Refresh, Hike, & Give Thanks

Over the past three weeks we have had two Stress Management programs for foreigners in the Tohoku region. They were able to talk about their lives leading up to the 2011 disaster and how it has changed since then. All of the women that attended were so thankful for their time away from their homes and their time to decompress a bit. They never have the opportunity to do such things. For some it was also an opportunity to meet other foreigners living in their area.

While the workshop was going on some volunteers and I were in charge of the children. At one of the workshops, I spent an hour teaching the kids English. One of the activities was learning the song “Head Shoulders Knees and Toes.” In the short time we worked on it maybe only half of the words were remembered. When we had cultural presentations the next day the kids showed off their new song to their mothers. It has entertaining to say the least. It is amazing how fast the kids get quiet when they have to perform in front of people. But the day before, we had problems keeping them at a tolerable volume for the other hotel guests.

The Adorable Daichi who I watched
during one of the refresh programs.

Before the performance we took the kids on a hike. I love being outdoors with children. They always see the things you miss. They point out the rocks that have interesting coloring or shape; noticing the steam from the natural hot springs within the cracks of the mountain. They are fearless when exploring. Although I will admit, I panicked every time they started climbing among the lose rocks. But kids, being resilient and light on their feet, they had very little real accidents. We managed to only have two kids that slipped a bit into the river. I considered it a success!

Temporary housing

We also had our last Japanese class this past week for foreigners, which mean that we have to take the big scary test in two weeks…eek! Not excited. I will also miss seeing these lovely ladies twice a week. There is talk of continuing the class into the New Year. Hopefully that happens. It would not only be nice to see them but improving their language skills will give them the opportunity to have better jobs.

My new friends making an incredibly long sushi roll.

An awesome band!

My new favorite Japanese man BN!

This year I am again away from my family and all the wonderful food that is stuffed into our mouths on Thanksgiving. But I don’t want this month to pass without giving thanks. I am thankful for all of you reading this blog, for my various church families both in Japan and in Texas, for my friends and finally for my family. Without all of your support and presence in my life I would not be the person I am today. Thank you! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving with great people. I hope that your meal was full of delicious food and enlightening conversations. 

Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless!

Katie Young