Joy

Joy or ecstasy in Japanese is "yorokobi." That's what I've discovered in the last month or so since I've started reading, "The Purpose Driven Life." Maybe some of you have seen it in stores, but you never thought that you'd need it. Well, I'm here to say that it has changed my life for the better! It's about living out the purpose that God has for you. It feels so good to know that God has your back. After my first real heartbreak, I thought that NOTHING could make me cry...in sadness. But lately, I find that tears well up in my eye at least once a day just from pure joy.
On Monday, I saw a student following another teacher on our fieldtrip asking him questions. He sees that teacher as his father-figure. I was so happy just to see that he was happy. Today one of my students from my English club, Takaaki, gave me his last piece of candy just because he didn't have anything else to give me. He used ALL of the English that I taught him. After the brief conversation in English with him and two other little boys from school, I was smiling from ear-to-ear. Tonight I got a call from one of my friends who is also an English teacher in Japan and she had seen one of my students at the train station. She called me up and I briefly spoke with him on the phone. He was SO excited that he could speak in English to her. I'm HAPPY that I made the decision to come here. I feel like I have served my purpose here.
I don't regret one second, except those times when I didn't appreciate my time here. I am so happy right now in my life and I can't wait to see what's next for me when I come home. I feel SOO blessed to have met so many amazing people here. I knocked on the door and God answered. You should do that same.

Beach Fieldtrip to Mie-ken

May 2005: I went on a fieldtrip with the 1nensei (1st Year JHS students) to Mie-ken to the beach to find clams. I thought that they were only going to find some shells, but it turns out that they searched for clams to eat later! I was a little horrified at the fate of the clams, so I only found starfish and played with them a bit.

Some of my favorite teachers on our fieldtrip. (from left) Ms. Kyoyama, Mr. Kimura, Mr. Fukazaki and Mr. Fujinami.  

Some of my 1nensei (1st Year JHS students). 

Shirai-sensei and some more students. 

Me and Shirai-sensei in the ocean searching for the shells.  

A starfish (=hitode in Japanese) is born. I saw so many in the ocean. I was more interested in the starfish than the clams.

Look @ all those clams they found! 

Ichigogari (Strawberry Picking)

When we did ichigogari we ate strawberries (all-you-can-eat) for 30 minutes. The strawberries were soo deliscious. I went with Nikkii and our church friends, the Hashiguchi family and Setsumi and her husband.

I'm loving this all-you-can-eat thing. 

Hiromi enjoying strawberries.  

I love this picture of Hatsue-san. She's such a happy person. 

Nikkii and Mayumi. 

Me and Hatsue-san as she is showing me the right kinds of strawberries to pick. Did you know that when the seeds are poking out the most, they are the sweetest? You didn't? Neither did I. 

Me, Setsumi and her husband showing off our big red strawberries. 

May 2005: Melissa in Japan. We went to Universal Studios Japan while she was here with my church members. It was so much fun. The weather was perfect.

The Motown Express @ Universal Studios Japan. We went here when Melissa came. They saw some color in the audience and sang to us. I felt so special. 

Kaitensushi= it literally means rotating sushi. At these kinds of restaurant, they put sushi on a conveyor belt and you choose the kind of sushi that you want to eat. At the end, you pay for the plates. Each plate has a different color/design for a different price.

Hanami (cherry blossom viewing)

In the first two weeks of April, hanami season begins. I went to view cherry blossoms with my friend, Yoriko Kawakita, to our town's Mt. Shigi to the shrine at the top. I also went with my friends, Nikkii, Lisa, Arica, and Mara to Kyoto for hanami. During a hanami, Japanese people have a picnic under the beautiful cherry blossom trees and sometimes they drink and sing karaoke. It was so beautiful.

Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) during cherry blossom season in Kyoto. 

Hanami: Some gorgeous cherry blossoms during spring time in Kyoto. 

Me @ the Mt. Shigi Shrine in my town, Heguri. 

These little guys bring happiness or music or wealth. They look like little fat child-like gods. 

Monk Statue @ Mt. Shigi's local shrine 

The shrine @ the top of Mt. Shigi in my town.