"It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice." After today, I will only have 2 weeks left here and then I won't ever have to put up with this smashed up crackerbox again.....I am glad another month has passed here finally, it seemed to be the longest one yet, but I'm just glad it's over with....Still the rest of the summer to drudge through...I hope that it flies by faster than I can imagine...I am soooo excited from just moving to another house cause I've been soooo sick of this one, and have begged numerous times to move over and over and over cause I got into with these psycho-head neighbours I'm forced to be around and their stupid disgusting human-sized dogs....It was always some excuse before, and now I finally got my wish to forever get away from them....I've never met such rotten^&*%&* people in my entire life until I got into this lifestyle....No I am not just saying that to be difficult, they would have their nuisance of a dog make a mess all through our yard then just leave it when they have their own yard, then just go off like they didn't do anything...I had my husband ask them over and over to stop, cause I wouldn't talk to anyone like that with such a nasty attitude, and they would agree and yes us to death to the face, then go and do the exact same thing all over again when we weren't around...I couldn't plant flowers out front, or add more plants to the lonely one I have when I first got here nothing..I wasn't going to do all that and have some dog dig it up and have the brats that were in charge of it happening think it's funny...So weeds it was, I ignored everything from the parking lot to my front door...the gopher holes, rat traps they put all around, mice running in front of us on the sidewalks at night when we came home in the winter time here....I decorated up in front of my front door with lawn ornaments, but nothing else....I think I will never be free of this until we get our own yard again like we had in Italy, but still that will be total freedom once I break away from such hateful people here....So 2 more weeks..I hope it's a total blur that I don't have much memory of once it finally does pass....I'm tooooo excited even if I won't have my internet for a few days until the end of that week, I am willing to go through anything to be free of certain people and certain things around me here...it's hard to explain to anyone who doesn't seem to have a problem with anything, or otehr people never get on their nerves...Let's see, they are throwing a sports day at us on Friday, the start of our holiday weekend....funny how I should have a major dental procedure that very same day incase I'm pestered about going...that would be total hell on earth for me trying to go around playing sports in front of like 400+ people...honestly I really would rather die than do something like that ever ever ever...I get in a huge group like that, and I feel like all eyes are on me...hate it hate it hate it....no matter what it is going on....so hope no one else has to put up with what I have to here, it's really really miserable and just plain aggravating esp. if no one seems to understand your frustrations
and tells you that you need to get along with other people...huh I get along just fine with my friends we've never had a problem, of course we would never treat each other that way either...just really sick of dealing with others who are always taking the other person's side and never listening to mine.....one day I will be free of them and won't be one bit sorry....
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Shuri Castle
首里城
Naha, Okinawa, Japan
Seiden (main hall) of Shuri Castle
Type Gusuku
Built 14th century, last rebuilt 1958-1992
Construction
materials Stone, wood
In use 14th century - 1945
Demolished 1945, numerous times previous
Current
condition Reconstructed, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Controlled by Chūzan (14th century-1429), Ryūkyū Kingdom (1429-1879), Japan (1879-present)
Occupants Kings of Chūzan and Ryūkyū Kingdom
Battles/wars Battle of Okinawa (1945)
ShureimonShuri Castle (Okinawan: Japanese: 首里城 Shurijō) is a gusuku (Ryūkyūan castle) in Shuri, Okinawa. It was the palace of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroyed, with only a few walls standing as high as a few decimeters. In 1992, it was reconstructed on the original site based on photographs, historical records, and memory.
History
The date of construction is uncertain, but it was clearly in use as a castle during the Sanzan period. It is thought that it was probably built during the Gusuku period, like the other castles of Okinawa. When King Shō Hashi unified the three sections of Okinawa and established the Ryūkyū Kingdom, he used Shuri Castle as a residence. At the same time, Shuri flourished as the capital, and continued to do so during the second Sho dynasty.
For 450 years from the beginning of the 15th century, it was the royal court and administrative center of the Ryūkyūan Kingdom. It was the focal point of foreign trade, as well as the political, economical and cultural heart of the Ryūkyūs.
According to records, Shuri Castle burned several times, and was reconstructed each time. Before the war, it was designated a National Treasure, but during the war, the Japanese military set up its headquarters underground at the castle, and beginning on May 25, 1945, the American battleship Mississippi shelled it for three days[2]. On May 27 it burned.[3] After the battle a Confederate Battle Flag (the only one available, which personally belonged to the company commander, who was from South Carolina) was hoisted above the castle by the Marine self entitled "Rebel Company" (Company A of the 5th Marine Regiment). It was visible for over two miles and stayed above the castle for three days until being removed by General Simon B. Buckner, Jr.(son of Confederate General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Sr.) saying Americans from all parts of America helped win the battle.
After the war, the University of the Ryūkyūs moved to the castle site, where it remained until 1975. In 1958, the Shureimon gate was rebuilt, and in 1992, the main building of the castle was reconstructed. At present, the entire area around the castle has been established as Shuri Castle Park. In 2000, along with other gusuku and related sites, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2008, it was featured in the video game, Call of Duty: World at War.
Sites of interest
Because of its central role in Ryūkyūan political and religious life, Shuri Castle is surrounded by various sites of historical interest. Featured in their own articles are Shureimon, the main gate to the castle, and Tamaudun, the royal tombs located adjacent to Shuri Castle.
Stone Gate of Sonohyan-utaki
Sonohyan Utaki Shrine with Ishimon GateThis stone gate to the left of Shureimon gate was erected in 1519 by King Shō Shin, the third king of the second Shō dynasty. Here at the Sonohyan-utaki, the king offered prayers for order throughout the kingdom and safety at the outset of all his travels. The stone gate reflects the kingdom's advanced limestone masonry skills. It is designated an important national cultural property, and is itself also registered as a distinct element of the collective UNESCO World Heritage site designated as Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, alongside Shuri Castle itself.
[edit] Shikina-en
Built in 1799, the royal gardens and villa were not only where the royals relaxed but was also used to host the investiture envoys who came from the Great Empire, China. The garden's circle layout resembles plans used in modern Japanese gardens, but the villa itself with its red tile is uniquely Ryūkyūan, and pond and bridge to the miniature island is in the Chinese style. This is a rare, historically valuable example of Ryūkyūan landscape gardening, and Shikina-en is also registered as a distinct element of the collective UNESCO World Heritage site designated as "Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu", alongside Shuri Castle itself.
Kankaimon
KankaimonFirst built around 1477-1500 during the reign of King Shō Shin, the gate was burned down during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 and restored in 1974. Kankaimon is the first front gate to Shuri Castle, kankai (歓会) meaning "welcome". The gate was named to express welcome to the investiture envoys who visited Shuri Castle as representatives of the Chinese Emperor.
[edit] "Bridge of Nations" Bell
The "Bridge of Nations" Bell (万国津梁の鐘, Bankoku shinryō no kane) was cast in 1458, during the reign of King Shō Taikyū, and hung at the Seiden (main hall) of the castle. The 721 kg bell is today in the collection of the Okinawa Prefectural Museum; a full-size replica hangs on the castle site[4].
The inscription on the bell describes Ryūkyū's prominence in maritime trade in the South Seas and prosperous trade relations with China, Korea, Japan, and the various states of Southeast Asia; the bell's name derives from this.
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Wow, I had no idea anyone else out there was as frustrated as I was having to live over here in Asia....Only I found this post, and they live over in Beijing, China..I'm glad I"m not the only one who goes off on this thing and to other people and everyone else here looks at me like I"m crazy...I totally understand how this person feels cause I get this all the time..I got some dope guy the other day, I'm thinking this last weekend chatting loud enough to his friends when I was nearby, and made some remark to me about speaking Gaelic cause I had red hair or being Irish some junk like that (??????) what is up with that???? I don't even know that language, I can barely understand some people when they speak English, cause everyone has different accents coming from all over...Junk like that really gets me mad cause I have a certain look to me that no one else has here, so I'm always the one picked out of anyone....Really though, I am thilled to pieces that I"m not the only one on this planet who feels so frustrated having to be over here....."I live smack dab in the middle of Beijing. The problem with Chinese drivers is that for them, the red light is just a suggestion to stop. The yellow light is a warning to speed up and get through the intersection. They justify it by saying that people who own cars are richer, and therefore have more power than pedestrians and bikers.
People in cars sometimes drive really fast, then cut into the bike lane right in front of me and slam on the brakes, laughing wildly when I crash into the backs of their cars. Then they drive off really quickly.
The police are afraid to hand out tickets, just in case they accidentally hand one out to a city official or someone with an even higher political standing. My dad is a professor in my university, so we don't need to buy a car; he lives about 5 minutes away from his office. But to Chinese people, this is a clear sign that we are poor, which means they are allowed to look down on us "poor Americans" and get to run us off the streets.
But it's not a lack of respect for just foreigners. Chinese people don't even respect each other. I'm sick of this country. I can't wait to finish college and return to a country where people SAY THANK YOU after you do something nice, reply with YOU'RE WELCOME after you say thank you, DON'T SPIT ALL OVER THE GROUND, the children aren't PEEING ALL OVER THE SIDEWALKS.
I can't wait to return to a country where STRANGERS DON'T LOOK AT YOU LIKE YOU'VE JUST HAD A LOBOTOMY AFTER YOU SMILE AT THEM WHILE PASSING THEM ON THE STREET, where people DON'T POINT AND STARE AND SCREAM "HALLO, HALLO" AT YOU WHILE YOU'RE WALKING DOWN THE STREET WITH A CAUCASIAN PERSON, where people chew with their mouths closed and don't smack their lips and spit bones and seeds all over the table and floor.
Where people DON'T DENY THAT YOU ARE AMERICAN EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE ASIAN (yep, every time I say that I am American, they say, "But you don't look American. You look Chinese."
I reply "Americans don't have to be white" and they say "Of course they do. You are pretending to be a foreigner. You are Chinese. If your parents are Chinese that means you are Chinese."
Sorry, Martin Luther King Jr., looks like the Chinese deny your existence. Sorry all minorities in America. According to the Chinese, you are not American.
And if you even dare tell them that people evolved in Africa (they want nothing to do with Black people), then they will get really angry and start yelling at you in the street and tell you that YOU are the African one, so there!
It just all stems from a lack of respect. I can't tell you how many times I've almost been run over by someone in a car speeding through a red light, laying on his or her horn, the whole time cursing the pedestrians for getting in his or her way even though it's their green light.
All the taxi drivers hate the police officers. The taxi drivers follow a lot of the rules, because their jobs are on the line. So all day, they see the police officers ignoring people who break the rules and speed through red lights, sometimes stopping right in the middle of intersections, blocking traffic from all directions. Because they have cars and are rich, and therefore might be someone important in the government. Which means they are immune to traffic tickets.
But so far, out of the five years of living in Beijing, I have not gone through one day of not seeing one person put on speed even after the light has already turned red and people are starting to cross the street, just to lay on the horn, scare pedestrians back onto the sidewalk, and cause more traffic for perpendicular roads. I have not gone through one day of not seeing one person cross the street even though the light is red and risking his or her life instead of waiting 30 more seconds for the light to turn green. Probably never will, though."
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