Blogs from Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan, Asia

Recently I went to Yokohama with a few of my friends. We checked out the Chinatown in the area and Sakura-gicho. Beware of the cars navigating their way through the streets, I almost got hit on a few occasions. You can find tasty, cheap Chinese food and a whole bunch of panda products. Its basically a panda lovers paradise. We also checked out Yamashita park, which has a few large ships nearby. The area was famous for be a trading port with westerners. Walking around downtown Yokohama is amazing, there is a mixture of western architecture with a little bit of Japanese. At times I felt like I was back in America, walking around the downtown area of a large city. The last part of Yokohama that we went to was Sakura-gicho. Sakura-gicho, has a small ... read more

In the very moment, when something devastating occurs, fear and adrenaline race through your body. You want to run, hide, and pray. Instead you stand frozen looking around for what seems like an eternity. On Friday afternoon, at approximately 1445 Japanese Standard Time, one of those moments occurred. Unfortunately, this moment didn’t close seconds later with a brief sigh of relief. Instead, this moment of fear persisted, paused, resumed, and morphed. First, Earthquake. The initial shock was an earthquake scaled at 8.9. The 5th largest earthquake every recorded. The earth started to tremble just as we had felt countless times over our lives. Just a little quiver was all that we expected. As it continued, the rumbling and movement was a deeper movement and much more dramatic. Fear could be seen in our eyes as our ... read more

All week long, my days are devoted to students. Occasionally I will have a “coffee date” or “movie date” with a student. Sometimes I make it to the gym or go for a run to Yamashita Park then run along the harbor. Then, I make dinner, prepare lunch for the next day and go to bed. It’s funny how moving from one side of the map, to the other, does little to change ones lifestyle. While the activities, language, and diet may differ by region, many things remain. Passions and ambitions remain. Relationships, friendships, and kindness remain. This morning, I was picked up by our school nurse, the sweet man who fixes all of our housing problems, and our sweet “morning announcement” translator- Kawamora Sensei. They picked me up and offered to carry me to ... read more

Writing on this blog seems…somewhat like a dreaded home work assignment. One that I am interested in, after I finally come around to working on it. Over the first weekend in October, I spread my wings and took a trip, solo. I hopped a train after school Friday evening, to Tokyo Station. There, I attempted to help a mother and child board the bus to Mito. Unfortunately, she had no idea that I was trying to offer to help her. In Mito, I experienced my first taste of a P90X workout, fantastic Chicken Curry, a Sushi-Go-Round, Harry Potter 1-2-3, the biggest fireworks festival I have ever seen, and visiting new friends. One of the most interesting experiences was actually spontaneous. After attending the fireworks festival, we decided to skip the lines of thousands into the train ... read more

Today was an undeniably stressful day. While the company of my favorite two English teachers at Yokohama Jogakuin was pleasant...the pain of sitting at my desk for HOURS calculating grades, began to wear on my mental energy. So much so, that when it came to finally go home, I was almost too exhausted to force myself to the gym. Do not worry, I was able to muster the energy and steered my beautiful gray bike to the land of weights and running. While at the gym, the younger boys I had heard speaking English, started talking with me. At least one of them attends Yokohama International School. It was nice to speak with and understand people that I didn't know. Both of those conversation pieces, speaking and understanding, are in short supply for me. Another highlight ... read more

Yesterday, was the last day of English Day Camp at school. Which also means, the last Saturday of the year that I must work. After work, I decided not to return to the empty house. Instead I went for a walk, following my map so that I would not get too lost. It was beautiful, the muggy summer has just begun to give way to the breeze of Spring. I left school and headed the only direction that guaranteed my happiness. I walked straight, or as straight as curvy Japanese roads can go, toward the harbor. As I walked I prayed a little, thought about life as a journey, and really pondered my new life here. While the move has been an array of excitement and fresh beginnings with everything from culture, friendships, and God, it ... read more

As any traveler could tell you, there are times when it just doesn't feel right to stay longer. I reached a similar point last week. While I knew my plans were to stay in Yokohama, I didn't have the vision to stay. I couldn't see myself as a tourist or as a local. Then, I fell in love with Jokohama Jogakuin, I undertook the study of the language of Japan, and I met a new Japanese friend. Today I taught a "useful phrases" class for part of our 9th graders who will be traveling to New Zealand. We talked about our favorite foods, places, colors, and how to ask for things that they may need. While it was tiring to wake up to teach on a Saturday, it was invigorating, because I love teaching. Teaching the ... read more

Today was a day for self discovery, organizing, and getting lost. I will start out by explaining the self discovery that I am undergoing. Since graduation from Pepperdine, this last May, I have been struggling to realize my purpose. I no longer had education as the label, so what was it? I read, "The Alchemist." Afterward, I began the Peace Corp. application process and the application to teach in Japan. I was hoping my purpose was out of the country. Then, I got here. I am finding that while being here fulfills SOME of my purpose, there is another part. I'm missing the relationship part of my faith in the creator. A few days ago I started reading, "The Purpose Driven Life". Today, a poem within, by Russell Kelfer, touched my heart. "You are who you ... read more