of return of the blog...

Wow, I've been gone from here for a while. Yeah, I'm a big looser. But what else is new?

Anyway, I could spend like a hundred pages and update everything that's happened since I have returned to Japan, but that would be boring and I don't have the patience for it. So, I guess you luck on sharing that experience with me. :-P

Anyway, it's been raining a lot lately. It rained virtually all of May (which is supposed to have fine and sunny weather) and now we have officially entered rainy season. Yuck! I'm not a fan of rain.

Anyway, teaching's still going fine. Don't have a lot of complaints, but I am getting lazy. I should be a better teacher....

And I'm studying for this Japanese Language proficiency test. It's a pain, but I want to improve my Japanese. Sometimes I feel like it's a waste of time though. Oh well. We'll see what the future holds.

So last night I experienced a bit of the Japanese love of soccer. I went with some friends to watch the World Cup game at a sports cafe. One of our friends had connections and managed to get us in for free. I'm not sure if other people were paying to get in or not. Anyway, the place was PACKED! It was like rush hour on the train, barely standing room. And we had the misfortune of standing right in front of the bathrooms. So we were jostled quite a bit. It thinned out after the second half though.

Anyway, Japanese's people are totally into the World Cup. They were all dressed up, had faces painted and were doing cheers and stuff in the cafe. It was quite the experience. Of course, I would like to see Japan win a game or two, but, like most Americans, I really don't care who wins the World Cup. But experiencing watching the game with the fans was fun. Of course, things like sports are much more fun when done with other people. Fascinating experience.

Next weekend I will have a "Cooking Party." This will be the English event of the Month. Basically, I will teach everyone who comes how to cook an "American Meal." We'll cook it together and then eat the results together. It should be fun, but I'm not sure about teaching a bunch of people how to cook. Hopefully it will go well. The menu will be Chicken Strips, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, and my special "Broccoli Slime."

Good news is, I continue to loose weight. Not fast or anything, but it's gradual. Thanks to all the walking I do, and the healthier Japanese food. I'm still much larger than I want to be, but I guess this is the best way to loose weight. I'm just worried about what's going to happen when my clothes don't fit me anymore. LOL.

I doubt anyone reads this anymore, other than Marlo, but hey. I've now done my civic duty, or perhaps disservice, and have updated my blog. Post 101! Yeah, I'm cool. Like melted ice...

of going back in time...

So, I'm in America now. Time is all messed up for me but I know I traveled a long time, but I ended up repeating today. It's cool, but I'll loose a whole day going back. I know in the long run it doesn't make a difference, but I don't know, it's still kinda sad.

Anyway, its my 100th post. I'd have a party, but the people who plan the parties for me are in Japan... ;-)

So I left my house somewhere around 8AM. I managed to get to the airport with little trouble, and I even had several helpful people help me manage my bags and the stairs.

I flew business class home from Japan. Wow, that was different. They hung up my coat for me and everything. I can't imagine what first class is like!

And on the way to Midland, I sat next to this Japanese guy who was also going to Midland. How weird is that? He was on the same flight from Tokyo, but we didn't see each other on the bigger plane. Anyway, turns out he and his family is Christian. We had a nice little chat.

Ummm... Lets see... Well, there are already things that I'm finding weird about America. Like how employees act. I mean, they talk to each other right in front of customers etc. It's WAY more relaxed than in Japan. And cell phones in America are so loud! And people who talk on phones are loud. I wonder if I used to be like that too... Plus it's a bit strange to be able to understand all the conversations going on around me. I was kinda used to living in my own little world there for a while. Oh well.

We did some shopping already today. Got new sneakers and a cute pair of shoes that I should be able to walk in.

Also I got to meet the new dog. She's totally tiny and really strange looking. She's a cross between a poodle and a chuiawa. She looks like some sort of wire terrier with a bad hair day. She's a crazy little thing. At first she didn't know what to do with me, but apparently I've been accepted already, because now she's sitting on the back of my neck while I sit at the computer (apparently this is a favorite place when my dad's at the computer).

My dog got so fat! It's crazy! I haven't seen her so much because the big dogs can't be in the same room with the little one.

Starting Sunday, we are going to go visit relatives. It'll probably take about a week.

It was funny, apparently my whole family was really anxious about when I was coming home. My uncle, who helped get my plane ticket, was tracking my every move. When I boarded the flight in Tokyo, he called my parents. When I landed in Dallas, my parents were called. And other relatives were being called too. There was this whole chain going. Made me feel kinda like when they "track Santa" on TV at Christmas time.

Anyway, it's good to be home. I'm gonna need some good sleep soon. But it's cold here! I was hoping to escape from the cold and brought it with me. OH well. It should warm up soon.

100 posts! Horray!

of nabe and turning tables...

For any who are interested, here's the low down on the nabe party. (that finished like 10 mins ago)

The grand total of people in my house at one time tonight was 17! But I must say, this is one of the strangest parties I have ever thrown. It took a complete 180 on me.

So I invited everyone over to my house, because I am very thankful for their friendship and their kindness. Well, I started by asking, "whats a good day?" and I'm pretty sure from that point on, I was no longer in control of anything. They just took over. They decided what to eat, they brought the nabe pots (I don't have any) and they bought and paid for all the food. (refusing to let me pay).

I don't know if I have ever gone grocery shopping with 7 people before, but that's what we did today. Good thing we went to a larger store, or it would have been crazy. But it's good to know that 1 mon yen can feed 17 people with no trouble.

Then they came in my house, and completely took over. They did most of the cooking (I cooked mashed potatoes and gravy by request because, I don't know, they wanted me to cook something) and then they cleaned after wards too.

It turned into a kinda mini-farewell party for me. I don't know why, but several people seemed a little sad that I would be gone for two weeks. One girl almost cried! (which is funny because I don't even see her every week, because she doesn't always come). The funny thing is that I don't even talk to most of these people, mainly because of the language barrier. But they seem to be getting just as attached to me as I am to them. (or maybe it's Japanese politeness... They could be really good actors).

The evening was kinda overwhelming for me. I'm tired now. (I had to pack and clean my house today first) It was a whole heck of a lot of Japanese all around me, so I really didn't participate much. (of course, I'm not a large group person either. I prefer small groups)

But I guess the point is that I had a really good time. The party wasn't what I intended. I wanted to show them that they were important to me, but it kinda turned out the other way around. I'm really thankful for this Blessing to me that God has provided. I can only pray that He returns the blessings back to them.

I will leave tomorrow for my flight home. I don't know if it's really hit me yet though. These past few weeks have been a blur. It's crazy how these things sneak up on you.

Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble so much, but I guess it's how I process things, I need to tell people about them. Good news is you can not read this and I would never know! ;-)

Post 99

of vacation, weekends and procrastination...

Well, things have been crazy lately. I have a home party tonight, I should be finishing packing and cleaning, but I've hit my limit for now, so it's off to procrastination land, aka, blogger.

Lets see... The last week of classes went well. I got lots of good, free food. My Friday night class even bought presents for my parents. They are so nice. The Narnia party also went well. We had 17 people go to see the movie, 10 of them children. It was good, and lots of people said they were "moved." This seems to be a common Japanese expression though, so I'm not sure how "moving" it really was. It's possible Japanese people are just easily moved. Or maybe I'm not.

My Bible Study went really well too. We had a bit of a party and still did the study. We went really late, mainly because they just wanted to hang out and talk. I didn't have anything pressing to do after, so we they stayed until around 5pm. (Bible class starts at 1) It was cool. We had good discussion, and we are now halfway through the 10 Commandments.

But the really exciting stuff for me is still hanging out with the Band. Sunday night I had a really good discussion with everyone. I was able to talk some about my faith in God, and ask them what was the most important thing to them. I also was able to feel out where Sing stands on stuff. There's hope because he believes there is A God, but he doesn't know who He is. Now all that needs to happen is for God to reveal Himself to Sing. I'm really hoping that God moves among these people. I pray for them everynight. They have been such an amazing blessing to me. And the cool thing is seeing how many Christian traits they already have. In fact, I would say these people are "better Christians" than some of the so called Christians in America. I just really want them to see the Truth and become bright lights in Japan to others. Anyway, I got to see them Saturday, Sunday AND Tuesday because it was a holiday. And I'm having a party for them tonight at my house. I'm expecting somewhere between 10 and 15 people to come. It's gonna be crazy.

Speaking of the party, this has to be the craziest party I've ever given. Well, not that I've given so many parties in my life, but still. So I told them like a month ago that I wanted to have another party before I went to America. So I told them the free days and asked them which day was best. Well, after that, they just kinda took over. They told me what day, what time, what kind of food and everything. Well, it's going to be a Japanese food party, and I don't know what to buy or how to cook it or anything, so some of us are going to meet early and go shopping together to get the food. So in essence, they are doing all the work, and I'm just providing the place. It's crazy. But it's going to be fun I think. I can't wait. And Mako should come this time. He says he really likes America and he wants some food that I cooked. So per Mako's request, we will have Japanese food, plus mashed potatoes and gravy. Strange, but whatever makes people happy.

Mako also wants me to take lots of pictures while I'm in America. He told me to take 1000, but I don't think that'll happen. Japanese people are crazy picture takers. They just go nuts when they travel, taking pictures all the time. They take pictures of the food they eat too. They told me I should do the same thing, but somehow, I don't think that would go over well in America. I can imagine the looks now. "Wait, I need a picture of the Mac and Cheese!" LOL. But I will need to take lots of pictures.

Ok, I have three hours left to finish everything before it's time to start the party. I'm thinking I'll be ok. I wanted to have my bedroom cleaned so we would have more space, but I don't think that's going to happen. Oh well. As long as the main room and kitchen are done it'll be fine.

I can hardly believe that tomorrow I'm going to be on a plane home. It still hasn't really hit me yet. Crazy. This will be my first time to fly internationally by myself. I hope everything goes OK. I'm sure I'll be fine, but it's a little intimidating.

Anyway, this is probably good for now. I'll probably write again tonight after the party to say how it went.

This is post 98...

of footsaru...

So tonight I played footsaru for the first time. It's just like soccer, only with a smaller court and a smaller ball. Each team has 5 players and there is no goalie.

I had tons of fun. Everyone is kind, and they don't care when ppl make mistakes. I was actually the best girl player, I think. I even scored lots of points for my team. It was great. It was a bit nippy tonight, but when you are running around, you don't notice. We played outside, but on the roof of a building downtown. It's really cool. I've never been on the roof of a 6 story building before. It's tons of fun.

I'm really happy to have found such a nice group of people. They are very kind and look out for me. I really appreciate all they do for me. It's great.

Anyway, this week is my last week of classes. This means all my classes are having parties. This means, I get free food all week. :-) It's good.

Saturday we will go watch the Chronicles of Narnia as a group. I hope it goes well.

Ok, I think that's all for tonight. I'm a bit tired.

But I had fun. :-)

of competition...

So, I forgot to mention in the last post, but Marlo has declared she wants to reach 100 posts before I do. Well, I just don't know if I can allow that to happen now can I? Especially since I've had this WAY longer than she has. Well, ok, so she writes WAY more often than me. Oh well. So the whole point of this post is to reply to her, and get one more step to 100. This would be post 96. I'll try to make it to 100 before I go home to visit. :-P

of submission...

God is just really cool. I mean, I just really like Him. So today, like most mornings, I didn't want to get out of bed. I wanted to cancel all the things I had to do today and just spend the day sleeping. But lately, I've been reminded how important it is to put God first and obey and submit to Him, and then He will provide.

Well, today is a great example of that. I got out of bed (I was a bit late and missed Sunday school) and went to church. After church, more people are talking to me. It's hard because I don't think they know what to do with me, and I'm not really a mingler. I get really uncomfortable with small talk and stuff, so it's difficult for me sometimes to reach out to the church members. But they are slowly talking a little more with me, so that's good.

Anyway, the great thing about today was my Bible Study. I mean, it was so amazing. We had really great discussion and students were really open. I just felt God's presence there. It's really amazing how cool God is. I might be optimistic here, but it seems to me that any one of those students could easily become Christian any time now. They are so interested and dedicated about it. More dedicated than some Christians I know. It's really amazing to see and watch them as they learn something new about God each week. Today I gave them the option of having a party for our last class of the school year next week, or having normal class. Their solution? "Lets bring food and eat and have the study too!" I think that's totally awesome. They don't want to miss one week for a party. I'm so happy they chose that.

Then we had Cell meeting tonight. I was really ashamed because my house is a total wreck. We eventually went out and just prayed since we were missing a person tonight. My fault.

After Cell, I went to hang out with the band. I was so late. I got there at around 10 o'clock. Fortunately they were still there. I think they had had a bit of a frustrating night, but they seemed to be in good spirits when I got there. But it was cold tonight. But I was really happy, because I had really good interactions with them.

I guess part of the reason I'm so happy everytime I see them is because I'm a really insecure person. I am always afraid I'm a burden, or people are just tolerating me because they are nice. So it's always really great when people act like they really enjoy my company. I feel more and more included everytime I go. It's great.

I talked with Mako for a long time tonight. It really means a lot to me when Mako wants to talk to me, because he's kinda shy and didn't talk to me much before. So that means he's getting used to me, or something. Lately everytime I go, he makes it a point to have a small conversation with me. Of course, we get stalled a lot because of my limited Japanese vocabulary.

Anyway, the result is that I went there tonight so tired. And after I talk with them, I just feel so relaxed and happy. It's really amazing how that works out.

So anyway, God is good. It's always a good idea to submit to God!

of the Livehouse...

So Friday night I went to see the band perform live at a "livehouse." I'm not sure if this term is used in America or not. It sounds like Japanese English to me. But that's neither here nor there.

So the band, or rather, Sing and Mako, are actually in two different bands. When Sing and Mako play alone, that's called Trash Box Jam, but when they play with two other people, (the lead singer being female) that is called Annie's Garden. Anyway, so I went to see Annie's Garden play live on Friday.

I was a bit late because I went directly after work, but I think I managed to catch most of the show. It was an interesting experience. I have never been to a live house before, so it was new for me. I got to see some people I hadn't seen in a while though, so that was good.

But what really makes me happy, is that the more often I go, the more people talk to me. Or rather, the more the non-English speakers talk to me in Japanese. It's cool, and I feel very accepted and included in most things. I still can't interact so much, but I just kinda observe from the shadows and occasionally join in when I can understand what's going on. But it's cool because I think my listening skills have improved recently. I find I can understand more and more of what is happening. Well, until they start talking to me. Then some of the conversations they try to have with me are far beyond my vocabulary and grammar abilities.

Anyway, I think I will try again for footsaru this Wed. I'm looking forward to that.

But lately I have been tired. I don't remember if I've written this before, but I'll talk about it again. In school, we were told to always value our day off, and don't ever schedule anything on that day. It's really important to have a day off. Well, for the past 6 months, I have been having Japanese lessons on my day off. I thought this was the best solution, and really, I don't regret it so much, but I'm definitely feeling the stress of it. Because I often have things on Saturday and always on Sunday, I don't really get rest days. So my days of rest have been few and far between lately. So it's about the end of the semester, and I just feel myself running down. I'm ready for a rest. I hope my trip home is restful. It's not because my work is hard or anything, but it's just because I'm always going. I need the down time. So I'm going to make it a priority starting in April to not have anything planned for my days off. Thankfully, I'll be able to change the days of my Japanese lessons. But I'll also be reducing how many lessons I have, for financial reasons.

Anyway, today was another busy day. I met for prayer meeting, but I was late leaving it. Then I went shopping with Tami for new clothes for her. It was good, and she found a lot of good deals. (most of the clothes she bought was equal to 99 cents) We got her almost a whole new wardrobe for under 20 bucks. But then we were a bit late for Music Box (a ministry in a nearby area). Then we went out for dinner (I hadn't really eaten so much today, I left my house at 8:30 or so after oversleeping). And I got home around 11 pm. So it's been along day. Not bad, but long, so I'm still tired.

Anyway, I've noticed I'm really rambling. So since I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say anymore, I'm going to start the going to bed process. Oyasumi nassai (good night)!

of sleepy thoughts...

I'm sleepy this morning. I'm used to begin lazy, so sometimes, doing all these things everyday begins to wear me out. But soon... Soon, I'll be sure to make my day off my day off. No more Japanese class on my day off, or meetings or things like that. Well, that's my hope anyway. We'll see what happens...

So anyway, I have a week and two day of classes left for this school year. I can't believe that I have been teaching for a whole year now. It doesn't feel like it at all. I'm amazed I'm still doing it and I still like my job. I'm definitely ready for a vacation. It's probably because I don't use my day's off for rest.

Anyway, this week is almost over, again. Next week will be nice, because it's the last week of classes, so we get to have parties. It will be fun. Mostly it involves going out to lunch/dinner with adult classes and playing games with kids. I'm excited.

But I also have to find time somewhere to clean my house. I'll have people staying over on Monday night, so I really need to get some cleaning done. Then I'll also be having some parties here. But I really want to stop letting my house get so crazy. This might possibly be a life long goal. I don't know.

Anyway, I'm super tired today. I've been doing a lot lately, at least it seems that way, and I think it's beginning to hit me. I just have a little more to go.

I have a lot of little nit-picky-detail things I need to get done. I need to e-mail people and stuff. I don't really like doing details, but I find I'm getting a little better at them than I used to. Oh well. I'm thankful for opportunities to improve. :-)

Ok, time to get my day going. I'll go take care of some of those e-mails now. Sorry for the random post. I'll be home in two weeks!

of sun...

Today, I woke up to sunlight. What a wonderful thing. I often don't appreciate the sunlight until I've spent a week without it. I was expecting rain again today, so it was a nice surprise to have sun this morning. It just makes everything feel warmer.

Today I got a good surprise. The catechisms I ordered like two months ago, finally came. My students will be so happy. I'm really excited about this. And they are even really cool. They have every other page as a blank page for writing notes on. This is so perfect for non-native speakers and non-Christians. I didn't even realize I had ordered this version. How cool is that?

But today I also got a bit of sad news. My favorite ramen shop is about to be no more. I don't know why, (the lady only speaks Japanese, so I was lucky to figure out the ramen was going to stop) but from what I understand, it will become an udon shop (a type of Japanese noodle, ramen would be a Chinese noodle.) This is sad, but I think the woman will still work there. But it looks like Monday will be the last day I can get ramen there. I'll be sad, because I really like that ramen. But I managed to do my Japanese homework tonight.

This weekend will be busy. Tomorrow (today?) I will go to a party in Tokyo. This nice couple from America who are working here for 10 weeks, wants to throw a party for all the V'ers (V'er is what we call the people who work in VYM) in Tokyo. This is cool. I'm looking forward to it.
And maybe if it doesn't rain tomorrow, I'll get to hang out with the band. But if not, I'll get to hang out with them on Sunday, and I'm really looking forward to that. Then Monday is Japanese class, and then I'll go out to dinner with my language partner, Hiroki. Before I meet Hiroki, I should probably go shopping for gifts for people back home at the Christian Bookstore in Tokyo. It's always good to go to places like that while I'm in the area instead of making another trip just for that. It saves money on transportation. Then it's back to work. The weeks just go by so fast! And it seems like my calendar is always booked. But I can't complain. Being busy is better than being lazy. Now if I could only find time to clean my house before I start inviting people over. LOL.

Anyway, this is post number 92. I'm gonna count them down until I get to post number 100. So 8 more to go!

of rain...

Well, this is my 91st post. Nine more and I'll reach the big 100! Who hoo! I guess I should have a party or something.

Anyway, it's been raining a lot recently. I don't like rain, probably because I come from the desert. And it's cold too, so cold rain is even less fun. :-( Also, my dryer broke. I shouldn't complain because I'm the only one in the program with a dryer, but it does make things way more inconvenient. Esp when I have to dry the clothes in the house.

It rained yesterday, so I couldn't meet my friends. I was kinda bummed about that, but I was able to go to bed early, so that was good. Lately, my back and arms are really tense. I don't know why. I have always been tense, esp in my shoulders and back, but it seems to be getting worse lately. I should research solutions I guess. But I'm too lazy. LOL

But for all the complaining, things are going well. I'm trying to grow as an adult and do things like keep my house clean and cook at home more often. I don't know how working moms do it. It's crazy. I can't work and take care of myself. I'm beginning to understand why being a housewife is a good idea.

But there is so much going on lately, that I've had to really start looking at how I take care of my money. I tend to just spend money whenever I feel like it, and then by the end of the month, I'm super close to broke. I need to stop that cycle. I should budget and stuff, so I have money to do the things I want with friends and stuff, instead of spending money on useless things by myself. I hope to start improving that.

Anyway, today it's not raining, so I'm happy, but it's still a bit cold. I can't wait for spring to get here. But I should go and get ready for work now. I just wish I wasn't so sleepy in the mornings...

of being accepted...

I've never felt so accepted by so many people in my life before. Granted, I have generally been blessed with friends who put up with me for many years. I'm surprised when I consider that I have such loyal friends, because surely they ought to have seen what a horrible person I am by now. But they are faithful, and I am thankful. It kinda gives me a glimpse of God in my life to realize that people keep giving me chances.

Well, I must say, Japan is great for my self-esteem. Everyone is always complimentary to me. I seem to get along well with most of my students. Some students even look forward to coming to class. I'm happy about this. And I'm making friends in the places I go often. Yesterday, I went to hang out with the band/groupies as usually. I didn't get to see them last week, so I was excited about yesterday (this being the third major thing I'd done that day, after the prayer meeting in the morning, and then the English School Open House in the afternoon). Well, they weren't playing because Mako couldn't be there, but Sing was there selling postcards, so I went to talk to him. It was cool. I had a good time. But the great thing was how I feel like I can become a part of that group, that they really like me and welcome me.

Apparently a bunch of the group got together to form a kind of team. I don't know if they compete or anything, probably not. But this is like mini-soccer. I guess it's the same rules and stuff, just with smaller goals and field. Well, yesterday Kumi asked me if I'd like to play with them. I'm so happy about this. It's during the week, and it's after work, so it'll be a little rough, but I think I'll do it. It sounds like a lot of fun, and I think it'll be great exercise. I had just been thinking of how I needed to exercise more. This is a great way to help me do it. I know I probably overreact, but things like this just make me so happy. It makes me feel like I'm closer to being a normal person with a normal life. Friends and activities, and a job, and responsibilities. I feel so blessed.

On another happy note, I had one of the best Bible Studies today. And it wasn't even me at all. Sometimes this woman comes. Her English isn't so great, but she used to live in America, and she was exposed to Christianity there. So now she really cares about learning and stuff. Well, she asks lots of questions and tries to apply things to her life. Sometimes I think the other students might get frustrated, because she doesn't always understand my English, or she thinks about something for such a long time. But today she started really good discussions. She was even bold enough to ask the other students what they thought about what we had learned that day. It was a great chance for communicating. And it allowed me to witness to them and show them that God is already working in their lives. I think they are surprised by my answers sometimes and have to look at God from a different angle than before. I think this is great. I will continue to pray for this class. God is really working there. I'm so happy to watch it happen. God is being really nice to me!

Ok, time to clean my house for the weekly Cell Group meeting. Ick! Yet another area I still need to improve in...

of flying time...

I'm just sitting there thinking to myself (as there is no one else here...) "Is it Friday already? Where did the week go?" Time just seems to go by faster and faster. I'm amazed I'm keeping up. Soon the year will be over. I wonder where I'll be in a year. Japan? America? Some country I've never heard of? Good thing God's in control of my life. Otherwise I'm sure it'd be a spectacular wreck by now.

Anyway, basically I'm floored by how fast the darn world's been going lately. That's all.

of being unaware...

Today I discovered something new. I went to a nearby conbini (convince store) to pay a bill I needed to pay. I went to one I don't go to as often because it's a bit farther away and I don't really like the food as much there. But I needed to get some more cash to pay the bill (yes, I pay all my bills in cash, that's the way things are done here) so I needed to go to that store because it had the ATM for my bank. But I've gone there often enough for the clerks to recognize me. Now most clerks I'm sure know who I am, but most don't bother to small talk with me. But at this particular store is a younger girl who speaks English. She has gotten up her nerve to start some conversations with me. Well, I don't really put so much thought into encounters like this, and so I easily forget them. But apparently I haven't been there while she's been working in a while, so when I went in today, she seemed really glad to see me. She told me she had been worried about me and wondered if I had already gone back to my country. This made me realize that here is a perfect opportunity for me to reach out to a new person. I should be more aware of the people I can impact, even while doing mundane things like shopping or paying bills. So now, I think I need to go to that conbini more often. I'm thinking I might invite the girl out to dinner sometime or something. We'll see what happens. I should learn her name. LOL.

Experiences like this make me realize how much that ministry is not just limited to the people at my church or school. I can create many ministry opportunities just by living my everyday life. Just speaking English and I guess looking non-threatening enough to talk to, can open many opportunities to make more friends and build relationships. How amazing is that?

Today was a nice day of rest. I slept in, which was wonderful. Then I did some work on the computer and actually went grocery shopping. I also studied Japanese. I'm pretty happy about the day. It's definitely been interesting day.

of Spring Retreat...

Well, Spring Retreat is finally over. I was a lot more involved in the preparations this year, so the past few weeks have been busy. But it looks like I'll just have to get used to busy. Anyway, I helped provide bedding, and I escorted the coordinators to Costco for food and stuff. It was a good retreat. Anyway, the big news was announced at the business meeting, so I can write it here now. Beginning in March, I will be the new Assistant Director of our program. It was funny because everyone was shocked. Everyone, (including myself) had thought this other girl would get the job. But the director explained why she chose me, and that was good. I'm really happy about it. It's nice to have a vote of confidence. There will be a lot of changes going on, so we will see what happens. I'm a little nervous about this new leadership position, but I'm sure God will see me through it.

Anyway, it was a good weekend over all. I didn't get much sleep, but that's normal for retreats. I did however get to see the Niigata crew one last time before two of them return to America for good. I also got to have many good conversations, and I got to go bowling for the first time in forever. I was also voted to be one of the next retreat co-ordinators. (well, I have been campaining for this for a while now) Things will be exciting. I was also involved in cutting my director and another girls hair at unseemly hours of the night. That was a fun experience. I hope I didn't mess up their hair too much. I also got some more insight of how I am viewed by others. I give off many impressions I didn't know I did. I wonder if I should start trying to become more professional in my appearance. I don't know. It's very interesting. I'll see how next year goes.

Speaking of next year... The time is coming up soon again for missionaries to go home. The program is 2 and 1/2 years, so once a year we get new missionaries (October) and once a year the old ones go home (March/April). It makes for constantly changing dynamics. I'm wondering what the next year will bring. This is certainly a time of changes for my program. I'm excited to see how God is going to change things here. But watching people get ready to go home makes me think. I only have one more year. I used to think a year was such a long time. In America, before I came, I was thinking, "Man, two and a half years is such a long time for something like this." Now I know how short a time that is. It's hard to build relationships and then just leave them. Esp in a country like Japan where it's hard to build deep relationships quickly. A lot can happen in just one year. But it still feels like my time is ticking away. I've always considered extending. I don't know if it's possible, but I really love this country and these people. I don't want to give up what I have started yet. I don't know God's plans, and I trust that His Will is best, but I'm really hoping to stay in Japan longer.

I really feel like I have grown and become a better person here.

In other news, I'll be going home in roughly a month to visit family. The plane tickets have been provided, and I even got my re-entry permit today. Seems like things are going smoothly. I'm really excited about this. I came here prepared to stay for the full term without returning to America. But now that the opportunity is here, I'm super excited about it. It'll be good to get back and see people. I can't wait to see the horizon again. I can't see anything at all in Japan but lots of a.) buildings or b.) mountains. It'll be exciting to be back where things are flat again. :-D

Anywho, I think that's most of the exciting news. I'm sure I've forgotten things, but well, I do that, so people should be used to it by now. Good news is, I have a day off tomorrow! It's awesome! But for now, I think it's time to crash. I'm pretty tired and all my muscles hurt. Hopefully I'll write more later. Ja ne~ (later~)

of a long day...

Man, weekends aren't for resting anymore. Today was LONG! I used to think, "yea! Weekend, I can sleep in..." but nope, that's not how it works here. LOL. Today was pretty long. I had to help give this English test for some of our students, and then after we had lunch and then Gingerbread House. It was lots of fun though. The weather today was great! We had a picnic outside and played a lot. It was great. But the kids stayed pretty late, and there was a lot of cleaning to do. So I didn't get the break I expected before the next event happened. After Gingerbread House, I went to this ministry at a nearby Lutheran school called Music Box. It's basically praise music in English and Japanese. Anyway, a couple of my kids go, so I decided I should go too. It was cool. All the new missionaries go and so I got to see them there. We went out to dinner afterwards. It was this really nice place that was super cheap. So that was fun. But the day wasn't finished yet. Then I went to go see the band.

I've been trying to learn some of the songs they play, and there is one song, "Rose" that I have been studying. So right as I walk up, they play that song. It made me smile right away. Then, I had a bunch of girls say hi to me and stuff. But the best thing was the chocolate. So in Japan, Valentines day is a big deal. It is the day the girls buy, or preferably make, chocolate to give to guys. They can also give to their friends, co-workers, etc. I didn't have any money, or I would have brought some chocolate. But anyway, one of the girls gave me some of her homemade chocolate. Apparently she had made a whole bunch to give to the groupies. But what really made me happy was that my name was even written on the bag! That means she had thought of me before and included me in her preparations. That just makes me so happy. :-D I also got chocolate from a couple of other girls, but I think those were just extras or something. Anyway, I was really happy. I also got to spend some good time in conversation tonight. Which is good since I won't be able to see them next week because we have a retreat. And the week after that, they won't be playing on Saturday. :-( So I'll have to wait until Sunday evening to see them again. And I always get there late on Sundays because I have an evening meeting. Oh yeah, they aren't playing tomorrow either. OH well, today was a good day anyway.

In other news, my second cousin wants to buy me a round-trip ticket home to visit my family. I'll probably come home in March. It seems like everything says I can go. I'm happy.

But man, right now I'm so tired! I have to get up early again tomorrow and Monday. *sigh* I'm sore too. So many of my muscles are so stiff and hurt right now. I need to go to soak in the public bath, but I don't have the money. Too bad.

Anywho, it's time to go to bed now. I have to pray first though. I just wanted to write these things down before I forgot them.

of perspectives...

Remember that teacher who always had a trademark "gesture"? Maybe it was a certain phrase he would say, or the way she used her hands when she said a certain word. I'm sure everyone has had a teacher at some point with that unique gesture that all the students could mimic and recognize right away.

It's funny, but one, I had never really imagined being a teacher. So two, it's even more surprising to me to find out that I am a "gesture" teacher. It's official. I have a gesture. I found out today after my first class. It's a great class. We laugh a lot. It's mostly housewives, and we all get along pretty well. Well, after class, one of the girls did an impression for me. Of me. Apparently, when a student asks me a question, I have this whole hand and head pose thing going on. I totally didn't even know I did it. I was so surprised that I had something so obvious to copy. The other ladies laughed and said it was exactly right. Apparently, they also think its cute. LOL.

I guess it just goes to shows how limited our own impressions of ourselves are. I'm actually already aware of this fact, but it does manage to sneak up and surprise me again sometimes. It makes me continue to wonder how other people perceive me. I wonder what I look like from the outside. I wonder if I saw myself, how I would think of me. Would I like the person I saw? What kind of flaws would I see? What kind of opinions would I form and keep to myself? What things would I like? Sometimes, I wish I could get to know the person other people know. I can only see myself from the inside out. I wish I could see myself from the eyes of other people. It would be such a fascinating experience.

of my weekend...

Well, this weekend was nice. Saturday was my first day off in a while, no events, no classes etc. It was really nice. I went to a prayer meeting in the morning and then after I was able to do some homework and stuff. And then I was able to spend the whole evening with the band. I had a good time.

Sunday was church and we had a long meeting, so my Bible Study was canceled. But the meeting seemed to go well. After that was Cell group, but everyone managed to go home at a decent time, so I was able to see the band for a little while Sunday night too. It was good. I am definitely inspired to improve my Japanese now. I want to be able to improve my communication with people who don't speak English.

But Monday was very exciting. I got e-mails all day on my cell phone, had Japanese class, and went to like 3 meetings. There are going to be some changes in the program, so it's an exciting time. It looks like I'll get to help form a Children's Ministry group and I'm excited about that. There is also other exciting news, but that'll have to wait for a while. In any case, it looks like I'll have even more to do next year. I guess this means I really need to grow up more. I need to manage my time better and do more with what I have been given. This is definitely a challenge for a lazy person like me. I'll have to rely on God to help me out a lot on this one.

All in all, I'm very pleased with the Blessings God has given me. I know I don't deserve any of them, but I'm happy that He is allowing me to become a more responsible servant. :-) God is Good, Life is Good. The End.

of ureshi-ness...

(ureshi means happy)

So, I'm really happy right now. Today was a good day. It's nice to spend a day devoted to God. Granted, I'm really busy on Sundays, but somehow it's just really good. I'm so happy to have a wonderful Bible Class that is so eager to learn and who come every week to study Christianity for two hours in a foreign language. God is awesome. And the great thing about teaching this class is that I learn too. Today made me re-examine some of my thoughts about the Sabbath. It's interesting.

But Cell group went well today too. Of course I was a bit of a looser and failed to keep us on track, so we went over a bit, but we had good discussion.

But probably the reason I'm so happy is the final Blessing of the Day. So Cell group is supposed to end at 8:30, and granted one person does go home at that time every time (she has a family to take care of), but the other two like to stay after for some good old Christian fellowship and catching up time. This is good too. Normally, this is the part I look forward to the most. But lately I have been torn. Because the band only plays on Saturdays and Sundays (and the occasional holiday) I have very limited opportunities to see them. So I am often torn between wanting to spend time with my Christian friends, and wanting them to go home so I can spend time with the band. Well, when this all first started, I made a commitment to God. Christian fellowship comes first. I will not skip out early when I can spend good time with Christians to go see them. I will not kick people out of my house early just to see them. So far, I have done this in action, even though not always in complete spirit. But it is what I want. So anyway, tonight was a bit like that, esp since I got to see them for like 3 whole minutes last week, and it snowed yesterday and I couldn't see them. Tonight was a bit cold, so I seriously didn't expect them to be out late. Well, by the time we are finished talking, and everyone's ready to go home, I get to the station at around 11pm. I totally didn't think that they were going to still be there, but I checked the meeting spot anyway, just to make sure. I was so surprised to find a small group still there! It was nice. I had maybe about 20 minutes to hang out with them before they left. And we had good conversations too. I found out, two people wanted to invite me bowling on Friday night, but they had been afraid to e-mail me because they weren't sure of the English. (and I don't think they had my address). That just made me so happy. Because I was thought about outside of the regular meeting time and place. This means I'm closer to forming real friendships with these people. I'm so happy about this. My communication seems to be getting higher (their English and my Japanese both). So anyway, I came home on cloud nine tonight. I can only think that God is blessing my obedience. This has happened at least twice now, that after I spend time with fellow Christians faithfully, then I go to the band, God really blesses my time there. I'm so happy that God is allowing me to do this in my life.

Next Saturday is going to be one of my few days off. So far nothing is planned, so it looks like, if the weather is good, I'll get to spend some good old quality time with them. It's great. So, as they say in Japan... ureshiiiiiii!!!!! :-D (yeah, I know the spell checker's not gonna like that word...)

of eventfulness...

Man, today was eventful. I woke up with it snowing. At first, I thought it wasn't so bad, just a nice little snow. By 4:00, I realized this was a lot of snow. It just kept snowing all day! I would estimate almost half a foot of snow fell today. This ain't your puny West Texas snow ya'll!

Anyway, today I met for the first time to begin a weekly prayer meeting. The first meeting went pretty well, and I'm looking forward to it next week. But a funny thing happened on the way to the prayer meeting. I got carded for the first time. I was surprised. I was waiting for the girl I was meeting at the station. This is the station I am at every week, so it's possible people recognize me (after all, I easily sick out of a crowd here). Well, I wait 5 mins or so. When I first arrived, I noticed two young police officers standing in the area. Well, since I wasn't doing anything wrong, I promptly forgot them. Like I said, I waited for 5 mins or so, and the girl I am meeting comes. We are talking for a min, and then next thing I know, the cops are there, asking us for our passports! Now you have to remember, it's perfectly legal for them to ask any foreigner for their passports or ID. In fact, I'm required to carry my foreign registration card with me at all times. Of course we didn't have passports, but we had our cards. They inspected our cards and then let us go. It was strange. I never expected something like that to happen just out of the blue like that. But I thought it was really funny. I have no clue why they did it. Maybe they were bored. I don't know. It's not like we looked dangerous or anything. LOL. Anyway, that was interesting.

So then we went to the meeting, and after that we had Gingerbread House. Three kids came. Most didn't come because of the snow. It went well. We played a bit in the snow afterwards. Then she went home and I went shopping for shoes. I don't really have any shoes that are good for rain and snow, so I have a new pair of sneakers now. My old ones were a bit too old. I brought them from America, and that was well over a year ago. Time for new shoes. But I found out today, that while my feet are small in America (8, 8 1/2), they are big in Japan. It's almost impossible to find ladies shoes that fit me! How sad! Well, I suppose it's ok. Most shoes here are hideous anyway. LOL. But I now know my shoe size in centimeters.

The sad part of the day: it was snowing so the band didn't play. That makes two weeks in a row I don't get to hang out with them. I'm sad. Oh well. Got some Japanese homework done today instead. Oh FUN!

of my not-day off...

*sigh* Today is my day off, yet I'm up earlier than normal. I've fallen into bad habits again since school started and I'm finding myself staying up later at night. Maybe because I have to fit in all my procrastination etc into a shorter time now. Oh well. Today I have to go to Japanese class. I'm not prepared and I'm tired. But I guess that's my only complaint. I'm just grumpy in the mornings.

But yesterday was cool. Got a new Bible Study student, I hope. And cell went well. Got to spend some time with Bethany afterwards, and then I made it just in time to say goodbye to the groupies. I saw them for like 3 minutes, but really, it made me happy enough to wait until next week. (Sat. I worked, plus it rained, so my only day to see them was Sunday). But the cool thing was I was able to ride the train home with Ai-chan (she is a high schooler) and I had a nice conversation with her all in Japanese. It was a very simple conversation, but we communicated and I'm really excited about that. Ai seems to like me and that's really cool. (I get hugs from her all the time)

Anyway, I need to go, get dressed and get on the train now. I'll probably be late. Oh well. I hate mornings.

of Coming of Age Day...

Well, today is coming of Age day in Japan. This means anyone who turns 20 this year, becomes an adult today. They dress up, the girls in beautiful kimono, and traditionally go to a local shrine for a blessing. So today is a national holiday. Actually, I think this is a great idea. I wish America had something like this to celebrate becoming an adult. (other than getting hammered on your 21st birthday). Anyway, I should get to see some girls in nice kimono today and that's always exciting. The other great news is because it's a holiday, the band is playing today too! Horray. It's nice because I arrived just as they left yesterday.

Yesterday after church I went to visit Bethany. We were pretty close in Orientation because we saw each other all the time and we could talk and stuff together, but since we have started working, we don't get to see each other so often. So yesterday was a nice day to just talk and catch up on each other's lives. So much had happened, so it was nice to get caught up again. So after that, I came back here, and of course it was after like 10:00, so because of the cold, the band went home early again. But what was cool was that 6 people decided to go out since there was still time before last trains, and they invited me. That might be the first time I was invited without Sing being there. I mean, I went Karaoke with two people, but I started that. So that was fun. I was surprised because turns out all the people there spoke at least a little English, so between my Japanese and their English, conversation went pretty smoothly. I learned some new words, and dazzled them all with my knowledge of anime. Turns out the girls knew some of the same anime as me, so that was cool. I think I was also asked out on a date, but it's really hard to tell sometimes. If the guy is there today, I'll have to let him know I can't date non-Christians. I think it's a bad idea for me to date in a group like that anyway. I don't want to jeopardize any friendships I've made by dating. Besides, intercultural dating is a bad idea when I don't even know how to date in my own culture. LOL. But I'll leave the issue up to God. He knows these things better than me.

Today is also my last day of vacation. I go back to work tomorrow. Sad. I like work, but it's always hard going back after a long vacation. Well, anyway, today I need to run to Tokyo and buy some books for Sunday Night Cell that we are going to start using this year. So that means I need to shower and leave soon. I think I've bummed around enough today.

And soon, I'll probably be broke. Holidays take a lot of money, and I think I've gone out a few too many times. Good thing I have oatmeal and maltomeal, otherwise I might not eat for a week. Oh well, I'm sure things will work out fine. Besides, I know it's the choices I make with money that puts me in these situations. Maybe some day I'll learn. LOL. Until then, I'll deal with it.

Ok, I think that's about everything for now. I'm off to begin my day!

of happy vacation...

Wow, this has been a really great vacation. I'm kinda sad to see it end, but I'm really excited about this new year. I don't know if I have ever felt this optimistic about a new year before. Normally I don't care so much. But it's super exciting when you are right in the middle of watching God work. It's such an awesome thing!

So the past few days have been good. Thursday I talked with me friend on the phone for 4 hours. She is not mad at me anymore, so that's a good thing. We cleared up a few things, so now we is both happy. Me loves her and always will, so don't you forget it silly head! ;-)

Also yesterday I was able to meet with my boss. I love my boss. She is such an awesome person. It was great because we were friends before she became my boss, so now I have a really good working relationship with her. So we met and had a nice long chat. The really awesome thing about my boss is that she always challenges me spiritually. It's really refreshing, and often helps me go back to the place I need to be. She really encourages me in my work, and is encouraging me to become a better leader. I am really grateful for her influence in my life. I think I'm learning a lot and becoming a more mature leader.

The cool this is after meeting with my boss, I decided to find a prayer calendar. I have decided I have so many people I should be praying for and I'm not. So I spent like 4 hours at least and 20 bucks on this neat little calendar to help me organize my prayer life. Hopefully I will be able to keep it up and pray for these people everyday. I'm excited by this, because I've totally noticed how much my life and ministry has changed since I made a commit to improve my prayer life.

The good news is today I get to listen to the band play! Horray. I'm excited. I also got to sleep in really late today. It's nice to enjoy a few days just bumming around. :-) Well, the summary: I'm having a great vacation and the best new year ever!

This is from when I visited a co workers class during Christmas. 

Sing being silly and posing.

Kumi outside. This is after the sun rose. We played outside until I left at 10:00 AM

of Kumi...

This is Kumi. She is always with the band. I would classify her as one of the core groupies. She does a lot of work for them and calls Sing "Boss". She is super cute and is one of the people who is really nice to me. She gives me nice hugs. The coat she is wearing is the one I bought her for her birthday. It cost like seven bucks! Don't tell her! :-) 

of Sing and Mako...

Ok, so the guy playing the guitar is Sing, and the guy sitting next to him is Mako. Mako normally plays the drums. This is New Years Eve, after the countdown. We are just chilling and they are giving us some entertainment. 

of my first ever dinner party...

Well, I have just concluded my first ever dinner party. I invited the band and the groupies to come to my house and I fixed them some American Food. (Chicken strips, gravy, mashed potatoes and our family recipe - "slime") It went pretty well. They managed to find my house without too much difficulty. There were a grand total of 11 people who came. The gravy was a big hit. Although I don't know why, but Japanese people keep wanting to call it "white sauce" or "gravy sauce" or something sauce. Oh well. It was really interesting and fun. Sing came, but Mako didn't. But many of my English speaking friends came, and one girl whose name I don't know came. Lets see.

Well, the interesting thing is Sing. He knows I'm Christian and how important it is to me. Apparently he went to a Protestant University and knows a little about Christianity. So it's funny, because tonight he insisted I pray twice. So I taught everyone the common table prayer in English and we said it together. Later, I took everyone to look at the church, and before we left, he had everyone stop and had me pray in English. I was caught off guard, but I did it. It's strange. I don't know if he thinks its a game or not. Japanese people aren't so serious about religion most of the time. Anyway, it's interesting. Esp because of how everyone just does what Sing says. I'm not sure if it's because they are Japanese, or because they just listen to him. But he does seem to be a natural leader, or potential tyrant/dictator.

Then we came back to my house and we played games. I taught them how to play Skipbo and it made me miss Marlo. I remember playing Skipbo with her at her house with her mom and Kay (and Zoomer under the table). All in all, I think it was a pretty good party. Everyone seemed to have fun. It's good that they are able to amuse themselves since I was still cooking for like an hour. Kumi helped me cook and that was nice. Then she and Jun also did all my dishes for me! Wow. That was super nice, esp considering how much I hate dishes. Of course I had already washed all the dishes once today. LOL.

Anyway, I'm happy. My house (well everything but my bed room) looks nice, and everyone was really kind and seemed to have a good time. Sometimes it's hard to tell with Japanese people, because they are polite so much, but they seemed to have a good time (otherwise I don't think 11 of them would have come... I think...). It worked out well, for such a last minute decision. Thanks God! It was a good idea and good timing.

I really love my life here right now. It almost feels like nothing could go wrong. I know this won't last forever, but if I could spend the rest of my life this happy, it would be nice... Of course, I can imagine being just a little bit happier... I hope one day to be able to share my happiness with someone... But for now, I'll leave the arrangements to God. I think He has a better idea than I do about these things.

Anywho, I'm super tired now. I think I'm gonna have to crash. I did quite a bit of work today, I'm surprised. Time to sleep. Goodnight Ya'll!

of procrastination and cleaning...

Well, I really like one and really hate the other. Can we guess which is which? *sigh* Sometimes I just wish I was a naturally clean person. I figure it would make my life up to 30% easier. But that's just not who I am. In fact, being clean and tidy actually stress me out in the long run. I don't know what's so darn hard about putting things away when your done with them, doing the dishes after dinner, or even putting clothes in the laundry hamper. But the ability to do these things on a daily basis just seems to elude me. So that's why I find myself doing "cleaning marathons" every time I want to invite people to my house. I don't know how my house managed to get so cluttered in such a short time (I recently did a major overhaul on the house due to weekend guests at the end of last month, but once again, my house is unpresentable.) I really am hopeless when it comes to housekeeping.

So if you've read the previous posts, you know why I am talking about this. Tomorrow I will have roughly 10 Japanese people over at my house to eat some homecooked American food (chicken strips and gravy, mashed potatoes and broccoli), so I spent today doing shopping, procrastinating and eventually cleaning. I will eventually give up for the night, then spend tomorrow finishing cleaning, cooking and then last minute shoving everything into my bedroom to hide it. *sigh* I'm hopeless. Oh well, I guess it's good for people to see what kind of person I really am. It's sad but true. I need to get my life in order.

Some times I think my life is reflected in my house. If I had discipline, I would put God first and everything would fall into place. Because I can see how much work I still need to do, I know I need to focus so much more on God. But darn, it's so easy to get distracted and procrastinate. I suppose I'll have to fight procrastination my whole life. Somehow that's not a comforting thought. Good news is, God promised to never leave me to face it alone, and He will always be there to pick me up when I fall. It's good to have a God like that backing me up.

So now, in the midst of my sin, I still put my complete trust in God. He will ensure everyone gets fed (and hopefully full and not sick) and will help me get everything done. He's awesome that way. And if it doesn't happen the way I envision it (not that I really have a vision here), He will work His will through my mistakes anyway. It's kinda nice to know no matter how much I screw things up, God can always fix it.

In other thoughts, I had a nice day listening to Klove pretty much all day. I really feel ministered to when I listen to Klove. Thanks Klove. :-)

Of Trash Box Jam...

Hehe, well my last post title wasn't so Original, but this one can be. It's actually the name of the afore mentioned band, Trash Box Jam.

Ok, so lets start with some history here. When I first moved here, I was a little worried about being lonely. The other missionaries lived in Tokyo and quite a bit lived in Takenotsuka, so I was feeling a little left out of things. I was doing well teaching and at church, but most of the people were at least 8 years older than me or more. This is fine and all, but it's a little strange for me. So I started praying that God would provide some friends for me, closer to my own age. I waited for a little while (tried to make friends on my own, but that didn't work so well) and then it happened. God answered my prayer in a way I would have never expected.

So sometime in Sept. I was getting bored at night living in a house by myself. So occasionally I would go on walks for lack of nothing better to do and just needing to get out of my house. Well, pretty much the only places I know is Stellar Town and Omiya station. Well Stellar Town closes down around 8, so that left Omiya station. So I would walk there and back. Talking little over an hour. Well at Omiya station, sometimes musicians perform outside. One night I stopped to watch these two young men playing. I think I had seen them at least once before, because I remember the drummer (yeah, he's cute). So there's one guy on guitar and one guy sitting on a drum and playing it. Well this time when I stopped to watch, (there's a little bit of a crowd) the singer decides to talk to me. In English. In front of everyone. I was embarrassed. Well, that was my introduction to the world of being a groupie.

Their name is Trash Box Jam. (yeah you know that.) The Guitarist is Sing and the Drummer is Mako. Sing is the one who speaks English and writes the songs. The sound is described as guitar pop, whatever that means. But it's nice, I like it.

Well, they play every weekend at the station and they have a following of loyal groupies. I started going whenever I could. (in the beginning I was bored, so it gave me something to do. Now I'm a fan) Several people like practing English with me. Some don't speak any English, so I get to practice my Japanese. With help, we communicate. Japanese people are as a rule, shy, so many of the groupies are just now getting used to me and talking to me. But I consider it a great honor.

So now I'm pretty much an insider. I get to hang out when everyone else leaves and chat longer until the last train when everyone has to go. I have to say, it means so much to me to be accepted into a group like this. I feel so blessed to have their friendships. They are really nice people and the more I learn about them, the more I respect them. So now I am praying for them a lot, hoping to return the Blessings they gave to me some day.

OH, I forgot one detail. It's illegal to sell or play outside the station. So they have this whole system set up to watch for cops. Yeah, this part makes me a little uncomfortable, but I don't help them run away, and I figured if Jesus hung out with prostitutes and the such, well, I can be friends with an illegal band. For now I feel like it's Ok to be there. But I pray a lot to make sure God's OK with it.

Anyway, that's the history behind "the band" and the "groupies" as I call them. I invited them to my house this week, so Wed I will cook dinner for around 10 of them. I'm doing it for two reasons (at least). One, I really want to thank them for how nice they've been to me. And second, I just want an excuse to spend more time with them. So that's what's going on. I have to do a huge house cleaning now though. I have today and tomorrow to make my house presentable. But today is rainy and cold, so it's hard to get motivated to clean, despite knowing moving around will help keep me warm. So I'm blogging instead. Well, at least I'm being somewhat productive. LOL Anyway, I hope it all goes well. And now you know the rest of the story.

Of a New Year...

Yeah, such an original title. What can I say? Good thing I'm not going for the original award. As much as I would like it, I think that this past year has taught me I am not nearly as original as I would like to think. Sad. Anyway. I suppose I should say something profound to reflect the old years passing and the new years coming. Well, I'm fresh out of profound, and the stores won't open again until the 3rd. Besides, I think profound's a bit expensive this time of year. Sorry folks.

Enough of that. I'm not actually a big holiday person. They just don't matter to me so much. But that's ok. I don't hate them or anything. Anyway, lets do a mass update, shall we? Here goes:

November: Well, I had Fall Retreat and then I went to Hong Kong. While the traveling was nice, it did manage to eat up every free weekend I would have had, and effectively killed all my day's off. It wasn't so bad, but by the end of November I was beginning to feel the stress.

Fall Retreat was fun. Every year we have two retreats, where all the missionaries in Japan, (well in my program anyway) get together. We got to get to know the new people and catch up with the old. I was much more comfortable this year than last year. Probably because when I'm not certain of my role, I tend to withdraw into myself until I know where my place is, and what is appropriate for me to do. But my revelation this year is that yes, I am probably an extrovert, but I don't like large groups. I find I get lost in the people and often wind up more alone than not. I think sometimes its more lonely being in a large group than just being by yourself. I mean, when you are by yourself, you can deal with the loneliness and understand why you feel that way. But when you are surrounded by people, and still alone, I don't know, it just hurts so much more. But I am getting way better than I used to. I think I'm finally growing up. Or at least growing closer to God. I think this is the reason for many of the positive things in my life recently.

So then we had the Asia Ablaze! Summit in Hong Kong. I wasn't so excited to go. I didn't really care about going to Hong Kong (although I was kinda excited about a free trip and another stamp in my passport). I was also sick. I had caught a cold at Fall Retreat and it had become a sinus problem. This in turn became an ear problem. Well, I ended up having to go to the hospital to get my ear drum punctured to relieve the pressure so I could fly. Let me tell you, going to a Japanese Hospital, with a hearing problem, alone is hard. But I made it through for the most part. And I went to Hong Kong. The Summit was much better than I had anticipated. There were all the LCMS Missionaries from all over Asia, as well as pastors and church leaders from various countries. I was surprised at how well it was done. We also had some time for sightseeing and stuff in Hong Kong. We had thanksgiving Dinner in Hong Kong. But the worst part was the busses. The roads were horribly twisty and turny (Hong Kong is build pretty much on a mountain). Well thirty minutes or more each trip in buses on these roads took a toll on my poor stomach. I was sick twice, once I didn't make it off the bus. But all in all, it was a good experience. But I have no desire to go back to Hong Kong. Although, I was excited to eat a Burger King hamburger and I was able to order it plain with no trouble at the airport. There is no Burger King in Japan. There are a ton of McDonald's and some Wendy's, but no Burger King.

I'm also pretty sure November is when I found out about Cold Stone Creamery coming to Japan. I went with Hiroki to get some. Yeah, ice cream in winter is strange, but we stood in line for a while to get some. Horray for Cold Stone!

Let's see. I think that's most of the interesting stuff from November.

December: Well, I started preparing my classes for Christmas. That was fun. We made snowflakes in my kids classes and hung them from the ceiling. People seem to like this. Then we had the traditional year end parties. I got lots of free food. I like free food. Christmas was good. I spent almost the whole time with people. Christmas Eve I was invited to a student's house for lunch then we went to Candlelight service together. Then Tami and I took some old blankets of hers and some boots to give to homeless people down at the station. I'm sure the men were very surprised to see these two gaijin giving away things. But they seemed very appreciative. Then we ate ramen together. After that, I went grocery shopping and then I baked until like 3 in the morning. Next day was church, and a pot luck. I had cooked garlic cheese mashed potatoes the night before while baking. It was a big hit. Then I chatted online for a little while, then I went Karaoke with two Japanese friends. That was fun. Then we went to watch the band play. (more on the band next post) The sad thing was they only got to play like two songs the whole night. The police came and ended up catching two of the groupies. They talked to them for like an hour. So after that, we ended up hanging out in McDonald's. That was much warmer than standing outside. I had baked cookies for them and bought some booklets in Japanese about the Christmas story and given them out. The cookies seemed to go over well. All in all, it was a good Christmas. I was very thankful for the blessings God had given me.

Then was New Years. I basically hung out with the Band for 11 hours straight. We started at like 10:45 and they played a while, then we had a count down and a toast. Then we went inside the station and talked and they played a few more songs quietly. We did that until 4 or 5 when we went as a group to the shrine. (around 12 or 15 people I think). It was nice. I got to walk Japanese girl style, with girls holding my hands and my arms for a while. It made me feel very accepted. I watched them do their thing at the shrine and took some pictures. We wandered around the vendors for a while (yeah, there were vendors at that late at night) then we went back to the station. They decided they wanted to watch the sun rise, but it was cloudy and the buildings were closed. So we found this abandoned field and played around there for about 4 hours. It turned out Mako had some balls and frisbees in his car, so we played with those. I had a fun game of three on three soccer and then joined in a Frisbee throwing contest. Sing is really good at Frisbee. It was really nice. Then I had to leave about 10 til 10 to go to church. I went to church and then straight to bed. I then slept for about 22 hours. LOL. So here I am today, typing, cold and thinking about needing to clean my house.

Last year was a good year. I'd venture to say one of the best years of my life. I wish I had written more things down to remember it all, but that's the way it works with me. I'm really lucky I wrote down the things I did.

Oh yeah. Some more news. There is now a Cell group meeting at my house every week and I'm the leader. (Cell group is like small group meetings with an emphasis on outreach). Right now there are three other women who come regularly. I'm looking for more Christians to join so I can invite more non-Christians. It's kinda difficult though. Well, I'll pray about it and leave it to God.

Ok, this post is super long and I think I've covered most things. If I left something out, or if you are confused, just leave a comment and I'll try to clarify. Happy New Year!

of a sudden revelation...

It occurred to me last night that I live next door to a hospital, and on the other side is a church. One saves lives, the other saves souls. And I'm in the middle. I'm sure eventually I can draw some profound symbolic meaning from this, but now it's rather comforting to know I'm being surrounded by "saviors."

Anyway, I know I haven't been updating often. This is a crazy season, so I don't often feel like writing even when I have the time. I can't write long today because I'm about to go to work, so sorry. The good news is that yes, I survived the earthquake this week. Although, really, everyone managed to survive it, so that's not really surprising. Anywho, that's all for now. Next week I jet off to Hong Kong for 6 days. Fun and exciting. Ok, lata~

of my birthday, business and cell phones...

So wow, things have been crazy busy here. My birthday was good. I don't feel older, but I sure had a good time. My Birthday was kinda spread all out over the course of a couple of weeks. I was taken out for food three times, and I received flowers, plants, perfume (very EXPENSIVE perfume by Christian Dior), DVD, change purses, water colors, cards, and more. So, I had a good time.

Last Wed, I cut my hair. I will send around 11 inches of hair to Locks of Love, and now I have a rather short (for me) bob. I will post a picture when I get one. Everyone thinks it's cute.

I have been crazy busy lately. I am like never at home. I am always going into Tokyo for meetings or to meet people or to run errands. And because I spend half my time traveling, people can't get a hold of me. So I finally caved and bought a cell phone yesterday. So far I am happy. I found a bilingual phone, and it's a Sony Ericsson, which is the type of phone I used in the states. So, now I feel better about traveling and stuff. I just have to make sure to re-arrange my budget.

Ok, so that's the short of it. I don't have so much time to explain all the little exciting things that have been going on. OH yeah, before I forget. Mika and I have finally started our drama ministry. It's hard finding Christian actors in Japan, but we have a few now and we have started practicing. We have even finished translating/adapting the skit we chose. So if you feel so inclined, please pray for the drama ministry. I will write more about that later.

Ok, so that's about it. I should get ready for work now. I don't know how often I'll be updating because things really are crazy this month. (and the next month) But I am trying to be more responsible about these things. Anyway, that's all for now.

Lata!

Of a year.

Well, today is my one year anniversary in Japan.  Amazing.  I don’t feel like I have been in Japan for a whole year.  And I do mean one whole, uninterrupted year.  Unlike my fellow workers, I have yet to return to America for a visit.  My time in Japan will be interrupted for the first time this November when I will travel to Hong Kong with the rest of the missionaries in Japan to attend a conference.

Anywho, I decided that my one year anniversary definitely needed a post.  So today was my day off.  But I did not spend it sleeping in and relaxing at my house.  No, today woke up early, rode the train during rush hour, met Mika and Pastor Saito in Iidabashi to talk about Street Drama Ministry that Mika wants to start, then I went to a Christian bookstore to buy some birthday presents, then made it back for a quick lunch before Japanese lessons, then I hung out with Lauren and Toshie, then we bought some train passes, had some fun at a bookstore with a nice English section (I almost felt like I was back in a really small American Bookstore… almost) then we hit Starbucks, then we met up with all the working missionaries for dinner at El Torito to celebrate Lauren’s birthday (which was the 30th).  I even found some food to eat.  All in all, it was a good day.  Long, but good.

On to other news.  The new volunteers are here.  They arrived last Saturday.  I went to the airport to help meet them.  We have five new people now.  It’s exciting.  More on them later.

Hmmm… What else.  I turn 26 on Wed.  It certainly doesn’t feel like I am that old.  Crazy stuff.

Anywho, there is tons to say, but I’m so sleepy (I’m working on 5 hours worth of sleep) and I have work tomorrow.  But after thinking about it some on the trains today, I’m wondering if this hasn’t been the single happiest year of my life so far.  As I look back on my year in Japan, I can’t find a prolonged period of time where I just hated my life or anything.  That’s so strange for me.  And I have also realized that I am still not homesick, nor do I feel particularity drawn back to America.  I don’t really miss living in America.  I miss people (and often wish they were here to share this experience with me) and some times I miss little things about America, but so far, I can’t really say that I miss living in America.  So, there you have it.  I’m happy in Japan.

Tomorrow my students will take me out to lunch for my birthday.  Free food and no lesson planning.  Not too shabby.  Yeah, I think that’s about it for now.  I’m gonna go to bed now.  (maybe the jet lag’s finally kicking in…  Or maybe this is normal for me. ;-)

of being a groupie and other stuff...

So yeah, it's been a while. I've been either busy or a bum (sometimes both) lately. Anyway, I just felt like sharing a bit today, so here I am!

Yeah, I'm happy lately. Life is good. Praise God. I had been praying about making some friends in the area, and it looks like God is providing for me. I'm even getting a good English/Japanese mix, so that I can communicate and also improve my Japanese. More on that later.

One really cool thing that really built me up this week happened on Sunday. Every Sunday we have Cell group meetings. Well, this week was my turn to do the Bible Study. I was lucky, the passage was amazing easy to write a Bible Study for. But she told me she liked it, which made me happy, and also, she told me that she thinks I make a good leader. I'm really happy about that. It's nice to hear that and have it affirmed. Sometimes I wonder about my leadership capability. But things here seem to be going great. For me, everything is really easy and has been falling into place. I can only credit God's grace in this. I am so thankful! And I'm having a great time!

Also, another couple of recent developments that have nothing to do with church or work. I forget if I've written about Ramen Boy yet, but if I haven't, I will eventually dedicate a post to him. But the sad news is, he is going back to China next month for good. He seems really happy about it, so I'm happy for him, but I will be sad to see him go, esp since we have been communicating more lately. Sad.

But the good news is that I've recently made some new friends. At a big station nearby there is an area where there are lots of street performers etc. Well, I like to stop and listen to the bands sometimes. About three weeks ago, I stopped to listen to this one band, and the lead singer started talking to me in English. I was a bit embarrassed (I didn't really want to be singled out in front of the crowd) but it turned out to be a good thing. I talked with him some, and started going back to listen to them more. Well, it looks like I've made it "in" and I think I get to be a groupie! horray! So now I'm making friends with the other groupies, and I even started talking to the other band member who doesn't speak English. It's great. Everyone is really friendly, and several speak English, plenty want to practice, and others will speak to me in Japanese. Several are really shy, but the more I see them, the more we talk. So, I'm really happy with this. Of course none of them are Christian, but maybe God will work through these friendships. Everyone already knows I work in a church, and no one's freaked out yet, so that's a good thing. Anyway, I'll be praying about that situation. I'm just happy because it gives me something outside church, school and ramen to do. Maybe I'll learn some stuff about music while I'm at it. :-D

Anyway, all this adds up to making me a very happy person. :-D

of summer...

Well, once again, I have let too much time pass between writing. But well, it’s my vacation, so I think it’s ok if I don’t really feel like writing! LOL. But anyway, I thought I would try out this new Blogger feature that allows me to post from Word. We’ll see how it works. :-D

So anyway, my vacation has been good so far. When I started my vacation I was worried I might be bored out of my mind for most of it, having only day plans here and there. Well, God is good, and He took care of planning my vacation for me.

Right after my last post I went to see fireworks for the first time in Japan. It was fun. I met a new girl, saw lots of yukata (think kimono only lighter weight and a bit simpler). It was great watching the girls in the traditional dress and spikey, trendy hair styles. It’s such a great blend between old and new. I also managed to take a few pictures of members of a biker gang. It’s fun stuff.

Then I’m sure I did other things for a while, and there were about two days where I was just about bored out of my mind. Then Cindy (my director, but still a friend) called me up. She had a surprise houseguest for a while and wanted to know if I wanted to hang out for a while and maybe spend the night. I immediately said YES!! So it turns out this girl went to the same university as I did and although we had never really spoken much, we knew of each other.

Well, I ended up spending the whole weekend at Cindy’s and I had to go to church in Takenotsuka. I got a little sunburned as well. I returned home to rest some, and I had a meeting with some of my students. I was theoretically supposed to clean my house too, but I never really got around to do that (like normal). Well, Tuesday Emily (the girl from Concordia) became my surprise houseguest instead of Cindy’s. It was cool. Definitely kept the boredom at bay. I showed her around my area a couple of days and we did a lot of running around (she ran, I walked). Saturday, there was a huge fireworks festival in the area where I live, so Cindy came up and Tami met up with us and even Hiroki came and we all went to hanabi together. It was a good time. The girls all wore yukata (I can’t wear them, they don’t fit me). The fireworks were great. I took tons of pictures. After the fireworks it started to storm, and we ended up walking something like 40 minutes because they wanted to avoid waiting at the bus stop (two people needed to make sure to get back before the last trains left). Well, I was wet and my shoes had at that point rubbed several places on my feet raw, so I wasn’t too happy at that point. But it all turned out ok.

Next day was Sunday, so I introduced Emily to the church in Japanese. Then we met up with Hiroki again. It was fun. We played a board game in one restaurant and then we went to this really fun theme restaurant called the Lockup. It’s this cross between a jail and a horror shop. It’s really cute. We had our own little “cell” and there were a couple of “performances” where the lights would go out and “monsters” would walk up and down the halls trying to scare people. It was fun and interesting.
After that were a couple of down days, and then Emily left on the 16th to go to her next country (she was on a world tour of sorts. The girl had been traveling alone for 99 days!). I helped her to get on the right train to the airport and then came home to recover.

Not so much has been going on since then. I have had the pleasure to hang out a bit with Tami and that has been great.

Oh yeah, I forgot the whole “Ramen Boy” story. Well, I think I am running out of energy, but I promise to write about him lately. It’s enough to say that Ramen Boy is very cute! (

Anyway, I promise pictures soon, and more interesting things. I’m leaving tomorrow for a prayer retreat, so I’ll be gone for 3 days. I’ll try to write again then. Lata!

of vacation...

Today is my first day of vacation! Horray! Actually, eventually today I will do some work, like clean my classroom etc, return flour, and other fun things like that. Maybe I will also start on cleaning my house more. Tomorrow is Sunday, and after church I will go to watch the famous Japanese fireworks! Horray! I am so excited about it! Anyway, I doubt summer will be all that exciting, but I'll keep posting if I have anything to say. :-)

of party day...

Wow, today can only be referred to as "Party Day". I started off the day with a takoyaki party (yes, octopus balls, no not those kind of balls Marlo). It was fun. We made our own. I took pictures. I will put them up later. We also talked about underwear. Yes, strange party.

Then I had an ice cream party with my favorite kids class. There are three boys and they are so well behaved (around 4th grade). We had ice cream and we let the little brother of one join us. Then we played Uno and Skipbo (the little brother played too, and the boys were super nice helping him and encouraging him. None of them were upset that he was in the class that day.) The little brother was great too. When we played Uno, I made them use English (Red Eight, etc) and the little boy was able to say it loud and clear and with no help! I was so impressed. It was great. And then Mika mentioned that I don't' have plans for the summer, and now my two favorite families have my phone number and e-mail address. So maybe they'll ask me out during summer break. Hehehe

Then my next two classes didn't show up. That's ok, because those classes don't seem to have as much fun anyway. LOL.

Next class was my fun beginner class. They brought food, (I forgot what it's called, but it involves sushi type rice, sashimi{raw fish} and nori {seaweed} you put the rice on the seaweed, then add your toppings and then roll it up and eat it. It's very delicious!). They also brough alcohol. Wow, I think I drank more than I have before. Don't worry, no bad effects. I didn't drink too much. But I did eat too much! Wow, you wouldn't think raw fish would fill you up so fast! I mean, it seems more like a snack than a meal, but it really does add up quickly! I don't know how Japanese people eat like that all the time! Wow.

So today was a good day. The last party lasted until like 11:00 PM! (the class started at 8). But I'm tired. So I'm gonna go now! Ja ne!

of "eel day"...

Yes, today is unagi day. This means every sane Japanese person should go out and eat some wonderful eel today. :-) I didn't, not because I don't eat eel mind you, I love the stuff, but because I'm trying to be a good girl and save my money for other things. :-) Just thought everyone should know that.

And on a different note, I have one more day of class until summer vacation! Tomorrow I get to have a tacoyaki party! (octopus balls, no not those!, these are fried round thingies with octopus inside... Just think of it as taco and it's not as disgusting!) Yes, I am excited about eating octopus. I like it. Lots! Hehehe. Also I get to have about three ice cream parties. Whoo-hoo!

Other great news of the week? I might actually be close to the end of the left overs. Thanks to Mika helping me eat them everyday this week! Thanks Mika! :-)

of the oddness of growing up...

Growing up is odd. I mean, realizing one day that you are a reconized adult, it's strange. For me anyway. Today I got an e-mail from a church member in America. I have known this person my whole life. She used to teach me Sunday School. And now she's sending me e-mails and talking to me like we are equals. How strange!

I guess it's just hard for me to internalize all the changes that comes with being an adult. I still find it hard to believe some days...

of randomness...

yes, we all know how much Amber loves being random (and beginning sentences with the word "yes"). So, here's a random post:

Many Japanese people are fascinated by the fact that I can braid my own hair and wear it in so many styles. They often think my hair is fake. LOL.

A typhoon is coming tomorrow. And I'm supposed to meet my students to go out for a party. I wonder who will show up... I wonder how I will get there...

There is no such thing as plastic knives in Japan. You can find plastic spoons and forks (often smaller than normal) in various colors, but it's is just about impossible to find knives.

I have become quite a fan of unagi (eel). It's actually quite yummy. :-) The problem is the super fine bones. I don't like bones. :-( To date, I willingly eat Squid, Octopus and Eel. But I can't eat Mexican food. Yes, I am such a strange American...

My genkan (entrance way where you take off your shoes before entering a house) smells like feet.

I will probably be eating Mashed potatoes and gravy, and "slime" for a month! If it doesn't go bad first that is...

I have a floor. Yes, this is often in doubt in many places I live, sadly enough. But a vast majority of my floor is now visible. That's what having Cell at your house does. The goal is for me to completely clean my house during vacation so that I can start having my Sunday Bible study at my house. Ah, goals...

I don't like that icky sticky feeling that comes with humidity.

I can't type or spell tonight.

of appreciating doing nothing...

Wow, this month has been crazy insane busy. So much happened. So it was American Culture month. In Adult classes we talked about America, in kids classes we made some crafts. It was good.

I also filled my plate in other ways this month. I experimented with having two Coffee Houses. I had one at 2:00 and one at 7:00. The experiment was a success. I had 4 people come to the 2:00 one, including a woman who had never been to Coffee House before. It was good. I will continue to play around with the Coffee House thing. I am considering having a small meal between Coffee Houses, and maybe that will help people loosen up. :-)

I also did Gingerbread House. I only had 4 kids show up this time, but probably because it's summer vacation here, a lot of my regulars had other plans. But that's ok. It still went fine, and I think one little boy liked it better in a small group.

But the kicker of the month was my American Dinner. I sold tickets, invited Students, Church Members, VYM, and my language partner. Some of all the above came. I had around 45 people come (I was shooting for 30). This just goes to prove how awesome a God I have. I started this whole idea on impulse (looking back, I'm pretty sure it was at God's prompting). Someone asked me what the purpose was, and I just kinda made something up on the spot. LOL. But I firmly believe that God wanted this to happen, and it's possible for a purpose I know nothing about. Why do I believe this you say? Well, because it happened and was such a success. I mean, we all know me. There were a few times when I let the ball slip, or waited until the last minute to do things, etc. But God came through all the time and made things work smoothly. He provided me with great helpers who didn't complain when I asked them to do the yucky prep work, and who took care of things like setting up tables and finding chairs. God even gave me energy. I was working on something like 3 hours of sleep, but I made it through the day with energy to spare. Everything went perfectly while cooking and all the food came out just like it should. I was happy. I had never made anything in such great quanities before (only for like 15 or 20 people before) so I'm really surprised at how well it worked. I was worried for a while that I wouldn't have enough food. People kept signing up at the last minute to come and I just felt like I couldn't turn them down. I just kept praying to God that there would be enough food. I also made a few rather bold statements like, Jesus fed 5,000, I'm sure He can help out with 45. Well, thankfully God didn't let me down. Like the previous food miracles, God provided and with more than I needed. I have tons of leftovers now. I don't know how I can possibly eat them all before they go bad. And it's not because people didn't like the food. I know one kid went back for 3rds! So many people asked me how I made things. Oh yeah, my menu was Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed potatoes, gravy and cheesy broccoli ("slime" if you know my family) and ice cream for dessert. Japanese people seemed fascinated with the gravy (they insisted on calling it white sauce) and wanted to know the ingredients. I saw one woman who went back for seconds, of only gravy! I have never seen anyone eat just gravy before! LOL. So the short and long of it all is that the American Dinner was a heaping success! Everyone seemed to have a good time, I was only 15 minutes late finishing the gravy (the gravy took longer than I thought it would) and I spent the day with people who's company I enjoy. I even had fluently of people who took charge of the clean up. (which was good because at that point I was about to drop. I can imagine trying to clean up all that with just me!)

But wait, the night wasn't finished. After the dinner, we had Cell meeting at my house. We had 9 people come (because most of them just stayed after the dinner) and that's the largest group I've seen since I joined Cell. Thankfully my house was mostly presentable. It went from disaster to I can see the floor now in little less than 24 hours while I was also preparing for the dinner and sprinkled with procrastination. But I am happy.

So, the reason for the title of the post: I am so glad it's my day off and I don't have to spent it getting ready for another event!

Tomorrow starts my last week of classes before summer vacation. It promises to be a good week because I get to have a party in virtually all my classes! Horray!

And on a random note, several of my students called me beautiful last week. (one said I looked like a doll with my glasses off) I of course wouldn't say I am ugly, but I wouldn't say beautiful either. But I can always chalk it up to people finding people from other races beautiful. ;-) But still, it's nice to hear! :-D

Ok, that's all for now!

in pictures:

So I decided to try out the new picture feature! Here goes:

Here is Pastor Shiba, my co-worker Mika (on the left) and my Japanese Teacher Nunokawa Sensei (on the right cutting the watermelon). We were sharing a watermelon I had bought one day after my Japanese lesson and before I started teaching. It was fun.







Below: The first picture is from Gingerbread House. I'm telling the story of Noah and Yoshiko is translating for me.

Next picture: This is my cutest class ever! They are six and seven years old and all cho kawaii (super cute). They are kinda shy and don't talk much, but I think I'm winning them over. And can you belive, the puppets were all around a dollar! I really love Japan!




This is the younger sister of one of my students. Cute ne?