Merry Christmas!

I am now back in cold and snowy Washington. It was a 20-hour travel day last Saturday but I made it! The scariest part was the drive from the Seattle airport to our little town. Yikes!

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL Christmas with your loved ones. As we celebrate this Christmas, may we all remember the true meaning of it all. Happy Birthday Jesus!

Finally Done!

I wanted to let you all know my excitement right now....I am officially DONE with school for the semester and will now have a month off! It has been an intense week at my school, which makes me even more ready to get on the airplane! Tomorrow's schedule: manicure/pedicure, lunch with roomies, packing, stocking exchange with roomies, more packing, and enjoying the Christmas Cantata put on by my church here. I am SO excited! Pray for safe travels for me on Saturday and that the snow storms would stop long enough for my parents to come pick me up at the airport! I have also asked that they bring some blankets and a sweatshirt to the airport when they get me....I am going to FREEZE!

Cute Stories!

Okay, so I just had to share with you some cute stories of my students. They drove me crazy today but I just couldn't help but love on them too. Enjoy these quotes:

"I don't need fingers, I need God." Said by a student while she was working on a math worksheet. She was proud of not needing to use her fingers to count.

"I want to stay in your house....for 1 night."

"I want to put glue right here (indicating his chest) so I can stick to you forever."

"I want to go with you on vacation"-boy
"But, your parents will miss you."-me
"That doesn't matter."-boy
"Would you like to meet my parents?"-me
"YES!"-boy

I hope these fun quotes put a smile on your face....they sure put one on me. I also wanted to share something with you about today. I was out for a walk around the block (which takes about 5-10 minutes). Within that time, I saw a monkey crossing the rode, another critter (can't remember the name of it here), and a toucan! Yup, I am definately in Panama:-) Can't wait to share with everyone about life here!

Bottom of the 7th inning!

So, according to my dad, I am in the bottom of the 7th inning now. Just a few more outs left in the game:-) One pitch at a time.... I only have 1 1/2 more days of school and boy does that feel good! I can't even tell you what an accomplishment it feels to get this far into the school year. I am just hanging on, counting the days, and loving it all. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful community here in Panama with me. I am excited to share with everyone I see in the states about my experience.

Life is good!

Well, I had a WONDERFUL Thankgiving weekend and now I am enjoying a nice 3-day weekend (Monday is Mother's Day here). Only 7 more days of school left until Christmas break. There is definately a countdown going on in my apartment as we prepare for the break. The students seem to be ready too so now we are just trying to get what we can done. Things are crazy busy but life is good. Lots of fun Christmas parties to come, which makes me so thankful for such a wonderful community of people here. I am leaving December 20th for Seattle! Yahoo!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ok, so I know this title is a little confusing but let me explain. God is very much teaching me to be encouraged by Him through my little students. Today was one of those days. As the students were coming into the classroom in the morning, one little girl gave me a white rose. With a huge smile on her face she said "Happy Valentine's Day!". All I could say was "Thank you" and give her a big hug. I didn't have the heart to tell her that she was a few months off. It was PRECIOUS!

Today we also took a class picture with a "Happy New Year" greeting to send to Japan. The kids were great and the picture is SO cute. The kids are also helping me write letters to Japan. It brings such joy for me to watch them write Japanese and be excited about it. I know that people in Japan will love it too.

So, Happy Valentine's Day:-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey everyone. Just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful and blessed to have you in my life. I have lots of fun things to come so I am happy. Just a half day of school left tomorrow and then 5 days of vacation! Yahoo! I am heading to the beach to celebrate with my cousin (and her fam), aunt, roommate, and more. I can't wait! And I WON'T be bringing ANY school work either. Christmas is in just a month and then my roommates and I are heading off on an adventure in February. Lots of fun things to come! Happy Thanksgiving!

Tough Times

Well, I have pretty much decided that I am in need of a nice break from school. Sigh. I am just barely hanging on for Thanksgiving break next week, which is coming at a perfect time. Pray for me as I struggle with some things here.

Costa Rica Trip and Fishing

So, I first want to say that all 4 things are working now in our apartment: water, internet, electricity, and phone. Our phone has been out for the past 2 months and the internet for a few weeks. The water sometimes goes off on the weekends but thankfully at this moment everything is working! Yahoo!

I also wanted to let you know that my trip to Costa Rica was AWESOME! It was a much needed vacation and turned into quite the adventure with my roommate. We took the bus from Panama to San Jose which took about 16 hours. We enjoyed staying with friends from my hometown, meeting people, going to church, seeing the Waterfall Gardens, cool weather, shopping in San Jose, and the Cafe Britt Coffee Tour. The only stressful time for us both was trying to get through the border and not knowing a thing about what we were to do. Basicly we just followed people on our bus in the hopes that they knew what to do. Well, God is good and we were safe.

Some of us on staff at the school/church went fishing yesterday on Gatun Lake and also went out into the Panama Canal. As I watched these huge boats, I just kept thinking to myself about how cool it is that I am here. Not many people in their lifetime EVER get a chance to do the things that I am doing. It was a great day complete with fish, seeing beautiful butterflies, and monkeys. Plus I got to hang out with 2 great friends. We had a fish fry last night at the school so more people gathered for that to eat and enjoy each other's company. It was a great day!

Please pray as I continue to get through teaching and that my sister will be able to visit next weekend.

Vacation Time!

So, with the end of October coming soon, it means we are getting into the month of November. Here is Panama, this means LOTS of national holidays, which means LOTS of days off from school. I think it is coming at a perfect time where I am very much in need of a vacation. And, I mean a vacation from Panama and all the stresses from school. A vacation where I don't have to do any school work. So, this weekend, some of us are headed to Costa Rica for 4 days! Yahoo! Pray for safety as we travel on a long bus ride and that all the details of our trip will work out. I will keep you posted! Costa Rica here we come!

I Love Water!

So, I just had to post about last weekend. I have 3 roomies and last weekend 2 were away on a retreat. So, that left myself and another to explore and use the car. Yahoo! We dropped them off at the church to meet the group and felt like we were parents dropping off our kids...."When the kids are away, the parents will play" was a common quote from the weekend.

We had an awesome weekend going all over town, doing errands, walking the Causeway, eating delicious Chai beverages, shopping, and laughing together. All of this happened the same weekend our whole area didn't have WATER! We laugh about it now and how crazy it is that it stopped working on late Friday night and started again Sunday afternoon (just in time for our other roomies to return).

We were about to start watching the World Series game on Sat. night when it started pouring down rain. We both felt so gross from not being able to shower so I jokingly said "we could just go outside in the rain". Well, that is exactly what we ended up doing! We changed into shorts and a t-shirt, grabbed our towels, and yes even shampoo. We ran around and stuck our head right under the water that was pouring from the roof covering the cars outside. We were laughing the entire time and I would hide every time a car drove by (my roomie just froze as if she was a part of the scenery). We raced inside just as one of our neighbors came outside. HILARIOUS!

So, let's just say we felt so much better and we now have a new appreciation for water. God continues to teach me these lessons of being thankful and content with what I have. I LOVE WATER!

A True Panama Adventure

So, I just had to share with you all about my day here. My aunt and uncle were coming through the Panama Canal on their cruise ship today so 6 of us (me, my cousin, her husband, and their 2 kids, and my uncle) went out to Diablo Point to wave and show them our signs. We found them early in the morning among all the many people (our guess is that my uncle got up early to claim that spot). A few hours later, we came side by side with the cruise ship again...this time we are all in the boat (owned by my cousin and fam) and caught up with cruise ship in the canal. Boy, I am sure we were the talk of the cruise ship since many people were waving, taking pictures, and video taping us. Hilarious. We were able to find our relatives again. So cool.

The whole time we were doing this, I just kept asking myself....who does this? It is not just everyday that you get to be with people you love waving at more people you love while in the Panama Canal. After waving to them for a while, we ventured out to feed the monkeys and returned home. Just another day here in Panama:-)

More...

Sorry, for some reason it didn't show some of my other post. What I meant to say was that I tried to get some work done in my classroom but it just unimportant at the moment. I was not motivated.

A Hard Lesson Learned.....

Today was a pretty good day at school with just a few situations that happened with some students. The kids are always usually much better on Fridays but then they have the weekend to run free at home! (making Mondays hard). All was fine...I had just finished the day and returned to my classroom to put things away. I was happy to have completed another week of school. All was fine...until about 3:00pm.....

There was suddenly a lot of people running around in the hallway and all the students from outside were coming inside to wait for their rides. Not knowing what happened, I asked another teacher who replied "Someone fell from the roof". This immediately gave me this sick feeling in my stomach. Here at the school/church, they are building a new tall roof to the parking lot, which can be used for sports and other activities. One of the construction workers on this roof fell from where he had been working. The paramedics arrived but were unable to help him. He died from the fall.

Some of us gathered to pray for this man, his family, and the hard times we have had at the school. What is going on? At the end of September, a dad of 2 students at the school was shot and killed in their home. For me, today's devastating accident has taught me an important life lesson. It puts my life into perspective. As hard as my job is, as much as my students drive me crazy most days, I still couldn't imagine if one day they never came back to school. I can't imagine my life without knowing these kids (and oh the stories that I have from knowing them too:-). It makes me thankful for the things God has given me. Here I have been inside teaching at the school, and this man has been outside in the heat working on this roof. Wow!

I later went back into my classroom and TRIED very hard to get work done. I just was not motivated. It just wasn't that important at the moment.

Please join me in praying for this man's family and all the other workers who knew him. Pray for our school and the students who may have witnessed this accident. Pray for the church as they explain to the congregation what happened. This is all tough stuff and a hard lesson learned.

Super Cool Roommates!

So, I just wanted to give a shout out to my super cool roommates here. We had a blast together last night at our Bible Study's girl's night and it just made me even more thankful to have them in my life. We always have so much fun! Also, another funny story...

You know you have been in Panama long time when....... you get cold from sitting in the air-conditioned coffee shop! Well, this is just what happened to one of my roomies and me yesterday. We both got so cold sitting there for about 45 minutes that we decided to walk back to "warm up". Hilarious! I am totally gonna freeze when I head back to the states for Christmas.

Celebrate Good Times!

So, I have to share my excitement with you.....I have just finished the 1st quarter of teaching here! This feels like a huge accomplishment and one that I thought would never happen. It feels so good to have grades in and to be able to have some fun with friends this weekend. It was a tough push to finish this week but I did it. Oh, and I have learned so much during these last few months! On top of all the craziness that usually comes during the week, one of my little students fell outside during recess and broke her arm! Pray for her as she recovers and will hopefully come back to school soon.

So, pretty much I could not have gotten this far into the school year without God's strength and wisdom. Please continue to pray for me especially when I talk to parents about their child's grades!

A Refreshing Weekend!

I am totally exhausted yet totally refreshed! Is that even possible? Well, I sure think so....I just returned from an overnight Women's Retreat with my church here in Panama. I met some new women, heard amazing testimonies that left us all in tears, and even had the wonderful opportunity to room with 3 amazing women! Other highlights included: Dancing with some friends during a great concert (many people commented on how they enjoyed watching us dance), going down the lazy river ride at a nearby waterpark, PRAISING the Lord, praying with others, and the bus ride back home (this was HILARIOUS!).

God was definately present this weekend and continues to show me His blessings. I have been really struggling with some things in my life and I don't always see the cool things God is doing. Even during these challenges, I have to trust that God is working (even if I cannot see it). Praise God for this refreshing weekend away! Now, I am excited for a good night's rest!!!!:-)

Beach Fun!

So, I was able to spend last weekend at the beach for a much needed getaway. It was WONDERFUL! I slept, ate a lot, swam in the pool and ocean, read, and got a nice sunburn too. We had an extra day off from school last week so I was able to get all my work done that I would normally do on the weekend. We were there for 2 nights and I am already looking forward to the next time we can go. The company was also wonderful...life is good:-)

Oh Happy Day!

Ok...so what do you get when you have 3 VERY tired and relieved teachers after a day filled with Parent-Teacher Conferences?....The answer: a LOT of laughter! Leading up to today was very stressful indeed but the Lord definately answered prayers. All the conferences went very well and I am so happy to have them done. Yahoo!

I spent the evening babysitting during a Bible Study and relaxed at my place for about an hour after that. 2 of my roommates and I laughed so hard until our stomachs hurt and our eyes were watering. It always feels good to have a nice laugh like that:-) Our other roommates also joined in the laughter when she came back. We are all so happy to have conferences over. Oh, and God has provided an extra day off tomorrow from school because of strikes/protests that will take place here in Panama. Can you say "An extra day of planning so I don't have to do it this weekend?"

God is so good and continues to bless me in so many ways. He continues to be my ROCK and STRENGTH right now. I am also leaving this weekend for the beach! Oh Happy Day!

Just Keep Swimming!

Okay, so I must admit that I have been struggling this past week. I have been stressed since coming here as I adjust to having my own classroom of students, a new culture, a new language, and missing Japan. Last week it hit me hard. Please pray for me as I learn to love teaching and love my students (I am struggling in both these areas). I am reminded of a verse in Proverbs 3:5-6......"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

I am learning this very thing....to TRUST in the Lord to give me strength, wisdom, and a peace that I am right where He wants me. I do believe that I am here for a reason but it still makes it so hard!

Parent-Teacher Conferences are this week, which doesn't help in the stress department. Pray for me as I get the courage to talk to parents (even though I still don't know all my students real well). On a positive note, I am leaving Friday night through Sunday for a MUCH needed trip to the beach! I can hardly wait! Until then, I will.....just keep swimming!:0)

Oh, Panama!

Ok...so it has been quite a whirlwind here...I am not sure where to even begin this post. I now have 20 little students along with battling a sore throat...(of course that is the thing we use the most when teaching!) Sigh.

I want to tell you about today. My roommate (and dear friend) and I have been using the expression "Oh, Panama" to describe situations that occur that can't be explained. ( My friend and I in Japan did the same with "Oh, Japan"). Today, I taught half a day of school with the rest of the afternoon for meetings. Well, I soon found out that 3 of us new teachers would be taken to do some necessary things for immigration. So, 4 of us went to a local mall to get our blood taken (AIDS test). The doctor was not in so we got pictures taken instead, ate ice cream, and went back to the clinic....this time he was there. So, the 3 teachers took our turns to get the shot (me holding the hand of one during her turn) and then went back to school. I was able to work in my room for about an hour and then headed to a beauty salon with my roomie. There we enjoyed a manicure and pedicure to help get our minds off the stress of school. After that, we headed to good ol' McDonalds.

I couldn't help but laugh about my day and wonder who would ever do all of this in one day? Well, I sure did! It has been quite a day! God continues to be faithful and is teaching me a great deal. Pray for me as I continue to battle this sore throat (and stress!)

Oh, Panama!

A New School Year Begins!

Yes, it is true! School started on Thursday and I am happy to say that I have made it through the first 2 days of school already! I have 19 little 1st graders this year. It has been an overwhelming week but also one of excitement as I get to know my students. (I already have some cute stories). Even through the challenges, I am SO happy to be here as God continues to use me for His purpose. I have also been overwhelmed by all the support, prayers, and love that I have received from others here in Panama. I am SO blessed!

A New Exciting Adventure!

Hello everyone. I am sorry for not updating you all for a few weeks. It has been a whirlwind of a few weeks that is for sure. I left Japan on July 19th, went to the USA for about 8 days, and just recently arrived in Central America. So far things are going well.....I love my roommates and teachers at the school. The support that I have received has been AMAZING! I am SO thankful to be here with some relatives too. Please pray for me as I get ready for school to start....the big stresser in my life now! I am just trusting that God will work everything out for the 1st day of school (which is on Thursday, by the way). Oh, and I tomorrow I am going to the beach for the day...LIFE IS GOOD!

All My Bags Are Packed (almost)....

....and I am ready to go! I only have a few more days here in Japan! Crazy! There is still much to do but trusting that it will all get done. I will be leaving this Saturday around 5:00pm and arriving in Seattle around 9:30am. Try figuring that out!:-) Pray for safe travel and health (I have not been feeling so great...probably due to lack of sleep). I will let you know when I arrive in the USA!

A Cloudy Heart

A teacher at one of my schools used this expression to describe my moods these last few weeks at my schools. It was cloudy on that particular day so he said "Your heart is cloudy". I think he described it perfectly. I am using this in regards to all the goodbyes that I have had to say to my students...goodbyes that have NOT been easy. Today was no exception. This week is really busy with goodbye parties so today (Monday) was my last day playing softball after school with the girls. I have been anticipating this time for a while. I prepared a speech and letters for all of them but I still struggle with telling them how much they have helped me this year. So, it is hard to explain in English and then I had to translate it into Japanese! Ugh! I did the best I could and only cried at the very final sentence. Thankfully I still have the rest of the week to enjoy. Pray for me right now as I go through all these goodbyes, parties, PLUS trying to pack and clean up my apartment. Oh, and due to all this busyness, I have not been getting enough sleep....I think this is just how it is going to be for the whole month of July! Last weekend, I traveled to Aomori for a goodbye party with many other ALTs in my prefecture...it was a wonderful reminder of all the great people that I have met as a result of being here. It was also great to be able to speak all in English AND know that there are others leaving after one year. I will try to keep you all posted....I leaving Japan on July 19th!!!!

Japanese Wedding Ceremony!

So, I just wanted to tell you all about my AMAZING weekend before things get too crazy this week. As many of you know, I have been to more weddings than I can count but over the weekend I was able to attend my very first Japanese wedding ceremony! I took the shinkansen (bullet train) down to Tokyo on Friday night (after a very emotional day of goodbyes at one of my schools). I stayed with my friend, Yoko, that night. On Saturday morning, I went with Yoko to a beauty salon....which just so happens to be where she works! This salon is also just down the street from the Tokyo Tower! She fixed my hair for the wedding ceremony and then I was off to the Tokyo Dome Hotel! It was a beautiful ceremony, followed by a wonderful party at the hotel. I also attended 2 other parties that day (after the one at the hotel)...yahoo! It was SO much fun and so cool to meet Akiko's friends. Akiko wore 4 different outfits during the day too. Today, I then met up with 2 other friends for coffee at Starbucks and then lunch at a fun little restaurant. I then made my way back to the Tokyo Station to catch the Shinkansen back to Hachinohe, followed by another 2 hour train ride to my city. As exhausting as this weekend was, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am so thankful that I was able to attend this beautiful celebration and experience my first Japanese wedding!

Precious Moments

So, I just couldn't wait to share with you all some of the "precious moments" that happened today. God blessed me in so many ways! There are a lot so I will try to list them....

1) Taking pictures after lunch with a class of students! Today was my last class with them so it was a little sad too. Their homeroom teacher is hilarious and makes me laugh everytime I come to this school.

2) Chatting with students at lunchtime and having them sign my "yearbook"...it is actually just a sketch book that I bought to have teachers and students write in it. I has become a real treasure to me as I reflect on some of the things people have written...wow!

3) Stopping by the nearby convienient store near my school on my way to the bus stop. I had a really nice chat with the worker there (in Japanese)! She was SO sad to hear that I was leaving. She explained (in Japanese again) how she always sees me walk by and it always makes her happy! Wow again!

4) Waving to some of my students from another school of mine while on the bus. My favorite was when I waved at a group of about 3 students who shouted "A-------M----------Y" and jumped up and down. Hilarious!

5) Being picked up by my friend's parents who happen to be driving by me after I left the City Hall. It was so fun to see them! (and it saved me a 45 minute walk!)

6) Playing softball at the Sports Park with the city league. The funny thing about this is that not only was I the only foreigner but I was also the only FEMALE playing! Ha! I think I showed those boys what I was made of! I had a blast the entire time....this was definately one of the many highlights from my time here in Japan! They all want me to come back next week to play too! And silly me was thinking about not coming....! Oh, and apparently we went a little over the time limit because as we were packing up our stuff, the lights were turned off!

7) Running into several people that I knew at the grocery store. This actually happens a lot and it makes me SO happy to be in a city where I have been before!

So, I have decided to ENJOY every moment of this week. I now only have 2 more days at one of my schools so Friday may be very sad:-( Please pray for me as I prepare a goodbye speech in Japanese and for my emotions to not go out of control!

Time with Friends....one last time!

So, I just returned from another wonderful evening with 4 dear friends here. As most of you know, I have been to Japan many times and I am still in touch with many of the friends that I met years ago. But these 4 friends are new friends that have come into my life during my year here. God placed them into my life for a certain reason. I am SO blessed to have them in my life now and so sad to be leaving these precious friends. But, I do believe that I will see them again someday!

The goodbyes have started here, which is hard for me. I am NOT a fan of goodbyes but I also don't like NOT saying goodbye. So, I am preparing myself for some tears as I say goodbye to the many wonderful people that God has blessed me with. This weekend, I will get to see my dear friend that I have known for 10 years (who is coming into town to take wedding pictures). I plan to enjoy every moment with her. Next week is my final week at one of my schools too:-(

As sad and stressed as I am right now, God gave me a sense of peace this week that I did make the right decision to not stay another year. I also realized the source of my stress....I was not giving everything to God but instead thought I could do it all on my own. Boy was I wrong! I need God so much right now. Please pray for me!

Weekend Fun!

So, I just finished up another AWESOME weekend! On Friday night, I went out with 2 dear friends for dinner. We have been friends for the last 10 years so I was sad to have to say goodbye. Then, Saturday was filled with unexpected blessings and Sports Competitions. It was the weekend of the Chutairen, which is when all the junior high schools on the Shimokita Peninsula compete. Saturday wasn't quite what I expected but God worked everything out even better than I could have imagined! I watched volleyball, softball practice, track & field, tennis, baseball, and even managed to squeeze in a game of badminton at the Dome. Saturday night, 5 of us helped celebrate our friend's birthday with dinner and karaoke! Good times! I spent Sunday watching 3 great softball games and enjoying every minute of it! I was so proud of those girls and felt so honored to be there. I am anticipating a very tearful goodbye with them when the time comes. Sunday night, I went out with another friend and her precious 3-year-old daughter and played at their house. Are you tired yet from trying to keep up with everything that I did? I sure am! Now, I am going to enjoy 2 days of no school!

Enjoying the Journey

Life here is SO crazy busy right now but overall LIFE IS GOOD! I have a little over a month left here so now starts the farewell parties, packing, goodbyes, tears, and preparations for my next teaching job. I have decided to not let my stress get in the way of me enjoying my last few weeks here. I have come to appreciate each day that I am here, love my students, and be amazed at all the blessings God has given me. I am especially sad at the thought of having to say goodbye to my softball girls. I can't even begin to express how much they have meant to me this year. It is so fun for me to get to know each other them with their own personality, dreams, and skills. They make me laugh every time I am with them and amaze me with their desire to speak English. I told one of them this week that I would be leaving on July 19th. She wrote on her hand "7/19 Amy to America . I am sad. " I have been having students write a message to me in a book. One softball girl wrote "I want to become a woman like Amy". Wow! I have come to realize that I would be sad to leave Japan no matter how long I were to stay. I have absolutely NO regrets about my year here and definately feel as though I have changed from this experience. Now comes the hard task of showing others here my appreciation for them. This weekend is the big junior high school sports competitions all over Mutsu. So, I will be getting on my bike to go to as many events as possible to cheer on my students! LIFE IS GOOD!

One of those weeks...

So, I must admit...I am VERY happy this week is OVER! This has just been one of those weeks where it seems like I can't handle much more. One of my friend's husband passed away this week here, which has been hard on a lot of people. I never met him before but my friend has always open up their home to us. We are all so sad for her. Another friend here had an uncle back in the USA pass away. This made me think about how much I adore my uncles and would be devastated if anything were to happen to them. Also, one of my students today at school was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. Not sure how he is doing. On top of all this, my work schedule has been hard for me as I try to balance 4 schools (5 after next week). I have felt pulled in all different directions and trying to stay involved as much as I can. I am anticipating saying goodbye to these students, teachers, and friends so that has also brought on a few tears. I know that I will be so sad to leave here but yet part of me is also VERY excited and ready for my next adventure.

With these hard times, I have also had some amazing times! Monday night, I was invited to a goodbye party for an English teacher at a high school here. He will be going to England to study for 6 months. The party ended up turning into a goodbye party for me too! I had a great time with all these fun teachers. Last Sunday, Sekine was scheduled to have their Sports Day but it was cancelled due to rain. I was SO sad! Ohata kindly allowed me to attend on Tuesday though (changing my class schedule around). I cannot thank them enough! I had a BLAST at Sekine and even got to stay for the whole day. This day was pretty much the greatest because after Sekine I went to another school to play softball with students! I would stay here forever if everyday was like this! Teaching went well this week too. After lunch turned into "English-time" with some of my students. I visit them in their classroom and we just end up talking the whole break! I love it! The music teacher at this school is hilarious and had me laughing all day!

So, as hard as this week has been, I try to see the little blessings that God has also given me. Sometimes it is just hard to see the good through the bad. But, I am doing much better now that it is Friday night. I have lots of fun plans for the weekend too!

What Really Matters?

So, it has been a busy week starting up at a new school and therefore gaining about 300 new students! Yikes! It has been an overwhelming week but also one with incredible blessings. I now get the opportunity to teach alongside a dear friend of mine.

I wanted to share with you all about my little English play group, which has been meeting twice a month since October. There were 6 kids present yesterday but for some reason none of them were interested in our 45 minutes of English-time. I have come to realize with this group to come with ideas but to not stress if we don't do everything planned. Sounds like a big lesson on being a teacher, huh? The kids really just wanted to play with each other. I decided to not fight it but just do what I could to bring out my creativeness. As soon as we finished, one 3-year-old girl said (in Japanese), "Is it finished? I am hungry!" as she practically drooled over all the yummy food that was prepared for dinner. So, a table was set up for the kids and another table was set up for the moms (and Amy:-) As we enjoyed this delicious meal, prepared by Manaka's mom, the kids started singing! It was so precious! The best part....they were singing 2 of the songs we sing at every play group, "Twinkle, twinkle, Little Star" and a "What's your name?" song. It made me so thankful for this time and make me think about what really matters. What do I hope to accomplish with this play group? My desire for these kids is that they somehow remember this experience, continue to study English, and have wonderful opportunities to travel because of it. I know I am learning a lot from them as well.

Stormy Days

So, I had another great weekend going to the nearby Nanohana Festival (flowers) and to the Sports Day at 3 of my schools. The weather was BEAUTIFUL! For some reason, today is a very windy, rainy, and stormy day. But crazy me still rode my bike in it to go to the library and post office:-) This reminds me a lot of life and a great quote I recently heard "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass....it's about learning to dance in the rain." Some days are just more stormy than others but it is about what we choose to do during these times that is important. I feel as though I have been faced with many storms during my time here in Japan but I have learned a great deal through it all. I ran into a friend of mine in the library and had a nice chat. Another lesson...sometimes we have to get through the storm in order to get to the good of what is to come. So, no matter what happens, I hope to make the most of everything in life....and continue "to dance in the rain."

10 years ago....

....I came to Mutsu City as a middle school student!!!! It changed my life. I came back from that trip with so many new friends, a better understanding of another culture, and a new dream. I told my dad "I am going to teach in Japan someday". Well, that dream came true. Since then, I came back to Mutsu 2 other times for more exchanges and to see friends. The sister city program between Port Angeles and Mutsu City continues with groups of students coming and going. I just recently enjoyed 4 days with the group from PA. I was able to spend a whole day at a school with 5 middle school students, which definately brought me back to when I was their age. Wow! I also studied Japanese for 3 years in high school, 1 year in college, and have stayed in touch with many of my Japanese friends. In college, I began to research programs that would help me teach in Japan. I applied for the JET Program and requested Mutsu. I was beyond excited when my request was granted. Now, I have been living here for 9 1/2 months and have been able to see old friends and do more things that I never thought was possible. I will be here for 2 more months and plan to continue to love the people here and experience all that I can. I am so thankful to be here in Mutsu City....10 years later!

Day Trip to Hakodate!

I know it is hard to believe:-)....but I just got back from another fun day trip to Hakodate (Hokkaido Island). We woke up early this morning to catch the first ferry from Oma for the day. Well, let's just say the adventures all started at 6:00am when we realized that the ferry actually left at 6:30 rather than 7:00. We were still 30-45 minutes away! It was so funny to see all the little roadblocks that got in our way as we tried to catch the ferry...old man crossing the street, a man walking with 3 dogs on leashes, slow taxi, and more. Hilarious! We were so bummed when we arrived at the ferry terminal just in time to watch the ferry leave! Sad. We looked into other options but decided to drive around the area until the next ferry (at 11:30am). Not much to do in Oma and Sai but we managed to have a good time anyways.
Here we are having fun on the ferry ride over. Good times. We were able to sleep a little (since the ferry was really rocky from the strong wind/waves). Don't worry...we got there and back safely:-)
Good times exploring Hakodate. We didn't get as much time as we were planning to have but we made the most of what we had. I think the WHOLE day was all part of the adventure...even if it wasn't exactly what we had in mind).
We walked up to the Hakodate Ropeway to see this awesome view. Here I am with my good friend, Lindsay.
Makiko, Lindsay, me, and Yoshika still enjoying the view....it was so much fun to be with these girls for the whole day. We laughed a lot!
And yes...still enjoying the view!

Weekend Fun!

So, I just finished up another AWESOME weekend and couldn't wait to tell you all about it! It was filled with sunshine, softball, laughter, sleep, friends, rain, cold, darts, and karaoke. God continues to bless my time here in Japan with some amazing opportunities and friendships.

I was able to spend the entire day with my junior high softball girls in Misawa. Thankfully they had enough room on the bus for me to ride with them the 1 1/2 hours. It was truly the perfect day....sunshine and softball! It truly doesn't get much better than that. I enjoyed watching their 2 games (they lost 1 and won 1), visiting with parents, and soaking up the sun. I loved every minute of it!...it was even worth getting up at 4:30am to catch the bus!
Here the girls are watching their opponents take infield before the game. A huge highlight for me was showing the girls pictures of my family and friends while in the bus. It was fun to share with them a little more about myself and the special people in it. These girls also take care of me (in more ways than I can describe). For example, we stopped at a convenient store on the drive back for some ice cream. I kind of understood what was going on. Some of the girls asked me what kind of ice cream I wanted but before I could respond they picked it out for me. They even showed me how to eat the ice cream (and yes it needed explaining:-) It was a wonderful day with these girls. Oh, one of the girls also yelled out "I like you" to me and others agreed.
Today was my 3rd Hanami (flower-viewing) BBQ. The weather was very cold (much different from yesterday) but we still enjoyed the food and awesome people. Here is a picture of the ladies.
We gathered at a park here in Mutsu but the cherry blossoms are starting to fade away though. Sad:-( We also had s'mores...thanks to my friend Yoshika who brought the marshmellows and cookies with a layer of chocolate on them. Yum!

This picture is so funny to me because it really captures my karaoke experience today. I learned how to play darts but soon switched over to singing. I sang several English songs, including Beauty and the Beast and A Whole New World. It was so much fun, especially when my friend Ayako joined in to do the other part. Good times!

Spring is Here!

So, today is also the very first day that it has felt like Spring here. So I dusted off my flip-flops and shorts to enjoy the beautiful weather. It was a whopping 20 degrees C which is equal to about 68 degrees F. Yahoo! Check back in a few days for more pictures of the beautiful Sakura (cherry blossoms). It is still rather cold in my apartment though:-(

At the nearby Sports Park.

Another Trip!

Yes, it is true. I just returned this morning from another trip. This time my travels took me to the northern part of Hokkaido. If you look on a map, it is the northern island and I actually went to the place that is the farthest north you can go! I took on the night train up to Sapporo then enjoyed a 5-hour train ride through beautiful Hokkaido. The entire time I was thinking about how not many people ever get to see this area.
I was met at the Wakkanai Station by Mr. and Mrs. Yanagi. I met them 8 years ago in Mutsu where Mr. Yanagi was a pastor of a little church. I helped out with the kindergarten there and we have stayed in touch ever since. We had a great day driving around Wakkanai. Oh, we also stopped at the Daisuke Matsuzaka Museum!!!! It was SO cool!
We drove out to Cape Soya to this monument, which marks that we are truly at the northern-most point of Japan. On a clear day, we would have been able to see Russia! Oh, also, many of the signs in Wakkanai were written in English, Japanese, and Russian! I stayed with them for 1 night, went to church with them the next morning, and enjoyed eating udon with some nice people from the church. They then drove me to Nakagawa to meet up with my friend.
The 6 of us enjoyed an exciting game of park golf! This was my first time by the way! It was rainy and cold but that didn't stop us. Here we are enjoying some yummy Chinese food after our fun game of park golf.


I had a great time exploring and meeting the local people in Nakagawa with my friend. Yesterday, I took the train back to Wakkanai to explore for the day before having to catch my train back to Sapporo. So, I took the city bus out to Cape Noshappu to this point that overlooks the Sea of Japan. It was beautiful! I felt like quite an adventurer heading out here.


I also stopped by the aquarium (in background).This is a picture of the Wakkanai Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in Hokkaido. So, yes, I am tired from all this traveling but I would do it again in a heartbeat! I am so thankful to God that I have all these wonderful opportunities to explore more of this beautiful country.

Day Trip to Hirosaki!

On Sunday, I enjoyed a wonderful day in Hirosaki City (about 2 1/2 hours from Mutsu). We could not have asked for better weather....I can actually say that it was hot! (and I got a little tan to prove it):-) I feel like this is the change in weather that I needed to feel like winter is over. So, nice weather, beautiful cherry blossoms, and wonderful friends.....this equals an AWESOME day!
Here are 5 of the 6 of us enjoying the view. My friend's husband took the picture.
We even took time to go rowing on this little river too. It was SO much fun! It is not too often you get so close to the edge that you get attacked by branches from the cherry blossom trees. So funny! Lindsay and I laughed at how this is another one of those experiences to add to the long list of all the cool things we have done in Japan.
Ayako, Makiko, me, Yoshika, and Lindsay...wonderful friends!
The Hirosaki Castle with the cherry blossoms. They have not yet bloomed in Mutsu but I am excited for them to come!
Since it was such a nice day, we were able to see this beautiful view of Mt. Iwaki. I guess it is nicknamed the Mt.Fuji of this area. After walking around for a while, we ate yummy carnival-type food, laughed lots, went shopping, drank coffee, went to a 5-story Pagoda, and took lots of purikura (sticker pictures). It was a great way to end the day.

I Love Kids!

It has been quite a week back at school but overall good. I am totally exhausted. I am happy to report that I made it through an entire week at my hardest school. Yahoo! I also wanted to include some cute pictures from my English Play Group that we have twice a month. I love it! Also, funny story....on Monday I was asked by one of the English teachers to help look over some of the self-introductions written by the students. I came to one that read "My favorite human is Ms. Emi". I have no idea if indeed this student meant to write "Ms. Amy" but I like to think so. I laughed out loud when I read this.
This precious little 1-year-old just started walking and is the youngest member of our group. He can't talk yet but his mom really wants him to be around English as much as possible. He seems to like some of the songs we sing. He is such a happy little guy.
This little girl is 2 years old and shows a very strong interest in English.
These girls are 5, 4, and 2 years old. I love this picture! My favorite part is when the little girl on the far left comes running in, says "Hello Amy" and gives me a big hug!
This picture is classic. Did I mention that little 1-year-old is really happy? Well, he definately is NOT in this picture. His mom is holding him.

From Tokyo to Sendai

I don't want to forget to tell you about my time in Sendai as well. I took the Shinkansen (bullet train) for about 1 1/2 hours from Tokyo to Sendai. As soon as I arrived at the Sendai Station, I headed straight for the Starbucks. Yum! I spent the first night about 1 hour from Sendai with my dear friend, Kaori Takashima (now Oikawa) and her husband. It was really fun to see their new apartment and spend time with her the next day too. I then spent the next 3 nights with Mio and her husband. My family hosted Mio in 1998 when her high school in Mutsu came to Port Angeles for their school trip. It has been so fun to get reconnected with her. She always calls me her sister since she is an only child.
We drove about 1 hour to hike and see Akiu Otaki (waterfall). Mio and Kenji had never even been here before but thanks to my Lonely Planet book we were able to find it! Apparently, it is one of the three most famous waterfalls in Japan. Who knew? Here I am with Mio as we get wet from the mist of the waterfall.
It was so much fun to get to know Kenji. His English improved a lot during my time with them...he would always tell me "Thank you, teacher". Ha ha.
Another fun highlight of this trip was "Miobucks Cafe". She made some yummy coffee one morning so she decided to name it that. Hilarious. We kept laughing about that. The night before I was supposed to leave she said "Let's go to Starbucks for breakfast. I am sorry but Miobucks is closed tomorrow". :-)
I enjoyed playing cards with them at night. Oh, Mio and I also had a "girl's day" one day. We stayed in our pajamas until 12, went shopping, out to lunch, took Purikura (sticker pictures), drank Starbucks, and went to the movies (by the way, it costs about $18 to go to the movies here). It was such a fun day!
After going to the waterfall, we also did some more hiking. It was a beautiful day. We sure did work up an appetite so we ate dinner at a gyutan (cow tongue) restaurant. Sendai is famous for this. I returned back to Mutsu on Sunday, April 13th. Oh, I also carried a Starbucks with me all the way back up to Mutsu....I think I had enough this break to last me for these next few months!

Tokyo Trip- Part 2

I then met up with my Uncle Dave to explore new places in Tokyo!
We made our way to the Tokyo Dome and to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum! It was so cool to learn more about how long Japan and American baseball teams have been playing games against each another. Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth even came to play in Japan in 1934! We also enjoyed lunch at the Baseball Cafe nearby.
I had the privilege of spending time with my Uncle Dave for 3 days! He definately knows his way around Tokyo area so we were a great team! I had so much fun seeing new places in Tokyo but the best thing of all was getting to spend some quality time with him. Here we are at the train station in Enoshima.
The Great Buddha Statue (Daibutsu) in Kamakura that was completed in 1252!
We spent time in Yokohama, Japan's 2nd-largest city. We made our way to this pier just as one of the cruise ships (Nippon Maru) was leaving! We arrived just in time to wave good-bye to everyone on board, watch the balloons/streamers being released, and be among all the people there to see them off. It was SO cool! We later learned that this was the starting point for this ship on a 3-month cruise to 28 ports around the world!
Here is the view from the top of the tower in Enoshima. We walked across the causeway to this little fishing village island. It was a nice little hike around to the top and a GREAT view! We could even see Mt. Fuji.

Tokyo Trip- Part 1

Ok, I am now back after another fun adventure...this time making my way down south to Tokyo. One word to describe my entire Spring break.....AWESOME! April 5th and 6th were spent seeing friends, exploring new places, and enjoying the beautiful cherry blossom trees.
My friend met me at the Tokyo Station and we made our way to the Ueno Park. The park was filled with people enjoying the nice weather and these beautiful trees.
I had so much fun with my friend, Yasuka. We met in October 1998 when she came to P.A. for a school trip from Mutsu City. We were both high school students then and now she is a Junior High School English teacher. We enjoyed the park and then the Ueno Zoo. So fun! Don't worry...this is just one of the many statues they had around the zoo:-)
I enjoyed my very first "Hanami" experience. This is basicly "flower-viewing", which means people gather in parks, eat and drink a lot, and enjoy the cherry blossoms. It was quite an experience that I will never forget. I went with my friend's boyfriend (since she had to work) and his co-workers. So, here I am with some of my new friends that I made during this experience.
I walked around Shiba Park a little, taking pictures of the flowers, and enjoying the sunshine. I was excited to see how close this park was to the Tokyo Tower!!!
I stayed 2 nights with Yoko, another friend from my high school years. We met in June 2000 when I came to Mutsu and my family later hosted her in October 2000. She is now a beautician in Tokyo. It was so much fun to hang out with her again.

More Pictures from Korea!

Here are a few more pictures from my time in Korea. I also forgot to mention that I absolutely LOVED eating at some American Restaurants...Subway, Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, and Cold Stones. They have some of these in Japan but not here in the Aomori Prefecture. I definately needed my fix. All I can say is...YUM!

Another cool picture of part of the palace.
Here is a sign showing how far away we are from other places in the world while here in Seoul. I am pointing to the Tokyo sign.
We headed up the Seoul Tower. Actually, this was our 2nd attempt since a few days earlier it was raining. We got a free pass to go up again so we took advantage of that. It reminds me a lot of the Space Needle.
Okay, so this is by far one of the best views....and it comes from the bathroom!
Just call me "Amy the Traveler":-)

My Trip to Korea!

Hello again! So, I am now back from my trip to Korea! I took a 3 hour flight from Aomori, Japan to Seoul, Korea(Incheon International Airport). I stayed with a Whitworth friend for 5 days. Some hightlights from the trip:
1. Seeing the differences and similarities between Korea and Japan
2. Exploring a new country!
3. Eating yummy Korean food
4. Getting to know Nicole and Won better
5. Visiting an International Christian School (where Nicole teaches ESL)

This was another awesome experience. Just as we arrived at the Gyeongbokgung (Palace) in Seoul (on Monday), they were doing the changing of the guards. It was quite a show!
I think this picture is awesome! They were heading right towards the crowd but soon turned towards the Palace entrance to begin the guard change.
This is just another area of the huge palace, home of the king and queen during the Joseon Dynasty.
Here we are at the Korean War Memorial. We are pointing to a sign that says "Photo Shoot here". This memorial is huge so we were not able to finish going through it all. We also walked around the display of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are on here until June. It was so cool to see coins that were found when Jesus was here in Earth.
Some of you may have heard on the news about an old famous gate in South Korea (Sungryemun) having a fire and burning down back in February. Well, here is what is left of it...nothing. They have put a wall around it to protect the area and also so people can write messages. We happened to be there on the 49th day since this incident so they were preparing for a memorial service.