Cars don’t have turbulence
Thats one reason I like cars better than planes. I also enjoy the fact that cars have four wheels instead of the three on the airplane. They say most airplance accidents occur during landing, and I can see why.
Anyway…made it on the ground safely.
We took a 2 hour train ride to her brother’s apartment in tokyo. Nice place but not much to it. Two rooms, bedroom and bathroom. About the total square footage of my kitchen and dining room I think, maybe smaller.
We went to a sushi restaurant after dropping our things off. Some of the best sushi I’ve had.
Walked past a lamborghini store. There were 2 other lamborghinis inside that place.
A policeman here was giving tickets to bicylists who didn’t have a light on their bike. I warned one guy about the sting operation but he acted like he didn’t hear me and rode past.
Area by Yoshimi’s brother’s apartment.
That’s it for now.
Sayonara
West Des Moines Citizens Fire Academy
Yoshimi and I have joined the Citizens Fire Academy. Last night we attended week two of the nine week program. We were giving our fire gear(coat, pants, helmet, mask boots etc.) and then we went to the training grounds to perform the test that is required to join the fire department.
The course begins by running up the stairs to the 5th story window while carrying some hose on your shoulder. One of the firefighters follows behind with a flashlight as the stairs are pitch black.
Yoshimi as she begins the course.
When you get to the top window, you must then pull up a 40lb coiled hose up and into the window.
Yoshimi pulling up the hose.
After the hose is through the top window, they unhook a safetly rope from your belt(so you don’t accidentally take a dive out the window) and then you run back downstairs and out of the building.
When you are out you must then grab a sledgehammer and keep repeatedly hitting this target until a light goes off. This simulates breaking down a door.
Yoshimi giving it her all.
After the light comes on, you walk over to a hose laying on the ground. You then sling this up on your shoulder and pull it 65 feet or so to some cones. The longer it gets the harder it is to pull.
Yoshimi pulling the hose.
When the hose reaches the cones the hardest part begins. This is when you must carry/drag/pull a 175 lb dummy 100 ft to another set of cones. At this point your arms are about numb from pulling up the hose to the window and hitting the target with the sledgehammer.
Chris and Yoshimi tugging on the dummy
Next week the class will be divided into companies and begin training to put out small fires.
Filed under Citizen Fire Academy | Comment (0)What’s up with the Blog title?
One of the first packages we received from my mother/father-in law was addressed to Chris and Yoshimi Tensen. Being that my last name is the same as my first name, but with a tensen on the end seemed to cause a bit of confusion and somehow they thought my name was Chris Tensen.
This stuff is bound to happen when both parties don’t speak the same language.
Filed under Japan | Comment (0)