(in no particular order)
- My students and friends (I miss my students from Den-en, Sagamino, Asahi, and Ebina very, very much and all my friends at ALL the churches and all whom I met through l i v i n g in such a special place at a such a significant time.)
- Riding the train (The best time to rest, collect your thoughts, catch up on e-mail, and--my favorite--people watch!)
- Coming home from church with lots of fresh fruit (Such a simple and thoughtful gift!!)
- My pottery class (Oh, what a delight to be able to study with such gifted artists; to get my hands dirty and emerge with something beautiful... I really felt I was learning something important.)
- Cartons of juice that I picked up weekly at the market near my house (grape, grapefruit, apple, pineapple, carrot, mixed fruits & veggies...)
- Yuba!! (I loved to go to Ume no Hana and get the yuba "fondue" and zest my own yuzu onto the chewy tofu skin...)
- Travelling and exploring (I visited so many cool places--Kyoto, Hakone, Fuji-Q Highland, and the Site of Reversible Destiny in Gifu. Some of my best memories are of choosing a spot anywhere at all and finding my way there all on my own, snapping pictures, and taking it all in...)
- The beach (I miss whiling away the hours on the black sands of Enoshima or splashing in the seaweed in the bay...but I do NOT miss the kurage!!)
- The FOOD!! (perfectly toasted omochii, perfectly tart umeboshi, gluten-free donuts, lunches at church, dried apricots with almonds, goma dofu, the monthly vegan dinners at the Pink Cow, and sooo many more!!)
- The pace (I always felt like I was in a video game or something--trying to navigate my way through an endless and changing scene of scurrying people... It is addictive!)
- My adorable apartment (I honestly *just* got the place exactly how I wanted it--fabulously furnished and arranged... But, it is a consolation that the young man who took the bulk of my belongings was a refugee from Fukushima who was living in a small apartment with the rest of his family after they evacuated. He said they had nothing... I really miss my neighbors, though...)
- Playing "invisible ball" with Yufo and Mihiro, my best buddy's kids (We made up this game the first time we met, before we knew how to communicate with one another verbally, and we could--and did!--play it for HOURS!)
- Planning my lessons (Each of my students had different needs and goals and learning styles, so I really enjoyed finding new and fun ways to engage them not only in the process of learning English but also in the process of opening up and growing more confident.)
- Recycling (I miss the organization and the consideration of the waste and recycling programs. And yes, I even miss the trash song.)
- Flowers year-round (I so enjoyed seeing and smelling so many types of flora! It never looked like winter, even when it snowed! There were always so many types of flowers!!)
- Karaoke (Yeah. I can sing "karyokey" over here in America, but it's just not the same.) ;-)
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| It was hard to say Sayonara to Japan...but I know one day I will return... |
5:46 AM |
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