Today I tasted things for money

So since I barely blogged from Japan.Sorry it got to be much more interesting living life than writing about it I have decided to switch gears.I like blogging and from now I am going to be blogging about being a midwife or at least my general thoughts about it. There seems to be some confusing about why I want to be a midwife,when I decided, and what was the catalysts. All of you seem to have different thoughts because in keeping with my fragmented self I told almost everybody different things.None of it untrue just not the whole truth.There is also only one Woman of Color who is a practicing midwife in Philadelphia.I am not including CNMs. This is a problem!This is not what initially decide to become a midwife.But it is what made me begin to research the history of black midwives in the US and look for black midwives in the US.There is a conference in Harlem that I am going to in October for Black Midwives and healers which I am hoping will be inspiring.I don't need to agree with all these people politically I just need to know that they are out there.
I can tell that midwives can be pretty conservative folks outside of the realm of the politics of maternity and families.I am also concerned about the politics of families particularly the racism and classism. I think that people are doing a lot of good work around providing women with information about options but what women what options and how accessible are they. It's pretty fucked up that I don't how to fashion my own baby sling but I can buy one crafted buy someone who saw it while in the Peace Corps in East Africa. That is cultural genocide.Not in its entirety but it still counts.Especially when the profit to be made is factored in. D talked about it at dinner, taking ideas from folks making slight modifications and then reselling it back to them.
I wanna be a midwife to women who don't trust doctors, who doctors see and immediately presumed that they are stupid.That because they speak another language,have more melanin, not enough money that somehow they are less fit parents. I want to be the caregiver that my mother should have had when she had to c-sections, or my grandmother on the unwed mothers ward ripping up the mattress, or my girl who hid her pregnancy until she was going into labor.But that is not why i decided to be a midwife either. That is a much longer post about gender,race,class and nationalism. As I thought about different family and women I knew then these things started to get folded into my ideas and thoughts.Like the fact that the midwife that I would want to have maybe doesn't exist in Philly.
All right well these should be far less humdrum than my Japan posts which were heavily censored.

Manifestations of Shinto and I am not listening

I am writing this in class and barely had any sleep.I have been having stomach pains (probably gas) and can't sleep so last night at 4am me,Joe, and Tyler went for a walk. There is a guy here,Paul, who is always correcting my grammar and he such a pretentious little shit.Every time he says something I want to punch him in the face.There is nothing more annoying than people concerned about petty shit.But at any rate I had to sleep in my friends room last night so that I would definitely wake up this morning for class.
Today should be my yoga class but with my trip to Nikko I just can't do that level of pressure on my ankle.I am beginning to feel like I'll never get better. Nikko was pretty cool but it took forever to get there...mostly cause we are broke.We got lost on the way to the flea market we wanted to go to beforehand and then got the slow train to Nikko. I think that after this trip I may never want to see another Buddhist temple again in life.Or at least not for a couple of years. I just wish places weren't always so crowded.I still haven't been back to the Hie shrine just to sit and chill.I would still really like to do that.
This past Saturday I did Kyudo and got drenched in a typhoon.It was a good day.It took me a while to get the hang of the bow and how to pull and then even after I got it I still had three helpers every time.There was a guy Miki... with very large ears who I loved and he would crack up every time it was my turn.But I really did like it.I have posted some pictures and the reason that there are multiples of some is because they are action shots but maybe you can't tell.
I watched City of Men last night when I couldn't sleep and it was pretty good.It uses the same actors from Cidade de Deus but in different roles and I really like that. I recommend it.It is also far less bloody, maybe because it is a TV series
My parents are coming on Sunday so that should be cool but today I am most excited about sleeping. Then shortly after that i go to Korea.We have so little time left here and none of us are sleeping still. But you know that's life with 20 other young adults.I am not super pressed to do something since my parents will want to do some things and Brian may want to do others. So I just try and hang out with my friends and shoot the shit.We have nothing in common except that we are roughly the same age ,living , in the same dorm but the people who are my friends...I love them.So we do all kinds of shit like go for late night walks, because it's mad safe here, or go to the all night homemade dumpling place.Because there are no preservatives and generally less bullshit in food we can each a bunch of different things. I really haven't had more than six hours of sleep in a very long time.I am glad that I do not have to live this way but I will miss having a whole bunch of other people my age with my sleeping patterns.Brian old ass is sleep mad early as far as I am concerned.I can call most people in my dorm and they will still be up at 4am. *Sigh*
Well at least at home I have a real stove

Jabreel from Jerusalem and Doner Kebabs

So I just got in from a trip to Don Quixote to put finishing touches on a Halloween costume and some guy fell on my ankle and Joe's foot.That is what I get for going to Roppongi late at night but really ever.We are not quite sure what happened he either was pushed,fell , or flew.But drunk people falling on you actually happens all the time so it is what it is.I went to Tokyo Tower today and it was cool even though I am scared of heights.I just needed to get out of the house but I think it was too serious of an undertaking for my almost well ankle. I tried on ankle boots which I want so bad but the foot is just too narrow.I'll keep trying.
The Tower was just an observatory really but a cool way to see the city and there is a restaurant on the special observatory that seems cool. I didn't noticed much cause I was to busy gettings talked by Japanese kids.First they would look at me and laugh hysterically and then when I would look they would giggle and run away(please keep in mind that I have my afro again). Then one of them asked me to take a group shot...I did it but it sucked.Then like 5 minutes later another one asked so I took their picture.Finally I am minding my business trying to figure out exactly where my neighborhood is and I see a flash.So I chase the kid down but he runs from me thinking he is in trouble.But I just ask him if he would like to take a picture of me (ya know instead of so rudely sneaking pictures of strangers).It actually turned into a picture with like ten kids .Then they all practiced their English .
I am going to miss being a celebrity and this isn't even me at my flyest.
We've all got costumes picked out and have a wild couple of days planned so I'll update you later.
The afro is a big hit.My friend Mo took out the twist and people keep commenting on it as they do.A dollar for anyone who can explain afro awe. I am so used to it now that I pre-empt questions and the dialogue goes something like this,

Person A:Your hair looks really cool.Did you do something different with your hair? I like your hair? There is toothpaste in your hair. You've got a little something in your hair.
And occasionally I'll just feel someone patting the back of my head and I just have to hope I know them.

Kim: Yeah thanks it just grows like this .I don't have to do anything to it...this is the natural curl pattern...yup it grows straight up... no my uncle has that gray streak to.Yeah it's part hereditary and part one awful highs cool relationship.Yeah it's kind of weird when people just walk up and touch your hair.

People are real lax with the comments.If you don't start commenting soon.I will stop writing after all I know what I've been doing.And hey how about a couple of emails about your life.

Listening to Dre

My arms hurt from doing dips.I only did like 30 but I'da like to die. We have officially been here for two months and we are all about to kill at least one other person.But such is life. Let's see if I have any two month reflections.Well, I'll start negative and end positive.I really do hate having a roommate and it has nothing to do with them but more to do with me. It is harder to learn Japanese then I thought it would be since I am not having an immersion experience.I now understand how people could live in a foreign country for a long time and never learn the language. I also realized just how much of an USer I am . Just the attitude and the particular sense of entitlement.What's fair what not.Even the idea that things should be fair.I am also as adaptable abroad as I am at home.So it's nice to know that I can do and be anywhere and be okay and make friends.I do wish that I knew more Japanese but I am taking a second semester next spring and there is always Keiko.At least I hope there is always Keiko. But I am having a great time living the college life. But next semester I have to get a job and an internship.Rough semester up ahead.But i just found out that I am gonna graduate this May so that's exciting sort of.I mean I am pretty sure we are headed for a recession so the job market may be a little iffy but what the hell life is a gamble.

Here are the last two links for pictures so now we're all caught up

http://temple.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2146953&l=e16aa&id=8209356

http://temple.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2146953&l=e16aa&id=8209356

pictures 2 look at

http://temple.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=34465408&l=0130b&id=8209356

http://temple.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=34465060&l=1afb1&id=8209356

http://temple.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=34464966&l=f4754&id=8209356

link:http://temple.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2146233&l=7db6e&id=8209356

http://temple.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2146228&l=01267&id=8209356

http://temple.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2146219&l=91267&id=8209356

Made friends with ethiopian women hustlin a japanese man

So I am mad tired or dumb tired as Mo would say.It's funny how hanging out with people you oick up how they talk.We(Me,Mel,Mo) went out to celebrate Mo's anniversary.But what happened was all of Mo's talk about anniversaries made me feel sad about missing the anniversary of my first date with Brian.Now keep in mind that we never do anything when I am home.Although last year we had a good plan and I even had a dress.But so that made me sad and I have been mad irritable all week.We were out crazy late last night trying to find Koreatown.We found Korean food, which was great, but no Koreatown. I did go to a talk by one of teh Japanese ambassadors about "comfort women".Man is he a revisionist ,war crime denying asshole.I would write something more articulate but that about sums it up.
So tonight we went out and had a great time and I am writing this at 2:32 am my time sitting in the hallway cause that is what you do when you are a decent human being and your roommate is asleep. Also tonight Mel and I wore rings on our engagement finger and this one guy kept dancing over to our table and we did a danced that flashed the rings at him and he bowed said excuse me and bounced.Now why can't men in Philly have that level of good sense.
Speaking of funny shit that happens with Japanese men Mo and I had a hilarious thing happen while we out on Friday.We were sitting at the ladies only table and some dude came up to talk to us.He was sketchy so we answered his questioned tenuously...trying to figure out what he wanted...and finally he gets to the heart of the matter.He looks at Mo and says, "You have very large breast(she doesn't by US standards)" then she looks at me and goes "not as large as hers" he says " I know ...can I touch them?" After we tell him NO he tells us it's a Japanese joke...BULLSHIT.But at any rate thats our new thing when something ridiculous happens Japanese joke.I hope Brian gets out of his rich kid group soon cause I wanna go to bed and there is mad noise coming from down the hall.
Also I have mad albums and I will post the links today or tomorrow.

Listening to Bill Withers

Just got back from yoga and I feel great.Unfortunately have yet another midterm tomorrow so that sucks and I really need to study.When will the work end? However I did book my ticket to the Bay and will be there from January 9th-19th in the company of many great people.There is not much to report here except that I still don't feel like posting pictures but I'll take any distraction from homework so may be it will happen today. I have an ambitious plan to be mostly done with my final papers by the time I head to Korea so that what is left is basic and me and some friends can try and make it to Nagasaki that last week.
I haven't done a bunch of the must see sights in Tokyo because I felt like I had a lot of time .But with November fast approaching I realized that I should probably get on it.Frankly three and a half months is not enough time.It takes that long to settle in and know one area.But I'll make due.So I am gonna try and get to Nikko and the fish market and stuff like that.Hopefully if I don't get behind on pictures again then I will post them.
I am doing well and am re-budgeting...again these things take time. My friends anniversary is coming up so we are gonna take her out so that she isn't at home wallowing.Well ya know you could still send me a postcard...Talia send brownies but right now I am craving Skittles.Just a suggestion.