This was the school festival which was on my birthday that the kids and teachers participate in. It's taken very seriously and held on the hottest damn day of the year. The school is split into three teams; blue, red, and white and they do relays and games all day.
Posted by Hello

I couldn't get everyone in, but there are a lot of students.
Posted by Hello

This is the girl's mukade race.
Posted by Hello

This is called the Mukade race. It's the centiped baton race, their legs all tied together. It's absolutely hilarious.
Posted by Hello

This was a sort of chicken fight thing that they did, all very strange. Sorry the picture is so bad.
Posted by Hello

My friend Carmen and I performed to Bonnie Tyler's 'Hero'. This was directly after the performance.
Posted by Hello

And the grand finale! Oh, if only you had been there.... Thank God you weren't!
Posted by Hello

Oh the things alcohol make you do...
Posted by Hello

Picture of me and friends at Thanksgiving. There were 90 people at the Thanksgiving dinner!
Posted by Hello

This is the dog, though I don't think you can see in this picture, he's right in front of the yellow thing, anyways, he's the little bastard that barks at me on the way home.
Posted by Hello

On my way home....
Posted by Hello

Still on my way home.
Posted by Hello

River behind my house, it was really low then, or so people say.
Posted by Hello

View of Mt. Mifune in the distance. It's supposed to look like a boat. Use your imagination.
Posted by Hello

My balcony on the second floor. Look mom, you have to hang your close outside!
Posted by Hello

Playing a game called 'Fruit basket' which is like musical chairs with fruit. The kids get super competitive and can be really dangerous if they are mean and want to win.
Posted by Hello

More fruit basket. It's a dangerous game with competitive people.
Posted by Hello

Some of my students drawing pictures of foods they like and don't like, while asking me questions like, 'how do you say sushi in English?'
Posted by Hello

I went back to the states in September to be the maid of honor at Christina's wedding. It was very beautiful but I didn't have time to take too many pictures. Aren't we cute?
Posted by Hello

Picture of Rob and Christina, the flash on my camera is really bright, sorry Rob.
Posted by Hello

Dancing fools. Aren't they cute?
Posted by Hello

Rob and Christina dancing, the real picture is better.
Posted by Hello

This was Tokyo from my hotel room when I first got to Japan for orientation. Our hotel was huge and this doesn't even give you an idea of what downtown Shibuya looks like. Sorry these pictures are all out of order
Posted by Hello

This is a float in a festival called Karatsu Kunichi (I think). It's held in one of the cities on the beach. It's a three day festival in November and the first night is like a big party in the street. The rest of the festival is during the day.
Posted by Hello

There are people under the lanterns playing music, but it's hard to see in this picture.
Posted by Hello

There is a huge line of people, kids, adults, pulling these floats. They chant while running around on the streets. The streets are really old and narrow. People run from street to street trying to look at different floats.
Posted by Hello

I wish these came out better, this was a really cool float. Next year I'll take better pictures and not be ghetto and take a pic of a pic with my web cam.
Posted by Hello

Demon-looking boat, there are people standing on and in the float, boat things. Some of the floats are really old, dating back to the 1800's.
Posted by Hello

Old lady and little girl at the festival.
Posted by Hello

Dragon boat at Karatsu Kunichi
Posted by Hello

I forgot what we were doing in this picture. Stabbing, cooking, something...
Posted by Hello

Me and comadre Carmen, Chris's wife. She's only tan because she went to Thailand on vacation! :P
Posted by Hello

These are the most recent pictures of me. This is me and my friend Chris, cooking up an omelet storm
Posted by Hello

My kitchen, sorry this is all out of order, shelves and dishes and stuff, if only it were this clean all the time... *sigh*
Posted by Hello

My entry way, the drawers on the bottom are for shoes.
Posted by Hello

From my kitchen to my hallway leading to my front door.
Posted by Hello

Thinking...
Posted by Hello

The thinking room.
Posted by Hello

Bathroom, isn't it pretty?
Posted by Hello

My washer/bathroom area.
Posted by Hello

The wall in kitchen has a big world map, my rice cooker on the side; an essential in any Japanese household.
Posted by Hello

better picture of my artistic ability in the livingroom
Posted by Hello

Same spare room, leads out into my "hallway."
Posted by Hello

My second room, I use it to dry my laundry. Think of it as a walk-in closet.
Posted by Hello

My fridge and oven/toaster/microwave.
Posted by Hello

My kitchen, my little stove top and dishwashing area
Posted by Hello

My shower area, hard to get a picture of it. It's dinky and the shower is the hose connected on right, that is my shower.
Posted by Hello

A really cool artist named Vettriano, I wish you could see these closer up.
Posted by Hello

Leads to my kitchen...
Posted by Hello

Still the living room, note the Christmas decoration on the left top, if you could see it closer you could see it has little pooh bear heads in it.
Posted by Hello