はちのへ ｓansha taisai

Hachinohe's summer festival was so beautiful, but unfortunately BLOGGER isnt cooperating so i only have been able to post a few of the pics. The colors were brilliant, as is the case in most festivals. The smells, sights and sounds are so Japanesey and really make me thankful that I am getting a chance to experience it. i went to the festival with the cooperating English teacher & principal at Shukunohe Jr High. We had a great time!

Thanks for dinner (and the gift!) Kocho!

27 large floats like the ones pictured here, lined the streets for nearly 2 miles! each float was uniquely designed and told some ancient Chinese folklore story (which was borrowed by the Japanese apparently...) my only complaint on the day, was that the EXACT same song/chant/taiko drumming was played the ENTIRE 3 hours of the procession/parade! why the monotony!?? mindless music aside, it was a real treat to enjoy the festival with some English support! Thank you Yonezawa-sensei! please keep in touch!

sniffles...

GOODBYE my favorite

Taneichi-chu baseball

ALL-STARS! fukuhiro, yusho, atsushi, me, yuki, ryo,

ken, satoru, kosei & ryuetsu
dear baseball moms:

thanks for a delicious BBQ on the beach. it was great fun to play beach soccer & baseball with the boys one last time. if at all possible, i would LOVE to come back to see these guys graduate next March. they have become special students and friends this year & im grateful & lucky that as an ALT i was able to foster such relationships! you mothers were SO much fun and made some of those loooooooong & freeeeeeeeezing baseball tournaments so much FUN! thanks! because of you i was able to enjoy one of my favorite sports and learn about your culture! i hope you were able to learn from me too! it was really hard to say goodbye to you all today. you and your families played such an important role in my life here in Japan & while i will never forget you and i hope to see you again someday - the finality of it all has left me sniffling all nite long.....

remember: YOU and YOUR KIDS are welcome to do a HOMESTAY with me in MINNESOTA -anytime!

until we meet again.....hugs, handshakes & high fives.....

love, anne

It was a great year (ne)!

huge hugs for HIKAGES!

Kadonohama-chu students: (L-R) Natsumi, Saika, Ayaka, me & Mai
Dear Hikage-san,

YOUR barbeques are the BEST!

Hard to believe that ONE year ago RIGHT NOW,

I had just arrived in Taneichi and was enjoying a long homestay with your family!

Time flies! Thanks for the memories!

Hikage's neighbors: Ami & her mom - Yumiko

Dear Yukiyo-san, Thank you AGAIN & AGAIN for the cooking, the conversation and your constant care! YOUR FAMILY is my FIRST memory of JAPAN! I am lucky to have met you! See you again, someday...

SAYONARA!

bye bye?

WHAT: Graffitti spotting

WHERE: Hikage's driveway

WHO: Jr. H.S. students

WHEN: Friday nite

MOTIVE: Make Anne burst into tears...

DeliCIOuS DisHeS

Tonite was suppose to be the last hangout w/ Daichi & fam...yet not 15 minutes into the party - they set up another dinner date with me before i leave. so tonite was another pre-sayonara...wonder if all of these 'pre-hangouts' will make the REAL thing even more difficult? Hanging out with the Isozaki's is ALWAYS a treat...pun intended. I have been blessed with MANY edible foods as of recent, but Etsuko REALLY outdid herself tonite! ALL of my favorites (and some new recipes that quickly ranked right up there with my standard yakisoba fare) were served! This family is really special...and their son Daichi, a san-nensei at Taneichi-chu, is really sweet. English skills need some work, but you gotta have an interest in English to improve...so hopefully I am that motivating force! what a day...im stuffed and ready to hit the futon once more! only 3 weeks left to sleep on a futon...weird.

1st day of summer

true to japan's notorious reputation for extreme weather conditions..it came as no surprise that on the first OFFICIAL day of 'summer vacation' = SUMMER arrived. it was a muggy, sunny some 80+ degrees today. JUST in time for all of us to be OUT of the chilly classrooms we were subjected to all year long. i awoke to the ever-annoying 'organized community stretches' song and dance that BLARES over the town's loudspeakers at 7:00 AM every day of 'summer vacation'. exhausted from 5 consecutive days of significant amounts of alcohol being consumed, i rolled outta the futon and went for a run, and then we headed to some nearby beaches to catch some sun and sea breeze. my allergies are so terrible (reminscent of LAST summer when i arrived), but 52 weeks later, FINALLY its summer again!

thanks guys!

Dear Shukunohe teachers,

Thank you for the nice party! I really enjoyed working with you this year! Because your students are 'extra' Japanesey, I was able to learn many things about your culture! Thank you for making me feel so wElCOmeD at your school! I had a great time! Let's keep in touch!

Love, Anne

BYE BYE BOE

JET Programme: 2005-2006

おわりました！　Finished!

thank you for the opportunity to experience Japan! it was unforgettable! i have nothing but wonderful memories from this year...thank you so very much! i will never forget your kindness!

Masato * YOU are the GREATEST! i LOVE you! so much of this year would not have been possible without your help! i can't thank you enough!

board of education おつからさまでした！
Higashiyama * You were a great supervisor! Thank you for your understanding and flexibility and laughs...good luck to you next year!
Sotojoh * I appreciate your efforts this year and am sorry for the stress I caused. It was fun partying with you - many memories...
Miyuki * Thank you! You are such a sweetie...and a much better singer than me! ;) Good luck with the next ALT & in your English pursuits! You can do it!
thank you everyone!

i will miss you!

xoxoxo ~anne

that's all folks!

12 schools, 12 speeches, 1200 handshakes and hugs crammed into 4 days. im dehydrated from the tears, exhausted from packing my suitcases and memories and overwhelmed by the kindness that has been bestowed upon me. the japanese make it VERY difficult to want to LEAVE!

this year, i experienced the japanese workplace, culture and classroom.

it wasn't easy, but it was so worth it!

The Japanese have a saying, 一期一会. It means every moment is unique. It reminds us to remember 'once in a lifetime' opportunities. It also summarizes how I am feeling about finishing my year on the JET Program. I was both a teacher AND student of language, culture, and humanity (usually simultaneously). It was an awesome responsibility and lesson in multi-tasking, and I will leave Japan knowing I gave it my all. I may forget Japanese, but I will never forget the respectful culture and generous people of this community and country.

Kadonohama Elementary

Hiranai Elementary

Taneichi Elementary

さよなら種市の諸学区セ！

taneichi's firework-fest

What better nite to sport the new 'yukata' than the prefecturally-known Taneichi Fireworks show. And it proved to be an EXCELLENT show - over 40 minutes of intense pyrotechnics blasted off from the pier, while we watched from the beach.

This year was even better than last year's show (flashback: when I had about 6 days of Japan under my belt. I can't believe all that I have experienced and learned about myself and others in one short year. Having moved a zillion miles from home to live alone, in a village so remote that basic english conversation is nearly impossible, tried out a new career endeavor into the ESL world and traveled all over SE asia....

I DID it and i have not ONE regret about this year. sweet.

The Sasaki Family. My homestay family and place of residence for the next 3 weeks (off and on inbetween the travels). [I have 2 more sleeps left in my house...Tuesday morning, I will move to the Sasaki's home.] They are THE kindest, coolest FAMILY! I'm very excited (and LuCKY!) to share my last days in Japan with them. MANY MANY more pics of this family to come in these last few weeks in Japan.
So many students were out and about tonite. It was great to say more 'final' sayonaras and to see some dressed to the nines. Above, Haruka - a ni-nensei at Shukunohe-chu (and THE stellar softball player in Taneichi!)

More Shukunohe san-nens: Aya & Eriko.
my favorite ladies: Saori & Shyou

Let's enjoy these last weeks ToGEtHER!

taneichi's marine festival

i awoke to a muggy some 75' degrees this morning.

is summer finally HERE?!

here it is the END of JULY and im worried about JiNXinG iT, but if summer really is here...then FeSTivAL SeASon is just around the corner!

let the dancing & drumming begin!



this is a mid-day post..tonite i will post pics of the rest of the festivities and fireworks spectacular....or at least they regard it as such!

head of the class

So my job is officially FINISHED. i have received an outpouring of notes, flowers, jewelry and photos from students, teachers and friends. here are a few notes from some special students - their english is amazingly stellar & im dumbfounded as to how they were able to acquire it under the current style of instruction.

perhaps it's magic? good work students、your English is among the best in this town! あきらめないでください！がんばれ！

田鎖ゆしょうー三年生ー種市中学校
安藤夏ミー三年生 ー宿戸中学校
田鎖りん他路 ー二先生ー種市子t学校

さようならfarewell speech

私の人生の中でこのいちねんわとてもすばらしかったです。　私輪新しい文化やことばやかんがえかたおまなびました。　私輪たくさんのすばらしい友達に会いたくさんおきれなばしょにいきました。　

私日本二英語尾教えるために着ましたが私自身が生徒のみんなからまなぶことでわたしについてもまなぶことができました。みなさんとわいいともだちになれたとおもいます。めるやてがみおおくってくれてほんとにありがとう。

しっぱいわ　'always OK' だとゆことおわすれなでください。がいこくじんわみんあと　communication おしたいとおもっています。　それ輪ム図貸しと思いますがみんあがどりょくおすればできるとおもいます。がんばって！

わたしのすくなことばわ　'big risks, big rewards' です。意味沸きかいおえることわいいことだとゆことです。　なぜなら　'chance' がなければなにもできないからです。もしあなたが外国に慮おこしたいならえいごわとてもだいじです！いろいろなえいごがせかいじゅではんされています。　あきらめなでください！！！

種市のみんなさんのしんせつおけしってわすれません。　日本ぉそぞしてさいしょにおもいだすのわみなさんです！

もし私がアメリカで日本語ぉ弁きよしていたらみんあさんともっとかんたんに communication できたのにとおもいます。　みんなに伝えたいことが炊く差なるのにつたえかたがわかりませんでした。ごめんなさい。。。

九月二わたしわだいがっこういんにもどります。祖してアメリカにすんでいるがいこくじんいえいごおしえます。わたしわ種市尾は慣れるのが差身しですがいろいろなけいけんができてしあわせでした！

わたしと遺書にすごしてくれてありがとうございました！わたし輪みんなとのいしゅにしゅのたのしみました！！！たぶんわたしわ日本語ぉ忘れますでもみんあのことわけしってわすれない！

てがみください！わたしもてがみおかきます！さみしです。。。がんばって！
さようなら！

indecent exposure

I WOULD LIKE to share more pictures with you from this fabulous evening of drunken hilarity...but 1. my students check this site and 2. i leave japan in 3 weeks and don't want to risk deportation. i will say you boys were in FINE form last evening. your parties NEVER disappoint! ;)

* Taneichi's Finest *

(L-R) 'ma', 'toshi', me, mitsuo, taizo, tadami

I will miss you guys SO much!
We've shared so many memories....so many beers....
I will never forget you!
Until Vegas....sayonara boys!
xoxoxoxoxo ~anne