The Road Goes On...

Ah, the stories I have to share, but so little time to share them! This is what happens when I don’t blog for a while. It’s my own fault I know. I really should be more loyal to this blog. Where to begin?

Shall I start at the beginning of March?

At the beginning of March I attended graduation and watched as my first batch of third years students left Kyushu Gakuin and headed out into the world. I hope I have made even a fraction of the impact on them that they have had on me. I understand that I will probably never know the answer to that question, but I can’t help but wonder.

Then I wrapped up my first year of teaching in Japan! How crazy is that? One year down and one to go. It’s mind boggling really. I don’t think anything in my life has seemed to pass by quite so fast.

During spring vacation my aunts came to visit! Jennifer and Kippy arrived on March 26^th for a week of touring in Japan! First I showed them around Kumamoto and then we went to Yakushima, Hiroshima, and Kyoto. I saw wild monkeys in Yakushima! I saw tame deer in Hiroshima! And in Kyoto I saw… no wildlife, except for the human variety. It was a wonderful week and an excellent vacation. See the multitude of photos below for proof. Though to really understand the beauty of Yakushima you will simply have to go yourself one day. Truly, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

Kumamoto Castle in the spring

Stepping back in time. Doesn't he look fierce? Look closely. He's got a sword in one hand and an umbrella in the other :)

Aunt Kippy and Aunt Jennifer

Yakushima was gorgeous!

Don't feed the monkeys!

Monkey Crossing!

Our first monkey sighting!

How cute are they!

A gorgeous sunset that just couldn't be caught on camera.

But I did try...

Hiking in the ancient cedar forests of Yakushima

On to Hiroshima. This eucalyptus tree survived the atomic bomb.

So did this willow. There is a powerful feeling of light in darkness when you look at these two trees that survived something so horrific.

Hiroshima Castle

Cherry Blossoms!

Atomic Bomb Dome

Children's Memorial. The color you see are paper cranes sent by people all over the world.

Sadako and her paper crane

This flame will not be extinguished until all nuclear weapons on the Earth are destroyed.

Atomic Bomb Peace Memorial

Don't feed the wild deer they said. Where are the wild deer is what I wanted to know. This was certainly not one of them.

This little boy was too cute

Aunt Jennifer asking the deer for directions. He was very polite! 

Miyajima Temple. I totally understand now why it is one of the most photographed spots in Japan.

I asked some school girls, in Japanese, if they would take this picture for us. Their reaction was priceless and I switched back to English immediately when they decided they wanted to practice.

On to Kyoto! The Golden Temple was gorgeous and sadly, I do not think it would stay golden were it in the States. That is actual gold leaf that it is covered with.

Kiyumizudera Temple

Love this picture. Old Japan meets new.

There were so many young people in kimono!

The Silver Shrine

Cherry Blossoms!

This is one of the gates to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. We wanted to get in, but apparently you have to arrange tours well in advance. Good to know.

So with that, our trip was finished and it was time to return home.

So my spring break passed, and for the last six weeks I have been settling into a new school year. It is going to be a more difficult year than last year I fear. My planning and grading load are a bit weightier, but I think I can handle it. I hope so anyway.

A few weeks ago was Easter as you know, and I was able to take the time to do an Easter lesson with my third year students. It involved telling the story to them and having them read the story in their Japanese bibles, after which we played Easter Bingo (Whoot!), and then listened to one of my favorite Easter songs, He Reigns, by The Newsboys.

They were interesting to observe during this whole thing. While they have had three years of hearing these bible stories, I think they have rarely hit home. Personally I think it’s because it has been too bible based. They haven’t been told story teller style. Think about it. You are an eighteen year old. You are not a Christian and you have not been raised in a Christian society. Prior to three years ago you barely even knew the name Jesus Christ and you probably, almost certainly, did not know what Easter was. Then imagine that you attend a Lutheran school and you have religion class. Religion class involves a lot of reading from the Bible and lectures on Christianity. While I love the Bible, and I truly do, it is often a difficult read. For most non-Christian eighteen year olds, it is almost impossible to make heads or tails of it. Hard to blame them really. A lot of the Bible escapes even biblical scholars. So I tried to meet them on their level. The Easter story has it all: betrayal, conspiracy, murder, and, best of all, a man coming back to life and having His reign announced by angels. A snooze fest it is not.

I get way into the Easter story. We started at the betrayal of Judas in the Garden and went all the way through the resurrection. Most of them were quite interested. Or maybe they just were wondering what I was so excited about. They were disturbed during my telling of the crucifixion and crazy confused/didn’t-even-know-what-to-do-with-this-information during the telling of the resurrection, but I think my most important point, Jesus died to save us all, was completely and totally too much for most of them. They have heard it over and over again, but I believe that until you have a relationship with God the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit, it is a concept that is hard to truly grasp and understand. However, I do think that I achieved something. I think I got them curious. And really, that’s the best you can do as a teacher. You can’t make students learn anything. But if you get them curious, then half the battle is won. You’ve lit the spark. It’s up to them to fan it into a flame.  Also, they loved the song. We were all jamming out to it when the principal walked by.

One last adventure to tell you, it was Golden Week recently so I had a few days off of school to relax, get caught up on some things, and take another trip with Laura out to Aso. See pictures below. We got lost out in the rice fields of Aso! It was quite the adventure. I got a little sunburned, but we were very pleased with ourselves on the train ride home. That’s all for now! I’ll be in touch soon. Sooner than last time I hope! I’ll do my best. Ja ne!

Back in Aso!

I've been so excited to try an Aso Burger ever since I heard that they were real, honest-to-goodness burgers. They were being sold during Golden Week! I got my chance!

It was indeed delicious

The start of the open air museum tour... it started off so innocently... little did we know we would be walking for 3 hours! 

Carp flags for Children's Day!

"I'm sure we will get to the shrine soon."  - Laura

The sports complex that gave us shade and a place to sit down. It was also really randomly in the middle of nowhere.

Yes! Hydration!

In any adventure its the road and the people that matter not the destination...

Onward!