Sunday's are always some of my favorite days. I usually do laundry between naps (ha ha ha) and its funny how I actually enjoying hanging out clothes. The after that, I look over my japanese lesson from the previous week, that I should have been looking at during the week and then look briefly over what I'll cover with Yumie and Shozo. Today was no exception. The weather was chilly in the shade but the sun made it great for hanging/drying clothes. I get such cabin fever and I really want to open my doors and windows as the sun looks soooo inviting, but its only a trap. As soon as I step outside I realize that the wind is very strong and the sun is only playing tricks with my emotions. I can't wait for the weather to finally break and become warm. One of the teachers I work with told me that it won't happen until APRIL! Can you believe that! APRIL! I sure can't. Its seems like the entire time I've been in Japan its been freezin! I can't take it. I'm a moderate to hot weather babe. This cold spell is freezin' all my mojo out!! (I can't even take myself seriously as I write that)

This morning the first call I recieved for the day was from Miho, one of my 7th graders. We studied English phone ettiquite last week and I told them that they could call me to practice. My team teacher told them if they did call me they'd get 10 points added to their grade!! All of them sounded excited by it but Miho was my first call. She's given them until March 4 to complete the assignment. It was of course a very short conversation. "Hello this is Miho" "Oh, Hi Miho" "Can I speak to...(dead silence)" "This is Eboni, how are you Miho" "I'm fine thank you" "Well, Miho, thanks for calling. (silence) Talk to you later." "Okay bye" It of course doesn't seem like much but I'm proud of her on a few levels. #1 for actually having enough balls to call. #2 being the first one in the class to call. She isn't even one of the better students at English. Its not like they get held back or anything if they don't have high grades. Everyone goes on the next level anyway. I'm just happy she called.

The second call I recieved was from my Japanese teacher who told me that if I didn't have anything to do today she wanted to invite me over for dinner. Her husband would be cooking all chicken dishes and wanted me to join them. I always enjoy their company and her husband is a GREAT cook, so I never turn down an opportunity to hang out and socialize with them. So after my lesson with Shimura-san, I went to spend an hour and a half studying Japanese and then the evening eating and talking with the Muramatsu family. Dinner was of course delicious. Mr. Muramatsu made a chinese chicken strip salad with a homemade ginger and onion dressing which was WONDERFUL! He also made an appetizer of eggplant and red bell peppers with a light sesame oil and soy sauce. The two main entrees were Chicken Gyoza Nabe (which is like a soup with chicken pastry and cabbage) and Chinese Spaghetti with chicken and bell pepper mixed in. It was so delicious! I love eating with them because they are so fun. Tonight we had conversations about when to use " " in speaking with your hands. I tryed to tell my teacher that you only make quotes with your hand twice when you say something and trying to help her understand situations in which you use them. She kept doing it over and over again. I have to practice it in conversation with her so she'll understand how to use it. It was a sight too hard to explain. We also had a discussion about Christianity and its many different beliefs and dominations. I told them about how I was raised African Methodist but have attended Missionary Baptist churches since I began college. Its really difficult to explain religion to people who don't really believe but its good for me because it helps me to affirm what I believe and explain exactly what it is I believe in. I know there was a time in my life where I couldn't have done that. It also helps me see how far I've come spiritually. I also brought the new Alicia Keys CD with me that I got at Towers Records. Its called "Remixed and Unplugged in A Minor". In some of the unplugged songs she is just playing the piano. My teacher is also a piano instructor so I wanted her to listen to how Alicia incorporates many different piano styles into her music. She enjoyed it I think. We ended the night with a brief discussion of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima and I told her how much I really want to visit the museums there sometime soon.

I really want to learn more about world history and specifically how it relates to US relations with other places. I really wasted my time in my World History lessons in High School. Although I made "A's" it was mostly shortterm memorization and that does me absolutely no good at the point I'm at today. I've got a lot to learn here! Japanese! World History! How to be a better teacher! How to be a better person! What I like! What I don't like! What's important and indespensible! What's not important and expendible! and the list goes on. I'm glad I decided to stay another year because I could definitely use the personal growth. I feel so good about life and about myself but of course there is always more to learn.

"I never felt sooo....goood" as Ms. Keys and Mr. McKnight would say.