One of the COOLEST THINGS EVER!!! happened to us while we were waiting on the platform for our train in Koriyama station. A bullet train blasted through at full speed. There was literally a 2 second pause before anyone reacted--I think it sucked our breath out! "Cool!" "Wow!" "Awesome!" was intermingled with a few expletives. Really. Really. Cool.
I got back to Tokyo around 2 p.m. and had the rest of the day to myself. I needed to get some shopping done so I headed to the Oriental Bazaar near Shibuya and then to Asakusa, back to the temple area we visisted our first week. I was feeling like a subway expert at this point! I wasn't really paying attention so the thunder and lightning caught me off guard. The storm was rolling in over the temple in the bottom picture. A "smart" person would have gotten out of the storm but not me--I wanted picutres!! :) I watched the storm come and caught the subway back to the New Otani Hotel when it started to rain. Rob, Dave from Oklahoma, and I headed out to dinner later that evening. We were in the mood for something else so they took me to an English pub that serves fish and chips. Fish, chips, and two pints-perfection!
1 comment:
Kathy,
I saw your article about your Fulbright trip to Japan in the TSTA Fall 2008 journal. I was interested in reading about your experiences since I was a Fulbright Memorial Fund participant in October 1998, exactly 10 years ago. I can hardly believe it has been that long. I was a principal in Baytown, TX (Goose Creek Schools) at that time and went with little knowledge or expectations about what to expect in Japan. Your experiences are so very similar to my own. It was a life changing experience for me as well. I chuckled over your dilemma at the ryokan bath, and your last minute trip to the 100 Yen store, I had similar experiences. My home stay was wonderful with a family consisting of a mom, dad, grandmother, and four children (3 girls and 1 boy). They were so delightful to be with. I still am in contact with them. One of the daughters has even visited in my home. For our tea ceremony I sat next to a Japanese lady who was on the "Galveston" committee because Galveston and my city of Niigata were sister cities. She has visited in my home several times during her official visits to Galveston. How fortunate that you and I and hundreds of other US teachers and administrators were given the chance to participate in the Fulbright Memorial Teacher Program. You will never forget your experience just as I treasure my own even ten years later.
Wynona Montgomery, Life TSTA
Post a Comment