Darin and I celebrated our 16th anniversary on April 23. It was fun to think about how 16 years ago we could never have imagined living in Japan. It has only been a little over two years since the idea was even presented. Amazing how quickly our lives cannot only change, but can be relocated. It was also fun to think about how blessed we are. And no matter how frustrated we get with our children, they really are a good thing.
Golden Week was April 29-May 5. Golden week is one of Japan’s biggest national holidays. It combines the Emperor’s birthday, Constitution Memorial Day, Green Day, and Children’s Day. Darin had that entire time off. Caden had the 29th and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th off. Nathan had only the 3rd, 4th, and 5th. As frustrating as it is to have them all on separate schedules, it does have it’s benefits. Darin and I were able to go out to lunch just the two of us, by ourselves, all alone, no kids. And, we ate at a grown up restaurant!
When our schedules did coincide that week we spent some family time at Harborland checking out things we hadn’t seen before like the Maritime Museum, the Kawasaki museum, and the Kobe fish. We also went down to the part of the harbor that was left untouched after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. Very sobering. (more pictures on the website”: www.mccleerysinjapan.smugmug.com in “New Photos)
Caden’s vocabulary has been expanding rapidly, mostly because he makes up his own words. (Wonder where he gets that?) He calls his training wheels “sider” wheels. Why not? They are placed at each side of his bike. Makes sense. Pancakes are “butter” cakes. Why? It’s the only “cake” he puts butter on. My personal favorite is also a warning to us we have too many Apple products in our home. One day when he was playing he said, “I have an i-plan…I mean an idea.” Guess our iMac, iPod and iPhone have skewed his iThinking.
The other day Caden yelled, “Mom, come here!” Not knowing where he was, I yelled back asking what he wanted. He answered, still yelling, “I pooped! That’s what’s going on in here!” It was very amusing at the time.
Nathan had another oral book report this month. This time it was a how-to demonstration complete with props. He chose to demonstrate a magic trick along with the science behind the illusion. His teacher said he did a great job. Good to know he can make it as a magician if nothing else. He certainly has a way of making food (and my patience) disappear.
The highlight of last week was “the return of water to the river mall!” Woohoo! (No, it is not a movie.) Of course this means nothing to most of you. (Except to my parents who only got to see a dry river during their visit and to those planning a visit in the near future.) It is, however, very significant to us. It has been drained all winter for repairs which were delayed nearly a month from all the weird Spring weather we have had.
There was a nasty rumor they weren’t even going to put water in it this year because of the expense. That was not good news since that is literally ALL we do during the two weeks prior to the start of school. It is so hot and humid during that time this is the only outside activity that can be done that doesn’t result in heat stroke. Now all is well at the river mall and life on Rokko Island is back to normal. Well, sort of…
There is no “normal” in the expat vocabulary. This time of year is the hardest part of the expat adventure, saying goodbye to many close friends we most likely will never see again and preparing for our home leave. You can imagine the range of emotions that exist. We are looking forward to visiting family and friends stateside, but we know when we return to our home in Japan it will not be the same as when we left. Old friends will be gone, new friends will arrive. The expat world is ever changing. Change is necessary and usually welcomed, but not always easy.
