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This is it! The Thankfulness Challenge is coming to an end. Here is a brief summary of the challenge: The Thankfulness Challenge is a 30 Day challenge where a person writes what they are thankful for. I'm on Day 24 to Day 30. I'd like to extend my sincerest gratitude to everyone in America and Japan that decided to take part in this challenge. Here are my final answers:

Day 24: Photo




It's very hard to pick just one photo. Every picture I have is attached to a precious memory. I think my current favorite photograph is my wedding photo. Gary and I had just left the courthouse and his mother took a quick snapshot that captured the absolute joy of that moment. It's a photograph that I find myself always going back to look at. Plus it's my amazing mother-in-law's favorite picture too!

Day 25: Luxury

My electric tea kettle. I'm use to just boiling hot water in a small pot and sporadically rushing to check on it. An electric tea kettle is much more convenient! I can pour the water in the electric kettle and continue my household tasks knowing it will shut off by itself.

Day 26: Charity

The act of kindness (or charity) I'm most thankful for is this: One day while at the train station I found myself lost and confused. I was not sure which train to take that would send me back home from a mini excursion. Plus my cellphone mysteriously died despite being on a full battery! I guess my look of defeat caught the attention of a nice schoolgirl. She asked me in Japanese if I was lost. I meekly said "Yes." She quickly asked "Where are you going?" I told her and did not think much of it. The schoolgirl then darts off. I am thinking she must have had to go but then she comes back. She quickly tells me that she asked around and found my route. The schoolgirl then directed me to the right bus and said if I stay on it I should make it to my destination. I could not believe a total stranger would go the extra mile for me like this. I thanked her and instantly felt relieved. Her random act of kindness helped reassure me and I was safely on my way home!

Day 27: Song

The Sundays "Wild Horses." It's a remake of the Rolling Stones classic. The lead singer (Harriett Wheeler)of the band has such a sweet, soothing voice. I've listened to this song a dozen times and I still find myself brought to tears. "Wild Horses" speaks about selfless love. It is about loving someone through the good and challenging times ("Wild horses couldn't drag me away..."). It's about loving someone even if they decide to step away.

My favorite lines in the song are "I watched you suffer a dull aching pain/Now you've decided just to show me the same/No sweeping exits or offstage lines/Can make me feel bitter or treat you unkind/Wild horses couldn't drag me away..."

I'm thankful for this beautiful ballad because it takes me back to my childhood. Plus it makes me feel this quiet strength whenever I listen to it.

Day 28: Gift

What gift am I most thankful for? I'm not sure I can pick just one! I've been given lots of sentimental items from friends, family and loved ones. I guess the greatest gift I've ever received is the gift of kindness! Family, friends, coworkers, and strangers have all bestowed that gift onto me at some point or another. Acts of kindness are gifts that will always be timeless and priceless.

Day 29: Something at home

I have this blue and white blanket just specifically for the living room. I like sitting on the couch and throwing it over me. It protects me from the cold with the greatest of ease. I even bought my husband the same kind of blanket but in different colors. Now we both sit on the couch with blankets thrown over our heads! Haha!

Day 30: What are you MOST thankful for?

That I am able to live such a fulfilled life filled with lots of loved ones and experiences.

  

... okay, so technically the Eve of the Eve of Battle. This Sunday I will take the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) for the first time. I'm very worried that I won't do well. It will be my first academic test in, roughly, twelve years.

I can memorize Kanji, vocabulary, and even grammar, but that doesn't work for listening or speaking. So they fall outside of my comfort zone. Which means I lack confidence in those abilities. And then I avoid using them, the problem compounds, anxiety builds and the strain causes me to not enjoy those situations.

Unfortunately, it has always been like this with languages. They were always my weakest subject in school. We'll see how things go, maybe I'll surprise myself!  

Many of us went to Amber's amazing Thanksgiving party on Sunday. She asked everyone to bring a desert instead of a dish, which was a little bit crazy! The party featured 3 different cakes, 2 sets of homemade cookies (I really need to learn how to bake with my oven here) pastry, and more.

I was embarrassed to say that I brought American style chocolate jello pudding, which is about the easiest thing in the world to make. Just a box of jello and milk and pop it in the fridge. I almost made it fancier with almond milk and berries but changed my mind. Pudding in the west has kind of a mousse-like texture and goes well with whipped cream.

Well, the pudding was a surprise hit! Teachers remarked that it reminded them of their childhood. Nostalgia was especially high during thanksgiving.   

This year, I was invited to Amber's Thanksgiving dinner where she made an entire dinner for a large group of people. I was especially excited by her mashed potatoes and lasagna, but she made much, much more (is she Superwoman?).

Aside from the food, it was also great to have wonderful company and remember how thankful I am to work with such kind and warm people, and have opportunities to meet a variety of people. We played games together for a awhile, and it was fun to learn about eachother's sense of humor and connect with everyone that way. Even though, I still miss the special Thanksgiving that my family would do. I am still very grateful to have been able to join such a wonderful event, with many kind people!

When I arrived back at Kanonji station from the party, I saw that Christmas lights had been put on. So I guess it is now officially time to get into the Christmas spirit. Happy holiday season!


  

Yesterday a student of Jonathan's invited us out to dinner and karaoke in Marugame. We boarded the train and were looking around for Jonathan as he knew what his student looked like and where to meet him but couldn't find him. Apparently we had walked right passed him on the train and he greeted us as we got off the train.

We meet up with his student and we walked a short way to a very nice and warm restaurant where we ate nabe, drank beer and meet some of his friends. It was a very fun night. All of us got to practice speaking English and Japanese to each other. It was fun watching each of us struggle to find the correct words to describe something or ask in a different way. We had many beers and nihonshu passed around as we enjoyed our time together.

As someone who grew up disliking the taste of beer and pretty much anything alcoholic that wasn't some fruity mix drink, I tried Sapporo, Asahi and a nihonshu yesterday and actually enjoyed it. The beer here in Japan had a very different taste from beer you find in America. The beer I've had in America have all been very bitter or watery so there wasn't much of a taste. The beer here was nice, smooth and had a nice taste to it. The nihonshu was particularly good as it didn't taste like alcohol and went down nicely as well.

We eventually payed our bill and went to a near by Karaoke place and sung a few songs before heading back home on the train. It was a really fun night and very different from what I'm use to and hope to be able to hang out with them again soon.   

Thanksgiving day is upon us! I am having a great time surrounded by my wife's cooking. Even though I am far from family, living in Kanonji has been a blessing. My wife and I ate our Thanksgiving feast and decided to head outside to our balcony. We brought out two chairs and just stared out at the breathe-taking scenery upon us. While eyeing the surrounding mountains we almost wanted to pinch ourselves. We are so fortunate to have this moment in this beautiful country. If there are two things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving it is this: (1) My sweetheart of a wife and (2) For the people of Japan. Thank you letting us have the honor of teaching in your beautiful country!  

My friend Alana visited Japan these past few days and she enjoyed it. She is from Louisiana as well but, lives with her husband in Taiwan. They came here for Thanksgiving as a holiday trip. She stayed in an Airbnb in Okinawa and said it was one of the cleanest places she stayed in. We’ve known each other since we were babies up until now. We always shared a lot in common, one of them wanting to visit Japan. We watched japanese movies together, reading manga/japanese magazines, tv shows, makeup, ate japanese foods, and other cultural associated activities. One of our favorite bands in high school was Skin with Gackt and Miyavi. (hehehe lol embarrassing we were 17 years old) She really loves japanese food and eats a lot. So she left with a lot of food and most likely mail some home. She did take one picture of some kitkat’s she had bought. This is funny because that’s the same I did when we came to Japan. Bought a whole lot of snacks. I’m glad she enjoyed her trip and next time we will plan one to meet together in Tokyo or Osaka.
  

As a vegetarian, I have had some frustrating experiences finding things to eat here in Japan. Fortunately, I like to cook so I have plenty to eat when I’m at home. Things are not so easy when I’m traveling, however. Oh, I can always find something but after living here for over 6 months I get a little tired of eating the same conbini foods. Even while visiting Tokyo, I often had to settle for some of the same restaurants I eat at normally rather than trying something new. But, on my recent Fukuoka trip I happily discovered several vegetarian options - and they were all very good! I even checked another item off my bucket list when I had a bento on the Shinkansen- a totally vegan bento by the way. I had heard the food was great in Fukuoka and it seems the rumors were true! Thanks Fukuoka for having lots of yummy things for me to eat!  

Happy late Thanksgiving everyone! Thankful for this year and the experiences that my family and I enjoyed. My wife cooked a dinner for us to feel at home. Thanksgiving is a big holiday for us because this is when we all get time to spend with our family and friends. We have a very big family. We normally go to three different houses for Thanksgiving to eat, have fun, and clown around. This year was very intimate but, we enjoyed it. We watched the Macy's parade on Youtube and Christmas movies. We, also, played family games together. We called family and friends at home to tell them Happy Thanksgiving. A funny thing us Americans do is take pictures of our food to show. It's funny to us because everyone in the United States is pretty much eating the same thing. We still take pictures like it's a trophy or big accomplishment. Maybe, the time that the cooks in the kitchen took cooking it makes great. I don't know why but, I know why I eat it. Hope everyone enjoys their holidays this year. Happy Thanksgiving Baby!
  

I'm getting closer to the finish line of the Thankfulness Challenge! My friends in America are still diligently filling out an answer a day. A quick recap of the challenge: The Thankfulness Challenge is a 30 Day challenge where a person writes what they are thankful for. I've just finished Days 17 to 23. Here are my answers:


Day 17: Store

Back home I loved going to Ross, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls. They were all clothing stores that sold quality clothes at a low, low price. Now I really enjoy going to the small clothes stops around town. There is a lot of cute shirts and skirts sold at shopping centers!

Day 18: Quote

"Wherever you go, may people always recognize that you have a beautiful heart."

This is a snippet from a Hebrew Blessing. Unfortunately I never could figure out who is the author of the quote. His or her words have always resonated with me. The meaning is pretty self-explanatory: when people see you, may they notice that you are a sincere, kind person (someone with a "beautiful heart.") I've always liked the idea of people appreciating someone for their inner beauty rather than their physical appearance.

Day 19: Clothing

I have this one dark blue dress that my husband bought for me. We were at the mall when he noticed I kept eyeing one particular dress on a rack. What I didn't expect was for him urge me to try it on. Upon putting it on, I felt floored by how well it fit and how it flattered my figure. My husband saw the joy on my face as I twirled around the store with it on. He bought the dress for me on the spot! So not only do I feel stunning in the dress but it also reminds me of my husband's sweet gesture!

Day 20: Keepsake

I still have this tiny card my mom once bought for me. It is about the size of a business card with a drawing of three little butterflies on it. Across the card are the words: "To My Beautiful Daughter, I love you and I am so very proud of you!" I've had this keepsake for over 10 years now and I'll never throw it away! The card has to accompany me everywhere!

Day 21: Disappointment/Fear

I'm thankful that I never was able to return to New York. Many years ago my family and I had to move from New York to Florida due to my father's work. I remember feeling determined to return to New York because Florida didn't feel like home. It was hard to make friends being new and you had to use a car to get everywhere. As I got older I made plans to go back but much to my disappointment it never fell through. Thinking back to that time I can still feel how heartbroken I was. Knowing what I know now, it was for the greater good! If I had left Florida I would not have met my husband Gary, all my friends or maybe I would not have been able to travel and be here at GEM. The disappointment ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm thankful that that goal never worked out despite my best efforts! Sometimes disappointments can lead to a blessing!

Day 22: Book

"Our Men Do Not Belong To Us" by Warsan Shire. It's a poetry book that I always find myself rereading. Every single poem is mature, descriptive and hard-hitting. I love lines like "No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark." and "The only darkness we should allow into our lives is the night, for even then, we have the moon." She's a phenomenal poet. I like that she writes for the people that are seen but not heard.

Day 23: Feeling

I am thankful for the feeling of contentment. There is something so satisfying about being content with what you have and don't have. Sometimes wanting something can bring feelings of anxiety but contentment is just being at peace in the moment.

Sadly that is all I have for now. Next week is the Thankfulness Challenge Finale! We can do this! May your week be as awesome as you are!

~ Candice


  

Today is Thanksgiving in America. It is a day to express gratitude for everything good in the last year...*pffft*...Nah, it's about TURKEY!

Turkeys are ugly and pretty stupid birds. There is a myth that domestic turkeys will look up at rain and drown themselves. It isn't true, but they do sometimes panic at the sound of thunder and die from that. There are actually a lot of myths about turkeys, some nearly as old as the U.S. itself.

There is one thing that isn't a myth, turkey is delicious! I want a turkey sandwich now...
  

It's no secret that I love clothes. I have a very full closet and dresser, and I have clothes set aside for the right season. I like to read the English on my students' shirts and bags. I love shopping for clothes even though I am very picky about what I buy.

I don't follow Japanese fashion trends at all, but I do notice them while I am out and about. This year, University sweatshirts have started to appear. I assumed that they were "knock-offs" or, brands that are not authentic.

Imagine my surprise when I turned the corner in a store and spotted a row of MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY sweatshirts and pants! I did not go to MU, but I am from Michigan, so to see my state written across a bunch of clothing was really funny to me. I wanted to stop people and go "Look! It says Michigan! I'm from there!" The store said that it was official merchandise too. Not a knock-off.

I wonder how many people that I have bought the clothes can pronounce the state correctly.

It sounds like MIH-SHE-GEN or ミシゲン  

One of my favorite smells in all the world is the smell of a campfire. I even love the smell the smoke leaves on your clothes. There are many people like me, who love that smell. It reminds me of family, friends, and loved ones. It is such a simple thing but that smell reminds me of so much from my childhood. Some of my best memories growing up have been around a campfire. I remember my first heart to heart with my step-dad when he was dating my mom, I remember making jokes with my grandpa, I remember roasting marshmallows with my brother, and staring at the stars on a cool summer night. That one smell brings me more comfort than I can fully explain. What smells remind you of good memories? Maybe it’s cookies, or a certain laundry soap, or a perfume. It’s interesting to think of those little things that make us happy.


  

About five years ago in Idaho my grandpa hung a handkerchief on the top of a mountain. When we visited, we used to look at it from his property with binoculars. A year later he made the hike again and replaced that handkerchief with a bright red bandanna. It was easier to spot from the property, you didn’t even need the binoculars to see it. After a year if faded to a light pink color, so my younger cousin took the hike and replaced that old bandanna. Ever since then every year one of his grandchildren will hike up the mountain and replace the old bandanna at the top of the hill.

If you climb the steepest way the hike is only about thirty to forty minutes. The hike isn't to bad, aside from some lose rock at the beginning of the walk. And once you get to the top the view is beautiful. You can see camp, and the local roads incredibly well. It is a nice place to just sit and take everything in. When you are done relaxing you claim the old bandanna as a reward, replacing it with a newer one, and make the climb back down. Then after a year someone else will make the hike and replace the old bandanna.




  

This weekend I got to visit Iya Valley in Tokushima. It was really nice to get into the mountains. The view was incredible. I loved getting to see the mountains, valleys, and rivers. It reminded me a lot of being home, it felt really nostalgic. I am really glad I got to go with some of the Gem teachers. My favorite part of the trip was walking Kazurabashi Bridge. The view from the top of the bridge was stunning, and it was fun to walk across.


  

Lately, I've been really wanting to play Zelda: Twilight Princess. It's a game that I used to play on the Wii with my family, and my first real video game. I have many good memories of trying to figure out puzzles and maps with my little brother. I especially loved the temple of time and the snow area.

As we get into the holiday season, I begin to want to spend time with my family. I think that since I know I cannot hang out with them now I want to play the game as a replacement and use the nostalgia to get the warm holiday feelings.

In the U.S. this time of year is when family comes together, which can make it very lonely when you have no one to spend it with. Is it the same in Japan? Or is there a different time of year in which family comes together?  

We made tacos tonight! And they turned out so well. I'm so glad my mom sent me some taco seasoning and tortillas in the mail. It's been awhile since we've had home made tacos. The only thing these are missing is sour cream. If only sour cream could go through the mail and not spoil. But I am happy with what we made tonight.  

I'm on a mission. A mission to find out what special things my wife has planned for our first Thanksgiving as newlyweds! I really think she is thinking of making miniature apple pies. While she was carrying in groceries I pretended to be occupied but out of the corner of my eye I saw her place apples inside a separate bag. In another bag I saw her pull out a CD of what appeared to be relaxing music. I spied a colorful arrangement of vegetables too. A third bag had a bunch of potatoes. I'm thinking she will make mashed potatoes! Oh no! I think she is on to me! I now have to pretend I am looking at the TV and not being detective Gary!  

Started to decorate the apartment with Christmas Decorations. Holidays are fun especially for the children. Jaida and I decorated the house a week ago to get into the Christmas Spirit. We still have lots of pictures and crafts to draw and make. My Grandmother sent her some gifts that I had wrapped for her to open on Christmas Day. We prepared the Thanksgiving menu for our family's dinner as well. Lots of holiday fun coming up. After decorating, we took out Christmas movies as a family tradition. Our favorite movie we always watch is Santa's Apprentice (They have a I and a II).
That particular movie is a must. We are very happy to be spending Christmas in Japan this year because it is our first one. I think I can say that November and December will be very busy. Crafts, Jaida's home schooling and Classes, and Other activities in Japan and overseas. It's a lot but, we are excited. Looking forward to the days to come. You all enjoy the joyful atmosphere and be blessed.



Movie Ratings Website: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/santas_apprentice/  

I love boats. I don’t like swimming that much and going to the beach is fun but not my favorite. But boats... canoes, speed boats, tour boats, I could ride them all day long! There is something so soothing about the rocking motion. The wind is refreshing and the water I find the most beautiful when I am looking at it from a sturdy vessel. I have many wonderful memories with boats. Night lake tours in speedboats, canoeing through lily pads and quickly deciding to never do that again because lily pads are the perfect environment for wasps, pedaling around in a canopy-covered boat, and recently, taking a tour of Oboke Gorge in a boat. My only complaint with that one was that it was too short! I would have been happy to stay on that boat for another hour or two!