Left: Our team: (front to back) Cristy, Trishah, me, Lis, Tammy, Kristin (a friend of some of the teachers), Patty, and Adriane. Below: Our Orientation Leaders/Former teachers: Nate (also our team leader), Bethany, Erin, and Rebecca. Well, I had planned to start this once I reached Japan, but currently we're not quite sure exactly when that will happen. Our group of 7 (female) teachers and our fearless (male) leader planned to fly out very, very early on Monday the 15th. However, our visas never arrived; hence we are currently "stuck" in Mansfield waiting for Encho Sensei ("head teacher," what we call Mr. Maki, our boss and host) to head to Tokyo with a perverbial "big stick" to get things rolling. Aparently the recent terrorism in London has caused the Japanese government to do extensive background checks on those entering Japan to work, so I guess we're somewhat suspicious-sounding characters, because it's been delayed quite extensively. Our plan at this point (Lord willing) is to fly out the 31st, and we would all appreciate prayers in that regard. We've been staying at Grace Fellowship Church and as gracious has everyone has been to our group, today marked the beginning of tension and a partial dissipation of the "honeymoon" stage of team living. It would help to feel usefull. Personally, this time has been really good to get to know the other teachers and to actually grow in my relationship with God. I've been able to process a lot of things that I've pushed aside because of the whole "life" thing, so getting those out on the table has been great. As a group we've done a lot of neat things together...such as, but not limited to: painting the youth building an avacado/mustard color (as for color choice, we claim no responsibility), heading to Cedar Point for some thrills, learning some Japanese phrases and characters (hoping to learn a large portion of the alphabet before we go), enjoying the cuisine of generous families in the church, hiking at Mohican, the rich cultural experience that is the Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival, "talking about our feelings" in our (again, male) leader's terms, breaking a van's radiator, learining about Japan to prepare ourselves for inevitable culture shock, and lying out on a friend's lawn watching Waiting for Guffman projected onto an old bedsheet. For being essentially "purposeless" here, we've found a lot to do. Well, that's all for now. If you're curious, the name of this site came from my fellow teacher, Patty, who decided that my realistic/occasionally pessimistic view of life merited me the title of "marshwiggle"--Puddleglum's species in the Chronicles of Narnia series. For now, oiyasuminasai! (goodnight)