Dartboard

Thursday and Friday I had to work, but I sent Joelle and Steven to Sannozan Mountain to do a little climbing. Here are their pictures.

Joelle can read 山！

The beautiful lookout tower on the top of Sannozan.

They also found Clark Kent—our foreign food grocery store and movie rental place! Tasty! Enjoy! Glad!

When Joe and Steven came to pick me up after school I introduced them to our volleyball team and they were invited to play a quick game. As soon as we came over the girls ran to get us chairs to sit on and slippers for our feet. Steven’s feet were a liiiittle big.

Let’s play!

Joelle’s team name was “Yosh”

Go Steven! I’m glad I’m not playing against you!

Team shots! Tsuchiyama-sensei is so much fun!

Look tough!

In the evening we went over to the Shinji’s for dinner and some sailing. We didn’t go for too long, but we had time for a quick spin in the boats. Steven and I in one boat and Joe and Hiroshi in the other. I accidently deleted the pictures of Joelle and Hiroshi in their boat! Sorry!

Wind-blown me.

Eating dinner with the Shinji family—a delicious meal and lots of laughs.

Remember when I complained about winning 5 kilograms of sazae at the triathlon? Well, this is sazae... this is what it looks like out of the shell! It tastes as nasty as it looks! Steven ate two of those suckers tonight! His own and then Joelle’s. What a sport!

Sorry I can’t write many stories now, but we’re keeping busy! Leaving the island tomorrow morning for about two weeks. We now plan to come back to the island one more time before they leave. It makes luggage and logistics easier that way.

おだいじに！ We will too.
Sierra

A photo journal from Steven and Joelle’s first day on Kamigoto! It was a very full day starting at 6 a.m. when they arrived off the Taiko from Fukuoka.

First we went to Takaitabi, but the undercurrent looked really dangerous! That's Narao JHS in the background.

Me washing my feet before getting back into the car.

Then I took them north on “the green road” on the east side of the island. When we were in Iwaseura we met the Meg Milk Man. Here’s Joelle, the Meg Man and Steven. He is the father of my student, Shiho, and he always gives me free juices or drinks when I see him. This time we gave us three yogurt drinks and a smile for our picture! Thanks Meg Man!

A beautiful view of Tainoura Bay.

The tiger lilies are in bloom.

Abunai yo!! Steven (the future firefighter) can’t just leave the ladder alone! “If you fall, I am NOT taking you to the hospital!”

Then we hiked up Yaguridake in Arikawa to get a nice view of all the islands. Only 10 a.m. on their first day and I already had them climbing mountains!

“You sooo did not just bear hug my sunburn, did you Steven?”

Joelle hugs nicely… This is the view from (almost the top of) Yaguridake. Mama and I climbed this together in April. It’s also where I met まぁ　for the first time too.

I think sweaty pits are RAD!

I like that it’s not just the pits that sweat—it’s the whole shoulder! (I was wearing a tanktop underneath which prevented my shirt from getting soaked through anywhere but the pits and shoulders. Is this not disgusting!)

Finally! Someone in Japan who can appreciate my adoration for Nalgene! I’m in good company!

While hiking back down Yaguridake we saw a snake! 10 points for the first person to identify it!

After that hike we deserved some lunch! I took them to have Goto udon, of course!

Zaru udon! Nothing like iced-noodles on a hot day!

Then we went to the Secret Beach in Nao. We got there in record time!! Steven demonstrates the Kuro Kuma-Kun Death Grip. Hold on!

I love this picture which Joelle took from the backseat. The keychain hanging from my rearview mirror is a piece of fabric from a kimono given to me by my friends Sumi and Tomoko in Fukuoka.

Joelle and I in the warm ocean water!

Steven says it’s his first time to a tropic beach paradise! I say, it’s not exactly tropical, but it’s pretty beautiful, isn’t it!

“Come join us on the rocks, Joelle!”

“Steven! Watch out!”

Steven says, “Look! I’ve never seen such small fish!”
“Those are mosquito larvae, Steven.”

We went back to Narao for a shower and to meet Catherine very quickly (she’s leaving for Tokyo tomorrow). After an hour of trying to keep Joelle from falling asleep (i.e drinking coffee) we went to our eikaiwa party which started at 6:30 in Aokata. Joelle and Steven meeting Mizorogi-san.

So much good food!

We all tried sazae and I was able to eat it! The way it was prepared tonight—lots of garlic and butter and chopped into small bite-size pieces—made it look edible!

Breaking out the big bottles!

Joelle and I and all the women! We couldn’t have asked for a better bunch!

I’m on top of the world today!
Love, Sierra

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I had a dream last night. I dreamed I only stayed in Japan in two years and after the first few months of being back home I realized it was the biggest mistake and I should have stayed as many years as possible (That’s 3). I was really depressed because I had already made the decision and there was nothing I could do to un-make it. It was too late. Then I woke up and realized, IT’S NOT TOO LATE! I haven’t made my decision yet!! So wow. Re-contracting decision is still a long (really long) time away, but…talk about coming to you in a dream!

I believe I had this dream for a couple reasons. On Tuesday I started researching graduate schools. My college magazine came and I was reading the class notes in the back. (I love to read about where people are because it gives me ideas about what path they took to get there.) I read about an alumna who got her masters in Intercultural Relations and is now working in a university study abroad office. I thought, “Cool! That’s what I want to do!!” so I looked up Lesley University online and researched the program—which of course led to other programs and other stories and it got me really excited.

I’ve known for a while that I think I would enjoy working in higher education, and being a professor has always appealed to me, but… what would I teach? Spanish is the first thing that comes to mind, but I feel I would need to do YEARS AND YEARS of work to get my Spanish to the level where I could teach college students. Living and working abroad—which I’m not opposed to—it just seems a long way off. My best college Spanish professors were always native speakers though, and I will never be that in anything but English.

Anyway, I’m getting off track…

Another way to work in a university without being a professor is by being an administrator! I worked in Linfield’s International Programs Office for over three years and I loved it! The reason I didn’t consider it as a profession at the time, was that I couldn’t see myself sitting in an office like that—there was so much of the world yet to see! But now I see how that job will allow me see much of the world. I don’t have to stay in an Oregon office, or even at an American one—I could work in a study abroad office anywhere! Doing international student advising (for Americans abroad, for example) and helping people do what I love to do—travel—sounds awesome.

Additionally, working at a university often allows you to take courses and further your own education. I want to study for my entire life! I could see working towards TEFL accreditation and becoming an ESL professor! Our Int’l Programs Director at Linfield taught ESL classes, advised all types of students and constantly traveled to new places. She was really cool too.

I got so excited about the prospect of going back to school and getting my masters (and doing some more internships abroad that I thought—I need to go back to America and start my life. I love JET and I love Japan, but I’m ready to start my career!

Okay, that’s reason one I had the dream. Reason two, Steven and Joelle arrived! I planned a very full day with them yesterday. Starting at 6 a.m. when they arrived on the Taiko ferry and going until our eikaiwa party ended at 9 p.m. last night!! I’ll talk more and post pictures of our adventures soon, but Steven started telling me about his career plans! He recently passed the test to become a Portland Firefighter and this summer took a EMT course as well. He was so enthusiastic about his classes and the test and started encouraging me to do it too! He’s confident that I could pass the test and be a really good firefighter. So few women pass, but he says I can do it!

I think I’m pyrophobic. I don’t like uncontrolled fires, but being an EMT sounds like such rewarding work and I think I would work well under that pressure. I love wounds, remember? It’s a completely different direction from the one I just mentioned though. I think this is like that time when those triahletes were telling me, “You CAN be a professional triathlete. ANYBODY can do it! YOU can do it!” I get so excited and change my career ideas 180 degrees again. My college roommates always laughed at me because one week I was going to be a firefighter, the next I was going to be a skydiver, the following week I was going to graduate school for journalism. I could never make up my mind!!

Has anything changed? =)

So Steven got me all excited and I thought—I’ve done Japan. I’ll have gotten a great experience out of it after two years and what more could I get out of a third year? Hence the dream.

But I still haven’t decided,
Love, Sierra

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My watch is right in that place where the date is changing because it’s midnight.

I got royally burned this weekend. I don’t think I’ll ever learn the sunscreen lesson. I blame it on my mother. I don't wear makeup but I like brown skin. Mom's fault.

Monday was Umi no Hi—Beach Day and so the beaches were full of people this weekend. Misty, who came over from Fukue to visit me, and I spent only a few hours at Hamaguri Beach on Sunday, but it was plenty of time to get charred. Today I look like the Coppertone girl—white butt with pink legs. It’s pretty uncomfortable, but some friends gave me an aloe plant and rubbing it over my naked body while I sit in front of the fan really helps.

I slept for a few hours this evening and now I’ve woken up and done some cleaning and preparing for my guests arrival. Wednesday morning—just over 30 hours until they’re on this island. My apartment still needs some cleaning, but it looks much better than it has in a few weeks. My tatami have finally started molding so they require a bit more attention now. Everyone exaggerated the moldy tatami though—they only mold a tiny bit and usually only in the corners that don’t get much sunlight and are near one of my houseplants (the extra moisture, I assume). I thought every mat would be completely moldy twice a day for at least a month. Not the case. They are mostly dry now and turning the beautiful tan color. The dehumidifier may have also helped keep my apartment dry.

Saturday’s cooking class went well. I worried too much about the presentation—or perhaps I worried just enough—because it seemed to go fine. I didn’t realize everything would be translated shortly after I said it, and it was perfect because it gave me enough time to think what I would say next.

Peter took some pictures of my demonstrations. I love my new cow apron, don’t you?

Hand-rolling tortillas from masa.

Slicing up some onions. I was a complete mess chopping. I have no rhyme or reason to my slicing and dicing and I think I shocked the Japanese who have a system for every vegetable. Vegetables were everywhere by the time I was done because I was trying to do it quickly so as not to bore everyone.

After class I picked up a friend from work and we climbed Sannozan. I’ve wanted to climb this mountain forever so I’m so happy I finally did it! It was really hot, but the path is almost completely shaded by trees and there was a breeze too. I enjoyed every minute of the three hour hike. The view from the top is amazing.

An awesome spiderweb which we almost walked right into. Thankfully まぁ spotted it at the last second—it would have been a faceful. This may be the biggest web I’ve ever seen. It was several feet in diameter. Smack-dab in the middle of the road, so the strings stretched from the trees on both sides of the road. Spiders are cool even if they do look gross.

The sky. (Seeing a couple pictures from the ground because I was so tired once we reached the top I couldn’t stay on my feet any longer.)

My friend who I climbed it with.

Yeah, the cooking class, hiking with まぁ, showing Misty around Goto, getting roasted on the beach, rubbing aloe over my lobster body. That about sums up the my three day weekend. The AC is feeling good now.

May not be posting for a while (or possibly three weeks) while Joelle, Steven and I travel around Japan.

Summer is here.
Sierra

Do we HAVE to talk about this?