At first it was awkward because I didn't know the 3rd graders from Maruyama that I was supposed to be with that day since I had been at the Takamori campus the past week. But I was able to jump right into sledding and having fun with the kids. I stood at the top of the hill for a while, giving kids a running push start to their ride. I also jumped on some sleds with kids -- some kids and knew and some I didn't. I also built a snow house, snow turtle, and snow onsen (hot spring) with a few girls. I may have gotten in a few snow ball fights too :-) At one point, as I lay on my back making snow angles and looking up at a bright blue sky, I thought, "It's so cool that I still get to do fun things like this as part of my job!" This is a very good place for me -- I get to enjoy the parts of my youth min job that I enjoyed (building relationships with kids, going on fun events, teaching, and sharing Christ with kids) without the part I didn't enjoy (programming for Impact and being the "upfront" person to run the night). I'm really excited to be teaching at Meysen -- but I miss my girls from OHC very very much!
I also discovered two similarities about 2nd graders in the US and 2nd graders in Japan -- they love to play in the snow and they enjoy playing "I Spy" for an entire bus ride.
On Sunday afternoon, Kris and I went to big party for the new and current teachers. We enjoyed some delicious chili made by Jo and Will (a married couple that I am very sad is leaving; but I am also excited for them because they are leaving to start a church in southern Japan). We brought Japanese potstickers (called "Gyoza") that are actually pretty tasty (but don't be too impressed, they were frozen so I just had to fry them). We also played games -- Kris stayed longer when I did when the party ended and turned into a guys' video game night with a projector showing the screen on the gym wall.
My favorite part of the party was that all the teachers who are leaving in March brought tons of clothes and items that they don't want any more. They put all their items on display and we got to take whatever we wanted! We gave them some money -- kind of a gratitude donation -- and walked away with some great stuff. Kris and I got a 3-drawer shelf, a small skinny bookshelf, a Jansport backpack, some hangers, a digital language phrasebook/dictionary, and an electric fan for the summer. I also got some polo shirts and t-shirts for summer and a few other clothes. I really got more than I needed, but it was FREE! So why not!
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