So, the whole weekly thing isn't working out so well, but I'll keep doing my best. Beore I forget, The first of these pictures is from our "run along the tracks" (not ON the tracks) at sunset. Sorry the color's "wa choto" (a little bit...fill in the blank). The second is from October 16, when five of us ran a 3K in the Tamura-city race. It was a chilly, foggy morning, but the mountains were beautiful.

The reason, of course, that I haven't written so often is the crazy schedule I've been keeping. For example, let me sketch my day for you: I woke up at 5:30 to go running with Tammy (up to the track...picture 2), 4 miles later, I took a shower, had prayer time with the junior high teachers in my apartment, then headed off to Funehiki Jr. High School. I taught 5 classes with other teachers, had one period off, then came home to immediately begin boiling pumpkin for a cake I'm making for when we have two teachers over for dinner tomorrow night. While that was baking, 1 1/2 hours later, I allowed myself 10 minutes of rest, before I took it out, and headed out the door for a tutoring session at Wakakusa (the "after school" English cram school). After tutoring for an hour (at 7:00 PM), I came back to my apartment to ice the cake and do my dishes, just in time to head next door to Nate's vacant apartment for Bible study with the other teachers. I'm just now getting back (10 PM). First time I've sat down to rest besides those ten minutes. So, I'm whooped. The tutoring sessions will only be for three weeks...we'll see if I continue to get up at the crack of dawn...

But anyway...as is expected with the whole changing seasons thing, it's continuing to get colder in this part of the world. But other than the temperature (which is its own kind of struggle), some things here are getting a bit easier, some things a bit harder. I'm amazed at the range of emotions that I can experience in a 24-hour period. (food--good food--usually brings the highest high) It's like the emotions that I would normally experience as a result of an event or occurence are magnified times ten. Thus, I may have tears of joy and tears of utter frustration or "depression" in the same hour. One of my friends, who lives in Africa now, told me that he was learning that our happiness does not have to be determined by our location or circumstances. I am beginning to learn this, too. The Japanese culture does not allow for a lot of display of emotion, thus we are forced often to put on a smile and to "just stuff" other feelings. At first it feels really insincere, but as previous teachers put it, "you fake it till you make it." I haven't "made it" yet, but I'm on the road to getting there.

One example of this was this past Sunday at Segawa's school festival. It was, as I said, on a Sunday. So, the day started out with me getting up around 6:30...on a Sunday. However. I still didn't move fast enough and I was late getting out the door. Only two minutes, but it's amazing the tension that two minutes of lateness can cause. Then, I traveled to my school with the "Team Crush," so that added to my lack of punctuality equaled a rather uncomortable time (especially since he speaks very little English). On top of this, while in the car, I realized that I didn't think I turned off my (gas) stove. Worry seized me, and furvent prayer began. This thought stayed with me the entire length of the day...

So, I arrived at my school around 8:20 or so, only to be without anything to do amongst about 100 students, teachers, and parents running around like chickens with their heads cut of. I couldn't even escape to the bathroom because they were cleaning it AGAIN (they clean it every day), so I just wandered around trying my best (unsuccessfully) to look as inconspicuous as possible.

Then, we headed to the gym - the 45 degree F unheated gym - for the 6 1/2 hours of the kids performing plays (mostly), songs, speeches, and a couple game shows in Japanese. And, the only fluent English speaker present was the coordinator, so she wasn't around to translate at all The only break we had was lunch--for which I had accidentally ordered miso-flavored, hard, hot jelly on a stick. There was gagging, but I made it through with a smile.

After the presentation, I was dog-tired, and just wanted to go home, but I had been invited to a party afterwards (the only place where teachers feel free to let down the "professional face"), so I had to wait until 6 to go. Meanwhile, my driver, who had not been informed of my change of plans, showed up at 4:00, waited 1/2 outside for me, then finally came in to see where on earth I was. It wasn't really my fault, but I just wanted to die of embarassment. So, around 5:00, I just thought I was going to crack. I could feel tears welling up, and it was all I could do to hold them in, so I escaped to the bathroom (they weren't cleaning it this time), and sat on the (only Western-style) toilet with my head down, begging God to help me get through the next few hours without a breakdown.

By God's grace, I made it without breaking into tears. We went to a little diner nearby, and I managed to drink sake, and eat raw fish, octopus, and squid all with a smile on my face. Nevermind that I kneed one of the teachers in the bum as she was trying to kneel down and almost sent her flying across the table, never mind that I didn't know the 20 polite things to do at the table, nevermind that my legs cramped up every 15 minutes from kneeling in traditional Japanese style. God really, truly, honestly, helped me through. And I had fun. Probably mostly because I decided to. I would never choose to do most of those things on my own, but because I decided to enjoy them (and God changed my attitude...), I did. So much of our happiness is a choice. I never guessed such a cornerstone of our American heritage could be, at least in part, shall we say...a little off. What really is "the pursuit of happiness"? I think it can turn out to be, as so many college students discover while trying to choose their life path, a wild goose chase. The true pursuit is with and for God and within ourselves.

Well, those are all the profound thoughts I can muster for the evening. I'll leave you with a few more "special quotes"...of course, not as good as my pot lid, but...

"I will study mush this evening." One of my students, I think trying to express (on paper) that she would later devote herself to her mathematics homework.

"I outkicked a 12-year-old at the very end." Jeni, at the race, describing how it had gone the previous year.