it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

As per many requests, I am finally updating my blog again! I apologize again that updating is not more of a habit for me, but the days that something exciting happens, I am usually too busy to write about it, and I feel like every other day is boring, so there's nothing really to write! But again, I'll do my best to update more regularly.

So it's already DECEMBER and I cannot believe how quickly, again, I feel like time has passed! I've been here for 3 whole months today, and while everything is starting to feel more "normal" it still feels so new. The only other time I have moved from one city to another was when I went to college. I don't know if it was the fact that I could actually read signs, or had a car of my own, or what, but when leaving Abilene to go home for the first winter break, I felt like I knew more about the town than I do here. I still don't know if I could get too many places by myself here yet. It's scary to think about the what if's...what if I get lost, what if I get in a wreck, what if I miss the last bus, what if I get on the wrong subway...the list could go on and on. Not being able to speak the language makes everything so much scarier! I never thought about what it was like for those who moved to America but couldn't speak English, until I moved here. Crazy.

So, back to December. The kids had their Christmas party on Sunday, and let me be the first to say that it was the most extravagant Christmas party I have EVER been to! Let's rewind to Friday, before the Christmas party. Since Kelsey and I don't have our own classes yet, we just kindof fill in where we are needed and do whatever needs to get done. Last week we spent a lot of time in Santa's workshop: making cookies, wrapping presents, drinking hot chocolate, wrapping presents, icing cookies, and wrapping more presents. We also were in charge of The Wheel of Holiday Cheer that we used for a game during the Christmas party. (I don't have the pictures up yet from the Christmas party, but as soon as I do, I'll be sure to post the link so you can see the masterpiece that is The Wheel of Holiday Cheer and everything else Christmas party.) Saturday we moved a million tables and a zillion chairs from all over the school into the gym where the Christmas party was going to be. Finally Sunday arrived and it was time for the party! Since there are two campuses at MeySen, one campus had their party in the morning, and the other in the afternoon. The kids opened the party with a singing Christmas Tree where they sang Christmas carols in English for their parents, grandparents, and anyone else who came to watch! Then it was game time for the whole family! The kids got to play games with their parents, and there were even games for just the mothers and fathers! When I post the pictures, I'll explain the games because you just have to see it to believe it! After the games, the kids put on their Santa hats and sunglasses and performed a dance to Rockin Around the Christmas Tree that they have been working on since November. All the classes did so good! Hopefully I can post a video of the kids doing their dance! The kids also did Japanese performances, and they were so cool! The boys in K4 did a dance and they all looked like little ninja's! It was so awesome! The girls wore traditional kimono's and danced to traditional Japanese music. It was really cool to see their dance! The kids in K5 did skits, and even though I couldn't understand any of what was being said, I could understand the story from their acting. And I asked some of the K4 kids to translate for me, which ended up being really interesting because they didn't know a lot of the words in English to tell me what was going on. The party ended with the kids singing Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You and then it was time for the kids and parents to go home! During the party, the parents all had their high-tech video cameras and digital cameras, etc. and I have NEVER seen a larger group of parents as proud of their children than I saw on Sunday. It seriously reminded me of the paparazzi. All of the parents couldn't wait to see their kid on stage...it made me so happy to see the parents really be supportive of their kids.

This week is going to be a crazy one...tomorrow is the Mochi Festival, Thursday is garden day and birthday parties, and Friday is Bible talk. Then next week I am working the Christmas party for Friend's Club and then it's closing ceremony, and then it's winter break! I seriously think that time goes by faster here than it ever has in my whole life. I never think "Man, when is it going to be Friday?" Instead I think, "Whoa! Today is Friday? But I thought yesterday was Monday?!" Either way, I am still loving it here and everyday I get more and more excited to have my own classroom!

In other news, 4 of my best friends graduated from college on Saturday! I was so sad I couldn't be with them on such an important day, but they know and I know I wish I could have! I am so happy to see what the future holds for them and what God's plan is, and I know they are too. And even though Kristen still has one little semester left, I know big things are in her future too! It's so weird to think that my best friends from college are going to live and work in Abilene, go to culinary school, student teach, and then there are the two that are still waiting for God to show them His perfect plan :) The offer is still open for anyone who wants to come join me in Japan!

Wow...this is REALLY long. Maybe I shouldn't update more often; you'd end up reading a novel in a weeks time!

best monday EVER!!

this will be a short but sweet post, so i hope you enjoy!

today, monday, november 23 is probably going to be the best day EVER in the history of all time. why you ask? let me just make a list:
1. i watched new moon. it was just as good, if not better, than i expected it to be.
2. i get to sleep in untill 11, at which time i will be going...
3. to starbucks in abilene, texas with my best friends from school. then...
4. i will be meeting up with them at my old house for a secret santa party!
5. after chatting (for hours, i'm sure) i will be...
6. going to thanksgiving dinner, meysen style and enjoying new friends and lots of food!

thank you, whoever you are, to the inventors of the following technologies: video cameras built into computers, wireless internet, and the conventional oven. you will make monday, november 23, a day to remember.

It's Still November?

Holy cow...this month is flying by just like the last two! It's crazy to think that I have been living in Japan for just over two months! It feels like yesterday that I walked into my apartment for the first time. A lot has happened so far, and I can't wait for it to keep coming! Most recently, my work schedule changed from working 8am-3pm to working from 9am-12noon and 4-630pm. I really enjoy having a break in the middle of my day to relax, take a nap, and catch up with friends. But, since Tuesday I have been subbing in a K4 (4-year-old kindergarten) class because one of the teachers has Type A flu...yes, the dreaded H1N1 or SWINE FLU. It has been a challenge for me to leave my apartment by 730am everyday to make it to work on time, since I have to drive for about 15 minutes to get to the other campus. But it has paid off, and I am loving "long-term" subbing! It has really given me insight as to what I will be doing next year and however many years thereafter if I choose to stay! I have gotten to practice Christmas carols and a dance that the kids will perform at their Christmas party later in December, as well as the regular songs, stories, and poems we practice everyday. Sometimes it doesn't even phase me that these kids aren't fluent in English...they understand so well! Of course, other times it is more apparent that they aren't fluent because they say things like, "Ms. Hope, Wandy (supposed to be Randy) push and Tina crying." Or, "Ms. Hope, bus card home no pick up today where?" Try to figure that one out!! It took me a while, but I finally understood what she was trying to say. Also, tomorrow is Thanksgiving Feast! I mean, we'll eat curry and rice instead of turkey and dressing, but the kids will wear their turkey headbands and we'll talk about being thankful. Unfortunately, since the flu outbreak has really hit hard at MeySen, the kids will all just have to eat in the classrooms instead of eating all together like usual.
In other news, I got two bunnies (Jovie and Regina) a couple of weeks ago! I had always wanted one when I was a kid, and so I thought it would be super cool to get them! Little did I know that bunnies smell so bad. And poop so much. And eat so much. Since I got them from the school, I was going to give them back when they are big anyway, and I had thought about getting more babies. But after this run, I think I'd like to have my apartment smell like something other than a petting zoo. Maybe I could get a pet rock next or something. They don't smell bad or poop and I don't even have to feed it, so that's looking like a win-win situation. Don't get me wrong, those bunnies are CUTE, but they are smelly! Here's a link to their album on facebook: (copy and paste into your URL) http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2018946&id=1534140031&l=8ad3adce17
In even MORE news, the Christmas holidays are coming up in about a month! WOOOOO! I am so blessed to have people visiting me over the holidays since I won't be going home! My brother and our friend are coming sometime in December, and two of my other friends are coming in January! I am SOOO excited!! I have started thinking of things to do here, and I realized that I haven't really been sight-seeing in my own town! But it will be a lot of fun to have friends and family here. I am excited about the possibility of going to Tokyo Disney and skiing! I really hope both of those things get to happen!

Well, it's almost dinner time and then off to play volleyball! I'd love to have more visitors and/or mail :)

Where did October go!?

Hello all! I feel so terrible for not updating this blog in over a month :( I will try to be better about it, I PROMISE! Well, since I have last updated a LOT has occurred! I will make a list of the top 10 events and if you want to know more about them, you can ask me and I'll tell you! Also, I will put links up to my latest photo albums on Facebook so you can see the pictures I have been taking!

1. I have been doing a lot of baking and cooking, and most of it has included pumpkin! Pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin granola bars...you name it, we probably made it!
2. I went hiking at Omoshiroyama Koen. It is easily the most beautiful place I have ever seen!
3. I survived my first typhoon! The typhoon hit closer to Tokyo, which is further south, so we just got a lot of rain and wind.
4. I watched a few co-workers run in the Matsushima Marathon and got to nap at a gorgeous park!
5. I spent the weekend at the cabin that is owned by the school and saw the Pacific Ocean from the Japanese coast. I also slept outside and saw the sunrise!
6. The Immersion Kindergarten Program had Kids and Parents day, like an open house, and I got to help the teachers in their classrooms and serve lunch to the students and their families.
7. The Kindergartners went on a field trip to Michinoku Park and had a BLAST! This was unlike any park I have ever been to in America. It was so much fun!
8. I have been taking Japanese lessons every week! So far, I know about 30 Hiragona characters/sounds, how to count to 10, and can order at a restaurant. I also know about 30 random vocabulary words made of the sounds/characters I have learned so far. Their characters are so complex and difficult to write. It is also very important that the strokes to make the characters are written in the correct order so there is a lot of memorizing.
9. I have been able to do a lot of reading here, and I am so glad! I have always loved reading, but it has been so long since I have been able to read for pleasure. I have read over 1,000 pages (in two books) and I am working on another one that is about 600 pages! I hope to have it finished by next week!
10. I saved the very best for last...I AM ABOUT TO GET TWO BABY BUNNIES FOR FREE!!!! The school raises many different animals for the kids to learn from and experience. And I'm not really even supposed to have pets in my apartment, but I asked my boss and she said it would be okay for me to have the bunnies! Their cage is being delivered to my apartment tomorrow and I get to take the bunnies home with me this weekend! I have wanted a bunny since before I can remember...I asked for one every Christmas and birthday, and I never got one! So I am so excited to get TWO!! I still haven't decided on names for them, so if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them! UPDATE: As of 6:25 p.m. I have decided to name my bunnies Jovie and Regina!

Here are links to my most recent albums on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2018014&id=1534140031&l=1c02c3a83f

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2018015&id=1534140031&l=7e3f9cec25

Just copy and paste into the URL and viola!


Again, sorry it took forever for me to update this! But if you want to keep closer tabs on me, just join Facebook :) It would be like we were practically in the same city!

Time flies when you live in the future :)

First of all, I'd like to apologize for the lateness of this blog! I knew it had been a while since I had last posted, but I didn't realize it had been a whole week! I knew I wouldn't have the time to update everyday, so maybe shooting for once a week will be a "happy medium" if you will.
So there's a lot of catching up to do here...let's play out the last week.
Sunday was full of downtown Sendai, Thai lunch, a Sendai professional soccer game (Go Vegalta!), and Fellowship. I love going downtown and riding the bus and the subway. Those things were never a part of my life in the States, and it's a nice reminder that I am somewhere totally different. I expected this move to bring with it many things including a huge dose of culture shock. So far, that has not happened. I feel like I was adequately prepared for the different culture and am dealing with it accordingly. With that said, I was just at the store and I told my friend, "I bought some sugar so I can make more kool-aid. Well, I think it was sugar. It might be salt." Thankfully, I used my years of deductive reasoning training and guessed correctly. This time. So far the hardest things for me to "deal with" have been doing laundry, shopping, and prioritizing my time. Laundry is difficult because it is such a long process because we have to hang everything up to dry outside and hope it doesn't rain. Shopping is difficult because what seems like a good deal sometimes isn't, and hoping you buy sugar and not salt. And we all know i haven't been very good at prioritizing my time. Ever. So no change there. Fellowship is a time when some of the teachers get together on Sunday evening, eat dinner, worship, and fellowship. I really enjoyed the closeness of the group and worshiping with people I have gotten to know. I am so blessed to have a community here to lift me up and to be a part of.
Anyway, back to my week. There was talk of camping/hiking on Monday, but that did not happen for me. Instead, I was able to relax all day and enjoy dinner and granola bar making with friends in the same apartment building. Unfortunately, Tuesday brought headaches and nausea, so I was in bed most of the day. That night for dinner, we were to meet some of the people who helped develop the curriculum MeySen uses. I felt a little better and was able to enjoy another new experience for dinner. When we ordered there, all our food came to us raw. But thankfully there was a "griddle" (or what I would equate to an American griddle...it was about 2ftx1ft) in the middle of our table. The uncooked food came to us in bowls, and mine was filled with cabbage, shrimp, egg, ginger, unidentifiable (but tasty!) food, and a batter that was the same consistency of pancake batter, but it was not sweet. We stirred the contents together and poured our dinner on the griddle, flipped, and ate our "pancakes." It was so different than anything I had ever really tasted, but I am definitely not complaining! Wednesday started early and was full of training. It was nice to have a day to learn just a few of the "whys" and "hows" behind the things we had seen in the classroom the previous Friday. The biggest part of the training included learning to "air write" which means that the teacher has to "write" the letters the students are learning backwards in the air so that when the students mimic, they are writing them correctly. And it is NOT EASY. But I will get better with time. I also hope to get better at driving with time. We got our first driving session, and it was so...backwards! I only drove on the wrong side of the street and turned on the windshield wipers instead of the blinker ONCE. Not a bad start if I do say so myself. Thursday was GREEN DAY at school, so we had Green show-and-tell, Green relay games, and Green snack-lime koolaid and popcorn dyed green using butter and food coloring. The kids get cuter and cuter the more time I spend with them. I already told my teacher that if some of them end up missing when I leave, not to come after me because I probably took them. Friday was a "normal" day at MeySen, which means nothing as there is always something special or different. The kids have so much fun at school, and I can't blame them. The school is seriously like an amusement park with some songs, stories, poems, and writing added in. Today at school there was an "Experience Day" for 3 year-olds who are new to MeySen and are interested in enrolling. We sang songs and made a craft and played with the kids for about an hour and then our work was done! Tomorrow I have laundry, cleaning, reading, and running to look forward to.


Here's a link to the pictures I have taken here so far:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015860&id=1534140031&l=25127d008e

P.S.
A few quick headlines from this week:
>I got my bike!! I have been riding every chance I get. It has 6 gears, a basket on the handlebars, and is gold. Yep, GOLD.
>The process has started for me to get a new bed frame. Soon I will have to say goodbye to sleeping on the floor. I don't think it will be that difficult :)
>I saw a man with a mustache today. First one I've seen here.
>Listening to the radio via the world wide web has never seemed so cool to me. Until now.
>I have taught the girls in my class how to spider-swing. They are in love. I am also going down the slide every chance I get. I think when I have to find a new job, the length of the slides at their playground will make or break the deal. That said, if you want me to move back to the US, start finding me schools with ridiculously long slides :)

"Help me, please."

Yesterday was my first day actually working with the kids at MeySen. I walked in at 8 am not knowing what to expect. Katie, the teacher I am working with for the next 10ish days of school was already there getting things ready for the day. The first round kids started to arrive about 8:30 and got started on morning stations where they worked on their farm animals book. The second round of kids arrived about 9:15 and it was time for the first circle time in English. We sang songs and read poems together. After first circle, it was playtime...the kids favorite. The play equipment at MeySen is like an amusement park. The playground is huge, and play between teacher and student is strongly encouraged. After playtime, we went back inside and the kids had their Japanese lesson for the day. It is about 40 minutes long and that is when the teacher gets a break during the day. After the Japanese lesson, it was finally lunch time. As the students were finished with their lunch, they were able to go play outside again. The last part of the day was another English circle time where we read a story as a whole class. Most of the students who arrived on the first bus in the morning ride the first bus home in the afternoon, so after circle time, they were dismissed to go home. The rest of the students worked on the morning stations from that day. After all the students were gone, we cleaned the classroom and started preparing for the next day.
It was so wonderful to work with kids again. I had forgotten how much I missed it. I also found it refreshing that the adults in the school trust the students to do what they are supposed to do. When my 4 year old class went to the bathrooms as a class, they were all dismissed at the same time to walk down the hall, go to the bathroom, and come back with no teacher supervision. And they all did. With no problems. There were very few discipline problems in my classroom. When a student was acting in a way that was inappropriate, the teacher simply pulled him or her aside, and told them that their behavior was not appropriate for the activity. The student stopped, and continued the activity the way it was intended. When a student made a mistake, they were not called out, but instead the teacher just said, "Oops. That was a mistake. Let's fix it." The student was given the help he or she needed, and moved on. These students are not afraid to ask for help when they need it. If they are unsure of what to do in a situation, whether it be work or play, they simply say, "Help me, please." I loved when a student would ask me to help them because as I speak no Japanese and know very little about the culture and environment here, usually I am the one asking for help. However, when I am at school, I can be the one who offers the help. It's nice to be on the other side every once in a while.

I can't read anything in my mailbox...

Yesterday I said that parcels were always welcome...but then my mom pointed out that no one had my address to send me anything! And let me tell you, it is very sad to check the mail and have nothing you can actually read. Everything I have gotten so far has been in Japanese and I have thrown it away. I hope none of it was important :) I did however get an advertisement about motorcycles and mopeds that are on sale. And I found the motorcycle I want! It is purple and just over 1 million Yen, so I am starting to save! Anyway, it is late here and I am constantly tired (I think the combo jetlag/Japanese mattress is no help here) so I will leave you with this important information: my addresses!
If you want to send me a letter, the address is

Hope Anderson
Forest Park 101
3-4-11, Takamori, Izumi-ku
Sendai, Miyagi, 981-3203 JAPAN

However, if you want to send a package, the address is

Hope Anderson
c/o MeySen Academy
1-1, 4 Chome, Kamiyagari
Izumi-Ward
Sendai, Miyagi, 981-3121 JAPAN

Please send me things to read in English!!

I'M HERE!!

Well, it's been approximately 24 hours since my arrival in Sendai, Japan and so far I love it here! I am so excited to get to know the town better and be able to survive on my own. Everywhere we have gone so far we have been taken by staff of MeySen. And thankfully they have been with us because otherwise we (me, Kelsey, and Deborah-the other girls who are coming to teach) would have been so lost! On our drive up from the airport in Tokyo, after 14+ hours flying, we got to see a lot of the Japanese countryside and other towns betweenTokyo and Sendai. We got to stop at a rest stop that was incredible. It was HUGE! There were 2 floors in the building. The bottom floor had restrooms (squatty potties...google it!), a supermarket-type place, and a restaurant. The top floor also had a restaurant, which is where we ate fried pork, sticky rice, and a broth-based soup with noodles and spinach and heard Taylor Swift and Keith Urban playing in the background. It was really comforting to hear music I knew playing while I was eating, seeing, smelling, and touching, new things. When we got to Sendai, we were able to make phone calls to our families to let them know we arrived safely. My mom was already at work, so we didn't get to talk for long. We then got dropped off at our apartments, and received a crash course on how to use the things we would need for the first few days here. I never thought I'd need someone to tell me how to use a toilet, but after using it for the first time, I sure am glad I got directions! This morning, we got to sleep in, and started all of the legalities of living in Japan. While at the office to become a legal alien, I saw many children and they opened my eyes to so much. Seeing a 4-year-old child in Japan playing with a rolled up piece of paper and making sword fighting sounds was what made me see and realize how different everything is here, but at the same time, how everything is very much the same. The people here all look different as we do in the US, children play and yell and scream in public, some people are very friendly while some are more standoffish, the red flashing lights still mean that there is an emergency...et al. I do have to say there are more bikes here though. And I will have one soon. Tomorrow involves more paperwork, interacting with numerous people I will not have the capacity to verbally communicate with, and a welcoming party for me as well as the other teachers and interns who have just arrived. Prayers, words of encouragement, and parcels are always welcome. :)

Follow me...

on a magic carpet ride! ok, not really. but hopefully this blog will be an easy way to keep in touch with everyone who wants to keep up with everything going on while i am in japan! i will try to update as much as possible, but unfortunately i don't know exactly when i will be getting internet in my ONE BEDROOM EFFICIENCY APARTMENT! (which i am excited about as you can see) as soon as i do, you will be the first to know.

thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement, the loving hugs, and the prayers. it means so much to me to know i have so many people who love me and want me to return to the states as soon as my 18 months are up. in the meantime, come visit! plane tickets are only $1000 :)