It's my birthday, and I'll blog what I want to... :)

Yes, yes, I realize it's somewhat vain to write about your own birthday, but I had a great day with great friends and just want to share it with you guys.
My alarm went off at 10am this morning, and approximately 30 seconds later my phone rang. My family called me! :) Even my sister was there to talk to me! It totally started my day off right to know that my dad went to the trouble of figuring out the notoriously tricky phone card to talk to me this morning.
Then I got ready and Alina and I went to Tokai, because Tomoko (my roommate from college) and her family (the Kikuchis) had prepared a big birthday lunch for me! How sweet is that? They took me in like their own family. After a very oiishi (delicious) lunch, I spent a very fun afternoon hanging out with them and playing a rousing game of Simon Says with her 7 year old neice, Ai-chan. And they gave me the big stuffed Hello Kitty you see below! :) I love the Kikuchis so much and am so thankful they always take good care of me!
Then Alina and I came back to Hitachi, where Jessica and Peter and two girls from Tokyo visiting Jessica (Kumo... and I've forgotten the other's name...I am so bad with Japanese names! Gomen'nasai!) came to meet us. We all went to karaoke, which was an absolute blast. I can't help but think that 3 hours of karaoke is all that the body was designed to be able to take in one session. :) After that we had a quick dinner so they could catch the train, then they went home.
Alina and I walked home and made sure to stop by the big snow man and take pictures. Then about five minutes after I got home, the phone rang and the Carpenters called me! How sweet of them!!!
I would like to give a big thank you to everyone who made me feel so special on my birthday. I thought today was going to bring on a bout of homesickness, but instead I was reminded of how blessed I am by the people in my life. I love my friends.

Birthday 2005 Photo Album


Ai-chan, Kitty-chan, Ann-chan, Alina-chan
(see, this is funny because Alina's last name really is Chan)
(I just realized that also to understand the humor in this, you need to know that "-chan" is a diminutive added to children's names and what close female friends often call each other)


Alina, Ann, Airi, Tomoko in front of doll display



Karaoke crew


Sweet girls


Alina, Ann, Peter


Ann with the big yuki-man

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Snowy day!

Today we woke up to a winter wonderland, although in my book spring should be starting. Snow had fallen most of the night and continued to fall (at times quite heavily) all day today. Sure it sounds nice and romantic, but as I stood at my bus stop for 50 minutes this morning in the wet and cold, I was not so amused. I honestly had lost such feeling in my cheeks that I thought I would never regain it again. :) But it was beautiful. The students got to go home early today, and I took the opportunity to take some pictures. Aren't my kids too cute? :)


Kids leaving school






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More to come

I know I owe you guys an update on and better explanation of my Monday post, but I haven't wanted to think about it (nor have I had the time). Actually I have been working on a post that is still being tweaked. I hope to get it up tomorrow. I will tell you that there's a glimmer of hope for my staying at Namekawa-- my awesome English teachers aren't going to give me up without a fight!!!-- so please pray that I can stay with my beloved kiddos!
Since I'm not entertaining you, let me direct you to my blogger buddy Praying Mantis. His posts on Monday (February 28) were so encouraging and edifying to me. Blogging can be a spiritual discipline! (see PM entry for 2/23/05)
I would also like to give props to Derek Webb's album, She Must and Shall Go Free, for blessing me this week. Have a happy Thursday for those of you just starting the day.

Happy 6 Month Anniversary to Me

6 months. That's half a year. A quarter of my 2 year contract. Wow. In some ways it's flown by, in others it crawled. I've learned so much-- language, culture, new people, about teaching and the work world-- and I've also realized that I still have so much yet to learn. That's the hard thing about growing. The more you grow the more you realize you have so much yet to grow.

On that note, today has been perhaps my worst day in Japan. This morning I was officially informed that I would be moved out of Namekawa chu gakko to another school. Perhaps I will blog more about this later, but right now I'm just too upset about it. So I would appreciate your prayers for peace and strength on this issue, because I'm taking it very hard.

Rotary-- Worldwide!

My dad will like this story. There's a good chance no one else will, but this is a good example of interesting things that happen in Japan.

So tonight as I was riding the train back from Mito, we stopped at the first stop, Katsuta, and suddenly the conductor came through and was shoo-ing everyone off of the train. Needless to say I was confused, so I gave him the "sideways-head-tilt and furrowed brow" look of confusion but silently got off the train (after he told me to twice).
There was only one other person on my car, who turned to me as we disembarked and said, "Did you understand that?" I hung my head and admitted no, and he explained to me that they were removing the front several cars from the train at this stop, so we had to go to another car. I thanked him for helping me and we proceeding to sit next to each other in the next car. He asked what I was doing in Japan (using very good English) and I told him I worked at a junior high in Hitachi, and he told me he was familiar with the ALT program. I asked him how he learned English and he said a long time ago he lived in San Francisco for 8 months, and how he maintains it through work with the Rotary Club. "The Rotary Club!" I exclaimed, "why, my father is a member of the Rotary Club!" This delighted the nice man (Yoshi is his name) and he asked if I was involved in the Rotary Club in Hitachi. I said no, that I didn't know anything about Rotary in Hitachi. Yoshi replied that there is some kind of new family ties membership thing, and that since my father is a member I should also be invited to events. Plus, he added, he was sure they would love to have me give a speech sometime. :)

So now I have a connection to the Ibaraki area Rotary Clubs. This could prove interesting, if anything actually pans out. Can't you see me preaching to a bunch of Japanese businessmen? :) Heehee....

Japanese Lessons

In Japan, lot of community volunteer groups have Japanese lessons very cheaply. Some of my friends go to a town about 15 minutes from here (Tokai) every Saturday morning for them. I went for a couple of weeks, and the teachers and fellow students were great, but as you can guess, I quickly tired of that silly routine of never getting to sleep in, so I dropped out.
So now I take private lessons from a very nice and well reputed Japanese teacher named Honda Sensei (isn't that a great Japanese name?). Yes, I pay a pretty penny for them, but frankly for me it is worth it. Thursday night I had my first class, and it was really pretty fun! Perhaps a better word for it would be intense, in that it was an hour and a half of pure work. My first class was primarily Honda Sensei trying to feel out where I was in my level of understanding and ability to speak. But we still managed to cover about four basic grammar structures and new vocab.
I'm not sure I've really talked about my language acquisition on the blog much (which is odd, since that is what I studied in college and all...) but I am doing okay now. For the first four months (pre-Christmas) I was just overwhelmed and confused and not wanting to study the language at all. But coming back gave me a fresh attitude, which was desperately needed. They say the number one determiner of language learning ability is attitude. And emersion, of course. So now I have both of those things going for me. This should be a piece of cake, right? :)
Gambatteru! I am trying my best!

Modern day prophet

Larry James' Blog

I have read this blog before on the recommendation of Mike Cope, and I will admit to you at first it was too hard for me to read. As someone who proclaims to care about the poor and those oppressed by the system, it was a slap in the face as to how little I really know about the situation or do to help. Well Cope recommended it again today, so I went back for another try. And I have resolved that this is the kind of thing I need to read. And for those Christians in the audience, I urge you to read it, too. I believe this is the kind of voice that the body of Christ needs to have in the world today. I pray you'll be moved by what you read.

My kids are growing up

Today was a wonderful day but had some emotional moments. Today was my last time to teach my elective 3rd grade (9th grade) class before they graduate in two weeks. They are bunch of great kids who I've really come to adore. Of course we've had our moments, but I don't think I could have asked for a better group to break me into teaching. Like I told them today, they're my first class; I'm always going to remember them. I hope I've made some impact on their lives. I know they're going to go on to do great things, and I thank God for bringing them into my life.


My kiddos


Cute Girls


My Boys

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Reason to Love Japan #289- Karaoke

For those of you who haven't experienced the great Japanese tradition of karaoke, let me tell you-- you're missing out. For those of you who don't know, let me describe the Japanese karaoke experience. You and however many of your friends go to a karaoke joint, and rent out a private room by the hour, and sit down with the big book of songs to choose from. People take turns entering their faves, and once your song comes up, it is time to perform. There are usually tambourines and sometimes maracas for those not singing at the moment to participate in the show. At most places I go to, when you're done with a song you are given a kilo-calorie rating to show how much energy you put forth into the effort. If you've seen the movie Lost in Translation then you've seen an accurate representation of karaoke (of course, you don't have to be inebriated to enjoy it).
I karaoked last night with some cool folks from Mito and had an absolute blast. I would like to give public mad props to Peter for bringing the house down with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (I want to hear Elevation next time!) and Jessica's rocked out rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. My personal fave to sing is the Grease MegaMix. For those with karaoke experience, what's your favorite song to belt out? For those of you who haven't karaoked, what song do you fantasize performing? :)

Singapore in the Spring

By the way, I don't believe I have mentioned on the blog that one month from today I will be leaving for the exotic, faraway land of Singapore! That's right folks, over my spring vacation I am going to go visit some good friends who work as missionaries in Singapore- Dave, Deb, and Breda Hogan. The Hogans were the visiting missionaries at OC my junior year, and Dave taught my Asian Civilization class. That was definitely one for the books. :) I still laugh out loud when I think of the day that he flaming piles of cow manure in the classroom. :) Hahahahaha.... I am sure that several of the Bible profs were about to have a heart attack when they saw and smelled the smoke filling the hallowed halls of the BSC. They have more cool stories to tell than you can believe, and to know them is to be blessed by them. I can't wait to hang out with them again; they are amazing people.

So... yep... a month til Singapore! Just thought I'd let y'all in the loop. :)

*Note: The Hogans wrote me and informed me that it is somewhat incorrect to say "Singapore in the Spring," because Singapore has "a perpetual equitorial summer." If you knew how cold it was here today, you could imagine how big my smile was at that.

I heart Namekawa

I don't know if I've really mentioned it on the blog, but I love the school I work at- Namekawa Junior High. I love the teachers and students, and am really starting to feel like I am a part of the life of the school. On that note, I have a prayer request. I heard it through the grapevine that the board of education wants to move me to another school, for reasons too complicated to go into on the blog. I really really really don't want to be moved. It would crush me in so many ways. So please pray that I am not moved away from Namekawa Junior High. I would appreciate it more than you know.
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Mochi makin'

On Sunday afternoon we had an ai sankai (potluck) and made mochi. Mochi is a gooey paste made from smashed rice usually around the new year. Wonder how the rice gets smashed? With some big hammers, that's how! As you can see in the above picture, there is a big wooden bowl type thing that a lot of rice is poured into, and two people take turns whacking the stuffing out of it with the big hammers as shown. I thought it was hard work, but then again I was also put to shame by Kaminaga-san, pictured on the right below. She is 88 years old and is much more genki (healthy, feisty, active) than I'll probably ever be! You should have seen her go at that mochi... look out, folks!



After we made the mochi the women worked their magic in the kitchen (where they belong, right?) and made several dishes out of it for us to eat with the potluck.



I was glad to be able to participate in this Japanese tradition!

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Valentine's Day-- Japanese style

First of all,

~Happy Valentine's Day ~

to my beloved and loyal blog readers!

Since this blog strives at times to be an educational resource for those of you who wonder what life must be like in Japan-land, I am here to tell you. Valentine's day is celebrated, but it is a day just for the guys! That's right ladies, time to bust out the chocolates. Women give the men in their lives chocolates for Valentine's day, ranging from simple little bags of chocolates for friends and children to very nice, expensive chocolates for those with a loooooove connection. Valentine's day is also a good opportunity to burst forth with your true feelings for your unrequited love, by surprising them with a nice box of chocolates rather than a tootsie roll (although I do think I'd rather have the tootsie roll).
At this point some of you ladies might be wondering, "But hey! Isn't that totally unfair?" Why yes, it would be, were there not White day on March 14th. That is the days that men must (in theory) reciprocate the gifts that the women gave them on Valentine's day. My friend Jun claims that men must actually give back twice as much. Similarly, it is also a day for a man to profess true love to his lady of choice. It can also be a harsh day, because if a women gave a man nice chocolates for Valentine's day and the man doesn't return the feelings, he can reciprocate with the simpler, platonic chocolates.
So there you have it, Valentine's Day-- Japanified. I kind of like it better, especially since if you give out Valentines there's a really good shot you'll get something back on White day. Good cookie!

The Christian Ghetto

Reading the Wineskins blog this morning, this was a comment on one of the articles. I thought it was great and makes a fabulous point. Hope you enjoy it.

Fajita said...

I've heard the term "Christian ghetto," a lot lately and I think this is at least in part what you are talking about.

The Christian ghetto, as I understand it, is that network of relationships that all center on the Christian religion. Furthermore, there are few or no meaningful relationships that extend out of that network of relationships. So, even though everyone in the world is not just like you, you think they are(or should be) because the only people you ever associate with are people of your kind.

We need to get out of the ghetto. And, experience tells me that just sitting around hoping things will be different does not make a difference.

Escaping the Christian Ghetto:

1. Survey your relational (not necessarily geographical) neighborhood.
2. Determine whether or not you associate with people of another kind in any significant way.
3. Assess your level of ghetto-ness. (Low scores for most people being just like you, high scores for associating with a wide variety of people).
4. If your "score" is low (many evangelical Christnas will have lower scores), then label that a problem that needs correction.
5. Intentionally seek ways to develop relationships with people not of your religious kind, eceonomic kind, ethnic kind etc.
6. When you come into contact with those people, absolutely refuse to convert them.
7. GASP! Be good news to them. Give them lots and lots of experience of your goodness. Your faith will come through, and you won't come across as peddling religion. Now, if they start asking you a bunch of spiritual questions, answer them or wonder with them. If they give you permission to ask them questions, go ahead.
8. Never let the relationship hinge on their answers, their questions, or their conclusions. Loving someone for the sake of loving them, even if they do not "come to Jesus," is not evangelsitic failure. It is following Jesus.

PS- Fajita has a blog here.

Mata ne...

Today was a hard day. Today we had to say "mata ne" (see you later) to one of our dear friends, Jared. Maybe something I should explain is that the four of us, Alina, Ian, Jared and I (see blog on February 5), are more than just co-workers, we're like family. We live in the same apartment building (that's just the 4 of us), we work together, and we play together. So today we're feeling a major void in the family.
Jared played a big role in my acclimation to Japan. He was the one who met me at the airport and made it is personal project to see me adapt well to my life here. He was my fellow American, and moreover he was my fellow Southerner. He was my buddy who could truly appreciate KFC meals. We hate to see Jared go, but we know he will be back as soon as he can.
So I'm bummed. Goodbyes suck, especially when they involve hemispheres of distance.

Ann, Jared, Alina

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At least our priorities are straight

I find it pretty disturbing that right now if you check CNN, FoxNews, or the BBC's websites, the top news story is the fact that Prince Charles is getting remarried, and the secondary story is that North Korea is openly admitting they have nuclear weapons and are ready to up their supply. Perhaps I am a little over-sensitive since I am in a country sitting frighteningly close to North Korea, but isn't this ridiculous?

Water or Coke?

I'm not typically a person who would give forwards a second look, but I received this today. I had gotten it before and it really struck me then, as it did this time again. Now today I have a testimony!
Since I've been in Japan I just haven't felt so hot-- always tired and sluggish. I thought it was primarily due to stress (which was probably part of it). This morning I read this thing and noted that it said most daytime drowsiness is due to dehydration, so today I drank a big glass of water with breakfast and drank a cup of water between each of my classes, and felt fresh as a daisy all day long! I've never felt so good at school (and this despite my hacking cough!).
So there you have it, folks. I am once again a believer in the power of water, agua, or mizu.

PS-- I actually woke up feeling a lot better today than the two days prior, although I still have a cough that gets worked up at times. Thank you for the prayers and nice comments!

Water

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even mild dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water is the number one trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Coke

1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days.
3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China.
4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminium foil dipped in Coca-Cola
5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminium foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

For Your Info:

1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.
2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate), the commercial truck must use the Hazardous Material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
3. The distributors of coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!

Now, what would you rather put in your body?

Monday, Monday...

I love the Mamas and the Papas. But I digress (already, in my first sentence... how sad).

Today Ian and Alina and I are all coughing and sniffling and moaning about our tired bodies. I am afraid I'm getting sick. I was so proud of myself for lasting so long, even when so many of my comrades were stricken down. But now here I lie with a runny nose and scratchy throat, stuffy head and watery eyes.
I don't want to get sick here. I don't want to go to a doctor or go to work sick or miss work or take wimpy Japanese medicine. So I am already self-medicating with benadryl by night and sudafed by day. And besides, I am too busy to be sick. And it is entirely too cold to be sick. Thus ends my statement of why I shouldn't get sick. I will submit this to my body and see what it thinks.
So please pray for my tired body. It has been through a lot in these 22 years, so surely it can overcome some pollen in the air. The next thing you know I'll be looking really Japanese, walking around with one of those medical masks. If I do, you can be sure I'll post a picture.
I know many of you are just beginning your work or school week, so I pray that it brings you blessings and fulfillment.
Love you all.

To Lent or not to Lent...

This Wednesday begins one of the most intreguing religious holidays to me, Lent. I have actually practiced Lent for several years. My friend Nina started me on it in high school, maybe.
For those of you who don't actually know me, no I'm not Catholic, nor does my congregation actually encourage or speak about Lent. I started it just because it seemed like a nice thing to do. Why shouldn't I sacrifice something for 40 days to prepare myself for the celebration of Jesus' death and resurrection? It's the least I can do, right? Most years I give up coke (this term used in the generic sense).
Now the season has rolled around again so it is on my mind. Part of me wonders if I should do it at all. I'm having trouble thinking of something to give up. I could do coke or chocolate or something like that, but doesn't that seem superficial in the grand scheme of things? Yeah, I gave up coke for 40 days to mentally prepare for Holy Week. Seems rather pathetic. But then I think, wow, if I give up coke maybe I can break myself of the addiction to caffine and be taking better care of the body God gave me. I'm not sure. I'm still kicking it around in my mind... praying for the Lord to guide me to the best way to glorify Him and discipline myself.

Anyone out there celebrate Lent? Any thoughts on the practice?

My Peeps

I realize my blogging frequency has gone down as of late, but I have been busy. Sorry to all who rely on this blog for their daily dose of entertainment from the far east! :) Anyhoo, I just wanted to post a picture of me with some of my favorite people in the world that was taken last night. From left to right it's Roxanna, Ian, Jared, Alina, and me. Rox goes to church with me and lives and works in Hitachi, and Ian, Jared, and Alina are my co-workers/neighbors/best friends here. God has blessed me so much through these relationships. I'll write on this more next week, which will likely explain my random bursts of sentimentality.
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Moving to Japan? This blog's for you!

I don't think I've mentioned it on the blog, but in a few short months I will be so blessed as to have several of my good friends come to Japan to begin work as AETs in Mito-- especially the Barneches and Blake (who, in a recent email, said "Two more months and then we'll be reunited to torment each other" :) Those of you who know us will appreciate that!). In an effort to organize and collect my thoughts on tips to share and things to bring and so forth. So if you're moving to Japan at some point, bookmark this page! I will update it as I think of more things and hopefully collect comments from my compadres with Japan experience of advice they have. Gambatte, guys! I love you and can't wait til you get here!

Things I would suggest bringing

• deodorant/antiperspirant
  
• toothpaste
• shaving cream
• a good sleep mask (the sun rises early!)
• shoes that are easy to slip on and off
• if you are not Japanese sized, plenty of clothes
  
• pictures of your life in your home country (family, house, school, car, favorite food, famous places)
• a flag of your country (unless you're from Texas, then the state flag suffices :) )
• a map of your country and/or state
• books you like
• slippers if you have large feet
• lysol, wrinkle release (you don't need these, but you can't find them here)
• if you are a medicine taker like me, then stock up on medicine. Of course they have medicine here, but it is much weaker. I have cold, sinus, allergy, stomach, and airsickness medicines, as well as tylenol and ibuprofen.
  
• antibacterial hand lotion (which is great to use after you've been shaking little hands all day at school)
  

Things to Learn

• Yoroshiku onegaishimasu-- one of the most valuable phrases to use when meeting your superiors at work. It literally means something like, "please look on me kindly," but is used very often when wanting to make a good impression. Your bosses will expect you to memorize this on the spot once you get here and have formal introductions, so save yourself some stress and memorize it now.
  
• Domo arigato gozaimasu-- thank you very much
• Sumimasen-- excuse me
• Ohayo gozaimasu-- good morning
• Konnichiwa-- good afternoon
• Konbanwa-- good evening
• Daijoubu desu-- I'm/it's okay.
  

I know there's a good collection of people with Japan experience reading this blog, so let's help these folks out! What's your advice?

My little rascals

Today when I walked into school there was a letter sitting on my desk, pictured below:

I read it and couldn't understand it, thanks to some tricky preposition usage. But of course, it was undeniably a love letter-- my first Japanese love letter, in fact. A rough translation of the Japanese (as provided by my neighbor Alina) is, "This was written in computer class. This is a love letter. Please keep it. From Numano." Now you might be wondering who this Numano character is. Well let me tell you-- he's one of my fellow teachers. He is the one with whom I co-teach my beloved 3-8 class. Before you start thinking misled thoughts about Mr. Numano, let me also mention that *he did not write this.* Some students did (who, I don't know). The students pick on Mr. Numano and me all the time saying that we should get married or be in love or something, simply because we're around the same age and both single. Don't get me wrong, I like Mr. Numano a lot, but there are many and varied issues that I fear would keep us from pursuing a relationship.
I don't mind the teasing so much... I think it's kind of cute and it keeps me laughing. What I am embarrassed about is that this letter had possibly been sitting on my desk for several days for everyone in the school to see. And those red correction marks? I didn't make those! One of my English teachers read and corrected it! Eeep! How embarrassing! And I just had another idea... what if those kids sent Mr. Numano a love letter "from me"? Oh dear. Kids these days. :)

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Sudan

I just got done reading several articles on CNN's Special Edition, Sudan page. If you don't know what's going on there, take a look. Take time to pray. Find some way you can help. Does any of my wonderful readership know a good charity that is working in Sudan now? I'll update you if I find or hear anything.

Update
Found this: Save the Children's Sudan Needs Our Help

Train Delay

Tonight Alina, Ian and I were going to Omika by train to have dinner with a friend. When we arrived at the train station, we found out that a few stops away (between Katsuta and Mito for those of you who know these parts), a person had thrown themselves in front of the train and committed suicide. Although I cannot verify the fact, a friend told me once that a person kills themself by train everyday somewhere in Japan. How tragic.
Japan is known to have a high suicide rate. It's not for me to judge how or why, but that makes me all the more dedicated to making everyone I come in contact with feel like they are special. I know that sounds incredibly cheesey and Pollyanna-ish, but it's true. I think that's how Jesus effected people; everyone felt like they were special in His presence. They felt fulfilled. I can't fill those needs in people, but I can reflect the grace and love that God has shown me to everyone else. Who knows what difference you could make in a life.
Please pray today that God will grant the hopeless a measure of hope to make it through. Maybe you will be a giver of hope that God sends someone's way.

This week was brought to you by...

I know we've been over this on my blog, but seriously folks-- Christian music is such an amazing ministry and blessing. I don't know if I would have made it through the past couple of weeks without Mr. Steven Curtis Chapman. I have been listening to his albums, Speechless, Greatest Hits, and All About Love (perhaps the best love song CD ever) over and over on my little Windows Media player. Tonight I bought and downloaded All Things New, his latest CD. I have already listened to it and am sure I will grow just as attached to it as I am to his other work. Don't tell Chris Rice, but it looks like SCC is sneaking up to snatch away the position of my favorite singer/songwriter. No worries... I don't think Steven will ever surpass Chris (don't you like how I'm on a first name basis with these guys?), but they may have to share the spot.
I leave you with this, although I had a struggle over which song to post (I have 20 songs marked with 5 stars {the highest rating}), this one always touches me.

The Invitation

In the Palace in the land of mercy
The King looked out from His throne
He saw the sick and the homeless and hungry
He saw me lost and without hope
And moved with compassion
He sent out His only Son
With the invitation
to come

This is your invitation
Come just the way you are
Come find what your soul has been longing for
Come find your peace
Come join the feast
Come in
This is your invitation

So I stood outside the gates and trembled
In my rags of unworthiness
Afraid to even stand at a distance
In the presence of Holiness
But just as I turned to go
The gates swung open wide
And the King and His only Son
They invited me inside

This is your invitation
Come just the way you are
Come find what your soul has been longing for
Come find your peace
Come join the feast
Come in
This is your invitation

So now will you come with me
To where the gates swing open wide
The King and His only Son
Are inviting us inside

This is our invitation
Come sinner as you are
Come find what your soul has been longing for
Come find your peace
Come join the feast
Come in
This is your invitation
This is our invitation
This is the invitation

And there was much rejoicing!

Today I was alerted to a service that I was previously unaware of... Walmart.com Music Downloads. You can go to the Walmart web site and buy and dowload a huge selection of songs! Do you know how happy this makes me? I am literally on the verge of tears because now I can buy and download those CDs and songs that I forgot to buy while I was at home. They even have a fantastic selection of Christian music! Praise the Lord! And thank you Walmart! Even 6000 miles away you're still making life easier. :)

All Things New

Bloggers are such funny people. I think we're all vain in some sense, posting our meandering thoughts out there on the world wide web with the idea that someone would actually be interested in reading them. On that note, on to the blog!

I think I am experiencing a mid-mid-life crisis. Soon after I first moved to Japan, I was talking to a friend of mine who arrived several months before me. I was talking to her about culture stress, and she said, "Wait until you don't even know who you are anymore." I called that friend last night to let her know I was there.
Before you start worrying about my emotional well being, let me start by saying that this experience is not nearly as disturbing or traumatic as I thought it might be. Mostly I find it interesting and a little confusing.
I think I can trace this phenomenon to the fact that so many things I defined myself by have changed drastically in my life in the past several months. I'm no longer a student receiving good grades to measure myself by. I am an obsessive communicator in a land where I can't communicate with most of the people I come into contact with daily. As I predicted from the beginning, all my relationships with my friends have changed. I'm not saying they've changed for the worse, but they have changed in their natures.
In America I had embraced those contrived qualities that identified me, but in Japan I am quick to step away from what the culture tries to define me as- a gaijin (foreigner). So when I am disrobed of what I liked to be branded by and refuse my newfound appellation, I am left with the essence of my true identity- my identity in God.
I think I have already likened this experience (in Japan) before as being similar to a boot camp of sorts. Of course I don't know from experience, but I've heard it said that the military uses boot camp to break you down of who you are so they can rebuild you into what they want you to be. I see myself being broken down of who I thought I was and being rebuilt into who God wants me to be. Not always pleasant, at times downright painful, but ultimately a blessing. There's no one else I would trust with my life.

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
Then the word of the Lord came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the Lord. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. "
---Jeremiah 18:1-6

Congrats Barneches! :)

This morning I woke up with a smile on my face, because I knew at that time, 8am here and 5pm in OKC, a wonderful girl was walking down the aisle to marry a great guy. I wish so much that I could have been at Mark and Kelly's wedding, but I am just thrilled to know that those two are beginning a new phase of their lives that will dedicated to serving God and each other. I am so excited for them to move to Japan in a few months and look forward to getting to know them better. May God bless them with many years of joy together in His service. :) Love you guys!

My dear girls

Today I was fortunate enough to eat lunch with several lovely ladies (and one lovely lady's lovely husband) who were a major part in my decision to come to Japan. They are, as pictured about left to right: (me), Chisato, Tomoko, Chie, and Izumi. These four have been some of my best friends for several years now, and truly made my OC experience a lot of what it was. In America I admired their courage to be able to step out of their culture and experience a new place and new people for all it was worth, and here I appreciate so much their help and empathy as I am struggling to the same as they did years ago. They have taught me so much about friendship and fun, and I am grateful to God for putting them in my life. I think anyone who knows them would agree.
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One down

Well I managed to conquer one of my new year's resolutions... I memorized a poem! However, the journey is not complete, because I am going to try to memorize several this year. Here is the one I have so far.

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire,
I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
--Robert Frost

What a difference a day makes

I am always fascinated by the fact that we wake up each day not knowing what it will hold and how it will change our lives. Sure there are the big days... the September 11ths and December 26ths... but there are also those days in individual lives. The day you get in a car wreck. The day you're told that you're sick. The day that you meet the person you're going to marry. The day you find out about the job you were meant for. The day you decide to go where God is guiding you or the day you make that mistake you can't take back.
CS Lewis says, "When the most important things in our life happen, we quite often do not know, at the moment, what is going on." We can only see them in hindsight. That thought makes me want to put more thought and wisdom into my day to day dealings. Live life to the fullest. Live without regrets. Live daily with the knowledge and trust that my life is being held and guided by the Lord over all creation and time and circumstance.
I know this is a little deep for a Monday, but it's been on my mind all day. Some days are just deeper like that.

Martin Luther King Jr.

We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.

From "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.

Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, Dec. 10, 1964

I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

Speech in Detroit, June 23, 1963

I just want to do God's will. And he’s allowed me to go to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land! I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.

From an address given in Memphis the night before his assassination, April 3, 1968

It is my prayer that the good people of the world won't rest until all people are acknowledged as equally deserving opportunity, respsect, and justice. So on this day, let's take some time to honor and reflect on the lives of those people who have taken a stand for truth in the face of opposition.

PS- Kudos to my alma mater for honoring Dr. King on the website. www.oc.edu

Sunday, aka Nichiyobi

Sundays are an interesting paradox. On the one had they are a great day because I get the chance to spend time with my Christian brothers and sisters fellowshipping and worshipping God. I also get to share the message of Christ to those who don't know Him. So it's a great day. Sunday is also a hard day. They're hard because they're a huge time (9am-6pm usually) and energy investment that can be more of a drain than edification. I now understand what I've heard ministers say for years about Sunday being more of a "work day" than anything. That seems sad to me. I don't know how to change it.
I was talking to a friend tonight about the responsibilties foreigners can carry at church. I have mixed feelings on the subject. On one hand I recall the words of Peter Parker: "With great power comes great responsibility." I have been given the gift of growing up in a Christian environment and being exposed to all kinds of teaching and wisdom in my short little life. I also had the great great privilege of going to a Christian school and getting a degree in Bible. So I do have a lot of knowledge that I should be ready and willing to pass along to others. On the other hand, when too much responsibility is put on gaijin, the church ceases to be Japanese and instead becomes a foreigner's church with Japanese members. Am I making sense? I don't claim to have extensive international experience, but I have seen churches abroad that seem to be little Americas. The culture and worship style and personality (and sometimes language) have been transplanted from America to a foreign field. That makes me uncomfortable.
I attend the Hitachi-Taga church, so that's really the only place I can speak on with any authority. I think our congregation has struck a wonderful balance of these two worlds. We have fabulous Japanese leadership at the church that I cannot speak highly enough of. Instead of placing the locus of responsibility in the hands of gaijin, instead we, like any other member, are simply asked to use our gifts in the ways in which God would have us do so. So through this some lead a bi-lingual Sunday school class, and some conduct English conversation classes on Sunday nights, and in general act as part of the body of believers as we would in our home countries. What I love about Taga is that I see Paul's declaration of unity lived out within the body. We're not "the foreigners" and "the Japanese" as we sit together every week, we are brothers and sisters.
Hmm, I seem to have started talking about one thing in this post but ended in a completely other thing. Although it did end more positively than it started, so I shouldn't complain.

Ungrateful Servant

Matthew 18:23-35

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.

Blog Bits

Here are some random bits that probably don't individually deserve their own post.

• I just finished watching the "Return of the King." Wow. I am not ashamed to say that there was weeping. :)
  
• It is pretty cold. When I woke up this morning it was 42 degrees in my apartment. I was warm (thanks to the electric blanket!) but my face was about to freeze off. So I have now learned to sleep with my face under the blanket. And tonight I will also be wearing my new pink hat to bed (thanks Aunt Myra!).
  
• On a weather upnote, the winter solstice occured while I was in the states, which means that the days are no longer getting shorter, but in fact growing longer! Whoopie!!!
  
• Tomorrow's the first day back to school! I'm looking forward to seeing my kids, but then again this is also going back to work after a 4 week vacation. I'm sure I'll real cute hauling 48 twinkies on the bus tomorrow morning (see previous post). :)
  

On that note, I should rest up for my big day tomorrow. Oyasumi!

Cultural obligations-- omiyage

Here's a little cultural somethin' somethin' for you all.

One of the great banes of my trip back was the overhanging knowledge that I would have to find and bring back to Japan omiyage. Omiyage is a small gift (souvenir) that one brings to their co-workers or family or friends upon return from a trip (also when you start a new job, but they are forgiving of gaijin). Oftentimes it is a food, such as a cake or crackers or candy. Omiyage is also given to neighbors when one moves into a new place.

Now I'm not opposed to gift giving. I like giving gifts, but I hate giving gifts under pressure. I had 44 teachers at my school and 10 office co-workers, plus a church to bring back omiyage for. That is a lot o' stuff. Jared (my co-worker) had forewarned me that last year when he went home he apparently didn't bring back good enough omiyage and was somewhat shunned at school for it. Peter told me that his school actually gave him $100 to bring back good omiyage for his English teachers. So all this to say that I was feeling some pressure to perform.

As I was at home I walked around the great halls of Sams, where I figured I would be able to find 60+ omiyage items fairly easily. I ultimately setled on Twinkies, my favorite American snack cake. So I bought 3 24-packs of Twinkies.

Yep... I will never do that again. First of all, they took up way too much room in my bags. Second of all, I had several that didn't survive the trip back to Japan (easily smooshible). You live you learn. I think my teachers will like them. I also brought back a bag of candy bar miniatures for church and Bath and Bodyworks antibacterial hand lotions for my English teachers. I think that should have me covered.

While I think gift giving is a well and nice, I don't like when it is mandated. Too much pressure! However it is nice when you're on the receiving end. ;) Just another example of cultural demands and conformity when living and working in Japan.

Straddlin' the fence

I owe y'all a blog. I owe a lot of people emails. I owe one dear friend a phone call or a gigantic email or just a lot of communicative effort. However, I also owe this country and this country and these people my attention.
This morning in church I was thinking about how I am leading a double life. I have my "here and now" life here in Japan. I also have my "home" life consisting of people and places scattered throughout the planet, but mostly a hemisphere away. It's hard to live with one foot planted in each, which I think I've been trying to do since I got here, through mostly lots of emailing and also through the blog.
I'm not going to say that's completely bad. I don't regret keeping in touch with people through emailing. I am, however, now starting to believe that I have depended too much on it to keep me afloat, rather than working on deeping relationships with people here. That is unhealthy, I think.
So here is my abstract new year's resolution (everyone needs one of those, right): I will make an effort to be more of the world God has put me in. That means that I will not invest myself only in those people with whom I already have established relationships, but I will also work to build relationships with people I encounter day to day or week to week. That also involves not just focusing on gaijin or English speakers here, but also making a concentrated effort to learn and use Japanese.
This is not to say that I am turning my back on anyone. Hopefully you know I couldn't (and moreover wouldn't) do that. As says the immortal Girl Scout song, "Make new friends and keep the old; one is silver and the other's gold." :) So many of you are more precious than gold to me.
So if I owe you an email, I'm am truly sorry. I will do my best. Tomorrow's a holiday, so hopefully I will catch up some then. Thanks to all of you who are still actually reading the blog. I am getting back into the blogging groove after my weeks of travel. I'm storing up little blogging topics in my mind already.
Love you all so dearly. I thank God for the blessing each of you is to me. Thank you for sticking by me.

Happy Birthday Peter-san!

Yesterday I had the honor and privilege of spending the day with one of my dear friends celebrating his 24th birthday. Peter has been such a blessing to me since I have been in Japan. That first month here, his comfort, advice, and empathy are most of what kept me from boarding a plane out of this crazy country back to the US. As a fellow "child of Bailey" he has been a great companion and conversationalist, stretching my mind and vocabulary through our time together. So Peter-san, my blog salutes you. May this year bring you all kinds of adventure and enriching experiences. And hopefully a trip to Singapore. :)

PS- It is the tradition of this blog to post a picture of the birthday celebrator, but somehow I have no pictures of Pete. :-O Submissions welcome. If only I had a copy of that picture of you in the sombrero to put on here! :)

"Well... I'm back."

Just a quick note to let you know that I made it back to Japan. I'll write more later, but now I really need to sleep. Love you all so much.


*Gold star if you can identify the quote from the title

Happy New Shannah!

Hope everyone had a safe and happy new years. I got to spend it with several people I love very dearly. My time in Edmond was well spent and I will treasure the memories I made there with so many of my friends.
Thought I would share with you guys my two whole new year's resolutions. First, I want to pass the Level 4 Japanese Proficiency Exam. Also, I want to memorize a good poem. So many times I read poems and I'm like, "Man! I wish I knew that by heart so I could have it with me all the time!" So I'm going to try that. If I'm feeling ambitious I might go for The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by TS Eliot. If less ambitious I may go for The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. I think we all know which one is more likely to actually happen. But hey, you have to aim high. :)
Hope you all set some goals for yourself. May God grant each of you out there with grace and peace in this new year.

Sumimasen!

Now that I have effectively butchered my loyal blog readership through my terrible neglect over the past week, I thought I should make an appearance to let you all know that I am in fact still alive. Christmas was wonderful, Santa was very good to me, and I have gotten to eat a lot and spend good time with my family. I will be in Edmond the next few days, so if you're in the area I hope I get to see you. I will write more later-- probably once I go back to Japan. Gotta enjoy these times while I can. Take care, everyone!



Merry Christmas from the Whites! Please note the coordinating shirts with our traditional Christmas eve movie on them and the matching elf hats. White family traditions!

A flurry-ful day

Today seems rather blogworthy, for some reason.

Today was church directory picture night, so the fam got all dolled up and smiled purty at the Olan Mills photographer, which was easy because he was so laughably rude. He managed to be condescending to both my and my father's occupations by stereotyping all English teachers as weird (although I will have to say there is some validity to that one) and pointing out some of JC Penneys bizarre merchandizing tendencies (which there is also truth in). But come on, you don't have to say it to our faces, right? :) Is it just a church of Christ thing or does Olan Mills have the monopoly on all church directories? Haven't churches gotten wise yet to the fact that they could probably make their own church directories with a digital camera for much cheapter? Just questions I have.

Then tonight you won't believe what I did. It's not quite as bizarre (or stupid) as cutting off the tip of my thumb with a pair of scissors, but still very strange. I read a Babysitters Club book. Specifically, I read #51, Stacey's Ex-Best Friend. It was just sitting around the house so I picked it up and ended up reading the whole thing in a couple of hours. I used to be obsessed with those books. Sure, they seem juvenille now, but those are the things that got me hooked on reading. So I am grateful to Ms. Ann M. Martin. I know I have quite a well read blog readership... what books did you guys read when you were little? I was Boxcar Children, Sweet Valley High, Babysitters Club, RL Stine, and all kinds of presidential trivia books. You could totally ask me anything about the presidents and I would know it. As you can tell, I read a lot. Always was the bookworm.

And last but not least, today it snowed! That's right, we had our brief glimpse at a white Christmas here in Texas. It was just enough to be pretty but not too much to make the roads dangerous, which was fabulous. By the way, White Christmas is one of my two favorite holiday movies. The other is The Christmas Story. Check them out this holiday; they'll make you very merry. :)

Lost in Translation

I enjoy blogsurfing, just jumping to random blogs that my friends have linked on their own blogs. As I blogsurfed tonight I saw this and thought it was theft-worthy, so here you go. Perhaps this is slightly high-schoolish, but I was amazed at how true it holds for my own personal communication. Sometimes I really pity men. :) Enjoy!

Words women use...and then what they really mean!

FINE ~ This is the word we use at the end of any argument that we feel we are right about but need to shut you up. NEVER use fine to describe how a woman looks. This will cause you to have one of those arguments.

FIVE MINUTES ~ This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so I feel that it's an even trade.

NOTHING ~ If you ask her what is wrong and she says NOTHING, this means something and you should be on your toes. NOTHING is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. "Nothing" usually signifies an argument that will last FIVE MINUTES and end with the word FINE.

GO AHEAD (with raised eyebrows) ~ This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting upset over NOTHING and will end with the word FINE.

GO AHEAD (normal eyebrows) ~ This means "I give up" or "do what you want because I don't care." You will get a raised eyebrow "Go ahead" in just a few minutes, followed by NOTHING and FINE and she will talk to you in about FIVE MINUTES when she cools off.

LOUD SIGH ~ This is not actually a word, but is still often a verbal statement very misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot at that moment and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over NOTHING.

SOFT SIGH ~ Again, not a word, but a verbal statement. "Soft Sighs" are one of the few things that some men actually understand. She is content. Your best bet is to not move or breathe and she will stay content.

THAT'S OKAY ~ This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can say to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before paying you retributions for whatever it is that you have done. "That's Okay" is often used with the word "Fine" and used in conjunction with a raised eyebrow "Go ahead." At some point in the near future when she has plotted and planned, you are going to be in some mighty big trouble.

PLEASE DO ~ This is not a statement, it is an offer. A woman is giving you the chance to come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing whatever it is that you have done. You have a fair chance to tell the truth, so be careful and you shouldn't get a "That's Okay."

THANKS ~ A woman is thanking you. Do not faint; just say "you're welcome."

THANKS A LOT ~ This is much different from "Thanks." A woman will say, "Thanks A Lot" when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have hurt her in some callous way, and will be followed by the "Loud Sigh." Be careful not to ask what is wrong after the "Loud Sigh," as she will only tell you "Nothing."

"So how's Japan?"

Ah yes, those are the words I hear most since my arrival on American soil. I knew this question was coming, so I had tried to think of a succinct and clever answer to it before I came back. But alas, I came up empty. So I have gone for the standard answer, "It's fine... great. Very interesting. Everything's different, but I'm enjoying it." So I'm sorry if you have asked me how Japan was and I answered that. I know you're just asking because you care, and I really wish I could give you a more interesting answer, but when we only have a couple of minutes to talk that is really all I can muster. But hey, if you're a blog reader then I suppose you don't need a lengthy answer-- you know how things are in Japan, right? :)
I had thought I evaded jet lag by staying up all night the night before I came back and sleeping the whole way on the plane, but apparently your body clock is a little more sophisticated than that. Jet lag finally caught me today as I accidentally slept until 1:30pm. Wowsers. I felt bad about missing half of a day at home, but I figure my body needed it.
I am trying to absorb and enjoy all of my time at home. I'm only blogging now because everyone in my house is asleep. I thought I had something interesting to blog about, but I can't remember it now. So sorry about that. :) On that note, I will wish you all oyasumi and I'll think of something better to write later.

Pics and People I love...

Although this is non-exhaustive and I did not get pictures of all the people I've seen that I love (including my family and several handsome young men in OKC), I thought I'd share some of the fun times and people I have experience since being in the states. I am keeping a running tab of my pictures from home in this album. Want to see yourself on my blog? Then let's get together sometime while I'm home! ;) Have a great week, everybody!


The McBrides


Traci and Ann-- congrats Traci!


Ann and Nina


The Goins


The Tryggestads

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Made it

Yes, I am back in good old America. It is good to be home. I have already had several good days where I was able to see many many people I love, and I am thankful for that.
Short post, I know. But I am busy and have too much on my mind. If you're in America, I hope I get to see or talk to you soon. If you're in Japan or traveling out of Japan, take care, be safe, and have a great vacation.
If you want a good read, go check out Mer's post on Amber. I love both of those girls.
God bless you all.

A strange little hobbit

Here is a fair warning for all those who will see me upon my return to the US. Using the superb analogy of Peter-san in response to my "roots" blog a few days ago, I will be a strange hobbit. You can expect me to wear two layers of clothing at all times, bow a lot, sprinkle my conversation with words like "Sugoi!" (great), "Kawaii!" (cute), "Dozo" (please) and "Domo" (thanks), and take my shoes off in the entryway of any house I go into. So please excuse my oddness. Sumimasen. :)
But seriously, I have many emotions going through me as I am about to return home. Overall I am mostly excited, but there is also a bit of anxiousness to see what I find on my return. I am to a point in my stay here now where I am really starting to feel settled and taking root in my new life and also feeling myself detach from several things of home. I know I am changing. So part of me is afraid upon this first return because I am sure that I will find that things and circumstances and people there have changed, too. But more than that, I am confident in things that don't change-- like love between friends, shared experiences, and common faith in and devotion to God. And the feeling of home.
In 36 hours I will be in America. :::feel the excitement radiating through the blog::: I will close with the ever-appropriate words of Caedmon's Call: "I'm coming home, I'm coming home..." :)
Love you all.

My To Do List

Things to Do in America:

• spend as much time as possible with my friends and family
• eat lots of American and Mexican food, and absolutely no rice or fish
• bask in the glory of central heating
• stock up on good music, DVDs, and books
• watch "The Incredibles," "Meet the Fockers," and "Ocean's Twelve"
• revel in the greatness that is Walmart
• drive

My Day at Sakamoto Sho

Lest my posts of syrupy sweet children lull you into the false reality that my teaching career is all peaches and cream, let me share with you my experience today.

On Mondays we ALTs take turns going to local elementaries and kindergartens to do brief lessons, which mostly involve singing and games. Today I went to Sakamoto Sho-gakko (elementary school), which is about 45 minutes away by bus. To set this up, let me mention that last time I went there (which was my first time to go) I got off at the wrong bus stop and walked around Omika for an hour, and eventually the school secretary had to come pick me up along the side of the highway. So I was not on a roll with Sakamoto, although once I got there last time things went rather well.

Well today I was with 3rd graders, who are apparently demons disguised as seemingly innocent and rather cute Asian children. I taught 4 classes, three of which acted like hell's own angels, but one of which was good. There was screaming... oh there was screaming. I have never been so loud in my life as I was today trying to scream above their deafening roar. Then to add to the noise chaos was a violent game known as "karuta." This game involves a lot of slapping. Cards with pictures of the vocabulary are set out before a group of 4-6 children, and when I yell out a word and the first person to slap the corresponding card gets to keep the card. You can imagine what that leads to.

The day finally climaxed during my last class. The biggest boy in the class was being a real butthead (pardon my language ;) ) through the whole class, but of course the teacher was doing nothing about it. Finally as we were wrapping up the day singing that classic song, "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," the big boy ran at full force and bulldozed another kid in class. My eyes went wide, but the teacher didn't seem to care, so I kept on singing. About half the class ran over to the kid who had been plowed down, but the other half kept right on singing with me. The little victim didn't get up for a while, and the teacher finally started talking to the big bad boy, but she seemed to be consoling him more than anything. She took pity on the bully! I seriously almost told the teacher and the bully what for. So finally I go over to check on the kid lying on the floor, but I obviously couldn't do much. So I did what any good teacher would do; I ignored the situation completely and just kept on singing. The teacher began to talk to the bully and the hurt kid, and just ignored me completely. We sang Bingo, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and the Alphabet song. I stayed 15 minutes after class singing to try to babysit the other students. Ugh. During several points during the songs I just burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of it all, and made all kinds of vows not to come back to the 3rd graders at Sakamoto. So there you have it-- being an ALT is not all flowers and sunshine.

Ah, I focus on the negative, but my one good class was really adorable. When Japanese kids are good, they're very, very good... but when they're bad, they're horrid. :)

In case you've forgotten...

Remember this girl?

This is for my mommy anyone else who would like to meet me at the airport, in case you've forgotten what I look like over the past 3+ months. :) And if you are in the OKC area and would like to meet me next Thursday (LESS THAN 6 DAYS!), Lord willing I will arrive at the Will Rodgers airport at 5:29pm. :) I am hoping there will be some good Mexican food (read-- Ted's!) soon following my arrival. I am already praying hard for no delays, and I beseech you to do the same, onegaishimasu!
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Sweet Potato Casserole

Today was a very sweet day at school. A couple of weeks ago my wonderful 3-8 kids had the project of digging up the sweet potatoes being grown at school, then they bagged them up and sold them to teachers in our office. Of course I had to buy a bag, and since they worked so hard I decided to make them an American treat with the fruits of their labor: sweet potato casserole. Of course I never got around to it until last night, partially because I was intimated since I have never made sweet potato casserole before (and I don't have an oven). But I forged ahead anyway, using a recipe as a general guide but mostly just going by what I thought would be good (since I also lack any measuring utensils). I took my creation to school today and warmed it up in the microwave right before lunch to melt the marshmallows on top, and the whole teachers' lounge filled with the sweet smell of vanilla and cinnamon. All the teachers kept coming by and asking me what I made. Let me tell ya, they had a funny reaction when I told them it was sweet potatoes, orange juice, cinnamon, vanilla, butter, and marshmallows. Yep, I further confirmed the "crazy gaijin" myth. :) But everyone thought it smelled great, and I have to admit it did.
Then one of the English teachers went with me to the 3-8 classroom to present my gift and explain what it was and that it was made with their sweet potatoes. They were just tickled beyond all get-out and begged me to eat lunch with them, so the English teacher told me to stay there and she would take care of the other class I was supposed to eat with. So I ate with my wonderful kids and they all "oohed and aahed" and "oishi!!!"ed the sweet potatoes. It was a great feeling. Then one of the students scurried off and began working on a card, which they gave me along with a sweet little Christmas present. My kids in 3-8 don't really know romanji (roman characters), so the little girl, Yuki, used this little chart they have in their room, and you can see the results:

Here is my translation: "Ann-sensei, Oishi sweet potato. Arigato. Thank you- 3-8." Which also translates to "Teacher Ann, Delicious sweet potatoes. Thank you. Thank you. 3-8" :-D Oh my little heart almost burst with the sweetness of it all. I am so blessed through my kids.
In related news, today was my last day of school until January 11th. I'll miss the students and teachers, but boy am I ready for a break. This week has been crazily busy, and I will remain busy up until the day before I jet out of here.
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How did I end up a sojochick?

...I have been a stone doomed to rolling... -Gandalf, LOTR

I am a home body by nature. I like roots. I like routine and familiarity and the settled feeling. I grew up with that kind of feeling in my life. I lived in Stephenville, Texas for ten years. While all my friends talked on and on about how they couldn't wait til the day they could leave the place, I was the one dreaming of staying there forever. But of course life had other plans, and I ended up in Texarkana for two years. By and large I chose not to set too many roots down there, out of bitterness and sheer lack of interest, really. When the time came I up and moved out of God's country (Texas for those of you who don't know) and went to Oklahoma. I love the OC community and always will, but I always knew that those four years were just a time of growth and development, and I would soon leave there, too. Now here I am in Japan, where I have committed two years (another 21 months!) of my life. Then where will I go? I don't know for sure, but it would probably be another temporary stint somewhere, whether for graduate school or a fling in another country or what not. But once again I will uproot whatever life I develop here and start afresh again somewhere. Hence, my screen name contains the word "sojourner." (Well, a shortened form of it, at least)
How did I end up like this? Why does a person like me, who wants nothing more than to be settled and take root, end up having these wings that keep taking me other places? I have no idea. God and I have had more than one conversation about this, although I still don't have any great understanding or perspective.
Of course I have stability in my life, which keeps me sane. I will always have my faith in and relationship with God, which has traveled with me wherever I've gone and withstood whatever I've been through. I will always have my family. I will always have places like Pike Co., Arkansas, which holds meaning for me from my earliest memories. There will always be those special friendships that overcome the distance and continue to grow and deepen. And I am thankful for these, because for at least the next couple of chapters in my life, it looks as though these are where my roots will be.
I'm not sure what brought this post on. Maybe it is because in the past week or so I have been feeling myself start to settle in here; this is my life. That and I have also been feeling more disconnected with a lot of life at "home" lately.
This is probably going to end up being one of those deep, heartfelt, pour out your true emotions posts that no one ever comments on. I have noticed lately on other friends blogs that it's the cute fluffy stuff that people like to comment on, rather than when people really reveal themselves. Interesting, huh? :)

A religious experience- LOTR

Last night ended a journey that started about a year ago. Last night I completed the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. Let me tell you, people, it was very nearly a religious experience. There were tears, there was laughter and smiles, there was deep philosophical pondering and the feeling of a journey finally completed. Depth on so many levels. I am amazed at how connected I feel with the characters and the plotline. Tolkien had a gift. Very possibly the second greatest story ever told. :)
I would try to dissect it and talk about my favorite characters or moments or quotes, but there are simply too many to try and choose! How could I choose between Frodo or Sam or Pippin or Gandalf or Aragorn? Impossible, I say! It is the way they all work together to create the entirety of the story that is so beautiful.
My goal was to read the books before seeing the movies, and I accomplished that. I also managed to not find out how the story ended until I read it for myself, which was marvelous. I can't wait to get home and watch "The Return of the King."
So if you folks out there haven't read these books, please, do yourself a favor and go pick them up. Who cares if they are "trendy;" they are popular for a reason. Fantastic. I am going to be enchanted with this for a while. :)

The Sweet Duttons

This was written by Allen Dutton, a missionary in Campinas, Brazil where I have gone and worked three summers. The Duttons are some of my favorite people in the world, and maybe this will give you a little glimpse as to why. Please keep the Duttons and their teammates, the Graves, in your prayers as they continue to work for the Lord in Brazil.

I want to share with you two things that happened with our children in the last few days. Needless to say, Robin and I are very proud of our kids.
Yesterday we took them to a shopping center to see Santa Claus. Tyler is seven and Laura is five, so they still enjoy and are marveled by Santa. When it was their time, Robin went with them and told Santa how good the children have been and how they obey their parents. She told Santa the reason they did this was because they wanted to obey God. Santa's reply: "I am so happy to hear this. Most parents ask me to tell their kids to obey or I will not give them presents. Very seldom I hear that they are obeying." He then looked at Tyler and asked him if he spoke to God. Tyler immediately said he did everyday. Santa looked at Tyler and said, "Will you please ask God to heal Mrs. Santa? She just had surgery and is not doing very well." He had tears in his eyes. Today for lunch Tyler prayed asking God to heal Mrs. Santa.
Today when picking the kids up from school Robin was met by Laura's teacher who told her that Laura made everyone in class very emotional. Robin asked her what had happened, and this is the teacher's story.
"Today during class, Mrs. Daniela (teacher's aid) was telling me that her head was hurting so much she was going to the doctor after school. Laura heard this and came up from her desk, held Daniela's hand and said she was going to pray. She prayed like this: 'Dear God, please ask your son Jesus to help Mrs. Daniela get rid of her headache. In Jesus name, Amen.' She did this in front of the whole class. After some time, Mrs. Daniela told me that her head was not hurting anymore. She said it was because of Laura's prayer."
When Robin was leaving the school, another teacher came to her and said she had heard what had happened and was just amazed at our Laura. She said she has never met anyone so loving and caring as Laura.
I thank God every day for my family. Please continue to pray for us as we work in Brazil. -Allen Dutton

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas

I love Christmas time. It means the time for breaks (unless you're in retail like my dad), family gatherings, bundling up, Christmas lights, and reflecting on that magical day when God came to earth as a human. A lot of people complain about the commercialism of Christmas, but I don't mind it so much. One of the things that helps keep me focused in listening to Christ-themed Christmas music. Some of my personal favorites are:

• Welcome to Our World
• Mary Did You Know
• Adestes Fideles/O Come All Ye Faithful
• We Three Kings
• O Holy Night
• Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)

These are just my personal favorites, although I am positive that I am forgetting some. Any you guys want to mention? Look for more Christmas inspired posts coming your way.

PS- Yes, there is a typhoon going through tonight. Pray for those suffering in the Philippines! And as the typhoon was beginning, we also had a good sized earthquake. They come in pairs here, I tell ya. :)

The Immigrant's Common Bond

I read this great post from another blog, and just wanted to share the thoughts with you guys. It provided great insight for me and broadened my perspective on how expatriots all over the world must feel. It rekindles the excitement I used to have for working with foreigners living in the US. Hope you enjoy the read.

In America, there's millions of people doing what I'm doing, making a life in a foreign land, but most of them are doing it under far more difficult circumstances. In Texas, I saw them all the time, usually working outside under a hot southern sun, or scrubbing or chopping in the back of a restaurant kitchen, but I never thought much about how they got there. People often talked about how they couldn't speak English, or how they had different customs, or acted in a different way, but I never heard anyone wonder about the families and homes they must have left behind, about who and what they might have been in their home country and how that compared to now, or about what they thought of American life and how difficult it must have been to adjust, and especially not about what an admirable job of it they might have been doing.

The life I have in Japan, compared with that of most immigrants and expats, is incredibly fortunate. I don't work hard, I don't get dirty, my work is never dangerous, and for the most part I'm treated pretty well by my company, my neighbors, the local police and government. The reasons I came were simple too -- I certainly didn't have to come, and my life or the welfare of my family wouldn't have been in a bit of danger if I hadn't. I came for strictly personal reasons. All the same, it's never been easy.

I come from a country of immigrants and expats, and yet I had never really understood what it is like to be one. Despite all the different reasons and situations that may be involved, there must be some common feeling amongst all who leave their own country for another. I wonder now when I see someone from another place, when they become lost in thought staring out over some scene, what faraway landscapes might just then be playing behind their eyes, because this so often happens to me.

Blog filler

10 random things about me:
1. 2 weeks from right now I'll be on a plane home!
2. Tonight I went to glass class and made my own glass jewelry.
3. I really hate washing dishes.
4. I would like to get a tattoo one day, I just don't know what I would want one of.
5. When we were little, I told my sister dirt was candy and she ate it. :)
6. I depend on medicine a lot.
7. I get really stressed out trying to think of presents to buy people.
8. I think I could do pretty much anything with an instruction booklet.
9. I have a mental block on learning Japanese. Right now I'm itching to study Hebrew and Spanish again, but I just can't get motivated to study the language I'm immersed in.
10. Seeing the leaves changing color is one of my favorite things in the world.

9 places I've visited:
1. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2. Foz do Iguacu, Brazil
3. Iguassu Falls, Argentina
4. Nasu, Japan
5. Orlando, Florida
6. Omoa, Honduras :)
7. San Antonio, Texas
8. Searcy, Arkansas (haha)
9. Tegucigalpa, Honduras

8 things I want to do before I die:
1. Go back to Brazil.
2. Sky dive.
3. Get married and perhaps have a kid or two.
4. Become conversationally fluent in another language.
5. Translate some more Hebrew.
6. Read some good books.
7. See the northern lights.
8. Talk to my friends and family more.

7 ways to win my heart:
1. Send me a card.
2. Write me an email.
3. Touch me when you talk to me (hand on the shoulder, etc)
4. Give me a hug when you see me.
5. Admit when you're wrong.
6. Respect me.
7. Challenge me... don't just go along with what I say.

6 things I believe in:
1. God is good.
2. God is faithful.
3. We are all sinners.
4. Everyone was made in the image of God. Everyone.
5. Honestly and communication are vital to relationships.
6. The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return. :) Couldn't resist!

5 things I'm afraid of:
1. Losing people I love.
2. Ticks.
3. Driving in bad weather.
4. Being wrong.
5. Living with regret.

4 of my favorite items in my bedroom:
1. My teddy bear
2. My electric blanket
3. My kerosene heater
4. My Bible

3 things I do every day:
1. Floss and use listerine
2. Take my medicine
3. Check my email

2 things I'm trying not to do right now:
1. Think about how cold I am. :)
2. Be bored.

1 person I want to hug:
1. You! ;)