Check out my mad skills!!

Well... they're not really my skills - it's all blogger! They put up new layout and background options and I got into it! What do you think?!?
So... it has been a busy couple of weeks and there's lots of cool things coming up in the next few weeks too!

I forgot to mention last time that I did my presentation to the local English teachers. It got seriously watered down and I just wound up doing an elaborate self introduction and playing a few games with them before we moved on to talking about team teaching. I don't know if there was much value there for any of us but it was still an interesting experience.

I have had an easy month as far as work in concerned because both the Shogakko and the Kindergarten are practicing for their sports festivals so they have put ekaiwa on hold. I have done my last classes at Tatsunan now though and I'm starting on Monday at Date Chu. I'm looking forward to something new but I'm also a little intimidated... it's the largest school in the area (though still not large by Canadian standards) at 550 students. I suspect that I'm going to be run off my feet on Mondays and Tuesdays as they have four English teachers. It will be a nice change from Ootaki where there are only 26 students altogether!



The weather has been absolutly increadible for a couple of weeks now and last Saturday we decided to go for a swim in the river. We had been told that the water level would get low enough that it would be safe to swim by the falls (the ones from the photos last time) and so we went to check it out. There was still a bit too much water for it to be safe right near the main part of the falls but the kids and Ian played around a bit lower down and then we all swam and played in a deep spot we found later on.
Ian and the kids even climbed the falls and went for a walk up top!!



The water was cold but it was so warm out that we all really enoyed it. Joisan and I went back on Monday evening for a swim but the sun had already passed by and the bugs were brutal so we learned our lesson!

Speaking of Joisan, we've had her back to the hospital to have her leg checked out because she's been having chronic pain since mid May. It's been particularly bothersome when she's doing track and field but now and then she was bothered by it at dance too. It turns out that she has ruptured something around the "junction box" area where the achilles tendon meets the muscle. She's been ordered to rest it completely and take some prescribed anti-inflamatories for two weeks. I'm suspecting that she's figuring on jumping back into things with both toe shoes but I'm doubting that it will be all healed that quickly. Particularly since she continues to "forget" to rest it.

Last Sunday Ian and I had the unfortunate pleasure of attending a buddhist funeral service. Kabo-san is a friend of ours (and the father of Josian's friend Akari)and his father passed away last week. He had just been diagnosed with cancer in April so it felt a little quick. I had recently been remarking to Ian that I wanted a chance to check out the inside of the temple and then suddenly there we were! It was an interesting service. There were many rituals involving drums and bells and chanting and incense. The place was packed - they ran out of chairs and there were at least 20 people sitting on cushions on the floor. Between the heat, the number of people, the chanting and the incense I had quite a headache by the time we left.

On Tuesday we took the kids and went to Sapporo to deal with some paperwork issues and to check out the JR Tower (huge shopping centre) and the big festival that's on there right now. We parked in this really cool place where you drive onto a lift and the car goes up on an elevator thing. Then, when you want it back you back it onto a turntable and it turns the car around for you!! Very cool!

We didn't have very much time at the JR Tower this time but we did manage to get some cool photos while Joisan and I went shopping and the boys checked out the BIG bookstore across the street.

On our way to the festival we saw this really cool building... It was just there in the middle of Sapporo... we have no idea what it is or anything about it!

The festival occupies the majority of a huge park in the middle of the city. Joisan was excited to go because she heard that there were gaming booths where you can win a turtle. Taran wasn't too thrilled with trecking around the park - he'd rather have gone back home (party pooper!) Anyway, Ian had heard from Ato-san that the booths are all run by the Japanese mafia. It was pretty interesting... I think there were probably about 20 or 30 different booths (food or games) but they were repeated again and again. Only now and then did we see something new.
In the centre of the park you could rent a rowboat and go out on the pretty little lake, and there was also a sort of a midway with several haunted houses and a motorcycle riding show as well as some shooting games. The kids each played a couple of games and Joisan did manage to win her turtle - with a little help from the guy running the booth!

We had some yummies - including some bbq'd ika(squid) on a stick. The whole festival was supposed to have something to do with the big Shinto shrine but we never did manage to find it! We don't actually know anyone in this photo but I just liked the scene and it was so cool to see so many people walking around in kimonos!


The weather turned a bit on Wednesday and it rained for two days. It's just now starting to clear up and I'm looking forward to a weekend of outdoor fun! Tomorrow is the sports festival at the Shogakko and on Sunday we are going to Rusutsu which is the local resort area. In the winter time the kids went snowboarding there and in the summer time they have quite an extensive amusement park. We've gathered a little group to go with us and we're looking forward to it! I'll be sure to post an update and photos asap.

Our other big news is that we are booked to come back to BC for a few weeks in August. We are all excited to spend as much time as we can with family and friends. We'll be there from August 2nd to the 26th and we're looking forward to some good visiting!!