Julia in Japan

This was my mom's first time to Japan ever. I was soooo happy that I could afford to bring her here (I finally have a real job as an adult!). She stayed from May 18th to June 4th. She kept saying how much she needed the rest. She spent the first week just resting in my apartment. The weather was perfect, she got some reading done, she was being creative. She really loved my neighborhood and how quiet it was (not that it's not quiet in South Carolina). She really loved looking at the nature from the trains and outside of my window (Heguri is in the valley surrounded by mountains). We were invited to so many people's homes for dinner. She just loved her experience in Japan. More pictures to come...

Universal Studios Japan--Who'd a thunk that my mom would be sooo interested in going to Universal Studios. She wouldn't let it go, so I had to take her. I'm sooo glad that I took her. I mean, I have NEVER seen my mom have so much fun and laugh. I mean she was giggling and laughing her buns off. She probably lost a few pounds with all the walking and stuff. This was towards the end of her stay here.

This guy was an artist from Guinea. He immediately saw Lisa and I and told us that we were his sisters. He said that we should try our best to come back home to visit Africa. He was really sweet. He's a really good sculptor. That's his work behind us. You can't see in the pic, but the detail on the woman's face and body was amazing. 

Mom and I at Todaiji Temple. My mom was attracting all kinds of attention in Japan by the way. She got words like, "she's beautiful!" (bijin) and "you look so young!" (she's 47). Needless to say, she was loving Japan after that.

Aww...the cute little deer of Nara. The symbol of Nara city. She couldn't believe that deer were walking around freely and that they weren't scared!

She wanted to try this sooo bad in Kyoto. But I wasn't about to spend 3000yen for someone to go somewhere slowly when I can use my own feet for free.

Mom at kinkakuji (Golden Temple) in Kyoto.

Hi-de whipped up some amazing food for my mom and I in Tokyo while we were visiting. My mom loved staying with Hiromi and Hi-de so much that she didn't want to come back to my house! ugh! lol.

Hiromi, my good friend from GWU, sitting at Hi-de's piano in their Tokyo apartment.

I was shocked when mom told me that she really wanted to go to Universal Studios Japan. She said that of all the years that she took us to Universal and Disney in Florida when we were growing up, she never got a chance to go on the rides because my stepfather didn't want to go. I guess this was her first time.  

Me and those USJ Motown Express singers just get along. They were different than the last group though. 

Mom taking a rest after walking around USJ all day. 

Cooking Mac&Cheese with the English Club

My mom was here from May 18th until June 4th and she really enjoyed herself. I asked her to come to school and do a cooking class with my English club students, since I've been promising them to have a cooking class since I got here. I guess that this was their lucky Thursday.

Let the cooking begin:) My mom came to my English club while she was here and she really enjoyed showing my students how to cook macaroni and cheese... in really...slow...English.  

Ikumi & Maki in their cute little aprons.  

Ms. Kawakita (my friend, and fellow English teacher), Mom and me posing w/ the mac&cheese. 

We're all happy eating mac&cheese. Well, Takayuki doesn't look so happy, in fact, what IS he looking at? 

Mika and Rie. Show me a Japanese kid that doesn't bust out a peace sign and I'll show you a million dollars.

This is little Takaaki. He's the best English club student.He's only an 1nensei (7th grader aka 1st yr jhs student).

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.