Cute kids & stone paper

Today, I got an adorable surprise from some of my kids: origami!!  At the end of the day, the kids whose parents have come to pick them up yet all gather into one room (or a couple rooms) and wait for their parents to come.  While they're waiting, the kids play with toys, build things out of legos, AND create objects using origami paper.  After my last class today, one of the little girls gave me a box she made out of origami (pictured above), and after that other students started giving me their origami creations as well.  SO CUTE!! lol
今日僕の子供からとてもかわいいビックリものをくれた：折り紙！ 仕事の最後にまだ迎えにきてくれない子どもは一緒に一つかいくつの部屋で集まって両親が来るのを待ちます。待つ間に玩具と遊んだり、レーゴズから何かを作られたり、折り紙ものも作ったりします。僕の今日の最後の授業の後で、女の子の中の一人の子は僕に折り紙から作られた箱をくれた「上の写真」そして、それから、他の子どもも自分の折り紙手作りものをくれた。本当にかわいいね！

Another interesting thing I saw today: a notepad of paper...made out of stone!  No, not a "Ten Commandments"-style stone tablet, but note paper made of rocks.  It was wild!  It looked just like a regular pad of scratch note paper, but rather than being made from trees, it was made from stone.  However, unlike a piece of normal paper, it was VERY resistant to tearing...it actually stretched like plastic, yet you could write on it with the same ease as normal paper made from wood.  The lady @ the restaurant said it was made by a company in Taiwan, and that tablet was given to her as a gift.  
他の今日の面白い見たものっていうことは：石から作られたノートペイパーです！モーセの十戒っていうことではないんだけど、石から作られたノート紙です。すごくかっこいかったよ！普通のノットみたいなノットだけど、現にプラスティックみたいにストレッチできたけど、木から作られたノットみたいにちゃんと書かれた。その店の叔母あちゃんは台湾にそのノットを作られたんで、ギフトでもらいました。

Think of all the trees this could save...:D
 そういうノットは木を助けるのを考えよう。。。：D

Super Mario!!!

So, I saw the coolest thing while I was shopping for some household necessities the other day.  There's a "home center"-ish store between my house and one of the kindergartens I work at, called "NAFCO".  I generally come here when I need to pick up stuff like soap, cleaning supplies, large stationery (i.e. whiteboards, etc..), or bicycle maintenance supplies.  However, last Wednesday I saw something that caught my eye that didn't fit in any of those categories: mushroom stool.  Seriously, like right out of a "Super Mario Bros." game: a perfect replica of Mario's Super Mushroom!  AND...it functions (very well, I might add) as a stool that one can sit on while they watch movies, play video games, etc...it's truly brilliant!  
じゃあ、 この間家庭用品を買うために買い物する間に一番かっこいみたいなものを見てた。お家と働く幼稚園の中の一つの幼稚園の間にホームセンターみたいな店がある。その店は「ナフコ」っていう店です。一般的に石けんか掃除ものか大きい文房具か自転車用品を買う時は、その店で買います。しかし、先週の水曜日上記のものじゃないものを見かけた。その見かけたものはキノコ椅子っていうものです！本間にスーパマリオブラザーズってゲームからみたいなものだ！スーパマッシュルームの完璧な複製品と思った。そして、本当の椅子の昨日もあるよ！それで床の上に映画を見えて、ビデオゲームができて、など。すごく便利ですよ！

For those of who don't know, I was a HUGE Mario fan growing up...I didn't just play the games: I read Mario comics, drew Mario pictures, created simple board games centered around the Mario universe.  In 7th grade I even wrote (and illustrated) a book based on Mario & his adventures.  I also wrote a letter to Nintendo, asking them if it was "ok" that I use their characters for my school assignment; they politely told me "no".
知らない人のために、僕は子供の時にとてもマリオファンだよ。マリオゲームをするばかりでなくマリオマンガを読んだり、マリオの絵を書いたり、シンプルマリオのボードゲームを作ったりしました。中学校一年生の時さえマリオの本を書いて絵を入れてた。ニンテンドにも「学校の宿題のためにマリオのキャラクター本を作っていいですか」って手紙を書いて送ったんだけど、丁寧に「いいえ」って言われてくれた。

I used their characters anyway....SHHHHHH!!  :-*
でも、その本まだ作ってしまったので。。。何も言わないでね。　；ー＊

New Years Resolutions

Although I don't really like using the term "New Years Resolutions", it seemed the most apt in this situation. 
僕は「ニューイアズレゾリューション」っていう表現をあまり使いたくなくても、この場合はそれは一番いいみたいだ。

Last year was an amazing year for me: it was my first, full year living in Japan; my Japanese, while not perfect, saw some improvement, and God used that in some big and small ways; relationships ended, but new relationships (and opportunities to share the gospel with Japanese) opened up; I was more active than ever in my photography, and even photographed my first wedding! All of these amazing events (and more), but I seldom, if ever, took the time to share about those events, in particular via blog. Not that keeping a blog is necessary or the only way to document thoughts and events; however, my whole purpose in starting this blog was to keep you, my friends and family, abreast at what is happening in my life in Japan. And I royally fumbled the ball there. So this year, I want to make a "resolution" to document my thoughts more often, and to hear your wonderful feedback (if you feel so inclined :D).
去年は僕にとって すごくよかった年です、初めてずっと年間日本にいる年し、僕の日本語が少し上手くなったで、神様がそれを使えたし、いくつの人間関係が止めてしまったんだけど、一方新しい人間関係が開いたし、前よりよく写真を撮って、初めて友達の結婚式のためさえ写真を撮ってあげたし。すべての上記のすごいイベントがあったけど、あまりみんなに聞かせなかった、ブログで特に。自分の考えの伝え方はブログでしかないっていうことではないけど、アメリカの家族と友達に僕の日本の生活のことを教えられるようにこのブログを始めたんだから、それで今年もっとこのブログに自分の考えを載せたいで、みんなの手応えも聞きたいのです　：D

Recently, I went home for two weeks over the Christmas/New Years break, and I have to say it was some of the most fun I'd had coming home in quite some time! The first week I spent in Ohio visiting mostly family, but also some friends.Although I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to meet up with all the friends I had wanted to see -- or spend more quality time with the ones that I did -- I was very pleased that I was able to spend more time with family than in past years. Another highlight during my stay in Ohio was getting to drive my car (2005 Mazda 3, baby, ZOOM-ZOOM!! lol). If only you understood the hassle I (and my poor immediate family) had to go through just so that I could drive my car LEGALLY....but it was definitely worth it. Unfortunately, because I'm planning to stay in Japan yet another year (and perhaps longer), I've decided that it'd be best to sell my car. Consequently, my most recent run with her may have been my last :(
最近クリスマスとニューイアズの休みのために二週間アメリカに帰ってで、すごく楽しい時間を過ごした！！一週間目オハイオ州に行って、殆ど家族に会ってで、少し友達も会ってた。全部の会いたい友達に会えなかったんだけど、前より今年は家族ともっといい時間を過ごすことができるのがよかった。他のアメリカに行ったハイライトは僕の車が運転出来たハイライトだった！ 僕の車が合法的に運転できるように奮闘してたよ。でも、それ割に合ったと思う。しかし、もう一年間に本にいる予定ですから、僕の車を売ろうと決定しました。それで、多分最近の僕の車を運転する機会は最後の機会だ　ー＿ー  

I love it when things don't go to plan...

お久しぶり！
In Japanese, that means, "Long time, no see!" :D

Indeed, it's been a long time. For the longest time, I was (and still am) working on a post summarizing my time in Japan. I held off posting anything else because I wanted to finish that first. However, several months have passed since then, and I've passed on chances to update everyone on some of the smaller, but still amusing aspects of life in Japan. It's something I regret, but I want to make up for it now, so here it goes!

Today (and more so, this evening) was one of those days that you planned to go one way, but God had other plans. And thank God he did!

The day started off a little differently than it has lately; for the first Sunday in probably 3 months, I stayed at my home in Kakogawa (recently I've been staying in either Ikeda or Shukugawa w/ friends on Saturday evening), and so I had to get up a little earlier than normal to make it to church on time. And this morning I left even earlier than usual because I thought I had a meeting before the service (which I ended up not having lol), but on the train ride over to Nishinomiya (where my church is located) I sat next to an older Japanese man who, just by looking at him, I could tell he would probably be willing to chat w/ me if I asked. I hesitated for the longest time, debating whether I should, trying to think about what I could say, etc... I could almost feel God (or the Holy Spirit) tugging at me a little, gently encouraging me to at least try. Finally, I gave in, and sure enough he was open to chatting! It was kind of a difficult conversation for me as the whole thing was in Japanese (and despite me asking him to repeat things over and over, he never really got the hint to try speaking more slowly). But it was still fun (and good practice!).

Church was also great :D I arrived a little over an hour before the service started, which most people were floored (unfortunately, I've gained something of a reputation for being perpetually late >.<). But it allowed me the chance to get a little early training on helping out w/ the sound ministry (the P.A. system), as well as talk to some new friends. The service itself was equally awesome! The worship was good, and Fumi's message was simple, but still very "meaty". He talked about how there two main kinds of churches: "brick wall" churches, where everyone is molded into (essentially) the same shape: looks the same, acts the same, is given the same responsibilities. Churches like this are easy to build (just as brick walls are easy & quick to build), but they can also deteriorate quickly (just as brick walls can easily be knocked down), and since not everyone is made the same way (we're not all "bricks"), trying to build a church this style is not healthy, or self-sustaining. A "stonewall" church, on the other hand, takes a much longer time & more energy to build (just like a wall made of stones), but you're using people "as they are", with their unique gifts (and quarks). With a stone wall, big stones AND little stones play a vital role in the construction of that wall; neither is more important than the other. So as it should be in the church; no one member (not even the pastor) should be seen as a "celebrity" and given a higher status than anyone else in the church. Like stone walls, "stonewall" churches are longer-lasting and more capable of withstanding even the most treacherous of disasters.

After church, I was supposed to watch a movie w/ some friends from church (a couple of gals), but they ended up needing to pass, so instead I went with a Japanese friend of mine who I hadn't seen in a couple weeks. The movie itself was alright (we saw the new "Alice in Wonderland" movie; I'd give it a 6 or 7 out of 10), but getting to talk w/ him afterwards (he's as crazy about studying English as I am about Japanese) easily made it worth the $21 I spent on the movie (yes, going out to movies in Japan is EXPENSIVE), and in hindsight, I'm glad that it was just the two of us.

On the way home, I had another "should I/shouldn't I try talking to them" moment on the train, this time w/ a Japanese lady. You have to understand, folks, Japanese tend to be very shy & keep to themselves, particularly on the train (and even more so with foreigners). So I'm usually pretty reluctant to start a random conversation w/ a Japanese woman whom I don't know. However, she was sitting next to me, playing games on her iPhone, so I couldn't help but at least TRY to start-up a conversation. To my surprise, she was actually game (YES!! 2-for-2! Woo hoo! lol), and her & I (and also the gentleman sitting across from me) chatted for about 5min or so before her & I had to get off @ our stop in Kakogawa. For me, it was my last stop before walking home; for her, it was her connection to a local train going to Houden, the next station over. So we said our goodbyes & went our separate ways.

God, I thank you for knowing what I need, and not just giving me what I want. Thank you for having a greater plan than I, and for loving me enough to put your greater plans ahead of my own.

神様が本当に感謝します！

You were right, Mom.

On Thursdays, I teach my Starfish classes (5yr olds) in the afternoons at Minori Gaoka, two classes back-to-back. I really look forward to these classes as my 5yr olds are generally very well-behaved (as well-behaved as 5yr old kids can be in the afternoon), so I'm able to do more with them than with my lesser-behaved classes (like my 4yr olds lol). One activity that we often do at the end of class (if time permits) is drawing. I love to draw, and so do the kids (most of them), so it's something that they all generally look forward to. Last Thursday, my first Starfish class began pretty late, so we didn't have time for drawing, so I was really looking forward to drawing with my second class.

Unfortunately, my second class, quite unusually, was pretty disruptive that day. The activities that worked really well with my other 5yr old classes were not having much success with these kids. It was the end of class, and I had given them a choice (yes, I even let them choose!) whether they wanted to play the activity for that day again, or draw. The overwhelming majority wanted to draw. However, to make it more applicable to the teaching material, I wanted the "theme" of our drawing to have something to do with the song for this month, "Pop Goes the Weasel." Because the only CD we have for this song sucks major a$$ (sorry, just being honest), I usually just sing it myself. In the afternoon classes, it's hit-or-miss whether they respond well to the song, but usually I can get them to listen and at least have a few kids participate. However, this class was different; NO one was listening or participating. After a few defeated attempts, I looked up at the clock and saw that it was within 1-2min of the end of class. Under normal circumstances, had we already started drawing, I wouldn't have minded sticking around a few extra minutes to allow them more time to draw. However, given their behavior (and the fact that we hadn't even started the song, let alone drawing), I just threw up my hands and said, "You know what? Owatta." (translation: "We're finished.") At first, I don't think the kids understood what was going on, but as I began gathering up my materials into my basket, and not saying a word to anyone, I think they began to understand something was up.

I couldn't speak to them. I couldn't even look them in the eyes :( After gathering everything into my basket, I began rolling up the carpet that they sit on during the lesson. THAT, probably more than anything, showed some of them that something was up (rolling up the carpet and returning it to their classroom is typically the kid's responsibility). One of the girls even began to cry a little; I think she understood she had done something wrong. Unfortunately, all I could do was look at her and say, "What?" I wanted to explain to her that her actions had consequences, that if it were my choice we'd be laughing and drawing right now. But my Japanese is nowhere near that level, so all I could mutter (in English, no less) was, "What?".

My heart broke. But what could I do? There was a side of me that desperately wanted to forgive everyone and begin drawing, but then no lesson would ever be learned that misbehavior is not rewarded. So I just let my kids go, some of them probably still oblivious to what had happened, but others quite aware. They were the ones that misbehaved, that were being "punished," and yet I was the one that ended up feeling like crap.

As I began walking down to the first floor (the 4 & 5 yr old classrooms are on the 2nd floor), I paused. I'd considered walking back up, assembling my Starfish together, and attempting to explaining to them that what they had done was wrong, but that we're cool now, so let's draw!! I wanted things to end on a good note. But I couldn't do it. I shouldn't do it. I had to stand my ground. My actions had consequences too.

On the way home, and for most of that evening, all I could think about was what I had done. I still believe it was the right thing to do, but it was so hard. At one point, I actually did feel like crying a little. And though this made me feel extremely vulnerable, a realization came to me: I really do love these kids. I think for me to take such a seemingly innocuous action so personally, I'd have to love them. It was also at this point that I'd made the realization that this, at least in some small way, must be what it's like to be a parent. Considering this has been one of my prayers (off & on) for the past year or so, it wouldn't surprise me if my coming to Japan to teach children were not, in part, God's method for training me to one day have kids of my own.

Growing up, my mother would sometimes explain to me (after punishing me) that, "it hurt me more than it hurt you." As a child (with a very sore butt), I never understood what she meant by this. I always thought it was "just something grown-ups say" so that you'd hate them less for the punishment they'd just given you. However now, without even being a parent, I think I understand what she meant.

You're right, Mom. It hurts like hell.