Getting back on the wagon...

Its been far too long since I last posted.

I need to post about our February guests, Justin and Michelle and all the cool places we went together (any chance you'll share some of your awesome photography, Justin?).

I also spent a week in Nevada with my grandmother.

Its spring now, so the cherry blossoms are out. We are actually just past the blossom peak in Kobe.

I had an amazing dinner out with my co-workers. We went to an Okinawan restaurant that was incredibly good.

I also had a friend over for the night and tried my hand at making burritos with pico de gallo and guacamole. Overall a success, and the first time I've tried such a dish in Japan. Thankfully, cilantro is easy to find here.

In Russell's absence (he's on another business trip) I've been reading a history book about Japan (fascinating!) and watching Dancing with the Stars. I had no intention of getting hooked on DWTS, but it just kind of happened. I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

I've met all my new students for the year and things are off to a good start. The new freshmen are very enthusiastic and sweet. I've been impressed with the lack of attitude so far. I hope it lasts!

If you have been watching the news about Japan, there are still regular earthquakes in the north and fear that the strongest aftershock is yet to come. We haven't felt anything in Kobe at all. Life has been totally normal, with the possible exception, that people were feeling a guilty about celebrating the cherry blossoms with hanami parties, knowing that others are still suffering in the north. Most government-sponsored celebrations were cancelled, but many individuals still had picnics. Apparently one sake brewery in the Tohoku region (the area hit by the tsunami) was trying to encourage people to celebrate the season and buy alcohol from Tohoku to help their economy. That seems like a good compromise to me.

The situation at the nuclear plants seems to be stabilizing, though it will be a concern for months, and maybe years to come. We are all still watching in closely, though we feel very safe in Kobe at this point. You can get daily peak background radiation levels online for most provinces in Japan (as measured by several universities or research labs). So far Kobe's radiation levels have stayed right around the same level they've always been. Even when there's activity around Fukushima (which itself is classified at the moment) we haven't even seen a tiny rise in background radiation here. That's been comforting. I keep an eye on it, though.

If anyone is interested in a good, brief, but interesting history of Japan, I recommend "A History of Japan: From stoneage to superpower" by Kenneth Henshall. It covers the history quickly to give an overview and to provide references for people who want to go back and learn more about one era or another in more depth. Its very approachable and interesting. I will definitely go back and read about certain times in more detail.

So that's a summary of what is going on in my world right now. I will try to get back on track for posting.