Well, it's been absolutely forever since my last entry, and I've kept putting it off and putting it off, so who knows how much I can remember to write about.
Let's see...
from looking in my datebook, it says that on December 9th I stayed over at H's in Kobe. Nora and Erin were babysitting the H's kids and Kim & I went to stay over. We ordered pizza and watched videos, then the next day went to the zoo. It was fun.
Kimberly and I saw "Roger Rabbit" on December 10th. What a great movie! The live/animation mix was really believable.
I had dinner with Akira, Hiroko, and Koji on December 12th and changed yen to $$$$!
On Friday, December 16th we had an all day rehearsal of the Christmas pageant. It looked like it would be a really good show. After rehearsal, I went to the Megumi Christmas party. They gave me a winter house jacket and a good luck picture for '89.
I had to leave suddenly, because I had to catch a shinkaisoku to Sannomiya to stay with I's. I didn't know when the last one out of Himeji was, and looked at my train schedule about 20 minutes before the last one left. At I's, Carol taught me how to knit (grandma slippers) and I stayed up until 1 a.m. learning how to make them.
On Saturday, December 17th Kim came over and she & Nobu dropped me off at the airport. I met some people in line & we talked while we waited to check in. The flight home was a total ordeal. We were 2 hours late leaving Tokyo. When we got to Seattle it was fogged in, so we landed in Moses Lake, Washington and refueled for 2 hours, then, we circled Seattle for 45 minutes before the pilot decided to go on to San Francisco to land.
In San Francisco all 200 of us had to go to the NW counter & get reroute tickets. It was 6:30...my connecting flight left at 1 a.m. Somehow mom & dad tracked me down. I called them back & they had to go back to Fairfield & come back again the next day.
I slept from S.F. to Minneapolis, had a 3 hour layover there, and, walking to my departure gate, noticed that I was getting closer and closer to the end of the airport. Finally I saw that I had to go down some stairs. My gate was a door outside to an 18 seat plane. Ugh!
It was a one stop to C.R. (in Waterloo). Upon arriving in w.loo, we had to disboard because there were only 3 people working at the airport, and they were behind schedule. Looking back at the plane, we noticed that both tires were flat...we finally arrived in C.R. I was only 14 hours late.
I met a girl named Debra, who is studying in Kyoto, on the plane, so maybe we'll get together when she gets back...
Iowa was fabulous! The 1st week home I had lunch w/LaDawn & Peggy, bought an outfit at Perry's, did other big time shopping and on Dec. 24th we watched the Santa parade, fondued, and opened presents (no Christmas eve service this year). I got a subscription to Time, a fondue pot, a watercolor by Susie K., a sweatshirt, and a Calvin & Hobbes book.
On Christmas day I sang & Robin read scripture to Mannheim Steamroller's "Oh Holy Night". After church we went to grandma & grandpa Reynolds. Kim & John, John, Doris & Charles, came down too & we spent the afternoon & evening playing games & talking. Kim & John left that night :-( The next day was Reynolds Christmas & I got to see everyone else. When we left Doug hugged me, which surprised me a little!
On Tuesday the 27th LaDawn had a welcome home party for me. I was exhausted and ready to leave when Leon and Carmen came. We spent the rest of the evening talking. It was so good to see them! Others there were Nancy W., Missy, Susan A., Steve B., Therese T., Joe F, & LaDawn's new hunny. Interesting...
Thursday we drove on and unpacked at Days Inn, then went to M's for dinner. They have a great house in a private land development called Treasure Lake...beautiful!
Sunday, Jan. 1, 1989 we drove & drove & drove & drove & drove (for 14 hours). We got home at about 6 or 7 & collapsed. It was fun, but a little depressing since I wasn't the one marrying her...oh well.
Monday I had lunch w/Nancy at Country Kitchen. It was fun. Tuesday was lunch w/Jan at Pizza Hut. We hadn't talked for ages!
Wednesday grandma & grandpa came for the night. Dave T. came that night, too. It was nice to talk to him! He got engaged after coming home from Japan in August, but it was broken by the time I came home. Of course I congratulated him heartily, then found out they broke up...
Thursday I went to C.R. with LaDawn. I charged big time on my J.C. Penney card. We ate lunch at Bishops. We had a good day. That night Edna came over for dinner.
Friday I had lunch with Peggy and we fondued for dinner. Robin & I cried together & I went to bed.
Saturday we left at 4:30 a.m. for C.R. I said goodbye & almost made it without crying. I cried on the plane.
We waited on the runway for 1 1/2 hours then went back inside. It was foggy. Standing in line to get tickets changed I met a couple from Kobe who used the same travel agent- Amy and Willie. We got to know each other well on this trip because we changed our tickets to a 4:00 flight (which we hurriedly changed when they announced our flight from before leaving 15 minutes later than that announcement). (I called home & they were going to come & spend the day with me, then I had to call them back & hurriedly say goodbye...).
We flew on to Seattle to get out of the foggy midwest. It turns out we missed our connecting flight in Seattle by 30 minutes. Actually it was on the runway when we got there. Grrr.
So, we stayed at the Hyatt Seattle, on Northwest. It was a nice hotel & all meals were paid..., but I didn't want to deal with all the delays again (see above).
The next day was,of course, foggy, but we got out okay. We were delayed, but made up the time somewhere. We were bused directly to our connecting flight and made it to Osaka pretty much on schedule.
Of course my ride was there the day before, and picked up Kim, who was supposed to be my traveling companion from Minneapolis, so I caught the bus to Kobe w/Amy & Willie, then carried my baggage 3 blocks to the train station, got it all up onto the platform, got on the super crowded train full of rude Japanese cretins, and, in Himeji caught a taxi (inhabited by one of the many asshole taxi drivers in Himeji) to my apartment.
I was supposed to teach on Tuesday but I called Carol and she called & said I wouldn't be in...so ends the saga of my trip home...except that after Kakogawa the train emptied and a slightly drunk Japanese man bade me to sit with him & he proceeded to practice his English all the way to Himeji...just what I didn't want!
Since returning to Japan, I've not been real happy. Things at Hinomoto are awful. English conversation is looked upon as unnecessary. O. sensei says he doesn't really like English conversation. The faculty is "upset" that the conversation teachers are "not trained teachers" (I am, and Linda Lee is) and that our students aren't learning (it's our fault that they are unmotivated and stupid). I'm back in my "rut" of lessons. I felt excluded at church the first time back, Kimberly told me she's going home to stay in August, etc. etc.
Anyway, I'm adjusting again, now. Saturday the 14th Kim & I went to Mike & Resa's new house...what a nice place! We watched videos & ate gyoza & chicken.
Monday the 16th Akira, Hiroko, Kim & I went to Kobe. We ate at Central Station, shopped at OPA, then went into Sannomiya. I bought a hounds tooth, double-breasted suit, & some other clothes.
On Saturday I went to K's open house, had some cake & tea, got a check to send home.
On Sunday, January 16th, I went to Rokko and met Jim O. to practice. We performed at a wedding reception for members of the church who got married in Hawaii Dec. 31st. (There were a lot of weddings then: Missa & Dave, these two, Amy & Willie)...
The reception was very nice. After that was Bible study, church, then singles fellowship. Our lesson in singles was on forgiveness. It was very good. After that we bought bunches of bulk groceries from Mary & ordered more (from Dave's company)(he goes to our church). I stayed over at I's.
Monday, Jan. 23rd it poured. My shoes had holes in them, so my feet were cold & wet all day. I went to Sannomiya to pick up my pants bought last Monday. Kayo came for her 1st lesson of '89.
Tuesday was busy. 3 classes, Joyful Noise at lunch, 2 hour koto practice, Mizoguchi class.
Wednesday koto club, Joyful Noise, & "Jeff soloist" performed in chapel. Koto was okay, Joyful noise...noise, and my solo went well. I had my meeting (faculty) that ran over, then went to Akira's for dinner.
Thursday was E.S.S. 4th period & after school we worked hard on "Postman".
Friday- Megumi class. I went to J's after, to copy "Postman" over & over for practice tape.
Today I cleaned, went shopping, did laundry, and wrote this book/entry.
The end (until next time)
P.S. The emperor died on Jan. 7th- two days before I came back...I still can say I lived in Japan when the emperor died & was here when they had the funeral, but will have to say I was in America on vacation on the day he died & heard about it from Dan Rather...
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