Charity Race

Hey guys. On April 17th I'll be running a 5 kilometer race, with lots of other people also raising money for Japan disaster relief. It's not technically a charity race (Japan doesn't really have charity races!!) but my friends and I are making it one. If you can please support with $5.00. One dollar per kilometer, that would be cool! :)

Here's my page: Donation

Christina's: Donation

Jennie's: Donation

Also, if you don't mind a bit of crude language, you should check out this page about a Japanese hero. I hope I get to marry a guy like that! http://www.badassoftheweek.com/akaiwa.html (badass of the week found by Mr. Christina, who always finds the best links for everything) :)

Sad times

It's been a while since I have posted, but of course it's been strange times here in Japan.

7 days ago, the terrible earthquake hit Japan, and the tsunami following it wreaked unspeakable devastation.

I have so many thoughts, feelings, and emotions about this that I don't think I'd ever be able to verbalize 10% of them, even if I tried. But I don't even feel like trying right now. It's just too terrible.

I will say that I am totally safe, and people need to calm down. Calm down and help. Calm down and donate. Japan needs your assistance. People are still dying from lack of food and heat in evacuation centers. The problem in the evacuation centers is much more pressing than any of this "nuclear meltdown" business.

People have told me to get on a plane and come home.

Well, you know what? I am home. I love Japan. I am in no danger. I'm happy people are thinking of me, but there is simply no danger for me. Fukushima Nuclear Plant is 900km away from me.

Here's a map I found:

source: www.japan-guide.com

By the way, I did try really hard to draw on this picture! I downloaded "paintbrush" and everything! But I'm just not good at computers, and couldn't figure it out. So I will have to explain where I live.

You can see 4 islands. The top island is Hokkaido. The big one is Honshu. Then the one south of Honshu is Shikoku. And the island in the bottom left corner is Kyushu. I actually DO live on Honshu...but my area is not colored in... I live so close to southwest tip of Honshu, that you might as well say that I live in Fukuoka, there on Kyushu!! I'm visiting Fukuoka tomorrow, and it will be about a 2 hour drive, so you can see how out of harms way I am. There is an international airport in Fukuoka that my friends and family are using to visit me this month, and no one should be alarmed by this.

They will receive more radiation from the plane flight than they will in all our travels while here (we will stay far away from the colored areas...more to stay out of relief workers way, than because of any danger, to be honest).

I know I'm going back and forth between the nuclear plant problem, and the problems created by the earthquake and tsunami. But: Everyone, please pray for Japan if you are a pray'er, or just be respectful and keep Japan in your thoughts!　The people in evacuation centers need your prayers. The people who lost their homes need your prayers. The nuclear plant workers need your prayers. People far away from the danger need you to not create panic, or fill our e-mail boxes with pleas to exodus.

I will be running a 6k on Sunday, April 3rd, and am going to ask all of my friends to donate $6 on top of any other donations they've already given, or will give. Six EXTRA dollars.

In general, please help love, not panic. I know you have to get on with your daily lives at some point. Sometime it has to be okay to joke around again, and generally put sad thoughts out of your mind. But if you have any kind of connection to Japan, especially, I don't think that time is yet. So many thousands of people right this very moment are starving and freezing and need you to care.

Japan love. :)

Volleyball

Fellow volleyball players, leaving Hofu. LDS missionaries move around quite often, meaning that our volleyball teams change a lot.

I miss Elder Adams and Elder Wilson, but the new missionaries are awesome too!!

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I've gotten use to playing volleyball for couple hours every Monday evening.

But this entire month, the gym where we play is 100% booked! Oh no!

It also got me thinking...how am I going to get my volleyball on when I return to America? Are there clubs or something, for anybody?

I play with a mix of Japanese and foreigners. Some LDS missionaries here, a splattering of students there.

It's such a random and awesome eclectic group of people.

Volleyball is definitely my favorite sport. Not interested in basketball or baseball or football. I guess soccer is okay.

But hand me a volleyball and point to a net, and you've made yourself a friend!

Steffanie Sensei

Being a JET teacher is the most fulfilling thing that I have ever done. JET, as you probably know, stands for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme. I teach in a public high school setting, as an assistant language teacher. I teach at 4 schools, and for each class there is a varying degree of what "assistant" means. Most of the time, I have full reign over the classroom. Sometimes (rarely), I'm not even sure why I'm in the class. Most of the time there is a really good balance between me and the Japanese teacher of English. I have a great relationship with all the JTE's that I work with.

Recently, for Valentine's Day, I assigned a homework essay assignment about anything romance related. They could make up their own love story, or write a letter to a crush, or anything they wanted. In almost all of the 160 essays I had to correct, I found that Japanese students seem to REALLY misuse the word love. Almost as bad as Americans do! (lol)

Many talked about their biggest love in Kindergarten, or elementary school. Thus, I decided that I had to teach them about the word "crush"! None of them have ever heard this word before, even the few students who love Western music and movies. When I introduced the word, some of them got out their dictionaries, and stared in horror at the meaning!

Here is me explaining it. But they all know how to use the word crush now!!! I shouldn't have taught it to the rowdy boys who now love to tell me that they have a "crush on teacher".

Usually I pick a theme per class, corresponding with the book if at all possible. But each class I only see once every 2 weeks, so if I don't stick to the book, it's okay, because they use the book the other 9 out of 10 school days.

Below, was my last day of one of the classes. I was so moved by getting flowers and letters from all of them. They are the best kids ever. So awesome. I cry thinking about leaving them this summer.

But JET is really really amazing. I would recommend it to all of you, who may have the opportunity to apply. You need a college degree, and must be under 40 to apply. Besides that, they will look for any teaching experience or passion. If you are interested, please apply. :) It's 1~3 years that you will never forget, ever.

Here are my students performing as SILENT MONKS~~ Cheers!

Any questions about JET or anything else, please comment, and I'll get back to you :)