Happy Hari

We got back a bit a little while ago from the Hari Race (Dragon Boat Race), exhausted but very pleased with our day! We had a lot of fun hanging out with teachers and students and friends, and then even meeting some crazy old Japanese men after the festivities were over. I will post pictures soon!

and the earth trembles... for an update

Jon and I were rudely awoken by this, a 4.2 earthquake that violently rumbled through our little apartment. We should be used to these by now, and I do still like them, but once I wake up after getting 8 hours of sleep, even if it is a weekend, my body won't let me fall back to sleep. Which is fine really, because today Jon and I will have our driving lessons. Our practical driving test is Wednesday and we wanted to get at least one lesson in beforehand, so wish us luck! The test is in Japanese so it might be frustrating, but we hope to pass it!

Tomorrow, I (and hopefully Jon) will be participating in Chinen Elementary School's Dragon Boat Race. I can't wait! I get to row with my 6h grade students, some of which are in my English club. Also, I have been looking forward to this cultural event since I found out about it.

Jon and I have been all over the place recently, to castles, "haunted hotels", traditional Okinawan houses, and even to the art museum, so hopefully you've checked out our photos at those places. I plan to write a blog about the art museum and the hotel, so hopefully I will have time soon. I've been so busy at work I can't even check my email, and exhausted when I get home!

Until next time...

rain rain go away

The sky opened up and started pouring buckets and buckets of rain on us today, all day. Hot, muggy weather, and hot sticky making rain. Ew! I hope rainy season doesn't last for long!


Oh yeah, and Jon and I watched in awe this morning as our rice cooker exploded. Now I understand why there are warnings about putting anything other than rice and water in them. However, the carnitas we were attempting to make turned out fabulous after we cleaned out the steam escape and tried again. We are finding we can do much more than we ever attempted in the US.

bathroom mistake

So Jon and I ate a KuruKuma, a thai food restaurant with a beautiful view, last night. We had a very spicy beef curry dish with nan bread, and a papaya salad. The salad was so spicy we went though two pitchers of water trying to eat it! Because of all the liquid I drank, I had to use the restroom pretty bad on our way out. Unfortunately, there was a lady in the women's one stall. I waited while brushing my hair and doing my makeup at the sink, but she still wasn't done yet, and was making some throat clearing noises. So I went out of the small restroom, figuring she needed some privacy to do her thing. Finally, I heard the sink and was filled with the joy of knowing I could soon empty my bladder. You can just imagine the look on both of our faces when a man came out of the women's restroom. He just looked at me wide eyed, then looked at the sign on the wall. I was laughing hysterically at his aloofness. He quickly realized what had happened, said a shameful "so-ri", and bowed before quickly walking back to his table. As I ran in to relieve myself, I thought to myself how lucky he was he only had me to face in his major faux pas.