What a difference a year makes.

So I've been talking to people about this year's summer camp and I came across a wonderful revelation. I can speak Japanese! Well, at least there is a marked difference from last year. Last year there was also a summer camp. I remember playing with the kids, but I also remember saying a whole lot "I'm sorry, I don't understand Japanese." This is a hard concept for kids to understand. When you speak any Japanese at all, they think you should be able to understand it all. I usually turn it into a game where I try to convince them that I am in fact not speaking Japanese at all. They usually don't believe me. LOL.

But this year, I noticed that instead of saying "I don't understand" every five minutes, I probably said it only 5 times a day!! How exciting is that? I could even understand 80% of a children's movie!

It just goes to show what a difference a year makes. I know it's hard for me to see my progress sometimes. Especially since I don't really have anything to gauge my language learning by. So this is a great way to see the progress. Next stop, understanding adults! LOL.

But I am in fact speaking more and more Japanese lately. This is a good sign. I can even talk with Mako these days! (He uses a lot of really strange words. He takes great pleasure in teaching me strange dialects as well.)

Speaking of Mako, here's a really cool picture from this weekend.

Also, you will find a Japanese man wearing pink shoes with hearts on them. Only in Japan.

And finally a traditional style Japanese "hotel" room. Not really a hotel, but you get the point.

I'll try to write more again. Later!

 
 
 

Summer is here!

Well, summer has finally arrived! I'm really happy. It's the end of the rainy season, so my mood has improved noticably. Of course it's hot and nasty, but you can't have everything.

So this week, I went to a Summer Camp for the Sunday School. About 13 kids went. 6 of them were my English school students. It was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures. Yeah, I got a new camera and I went picture taking crazy. I took almost 400 pictures in 2 days. Don't worry, I didn't put them all in the slide show. Hehe.

So here's a picture album of my first camp of the summer. (one down, two to go.)

Sunday School Summer Camp!

Next stop, Hollywood?

Well, I've taken it in my head to become a cameraman lately. My new camera has rather decent video abilities, and well... We all know I like new toys. So I've been playing with the video lately.

And what exactly do I video you may ask? Well none other than my favorite pasttime... Trash Box Jam of course!

So I've been filming them for a while now, but the old camera wasn't so great, so I never really shared the videos with anyone. But the new videos are better (and require less editing), so the idea hit me this week to start uploading them to YouTube so anyone who would like to see the band can. So here is the premiere video!

It's called Dream and Truth, and you can check it out here!

http://www.youtube.com/trashboxjamfan

Random Animal Pictures! Oh yeah, and an update...

So yeah. I realize I haven't updated in a while. My camera had died and I didn't have any new pictures, and it seems rather strange to always be putting up old ones.

So here's your update.

No, the earthquake is not near me. We felt it here though. But I live near Tokyo, so if you read about a disaster in Japan, check to see if the place is near Tokyo. If it's not, then I'm probably ok. :-)

Things have been getting busy again here. This week we had a Typhoon (there was enough wind and rain here to cancel the band on Saturday night.) and the Monday was the earthquake. Fun stuff.

Monday was a holiday here in Japan. It's Umi no Hi, which is translated Ocean Day. Wait, sometimes it's translated Marine Day too I think. I'm not sure. But it was a holiday. Monday is usually my day off anyway, and most national holiday's in Japan fall on Monday's. So Usually I don't notice the holidays here (except the band will play on holidays as well, so I get an extra band day... Horray!) But this Monday we had a BBQ for the young adults of the area. It is actually quite a large area, but as there are not so many churches, you have to include the whole area to get a decent sized group.

I was lucky enough that we had the meeting here at my church. (it also meant I HAD to attend! LOL) About 40 people came. That is huge for Japanese churches! It was good. I'll put up some pictures as soon as I get them. When that happens I'll write more about it.
After the BBQ, Jenae and I went to the band. But thanks to a church member, I was able to get a new digital camera! So we went shopping for the camera on Monday.

I'm so happy with the new camera. It's the same brand and model as the old one, but just upgraded. I got a new memory card too, 2GB. But now I don't have enough space on my computer for all the pictures and videos. So I'm going to have to buy a new hard drive this week. Until then I don't have the space to download the new pictures. So you will have to wait just a little longer.

So, on to other topics. I've learned that I talk to much I think. LOL. I mentioned that I had a blog to several people, and now they all want to read it. My students want to read it for English practice and stuff like that. But somehow it's more embarrassing when people you see every week read your blog. Well, I guess I'll get over it!

Welcome to my blog mina-san~! I hope you enjoy it! Yoroshiku!

So there are two weeks left of class before summer vacation. Summer vacation will still be really busy, but it'll be a change of pace, and that is always good. I like things to change. It will be nice to have a month that is different from my normal teaching schedule. I think the summer will be a good balance.

There will be three camps that I am helping out with (one I'm the leader! Yikes!), I'll get to go see fireworks, and I'll still have a week and half of uninterrupted vacation. Plus a few days between camps and such. I think it's a great balance of doing stuff so I'm not totally bored, and having rest time. I'm looking forward to it.

Anyway, here are three random animal pictures from the farm we went to last year for Sunday School camp. I guess getting ready for this year's camp made me think about last years. Anyway, I should start being able to give you some newer pictures soon!

I'll try to keep posting more often!

God's timing.

So, God is really cool. He always has the best timing ever.

Today I stayed home, mainly to rest, and get some emotional healing. This is from things I've had since I was way little. Things I've believed about myself. Like I am not beautiful. I have no value if I am not useful. If people saw the real me, they would run away.

All these things have shaped my life, how I live it, how I react to things.

The book I was talking about before talks about these things.

So today, I just wanted to spend some time with God and listen to who He said I was. I took some time to rest, take a nap, read some things, and just spend the day with God. It's been nice and refreshing.
So, I just got up from my nap, and when I looked, I had a letter. This is the reason I am going to write now.

This girl has been my friend since jr. high school. She is the most loyal person I know. She is also one of the most injured people by life I know. If I had been through the things she has, I would have shut down long ago. but she keeps going. And she can still love the people around her. That's amazing.

What amazes me the most is that she loves me. I know I have not been a good friend to her. It's easy to say that I live so far away, and the things here take my time. But she always forgives me. She is always ready to have a close relationship with me.

I guess because she has always been there, it's so easy to take her for granted. To not realize the value of someone who is so familiar.
So today I got a letter from her. She must have wrote this letter last week, but I got it today.

In this letter were all the words I needed to hear. She told me that she loved me and that I was a beautiful person. She wrote five pages to me.

I think this is maybe the first time my heart has let me hear the things she has been telling me all these years. I don't know if I have ever really listened before when a girl friend told me I was beautiful or important. Somehow, I felt it didn't count, because they were my friends, of course, they HAD to say those things. Right? I mean that's what friends do.

So the words had no meaning for me. They never reached my heart. I never really heard them.

But today, for the first time. My heart heard them. My heart heard all the words that all my dear and wonderful friends have been telling me.

So I want to tell you too. I know I could have written you a letter, but I wanted you to know, in a public way, that I thank you so much for being my friend. Thank you so much for telling me over and over again the things I needed to hear. Thank you for always forgiving me. Thank you for always loving me. I can't believe I've been blind for so long! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

So, here are some more pictures! I love you. I love you today more than I ever have before. Thank you. I love you.

Random pictures.

So, I was looking through some of the pictures on my computer, and I found some pictures that had been sent to me from friends here. I realized that I normally only put up picures that I have taken, so here are some pictures that include me in them. Most of them are from my first year here, so I've changed a bit since then...



So yeah. This week has been amazingly long, yet way too short. Long as in I feel emotonally drained. Although, I am feeling much better. And too short as in I feel like I never have enough time to get everything done and Wham! it's already the end of the week. And I'm left a bit dazed wondering where in the world the week went to.

Today I'm taking a bit of a break. I decided to not go to the ususal prayer meeting today. Instead of waking up early and traveling, I am going to stay at home and have some personal time with God. I think I really need it. Maybe I might be able to get some laundry done as well. But already, just not having to wake up to an alarm and get on a train has made a world of difference.

I've been reading this book this week. It's called "Captivating" by John and Staci Eldridge. It's a good book. If you have ever heard of "Wild at Heart" it's by the same author and his wife.. It's a book about being a woman, and what that means. Why women get hurt, and what their reactions are. And what the heart of every woman wants... I read this book a year ago, and it didn't do so much for me. It was the wrong timing. But I picked it up again this week, and Bam! it hit home and it hit hard. It's a good book.

Anyway, think of the pictures as kind of a "doorprize". I hope you have a nice week!

Weekend huh?

Wow, it's already the weekend again, isn't it? Time flies. I can't believe June is already almost over.

This week marked the halfway point for this sememster. Only 10 more weeks to go! Of teaching that is.

Today has been a busy day. I went to prayer meeting in Tokyo this morning, and then left in time to come back for "Cooking in English."

I taught about 11 students how to cook Hamburger Gravy in English. It went pretty well. And everyone were good cooks! It was really good. After we made banana splits.

I have a bit of a break before I head out again, back to Tokyo to meet a friend and listen to the band. I'll probably take a nap before I go. Hmmmm... naps... good.... ;-)



So, funny thing about being from West Texas and then coming to Japan. So in West Texas, we've been living in a drout for how long? 5, 10 years? Not sure. Just seems normal to me to live in a drought. But we never rationed water or anything like that. Just lived with it. No rain. No problem. (well, not for those of us who weren't farmers...) Although we did pray in church every Sunday for rain. haha.

So here in Japan, "rainy season" has started. But this year, there is not enough rain. (It's only rained like twice in the past two weeks I guess. Something like that. My memory is terrible.) But, there HAS been rain. (I know in Texas we go for months and months without rain!!!) But already my students are freaking out. Saying that if there isn't more rain soon, they'll start having to ration water. Yeah, I guess things are different in Japan. Different land, more people. I guess it's a bigger problem. But it's still hard to imagine rationing water when the ground is still wet!!! Some things I may never get used to.

Anyway. The picture is something I made. It's the first 3 verses of Psalm 19. It's a beautiful psalm. But it's in Japanese (that's why you can't read it.) I made it to give to friends and stuff. I just need to find a printer that works now. Or get around to making mine work. I'm way too lazy.

So that's the long and short of today. I'm tired so I think it's nap time!

Oh the randomness!

So here are a few more pictures from right before the live (I arrived early because I didn't know where the place was and I had to meet people to show me how to get there.)

The first picture is two of the fan-girls. How cute!



Second picture is strange I know. But there is a reason! So this guy bought this iced drink at the coffee shop. It is really like a cookies and cream slushie type thing. (there is crushed up ice in the mix instead of ice cream) But everyone was kinda freaked out by the color! He kept telling everyone that even though the color was funny, it tasted really good. I was a bit confused, (the color seemed normal to me.) But then he explained that this was a very unusual color for a drink in Japan. (I'm not sure why... I've seen ice cream that color...) But everyone pretty much had the same reaction. You had to convince them all to try it. It was a rather funny difference in culture.

Then we have the "littlest fan." One of the girls was giving this kitten to another girl. The exchanged happened at the live house. I was surprised that the kitten was allowed in the building! But there was apparently no problem! She was definately a popular attraction! Her name is "Sora" which means sky. I took this picture, and the little boy thought it was great, because of the "sparkles." That's another point of Japanese culture. They like sparkles and cute things! The last picture is people peering in at the cat.

Overdue update

Sorry! I really do always mean to update, but when I have time, it seems like I'm just too tired or I have other things that need to be done (like praying...) So anyway... Here's the latest update.

We had a BAPTISM! Horray! He has been coming to our church for a long time, and he finally got Baptized on Pentecost! It was great! I even had three of my students come to watch. They said they were very moved by it. I hoping to be able to see some of them get baptized too soon!


Life has been keeping me busy. I guess that's true for everyone though. I've finally adjusted to my new schedule and I'm not so tired all the time anymore, so that is really good news. Now I just have to learn to continue to manage my time better. Haha.

I recently had the chance to go to Trash Box Jam's live. This was the first time I'd been able to go to their live (this was their third one.) I was so excited! Here are a few pictures. Mako is hiding and practicing before the performance.

The next picture you can see Mako and Sing. Sing is wearing a Texas shirt! He found it at a recycle shop somewhere. How cool is that? :-D

Anyway, the live was great. My camera has finally crashed (it died that night), so I borrowed one of the other girl's cameras. But she hasn't given me the pictures yet. I'll put them up on the website as soon as I get them. Some were pretty good. (although, I know that no one is quite as interested in them as I am. hahaha.)

So I'm not sure if there will be a lot more pictures on the blog. Maybe old ones that I haven't used yet... Don't know. Of course there is always my cell phone, but those aren't great quality pictures. But I guess you have to take what you can get.

I don't know when I'll have the chance to get a new camera. There are always things that I need to buy and stuff. Oh well.

Anyway. I'm doing good. Sorry, this is a kinda short update. But I love you!

Dead Tired

So, I'd really like to keep this updated for everyone, but well... I can't seem to escape from life at the moment.

Today was the last day of my work week, and the busiest. Lately, I am always tired. I've figured out it's because we've added 4 classes to my schedule (I work the same hours, just with more classes packed in.) At first I was really confused, because I was working the same 8 hour days. But today I finally realized just how much energy it takes to teach a class. I mean, I knew it took energy to teach kids and all, but adults? I mean, half the time I am sitting down! So I just assumed I wasn't using so much energy. But actually I am. Wow.

So here's what my Friday's look like:

Today, I woke up at about 7AM. I spent some time reading my Bible and praying (I've been trying to do this every morning lately, it helps a lot.) then I showered and tried to leave my house by 8:30. Didn't happen. Made it out by 8:50 probably.

Walk to train station (5min) in the rain. Climb the stairs and watch train leave as I reach the top. Wait ten mins for next train. Put on my MP3 player and listen to music. Take off my raincoat because it's hot. Go to big train station and transfer. Buy a drink and a sandwich because I have time. Get on train. Transfer. Get on really, really, really crowded train.(couldn't fall down if I tried, honestly! I didn't know you could put so many people in one space.) Keep thinking, it's only three stops!. LOL. Get off at another train station. Loose my watch. (It's ok, it was a walmart watch, $7. But it was cute, so I'm a bit sad.) Get on subway. Ride 9 mins. Get off train. Be surprised by friend getting off the same train. Exit train station. Walk to the Center (where I learn Japanese, and do other things work related) together. 10 mins.

One way travel complete! Horray.

Begin Japanese class. It's fun.

Leave first because I have to rush to get back home in time for work.

It's still raining. Walk to train station. Subway has a problem Wait 5-10 mins. Train moves, and stops, and moves and stops. Transfer at appropriate station. Wait for next train. Get on train. This time I don't have to make as many transfers. Get to "home" station. It's too late to take the small train I wanted. Grab McDonalds and eat (double mac with cheese and egg! yum!) while waiting the 15 mins for next train. Get on train 12:45. Go one stop. Get off train, exit staion. Run, walk, run, walk fast to make it to class on time.

Arrive at church! Wait, no one is there! This is strange (they went to the tax office!). I have 7 mins before class. Just barely. Hope none of my students were early. Open the door, prepare for class. Students arrive. Teach class. Well, really, just talk with students. Oh, and I taught them the Squirrel Dance song. it's cute. After class, teach Bible study.

During break, eat lunch with students (they are about to study Japanese Bible) and type up worship service for tomorrow. (Usually I go home and eat or whatever. Today was special.) 4:00, start teaching kids classes. 3 classes come and go. It's fun. I like these kids. One private, one class of kids who used to live in America, and one class of 6th graders. good kids.

Dinner break. I did more preparation for tomorrow. (there will be a prayer meeting, then English Worship, then an English event tomorrow). Last class is at 8:10. Had observers. It was good. Maybe they will join. Or, they might want to start a new class. then I will be even busier on Fridays.

Answered the phone in Japanese. That's amazing! Really, it is.

Cooked vegetable cream soup for tomorrow's lunch. (I'm making lunch for the people who are coming tomorrow, because it's kinda far to come out here, and they are really helping me out.)

Arrive home, 12:30ish. Hey, it's stopped raining! Horray!

Yeah, so I'm tired.

I have no clue why I wrote all that out, but I did, so present for you! :-D

Presents!

Wow, lately things have been really crazy. I know I'm sleeping, but sometimes it doesn't feel like it.

It's almost summer here and you can tell. There's rain, lots of flowers, birds and bugs (sometimes in your house...) Oh yeah, and weeds. I need to do something about those...

I'm trying to make an effort to manage my time correctly. As in, make time to clean, do laundry and basic maint. Somehow, it doesn't seem to be working.

But I have been able to have good quiet time with God everyday this week, and that has definitely improved my outlook on life. I feel much more at peace lately. (still tired, but it's at least peaceful.) I have also taken up drawing some again, and doing some independent Japanese study. Oh yeah, that reminds me. I start Japanese class again tomorrow. It will be a group lesson this time. With some of my friends too. I'm really looking forward to it. But it's in the morning, so that's going to make my Friday's long now too. So I'll have three long days in a row, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fun fun fun. Good thing Monday's my day off. It's my recovery day.

All in all, I'm feeling much more positive about things. I guess it just takes me a while to get to where I'm going, but eventually I'll get there. :-D

Anyway, this week, and last, have been nice because my students have been bringing me presents! Last week I got roses (check out the pictures from my cell phone). They smelled really nice. One of my students grows them in his garden, and these were the first to bloom! This is the same guy who fixed my bike for me. He reminds me of a grandpa looking out for me. He's really cute!

This week, he brought me more roses. And then, a woman from a different class also brought me roses and flowers. (her's are a bit smaller, but just as pretty!) And then a different woman from the same class brought me matcha (powdered green tea) powder! I really love the matcha powder. And it's actually pretty expensive I think. It was ground at her mother's house. It's also really healthy, so if I drink some everyday it's really good for me. Hehe!

So yeah, presents are good. It makes me feel loved by my students. This Sunday we will probably go to a rose festival after Bible Study if the weather is good. We'll ride our bicycles there. I'm looking forward to it.

Ok, so that's the update!

Hanami

In case you don't know what the title says, it translates as "Flower Viewing." This is a special time in Japan when everyone goes out to look at the cherry blossoms and eat and drink with friends. There are usually lots of hanami parties all the time in this season. But Cherry blossom season is really short, ususally only two or three weeks. So you have to plan carefully.

Last year I totally missed hanami because I went home during my spring break. This year I was afraid the same thing would happen. But I was lucky, and the day after I came back, I was able to go hanami with my friend Jenae.

We went to one of the most famous places for hanami, Ueno park. Here are four of the pictures that I took. The rest are on my web albums.

Here is Jenae eating takoyaki (fried balls of octopus). It's really yummy.

We walked around a while looking at all the trees and eating some of the food. And then we decided to go in a boat together on a small pond. We rented a paddle boat for 30 mins. It was our first time in a paddle boat, and we found out that we were both a big bigger than was comfortable for a paddle boat. But it was fun anyway. :-D

The next two pictures are from inside the boat. We had a lot of fun just paddling around. When they tried to give us a boat, they first tried to give us a pink one. We looked at each other and said "no way." So we asked the guy for a different color. He thought we were a bit crazy I think. But in the end we got a yellow boat. We were both so happy to not be in a pink boat. We would paddle around and then say something like "this is so much better in a yellow boat." Then funny thing - you can't even see the boat color from the inside!

But we still would have known. It was a lot of fun.



After boating, we walked around more. We took lots of pictures of flowers and stuff. I really think you should check out the rest of the pictures. The link should be somewhere on this blog.

Yeah, it was a good time. :-D

Band pictures.

Ususally I see the band in the dark, so it's hard to get nice pictures. But the weekend I came back to Japan, it was raining, so they were playing inside this underground walkway. The lighting is much better, and there was a cool mosaic for a nice background. So here are some cool pictures of the band.

Year end parties.

In March I had parties in every class to celebrate the end of another school year. This means we go out to resturaunts a lot. It's fun.



Here are some pictures of me and my Friday afternoon class. We went to eat Okonomiyaki. I really like this food. So here's me and my class and my food! Enjoy.

Last trip with Bethany.

So, I came to Japan with Bethany. There was another girl in our orientation group, Lauren, but she came later than we did and left earlier. And she also had already studied Japanese, so she had separate classes than Bethany and I.

So many of the things we did in Japan, Bethany and I shared together. Getting off the plane together, eating the first meals, etc. We had a good relationship together, even though we were both really different.

So, Bethany's time in Japan has ended, and she has left the country. It's a bit strange being here without her, but that's the price you pay when you stay longer.

We decided that before she left, we should do something special together. So we went to one of her favorite places in Tokyo, an island called Odaiba. On this island there is a really fancy Onsen, or Hot Springs. It's made to look like an old fashioned village. It's really nice place. Inside everyone wears yukata , or traditional robes. It was a really nice experience. Here are some pictures from the trip.

The top one is a picture of Tokyo Tower from the island. You can also see one of the famous bridges in the picture. I think this was my first time to actually go to Odaiba and have the weather be nice.

Then you have pictures of Bethany and I out front and one of Bethany inside in her yukata.

It was a really good experience. There are more pictures on my web albums if you care to look. (yeah I finally got the pictures off my camera, so it's a big update time.)

Something for you...

Well, I know I haven't been posting much. I'm finally getting that feeling of being "normal" again, so that's a good thing. But yesterday I came down with the "community cold." So now I'm taking some medicine and trying to get better so I don't miss any work. Once again I don't have pictures; I still haven't bothered to download them off my camera. I will try to do that soon.

Anyway, the actual reason I am posting today is because I have something to share with you. I was involved in some interesting conversation about what's important in life. My views are radically different than some people. Many people think happiness is very important. Or relationships are important. etc. And in relationships. What do you look for? Handsome people? Kind people? Good people? At the time it was very difficult to explain. But I came home and thought about it some more, and this is what I came up with. So, if you've ever wondered why I love you (I've wondered why some of you love me...) here is your answer.

The Treasured Jewel
by Amber Stephens

Why do I love you?
Because you are good looking?
It’s good to look good. But it can never last. Will you look good tomorrow or the day after? When you grow old? Can you always look good all the time? So if I love you because you look good, then my love will be broken when you no longer look good.
So no, that’s not why I love you.

Why do I love you?
Because you have a good character?
It’s good to have a good character. But it can never last. Will you always be a pleasant person? Can you always be kind? Will you have bad days and make mistakes? Will you be mean? So if I love you because you have a good character, then my love will be broken when you slip.
So no, that’s not why I love you.

Why do I love you?
Because you are strong, or kind, or smart?
It’s good to be these things. But they can never last. Will you always be strong? Can you be kind to everyone all the time? Will you never make a mistake? Are you never a fool? So if I love you because of these things, then my love will be broken the first time you have a weak moment.
So no, that’s not why I love you.

Why do I love you?
I don’t want to love you for things that can’t last. That is not a true love, an eternal love. Instead, I choose to love you for who you are. When I look at you, I see a priceless treasure, unique, beautiful. You are not valuable to me because of your looks, or your personality or your abilities. You are valuable to me because you are a jewel. You are precious. I accept everything about you. When you are dirty. When you are broken. When you are not perfect. It’s ok, because you are a treasured jewel. All other things might change. But I love you because you are you. The good, the bad, everything you are.
Because you are.
That’s why I love you. You are my precious
TREASURED JEWEL

Catching up.

Well, it's been a while since my last short post. The thing is, it has been crazy busy here since I got off the plane. Yeah, the whole time. This past Monday was my first day to take it easy in a long time. It was nice. This week looks to start getting somewhat normal. Today, I ended sleeping way past the time I wanted to. It was strange. I guess I'm still catching up on sleep.

Anyway, I just wanted to put up a short post. I'll try to get some pictures up, I have some nice ones, but I have to download them on my computer first.

Anyway, I'll be in "recovery" mode for a little while. So if you don't here a lot of communication from me, that's why. Sorry!

Arrived!

Well, after a very long time traveling, over 20 something hours, I have arrived safely in Japan. I'll write more later. Now it's time to sleep.