To all concerned:
Everything is fine with me. :)
The earthquake's epicenter was North of Tokyo so Nagoya and Ichinomiya were only caught minor aftershocks.
Please be praying for everyone affected by the earthquakes and tsunamis!
My friends here have families living in Sendai (where most of the damage was centralized)!
I was sitting in Japanese class when our building started shaking. It felt like a normal everyday small one.
Until it lasted for more than 2 minutes and the shaking became a little more vibrant.
Anyway, it didn't hurt Nagoya or Ichinomiya at all.
It's a little mind-boggling to think, "I was just in that exact place last week." whenever a picture or video is played on the news.
I'm really lucky God was looking out for me and we all were home safe when it happened.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Kaiyo Academy~
HOLY COW!
Those guys are awesome, first off.
I can't even begin to describe how incredible they all were.
It's so nice that we have guy pals to hang out with now.
Suppose you want some background?
Lol, okay. Kaiyo Academy is an all boys boarding school.
One of the most prestigious in the area. We at SYA we're invited to stay the night and get to know some of the students.
It turned out to be a BLAST! The girls stayed in a dorm that had never been used before, so that was really nice, and the teachers let the students of Kaiyo plan the ENTIRE thing. They did a fantastic job.
We arrived, got a tour of the campus in separate groups, and played some ice breaker games to get to know each other. We all hit off pretty well. And the boys, most of them have gone international to other places, can speak English :)
So we ate with them, then proceeded to go to the gym and compete in our groups with basketball.
I won three of the games for my team!!! Got one basket every game that saved our butts. Lol
And had a lot of fun working together.
We showered, and went to another unused dorm for our welcoming party!
We ate pizza, sang to queen, and laughed.
Then
Came
The
DANCE PARTY!
Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE to dance. ;D
It was amazing! We all had a fantastic time!! I got to dance on our "stage" a bunch of times, led the ENTIRE floor of people in the correct dance to Numa Numa! It was epic. We all danced with each other, till I got to dance with one person. hehehe, Hiro.
We danced the night away! Well...until 9 anyway. XD We danced together almost the entire time, he's a great dancer, and speaks pretty good English too.
Whew, went to bed at 10:30.
Woke up at 7....bleh..
Ate, and proceeded to play a MASSIVE game of tag outside. It was tight.
We all then worked on a an actual game, teaching us how important communication and cooperation.
It was sad to leave them all, but we're all chatting it up on Facebook and E-mail.
I hope we can go back again!!! <3
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Swim out to Sea
I'm sick of myself.
I go the beach, I want to live out the feeling of it.
The warm sand, the new weather, the new food even.
But I sit there. On the sand.
Avoiding the sea, just watching as the tide rolls in and out, and back in again.
My friends all run in, they aren't afraid of it.
Splashing happily, laughing gaily.
Their voices match in harmony with the soft breeze blowing.
I draw shapes in the sand, consider making a castle even.
I struggle inside, fearing that dark blue abyss.
My friends pulled me out sometimes
But I never could go out as far as them.
I hated myself for it. I was holding back.
I needed to forget my fears, just leap away.
The sun is beginning to set now,
things are slowly deciding to be over and done with.
I still have a chance, I can make it out to them, I could go farther than them even.
All I have to do is live.
No more guessing, no more worrying.
Focus on now. The future can remain uncertain.
My life has barely begun, and now's where I can make the most.
Smile and breathe, and rush into the current.
My friends are all right there, we won't let each other fall.
~Party harty' on Titanic~
I go the beach, I want to live out the feeling of it.
The warm sand, the new weather, the new food even.
But I sit there. On the sand.
Avoiding the sea, just watching as the tide rolls in and out, and back in again.
My friends all run in, they aren't afraid of it.
Splashing happily, laughing gaily.
Their voices match in harmony with the soft breeze blowing.
I draw shapes in the sand, consider making a castle even.
I struggle inside, fearing that dark blue abyss.
My friends pulled me out sometimes
But I never could go out as far as them.
I hated myself for it. I was holding back.
I needed to forget my fears, just leap away.
The sun is beginning to set now,
things are slowly deciding to be over and done with.
I still have a chance, I can make it out to them, I could go farther than them even.
All I have to do is live.
No more guessing, no more worrying.
Focus on now. The future can remain uncertain.
My life has barely begun, and now's where I can make the most.
Smile and breathe, and rush into the current.
My friends are all right there, we won't let each other fall.
~Party harty' on Titanic~
Friday, February 4, 2011
That one word.
Heart racing
Stomach flying.
Time isn't even moving.
This and so much more can be set off with only one word being said.
It's small, and fragile. It can be broken to pieces so quickly.
It's an answer, a reply.
Something that will change you forever.
Worth something small, or larger than the universe, it's always going to change you.
All of those questions.
The ones you never ask, because you never want the answer.
If you get one it may not be the one you like
So you back away fearful of the uncertainty it gives you.
Before you get that answer, your mind is eating you.
Screaming at your mouth to shut up, don't ask, you don't want to hear what will come.
You've lived for this moment. I lived for that moment.
I felt a flurry of emotions.
Changing from one to the other so I was more confused than anything.
I just needed reassurance, someone to tell me it was okay to ask.
No matter what the answer was that they'd still be there with me.
It was the time stop.
My heart even stilled for that moment as soon as the words left my mouth.
Everything froze.
My muscles tensed almost as if in slow motion, preparing for the worst to come.
My eyes began to water on the edges, knowing how much it would hurt.
That question I had, I needed an answer.
It was driving me insane to never know what could change.
Would even give me an answer? I feared the worst and thought no one would.
He was there.
He wasn't supposed to be, it was by pure luck only.
Something compelled him to be there as I asked, something beyond the understanding of life.
He gave me that answer.
That fragile reply.
He changed me.
That hope I thought had left me,
It was there suddenly, a burning fire within me.
My eyes overflowed with happiness, he had given me my reason.
I thought he had gone and left me alone.
But I was wrong, he was there the entire time.
And stepped in when I needed him most.
<3 Forever and Always
Stomach flying.
Time isn't even moving.
This and so much more can be set off with only one word being said.
It's small, and fragile. It can be broken to pieces so quickly.
It's an answer, a reply.
Something that will change you forever.
Worth something small, or larger than the universe, it's always going to change you.
All of those questions.
The ones you never ask, because you never want the answer.
If you get one it may not be the one you like
So you back away fearful of the uncertainty it gives you.
Before you get that answer, your mind is eating you.
Screaming at your mouth to shut up, don't ask, you don't want to hear what will come.
You've lived for this moment. I lived for that moment.
I felt a flurry of emotions.
Changing from one to the other so I was more confused than anything.
I just needed reassurance, someone to tell me it was okay to ask.
No matter what the answer was that they'd still be there with me.
It was the time stop.
My heart even stilled for that moment as soon as the words left my mouth.
Everything froze.
My muscles tensed almost as if in slow motion, preparing for the worst to come.
My eyes began to water on the edges, knowing how much it would hurt.
That question I had, I needed an answer.
It was driving me insane to never know what could change.
Would even give me an answer? I feared the worst and thought no one would.
He was there.
He wasn't supposed to be, it was by pure luck only.
Something compelled him to be there as I asked, something beyond the understanding of life.
He gave me that answer.
That fragile reply.
He changed me.
That hope I thought had left me,
It was there suddenly, a burning fire within me.
My eyes overflowed with happiness, he had given me my reason.
I thought he had gone and left me alone.
But I was wrong, he was there the entire time.
And stepped in when I needed him most.
<3 Forever and Always
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
First Day Back
Well, things were a bit exciting today.
Nothing drastic like a explosion or murder (too bad).
But for being the first day back from winter break it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be.
Alarm went off, turned it off, turned over, and went back to bed because my room
resembled the same temperature as Antarctica, I wonder how those penguins survive sometimes.
Decided to move as quickly as possible for my ice cold sweatshirt and move just as quickly down the stairs,
Out the door, and into the second house where it stays warm all the time. Little brother was leaving for school, Mayu was complaining about her food, normal. Finished food, back to my room, and hid under the covers with the heater now blasting hot air. Note: the sweatshirt still on. Waited about 15 more minutes before I heard my phone ringing and my host mom was telling me to make sure to take out my garbage today. Five minutes after that I finally decided to actually get up and get moving, while taking my leisurely time to school.
Frozen when I got to school the heater then became my new best friend (sorry Shelb).
Heard everyone talking about anything and everything before we all headed up to our classes, mine's history first. To my delightful surprise we came to find Miss. Fukutomi had FINALLY gotten a legit History teacher! He's pretty funny, easy to distract it seems, and really laid back, probably in his....50's or so? This is going to be nice to enjoy for a while. Not to last unfortunately, as good things seem to go, he's only here for about....a week maybe two. He actually has a degree in what we're learning!! And seems interested in us as individuals, not completely as JUST his students to grade and whatnot. Ah well, I should enjoy it while it lasts. :)
Heard some good stories about how people's winter vacation went, nothing really hilarious. We introduced ourselves, he asked questions, and that was all the time we had for class so onto English.
I LOVE it when Mr. H has poems for us to "dissect". He just about always chooses some with depth and meaning behind the words. New Year, New Me. I decided over break I wasn't going to be a pansy and let everyone else do the talking simply because I was afraid of their judgement over me. Blech, boring life. I resolved to live like a daredevil and take the chances to make life worth it! So, screw what they think anymore. If I think something may be right, I'll say it. I'm still not sure why I even was bothered by it in the first place.
In Goldendale I never used to care whether someone said anything about me. Unless it was my close friends, then I knew I had some apologizing to do. Their opinions were just in the sea of people, coming and going, but never sticking to me. Here it almost feels like sap, it comes off eventually, but for some reason it likes to stick to you until you rub enough it either hurts and comes off, or you have to wait for it to wear off. Bizarre don't you think?
Anyway, attempting to stay focused here that's all English really consisted of, little vocabulary as well. Ligneous and Sylvan. Ligneous means to have the appearance or properties of wood. Sylvan means of or pertaining to the woods. Lol, new words! That I have no idea what I'm going to use for. Oh, and he's beginning to become a little irked at how people (including myself) have issues with citing papers correctly whenever we quote a text. I have a poem to write for homework. Ten lines about something we want to remember from the fall. This may take a LOT of thinking. Thus, class dismissed.
Math: ooooooh scary.
So our teacher came up with a brand new plan. Everyone meets and starts at the same time. 10:50.
Each different level has a chapter they're working through, with problem sets assigned. Our jobs are to read what were learning, and then finish the problems sets, asking him questions if we get stuck, don't understand a concept, or need to check the work. We're not allowed to leave, cept' for lunch, until he okay's our work. In theory: we potentially now have three hours of math every single day. Ain't that so nice? -_- evil i call it.
Nothing drastic like a explosion or murder (too bad).
But for being the first day back from winter break it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be.
Alarm went off, turned it off, turned over, and went back to bed because my room
resembled the same temperature as Antarctica, I wonder how those penguins survive sometimes.
Decided to move as quickly as possible for my ice cold sweatshirt and move just as quickly down the stairs,
Out the door, and into the second house where it stays warm all the time. Little brother was leaving for school, Mayu was complaining about her food, normal. Finished food, back to my room, and hid under the covers with the heater now blasting hot air. Note: the sweatshirt still on. Waited about 15 more minutes before I heard my phone ringing and my host mom was telling me to make sure to take out my garbage today. Five minutes after that I finally decided to actually get up and get moving, while taking my leisurely time to school.
Frozen when I got to school the heater then became my new best friend (sorry Shelb).
Heard everyone talking about anything and everything before we all headed up to our classes, mine's history first. To my delightful surprise we came to find Miss. Fukutomi had FINALLY gotten a legit History teacher! He's pretty funny, easy to distract it seems, and really laid back, probably in his....50's or so? This is going to be nice to enjoy for a while. Not to last unfortunately, as good things seem to go, he's only here for about....a week maybe two. He actually has a degree in what we're learning!! And seems interested in us as individuals, not completely as JUST his students to grade and whatnot. Ah well, I should enjoy it while it lasts. :)
Heard some good stories about how people's winter vacation went, nothing really hilarious. We introduced ourselves, he asked questions, and that was all the time we had for class so onto English.
I LOVE it when Mr. H has poems for us to "dissect". He just about always chooses some with depth and meaning behind the words. New Year, New Me. I decided over break I wasn't going to be a pansy and let everyone else do the talking simply because I was afraid of their judgement over me. Blech, boring life. I resolved to live like a daredevil and take the chances to make life worth it! So, screw what they think anymore. If I think something may be right, I'll say it. I'm still not sure why I even was bothered by it in the first place.
In Goldendale I never used to care whether someone said anything about me. Unless it was my close friends, then I knew I had some apologizing to do. Their opinions were just in the sea of people, coming and going, but never sticking to me. Here it almost feels like sap, it comes off eventually, but for some reason it likes to stick to you until you rub enough it either hurts and comes off, or you have to wait for it to wear off. Bizarre don't you think?
Anyway, attempting to stay focused here that's all English really consisted of, little vocabulary as well. Ligneous and Sylvan. Ligneous means to have the appearance or properties of wood. Sylvan means of or pertaining to the woods. Lol, new words! That I have no idea what I'm going to use for. Oh, and he's beginning to become a little irked at how people (including myself) have issues with citing papers correctly whenever we quote a text. I have a poem to write for homework. Ten lines about something we want to remember from the fall. This may take a LOT of thinking. Thus, class dismissed.
Math: ooooooh scary.
So our teacher came up with a brand new plan. Everyone meets and starts at the same time. 10:50.
Each different level has a chapter they're working through, with problem sets assigned. Our jobs are to read what were learning, and then finish the problems sets, asking him questions if we get stuck, don't understand a concept, or need to check the work. We're not allowed to leave, cept' for lunch, until he okay's our work. In theory: we potentially now have three hours of math every single day. Ain't that so nice? -_- evil i call it.
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