Sunday again?

It's funny that the week feels so slow and fast at the same time!  During the week it feels slow, but then come Friday I'm surprised that I'm preparing for the weekend.  Two days for the weekend doesn't feel long enough however.  I think I need to be something that I can't WAIT to go back to on Mondays.  For example, that's often how I always felt about school.  The weekends were fun, but I always liked the week just as well.  When I'm done being an ALT, I'll need to remind myself about this thought and make sure I'm doing something long term that I love.

I added a few photos to my "free-style" section, so please check there as well.

Here is my English Board.  It has changed already again since I've taken these photos, but not enough to merit taking another photo so soon.  Since this time, I've added a few magazine pages in English, a short article in English, and two puzzles from a Japanese puzzle magazine.  These were in Japanese, but I'm hoping that the different pictures (and maybe some words they can actually read) will encourage them to walk by it and read it.  Also, on Friday Ms. M and I did a game show race activity in two of our three classes, and the teams that didn't win wanted stickers too.  I told them that if they wrote me a letter or memo in English, they could get a sticker.  Hopefully they will.  Maybe even one person?

Also, in preparation for the school festival which is next weekend, I snagged a picture of the students practicing in the morning.  They get to school around 7:30, and they don't leave until 5 or later.  Then some of them probably even go to the nearest city Kofu and practice MORE sports.  I was on my way home from Kofu on Thursday (two weeks in a row) at around 9 PM, and a group of students from my school were coming home from extra soccer practice.  Isawa Junior High School is a really good sports school apparently.  If the students can get home late, then certainly I can handle getting home late!  It's sad how sleepy I get here.

Also, I decided that I was going to try to start taking pictures of my school lunches.  I only took one so far, but I'll try to remember when I think they're interesting.  ^_^  The bottle of milk is standard...  Then the rest of this plate is Chile con carne, which they call "chire kon kan" I think... vegetables, toasted raisin bread with butter, and an orange.  Actually it was pretty good, but a silly combination to me as a westerner/foreigner.

In the super market I decided to buy pancake mix.  After looking over the different bags, I found the following really entertaining and decided to take a photo.  Please look carefully at how they suggest you eat the pancakes...

And finally, I've decided to start reading this book.  I'm only about two pages in, but I'm enjoying it so far!  It takes me forever to get a few lines further, so we'll see if I can finish it by the end of the year.  It's called Kafka on the Shore in English, and it is by Murakami Haruki.  (Josh, you'll probably appreciate this one!  How is 1Q84 coming along?)

My Japanese study notebook.

Click the photos if you want to enlarge them.

I have more things to discuss regarding the school, but I think tonight I will end here.  I think I will try to talk about them more tomorrow.

Hope you are all well!  Good night.

Lana

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