MYC 2013

These are some highlights from this year’s MYC.

今年のALTの研修の楽しい事。

Yes, we worked, but work doesn’t really photograph well.

仕事したけど、仕事がいい写真じゃない。

Headed out for lunch with some friends.

昼食へ行った。

Even though we were inside all day, there was blue sky at MYC!

ずっと外ではないのに青空があった。

The Christmas lights in Sapporo.

夜に札幌。

Eating dinner with friends.

友達と夕食。

The almonds. Yum!

アーモンド。美味しいね！

Time to try a drink a teacher recommended. Earl grey lavender latte.

先生のおすすめの紅茶。

We saw a friend was nearby, so we headed to The World Café.

友達が近いだから、友達がいる所へ行った。

My dessert.

私のデーザと。

Look at all those wonderful books.

すばらしい本いっぱいあった。

Headed back on the subway.

地下鉄でホテルへ戻った。

E is making new friends.

Eの新しい友達。

L and I for our last night at the Clair hotel. Who knows what we’ll be doing next year.

このホテルでLと最後の泊まる日だった。来年何する事がまだ決まったない。

Breakfast looking over the city.

朝食。

Last MYC

This was my last time going to MYC (Mid-Year Conference). L and I stayed where we always do, at the Clair Hotel. 

今年のALT研修が最後の。研修のためにLといつもこのホテルで泊まる。

This morning we had breakfast with two friends, V and P. 

2人友達と朝食を食べた。

Two of my friends doing a presentation about teaching Elementary school. They were great! 

2人友達は発表をした。上手できた。

Now I'm home. MYC is one more thing to add to my list of lasts. Who knows where I'll be next year or what I'll be doing! 

今家にいる。来年にこの研修にいないかもしれない。今年の最後の事がいっぱいある。来年どこか何するか分からない！

Mom and Em visit Hokkaido–highlights

Our first few days were spent in Sapporo, being tourists.







We went for a Hokkaido specialty, Soup Curry. They had fun butchering the shop’s name and calling it Sewage, the real name was Suage (Sue-ah-gay).



Then we took the lift to the top of Mt. Moiwa to see Sapporo’s famous night view.





Our next adventure was to Sapporo’s Olympic Ski Jump and accompanying museum. Sapporo held the Olympics in 1972.



We got to try the electronic version of the ski jump.



And how they train speed skaters.


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And even the figure skating trial!



Em made an excellent ski jumper.



We also parked my car in the giant car elevator thing.



We visited my lake.



We ate Furano melon with ice cream – yum!



Got to try Japanese fireworks.



And visit the bread shop.



We went and saw the lavender fields.







In a failed attempt to find an onsen, squatty potties were tried as well as bathroom slippers.



Those were just a few of the fun things we did for the week they visited Hokkaido. Tokyo coming soon! 

HEC Replacement Therapy, part 2

After camping at the beach, we headed into Sapporo to go hang out around the beer festival.

R was of course rolling her eyes at the cameras coming out.



Camera war! I think we were both going for the same shot and then shot each other instead, when we realized the other would be in the background.



N, the creeper.



Not sure what L & N were doing, but it was cute.



Being creepy again.



I think she hurt her finger.



H taking her own self-portrait.



Here’s mine.



Another fun shot.



In the end we did get to meet some HEC students, they were doing their own HEC replacement therapy with their ALT – an English dinner at a burger place in Sapporo. It was fun to talk to them and even crazier to find that their school is bigger than my town!



It’s sad to see so many of my friends leaving Hokkaido and moving all over the world and to have to say goodbye. Even so, I’d love to travel all over the world and visit all of them in the future.

Soran! Soran!

The second weekend in June was spent with many good friends at Sapporo’s annual Yosokoi festival.

Yosokoi is a kind of Japanese dance. My understanding is the dance was originally made to mimic moves from fishing in Japan, since it was such a major part of life quite a long time ago.

With a few friends in various teams from Hokkaido, we all headed into Sapporo to see what was happening.

On Friday night, E, K and I stayed with N and J, two Sapporo ALTs. Friday night was dinner and mostly general fun hanging out way too late after a day of work. N made peanut chicken for us!


Saturday started with a trip to the Station to pick up a filter for my second camera lens and then a walk to Odori Park where the majority of the festivities were happening.


We weren’t so happy to have the rain start as soon as we got to the festival area.


Even the Power Rangers came out to see the festival.


As of that weekend, Hokkaido is finally beginning to look like summer.


After a few minutes of wandering around, we found a good place to watch the festivities.
 

Eventually, we needed a break. Most of us are located in pretty rural places, so we headed to a foreigner favorite – Starbucks!


We eventually found the mix and match team. Which included characters such as Stitch, Pikachu and Santa.

  

 Then we started talking about ice cream and of course, our favorite, Mint Crunky. Which we couldn't just talk about, we had to go find.


We ended the day with a stop at the amazing Mexican Restaurant near N & J’s house.