Tuesday Already?

Hello everyone, I can't believe it's already Tuesday! Yesterday and today have flown by. Yesterday I had a pretty good day. Yesterday morning Eastin went to swimming, and Aidan stayed home. So he and I did his English reading together, and then he helped me learn the hiragana alphabet. This week I have learned nearly 30 letters of the 71 letter alphabet. The only problem is that there is another complete alphabet to learn, with the same number of letters! What I don't understand is that the letters in both alphabets make exactly the same sounds, but have completely different characters. I do know that while hiragana is used for spelling Japanese words, katakana is used for spelling foreign words. So now I know how to write my name in both alphabets. The picture of my name that I posted earlier was in katakana. (I feel so proud of myself.) So, when I learn both of these alphabets, I will be able to read Japanese at about a first grade level. :D (Boy, if that doesn't boost your pride! ;) ) After that, when Eastin had gotten back from school, I acted out a play with him. Then I basically had him retell me what we had done, and I wrote it down as he remembered it. It was quite different from the way I remembered it, but it was still really cute. Anyway, then I had him draw pictures to go along with his story. I took those outline drawings he made, uploaded them, and digitally colored them. My plan is to make a 'book' out of his story and drawings and give it to him as a birthday present. His birthday is on Sept. 20th, but we are having his party on the 16th. So I have to get it done by then. So the pictures on this post are some of his illustrations. They are his drawings that have simply been digitally enhanced and colored. The dragon is breathing fire, and is my personal favorite. :) Then we have the 'dragon's castle'. Notice the windows where the dragons helpers watch for the knight to come try to rescue the princess. He made sure that the door had a door knob so that the dragon could get in and out. Also, there is a chimney for the smoke that the dragon breathes to get out. The last picture is of Eastin and his drawings. The title of his story is going to be Athelas: Dragon Slayer, since he obviously slays the dragon and marries the princess (that part he added in his retelling).

After I finally got done with that little project, I 'whipped up' some dinner. We had spaghetti and homemade meat-sauce, with honey glazed carrots. I thought it was the best meat-sauce I've made in the last several attempts....although I think I always say that... :) All together, yesterday was a nice, quiet, enjoyable day.

Today was similar in some ways, but very different in others. This morning I went against custom and spent a long time talking to my family before the boys left... I spent the rest of a quiet morning in deep thought and doing various little chores. I also made two loaves of bread and 4 rolls. Almost all of one loaf was eaten as a snack this afternoon, and I think there are only one or two rolls left! :) After lunch three of Eastin's friends and their mothers came for about 2 1/2 or 3 hours. During which time, I sat at the table trying to figure out what was going on since they were speaking in Japanese. I also went for a 30 minute walk to enjoy some quiet, since all 5 boys were in the den with the adults... I have found out that I love working with children, and I love conversing with adults. But I think that a park (or anywhere outside) where the children can play is the best place to get lots of small children together and still hope to converse with their parents. I don't handle boys screaming well.... :) But the walk helped to clear my head, and refreshed me. After that, I started making supper. Tonight I was able to stuff some mushrooms! I LOVE stuffing and eating them. I also made a simple green salad and some creamy ceasar dressing to go with it. I helped Abi slice some bell peppers and lay them in a pan. Then we put thin slices of beef over it, put the lid on, and cooked it on medium heat. After that Abi put some taco seasoning on it and we had it over rice. It was SOOO good! For dessert we had a fresh-fruit tart that Abi made today... It was really good too. I'll have to post that recipe some time soon. I decided since I've been here that I thoroughly enjoy cooking, I just don't particularly like deciding what to cook. My situation here is perfect for me. Abi tells me the menu for dinner, and I just do what she says... I think I've got the easy part of the job.

Oh! I didn't realize how late it is here... I should really go to bed...

I hope you all have a blessed day. I want to leave you with this bit of song that has been on my mind today...

"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul!"

All my love,

Hannah

Wonderful Day!!!

Well, I'm at the end of another Sunday... The best Sunday I've had in a long time! The Lord has blessed me with energy, patience, and everything else I've needed to get through my day. :) I started my day by listening online to a sermon from my church. Then, I had time to talk to my family. I actually got to talk to everyone in my family except for one sister! Today, since the Fukudas are in Holland, Roger had the opportunity to lead worship. The only thing that worried me about this situation, was that I would be in charge of all three boys until the sermon started... I was wonderfully blessed when Aidan, Eastin, and Coen sat or played right beside me the ENTIRE time! I was actually able to sing the songs and pay attention to the words, without having to worry about boys running, giggling, or playing loudly in some other part of the room! I even had energy left over to play with the boys and reward them for their good behavior when we got home. I played sword fighting (with balloon swords) for probably an hour after we got back from church. Even though I got the worst of it, I had fun, and so did all three boys! I think this is probably the best Sunday I've had in the past three months!

We had to put the boys to bed early, because of various aches or pains. So then we three adults had planned to watch a movie since it was an early evening. Unfortunately no one could choose or agree on a movie to watch. So some of us are enjoying our evening watching some Japanese film, and some of us are doing things we enjoy better...writing and listening to our music...! :) By the way, did I ever mention how much I love my favorite playlists, and a good set of earbuds? Being able to write like this (basically any time I want) really helps me to stay 'calm, cool, and collected', more that I would have thought. It has been really nice writing for the past few nights, because from where I sit to type, I can see the almost full moon out the window. It is absolutely breathtaking to be able to sit here at the dining room table, in a 'foreign' country, on the 28th floor of a building, at 8:30 pm, and see this gorgeous yellow glow around a beautiful, huge, hunk of rock that God has put in orbit around the planet we call Earth. When you think about it like that, you really feel... treasured. To know that a loving God would allow us to see and appreciate beauty like this is a wonderful thing. Some people say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder... But I say that beauty is something that reflects God, and something that he allows us to perceive.

Well, tomorrow both boys go to swimming, so it'll be pretty quiet around here before lunch. The start of school does mean that I'll have to start getting up before 7:30, which is what I've been doing while we were still in 'vacation mode.' :( Oh well, God has proved to me so many times this past week that He will give me what I need to see through each day! Please pray that I will trust in Him for the strength I need for every day this week, rather than becoming depressed with my own insufficiency. Corrie Ten Boom once said: "If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest." I suggest everyone remember her wise words. Look to God in and for everything! :)

I hope you all have a blessed Lord's day.

All my love,

Hannah

Come....and Gone

Good morning everyone. I have just finished my Saturday, my day off. I feel... kind of sad, to tell the truth.... I didn't do anything today. I was too tired. If I wasn't asleep today, I was wishing I were. I don't know why I'm so tired. I suppose this is what happens if I don't have anything I want to do by Saturday.... I just don't do anything. Part of it I think is that it's too hot to go outside, and if I don't want to stay in the living room with everyone else, I stay in my bedroom... It was nice to have a completely quiet day, though. Sometimes I wish I could just sit and talk to someone (in English, without having to slow down or translate) for hours, about anything and everything that pops into my head. ...Sorry... I'm just sort of rambling... I really do enjoy being here, and being able to experience all of these wonderful things myself! But I do have a bit of advice for anyone who plans to live in another country for more than a few weeks: make sure you know more than a handful of words in the national language!!!!! :)

Well, last night I said I would tell more about the festival we went to yesterday. This festival, in Hamacho, is one of the biggest held in all of Tokyo. If you look at the pictures I have of the past festivals I've been to, put them all together as far as size, and multiply the people attending by about two and a half, then you might can imagine this festival. Most of the things were set up inside a baseball field. The whole field was literally packed with people, so that you could hardly walk! Then there was more on the outside of that!!! The dancing was held on a huge stage, with the drummers about 30 feet up, and the dancing deck below that, and everyone else danced around that in giant circles. I had lots of fun. I also wore the shoes that came with my yukata. I learned that walking in the wooden shoes was easier than walking in my flip-flops when wearing a kimono. They are a little small, but they look better than my black and white polka-dot flip flops. :) It made me feel nice.

Tonight we all watched a Dr. Who episode. Isn't it funny how some things are funner with people who have done them before, and some things are funner with people who don't know what's coming next? It is so fun to sit and listen to all of the guesses as to how a particular episode will end! :D Well, I just finished my cup of hot tea, and tomorrow is Sunday. Do you know how really comforting a cup of familiar tasting hot tea is? A cup of tea, your favorite iTunes play list, and writing (or some other thing you enjoy), are a wonderful combination when you're feeling down. Anyway, I hope you all have a good day! May God bless and keep each one of you.

All my love,

Hannah

Friday

Good morning again everyone, I hope you have a good day on this last 'week day' of your week. My Friday went well. This morning I had some time to actually video chat with my family, which was really a blessing. It always blesses me and makes me happy to get to see them. After that I had another English lesson this morning, and it went really well. When we were done with the lesson, Hinako, Eastin, and I went downstairs to the wooden deck and played soccer and Hide-and-seek for about 45 minutes. It was really fun to be able to play with them like that, but they absolutely wore me out! While playing soccer (in flip-flops) I hit a blister on my little toe with the ball, it broke and also tore off the next layer of skin! Needless to say, that still hurts. :) Then after lunch I helped Aidan with his English school. For the past two weeks, he and I have been working on writing the stories he makes up. Today he got very excited when I told him we could 'publish' them, and send copies to all of his family in America. His face lit up, and all he could do for the next 10 minutes was plan illustrations and cover art, and poems for his new books. :) It was fun to watch him.

After my nap this afternoon, a couple of ladies came over and helped Abi and me put on our yukatas, since we were going to another festival. I wrapped mine by myself, and thought it looked pretty good. But the lady tying them apparently didn't, because she undid all of it and did it again. :( I had fun at the festival, but I forgot to even take my camera with me... I would tell more about the festival now, but it's 10:15 and I'm really tired... Maybe tomorrow...

The real reason I even wanted to post anything tonight, is because all day I have had this tune running through my head... This tune has been given to one of my all time favorite hymns. (And don't be like some people I know and say that old hymns can't 'reach' people. They are some of the most beautiful things ever written.) So when I got back from the festival I just had to look up and re-read all of the words. I want to post some of them here for you...

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,

Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.

When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur

And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin.

....

Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,

And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

I encourage you to read these words not with the familiar tune determining emphasis etc. Read it as just a poem. It is definitely one of my favorites. I know that, for some people, seeing big cities with lots of lights and huge skyscrapers and tons of people makes them happy. Having lived in rural MS all my life, I didn't realize how much I missed nature. When I went to Nikko it was like I could breathe again! I saw huge, splendid, green mountains. I heard mighty waterfalls. I watched grass sway in gentle breezes. I gazed while clouds covered and then revealed again the tops of mountains that seemed so close, yet so far away. It was breathtaking just to see the things that only God could have designed. Visiting shrines and temples, and noodle shops became tiring soon. But being able to watch as God's artwork surrounded me was something I never grew tired of! Perhaps that's why I love this old hymn as I do. I feel like I can really sing it from my heart... I know it's not just words. I understand them.

Well, I hope you all have a good day, and now I'm going to bed! :) I hope that this post is coherent and makes sense... I am so tired I can hardly think, much less type!

My love to you all,

Hannah

Day 105

Wow! It really seems like more than five days ago when I posted 'Day 100'!

Yesterday's decision to have a good day proved to be a good one. I taught my English lesson with pep, and then taught the children (including Aidan) to play mime. I didn't notice my back hurting after about 11:30 yesterday morning, so that was also a relief. In the afternoon when Aidan went to play with a friend, I gave Abi some quiet time by taking the other two boys to the park for a little over an hour. After coming back and talking with my brother, I started dinner. We had baked eggplant, sauted honey carrots, rice and beef. I thought I did well with it, even though the beef did turn out a little tough. :( After supper, I read to the boys a few chapters out of Farmer Boy while the other adults got in some Japanese study time. Then I watched two Andy Griffith episodes while I had my green tea ice-cream, and I finished up the night by learning the vowels in hirigana (one Japanese alphabet). Thinking back over it all now, I can't believe that was all one day! I don't know how I got that much done yesterday, while on the day before all I could do was sit on the couch and feel sorry for myself because I felt so bad!

Today was a little different... I woke up this morning at 6:45, and lay on my futon half awake until 8:00 wishing I had the energy to move! :) When I got up at 8:00, I took a nice, long, very refreshing hot shower. After I went to the 7-11 for milk and ate my delicious fried rice breakfast, I had priceless time to chat with both of my parents! Today Abi, the boys, and I went to Chiba. We left at about 10:00 AM and got back around 6:30. While we were there, we visited with Carley and Matt and one of their Japanese friends who has two sons Aidan and Eastin's ages. We got there at about 11:30, ate lunch, and talked while the boys played. I stayed there until almost 2:00. Then I decided that, for my own sanity, I would go for a walk... You may be wondering what a walk in the heat of the afternoon, on the hottest day of the week would do for my sanity (or where my sanity was when I made that decision)? My choices were these: Either stay in one room with 7 boys ages 7 and under, or go for a walk in the heat of the afternoon. Which would you choose? ...I had intended to go to the home of some other friends while the ladies were visiting with each other, but the other people were not home. So I just walked. :) At one point before I went walking, Abi had leaned over to me and asked if I needed earplugs. My reply was quite accidentally humorous. I hadn't heard what she had said, so I asked her to repeat it. Then she told me she had asked if I wanted earplugs. :) After a 35 minute walk I returned to Carley's house, where they had put the noisy boys outside to play. We left shortly after.

Then we went to Costco. After unloading the van and putting everything away, we had dinner. We ate raw salmon, shrimp, salad, and rice. It was quite good. Now, I am devouring only the second bowl of popcorn I've seen in the last three and a half months! (If you know me really well, you know how much I love popcorn!)

I don't know what I'm going to do now... I'll probably go to bed within the next 30 min since I'm so worn out! But first I'm going to finish my popcorn!!! :)

My love to you all,

Hannah

Another Busy Day

Hello all,

It's 9:15 on Wednesday morning here, and it's already been a busy day so far... I slept for 11 hours last night, and still dragged myself out of bed tired this morning! Yesterday was a very...trying... day for me. And I'm afraid I didn't exactly pass with flying colors. :( I had a backache all day yesterday, and my patience was... a little short. I was able to make bread that turned out just lovely! :) I also took a trip to the post office. The walk felt good to my legs and head, even if not to my back. I also visited a really nice little store that I had seen, but never been inside. It was probably the most international store (besides Costco) that I've seen in Japan... I also fixed what I thought was a really good meal for supper. ...Simple, but delicious... I made real mashed potatoes, cucumber and tomato salad, and chicken on a stick (called yakitori in Japanese).

Today I have decided to have a good day. I have an English lesson in about 40 minutes, and Japanese lessons have already started. Last night I made enough mashed potatoes so that we can have leftovers for lunch today and don't have to cook any more. That'll be nice. :)

Two of these pictures are from Monday's English lesson... The children are making their 'fish tanks'. Every time they read a word out of the A-Beka reader, they got to draw a fish. You can see that they ended up with a full tank! :)

The last picture is from the festival being held for the tiny shrine down on the street. It went on last Friday night and Saturday night. We only went on Friday night. The whole family ended up going, and all of the children wore their traditional Japanese clothes.

They were really cute! I took this picture while watching one of the dances. If you notice, most of the ladies in this picture have matching yukatas. It seems that the older ladies in the town enjoy getting together and deciding what yukata to wear to the next festival.. :)

Well, I suppose that will be all for now... My English lesson is coming soon, and my computer is nearly out of battery. :)

All my love,

Hannah

Monday Again!

Well, it's Monday again here! Last week seems like it was an entire month! But this week is going to be different. Aidan starts back his swimming this week at school. So Aidan will be gone every morning from about 9:30 - 12:00. All of our 'camps' - cleaning camp, piano camp, and English camp - ease up a little this week. I have an English lesson today (at some point) and one on Wednesday too. We can't do one on Friday because of previous engagements concerning my student.

For the past two lessons I have cut out a big square and folded it into a triangle. Then I give them both the A-Bekah reader (we happen to have two copies) and have them read the words to me. Each time they read a word, I tell them what size triangle they may draw on their big triangle. The object of the game is to have drawn as many triangles on your paper as possible. When they're done, I cut along the lines of their triangles while they are copying a short story. If they do that well, I let them unfold the piece of paper and see that they've made a 'snowflake'. It works a lot better than I had at first imagined! I had them do that for two lessons partially so that they could see that no two snowflakes are alike. (Partially because I couldn't think of anything else for them to do.) :) Today I have cut small squares of paper, and each time they read a word, they get to draw a fish on whatever color I tell them. Then while they are writing their stories, I will cut out their fish and let the children glue them to the 'fish tank' I've made for each of them. I hope it works as well...

I woke up this morning rather late, because I couldn't go to sleep last night until really late. :( So I was really tired this morning... I also realized this morning as I was eating my peanut-butter and banana for breakfast that there are things I miss about the States more than I thought. For instance, (and I can't believe I'm saying this) I miss Wal-Mart! I don't know anyone who really likes Wal-Mart, but think about it... Everyone has to go out of town or out of state at some point. You probably don't realize how much it comforts you to find a Wal-Mart in every town! They all carry normal things you're accustomed to, and know what it is, and you can find anything you need in a hurry! I even miss unloading wal-mart bags from the car. Living on the 28th floor of a building gives 'bringing in the groceries' a whole new meaning! It is so easy to just go from the trunk straight to the kitchen!

I also miss singing in the car to my favorite CDs. I miss long car rides. I miss dancing to the Cupid Shuffle. I miss having friends at church that speak English! :)

These are just random things I was thinking about this morning... Besides all of this, :) , you already know how much I miss my family and friends! ...And animals, and grass, and pastures, and hot cattle feed bins, and getting accidentally soaked by water hoses, and stuck in mud, etc! :)

Well, I should go for now... I will post pictures from today's English lesson later...

All my love,

Hannah

Day 100!

Hello everyone, I just had to say hello on my 100th day in Japan!

Today being Saturday, I got to go to the beach with the college ministry group from Chiba. I had lots of fun, saw old friends, made new friends, and overall enjoyed myself. ...That's the good news...

The bad news is that I didn't have a swim suit, so I couldn't go into the water. There were 14 people crowding under the two umbrellas we had, and I feel (and look) thoroughly BAKED! I used 50 spf sun screen, but still I got sunburned pretty badly. I carried my camera with me but did not take a single picture. :( I have figured out that too often I get busy living in the moment and forget to step outside of it and take pictures... I haven't decided if that's a good thing or a bad thing...

I woke up this morning at 7:00 (which is a 'never' on a Saturday) with every intention of leaving the house at 8:00. Well, I got carried away helping grill cute little fish and frying mochi for breakfast and didn't start eating until 8:05. (By the way, mochi is a hard mashed rice cake that you fry in sesame seed oil. The outside gets crispy, and the inside stays mushy. Dipped in soy sauce they are REALLY good!) Then I hurried through breakfast and ran out the door as fast as I could trying to make the 8:12 train to my first line switch... Old story... I missed it... But I was able to catch the 8:16 train and make it to my rapid train on time. I was more than a little pleased! I do need to work on my timing...

I am really tired now although it's only 8:00! Tomorrow is Sunday, and I know they make me tired anyway, so I think I'll go to bed now.

All my love,

Hannah the red :)

Too much to write

Good morning everyone! I hope that morning has dawned fair for you! I pray that you have already seen, and continue to see God's blessings throughout your new day.I feel like so much has happened since Nikko! Two weeks seems like a long time! The pictures in this post are from Kyoto.
As you can see, it is rather photo heavy... The first photo is me, in front of an old style Japanese home. The Second picture is the VERY famous Golden Temple. (I did get several pictures of me in front of it.) Third, you can see the famous two dragons in one of the temples we visited... They covered the entire ceiling of one of the temples! It was really amazing to crane my neck as far back as I could, and still hardly be able to see the whole thing... We visited that temple on the day that it rained... We also got to see the rock gardens that day, and sit on the tatami mats and enjoy them... You can see the picture of Hinako and me with the ninja and Japanese lady too. I was watching the ninja show, and Hinako got scared. So she went out and met these two, so she ran back in and brought me out too. :) The picture of the flower is there just because I thought it was pretty. :) Last but not least, is a picture of Hinako that I took. It is better than any other picture I have of her, so I decided to include it as well.

We ate lots of noodles in Kyoto. I got pretty good at eating noodles with hashi. :) I also learned that it was acceptable (and even polite) to slurp while eating noodles! I just don't want to get into the habit... :)

I also enjoyed my four days in Chiba. It was nice to again be around people who speak English! I found out that I had something in common with my hosts. They own most all of the Dr. Who seasons I've seen!!! It was GREAT! I watched an entire season while I was there! :) On Saturday I helped around the house all day, and we went to church on Sunday. While I was there I also read all but the last 2 chapters of Elsie Dinsmore. It was fun to hear in my head the well known and well worn tapes I have as I re-read the pages. I remembered lying in my room one day when I was 8 years old as I listened to the book on tape for the very first time! I also had the first ham sandwich I've had in the last 3 months while I was there! It was SO good!

When I got back to Tsukishima on Monday (after navigating four train stations on my own) I was greeted with hugs from Eastin and Abi, a gasp and a smile from Aidan, and a shy grin from Coen! It was great to be welcomed back so warmly!

Yesterday life started back with staff meeting here. I took the boys to the park during it. Thankfully there was a light breeze most of the time. Today I had an English lesson with Hinako and Eastin. I thought it went really well. I tried something that I had not done before, and it worked better than expected. Perhaps in my next post I can explain my new teaching technique. :) But this post is already pretty long...

All my love,

Hannah

Back in Chiba

Hello from Kamatori, Japan. I arrived safely back in Tsukishima from Kyoto on Wednesday and then came to Chiba yesterday afternoon... Getting here was an adventure in itself, since I missed my train to Shin-Kiba and had to wait for the next one. That caused me to be just in time for a local train to the next stop, rather than a preferred rapid train. When I finally got to the next station where I was supposed to change lines, I found that there was a 30 minute delay on that line due to the typhoon! Overall, I was almost an hour late getting to the Kamatori station.
I enjoyed my three days in Kyoto, although I think I like Nikko better... I finally found one Japanese food that I don't like. I'm not sure what it was, but I did not find it to my taste. I have also come to the conclusion that I like raw fish better than cooked fish, a discovery rather shocking to me at first! I have lots of pictures from my last trip, but haven't had the time to empty my camera card since I got back. (I'll post those later.) Wednesday night I went out with Keiko and Iako for monjayaki, which was really delicious. After we got back to the house, we had donuts that Iako had brought! I had a green tea filled donut with no beans this time, and it was quite good! That night all three of us stayed in Tsukishima. Yesterday morning I washed a load of clothes (something I had really been needing to do) and hung them out to dry, after which I had a 7-11 lunch and finished off the last donut. :) Then I had time to chat with my family for a while. I really enjoyed it since it had been so long since I had been able have internet access. Then I was supposed to catch the 4:06 train to Shin-Kiba, but missed it by about 3 minutes! So anyway.... I got here safely.
Well, I should probably go for now since it is nearly lunch time here...
Love,
Hannah

Back From Nikko

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know that I have safely returned from Nikko. I had a great time! I really loved the mountains and waterfalls and farms that we saw and visited. I wanted to post just a few of my favorite pictures that I took as we traveled around Nikko on Wednesday. You can see the rice field beside my host's house with the beautiful mountain behind it. This mountain was actually one of the smaller mountains in the surrounding area, but I just had to snap this photo while I had the chance! The second picture is one of my absolute favorites. I took this picture while on top of one of the mountains. We visited a farm. This farm, while mostly famous for it's dairy, is a place where visitors come and get to pet the animals, play on a play ground, and buy souvenir type things. The last picture was taken over the Shin-Kyo bridge...the famous bridge of Nikko. Well, today we are headed off for Disney Sea to spend the day. Only Keiko, Yukiho, and I are going to be able to go... Last night we had lots of

fun! We went out for monjayaki, which is Tsukishima's trademark dish. I really like it. Today my allergies have been bothering me already, even though it's only 7:45 AM! Hopefully they, along with my sunburn, will not bother me much today...

Well, now I think I will go and fix everyone a true American style breakfast... We're having cereal, because that's basically all the food that was left here during the vacation... :)

All my love,

Hannah

Vacation Part 1

I don't have much time to write, but I just wanted to check in and say 'hi' before I leave for Nikko. I made it all the way from Tsukishima to Kamatori by my self, using the train schedule I printed... On the way back, I made it all the way from Soga to Tsukishima by myself without a train schedule! (And I didn't ask anyone for directions either...) I felt proud of myself. :) Last night I had a lot of fun with Sayaka and her parents. (and her dog Chocola.) They let me participate in a green tea ceremony with them, and then we had sushi for supper. Japanese sushi is not like what you get at the local Chinese restaurant. This sushi is a square of seaweed, with some special sushi rice, a slice of raw fish, and sometimes a few vegetables or something. I even tried salmon eggs... Not my favorite... Then for lunch today we went to a Ramen restaurant. I decided that my favorite Japanese foods are probably ramen and gyoza. :) During supper last night, we talked a lot about Mississippi. We talked about animals, farms, visits, and hurricanes. I found out that they heard about Katrina, and remembered hearing how bad it was. Then we all agreed that they should name typhoons something besides 'typhoon 1', 'typhoon 2', etc. :) I also took my first real Japanese style bath... In Japan, you take a bath and a shower. First you get clean in the shower, and then you can soak in the tub. The bathtubs here are really nice! The water fills the tub, and the tub keeps the water warm. I have always wanted a tub where it's so deep that when you sit in it the water comes up to your chin... Thats the way Japanese bathtubs are! :) I have decided that I like it.

Well, I am probably going to be picked up in a few minutes, so I will go for now....

All my love,

Hannah

Off Again

Good morning everyone! Happy first day of August! The title of this post has two meanings... I do realize that it took me a whole week (day off to day off) to post something new. Things have been rather crazy around here this week... Also, I am off again on another adventure as tomorrow is the start of my two week vacation. Tomorrow I am leaving the same time as the family, except I am going to Chiba to spend one night with friends. Then on Tuesday I plan to come back to Tsukishima around lunch time. Between 2 and 3 pm Rev. Fukuda is coming by here to pick up his van. His family is taking me to Nikko where he grew up. We are going to stay there until Thursday. On Friday Yukiho is coming here with me so that we can meet Keiko for dinner. On Saturday we are going to Disney to spend the day and see the fireworks. Then we come back here and Yukiho spends the night with me so that we can go to church together on Sunday. Then on Monday morning I leave bright and early for Kyoto and get back on Wednesday. After that I spend the rest of my time in Chiba. Although it may sound a bit hectic, I think I will enjoy it. Most of it will be spent outdoors somewhere besides big city. Nikko is in the mountains, and Chiba is mostly a farming city, and Kyoto is 'classic' Japan... I just hope I can remember all of the tiny details such as who to call when, where to put what key, and what time to leave... :) Other than that, I'm looking forward to it! I will take along my camera, and hope to take lots of pictures.

My week went well, though, aside from being busy. I had 'English camp' with Hinako and Eastin. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Hinako came over and we had a short lesson. After that, I let them help me make something. On Monday we went to the park and played house. On Wednesday we made peanut butter playdough, and rolled into balls to take on the camping trip. Friday was a little different, since Hinako had to leave a little early. We had just enough time to get some brownies in the oven. I thought it was fun!

One day this week Eastin told me that he was going camping and that I was sad that I couldn't go camping with him, and that I have to stay here by myself until he gets back. I told him I was going on vacation with Hinako and Yukiho and Satoshi. He told me that I couldn't go with Hinako because he likes her. And Aidan told me I couldn't even be friends with Yukiho and Satoshi because he was their friend while I was still in America. :) They both still think I'm sad because I can't go camping with them...

On Saturday I slept until 8:30. After a nice hot shower and belated breakfast, I was able to watch a few Andy Griffith episodes before Abi and Aidan got back from Soccer. I had the house to myself from about 9:00 to 12:30. Then around 2:00 we started getting ready for the party that night. I made (all gluten free) meatballs from scratch, cream cheese brownies, and sweet tea. I decorated a fruit plate, and helped make rice paper/vegi roll things. I was in the kitchen from about 2:30 until 5:30. I'm not complaining, but I do have one suggestion for the future... When you plan to do lots of cooking and then have a party where you stay up 'till 10:00, stand on one foot while you cook. Then, you can switch for the party, and keep going. :) While I was in the kitchen, Abi was at the store getting ingredients and drinks for the party. I kept the boys occupied watching Song of the South, the movie about Brer Rabbit. I told them the Tar Baby story on Friday. They loved it and actually begged for more. I gave them some choices, and they chose to hear how Brer Rabbit caught Brer Fox with the cheese in the well. :) We had a party on Saturday for two reasons; reason no. 1 was that it was Abi's birthday, reason no. 2 was that from our window we have a GREAT view of some of the most famous fireworks in Japan. They were really incredible. They lasted for nearly two hours!

Today went well. This morning I made bread for communion at church. Then I made another batch for the family to take with them on their vacation. Coen got his appetite back today after about a week of not wanting to eat. He has had an ear infection this week, and as grumpy as you can imagine most of the time. Today at church he started fussing, so I took out a jar of baby food to offer it to him. I didn't really think he would eat it, but it was worth a try... To my complete astonishment he ate all three jars I had in the diaper bag!!! He also seems to be feeling much better this evening. This is the first time this week he hasn't minded playing with something by himself, and not insisting to be held every minute... (not that I mind baby hugs at all.)

Well, I should probably let that be all for now, since tomorrow will most likely be pretty hectic too... :)

My love to you all!

Hannah