Happy Father's Day/The giant spider-less day

(Funny moments included) First: HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!! (Especially to my Papa!) Thank goodness this Sunday was not a repeat of last Sunday (the giant spider incident). I was so stressed the whole bike ride to church! But let me back up... I slept ok. I had strange dreams that woke me because they were so vivid. However, I did NOT (mmm) have a nightmare about money. I was sort of slow getting ready but I got out the door on time and even managed to eat half of my breakfast. :) Then, as I said, I made it to church with no spider incidents. I also had a wet bandana (my mother's suggestion) around my neck. Even though it was black it helped. Thanks maman!

Church was really good. When I walked into the chapel my favorite little girl yelled to me across the room, "Ohayou gozaimasu!" (Good morning) Then she ran up and held my hand for a minute (it was supposed to be a handshake). She MADE MY DAY! Then she started speaking Japanese at me and I had to say, "Wakarimasen." (I asked her mom if I could take a picture of her after church and she said yes!) Also Hoshino-kaicho (the branch president) saw how overheated I was and he went and turned up the a/c. I will love him forever for that! My heart was very touched. I was really listening for answers for my current worries and feel like I was blessed with ideas and a reassurance that I am loved and watched over. (MMM) Relief Society was funny. I scandalized the ladies. There were only 5 of us (including the teacher). Fumie-shimai sat on one side of me and Shinoki-shimai sat in front of me. They tried to tell me about the lesson (luckily I had read it beforehand), but for the most part I was completely lost. Then, the scandal. Shinoki-shimai turned around and she and Fumie-shimai were (I think) trying to explain what they were discussing or something. In any case, what I heard was, Japanese, Japanese, Japanese, "garments," Japanese, Japanese, "garments." So I figured they were asking me about garments. I wasn't sure if they were asking if I was endowed or not but I am... So I grabbed the very edge of my garments (near my collar) and showed them. Their jaws dropped in astonishment. It made me feel like I had ripped off my shirt or something. They were all aghast and I was like, "Oh.. sorry!" Oops. Dah! I really didn't mean to shock everyone. In any case, I did my best to participate.

After Relief Society, I sent a text via email to my mom's phone asking her if she was ready to skype. She told me she wasn't home and to text my dad. In the meantime I had brought some crackers (more like foam crackers but they're good!) since I usually am pretty hungry after church. I went into the kitchen and then Fujimura-kyoudai said something to his wife and she handed me two sandwiches! I thanked her and grabbed my other little pack of crackers (they come in pairs) and gave that to her. The members give me so much and I feel like I never have anything to give back! The sandwiches she gave me were... spaghetti sandwiches. I kid you not. The first was a deli-like bun split down the middle from the top and stuffed with lettuce and spaghetti (that had sauce on it). The second one had a hot dog and spaghetti sauce and lettuce. They were good, but coming from America.. and from having done low carb with Jerod, it was a shock. LOL Still, I appreciated their kindness. :)

Then I was able to connect with my family. By that time my mom was home so I was able to skype with my Papa, my Maman, Nadia, and Simone! :D While I was talking to them that same little girl and the Fujimura's daughter ran up. I turned my phone around so they could say hello to Papa and Simone and the little girls waved like crazy and then they noticed themselves in the corner of the screen and started waving and talking to themselves. SO adorable! Papa and Simone got a kick out of it too! :)

After I was done skyping I rested a minute in the church (gathered myself to go back into the heat - tried to soak in the a/c) Then back out I went and pedaled home. I actually did really well (considering). It was hard to eat any dinner though, when it came time. I read and I took a 5 minute nap then I remembered that my library books were due yesterday and went out (after dark) to take them back. I wore only a tshirt and shorts but I got heat exhaustion again. When I got home I was REALLY sick (I've had heat exhaustion enough to recognize it quickly now) and had to force myself to drink water though my body REALLY didn't want any. My muscles are aching, I have a migraine, and my eyes got all bloodshot. Only, more than that. It looked like I had burst a blood vessel in my left eye. It freaked me out to see in the mirror! Eep! But I'll be ok. I drank about 8 oz of water and am going to drink a bunch more. I also turned on my dehumidifier. I've been trying to use the fan only to save money on electricity and all that jazz, but I needed to cool down fast. I took some tylenol as well. Hopefully the pain will go away soon. (My mind keeps trying to panic about tomorrow and I don't know why. I am ready for tomorrow! Stop freaking out, brain!)

I am wishing you all a Happy Father's Day and happy Sabbath! XOXO, A

P.S. I will put up that picture I took of that little girl and her mom but if I hear from her about taking it down, I will respectfully do so. -- She's ADORABLE!

isn't she the MOST ADORABLE KID EVER!? (that's her mom in the background)

Sick Day

My body has always had a way of taking its sick days on my days off. And today was no exception. I slept poorly. I was up until 3 AM worrying myself. *sigh* Then when I decided to get up, I was fairly grumpy and didn't feel well. I've had a hard time this whole week with my stomach and today it was REALLY unhappy with me. In any case, I couldn't stomach any breakfast and eventually convinced myself to go run my errands. (When I don't feel well everything feels ESPECIALLY overwhelming.) In any case, I needed to go by the bank as I will need to buy a new bus card early next week (Monday evening). I also keep having these nightmares where I'm stranded in Japan with no money so I was worried about my account balance. In any case, I kicked myself out the door at some point.

All last night it rained. It was heavenly (I love the sound of rain). Because of the rain, my kitchen smelled like cinnamon (the cinnamon in my threshold had gotten wet). I am very blessed though (mmm) as though it rained quite hard, none of my cinnamon was washed away. :D And today I found only 2 ants in my apartment. I feel VERY blessed in that regard. Anyway, sorry as I was saying.. the bank. I rode my bike the two blocks to Sakanacho and then parked it. (Sakanacho is like a giant strip mall/shopping alley. It is outdoor (well, until you go into the shops but many shops have their wares out in the center of the "road"), covered, and has shops on both sides. The bank (which is also the post office - that is, my bank account is THROUGH the post office here) is almost at the end. The walk was fine though. I listened to music and got my bank card ready. When I got there I used the ATM (the post office is never open Saturdays), got out some money, and saw to my relief that I didn't lose all my money overnight. Most of my bills come out of my account on the 25th of the month but then payday is the last day of the month and THIS payday will be a full paycheck. Hallelujah! (My last one was pro-rated as I was paid for the first week of April for hourly training and then started teaching ~ and thus earning my salary ~ on the 15th of April.) I then was about to head home but decided I couldn't wait another week to get my insoles. So I stopped at shoe shops in Sakanacho (there are 3). The first one I visited, I didn't find anything that would work. The second place I got to ask in Japanese if they had insoles and she said no. She then spoke a lot of Japanese at me but I understood "second floor" and "Nanak." Nanak is a big department store (like Fesan) that has an entrance in Sakanacho. I thanked her profusely and then thought, "No backing out!" And went to Nanak. I found the shoe store pretty quickly and grabbed the biggest insoles I could find (Japanese people have small feet!). I'm very lucky as they were only ¥1000 (a little over $10). They looked to be very good, so I made my purchase and left. I then was on a roll and I've been wanting to get guitar music so I stopped at the music store that had restrung (there you go Mom!) Vic (my guitar). I should have known. Almost the entire selection was Japanese music. It was VERY disheartening for me. They had some 7 Slipknot books for bass guitar. Are you kidding me!? And they had Blink-182 for guitar. I really like Blink-182, but they are not known for their complex guitar. I'm not looking for a really HARD book, but I wanted something more challenging than that. I actually was hoping for The Eagles or Alice in Chains. Or Buckethead but that would be considered challenging guitar. Either way, I left the music store sweating (it was SWELTERING in there) and with a very heavy heart. I had promised myself I would stop at the bakery, Michel, on the way home. I like to try something new every week. This week I tried their Melon Pan and some little sweet cornbread that looked like a donut hole (it was that size).

When I got home, I ate them. They were fairly good, but for the first thing I ate today? My tummy was angry with me. I ate some other food and tried really hard to visualize loving it and my stomach and my body being satiated and pleased but I couldn't fool my body. While I was lying down (to try and appease my digestive system), I was able to message a friend and that was nice for me. Maybe not for them as I complained about being sick and lonely. I guess there was a barbecue today. I was invited on fb but I'm not very good at remembering dates and truthfully I'm not sure if I would have made it anyway. It's a miracle I didn't puke today. My mouth kept watering and my stomach would make leaps up my throat but I was able to keep my food down. I did, however, have severe intestinal distress. Today was crappy. LOL Sorry, couldn't resist. But seriously. Now I feel weak and washed out and just icky. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about church tomorrow. --I'm going to go - I feel really strongly about going, the heat is going to be bad tomorrow though and I don't want another Argentina. ~For those of you who don't know, Argentina also has very humid and hot summers. When I was there, I got sick and just never got better. The heat battered my health and then it kept battering away until I was sent home because I wasn't recovering. :/ I'm determined to not let that happen here. So I'm trying to decide if I could make it for all of Sacrament meeting. I would like to do at least that. I imagine that I'll probably end up staying the whole time.. just the way I feel right now makes that seem impossible. I can't even imagine biking that whole way. The thought of missing church, though, makes me want to weep. I HAVE to be there. I need the spiritual strength and reserves. I'm also hoping I can get a blessing. The mission president told the elders before (Elder Preston who is now home, and Elder Akiyama who is still here) to not give me blessings. I know where he's coming from, but I can't agree with how he went about it. He doesn't want to elders (or me) to become emotionally attached to one another. Why not, thus, say, "Any blessings given must be done at church." I'm happy to abide with that rule. I may just ask Elder Norawong to give me a blessing. He probably doesn't know what Elder Preston was told. But I don't want to go behind the mission president's back... AARRGHHH!! I just a blessing and I need it to be in English so that I can understand it. I have been wanting a blessing for weeks and haven't been able to figure out from whom I can get one. :(

So, that was pretty much my day. I was lying down or in the bathroom (except for my errands). I managed to keep a little food down, and I finished one book and am halfway through my last one. I hope I feel well tomorrow and I hope my angels protect me from more heat exhaustion. (I've already had it three times this month :/ That's not too bad though! 3 out of 15 days!) I am praying for you all and hope you are having a wonderful weekend. XOXO, A

My Chinicle is almost gone -- but it still hurts like crazy! I accidentally brushed it this morning and it was like taking an upper cut. Youch!

This is before I ran my errands

Yay! Happy face!

AWESOME!

(Funny moments included) Today was amazing. I've been playing what I call "The weather lottery" with my phone every night. I check the numbers and hope for low 20s (celsius). This whole past week my phone has alternated between 30 and 31 for today. I was fairly bummed and trying to just be ready for it but when I woke up this morning, the high was supposed to be 28! Now with humidity that's still super nasty and it actually turned out to be 29 today, but that's not 30! :D (mmm) That being said, the bus felt like a jungle! I wonder if the Japanese people were secretly having a laugh at me but I had my fan out the entire time. Thank goodness for fans! When I got to the school, I walked the ten minutes from the bus stop and again when I got inside, I pulled out my fan. Eep today was hot! But I survived (mmm). The dark point of my morning was finding ants in my place again. They've breached the cinnamon! I don't know how or why :/ - maybe they went through the side of the door rather than underneath? In any case... I'm not sure what to do about them.. *sigh* I wish they would leave me alone! There's no food to be had on my floor - there's nothing for them in my place! Lemme alone!

My first class went very well. The kid who hates English refused to participate :/ but the other students played the games I had prepared and really seemed to enjoy themselves. :) The teacher said it was a very good game as well. (Whew! Now I know how she feels about my lesson!)

Then I had a break. When I had gotten to the school I asked Kawai-sensei for help. I had two pieces of mail. One was my "missed delivery" (for the package from my mom), and the other was some letter with my name on it. The latter was a free cancer screening invitation (thanks but no thanks. It even had cartoon pictures of breasts being squashed in a machine! So I can say I was sent dirty pictures in the mail, lol. And hello - way to advertise! Want to come be squished by us... for free!? Gee... I'm really busy. No way!). Then Kawai-sensei had shown me that I could call for redelivery. "Eigo de?" I asked (in English). "Aa..." Ya that's what I thought! Luckily you could do it online and she walked me through the entire process. I'm so grateful to here that she helped me! So my package should be delivered tonight from 17-19. Yeehaw! :D I didn't dare do 14-17 as I get off early Fridays but I'm home around 15h30 so I went with a block I knew I would be at my place the entire time. I'm so glad I was able to schedule it for day-of as well! What a huge blessing. I can't wait! My first package! :D

My second class we played the interrogatives game half the time and then the other half I taught causative verbs. That was ... I was very worried that it would not go over well. I scaffolded as much as I could and gave lots of examples and again Sugita-sensei said, "It was a good worksheet!" Oh yay! I also asked the students to write their own causative sentences with the 4 verbs we had discussed and one already gave me his paper. He did it perfectly! I hope that means he understood not just that he got the formula (as I spelled that out for them too - I like the mechanics of language).

My last class was with M for her birthday! It was SO much fun! I brought her a star sticker as a present and then I brought alfajores (that they called "pies" as I mentioned yesterday). She was SO happy and Kawai-sensei couldn't believe I had brought little gifts too. We made birthday hats (origami) on which I had written previously (the paper that is) "Happy Birthday M!" Then we played vocabulary review games and I gave her numbers puzzles that I made. We actually ran out of time on the puzzles. Oh! We sang Old McDonald as well! Our farm had a tiger. Every time I roared M burst out laughing. :D Oh man it was SO fun! Kawai-sensei took pictures of me and M singing our hearts out. I love my students but M has a special place in my heart. It's impossible to dislike her. She's so great!!

After class I went back to the teacher's room to eat lunch. As I had given Kawai-sensei a gift of a chocolate pie (alfajor), she gave me a crêpe creation from 7-11. It was layers of crêpes and cream. It was actually pretty good! At the very least it was nothing like the American abomination: crapes. *shudder* Oh! Also, on the way to class Sugita-sensei pointed out the window to these huge cherry (Acerola) trees they have here at the school. "Have as much as you want!" For those of you familiar with Acerola Cherries, they are WICKED expensive in the US. (If I remember correctly they have the highest vitamin C content of any fruit.) I had a handful with lunch - they were DELICIOUS! One of the teachers watched me eat my first one and then said something to me in Japanese. I had no idea what he said but I answered, "Oishii!" (Delicious) He was surprised so I'm assuming he probably said something like, "Tart, eh?" However what he doesn't realize is that I like tart things. The cherries also did not taste tart to me. Anyway...

After lunch the teachers (all but Sugita-sensei and myself) disappeared to a meeting. They had someone from the college come talk about something or other. Some sort of lecture. I would have attended but it ended after the time I needed to leave and didn't want to be rude. Also I wasn't sure if it would all be in Japanese and I would go crazy-bored out of my mind. I try to be vigilant and really watch and listen for words I know, but it's Friday and I know my brain is already half turned off. Oh ps! I got a picture of that freaky frog I drew. I explained to Kawai-sensei as best I could about the whole thing and we laughed and laughed at how freaky it looks. She then told me that drawing was my weak point. LOL Hopefully I can change that! I've always wanted to draw well and I used to sketch fairly often - I've lost the habit though and I left my sketchbook at home. (Not that I couldn't get one here... js)

--- (later)

In any case, the ride home on the bus was glorious because of the a/c! When I got home, I swept 3 giant ants out of my place. It's not perfect, but it's an improvement, for which I am very grateful. Then I sat down with some Japanese crackers and a book to wait for my package. At 1700 on the dot I started to get worried. When was it going to get here!? LOL However, around 1800-1815ish, my doorbell sounded. I practically fell over myself getting to the door and YATTA! My package arrived! My mom put in some fruit snacks, gum, sunflower seeds, corn nuts, shorts, an under shirt, my French verb book (YAY!), my kanji book (YAY again - but really yay for all of it!!), netting (which I put up rather promptly to also help keep the bugs out), a contact case, toothpaste, lotion, shampoo, and some vitamins. I just sat in my apartment basking in the love! Then I ate my corn nuts, limited myself to one pack of fruit snacks and a small handful of sunflower seeds (spicy!). I'm so happy! :D After I put the stuff away, I went back to reading and looked at some funny pictures online. I also listened to music and played my guitar. Hope you all had an equally amazing Friday! It's now raining so it's humid but I love the rain - I opened a window and am floating happily in the sound of rain. :D Love you all! XOXO, A

Some pictures from today:

The freaky frog - is that hair sprouting out its eyeballs!? Why yes, yes it is.

Me and my package from home!

When I first went to take this picture I put my chin ON the package... OW!

The Chinicle is in its decline

A crazy day

Today felt crazy. I got more sleep, thank goodness. I made it to the bus just fine, made it to the school just fine, and I started on my work when I got there. It occurred to me that maybe the students would want a song list for my music lesson. It took me about 45 minutes to finish it (I made two on a B4 size piece of paper). It includes the genre, singer/band, and song name for the 38 songs on my list. Soon the bell rang and I was off to my first class.

I got to put my games into action! It was glorious fun! I loved it. I went around from group to group listening in and commenting. It was so much fun for me. I know a most of the students enjoyed it too. One group of girls was especially fun/funny. They kept cheering and clapping loudly. Every time I came by they were having so much fun. My heart was so full! Some groups finished very quickly (they played the game wrong or didn't play it at all maybe), so I had them switch groups. Then most of them went to sit with their friends and had even more fun (that's when that table of girls formed). It was so great for me. :D

The very next period I got to teach my music lesson. Kanako-sensei took the first little bit of class to return their exams and talk about them. It was fine, only I ran out of time during the listening portion! I ran out of time with maybe 7 songs left to play. Aargh! (And I was only playing 10-20 seconds of each one.) In any case, it was hard to be cut off, but I think the students REALLY enjoyed the lesson. They definitely loved the read and run! Kanako-sensei and I were cracking up over their antics. Some were calmly playing (one partner reads the sentences and runs back to tell their partner who writes them down, then they switch). Others, like this one group of boys who LOVE me, were fighting and sabotaging one another. I was cracking up. They are so funny! I have the best students!

The very last lesson of the day was a class where my lesson was to help them make a summary. I scaffolded as much as I could but then found out this was their first exposure to the chapter. My worksheet had a crossword puzzle at the top with 10 words in kanji (well one was katakana). I pulled out the words they would HAVE to know to understand the chapter. Then I made very simple questions that once answered (assuming they used complete sentences) could be strung together to form a summary. Oikawa-sensei told me after I handed out the worksheet that this was their first exposure to the lesson. Oh boy. I wasn't sure what to do to help them. So I went around and pointed out paragraphs where the answers could be found and wrote hints on the board. I was like, "Oh first time? Oh ok..." *mind racing trying to figure out how to help my students* Without knowing that much Japanese though...I was hosed! I couldn't even read the crossword clues since they were in kanji! In any case, probably half the class finished the crossword so I had us check it. One student who was given the chalk to write an answer on the board didn't have the answer. I handed him my paper and acted like it wasn't a big deal. I hope that I am fostering a classroom where they feel like it's ok to ask me for help and that they don't have to be perfect. I just want them to participate and try (and have a blast - that's not asking too much, right?). In any case, I had a game to check the answers for the question portion and I was thinking we'd have all this time leftover. Nope. They didn't even finish the questions. However, the atmosphere of the class wasn't one of frustration for which I feel very blessed (mmm). And I made sure with Oikawa-sensei after class. "Was the worksheet too hard?" "No, no. It was good. Good job." :D Also, I had less time during that class because he too had passed back their exam and gone over the answers.

In between classes I worked hard and just felt very accomplished. It's good to be teaching again! It was nice to have some days only for preparation but once I was caught up it was torture! Plus the reason I teach is because I love seeing the students GET it. And I can't do that sitting at my desk planning my lessons! Of course, that's a key element but it's only the beginning. I'm hoping my lessons go over well tomorrow. The SLPs I get make it sound like they didn't like my lessons before and I'm not sure if it's a problem with me or what. :/ I'm just trying to do my best and really think about and plan for my Deaf students. I'm very excited! Tomorrow I will be teaching Mai again and it's her birthday. I had some extra time today so I made her a card. It has the freakiest looking frog ever on the cover. You know how when you draw something and it doesn't look right? You think, "Oh I should just add THIS and then it will look right." I kept this "THIS"ing it and it turned out ... weird. I hope she will find it charming. I didn't mean to make it freaky!

After my last class I helped to clean and then worked on that card and some odds and ends until it was time to go. I got my things together, said my "Otsukaresama deshita"s, did my bows, and left. Once I got on the bus I was BURSTING with energy. Today was sweltering. I wore my long blue skirt so it afforded my legs breathing space and the students had the windows open in their classrooms and there was a great breeze (mmm), but it was still just hot and sticky. I did well (thanks to my Father in Heaven I know), but the bus had A/C. I'm like a reverse plant. They perk up in the sunshine and I droop. Once the sun goes down though, I feel like I'm full of pogo sticks that need bouncing!! And I acted like it!

When I got home I had planned on going to the store after dark (since though it was cooling down it had been a very humid and hot day), but upon my arrival I found TONS of ants. There were maybe 25 giant ants in my place but it felt to me like 500. I wanted to cry. I quickly tried to sweep them outside and they just kept rushing back in. My place was ICKY. It was like the inside of a crock pot. So I put on my dehumidifier and quickly biked to the store (after changing into shorts and a t-shirt). My mom suggested cinnamon, and it was on my shopping list - so I decided I needed it NOW. I rode my bike to the grocery store, grabbed the cinnamon, some popcorn, an instant spicy instant ramen cup (since I knew I wasn't going to want to do a ton of cooking in the heat), and some alfajores (they call them "pies" here, but that's what they are!) for M's birthday treat (I also prepared paper with "Happy Birthday M" written on it that we're going to fold into origami birthday hats - and the writing will show on both sides of the hats :D). I have big, big plans you see! Well, for all my classes - I LOVE teaching at the Deaf school. I also LOVE teaching at Morioka Minami. My students are the best!

In any case, I rode home quickly and though I was pouring sweat when I got home, I opened my cinnamon right there (I had a moment where I wasn't sure I had brought it home since I didn't remember bagging it but it was there - mmm), and put a generous amount in my entry. Because of my intense fear of insects I felt like it would be too much to hope it worked perfectly but thus far it has! OH HAPPY DAY! And now my kitchen smells like cinnamon - which is a great smell, but if it keeps away insects, smells like heaven to me! HUGE THANKS to my mom who told me about it! Gros bisous!! (mmm!) After I did that I quickly hurried into my bedroom (where the dehumidifier was running) and it was like finding an oasis in the dessert. It was beautifully cool. I went back to the kitchen (which felt like a jungle after the cool) and put some water on to boil for my dinner. Thank goodness I bought that instant noodle cup (mmm). It kept me out of the kitchen almost entirely. I ate my dinner while I read a little, then I started passing out on my bed. I still had worksheets to print, a picture to find, and this entry to write so I dragged myself out of bed and here I am. I'm a little more awake now but my eyelids still feel so heavy right now. I will gladly get ready for bed and crash.

Oh! One snag for today: I got a notice that my package my mom sent me got here (YAY!), but I don't know how to get it since the post office closes at 15h00. :( I'm going to ask the teachers tomorrow if the post office will deliver later and if they won't I'm not sure what I will do. Well, I will go to the elders or my work office and ask them to pick it up for me. I want my package! It's my first thing I've gotten from home! I WANT IT! GIMME GIMME GIMME!!! :) Hopefully it will be easily settled. In any case, hope you have a great whenever! XOXO, A

Funny moment:

I made my first graders laugh today. Before I gave out the game boards and dice I told them to be careful with the dice (as I had made them from paper so they would only go up to 3 and the students would land on more squares and the game would take longer). I said, "Don't squash my dice!" And made a squelching sound as I clapped my hands together. I was being entirely serious but they loved it. I had to smile after that, but I was followed it with, "Seriously though..." :)

(Oh and PS, I don't know if it matters to anyone, but I've been off in my counting of how long I have been here. I was one day short. So I would have said previously that I have been in Japan for 83 days but it's actually 84. So ya... 84 days! Crazy!)

Just another manic Wednesday

Today, as many of you know from facebook, did not start out well. A friend of mine needed to talk last night so I was up late in spite of having planned on going to bed early since I was so exhausted. I prayed that my service would result in a blessing of invigoration. Well, when my alarm went off, I wanted to cry. It doesn't happen that often but it's a horrid feeling to want to weep as soon as your alarm goes off. I wrestled myself out of bed (having only nightmares about running out of money in Japan to remember) and started to get ready. I had already planned last night to not take my computer today. However when I locked the door to my apartment and started walking away, I immediately had a panic attack. "What if I need my computer!? Now it's too late to go back! (that was true) What am I going to do now!?" I wanted, again, to cry. I had to tell myself, "You already decided to leave it. It will be fine. You're not teaching today, and if you end up with nothing to do for a while, you end up with nothing to do for a while. C'est la vie." I stressed while waiting for the bus that I would miss it (not getting enough sleep SUCKS). When I got on the bus, I was able to calm myself. Once or twice I could feel panic welling up and I didn't know why it was there, but I pushed it away and told myself everything was fine, everything was in hand.

When I got to the school I found out they had locked the copy room door (since it's exams and they don't want the students cheating) so I had to wait outside during the morning meeting. I wouldn't let myself worry about what the teachers and principals might think. I was locked out, but I was there. People could vouch for me and in the meantime I would wait patiently to be let in.

When I got going on work, I was finally able to just focus and forget the morning. I got a lot of stuff done. I have everything ready for my lessons tomorrow and Friday (other than some printing). At some point during the day I saw that I had brought a letter that I received yesterday in the mail. I have been trying to ask different teachers about things I don't understand so this time I approached Suzuki(male)-sensei. He informed me it was a bill for my health insurance. "Oh. Where can I pay it?" *checks the letter* "At Iwate Bank or _____ Bank." "When are their hours?" "9 am to 3 pm." "Are they open Saturdays?" "No, but you have until July first to pay it." "Uh... I'm at work when the bank is open." "Oh that's ok! You can go during school hours. The ____ (can't remember the name, sorry) Bank is not far from here." "I take the bus to school..." "I can drive you!" Wow! I wasn't trying to get him to offer to take me, I was just trying to figure out what I could do. Actually in my mind I was plotting to ask the elders to take my money over since they asked if there was anything they could do for me. Suzuki-sensei showed me where I would need to sign out and then said he would take me in the afternoon. So I kept working on lessons until he was ready to go. We drove over, paid it (with much help from him as the translator), and went back to school. We were gone maybe 10 minutes total. I was profuse with my thanks and gave him a little card and gift I made (story below). He refused to take any money for gas. I feel so blessed to be here in Japan where they think nothing of doing anything and everything they can to help you. Japanese people are so service-oriented! I saw him on the way out of the school when I left and thanked him again. I'm sincerely very grateful. Oh also on our trip, on the way back he told me that next week Tuesday the whole school is going to a theatre to hear Jazz. "Do I get to go!?" "Of course!" "OOH! I'M SO EXCITED! I LOVE JAZZ!" He laughed at me, but I am very much stoked!

I learned a few more kanji today. I also, through learning those kanji, was able to learn some new words and also the kanji for words I already knew. So I felt all knowledge-y!

I ran out of things to do 2.5 hours before it was time for me to leave. I refused to berate myself for not having brought my computer so I tried to think of other things to do. I made a game for Friday and then I spaced out a lot. I was trying to organized my thoughts but I had been focusing most of the day on a tank that started at "E" this morning. So I was pretty wiped out. It finally came time to leave and I headed home. I got to message a friend on the way, I ate dinner when I got home, I read a little bit, and I tried to handle a giant ant infestation. :/ I'm trying to handle it well but every little thing that brushes me makes me jump a mile and ... I just wish they would stay outside! I keep my place very clean so I don't know for what they're looking! :( In any case, I did dishes, and then wrote this blog entry. I need to get a couple things at the grocery store but the thought of going out ... I just don't have the energy tonight so I will do it tomorrow. I am still glowing a little from last night. A few times today I pulled out my Taiko music and practiced on my desk. I also showed a few of the teachers. I'm so terribly excited!! I wish there was a way Abbey and Tara could be at the practices so they could be in the Matsuri too! They expressed a desire to go before I even told them about it. However this gives me the opportunity to ask them to take photos of me. :) Well, I'm going to call today a wash (even). I need to print those worksheets and start getting ready for bed. Goodnight! XOXO, A

Funny stories:

So when Suzuki-sensei said he would take me to the bank I was pretty sure he would turn down the offer of money for gas. So I thought immediately, "I want to make him an origami frog!" Oh man... I looked up the directions on the internet and though the site had pictures, it was not very good at step by step instructions. I started with a red paper that was too small and had to give up and get other paper. The last NS left a book of cardstock paper so I grabbed some green paper, made a large square, and started over. It was really great to have green but folding cardstock.. it was a nightmare. It took FOREVER to figure out the website AND get the paper to cooperate. Even now I'm not sure if the end product was as it should have been. In any case, I wondered what people thought as they walked by my desk and saw me arguing with and threatening a piece of paper in French. I made a little green thank you note with the leftover paper and put it in my desk to give to Suzuki-sensei later. Moral of the story: don't use cardstock for origami!

LOL At some point today Nakatta-sensei (a woman who sits one desk away from me - the desk between us is empty.. that is, no one sits there) moved the garbage to her other side. It was because she had had a meeting and the person had sat there, however when I looked over to throw the paper away the first thing I thought was, "My garbage privileges have been revoked!" It made me laugh and I used another garbage until she remembered to put it back.