one thing i do love about moving to a new place is the feeling of total happiness you get from the simplest things, like throwing out the pull-seal on your can of concentrated frozen juice into your newly-placed garbage can in your new kitchen.

So there are so many weird things about being back in Canada, and Nepean ( Read more... )

(wrote this on the plane on the way back on Tuesday - not everything I need to say, but what I was able to at the time ( Read more... )

Weird, right, that I haven't begun summarizing my thoughts on the last 2 years in Tokyo that are funnelling towards the end? But that's going to require so much time to focus and concentrate and just the right mood and weather and circumstances.....and of course, also, how do I do this??!?!?? I've had observations and summarizing sentences flitting ( Read more... )

Tonight I went for a 40-minute walk, got naked, and had my back and shoulders massaged by A WATERFALL. Japan really IS fabulous, you guys.

--well, I went there by plane. But it only took about 4 hours to Beijing, and only 2 1/2 hours to get from Shanghai back to Tokyo - we're next-door neighbours ( Read more... )

So on Saturday I had a lot of students show up at Jiyugaoka for their last lessons with me, and the weather was SO beautiful outside, as were the cherry blossoms ALL the way down the street. I was surpleased that so many people took the time to come in. I was the only one going "Can we have class outside today???" - on top of that, this is the end/ ( Read more... )

ARGH. So, today I finished my last kids' lesson. Ever. Unless I ever start teaching again. GAH that was hard!!! Last week was like, goodbye after goodbye while choking back tears until the last kid was out of view, and now this week it's saying goodbye to my adult students and the school staff, since my last day is Sunday and I work at different ( Read more... )

Things here seem to be winding up on a mostly really positive note. Last week, on Thursday at Shimo-Kitazawa, I was supposed to have a free period. But then the SD (school director) came up to me and said "This family has 2 kids they were considering bringing in for trial lessons, but they didn't return any of my phone calls, but now they're here ( Read more... )

because it's made with blueberries!!!!!!!!!!