Back on the wagon

Workout: Kathy Smith 20 minute mixed aerobics, 7 minute stretch

Feeling: Good

Dessert: Sun shining through a completely open window and the hibiscus, onto my whitening winter skin. Armpits up!

After a long time of inactivity, false starts, and blah, I decided that to try and prevent this from becoming another false-start, I would blog about my progress.

My exercise shorts are a bit tighter. Breasts are MUCH bigger, as are my bum, hips, arms, tummy... Imagine my tummy will be flat again soon, as it is always the first to go, but those hips and bum will take time. Ah well, I got more life in me yet, so let's see if I can get back to my pre-wedding 61 kilos (135 lbs), muscle toned, and fierce self. I'd be happy with 140 though.

Operation, exercise anytime of day because your schedule is irratic, so deal with it and stop wishing it was regular like it was before the wedding (5 years ago), has begun. It's fine to shower at weird times!!! Be fierce with irregularity!

Feeling: Fired up.

A Letter to my niece

Hey Honey!

It is my greatest pleasure to be your Aunt. I am able to instill in you an awareness of what life holds when you become an adult. You will have many, many choices. Choices increase as you get older. However, it is hard to know what the right choice is, so we have to develop skills that make us good decision makers. I think I am doing well in my choices, and I want you to have similar success. My family never gave up on me, even when I made stupid choices. I think they knew I could LEARN FROM those misses. I believe you can, too, as you are showing that you have learned from some of yours. I promise to not give up on you!

I think the most important things to remember about life are 1) learn from your mistakes (though sometimes you will make the same mistake twice, just don't do it a third or fourth time!) 2) remember that things will always get better, even when you feel so desperate and that everything is bad 3) don't give up on what you want in life.

Well, we have so much more to talk about. Life is a journey, not a destination, Lexi! I am so happy to be part of your journey!

I love you deeply!

XO,

Aunt Catie

The Wada Affair

The drive was cloudy; I cried for a good 20 minutes. I thought back on our 7 year musical journey as  "The Wada Affair". While many people came and went, Jason, Mr. and Mrs. Wada, Jun, and I have been a constant. Now, one of us has left. 

Today we toasted Jason, his irreplaceable contribution as lead guitarist, blues harpist, and my partner in silliness. J and I have known each other since we were students here in Japan. Then, we both came back to teach English on the JET program. One day he called me and said he had joined a band and wondered if I would be their lead singer. 

For the first 4 years in the Wada Affair we would ride to practice together, talking the whole way about our former lives as wanna' be hippies, as Americans, as children. We talked about Japan and Japanese. And of course we talked about music: PHISH, Dead, Talking Heads, John Lennon, Pizzacato, Cibo Matto. What I now realize is that we never talked about people, at least not in the perjoritive sense. We just talked about topics that made us laugh because they involved good memories or good music, or helped us to reflect on parts of our lives that we needed to or had already changed. 

I was there when he met his wife, Hiroko. She is perfect for him. I mean, really perfect for him. I know she will take good care of him when they go. She is grounded and sensible, but still silly like us. She played guitar with us for 3 years, too. I love her laugh and her easy going disposition. She is very easy to be around. 

With them leaving, the band is heading into very unknown waters. I am not pleased. I love all the members, but if we were a family, Mrs. Wada was Mom, Mr. W was Dad, Jun was our uncle and J and I were the brother and sister. While you love your Mom, Dad, and Uncle, you aren't close in the same way. Your sibling speaks the same slang (in our case the same first language, too), and they like the same music. They get your DL remarks, they can read your mood, and they can make you laugh while everyone else talks about adult stuff. 

Jason, you were a great brother! I'll miss you and I wish you and Hiroko lots of luck in the U.S.!

Kyoto

Moving to Kyoto has been the best thing Hiro and I have ever done as a couple. Possibly getting life insurance will someday take it's place; but let's hope not. Until then, I will remain convinced that Kyoto kind of saved me! 

Training to Graduation

I gave my first collegiate teacher training on Saturday. I say collegiate because it was for a college, not a professional organization or publisher.  I am extremely pleased with how I did it. It was not just a "Things you can do on Monday" training, but one which incorporated brainstorming and reflection. A balanced approach. 

One teacher commented after, "You have philosophy, something Japanese teacher education lacks." I am not sure if that is wholly true, but I suppose that has been her experience. I didn't have philosophy before my MA, and it really made me feel that the two hard years I spent going for it were totally worth it! I leave for graduation on July 15th! 

Happy that Daddy is coming to see me walk. Happy too that I can talk with the current second year students about my research. While I consider it a bit of a mess (it was my first one), it makes me happy to give some pointers about maybe what NOT to do, and that even if it is messy, you will still get something very valuable out of it. And once it is done, you have so much sleep to look forward to!

 

Hokkaido!

We have finally been to Hokkaido, the Northern island. At times I felt like I was looking at a South Beach neighborhood with lots of colorful houses, somewhat spaced out. Honshu is more of a brown house smear, houses so close you can hear your neighbor come home, cook, and gargle. L&M invited us and we jumped. M is the master of finding travel deals. His nickname is "Otoku Man", translated literally as "Special Deal Man"! We even got free coffee at the airport from an actual restaurant. Hayai, umai, yasui!

I have taken L's sister-in-law's idea and narrowed these down to 20 pics with 20 words. 

Hokkaido

Classic

Relaxing

Locals

Kani! 

Yummy!

English?

Otaru

Cheers!

Microbrew

Love

Views

Silliness

Spring

Poplars

Friends

Fashion-smashion

Sapporo

Ramen

Meiji-era

Fun day at an elementary school

Leaving the first school, my face hurt! 

I had spent the morning facilitating English interviews with 52 6th graders. 2 students came in at a time and we basically just asked one another questions about each other and our countries. I was incredibly impressed by these students! They are not from upper socio-economic areas, nor are they at schools with tons of ALTs, technology, or any other bells and whistles! 

However, they do have teachers who apply for funding so that the schools can become centers for classroom research. The teachers professionally develop, help add to the rather barren pool of Japanese elementary school English education know-how (that is finally experiencing quantified and qualified growth),  and build programmes that create nascent communicators. Many kids who mocked English have become quite proficient for their exposure level!

I would casually ask them how they were as they came in and 9 out of 10 said, "I'm happy". I smiled, said, "Me, too." and then spent another 3 minutes learning, joking, and laughing with them. Three cheers for classroom researchers and dedicated teachers! Three cheers for the kids who give us all a purpose! Three cheers for a face that hurts from smiling!