Friday, September 17, 2004

Happy Birthday to Me...

Well I made it through my first week of teaching without any major incidents. What a good feeling. Today I got to meet a student named Hiroshi, who Denver and all of the other ALTs had told me to keep my eye out for. All I knew about him was that he was described as a Japanese Harry Potter. :) He is too adorable. He found me between almost every class just to chat. It is so nice to be able to have a conversation with a student beyond "Hi! Hello! How are you! Fine thank you! :::giggle giggle:::". I love all the students, but I know it'll be nice to have this kid there to actually talk to me.
Today I got to go to my first Japanese pep rally! The second graders (equivalent to our 7th grade) are going to a big track meet next week, so all the other kids hosted a pep rally for them this afternoon. One of the cool English teachers, Yatabe-sensei, organized a skit to have her class re-create the "Mickey" video of the 80s-- you know the one with the cheerleaders. They performed a whole dance in cheerleader outfits (even the boys in skirts) to the song! It was hilarious! "Hey Mickey you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind! Hey Mickey! Hey Mickey!" :) It was SO FUN to be on the teacher side of a pep rally and just get to yell and clap for all the students! Reminded me of my good old SHS days. Aah, the memories.
Well I am not going to Tokyo this weekend. Peter called me with the plans last night and they had altered slightly, which I am grateful for. Tomorrow morning a small group is getting up at the butt crack of dawn-- 4am-- and driving to Tokyo to go and see the chaos that is the big fish market and spend the rest of the day going around Tokyo. I'm sure it'll be fun and all, but this week has me worn down enough and I don't think getting up that early and spending all day in a bustling city is what I need. However, Sunday a group is going to Nikko, a tourist city near here with many famous and beautiful shrines. I had been wanting to go there and now I get my chance! I want to see some monkeys there! I'll take pictures and let you know how it went. Like you have to worry about me not updating you about my life.
Now I'm just in my apartment alternating between chilling out and rocking out to Relient K (Sadies Hawkins dance, in my khaki pants, there's nothing better... oh oh oh!) :) I have been trying to clean up my room, which looks like a tornado hit it because of all the clothes strewn about. The problem with line drying your clothes is that yeah they get clean and dry, but they stay so wrinkled so you have to iron pretty much everything, especially work clothes. I have also re-started reading The Return of the King. These books are so amazing to me. I can't believe I put off in reading them for so long.
Tomorrow is my 8th spiritual birthday. 8 whole years. I think I've learned a lot in that time-- of course I would like to think I have. I hope I am at an appropriate point of spiritual development. I think so (maybe I haven't learned humility ;) ). The Lord certainly has gone to great lengths to teach me lessons by giving me challenges and opportunities and relationships meant to grow me. I suppose those serendipities are what prepared me for and landed me in Japan.

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