Other things on Flower Island

Besides the gorgeous Wednesday sunrise on Rebun, there were a ton of other fun things as well.

On Tuesday morning, the morning light was just lovely. Although I was a bit sleepy and stressed when I got in the taxi, I really enjoyed looking at the morning. It’s SOOOO nice to not have to leave in the dark anymore. Also had a nice conversation with the taxi driver. It was 99% in Japanese, but he tossed a few random English words in for fun.

Here’s the pretty light:

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It was really pretty during boarding as well. But the picture came out so weird!

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Looks like we are taking luggage to heaven or something.

Anyway, the ferry ride to Rebun was so smooth. I was grateful. So grateful! More grateful than mere words can express.

Here we are, driving into Rebun.

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After arriving at the terminal, I met a German visitor who was traveling to see Rebun. He had some questions, and through a group effort, we were able to help him out.

Then it was off to school, where I was parked in an empty classroom. My usual spot was being used for something else.

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I had written a story for one of the classes, but I wanted to make a few changes. I worked on it before class. When I took my USB to print, I discovered that only half of the changes had saved.

I was not thrilled at this development. I had one more class period, so I returned to my computer and blazed through retyping the changes. When I went to print again, the teacher’s computer (hooked to the printer) froze. Argh!

Finally, it came back. And we saw this.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

My beautiful story has been changed to RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, I thought!

I scrolled down for 15 pages and…

There was my story! I was so thankful to God that the story had not somehow become all Rs. But then I just started giggling. The whole thing had just been ridiculous, and the RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR was enough to push me over the line into gales of giggles.

The work happened here:

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The giggles happened here, behind the 3rd window or so

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The first day’s reading went pretty well. I was grateful, considering that RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR is pretty hard to divide into lines. And how do you convey any character besides a pirate or a lawnmower.

After classes, I headed off on my long bus ride south to town.

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There was a neat cloud right in front of Rishiri. And a ferry leaving! Now, we are all marooned on the island. It’s a strange feeling when the last ferry leaves for the night.

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It’s a long climb to Pension Uni. They would have met me down at ground level, but I thought the walk would be nice. I always forget how steep the climb is, though. I got two phone calls along the way (organizing dinner), and I enjoyed the break.

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Pension Uni is so cute, isn’t it! My room was the 2nd floor, 2nd window.

We have to take off our shoes when we come inside. Guess which pair of boots is mine!

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Places to stay here often have hot water waiting for you when you check in. I love that!

Later that evening, I got together with a group of people for dinner. It was a very international dinner. IMG_1095

We ate yakiniku! Why is it so fun to grill your own meat in a restaurant?

The next morning, after the gorgeous sunrise (see last post), it was my favorite time of the day at Pension Uni. Breakfast time! I love breakfast there. The food is yummy. The dining room is lovely. The coffee is terrific!

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Then, it was back to school. Look at this funny mug I use there. It is covered in bad sheep puns. I love it.IMG_1100

Classes were pretty fun. The students understood the story really well! I was so glad, because I included some subtle hints in there. We all did a read through of the story, and it sounded pretty cool to hear everyone saying their lines. Every year, one of the scariest parts of making the story is balancing the lines so everyone has plenty of lines and good stuff.

Finally, it was time to head home.

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The way home was beautiful!

Comments

Sharon said…
I love love love love love this post! Reading about your journey through your day is informative and satisfying. My students will thoroughly enjoy these glimpses into your life in Japan. I know I did. Thanks.