Everything here is going well. I like our new teachers and I'm psyched to start classes tomorrow so that I can stop worrying about them (both the teachers and the classes). I chatted with Mr. Matsuo (the new head English teacher) and he asked if we could split all the classes, so one week's class I will plan and the next week he will plan. It wasn't exactly something I was asked to debate so I said it would be fine. Really, I think it will work out well and it will force them to talk to me before class. Ms. Hiruma, the teacher left from last year, asked if I would continue planning all of the classes that we have together. That will keep me busy because I'll need a new lesson each week instead of only once a week. I have one class tomorrow (with the new 1st graders) and four classes on Friday. Next week, the entire 3rd grade takes their 4-5 day trip down to Kyoto and the remaining homeroom teachers who are left will do student home visits (parent-teacher conferences at the students' houses), so the school will feel really empty. We will only have classes in the morning. The week after that, we finally start teaching for real.

The sun is back out today after a full day of rain and I managed to drag myself up out of bed early today so that I could run before school. I'm sure you can all imagine how rare that is, but it was totally worth it. The mountains were clearer then I've seen them in weeks, it took my breath away. Of course, I'm ready for a nap and its not even past lunch time. :(

My dad bought me a cell-phone... ha! It's my first and I feel like a total geek because its become my new toy. It can send and receive e-mail and take pictures... its really cute and yellow and I can change all the different noises and backgrounds, etc. and it also fortunately can be switched between English and Japanese. Now Tom's laughing at me because the two things I swore I would never buy (a car and a cell phone), I have. Oh well... the car was more essential than I'd estimated (and technically I only own half) and the phone was a gift. What's a girl to do?