It's a mermaid! An Elphaba! A Pippi! No, it's a...

+

+

=

or, a more goofy, less awesome version: 

Kuddos to Barb for guessing correctly (via email). :) 

Happy Halloween! (^_^)~

Halloween Costume: Guess What!

Here's a little sneak peak of my costume for tonight. It's not my first Halloween costume of the year, nor my last, but it is my biggest. :D I am so excited to put it allllll together tonight.

Can you guess?

Side note: I bought this nail polish at the 100 yen ($1) store last night and am so happy with it! Yay!

Halloween Week: And We're Off!

Whew. Monday's work is barely over and I am already exhausted. This is going to be a tough week! BUT a super fun one. 

For my first year students, Oral Communication and Debate classes, I modified and built on last year's Harry Potter lesson. The students totally eat it up. 

For the second years who already experienced Harry Potter, I put together a couple of challenges, such as as a monster costume fashion show. :) 

Here are some picture highlights from the first day: 

Finished Decorating the Classroom

Harry Potter Crest and Modified Lamp: fun! :)

Monster Costume Fashion Show: Struttin'

Also, the JET newsletter, The Yak, just came out. I submitted an exaggerated article about Shishimai which is pretty different from the blog I posted. Check it out HERE if you want to read it. :D 

Adventure Always

Wherever I live, whatever my age, I hope I never stop exploring.  

Because there is no better way to beat the mundane than to discover the unexpected. 

Like a two hundred year-old tree in the capital city. 

10/10/10

Oh, just typing that date gives me a little rush. Don't you just love it? 10.10.10. Beautiful.

If I ever get married (...), I want it to be on a date like this one. Yep, I am one of those girls.

And I would go even further. I'd have ten bridesmaids, ten cakes, ten dresses, ten receptions... or ... something like that.

Ha ha! Sorry, just rambling. :P

In honor of this lovely date, here are ten things that made me smile (or "Things That Have Made Me Giddily Happy") in the last busy, busy week.

1. Decorating my apartment for fall. Check!

 2. Wine and cheese party with Kazuno and Tim. Yum!

3. Exploring with Travis: Aha Falls!

 4. This tree house at Beach Rock Village. Isn't it excellent?

 4. My Ryukyu Dance class! 

5. Travis joining in on the fun. :D 

6. "Watching" the world's largest tug of war by eating delicious italian food, hanging out on a rooftop, and getting coffee with these crazies. :) 

 7. These people. :) 

 8. Playing with this precious little girl and seeing her family one last time before their move back to the US. Gonna miss them so much!

9. A (mostly) clean apartment.

Not Pictured.

10. Change. ;) 

October in Oki

 October is usually my favorite month. In high school October meant football games, cross country meets, the smell of wood smoke in the mountain air, and, of course, halloween parties. In college October was all about scarves and shopping in Seattle, long study sessions with pumpkin spice lattes, intramural football games, and, of course, halloween parties.

But Okinawan October is almost none of those things. Today it was 86 degrees Fahrenheit. That's not unusual at all. The daily temperature has barely changed since August, and though it is a little cooler at night,  I still wake up sweating. There is no fall foliage, no fragrant wood smoke, and, worst of all, no pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks. They don't even have the pumpkin syrup!

October Sky? Yeah right. 

The one thing Okinawan October does have is a halloween party. Oh, I just love playing dress up! I just hope that the weather cools down a little more before then, otherwise I will be sweating my long-wig-and-two-pounds-of-make-up off. (No, I won't tell you what I am dressing up as. :) You'll have to wait for the photos.)

Instead of pumpkins and crunchy leaves, October now means one thing: goodbye. All summer long I have been saying that awful word. Goodbye to friends, goodbye to coworkers, goodbye to a whole community of people I've grown to cherish, but although summer is technically gone, it isn't over. This month I have to say goodbye to even more people. People like the Thomas family.

 

I met the Thomas' in church almost one year ago. Meghan was one of the young women who quickly greeted me and invited me out for ladies' night (though I didn't make it and have regretted that ever since). I couldn't stop staring at her lovely blue streaks of hair. So spunk and fun! I knew immediately that she was no ordinary mother of three (with one on the way!). Meghan and Dustin are such great parents. They're raising four of the loveliest kiddos I've ever met, maintaining a godly example for their kids and everyone around them, and speaking passionately about their lively, honest faith, all while maintaining their independent spirit and youthful spunkiness! They are... incredible. In one week, they are leaving Okinawa, and I feel like I am missing out. I haven't had the opportunity to spend a ton of time with their family, but they've made every effort to draw me in. They even bought me amazing tacos for lunch today! I just love them so much. 

Honestly, I am a little mad at October. For being nothing like I want it to be, for doing nothing I want it to do, and for making me say goodbye to this sweet family. October, you're on my list.

However, in the spirit of salvaging my October happiness, I am now going to impliment the following measures:
1. Complete halloween costume prep.
2. Go 100 yen store shopping for fun stuff to decorate:
     a. my apartment
     b. my classroom
3. Plan my halloween lessons.
4. Do some sort of craft project.

On that last note, does anyone have cheap/easy craft suggestions? Keep in mind that I can't just go outside and pick up lovely leaves... unless you mean palm tree fronds. Also, does anyone know if it's possible to buy orange pumpkins in this country? Probably just on base...

So, that is my semi-coherent thought on Okinawa October... my last glimmer of seasonal joy resides in the knowledge that I will at least have a proper Christmas this year. I dreamed about it last night. :)