Sorry that I've neglected this blog. I guess I just don't want to be redundant here if I've mentioned all my updates in my monthly emails.

It is June and this is the last stretch of this English teaching ministry. It's been 7 beautiful months and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. God's been taking really good care of me and I really couldn't ask for more. The people here are absolutely amazing. I'm really grateful and honoured to be able to play a part in the lives of the people that I've met here. My last class is on June 23rd but I won't be leaving Japan until July 3rd. So hopefully I'll make good use of the remainder of the time I have here!

Pictures to be posted later this month...tune in!

It's time for an update!

Just finished the second week of classes for this Spring term. So far so good :D My students and I are definitely having a good time as we all laugh and learn from each other each class. Here is one of the laughs of this week:

[I taught simple phrases to my beginner's students and they were to use them in a conversation with each other]

Student A: I have a headache. Can you go to the hospital with me?
Student B: I'm sorry, I am busy.
[I'm already laughing here]
Student A: Where is the nearest hospital?
Student B: I don't live in this area (long pause)...let's go to the dentist together!

Bahahahahhaha...oh my. At this point, everyone bursted out laughing. Good times!

My two favourite responses from my students are "Ok" and "Wakkatta" (I understand). Those words just make my day! Especially coming from my kiddies! "Ok" is one of those words that they are confident enough to say. So cute!

One more week of classes and I get a week off! Golden Week! Nothing planned. But hoping to spend some time with students and some other ladies that we've met (and know English!)...as well as some young adults from Kasugai Church. I'd tell you what Golden Week is..but I don't even really know. A national holiday..that's all I know!

Last week, there was a Post-Easter celebration. An awesome time of fellowship with the people at Nagoya Church. A couple of students came and it was so nice to have spent the afternoon with them. A good time of fellowship, good food, and songs. Lots of laughs. It's great to see the community in these churches and how they really love and care for one another. Very encouraging :D

[teachers and students :D]

Next weeeeeeeeeeek I'll be going out for some sukiyaki with one of my classes! Last time we went over to a couple's house for Nabe (hot pot). We have plans for BBQ and eel in the near future :D Yeeeeh!

Spring Break is...over.

My Spring Break is over... :( but I had such an awesome time! I'm very grateful and thankful for this chance to have travelled around, which I normally would not have been able to afford to. Anyway, here are the pictures!


[the nurse who knew my mother and perhaps even held me at some point when I was a baby. We are standing in the area where the babies (me being one of them) used to sleep!]


[Sendai: a place north in Japan; a beautiful place, indeeeeed! I stayed there a few days with Kristy and her family. we did some hiking and a lot of relaxing (well, I did, at least). A great time of peace]


[Sendai]


[Celebrated my 23rd birthday in Sendai. And Kristy's mother graciously made me a birthday cake (WITH ICE CREAM on the side!). I finally celebrated my birthday in the right time zone and not a day after my birthday!]


[in Tokyo...Shinjuku Park. A park filled with Sakura trees.]


[Let me tell you, not all of Japan looks like this, yet this is the image we have of Japan! This is Tokyo..but trust me...NOT ALL OF JAPAN LOOKS LIKE THIS!]


[More Sakura! This was at Iwakura, located in Nagoya. Went to Iwakura with a few ladies from church and Kristy. One of the 101 places to look at cherry blossoms. Beautiful, isn't it? God is quite the artist.]
Going to Iwakura and coming back to our apartment was quite the adventure. We thought the ladies knew their way...or so you would think. And they did..only by car. Ha..so we jumped in a few wrong trains there and back! It was quite funny. But then it began to pour when we were there....so that wasn't as exciting and fun to say the least. A good time to appreciate the beauty of this place.

Well, yesterday marked the beginning of my Spring Term..which is also my last term in Nagoya, Japan. Please keep this ministry in your prayers...that God may be known and glorified by those who hear His Word.

Expeditions!

Spring Break has begun!

With the super cheap train tickets that Kristy and I bought, we have been making trips around Japan :D For 8,000 yen, we could make 5 day-trips anywhere in Japan via the JR Train. that is a steal! We are spendly $16 CDN on one trip that would usually cost about $70 CDN for a round-trip.

Our expedition started early in the morning on Wednesday. Oh my...we woke up at 5:30am to get ready since we had to leave the house by 6:30am. Our first destination was Himeji (where I was born!). That ride was loooooong--4 hours! We stood for 3 of the 4 hours because the train was so jammed pack. Yah, it was a national holiday and with the kiddies out of school, many families were travelling. We visited the famous Himeji Castle! Yup, also known as one of Japan's National Treasures since it was not re-constructed like other castles in Japan. The interior of the castle itself wasn't THAT stunning but the exterior and its surrounding were spectactular. You would have to be there to experience it in order to fully appreciate the setting and atmosphere. Don't be fooled by the Sakura (Cherry Blossom) tree...there was only one. Ha..but pretty nonetheless! After eating some amazing soft ice cream (black sesame--sounds interesting but insanely delicious) and visiting some souvenir shops, we had to catch our train to Osaka.
[Himeji Castle]

[looking out from the castle]



Osaka, Osaka, Osaka...oh my. What a lively place! Known for its Okonomiyaki (pancake-like food with cabbage and meat) and Takoyaki (fried dough with octopus in the centre)--both drizzled with a kind of sauce and mayo--we, of course, had to try them! And so we did (obviously)! Mmmm-mmmmmmmm! Lots to look at but no time! We went to Dotonbori and it was packed with people (mostly young people)! Very different from what we saw in Himeji which was more quiet and peaceful. As much as we didn't want to leave, we had to...trains stop running around midnight so we had to leave enough time so we wouldn't get stranded! Thus we got back to our apartment at 11:30pm. And naturally, we were pooped the next day.

[Okonomiyaki]

[Dotonbori]



On Friday, we made another journey...this time, to KYOTO! OH man...what a day. We trained for about 3 hours to get there but there was still not enough time to walk around! First, we went to Kinkaku-ji (Golden Temple). Yes, the temple was made of gold! It was pretty..and the surrounding was aboslutely serene. Tried some Japanese sweets (of course!) and we had to make our way out so we could visit some souvenir shops and complete the rest of our itinerary!
[Golden Temple]

We visited Nijo-jo, which is a castle that has squeaking floors. Why? Well, the squeaking floors work as a security measure so when people snuck in then they would not go unnoticed. Picked up some souvenirs and left!

Thereafter, we went to Kiyomizu-dera via Gion. Ha..we walked around Gion and there were shops all around up till our destination! It was soooo neat! Imagine a street and having all these unique shops on both sides which only take like 5 steps to cross over. Again, very lively as it is a famous tourist attraction. We had a really good time there just looking around and shopping :D I even got to try tofu ice cream! Haha...it was...tofu'sh. I mixed it with another kind of flavoured tea ice cream which was quite sugoi! But the shops all closed at 6pm!!!! *sigh* So we had to make our way back to the main station. But because it was so jammed packed, 3 of our buses passed by us because it was so full that the 3 of us (me, Kristy, and one of my students) couldn't get on. Let me tell you...hunger and fatigue do not work well together. We finished the night with a nice bowl of ramen and dessert :D Mmm-mmmm... yup, and we got back home at 11pm. Again, needless to say, we were super pooped by the next day.

[a great satisfying dinner after a day of walking]

[Geisha? No, apparently someone told us that they are only people who paid to dress up as geishas. What's funny is that this lady stopped them to take a picture. So I decided to take a picture of her taking a picture of them..hah..tourists!]

A great blessing to be able to travel around and to see so much. More trips to come... tune in in April for more updates :D Great memories, indeed. Not to mention that I took 400 pictures in just 2 days..haha. GOOD TIMES!

Hello!

As usual, I ask myself, "where is time going?" March 19th marks my last day of the term! I've finished teaching two terms in Japan already! This is craaaazy! This means that 1.) I'll be on holiday for the next little while, and 2.) I only have one term remaining before heading back to Toronto.

One more term on the Island. Many of you are probably thinking the same thing... "WOW." Once the Spring term begins, that means I have 10 weeks left to serve here in Nagoya. And we all know that these 10 weeks will fly just like that. It's bittersweet. Here on the one hand, I miss my family and friends and church in Toronto and I really do look forward to going home and seeing what God has prepared for me. On the other hand, I love my students so much. I enjoy teaching them English soooo much. I'm still learning how to be a missionary and I know there's still a lot to learn. And there are students whom I'm beginning to know, or are warming up to me. I don't know the kind of impact I've made or will make on my students, but what I do know is that this experience has really given me the chance to think about missionary work...and world missions, in general, as well as my role as a disciple of Christ. Still digesting what I've been reading and learning; it will take a lifetime!

Vacation! I'll be travelling with my housemate for the next little while! I do look forward to seeing more of Japan! Yes, and I'll make sure to post some pictures up when I get the chance to. Most of all, I'll be visiting the priest who helped my family out when we were in Japan. I'm definitely excited about that! I'll get to visit my past and learn a bit about my history and my family's history. I'll get to see the hospital that I was born in! Yeeeh!

I've had some really good fellowship'n time these past weeks. A married couple (my students) invited me and other people in the class over to their house for some NABE! It was so generous of them to open up their house to us. We had such a good time just laughing and eating good food. Again, it's wonderful to have two different cultures meet and regardless of the language barrier, we still had an awesome time with each other. [Nabe is like HOT POT. There's a pot of broth that is boiled and you continue to add vegetables and meat into the pot. You eat as you cook].

Kristy and I had the chance to share our testimonies to our English-speaking fellowship at Nishi-church. Hearing Kristy's story, I can't help but to be absolutely amazed at how God works differently in each of our lives..each and everyone of our lives. We are so different with such different backgrounds, but somehow, somewhere, our paths met. And here we are, living together and serving in the same ministry. God showed His glory to us in His own specific way to us at the perfect time.

Last week, on my day-off, I went to the mall and randomly bumped into a couple from church. First we chatted over some coffee with my limited Japanese. Then, they invited me over to their house for lunch! Again, some really great fellowshiping time just talking about everything. A great time for me to practice my Japanese and for them to use their English! Works for me!

Overall, I am very thankful to be here doing what I am doing. Watashi wa genki desu ( I am healthy) regardless of the changing weather and with people coughing around me. Ha... Alright, more updates coming your way in a few weeks (or less).

Thanks for making it all the way to the end of this post! Thank you for caring!

4 month anniversary

I've been here for 4 months now!

Here are some updates :D

Open-House Party
The open house party was fun! At one point, 20 people showed up! We didn't have enough chairs so some had to stand. We were blessed with a mountain of food. IT WAS A MOUNTAIN!!! Some home-made and some store-bought. These ladies are so sweet. A few of them literally stopped by, dropped off the food, and left. Their sincerity really blew me away. Unfortunately, because there were so many people, Kristy and I were busy making things and serving them. Thus, we did not have time to just sit down and chat with them as what this party was intended for. We learned our lesson though. A few came later in the afternoon, and that's when we actually got to sit down and show them pictures of our lives in Canada and enjoy each other's company. The next day, we invited a few more to come over for lunch to help us finish off the food. And that was some more good fellowshiping. I really enjoyed that. Lesson learned: we can only handle 4 people at one time. On a side note, we still have a lot of junk food left from the party.


Plum Blossoms
Went to see plum trees/blossoms yesterday! Absolutely gorgeous! It's definitley neat to see the variety in God's creation...and the beauty of them. I must say that the sky here seems to look a lot nicer than the one I see in Toronto! But how vast it is...that, I cannot fathom. And...I tried the most amazing mattcha ice cream at this Agriculture Centre that we went to see these trees! *drooool*











Growth
Definitely learning a lot being here. The best of all is having the quiet time to myself to reflect and read. As I'm re-reading the Old Testament, beginning from Genesis, I can really see how God's been just right there waiting for us. Each time that we turn away, He is always calling us back and providing us a way to draw closer to Him. And this is only one of the many lessons I've learned or have been reminded of from reading the beginning while thinking of the New Testament. As I reflect on my time in Japan, I thank God for providing me with all the spiritual feeding that I've gotten back in Waterloo and Toronto. Because there is a language barrier here, fellowship can be a bit difficult, let alone the expression of our faith in an understandable language. But He provides. With Kristy here I've been able to share my faith with her and talk about our walk with God. And even though there is a language barrier, we nonetheless have a lot of fun trying to figure each other out. One of the best moments is when these ladies use as much English as they know and I use as much Japanese as I know to communicate. With Kristy knowing a lot of Japanese, she translates for me. But when she doesn't understand, we ask the other party to write it in Kanji (chinese characters), and I would then translate. So we back each other up. It's fun! And it also forces me to use my Japanese, which is fun too, because I know I'm breaking all the grammar rules and using all the wrong particles and words. But OH WELL! It's the effort that counts :D

Love
Thank you all for supporting me. You know who you are :D
And I thank God for always providing and meeting my needs each and every day.

I am healthy (Genki desu). Doing very well! Only 4 more months here. Please pray that God will use me in these remaining months here in Nagoya, Japan.

To School People
Continue running the race! April is around the corner!


[to end off, here is a typical Japanese home]

February already! I apologize for taking so long to update (again). There are some days where I'm just so drained because I have evening classes and then I have to take the train back home. Nonetheless, it's all worth it. In one of my classes I got my first question after a bible message :) This student is actually interested in learning more about Christianity! Praise God for that. It's very encouraging to hear! Please keep this ministry in your prayer. They are looking for teachers for next Fall...so if you're a single female and is interested in serving the Lord in Japan.....then feel free to ask me about it! Or check out the link: http://www.efcc.ca/index.cfm?pageID=122

My mother learned how to use skype! My brother and I never thought our mother would go near a computer..but she did it! Now we get to chat with each other...and see each other on the webcam!

We have an open-house party at my apartment in 10 days! A way to connect with our students. I'm looking forward to that! It'll be nice to chat with them outside of the classroom and church setting :) Hoping to make this into a more regular event... maybe once a month...or twice? Time to pick up the Japanese language. But body gestures are great too!

Everything is great here :) I'm healthy and happy! Weather is still good..gets a bit chilly every now and then but better than Toronto on any given day.


We had a tacoyaki party :) Don't worry guys, I'll buy the mold and make it for you when I'm home! It's basically batter with a lot of other things like ginger, onions, cabbage...and whatever you want to throw in there. We even put in chocolate at one point..... :|


Kristy and I made chocolate chip/banana "muffins" with the "oven setting" in the microwave. It turned out alright...looks kind of..."different" from the normal muffins we bake in the oven. But hey, I guess it's the effect of radiation! Ha..but here is the cross section of our deadly creation....eating half of it destroyed us.


I made fried rice...and cupped them (with a mold) into these shapes! Okay, it was my day off..so I had time to have fun with my food.


Some of my students :)

Alrighty, that's all for now. E-mail me if you want more details about how I'm doing in life...or in general..or if you just want to catch up :)