8 MONTHS

and just like that folks...8 months have flown by. (I imagine pregnant women say this when they are close to delivering their child haha) 

In a few days I'll be back in the states for a dear friends wedding and to shove my face with chic-fil-a and acai bowls. It's also been 8 months since I've seen my mom and let's be real - home is where your mom is. 

It is pretty surreal to be heading back after all I've experienced thus far in Japan and I am anticipating a fair amount of reverse culture shock. Before I came to Japan I was down right terrified of being so far away from home... but now I stand somewhat on the other side of that bridge at a place where Japan is becoming the norm and America is seemingly foreign and far away. life is weird!! 

A few things that have struck a chord with me recently...

This quote speaks to my soul. I think Maya Angelou wrote these words for teachers working abroad. There is so much that goes beyond grammar, words, and even language itself. This quote reminds me that even if my lesson fails, the kids don't get my jokes, the speeches don't win awards, and my Japanese level takes forever to improve...if my students walk out of school knowing they are loved, supported, and encouraged, then I have succeeded as a teacher. 

I teach an adult class a few Saturdays a month. The average age of the class is 50 and although I was intimidated at first, these people have really won me over. I have received hand warmers, books, McDonalds coupons, free coffee, and wise advice from these lovely people. They've become a big part of what I do here in Kashiwa and I am very thankful for them. 

I witnessed a 90 year old man get baptised and it was one of the most beautiful things I have even been a part of. He was standing there, with a towel over his thin shoulders, his eyes closed and his face pointing to the heavens...and the look he had on his face was sheer and utter peace. It was incredible. The whole congregation was in tears as Pastor Kaylor said, "although you are 90, today you are born again in the name of Jesus!"  

My coworker invited Steph and I over to his house for a bbq and the food was out of this world. Bbq chicken, pork, and cow tongue (very popular here in Japan), not to mention the homemade spicy miso paste, kimchi, and fresh fruit...yowzah! We spent the afternoon eating and playing Wii, Mario Kart, Old Maid, and Uno with the kids (two boys who are both 8 aka the perfect age for games) and as I sat there my heart swelled with gratitude for this family and their hospitality and kindness. They are a big part of why these 8 months in Japan have been so incredible.

So I'm off to finish packing (half my suitcase is omiage!! aka gifts!) and to those of you reading this, hopefully I can see you when I am back in the states for a week or so. Love you all! 

YOKOHAMA. STARBUCKS. SUSHI.

This week was a fun week for the students here at Ichikashi. The 1st year students went on a class trip to Nagano where they spent a few days hiking, cooking, and learning the rules and expectation of high school life. They all came back sunburnt and tired from all the activity - but much more closely bonded as a group. 

The 3rd year (senior) students spend Thursday in Tokyo touring a few Universities. They had the chance to learn about various campuses and see what facilities they have to offer. It is just the beginning of the school year here in Japan, so students have all year to decide what they want to do after high school - but it's good to get them thinking about it now.

As for the 2nd year students, steph and I joined them all on a day trip to Yokohama. The reason for this trip was mainly for the students to practice getting to Haneda airport (which is on the way to Yokohama) by themselves since they will be going there in the fall to fly to Okinawa. The students were all told to meet at Haneda airport at 9am sharp. Only one student came late and unfortunately, he received a 20 minute lecture by the one teacher that all the students are intimidated by! I was scared just listening from afar. (Japanese teachers have a way of looking at you in this intense way like "how dare you disrespect me!") Anyway, after meeting at Haneda, the students had the day free and just had to meet at Yokohama stadium (30km away) at 3pm. 

There are about 300 2nd year students and they are split up into 10 homeroom classes. It was a bit crazy in the morning trying to round them all up, but the homeroom teachers did a great job of keeping this organized and sending their kids off in groups of 5. It was also so cute to see them in their regular clothes since I see them in their very serious uniforms everyday! 

Yokohama is about 40 minutes from Tokyo...and Tokyo is about 1 hour from Kashiwa...so do some quick math and you will realize that the students and teachers all had to sit on the train for a long time that day! Japan life = train life. 

The students went on their way and the teachers also went off to various places (cup-o-noodle museum, world porters mall, red brick building, chinatown, etc). I headed off with four other teachers to the old historical Red Brick building near the water. They happened to have Easter flowers still on display which was awesome. 

We grabbed a quick coffee at Bills before heading to Chinatown to meet up with the other teachers for lunch. The best part was my co-worker, Mashiko sensei, had never seen Latte art before and was in awe of the design haha! But more on Mashiko and coffee later...

We had buffet lunch in Chinatown and the food was SO GOOD. I wish I had more room in my stomach to eat everything, but by the 4th or 5th dish I was already stuffed. And as you can see, I had to hold my own at the mostly-men table. It wasn't a problem for me though, and I have two older brothers to thank for that. 

After lunch we had an hour or so to walk around before meeting up with all the students at the arena at 3pm. We walked to Motomachi, a very fancy old shopping area, and stopped by this scone store that smelled amazing. I love these little towns of Japan, filled with so much character and quality goods. 

These are boys from the 2A "international course" homeroom. They will be going to Torrance at the end of this year to do the exchange program with North. I feel like a proud parent watching them grow up in front of my eyes!! *crying* 

At 3pm the students all met back at the Yokohama stadium. They had to check in with their homeroom teacher, return the cameras they borrowed, and take one more class photo before being finished for the day. It was really a fun day for the students to explore on their own and for the teachers to hang out! 

If you didn't know already, Japanese people really love to party. So after a full day in Yokohama...we took the train 2 hours back to Kashiwa and then had some time to kill before meeting up with all the teachers again for a dinner party to celebrate our successful trip with the students. So Steph, Ikeda sensei, Takagi sensei, and I took Mashiko sensei to Starbucks FOR THE FIRST TIME. Yes, that is right. He has literally NEVER stepped foot into a Starbucks ever. We couldn't believe it when he told us a few weeks ago...so with an hour to spare before dinner we knew we had to go. 

I ordered the new Cantaloupe frapp and after dropping the first one on the ground (oops) they kindly made me a new one and I sipped the sugary sweetness and loved it! So refreshing...and the little pieces of melon and pudding are the best. Mashiko ordered a dark chocolate frapp and after his first sip of Starbucks ever he said... "WOW. THAT'S GOOD" haha!

After our memorable time at Starbucks, we walked 10 minutes to the dinner place...a sushi restaurant. Lucky me. The head teacher of the 2nd year students started off the night with a speech in which he said "Amie will challenge herself to eating sushi tonight" HAHAA I had no way of turning back at that point (he knew I didnt eat seafood and was determined to get me to try). This appetizer platter was right up my alley and I was eating all the karage... but when the sushi came I took a deep breath, drenched the slimy fish in shoyu, and ate two pieces to appease my co-workers. 

After dinner I finally made it back home at around 9:30pm and when my head hit the pillow that night I thought to myself "whoa. what a day. I am exhausted. wouldn't want it any other way." (did I just make a rap right there!?)

A few days ago, two powerful earthquakes hit the southern island of Japan (Kyushu) in the city of Kumamoto. All is safe and sound in Tokyo (1,000km away) but my heart hurts for the people suffering. I've been watching the news the past few days and the destruction is awful...buildings are collapsed, historical sites in ruin, workers trying to find people trapped under debris, roads completely destroyed...my heart hurts for these people. 

Japan is one of the most seismically active places in the world and I have felt more earthquakes living here for 8 months than I have in my entire life back in the states. Although that is an alarming fact, I rest assured that the good Lord has all things in His hands. He is in control. He loves the people of Kumamoto who are living in great fear now, He loves Japan deeply, and He is in control.

My heart also goes out to the people of Ecuador who just suffered a massive earthquake earlier this morning. Lord Jesus, come quickly! 

GOODBYE SAKURA

The Sakura lasted a week or so, until this past Saturday when God brought strong winds and the flowers started to blow off the trees creating, what looked like- falling white snow. I woke up Saturday morning and walked over to Teganuma to spend some time journaling...and right when I turned the corner to look down the street I stopped in my tracks and told myself "go get your camera." I ran back to my apartment, grabbed Joel, and headed straight for the clouds of pink ahead. 

More often than not, I can't believe I live here. 

I think I stood under this particular tree for a good 30 minutes. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. A line of the most beautiful trees all with falling petals...wowzah. 

This man came and sat down at the perfect time, like he knew I wanted a photo like this haha. He looks pretty downcast, but actually he was just taking a break and relaxing. 

This particular section of the park looked extra magical because it had a hill covered in sakura petals, along with full trees in the background!! 

The man on the left was painting an incredible picture of the water in front. His posture, canvas, and outfit seemed like something out of the early 1900s! I loved it. 

Sakura snow!! 

I was siting on a bench eating a sandwich and journaling when a father and son rode their bikes in to the field area and started playing baseball. The dad would throw a pitch, the boy would hit it quite hard, and the dad would run after to retrieve it...and they repeated this for an hour or so. Then, they walked their bikes over to a full sakura tree, pulled out a blanket and their bentos...and enjoyed lunch together. Watching their sweet interaction put such a huge smile on my face and I thought to myself...ahhhh this is Japan.

It is really amazing when the sakura cover the ground like a carpet of pink! This lady on the right was the epitome of a cute Japanese mom. 

Whenever I go to Teganuma, I love watching the old men fish! They remind me a lot of my grandfathers for some reason...their patience, calm, and enjoyment of a quiet and simple task as sitting by the water with a fishing pole. 

I stayed out for the whole morning...people watching, journaling, and thanking the Lord for all the beauty and peace around me. Wow, what a magical season! 

RECENTLY

 
After my dad came to visit, I had a week of "spring break" where the students were all on break but I actually went in to work to save my vacation days for later.

The following weekend, my good friends Steph and Justin came to Japan and I was able to hang out with them in Tokyo Friday and Saturday! Sunday the North High Japanese club came into Tokyo and a few of my fellow teachers and I met them in the city to give them a little tour of Meijijingu and Harajuku area. I had to leave early to meet up wih my friend Yuki who had invited me to a fashion show for a popular woman's magazine.

 I finally made it home on Sunday night at 8pm and right as I was about to relax and deep dive down a spiral of The Voice Youtube videos...I got a text from Mina and Steph saying they wanted to meet in Kashiwa for Ramen so without hesitation, I ran to the train station to meet them. I devoured a hot bowl of ramen and came home with a full stomach and tired feet after a busy weekend. 

As of late, my life has consisted of eating a lot, sitting on the train a lot, and hanging out with people I really like a lot. Initially upon moving to Japan, I imagined I would encounter some loneliness  (the LIVING ALONE part of it was like a big flashing sign) but God is a good good father and He has comforted me and filled my days with a lot of experiences with the best people. How good is life when we're following the King!? 

Here's a bunch of photos from the past two weeks! 

 

For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:36