I just had a pretty nice weekend, though I didn't have much time to sit back and relax. As usual, I went into Hiroshima. (That means the 1 1/2 hr. commute via bus/ferry/streetcar.)

Saturday morning was Elisa's daughter (Megumi)'s School Sports Day (Feild Day)...then I meandered off to study Japanese with my tutor and meet up with some high school exchange students living in Hiroshima. (They study Japanese with tutors at the same place/time.) There's always somebody new and interesting to meet there. I met a really nice lady from Peru (Nora) last weekend...we might go Latin dancing sometime soon. And, this week I studied with a lady from Australia. After that, I met Megumi for an hour of window shopping before we had to meet her parents for dinner.

The next day was a 2-hr car trip to a beach in the cold rain with Megumi's family, but I barely noticed that because Megumi's father and I tried to wind surf. (My second time trying.) We shared a board, though he didn't let me use it very much. I'm thinking I'll go back to the beach by myself or with a friend to try it again.

At school, I'm working out some bugs in the English Exchange website I created for Etajima and Aurora middle school students. Silly html. Hate the quirks in the little bugger.

Hello, there.

It's starting to look a little bit like fall. I went to Kurashiki this past weekend with Hiroshi. It took about 2 1/2 hours to get there by bus. This year in April I went to Kurashiki with my mom, too, but we went to the amusement park there. The amusement park is called gTivolih and it is a copy of the one in Copenhagen. So, in a way, my mom and I got to go to Europe while she was in Japan.

I'm trying to get tutored every Saturday in Japanese, but it seems like I just wasn't meant to be in Japan to learn Japanese. This week is Megumi's School Sports Day, so I'm going to that in the morning. Perhaps I'll have time in the afternoon to meet my tutor. After being in Hiroshima for 2 years, I still speak shockingly bad Japanese. I know no one believes me, but it's true! Yes, I can hold a conversation--with the right people, and the right conversation topic. When I meet people with little contact with foreigners, they speak in quite fast Hiroshima dialect and don't seem to understand that I need things repeated and just become quiet. This is true of bus/taxi drivers, shop owners, and vice principals.

Recently I've been busy trying to coordinate 2 or three big projects: inviting a high school exchange student from Australia (living in Hiroshima) to Etajima Junior High, helping students make videos of their culture to send in exchange with a middle school in Aurora, Ohio, and preparing several things for the school's Culture Day coming up in the beginning of November. I hope to dance a little flamenco with a few other teachers at Kirikushi's school. As well, I'd like to sing an English song with students. And that's just one school. I also would like to carve Jack-O-Lanterns at the end of this month, so I need to find some American pumpkins. (Japanese pumpkins are green on the outside!) Wish me luck. I'll need it.

On the plus side, my hobby (cleaning my apartment) is slowly making progress. Though, I have boxes of materials for school use I still need to sort through. My other hobbies, reading and drawing, have gone to the wayside recently. I finished Harry Potter 4, so there's nothing left to do but wait for the next movie and book to come out. However, my next two books to tackle are The Scarlet Letter and Lord of the Rings.

I will have new pictures up soon! Send me an e-mail if you haven't heard from me recently...I've been busy:) Oh, and I decided not to do the speech contest...as I'm too busy.

Hi there. Long time no hear. I know. I know.

Well, a lot has been going on. Sports Days are over...mostly. I might go to Megumi's school Sports Day, which would make it my 4th one this year. Yippee. There's nothing like watching 11 yr-olds do tug-of-war in the dirt.

Other than that, the International Club here on Etajima had a Japanese-American-style BBQ last Sunday. It was fun. I coerced some very friendly exchange students from several countries including Venesuela, Brazil, and Germany as well as our Japanese college student tutors to come to Etajima for fun. I limbo-ed (and my thighs have been paying for it since then), fixed chicken with American BBQ sauce, had some of my invited 9th grade students talk/arm wrestle with the high school exchange students. Hiroshi even came, though he had to leave for Hokkaido (the most northern island of Japan) the next morning for a school trip. After the BBQ, we dug for shellfish in the nearby beach. (I ate them a couple days later! --go me!! --I didn't get sick.)

I have multiple school projects I'm working on now. Most are video pen pal related. Also up and coming is the school "culture" festival. I would like to sing "We are the World" with students, and perhaps make a "haunted room" (instead of haunted house). Oh, what else...? I am going to finally start pottery class!!!! (I think that's what I told the teacher on the phone.) That will start in 2 Fridays, I think. Also, I have considered entering a Japanese speech contest (with the theme: Experiencing 9.11 as an Outsider.) ...Though, I think I will have to drop out in a week or two if I haven't written enough of the speech.

My ongoing biggest goal, of course, is to get my apartment clean. That would be nice. ^_^

Hello, Hello.

It looks as though I'm slacking significantly on keeping up my site. Sorry:( I have to apologize because I probably will not be putting any pictures in the next couple weeks. Yesterday and the week before I went to Hamada Beach on the other side of mainland Japan with Hiroshi and one of his friends. It is a beautiful beach...much like the excitement I have for Michigan Lake's beach. The waves are bigger at Hamada, though I have a special place in my heart for Michigan, and I still think Silver Lakes is much nicer.

Other than still getting out and about, I am back at work. This afternoon I will be sifting through the video I took and organizing it for my students' viewage pleasure. Ha ha ha...

My cousin Ann and I are in New Orleans for our last day tomorrow. We would like to see a cemetery or two and go on a swamp tour. I am not looking forward to the 22-hr.+ drive back to Ohio, but I am looking forward to spending some time relaxing there before I get back on the plane to Japan.