Brief summary: there is no scientific data that blood type has anything to do with personality however it is still a popular subject especially in matchmaking. Magazines and morning news shows have blood type horoscopes and in 2008 there were 4 books outlining blood type characteristics in the top 10 best selling books in Japan.
And coincidently all teachers have Type A blood (earnest, creative, sensible).
Moving on... While my principal has limited English skills and I have even less Japanese skills, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him because he more than a lot of other teachers has made me feel welcome and comfortable at the school. Because of my lack of Japanese skills I miss a lot of what happens around me at school. I noticed that he had been gone for a few days but I didn't think too much about it because the principal is gone a lot of times to attend different conferences and meetings. I learned however, that his father-in-law had just passed away. I learned this as he was passing out gifts of food on everybody's desk. When I asked about this I was told that all the teacher's had given money to help pay for the funeral costs. Apparently whenever anybody has a wedding, birth or death in the family the teacher's pool their money together to help cover costs. This gift was a way of thanking the teachers. I had no idea what was going on and didn't contribute any money but he still gave me a gift. What a nice gesture from everybody!
This is the "thank you" omiyage that my principal gave to everyone. It had 4 different snacks in it. Usually omiyage consists of only 1 snack.
It is now almost the start of our summer vacation. Woohoo! We still get paid for the full month of July but our last day of school is Tuesday (although we're still on call--we could be called in to sub or help with a speech contest). Then we have the full month of August off. I have signed up to take the GRE on the 10th. It is a test that most graduate programs require for entry. I thought that I would be able to apply for PT school while I was here but that probably isn't going to happen. Most PT schools narrow down potential students from the applications turned in and then do a campus tour and interview to determine whether or not they want you in your program. And they don't do phone interviews...so that's that. My GRE score is good for 5 years and I'll be able to shadow some in-patient and out-patient PT facilities making me eligible for more programs when we return. So much for my 1 year off turning into 3!
Brad and I are planning some fun adventures for August though! Hopefully we'll go to Tokyo Disney Sea, and have an overnight BBQ at a cabin on the river that Yuta (Chris' former student who took us skiing earlier this year) is putting together, and we also booked a couple nights at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn where they cook you food and they have a natural hot springs) in Nikko.
Although I've heard of the term before, I've never really done any research or known about UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Unknowingly Brad and I have already visited 3 World Heritage Sites in Japan and will add a 4th when we go to Nikko in August.
I'll leave you with some funny pictures:
We went shopping for funny t shirts to give to our family. These took honorable mention.
Build a Happy Feeling: Happiness flows from heart to heart and from breast to breast.
I <3 ice cream and kisses
Apparently "Silence is a Woman's Best Garment"
For the golf lovers in the family. :)
some cool 3D nail art that we saw on the train
We finally found an import store near us that has a good collection of Mexican food. We had everything else ready and then went to get our $3 can of refried beans ready and realized we didn't have a can opener. (We debated getting one earlier, when we first moved in.) There's nothing that a pair of scissors and a knife to scoop out the beans can't do! (We also have to slice the cheese instead of shredding it because we didn't get a shredder either. But don't worry, they do have those. We're just lazy and haven't gotten them yet!)
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