4 Years from Now

Wow. It just hit me.

The World Cup Soccer (Football) Tournament is this year. Do you know what this means?!

I am officially a has-been.

...

How did I come to that conclusion?

4 years ago, during the time of the previous World Cup, I was touring Europe with the HU Chorus. There were weeks of rain, international singing festival in Poland, the beauty of Dresden Germany, reuniting with college friends in Vicenza Italy, crepes in Lyon France, and a super long bus ride from Calais to Bristol.
My fleece pullover became my best friend because, unlike Arkansas, most of Europe is still pretty chilly in May and June. Close runner-ups were my Febreze fabric deodorizor and Shout Wipes. Remember those hideous asparagus outfits? Yikes...
Most memorable are the other members of the Chorus and the generous people who hosted us on our tour. In Germany, I seemed to bump into a lot of people who knew me as a child or knew my family. In Croatia, I learned a valuable lesson in friendship. In France, I fell in love with white peaches.

That was 4 years ago.

Now, I am teaching English at a high school in Japan.

I have been so blessed and priveleged to have so many experiences young in life. I hope that 4 years from now, I am still as adventurous and appreciative of the world and the people who make my life amazing.

Where will I be 4 years from now?

Long time, No Blog!

*wipes the dust from her keyboard and screen*

Hisashiburi, y'all! Wow. It has been awhile since I have posted here!

Since Korea, a new school year has kicked off. I have 241 new students and this batch seems a lot more eager and confident to volunteer in class. This makes it a lot easier on me especially since OC is all about communicating!

But the first semester is a bit odd. I can never get into a groove. School starts but I didn't see the first year students for a week. Then two weeks later, we had a week's-worth of holidays so I missed a class here and another one there. Next week, we'll have midterms and 3 weeks after that is our school culture festival. With so many hiccups, it's a bit difficult to settle into a routine. Also, since all my classes are on different lesson plans, I am having difficulty making a midterm that is challenging enough for the students who are ahead without being impossible for the students who are behind.

For general grown-up talk, I finished my taxes last night. HALLEJUAH! I am glad I get a 2 month auto-extension since I live overseas because all those calculations of deductions from yen-dollars was a pain.

In family news, my parents arrive in Japan tomorrow! My dad retired from teaching business/commercial law, international relations, and some economics courses so now both parents have the time for an extended visit. They will be in Japan until late June, but only with me for maybe 2 weeks of the time. This weekend, we will be attending the May Sumo Tournament and next week, we will travel to the Northern Coast of Japan to Kanazawa. Of course, they will stopover at my place for a few nights and meet Kiyomi. We're set to go out to my favorite yakitori shop.