Role Reversal

Laundry, cooking, scrubbing, dusting, sweeping.....

These are small things that keep our households running and our worlds turning. These domestic tasks are things that we all have to do once or twice during a day or week and maybe a few thousand times during our lifetime. As many of you already know, my journey in Japan is a free one. One that isn't burdened by keeping a job, although one of these days I might want to get one. I have taken on the role of a housewife, otherwise known as Kyoto Kanai as my husband and I like to call it. Before our journey to Japan, Joel had just graduated college and I was working full time in the cosmetics industry at Macy's so my schedule was always different. Joel had taken on the responsibility of cooking and cleaning. I would often times leave him a list of things to do in fear that he would get preoccupied watching "The Daily Show" or playing Angry Birds. Things have definitely changed in the Crabtree household. I am now the provider of nutritious meals, a tidy home, clean clothes, and our household budget. 

I have never viewed myself as very 'domestic'. Cooking wasn't something that I did very often, in fact I think people around me wondered if I even knew how to cook.  In fact before our last family vacation with Joel's family, we joked that their other daughter-in-law who is very talented in the kitchen could cook and I would clean.  Much to my mother's relief I'm sure, I have been coming up with wonderfully nutritious meals. My mom, a very hardworking woman who seems to always keep the world spinning in the right direction, always set a good example for my sister and I. Something that I will always remember about my childhood was having a hot meal on the table virtually every night. Often times we take for granted that comfort. Through my few weeks as being a housewife, I have learned that these things are vital pieces of the puzzle that make a strong independent women, which is exactly how I want to view myself. Providing good meals and a clean relaxing environment for my husband is so wonderful, and it's something I've embraced to the fullest. Being able to step into this role has taught me exactly what I want to provide for our future family and children.

My journey to becoming domestic has been a rewarding one, but also a comical one. For example, I cannot speak any Japanese. Sometimes Joel will try to teach me something and it always goes in one ear and out the other no matter how many times I repeat and memorize. So naturally when I go to the grocery store, it's probably interesting for the other shoppers as well as the associates to see me carefully inspecting everything, looking for items with pictures on them, and trying to decipher what things are. The first week of being in Japan, I was pretty perplexed by our washing machine. It is completely different from American washing machines. Here's a picture that's similar to ours. 

Cooking with only two gas burners and no oven has been interesting as well. On days that I don't cook, such as Saturday or Sunday, Joel and I have to figure out what we're going to eat and where we're going to go. There's no Red Lobster or Arby's to drive down the road to here, it's constant speculation about what a restaurant has to offer, whether it's good, and whether we've made the right food choice! We received a flyer from Domino's in our mail box about a week ago with special deals. Craving a piece of home, we decided to give that a try on Sunday. We found ourselves laughing hysterically and studying the menu intensely not knowing what half of it was because descriptions were often hard to read. We wound up with a delicious meal, but getting there was not so easy. 

Stay tuned for more adventures and stories. Thanks for reading!