Afternoons and coffeespoons

The majority of this last week was not spent in school... Which isn't really that big of a change. What was different was that I spent my days meeting, greeting, and brainstorming with other Okinawa ALTs at our mid-year conference. Mind you, there is no way that it is mid-year in any sense of the word. I wish I could say that every session was fascinating, but I can assure you that I have some new games to play at school and am ready to broaden my "entertainer" bag-o-tricks. The main reason for such conferences, I truly believe, is to allow for some socialization. On the first day, Wednesday, after the lectures in the afternoon, there was a photo scavenger hunt. I decided to jump ship and join the friendly folks in the north for the competition. We got supercompetitive and very creative with some of the clues. We found almost every item in record time and showed up at the designated time...only to find that we were the only team that really got its act together to compete. Winners by default, but a victory is a victory.

As you can see from the photos, I had two great new additions to the apartment during the evenings. Thanks to sore throats and the general pandemonium of getting around, evenings were spent watching girl movies, eating ice cream, and chatting even when we said we were tired and needed to go to bed. Anyway, usually people don't have a reason to stay in Chatan, so thanks, Juhi and Amy, for keeping me company! See you next weekend!

As Thanksgiving approaches this week, I have been asking around to see if there are any Thanksgiving meals around on the island somewhere. I'm having dreams of stuffing and hot rolls and pumpkin pie. I even miss having football on the TV a bit. The best news is that although I won't be able to enjoy some turkey with the family in November, I will be devouring Grandma's Eagle Brand pudding in December. That's right! On December 22nd, I'll be touching down at O'Hare International Airport. Cue the cheesy "I'll be Home for Christmas" music... Supposedly, my classy parents are picking me up in a stretch limo. VIP Christmas visitor. I can't wait to enjoy a freezing cold holiday in cozy pajamas and hot chocolate. (It was 81 degrees here this afternoon) I will be lounging around central Illinois until January 8th which is plenty of time for some social activities... Some chats over coffee and plenty of stories to be told and tales to hear. I'm counting the days.