Last MYN class

On Saturday night Dan had his last class with his students at MYN. It was really strange for him to leave there for the last time and know he's not coming back. Such a sad feeling. On a happy note, Jon and I were able to meet most of the students and got to know them a little bit about them. They will surely be missed!

Our Pastor and his family invited us for dinner before we head off back to America. It was really nice to spend some quality time together with everyone before leaving. She even made BBQ ribs!! What a treat!

Last Class at MYN

Today was the first time I experienced saying goodbye to some of my students. It was really a mix of emotions. I was surprised to see some of my students get teary-eyed because ususally Japanese people are so controlled, but it was comforting to know that will miss me and vis versa. We enjoyed a big potluck between two classes which was really fun. Everyone brought awesome food and we enjoyed it very much. It was also really great to have Jon, Kim and their children there with us. It gave me the feeling like I was handing over these wonderful people to friends! It went really well.

Me and Noriko. She and I became good buddies because every week after class she would take me grocery shopping!

Sunday, July 29th

This past Sunday was jam packed! The morning started out with our final church service at one of two churches that we serve. They had refreshments at the end of the service and our pastor's presented us with this beautiful flower pressed painting. It is incredible! and so beautiful. You'll have to see it in person, but every detail is all made from pressed flowers.

After the service, we headed back to the church were we are now staying until we return home. Dean, Linda and their boys were getting to know everyone, so it was really fun for us to see that! Around 4:15 p.m. we all headed into Sendai City we were going to meet the Sorensen's and their children at 5:30 p.m!! It was so fun when they actually arrived! Arrival!!

Christine, Linda, Maria and Kim poking our heads through the Tanabata streamers.

Out to dinner. By this time we were sooooo hungry!

Kim and Jon finally in their new home and all their kids in bed....

Happy Birthday Sara

Lastnight our friend Sara came down from Akita to stay overnight with us. We took an evening bike ride down to the river, then over to the newly remodeled mission house that we used to live in. The house looks completely different!! This morning she left our house at 7:45 a.m. on her way to the train station. Today is her 28th birthday, so we all woke up this morning to celebrate a little bit, then she was off to America!

Wed. Girls Dinner

On Wednesday night my high school/college class went out for dinner together. We had a really nice time.

Tomoko and Uwe Visit Sendai

This weekend we were so happy to have our friends Tomoko and her fiance, Uwe, visit us in Sendai. They were here all day Saturday and part of Sunday. We took lots of pictures and had a blast together. It was one of the most fun weekends we've had!!. On Saturday morning we took the Loople Bus (tour bus) around Sendai and visited some of the famous sites.

We were walking through a temple gate and Dan and Uwe were too tall!! It was really funny.
This is Uwe being a HUGE dare devil and catching eel with his bare hands. There was a lot of fun stuff going on in Sendai when were there. One of the events was trying to catch eel for Y300 ($3.00). It was sooooo worth it! I was digusted, but it was a great memory.

Tomoko and I were cooking dinner together....she was cooking eel and I was cooking meatloaf. What a difference in food preference between cultures! We didn't end up eating the eel, only meatloaf.

On Sunday morning after church the four of us took a ferry to Matsushima. On the ferry, one of the funnest things to do is feed the seagulls! After the ferry ride we all agreed Uwe found his new favorite animal....seagulls. He was enthralled with them and could have cared less about the mystery of the pine islands. It was great!!

Dan's Goodbye Party

On Saturday evening Dan had his going away party with his students. This is a picture of his students Kumiko, Akira, Hiroko, Kenji, Hideko, Dan and Naoko. Here's Dan receiving his gifts from Hideko.
Very happy Dan!!!! This is a curtain that you can hang in your doorway. The kanji writing means wind.
Here's Dan trying on one of the other presents that he received. It's actually a large beautiful decorative cloth that is used to carry containers of food to different places. (i.e Potluck or church).

Magic Farewell

My students came over to my apartment today for a small party and one of my students (the one on the right) did some magic tricks at the end of class. The sign she is holding was one of the propers in her magic tricks. This group of ladies are wonderful!!

Goodbye Luncheon

This morning my Tuesday morning class came over to our new apartment for class and a small goodbye party for me. It was really fun and we had lots of good laughs! I will really miss this class because of all the wisdom that they have shared with me this past year. This is a very diverse class, each student comes from a different backgrounds, so it's been quite interesting.

Earthquake; don't worry

We just wanted to let everyone know we are 100% safe and fine.

There was a rather strong Earthquake yesterday on the WEST COAST of Japan in Nagano and Nigata Prefectures. We live on the EAST COAST of Japan in Miyagi Prefecture. That damage seems to be pretty bad many houses and bulidings have collapsed (about 500 buildings in all) and a train was derailed. 700 people were injured and so far, 9 people died from the earthquakes already. It registered as high as 6.8 and there have been 67 reported aftershocks (and they are expecting more aftershocks) It seems that we will not have any effects from this earthquake here in Sendai but please pray for those people who live in Nagano and Nigata. Many are injured and many more have moved into Emergency Shelters. Pray that the Earthquakes will not continue or at least not be severe. Pray for those who have been injured and the families of those who have lost their lives. Also pray that they will have enough water and food for those in shelters.

Feel free to email us back, and please let friends and families know about this information and ask for their prayers as well. Let anyone who asks know that we are fine as well, and there is no need to worry about us.

Murata town

Today we visited the small town called Murata, a town I had been dreading to visit because I thought it was going to be really boring. I WAS TOTALLY WRONG!!! I had one of the best sightseeing days in Japan that I've ever had. On our way to Murata we stopped at this big water-wheel. It's used to help in the process of making soba japanese noodles. Next to the big wheel was an old straw-roofed Japanese style house.

After seeing the water-wheel and straw house we went into Murata town. One of the first things to impress me was the small alley's, doorways and OLD houses. I rarely see that in Sendai city. One interesting thing was that this town was one of the first few places to get telephones long ago. We saw numbers on the outside of houses like #10. #25, meaning that house was the tenth or twenty-fifth house to get a telephone in all of Japan. It was so cool! Also, this town of Murata, now has one of the largest populations of artists in the area because the mayor is making it so easy for artist to have exhibitions and to move into the area.

One of the most stunning places we visited was a huge old Japanese house that used to be own by a very wealthy family. The home and property was modeled after the homes built in Kyoto, so when we were walking through, our friends kept on saying, "Oh, it's just like Kyoto!" The house and property has since been donated to the city because the family all lives in Tokyo. The pit in the middle of the floor was litterally the kitchen stove. The room on the bottom right was really interesting, it was used as a birthing room for women. The doors were made out of stone, so no one could hear anything. Crazy! And the picture on the bottom right was the staircase that went to the second floor. The staircase had drawers in it. Cool idea!

The last thing we did was get lunch at this great family owned resturant. The women who owns it is a great fan of Yumiko's paintings (the lady in pink). These three people have become really good friends of ours.

Sayonara Party

Today was the first of my Farewell parties with my Enlgish students. We have 33 days left here in Japan, then we will be on our way back to America. WoW! Time has flown by! My morning ladies class took me out to a beautiful traditional Japanese style resturant. The lunch was beautifully presented, so I had to take a picture. We had a very nice time together! Towards the end of our lunch, they presented me with a Japanese Teapot as a going away gift. It was so nice of them to do that! I really liked it.

Successful Pot Roast

This is for you newlywed wives (under 5 years). Tonight I decided to be daring and tried making a pot roast. The last time I attempted it, it turned out horrible. Well, tonight, I made it again and it was awesome! It's actually possible to make something Betty Crocker wrote without burning it. I had to take a picture because I was so happy! So, for those of you that are newlyweds, don't be afraid to try something again that you burnt the first time. It usually comes out good the second time....if you actually follow a reciepe (very carefully, in my case!)



P.S Another good way to make a good dinner is to get the reciepe from your mother, they always seem to know everything!

Food for thought....

The worst job in the world has got to be a telecommunicator. Today I was on the telephone with America trying to get some things corrected with my student loans. After waiting 20 minutes for someone to take my call, I had to give them lots of information, then was put on hold. You can imagine that sitting on the line for almost a 1/2 hour can make a person a little frusterated, but I tried to be pleasant because the girl I was talking to had 5 minutes left on her 8 a.m.-8 p.m. shift. Can you imagine having to accomodate irritated people on the phone all day. I would definately loose my cool...more than once. Anyhow, next time you are on the phone waiting for a telecommunicator, just try to think about how their difficult their job would be if you were irritated and force a smile when talking to them.

Pottery Studio

After going to the coffee/pottery shop last week, one of my students heard about about my goal and asked me if I wanted to visit a potter and his studio near my city. I said absolutely! Here are some pictures I snapped of Karo-san and his pottery. He had just finished a show, so I was really lucky to be able to see all of his best work. I have never seen such perfect work. His technique was down pact after 20 years of making pottery. He studied under a master potter in Kyoto for 5 years, then moved to Sendai to begin making a name for himself. Now he does shows and sells his work. The picture of the small lantern you see, he sells for more than $500.00. It's about 10 inches high and is detailed with precision. It was my favorite piece of his. He was incredibly inspiring to talk to him and hear his story. I had translation of course!!