So, here I am.

My whirlwind Spring Vacation… was exactly that, a WHIRLWIND. It was a good thing I had scheduled out every single minute, 2 months before I even left. I don’t think it would have been possible for me to do as much as I did otherwise.

The four days Jared and I spent on our vacation to Texas were pretty great! It was a LOT of driving! But it was good. Even in spite of having strep throat the weekend before I left to come back to the USA, we were able to get down to Houston for my friend’s wedding on time. (Seeing a few camels on the way.) The wedding was good, even though the only people I knew were the groom and his family and Jared. 🙂 That night we got to see my sister and her boyfriend and had dinner at TGI Fridays… (quite possibly my new FAVORITE restaurant!) And spending a night and day with Jared’s parents also proved interesting. 🙂 We got to play with some new kittens… and Jared’s dad took off the day from work (at Lockheed Martin!!) to spend time with us too! And the gave me birthday presents! The 4th season of CSI on DVD. Heck YES!!!

The time I got to spend at home went well too! I got my $30,000 loan approved for my NEW 2006 Toyota Prius. YES! Got to test drive a Prius too! AND made a deposit on the car to be made so I will have it in time for my August return. In the midst of all that, I celebrated my 23 birthday! And Jared and I celebrated our one year anniversary! I think my entire time back in the states, I got about an average of 4 hours of sleep each night. I have been back in Japan for a week and a half, and I still feel like I am catching up.

Overall, the trip was a good one, and something my soul needed. I don’t think I could have made the next 4 months… my last days in Japan, without having a boost in morale. Now that I am refreshed, I can face the next days head-on.

Things are going alright back in Japan. The new school year started last Monday, and it has been a little… a LOT intimidating trying to figure out how to work with my two new teachers. But so far so good…I am really excited for classes, and especially one class- an English conversation class with my 3rd year students. I was nervous about that one the most, but it turns out.. it might be the most fun! The teacher is a little intimidating, just because he seems REALLY type-A, but the class size is about half the size of my other classes: 14 students, and most of them have a laid-back, good-humored personality.

One of them even invited me to come play with the brass band yesterday after school… it was the first time in 6 months that I have picked up my oboe. It was SO great to play with other people again, even if it was playing in a sectional/practice your own music time.

God has blessed me so much… and in spite of it all, I still can’t wait to be home. I guess I made the right choice to only stay for one year. 🙂

More to come later….