37 Days= Arizona!

I am getting excited! But I am also becomming a little sad. I am truly going to miss so many people here. I've met friends for life in Japan. Although I went through so, so many awful days here (like today), the great days made up for them. Maybe when I return to America, I won't drink so much. I'm so eager for the near future. It's so close- I can almost taste it!

I'm returning on August 6th- My parent's Wedding Anniversary! Wow. I cannot wait to see so many special people. I HAVE MISSED YOU!!!

Please come to my Welcome Home Party on August 8th, hosted by Hayley Jean. If you are interested, please contact her or myself for further details.

ps. I cried over 3 times today. First time, after I cancelled my gym membership. 2nd time, after I lost my Internet. And 3rd time, after I cancelled my cell phone. That one blind-sighted me. I didn't know I had to cancel that today. But I did. And it's gone. July may not be much fun.

Kin Town

I have returned to Naha City! I spent the weekend in Kin Town with my new friend and co-worker, Nikki, and her boyfriend, Ben. We spent Saturday night out at a few bars, where Nikki danced with an old, Japanese man to Michael Jackson's, Thriller. He's gonna die a happy man- guaranteed. We also had dinner at the most amazing restaurant I have ever experienced in my entire life. It was enormous, filled with hundreds of wood carvings, bonsai trees, cave-like rooms, various inside and outside rooms and a number of floors. It was insane; quite remarkable.

Nikki dancing to Thriller

We then spent Sunday at the beach with a few of Ben's friends and kiddies. The ocean was perfect for swimming and the weather was ideal. I burned a little, but I'm not surprised. I always manage to miss areas when it comes to applying my sunblock. Never fails.

Sunday night I was introduced to Grey's Anatomy. I have never seen this show in my life until last night and I'm already beginning to get hooked. We started with Season 1, Episode 1. I can't remember how many we watched, but I wanna watch more!

So now it's Monday at 11:45am. Nikki and I just returned from a 2 and 1/2 hour bus ride from Kin Town. The bus ride was a little longer than we had anticipated. But we made it. Now, she's upstairs, getting herself all settled in in her new apartment (she just moved out of her hotel, where she was staying for a week). She'll be here soon- then we're going shopping. And I need Starbucks. Badly.

ps. I am losing my Internet at midnight tonight :(
Tony, can you still record, So You Think You Can Dance, for me? That would be SO amazing!

Missing Michael Jackson

I love Thirsty Thursdays, but then it's always so difficult waking up on Freaky Friday.

I just had a dream last night/this morning that I returned to the States, forgetting practically everything here! I was in such a hurry to go home, I simply forgot to pack my favorite things like my Christmas bedsheets, my purses/bags, and all of my jewelry. I hadn't even received my paycheck! My most recent dreams have been so real and vivid. When I wake up, I slowly come back to reality.

I am in shock that Michael Jackson just died hours ago. Really? Wow, that's a tragedy.
I bet America is absolutely devastated. I know I am. :(

5 Points

Just polished off the rest of my wine- Jacob's Creek. Delicious. Sooooo- this post will be filled with random things about my day.

Number one: My Moe kissed me on the lips today after class. Wish I had a picture of that. She is SO, SO ADORABLE!
Number two: Chisa agreed to go back to the States with me! She said YES!
Number three: The new teacher, Nikki, and I have so much in common, it's quite scary. We are currently reading the same book, we love Chelsea Handler, and our personalities match like you wouldn't believe.
Number four: I either have 14 new bug bites on my right thigh, or I am breaking out into some sort of awful rash. But from what??? I don't eat any weird Japanese food- like octopus or pig face- so what is going on??? Also, I have another eye infection, as of this morning...
Number five: I stayed up til 4am last night and should be asleep right now. But I have chosen to drink instead.

Tomorrow is Thirsty Thursday! It'll be an exciting night...to say the least...

6 Weeks = America

I went out last night with the guys. It was a good night filled with vodka and memories...

I love the new girl!!! She just came over to my apartment, along with Joshua and Stephen, and we talked forever. But, really, I am so happy she is here. I have a new American girlfriend who I can share my secrets with...finally. ;-)

Believe it or not, I am gonna miss this place- more than I even realize. So, I will enjoy the rest of my time here thoroughly. No doubt. Even though I am losing Internet soon, I will do my best to blog every now and then. If there's a will, there's a way. Right?

Much Love. Sarah xoxo

Return Home: August 6th!!!

I just bought my plane ticket from Tokyo to the U.S.! I will be leaving and returning on August 6th (I love that I gain the 16 hours back that I lost when I first arrived here). It'll be the longest and happiest day of my life! :-)

I am also happy to report that I am not intoxicated this evening. When I woke up this morning with a tattoo on my arm that read "xxx rated" and a heart around it, I thought, "Ok, time to lay off the hard alcohol for a while." Don't worry, not a real tat. Just something the bartender thought was funny and decided to use my skin as his canvas.

So tired today. Besides purchasing my plane ticket and laundry, I got absolutely nothing done today. And there's a lot that needs to be done. I choose procrastination.

Congratulations Ry and Kavitz!

Just returned from going out.
Brother, Ryan, and Kavita are getting married at this very moment. SUCKS that I am in Japan right now. Then again, I am drunk, so I have become numb to any pain at this point.
Me=Drunk. What's new???
Peace Out.

Tonight: Wine

I am obsessed with "So You Think You Can Dance." What will I do without it for 6 weeks???

I am so happy tomorrow is Saturday and the weekend will arrive at 7pm tomorrow evening. We have a new teacher starting tomorrow morning. I wonder what she'll be like. I know absolutely nothing about her.

Today was a good day, but also tiring. I taught my little munchkins and my junior high school students. If I thought today was long- tomorrow is double the work load. I'll need extra-strong coffee in the morning...perhaps I'll wake up early and make a run to Starbucks. Or maybe not.

There's a large gecko living in my apartment. When I first saw it today, it scared the shit out of me cause I thought it was a cockroach. But it was a gecko. I like geckos. I hope it eats all the mosquitoes and nasty-ass cockroaches residing in my apartment. My place is infested.

ps. Today is my 10 month anniversary since arriving in Japan. I can't believe I've been here now for 10 months. Weird.

Correction: June 30th

Sorry. I just found out today, I am losing my Internet June 30th, not the 25th.
I've been drinking Vodka this evening. Now I am eating dinner. Thursdays are awful here. And I cannot wait until Rainy Season is over. I also cannot wait to return to America to see my favorite faces.
I love you, friends.
Sarah Lee***

Losing Internet June 25th

It's official. I am losing my Internet and connection to the World in 8 days. Blows Big Time. So this means no more blogging, no more "So You Think You Can Dance," and no more conversing with my American friends/family for over a month. Ridiculous. Japan is just ridiculous.
July is going to SUCK. I wonder if there's free Interent at Starbucks...hmmm....doubt it. Nothing is free in this country.

Today I loved my precious 3-5 year olds (especially Chisa). However, some annoyed me. The others are just so darn cute, it's almost unbearable. I wish some were my own. And that's the truth. I'm thinking about kidnapping Chisa. I heard that the Japanese government doesn't do anything about kidnapped children. They just turn their heads. So- here's my chance! I may bring home an adorable 5-year-old Japanese girl. And when you see her, you'll understand why I had to do it. ;-)

Stressed Out

I am stressing out about getting a flight back to the States, not having Internet or a phone next month, and trying to get everything done before the time I leave Okinawa. I just don't know. I have a ticket to Tokyo, but no ticket to the States. Great, Sarah. Just great. I'm leaving this Island in 7 weeks (exactly)- and couldn't be happier- but how am I gonna make this work?

It's been raining like crazy this past week. I shouldn't have ever written in one of my previous posts that rainy season seemed nonexistent. Now it's here and it blows. Today was the "grayest" day I have ever experienced in my life. Talk about depressing. However, despite the weather, it was a good day, with good classes and fabulous students.

Would you believe that I went to bed last night at 7:30pm? It was incredible. Tonight will be a late night. Too much spinning in my head this evening- and not because of the Grey Goose...or is it???
Ok, Goodnight. I love you, America.

P.S. ~ Can you name the movie this quote is from (just watched this for the 1st time today):
"Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off."
...Also a Panic! At The Disco song, but they stole the line from a 2004 movie...

Bed Bugs

Today I washed all of my bedsheets, took my comforter to the dry-cleaners, and inspected and turned over my mattress. Cathy has instilled a fear of bed bugs living in my bed. She has been going through a very difficult time right now with her own bed bugs, so my heart goes out to her. However, I wouldn't doubt if I had them, too. I am growing tired of waking up with new bug bites every morning. So hopefully, I no longer have to suffer itchy, scratchy bites on my fingers, arms, toes and legs. Enough is enough.

I heart SYTYCD. Besides Grey Goose, it's my #1 Love in Japan. I don't think I'll have Internet next month, so I am sure gonna miss this show (along with everything else online). July may be the worst and slowest month ever.

Hot. I enjoyed this top 20 piece. Choreographed by Shane Sparks.

I Love to Sleep; Who Knew?

Wow. Working yesterday and today was beyond exhausting. It's 63% my fault for staying up until 7am Friday morning (after going out drinking Thursday night), then getting a solid 4 hours of sleep before going into work. So, for two days, I have yet to catch up on those 4 hours I missed out on and desperately need. I've been trying not to fall asleep during my classes. Seriously, I had a difficult time keeping my eyes open these past 2 days. I took partial naps during my breaks, but didn't want to fall completely asleep for fear of not waking up in time for my next class. Let's just say I'm relieved to catch up on sleep this weekend. I'm not even going out tonight (and it's Saturday night) because I feel so sleep-deprived. Tonight's going to be an early night for me and I love this idea.
Since when do I need at least 8 hours of sleep? In high school and college I hardly ever slept and was completely functional. I used to think I suffered from insomnia. Well, not anymore.
If it's not one problem, it's another...

Oh No

I drank too much and cannot write an appropriate post right now. Sorry. I blame two people- Hernando and Joshua. Bad influences. Sucks that I have to work tomorrow. I'd rather spend the day hung-over and in bed. Thanks to H and J, you'll hear from me tomorrow....

yAY pAY dAY!

I heart pay day. The only thing that devastated me today was that I may not have internet next month. I don't know if I could go an entire month without it (then again, when I first arrived in Japan, I went 5 months without internet. I have no freakin' clue how I did that). But now that I have it, I never want to let it go....seriously, what am I going to do? However, I'm going to try and negotiate to do whatever I can to have internet for the month of July. Fingers crossed.

SO hot today! Well, actually, at this very moment, it's only 79 degrees; however, the humidity is at 92%. Humidity s-u-c-k-s!

Today was long with the kiddies. Some of them are hopeless. I've tried so hard for so long. If they don't get it by now, there's nothing more I can do. I'm throwing in the towel.

It's time for Tsutaya (video store) and dinner.
Love You. xxx
omg- I still love Chisa forever. I'm gonna miss her the most!

52 Days! Wooo!

Today was a happy day. I compromised with my boss and have decided that August 1st will be my last day! I can handle that! Also, I won't have a roommate in a couple of weeks (as originally planned) because she doesn't want to live with anyone. Hmmm-she sounds friendly. But actually, I'm relieved because I don't have to stress about cleaning like a mad woman before she arrives. So I have more time to relax...and ride the wave :-)

I can't sleep on the left side of my body due to the coral scratches and bruising. It feels like something ran over me. It's terribly sore. I wish I didn't love sleeping on my left side. Then there would be no problem. But this is a problem...

Ok, now I need to gather my laundry from outside and get ice and dinner next door (at San-A). I am so tired, I don't feel like cooking. But I'm going to anyway.

The countdown has officially begun! See you all soon in the United States of America! This girl cannot wait!

Watch SYTYCD!

My coral accident from yesterday has now begun the bruising process. My whole body hurts today. But I talked to my Mama this morning, so that made all the pain go away ;)
Have you ever missed someone so much you just cry? It's actually becoming more difficult to talk to my family over the phone because I spend a lot of the time crying. I don't mean crying in the dramatic sense, but in a more subtle way. In fact, I'm not sure whether or not they can even pick up on it. But tears definitely run down my face; and not because I'm sad or depressed, but simply because I miss them so, so much.
On a brighter note, watch So You Think You Can Dance! I finally found a website so that I can watch it! I'm extremely disappointed with some of the dancers they let go of; however, I'm really excited for this season! Vote for Ade!

This was performed at a JUMP Competition some time ago. Performed by Kaitlyn Conley (love this girl) and Ade Obayomi (now on Season 5 of SYTYCD). Choreographed by Natasha Louis.

GREY GOOSE

I went snorkeling today! I kind of re-injured my previously broken foot when I was going down some rocks. Ummm...how come the doctor said it would fully heal in one month (from my Christmas accident)? That should have been about 5 months ago. Goes to show how much he knows. I think my foot's messed up for life. Sucks.
So, I was most afraid of sea snakes and dangerous sea creatures today in the ocean. However, I was hurt by none of these, but instead, by the coral. I got scraped up on my hand, arm and outer thigh pretty badly. In fact, it still burns. It bled a little- but it hurts more than what shows. I hope coral pieces didn't crawl into my skin, causing serious infection later. Why am I so prone to injuries?
After our sea adventure- guess what I finally got? YES! GREY GOOSE! I am so happy. Grey Goose just makes everything better. ;-)
I went to Kokusai Street earlier today to get some shopping done for others (not myself), but I did not get that accomplished. Instead, I bought myself jewelry. Selfish, huh? My Aunt Marilyn used to call me her, "jewelry girl," when I was about 9 years old (I still remember that). Anyhow, I think I live up to that name. I heart jewelry- and whenever I buy any, I think of my Aunt.
Despite my injuries, today was a good day in Japan.

The Weekend is Here!

I really hate teaching 8 classes in a single day. Too much for me. But I do enjoy my high school girls' advanced class. We just talked about dating today. I found out that one of my students is sort of "dating" someone in Egypt (he's half Egyptian/ half Japanese). How crazy is that?!
I am so proud of three of my girls- they are all going to America in August to study abroad! They're all going to different states- on their own! I'd like to think I had something to with their brave/gung-ho decisions, but probably not. But, really, I'd still like to think so... :-)
I'm so happy the weekend is here! Beach time! Except this weekend, I will try my hardest not to burn. But I can't make any promises. I've never experienced such strong sunlight in my life. ~ And I'm not sure whatever happened to the rainy season? It's hardly rained at all! Not that I am complaining- please- I love the sun. And I appreciate that this rainy season is practically non-existent! Watch...now that I just said that, it'll start raining nonstop...

I Don't Know What To Do- Help!

Hmmm...Boss Man wants me to stay in Japan until August 8th. He found a replacement for me who could be here the first week of August (then I'd spend the week training the newbie). I don't know whether or not I should agree to do this or not? What do you think? Of course I want to leave more than anything (sooner than later); however, I do want to leave on a good note in a positive, professional way. Please let me know any of your thoughts on the matter.
After my last class tonight, one of my students came up to me and said, "Miss Sarah, you seem sad. Are you ok?" I had no idea I seemed sad during class. I do my best to keep my personal life personal. However, I suppose if it's all I can think about (wanting to go home), I'm fairly easy to read. I'm not a good actress.

Stuck in Japan Forever

So, I may not be leaving Japan Land as early as I had hoped...I may be stuck here forever. It all depends on whether or not "boss man" can find the "right" replacement. I just found this all out tonight. What unfortunate news. Grrrr! I was gonna look for plane tickets this week, but now I have to wait. Such a bummer to have something to look forward to, then all of a sudden, have that taken away from you. This was the one good thing I had going for me; now I have nothing. Well, except vodka.
I just want to go home. Sooner than later. Will someone come and get me?

Goodnight

Whoever said that, "cockroaches are more scared of you than you are of them," is a liar. So not true. Reason #1) They don't scream as loud as I do (even during an English lesson) and #2) They chase after me as I'm trying to run away from them.
I currently have in my possession a bottle of roach killer and 3 bottles of hairspray- watch out you gross cockroaches. Steer clear. You're on my bad side.
I really love that one of my high school students is in love with her 30-40 year old math/archery teacher. Good for her! Didn't we all have a crush on at least one of our school teachers? If you just answered no, you are a liar.
Goodnight from Japan Land. Sweet Dreams.

I am a Lobster

...went to the beach today and b-u-r-n-e-d. Little did I know that my sunblock needed to be reapplied every 80 minutes. Oopsies. I thought it was good for 12 hours. My bad. And this may hurt worse tomorrow than it does now (my legs burnt the most. I didn't even know my legs could burn)!
Damn Okinawan sun- so strong over here. Sometimes I simply forget that.