best buds

of course i miss Japan, but seeing my good buddies again is fabulous. above, justin, tbird and i at one of my favorite chill bars downtown. i think about japan constantly and already miss my friends, the students and the beautiful sights...moreover, i miss the free time! but i have some really special people here too and balancing some time for them as well has offered consolance and support in my transition back into american ways. recently i found roundtrip tix to japan for only $400!

someday...sometime....sooner than later....i MUST go back!

Oh Baby!

I come home and what do I find?!!

Everyone decided to have a baby while I was in Japan!

Lots of little surprises like this, upon returning to the States...

I write just to showcase these lovely little ones--don't get ANY ideas. Babies -for me- are at least 10 years away! Congratulations to the folks below! Wishing your kids health and happiness :)

Jill's little big girl: Despina

Emily's little peanut: Ellie
Meredith's baby, my new cousin, Sophia
Lisa's little one: Talon

sweet tooth

My mom is WONDERFUL!

She has been cooking all of my favorite foods this past week...

But her DESSERTS are THE GREATEST!

Here is a chocolate caramel butterscotch cake.

Sometimes, it's just good to be home... ;)

Below, a picture of my Grandma (who was a fighter all year long battling multiple surgeries & bouts of pneumonia.) I'm happy she is here today!

REUNIONS

My parents welcomed me home by posting this sign up for all to see.

Lots of support while I was away,

and even more support now that I'm back.

Here are some great friends helping me re-adjust to life in the States:

This is Cassie, one of my classmates from college. It was SO nice to see her...reminisce about the old days & talk of the days to come (ie. she's getting married next year). Coming home to my friends and their 'new' significant others, husbands, babies, careers, family...has been culture shock! This is TBird. One of my best friends & favorite human beings.

I missed you and am looking forward to many more hangouts... ;)
And this is Angie....my roommate! She is such a dear. Just a classy gal whose first words to me were something like: "Anne you haven't changed a bit, but I can't help but think of all the things those eyes have seen this year..." Insightful, polished & genuine. I think this will be the greatest roommate to date!

1 week ago: flashback

hachinohe, japan

the Final Goodbye

my FIRST & LAST weeks in Japan were spent doing

week-long+ homestays with the 2 families pictured above.

these special folks brought me to the station to see me off

(a nice way of bringing closure to what was the greatest year of my life). this picture reminds me of the last round of

tears, squeezes & hugs.

THaNk YoU Sasaki's & Hikage's!

I love YOU!

YOU are my FIRST & LAST memory of Japan... :)

TOUCHDOWN...

Greeting my family at the Minneapolis, Minnesota Airport

This is my brother Mike & my Dad...and yes, that IS a 'jinbei' I am wearing. Contrary to Japanese fashion in which these summer clothes

are worn by MEN...oops!

These crappies are our dinner. Yes, my FIRST dinner in the USA was FISH! But as you can see from our dinner pictures below: "American" style fish have NO head, tail, skin or fins! It was DELICIOUS!

My parents LOVE to cook! Every nite they share in cooking duties! They are the cutest parents! It was SOOOOO nice to see them! ooxoxxo

heading home...

views near Mt. McKinley -

which i snagged on the way back to the States

my last nite in Japan

I LOVE THE SASAKI's!!!
Shyou & Ryou: the cutest of friends/sisters
SUPER MOM SAORI & her little ones
there is no other family i would have wanted to spend my last weeks

in Japan with. thank you SO very MUCH! i love you! ~anne

im here...barely!

I have been TOO tired to update my blog since returning to the USA -
I'm sorry! I know many Japanese friends are waiting to see pictures!
Jetlag & bronchitis have kept me in bed for 3 days now.
I have many pictures to post of my final minutes in Japan.
& my first minutes back on American soil!
will post pictures soon!
thanks, anne

An Ocean Away

One final posting from the Land of the Rising Sun. In exactly 24 hours my plane will take off for the States. The time has come to start a new adventure, while reconnecting with some very special friends and family back home. Squeezes to my new Japanese friends and 'family' --we are an ocean apart geographically speaking, but you will always be near to my heart.

あいしてる！

あなたたちおわすれない！

まったあいましょう！

ーアン

Minnesota ~ ready or not, here I come...

isozaki's - だいすき！

Tonite was the last sayonara party, hosted by the Isozaki family. Etsuko's cooking is phenomenal and the conversation with her family is always a DeLIghT! Above, Daichi and his brother, home for Obon and university break, Kenta demonstrate their love for (wind)surfing.
My head is spinning from the goodbyes and while I've tried to maintain sanity and keep from having a nervous breakdown over leaving behind so many incredible folks, knowing tomorrow is my last full day in Japan kinda freaks me out. I still can't believe I'm really leaving! I have said goodbye to absolutely every one of my friends in Taneichi...so I guess in that respect, I feel ready to head back. I can leave here with no regrets, a lifetime of memories and knowing that i have fabulous friends that will take me in when i need a place to crash in Asia. a future homestay with the Isozaki's would be amazing, but in doing so would definitely result in at least a 10 pound weight gain. hmmmm, better 'weigh' my options ;)
Daichi: you were one of my favorite students!

always do YOUR best * NEVER give up!

i will never forget you! love, anne

OBON '06

The Obon season just finished up last nite. Obon is a time for families to reconnect during a 4-day nation-wide holiday break. Families gather to pray for the departed and celebrate another year ahead. Many BBQ and drinks accompany the festivities, as families finally have a chance to meet. Japanese work schedules are insane...most people work 6 day work weeks and 15 hours a day is the norm (leaving little time for play---even with relatives that live only 2 hours away by car!) Pictured below are the extended families of Saori & Katsuyoshi Sasaki (my current place of residence the past month).

Katsuyoshi's family ~ Morioka
Saori & I ~ fishing in Otsuchi
Saori's family

special folks

The Washizu's
The Nakashita's
The Tagusari's
The Kudo's

Big sqUEezES to you guys! Thanks for making me a part of YOUR families! I enjoyed EVERY minute of our time together this year! Love you ALWAYS!

back in taneichi

I just returned from a roadtrip with the Sasaki family all around Iwate....reconnecting with their families during the Obon holiday. Learned a bunch, ate some delicious food and realized that Iwate is actually pretty beautiful during the summer time. Couple more festivals, dinners and parties to attend in these last days here...will post those at a later date. And to respond to the emails I got about my 'future inlaw' posting...joke folks. relax.... ;) Spending time with so many wonderful families in Japan is fabulous, but I'm getting anxious to meet me REAL family soon! Love you guys & see you very very very soon! xooxox

future family?

The Kudou Family This is Munehisa...a good friend who has been on my site many times before. Tonite was an interesting last hangout...with much talk of future hangouts and weddings. Yes, while its true I find Munehisa quite desirable, I am moving 8000 KM away from him in less than a week. Definition of bad timing. But I really appreciated the great lengths of trying to pull together the inlaws for a special sayonara/keep-anne-in-japan party!
I couldn't very well turn down a proposal on the spot, so we decided on 'someday'. Ha...what a nite! Above is Munehisa's equally gorgeous better half...'Chi'-chan. She would be a fab sister in-law, but I will settle for super friend for now! ;)
More Kudo's...it was nice to meet you! thanks for the memories of match-making!
Munehisa/future husband/current friend, I will miss you!

AkITa ~ AgAin

Pictured below is Hatsumi- a friend from Akita but former SCSU graduate. SCSU graduate trivia: SCSU has a sister school in Akita, Japan! Anyways, she was my very FIRST Japanese friend. Last summer, before I came to Japan, Hatsumi tried to get me acquainted with Japanese language and culture in 3 hours...hahah, it was brief but wonderful fun as we hit it off right away. we kept in touch and now she has returned to Japan and I'm returning to America. we share a cool bond of switching communities and cultures. here are pics from my second homestay with her family in Akita!

Dear Hosoya Family,

I'm SO sorry I didn't post these pics earlier. This week has been crazy, traveling all over Tohoku, to say goodbyes, and I have 7 SHORT days left in Japan. I was looking through a few of the pictures from my Adventures in Akita...and I have some really random, but nice shots. Enjoy!

Until we meet again....love to you all! anne

These are some of Sophia's friends @ their local bar in Kisakata. Only 10 people in this little pub, but we manage to somehow represent 6 different countries! From L-R: Columbia, USA, Japan, Uruguay, Korea & Thailand. It was so interesting...no one was using their native language to communicate...for some French was the lingua franca, others were using Spanish, Chinese or "Japanglish"! It is communication 'struggles' and TRIUMPHS like these that motivate me to want to further my studies into the ESL realm (wow, grad school starts in 16 days!!!)
My FISHING debut on the Sea of Japan was so exhillirating! the horizon appeared to be moving constantly, with these semi-tsunami-style waves crashing into the sides of our boat! I was completely terrified AND thrilled to be back on the water again...Minnesota is calling! I didn't eat our daily catch pictured above, but I am CRAVING a Minnesota Walleye dinner! hint hint, Dad...
The Hosoya's are "Hotstuff"! Noriko (purikara princess), Hatsumi (english extravaganza) & Yukako (future Mariah Carey of Japan).
Kanto Festival - with Yasuko as our gracious host. Thank you for so many beautiful gifts and memories. Kanto Festival was definitely one of my FAVORITE festivals in Japan!
Short pit-stop at another of Sophia's friends who is a seamstress. I lucked out and was able to model this antique kimono used for weddings....200 years old! It is probably worth the equivalent of one year of grad school, but has no name brand. interesting note: kimonos like the one above were used by royal family's. but when southern japan needed food (which continues to be produced in northern japan) they had nothing to pay with...so they traded their beautiful kimono to put food on the table.) akita is one of the best farming areas in japan, so many kimono like the one above are circulating around the Akita area.
This is SOPHIA! One of my MOST dear friends in Japan. Her home is near this fabulous lookout point on the Sea. She is so spirited, strong, smart and,..un-japanesey. She is the sister I never had. Friends forever Sophia! I love you!
Akita ~ Summer 2006

my pretty neighborhood

I leave Japan next week. Of course I will miss the friends, the travels and the students...but I have neglected to post evidence of Japan's natural beauty....the landscapes. Here are some shots I snapped in the last couple of days from around Taneichi & one of the bigger beaches in our area--Shirahama. What a gorgeous place to live! It's a little remote, but perhaps that's precisely what makes it one of Japan's best kept secrets!

The mountains were a nice change of scenery, but Minnesotans need to be near water, and living on the ocean this year offered some breath-taking views like the ones below.