Reflections

I’ve been in Canada a week now. It is really good to be with my family, spend some time with my sister, and settle into my new place. I like it here but I am really missing Japan. It’s just different. The weeks also given me a chance to reflect on my year in a different culture to see how the time has shaped and changed me. I am really thankful for the past year and all that God has done in me. In the looking back here are a few of the good memories:

Liz Size
Turning Japanese
Vending Machine Fun
Maki’s Car
In Hiroshima
On Mt. Fuji

I’m going to be without a permanent internet connection till about September 7th. So I guess I’ll see you then.

Memoirs of a Moose

Over the past year I’ve shared my experiences of life in Japan. It is now the Moose’s turn. I still get some funny looks and questions about the Moose. So for those curious his name is Melvin. Before I left the New Hope youth group gave him to me so that I would have a traveling companion-bodyguard-mascot-something Canadian. Here are some pictures from his journey: Just thinking

Taste from home

Samuri Sanders

Yum Yum Green Tea

You say goodbye and I say hello

Tried to post this the August 4th, when I was leaving Japan but the internet decided to be mean.

I'm Home safe.
Life is good.
I've moved into my new place.
I miss Japan.

Gedo Senki

Maki and I went to see the newest release from Studio Ghibli, the company that brought us Totoro, Kiki, and the Howl’s Moving Castle. The biggest difference this one wasn’t director was not the acclaimed Hayao Miyazaki but rather his son.

I really enjoyed it. Only I have next to no idea what happened because my Japanese isn’t that good. I did recognize a few words but not enough to understand. Maki tried to explain after but that didn’t really work, she did a good job but there were just too many themes to explain. Still good times. I did like it. Some of the editing choices were interesting haven’t decided what I think of that. The movie is based off the Earthsea’s series I think the Farthest Shore. Thinking about reading them when I get home.

Then we went shopping and dinner. Can’t believe tonight is my last night in Japan. I hate packing.

God Wants You

Perfect Day

Creation Wonde

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;

and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.

GOD WANTS YOU!

Sending you a warm hello!!

Got to love Engrish

Picture Club

One of my favourite ways to end good days is with a fun "pu-ri-ku-ra" (pronounced pu-lee-cue-la) It’s all the joy of a photo booth but the added fun of adding words and things after. The more friends the better. And they are printed on a sticker back. Most of times Maki and I go out we try and get a purikura done. Here are just a few from the past year:

And heres the process:

Word Up: Kawaii -Cute

Fun and Fireworks

Spent the evening with Yoko and her family. Good times. There was a great food and huge fireworks show. The only downside of the night was walking up the hill to their apartment and returning home after. Stairs are still my ultimate nemesis…and I found two new blisters. I think it was thought it.

One of my favourite parts of learning Japanese is use of foreign words. They sound so close yet so different. For example cheese becomes cheezu, coffee become co-he, Liz becomes ri-zu. Yoko shared with me that on trip to America she brought a music box for her sister and American brother-in-law as a gift. After opening the gift she was asked what it was. She said "It’s a orugooru" which is Japanese for music box. They didn’t understand which surprised Yoko because she thought orugooru had come from English. With that idea she tried again, time using her best English inflection and said: "all-gold". Classic language fun.

Word Up: Enjoy-ta Kudasai –a mix of English and Japanese to request you to enjoy, please.

Sunrise, Sunrise

Just got in from my two-day adventure up Mt. Fuji. It seems like it was all a dream, so surreal, except the pain keeps reminding me how real it was. I feel every jolt in ways I never imagined. Thoughts from the trip: I loved the parts were you need your hands to scramble over the rocks. I hate lose gravel. And stairs are my new nemesis.

July 30 began with a rocky start. I had over slept and woke up at 6am to Hideki calling to say they were ready to pick me up. Dressed and packed in five minutes. I was so out of it that when I jumped into the car Hideki asked where my glasses were I had totally forgotten them. The rest of the trip only improved. The woman sitting next to me on the bus was a God-sent she is Korean and speaks four languages including Japanese and English so she translated all the information for me. We arrived at Station 5 at 4pm ate supper and started to climb at 6pm. There were a group of Nova teachers also on the group tour so I climbed with them, Yeah for other foreigners! Arrived at station 8 around 10:30. We were suppose to crash for three hours. I couldn’t sleep then there was a mix up over which group was to leave at 12:30 so were got up a whole hour early. To pass the time the Nova boys had a farting contest. 2am we set out for the last leg of the upward journey. My thoughts of that time bitter cold and grueling. So thankful it didn’t rain. Saw a beautiful sunrise and arrived on the top of Fuji around 5:20. Looked around for about 20 minutes before the descend. It was so much faster going down but harder on the knees and joints. And arrived at the bottom at 9am. It was an awesome bang to finish my year in Japan. The next four days will be spent in packing and good-byes. Home is just around the corner.

Starting out 

Climbing Break 

Nova boys:
Passing time, passing gas.

I made it! 

Mt. Fuji from a distance...really impressed how clear the weather was. 

Last Days...

Classes are over and Grace is on summer vacation. This week each day was a good bye to a different group of students and today was the hardest of them all. It was the kindergarten’s finial concert. I think the year ended strong. They did "The Little Red Hen" very cute. The parents also got to see some of the activities we’ve done over the past year. Then came the good-byes. The whole thing is surreal, just odd. Really hard to believe especially because these children have been a large part of my life in Japan.

Started packing this afternoon. I hate packing, I still have a week here but I needed to start now. Then was supper with Steve, Tiffany and Maki. It was our last night as a group. Steve and Tiffany fly to Canada tomorrow for a month break. Tiffany will be taking on the kindergarten class when she returns in Sept. I will miss them. Tomorrow at 6am I set out to achieve a personal goal. I’ll have pictures when I get back…if I survive and succeed.

We Learn...

To help the children remember our weekly units we made posters. I was happy with how well they turned out so here they are:

I like the monkey and the frog.

Baby Hot, Hot, Hot!

It’s getting hot, very hot! Just thinking causes one to break out in a sweat. The humidity sticks like a thick blanket of heat. As a glasses wearer I’ve come to expect moments of "foggyness" due to moving from cold to hot. Traditionally this has been from outdoors on a cold winter’s day to indoor but not today. Tonight my glasses fogged up when I stepped out of Maki’s nice air-conditioned car into the muggy outdoors.

In other news: there have been more good-byes. Finished my last class with the ladies tonight. We had a movie night after as a last ha-rah. Kindergarten classes are going very well this week. We are preparing for the children’s end of the year concert on Saturday. Steve and Tiffany head back to Canada for a short vacation on the 30th. They will be returning to Japan for another year at Grace. I am dreading packing. Yesterday I learned to roll sushi and prepare okonomiyaki…yummy!

Word Up: Hashi -chopsticks

The First of the Lasts.

There are just twelve days left before I am back in Canada. Today was my last time to preach in Japan, last Sunday morning fellowship, last youth night, and the first of many hard good byes. My friends words encouraged me. They showed me a glimpse into how God’s been working in their lives. Looking back over the year all the struggles, doubts, and culture shock has been worth while. I will miss them.

Here’s the Sunday Morning gang:

Catch Up...

What a day: taught, finished the last parent teacher meeting, had a visit to city hall for some paper work regarding my departure, taught again, then sushi with Maki, busy but good. Seems like all of July has been like that. Hard for me to believe in two weeks I’ll be back in Canada. These last days have been just one big blur.
Highlights over that past two weeks have been:

Teawith Yoko-san and the owner of Pan World.

A movie night with my ladies class.

An International party for a local kid’s club.

And the most amazing Japanese meal ever. At the beginning of the month Maki’s mother took us to a very elegant restaurant in Nara. The woman serving wore all traditional kimonos. There were ten courses (only took pictures of eight). There were so many different tastes and new food. The whole experience was wonderful, it is past description. So I rely on pictures, pictures and more pictures.

Word Up: Onaka ga ipai –I’m Full

The Food...

The Story of a Fish

It scares me when my food is looking at me...
...oishidesune...
...yum the tails the best part...
... and gone.

The Sunglasses

Maki got these cool new glasses so we all tried them out. I think Steve's too cool for school.

Word Up: Megane -glasses