At MeySen, June is one of the busiest times of the year. This is probably why I haven't been posting too often lately. Also, it feels odd posting about the same thing I did I year ago but I figured I'd give an update anyway.
We start out with two weekends of Friend's Day.
Friend's Day is the big beast of an open house. We have horses, cheesecake, hot dogs, cookies, and more. All of this on top of teaching our students in front of about 30 parents and family members. The Takamori Friend's Day had great weather and flew right by. I spent my time there selling cookies. I still cannot figure out why they don't bake cookies in Japan. There are tons of bread shops and bakeries but you hardly ever see a fresh cookie. It just doesn't make sense. Anyway, I spent all morning trying out my skills as a Japanese cashier. I tried to be authentic as I could while still dressed as a cowboy.
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| Friends Day Food Booths! |
People that have been to Japan will notice a big difference between the way they run things in the stores. At every store I've been to here, they all welcome each person as they walk in. Then every time you walk near an employee they welcome you (Irashaimase). Also, you put everything into a basket basket or bag when you get in the store. Then the cashier transfers it to another basket. Be careful grocery shopping! Bags to take home aren't free at grocery stores so you need to be sure to ask for one or grab the little thing by the counter that says you want a bag. Also, the cashier will tell you the exact price of everything as she rings it up and then tell you the amount of money while counting it to you everytime. If you don't know any Japanese, it can feel like they are trying to hold a conversation with you.
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The Maruyama Friend's Day went off without a hitch...except for the rain. It poured in the morning and right after my class got out. My class went well. I even broke out a little "Mr. Zietlow's Famous Game Show" that I used during my student teaching at Ravenna. All in all it was a great day.
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Last weekend, we got some much needed relaxation at our cabin in
Shiogama. Shiogama is an area about 30 minutes away that was hit really hard by the tsunami. On the way to the cabin, you can see a lot of progress since the earthquake. Lots of new or remodeled buildings and not nearly as much debris as last year. There is also a lot of empty lots right by our cabin. Our cabin was spared because its on the top of a hill. As you drive past the area below the hill, everything is leveled. Apparently, there used to be stores and really nice houses right by our cabin. The weather was beautiful all weekend and the food was awesome. We had enough steak for about 40 people but had about 20. Sadly, my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I think I'm slowly developing a Japanese appetite out here.
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| God Bless the Broken Road |
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| Gnarly Dude! |
Also, last weekend, I got to check something off my bucket list: SURFING! I have always wanted to go surfing mainly because I wanted to use words like "bro" "righteous" and "gnarly" without sounding like a poser. A friend from GrapeSeed had an open spot Sunday morning and I jumped on it. It was one of those experiences of "How did my life get to this point, I'm surfing in Shiogama, Japan." It also provides a unique perspective surfing in the water right were a tsunami wave came in and devastated the area.
To be honest, surfing is waay harder than it looks. I think I swallowed more salt water trying to just sit on the surfboard waiting for a wave than actual surfing. I did catch a few waves though. There is really nothing like the first time you ride a wave. Its like this perfect harmony between you, your board and the ocean. Bro its pretty righteous! I'd recommend everyone try it at least once.
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| Breakfast |
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| Fresh Whale from the Fish Market |
I have a ton of stories that I always think about writing about but then I just get too lazy so I apologize to the people that have been salivating for my next update. Also, a lot of things that seem pretty cool are becoming normal now. My kids always say funny things but I usually forget what they say by the time to post it. I still crack up every time the cute kindergartners say "Good Morning!" to me when I get to work in the afternoon. I don't think I've had a "normal" week in quite a while, there's always a project, bible talk, MeySen Birthday Party, or something going on. Between June 1-July 17, only get 2 free weekends with nothing to do. This weekend I get to go to Fukushima (yes that Fukushima) for camp with the high schoolers. Then, July starts the camp season for all the other grades.
The Maruyama Friend's Day went off without a hitch...except for the rain. It poured in the morning and right after my class got out. My class went well. I even broke out a little "Mr. Zietlow's Famous Game Show" that I used during my student teaching at Ravenna. All in all it was a great day.
Last weekend, we got some much needed relaxation at our cabin in Shiogama. Shiogama is an area about 30 minutes away that was hit really hard by the tsunami. On the way to the cabin, you can see a lot of progress since the earthquake. Lots of new or remodeled buildings and not nearly as much debris as last year. There is also a lot of empty lots right by our cabin. Our cabin was spared because its on the top of a hill. As you drive past the area below the hill, everything is leveled. Apparently, there used to be stores and really nice houses right by our cabin. The weather was beautiful all weekend and the food was awesome. We had enough steak for about 40 people but had about 20. Sadly, my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I think I'm slowly developing a Japanese appetite out here. 
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