Last weekend my friend Nahomi and I had a Girls' Night Out in Kyoto. We had a very long dinner at an izakaya. I think we sat there eating, drinking and chatting for almost five hours! We had such a great time - I'm going to miss Nahomi a lot!
After dinner we decided to walk off our meal. We strolled down the Kamogawa before meandering down Shijo to wander around Yasaka jinja after dark. The shrine was deserted, but everything was still lit up beautifully so I tried to get a couple of snaps of the lanterns. (I'm still working on my low-light (or no light!) photography skills, so please bear with!)
School is slowly winding down. Even though the last couple of weeks seemed to have dragged, (that always happens as you near the end of something!!) I am down to my last "school day"! I'm planning a kind of big party for my class on the last day. All of their parents are coming, I've baked cupcakes for us to decorate, there will be snacks, candy...the works! It should be a lot of fun, but bittersweet. It is going to be hard to say goodbye to those kids and their parents. Even though the school I worked for has been...ahem...difficult at times let's say (ha), those ten five-year-olds have been my saving grace! And a teacher could not ask for nicer, more supportive parents. They've really made me feel like I made a difference in their children's lives this year. It's nice to feel like I've done a good job, even if the school itself doesn't want to recognize it!
B gets to Japan at the end of next week. I'm very excited to see him, and even more excited at the thought of not having to say goodbye to him again this time! It's going to be a busy couple of weeks, and probably not terribly comfortable! We will slowly be getting rid of all of my furniture, plates, pots, pans, etc., so the last few days will be a bit like camping, I'm afraid.
He'll get here just in time for the cherry blossoms. The cherry trees already have buds that look like they could burst open at any moment, and with the warm weather we've been having, I bet they'll start blooming any day now. It's very exciting since it's my favorite time of year in Japan, so get ready for some pictures of flowers!
Even though I've only been in Japan for a year this time around, the experience has been very healing for me. I know, you're probably reading that and thinking, huh? Liz, what the hell are you talking about? I originally came back to Japan because the UAE just wasn't working for me. Without going into detail, between my work and the lifestyle, I just wasn't happy there - full stop. I feel like I've taken a breath of fresh air though. My overall mindset is completely different now, and much more optimistic than it was this time last year. I'm really looking forward to going back (with a few lifestyle changes!) and starting over.
One part I'm most excited about is that since I will not be working, I will have time to devote to this blog and a couple of other creative endeavors I have up my sleeve.
If there doesn't seem to be much going on on Channeling Audrey over the next few weeks, it's because I am in the process of moving countries. Don't worry though, I'll be back as soon as I can!
The night out was lots of fun!! Hope I will see you again before you leave!
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