One year.

One year. I am amazed at the amount of life-changing events that can occur in one single year. One year ago today, I had no idea what was coming my way. I was packing up my apartment, working on graduation songs with my kids, preparing to end the school year, preparing to move back to America. I wish now that I would have blogged about the past year, but as it was happening, I just never made the time to do it.

It blows my mind that it’s been a year since the earthquake/tsunami. It seems like so long ago, and yet at the same time, it feels like just yesterday. March 11, 2011 will forever be a day remembered in my life. Many lives were lost, homes and businesses destroyed, children left without parents, parents left without children, people forced to leave their homes due to radiation. I’ve watched some of the recent documentaries and such that have been put together, and it just makes my heart sink every time. That day was a normal day, and then it wasn’t.

After everything that happened with the earthquake and tsunami, instead of heading to India and Indonesia like we had planned, we headed back to America. We spent a few weeks being home, seeing friends and family, and then we headed back to Japan to teach for a trimester. I feel so blessed that I was able to go back during this time. It was great to see all of my kids and families safe. Hearing they were okay was one thing, but being able to actually see and hug them was incredible. I also took on a new grade level. This was such a blessing in disguise for me, as before this I was feeling discouraged about being a teacher. However, teaching those 4 year olds reminded me how much I loved watching kids learn. Because of those kids, I left Japan feeling encouraged.

While there for those extra few months, I was able to travel to Hong Kong and Macau. The trip was a lot of fun, and Joey and I did the world’s tallest bungee jump in Macau. At the end of my time in Japan, Sarah and I traveled for a week to India. We had an incredible time, and I was glad to get my fill of curry for a while! After our fun-filled week in India, we headed back to the good ole USA.

Moving home was bittersweet. I had grown to love Japan and the people there. I loved all of my kids and it was torturous to have to say good-bye to all of them. But, I had missed my family and friends so much. My sister and brother had both had baby boys in the few months before I returned, so it was nice to be able to hold them while they were still little. About a month after I returned home, Joey came home as well. It was nice to be in the same country again, but it was an adjustment living three hours apart. But, we made the best of it, driving to see each other every other weekend.

I started graduate school in August. I learn really quickly how little I had applied myself in my undergrad, and how much more I would have to apply myself now. The amount of reading that I had to do was overwhelming, and unlike in undergrad, you actually have to do the reading! I am proud to say that I successfully completed my first semester of grad school with all A’s and B’s. Phew.

January was a tough month. Many things happened, and they all seemed to happen all at once. On January 25, I got the news that my good friend’s baby boy had passed away. He was born in December, but didn’t breath or have a heartbeat for 17 minutes after birth. My friend was able to take him home and love on him before he passed. My heart ached for my friend and her family.

On that same night, January 25, I found out that someone else that I cared about had been killed that day. 1LT David Andrew Johnson had been killed in action in Afghanistan by an IED while leading his men on foot patrol. David was someone that I had once loved. We had maintained a friendship, and I still cared for him. I had actually not talked to him since right before he was deployed in December, but I was blessed to get the chance to chat with him for a few minutes the night before he was killed. He was excited about his mission, and he wasn’t afraid. He didn’t want me to worry, just wanted me to pray. I’ve never known anyone who loved the military as much as he did.

Sarah met me in Chicago, and together we went up to Wisconsin for David’s funeral. This experience was one of the hardest things that I have had to do so far in my life. The honor and respect that was paid to David was incredible to see. Saying good-bye to him was so tough.

It was so great to see his family again though, as I had once loved them like my own. David was a good man, and I learned a lot through my time with him. He will forever have a place in my heart, and he will forever be my hero.

After David’s funeral, I flew down to Louisiana to be with my friend who had lost her son. It was great to see her, as it had been years since the last time. I wanted to be there for her as much as I could, but it was hard to know what to say or do. I know that in times like that, there are no words to take the pain away. I’m just glad that I was able to just be there. And, in all honesty, she was there for me as well. I have missed her, and I will be sure now to not let so much time pass in our friendship from now on.

On my way back from Louisiana, I found out that my nephew was in the hospital. So I went directly to the hospital instead of home. It was a scary situation for a while, and still isn’t completely resolved, but at least my sister is starting to get some answers. Thankfully it’s not life threatening, but still will not be an easy road for any of them.

There have been many other things that have happened in the past year, but these were just some of the major ones. I am hoping that from here on out, only good things will happen. I know that life doesn’t always go your way, and it’s not always easy, but I think I need the next year to go a little easier on me and on those that I love.

'Tis the Season

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas! Our Christmas party is this Sunday. We had our first big practice today. The kids were adorable! They are singing four songs (Joy to the World, Silent Night/Away in a Manger, Angels We Have Heard on High, and O Holy Night. The kids are so stinking cute when they sing. They have worked very hard learning all of the words. And, in spite of their teacher's not so good singing, they sound pretty cute. :) They have also worked hard to learn a dance to "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Also, they are doing a Japanese performance. This year, they are performing the Jesus story. It is pretty amazing to watch. There is singing, speaking, and dancing. It kind of gets you right in the heart to see it, really. I love that they are doing this play though. I feel like it makes the story that much more real to them. My kids can speak English pretty well, but I think there is something to knowing that story in their own language that will make it come alive a little more to them. At least, that's what I am hoping.

Tomorrow we are making Christmas cookies for our Christmas party. We are making four kinds - Santa Claus, Reindeer, Snowmen, and Candy Canes. I will have two moms in my room helping, so hopefully everything will go smoothly! Today, Sarah and I had to make the dough and the frosting. It wasn't the smoothest process ever, for sure. Our shopping lady forgot a few things. Also, I kind of maybe mixed up the vanilla extract with strawberry extract. Oops! It still tastes good, just a little..strawberry-ish. :)

I'll be headed home in 16 days. I have been packing for a week or so now. I am trying to bring as much home with me as I can. I already have one 50 pound bag packed, and another medium sized suitcase full. I've decided that I want to live with almost the bare minimum for the last 3 months here. I am worried about having enough space to bring things back. This is the most pressure I've felt packing, ever! I always hate packing. However, I can usually just choose to leave certain things behind. I can't do that here. If I leave it behind, it's gone for good. When I moved here, I packed my bags, left a ton behind, and had my parents ship a few boxes.

I can't even ship boxes home. For some reason, the good ole USA has decided to not accept boxes/mail from Japan that weighs more than 1 pound. Um..not sure exactly what all you can put in a box that doesn't weigh more than a pound. So annoying.

One good thing about this moving business, I have been getting rid of so much stuff. I have gone through and gotten rid of a lot of shoes and clothes. It feels good.

I am so ready to be home for a while. However, there is so much to do between now and then. Including, but not limited to: Christmas cookies, Christmas practice, Sarah's birthday, Christmas set-up, Christmas caroling, 2 Christmas parties, a Thai massage (Mmmmm), Christmas caroling (again), Mochi festival, Bible Talk, Birthday party, a work day, a day of being video taped, and closing ceremony. No big deal. See you in 16 days!

Umm..hello?

Is anyone even there? I kind of slacked off a little on blogging and then always felt too overwhelmed to try to go back and start again. But, I just decided that I have to just jump in and start somewhere or else I will never blog again! So many things have happened since the last time that I blogged. I need to write about my trip home for two great friends wedding, summer school and camp, my trip to the Philippines and China (oh, the stories..), my vacation spent swimming with wild dolphins, Field Day, my decision to not stay in Japan another year, Kids's and Parents' Day, and the list goes on...

Maybe I will go back and try to fill you in on some of those things slowly. It might be a bit much to try to fit in 5 months or so worth of stuff into one post. :)

So, for now I will just tell you that we are in full Christmas mode here. We are teaching the kids several Christmas songs as well as a dance they will perform for their parents. I spend a lot of my time breaking my "no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving" rule. However, Christmas songs seem to be a little comforting since I know that I will be home for Christmas very soon! I can't even tell you how much I am anticipating that trip. I have been a little homesick recently to say the least. I miss my family, and my friends. I miss church.

Well, if you read carefully, you would have read that I decided to not stay in Japan next year. It was a hard but very easy decision. I love the kids and it's a great job, but I just feel like it's time to be somewhere else doing something different. What is that something, you ask? Um, well..get in line because I am currently asking that same question. I have absolutely no idea what I will do next. I will be here in Japan until just about the end of March, then I am planning to travel a little, and then go home sometime in April. I will be going home to babies, babies, babies! I think I love being an Aunt more than anything in this world.

I'm trying my best to trust God with what comes next. It's scary, and overwhelming. I do know that I want to do something that makes a difference in the lives of others. I do know that I want to travel. I do know that I want to work with kids in some capacity. However, that's about all I currently know. :)

A friend posted a song tonight and I felt like it was coming straight from my own heart. So, I'll leave you with the lyrics. If you are a praying person, remember me sometimes. I have some big life-changing decisions to make in the very near future. I want to be exactly where I am supposed to be, and I want to feel confident doing it.

Savior, please take my hand
I work so hard, I live so fast
This life begins, and then it ends
And I do the best that I can, but I don't know how long I'll last

I try to be so tough
But I'm just not strong enough
I can't do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me
I try to be good enough
But I'm nothing without Your love
Savior, please keep saving me

Savior, please help me stand
I fall so hard, I fade so fast
Will You begin right where I end
And be the God of all I am because You're all I have

Hallelujah
Everything You are to me
Is everything I'll ever need
And I am learning to believe
That I don't have to prove a thing
'Cause You're the one who's saving me

By: Josh Wilson

Just say "No" to chicken pox!

Well, we have moved onto the second of ten levels in the school year. Crazy how fast the first six weeks of school went. I am adjusting to my new class a little bit. I am starting to feel like they are my kids a little bit more each week, I think. I will be headed home in about 17 days. I can not wait. I think that it will be something that I really need - a breath of fresh air. However, I know that it will be incredibly hard to leave and come back to Japan.

Last night a bunch of us went to Cirque Du Soleil. It was incredible! We even got to go backstage and see where they practice - some of them were working on their jumps and such. It was pretty cool. The strength that they all have is amazing.

My birthday was this month. It was a pretty good week. Lots of good food, good friends, hanging out at parks, going downtown. Although, turning 26 really wasn't much fun. 26 just seem SO old! One of the boys in my class has the same birthday as me. When I asked him how old he was that day and he said, "6" it hit me that I was 20 years older than him! 20! Wow. Old.

Things are about to get busy here. Ha..not that they haven't been busy all along. But, things are about to get extra busy.
Chicken pox has hit Immersion. I'm freaking out a little. I only got part one of the two-part shot a few years ago. So, I'm not sure how effective it will be. I am going to try to go and get vaccinated here in a few days, but until then I just have to pray that I don't get it! I don't have time for it! Not to mention I don't want a million little itchy red bumps all over my body! I have been paranoid about it..just ask my co-workers! Haha.

A new school year

I think that time in Japan goes by faster than it does in the rest of the world. I mean, I'm being a little bit serious. And, I know several people here that would agree with me! Tokyo was fun. It was nice to get away and spend some time together. Sarah and I attempted to go to Disneyland on Saturday, but..they were sold out! Crazy. So, we pre-bought tickets for Sunday. Us and 70,000 people! I can not believe how crowded it was. I think we maybe rode 5 rides in the 7 or 8 hours that we were there. But, we had fun and felt like even though we didn't get to do a lot it was still worth it.

I finished up my first year as a teacher after that. My kids graduated and are now moved on to 1st grade. Graduation went really well and my kids all did so well. Luckily, I get to see all of my kids again as they come back for the after school program. However, one of my girls moved - it was really hard to say goodbye to her. Also, one of my boys decided that he didn't want to come to Friends Club. This was kind of a pretty big blow to me, because his reasoning was that he "doesn't like English." The rational part of me knows that this isn't entirely true. This boy has had a really rough last couple of weeks in school because of his parents and the drama that they brought into the school. They made it uncomfortable for everyone involved, including the little boy, and I think it drove him to not want to come. However, if he truly doesn't like English, that is kind of on me ya know? I've tried not to beat myself up over it, and I just pray that he changes his mind and decides to come back. The mom left the final decision up to him (a 6 year old, I mean..for real) but she wants him to come. It just breaks my heart because I know that our school is the only place that he is going to hear about Jesus. So, I'm just believing that he will miss his friends and decide to come back.

Another hard part of the end of the school year was that a good friend of mine moved back to America. She was my partner teacher and I really miss her. She challenged me so much this past year, and I will forever be grateful to her for how much she pushed me at times. The good news is that I will get to see her in August when Sarah and I head to Los Angeles for her wedding! I'm really excited about that!

Thailand was amazing. Maybe I will find time to blog more about that later. For now, a quick synopsis. We started the trip in Phuket, rode elephants, shopped a bit, took a boat trip to Phi Phi Islands and snorkeled (the most gorgeous beaches and water I have ever seen). We went to Bangkok and went to the Grand Palace, saw the reclining Buddha, shopped, went to a Thai show. We risked our lives riding in tuk tuks, and got ripped off several times while shopping in markets. We got some interesting, yet cheap, massages and pedicures. It was a pretty good trip.

We came back to Sendai and jumped head first into work. Several days this past week I worked 13 or 14 hour days. Thursday was opening ceremony with my new kids. Yesterday we had our first day of class (well, a half day anyway). It hit me yesterday that this class is completely different than my last. It is going to take some major adjusting, a lot of patience, and time. The kids are adorable, but..I don't quite feel like they are MY kids yet. I'm sure it will change with time. But, it was just a little bit of a slap in the face yesterday realizing that the place that I had worked so hard all year to get my kids to - listening, doing their best, treating each other nicely, sitting nice, etc. I have to start all over. I know that it will be a good year..it will just be challenging.

In more exciting news, I got a scooter! It seems like everyone in Japan has scooters. They might be dorky in America, but here it's the norm! I haven't had time to take advantage of it much, but the freedom that I feel having it is amazing! It will come in handy so much, I think! I like just being able to go whenever I want. Granted, we have a van that we can use pretty much whenever we need. But, we do have a lot of other people that use the same van. So, I am so excited to have a scooter!

Well, that sums up my life for the past month or so! I will be coming home in June for a few days and I can't wait for that! This is going to be a busy year!!

Where did February go?

Wow. There are only two weeks left of school. Graduation is on the 22nd. I can't believe I am just about finished with my first class of students. It has been an incredible year, I was blessed with an amazing first class. February was such a busy month. We had open house, which I think went pretty well. I only had about 18 parents and grandparents this time, so not too bad. We also had parent interviews (parent-teacher conferences). Those all went really well. I loved showing the parents that I met with how much their child has learned over the past year. They have all grown up so much. I can't believe these are my last couple of weeks with them.
The past week or two has been really tough. There is some stuff going on with some of my kids and parents. It has the ability to really wear me down, that's for sure. At this point, I feel like all I can do is pray for them and hope for a good outcome.

In more exciting news, I finally went skiing. I had never been before. We went last week and..well, I spent most of the day on the ground. It took three other people to get me up once, haha. At one point, this Japanese ski instructor came over and worked with me for a while. He kept making me snow plow, and let me tell you, doing that for a long period of time really starts to hurt your legs! I would say that my first time skiing wasn't the most enjoyable.
However, I decided to give it one more shot. We went again this past weekend, and..I loved it! I found out that the ski boots that I was wearing last week were way too big! That made a huge difference! I also figured out how to ski back and forth, and how to stop. My goal for the day was to be able to get myself up, and..I did! I don't know if those boots made that big of a difference, but..wow, it was a completely different experience! I also used poles, which made me feel a little bit more balanced.
We did the bunny hills a few times, and then we decided to do a bigger hill. Joey, a guy who was skiing with us, assured me that the slope we were going to wasn't any more steep than the one we did the week before. So, I hesitantly agreed. We finally got to the top, and well..he was wrong. It was way steeper! I seriously stood at the top of that slope for like five minutes trying to get the courage up to start heading down it. I finally did, and I fell several times, but..it wasn't so bad. I have decided that I am a fan of skiing!

In even more exciting news..Sarah and I randomly decided to go to Tokyo this next weekend and go to Disneyland. We got a really good deal on train tickets and hotel. I am really excited! And, then like a week and a half later we are headed to Thailand. Which, we haven't even planned at all. Whoops. Oh well, it will just be nice to be somewhere new. I am really excited for both trips!

Then, we come back and have one week to set up for the next school year. I will get a brand new group of kids. I am excited and nervous still about this next year. I know that there will be such different personalities and dynamics in my class. I think this next year will be more challenging, but.. I think I am ready for it!

A little thing called Grace

I do a Bible study once a week with a couple of girls that I work with. It is usually a straight-forward, almost a little boring sometimes even, kind of Bible study. However, a couple of weeks ago, one of them said something that I found myself not totally agreeing with. So, I asked her about it and she explained why she felt that way. She then proceeded to ask me why I thought the opposite and I realized that I honestly didn't know why. It was something that I had been taught growing up, and I had never been challenged to figure out how I personally felt about it.
I quickly started talking to different people, reading in my Bible, and really thinking about the issue and what I believed. I can't say that I have a finished answer, but I still have the overall same stance that I originally started out with. Now I have a little more reasoning behind it.

However, I learned..a lot. I learned that there is so much more grace than I ever knew possible. I feel like I grew up in a great church with some amazingly Godly people around me. But somewhere along the way the lesson on true grace never quite made it into my brain. I have lived my life in so much fear. Unnecessary fear. Fear should not in any way be a driving factor. We are not supposed to live that way. God has so much more grace than we could ever give Him credit for. We sing about grace, and we talk about grace, but do we really get it? I would say for the most part, probably not.

I have been challenged to figure out how I really feel about things. I have realized that a lot of my beliefs are not truly mine. They are what I was brought up hearing, and I never really questioned whether or not it was truth. A lot of the things I was taught I still feel the same about, but I am also learning that some of it I don't- and that's okay! God is so complex that there is honestly no way to know that one specific religion or person has it all correct. Most of it honestly doesn't matter. It's petty. I still think it's important to understand why you believe something, but unless it's a fundamental, it really doesn't matter.

I know this post wasn't really about Japan. I just feel like I have had some huge revelations lately, life-changing ones. Being in Japan and still drawing near to God has been a challenge. There is no real church to go to, no accountability. Besides the people that you work with, it really is just between you and God. I have realized that church has always been a sort of crutch for me. Don't get me wrong, I love church and miss it more than I could say. But being stripped away from that has made me step back and see how much of my faith and "relationship" with God was dependent on others. I will be thankful for the day that I have a church family again, but I am also thankful for this time in my life that I don't.

It's almost February!

Well, all in all our sledding trip was a success. We spent the first half hour pulling/pushing/dragging kids down the hill because the snow wasn't packed down yet. I pretty much drug myself and a sled full of three girls down the hill with my hands and heels. It was a workout! After it packed down though, we really got going. The only near tragedy was when we accidentally kind of sort of almost ran over one of my girls. Sarah and I got a huge group of our kids together on this massive sled. We were going pretty good, and then we stopped. There were kids in front of me, so I couldn't really see the ground all that well. Apparently Marilyn, who was in the front, somehow managed to fall off and we kind of went over her leg. Thank goodness the snow wasn't packed down very well! She was fine. We re-situated and made our way down the rest of the hill. It could have been bad, but..it was all good! I had a blast sledding with my kids.

This past weekend I headed to the cabin by the ocean. One of my friends birthdays is coming up so we went to celebrate it a bit early. It was nice just relaxing, playing games, reading, and spending time with people.

The school year is quickly coming to an end. We switch levels next week and then we only have one more level after that. Crazy. We are on our 8th level of the year out of 10 right now. I can't believe how fast time has gone. It seems like Japan time goes by so much quicker! Sarah and I are headed to Thailand at the end of March. I should be coming home in June for a wedding. I will have a vacation (not sure where yet) in August. Then it's just a few months until Christmas. So many big trips in the next 12 months. At least 4 out of the country, and hopefully a few around Japan on weekends as well. Should be a busy year!

She's back!

Umm..whoops. Sorry I neglected this for so long! I don't even know where to start or what to say. We made it through the Christmas season here at school. It was a hectic one to say the least. This kids did an amazing job singing their Christmas songs and doing their Christmas dance. I was so proud!
I also went home for Christmas. It was so nice to be home. It had been almost 11 months since I had been there. I got to see a lot of people, but definitely did not have enough time. It went by so fast. I didn't get to see quite everyone that I wished I had. But, spending time with my family was amazing. It was the first time that my dad's side of the family had all been together in years.
I had such a blast with my nephew. I can't believe how big he is or how much he talks! It's like he is finally a real person. Not just a baby anymore..he has his own thoughts and stubborn ways. I don't think I could love someone more than I love that little man. It kills me to be away from him now. He is only going to keep getting bigger and I will just keep missing it all. Thank God for web cam. It's nowhere near as good as actually being there, but it does help.

I also got to spend some time with my friends. Wow, I can't even tell you how much I have missed having friends around like that. I mean, I have friends here. But, it's different than hanging out with friends who you've known for 10 years, or 22 years, or even 25! There is a different level of friendship there, for sure. Most of my friends here are work friends..so the most we have in common is usually work related. Going home this Christmas just made me appreciate and cherish the friendships that I have back in the States. One goal for the year is keeping in better contact with some of them, for sure.

I have been back at work for about 2 weeks now. This week has been so busy. Tuesday we took our kids on a field trip to the Traffic Park. It was such a cool place. The place was set up like streets. Different lanes, traffic lights, stop signs, railroad tracks, crosswalks. The kids got to ride bikes and such around the place. They loved it! Our current level is about transportation and community helpers, so it fit right in!
Field trips are always a bit stressful for me though. I usually don't really know exactly what is going on because I've never been there before. This trip was no different. As part of our "fun-filled" day, we rode the bus to the subway. We then got off of the bus and headed into the subway. Halfway down the long hallway one of my kids starts yelling, "No partner, Ms. Kim!" She had lost her partner. I had a small moment of panic seeing as I only had 15 kids instead of 16. Apparently one had an issue with his shoe and our Japanese teacher stopped to help him. Phew, safe. The kids then got to put their tickets in the ticket booth and we headed onto the subway. Japanese subways are most often silent. People rarely ever talk while riding it. So, trying to keep 16 kids quiet every time we took off and they all almost fell over was a bit of a challenge. :)
After we got downtown, we got all of the kids off of the subway and waited our turn to put our tickets back through the machine. The other two classes were in front of mine and didn't really wait for us to finish. We had to walk through a really long hallway and my class was walking incredibly slow for some reason. I was watching the classes in front of mine, but also turning to watch my class. At one point when I was turning to check on my class, the classes in front of us disappeared. I had no idea which way they went. Straight, left, or right? I had no clue. I guessed straight and checked it out, but no sign of them! So, there I was..16 kids, two mothers who don't speak English, and no clue where I was supposed to be. Luckily, I had my cell phone so I quickly called my boss and she sent someone to find us! Haha.

The rest of the day went pretty smoothly. I didn't lose any kids, nobody got seriously injured, and we made it back to school safely.

Tomorrow, I am hoping for an even smoother day. We are taking all of our kids sledding up on the mountain. I am excited but a little bit nervous! It should be such a blast getting to hang out with my kids like that all day!

In travel news- Sarah and I are headed to Thailand the end of March. I can't wait!

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!

Well, today was an exciting day in the wonderful Dolphins classroom. We were getting ready to practice our Christmas dance before 1st bus left. The kids were slowly coming in from outside and going to the bathroom first. We were waiting on a couple of kids, so the rest of them were just dancing, jumping, goofing off. I turned around and hear, "Uh oh Ms. Kim" and turn to see one of my boys on the floor holding his mouth. Another of my boys says, "Broken! Broken!" I look and Wes (the boy on the floor) has blood running down his hands and his mouth is full of it as well. So, I calmly (on the outside) walk him to the office. I saw that there was a huge gap in his mouth but I wasn't sure what teeth he had in the first place. My kids are losing teeth like crazy these days- they're just at that age.

He had been dancing and jumping and fell mouth first into the table.

I left him with another teacher and went back to settle my kids down and to check for teeth. My kids are all standing at my door saying, "There's two teeth!" So, I picked up two teeth that were scattered on the floor. Poor kid lost his two front teeth! A third was also knocked loose. Luckily, they were baby teeth!

I told my boss I wish we were singing the song All I want for Christmas for our party- I'd have Wes sing a solo, hehe. :)

That's the third kid that's had to go to the hospital this year. Two of my kids fell and busted their chins open and had to get stitches (one in the summer and one maybe two months ago), and now two teeth. Hopefully this will be the end of injuries for the Dolphins this year!

On another note, it's hard to not be home for Thanksgiving. We had a Thanksgiving meal here last night. There was some amazing food! It helped ease the homesickness that comes with missing a holiday though, that's for sure. I will be home in 29 days- that is less than a month! I can't wait!

Darn pigs..

So, it's been around two months since I last posted. Whoops. I've just been busy. And then when I think about it, it's a bit overwhelming to think about all of the things that I should be writing about. But, I just decided it's time to just pick up where I am, and not worry about the last two months so far.

A quick re-cap off the top of my head..
My mom came to visit and it was so nice having her here. We spent a few days at the ocean in a cabin, a few days in Tokyo, and some time here in town. I know that it was an incredibly hard trip for her to make, but I am so glad that she did. She got to see my life, where I live, where I teach. I am so glad that she got to see what my life is like, even if just for a short time.
I really miss my family. I have just a little over a month until I am home and I can't even tell you how much I can't wait for that. To think of all that I have missed.. well, I just can't really think about it.
I missed Tanner's 2nd birthday, and that was really hard. I know that I have missed out on so many milestones in his life.. Thank God for web cam, that's all I can say. Although it isn't enough, at least it is something.

We had Kids and Parents Day in October. This one went much better than the last. I feel like I involved the parents a bit more, and felt more comfortable than last time. We did stations and then a 30ish minute English circle. It's always intimidating having close to 40 parents and family members watching your ever move, but..it was definitely easier than last time!

Another thing that happened in October, is that I made my decision to stay here for another year. I can't believe it. I honestly had been so back and forth leading up to that decision. I feel like I made the right one though, and I don't really have any feelings of regret. I feel excited for next year. I will be the only current K-5 teacher staying. So, it will be a whole other ballgame. This year I feel like I was being spoon-fed information (well, sometimes...ha) and next year I will be the only one experienced in K-5. Intimidating, but..I know that it will be such a growing experience for me. I'm excited yet scared about it at the same time.

Swine flu, Influenza A, H1N1..whatever you want to call it, has hit my school pretty hard. They have canceled classes. My class was canceled this past Friday and Monday because of it. I still have 4 kids out with it. 10 of my 16 kids have or had it. Our assistant had it. Sarah has it. It is all around me. I am praying with everything in me that I do not get it. The odds are currently against me though. I broke down and bought a mask (everyone wears them here, but I've kinda laughed at and sworn against them). But, I bought a mask. Only to wear in Sarah's apartment though! She spends all day alone, so I kind of want to try to keep her company to some extent at night, and being cooped up in that small room with no ventilation and her hacking up a lung is just probably not the smarted thing for me. So, I look like a goober and wear a mask. Yes..I said goober..but I just don't even know what else to say I look like!

I bought a cell phone. It feel so weird having one again. Although, I hardly ever use it. I forgot what it was like to be so totally tied to a phone. I lived here for 9 months without it..and it was quite the freeing experience. I'm going to try my best to not depend on it like before.
I am also about to get my Japanese drivers licence. That way, I can buy a scooter! I am so excited! I have an International Drivers licence, but that's not good enough to buy one I guess. I'm a little nervous about the test, but..eventually I will pass, ha!

Sarah and I are trying to plan our trips for next year. One in March, maybe one in May, and a big one in August. The sky is the limit..which is making it difficult to choose where to go. That is one huge plus to staying another year. I will get to travel so much, and I can't wait!

Baseball in Japan

I feel like I say this every time that I blog, but I can't believe how much time has gone by. I can't believe it is the middle of September. There have been so many times that something happened that I though, "oh, I need to blog about that" but never really had the time.

The past few weeks were crazy busy getting ready for field day. To get ready for field day was pretty stressful at times. We had to teach our kids a pom-pom dance. It was so cute, we danced to The Circle of Life from the Lion King. But, teaching it wasn't the easiest thing in the world. We also had to teach our kids how to do the maypole dance. This one was even harder to do. The kids pretty much have to weave over and under each other with two different colored ribbons to make the maypole look good. Kind of a hard concept for some 5 year olds, I would think. Also, the kids had to march and stay in straight lines which is quite hard to get them to do sometimes! Anyway, all of the stress and practice really paid off because the actual field day was great! It was so much fun. The kids did an awesome job, the parents and grandparents seemed to really enjoy the day as well. We had games for the moms, dads, grandparents, siblings, and then did all of our dances and such. We also had a relay race that the kids had practiced. My class came in 2nd (out of 3 classes, ha). But, I honestly was so proud of them for how well they did that day!

A few weekends ago I went to the Rakuten Eagles baseball game. It was an incredible experience. I thought St. Louis fans were the best fans. And, maybe that is true for America..but, wow..Japanese baseball games are so different! The crowd cheers the entire time. I mean the ENTIRE time. They are organized cheers and the whole stadium takes part in them. There is kind of an official cheering section, and the people in that section tend to start the cheers, but the whole stadium quickly joins in. It's just people too, not something started by music over the speakers. They also all have these two plastic bats that are tied together with a string that they beat together to go along with their cheers which makes it sound so cool! Honestly, even if you weren't a baseball fan, I think you would enjoy these games.

Another thing about the baseball game that made me laugh a little bit, is that they have girls going around selling snacks, drinks, and beer. However, the beer is not from a can. These girls pretty much have a small keg strapped to their backs and they serve beer on tap right then and there in the stands. They also all wear knee pads and quickly kneel down to serve you whatever it is you may be buying so as not to block the view of others. Only in Japan.

We also went to Disny on Ice. It was interesting since it was all in Japanese. They did say some things occasionally in English so we could get the main idea of what was going on. Some of the songs they sang parts in English as well. I honestly only stayed interested for maybe the first hour at most, but after that, it was hard to really not be bored. I am glad that I went, but I think I'd like it better in English!!

I feel like there were so many other things that I have been wanting to blog about, but..it escapes my memory at the moment. Surprise, surprise. We are taking our classes to the ocean on Thursday. I'm pretty excited, it should be a lot of fun! A friend of ours from college, Chris, is coming to visit on Saturday. I am so excited to see him. My mom will also be here in a few weeks and I really can't wait. I have been pretty homesick since I was in Australia. A lot has happened back at home to contribute to me feeling that way.

I have about a month and a half to decide if I want to sign on for another year. I honestly can say I have absolutely no idea what I will do. There are some major points pulling me in both directions and I am not looking forward to having to really make the decision. I am just going to really try to pray about it, weigh my options, and choose what I think is the best choice for me. At this time, I have no clue what that is. There is a song that has really kind of hit home with me lately called "The Motions" by Matthew West. It talks about not just going through the motions of life, but actually living it. I feel like the majority of my life has been me going through the motions rather than really feeling or experiencing the things around me. It's hard to break that pattern, but I am really trying. There's a lot more I could say about that, but I feel like this post has gotten a bit long, so..maybe another day.

If anyone actually still reads this, some prayers for wisdom and guidance would be greatly appreciated in the next month and a half leading up to decison making time. In the meantime, I will be doing my best to enjoy my kids and love on them as much as possible. Sometimes, I forget why I am here and need to remind myself once again. I absolutely love the 16 kids that I have been blessed with for the past 6 months.

Australia!

Well, Australia was amazing. It exceeded my expectations as far as vacations go for sure! Here's a rough overview of what we did:

Saturday- Shopped at Target (yay!) walked around the town, went down to the Esplanade
Sunday- Went to the beach, shopped a bit, ate Mexican food (yummy!)
Monday-Went sea kayaking (saw a sea turtle, stingrays, random fish, barracudas, among others) Snorkeled a bit, licked a citrus ants butt (it tasted like lime!), fell asleep on the beach. Went to the theater and saw My Sisters Keeper and bawled through the whole movie pretty much, haha. :)
Tuesday- Shopped
Wednesday- Were supposed to go horseback riding/ATV riding through the bush but they forgot to pick us up. So, spur of the moment we decided to go bungee jumping. Jumped twice!! Pretty much the most amazing thing ever! Ate Mexican, again. :)
Thursday- Horseback riding and rode ATVs. Shopped in the Kuranda
Friday- Rented a car (we named her Tawanda!) she was a manual- it was interesting to say the least! Drove up the coast to a different(nicer) beach. Drove up the coast even further to Cape Tribulation and stayed in a hostel there. Saw the most amazing starry night imaginable. It was incredible. If you ever want to see an awesome display of stars, the middle of the rain forest is the place to do it!
Saturday- drove to a private beach - it was beautiful! We were the only people on the beach, which was both peaceful and a bit scary! (There were crocodile warning signs posted all over!) We went on a night walk through the rainforest- saw some really cool trees, a dragon, and some other stuff. Then we went out for the night to the "happening" spot in Cape Trib.
Sunday- Went to the ice cream factory- disappointing! It was not what you would envison an ice cream factory being by any means! We stopped at the WWII bomb site to get our cultural/historical experience in for the trip. Then we hung out on the beach for a while, then drove back down to Cairns.
Monday- Shopped around town
Tuesday- Went snorkeling and scuba diving. We saw a shark, sea turtle, Nemo, and a lot of other really cool looking fish! I went scuba diving and snorkeling twice each- it was amazing!!
Wednesday- Went to the beach and it started to rain. Went to the theater and watched another movie- The Ugly Truth.
Thursday- We rented scooters. It was so much fun! They were both bright yellow. I have decided, should I decide to stay in Japan another year, I am going to buy a scooter! In America, it might be a bit dorky..but here in Japan it's pretty much the norm. We drove our scooters up to the Crystal Cascades. That night we hung out at our hostel and played Trivia with everyone. Our team actually did pretty good!
Friday- We took a train up to the Kuranda. Held a koala, rode on an Army Duck, saw an Aboriginal show, threw a boomerang, watched a guy play the didgeridoo and throw spears, saw kangaroos, koalas, crocodiles, cassowaries, dingos and a couple other cool animals. Then we took the skyrail back down- an awesome view!
Saturday- Went to the beach. A festival was beginning in Cairns, so we went to the parade and watched fireworks at night. We also had a mini didgeridoo lesson and got to play them! It's harder than it looks for sure!
Sunday- went to a Baptist church. It was the most awkward church service I have ever been in. There was a guest speaker, and when he went to take an offering at the end, one of the ladies in the back of the church started asking questions and arguing with him! I mean, arguing! Talk about hurting the guys offering! After church we went to the beach to get our last little bit of sun in. We got some Pizza Hut for dinner and packed up all of our stuff.
Monday- Left the hostel, got on a plane, flew to Tokyo, got on a bus, drove through the night, got on the subway, got in a taxi, finally arrived home! Had to work just a couple of hours later.

It was an amazing trip!! That was a very long summary, but..I didn't know how to shorten it. I mean, it is two weeks worth of activities! It was a much needed vacation, but it has been very hard getting back into the swing of things here in Japan. I miss America. I miss English. I miss having a social life outside of work! But, I know that I am here for a reason, and there are 16 beautiful children to remind me of that! These next two weeks are going to be crazy. My kids have to learn two dances for Field Day- dancing is not my expertise! Neither is teaching it, I am sure. But, the kids love it..and I know they will eventually get it. I am looking forward to my friend from college coming in September, and even more so to my mom coming in October! Can't believe it has almost been 7 months since I got here. Time is flying! I miss everyone back home though, that's for sure!!

Vacation!

I am leaving in about 5 hours to start the journey to Australia! I can't believe it is actually here. It still doesn't even seem real. We will take a bus to Tokyo (about 5-6 hours), find our way to the subway, head to the airport, get on a plane (about 8 hours) and we will be in Cairns! I am so excited and need a vacation so much right now.

Summer camp and summer school both went pretty well. It was a little overwhelming since I was the only new teacher that didn't really know what was going on. Camp was a blast. I didn't realize how much I actually missed my kids until I saw them all again. I had really missed them! At camp we made three crafts- bottle art, fans, and t-shirts. It was so cute, the kids loved it. Then we made these hats that looked like a campfire. We stuck sticks in the middle of the "flames" and put marshmallows on the ends of the sticks. So the hats looked like we were roasting marshmallows, cute. We wore these hats at night for our real campfire when we sang songs.

We had water play which was so much fun. The kids (okay, I did a little too) got to use finger paint to paint their bodies. I may have started a few "paint your friends" fights. :) For snacks afer water play we made ice cream sundaes. Yummy! Then we had challenges for all of the kids to do (ring toss, walk on stilts, those kinds of games) all over the campus. The kids were in groups and were given maps to follow. It was so cute to see them all stop and look at the map together to figure out where to go next. At the end of the challenges we went on a treasure hunt. The kids had previously made treasure boxes, so we used those to fill up with candy and toys and put them all inside of a big treasure box that we hid.

At night we had the campfire and s'mores, and then we went across the street to watch fireworks. This school goes all out on fireworks for camps. They were awesome! After that the teachers did a skit (Bear Hunt) and then we put all the kids to bed in tents inside of the gym. My kids loved playing in the tents, they thought it was so cool. I ended up sleeping with my girls. I started out in one spot but one of my girls kept rolling over and kicking me, so..I moved. Haha. She thought it was hilarious the next day when I told her that. I definitely didn't sleep very well though. Every little sound was keeping me awake. Some of these kids, this was the first time they had spent the night away from their parents so I was a little worried. They all did so great though. Two of my girls were up at 5:30 so I had to convince them to lay quietly until we were supposed to wake the kids (6:45).

That next morning we had breakfast, watched a video, then played some games in the gym. All in all I think it was a very successful camp and the kids really had fun. So did I, really. I was exhausted at the end, but it really was worth it.

Summer school went well. Just longer days and some special things everyday. It was hard saying goodbye to my kids this time. It will be 21 days until I see them all again. But, at least this time I will be thinking about them while laying on a beach. :)

All of the craziness lately has thrown my back out of whack. I've gone to the chiropractor off and on since I've been in Japan, but lately it was just been really bad. I ended up going two times this week and really should have gone again. I actually went by myself this week, without a translator. My chiropractor actually knew English, who knew! I mean, not a ton, but enough to tell me what to do and to ask me simple questions. I've decided the difference between chiropractors in America and ones here. In America (as is everything else) it's all about speed. You are in, cracked, rubbed a little maybe, and then you are done. It is all so fast and so forceful. Here, however, they are all about slowly moving things back into place. At first, I thought it was weird and unnecessary. I am there for at least a half hour sometimes more, and the entire time he is working on me. I think I am starting to prefer the chiropractor here..less shock to my body, I think.

Anyway, this was a very choppy blog. It is 2:35am and I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. So, I thought I would get stuff about summer camp down before I go to Australia and forget everything around me. I can not wait to relax on the beach. This will probably be the last post until I am back from Cairns and back in the swing of things. Thank the Lord for vacations!!

Busy, busy, busy

I don't even know where to start to catch you up since the last time I blogged. I can't even remember everything to be honest. I know one weekend I went and saw the new Harry Potter movie. Except when they say it in Japanese it sounds like "Harry Potato" haha.

Let's see, I had parent interviews (basically parent-teacher conferences) a few weeks ago. Overall they went pretty well. I was nervous about a couple. I don't like telling parents the bad things about their kids. Sometimes I still feel like, "who am I to tell them about their kids." But, then I have to remember that I am their teacher, that's who I am. I may not know as much as I'd like to know, but I do spend the time with them and I do see what's going on. Two moms inparticular were really hard for me. I mean, they are really nice moms, it was just hard to say the things that I needed to say. One because of behavior issues both at school and at home, and the other because her kid is pretty far behind where he should be. But, on the flip side, I loved telling parents how great their kids are doing. I loved telling those same two moms all of the amazing things about their kids. The kids in my class are so awesome!

Last week was a work week, no kids. It was filled with meetings and making up a pom pom and parachute dance. If I ever wanted to be a cheerleader (I didn't) I am definitely getting my fill of it now. K-4 does a parachute dance while K-5 uses pom poms and dances around them. We are doing it to The Circle of Life from the Lion King. It's going to be really stinking cute when the kids do it. We do this for Field Day which is sometime in September. The parents and families come and we do our dance, and some other outdoor activities which I have yet to learn.

This weekend starts our camp and summer school. K-5 has camp Friday and Saturday. The kids come at 9am Friday and we do three different crafts, 7 different fun activities around the campus, and then have water play. Then we have a campfire and stuff at night and the kids all sleep over in tents that are set up in the gym. Then we get up bright and early, eat breakfast, play some more games, and send the kids home right before lunch. That will be a long two days for sure! But, it will be so much fun. Then we have Sunday off and come back and have summer school Monday through Wednesday. Summer school is kinda just a longer more fun version of regular school. The kids are there a few hours longer and we do special snacks and stuff everyday. Then, one work day to get things ready for the next level and then I am off to Australia! I can't believe it, it hasn't sunk in at all yet!

This past weekend was an amazing weekend. I actually felt like a real person for the first time in a long time to be honest. It seems like my entire life is my job. I live at my job, hang out with people from my job- it's like a bubble really. Well, Friday night Sarah and I went out to dinner and then borrowed DDR (Dance, Dance Revolution) from a friend and played that for quite a while. Then Saturday night we met up with Aki (one of the girls we work with) and one of her friends. We went with them to a park and watched this incredible band play. Aki was friends with some of the people in the band. I had so much fun. We met a bunch of people and even though they didn't speak much English it was so nice to be out and be social. The band was kind of a jazz-type band. Kind of a little bit like ska music, really. But, they played some songs that I actually knew, and they really were just quite good. The concert was outside, and it was pouring down rain before the band went on. We were soaked, and it rained off and on througout their set, but nobody really seemed to mind. I haven't had that much fun in a while.

On Sunday, I went to the beach. One of my little girls, Mary, does hula dancing and she had a show on the beach. She was so cute in her little outfit and she did such a great job! After her dance we just hung out with her family. They are the cutest family ever. She has a younger brother and a baby sister. Her mom is young and hip and so sweet. Her grandmother was so nice and kept offering us food and drinks and places to sit. We went out and played in the ocean with the kids and sat and talked to the family as much as we could. Luckily, Aki was with us so we could talk a little bit more since they don't know much English. I loved hanging out with that family though.

10 days until Australia. It will be much needed after the next 10 days! I can't wait.

I know this wasn't the most interesting blog ever, and it was pretty jumbled, but I just wanted to get down some of what's been going on with me. Partly for you, if anyone even reads this anymore, and partly for me. I want to remember this stuff, and if I don't write it down I am going to forget so much. So, I really am going to try to be better at being a bit more consistent in my blogging habits. Until next time..

Thankful for the weekend

I am so thankful for weekends. Without them, I would go crazy! Ha. It's like the week is just long enough to put you on the edge of crazy and then the weekend just swoops in and brings you back a few feet. Today was mix and match day for us. It was also special snack day, which was kind of disastrous. The original plan was for each kid to make a word using cookie cutters out of sugar cookie dough. But, the dough was way too sticky and the letters were too small that it was not working. We quickly switched gears (thanks to my co-teacher Anne) and decided to use a round cookie cutter and then have the kids write words with toothpicks on the top. Not as exciting, but I think the kids still enjoyed it.
Mix and match day was so cute. I wore two different shoes, two different socks, one pant leg rolled up, a skirt over my jeans, a polo shirt, a polka dot shirt over that, and then a Cards jersey unbuttoned over that. My hair was in a high pig tail and a low one. I was looking pretty amazing if I do say so myself. :) Some of my kids went all out as well. It's awesome how much parents get into this stuff. My kids always look so great for all of our special days.

Speaking of parents, sometimes they are a bit too involved. We have had more drama and issues because of the parents than the kids. They get into the kids problems, they don't let things go, and they gossip. So bad. There are nights I leave work at 5:30, sometimes even 6 and I still have moms standing outside talking. The kids go home at 2:15! It really makes an impact on the kids, they start treating certain kids differently. Yesterday we got both of the classes together and my boss came in and talked to them all in Japanese about how they should treat each other, and about forgiveness and what it really means. I hope it sunk in with them, because things have gone a little too far.

We only have two more weeks of class. Then almost two weeks of work days, then summer camp and summer school and then we are finished with the first trimester! Crazy. Australia is only a little over a month away! I was just talking to Sarah tonight about all of the tickets I have bought since I have been here. Airplane ticket to South Korea, bus tickets to Tokyo, airline ticket to Australia, airline ticket home for Christmas. That's a lot of tickets for only being here 5 months. I'm thankful that I am able to though, that's for sure!

When you're a celebrity...

I am so thankful for this weekend. I went to the cabin on the ocean and it was wonderful! Sarah and I drove down Friday night after work. We cooked dinner and ate out on the deck under the stars overlooking the ocean. It was so nice! The next day we cooked breakfast and then went and hung out on the beach all day. The water was a little cold, but not so cold we couldn't get in. It was so nice out! We definitely got some sun!

The beach in Japan is a completely different experience than a beach in America. First of all, everyone is wearing clothes. Longer pants, at least a short sleeved shirt, hats, and lots of umbrellas. I'm pretty sure Sarah and I had on the most revealing outfits and our suits are pretty non-revealing compared to most back home! Guys were pretty much the same I guess, some of them anyway. They just wore shorts or swimming trunks. Oh, there were naked little kids running around too. I just mean, the girls/women dressed very modestly at the beach. They believe the whiter you are, the more beautiful, so they avoid the sun getting to their skin. Weird, American girls think exactly opposite that usually!

Sarah and I got videotaped walking down the beach. We were probably on the news or something. I saw the dudes with the camera and made a joke about them taping the American girls, and sure enough the next thing we know they whip the camera up and point it right at us as we walked down the beach. We just laughed. The way people are to us here is a little ridiculous. People act like they've never seen a non-Asian before. They stare at us and talk about us all of the time. It's a little weird. I guess it's a small glimpse into the life of a celebrity! Haha!

Speaking of celebrities, can I just say how sad I think this whole thing is with John and Kate Plus 8. I mean, I'm not some crazy obsessed person, but it truly breaks my heart. They are real people, real kids, and that was a real family. They truly seem like good people that got lost in the wrong things and they forgot about the important things. Watching the episodes truly makes me want to cry. My heart breaks for those kids more than anything.

On another note, I miss going to church. I miss church so much. I never realized how much I took it for granted. I haven't been to church in almost 5 months. There aren't any English speaking churches anywhere around. We do have a little gathering/fellowship thing on Sunday nights with the American staff from school. They play songs, give testimonies, have a little message and such. It's not the same though. Nowhere near the same. It's a totally different experience not having God (or at least the word and an opportunity to worship) spoon-fed to you at least once a week. You don't realize how lucky you are to have that opportunity until, well, you don't. At the same time, it's definitely a way to develop your relationship with him in a completely different way.

I miss my family, I miss my friends, and I miss church. Those are the things I miss the most these days.

Teacher or mother?

I am so bad at keeping up with a blog. I'm trying though. Lets see..two weekends ago was Kids and Parents Day. This was an extremely stressful time. I worked way way way too many hours getting ready for this day and then was exhausted when it finally came. I think everything went pretty well though, but I am very glad it's over. This was an extremely intimidating day. Not only are you judged on your teaching you are also judged on your room- it had to be perfect. Japanese people are all about presentation, so..I tried my best to make everything look perfect. The day started out with greeting the kids and their parents. Then the kids went and did pony rides. After that, everyone came inside and I taught a 40 minute circle. Doesn't sound so bad, but.. I had close to 40 people in my room just watching me. Overall the teaching part went well. I had one little boy who was kinda making noises and stuff, and then a lot of my dry erase markers stopped working when the kids were writing their words. But, if that's the worst that happened, I was happy.
After that we went down to the play hall and played relay games. The kids loved this and it was fun to watch! The kids did relays with their moms and then their dads. Then we did the Hokey Pokey. Then we went outside and had a bbq. It rained a little, but over all was a pretty nice day.

We had the day off on Monday the 15th. Sarah and I went to the waterfalls. We packed a lunch and ate down by the water. Since it was semi-hot, we decided to be daring and try to get in the water. It was so so so cold. I mean, it hurt my feet to stand in it for even just a couple of seconds. We got in it a little bit, but it was just entirely too cold. We had fun though. It was a nice relaxing day, and nice to get away.

This past weekend, I went and saw the new Transformers movie. It actually came out in Japan before America. We usually get movies a couple months after America, but for some reason this one was early. Saturday I got another massage. It was pretty good. The girl I had this time had some crazy strong hands. She was itty bitty too! I have bruises on my back from her working out my knots! Saturday night there was a potluck dinner where everyone just kind of came to hang out.

I can not believe it is the last full week of June. We started level 13 today in my class. We started at 11 and go to 20. In less than a month the first trimester will be over. Crazy! We have parent interviews (like parent-teacher conferences) in a couple of weeks, then summer school, then..Australia!!! Let me tell you, as much as I am looking forward to Australia, I am not looking forward to parent interviews. Those alone honestly make me not want to be a teacher. Ugh..I hate talking to parents about how their kids are in the classroom, it intimidates me!

Today was an interesting day. I felt way more like a mommy than a teacher. I had six kids cry today. Two kids needed a change of clothes. Sorted out at least four arguments/problems through some broken English and tears. Cleaned cuts and put on several band-aids. All that on top of the normal everyday mom-type stuff that I have to do. I love my kids, but today was a bit draining!!

This weekend I am going to the cabin on the ocean. I am so excited. It will be so nice to get away and just relax with a few people by the water. I am hoping it is hot and sunny!! It has been raining so much, I just want a little bit of summer this weekend.

Bible Talk

I am exhausted. I have already worked 43 hours this week and still have three more days to go. I haven't been sleeping the greatest, I am missing people in the States, and I'm stressed. I have no idea what the next step in my life is going to be, and I do my best to not think about it much.

But today, despite all of those complaints, I was reminded of why I am here. We took the kids up top for Bible Talk with the other kindergarten classes. They are Japanese kindergartens, so Bible Talk is all in Japanese. I had no idea what was being said other than from looking at the pictures. I know it was about Jesus, and his death and resurrection though.

In my classroom, I have a children's Bible that I read out of every so often. Today I took about five minutes and asked them questions about what was said at Bible Talk. I found the story in our Bible and read it to them in English. It was so amazing telling them about Jesus and how he loves them. They knew that Jesus came for all of us because we are bad (that's how they said it). So, I talked about how everyone does "bad things", even me, but that's why Jesus came. He loved us so much that he came to take our punishment. We talked about how we should love Jesus more than anyone, even our moms and dads. We talked about Heaven and how there are castles ( "Like sandcastles, Ms. Kim?" ) and streets made out of gold, and no more crying. They got excited about that!

I know it's only kindergarten, but those kids listened. I truly believe they understood it-as much as five and six year olds can anyway. It was so awesome to be able to talk to them about Jesus though. They loved talking about it, and I loved talking with them about it. Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in the "school" part of the day that I can forget the real reason that I am working with these kids. Yes, I want them to learn English, but more than anything I want them to know the love of Jesus.

Time flies

I can't believe how fast time goes by these days. Things have been so busy lately. This weekend is Kids and Parents Day. I have been trying to get my room and my kids ready for this day. Ours is on Saturday, and the other campus' is on Sunday. We have to work both. For Kids and Parents day, we have parents, grandparents, siblings, and whoever else feels like coming at our school. They watch us teach a 40 minute block in the classroom. Talk about intimidating! They just stand there and watch us. Ugh, I'm not really looking forward to it. Although, I am starting to get a little more used to being watched. We constantly have people in our rooms watching us teach. We've had teachers from Korea here a few times, and then just random people every so often. They are selling the curriculum the school created, so they allow people to come in and see it being used. Sometimes I've had 15 people or so in my room at a time. I think it will be a little different with it being the kids parents, but I am just going to try to pretend like they are Koreans. :) South Koreans that is!!!

This past weekend was finally a relaxing weekend. The weekend before I had to work at 7am on Sunday. I sold cookies all day. Although on the upside- I had a real American style hot dog! All of the hot dogs here seem more like the consistency of brats, and I really was just wanting a real hot dog. Well, as real as a hot dog can be anyway. This weekend I went to a movie Friday night with a couple of girls. Saturday night Sarah and I hung out around the apartment. Sunday afternoon we decided to venture out downtown. We got some food and read at Starbucks. Nothing exciting, but just nice to be away. I never really thought living so close to school would bother me. It's great in the mornings, being about 30 seconds away from work. But, other than that I just always feel like I am at work. I can always hear the music over the loud speakers, or people talking, or kids outside. The kids know where I live. Ha, when we walk close to our apartments, one little boy always asks me "Ms. Kim's house?" and I seriously just ignore him. That sounds so mean..but, sometimes you just need your space you know?

We had an earthquake drill today. I'm glad we did, because I would have no idea what to do with my kids if we had a real earthquake during school. I'm not sure how together I would be able to keep it if we have a big earthquake one day. I mean, I've felt a couple that I barely even realized were earthquakes. But, if we have a big one..not sure how I'm going to feel about that!

Time in Japan so far: 4 months, 1 day
Australia: 1 month, 27 days
Mom comes to Japan: 3 months, 27 days
Home for Christmas: 6 months, 13 days