As I stepped off the plane with my fellow volunteers, we looked around at the foreign scene in front of us. Screens saying, “Welcome.” Others saying, “Youkoso!” Was I really in Japan? I was. And no amount of language training had prepared me for the barriers I would face in the weeks to come. I struggled to grasp even a drop of the fire hydrant … Continue reading 8 Tips for the First Week of Student Teaching
Before my first visit to Japan, I was reading blogs everywhere on life there. I happened to stumble on this: “Christmas in Japan was definitely… Different. Apparently Japanese Christmas is a couple’s holiday like Valentine’s day. It was definitely a different atmosphere. But they really do try to act like Americans, so they eat KFC and cake.”(See her full post here.) I wasn’t so sure myself, … Continue reading Do the Japanese Really Eat KFC on Christmas?
Oh. my. word. I do not care for long distance traveling in cars, and I wasn’t even driving! I think the only times I get at my husband’s throat are on long distance drives! It’s the perfect mixture for disaster. So I won’t ever try to do the 22-hour drive in two days with a toddler and a five-month-old again, because instead of being a … Continue reading Traveling from Spokane, WA to Mesa, AZ in the Dead Heat
Onward! Japanward! 