Today marks the beginning of Gishwhes 2013. May the Wooster look down upon you with kindness. It shan't be easy but I believe we will all try our damnedest to have a wonderful time. Best of luck to all of you scalawags.
Stormageddon Loves Hellbenders for real.
I'm a happy person. I spend a lot of my time planning and preparing programs for the public. I take people on hikes, I teach them fishing skills, this weekend I'll teach three canoeing classes. I'm good at what I do. I care about people, I care about them getting outdoors and seeing the wonders that exist. I'm tough, I'm a hard worker, I'm not sure I'll stay where I am... I feel adventure coming on. Until then, I'll keep doing my best to enjoy all that surrounds me
March 7th I moved to Springfield, Missouri to begin a job with the Missouri Department of Conservation as a naturalist. I now work at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center. To put it very plainly, I love it. I love my job.
I'm married, I'm a graduate, I'm moving... to where I do not know, I'm blondish brunette or maybe neither. Things keep changing and will continue to do so. I'm glad to be alive and well and happy.
グレッグと私はグレッグ\の兄を訪問するためにミシガンに行きました。 たくさん楽しかった。 そこにいた間に、大いに雪が降りました。最も大きい淡水の湖であるスペリオル湖に行きました。 兄の犬と遊んで、そして楽しい時を過ごしました。ひどい翻訳のためにすみません
風が非常にうるさかったから、このビデオは良くありません。
たくさん鹿を見ました.
さようなら！
Me, A statue Stephanie and I ran across on a random walking adventure, Austin God of Thunder
Amanda and Cody at a Zen Buddhist temple we visited
The Giant Dai (大) on the side of the mountain, apparently they catch it on fire during Obon
A few classmates and friends and I had been making plans for our arrival. We would get there a week or so before our school program began. Our idea was that it would be exciting and help us get ready for the program. A few of us decided to meet in Osaka ( at the airport actually)... Going through customs by yourself when you can barely read kanji and are too scared to try out your language skills is a bit horrifying, but you have no choice...you still have to do it and this was one of the most beneficial things I've experienced.
Taylor, Amanda, Denise and I met at the airport and were on our way. We took our first train ride ( except for Taylor who had been to Japan previously) to a station near our hotel. We put our things away and chatted about what to do, go out? or stay in and relax after our long flights. Of course, we went out.
We made our way down to Dotonburi. We were excited and a little nervous but mostly ecstatic ( I was kind of in a fog, I couldn't believe I was really there). Taylor led as he had been there before, had stayed in the same hotel had walked the same streets. 
We wandered the streets for a few hours until we realized we were all starving. We stopped at a small restaurant for our first Japanese meal and then headed back to the hotel. Meanwhile we had begun to worry about two members of our group who were supposed to have met us several hours before but who hadn't shown. None of us had cell phones or any other way to contact people. We stayed up chatting and snickering all of us too excited to sleep. Finally Brian and Stephanie showed up and we all went to bed.
大阪 I arrived in Osaka alone, a bit scared and more than a bit overwhelmed. Two hours before I had touched down in Tokyo at Narita airport. We sat on the tarmac for over thirty minutes as they prepared to send a group of doctors onto the plane. Because of the Swine Flu panic all planes entering Japan were being boarded and the passengers examined. The doctors dressed in scary looking haz-mat suits seemed more than a little intimidating. They asked the passengers if anyone felt ill at all, and if they did to raise their hand. No one raised their hand. The doctors walked the length of the plane scanning the rows looking for tell tale signs of illness. Fortunately no one was obviously ill and we were released from the plane.
I had been told that I would need to go through customs in Tokyo, as I left the plane I got to go through a series of checks. They scanned my forehead for a high temperature, perused my visa, asked me why I was here, etc and then I was off to find my luggage. I couldn't find it right away and I began to panic. A security guard noticed my confusion and although he didn't speak English he gave me a paper with English directions on airport basics. I soon found my luggage and went through the customs line, they didn't bother to look through my belongings. The customs official just asked if I had brought produce and why I was here. When I said that I was in Japan to study Japanese puppetry he laughed and waved me ahead.
I got on my transfer and was on my way to Osaka. On the plane I was seated next to a woman and her daughter. After a while they asked me where I was from. They thought I was from England, when I told them I was from the US they asked where. I tried to explain where Missouri was and they giggled. We talked (in Japanese only) about Paris, Yuzu, why I was in Japan, Puppetry, and a random of assortment of chitchat. Of course in the middle of all of this I spilled an entire cup of juice in my lap....yes I am awesome. We arrived at the airport and they wished me luck and were on their way. Meanwhile... I was in Osaka. After running around I began to relax and followed the signs that I could read to find my luggage, to go through customs and to find the exit to the main lobby. I ran into Taylor near customs and we exited into the lobby together. We found an exchange center and changed our money into our first fistful of yen.
Soon after we ran into Amanda and Denise and began our search to find the correct train to get where we needed to go, somewhere in the heart of Osaka.
This summer I spent over two months in Japan. Although I had internet access rarely, I honestly was too busy to post. So here are some posts relating to my summer.
How did I get to Japan?
Well.....
One day when I was a little kid I decided that I was going to be Japanese when I grew up ( great....right? How about another dream I can't attain) shortly afterwards my peers informed me that was impossible. My interest in Japan didn't diminish however and I became fascinated by the rural lifestyle in certain parts of Japan.
I grew up ( supposedly) had been in college for what seemed ages and had just transferred to a new University to eek out a few more miserable years until I could attain my degree. After a year and a slow slip into boredom I realized that the school offered Japanese. I had always wanted to take Japanese and said "what the hell" so I enrolled. I was horrified at first, I couldn't read most of the words in my textbook, I had no idea what to do. Soon I fell into the swing of things and found that 1) I wasn't bored 2) I was pretty decent at learning the language 3) I didn't want to quit school and live under a bridge anymore.
At my last job I had fallen in love with Giant Salamanders and was especially fond of Andrias japonicus ( Giant Japanese salamanders) but thought I could never seen them in person. Now that I had Japanese under my belt I realized I could do anything (not just with Japanese but with any language, I can go anywhere!).
Now my professor is especially pushy about getting his students to study abroad and of course his stories peaked my interest but there was no way I could afford it. I decided that I might as well try and see if I could get financial aid.... I couldn't but I had already filled out all my papers and had been accepted. So, I took out a school loan. Yes I know that may seem foolish but to tell you the truth, it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.
My dad bought my ticket to Japan as a gift and I was on my way.
I've been in Japan for over 2 months, can you believe it? I can't. I'm not ready to go home yet either, I want to stay here forever. Ah the woes of loving life!
I've spent the summer with a host family (the Tsutsui family), they are wonderful! I hope we can be lifelong friends.
well I'm off to eat some sushi with my auntie and to ride a bicycle in Tokyo. Wish me luck!
