Thursday, August 31, 2006
new blog ^_^
My new blog is the same address as the old one--just add "-2" to the end of "amandana3".
Let me rephrase that (sorry for the confusion, Annonymous-san): amandana3 + -2 = amandana3-2. So, here's my new blog's link: http://amandana3-2.blogspot.com
Saturday, August 26, 2006
How's the weather?
Let's compare, shall we?
First in degrees C, then in F.
テキサスしゅ、ダラスくらい に：In Dallas, TX:
Current conditions as of 8:53 am CDT
Fair
Feels Like: 33°C, 91°F
Barometer: 1010 mb and rising
Humidity: 69%
Visibility: 16.09 km, 10 mi
Dewpoint: 23°C, 73°F
Wind: S 23 kph, 14 mph
Sunrise: 6:59 am
Sunset: 8:00 pm
Now今: 29°C, 84°F High: 38°C, 102°F Low: 25°C, 78°F
東京と で： At Tokyo Prefecture:
Current conditions as of 11:30 pm JST
Partly Cloudy
Feels Like: 26° C, 79°F
Barometer: --
Humidity: 74%
Visibility: 9.99 km, 6.21 mi
Dewpoint: 20°
Wind: E 16 kph, 10 mph
Sunrise: 5:08 am
Sunset: 6:17 pm
Now今：25°C, 77°F High: 27°C, 82°F Low: 23°C, 74°F
Compare the "High"s!!!! 38 (102) in Texas, but only 27 (82) in Tokyo!!! I miss Tokyo!!!
First in degrees C, then in F.
テキサスしゅ、ダラスくらい に：In Dallas, TX:
Current conditions as of 8:53 am CDT
Fair
Feels Like: 33°C, 91°F
Barometer: 1010 mb and rising
Humidity: 69%
Visibility: 16.09 km, 10 mi
Dewpoint: 23°C, 73°F
Wind: S 23 kph, 14 mph
Sunrise: 6:59 am
Sunset: 8:00 pm
Now今: 29°C, 84°F High: 38°C, 102°F Low: 25°C, 78°F
東京と で： At Tokyo Prefecture:
Current conditions as of 11:30 pm JST
Partly Cloudy
Feels Like: 26° C, 79°F
Barometer: --
Humidity: 74%
Visibility: 9.99 km, 6.21 mi
Dewpoint: 20°
Wind: E 16 kph, 10 mph
Sunrise: 5:08 am
Sunset: 6:17 pm
Now今：25°C, 77°F High: 27°C, 82°F Low: 23°C, 74°F
Compare the "High"s!!!! 38 (102) in Texas, but only 27 (82) in Tokyo!!! I miss Tokyo!!!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
oops
Got the time wrong--we got back this morning, not this afternoon. It was great to see my family and Oskarr.
I'm so tired. Tuesday was not meant to last 38 hours...
I'm so glad I missed most of the Texas heat wave. There was a sudden and brief rain storm this afternoon. I fell asleep for a few hours (I always sleep well when it rains).....oops. I shouldn't have. I need to get back into a proper waking/sleeping schedule. Jet lag is an interesting phenomena.
Okay, I'm not very concious right now, so I'll stop writing.
I'm so tired. Tuesday was not meant to last 38 hours...
I'm so glad I missed most of the Texas heat wave. There was a sudden and brief rain storm this afternoon. I fell asleep for a few hours (I always sleep well when it rains).....oops. I shouldn't have. I need to get back into a proper waking/sleeping schedule. Jet lag is an interesting phenomena.
Okay, I'm not very concious right now, so I'll stop writing.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
日本語しゃべれますか？ Do you speak Japanese?
I leave for the US tomorrow. Daiju and I will take a bus to the airport early tomorrow morning, and get to Dallas by 3pm CST. I wish the flight really were only 3 hours...but actually it's more like 11 or 12.
When Daiju was still in the US and called me here in Japan, he didn't recognize my voice at first. I had spoken to him in Japanese. My Japanese had improved since I'd been gone. Now I can hold limited conversations in Japanese. God is good.
On Saturday I met a girl (age 20) from France. She lived in Japan until age 6, and is here now for an internship. She said she knows French, Japanese (not much kanji, though), a little Spanish, and a little English. We spoke in Japanese. Yoshida-san (from the church in Dallas) was shocked when he saw that; so was my friend Shigeko's daughter, Junko. It's really funny that French and English are so close linguistically, yet the median we communicated with was Japanese.
The French girl I just mentioned is named Erika. She's reallly pretty, and very pleasant. Daiju invited her to church (she's not a Christian, and had never been to a Protestant church) and she actually came!!! Praise God!!! I hope she keeps going there. Maybe she'll believe in Jesus.
At the church, I re-met Amy--a new missionary to Tokyo. She's been here for like 3 months now and still hasn't had any language training. It's really hard for her. Please pray that she'll pick up the language soon and be able to communicate the Gospel and her testimony effectively.
The せみ (cicadas) are really big and quite loud here. They're drowning out Daiju's piano-playing...
Daiju's mom is a an aroma therapist, but she also does massage. I think she's adopted me as her guinea pig. I was with her for like 2 hours today and she said we still weren't done, but I told her I was done. She was okay with that. She's pretty easy-going, as long as everybody's happy and you eat everything she gives you. She has a certificate to teach English, but she can't really speak it...or read it...or write it...Maybe it's just been too long and too far gone.
This isn't in Japan, but I'm so excited: Fausta accepted Christ and wants to be baptised!! Hooray!!!
When Daiju was still in the US and called me here in Japan, he didn't recognize my voice at first. I had spoken to him in Japanese. My Japanese had improved since I'd been gone. Now I can hold limited conversations in Japanese. God is good.
On Saturday I met a girl (age 20) from France. She lived in Japan until age 6, and is here now for an internship. She said she knows French, Japanese (not much kanji, though), a little Spanish, and a little English. We spoke in Japanese. Yoshida-san (from the church in Dallas) was shocked when he saw that; so was my friend Shigeko's daughter, Junko. It's really funny that French and English are so close linguistically, yet the median we communicated with was Japanese.
The French girl I just mentioned is named Erika. She's reallly pretty, and very pleasant. Daiju invited her to church (she's not a Christian, and had never been to a Protestant church) and she actually came!!! Praise God!!! I hope she keeps going there. Maybe she'll believe in Jesus.
At the church, I re-met Amy--a new missionary to Tokyo. She's been here for like 3 months now and still hasn't had any language training. It's really hard for her. Please pray that she'll pick up the language soon and be able to communicate the Gospel and her testimony effectively.
The せみ (cicadas) are really big and quite loud here. They're drowning out Daiju's piano-playing...
Daiju's mom is a an aroma therapist, but she also does massage. I think she's adopted me as her guinea pig. I was with her for like 2 hours today and she said we still weren't done, but I told her I was done. She was okay with that. She's pretty easy-going, as long as everybody's happy and you eat everything she gives you. She has a certificate to teach English, but she can't really speak it...or read it...or write it...Maybe it's just been too long and too far gone.
This isn't in Japan, but I'm so excited: Fausta accepted Christ and wants to be baptised!! Hooray!!!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
recent photos of Amanda's activities in Japan
Here's a picture of me and Fuki on the last day of "Meet Amanda" at Akebono Church. I had the kids decorate postcards with Texas-like pictures and cool Bible verses in English and Japanese. Two of the girls wrote me thank you letters (not on their postcards) and said they wanted to visit Texas someday and serve God like I do!
My last day at Akebono. Mrs. Aiyama and Misaki (both girls are named Misaki) gave me flowers and letters from the kids at the church and I said a final thank to them and to God before I left.
Me ON Japan. :) ^_^ (this was at a park in Tokyo)
Me and the monkeys--see/hear/speak no evil!!!
[please excuse the tired face...I hadn't been feeling well that day]
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Inaka (eenahkah) = country-side
Hi all.
I finished serving in Tokyo on Sunday. I cried as I left. I loved it there. I knew if was the right time to go, but I still couldn't help but cry. I'll miss them...
Now I'm in Gunma--the real country(side)! I'm so comfortable here. And Daiju's family is really great. They all take really good care of me. They're so calm, too. It's a very relaxing family.
Oh, yesterday we all went to Tochigi (a nearby prefecture [state]). We went to the city of Nikko. There, I got to see all kinds of traditional Japanese things, and Daiju explained them to me. The coolest thing was getting to see the original "see/speak/hear no evil" monkeys! I think he said they're like 400 years old. The temple area we saw was not only a national treasure but a world treasure. Pretty spiffy.
Today Daiju and I met Sayaka's parents with Daiju and then Yuta's sister, Miho. It was really fun to get to talk with them. Last year, when I first met them, I couldn't say much to them, but now I know more Japanese, and Daiju helped translate when I couldn't communicate. It was great.
Miho accepted Christ about a year ago. It was great to be able to encourage her in her faith. And Sayaka's parents were so glad to hear that their daughter has turned down hanging out with friends when she needs to study. All in all, today was GREAT.
I finished serving in Tokyo on Sunday. I cried as I left. I loved it there. I knew if was the right time to go, but I still couldn't help but cry. I'll miss them...
Now I'm in Gunma--the real country(side)! I'm so comfortable here. And Daiju's family is really great. They all take really good care of me. They're so calm, too. It's a very relaxing family.
Oh, yesterday we all went to Tochigi (a nearby prefecture [state]). We went to the city of Nikko. There, I got to see all kinds of traditional Japanese things, and Daiju explained them to me. The coolest thing was getting to see the original "see/speak/hear no evil" monkeys! I think he said they're like 400 years old. The temple area we saw was not only a national treasure but a world treasure. Pretty spiffy.
Today Daiju and I met Sayaka's parents with Daiju and then Yuta's sister, Miho. It was really fun to get to talk with them. Last year, when I first met them, I couldn't say much to them, but now I know more Japanese, and Daiju helped translate when I couldn't communicate. It was great.
Miho accepted Christ about a year ago. It was great to be able to encourage her in her faith. And Sayaka's parents were so glad to hear that their daughter has turned down hanging out with friends when she needs to study. All in all, today was GREAT.
Monday, August 07, 2006
kids say the darndest things
I'm gonna try to remember all the cool stuff the elementary-school age kids at church have said to me...(oh, BTW, '-chan' is kind of like '-y' in English...i.e. 'kim' > 'kimmy')
Today, Chi-chan asked me if there McDonald's is in America.
On Saturday, I was talking with Seika-chan's aunt about forgeting languages. She said she's almost completely forgotten English, and I said I've forgotten most of the Spanish I learned. Then Seika-chan said, 'Have you forgotten English, too?' NO...it's my language!!!
The kids are amazed by the funniest things. Some are amazed that I speak Japanese, others are amazed that I speak English. Eyes gaped and jaws dropped when they saw my journal was all written in English. My pick (comb) had girls calling their friends over to come and see the American's comb.
Seika-chan looked at my eyes for a long time and then said, 'Your eyes are blue, aren't they.' Yes... 'Do you see different colors than I do?'
But adults have interesting comments, too. I'm often asked if my hair is permed or died or if it's natural (さいごだよ). I'm often told I have long legs (or feet...both are true, technically...in Japanese, your foot is part of your leg in that there's only one word which encompasses both of them...........So, if you're told you have ながい あし [long legs/feet], you'll just have to guess how to translate that into English....my guess, in this case, is legs). I'm asked at least once a week if I can use chopsticks. Everyone wants to know if I'll eat sushi.
And I have made countless mistakes myself. When choosing my Yukata (summer kimono; traditional Japanese dress), I said I wanted the eel (unagi) one instead of the bunny (usagi) one. I misheard the word for 'cool' (temperature) and thought someone said 'shameful' [suzushii VS. zuzushii]. I tried to read a menu...I read that the dish had a pocket (poketto) instead of potato (poteto). Instead of saying 'I forgot it' (wasureta), I said 'I haven't memorized it' (oboretenai).
God is good...all the time!
(and yes, I know I'm not spelling all the ろまじ correctly...)
Today, Chi-chan asked me if there McDonald's is in America.
On Saturday, I was talking with Seika-chan's aunt about forgeting languages. She said she's almost completely forgotten English, and I said I've forgotten most of the Spanish I learned. Then Seika-chan said, 'Have you forgotten English, too?' NO...it's my language!!!
The kids are amazed by the funniest things. Some are amazed that I speak Japanese, others are amazed that I speak English. Eyes gaped and jaws dropped when they saw my journal was all written in English. My pick (comb) had girls calling their friends over to come and see the American's comb.
Seika-chan looked at my eyes for a long time and then said, 'Your eyes are blue, aren't they.' Yes... 'Do you see different colors than I do?'
But adults have interesting comments, too. I'm often asked if my hair is permed or died or if it's natural (さいごだよ). I'm often told I have long legs (or feet...both are true, technically...in Japanese, your foot is part of your leg in that there's only one word which encompasses both of them...........So, if you're told you have ながい あし [long legs/feet], you'll just have to guess how to translate that into English....my guess, in this case, is legs). I'm asked at least once a week if I can use chopsticks. Everyone wants to know if I'll eat sushi.
And I have made countless mistakes myself. When choosing my Yukata (summer kimono; traditional Japanese dress), I said I wanted the eel (unagi) one instead of the bunny (usagi) one. I misheard the word for 'cool' (temperature) and thought someone said 'shameful' [suzushii VS. zuzushii]. I tried to read a menu...I read that the dish had a pocket (poketto) instead of potato (poteto). Instead of saying 'I forgot it' (wasureta), I said 'I haven't memorized it' (oboretenai).
God is good...all the time!
(and yes, I know I'm not spelling all the ろまじ correctly...)
Friday, August 04, 2006
Gebble-geh!
I can hardly believe I only have one more week in Tokyo (two and a half more in Japan in total). I miss certain parts of home, and I will be glad to be back in school when I get back to the US, but being here hasn't really been that hard. The first couple of weeks were hard, but now that I know people and they know me, it's a lot easier. They take care of me, keep me accountable, encourage me...
My host family has been awesome. They're so patient and understanding and kind and flexible. I often don't know my schedule until the day before or the day of it, yet they're perfectly fine with all my crazy coming and going. I hope I've been a good guest. I have been doing my best.
I miss my family, dog, friends, boyfriend... but it's all bearable. I will be relieved, though, when I get to see Daiju tomorrow at church! It's been like a month and a half since we've last met!!!
I'm excited about all that's happening here, but also about going home. It will be great to see my family in person and talk and joke with them. I'm also anxious to meet Fausta, a 6-year-old girl who is staying with my family. I met her online (web camera), but not in person.
If I lived here, it wouldn't be too hard for me to be busy every day. Many people want to see me--be it because we're already friends, they want to be friends, they want to learn English from me, or whatever. I pray that God uses every part of me for His glory.
To reach the Japanese people for Christ, one must understand their logic. The Japanese culture is very distinct and complicated--it's such a mixture of so many others while still retaining certain aspects fo its own. The language illustrates this. I've been having trouble finding a verb chart, mainly because such a concept is slightly alien to the language. 'Maybe' seems to be an important concept. I tried to have a friend (Tomo) explain to me what a certain verb-form meant. He said something like, 'well, it's most likely now, maybe earlier too, and probably later also.' ??? In English, we have forms like 'I have been eating' which indicates past and (usually) present action also. The present action may be slightly uncertain, but at least the past progressive is known for sure. In Japanese, it seems a lot goes unsaid and a lot is unknown.
But I am just beginning learning this language, so please (if you have experience in this area) advise me. I really don't know much for certain about the language... I just try to apply everything I kind of know as often as possible. Maybe the uncertainty is something I've acquired...........maybe.............I don't know.............. ;)
Oh, and 'gebble-geh' is something Erika-chan (Shindo- & Yuko-san's daughter) says randomly form time to time.
Today's post has been really random and unorganized...Sorry about that.
Okay, now I'll paste an e-mail I sent to a few of you:
I made pottery with friends...
Watched Shindo-san fall into Tamagawa (Tama River)...
Became a mummy at church camp...
Went to Hamura's Omatsuri (summer festival for my homestay city)...
And visited Sailor Moon's garden (for those of you who can't read the sign, it says 'Sailor Moon')...
arg...........why aren't the pictures posting????
My host family has been awesome. They're so patient and understanding and kind and flexible. I often don't know my schedule until the day before or the day of it, yet they're perfectly fine with all my crazy coming and going. I hope I've been a good guest. I have been doing my best.
I miss my family, dog, friends, boyfriend... but it's all bearable. I will be relieved, though, when I get to see Daiju tomorrow at church! It's been like a month and a half since we've last met!!!
I'm excited about all that's happening here, but also about going home. It will be great to see my family in person and talk and joke with them. I'm also anxious to meet Fausta, a 6-year-old girl who is staying with my family. I met her online (web camera), but not in person.
If I lived here, it wouldn't be too hard for me to be busy every day. Many people want to see me--be it because we're already friends, they want to be friends, they want to learn English from me, or whatever. I pray that God uses every part of me for His glory.
To reach the Japanese people for Christ, one must understand their logic. The Japanese culture is very distinct and complicated--it's such a mixture of so many others while still retaining certain aspects fo its own. The language illustrates this. I've been having trouble finding a verb chart, mainly because such a concept is slightly alien to the language. 'Maybe' seems to be an important concept. I tried to have a friend (Tomo) explain to me what a certain verb-form meant. He said something like, 'well, it's most likely now, maybe earlier too, and probably later also.' ??? In English, we have forms like 'I have been eating' which indicates past and (usually) present action also. The present action may be slightly uncertain, but at least the past progressive is known for sure. In Japanese, it seems a lot goes unsaid and a lot is unknown.
But I am just beginning learning this language, so please (if you have experience in this area) advise me. I really don't know much for certain about the language... I just try to apply everything I kind of know as often as possible. Maybe the uncertainty is something I've acquired...........maybe.............I don't know.............. ;)
Oh, and 'gebble-geh' is something Erika-chan (Shindo- & Yuko-san's daughter) says randomly form time to time.
Today's post has been really random and unorganized...Sorry about that.
Okay, now I'll paste an e-mail I sent to a few of you:
I made pottery with friends...
Watched Shindo-san fall into Tamagawa (Tama River)...
Became a mummy at church camp...
Went to Hamura's Omatsuri (summer festival for my homestay city)...
And visited Sailor Moon's garden (for those of you who can't read the sign, it says 'Sailor Moon')...
arg...........why aren't the pictures posting????
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Camp fire = hell?
Last week was soooo busy! Mon, Tue, Thu, and Fri mornings from 9-12 I helped the church kindergarten's English teacher with her English camp. Thur-Sat was an overnight church camp for grades 1-6 (grades 1-2 didn't stay overnight). Several middle-schoolers and singles helped out. Not long after I got back to my homestay on Sat afternoon, I had to get ready to go to our city's summer festival. Sunday was packed too, so I didn't really rest until Monday morning. Today (Tue) was pretty much a full day of rest, so I think I've recovered!!!
Here's an edited version of what I journaled Sat morning:
"today is the third and last day of church camp. Last night, after Shindo-san told me several kids were close to accepting Christ, I prayed that someone would. Fuki (foo-kee) did! [Fuki is 3rd-grade girl whose family comes to the church] At first, I thought it was bad that she wasn't really paying attention to what the pastor was saying during his mini-sermon. Instead, she kept saying how scary the camp fire looked. Then I prayed that God would even use the fire to reach the kid's hearts...First Yochi (a guy in his early twenties, soon-to-be elementary school teacher, camp emcee) and then Shindo-san talked with her as I sat with her. Even though the pastor said nothing about hell last night--nor did any of the camps' topics thus far been on that topic--that's what was on Fuki's mind. She said that, as she looked at the fire, she thought of hell, and that she didn't want to go there. Later that night she talked with Yochi again and prayed to receive Christ. Praise the Lord for Fuki!!!"
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
churches I've given my testimony at & b-day gifts
ABOVE
The 3rd church I shared my testimony at in Japanese was Okubo church in Shinjuku. Here's the pastor, Shin Kawano, and his family (his elder daughter is hidden behind him). Pray for unity of the Spirit!
21st b-day gifts: flowers from Daiju, origami and other hand-made gifts from little girls at church, stationary & stickers, letters, and a traditional handbag from Kazumi.
The first church I shared my testimony at was Elevate Church in Osaka. It just got started recently. Pray for its growth!!!
This is J-Wave, a monthly Friday night youth event. (those on stage are dressed special because it's a holiday, namely, Tanabata) Pray for souls to be saved through this event, and that the Christians there are encouraged and stay strong.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
A Japanese Gospel Choir
Today I got to hang out with Shigeko, whom I met last year on my first trip to Tokyo. She hasn't been a Christian for too long, and it was great to be able to encourage her in her faith.
She showed me a great time. Shigeko herself is a riot, and her friends are all very unique people. After going to my first Japanese yard sale, we went to see a church's Gospel choir perform (I'll try uploading a video later...it isn't working now). I could tell they practiced really hard. English is soooo different from Japanese, especially in pronuncian. Props to the gospel choir!
Afterward, Shigeko, Rita (a missionary from Brazil), Midori, Megu (the latter two nonChristian ladies) and I went out to eat for dinner. The restaurant was Jonathan's (no, it doesn't belong to my elder brother...). Quite fun. I hope I can hang out with them again. Megu and I exchanged e-mails and phone numbers.
Tomorrow I'll give my testimony in Japanese...this is my third time to do it. Daiju translated it, and I'm just reading (not quoting) it, but it's still hard for me. At least I can get others to read the Scripture verses. That makes it easier for me...but it's still hard.
May God be glorified!!!
She showed me a great time. Shigeko herself is a riot, and her friends are all very unique people. After going to my first Japanese yard sale, we went to see a church's Gospel choir perform (I'll try uploading a video later...it isn't working now). I could tell they practiced really hard. English is soooo different from Japanese, especially in pronuncian. Props to the gospel choir!
Afterward, Shigeko, Rita (a missionary from Brazil), Midori, Megu (the latter two nonChristian ladies) and I went out to eat for dinner. The restaurant was Jonathan's (no, it doesn't belong to my elder brother...). Quite fun. I hope I can hang out with them again. Megu and I exchanged e-mails and phone numbers.
Tomorrow I'll give my testimony in Japanese...this is my third time to do it. Daiju translated it, and I'm just reading (not quoting) it, but it's still hard for me. At least I can get others to read the Scripture verses. That makes it easier for me...but it's still hard.
May God be glorified!!!
Friday, July 21, 2006
yo-sh
Okay, so I'm sure I've been told this before, but I was reminded today: it's funny to hear a girly girl say 'yosh'. It's more of a guy thing to say. It means something like 'oka---y' when you're moving into a different room or something. Kinda hard to explain in writing...
Oh, and sorry that I had the comment setting wrong. I had told people that they could comment, but I had it set to where only Blogger members could comment! Oops! Sorry y'all!
I'm soooo busy...More update later!!!!
Oh, and sorry that I had the comment setting wrong. I had told people that they could comment, but I had it set to where only Blogger members could comment! Oops! Sorry y'all!
I'm soooo busy...More update later!!!!
Monday, July 17, 2006
It's all about 愛 (love)
People have been wondering why I came all the way to Japan alone just to help churches (not sight-see) and why I like Japan and its people so much. That's when I get to tell them I want to share God's love with the people. The love I have for Japan comes from Him. I am here to give the approximately 98% who don't know Christ (most haven't even heard of Him) the opportunity to do so. "You are the Lord, the Famous One/Great is Your name in all the earth..."
I've started a little get together at church on Monday afternoons called Meet Amanda. I hope it will be a good outreach program. I am trying to get Jr. High and Highschoolers to come. I invited a few I saw on the train today. Everyone tells me the kids come to church until around sixth grade, and then they disappear until college/work-age. But this gap must be bridged. Just look at Japan's news: the younger generation is degrading to a level as low as or lower than many American youth. Sure, Japan's crime rate is still lower than the US, but that doesn't mean nothing's wrong. A recent static trend has been children burning down their homes with their parents inside. Adults are messed up too--just like you see in the US. But God has called me to Japan. So, to those of you in the US, がんばれ！ Persevere!
My pastor (not Dr. Mathews, but Takarada-sensei) came to the church here with two representatives from a group of Americans trying to use Billy Grahams' evangelism method to reach the world for Christ. They told us that, basically, you pray fervently for like 10 nonbelievers you are in consistent contact with. You pray for them for 6 months, all the while sharing the Gospel with them. At the end of the six months, you invite them to a big revival/rally thingy, at which most if not all accept Christ as Lord and Savior. One of the members said something profound: he said he's sick of making excuses. Japanese hearts are hard, seemingly impenetrable. The Japanese are a hard group to reach, even for their own. Many methods of outreach have been implemented, but with few positive results. He said he feels it's time to PRAY.
みなさん、 祈りましょう！ Everybody, let's pray!
I've started a little get together at church on Monday afternoons called Meet Amanda. I hope it will be a good outreach program. I am trying to get Jr. High and Highschoolers to come. I invited a few I saw on the train today. Everyone tells me the kids come to church until around sixth grade, and then they disappear until college/work-age. But this gap must be bridged. Just look at Japan's news: the younger generation is degrading to a level as low as or lower than many American youth. Sure, Japan's crime rate is still lower than the US, but that doesn't mean nothing's wrong. A recent static trend has been children burning down their homes with their parents inside. Adults are messed up too--just like you see in the US. But God has called me to Japan. So, to those of you in the US, がんばれ！ Persevere!
My pastor (not Dr. Mathews, but Takarada-sensei) came to the church here with two representatives from a group of Americans trying to use Billy Grahams' evangelism method to reach the world for Christ. They told us that, basically, you pray fervently for like 10 nonbelievers you are in consistent contact with. You pray for them for 6 months, all the while sharing the Gospel with them. At the end of the six months, you invite them to a big revival/rally thingy, at which most if not all accept Christ as Lord and Savior. One of the members said something profound: he said he's sick of making excuses. Japanese hearts are hard, seemingly impenetrable. The Japanese are a hard group to reach, even for their own. Many methods of outreach have been implemented, but with few positive results. He said he feels it's time to PRAY.
みなさん、 祈りましょう！ Everybody, let's pray!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
the church as a family
I know Scripture talks about the church being a family--esp. like a marriage. But I never thought of being involved in more than one church at a time as trying to be a member of two families at once. That's something I was just told today. I'm to remember the roles of the pastor and others, as well as mine, recognize them, respect them, and keep them. It can be detrimental for me to try to serve in two churches at one time. The church I serve in should be the one whose pastor I am accountable to and who is responsible for my spiritual welfare.
This is a really new concept for me, so it will take some time for me to really grasp and believe it.
Above are some pictures (maybe just one, I don't know how many loaded) from when Makito (my previous roommate[Satoko]'s bf) came to the church here.
busy busy busy busy.........................
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
I don't wanna miss a thing
No, I'm not singing a country song...I'm talking about the Bible.
Tonight at Akebono Baptist Church's prayer meeting, we read from 2 Chronicles (sp?) 19. How could I miss such a cool chapter?? I know I've read the whole book, but I guess not carefully enough. I now re-resolve to read the Bible more carefully! We should discern and judge via our God!!!
Please pray for the new Christians in Japan. They face a very difficult decision--how to serve God and not idols without ostracizing themselves from their families and society.
Today I talked with several elementary school age girls about my experience as a church kid. After I told them my experiences and what I have learned (that going to church should be something I want to do, not just an obligation to my parents), we had a Q&A time. They asked me all kinds of questions (I understood less than half of them--thankfully Shindo-sensei was there to translate for me).
"How old were you when you first went to church?"
"In church in America, do you sing songs and play games and hand-bells?"
"How many Bibles do you have? Were they all given to you?"
"Have you read the entire Bible?"
"Was there ever a time you didn't want to go to church? Why?"
"When you were a kid, was there something about church you didn't like?"
"How fast can you read one page of the Bible? How long does it take to read one book in the Bible?"
I got several questions like that last one. It was then that I explained the important thing is to listen to what God says as you read the Bible, not to finish it quickly. I said:
Imagine both of your parents went on a trip without you and left you here. You get a really long letter from them. It is a very special letter. Do you look at it and say, 'Okay, how fast can I read this letter?' or do you read it carefully and thoughtfully, thinking of them as you read? That's how it is with us and God. The Bible contains His words.
Tonight at Akebono Baptist Church's prayer meeting, we read from 2 Chronicles (sp?) 19. How could I miss such a cool chapter?? I know I've read the whole book, but I guess not carefully enough. I now re-resolve to read the Bible more carefully! We should discern and judge via our God!!!
Please pray for the new Christians in Japan. They face a very difficult decision--how to serve God and not idols without ostracizing themselves from their families and society.
Today I talked with several elementary school age girls about my experience as a church kid. After I told them my experiences and what I have learned (that going to church should be something I want to do, not just an obligation to my parents), we had a Q&A time. They asked me all kinds of questions (I understood less than half of them--thankfully Shindo-sensei was there to translate for me).
"How old were you when you first went to church?"
"In church in America, do you sing songs and play games and hand-bells?"
"How many Bibles do you have? Were they all given to you?"
"Have you read the entire Bible?"
"Was there ever a time you didn't want to go to church? Why?"
"When you were a kid, was there something about church you didn't like?"
"How fast can you read one page of the Bible? How long does it take to read one book in the Bible?"
I got several questions like that last one. It was then that I explained the important thing is to listen to what God says as you read the Bible, not to finish it quickly. I said:
Imagine both of your parents went on a trip without you and left you here. You get a really long letter from them. It is a very special letter. Do you look at it and say, 'Okay, how fast can I read this letter?' or do you read it carefully and thoughtfully, thinking of them as you read? That's how it is with us and God. The Bible contains His words.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Mitsu-chan ate my donuts
I really like my host family. They are so kind and patient and understanding--just wonderful people all around. But their dog, Mitsu, has a lot of growing up to do.
Mitsu barks loud and often. She jumps onto the table and eats a whole plate of food in seconds. She seems to take a long time to warm up to people. She took my shoes. She stuck her face into a guest's bag and tried to pull out some goodies. She barked many times over during the prayer at our Bible study.
The donuts weren't actually mine. On Saturday, I went shopping with Yuko and her daughter, Erika (Shindo-sensei's family). We went to Mr. Donut (a popular donut shop who's name I am sure I misspelled somehow). I just got a shake, but Erika got a little box of donuts. She couldn't eat them all in one sitting, and her mother's arms were already occupied by Erika, so I volunteered to keep them in my backpack.
Yuko had to rush to get a train back to her place (that's a WHOLE 'nother story!), and I forgot to hand off the donuts to her. She called me later and told me to eat them for breakfast on Sunday. Mitsu had other plans...
I set the donuts on the table. They were in a bag. I just left them for a minute. When I returned, the entire bag was empty and paper was hanging out of Mitsu's mouth. I looked up the word 'vomit' in my bilingual dictionary so I could warn my host mother. She was shocked, as always, by Mitsu's behavior, but said Mitsu wouldn't vomit.
Since then we have been taking extra precautions to protect our food from Mitsu.
Yesterday I stayed at a friend's house overnight. We had dinner at midnight. I was the only one there who thought that was strange. When I told them that I and many other Americans often have dinner around 7pm, they thought that was quite early. When I mentioned my family prefers 5pm, their jaws dropped. [note: another Japanese family I stayed with is accustomed to eating at 6pm, so I think it just depends on the family and the age of the kids]
Today I drank kelp tea. It looked like a ball of moss in light green water, smelled like the ocean, and tasted salty. All around, not that bad. I actually kind of liked it (not that I'm requesting it or anything--I just don't mind it).
This past weekend was really busy and kind of hard, but it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot.
When I gave my testimony in Japanese on Friday night (I just read Daiju's translation of it...), I was so scared. I hated how hard it was just for me to read a piece of paper. I don't know how my international friends can memorize whole presentations for college in the US. Several times, I seriously considered stepping down. I genuinely wanted to give up. I wanted someone to walk up their and take the paper from me, to put me out of my misery. But each time I was tempted to step down, I took a deep breath, swallowed my frustration, and remembered one very important thing: THIS is the whole reason I am in Japan! I came here to share the good news with Japanese people--the good news of His grace, what God has done in my life.
Jesus Himself said, 'What should I say? Should I ask to let this hour pass from me? No, it was for this very reason I have come.' (see John 12:27-30)
Mitsu barks loud and often. She jumps onto the table and eats a whole plate of food in seconds. She seems to take a long time to warm up to people. She took my shoes. She stuck her face into a guest's bag and tried to pull out some goodies. She barked many times over during the prayer at our Bible study.
The donuts weren't actually mine. On Saturday, I went shopping with Yuko and her daughter, Erika (Shindo-sensei's family). We went to Mr. Donut (a popular donut shop who's name I am sure I misspelled somehow). I just got a shake, but Erika got a little box of donuts. She couldn't eat them all in one sitting, and her mother's arms were already occupied by Erika, so I volunteered to keep them in my backpack.
Yuko had to rush to get a train back to her place (that's a WHOLE 'nother story!), and I forgot to hand off the donuts to her. She called me later and told me to eat them for breakfast on Sunday. Mitsu had other plans...
I set the donuts on the table. They were in a bag. I just left them for a minute. When I returned, the entire bag was empty and paper was hanging out of Mitsu's mouth. I looked up the word 'vomit' in my bilingual dictionary so I could warn my host mother. She was shocked, as always, by Mitsu's behavior, but said Mitsu wouldn't vomit.
Since then we have been taking extra precautions to protect our food from Mitsu.
Yesterday I stayed at a friend's house overnight. We had dinner at midnight. I was the only one there who thought that was strange. When I told them that I and many other Americans often have dinner around 7pm, they thought that was quite early. When I mentioned my family prefers 5pm, their jaws dropped. [note: another Japanese family I stayed with is accustomed to eating at 6pm, so I think it just depends on the family and the age of the kids]
Today I drank kelp tea. It looked like a ball of moss in light green water, smelled like the ocean, and tasted salty. All around, not that bad. I actually kind of liked it (not that I'm requesting it or anything--I just don't mind it).
This past weekend was really busy and kind of hard, but it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot.
When I gave my testimony in Japanese on Friday night (I just read Daiju's translation of it...), I was so scared. I hated how hard it was just for me to read a piece of paper. I don't know how my international friends can memorize whole presentations for college in the US. Several times, I seriously considered stepping down. I genuinely wanted to give up. I wanted someone to walk up their and take the paper from me, to put me out of my misery. But each time I was tempted to step down, I took a deep breath, swallowed my frustration, and remembered one very important thing: THIS is the whole reason I am in Japan! I came here to share the good news with Japanese people--the good news of His grace, what God has done in my life.
Jesus Himself said, 'What should I say? Should I ask to let this hour pass from me? No, it was for this very reason I have come.' (see John 12:27-30)
Thursday, July 06, 2006
sha-shim
So, these are the pictures from Monday, when I (Barbie blue dress) hung out with Katie (yellow Snow-White style dress) and Liz (velvet red dress). Both of these ladies are 2-year missionaries to Osaka. Katie will finish her term this year, which Liz just got started at the beginning of this year.When we saw these crazy costume dresses, we couldn't resist playing dress-up. Notice I got to be the bridesmaid twice. Looking at my dress, I think Liz's wedding's theme was Hanshin Tigers (Osaka baseball team).
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Chiba
Now I am in Chiba (near Tokyo). After several hours on a shinkansen (bullet train), the ofuro (personal hot tub) felt REALLY good. I am staying at a friend's house now. Tomorrow I will go with her to take her son, Rui, to school. Then we will go shopping. It's very relaxing at her house.
Though I love Osaka and the people I left there, I have a stong assurance within me that I left at the right time. I know I should be here now and not there. It's weird--I love Osaka so much, but now I am becoming more and more confident that I should be in the countryside, probably in the Kanto area.
On Friday I'll meet a bunch of the people I will be serving with for the next month or so. That's also when I move in with my long-term host family. Finally, I will have my checked bags!!! I don't have to wash clothes every 2-3 days any more!! I will have my junk!! Hoo-hah.
Japan's prime minister (Junichiro Koizumi) visited Pres. G. W. Bush in the USA the other day. My mom watched it there in English, and I here in Japanese, and we both got this much of the story: the prime minister likes Elvis. Neither of us knows why he visited our country. Nice...actually, pretty darn sad...but anyway.............
I have talked on the phone twice with my mom since I've been here and once with Daiju (last night). I'm not really homesick yet though. Just trying to get over jet-lag and missing my bf. The phone call helped with the latter, staying active with the former.
Now I am considering applying for the JET program. We'll see what God says and does...
Though I love Osaka and the people I left there, I have a stong assurance within me that I left at the right time. I know I should be here now and not there. It's weird--I love Osaka so much, but now I am becoming more and more confident that I should be in the countryside, probably in the Kanto area.
On Friday I'll meet a bunch of the people I will be serving with for the next month or so. That's also when I move in with my long-term host family. Finally, I will have my checked bags!!! I don't have to wash clothes every 2-3 days any more!! I will have my junk!! Hoo-hah.
Japan's prime minister (Junichiro Koizumi) visited Pres. G. W. Bush in the USA the other day. My mom watched it there in English, and I here in Japanese, and we both got this much of the story: the prime minister likes Elvis. Neither of us knows why he visited our country. Nice...actually, pretty darn sad...but anyway.............
I have talked on the phone twice with my mom since I've been here and once with Daiju (last night). I'm not really homesick yet though. Just trying to get over jet-lag and missing my bf. The phone call helped with the latter, staying active with the former.
Now I am considering applying for the JET program. We'll see what God says and does...
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Quick Note and Mini-Sermon
Notice--
Today I gave my testimony in Japanese at Elevate Church. I don't think I did well, but at least I did it. I surrendered it to Christ before going up there, and I know I did my best, so I am tryin not be down about it.
I have this weird tendency to put myself down for not having gone further instead of praising myself for improving as much as I have. I have noticed this with my learning of Japanese. People tell me じょうず じょうず、but I rarely agree with them. I am so far from where I want to be in communicating. Yet I know the ability I have is from God, so who am I to argue with His pace?
It's hard to go from knowing to believing, isn't it?
This morning I read from Acts 10:9-something. It was right after the centurian Cornelius sent his guys to find Peter so he could know Jesus, but before Peter truly believed God wants every nation to come to Him. When, in the trance/vision, God offered various cermonially 'unclean' kinds of meat to Peter, he refused them. He didn't refuse them saying 'no, God! How could I dishoner You and displease You by eating that??' No. He, in effect, said 'No way jose! That'd break my perfect record of self-righteousness!!!!' Don't we often think that way? We prefer to follow the rule over the Ruler.
Today a fairly new Christian asked me about two controversial topics in the Christian circle: baptism and alcohol.
She said, "In Japan, we have two kinds--the sprinkle and the immersion. Do you have two kinds in America, too?" I told her yes, but explained the controversy. Though I am partial to the baptists, having been raised as one, I told her the important thing was the meaning. When a person is baptized, it is because they want to show everyone that they truly have dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ and have gained a new life. So, technically, a sprinkle could serve this purpose. Heck, drinking orange juice could serve the pupose if everyone agreed it symbolized that. But the preference the Baptists cling to, immersion, is on account of the meaning of the word 'baptism' as it is used in the Bible. The original word means 'to submerge', so to follow the Bible that literally would mean to be immersed into the water after conversion to Christianity.
Then she asked about if it was okay for a Christian to drink alcohol. Again, being raised in the environment I was, I would prefer to tell her not to drink. But the Bible says Christians can drink alcohol---just don't get drunk. The theory traditional and logical 'dry' folk have is that one does not always know the strength of the beverage and thus could not know one's own limit. Therefore, it is safer not to drink at all than to risk being drunk.
This is one of those eating-meat-sacrificed-to-idols debates. If you feel it is a sin for you OR if by doing it you could cause someone else to sin (like, someone sees you drinking and says "Oh, he's drinking! I'm gonna go get drunk! Woopy!), then DON'T do it. But if you have NO conviction from the Holy Spirit, God's Word, or otherwise against it, then go ahead and don't be ashamed.
Today I gave my testimony in Japanese at Elevate Church. I don't think I did well, but at least I did it. I surrendered it to Christ before going up there, and I know I did my best, so I am tryin not be down about it.
I have this weird tendency to put myself down for not having gone further instead of praising myself for improving as much as I have. I have noticed this with my learning of Japanese. People tell me じょうず じょうず、but I rarely agree with them. I am so far from where I want to be in communicating. Yet I know the ability I have is from God, so who am I to argue with His pace?
It's hard to go from knowing to believing, isn't it?
This morning I read from Acts 10:9-something. It was right after the centurian Cornelius sent his guys to find Peter so he could know Jesus, but before Peter truly believed God wants every nation to come to Him. When, in the trance/vision, God offered various cermonially 'unclean' kinds of meat to Peter, he refused them. He didn't refuse them saying 'no, God! How could I dishoner You and displease You by eating that??' No. He, in effect, said 'No way jose! That'd break my perfect record of self-righteousness!!!!' Don't we often think that way? We prefer to follow the rule over the Ruler.
Today a fairly new Christian asked me about two controversial topics in the Christian circle: baptism and alcohol.
She said, "In Japan, we have two kinds--the sprinkle and the immersion. Do you have two kinds in America, too?" I told her yes, but explained the controversy. Though I am partial to the baptists, having been raised as one, I told her the important thing was the meaning. When a person is baptized, it is because they want to show everyone that they truly have dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ and have gained a new life. So, technically, a sprinkle could serve this purpose. Heck, drinking orange juice could serve the pupose if everyone agreed it symbolized that. But the preference the Baptists cling to, immersion, is on account of the meaning of the word 'baptism' as it is used in the Bible. The original word means 'to submerge', so to follow the Bible that literally would mean to be immersed into the water after conversion to Christianity.
Then she asked about if it was okay for a Christian to drink alcohol. Again, being raised in the environment I was, I would prefer to tell her not to drink. But the Bible says Christians can drink alcohol---just don't get drunk. The theory traditional and logical 'dry' folk have is that one does not always know the strength of the beverage and thus could not know one's own limit. Therefore, it is safer not to drink at all than to risk being drunk.
This is one of those eating-meat-sacrificed-to-idols debates. If you feel it is a sin for you OR if by doing it you could cause someone else to sin (like, someone sees you drinking and says "Oh, he's drinking! I'm gonna go get drunk! Woopy!), then DON'T do it. But if you have NO conviction from the Holy Spirit, God's Word, or otherwise against it, then go ahead and don't be ashamed.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Mr. Tokio and Company
Yesterday I volunteered at an day-care center for the elderly (Takuya, my host brother, works there). It was a great experience. I got to interact with the elderly people as well as the employees. I hope they saw Christ in me, even though I didn't get to tell them about Him audibly (oh well--that's why Taku's there, right!?!).
Taku drove them in, about 6 in all, and staff led them in slowly one at a time. I stood inside with an employee, greeting them as they arrived. Those who could express themselves showed their surprise at my being there--not only an unfamiliar face but a foreign one.
Taku warned me about a couple of them, I guess so I wouldn't be shocked. [any of you who have ever been to a nursing home know what kind of characters you can meet there]
Mr. Tokio was the last to arrive, and he wasn't really THERE most of the time. He sat fast asleep in his wheelchair 98% of the time. He had to be fed by one of the workers. I don't know if he could move any part of his body, and he never spoke.
Pardon me for forgetting many other names...
One lady, at least 80 years old, could not stand up straight. Her back was hunched over, as if she were sitting down everywhere she went. But her mind was perfectly fine, and she could easily participate with the rest of the group.
Another had a body which functioned fairly well, but her mind was in another place entirely. She had lost a baby many years ago, and now she carries a doll with her in its place. She truly believes that doll is her baby--she talks to it, holds it, puts it in a stroller...
The lady who sat next to the baby seldom spoke, but she was great at Jenga! I think her mind is pretty okay, she just has a blank, almost shocked expression constantly and can't say much.
(I'll abbreviate the next two names...)
Ms. C was happy as soon as she walked in the door. The only thing that got her down was when she tried to explain her stroke and its reprecussions to me. Her right side is paralysed, and she can only say a few phrases.
I had learned about Broca's aphasia in my linguistics classes, but I hadn't seen it since then. One of the books mentioned that Japanese Broca's aphasics could understand Kanji (roughly, Chinese pictograms, based on objects and ideas) but not Hiragana or Katakana (sylabic alphabets, based on sound).
This appeared to be Ms. C's case. I don't know what she could perceive or understand, but I know she could only write Kanji. She would write when we couldn't guess what she was trying to say. Even with so few words for her mouth, she was very expressive. I loved talking with her. Her peppy personality reminded me of my maternal grandmother.
Mr. K was by far the most level-headed and well of the group (he was in his late 70s, I think). He could walk (however slowly) without a cane or anything, and his speech and mind were little if at all impaired. He also knew some English, and tried to translate some of the day for me. He told me about his experience as an engineer, working on cars, and other things. He knew Texas for its oil, and Gunma for its old plane manufacturing plant (Daiju, correct me if this is wrong! I think that's what he said...). He was a very nice man.
The day reminded me of a preschool or kindergarten class somewhat. We watched a little TV, had multiple breaks (for tea, not juice), did a craft (making an attendance schedule), sang some songs, had some games, and even recreation. The main difference was the turn-taking for assisted bathing and the mouth exercises prior to eating lunch (please tell me you don't do that with pre-k or K kids at school or day-care...). I don't think I will ever forget the recreation time (Un-do), especially Mr. K's translation of the activities. "Now, we have finger exercises. This is the parent finger (thumb), this is the person finger (index/pointing), this is the center finger (middle), this is the medicine finger, and " I forgot what he said the pinky was.
Taku drove them in, about 6 in all, and staff led them in slowly one at a time. I stood inside with an employee, greeting them as they arrived. Those who could express themselves showed their surprise at my being there--not only an unfamiliar face but a foreign one.
Taku warned me about a couple of them, I guess so I wouldn't be shocked. [any of you who have ever been to a nursing home know what kind of characters you can meet there]
Mr. Tokio was the last to arrive, and he wasn't really THERE most of the time. He sat fast asleep in his wheelchair 98% of the time. He had to be fed by one of the workers. I don't know if he could move any part of his body, and he never spoke.
Pardon me for forgetting many other names...
One lady, at least 80 years old, could not stand up straight. Her back was hunched over, as if she were sitting down everywhere she went. But her mind was perfectly fine, and she could easily participate with the rest of the group.
Another had a body which functioned fairly well, but her mind was in another place entirely. She had lost a baby many years ago, and now she carries a doll with her in its place. She truly believes that doll is her baby--she talks to it, holds it, puts it in a stroller...
The lady who sat next to the baby seldom spoke, but she was great at Jenga! I think her mind is pretty okay, she just has a blank, almost shocked expression constantly and can't say much.
(I'll abbreviate the next two names...)
Ms. C was happy as soon as she walked in the door. The only thing that got her down was when she tried to explain her stroke and its reprecussions to me. Her right side is paralysed, and she can only say a few phrases.
I had learned about Broca's aphasia in my linguistics classes, but I hadn't seen it since then. One of the books mentioned that Japanese Broca's aphasics could understand Kanji (roughly, Chinese pictograms, based on objects and ideas) but not Hiragana or Katakana (sylabic alphabets, based on sound).
This appeared to be Ms. C's case. I don't know what she could perceive or understand, but I know she could only write Kanji. She would write when we couldn't guess what she was trying to say. Even with so few words for her mouth, she was very expressive. I loved talking with her. Her peppy personality reminded me of my maternal grandmother.
Mr. K was by far the most level-headed and well of the group (he was in his late 70s, I think). He could walk (however slowly) without a cane or anything, and his speech and mind were little if at all impaired. He also knew some English, and tried to translate some of the day for me. He told me about his experience as an engineer, working on cars, and other things. He knew Texas for its oil, and Gunma for its old plane manufacturing plant (Daiju, correct me if this is wrong! I think that's what he said...). He was a very nice man.
The day reminded me of a preschool or kindergarten class somewhat. We watched a little TV, had multiple breaks (for tea, not juice), did a craft (making an attendance schedule), sang some songs, had some games, and even recreation. The main difference was the turn-taking for assisted bathing and the mouth exercises prior to eating lunch (please tell me you don't do that with pre-k or K kids at school or day-care...). I don't think I will ever forget the recreation time (Un-do), especially Mr. K's translation of the activities. "Now, we have finger exercises. This is the parent finger (thumb), this is the person finger (index/pointing), this is the center finger (middle), this is the medicine finger, and " I forgot what he said the pinky was.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
ただいま
I'm here. I just arrived in Japan yesterday. The flight took 13 hours, and the train 4 (one on a 'normal' train, 3 on a shinkansen). I don't feel too sorry for myself, though, because I know it could always be worse: I know people who have flown to India, which took like 26 hours. At least I was on the ground for the last part of my trip!!!
I wonder if I annoyed the guy in the seat behind me on the bullet train. Every time we went through a tunnel, I closed my window shade so I wouldn't have to look at my exhausted reflection. When we got out, I would open it so I could see the mountains (I was hoping to see Fuji-san, but I don't think we even went by it!). This process went on for the whole 3 hours I was on the train. Well, I guess not the WHOLE 3 hours--I did sleep for part of it.
I arrived in Osaka at 7pm. My host family said to call them when I got there, so I didn't expect them to be waiting for me when I got there. They were. As I made a mad dash for the restroom, I heard my host brother, Takuya (age 21), yelling for me as 6 of the train station staff looked on smirking. I ran over to him saying ’といれ！’(toilet) frantically until he shewed me away. When I came back and exited the ticket gate, we all had a heartful ’ひさしぶり’(long-time-no-see) and headed toward another train station to get Tsugumi (host sister, age 15), who was just getting back from school.
Then we went to a traditional Japanese restaraunt for dinner. We put our shoes in lockers and followed the hostess to a lowered table. Dinner was great--I wish I could have finished it. My body was too tired to eat a lot.
As we left, Takuya glanced around the restaraunt and said, smiling, "They're all staring at you." Yeah, yeah. Guess I'll have to get re-used to that. I mostly ignore it, but it is hard to when I'm stationary (like sitting on a train or something).
I love their guest room! I got to sleep on a futon on the たたみ (tatami) floor! It was so nice.
I really want to go somewhere. It's noon and I'm at the house alone (everybody's at work or school). I was hoping to meet Katie (missionary to Osaka), but she hasn't answered her phone. I guess I could go out alone, but that'd be weird and lonesome. I'll probably just walk to the コンビ二 (convenience store) and grab some lunch there. I dunno.
I got an e-mail from Shindo-san saying I should contact him ASAP because "I'm responsible for you. Got it?" Agast (not really), I searched frantically through my e-mail for his phone number. I e-mailed him, saying I couldn't find it. Then I found it and called him. (He just wanted to check on me and make sure everything was okay.)
Saturday and Sunday are booked, but weekdays are empty until Tuesday. I hope Katie calls me back!!! Otherwise I'll have to make new friends!!!! LOL. j/k
I will be in Osaka until late Tuesday, and then will move to Chiba for two days. From there I'll move to Tokyo, where I'll stay until August 13th. I will be in Gunma from the 13th to the 22nd. I will come home on the 22nd, arriving before I left. School starts the following Monday. I have to move into my new apt. sometime before then!
Ain't life grand?
I wonder if I annoyed the guy in the seat behind me on the bullet train. Every time we went through a tunnel, I closed my window shade so I wouldn't have to look at my exhausted reflection. When we got out, I would open it so I could see the mountains (I was hoping to see Fuji-san, but I don't think we even went by it!). This process went on for the whole 3 hours I was on the train. Well, I guess not the WHOLE 3 hours--I did sleep for part of it.
I arrived in Osaka at 7pm. My host family said to call them when I got there, so I didn't expect them to be waiting for me when I got there. They were. As I made a mad dash for the restroom, I heard my host brother, Takuya (age 21), yelling for me as 6 of the train station staff looked on smirking. I ran over to him saying ’といれ！’(toilet) frantically until he shewed me away. When I came back and exited the ticket gate, we all had a heartful ’ひさしぶり’(long-time-no-see) and headed toward another train station to get Tsugumi (host sister, age 15), who was just getting back from school.
Then we went to a traditional Japanese restaraunt for dinner. We put our shoes in lockers and followed the hostess to a lowered table. Dinner was great--I wish I could have finished it. My body was too tired to eat a lot.
As we left, Takuya glanced around the restaraunt and said, smiling, "They're all staring at you." Yeah, yeah. Guess I'll have to get re-used to that. I mostly ignore it, but it is hard to when I'm stationary (like sitting on a train or something).
I love their guest room! I got to sleep on a futon on the たたみ (tatami) floor! It was so nice.
I really want to go somewhere. It's noon and I'm at the house alone (everybody's at work or school). I was hoping to meet Katie (missionary to Osaka), but she hasn't answered her phone. I guess I could go out alone, but that'd be weird and lonesome. I'll probably just walk to the コンビ二 (convenience store) and grab some lunch there. I dunno.
I got an e-mail from Shindo-san saying I should contact him ASAP because "I'm responsible for you. Got it?" Agast (not really), I searched frantically through my e-mail for his phone number. I e-mailed him, saying I couldn't find it. Then I found it and called him. (He just wanted to check on me and make sure everything was okay.)
Saturday and Sunday are booked, but weekdays are empty until Tuesday. I hope Katie calls me back!!! Otherwise I'll have to make new friends!!!! LOL. j/k
I will be in Osaka until late Tuesday, and then will move to Chiba for two days. From there I'll move to Tokyo, where I'll stay until August 13th. I will be in Gunma from the 13th to the 22nd. I will come home on the 22nd, arriving before I left. School starts the following Monday. I have to move into my new apt. sometime before then!
Ain't life grand?
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Anxiety rears its ugly head..........
My friends tell me my Japanese has gotten better in the past year, but I don't know if that will be apparent to my friends in Osaka. I've been working on the standard version, not the Osaka dialect. So, I wonder how much I'll understand or be able to communicate. I'll practice what I know and what I found on that website, but I'm still not confident.
I'm supposed to have my testimony (statement of how I became a Christian) memorized IN JAPANESE and be ready to give it when I visit churches in Tokyo. *deep sigh* It's possible, but quite intimidating. Thankfully, my boyfriend (who is from Kanto region, the home of the standard dialect) is more than willing to translate it for me. He said he'll go over it with me so I can be sure to understand what I'm saying.
I leave for Japan on Tuesday. It's a long flight...like 14 hours...I hope I can make a friend on the plane. That's a long time to be silent. It made me a little crazy by the end of the flight last time.
You can never out-give a Japanese person! That's one reason why choosing what gifts to bring for people is hard. But I do have one advantage: since I'm still a student, and a foreigner, they don't expect much from me. The people who have it hard are people like Roy-san, who is Japanese but grew up in the US. When he goes to Japan, people often expect him to understand and follow all the social rules and be able to speak fluent Japanese.
I'm supposed to have my testimony (statement of how I became a Christian) memorized IN JAPANESE and be ready to give it when I visit churches in Tokyo. *deep sigh* It's possible, but quite intimidating. Thankfully, my boyfriend (who is from Kanto region, the home of the standard dialect) is more than willing to translate it for me. He said he'll go over it with me so I can be sure to understand what I'm saying.
I leave for Japan on Tuesday. It's a long flight...like 14 hours...I hope I can make a friend on the plane. That's a long time to be silent. It made me a little crazy by the end of the flight last time.
You can never out-give a Japanese person! That's one reason why choosing what gifts to bring for people is hard. But I do have one advantage: since I'm still a student, and a foreigner, they don't expect much from me. The people who have it hard are people like Roy-san, who is Japanese but grew up in the US. When he goes to Japan, people often expect him to understand and follow all the social rules and be able to speak fluent Japanese.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Pleasant Surprise
Today I actually encountered a nice driver of a large vehicle in Dallas. Most Dallas drivers lean toward self-indulgence (myself sometimes included), but this one noticed I couldn't see past his big front-end, smiled, and backed up so I could see to turn right. People who drive large vehicles often forget the little guys, so this person was quite unique. God bless whoever you are!!! ^_^
Speaking of big-vehicle drivers who ignore the little guys, my sister got hit by one the other day. She's only 16 and just barely learned to drive a standard. To be more precise, she was not hit, but backed onto. Yes, ONTO, not INTO. Her little white Metro must have been invisible to the guy in front of her. He stopped at the stop sign, and then shifted to reverse. She found the horn, and only then did he notice her. Her car wouldn't start--the whole front end of the "egg-mobile" was smashed in. It's in the shop now.
I leave for Japan on Tuesday...I still haven't finished unpacking the boxes from my old apt.........
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggg
Speaking of big-vehicle drivers who ignore the little guys, my sister got hit by one the other day. She's only 16 and just barely learned to drive a standard. To be more precise, she was not hit, but backed onto. Yes, ONTO, not INTO. Her little white Metro must have been invisible to the guy in front of her. He stopped at the stop sign, and then shifted to reverse. She found the horn, and only then did he notice her. Her car wouldn't start--the whole front end of the "egg-mobile" was smashed in. It's in the shop now.
I leave for Japan on Tuesday...I still haven't finished unpacking the boxes from my old apt.........
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggg
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Osaka-ben ga suki
Wow! I wish I had known about this before I went to Osaka last winter: http://www.city.osaka.jp/english/osaka_dialect/guide.html
What a great resource. It's an introduction to the Osaka dialect. Quite useful--and cute to boot!!!
Lately I've been trying to find a cheap way to Osaka from Tokyo (and back). {BTW, 'cheap'=around $100} I need to learn A LOT more kanji (Chinese characters) before I can read most of the domestic airports' websites!!!!!!
My boyfriend will come visit me this weekend. We will go to a Korean karaoke place with some friends from school and church on Saturday night. "hisashiburi" (it's been awhile [since I've karaoked])
Jya-ne (see you later)
What a great resource. It's an introduction to the Osaka dialect. Quite useful--and cute to boot!!!
Lately I've been trying to find a cheap way to Osaka from Tokyo (and back). {BTW, 'cheap'=around $100} I need to learn A LOT more kanji (Chinese characters) before I can read most of the domestic airports' websites!!!!!!
My boyfriend will come visit me this weekend. We will go to a Korean karaoke place with some friends from school and church on Saturday night. "hisashiburi" (it's been awhile [since I've karaoked])
Jya-ne (see you later)
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
home life
It's nice to be home. I hadn't really gotten to chill here like this since last spring. I've been traveling a lot, and when I'm not traveling, I'm studying hard-core. Last summer I went out of the US for the first time.
I went to Tokyo for two weeks, came home, and then left to teach at an English summer camp in China for 5 weeks. A week and a half after that classes started. Then, for the whole winter break, I was in Japan again. [each time I went, I volunteered--helping missionaries and encouraging Christian churches] In the Spring, I took 18 hours, got a 4-day weekend, and started a 3-hour May minni-term. NOW, I am home with my family.
I feel like I'm already losing some of my Japanese skills. At the university, I hung out with Japanese people all the time. We'd speak in Japanese and English. At home, everybody speaks English, and ONLY English. Not many opportunities for practice...
Any way, I still get some exposure to the language a few times a week. If I focus and study each day, I should maintain or maybe even improve my Japanese.
I'm hoping to find an effective way to study Japanese grammar this fall. I really want to get a good grasp on it. Presently, I feel like I've got lots of phrases and vocabulary memorized, but no firm grasp on how to connect and implement them. I've been introduced to the various particles and whatnot, but still don't feel very comfortable using that knowledge. I guess it's because I am not confident I HAVE that knowledge in actuality.
Is this an online journal or what?!?!?!
I went to Tokyo for two weeks, came home, and then left to teach at an English summer camp in China for 5 weeks. A week and a half after that classes started. Then, for the whole winter break, I was in Japan again. [each time I went, I volunteered--helping missionaries and encouraging Christian churches] In the Spring, I took 18 hours, got a 4-day weekend, and started a 3-hour May minni-term. NOW, I am home with my family.
I feel like I'm already losing some of my Japanese skills. At the university, I hung out with Japanese people all the time. We'd speak in Japanese and English. At home, everybody speaks English, and ONLY English. Not many opportunities for practice...
Any way, I still get some exposure to the language a few times a week. If I focus and study each day, I should maintain or maybe even improve my Japanese.
I'm hoping to find an effective way to study Japanese grammar this fall. I really want to get a good grasp on it. Presently, I feel like I've got lots of phrases and vocabulary memorized, but no firm grasp on how to connect and implement them. I've been introduced to the various particles and whatnot, but still don't feel very comfortable using that knowledge. I guess it's because I am not confident I HAVE that knowledge in actuality.
Is this an online journal or what?!?!?!
Sunday, June 04, 2006
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