Second post…… This post will be very long, so don’t say I haven’t warned you….but with some lighter topics and plenty of pictures! At the end of January, I got to experience my first volcanic eruption. Yup…Miyazaki City lies a mere 30 or so miles away from an active volcano, Shinmoedake. One night (morning?) at around 3 a.m., I was shocked awake by the sound of all of the windows and doors in my apartment rattling violently. My sleep-addled brain first thought it was an earthquake, so I jumped out of bed…only to realize the floor was perfectly still. My second thought was that it was the wind, so I opened one of my windows. The night was completely still. Now I was confused as ever, but Matt (in the next apartment over) sent me a text, saying it might be caused by a change in air pressure from the volcano erupting. And indeed it was. I took some Tylenol PM to calm down and fall back asleep…big mistake. I had to go into school an hour late because I could not physically get up at the normal time. The next evening on my bike, I saw menacing ash clouds hanging heavily in the air… 
For the next couple of weeks, the air smelled like sulfur and a fine coat of ash covered everything as the volcano continued to erupt sporadically. While I wore a face mask as often as I could stand (I really don’t like them), I still had breathing/sinus problems for several weeks (like an extended cold), plus I caught the flu that was going around. Lovely. After all of that settled, in February, I went to a plum blossom matsuri (festival) in a nearby town, Kiyotake. I got to wear my first kimono! Man, was getting that on a process. First there was the issue of which kimono would fit me (I am taller and curvier than your average Japanese woman) and then there are a million things to put on (under robe, under skirt, socks, the kimono itself, the obi [or sash that goes around your waist…]) and you have to put them on in order and in the right way (for example, you have close the kimono in front with the left side over the right to show you are alive and well, the other way means you are dead)…..But once it was finally on, I felt gorgeous and…dare I say it?....Japanese. :) 
Our group: Asha, Nikki, Sascha, Me 
Asha and I and some lovely scenery
For the next couple of weeks, the air smelled like sulfur and a fine coat of ash covered everything as the volcano continued to erupt sporadically. While I wore a face mask as often as I could stand (I really don’t like them), I still had breathing/sinus problems for several weeks (like an extended cold), plus I caught the flu that was going around. Lovely. After all of that settled, in February, I went to a plum blossom matsuri (festival) in a nearby town, Kiyotake. I got to wear my first kimono! Man, was getting that on a process. First there was the issue of which kimono would fit me (I am taller and curvier than your average Japanese woman) and then there are a million things to put on (under robe, under skirt, socks, the kimono itself, the obi [or sash that goes around your waist…]) and you have to put them on in order and in the right way (for example, you have close the kimono in front with the left side over the right to show you are alive and well, the other way means you are dead)…..But once it was finally on, I felt gorgeous and…dare I say it?....Japanese. :) 
Our group: Asha, Nikki, Sascha, Me 
Asha and I and some lovely scenery
The festival itself was really cool. Asha, Nikki, Sascha and I hung out together, and I had udon (Japanese noodles) for lunch… 
Afterwards we watched some Japanese ladies play koto, or harp, and some awesome kid dance groups perform. I wanted to adopt some of the kids…they were so damn cute. There is nothing like watching an adorable 5 year old boy with a mohawk do some sick hip hop moves. (Videos at the end of this post!) Then we went to a tea ceremony outside, which was really, really nice. We watched an attractive young man prepare the tea, and a woman came out and gave us some traditional dessert—mochi, or sticky rice cakes—and then gave us our tea. If you’ve ever had green tea, it is very different from the tea you drink at a traditional tea ceremony. This tea is gritty and has a very earthy taste. I think it’s delicious! 
Preparing the tea.... 
That same weekend, I went to my first baseball game in Japan with Asha. I loved the atmosphere of baseball games at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and was not disappointed by the game in Japan. The fans have their own cheering sections for each team , with ginormous flags, instruments, and pom poms. Asha and I drank some beer and took in the atmosphere. We were a tad tipsy afterwards, and while walking away from the stadium, some junior high kids passed us and started talking in English (“Hello!” “How are you?” etc…) One kid asked, “What do you like?” and I responded, “I like beer!” Good thing they weren’t my students. After that, Asha and I went to Mos Burger—a delicious burger chain here—and had way too much food and more beer. An excellent day! 
A week after that, at the end of February, Nicole and I went on an adventure to Nagasaki with the “Japanese mama” and the other ladies in our neighborhood who sometimes cook us dinner. We really weren’t sure of the exact itinerary, but it was so cheap (around 100 dollars for meals, hotel, and bus) that we decided to go for it. This trip was soooo much fun. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Lost in Translation,” that is how Nicole and I felt during the trip. We don’t speak too much Japanese, and like I said, did not really know exactly where we were going/what we were doing, so the trip was full of surprises and shared “what just happened??!” moments. It was great to have each other to talk to freely in English (the ladies do not take too many pains to slow down their Japanese ) and laugh together. On the first day, we stopped at a seafood restaurant on the water, and I had some delicious shrimp tempura… 
We got back on the bus and were on for several hours, with an afternoon snack of raw horse meat and a ferry ride being notable diversions. (I did not eat the horse meat. Ughhh). 
Then we continued driving until we reached our hotel, which was in a small, mountaintop town called Unzen. It is famous for its hot springs (the whole town smelled like sulfur) and it looked really cute. It kind of reminded me of a small European tourist town in the mountains. Our hotel was REALLY traditional (called a ryokan). This was our room, complete with futons, paper screens and sliding doors… 
At the hotel, we relaxed in the onsen (hot spring bath)…nothing like getting naked with old Japanese ladies! Then we had an awesome dinner….I couldn’t move after we were done. 
That night we got drunk with the ladies playing card games, watched some fireworks and got to see the smoke rising from the ground in the light of the streetlamps….no wonder the town smelled like eggs! 
The next day was interesting, to say the least. We left our hotel after a traditional breakfast of miso soup and rice, and Nicole and I assumed we would be going straight to Nagasaki City and spending the day there. Nope. What ensued was a road trip throughout Nagasaki prefecture (state) and maybe even nearby Saga prefecture (we aren’t sure) with the most random assortment of tourist stops imaginable. The first place was high up in the mountains—Nagasaki’s botanical gardens. These were beautiful and we got to ride a cute little train to the different places. It would be a great place to have a wedding!
After that, on the way into the city, we passed through the little town of Obama, Japan. Nicole and I were just chillin’, looking out the windows, when we saw it across the road in front of a shop…a life size, resin statue of Obama with arms outstretched and an American flag behind him. We almost peed our pants. Unfortunately, the bus whipped by it and we did not have time to take any pictures. We were so close to telling the bus driver to stop and running back to take in the awesomeness of the statue. I will go back some day, I will! In Nagasaki City, we went to the Peace Park, which Nicole and I had already been to. We got some ice cream cones, with the ice cream shaped like roses, from a cute little old lady with a street cart. 
We then wandered off to find a convenience store and get some food…we were starving. We were told we had 50 minutes, so we thought it was fine. However, one of the ladies from our group caught up with us and told us it was time to go. Nicole and I realized our guide had said FIFTEEN minutes. We were hurried back to the bus, and walked on about two minutes late. Everyone else was already on the bus, ready to go, looking annoyed with the stupid, late gaijin (foreigners). When people tell you the Japanese are punctual, they are not kidding. Whoops…. After lunch at a Chinese restaurant, we headed out of the City. We stopped at a Kasutera factory. Kasutera is a sweet, light cake that is a specialty in Nagasaki. We got off the bus and lined up outside of the shop. What happened next is a blur. We went through that factory so fast you would think the building was on fire. After rushing past the people making the cake (with the delicious smell teasing us all the way) we ended up in the gift shop, where there were two tables set with tea and pieces of the cake. It was gone in a blink. After fighting the crowd of people and buying a couple of cakes, I walked outside, dazed, and saw another crowd of people from our group clustered around two rickety tables. A guy was selling some “damaged” (but still perfectly delicious) cake at reduced prices. As I watched the madness, Japanese mama emerged from the ruckus with her arms loaded with at least 10 cakes. All of this took no more than 15 minutes (the punctuality!!!) I got back on the bus and sat down next to Nicole. She looked at me and asked, “What just happened??!” We were in tears of laughter for a good 10 minutes after that. 
The factory: We've got the Golden Tickets!
This is where the magic happens
Hello Kitty has her own line of cake
The hilarity continued at the next stop, a green tea factory in the mountains. When the bus pulled up to it, Nicole and I had no idea what the place was. Just another random destination in our adventure! A woman came on the bus and gave us all pamphlets (In Japanese of course, so they were no help in deciphering where we were.) There were some pictures on the brochure and we were trying to guess what they meant, but to no avail. Nicole and I were dying of laughter in the back of the bus.
Serving up some tea
The factory itself was interesting, but again, we rushed through it. Our next stop was a really cool Shinto shrine carved out of a mountain. I took a lot of pictures...
Finally, we stopped at the strangest place yet. As the sky was darkening, our bus pulled up to what looked like a large shed. At this point Nicole and I were up for anything, so we walked in and saw that several tables were set up with food samples, and there was also a shop on the other side. All around, people were shouting and peddling their food. A man working there shoved a small cup with a toothpick and something gooey and pink inside in my hands. I took a small tentative bite and almost spit it out. I have no idea what it was but it had the most distinct, nasty fish taste you could imagine. The other people in our group were gobbling that stuff up like it was the most delicious thing ever. Slightly nauseated, I made my way away from the fish samples and saw that they were giving away samples of green hot sauce. This I was willing to try, and I liked it so much I bought some for myself. Finally, it was time to go home. Nicole and I returned exhausted but with some great memories.
A couple weeks after that, I rode my bicycle to Aya (nearby town about 11 miles away) with Khanh and Jack for a girls’ day festival in town. The ride there was great…really nice scenery and we got to stop at a hole in the wall noodle shop run by a really cute Japanese couple.
We also decided to take some goofy pictures beside some strange blue stairs by the river….. 
Unfortunately, I got a flat tire right outside of Aya. Luckily, I was able to meet up with Nicole, who had driven there, and we went to a friend’s house to make pottery! Nicole used the wheel, but I made mine by hand…. 
Dolls set up for Girls' Day
Last weekend was pretty fantastic. It included two nights of drunken revelry (the first, karaoke with great company at two great bars, and the second a St. Patrick’s day party with green drinks and great music).
The next day, Matt and Michihiro and I took a day trip to Takaoka Castle: 
We also stopped at a really nice onsen and the most ADORABLE café hidden in the woods!!!! It almost looked like a Spanish missionary, the way it was decorated. 
Now for school stuff….. We recently had two yearly traditions: graduation and school walk. The graduation ceremony was quite different that those I have been to in the States. In Japan, they are much more solemn and the kids are a hell of a lot more orderly and behaved. Furthermore, they do not call individual student names…everyone graduates as a group. This means there is no annoying, wild cheering from family members and friends. There were several moments where the graduating class had to stand up together and bow, and the kids (all 400 of them) stood up at exactly the same time. They were so precise that the floor shook slightly when they did it. After speeches, singing the school song and “Auld Lang Syne” in Japanese, and the closing remarks, Carmen and I headed back to the staff room and had some delicious bentos for lunch…. 
And I took a farewell picture with some of the third grade students who I helped with English compositions (I’m proud of them, most got into the colleges of their choice!) 
Me and my girls
That night there was a graduation enkai (party) for all of the teachers. It was in this really snazzy hotel near the high school. I impressed some of the male teachers by chugging a glass of beer in one go. Classy, I know....but everyone was drunk, so I was in good company.
A week after that, at the end of February, Nicole and I went on an adventure to Nagasaki with the “Japanese mama” and the other ladies in our neighborhood who sometimes cook us dinner. We really weren’t sure of the exact itinerary, but it was so cheap (around 100 dollars for meals, hotel, and bus) that we decided to go for it. This trip was soooo much fun. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Lost in Translation,” that is how Nicole and I felt during the trip. We don’t speak too much Japanese, and like I said, did not really know exactly where we were going/what we were doing, so the trip was full of surprises and shared “what just happened??!” moments. It was great to have each other to talk to freely in English (the ladies do not take too many pains to slow down their Japanese ) and laugh together. On the first day, we stopped at a seafood restaurant on the water, and I had some delicious shrimp tempura… 
We got back on the bus and were on for several hours, with an afternoon snack of raw horse meat and a ferry ride being notable diversions. (I did not eat the horse meat. Ughhh). 
Then we continued driving until we reached our hotel, which was in a small, mountaintop town called Unzen. It is famous for its hot springs (the whole town smelled like sulfur) and it looked really cute. It kind of reminded me of a small European tourist town in the mountains. Our hotel was REALLY traditional (called a ryokan). This was our room, complete with futons, paper screens and sliding doors… 
At the hotel, we relaxed in the onsen (hot spring bath)…nothing like getting naked with old Japanese ladies! Then we had an awesome dinner….I couldn’t move after we were done. 
That night we got drunk with the ladies playing card games, watched some fireworks and got to see the smoke rising from the ground in the light of the streetlamps….no wonder the town smelled like eggs! 
The next day was interesting, to say the least. We left our hotel after a traditional breakfast of miso soup and rice, and Nicole and I assumed we would be going straight to Nagasaki City and spending the day there. Nope. What ensued was a road trip throughout Nagasaki prefecture (state) and maybe even nearby Saga prefecture (we aren’t sure) with the most random assortment of tourist stops imaginable. The first place was high up in the mountains—Nagasaki’s botanical gardens. These were beautiful and we got to ride a cute little train to the different places. It would be a great place to have a wedding!
After that, on the way into the city, we passed through the little town of Obama, Japan. Nicole and I were just chillin’, looking out the windows, when we saw it across the road in front of a shop…a life size, resin statue of Obama with arms outstretched and an American flag behind him. We almost peed our pants. Unfortunately, the bus whipped by it and we did not have time to take any pictures. We were so close to telling the bus driver to stop and running back to take in the awesomeness of the statue. I will go back some day, I will! In Nagasaki City, we went to the Peace Park, which Nicole and I had already been to. We got some ice cream cones, with the ice cream shaped like roses, from a cute little old lady with a street cart. 
We then wandered off to find a convenience store and get some food…we were starving. We were told we had 50 minutes, so we thought it was fine. However, one of the ladies from our group caught up with us and told us it was time to go. Nicole and I realized our guide had said FIFTEEN minutes. We were hurried back to the bus, and walked on about two minutes late. Everyone else was already on the bus, ready to go, looking annoyed with the stupid, late gaijin (foreigners). When people tell you the Japanese are punctual, they are not kidding. Whoops…. After lunch at a Chinese restaurant, we headed out of the City. We stopped at a Kasutera factory. Kasutera is a sweet, light cake that is a specialty in Nagasaki. We got off the bus and lined up outside of the shop. What happened next is a blur. We went through that factory so fast you would think the building was on fire. After rushing past the people making the cake (with the delicious smell teasing us all the way) we ended up in the gift shop, where there were two tables set with tea and pieces of the cake. It was gone in a blink. After fighting the crowd of people and buying a couple of cakes, I walked outside, dazed, and saw another crowd of people from our group clustered around two rickety tables. A guy was selling some “damaged” (but still perfectly delicious) cake at reduced prices. As I watched the madness, Japanese mama emerged from the ruckus with her arms loaded with at least 10 cakes. All of this took no more than 15 minutes (the punctuality!!!) I got back on the bus and sat down next to Nicole. She looked at me and asked, “What just happened??!” We were in tears of laughter for a good 10 minutes after that. 
The factory: We've got the Golden Tickets!
This is where the magic happens
Hello Kitty has her own line of cakeThe hilarity continued at the next stop, a green tea factory in the mountains. When the bus pulled up to it, Nicole and I had no idea what the place was. Just another random destination in our adventure! A woman came on the bus and gave us all pamphlets (In Japanese of course, so they were no help in deciphering where we were.) There were some pictures on the brochure and we were trying to guess what they meant, but to no avail. Nicole and I were dying of laughter in the back of the bus.
Serving up some teaThe factory itself was interesting, but again, we rushed through it. Our next stop was a really cool Shinto shrine carved out of a mountain. I took a lot of pictures...
Finally, we stopped at the strangest place yet. As the sky was darkening, our bus pulled up to what looked like a large shed. At this point Nicole and I were up for anything, so we walked in and saw that several tables were set up with food samples, and there was also a shop on the other side. All around, people were shouting and peddling their food. A man working there shoved a small cup with a toothpick and something gooey and pink inside in my hands. I took a small tentative bite and almost spit it out. I have no idea what it was but it had the most distinct, nasty fish taste you could imagine. The other people in our group were gobbling that stuff up like it was the most delicious thing ever. Slightly nauseated, I made my way away from the fish samples and saw that they were giving away samples of green hot sauce. This I was willing to try, and I liked it so much I bought some for myself. Finally, it was time to go home. Nicole and I returned exhausted but with some great memories.A couple weeks after that, I rode my bicycle to Aya (nearby town about 11 miles away) with Khanh and Jack for a girls’ day festival in town. The ride there was great…really nice scenery and we got to stop at a hole in the wall noodle shop run by a really cute Japanese couple.
We also decided to take some goofy pictures beside some strange blue stairs by the river….. 
Unfortunately, I got a flat tire right outside of Aya. Luckily, I was able to meet up with Nicole, who had driven there, and we went to a friend’s house to make pottery! Nicole used the wheel, but I made mine by hand…. 
Dolls set up for Girls' DayLast weekend was pretty fantastic. It included two nights of drunken revelry (the first, karaoke with great company at two great bars, and the second a St. Patrick’s day party with green drinks and great music).
The next day, Matt and Michihiro and I took a day trip to Takaoka Castle: 
We also stopped at a really nice onsen and the most ADORABLE café hidden in the woods!!!! It almost looked like a Spanish missionary, the way it was decorated. 
Now for school stuff….. We recently had two yearly traditions: graduation and school walk. The graduation ceremony was quite different that those I have been to in the States. In Japan, they are much more solemn and the kids are a hell of a lot more orderly and behaved. Furthermore, they do not call individual student names…everyone graduates as a group. This means there is no annoying, wild cheering from family members and friends. There were several moments where the graduating class had to stand up together and bow, and the kids (all 400 of them) stood up at exactly the same time. They were so precise that the floor shook slightly when they did it. After speeches, singing the school song and “Auld Lang Syne” in Japanese, and the closing remarks, Carmen and I headed back to the staff room and had some delicious bentos for lunch…. 
And I took a farewell picture with some of the third grade students who I helped with English compositions (I’m proud of them, most got into the colleges of their choice!) 
Me and my girlsThat night there was a graduation enkai (party) for all of the teachers. It was in this really snazzy hotel near the high school. I impressed some of the male teachers by chugging a glass of beer in one go. Classy, I know....but everyone was drunk, so I was in good company.
The school walk was that same week. This is when all of the 1st and 2nd year students and teachers take a bus together to Aya (a small town about 11 miles from our school) and then walk back in a big group (about 800 people in all) together, back to school. This was a lot of fun and I was amazed by how organized it was. I am sure if this was attempted in America you would have several kids running away or causing mischief. Nope, this was just a calm, orderly mass of kids walking back to school and enjoying nature. I talked with two of my former speech students (we played 20 questions for awhile) as well as my debate kids. It took almost all day…and I had a wicked sunburn by the end of it. 
Kids taking a break from the walk.....
Now, at school, the year has ended. This means that the group of 440 kids who I have been teaching for 8 months are no longer my students, and I will have a new batch of fresh faces next month. I am really going to miss these kids.
Now that the year is ending, they are being super cute and giving me a lot of little presents and cards. I’ve had several students stop by my desk to give me homemade sweets.
One class gave me a gift bag filled with homemade cards. They were sooo adorable…a lot of the kids really took their time and drew pictures on them, or used really cute stationery and stickers. 
Some of my favorite letters went like this: “Dear Sandra, When I first met you, sorry, but I thought you looked shady. I felt anxiety about our class. However, I gradually appreciated you, because you worked hard to make us delight. Of course, we took a hint...You are our best friend. We always cheer for you."
"Thank you for half a year! I had funny time with you. Your lessons are so interesting. I feel I became fluent in English...Oh, it is exaggeration! ARIGATOO!"
"I enjoyed you oral communication class. Especially, I was interested in Sandra's reminiscence. Thanks to you, I love English. And I LOVE YOU."
And, in one of my final classes, as I was leaving, a group of boys surrounded me outside the room, giggling and looking sheepish. Then one of them said, “I love you San-do-ra” to which I responded, “I love you too!” The kids went nuts after I said that. Later that day, the same kid was leaving school in his mom’s car, and as he passed me, he stretched his arms out the window and yelled, “I LOVE SAN-DO-RA!” Heehee :)
I’ve been practicing with the brass band for awhile now, and it has really been a great experience. The kids are pretty shy, but they have definitely opened up to me. I have also been able to see the dedication and responsibility of these kids up close. We had a full day practice a couple of weeks ago, and it was done WITHOUT ANY ADULT SUPERVISION. No teachers. At all. The kids all came to the concert hall near the school on time in the morning and proceeded to practice all day, with their peers leading and conducting the songs and stopping to critique them. There was no horsing around. No disruptions. No wasted time. They remained disciplined and focused for 7 hours. Unbelievable…
Last night we finally had a concert! It was a blast. Carmen, Matt, and Michihiro all came to support me (thanks guys!!!) and a lot of students, teachers, and family members came too. The auditorium was almost completely full. When we walked out, a group of boys in the front rows starting chanting “San-do-ra!” The kids really got a kick out of me playing in the band. Before our conductor came out, the noise was deafening, with kids cheering for their friends and yelling names. I felt like I was at a rock concert, not a band concert.
Also, the songs we had been practicing were very fun in themselves, some of them with dance moves, but what I did not realize was that they would be even more fun at the concert. This was because a. the audience really got into the songs (head bobbing, toe tapping, waving glow sticks like lighters during slow songs, etc.) and b. for a couple of songs, some of the kids in band dressed up and danced. We played a few Japanese pop songs by the groups AKB48 and Arashi (both are huge here) and those kids were in the front of the stage, hip-hopping their hearts out. The audience went crazy for those songs, singing along. For a Charlie Chaplin tribute song, two boys dressed up in tuxedos and top hats and hammed it up. It was all I could do to play the song without laughing. And, for a song called “Clarinet Sandwich”, our awesome section stood in the front of the stage the whole time and danced and played like mad. I was really touched, too, because midway through the concert the two girl emcees called me up to the front of the stage, introduced me to everyone, and gave me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers.
After the concert, I got a lot of “good jobs!” and thumbs ups from my students (I always make the thumbs up when I teach, so I think they have caught on…LOL) and a lot of adults who I didn’t know stopped me and said “otsukaresama deshita” (thank you for your hard work). One of the kids in band bowed to me. Even today at school several teachers have congratulated me and bowed to me…all for just playing clarinet and having fun. Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!!! I think it was the most fun I’ve ever had at a band concert.
I also finally went to my first choir practice! It was great, just me, Matt, 3 guys in the choir, and the director. We sang in English (Carpenters and Broadway tunes, yessss) and Japanese. I think the director liked me, so I will definitely be going back next month!!
Well….I think that’s it for now (until I update two months later, haha). If you made it this far, thanks for staying with me and reading the world's longest blog post!!! Here now are a selection of “Only in Japan” and random photos and the videos from the festival.
Spring flowers outside of my school
Pictures inside a store near my apartment called Mummy's. It is your average grocery store except for the fact that there are fairy tale characters randomly placed throughout the store (as you can see, here is Jack, the beanstalk, and the giant ). They also have some pretty awesome cheese of the "Hello Toni" brand. Toni is a strapping blonde boy who frolics through the mountains with his elf hat, marketing cheese.
LOL
Saw this on a girl's backpack on the train...honey, do you know what your pin means???
Here are the videos as promised: koto and dancing.
I love and miss you all!!!!!!
Kids taking a break from the walk.....Now, at school, the year has ended. This means that the group of 440 kids who I have been teaching for 8 months are no longer my students, and I will have a new batch of fresh faces next month. I am really going to miss these kids.
Now that the year is ending, they are being super cute and giving me a lot of little presents and cards. I’ve had several students stop by my desk to give me homemade sweets.
One class gave me a gift bag filled with homemade cards. They were sooo adorable…a lot of the kids really took their time and drew pictures on them, or used really cute stationery and stickers. 
Some of my favorite letters went like this: “Dear Sandra, When I first met you, sorry, but I thought you looked shady. I felt anxiety about our class. However, I gradually appreciated you, because you worked hard to make us delight. Of course, we took a hint...You are our best friend. We always cheer for you.""Thank you for half a year! I had funny time with you. Your lessons are so interesting. I feel I became fluent in English...Oh, it is exaggeration! ARIGATOO!"
"I enjoyed you oral communication class. Especially, I was interested in Sandra's reminiscence. Thanks to you, I love English. And I LOVE YOU."
And, in one of my final classes, as I was leaving, a group of boys surrounded me outside the room, giggling and looking sheepish. Then one of them said, “I love you San-do-ra” to which I responded, “I love you too!” The kids went nuts after I said that. Later that day, the same kid was leaving school in his mom’s car, and as he passed me, he stretched his arms out the window and yelled, “I LOVE SAN-DO-RA!” Heehee :)
I’ve been practicing with the brass band for awhile now, and it has really been a great experience. The kids are pretty shy, but they have definitely opened up to me. I have also been able to see the dedication and responsibility of these kids up close. We had a full day practice a couple of weeks ago, and it was done WITHOUT ANY ADULT SUPERVISION. No teachers. At all. The kids all came to the concert hall near the school on time in the morning and proceeded to practice all day, with their peers leading and conducting the songs and stopping to critique them. There was no horsing around. No disruptions. No wasted time. They remained disciplined and focused for 7 hours. Unbelievable…
Last night we finally had a concert! It was a blast. Carmen, Matt, and Michihiro all came to support me (thanks guys!!!) and a lot of students, teachers, and family members came too. The auditorium was almost completely full. When we walked out, a group of boys in the front rows starting chanting “San-do-ra!” The kids really got a kick out of me playing in the band. Before our conductor came out, the noise was deafening, with kids cheering for their friends and yelling names. I felt like I was at a rock concert, not a band concert.
Also, the songs we had been practicing were very fun in themselves, some of them with dance moves, but what I did not realize was that they would be even more fun at the concert. This was because a. the audience really got into the songs (head bobbing, toe tapping, waving glow sticks like lighters during slow songs, etc.) and b. for a couple of songs, some of the kids in band dressed up and danced. We played a few Japanese pop songs by the groups AKB48 and Arashi (both are huge here) and those kids were in the front of the stage, hip-hopping their hearts out. The audience went crazy for those songs, singing along. For a 
After the concert, I got a lot of “good jobs!” and thumbs ups from my students (I always make the thumbs up when I teach, so I think they have caught on…LOL) and a lot of adults who I didn’t know stopped me and said “otsukaresama deshita” (thank you for your hard work). One of the kids in band bowed to me. Even today at school several teachers have congratulated me and bowed to me…all for just playing clarinet and having fun. Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!!! I think it was the most fun I’ve ever had at a band concert.I also finally went to my first choir practice! It was great, just me, Matt, 3 guys in the choir, and the director. We sang in English (Carpenters and Broadway tunes, yessss) and Japanese. I think the director liked me, so I will definitely be going back next month!!
Well….I think that’s it for now (until I update two months later, haha). If you made it this far, thanks for staying with me and reading the world's longest blog post!!! Here now are a selection of “Only in Japan” and random photos and the videos from the festival.
Spring flowers outside of my school
Pictures inside a store near my apartment called Mummy's. It is your average grocery store except for the fact that there are fairy tale characters randomly placed throughout the store (as you can see, here is Jack, the beanstalk, and the 
LOL
Saw this on a girl's backpack on the train...honey, do you know what your pin means???
Here are the videos as promised: koto and dancing.
I love and miss you all!!!!!!
