Pearl Days

Right now, I suppose everybody is looking back 2008. So am I.


This date of a year ago, I was in Lafayette, a small city in Indiana, U.S.A, where I had lived for four years and a half.

In January, I was busy with making private photo books on line (I loved my publisher.com!) & saying farewell to my friends. My schedule was full meeting with my American, Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, European, Korean, or Venezuelan friends.
Oh, my hubby and I went to Las Vegas to wish the year's (fortunately, lifetime long's )luck!

February, I still had some appointments with my English teachers. In spare moments from meeting friends, I packed my stuff to go back to Japan. ...I should be appreciate the Japanese moving company which did everything for us to move internationally!!

I still remember the last night in Lafayette. We stayed a nice hotel, but a guy who stayed upstairs played the guitar and sang loudly at the midnight. What we were surprised was he didn't seem to hesitate at all! It was like his recital.
I called the front desk to stop him, so he stopped singing... But we thought, "Ummm, it seems American! We may miss that! After we go back to Japan, people must be humble & reserved..."

Anyway, we arrived in Japan safely on February 10. We lived in a hotel in Tachikawa for awhile, and set up our new life. However, we didn't like our new apartment which my hubby's company assigned, so soon we started to look for a condo. The last Sunday on February, we found the one where we live in now, and almost decided to buy it. I visited my emcee office, and I flew to Sapporo to go to my cousin's wedding.

March, I flew back to Tokyo soon, and made a contract to buy the condo with my hubby and my parents-in-law. I prepared for moving and having the condo, met some friends, and had some interviews to do some part time jobs. Oh, the first job in Japan was an examiner of the TOEIC!

April, I observed some wedding parties for my job and had a meeting with my clients. My emcee training started. I still met some friends, and did some part time jobs. I was a staff of the school health check, so I met many cute boys & girls!
I had been taking paper exams & interviews of two English schools, and got job offers from both of them. My hubby and I moved in the condo on the golden week!

May, after we settled down, we drove to my parents-in-law's house. We stayed until the golden week ended. My training of the English school started. That was two weeks long. I stayed at the training center with my peers! Just after the training was over, I did my first wedding emcee job after an interval of five years!
The most exhausting days in my life...
Oh, I was assigned to work at "the" branch, so overlapping of my precursor teacher also started.

June, I met some friends before my work finally started.
On the second week of June, I started to do the English teacher job.
Almost at the same time, I decided to resign my wedding emcee office. But I still had a job, so I met my clients( a bride and groom.)

July, I did the wedding emcee job, and took the TOEIC the next day.
I was desperate to be a professional as an English teacher, but still, not so busy like now! I went to the follow-up training, and met many peers.

August, my hubby and I visited my parents' home.
We were like tourists in Sapporo! I met some friends there.
Also, we went to to the hot spring in Izu. They were very enjoyable trips!

September, I had a follow-up training for kids' English, and I learned a lot.
I met other teachers privately, and shopped English educational books together.
My friend, Ryo, visited my condo and stayed a few days. We shopped, had dinner and lunch... That was great refreshment in my busy life!

October, my responsibilities for my job had increased, and I started to teach at two schools. I took the first grade of the EIKEN (Step test) for the first time, and I failed!

November, I got a cold. In America, I had rarely had a cold... So, maybe I was careless, and it took a long time to recover it, especially coughing!
I went to the same hot spring as we stayed in August. I took the TOEIC again.

December, I started to take French lessons. I got the flu on the Christmas Eve!!

...There are so many things happening at my school that I omit them!

I want to close my last blog in 2008, quoting this from Anne of Green gables.

I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.

I wish you and I can have pearly days in 2009!!!