The Lighthearted Wanderer

There were a few things I wanted to end with for this story, but with the passing of time and the feeling that my original intentions for writing are not so relevant anymore (I kind of meant this to be a "Don't worry seniors, things get crazy during spring semester and you never know where you'll end up!" encouragement type of reflection), I think it's better just to wrap up with the other reason why I felt like writing. Basically, it was mostly for me, that these thoughts swirling in my head seemed to be visited and revisited time and time again since I've been here, and finally I was patient and brave enough to write something down. "Did I make the right decision?" "How did I get to this point?" "Am I doing what I intended to do by coming to Japan instead of teaching in America?" etc etc. But the answers in my head only had a few tangible words, and so writing them down forced me to think about how to phrase them. Talking w...

I know that this is the kind of thing that kids do in elementary school, but I absolutely love making these with my students here. I just hope that they remember something and will be able to describe themselves with some nice words.

So continuing on somewhere after I left off from  last time ... I returned from Indiana, and to tell you the truth most of it is a blur. My thesis was due before the end of the month and I still hadn't finished collecting data. I was stressed out about the different offers but didn't really have the time or willpower to really think about what I actually wanted. I knew I didn't want to let anybody down. It all sounds so easy from the outside. "You wouldn't be letting anyone down, Elaine!" "Wouldn't you always regret not going to Japan?" "You can always go back to America and become a teacher later," etc. etc. But no, the thoughts in my head were the exploding masses of whether I was a good or bad person. Whether I could abandon my third grade classroom in Sacramento waiting for me. Whether I could let down my future housemate Joe, who was so sweet and ready to be newcomers to the community we were joining. To this day I still rememb...

1. Shaq getting his doctorate in Education. I seriously think that is super super cool, and super sweet that he said that he did it for his mom. Charles Barkley: I can't believe this guy has a degree. Shaq: 3 of them! You show 'em Big Guy. 2. Today I realized that both Pikachu and Mickey Mouse are mouses. And even more smile-worthy was how I realized this after I made a worksheet where Mickey is asking Pikachu how to say words in Japanese, which makes sense if you think about where they are from. Cultural exchange ftw. 3. Watching The Amazing Race finale go to Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Osaka--places where I myself have traveled and lived. Seriously, it was so cool. I loved how they had trouble buying train tickets, and I loved how they spent the night on Miyajima island and there was a stop motion/fast forward video of the tide rushing out from the shrine. I loved how they ate at a rotating sushi place, and I loved how they had to explore Osaka castle. And ...