Okinawan Adventure

Naminoue Beach, Naha, Okinawa 

REHAB with my fellow Fellows

Cape Maeda

Aharen Beach, Tokashiki Island

はいさい = Hello in Okinawa! (females word)

One week of beaches, swimming, feasting, relaxing, and sunshine!

Okinawa is truly an amazing place to visit. I love love love beaches and sunshine.

I flew on Vanilla Airlines.  It's a small airline company that flies to about 5 places! Naha is one of those places.  Roundtrip was about 17000¥, which is about 170USD.  Not bad at all!!!

There is not a big railway system on the main island (Okinawa Honto). There is a monorail.

Upon arrival we rode the monorail to Asahibashi and then walked to the hotel.

The hotel was near Naminoue Beach, Kokusai Dori, AND suprisingly the Redlight District. :O

oops!!! It was interesting to be near it, but I didn't see anything too risqué.

On Saturday, Sep. 6 it was a rainy day. We didn't do much, but luckily it wasn't rainy the rest of the trip.  On Sunday we headed north to Cape Maeda. It was a stunning view. It was low tide so we walked around the tide pools. There were plenty of people snorkeling. We wanted a beach to swim at.

So... we walked to a nearby resort and swam on their private beach and ate lunch there as well!!!

Prices were displayed in USD!! That was also surprising... AND the exchange rate wasn't bad either.

One of the best parts of the trip was Aharen Beach.  It's located on Tokashiki Island.  Tokashiki Island is about a 35 minute Marine Liner boat ride.  The ferry is slower and cheaper, but we were doing a day trip and wanted to get there quicker!  We left around 9:00am and spent most of the morning on the beach.  The water at the beach was a crystal blue that I've never seen before, and it was absolutely breath-taking! We were curious about Tokashiku Beach because there are sea turtles there, but there are no buses to that beach! So we attempted to walk, but luckily was offered a ride by a generous man name Hiroki!  He dropped us off at the beach and went on his way.  It was less crowded than Aharen.  No luck with any turtle sightings.  Afterwards we made our trek back to Aharen Beach... an uphill hike... AND once again... we were lucky enough to get a ride from another driver... It was my first time hitch hiking!! AND I'm grateful it was a safe experience on a small island with friendly people.

The last few days were spent at a resort that was isolated on a smaller "island" near the airport.  It had super nice hot springs, buffet breakfast, and 2 saunas.  It was one of the most relaxing hotels I have been in.  Okinawa was a great trip!!!! I would recommend it to anyone.  I think it would be great to stay at other islands around Okinawa as well. There is a lot to see and do throughout the Honto Island, and there are other islands to explore that are not far from it as well. 

This trip was more than I could ask for before I start my last semester at TIU.

Time to get back to WORK!!!! :)

My Miyajima, Hiroshima, & Matsuyama Trip

Itsukushima Shrine and torii in Miyajima [8.28]

Hiroshima Peace Park [8.28]

Matsuyama Castle [8.30]

It was a spur of the moment decision to go down to Shikoku to visit a friend of mine.  She is an ALT on the JET program.  I flew down to Matsuyama on Jetstar Airlines.  Matsuyama is on Shikoku, which is another island that is part of Japan.  It's southwest of Tokyo, and to the right of Kyushu (another island).  It was fascinating to arrive to another part of Japan and see the similarities and differences within its own culture.  At first I was surprised that there were no trains throughout the city.  There was a streetcar/ tram that ran throughout the city.  Fortunately, I had the pleasure of riding the tram once.  The rest of the time I was on my mamachari (beach cruiser bicycle).  The hotel I stayed at was Matsuyama New Grand Hotel.  They had free wifi, free ofuro, & free mamachari.  It was a nice set up, and I'm glad I stayed there.  The wifi was a bit weak though.  It was in a great location. It was not far from Matsuyama Castle and the Dogo Onsen.

I decided to do a day trip to Hiroshima from Matsuyama.  I caught the super jet boat from Matsuyama Kankoko (Sightseeing Port) to Hiroshima Port.  It took about an hour and an half. Then I rode the tram/ streetcar in Hiroshima to Miyajima-guchi Station, and that tooooook forever (2 hours).  If you have the time then no worries, but I was on a day trip and I didn't think it would take that long.  From Miyajima-guchi it's a jump and a skip to the ferry boat that takes you to Miyajima Island.  It was only 180¥ for the ferry and it's about a 10 minute or so ride.  From the ferry I walked to Itsukushima Shrine and floating torii.  I had my selfie stick and everyone was enthralled by it!!! It was quite embarrassing and entertaining at the same time.  I quickly walked through the shops to get to the shrine. Afterwards I decided to eat the famous Hiroshima style okonomiyaki. It was superb. Then I had 2 oysters. My belly was happy.

There is a boat from Miyajima Island to the Peace Memorial Park.  YES, I rode that boat for 40 minutes into Hiroshima.  It was 2000¥ one way, and so worth it.  When we were in the city canal/ river area we got to stand outside and take in the sights from the water.  We approached the A-bomb Dome and docked not far from there. It was a short walk to the Peace Memorial Museum (50¥ entrance fee).  It sure tugged on the heart strings, and it was very informational and educational.  I'm glad I decided to go out for the day to Hiroshima.  It is on my list of places to experience in Japan.  I have been to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and it is good to get multiple perspectives on anything.  It was heart breaking to see the damage the bomb did to Hiroshima, and how mind blowing to see how it has rebuilt itself after 70 years.

夏休み

こんにちは!

I am officially on summer break!

It is a great feeling to be on vacation. I'm quite ecstatic!!! ☻

Sunday, July 27 - My last Open Campus!!!

Friday, August 1 - My last school-wide Health Check!!!

My grades are turned in, so I don't need to worry about that. There is always work to be done, but now I can complete other tasks that I need to do before my time in Japan is over. Summer break will go by in a blink of an eye, and fall semester will go by in less time than that! 

Today I volunteered passing out food in 上野公園. There were only males picking up the free food.  I wonder where the females all were.  It was with the organization called Second Harvest.  It was my first time volunteering with them, and it was a nice experience because they were well organized and needed all the help they can get.  I am interested in volunteering with them again.  It was a hot day, and we passed out 263 meals.  Afterwards, I went to the office/ headquarters to help clean the dishes.  It wasn't too long because there were many people helping. When everything was cleaned and put away, there was tea and snacks for us.  It was nice so relax and chat.  I met some really wonderful people today.  I hope I see them again someday...

Many things to look forward to this summer and for fall semester!!! Cheers!!! Keep on keeping on. 

Buddhist "Missionaries"?

It's a warm Sunday afternoon... I just returned home from a short jog/ walk... Shortly after I returned, I was on Skype talking to me sister when my doorbell rang. There were these two gentleman, I assumed salesman, and they were speaking to me in Japanese. I said, "I'm sorry. I don't speak Japanese."  Then they replied, "We know a little English." They take out their smartphones to translate something. And they asked if I was Christian. I said, "Yes," and then they asked me to go to a Buddhist event.  So were they trying to convert me to Buddhism? Are there buddhist missionaries? I apologized and said no, and then closed the door.  Then a few minutes later they came back. One gentleman had a translation on his phone saying something along the lines of wanting someone to practice English with, and if  we could be friends.  I said no, but maybe someone I know would be interested. So now I have their names and their Line IDs.  It was quite strange... Lesson... NEVER never NEVER never OPEN YOUR DOOR. I should've learned from the previous situation. It was an interesting situation though... Who would've known...

Last Week of Spring Semester '14

Well... well... well...

We are in the home stretch of the spring semester.  Next Monday and Tuesday are the last days of the semester.  I had given a final last Friday. This Thursday will be my second final.  Then there'll be five more finals and presentations for next week.

I have been such a scatter-brain this semester!!!  I think seven preps is too much for me. I like variety and change, but my oh my... I am disappointed in how some of my classes went this semester... I was hoping to have some different classes for next semester, but nope!  I allowed myself to be hopeful for something that I knew that couldn't happen... Oh well...

Don't worry... I did get to enjoy some of my classes... I'm optimistic about next semester, but I'm also freaking out about one class that I have to teach!!!

Did I mention that next semester will be my last semester in Japan? I've decided to return to the good ol' U.S. of A. I'm not sure what that entails, but I'm going to look for a middle school math teacher position.  I'm interested in teaching in the public school. I hope I can get a job lined up for Fall 2015, after I return to the States.

Recently, I've been volunteering more. It started off with the kids English Camp back in March.  Then last month I volunteered to play basketball with young athletes with mental disabilities. Then this past weekend I played soccer with kids with down syndrome.  I plan to attend other volunteer activities next month. I hope I can continue other volunteer activities in the fall after summer break.

Just Keep Swimming

Greetings from Japan! May I dare say there is about 4 weeks left in the semester? I know I haven't been updating my blog as much as I would like... no excuses... I just didn't do it...

Today I'm compelled to share my experience going to the swimming pool at the local "sports club" AKA gym.  I finally decided to go, and I decided to only use the pool.  There is the option to use the community bath house and the pool. I opted to use only the pool.  I walked in and there are these tiny lockers, and not a lot of space to change... I thought for a second, am I in the wrong place? Will I end up walking out into the basketball gym instead of the swimming pool?  Luckily, it was the pool, and I looked around, and I'm not sure where to go. I tried to ask one of the staff members for help, and of course he explained everything in Japanese, and I smiled and nodded pretending to understand. I caught a few words like "san" and "co-su," which is three and course.  So there are three lap swimming lanes, a walking course, and a hot tub.  I take my chances of lap swimming with a kick board for about half an hour... Then I decided to swim freestyle. It was great!!! Then I realized, I wanted to leave the pool, but what do I do??  I tried watching people to see what they do as they left the pool.  Most people went upstairs to where the shower rooms were... I made a move and went back to the locker room where I originally started.  As I made the homestretch to the locker room, there were tons of mothers there waiting for their kids. I realized that the swimming class finished just at that same moment. There were naked little kids running around and mothers waiting patiently for the other kid to come out of class... I'm dripping wet ( I guess I should've taken my towel?) and walked in front of this mother and her kid.  I felt so uncomfortable. I quickly grabbed my clothes and towel and go to the only bathroom to change as fast as possible.  Some things I won't be able to understand because I don't know the language... sigh...

It was a refreshing experience to go swimming!!!
Gotta keep at it...

Happy Sunday.

Sunday morning going into Week #5!

I caught a cold last week... and my body is still fighting it off as best it can do... I've been sick for 6 days so far! I went to work sick and it was difficult to get through, but I did it!  We can't really have a "sick day" because no one can cover our classes. Isn't that crazy?!  Last semester I tried to get a day off because of the cast on my ankle and it was difficult to go to work, but they said NO and I had to go to work anyways.  They let me leave early, but that didn't make any difference because the issue was trying to get to and from work. Oh, well... So I've been home all weekend trying to get better... I think for the most part I am, but I still feel like BLAH.

This semester has been a rough start, but when I look back time is going by quickly!  Soon we'll be in the halfway mark of the semester.  I am already looking forward to summer vacation!!! I was thinking a lot lately that I just want to travel and go to various countries to volunteer as a teacher.  That would be an amazing experience.  How do I do that?? I should look into that. :) I'm a nomad. I can't stay in one place for a long time. I'm always on the move to the next adventure and next place in this life.  I feel content with my students and classes this semester and I am looking forward to my last semester in the fall. It will be difficult to leave Japan, and I am ready for what's next...