Mid-December

My weekend was looking rather uneventful so I went for a walk downtown. I visited a few shrines, the Asian art museum, and a new Starbucks (if I could only find another place to go with comfy chairs, good coffee, and no smoking, I'd go there). I saw the last of the autumn colors as I walked up to the Atago shrine overlooking the Muromi River, Momochi neighborhood, and Hakata Bay. I ate tea and mochi cakes as I watched the sun set over Fukuoka and finally taught myself hirigana with the flashcards I bought online last spring.

Hirigana is one of the three alphabets used to write Japanese. I have a whole new sympathy for my students who are learning to read and write one or two new languages! I teach a Korean first grader how to read in English while he is simultaneously learning Japanese and how to write in Korean. It's a wonder his little head doesn't explode!

On Monday night I went to a fantastic taiko drumming performance. I'm hoping to find a local taiko group to join myself! I took videos but cannot load them on to my blog for some reason... Stay tuned?

Tonight I met my new friends, Aaron and Yoko, for a fabulous tofu feast, and the rest of my week will be full of grading student papers before the winter break. On Saturday I take off for two weeks in Vietnam! I'll be traveling around with Karinna, Michael, and Karinna's mom, Anne. I'm looking forward to the tasty food and the beautiful landscapes and learning about the culture. Two weeks won't be nearly enough time, but here is a map of all the places I'd like to see. When I return, I will update the map to see where I ended up!

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I'll be back in Fukuoka January 4th. I'm off to Nagoya for a weekend on January 9th, followed by a week of final exams and entering semester grades. Whew! Until then, I wish everyone a very happy new year! I'll greet 2009 in the mountains of northern Vietnam thinking about all the new things I've learned in Japan, all the adventures I will have in the new year, and all the friends around the world I love so much!