JAPANSICK, or...the Beginning of a VERY Long Series of Blog Posts!

I think about Japan...a lot.  After I graduated from college, I accepted a teaching position at a jr. college at which I'd spent a month, as a short term missionary through my church, between my freshman and sophomore year.  It was an AMAZING experience.  When I graduated from college, the school had an opening in the English department, and one of the teachers remembered me, and recommended me for the job.

I applied, was hired, and moved to Himeji, Japan in March of 1988.  I spent two years teaching at Hinomoto Gakuin (jr. college) in Koro.  It was challenging.  It was scary.  I didn't know what was going on most of the time.  It was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

I recently ran across my journals from my time in Japan.  For two years, I kept an almost daily account of my life.  It was 1988...there was no internet.  There was no e-mail.  There were no note taking apps.  There were no journaling apps.  There was no Facetime or Facebook.  There was no Skype.

The only contact I had with my family in Iowa was through a weekly phone call (which was always a challenge to coordinate, time-wise, since Japan is 12 or 13 (14?) hours ahead of the midwest, depending on whether the U.S. is IN daylight savings or not), or by writing letters.  I kept track of my life through those journals.

 a very young, very SKINNY me, circa 1988!!

Anyway...as I said, I tend to get Japansick every now and then.  I haven't been back since my contract was completed in 1990.  Recently, I pulled out one of my journals, and started reading about my adventures (or lack thereof...depending on the day).  It was a blissful experience, and brought back a lot of really great memories.

Since only about THREE people read my blog, I've decided to transpose some of those journal entries into blog posts.  Let's just say I'm "archiving them electronically", in case something happens to the printed journals.  Where possible, I'm also going to scan photos from my TWELVE photo albums of those two years in Japan.

I think it will be an interesting (and nostalgic) endeavor.  Feel free to read along with me...or...if somewhat ancient history isn't your thing, you are welcome to move on to another blog!

Here's hoping YOU have fond memories that you are able to "relive" too!!!