It’s been a while since I last posted.

Know that I am doing alright and still very much alive. Just not really in the mood to post right now.

School starts Thursday, and my first class is Friday. I am getting anxious.

Went to church yesterday… will write more on that experience later.

Miss everyone still very much.

Precious is lost…

Good afternoon on a rainy and then sunny Monday!

The weather on Awaji is not unsimilar to that in Colorado, in that it can be storming with lightning and thunder one minute and sunny and beautiful the next. One clear difference is that, OBVIOUSLY there is massive humidity. I haven’t used a hair dryer in a week. I put it back in a braid… not such a great look, but definitely cuts back on heat and the frustration of drying and curling the hair, only to have it straightened out as soon as I walk into the thick blanket of moist air. Whatever. Feels good on the skin.

My weekend was rather uneventful. I have no extra spending money until I get paid this week, so I wasn’t able to go to the ‘beer garden’. Yeah, I was thankful for an excuse to get out of it. But since everyone else was going, and I had no money, I got to spend some rather good quality time with myself. Got a schedule all sorted out for working out, and started doing a devotional. Life is most certainly, on the right track. And it rained all day Sunday, which made me go through the last stack of papers sitting on my dresser. Yes… I am almost done sorting through crap! YAY!!! And than I can get busy starting my Japan scrapbook. Yes, another scrapbook. And yes I will most definitely be finishing this one.

I miss talking though. I went almost two days without talking to a single other person. Jared called Saturday afternoon, which was AWESOME, We talked for almost an hour. I miss our 7 hour conversations. And I hate always feeling rushed while we are on the phone… gaah! But it was good.

A revelation I had last night as I was trying to fall asleep… I have had one hug since I got to Japan. My Puerto Rican friend who is a JET on Awaji is a hugger so it works. But chances are, I won’t have any physical contact with ANYONE during my stay in Japan. I am going to miss hugs.

So anyway, other than that… doing well for now. I miss everyone!!

Hi…

So it’s Friday AGAIN… this week went a lot faster, even though I really don’t know what I did with all the extra time I had. I wasn’t as social as I was last week, but I guess I got a lot done. For those of you who know me pretty well, the organizing process takes me FOREVER… especially when it involves papers. I’m dealing with papers that past JET’s have left for future resources. And since I have only been here for 3 (yes it will be THREE weeks in Japan on Sunday) It is still hard for me to know what I may need or won’t ever use. The pile is dwindling… and soon all I will have to do everyday is clean.

Speaking of cleaning! I MISS DISHWASHERS! Seriously, my sink is never empty of dirty dishes, and it’s frustrating to have to wash dishes as much as I have been. My sink is the size of a pop up toaster… so when I do wash dishes, water gets everywhere… Oh well… and the place is constantly dusty… dusting every 2 or 3 days would probably keep it pretty clean. And I have a hard wood floor ( which I will also never  have again…) it needs to be swept ( I vacuum it cause it’s faster) I swear I shed hair like crazy here, I might be going bald. And it gets all over the floor… yuck. Eh.. it’s exercise in the least.

So my mom sent me the most amazing care package… videos, crocheting projects and POP CORN! I didn’t realize how much I would miss little things like that. Jared sent me freeze dried ice cream, which was really good! He’s pretty great.

I had my first experience of what it will be like to be a non-alcohol drinker on Wednesday night. I went out with the entire JET population on Awaji.. it’s about 14 people, plus a few Japanese friends… We all crowded into this little restaurant and the first round of drinks… I was stunned to find I was THE ONLY ONE who didn’t want beer. (eww anyway right??) No one made a big deal about it, but I stuck out like a sore thumb. That is more of a culture shock that being in Japan I think… that, and the whole swearing thing. I went to public schools up until college, and I guess after 4 years at CCU, I just got used to it not being a norm. Oh well…

Anyway… gotta go… still much to do this morning!!! Later!

Whew! It’s FRIDAY!!!! YAY! So the weeks has gone by rather smoothly. I’ve actually been more social this week than I was the last week I was at home. Tuesday night I went out with my new Japanese friend Midori. We went shopping and she drove me all over Awaji showing me places. The BEST thing I got was a library card! I can borrow English movies with Japanese subtitles for FREE. Just like a normal library. But this is probably going to save my life.

Wednesday night I went to a concert featuring the Higashiura junior high school band and a high school band. Apparently this is the 45th year they’ve done this concert. It was SO GOOD! These junior high students were playing better than most American high school students (really good ones) and the high school was probably college level. I remembered why I like music so much… and am glad I have it in a foreign country. Because music is universal. For 2 hours, I was home.

Last night I went to Midori’s house for a Japanese BBQ. ALSO amazing!! Nothing like American BBQ. You grill bite size pieces of all kinds of vegetables and some chicken, beef and yes.. I even ate ‘taco’ (the Japanese word for octopus.) Then you pick the food off the grill with chopsticks and put each piece in the dipping sauce and eat it. VERY GOOD.

This morning, I had to arrive at school early, because they did a type of welcoming ceremony plus honoring ceremony for students in sports. I had to give a speech in Japanese, first to the teachers I work with and second to the entire junior high school. I can only compare the feeling I felt while giving the speech… to that of a 12 year old Jewish boy… who is reading the Torah. Except I had skipped the months and months of schooling that was supposed to teach me what I was saying/doing… it was awkward, and I was glad when it was over. Nonetheless, people seemed to understand me just fine, and many teachers said it was a good speech. HA! I think they are just being nice.

Anyway… so my first full week is done. I am looking forward to tomorrow when I plan on going into the city (Kobe)… and off Awaji island, to hang out with my other JET friends. Can’t spend too much money, so.. we’ll see what I actually end up doing.

I hope you are all doing well… Till later!

Things are going well so far. It is hot and humid.. I’m LOVING JAPAN!!!! I had Okonomiyaki (I hope I spelled that right…. sorry if I didn’t) yesterday with two English teachers, one math teacher, and the vice principal of my school (and a partridge in a pear tree). It was so great! I talked to my mom and Jared yesterday, which was also a treat. The hard part about having a phone card, is that I want to save it and use it all at the same time. CRAZY. Jared called me this morning… TOTAL surprise!!! I wasn’t expecting his call at all.

Getting used to being by myself a LOT and not having much contact with other native English speakers. It makes for long lonely nights, but you know, it gives me more time for things I haven’t had time for before… like a regular devotional time, writing LOTS of letters, and working on making oboe reeds. Can’t practice very much at night, but during the day I suppose it will be ok.

I miss everyone very much… I think of you often!

IN JAPAN!!! Woohoo!!

I don’t have time today, but know that everything is going well and I  have lots to do. (Unpacking etc.)

Write me!

I sat there freezing. The homemade chocolate ice cream melting in the cup that I just put down… too full of hamburgers and hotdogs to care whether I ate the rest of it.

Just inches away were friends and family… who I will miss once I am gone.

Several blocks away, the lights were turned off and we could hear the crowd in the stadium applaud with anxiety of the eminent display. We adjusted in our own chairs, chilled from the cold and warmed by excitement.

Then they came. Red, purple, gold, green, orange, green and red, red and white… too many to count. The sky was lit up for a moment of gathered awe.

I tried to capture the moment. The cold, the colors, the hand that held mine… the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ that sounded from the stadium. I tried to soak it all in so that I would never lose it.

And suddenly, it was finished. The magic of the moment lost. Forever to be remembered, but never… not ever… to be had again.

It is finished…

Well, the huge part anyway. Yesterday I actually got most of my belongings down to 4.5 storage bins and my hope chest. And that’s after we took yet another car full load to Goodwill. All that’s left to do now is go through my stuff for papers and scrapbook items, and then I will be scrapbooking in our basement till the second coming. Just kidding… I  really do have a lot of stuff to put in books though.

So it’s been kind of a chill morning. I just woke up about 30 minutes ago. I think I might go eat some blueberry oatmeal. mmmmm… SO GOOD. Then it’s just a matter of moving a few things to the basement, and then I begin the process of getting ready for a really great date tonight. Jared is taking me to a steakhouse for dinner, and then we are hitting up a movie. I think it’ll be great. SO EXCITED. He’s so great. Last week he took me mini golfing. That was pretty fun. I love that we are going out and doing stuff. I mean we usually do stuff, but they don’t really feel like dates… it feel like we’re two friends hanging out. Which I suppose is a good thing. But he’s really made an effort these past few weeks. ( Maybe because in 3 weeks, he won’t get the chance to for a while.) All I know for sure, is that it’s great.

On other news… JET countdown… 23 days. SCARY.

My parents were supposed to go to the Solomon Islands for vacation this past Sunday. They got as far as LA, because of a freak lightning storm in Denver they were 3 hours late getting there. So they missed their connecting flights, one of which took them from Fiji to Solomon Islands. All of the remaining flights from Fiji are booked for three weeks, which is why they are now leaving on the 17 of July and coming back sometime after my departure. That means I only have 17 days left with them. Which is also crazy.

I think that about does it. Pretty much anyway.:)

It’s an interesting thing… to know that you are going away for a long time and then to finally realize it. There have been certain moments of enlightenment in which I have fully understood the gravity of what it is I have brought upon myself. It is no different from any other move I have done before, with one exception… I know I’m coming back. Well, God willing I am coming back. But the length of this next move is no different from the 8 or 9 before it (I’ve forgotten the exact count), possibly 3 years. This could change, I may only be gone for a year, which would seem really short compared to the longest place I’ve ever lived anywhere (Denver, Colorado -almost 4 years). But a lot can happen in a month, and so much more can happen in a year. (Let alone THREE) What gets me the most is that the way things are right now… the friendships, the buildings, the people, even the very house where my parents live, could all change before I get back. It is quite possible I will come home to a completely different world than when I left. I should expect as much. Life stands still for no one. I think the part that gets me the most, is that things might change for the worse.. no, not worse… just different than they are now. I’m no stranger to lost friendships due to miles that separate them. However, I am also no stranger to friendships growing and maturing, standing the test of time and distance. These are few and far between, and, surprising in each circumstance.

For those of you who read my posts regularly… I apologize for the stagnant thought process. Japan is heavily in everything I do these days. Please bear (yes this IS the correct spelling for “bear”. Did you know that in the Webster’s Dictionary, the first 7 definitions of  the word “bear” are verbs? Only the 8th give the definition of ” a shaggy mammal”) with me.

Anyway, lots to do still. I’m taking the night off to hang out with Jared and my parents. Should be great.

I can’t believe that I will be leaving for Japan in 5 weeks. It almost doesn’t seem real. And there are so many things to accomplish before then.

#1 I must move out of Denver giving away most of my earthy belongings. (Check.. except that I gave away two cars-full of junk, a dresser, a desk, and a queen sized water bed and still had to squish the rest of my stuff in my mom’s Rav 4, my dad’s Santa Fe and yes, the little suzuki.)

#2 I must now go through everything I’ve already been through AGAIN to get rid of EVEN more of my stuff.

#3 I must house-sit for my parents  while they go scuba diving in the Solomon Islands for 10 days. YES this includes the fourth of July, and yes I am going to have a wild and crazy party whilst my parents are away…yeah right.

#4 I am hoping to go to Texas for apprx. 4-5 days to see all my camp friends and to see my sister one last time before I leave. Plus, I just can’t stay away from the heat and humidity.

#5 I have to plan a “going away for a very long time” party for myself so that all people will know I am actually leaving.

#6 I have to squeeze every last minute I possibly can with a few choice friends and my family, making sure I equal out the time spent and never spending more time with one than another.

#7 I must pack all of the crap I have sorted through 3 times, in either the one suitcase I will get to have with me or the few boxes I will be able to ship to myself.

Among that, I have to apply for some tax waiver, get my teeth cleaned, eyes checked, contacts ordered, prescription forms sent-verified- and returned, and some sort of question answer thingy on June 25th. But no stress… YEAH RIGHT.

Did I mention that I really am excited to go? I really am. Did I also mention how much I’m going to miss everyone? Cause I will.

Dreams await me… goodnight.