Sayonara 松山!!! 大好き！

I don't official leave Japan until July 28th, but I had to say goodbye to mi schools (松山中学校＊松山小学校) on July 18th! T_T
I really love the people here in this town. Everyone is really kind and I am glad I was placed here. Even though it is the countryside it is where a person can experience the real Japanese way of living! I have always been looking forward to the day when I could leave Japan and go home to try to figure out mi life. Saying goodbye to these people was really hard. I wanted to stay another year. I hated the fact that I was leaving them. They are soooooo special to me and the thought of not being able to see them everyday was kind of difficult to imagine, but I have to move forward. I will have to find me a wonderful job, so I can come back and visit them! ^_^ Everyone is very special to me. Those who are close to mi heart I consider them to be a part of mi family! I have a big family. I will miss them sooo much and I am looking forward to the future. I am glad to have met them because they have helped me to grow. I LOVE THEM ALL!!! ^_^

Elementary School:
In the morning, I went to the elementary school in which they had a goodbye ceremony for me. Each grade (1-6) gave me a gift of messages saying, "Thank you for teaching me English," "Be Happy in America," and "Don't forget us!" It was super cute. I love mi elementary school. After the ceremony, I returned to the teacher's room and waited until lunch! The lady teachers had their special lunch, in which they do at the end of each term. We had our own lunch boxes filled with many types of Japanese dishes and famous pressed-sushi from Kashimadai (a city next to Matsuyama). After lunch, I waited until 3, that is where we had a some dessert and I said mi final goodbyes to the teachers. I almost cried saying goodbye to them! I did cry once I was driving home! The teachers got me gifts and wrote me messages. They also said the nicest things to me. I felt really sad that I had to leave them!!!! I had so many wonderful memories with them and I will never forget them!!!!

Junior High School:
I said mi goodbyes to the students on July 17th because I was scheduled to go the elementary school on the 18th. On the night of July 18th, I said mi goodbyes to the Junior High School teachers @ a party! It was really nice. Good food, Good Company. I am going to miss these people too. I will especially miss mi English teacher. She is sooo nice and kind. If it wasn't for her being soooo great I wouldn't have recontracted for a 2nd year. Actually, everyone is soo kind and nice that I couldn't just stay just one year! There were sad moments at the party T_T, but I didn't cry! I love them all and I told them that! I am going to miss them too. I am going to miss everyone!!!! T_T

VIDEO~Goodbye Sarah~


I am going to miss Japan, Matsuyama, Mi teachers, Mi students, and Mi friends!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!! ^_^

(Mi Japanese Mama and Papa!)

The 河豚 Experience ~(＊'o'＊)~

Pufferfish (河豚 = fugu) is lethally poisonous if prepared incorrectly, fugu has become one of the most celebrated and notorious dishes in Japanese cuisine! And guess who ate it????.....Oh, it's me!!!! and I am still alive!!!! YATTA ~(＊'o'＊)~

Annieちゃんwas awesome enough to organize our Fugu Experience in a restaurant in Ishinomaki. The whole 10 course meal cost about 5,000 yen, but it was worth the whole once in a lifetime experience!!! We had to ask for free water and free ice. The chef was really cool, but the waitress was either 1. in a bad mood, 2. she doesn't like foreigners, or 3. a word that rhymes with Witch!!!? Other than that it was really fun!!! The party started at 7, but we were a little late because of direction issues!!!

This is what we ate.
Fugu Dinner Party: MENU

1: ホヤ、胡瓜漬物、茗荷、酢
Hoya (Sea squirt), Cucumbers, Myoga (Myoga ginger bud), Vinegar Sauce
2: 鯨、紫蘇、カタツムリ、海老とキャビア、肉アスパラ巻き、茗荷寿司
Kujira (Whale), Shiso (leaf), Snail, Ebi (Shrimp) with Caviar, Meat wrapped asparagus, Myoga zushi.

3: 茶碗蒸し
Crab Chawanmushi (egg custard with gingko and crab)

4: フグ　刺身
Fugu Sashimi
5: 天ぷら　（海老、茄子、ピーマン、薩摩芋、南瓜）
Tempura (ebi-shrimp, nasu eggplant, pimon pepper, satsumaimo, kabocha japanese pumpkin)

6: 若布汁
Seaweed Soup
7: 焼きフグ
Grilled Fugu
8: 豚カツ、サラダ、マカロニサラダ　（辛いマスタード）
Tonkatsu (Breaded and Fried Pork Patty) with Shredded Salad and Macaroni Salad. Spicy mustard was good too.

9: ホタテ寿司、トロ寿司、海老寿司　
Hotate (Scallop), Toro (Fatty Tuna), and Shrimp Sushi

10: マンゴプリン
Mango Pudding
When eating the Fugu Sashimi, my tongue got numb and I could feel mi heart beat. It was quite an experience. I think everyone had a wonderful time and I would like to thank Annieちゃん for setting this up!!!

Random Pictures of Fugu

Tokyo Disneyland Adventure +

Tokyo Disneyland Adventure (July 5-6, 2008):

Met everyone @ Jiin様’s place to drive to go to Furukawa as a Happy Little Family on their Family trip to the place where dreams come true: Disneyland. We got on the Shinkansen @ 7:46 and headed to Tokyo on our 2 hour journey from the countryside to the big city. We arrived @ Disneyland before noon, so Jiin様 was really happy about that! Jiin様 was our team leader and I was the cheer/spirit leader!!! We had a fun time riding rides, eating food we haven’t eaten in a looooong time (ex. turkey legs, churros, etc.), and talking to the foreigners dressed up as Disney characters....I mean....Talking to Disney characters that looked like foreigners who were dressed up, but they are real just like Santa Claus! Since this is Japan, Disneyland closes @ 10 p.m. T_T !! We rode about 7 rides, watched the electrical parade, and were crazy. I believed everyone had a wonderful time. I know I did!! ^_^ We said that our new goal is to go to every Disney theme park in the world. I will have to come back to Tokyo to go to Disney Sea, but next time I will drag mi Bubba with me!!!
Our hotel room was awesome. It was a $300/ a night room. We all enjoyed it. I wish I could live there. If I were placed there I would’ve probably re-contracted!!!!! Actually, I would’ve definitely re-contracted. Hee Hee.

Other Events:
Wednesday, July 3rd:
I went and did mi laundry in Yamoto. I am going to miss that place. When I went shopping for mi scones. Mr. Tanbo was shopping too. I just thought I was funny!!!Tuesday, July 1st:
Mi Goodbye Party for mi sign language circle. We had it in Matsuyama near the station, so I just wanted. It was nice a lot of people showed up for the party just being for me. It was really nice. I got some flowers, a fan, an adidas bag, etc. I was really happy and sad @ the same time. I am going to miss everyone!

Monday, June 30th:
I have learned that once I get mi fighting spirit back I can punch a bear! A real live bear and it will run away in fear of mi mighty punch! I also learned that I CAN shave with a credit card (once you break it into a razor blade shape and sharpen it on a rock). I will make sure I will carry mi credit cards with me just in case I get stuck on a tropical island because I am going to be caring a lot about mi appearance. I must remain silky smooth at all times!! Who needs to gather fresh water from the rain, learn to properly catch a fish, or any other survival techniques??? Where did I get all this valuable knowledge?? Well, from the New Movie, “Hana Yori Dango Final”!!! It was very entertaining. Jiin様 and I enjoyed it A LOT!! It was Lame, Corny, and AWESOME all rolled into a 2.5-hour movie!!! Just watch it and you can make your own opinions. One day in the future we will watch it @ Jiin様’s house on her father’s big screen, have some snacks, and we all make fun of it properly!!! I LOVE JAPANESE MOVIES especially this one!! Hee hee hee hee heheeheheheheeeeeeee!!!

Before the AWESOME movie:
It was mi last day teaching 1*2年生, so I played games with them. I enjoyed it! Other than the fact I was a freakin’ jungle gym! There were all soooo cute and I don’t think they realize what it means to say goodbye. Some of mi kids said the cutest things to me like, “Be happy when you go back to America,” “We will always be friends,” “Don’t forget about us,” “Always stay in Japan,” etc. It was really cute especially when a 6-7 year old kid says it to you!!! It is even cute when they ask me if I am going to come back next year! ^_^

After school, I printed pictures for mi sign language goodbye present I am making them. Jiin様 and I headed to the mall in 石巻 to go see our movie @ 8:30, eat dinner, etc. We ate Bibinba, in which I burnt mi finger T_T!!! Took some sticky pictures, got snacks for our movie, and some movie popcorn! I told Jiin様 that she was going to be holding it because I had a feeling if it was in mi lap that I would eat the whole thing. Lucky me, she did hold it! She almost ate the whole large popcorn, which really isn’t that large for America, but in Japan...OMG!!! I was sooo proud of little Jiin様!!! Yes, I was!! HRS!
After the movie, we headed back home. It was sooo fun. Blasting music with the windows down driving next to the millions of rice fields!!! It really felt like High School, when Andrea and I would get out of a late movie @ the Warren theater. We would be sooo happy with the movie that we would take a nice relaxing drive through Reflection Ridge! I really love that feeling! YEAH!!!

Kent’s BBQ*Karaoke (June 28, 2008):
We all headed to Kent’s for his birthday BBQ and later we did a 2-hour session of Karaoke! It was really fun! We ate some yummy meat and veggies. Played Frisbee, Danced various styles of dancing, and hung out with English speakers, etc. Kent didn’t really enjoy that Jiin様 and I were singing JPOP and he definitely didn’t enjoy me singing ballads. T_T Well, :P to you Kent! Like they always say, “ When in Rome, Do the Romans!!!” :P !!!