10 Things I Love About You

At the end of this year its good to look back and think about all the things that have enhanced the quality of our experience here. Here's a top 10:

10. El Torito Salsa and Chips/Outrageous Chimichanga. いきましょう。
9. Sunday Morning at Starbucks.
8. Walking into a smiling 一年生　(7th grade) class and team teaching with my crazy co-teacher, Tsuda Sensei. Good laughs and good education. Also, enduring the ever-wicked 二年生　(8th grade) classes with my very hip team-teacher, Matsuda Sensei. Always a challeng and adventure.
7. Sitting under the kotatsu table (Japanese-style table with a heater underneath and blanket around the sides) and vegging after a long day of work.
6. Singing あああああああああめん ('Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamen') at the end of every song at church.
5. Thinking a class at school is going to bomb and being pleasantly surprised when it goes great, students had a good laugh, and got something out of it.
4. Karaoke. Who knew the Woods could rock the mike? Well, okay, we can belt out a mean 'Islands in the Streams'. Does that count as rocking the mike? Thoughts? Comments? Actually, Karaoke is really Rachel's time to shine.
3. When something clicks when I'm listening to Japanese. Our job makes it fairly difficult, teetering on impossible, to learn a great amount of Japanese. But there are a few moments when something clicks and I'm that much further along. Baby steps, baby steps.
2. EBC when something clicks in my students mind/heart. They seem to be more one in the same in Japan. Sunday can be a long day here with church and then EBC, but once a student gets some new fact that can potentialy change their lives, it let's me know something bigger than me is happening in the world and the long hours don't seems as long anymore.
1. Just knowing that we are at this point in our life where we've made so many friends in so many places and have so many possibilities to entertain. We're pretty freakin' lucky and blessed to be this young and have had so many incredible experiences with all the great people we've crossed paths with. Life is never perfect in the way we'd like but we're being perfected by this imperfect life. Working/living here is tough sometimes but when we stop to catch a breath (which is admittedly rare) we realize we don't have much to complain about. Good friends, good students, good church, good God, good times!!!

Okay, hands down, this is the best holiday in Mito for the AETs and other foreigners associated with the Mito church. Football, food, fellowship all wrapped up into one day. Totally a day to be thankful.

If you know Greg-but don't get this joke-trust me, its worth an email to him to find out the punch line.

The food is totally worth the wait. No sushi, no natto, no sashimi, maybe not even any rice in sight. Is this really in Japan? This beautiful spread was devoured in no-time flat.

The second floor of Mito church was miraculously transformed into a haven for turkey and talking all afternoon with friends/family. This is probably my favorite day of the whole year in Mito.

Mark...well, just being Mark. He did the honors and carved one of the turkeys this year.

Thanksgiving started off as it should-with a wicked game of flag football at Kairakuen Park. The game took place in the very beautiful (and possibly my favorite place in Mito) Kairakuen Park. Both teams were evenly matched up by the very efficient Japanese decision making mechanism: Janken. This is the Japanese version of Rock-Paper-Scissors. People janken to make all sorts of decisions from kindergarten on up to adults. Anyway, the game was a great battle royal and turned out a tie by the end. All felt good about the results and raced home to change and get to the church building for a Thanksgiving feast that makes my mouth water just writing about it.

The theme for this years AET Halloween party was 'Soup-er Stars.' Of course, the goal for this event is to dress up like a movie, music, or other kind of star. However, Rachel and I decided to stray from the formula a smidge and go as the time-honored arch-nemesis of the 'stars': Paparazzi.

I don't know why, but everytime I see this picture I just laugh really hard. Paparazzi-Rachel is getting a taste of her own medicine.

The painstakingly necessary group photo. This group can't escape them. Like many things in life, they are very painful while experiencing them but usually produce a good memory.