YWCA Christmas Party

Andy (Germany) and Mayumi (Philippines)

The A2 class singing Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer

I was the Quiz Master

The teachers surprised us with a dance. Good fun!

Sawamura Sensei and Kotera Sensei

Fukui Sensei

Cake Decoration Competition

One of my favorite cakes

And the winner is; group 2!

Mayumi on Santa Claus lap:)

Ulla (Finland) and I:)

2 years of study is over. I came to Japan with no knowledge of the Japanese language. The Japanese language is written with a combination of three scripts: modified Chinese characters called kanji (漢字), and two syllabic scripts, hiragana (ひらがな or 平仮名) and katakana (カタカナ or 片仮名). It has been the most humiliating thing I have ever done. Still, after 2 years of studying I am finding it hard to read menus, books, newspapers (read impossible), say what I really mean, share emotions...awww... I have often regret why I started learning this hard language. Will I ever be able to master it? But the teachers at my Language School, YWCA, have been really patient with me. The same grammar, same characters has been repeated over and over again. (Thank you!) And little by little I have been able to understand more and more. So if you are interested in learning Japanese; Kobe YWCA is recommended!

So after going to this School every weekday since I arrived here in Japan January last year, it was a strange feeling thinking that this would be my last day here. Luckily it was a fun day:) Well, any day at YWCA is a fun day, but today was Christmas Party. All the students in the Japanese Language School and the ones studying to become a Japanese Teacher were there. And all our teachers. A fun end to a 2 year long, but very interesting study.

I will definately continue studying om my own. So much on my heart, but my Japanese vocabulary is still on a Beginner´s Level. Now looking forward to another adventure in Japan. The next 2 years will be spent in Okayama City.

New sofa?

Christmas is coming up and I just came over something that could have made it to my Christmas Wish-list. Some of you know that it was a BIG thing for me when I bought my first sofa. 31 years old, and I was out shopping for my own sofa. I really felt like an adult. But sofa´s like this was not in sale then.

The name of the shop was ´Jesus Diamante´. It made me think of the best treasure we can find. Diamonds may be of great value, but being a friend of Jesus is the best choice I have ever taken. And I thought of the verses saying something about heaven and how it will be when we get there:

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Revelation 21: 21-27

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matt 6: 19-21

So maybe I don´t need that sofa after all. I will get something much better in heaven.

European Week:)

The good thing about living in Kobe is that there is always something to do. If I feel like escaping daily life every now and then, there is always somewhere to go. There are restaurants from all over the world. Jamaican, African, Mexican, Brazilian, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Swedish (IKEA:) etc. But now, that Christmas is coming up all kinds of European Christmas Festivities are coming up.

Luminarie is a light festival held in Kobe every December since 1995 in memory of the Great Hanshin earthquake that year. The lights are donated by the Italian Government and they are all hand-painted. The decorations change a little bit every year and the music does too. I have only been there twice, this year and last year, but they played Italian music both years. I felt like I was back in Rome, in a Cathedral enjoying the glass-paintings. Gorgeous!

2 days after I went to Osaka to visit the annual German Christmas Market. I didn´t get to meet St. Nikolaus this year, as he only comes out on the weekends. But the stalls were there, selling real German sausages, Christmas Decorations and Mulled Wine. It as like coming back to Europe for a bit. Good feeling:)

2 years in Kita Osaka Kyokai

The people in the Church that day. Japanese do know how to make group photos:)

The Women´s Group in the Church wanted to dance some Hula-Hula (Hawaiian) Dance for me before I left.

My first Church here in Japan was in Osaka. Kita (North) Osaka Kyokai (Church). I came to visit this Church for the first time January 15th last year (2008). It took me a looong time before I could understand what they said there. So even though I am not able to understand 100% now either, I do see that I have improved at least. I remember leaving one day after service and thinking that the only word I really understood that day was the word FISH.

But you do get a long way with a smile and body language. I had to excuse myself for my poor Japanese on my last day in this Church. But one of the members came up to me and said that she always understood my heart. So be it; my grammar, correct words, right pronounciation won´t ever be perfect. But my biggest wish is that the Japanese will understand who I am and what I am passionate about through my being. I so want to pass on the love from Christ, but the words are not there yet. But I am not giving up:)

Potato Chips - the Japanese way...

Shake, shake, shake...

Unsalted Potato Chips

My Flavour Sachet; Consomme

The result:)

MUJI is one of my favorite stores in Japan. They sell the coolest things. Not that they are famous for being cool... Muji means ´plain´, so their clothes, furnitures and household-stuff is very plain. Natural colours. But they do have some interesting things in their shelves every now and then. Like today; I found this Unsalted Potato Chips. The point is that you can flavour them as you like. I could choose between fish-taste, chicken, caramel, smoked cheese, maple sugar, mango chilli, black pepper++

I didn´t really believe that it would work, but it really did. Loved it! So if you´re in Japan; please try it. Oishiii!!!

Healthy drinking

Health Drinks are big business in Japan. Beauty drinks, Diet drinks, Power drinks, Vitamin drinks, Probiotics drinks; they contain everything you need. I have seen all these colourful bottles, brown, yellow, pink (for the girls), blue, green, but it took me some time to figure out what is good for what. But my friends in the shops have been good teachers. I sometimes get a bottle when I leave their shop, telling me that I should take care of myself. They are a bit concerned about us foreigners, having the image that we drink a lot of Coca Cola.

And I do... I do admit. But see what I found in 7 eleven today; Coca Cola, no calorie, plus fiber. I wonder what they put in it, but the taste is good. So I choose to think that even drinking Coke will be a part of my Healthy Drinking Diet from now on. Other drinks I am addicted to: Yakult, Beauty Drinks (with Collagen), green tea and the best of all; hot water with lemon.

Authumn in Kobe

There are 2 months in the year that I am not missing my life in Norway. Of course, I always miss family and friends back home. But November and February are the hardest months to get through. It is cold, nothing exciting happening and no holidays coming up. Japan on the other side shows itself from the best side this month. Great temperatures, sunny days, beautiful blue sky, flowers and trees in all colours. Hard to focus on my studies these days. I just want to go hiking...