Hurtful attitudes.

In America, it seems there are still lots of people who it seems take offense to anyone different than them.
There was the recent backlash against the Cheerios commercial that featured a mixed-race family: a white mother, a black father, and an adorable little girl with a 'fro.
Ignorant bigots claimed that Cheerios is trying to push some kind of agenda, by simply acknowledging that not every household in America is some kind of 1950's Howdy Doody, Leave it to Beaver style family of WASPs.
In fact, the very idea that races "shouldn't mix" or that one "kind" of blood is more "pure" than others is, dare I say it, very similar to the attitude a certain German dictator had.  It's an attitude that is still prevalent in Japanese society, but that is not that much of a surprise with their "island" mentality and the fact that they have been a largely homogenous society since their beginnings.
But for America, a country that was built from immigrants and became the "Land of Opportunity" and a melting pot of different cultures and wears this as some kind of status symbol? It's an outdated, hypocritical, and dangerous attitude.
Of course, this isn't something I am just realizing now, of course, I grew up in America and around hurtful attitudes.
~ For example...
A couple of hurtful terms I heard being used by my FOO regularly growing up were "Schwarze" and "Mongoloid"  Of course, being young, I didn't know these words were hurtful....I got more of an idea as I got older and heard statements like "What if she brings home a Schwarze?" or "Ugh, I can't eat with those Mongoloids sitting at the next table!" and then there was that slanty-eye, ching chong ling long ting tong mockery that ensued when I tried to study or enjoy something in Japanese (or "Yipanese" as it was often referred to.) When I came home with a sense of accomplishment because I had washed dishes at work so my manager could get her office work done, I was told "Mexicans should be doing that, not YOU, why would you do that?!"
Looking back on this, I feel so sad that I was raised in a household with such negativity towards different races, or even the differently abled, and such ancient notions of castes or hierarchy.
I know I can't change the world or how I was raised, but I can change myself, and I can fill my home with positive energy and celebrate what makes us different instead of hating it.
日本に住んでて日本人の血が１００％ではない人への偏見があるというのわかったけど、アメリカは皆の国、というイメージがあってもやっぱり偏見はまだすごいんですね。
最近シリアルのCMで白人のお母さんと黒人のお父さんとその二人の娘という家族がいたけど、アメリカ人に凄い批判をうけました。そのシリアルの会社がミックス結婚やミックスの子供を応援しているとか。ただアメリカの家族って５０年代のドラマみたく白人の家族ばかりじゃないのが現実なだけなのに。この人種混ざってるばかりのアメリカにとっては、古い、おかしいそして危ない考え方です。
私は今これを気づいた訳ではない。実は、育てた家族もこういう偏見をもっていました。黒人に対してschwarzeって言ったり、ダウン症などの障害者にmongoloidを言ったり、そして私は日本の事好きになって日本語を勉強してたらyipaneseやchingchongなどで揶揄ったりしてました。バイトで私がお皿洗いして褒められたと言ったら、お皿洗いってメキシコ人がやることでしょうって言われました。
これを振り返ってみれば、私はこんな偏見のある家に育てられたことをちょっと悲しく思っています。私は世界を変えることはできないが、自分を変えて、これから自分の家にポジティブなエネルギーをいっぱいいれて、それぞれ人間の違うところを嫌うではなく、嬉しく思う事にします。

Chinami's First Birthday

On July 13th, 2012, at 5:45 am, Chinami came into the world. And this past Saturday, her father and I and all of the people who Chinami has befriended this year celebrated her first birthday and her transition into toddlerhood.
We had a low-key BBQ at Magic Island Beach Park, under the trees and on the grass where she walked around barefoot, ate all kinds of delicious food, played with her friends, and after we had done all the grilling that could be done before it was time for Yasushi to clean up and get ready to go to work, we sang "Happy Birthday" and ate cake.
I made her cake myself using the following recipe:

• 1 cup butter, cubed    1/2cup coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cup water
•  6 c whole wheat cake flour 
• 2 cups sugar 2 c honey
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 c greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• In a large saucepan, bring butter and water just to a boil. Immediately remove from the heat; stir in the flour, sugar, eggs, sour cream, applesauce, salt, baking powder, extract and baking soda until smooth.
• Pour into a 16-in. x 12-in. x 2-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

The original recipe is here: 
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/makeover-white-texas-sheet-cake

I covered it with two tubs of Cool Whip and sliced strawberries, yellow peach, pineapple, kiwi, blueberries, and Okinawan sweet potato arranged in a rainbow. 

We sang Happy Birthday to her, and after that she became fussy, so I put her on my back in the carrier, and she fell asleep leaning against me. 

We went home after cleaning up what we could, and we left the leftover food for our friends and neighbors who were going to stay and play at the beach with their kids. When we got home, Chinami had woken up from her nap, so we went to my neighbor's house to enjoy some cake.

After seeing pictures of "smash cake" for my friends' babies on social media, I kind of expected Chinami to be playing with the cake, smearing it all over her face, etc, but maybe because of the baby-led weaning, she knows how to eat quite well and so she simply looked at the cake and fruit, picked it up, and ate it, chewing and swallowing, completely normally, enjoying it. I even sprayed some extra whipped cream on the cake, expecting her to squish it around and play with it, she just grabbed the lump and shoved it in her mouth! I was a little disappointed but my neighbor was impressed at how well she eats.  Apparently they had thought I was introducing solids in the "conventional" way and so whenever they gave her something they pureed it, until they saw me give her a frozen steamed carrot and saw her bite it, chew it, and swallow it with no problems. So for them, seeing a 1 year old eat so "normally" was an amusing event in itself. 

Then because she had whipped cream on her hands and around her mouth, we decided to take her out and hose her down -- one of her favorite activities. She had gotten a few presents from friends, even though I had told everyone no presents were required and not to feel obligated, Chinami did get a few great educational toys, and a beach ball with a sprinkler inside of it which we fired up right away next to the little kiddie pool her Daddy had bought her, and she had a blast, walking around the sprinkler, hugging the ball, laughing, squealing, etc. 

The previous night, as a pre-birthday present, our neighbor took Chinami and I to see the Elmo musical at the Blaisdell Center. I always watch Morning Musume videos, Sailor Moon, Dr. Slump, and other Japanese videos with Chinami, but when she goes to the neighbors' house, they like to watch Sesame Street with her, and they found that she absolutely loves Elmo! And when we saw the musical, I saw for myself how happy and excited she becomes when she sees that furry red character.  She danced, laughed, became hungry and fussy, but after some puffs, applesauce, and milk, she was back in action! 

On Sunday and Monday, she took very long naps, I guess her birthday was a success! 

ほんの数回しか会えなかったおばあちゃん。
家を訪ねる度においしい料理作ってくれたおばあちゃん。
家にお泊まりする度に服を洗濯してくれたおばあちゃん。
私が外人でも笑顔で暖かく歓迎して会話もしてくれたおばあちゃん。

帰国してからもう会えないかもしれないという自覚持ってたけど、
それから本当に一度も声聞けないまま亡くなったなんて。。。苦しいんです。

けっして仲良くしてなかったとしても、もう一度「ありがとう」だけは伝えたかったよ。

心配かけたくないからとか、何か言い訳して、もう遅いよ。
過去にもこういう大きいな後悔を抱えてるけど、どうしてまた増えなきゃいけないの。

おばあちゃん、最後まで、ちゃんと私たちの分まで家族の愛を感じたかな。

私からもう一度いいます。ありがとう、おばあちゃん。

How much money I have saved in one year.

Chinami is almost one year old!! And in this one year, I have made many parenting choices that benefitted the both of us...her, emotionally and physically...and me, physically, emotionally.....and financially!

From when I was pregnant with Chinami, I started taking control of my life and making conscious choices for the two of us. I chose to eat mostly vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein while supplementing my diet with prenatal vitamins and superfoods such as chia seeds and spirulina. I chose to homebirth with a naturopathic midwife. I chose to breastfeed exclusively, and practice baby-led weaning, skipping purees. I chose to co-sleep and wear my baby when going out. I chose to use cloth diapers and early potty learning. I also chose to delay vaccinations until age 2.
My choices were partly for health reasons.
My pregnancy and birth were normal and healthy. There was no need for me to go to an OBGYN or a hospital.
I gained 35 lbs during my pregnancy and lost it all in the first 3 months, and at 11 months postpartum I have lost an additional 10 lbs. My baby was 7lbs 13 oz when she was born and doubled her birth weight in the first 3 months.
By being breastfed, she had natural immunity to most infections and diseases, as well as being able to experience many different flavors from variety of food I eat regularly.
By being given real food from the start, she developed her ability to chew and swallow without choking naturally, and continued to be able to follow her own instincts and know how much she needed to eat.  She eats a variety of healthy foods, but there are some days when she doesn't eat much, and I know she is still getting what she needs from my milk.
By co-sleeping, she was able to regulate her breathing patterns, reducing the chance of SIDS.
By being worn regularly, her core muscles became very strong and it helped her reach her milestones. She rolled over at 3 months, sat up and crawled at 6 months, pulled up at 7 months, cruised at 8 months, and stood unassisted at 9 months and walks with help.

My choices were partly for financial reasons.
Even a used crib, with mattress and sheets would cost us about $200. We spent $20 on a used cosleeper that she only used for one month anyway before we felt it was safe to have her next to us.
Formula, in addition to being made from cow's milk, soybean oil, and corn syrup, is very expensive. http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/03/04/how-much-money-does-breastfeeding-really-save/ Buying formula, bottles, nipples and pacifiers would have probably cost me around $2,000 for the year, and maybe even more because she would have a higher chance of tummy problems and getting sick.

I was spending almost $100/month on disposable diapers in the beginning, and that was even with doing diaper-free time. If I had used disposable diapers for the entire year, I would have spent over 1,000 dollars easily. The $200 I spent on cloth diapers that I can use for at least 2 years and keep for my next babies,  is much more worthwhile.

By continuing to nurse her and supplementing with normal, whole foods, instead of buying processed purees in jars and trying to force-feed her, I have saved at least $500.

There are no studies and no scientific evidence that expensive gadgets and DVDs help babies reach milestones faster, increase IQ, or even make them happier. Chinami has a few toys like a small keyboard, a "laptop" that says the ABCs, a walker our neighbor generously gave her, stuffed animals that were gifts from friends, and a small stack of board books, but she really enjoys playing with wooden spoons, plastic plates and cups, and absolutely loves water bottles and my cellphone (I gave her my old defunct one but she still steals mine whenever she can and calls people!) All together, I would say her toys cost me about $20.

Another perk about living in a shoebox 1 bedroom apartment, no need for baby gates! She is always within 5 feet of me and I put a box of her plastic plates and cups at the entrance to the kitchen, blocking her from going in but more importantly, distracting her from whatever she was going to get into. The rest of the "rooms" have doors so we can contain her in the bedroom when we need to.

Chinami's 1st birthday is approaching fast and now I have to think about her second year.  She will nurse less and eat more, possibly go to a day care, and start learning to express herself more and more. But no matter how old she gets, I know there are so many things I can do for her that don't cost anything!

Weird uses of English words in relation to babies.

My basic philosophies in life are to keep things natural, simple, and frugal. However it seems that in America, people like to needlessly complicate things, and through aggressive marketing and criticism and shaming techniques, the "new way" becomes the "normal way" and the real "normal way" becomes the "poor dirty hippy old fashioned way" or "alternative" and they make new language to describe it.
This strange use of the English language is not limited to things concerning babies and childcare, many people know the infamous George Carlin routine in which he picks apart the way people attach meaningless words and change language to make things sound "more important."

A common theme I noticed in things concerning babies is attaching the word "delayed" to things. "Delayed" means postponing an action that should be carried out immediately, but it is often used to describe actions in which being "delayed" is normal and doing it immediately would be abnormal. For example:

"Delayed cord clamping" Clamping the cord immediately prevents the blood transfer from the placenta to the newborn, and can lead to many health problems. Clamping the cord after it stops pulsing, which can be anywhere from 5-30 minutes after birth, is what should be done for optimal health of the newborn. The reason it became the norm to clamp the cord immediately after birth was because of the narcotics they used to use to drug up the laboring mother, and they wanted to prevent all of those drugs from going to the baby, which makes it even more ridiculous to carry out immediate cord clamping after a natural labor and birth. 

"Delayed vaccinations" If a baby is fully breastfed and the mother has been vaccinated or has built up immunity to the diseases in question, you don't need to be injecting newborns with aluminum and everything else in the vaccine besides the actual disease cells. I'm still researching this subject and will probably do a limited vax schedule after Chinami turns 2. 

"Delayed solids" Most pediatricians will recommend starting rice cereal at 4 months and waiting until later makes you "delayed." A baby's stomach isn't fully matured until around 6 months or when the baby can sit up and loses the tongue thrust reflex. Force feeding goop from jars or Elmer's glue (wait, that's called white rice cereal...could have fooled me, has the same texture, taste, and nutritional value and spikes blood sugar to boot) to a 4 month old that is clearly not ready is ridiculous. Also, a baby can thrive just fine being exclusively breastfed up to and beyond 1 year, food before one is just for fun, to get them used to chewing, textures, tastes, and working on their motor skills. 

"Delayed potty learning" Oh wait, this is what "normal" potty training is in Westernized societies. A 4 year old with no developmental delays or physical disabilities, who can eat, run, talk in complex sentences and has a basic knowledge of phonics shouldn't be in a diaper. It is much more logical to introduce the concept of the toilet earlier and have it be a gradual process, or if you have the energy for it and don't live in a carpeted apartment, go diaper free and work on EC. 

There are some other terms that strike me as odd too.

"Extended breastfeeding." In our society, this refers to breastfeeding past the age of 1. However, the WHO recommends breastfeeding until the age of 2 as a minimum, and beyond as long as it is desired by mother and child. However in the US many pediatricians recommend switching to cow's milk after the age of 1, either because breastmilk magically loses all nutritional value after the baby's 1st birthday (just like how spinach loses all of its nutrients after your 18th birthday, right?), or because after baby's 1st birthday, she magically transforms into a baby cow. I'm not sure what the real story is but I know that most of the world goes a little bit closer to the WHO's guidelines. So perhaps weaning before 2 should be referred to as "premature weaning."

"Un-circumcised" This implies that the baby boy is lacking something, when really, he has simply been left with healthy, fully-functioning genitalia instead of having non-consensual cosmetic surgery.

"Sleep training" I hear this a lot, and actually don't really know what it means, because to me the concept of "training" a baby to sleep is ridiculous and right up there with "night weaning" or refusing to nurse a baby during the night so they will stop waking up looking for comfort or a small drink. Because all the adults doing this have never woken up for a glass of water or wanting a snuggle from a loved one, right?

Unfortunately, once something is rooted in language it can be hard to change...but at least things in this household are getting off to a good start! 

Food blog 2: 3 day Food Diary

This is my last week of working at the daycare, from next week I am babysitting a 13 month old early mornings and evenings instead, so my schedule and eating habits are likely to change again next week, but I have decided to do a food diary for 3 days.
Keeping a food diary is a good exercise for self-evaluation of your diet. Sometimes we don't realize our bad habits until we put them in front of us in writing. People sometimes do a food diary before they start a new lifestyle.
I am kind of interested in how much I am actually taking in because I have been slowly but consistently losing weight since giving birth to Chinami. I was 128lbs when I first found out I was pregnant, I gained an even 35lbs during the pregnancy and lost all of it within the first 3 months, and then kept losing steadily for the next six months, and as of now I am 115lbs. I am not following any kind of diet or exercise regimen, but I generally try to eat healthy and not snack mindlessly, and I walk from 30 minutes to an hour each day, and do 10-15 minutes of yoga in the mornings when I can.

Here is my honest diary from Monday, May 6-Wednesday, May 9. For fun, I also put what Chinami is eating.

Monday, May 6
7:30 am  1 banana (Chinami - some banana)
8:30 am (Chinami - puffed rice, breastmilk, water)
11:30 am (Chinami - sauteed asparagus, eggplant, zucchini in olive and sesame oils)
12 pm 1 banana (Chinami - some banana)
1 pm 1 bowl Don Quai ramen noodles with cabbage and choi sum.
5:30 pm  Raw broccoli, carrot, sweet pepper, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, and Maui style potato chips with ranch dip (Chinami - tomato, broccoli, carrot, and stole a potato chip when I looked away for a minute)
12 am  Fish head stewed in ginger, shoyu, mirin, and white rice with quinoa, spring mix salad with Asian Maui Onion dressing

Tuesday, May 7
7 am  Oat squares and sliced banana with milk
8:30 am (Chinami - banana)
11:30 am (Chinami - cooked baby carrot)
12 pm a couple pieces of broccoli
1:30 pm leftover fish from Monday with mixed brown and white rice and toasted nori.
5:30 pm handful of candied dried coconut and a smoothie of soymilk, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries with 1/2 banana (Chinami - popsicle made of plain Greek yogurt and mixed berries)
9 pm small non-sugar fruit cup, potato chips
11 pm Taco night - sliced steak, spring greens, seasoned black beans and zucchini, tomato salsa, guacamole, cheese, plain Greek yogurt, and whole wheat flatbread

Wednesday, May 8
8 am Peanut butter and banana sandwich, milk with wheatgrass powder (Chinami - banana)
1 pm raw carrots, broccoli, sugar snap peas, sweet peppers, tomato, (2 cups veggies total) a handful of potato chips with ranch dressing, 1 Babybel cheese (Chinami - carrots) 1 can of ginger ale
3 pm sugar-free fruit cup
5:30 pm leftover from last night's tacos....one whole-wheat black bean/zucchini burrito with cheese, Greek yogurt, guacamole, and salsa, and 1 small bowl of rice with the taco filling and topping.
12 am  1 piece roast chicken thigh w/Costco no-salt seasoning, mushrooms, a couple bacon-wrapped asparagus stalks, and homemade tomato soup with v-8, onion, garlic, carrot, celery, chopped cabbage stalk, and whole-wheat macaroni.

Maybe in a future entry I will do a food diary with pictures! :D

Life with Chinami: What I do. ちなみとの生活：私のやっていること。

When people ask what I do, the short answer is: I'm a mom.
But the long answer, is so very long.

I have been an active, spartan, workaholic since I first broke free and set foot in Hawaii ten years ago. I love meeting new people and being a part of my community. Looking back, I now realize this explosion occurred because I realized that in the real world outside my dysfunctional household, people actually have some respect and genuine kindness for one another. When I got my first job, I was so happy to be helping people and getting paid for it. In the few situations where I did make mistakes due to my naivety and inexperience, I wasn't berated and insulted for it, but I was taught with patience and respect. My coworkers and bosses admired my work ethic and that I never would complain or consider an aspect of the job "below me", and I was always willing to learn and build my skills. As I stayed in Hawaii and Japan one thing was constant...I was always looking to fill the gaps in my day. Food service, working with businessmen at a convention, hotel internships, tour guide, tutor, secretary, babysitter, English teacher from pre-K to adult, translator, English pronunciation coach for a Japanese theatre troupe putting on a production of RENT, sample girl in the supermarket, passing out flyers, karaoke singer, I did it all!

After I came back to the US in 2011, I spent a boring but enlightening time at my "parents" house, in which Yasushi and I did not work and kept our travel to a minimum. Then we came back to Hawaii and despite a growing belly, off I went again. Cosmetics salesgirl, pre-K tutor, dancing in Gagaku at 5 months pregnant and bon-odori on my due date. I laid low until the recommended 6 weeks after having Chinami, and then I started up again, going bon-odori, and looking for jobs, but now running into a big challenge: balancing my workaholic tendencies with my attachment parenting philosophies.

So, here's what I am doing now.

I do translations and transcriptions at home as a freelancer for a few companies. I am not very experienced in either so my workload is still pretty light and the payout low ($20-50/month at most) but it is interesting and stimulating work.

I also take care of a middle school student with special needs for a few hours a day. Since I don't drive (yet, when I get the money I will start going to driving lessons) I pick her up and take her to my house via the bus, and her mother picks her up from my house. I help her with homework, and then she can play on the computer or play with the neighbor's 4 year old if she is around.

Recently I made an acquaintance with the owner of a cosmetics shop in Waikiki, hoping to get some translation work. Instead, he called me out of the blue one day telling me that by the way, he has a 2 year old daughter from an ex-girlfriend, said girlfriend is in Japan and her grandmother is sick and can't look after her, can she stay at my home for a week or so overnight? She went to school from around 8-5, so from evenings I welcomed her into our queen bed and had a very busy few days suddenly acting like a mother of 2 (the child was also half-Japanese, half-Caucasian) This also fell during Spring Break, when I had to take care of my special-needs student during the day when she was off of school, some days from 9-5.

I also made acquaintances with the owner of a Japanese home child care facility for children ages 0-3. She needed someone suddenly, so from this month I have been taking Chinami with me and working mornings. Since I have to take Chinami with me, the pay is low, but it's something, and more than anything Chinami seems to enjoy playing and interacting with everyone.

And about a month ago, I got a job working at a booth at the KCC Farmer's Market. I use my Japanese skills, and I can leave Chinami with her Daddy while I do it, it's not too long of a shift. I look forward to it every other week, it is a great transition to go back into the "working world".

I also reconnected with an old friend, a famous Chinese chef who had me working for him as his secretary when I was at UH. He is retired now, but still puts together tour packages, cooking classes, and charity events using his name. He is up in years and never learned to use a computer, so I basically do any computer-related stuff for him. He pays me because he believes in paying someone for a job well-done, although he also has treated me to so many wonderful meals I would help him for free in a heartbeat. Someday I will repay him for his kindness, he is always one step ahead of me, but someday...!

If I am not working mornings, there are playdates, story times, and kids/baby time at the Japanese church. I also seek out other fun community events like free movie showings and invite friends along.

So there is my "long answer."  I am a Jack-of-all-trades, and a master of none. But my favorite job of all?  Of course, it's the one that only pays in smiles and a healthy baby.


人から私は普段何していると聞かれたら、短く言えば、私はママやっています。
でも長く言えば、凄く長い話です。

私は１０前にハワイで一人暮らし始めた時から活動的、仕事中毒な人です。コミュニティーに役に立って、人に会うのが好きです。今振り返ってみると、実家から出て、私が現実の世界でも十分やっていけて、後一般の人は他人に対して少しでも気遣いとかがあるということも解ったからそういう風に爆発をしたと思います。始めてのバイトができた時、人を手伝ってお金も貰えるということにすごいはまりました。未経験で天然のせいで失敗した時はしかられて言葉の暴力を振るわれることがなく、優しく教われました。同僚とボス達はいつも私は文句なしでいつでも頑張ってる姿にも感心してたらしい。私は上から目線みたいなことを言う事もなく、いつも新しいこと学びたい気持ちがあるということを周りから褒められてました。ハワイと日本で生活してた時はいつも暇な時間に何か予定を入れようとしていました。フードサービス、サラリーマンとコンベンションでのバイト、ホテルでのインターン、ツアーのガイド、家庭教師、秘書、子供の面倒をみる、幼稚園から社会人までの英語教師、翻訳、英語のミュージカルRENTをやろうとする日本人の英語発音コーチをやったり、チラシ配り、カラオケ、などなど、全部やりました！


２０１１年帰国した時、実家でぼーとする期間をすごし、色々自覚しました。ハワイに戻って、お腹が大きくなっていくに関わらずまた始めました。コスメのセールズ、幼稚園生の教師、雅楽で舞を５ヶ月の時にやって、予定日に盆踊りもやりました。ちなみが産まれて６週間たったら、また盆踊りに行って、仕事も探し始めました。しかし今大きいなハードルがありました。どうやって赤ちゃんのママでいて、仕事もできるのでしょうか。

それで、今こんなことをやっています。

家でフリーランスで会社何ヶ所の翻訳とトランスクリプション（オーディオを書き取りして台本を作ること。）あまり経験がないので大量の仕事でもないし、お金も安いんです。（一ヶ月２０ドルから５０ドル位まで）でも面白くて、スキルが増える仕事です。



そして平日は毎日２−３時間位障害がある中学生の女の子の面倒をみてます。私はまだ運転免許ないので（ちょっとお金入ったらドライビングスクール行く予定ですけど）バスで学校まで迎えに行って家まで連れて行って、お母さんが家に迎えに来てくれます。家で宿題をやったり、隣の４才の子と遊んだりします。

最近翻訳などの仕事を希望してワイキキで大手なコスメショップのオーナーと知り合いになったんですけど、３年前の彼女とできた子供がいて、その元彼女が日本に行ってて、お祖母さんが調子悪いから、その子を見てくれるベイビーシッターを探してるけどという電話がきました。昼間幼稚園行くので学校の迎え、家で泊めて、学校に送るだけと頼まれました。家に連れて行って、何日間そうやって２人のお母さんみたいになりました。その子も、ちなみと同じく、日本人と白人のハーフです。大変なことに、これは春休みの時期で、中学生の子供も一日４時間から８時間見てました。

小さい保育園を営業している日本人とも知り合いになって、今月急にお手伝いも頼まれました。ちなみをつれて仕事だと時給が低いけど、ちなみは楽しんでるから私は嬉しいです。
そして一ヶ月位前にKCCのファマーズマーケットでアルバイトする事になりました。ちなみをダディーに預けて朝から昼まで働いて、日本語スキルもかなり焼く立つし、一週間おきの楽しみです。仕事復帰に向かって良いアルバイトです。



そして中華料理の有名なシェフの知り合いもいます。大学生時代に秘書のアルバイトしていました。あの人は退職してますが、今でも自分の名義を使ってツアー、料理教室、やチャリティーイベントなどをやっています。年を取ってて、パソコンの使い方今でもわからないという人なので、パソコン関係何でもやっています。その人は仕事すればお金を払うべきというけど、何回も豪華な中華料理をごちそうしてもらった事があるので、ただでも働きたいほどです。いつも優しくしてくれているけど、いつか私も倍返ししたいです！

午前中暇な時はママ友で集まったり、図書館、教会の親子会など、コミュニティーで色々あります。楽しいことがあるなと思ったら友達呼んで集まっています。

これが長い話でした。色々スキルがあって、マスターできてるのは一つもないサンミです。でも一番大好きな仕事と言えば、時給０ドルで笑顔と健康な赤ちゃんが貰える仕事です。