Ho Ho Ho

I did my best to fill a Santa suit for a Christmas party with the students at the English club where I tutor. Christmas is a holiday in Japan also, but since very few are Christian, the holiday is celebrated as a special day for couples, similar to America's Valentine's Day. The Emperor's Birthday, a national holiday, falls on December 23rd, so schools are closed from the 23rd through the New Year.

Top 10 of 2010

In chronological order...

1.       Spent 10 days in Belize for service-learning project with fellow AWOLers

2.       Took 2^nd place trophy with my cast, "The News," at USD Stroller’s Show

3.       Began stint at $Tree, Vermillion as full-time assistant manager

4.       Completed my 8th and final undergraduate semester at The University of South Dakota

5.       Welcomed Josie Joyce, my newest cousin and the 9^th Jessop grandchild

6.       Said goodbye to all 4 of my wisdom teeth 

7.       Tube’d down Wisconsin’s Apple River

8.       Jammed with Jack Johnson live in Somerset, Wisconsin

9.       Floated down the the Niobrara River, Nebraska with the Patrick crew

10.   Landed in JAPAN, beginning my year-long exchange at Otaru University of Commerce

Snow Boots (without fur)

Micro Oven

Micro for size, not functionality. This is my oven. So far, I've cooked pizza in it. By folding the pizza in half and cooking it calzone-style, I am able to prepare this truly exotic food. YUM!

Japanese Lesson

I've been studying Japanese for 3 months now. Finally, we've come to lesson 21 in class which offers a foreigner valuable advice should he or she have a few too many drinks.

Valuable Japanese dialogue for a foreigner

Thank you to the authors of "Japanese for Busy People" [rev. 3rd edition] for including this useful dialogue because, from time to time, we all get a little tipsy and spill red wine on our co-worker's white carpet.

Exposé of Social Issues

This brilliant, short documentary from CurrentTV gives a great insight to Japanese culture and takes a look at a few social problems affecting Japan. Please check it out! You may have to open it up in a separate window for it to play properly.