FUJI!!!

The last month has been absolutely crazy! I went back to America for a week or two to visit family and friends. I had a great time, and ate a lot of amazing American food!

After I got back, many of the ALTs in the area were packing up and heading out. It was hard to say goodbye to some good friends. New ALTs have also started to arrive, and I can't wait to get to know everyone in the next few weeks.

Last week, I had one of the best experiences I have ever had. I climbed Mount Fuji! A friend and I took the night bus to Tokyo, and then a bus from there to the Fuji 5th station. We arrived at the 5th station around 7:30, and found that all the restaurants had closed. We managed to find a cup of noodles, filled our packs with water, and got ready to go. We started to climb around 8:30. By the time we reached 8th station, we realized we were going a little too quickly, so we stopped for around an hour to rest. Near the top, the route had become so congested with people, that we actually formed a queue. It was slow going for the next two hours to the summit. We reached the top around 3:30, and settled in to wait for the sunrise. Around 4:00am, I witnessed the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. I felt like I was on top of the world, and it was an amazing feeling! After paying 3.00 to use the bathroom, and another 4.00 for hot cocoa, we began our descent. I have to say, going down was so much worse than going up. My knees almost gave out at the end! We stopped at the 5th station to pick up some gifts, grabbed a bite, then took the bus to Tokyo. We then hopped on the shinkansen, and went home. It was a whirlwind trip, but an amazing one!

Kosotai

In June, Nagasaki has a ken (state-wide) high school sports competition. Every sport at my school attended a competition to determine who was the best in the area. Despite having one of the two field hockey teams in Nagasaki, my school didn't win any titles. (We're more of an artsy school anyways... :-p) Nevertheless, I had a great time cheering on my kids and watching them give their all.

Enjoy the pics!

I love Engrish

This note is from my new neighbor about a housewarming party...

Korea and Mongolia!

Every year at the end of April, there are a string of National holidays which line up to essentially create a week off. A friend and I took full advantage of this week and traveled to Korea and Mongolia. While in Korea, we stayed with my friend's sister near Seoul. Although we received a lot of glares from Koreans, we had a great time exploring, shopping, and eating. We were able to see Ironman in 4D, which was an epic experience!

In Mongolia, we stayed in a traditional ger. About half of the population lives in these mobile houses. We traveled to the old capital, visited various monasteries and statues, rode horses, and walked around the capital city, UlaanBaatar. Even though our flight was rescheduled for two days later (and we confused the security guards by sleeping at the airport), it was definitely an awesome unique experience.

Mom and Gma in Japan!

At the beginning of the month, I was fortunate to have my mom and grandma visit me in Japan! We went to Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, and Nagasaki. It was challenging to plan the trip, and to have the best Japanese language skills in the group, but I had a blast, and it was great to see some familiar faces! I think we tired grandma out a little bit, but we saw some pretty cool things along the way...
At Tokyo Station

Nagasaki Peace Museum

Geisha spotting

Kinkakuji Temple


They liked this guy. He is supposed to cure ailments...


Nara Park


Hachiko statue. Our own akita passed away that same day... :-(


The busiest crosswalk in the world!

Change is in the Air...

Right now, I am at the end of spring vacation. In Japan, the new school year begins in April (as opposed to August or September). So I am busy getting ready for a whole new batch of first year students. Another part of the new school year is the influx of new (transfer) teachers. Every year, each school sends teachers to other schools in the prefecture. As a teacher, you can put in a request, but there is absolutely no guarantee it will be granted. This year, only one of my JTEs is leaving, but a few other teachers I was fond of were sent off to island schools (ie really far away). I am told that teachers spend an average of 6 years at one school before being transferred on. Also, each teacher takes a turn at an island school. I am beginning to meet a few of the new teachers, but I have to admit, this whole system seems a bit...awkward. Can you imagine being uprooted every few years? Especially if you have a family?! Odd.

But spring also means...sakura season! The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and they are gorgeous!

Last Few Weeks...

After school one day, a few of us went to check out the kimono sale. We each tried on a kimono. This kimono is usually $3,000! It was on sale for around $1,500. Still too rich for my pockets! They are all so incredibly beautiful though!

Last week, I had a business trip to go to another school and work with kids at an English camp. This was my favorite student, Erina-chan. She wrote me the sweetest letter!

















I was semi-tricked into dancing Michael Jackson's "Beat It" and "Thriller" at a New Year's Party. But who am I kidding, I enjoyed every minute of it! (Note "Michael" in the zombie picture).


On Thursday, my mom and grandma will arrive in Japan! I am so excited! First, we will explore Tokyo and Kyoto, and then we will head South to see my area...