of comparisons...

The differences between working in Japan and working in America (or Why I like working in Japan):

1. Japan: I can wear as much, or whatever kind of jewerly I want, and the Japanese mothers tell me I am stylish.
America: I have to be careful what jewerly I wear and when or people might get upset at me, depending on where I work.

2. Japan: I wear blue hair extentions. Again, I am stylish.
America: I wear blue hair extentions and mothers wonder if I should be allowed to teach their children (and at some places it would be against the regulations)

3. Japan: I wear flip-flops to work and people tell me how much they like my shoes.
America: I wear flip-flops to work and people ask me if I bother to get dressed (and once again in some places this is against regulations)

4. Japan: If I don't like the parents, or don't want to talk to them, I can always pretend to not understand them (in most cases this is true!) Best part: so far, I like all the parents!
America: yeah, I have to deal with them.

I'm sure there are more great comparisons, but they'll have to wait for another time.

Anyway, quick update on my weekend (and by quick I mean long and detailed...)

So Saturday I went out with some students, of course you know that because you already read that post. Sunday, like usual was really long. I did Sunday School, Church, Bible Study and then went to Suginami for Cell. Bible Study was a bit difficult because the Chinese woman that has been coming is actually rather difficult to understand when she asks questions. So far, no one knows what she is asking. This is strange, because usually her English is pretty good. Hopefully this issue will be resolved soon.

Cell was good, there were only three of us. We got to spend more time just talking and catching up so it was good. And then I spent the night at Lauren's. OH yeah, we had Japanese pizza for cell. Now Japanese pizza is rather interesting. It's about 30 bucks for one pizza, and the toppings can be very strange. It's not uncommon to find corn or mayo on a pizza. This pizza was good. It was sea-food with no tomato sauce. I think it either had sea-weed or spinach on it, but probably sea-weed. I liked it. And I brought some sweet potato apple pie too. That was yummy as well.

Well, the reason I spent the night with Lauren was because Monday we met up with Tami and her friend from America, Warren. We met up and went to the Ghibli Museum. So Ghibli is an Anime studio. This is the company that made Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away, and more recently Howl's Moving Castle. It was rather interesting, and educational too. It showed how animation was made. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. After that we went to Tokyo Dome City and wandered around. Then we had a Hawaiian dinner. It was good, but the day was long. I was happy to get home. The bad part about Monday: It rained ALL day long! And I did not exactly have the proper shoes for that. I slipped twice. Wasn't hurt, but got wet. Also, I had to carry my bag all day. It was heavy because it had my clothes and my big honkin Bible in there. But other than that, it was a good day.

But in any case, the weekend was full. This week starts American Culture month. So far the classes enjoy it. Next weekend is Coffee House where I will experiment with having two. Week after that is Gingerbread House and the week after that is my Homecooked American Dinner. I have some plans for the beginning of August, but after that class is out and I will be pretty free. I'm sure I'll find things to do. Oh yeah, I also plan to go to Costco this next Monday and see the new Star Wars movie with Lauren. Tanoshimi (I'm looking forward to it).

Ok, I think that's enough of my rambling for now. I'm going to study now for my Japanese test tomorrow.

of raw fish...

I guess every American in Japan has to write about eating raw fish sometime... I went out today with some students from one of my classes. They are great and I have a good time with them. We went to this really nice restaurant, the kind where they serve you food in "waves." There was so much food! And it was all Japanese food. I like Japanese food, don't get me wrong. It was very delicious. But wow, there was SO much raw fish! If you had told me a year ago that I would willing eat that much raw fish without hesitation, I would have never believed you. But I did, and I even enjoyed most of it. I think Japan is definitely teaching me how to try new things and be more mature in that area of my life. Well, maybe it's just something I've been growing into for the past few years... Anyway, I am happy about that part of me.

In fact, lately, I have been rather happy with the person I am. This is not normal for me. Normally I have a rather low self-esteem, but I think I'm gaining a rather realistic perspective lately. Of course I am not perfect, I never will be until heaven, but I am happy with my life right now. I wish I could feel this way forever...

Life is still good. My weeks go by quickly, and my weekends seem to be filling up. I have plans this weekend and probably the next. I have plenty of things to keep me busy with so that is good. For a little while, I was feeling somewhat lonely for good friends my age that I could call up and hang out with in my area. I put up an online ad looking for some, and I have gotten many replies, but we will see where that goes. Many are boys and it seems they are just looking to date a foreigner, doesn't matter who it is. I am wary of people like that, so I doubt those will go anywhere. But I think it's best to leave these things up to God. I am glad I have God to rely on at times like this. I mean, it's so easy to be confused about what I want and what is good for me. If I let it, this whole thing could really stress me out. But I can say, "here God, you know better than me, please deal with it and tell me what I should do." I want good people in my life, not people who will distract me from what's important. Also, I don't know if this is a good time in my life for me to think about dating and stuff like that. I mean, sure I would like a relationship, but can I really deal with one? I have no idea. But I don't want to just go out looking for one. I think it's better to let these things happen through God's guidance. Hmmm, maybe I'm just being lazy and using that as an excuse, but then again, maybe not. I still think it's best to leave these kinds of things to God. He's a better judge than I am.

Well, so that's my rambling for the night. I won't be home tomorrow night. Gonna spend the night with Lauren and then we are gonna go out with Tami and her friend to see an anime museum on Monday. I am looking forward to it.

And on an ending note, I am so full, I don't think I need to eat for a week. Not bad for a free meal (my students of course wouldn't let me pay for it.) Also, it's a rather odd feeling for me going out with my students. I mean, at least one is old enough to be my father, and they are all married with children. And here I am, this little 25 year old, and I am their TEACHER, and they are taking me out and talking with me. Somehow this is just strange to me. But I enjoy being with them, even if I don't understand half of what is being said (they spoke in Japanese most of the night, so I only caught bits and pieces of the conversations). But it was a good time, and I really like them. I guess in some circumstances, age really isn't a factor! But still, it would be nice sometime to have friends nearby who aren't at least 10 years older than me... LOL

of stuff...

So nothing terribly exciting has been going on, but several small things have, so I decided to update.

Sunday: The woman came to Bible Study. I had two people there. Turns out the woman is Chinese and has been living in Japan for 10 years. She is Trilingual! Amazing! Well, at one point, a friend had given her a book with Christian stories in it or something and she has been interested in learning more about Christianity. She asked some good questions, and I gave her an English Bible. I am excited that she came and I hope she comes again next week.

Then I went to Cell. Wasn't too exciting, but it was fun. A Japanese man came. His name is Toshiyuki. He is nice and I like talking to him. We went to McDonald's afterwards. Then I came home.

Monday: My day off. Didn't do anything special. It was payday, so I went to the bank to grab some money and I did a little shopping, but mostly for teaching stuff. Found a new textbook for one class. It was cool.

Tuesday: My first class of the day decided they wanted to throw me a "welcome" party. Yeah, I've been teaching for almost three months, but hey, they wanted a party. They took me to this super nice restaurant and we had lots of Japanese food. They are a funny little class. None of them speak great English because it's a beginners class. But they are cute. What was funny was when the waitress would helpfully correct their English! It was funny.

Wed and Today: Just basically teaching and stuff. Not too much going on. Life's not terribly dull, neither is it terribly exciting. :-) Tomorrow's Friday, horray!

of Gingerbread House and forgotten news...

So today was my second Gingerbread House. Lauren came to help and observe. We had less kids this time, but still, we had 15. They seemed to have a good time. They are really well behaved kids. Many of the older ones have younger siblings, so when we played games like Elbow Tag, the older ones were kind to the younger ones. It was rather amusing to see the older ones run in slow motion when a younger one was "it." But I am glad they are so well behaved. I know that many American kids are not this well behaved in such a large group of various ages. It was a good time, and the parents seemed rather pleased about it. I am thankful.

So, that's my news for today. Now on to old news I forgot to write about. Last Sunday I had another good Bible Study. Oh, yeah, that reminds me. A woman came today looking for information for an English class for her Jr. High daughter. (this is the second time this has happened while I was preparing for Gingerbread House. Normally there is no one at the church on Saturday's, unless Pastor happens to be working etc.) The mother spoke English, so I was able to tell her what I knew and show her the text book for the Jr. High Class. But then the mother asked me about Bible Classes. I thought it was for the daughter, so I told her about the Jr. High class for Sunday School, but it turns out the mother was interested in a class. So she is coming to my Bible Study tomorrow. Horray for chances like that! God works in mysterious ways, but it's awesome that a woman walks in off the street like that looking for a Bible Class!

Ok, back to old news. The Bible study went well and I was happy, and then I took a nap (I had been up late Sat night) and then went to Takenotsuka for Cell. I actually left a little early so I could go to a Tonkatsu restaurant I knew in the station. The tonkatsu was wonderful! It had been so long since I had eaten any, I forgot how much I loved it. Then I went to meet the others. The meeting was late that night since all the "locals" had been invited to Pastor Kitazawa's "surprise" Birthday Party. (Pastor Kitazawa being the pastor at Takenotsuka and also the recently elected Vice-President of the NRK, Japan Lutheran Church) So I was waiting in front of the church since I am still unable to find my way to Jason and Sarah's house, where the meeting was to be held. They all come back from the party together and I talked a little with Pastor and his family. Anyway, we went to cell, and I led the Bible Study, and we had a good time. Knowing that the Cell would run longer than we could get home, Lauren and I were planning on spending the night in Takenotsuka. We were given permission to crash at Cindy's apartment, as she was in the states for Orientation etc. But first, we decided to take the chance and do some late night Karaoke. It was good times. We spent about two hours at the Karaoke shop. We got back around 4:30 AM. But it was all good, because Monday is our day off. So of course, we slept in. :-)

Monday was also a rather good day. I got new extentions, three this time, and electric blue. I am happy with them, and I was also excited because I managed the whole visit successfully with my broken Japanese. Then I went wandering about for a while. I didn't want to return home because I was meeting my Lang. Partner at 4:30 in Shibuya. Now, if you don't know, Shibuya is the classic picture many people have of Tokyo. Lots of tall buildings with flashing lights and moving advertisements. And tons of people. It's popular for young people, rich people, and foreigners. It's cool. I went shopping a little, and then met Hiroki. We talked and that was fun and then we went to Okonomiyaki. It was great. I got some great pictures.

Anyway, I think that's most of what I forgot to mention before. It's funny because my life is either really busy, or really empty. I would be kind of nice if it were just evenly balanced. LOL.

On a random note, I find I wish I could spend more time thinking about God and putting Him first in my life. Lately it's been rather easy to become distracted and think about things like "I wish I was in a relationship" etc. I don't know why, as I am rather happy right now, and man, a relationship would only make my like way too complicated. In any case, I would really prefer to put my whole trust in God to provide for me in His time than sit and ponder things until I go crazy. I wish it was as easy to do things like that as it sounds. :-( But it's ok, I still love Japan and I am still content to be here. And most of all, I LOVE GOD! :-D

PS: I've noticed, the spell check really hates Japanese words. Wonder why? ;-P

of Friday's and such...

Well, today was finally Friday. I have more classes on Friday than normal, but overall, I really like my Friday students. All my adult students are super fun, and while I have two rather quiet and reserved Children's classes, I also have a nice class of three boys. They know how to have fun and always laugh and smile. I have a ton of fun with that class. And they aren't discipline problems, so I am happy with that. Anyway, it was that class that made me happy today. One of my students has a rather nice mother who I talk to sometimes (she speaks English fairly well) and today they brought me flowers from their home. It was really cute. I had just started class when I the door opens. In comes his little brother carrying three huge hydrangea, followed by his mother. I was so happy (esp since I've been trying to get his little brother used to me, but unfortunately last week, I scared him while trying to tickle him and he cried a little...)

Anyway, I am happy. Also tomorrow is Gingerbread House. I don't know how many kids will come this time, but I hope it will be a good turn out. But I have to get up early to go shopping for it. Anywho, I'm looking forward to it.

of my day off...

Wow, This has really been a great week for me. Yesterday I went to my old "hometown" of Takenotsuka for Cell meeting. It was nice because the meeting was later than usual, so Lauren and I had to spend the night in Takenotsuka. Which was rather fun. Lauren and I hit up our favorite Karaoke joint and had a goold ole time. We went to bed around 4:30 ish. Thing I learned from that experience: the sun actually begins rising at that time! Insane!

So we woke up and parted ways around 11 ish today. I had a meeting with my Lang. Partner at 4:30, so I decided to stay in the Tokyo Area. The weather was rather nice today, if just a tad hot and muggy. But I decided to get some more extentions. This time it is pure blue, and I got three. I just really get excited about having blue streaks in my hair! LOL. This time, I went to the salon by myself and muddled through the Japanese to get what I wanted.

So then I wandered about Takenotsuka for a while, and then caught a train to Shibuya, where I was meeting Hiroki. I was a couple hours early, so I also wandered around there. I found Claires and spent a bit too much there, but I am happy with the cute things I bought.

I also took tons of pictures today. So then I met up with Hiroki and that was fun. I always have a good time talking with him. We had Okonomiyaki again. Yesterday I had tonkatsu for the first time in a long time too. It was SO good. I had forgotten how much I like these foods!

So anyway, I just had a really good day and I am happy! :-)

of Grace...

I am so thankful for the Grace that God sends me. My Bible Study went well again, even though I actually changed it at the last minute to a totally different passage than I had originally planned. I'm glad God loves me, and gives me the words I need even when I'm a looser and don't prepare like I should. Grace is amazing, and humbling. Thank you Father.

of lack of sleep...

I'm tired.

That's what I get for staying up so late. Silly me. I have just a little break before a Bible Study I lead. Then I can finally take a nap. Horray for naptime!

of a random Saturday...

Yeah, so today was Saturday. I didn't have an event today, so I decided I should get some stuff done, like cleaning my house a bit etc. Well, the cleaning didn't happen, but lots of other stuff did. First of all, I got to chat a bit with Michael and then Marlo. I finally wrote and sent out a newsletter and I did a little updating on my website. Hope to do more of that soon. I got a phone call from Lauren, and then I went on a bit of an adventure to find Music Box, a sort of music praise time, run by former missionaries in a nearby Lutheran School. I finally found the place and it was a good time. Three of my students (please note, from here on out any of my students who are also children will be known as "my kids") were there and I talked with a couple of the moms. Met some new people. Spoke a litte Japanese. Got a free ride back to the train station. Not bad.

So then back at the main station, I decided I need to check out a book store for some ESL resources. I think I found a book I want to use for one class, but I am still looking for a book for a different one. So I wandered around there a bit, and then started walking back home. Well, on the way home there is this clothing store owned by a black man. I don't think he's American, but he does speak English. There are also a couple of younger black men who work for him. Well, one of these guys started talking to me as I walked by. He wanted me to go out to coffee with him. I declined. He was more persistent than most because he tried to set up a time for tomorrow etc. Yeah, there's just something strange about the idea of going out with some random guy I met on the street. I don't trust situations like those. But at the same time, it's nice to be picked up... LOL

So then I came home and had a message from Besty (I had called her earlier, but she wasn't home.) I waited about an hour and then called her back. We talked for over an hour. I was just getting ready to hang up when I hear strange tapping noises. It was really freaky. Then I started hearing voices, a man's voice. So now I am thinking a drunk man is wandering around my house. And I am also realizing that my door is unlocked. (apparently my window was unlocked as well, but I didn't know that.) So finally, I tell Besty (who is still on the phone) that I am going to go check it out. Turns out it's Mika and Alex. I had been so scared! But it turned out OK. So then, (after being teased because my house is a mess and I wouldn't let them in) we went out for a while and talked. So now it is 3 AM, Saturday night and I have church tomorrow. I won't want to get up in the morning, I promise. Well, I generally don't want to get up any morning, but that's just me.

So there's the play by play of what turned out to be a rather eventful Saturday, despite me not having any work related events.

of being built up...

So I've decided Japan is good for my self esteem. Or at least today was good for my self-esteem. Today I was fortunate enough to have many people build me up. It's so odd for me to be surrounded by people who praise me. I almost don't know how to deal with it. I keep wondering when I will wake up from this dream. My co-worker praised me (and I actually value her opinion very much) and I know at least one of my adult classes love to come to English class. And of course 99% of the kids love me (but that's normal, kids are easy to please.)

The adult class in question took me out again after class today. They are great. They are going to take me out on a Saturday next month it looks like. And my Tuesday class is planning a "welcome party" for me week after next. Things were slow at first, but I think it's just because it takes me a little while to build up relationships. But now my weeks are filling up with things to do. I feel like this is less work, and more like me being rewarded.

I just pray that God uses my time here. I know that I myself am not really capable of much. But I am so thankful for this experience. I know I will remember this for the rest of my life and be so happy that I did this.

It's funny, I still feel lost and directionless sometimes, but before when I felt that, I felt such overwhelming discouragement. But now, somehow, it's ok. I can still feel contentment, while I feel the other things too. I want to feel like this the rest of my life...

of cabbage...

Yes it is strange to have a post dedicated to cabbage, but there is a good reason for this. Today, my student brought me a cabbage she had grown. Now this is an exceptionally sweet thing to do but not really something to write home about, except for one thing, This cabbage is HUGE! Now when I say HUGE, I mean larger than my head huge! My arms were tired from carrying the thing across the street! I am not certain how I can possibly eat this much cabbage. Good thing I like cabbage! I have seriously never seen such a large cabbage before. Also, this sucker is heavy! Ok, that's my rant for the day. Anyone want some cabbage?

of multicultural students...

Yeah, today is a day for me to randomly blog. I have a break between classes, and wanted to jot something down before taking a nap.

So the two most popular "mission Fields" that people think of are Africa and China. Personally, I have no real desire to go to either place (my true love being Japan), but I came to an interesting conclusion the other day. One of my students is Chinese!

Not that I can tell the difference. I didn't know until he told me that he couldn't come to Gingerbread House because he takes Chinese lessons on Saturdays. When I mentioned it to Mika, she told me it's because he is Chinese! He went to Shanghai last week and brought back Omiyage for everyone in English class. He is such a cute kid too.

Anyway, that's my thought that has basically nothing to do with anything. I'm gonna nap now. Latta!

of late nights and early mornings...

Wow. Yesterday, I thought I was doing pretty good because I woke up in time to hit up good ole Micky D's for some breakfast (this is amazing for me actually, but lately I've been getting up before noon...) For some reason (unrelated to waking up at a decent hour) I was super sleepy yesterday. I think I might be developing some mild allergies, my eyes are itchy lately and I've been sneezing. Anywho, that's not really what I'm blogging about. It's what happened after work. Now, it is important to remember that I start work at 1 PM and I end work at 9 PM.

So after work, Mika (the woman I work with) tells me that her friend Alex (who lives reasonably in the area) wants to hang out. My first thought is, who the heck starts hanging out at 9 at night? My next thought is, heck yeah, I'm cool enough to tag along! So of course, I agree. And so I set out on a late night adventure (yes, I have a Japanese lesson today and I work. I am SO SLEEPY!). So I ended up meeting Alex at this new station while Mika went to get her parents car.

We managed to find this place from the directions Mika gave me and we met up with her not long after. This place was really nice, but it was kinda funny. The whole building was black, and inside was really dark. The waiters were dressed in the pretty traditional waiter attire (for Japan) but then they each had a walkie talkie. It was really funny to me watching this play out. So then we were escorted upstairs and led to another little secluded booth. We barely had time for the last order of food, then they told us it was the last order on drinks, then eventually, they told us it was time to go home. Nice place, but a bit pricey.

So afterwards we get in the car, and Mika, after some nerves (she hadn't driven in a while) drives us back to my house. No one really seems to want to end the night. They jokes about hanging out at my house, to which I wish I could have said yes, but alas, my house is not fit to hang out in atm. So then Mika suggested Karaoke. We of course agreed. So we then spent two hours at Karaoke. It was a good time, but man, I must be insane. I didn't go to bed until after 3, and here I am at 10:30 trying to get ready for my Japanese lesson at 11.

Thought of the day: I AM SO FREAKIN TIRED!

PS: the first spellcheck option for the correctly incorcorrectly spelled "freakin" is foreskin. Just FYI.

of the fall...

Yes, given my great enjoyment of writing on religious themese, unfortunately, this post is not one of them, though the title would be a great heading for one...

Actually, the news of the day ain't all that exciting. But I had another "first time in Japan" experience, and so I thought I'd grace all my readers with this knowledge.

Today I fell for the first time while riding my bike. Yes, sad but true. Got a few scrapes, but nothing too major. Other than that, I had a relatively good day. As it was my day off, I decided to ingore the state of my house and indulge the restlessness that was plaguing me. I spent the day wandering about, getting to know my neighborhood a bit better. Not too bad. Anywho, not all that exciting.

of community...

So my program is currently undergoing many changes, the least of which is a new director. This really has little to do with anything, except that this aforementioned new director has a vision for us: community. At first, I felt she was being a but pushy with this idea of hers (really, I am not sure you can understand unless you have actually met the woman), but since attending some small group meetings (hereafter referred to as Cell) I have jumped on the community bandwagon.

I am really excited about the changes in the focus of our program. It is exciting to see how just meeting once a week and having a Bible Study together helps. I am looking forward to seeing how this impacts Japan.

I also have to say, that I am just overwhelmed by the Blessings my Father has lavished upon me recently. I feel similar to Joseph (everything he did prospered). I don't want to sound conceited, because really, it's nothing I'm doing. In fact, I'd say things are going well despite my presence. But I see so many possibilities here. Maybe it's because I'm new in Japan, and I haven't seen the disappointments etc. But I am so excited about what I see. The new programs I start have more support than I thought they would, and God has been blessing my Bible Studies and meetings as well.

I have to admit, it's rather strange to me to have so much going well all at once. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Since I made the decision to come to Japan (has it already been a year?!?), my life has felt "right." There's just no other way to explain it. Of course life is not perfect, but I have never felt so content with my life before, for such a long period of time. Maybe it is because I have battled with depression so often, but this period of calm is like a whole new world for me, and just a bit unreal. Some days I just wonder when it will start going downhill again. Guess that's a bit pessimistic. For now, I am enjoying life in spite of myself. I don't know what the future holds, but I think that's best to leave in God's hands anyway.

Well, this doesn't even begin to skim the surface of my thoughts and feelings on these subjects, but it's late and it's been a long (although entirely fruitful) day. I am going to go off to bed now, and hopefully wake up ready to clean my house and do some much needed organizing of my classroom. If you read this anytime soon, please pray that I can have a productive day tomorrow (despite it being my day off).

Yes, life is good because God is good. I wish everyone knew that and could share in my Treasure...

of students...

Well, Friday's are my longest work day. Not because I work a longer amount of time, but because I have more classes in the same amount of time. Doesn't sound like such a big deal, but it does make a difference. But the students are fun. I esp like my adult students on Friday's. And tonight was the first night I have been invited to go out with my students after class! Hurray! We went to a restaurant that is less than a block away and chatted for a while. (I tried talking in Japanese, but everyone always laughs when I do. I'm not sure why...) Anyway. This is good news for me. I was wondering why I was never being invited anywhere. It was fun, and I am happy. But I'm tired now. Time to sleep.

of random look-alikes...

Seriously, today I saw a Japanese man who looked like a Japanese version of John Wayne. Not kidding. I mean, take off the business suit and put him in faded leather and a dusty hat, and there you have it! The Duke of the East. It was strange.

Either that, or I'm strange. It's a toss up on this one...

of a long day, or make that week...

So this week has been busy. I have been teaching all my classes of course, plus getting ready for Gingerbread House (a huge success) and a ton of other minor details (I hate minor details). Anyway, today I went back to Takenotsuka for the first time since I moved. It was B's Open House. It was rather strange to visit my old apartment and find a friend living there. Lot's of people were there, so it was a success.

Then I was invited to a Cell group meeting that happens on Sunday nights there. It was interesting. The new director is all about "Community" as a theme, so of course, we were reading a Bible Passage about that. It was John chapter 17. I am not sure I have ever read that particular chapter before. There was some interesting discussion.

But I guess the thing I wanted to reflect on here came from verse 3. In the verse, it mentioned that we (the believers) were given to Christ by the Father. This is a new twist on something that I guess I've already known. But I guess it was the thought of me as a gift. I can't imagine anyone who would want to receive me as a gift, esp one who knows everything about me. But Jesus is happy to receive me. How amazing is that? I want so much to be a gift that brings Him joy. I want to make Him smile. I am pretty sure that when my parents named me, they weren't thinking of the jewelry by the same name. In some (loose) translations, I find that the name Amber can mean "Precious treasure." Names are powerful things. I want to live up to my name. I want to be a precious treasure for my Lord. I can never be worthy enough, but He gives this poor, flawed, excuse of a treasure more worth than can be imagined. How wonderful is that?

of having internet in my home...

So I finally have internet in my home once again. Horray! I will now spend the next couple of weeks catching up on all the things I fell behind on. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day will see the sending of my newsletter. Unfortunately, this fell at a rather busy time for me. I have Gingerbread House this Sat and I am still working on details for that, and I still have classes everyday till then. Well, hopefully I will find the time to get it all done. So that's all for now.

How wonderful it is to be back on the internet on my own computer...

of Golden Week (so far) and general updates.

So it`s now the middle of a time of holidays in Japan known as Golden Week. Notice, this is not translated. Japanese actually call it Golden Week. So far, I`ve had a good time. I`ve stayed at home one day, went out with people two, and went out exploring my area two. All in all, I`m rather pleased with the results. And I have two more days to go.

Today I spent with Lauren, another missionary. We decided to check out a sword museum. After some time spent being lost, we finally found our way (thanks to her superior Japanese ability). It was a good time. Then we went shopping at a new found area. It was a good day, but we were both a bit tired out from the walking.

Also, last week on our day off, three of us who went through orientation together met for the first time since we became working Volunteers. We went down to Tokyo Harbor and had a good time. We played at a science museum where I laughed so hard I cried. The workers were laughing at us. It was a fun time.

But don`t think it`s been all play and no work. I do in fact work. Well, not terribly hard, but I do work. Actually, I find that so far, after roughly a month of teaching, it is going rather well. There are still some little details I need to nail down, but for the most part I am relatively unstressed by the demands of teaching English here. I stay rather busy, but not overwhelmingly so. All in all, I am rather pleased with my new life.

Hmmm... Do I have anything else that is interesting to say? Not really I suppose. Other than the fact that today, Lauren and I had three unexpected encounters of males, or groups of males, speaking to us. Strangely enough, they were all in English. Two were foreign men, and one was a rather amusing Jr. High boy. If I had been alone, it would have been disturbing, but since I had company, I was able to laugh at the encounter.

And now for a few random thoughts: I found I prefer my kids classes to be energetic as opposed to silent, my adult classes enjoy learning about Texas (and I certainly enjoy teaching about it), and I have to be careful to teach the difference between "l" and "r" (clap and crap are two drastically different things...)

Also, I definitely love my Bible Studies so far. Many students seem very interested in what I am teaching, and I love watching their faces as they learn new information. For instance, I had the honor to teach one woman about Creation. She had never heard about it before. I of course grew up with it, and didn`t pay it much thought. Perhaps I even considered it a bit on the boring side. But this woman was amazed by just the first 4 days of creation. Her face lit up and she kept staring at the pages in wonder and amazement. This makes me appreciate these things so much better. I pray that God guides me as I teach these men and women and that He works though me and uses me as His tool to reach these people.

God is Good.