Fireflies

Last Sunday on Father's Day, we went to a Firefly festival here in Numazu.  Both Rachel and Alex growing up in California has never seen fireflies.  We got to the creek before it was dark and had to wait for them to come out.  I told the kids to wear long pants and long sleeved shirts for fear of mosquitoes.  Rachel listened but Alex was in shorts and a t-shirt.  He was so annoyed with the mosquitoes and wanted to go home early.  The fireflies came our gradually.  Januck was able to catch one in his hand.  It was fun to be around excited people and fireflies.  Alex had a flashlight with a red cloth around it to not scare off the fireflies.  When we came home, we read more about fireflies.  They are actually beetles and the males are the ones that light up to attract the females.  They only live for a short time.  It was a lot of fun and I'm glad we went to see them.

Joanna

This Month! -Alex :)

Hey hey hey! It's Alex. Basketball is getting tough and end term exams are coming up. I'm starting to think about what colleges I want to go to because we had an Australian speaker come to our school and talk about Queensland University. Also, the mosquitoes are coming back because summer is coming. On Sunday, we went to a park and saw fireflies. にちようびにあしたかでホタルをみました。It was fun because it was the first time I've ever seen them. It was Father's day on Sunday also and my dad even caught a firefly. My friends are really goofy and we have a lot of fun all the time. My best friend Adam is coming to visit in a month so I am really excited! Can't wait! :)

These past few months have been really crazy, but at the same time very fun. With IB mock exams coming up my friends and I haven't really had the time to hang outside of school. However, as teenagers we had to find a way to do some fun things. So here are some pictures from the past few months of our adventures!

This is puri, which is like a photo booth where we all turn out looking like anime characters. It was still fun to do with my class.

These are my close friends, Rieko, Mayumi, Chika, and Erika. This was when we took a school trip to Yokohama.

Yokohama!!!

Class Party after Sports Day and Culture Festival

We made/ate Okonomiyaki which is like a Japanese pancake.

Chika, Rieko and I spent one Sunday walking all around Numazu and we were lucky to have found a park with a really cool slide.

Swings :)

Reminded me of my elementary school days.

Chika and I at the beach with Mt. Fuji behind us

Rieko and I

I can't wait to do so much more with my friends, but first I need to finish my Mock Exams.

Last Weekend... -Alex :)

Last weekend we had culture festival. It was fun! I ate so much including hot dogs, popcorn, ice cream, squid, churros, etc. Eventually, I had a stomach ache. I had my first basketball game last weekend, now that I'm in basketball, but I didn't play because it was the seniors last game. Basketball is so tiring with all the conditioning and stuff but I am getting so buff. haha jk.. :) But seriously, it is so hard. It is much different than American basketball because they are so hard on themselves. I have a lot of work at school plus the basketball hours but I am mostly busy. I had Monday off so my friends and I decided to make a random video. It is actually pretty good. Check it out on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZoZsGWQxuo

-Alex :)

Class Observations

Januck and I were able to go observe Rachel's History class and Alex's Math class on Sunday.  Yes, they had school on Sunday!  It was interesting to see the students learning and debating in English.  They are both in a Bilingual Program here in Numazu where we live.  The school where I teach 4th grade and Januck teaches 6th grade, as of April is a feeder school to the Junior High and High School that the kids go to.  This year Rachel will be gearing up for IB tests and college applications.  She is looking at Queensland University in Brisbane, Australia as her top  choice.  Alex has a Personal Project to do and has chosen a technology project, either a short film or an animated film.  He is also, on the basketball team.  It is great to see the kids adjusting to their High School and doing well in school.

Hakone Hike

This past Saturday our sixth graders and the teachers went on a hike to Hakone which is a national park near Mt. Fuji.  I guess the last few years it had been canceled so the school really wanted us to go this year.  It rained Friday but luckily it stopped for Saturday and we were able to go.  I signed up to hike and Joanna signed up to be at the checkpoints and not hike.  Had I known how grueling some of the hike was, I might have joined her at the checkpoint. I didn't mind the actual climb so much but the stairs killed me.  And most of the path was made of stones so it was difficult to walk because I always felt like I had to look down the whole time. Overall though it was a beautiful day and a beautiful hike.  My legs are paying for it now.

We had to meet at the train station at 5:50 AM. These are some of my coworkers.

This is my group starting our hike.

Beautiful blossoms in the fog.

The rock path.

A nice view along the way.

The old gate along the road.

I know it doesn't look like much but these stairs are almost vertical.

On the way to the finish line!

Good Feeling Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhbcgjB2Zaw