I'M BACK.
I apologize for the extended hiatus. It was never intended and believe me when I say that it was as if every step of the way to getting connected back into the World Wide Web was divinely hindered. But my new flatemate (not so new now, we're now six weeks here), Laura and I decided that we were not going to let it overcome us. Even more, we were not going to let it tear us apart. Especially now that Debbie is leaving back for home on friday.
Laura and I are not looking forward to friday. Debbie is dear to her like Debbie is to me. Quite honestly, without Debbie I would have called it quits. And without her, there would be no Laura. Without Laura, there would be no Ashiya International School and I wouldn't be happy here.
Hope Chapel Angels having fun fighting evil full throttle at Lake Biwa. The Brown, The Blond and The Black. Yes, I went black a weeks ago.
Happy enough to be thinking of extending my stay here by another six months. What a breakthrough! I am enjoying it here, though the "it" I am enjoying, the life I enjoy now isn't so much a "Japan" life as it is just "life". The life that I have managed to be blessed with. I still get frustrated at the Japanese for their rigidity, I'm quite over the temples and shrines, the japanese way of life and nothing to say of language difficulties. I doubt I'll ever get over it.
What I do enjoy is that my days are spent speaking a language I understand and that I am understood most of the time. That school is a healthy enviroment, that the team is mostly christian except for two staff and like Laura, the headmaster of the school is also on staff at Hope Chapel, which means he is more understanding about church life. What about a pretty sweet 3 bedroom apartment between Laura and I? Or that it is near the sea. Or that I finish work between 3pm-5pm. Or that, the suburb I am in is generally recognized as the swankier part of Osaka & Hyogo and by translation that means people here are generally more open about a more western way of life (a Bukit Timah, Six Avenue, Holland Village, Buona Vista equivalent?). No more one lane roads (without pavements!), hello urban planning and wide open space with actual grass and dogs running in the parts. And in some parts of Kobe, you could almost forget that you were in Japan... by the waterfront, it could be the Esplanade in Singapore or Circular Quay in Sydney even.
Well, thats the summary update. It's another choc-a-bloc week. We're going to the Hanshin Tigers baseball game tomorrow at Koshien Stadium - the very same one Babe Ruth played in when he came to Japan -, wednesday is the first day I start to lead biblestudy here, thursday we have to go over to Debbie's to help her pack up and keep her cheery; friday we're taking half the day off to send her off at the airport then back to Nishinomiya to have biblestudy at Austin's place. Saturday is a breather. We actually have a kid's birthday party date on that day but we're going to skip it lest we set a precedent to attend every birthday party for the kids in school. And sunday is another birthday party type thing after church, involving karaokaying and ten-pin bowling. As you can see, life has picked up.
Audio: Hope from Hillsongs.
Biblio: Israel, My Beloved by Kay Arthur.
Cerebrio: Pant, pant.
Laura and I are not looking forward to friday. Debbie is dear to her like Debbie is to me. Quite honestly, without Debbie I would have called it quits. And without her, there would be no Laura. Without Laura, there would be no Ashiya International School and I wouldn't be happy here.
Hope Chapel Angels having fun fighting evil full throttle at Lake Biwa. The Brown, The Blond and The Black. Yes, I went black a weeks ago.
Happy enough to be thinking of extending my stay here by another six months. What a breakthrough! I am enjoying it here, though the "it" I am enjoying, the life I enjoy now isn't so much a "Japan" life as it is just "life". The life that I have managed to be blessed with. I still get frustrated at the Japanese for their rigidity, I'm quite over the temples and shrines, the japanese way of life and nothing to say of language difficulties. I doubt I'll ever get over it.
What I do enjoy is that my days are spent speaking a language I understand and that I am understood most of the time. That school is a healthy enviroment, that the team is mostly christian except for two staff and like Laura, the headmaster of the school is also on staff at Hope Chapel, which means he is more understanding about church life. What about a pretty sweet 3 bedroom apartment between Laura and I? Or that it is near the sea. Or that I finish work between 3pm-5pm. Or that, the suburb I am in is generally recognized as the swankier part of Osaka & Hyogo and by translation that means people here are generally more open about a more western way of life (a Bukit Timah, Six Avenue, Holland Village, Buona Vista equivalent?). No more one lane roads (without pavements!), hello urban planning and wide open space with actual grass and dogs running in the parts. And in some parts of Kobe, you could almost forget that you were in Japan... by the waterfront, it could be the Esplanade in Singapore or Circular Quay in Sydney even.
Well, thats the summary update. It's another choc-a-bloc week. We're going to the Hanshin Tigers baseball game tomorrow at Koshien Stadium - the very same one Babe Ruth played in when he came to Japan -, wednesday is the first day I start to lead biblestudy here, thursday we have to go over to Debbie's to help her pack up and keep her cheery; friday we're taking half the day off to send her off at the airport then back to Nishinomiya to have biblestudy at Austin's place. Saturday is a breather. We actually have a kid's birthday party date on that day but we're going to skip it lest we set a precedent to attend every birthday party for the kids in school. And sunday is another birthday party type thing after church, involving karaokaying and ten-pin bowling. As you can see, life has picked up.
Audio: Hope from Hillsongs.
Biblio: Israel, My Beloved by Kay Arthur.
Cerebrio: Pant, pant.
posted by The Chilibuddy @ 11:59 pm ::
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