My last day of school was wonderful! I had some fun classes with kids and the last period was a goodbye party in the gym, hosted by the 6th graders! It was really fun! They played some big games, like "draw Ms. Keely" where each class had a marker and a big piece of paper and they each got a turn drawing part of my face for 15 seconds, and then switched to the next person... It was really funny to see the results! Nice work! :) I want to use that activity some time... :) Another thing that they did was to make a huge board game. I rolled a huge die and the students would move x number of spaces around the gym... It was interesting! There were some spaces with penalties like "go back 2" or "lose a turn." Very creative party games for the whole school!! Then several kids gave speeches, and I gave a speech and I received gifts and flowers... It was really sweet! I actually managed to not cry, because I was excited to see my sister when I got home... It was so nice to have both of my sisters here for awhile and one of them for awhile longer... It is great to have room-mates that I love!!
The most amazing experience of the day, however, was part of my last class. I was playing "duck, duck, goose" with some very cute 3rd graders. I was just watching and enjoying when I noticed JUST how much the boy next to me wanted to run... He put his hands together, closed his eyes and started praying!! He prayed to God. He prayed for his prayer to be heard. He prayed to be goose! It was so sweet! He was SO sincere and so intent on his prayer that he didn't notice the little girl coming up behind him. She was walking along saying "duck, duck, duck..." and behind him she slowed down to an indecisive stop, cocked her head like she wasn't really sure what she was about to do and tentatively reached out to his head and said "goose!" His eyes sprang open wider than perhaps they've ever been, his mouth was gaping, his hands still in front of his chest... He was so surprised and happy that he didn't immediately get up. But when he did he had SO MUCH energy and such a HUGE smile on his face! He ran so hard and didn't even care when he didn't catch her. I am not sure, but I think maybe duck duck goose changed that little boy's life. He was glowing for the rest of the day! I knew that it was a moment to cherish as an observer/ teacher, and I was reminded of the value [and the sweetness] of childlike faith and hope. Later in the afternoon I was happy to receive a card from the boy's teacher [a great teacher!]. Inside there was a picture of me beside the praying boy, with just the approaching legs of the little girl. What a treasure!! A great reminder of both a beautiful moment and a life principle.

Last week was a great great week! My sisters came to visit! My friends came with me to pick them up at the airport and we stopped at an onsen [spa] on the way home to soak in the hot tubs. Then dinner and home for bed. The week was packed. Here's the schedule:
Monday: We were up early for school at Kinugasa elementary. After school we went to a friend's house to try on kimonos... It was a great experience! Beautiful kimonos! Turns out the obi [belt] that I had on cost 10,000 dollars on its own! WOW!! Anyway, it was a very nice experience watching the process and seeing ourselves in kimono.
Tuesday: We went to school again, and after school went for a hike, then to dinner at a favorite restaurant, and followed up with karaoke night. Lots of fun, but I kined of lost my voice by the end of it.
Wednesday: School, then in the evening went to a JICA party... Japanese people and foreign visitors from all over... Interesting mingling! Government ministers from Iraq and Afghanistan, and other scholars from all over!
Thursday: School again, and a farewell party for me and the other English teachers who are leaving with members of the board of education... At an Italian restaurant!
Friday: Took a day off. We got up and went to Nagoya. After we bought sumo tickets we went next door to Nagoya castle then back to watch sumo for several hours. Afterwards we went to our friend's house in Osaka. My sisters met the baby! She is precious!
Saturday: We got up and went on a whirlwind tour! First stop- Nara Hotel. We had a posh brunch. Five courses of delicious Japanese-French food. Next was Todai-ji with the Great Buddha. From there we went back to Osaka to relax a couple of hours, then on to Kobe. We went for some snacks at the China town there. Then we went to see the longest bridge in the world! It was beautifully lit up with colorful lights, and around 9 pm they all went in rainbow colors. It was fun! After that we went back to Osaka for sleeping... Nice day with an old friend.
Sunday: We got up and went to the 100 yen shop and then to Kyoto. In Kyoto we met up with my boyfriend so he got to briefly meet my sisters as we had lunch in a revolving sushi restaurant and walked through Gion Matsuri to Kiyomizu temple. It was a great day in spite of some crowded streets and rain... After dinner at a ramen restaurant we came home and rested up for Monday.
Monday: We had planned a beach barbecue with friends but it was rainy, so instead we went to a famous shave-ice place at the end of the peninsula, visited the beach, and went to karaoke and dinner. It was a really nice time with super fun friends! It was a national holiday so everybody was free! We had a great time! After it all my younger sister had to pack up to go home!
Tuesday: Airport trip... We went to Toyohashi on the train... We met up with my Kenyan friend James and Japanese friend Ai on the train. Good timing! :) Then we took the bus to the airport. After check-in we went to have lunch and then to the airport onsen. It was interesting to watch a plane take off from the bath... After we said goodbye it was back to Tahara for French dinner with Japanese friends and another English teacher. Fun! Since then we have been a bit more relaxed, trying to work on wrapping things up. I will write a separate blog entry for my last day of school...

Wow, I had one of the greatest weekends ever! After a really great party with friends from Tahara I had a few hours of sleep then it was off to Tokyo. There I met up with 2 amazing guys--my wonderful boyfriend and his older brother! We had such a nice time going around Tokyo, touring museums, walking, talking, just enjoying being together. :) I have not smiled and laughed so much in one weekend in a long time. :) The next day we spent some more time in Tokyo and then moved on to Kyoto. We had a walking tour of Kyoto and saw so much beauty and relaxed while getting to know each other better. Some highlights... 1. That first hug in a long time from my boyfriend and meeting his brother! 2. Karaoke in Shibuya... Lots of fun and good laughs! Worth every yen! 3. Lunch by the falls at Kiomizu Temple in Kyoto... Delicious, relaxing, and beautiful with clear air and great company! Perfect! 4. Shinkansen ride and watching the sun set behind Mt. Fuji! 5. Meeting up with a friend randomly in the streets between Gion and Kiomizu... Perfect coincidence!! 6. Eating at the kaitenzushi [conveyor-belt sushi restaurant]. 7. A special performance of a variety of Japanese arts. 8. Undying enthusiasm!
Well I came home exhausted but so happy and filled with smiles from a great weekend! What makes it even better is that I get to tour Kyoto again in two weeks with my boyfriend and my sisters!! Wonderful!! This weekend reminded me of some of the things that I really love about Japan!! And I realized again how lucky I am to have found such a great boyfriend with a nice family!! I am very happy!!