osaka)

Doutonburi and Shinsaibashi (Osaka)

A day at Eigamura (Kyoto), 2nd best place in Kansai to take kids to!

Meeting my sensei in Nara

Auro and Tosca on the path to enlightenment (Todai-ji, Nara)

Visiting the bar where I worked for nearly 7 years

We used to work together, but now my Canadian friend has her own bar/restaurant in Osaka

Last day in Japan: ride on the panoramic wheel in Umeda (Osaka)

Samurai Auro

 My first summer living in Genoa and I had already spent half of it on the other side of Italy, in the house of my in-laws. The second half of the summer I spent even farther away from my new home. On the 18th of August, Auro and I took the plane and flew to Osaka, Japan. Remo, who had not seen his boat for nearly a year, had left one week before us and was waiting for us at the airport. Auro and I were invited by my (former) boss and stayed in the guesthouse belonging to the institute where I used to work (in Kyoto). Still suffering from 'morning sickness' there were some days that I had to stay in bed while Remo took care of Auro, but luckily there were also many days that we were able to go out and let Auro discover Japanese playgrounds, toy stores and even the zoo. Having to spend hours on trains to get to these places just made him happier. Of course I also had the opportunity to meet my friends/ex-colleagues and got a complete update of the project. Despite the (pregnancy) nausea and tiredness it was well worth the long travel!

The picture below was taken in Eigamura (a theme park where you can visit locations that were used in Japanese historical movies ... you know, the ones with samurai and ninja!). Auro and Remo are posing with some samurai that had just re-enacted a sword fight. A performance that had left Auro gasping in awe ;-)

Second 'One'

The day after Auro's party, we left Kyoto and made the 2 hour trip to Dejima harbour in Osaka. There we had a second birthday party planned for Auro on Saturday afternoon. Because Jan Haring was scheduled to be hauled out of the water on the same day, we got up early and, while Remo prepared the boat (putting away the sails, lines and other stuff I don't know the correct name of), Auro and I got dressed for our last day in Japan and started preparing the things for the party in the afternoon (ordering pizza, buying snacks and drinks, laying out a couple of sheets for the children to play on...). We had everything carefully planned out, but because somebody (and it was not Remo!) had forgotten to keep the low tide of the early afternoon in mind, the boat could only be lifted out by 3 PM, which was unfortunately the exact time we had told all the guests the party was going to start. But, even though Remo therefore missed the first half of the party, it was a super super big and absolutely great birthday party! We had invited about 30 people and no less than 40 people showed up (8 children)! Auro was showered with birthday wishes and presents. Thank you all!!! And a special thanks to Nozaki-san, the harbour master, for letting us use the clubhouse, to the people of the harbour (Kido-san and Shinya) who came to sing 'happy birthday' to Auro (complete with guitar and drum!) and to mama-san (my former employer) who, without a doubt, brought the biggest toy (a complete entertainment board with buttons to push, pull and turn) and devoted her complete time to taking care of Auro and succeeded in keeping him entertained the whole time! And, thank you, Nakayama-san, for sending me these nice photos!

One

As I'm writing this post, I am sitting on the sofa of our apartment in Changchun. After having spent one month in Japan, we packed our suitcases again and got on the airplane yesterday afternoon. Eight hours later, we were here. Today, while Remo was chasing the cockroaches out, I spent most of the day disinfecting the floors, so Auro can crawl to his heart's content in a clean apartment. To finish this long day, I want to tell you about our last days in Japan.
As most of you know, on the 17th of September, Auro turned one. So, on Thurday afternoon, we celebrated that with presents and a cake. Auro enjoyed unwrapping his presents and even tried (very briefly) to blow out the candle on his cake (and Carlos was just in time to catch that moment!)

By the way

Just to make sure that none of Auro's milkteeth will ever feel 'left out' because it didn't get as much attention as the others, I have to mention this: last Sunday we welcomed tooth number eight in Auro's mouth! May it grow strong and white and chew many tasty things!

Sailing trip

Last Thursday, we left Osaka behind and went sailing for a couple of days. Together with 2 other sailboats (Catch 22 and Oceantech) we first sailed from Sakai to the island of Nushima (沼島), a small island about 5 km to the south of Awaji island. Just to give you an idea of how small: the island is 2.5 km² 'big' and has a population of about 600 people. On Friday, Auro and I explored the island (lots of shrines and temples, and a beach!) while Remo jumped into the water to clean the hull of Jan Haring. We had planned to leave Nushima the next day, but rainy weather kept us in Nushima until Sunday morning. Not feeling like going back to Osaka already, we (Jan Haring and Oceantech) decided to head for the harbour of Sumoto (洲本), on the southeast coast of Awaji Island. On the way we anchored in Yura (由良) to have our lunch and by the early evening we reached the quiet port of Sumoto. Remo started the next Monday morning with scraping off the last bits of dirt on the hull and after a big breakfast we started our trip back to Osaka, where we arrived 8 hours later... tired, but very satisfied and refreshed!

Change

In the almost 3 weeks we have been in Japan, Auro has undergone (at least in my eyes) a small transformation. Just as the first 3 weeks in Belgium have been the most difficult among difficult periods so far, the change that came after it has been the most amazing...
In only a couple of weeks Auro has learned how to

*smoothly go from stomach to back and visa versa (until recently, when he rolled over, it was mostly by coincidence)
*push himself up to sitting position (I very often find him sitting in his bed in the morning!)
*crawl forward (first with his belly on the floor like a soldier ducking overflying bullets, but now on hands and knees like a real crawling baby)
*walk around when you hold both of his hands
*pull himself up to standing position (using the sofa, a table or a chair, but preferably me!)
*understand some basic 'commands' (like "give it to mama, let mama have a taste, wave goodbye, clap your hands")
*understand that there is a certain order in actions (when I put the towel on the floor, he goes to sit on it and waits for me to bring him his food ... or... when I put him in the stroller, he looks for the seatbelt and tries to lock it himself ... or ... when I put a towel around his shoulders after a shower, he tries to wrap himself in it like I usually do)
*play by himself for longer than 15 minutes

New summer

Just when I thought summer in Japan was over (it was becoming pleasantly cool during the day), all of a sudden the temperatures rose again and on Saturday it was hot, hot, hot! Not that I am complaining, because even if the heat and humidity make me somewhat slow and lazy, I still prefer that too a cold and icy winter. So, while Auro and I spent our time being lazy on the boat, Remo worked hard on the covers of the cushions (with an industrial sewing machine he is stitching turquoise coloured covers for the cushions of the bed and sofa). And on Sunday, we went sailing ;-)

Quick lunch

After our 'amazing' little visit to the public toilet of Imadegawa station, we left the station to meet an old friend of mine during her lunch break. Carmen, who, by now, probably knows for certain whether she passed her PhD exam, definitely passed the "Am I allowed to hold you, Auro?"-test and successfully carried Auro all the way to the restaurant and back! In return, Auro politely waved goodbye before we left!

Apology

I'm fairly certain that people who have gone to public toilets in Japan before have never given it much thought, so I feel I should mention it here: when you have a baby with you, Japanese public toilets are so benri (便利=handy)! Almost all public toilets have at least one cubicle which has a special seat for babies. I have to admit that, before I had Auro, I very often used this seat to put my bag on and never really appreciated it's real value. With this post, I officially apologize to all the baby seats in Japanese public toilets for not seeing how handy they are! I really wish they had them in Belgium or Italy too (I always had to put Auro on the floor close to me), not to mention Chinese public toilets... And while we are at it, maybe airplane companies should also consider installing them. I don't have to explain to you just how much 'manoeuvring' it requires when you need to go and there is barely enough space on the dirty floor to put your feet.
Anyway... here is Auro in the toilet of Imadegawa station!

Bravo

For many months now I've been trying to teach Auro how to clap his hands together, but he never showed any interest. The other day, all of a sudden, he reasponded to my "bravo" by clapping his hands together! Now, every time I say "bravo", he drops whatever he is holding and starts clapping his hands! So, maybe he will not only be able to blow out the candle on his cake, but also to congratulate himself on his first birthday!

Reunited

About 2 weeks have passed since Auro and I arrived in Japan after a long and tiring, but nevertheless sleepless flight. Auro was 'slightly' over-tired and hardly slept at all the first night here in Kyoto. Completely jetlagged and (again) in a new environment, surrounded by new people and expected to fall asleep in a strange bed... it all was a little bit too much for Aurino! I was patient with the crying and screaming until about 2 am, but then I had absolutely no energy left. Luckily, Remo was there to take over and, ready to make up for the 2 months of being separated, he comforted Auro, sang to him and eventually just slept on the floor next to his bed.

After that first night, Auro quickly overcame his jetlag and his initial confusion, and after only a couple of days he started sleeping normally again. Just in time for the conference, symposium and meetings that I came here to attend. Remo stayed with Auro during the day and I was able, for the first time since Auro was born, to go out the whole day without having to worry about him getting hungry or sleepy! And, of course, we have also visited Jan Haring in the 2 weeks we have been here! The first time I took Auro to Osaka to see the boat, we stayed only for a couple of hours. Remo had prepared a car-seat for him in the cockpit and after having tied his seatbelt safely, we went out for about an hour and a half (there was no wind!) to accustom Auro with the idea of sailing. He did not complain ;-) Then, last Sunday, we traveled there again (2 hours and 4 trains from the north of Kyoto to the south of Osaka!), but this time we stayed a little longer, because we wanted Auro to get used to sleeping on the boat (no sailing). The back cabin, that had been reserved for him, seemed to be to his likings and he slept very well in the long and narrow bed, behind his safety net! Next, we are planning to try a short sailing trip for a couple of days!

Finally sailing!

As Caroline mentioned in some posts of her I was in Japan for about ten days. I had to go there for some university related stuff but the fun came, as usual, from being able to go to the harbor and working on Jan Haring. The idea, for this time of the year, was to go sailing 2 or 3 days but the events stopped me from doing it. Indeed, the day I had decided to check the boat out, I sailed out of the marina to find out that the maximum speed, with engine on, was about 3 knots. For people not familiar with boat it is like to have a car not capable of passing 30km/h. You can just not go anywhere! So, a sudden change of plans made me decide for hauling the boat out and clean its hull. Indeed the problem was exactly it: after one and half year of sitting still in the water the old anti-fouling had lost all its characteristics and a forest had grown below the waterline. So I decided to move Jan Haring to another marina (Shin-Nishinomya) where they were able to haul it out as soon as I had arrived. For four days I worked on the hull but finally, with also the precious help of some friends (Simon, Tom and Crip) the work was done. The evening before the day when I was supposed to leave Japan I had the boat put back in the water. That was the moment of the truth, in fact I had to check the speed of the boat (and I had also to sail back to my marina!!!). Luckily the gps gave about 6 knots without engine! What a relief! Definetely, the 400kg of "stuff" we removed from the hull were the reason of Jan Haring slow speed. That night I sailed back to Dejima with Tom and Prabhat (first time for him on a boat) and it was such a pleasure! Now the boat is there waiting to be taken for sailing as soon as possible. Well, July is not that far, is it?

Auro in Japan

Auro and I have been back from Japan for 3 days, so I think it's time for a short update...

Last week Monday, Remo accompanied Auro and me to Changchun airport. From there Auro and I flew through Seoul to Osaka, where a taxi was waiting for us to take us to Kyoto. Auro was great during the whole trip, but by the time we reached Kyoto he was completely exhausted. Luckily there were 2 beds (one normal bed for me and a baby one for Auro) prepared for us in the guesthouse and we could go right to sleep. Being very tired from traveling and having to sleep (again) in a strange bed, Auro woke up 2 times during the night, but all in all we got a fairly good night's rest and by the next morning we were ready to visit my old work place and meet many of my old friends and colleagues. It felt really good to be back!!

On Thursday and Friday, the Institute was hosting the general meeting of the project (of which I am still a member) which was the main reason of my traveling to Japan. I was worried I wouldn't be able to listen to many of the presentations, but I was actually pleasantly surprised by Auro's exemplary behaviour. On the first day he was taken care of by our project leader's mother and except for the times he was hungry or sleepy, he didn't cry too much. The fact that he had a little friend also helped a lot, I think. Kati, my Estonian friend and colleague had brought her baby son, Jurgen to the meeting as well. Jurgen was born 1 day before Auro, so the boys seemed to have quite some interests in common (grabbing things and putting them in their mouths). So most of the time I was in the meeting room while Auro was in another room which the project had reserved especially for our 2 youngest project members. There were even 2 baby cots in case one of the two princes should get tired and want to sleep. Auro, unfortunately, wouldn't sleep in the bed and slept only on my lap. On the second day of the meeting Auro sat/slept on my lap the whole time. It almost seemed as if he was listening to (and understanding of course!) the presentations. There was one presentation about GIS databases that particularly seemed to have caught his attention! He sat quietly through the whole 50 minutes of it! In short, we only left the room when I needed to nurse him or when he needed his 5 minutes of crying before falling asleep.
On Saturday there was a fieldtrip to a museum and a temple, but I only visited the museum, because Auro was too tired (read: he was crying all the time). While everyone was inside the temple, Auro and I stayed on the bus and relaxed. And that wasn't so bad either! We did join for the dinner and there Auro had a great time grabbing everything on the table. Luckily for him Japanese meals are usually served on many small dishes which are easy to grab even with small baby hands!

On Sunday we went shopping! I took the stroller, but it was far from easy to get on the train with it. Luckily, Ilona, my Dutch friend, came along and she helped me carry the stroller up and down the stairs at the station. She also bought some nice clothes for Auro and a toy! Thank you again, Ilona;))) While shopping I also had the experience of breastfeeding together with 4 other women. In Japan, most department stores have special nursing rooms, usually equipped with a sofa or armchair, where you can breastfeed your baby in private (some of them even have individual cubicles where you can sit). Until that day I had never breastfed together with other breastfeeding women in the room and it felt great! I know it sounds ridiculous, but I absolutely loved it! Why don't they have nursing rooms like that in Belgium? Or here in China? It would make going out so much easier!

On Monday, Auro and I went all the way by bus and train to Osaka! It took us about 2 hours, but Auro was an angel, smiling to everyone who looked at him! In Osaka we were meeting mama-san, the owner of the bar where I used to work part-time, and Masha, a good friend of mine. As soon as we sat down for lunch, however, Auro decided he had enough and he started crying and screaming. We all tried for half an hour to calm him down, but he wouldn't stop. I finally gave up and went to nurse him. After that he was ok for about 30 minutes and then he started again, so I went to feed him once more. By that time, mama-san had left and my Belgian friend An and her 2 children had joined us. Together we then went to eat some cake and there Auro finally fell asleep on my arm. When he woke up, he still didn't seem rested, but at least we managed to take a picture together! So, from the cake-place we went back to the nursing room again and then Auro and I left for Kyoto. Strangely enough Auro was quiet during the 2 hours we were on the train.

Because our trip to Osaka had not been a big success, I decided to stay in the guesthouse the next day. Auro slept and slept and slept.... In the afternoon we went to the office one last time and weighed Auro. This might sound strange, but in China we went through 3 scales already and none of them seem to work properly or give an accuracy smaller than 500 grams. So, we borrowed a scale from the Institute and, on the 17th of March (Auro was exactly 6 months old), with diaper and clothes on, Auro weighed 6,95kg!!! We took some last pictures with everyone, said our goodbyes and headed back to our room to pack. The next morning the taxi was picking us up at 4:45h!!!

The trip home went well, but both Auro and I were very happy to be back in Changchun. Remo, who was waiting for us at the airport, was greeted with all the smiles Auro could muster up after such a long and tiring travel!

Boat and graduation

Well, now I am back in Japan. My last student left behind at the Osaka University has to graduate. It will happen on the 18th so I had to come here to check on him. But, of course, in Japan there is the lovely boat too. I had the plan to haul her out during this period but unluckily the crane which was supposed to do the work broke down. So no hauling and repainting until the next Summer when I will be back once again. Because of it I had to find something else to do. On a boat there are always hundreds of things which need to be checked/fixed and I had no problems to find a couple. For example the Sika-flex holding the front hatch came off completely so I had to reseal the thing. This time I have used 3M product which I consider better than Sika-flex. Also one of the winches was not working properly so I had to take it apart and fix it. Finally I have also decided to start working on the last part of interiors which are still missing in the boat: the table of the living area. At this moment there is no table but we need one. So I started to work on it: I got the material and I designed the lay out. Then I started to cut and saw. Little by little it is coming and I predict about 5 full days of work to have it done (plus 30% because I never get it right at the first shot). As always hand crafting is a pleasure and OP Dejima Harbour offers a great facility to do any kind of work. At night you can even turn the radio on and work while you are listening to some music. Nice way of making things. Here you can see a detailed photo of the cockpit of the boat: it is made out of teak and it was built inside the workshop of OP Dejima Harbour. Oh, my student is going to give his final presentation. I better running ;)