こんにちは konnichiwa
So as promised here is an update of my first haircut in Japan!! I showed them a picture of my hair from college graduation because I loved going shorter. Butttt I think I was being too ballsy and this is the shortest it’s ever been since I was probably in pre-school. I’m still a little hesitant about it but I think I love it 🙂 My head feels 10 times lighter and I think I will be really thankful for this when I’m sweating my butt off in Thailand.
After one night this weekend we drove by to check out this hidden street with houses lit up like CRAZY.
So we did end up going to the monk fire festival. However, it was FREEZING and also pretty much pouring rain most of the time. When we got there we got to see this amazing drum show. The performers were in tank tops and they were going harddddd. There faces had pure joy written all over them I just wanted to jump up and join them!!!
However, after the drumming, tasting some hot sake, and seeing the shrines we still had over an hour wait until the pre-ceremony for the fire festival actually started. I was tired and cold so I couldn’t rationalize standing there freezing. But I lived vicariously through the pictures of the people that did stay!
Pretty crazy huh?? I bet it actually probably felt soo good considering it was so cold outside in the rain! Apparently this is supposed to be a cleansing process for them, so it was interesting to see a ritual so different from anything I’ve ever seen before. One of the 2nd grade students in the other class lives here and her dad is a monk! How crazy is that?? Such an interesting life!
Food trials of the week:
This week we stuck to as little food as possible because we were nervous about buying too much since we both leave for a 3 week break this weekend!
We had a ridiculous amount of veggies from last week so I made a bumpin’ stirfry with broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini with rice and a peanut teriyaki sauce I made. We had so much we even invited Leah and Anna over for lunch! Spreading the food love 🙂
Please ignore the blurry pic (stupid lifeproof case) but I tried adding kiwi and avocado to my smoothie and it was DEEEEEELISH! Made it creamy with the avo and the kiwi added some sweetness.. I love switching things up 🙂
Last night after yoga (much needed) we switched things up and headed to a nearby Korean place. We usually always do Kappa, the conveyer sushi place on Wednesday’s butttt it was time for a change. We ordered a small side of kimchi and each ordered the bimbimbop. No idea if that’s how you spell it but that’s how it sounds. It’s lots of veggies and an egg served in this burning hot bowl…
Then you mix it around so the egg cooks and voila there you have it!! It’s so delish 🙂
I’m not gonna lie but I was actually nervous what Hanukkah would be like here. It’s one of those holidays that I just picture myself being with my family. But I’m glad that between my students and Katiria, I felt like I was at home here with a new family 🙂
Since our current unit is “How We Express Ourselves” the students are learning about signs, symbols, and symbolism and how people use them to communicate. A lot of them are interested in religious symbols so we thought this week was a perfect time to explore some different holidays. Plus, it’s interesting and fun which 2nd grade is all about!! I was super pumped to teach them about Hanukkah. I couldn’t find my favorite book I used to read growing up but I found another one that I got to read about them that told the story behind the holiday. Then they learned what the letters mean: Nes Gadol Hayah Sham means a big miracle happened there! Then they made their own paper dreidels and we got to play. I didn’t have any gelt just some fun pencils and green tea/dark chocolate kit kats. They were SO excited, it was adorable!
Now this is when you know you have an amazing friend… Katiria MADE me a menorah!! So creative and so thoughtful. Now I’m able to light the candles here!
Even though I didn’t have my Grandma’s recipe or her here to help me :(, they still turned out pretty nommy if you ask me. I did it the old fashion way of peeling and grating them by hand but they were made with love. I even brought some in for all the kids to try them.. they were in loveeeee too. They really boosted my confidence of cooking skills.
Today we have a snow day and I couldn’t be happier!! I’m so checked out and ready for break so this was a gift from the gods. Time to relax, finish packing, and clean since we won’t be back for a couple of weeks.
On another note and the main reason for this post is I’ve made my decision about staying next year. It’s not an easy one but just like coming here- I need to listen to my gut feeling. I feel honored that I was offered a contract to stay for 2 years as a full time teacher. I absolutely love my class and I feel like I’ve learned so much already since I’ve been here. But, I still feel like teaching abroad isn’t fitting the dream that I had envisioned. I pictured myself traveling more and being able to meet new people. But really I feel like most of the time I’m stuck in a bubble. Don’t get me wrong I’ve had amazing experiences, and I know there are still more in store for the rest of the year! But when it comes down to it, you need to do you is what I’m realizing. It’s okay when the path changes from what you thought it would be (still reminding myself of this daily). But I certainly don’t want to make work my life, because if I’m not happy as a person with my social life, then I won’t be a happy teacher.
So for those of you who didn’t know, I’ll be returning back this summer… and we shall see what’s next! 🙂 Who knows, maybe I’ll come back to teach abroad somewhere down the road, but for now this is my next step on my journey of life.
More to come after Thailand and Tokyo with my parents!!!
さようなら sayonara for now 🙂
The Traveling Teacher 
