Happy Easter!

It's hard to believe that it's already April and Easter is in just a few days! It's weird that I'm really, really missing the ambiance of Easter. I didn't miss the festivities of Thanksgiving much but I am missing Easter festivities. I miss seeing kids dressed in cute, bright Easter colors, the feeling of warm spring air, seeing Easter bunnies, peanut butter and cadbury eggs and coloring Easter eggs. The stores in Okinawa do not have Easter things out and it's supposed to be raining the next week, so this definitely does not feel like Easter. On the other hand, Lent has prepared me for Easter, so hopefully when I go to church on Sunday, I'll feel more in the spirit. Since my church is mostly Americans, maybe it will feel more like a normal Easter.

Speaking of the meaning of Easter. Last week I asked my class if they celebrate Easter. They all said yes, they get Easter baskets and chocolate bunnies. I then asked, "Why do we celebrate Easter?" the response=blank stares. So, I asked "What person do we celebrate on Easter, who is the person we remember on Easter Sunday?" almost all hands up went up this time as the student I called on said "THE EASTER BUNNY!" The other students all agreed, I couldn't help but laugh. Aw, to be a kid again. Needless to say, I spent this past week teaching my students about the meaning of Easter, Jesus suffering and dying on the cross for us and rising from the dead on Easter Sunday. We were able to complete a few Easter crafts and sing some Easter songs. I've been quizzing them everyday on the true meaning of Easter, it seems to have stuck with them, we will see for how long.

Last Friday, my class went on a field trip to the aquarium in Nago. We had five parent drivers so three students went with each parent. Nice, small groups. Sarah and I each had three students in our groups, so we decided it would be best to drive one of our cars in addition to the parent drivers. Since Sarah has only driven once since being in Okinawa, she asked me to drive her car. The drive up wasn't too bad, we got there in and hour and a half. We checked in, paid and went on our way. By the time we actually got inside the aquarium, we only had 3 hours until we had to leave.

My group enjoyed themselves, they all LOVED touching the starfish and sea creatures.

The rest of the class touching sea creatures. None of them were scared!

Shark tank, a favorite of the boys in my class.

Large octopus!

Worker cleaning the glass, students thought this was amusing.

After an hour inside the aquarium, we ate lunch and watched a dolphin show from the third floor since the outside stadium was already full. After the dolphin show it was already time to head back to school.

The students all fell asleep on the way home, which was a long 2 1/2 hour drive, even on the express way. We made it back to school a few minutes after school got out.

One last picture at the aquarium.

Most of the parent drivers got back to school a few minutes before Sarah and I. When we arrived to the school parking lot, we saw our students running in between cars, standing on a small wall in front of the school and looking over the third floor balcony! A few of our students ran over to the car as I pulled up. Sarah and I weren't very happy. We told all of our students to line up in our normal spot and if their parent was there to go stand by them. On Monday, I gave a lecture on following school rules, even if a teacher is not standing there to enforce the rules. I told them that just because the parents don't say anything, does not mean it's okay to break rules and do the wrong things. I guess it really wasn't THAT big of a deal, but it's very frustrating seeing parents standing there, watching their children do dangerous things and not doing anything about it. Overall, the field trip was a success. We spent this past week writing about our visit and each student has started their "under the sea" diorama.

I spent last weekend recovering from Paul John and Philips visits. I slept in and stayed in Friday night and almost all day Saturday. I can't remember the last time I did that and it was great! I watched a few movies, caught up on my book and did a lot of nothing.

Two nights ago, Jessica's mom and sister arrived from Arizona. It's a full house with four girls but it's nice having more people around. They are excited to be here and seem like nice people. Last night Rocky and I attended a "Last Super Skit" at Jessica's church. It was a cute, hour long program portraying the last super and Holy Thursday. It helped get me in the Easter spirit a little more.

Yesterday marked the end of the 3rd quarter at school! Today was half day so teachers could prepare and submit report cards. I started working on my report cards earlier this week and just had to wait on the art/PE/Japanese teachers to send me their grades. I'm happy to report that for the first time this school year, none of my students received a D or an F on their report card! We've come a long way and I'm very proud of them all.

We had a staff potluck today, which I always love. Lori made delicious lasagna and garlic bread. Oh, how I miss having an oven! I'm coming up with a long list of things to cook in an oven when I get back to the U.S =)

I got to sample Filipino adobo and noodles, chinese chicken and even apple pie! It was a relaxing day and a good start to the weekend. I'm planning on laying low this weekend. I'm going to church on Easter and getting a pedicure at a famous Okinawa salon by my apartment.

I realized I didn't give an update about spring break on my last post. I only started planning it a few weeks ago, but since I didn't have a travel partner, I decided I would go to Hawaii for spring break. It's a 9 1/2 hour flight from Okinawa to Hawaii and I haven't been to any of the islands except for Maui. I presented the idea to my mom and she gladly said she would love to meet me in Hawaii to spend the week together. My mom was able to book a nice roundtrip flight/hotel/rental car package online. There are so many great packages coming from L.A. to Hawaii online. I booked my flight separately which was a little pricey compared to what my mom paid for everything (but I understand, I am coming from Okinawa).

I will depart Okinawa next Saturday afternoon, 4/10 and arrive to Honolulu on Saturday 4/10 in the morning. I will pick up our rental car, sleep at the hotel for a while and pick up my mom at the airport Saturday night (not looking forward to jet lag). We will be in Waikiki for 7 nights and I will arrive back to Okinawa on Sunday night, 4/18. While in Waikiki, I hope to attend a luau and see the Pearl Harbor area. Other than that, we hope to relax on the beach and enjoy ourselves.

One more thought about Easter that I just shared with my Aunt. I've been reading the book "Have a Little Faith" by Mitch Albom. In the book, the idea that when you die, you are forgotten comes up. If you think about it, most people really don't know much about their great, great ancestors. It is kinda like you are forgotten for the most part. However, their is something that connects families....FAITH and TRADITION. Even if you think you are forgotten, you really aren't because of what you have passed on through tradition and the shared faith that connects you from generation to generation. I never thought about that before but it's so true. I am thankful for the faith and tradition that my family shares and how it connects us to those we have lost, future generations and one another presently.

I will be thinking of you all on my Monday, your Sunday, when I'm at work and your enjoying good company and good food (most of which I'm sure will be cooked in an oven). =)

Happy Easter!

XOXO

Kristen