weeks of June 4th to June 17th

It's good to be back to WFC from a short trip! Dannie and Barb went all the way to Tokyo, and because we don't have any guests coming for two days, we decided to have few free days (sleeping in on work days hooray)

On Thursday, I went to Miyajima with Barb, Gloria and Lori. Gloria is originally from Italy and now a scholar in California; she's been Hiroshima for three weeks doing research on the effects of radiation on the American Hibakushas who were here when the bombing happened. Lori is a friend of Barb, who is from Bloomington as well! Such a small world.

Miyajima is a small island in Hiroshima Bay, western Japan. It is known for its forests and ancient temples. Just offshore, the giant, orange Great Torii Gate is partially submerged at high tide. It marks the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine, which was first built in the 12th century. Nearby, the Museum of History and Folklore has cultural artifacts in a 19th-century merchant's home.

there are many deers roaming around on the island. The difference of them comparing to the ones from Nara is that they are so much nicer and doesn't bite. CUTE.

Had such a fun day!

This week, I also started going to Shudo University on Monday and Thursday in the morning to help with their English class, and on Wednesday in the afternoon to join the English Communication and Chat Club. They are mostly freshmen students with English majors. Looking at them reminded me of myself 5 years ago in a high school classroom--a girl with poor English, too shy to speak with foreigners, always nervous when asked a question in class--and that makes me really want to try my best to help them. Also, they were the first group of younger people that I've met since I've come here. Since most people coming to the WFC are over 40, it was a really nice time to talk to someone of my own age. Everyday it takes about 1 hour and a half to go back and forth, but I'd say the experience is totally worth the time and waking up at 6:30 in the morning.

Highlight of the week--went to have oyster dishes by the river! Best I've ever had in my life!