Adventure.

I live and work in Japan. What. 
It is so different from what I thought, I am literally a noticeable foreigner. Everyone here stares at me. The students stare with smiles and sometimes offer a peace offering of a, 'kawaii!', the older people stare like I'm from the walking dead. 
It is a weird feeling, to be the outsider. It is like my ethnography class has really come to life, but I digress. Let's update! 

It's been pretty great here in Tottori so far. I have settled into my illiterate life here and I am enjoying it. I live in an apartment with 21 other English teachers, so it's not too lonely. My school is lovely, an academic Senior High School. I am the leader of the English club . I teach 3-5 classes a day and assist teachers with essay marking, speech contests, grammar checks, and everything in between.
After school I have spent a lot of time running. The running is spectacular here. So many open roads leading to more open roads leading back to my little home. When I say little, it's no exaggeration either. It is little. little. little. little. 
I'm still hunting for the perfect cup of coffee though, Japan if your missing something right now, that would be it.

Tottori-Ken

My time in Canada seems to be disappearing so quickly. Everytime I think I have a handle on it, I realize that it might be one of the last times I'm with someone, or in a certain situation. I'm excited to start something new, somewhere fresh, but there is still that pang in my heart for my home here. 

Most of the time though I am overwhelmed with excitement at the prospect of moving to Tottori-Ken. This prefecture is in the Chūgoku region of Japan. It is famous for it's sand dunes and camels!! It is quite nicely situated, right on the coast. It is also fairly close to Osaka and Kyoto, and only an hour flight from Tokyo!! I still don't know exact details regarding my placement, like my actual city, but maybe it's a good thing that I am left to wonder :)

Honduras

I recently returned from an amazing missions trip to Honduras.
I was living in a little village called El Cacao, near to the Caribbean Sea. It was a gloriously hot 35+ every day (ok, to be honest I was sweaty 99% of the time) and I was loving it. I had the chance to teach English at a local school and just spend time loving kids who might otherwise not be unconditionally loved. It was absolutely shocking to experience that level of poverty. There was one day where our group was walking around handing out worm medication for the kids and praying for every family we met. The farther we walked the deeper we got into the jungle. I was blown away by the conditions people lived in. Not just one or two people, but extended families of eight, nine, ten people crammed into a shack.
In my daily life I have so many first world problems, like not having enough money. I complain when it rains and complain when it's "too hot". I complain about studying, when I am so blessed to be able to study. God used this trip to help me re-evaluate my outlook on life. I think one of my greatest desires is to stop viewing my life from a limited North American worldview. I live with access to clean water, an abundance of food and the freedom to pursue education without the added pressure of supporting my whole family so we don't starve to death. In the village I saw poverty and immediately felt hopelessness and sadness.  God sees El Cacao and He has a hope and a future for it. I see a lack of basic physical needs being met, and God sees people whose purpose has little to do with food and shelter and more to do with their identity in Christ. That is a beautiful thing. 


Mathew 19: 26
But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible"

JAPAN!

Last Wednesday I found out I am shortlisted for the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Programme. I am overwhelmed, grateful and so EXCITED! I put my heart and soul into this application/interview process and I am so excited to be spending the next year(s) of my life there!!!!!! 

fizzy

Anticipation. It's like a constant fizzy feeling in my stomach, a  frenetic energy. I have a little less than two months until I find out whether or not I have been chosen to participate in an exchange teaching program in Japan. The interview is over and now all I can do is...wait.
This past week my old roommate sent me a delightful mix. It was filled with some old favorites and also held some brand new gems, music to my ears:) If I am going to spend the next little bit on edge it might as well be with this as my soundtrack.

                         Noosa Sail

Serena Ryder What I wouldn't do

Tegan and Sara How come you don't want me?

Rah Rah Prairie girl 

St. Lucia

I went to an Ellie Goulding show on Tuesday night and I planned on skipping the opening act, St. Lucia. Generally opening acts end up as a disappointment and I go to enough concerts that the excitement value of an opening act is generally lost on me. I ended up arriving part way through the set and it was ah-ma-zing. The venue was for the most part standing room only and with the lights going and the ecstasy of the crowd, it was verging on feeling like a rave. 

St. Lucia September 

The Coastline

This post is (mostly) brought to you by Shazam (best.app.ever.)