The Month of June

I have been so busy living life that I have completely forgotten to post!

Let me mention just a few of the very exciting things that have happened this month:

1. My friend Heather was able to come and visit me in Sendai the first weekend in June. I showed her our campus here at Meysen, showed her the Ichibancho in Downtown Sendai and two miles of shopping, and we even ventured out to Matsushima Bay for the day.

2. The following weekend, I had my first Karaoke experience in Japan, the way it should be done. Hours of singing and dancing with some new friends. 

3. Many more special events happened at work- such as Kid's and Parent's Day (similar to Open House, where the parents come watch classes), and Pajama Day this past week.

4. In May, I experienced a soccer game in Japan. This month, we ventured to the Vegalta Baseball Stadium in Sendai,  and went to a game similar to the minor league teams in the states. 

5. Finally, I took the plunge and went driving in Japan. Yes, I drove a car and am still alive to talk about it. It will definitely be awhile before I am comfortable driving on the opposite side of the road, and remember to use my signal and not my windshield wipers (which of course, are opposite), but all in all I was very proud of myself. 

Heather came June 3rd-5th. We tried out a delicious ramen place in downtown Sendai that I hadn't been to yet, and it did not disappoint. We walked around for a bit, did some light shopping (I got a new pair of All-Stars because I have worn my other ones out), and went home to get some sleep. The next morning, we went to Matsushima Bay for a day trip. We rode the subway to downtown where we then got on a JR train for a short 45 minute ride.  I saw my first sighting of the "one-thousand cranes", which is absolutely beautiful (but I can think of plenty of better ways to spend the hours than folding origami).  We took an hour ferry ride and made it out of the bay and into the Pacific Ocean. After some crazy waves and a sea gull swooping to eat my banana, we were ready to get back to dry land. 

It was the perfect day for some sight-seeing, and next time I will be sure to try the oysters, which Matsushima is apparently famous for.  It was great to show a friend from the states my new life in Sendai.   

 

Alright, I don't have too much to say about karaoke in Japan, except if you go with the right people, it's a blast. The Konzelman Family Band came from Oregon to play for all the special events going on in June (Friend's Day), and the kindergarten teachers got invited to go with them. It was great to go with people that were very musically inclined, but also who just wanted to have a blast. This picture right here pretty much sums up the night. 

I know that you have been dying to see more pictures of my kids. If you aren't following me on instagram, feel free to add me @thebeckster0529.

I am trying to post at least four or five pictures a week of things that are happening in life to share with everyone. Anyways, here are some precious pictures of the little ones. I do find myself doing things that I think are absolutely stupid (like dancing the tooty-ta) and I find that I now talk to adults like they are four, but hey! I am teaching kindergarten now, and most days that alone makes me laugh. 

 If you want to see more pictures of things happening at my school, Meysen is ALWAYS updating their website with more pictures and videos. Just go their website and click on Photos and Videos. Meysen Academy  There is so much more I could write about, but I am so tired from our Cabin Trip this weekend (which I will post about soon!). So as I sit here eating my edamame, I continue to be filled with thankfulness for this opportunity to travel and experience another culture. These kids are so happy to see me everyday, and daily show so much love for one another. One boy in my class always goes and gets a tissue for his fellow bunny classmates if someone has started to cry (which thank God only happens rarely). They are always holding hands, giving each other hugs, and do SUCH a good job sharing with each other. Their character is being formed at such a young age, and I feel so blessed to be a part of that.