“WorldSchooling, what is that?”

So, we have now begun our (long-awaited) two-year World Schooling years.

Before the twins were born, we decided that at some point in their childhood we wanted them to live abroad for a year or two. But we could not really settle on which country, and very quickly we realized we wanted it to include multiple countries and multiple years. The kids were not even 2 when we decided we were going to travel with them around the world for two years and home school them. Later, we learned there is a technical term for this — it’s called WorldSchooling. We settled on 7th and 8th grade for WorldSchooling, in part because job changes and sabbaticals aligned with those years and in part because who honestly felt 7th and 8th grade were the best years to be in a classroom with 20+ other 7th and 8th graders? No one I know. The kids will never understand what middle school hell we saved them from.

So, we officially began this summer! House and pet sitters were arranged and first plane tickets were purchased (using United miles! Before they devalued!! We are hewing to a tight budget on this venture.) As we get underway, we will be posting some more information about our WorldSchool philosophies and curriculum goals during the 2+ years we plan to be on the road. The general idea is to have 2-3 month modules in a particular country/continent. For example, we are starting with a New Zealand Module (Module 1), and then moving to Europe for Module 2. South America is set for Module 3. We will have several weeks at home in between to catch up on things like dental appointments and work obligations.

We have spent the past several years scouting out various countries and locations — aka vacations aka mini-world-school trial runs. The first year will be mostly a year of repeats, New Zealand, London, France, Chile. But also some new places for us too, Tahiti (stopover on the way to New Zealand), Italy as part of the Europe module, Argentina in addition to Chile.

Sixth grade graduation, let the WorldSchooling begin! (Don’t they look excited 🙃)

It’s been a little while, sorry about that…

So, I know we probably didn’t have a huge following of our Axelrod Adventures, but we did have a few key important readers, and we have not been keeping our blog current. So we owe all of you who followed along on our adventures an apology. We have many excuses (no one took charge of it, laziness, burnt out etc), but one excuse we did not have was lack of adventures. Well, at least after the first 15 months, which was the longest I can remember in my life, and certainly since we got married and had kids, that I went without traveling somewhere. But eager to get back to traveling, we started back on the road in March 2021 with a trip to Hawaii, and followed it up in July 2021 with Iceland, Portugal in January 2022, back to Hawaii in March and June 2022, and the British Isles with Disneyland Paris thrown in (of course) in July 2022. We visited Chile in November 2022, Guadeloupe for Christmas, and this year, we got back to Japan almost as soon as we could once it opened back up. It sounds like a lot when I write it all but it just felt like a normal couple of years to us.

I will have a post from our visit to Japan shortly, and then will update everyone with our formal launch of World Schooling, which has just started, since the kids have formally finished sixth grade! We will be on the road for most of the next two years and hoping to keep our adventures on our blog updated as we go!

Back to Japan!

We’re baaack. We went back to Japan for the first time in 4 years. And thus, we are now back to posting and updating our Axelrod Adventures blog. It’s hard to believe that it has been four years since we were last here. The kids were different people then. As Jem says, I have learned and forgotten Japanese in that time.

In 2023, Japan has still been in full pandemic control mode, circa 2021 in the US and Europe. Masks everywhere, chapped hands from hand sanitizer, and proof of vaccine or negative test required to enter the country. But so far, the trains are on time, everyone still nice and friendly (maybe a little wary of all the tourists), and the Family Mart still sells all our favorite convenience foods. And, of course, there is still nothing caffeine-free, diet to drink. The choice of drinks (besides water) is caffeine or sugar.

This trip we split up and three of us came with grandma early; the other one came with grandpa a couple of days later.

There is much to tell about our first few days in country. We went to the ocean near Kamakura and were dive bombed by killer hawks! Who then stole Sophie’s ice cream from her hands, literally. The bird swooped down grabbed the ice cream cone from her hands and flew off. They must have marked us as patsies because not 10 minutes later one swooped down and grabbed the last bite of Jem’s sandwich…from his hands. I screamed louder than I have in 20 years. This bird was huge.

On our first morning Sophie and I were up way too early but headed down for breakfast in our hotel. We knew it was a buffet, but did not realize it was only Japanese options, with no western choices. Sophie gamely ate her first Japanese breakfast.

We also traveled into Buddhist heights — climbing some tiny stairs into the inside of The Giant Buddha in Kamakura.

We had a lovely time in Japan, and the obligatory Tokyo DisneySea and Chandu fest because it would not be an Axelrod Del Campo trip without a disney stop. We successfully replaced our lost at sea Chandu’s (which will be the subject of a future post).

It was nice to be back on the road again! And we are now on the road for the next two years!

Representing BayMax (very popular in Japan) with a Baymax Head (left) and Sporting a New Monsters U Sweatshirt (right)

From Sophie — five things I love about the new house

Hi. We moved. I have been here only one night now. And I think that it is cool ? it feels like camping ⛺️. I love the house ? I will tell you 5 things that I love about the house ok . First we have a pool. i get wet but it is still fun. Second my bedroom is much bigger. Thrid we have great neighbors they are fun. Fourth, we have an art and craft room so I can do my experiments ?. And Fifth there is a big open area so we can do our plays if you want to see the play. I will ask my mom to post it ok now bye? .

Axelrod Adventures 2020-style

What a year 2020 has been for all of us. No one could have predicted 2020 would go the way it has for the world.

Before March 2020, we had planned to return to Japan for the summer. I had been studying Japanese all year. My こにちわ s and my わたしわ’s were all coming along nicely, and I had achieved some basic aka Kindergarten level literacy. Now, of course, we don’t have any idea when our next international adventure will be. We are just so very grateful that we Carpe Diemed and went last year!!!

But we wouldn’t be Axelrod-Delcampo’s without a summer adventure. So, as if quarantining, working from home semi-permanently, not to mention 3rd grade school Zooming (which did not work for us at all), during a pandemic were not enough — we bought a new house, moved and are now trying to sell our old house as well.

New house!
Interior courtyard

Jem and I have always had a Mediterranean style love for homes, so when we found this home, the week before the Pandemic shutdowns started, we knew it was as close to a dream house that we would find. We are glad we made the change, the new house works much better for us as a family, but it sure has become the “adventure” as we have tried to learn how to move during a pandemic…plus all the normal headaches that come with moving. Like figuring out the plumbing, electrical and quirks of a new house was built for someone else’s taste. Then there are the more minor issues — for example, today, Sophie said to me “Mom, Complaint. The mirror in our bathroom is too high, so I can’t see myself brushing my hair.” Indeed, we are going to have to lower the mirror about 3 inches. Add that to the to-do list with 100+ items on it.

Things that are never long enough..

I have told Jem for years that there are two things that are never long enough for me — cruises and massages. I always wish the cruise were more days, and I always wish the massage were more minutes.

Now, I have one more thing to add to my list — visits to Japan. We were in Japan two months. We covered a lot of Japan, and crossed off several items that we wanted to do, but left with a list of things we didn’t get to that we needed to do “next time.” Here is a short list

1. Spend more weeks in an apartment in Sapporo, visiting more parks, and more museums

2. Take language classes/send kids to a school in Sapporo

3. See more of Hokkaido (this time we just saw Otaru)

4. See more of the Kerama islands

5. Spend more time in Nagano

So, of course, we are already planning our visit to Sapporo next summer. Because the hardest, most difficult part of being in Japan this summer, was saying good bye. Both Jem and I were very sad at Kansai airport, as we watched the airline staff all bow to us, and say good bye. (Try and hold that image in your mind. You are at a busy international airport. Dozens queuing at the airline counter, waiting for the counters to open. Instead of surly and frazzled, the airline staff, as they prepare to open the ticket counters, walk out in a row, in front of their counters, in their very nice uniforms, turn to all of us, smile, bow in unison. Then move behind their counter and still with a big smile, greet the first six groups in line. So patient, orderly and friendly. Have we mentioned, we love Japan? And miss it terribly?)

Now that we are home, I have started Japanese language classes. Next year, I will use our trip to perfect my Japanese. And I leave you with my two favorite Japanese words so far: すすきの and すし

(Two classes down and I know a lot of hiragana now. At least I know them for an hour or so, my long term retention is really bad.)

I probably wont be posting as much since my adventures will ease for a while…though we are planning a fall trip to Paris…so check back every few weeks there may be more adventures to follow.

So, until next year さよなら

Japan musings (the art of finding lost objects)

Nine years ago, when Jem and I came to Japan for our honeymoon, we (of course) went to Disneyland. Jem bought a new Disney hat, and it promptly blew off on a ride. We went to lost and found, figuring, what the heck, we may as well see if anyone finds it. They didn’t find it that day, but we filled out all the forms with our address and phone number and figured oh well, it was just a hat. A few days after returning from Japan, Jem’s phone began ringing. It was Tokyo Disneyland, they had found his hat. We had a lot of difficulty understanding them over the phone, but we figured it didn’t really matter, there was no way they would ship a hat back to the U.S. Well, a few days later a DHL international package package arrived with his hat in it.

Since that moment, we knew Japan was a place where your belongings go out of their way to find their way home to you. A couple of times this summer, we got separated from the kids, at a park, in a store. Instead of panicking, we remembered that if Japan went to those lengths to return Jem’s hat, they would find our children and make sure they are returned to us. Of all the countries in the world, this is the one where we did not need to worry about where our kids were. They would find their way back to us.

We had two incidents this trip were we saw the Art of Finding Lost Objects unfold before us. The first was on our way to Okinawa from Tokyo when Amalia left her backpack full of her toys on the train to the airport. We realized it within a couple of minutes of getting off the train, and went back into the train to see where it was. It was not there. As we were debating when the last time was we saw it, a nice man came out of the train to tell us that it had been left in the train car and another passenger had taken it to the station master. Sure enough, when we got up to the station master, he had the stuffed animals and dresses for said stuffed animals out on his counter. I immediately pointed at it and us and Amalia and said “ours” … he spoke no English but understood. He handed me a form to fill out with a companion card in English spelling out what I was supposed to fill out where, asked for my passport and after the appropriate forms were completed, we had the backpack back with all the toys. That was on the early side of our trip.

Toward the end of the trip (our last night to be exact), I, silly distracted me, set my phone down on the seat next to me on the evening Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto. The train was on its way to Shin-Osaka, so the Kyoto stop was one stop before, and quite brief, about 1 minute to get everyone off the train. In all the scurrying, I left my phone on the seat. I realized it once we were on our way to the hotel. I went back to the station and asked the station attendant and he told me to go to Shin-Osaka in the morning (a city about 30 minutes away) and go to lost and found there.

So, the next morning, I got up hours before we needed to check out of the hotel. Our flight out of Kansai Airport was at 6 pm, so I had some time, but it was either the Shin-Osaka lost and found or bust. If they hadn’t found it, or maybe they found it later, there would be no time to get the phone delivered to me before we left Japan. And unlike Disney, Japan Rail was clear they did not send packages outside of Japan.

I set out from the hotel at 730 am. I caught an 8 am train to Shin-Osaka. At Shin-Osaka, I wandered across the entire station before finding this tiny office of Lost and Found. I was certain my phone would never be found again. I explained in very few English words “left phone on train” and showed my ticket with the train number, seat number and date. He told me to wait a moment and vanished in the back. And…yes, indeed, he returned 2 minutes later with my phone!! I had to put in the passcode in front of him, and fill out all the forms with my passport number, but I had my phone! Japan works exactly as it is supposed to. I had had a restless night worrying about it, but I did keep saying to Jem, “this is Japan. I am annoyed that I have to go to another city to get my phone, but I know that I have a 98% chance of getting it back.” I had my phone back by 8:35 am. In a weird way, finding my phone made me even sadder to be leaving Japan later that day.

Living in Sapporo

So, we spent a couple of weeks in an apartment in Sapporo trying to get a sense of what “Living in Japan” might be like. But we also spent a couple of days taking in the key sights of Sapporo, and there were plenty.

Famous clock tower

TV Tower, modeled after the Eiffel Tower,

To die for views

We were fortunate to catch part of the Flower festival

We made it to Mt Moira Ropeway, with its cute mascots and great views (mascots are a thing in Japan, many famous tourist sites have unique mascots. We ended up with lots of little stuffed animals from many different places.)

Susukino (which has the advantage of my being able to read the 4 Japanese hiragana that make up that word) was great. Big lights, big city. Classic Japan (like Shinjuku or Shibuya in Tokyo)

God, hot dog and rocks indeed. Sapporo is awesome. Can’t wait to come back.

Luggage, aka traveling light (not)

Well, as is no surprise to anyone who knows us, we have too much luggage. Way too much luggage. We started out with three max capacity suitcases for the four of us and three max capacity carry-ons. We are now up to 5 suitcases. For about a week, our trip became about the suitcases. Which ones could we leave for a couple of days behind in luggage storage. Which ones could we ship to our next destination, knowing that if we sent it to a post office (common in Japan), we might find no one speaking English there at time of retrieval.

Well, we finally amassed all 5 suitcases on the evening of our Okinawa departure, and in big American cliche form (big Americans, with big voices, and big suitcases and lots of big suitcases), we made it to our flight from Okinawa to Sapporo. I am officially a cliche. I really dislike being a cliche, I am a “when in Rome” type tourist and I was the opposite of when in Rome this time.

What is in 5 suitcases you might ask? Well, everyone in the family easily rattled off multiple items that were brought “just in case” and “just for comfort.” We have a pair, and 2 spares of everything, and then a few more. I think it is time to go down to 1 pair, and 1 spare. That will shave about 1/3 off our items.

In addition, Japan is the land of gifts. We get cute little gifts everywhere we go. We got a cute little toiletry bags for the kids at two hotels = four more little bags of stuff to carry. We are given cute kid slippers to wear indoors.

We also received nice (though not as cute) adult slippers too that are great for getting out of the shower. We love the Japanese toiletries. I didnt bring much in way of toiletries so I could pick up the ones in hotels and just use those. But there are so many, now I am carrying around bags of toiletries.

And then, of course, the Chandus. You might remember this from our earlier post?

The Disney purchases that are almost half a suitcase themselves. They are soft, cute and totally unnecessary.

So then of course, we had to buy this:

We are definitely taking lessons here about how not to be cliches next time, but in the meantime, we had a real problem. So, we took care of it by shipping home three boxes of household goods/purchases. We were very lucky, and with the help of some pointing, Google Translate, and general context (e.g. walking into a Japanese Post Office with two suitcases), we were able to get the three boxes shipped home. By boat, so we will see those items in September. No problem…which in and of itself should have shown us we really didn’t really need most of that stuff in Japan.

Living in Japan

One of our goals for the summer was to actually “live” in Japan. By which I meant get an apartment, find a grocery store, learn to get around by train or bus and just go about daily life and see what it was like. For June, since it starts getting hot elsewhere in Japan, we chose to go north to Sapporo in Hokkaido. Yes, where they make the beer. Asahi is brewed there too. It was nice and temperate there as this fancy thermometer on the side of the building told us. (The other time we saw it, it read 18. That day, we needed socks and jackets)

Our apartment was some distance from downtown Sapporo with the touristy sights (like the building with the thermometer) but that worked out very well for us. We found a condo-tel airbnb with two bedrooms, kitchen and nice bathroom. On the third floor of this building.

Northeast of the apartment about 12 minutes walking distance was a regional JR station; in the direct opposite direction (southwest), was a subway, but for convenience, we also took the bus in front of our building; it took about 20 minutes to downtown Sapporo. The apartment was excellent for the goal of “living” in Japan — it was located where people actually live, and shop, and work, and as far as we could tell, we were the only tourists for about a mile around. The place was within walking distance of not one, but two, Daiso (which are found in LA, and are like high end dollar stores). We also found two very nice grocery stores, a “Coop” and a “Big House.” It is very helpful that grocery stores use Latin/English characters for the names of their stores.

Welcome to the Big House

On the ground floor of the building next door to ours was a Ramen joint with a very friendly owner. We ate several meals there.

The suburban location of the apartment was a good 30 minutes away from the main sights, but well in line with what I wanted in terms of living in Japan. I even found a children’s library, with assistance from the Sapporo City English line. It was on the sixth floor of the Shiroishi ward city hall, at the exit of the Shiroishi subway stop. I never would have found it if I had not been able to call the City of Sapporo and ask about child friendly city services in English. They had plenty of English language books and a small play area. Great for a rainy day.

There were several, and I mean several — like half a dozen — children’s parks within five minutes walking distance from our house. The girls got daily park outings, even once in the rain wearing their swimsuits.

This is a zip line that would never be permitted in the US for safety reasons
Like the slides from the 70s! This one was wet from rain and slick and fast!

Japanese version of a Merry-go-round

There were other restaurants, that were not used to seeing tourists, We had a lot of really nice experiences, with super friendly owners, like eating surprisingly good paella in this Spanish restaurant 3 blocks from the apartment. (The Sangria was not good, on the other hand)

With all the other travel, we ended up not allowing enough weeks to just “live” there, which was a regret since we really enjoyed “living” in Japan. We lived the life of the immigrant, trying to make our way around the requirements of daily life without understanding the language or the culture. We were 99% illiterate and unfamiliar with the norms. It was disconcerting. Yet, for me, familiar, as I still remember my first year in the U.S. and then my year in France and summer in Germany where it was similar. And now, my goal for the coming year is to actually learn Japanese and come back next summer to perfect it! I am not sure if my almost 50-year-old brain can handle it.