boarding times

Today's the day! well actually, tomorrow's the day. we board tonight to get ready for all those lovely passengers coming on in Yokohama on the 25th. and then we're off!

there's still so much to do (for peace boat and for myself). i can't even cover what we need to do for peace boat during our journey. i guess that will play itself out in this blog. but i just need to do so many little annoying things. like laundry. how long can you wear the same clothes w/o stinking up the whole world? i think my jeans are now completely toxic.

in tokyo for training

reba and i are in tokyo for training. we've been lugging piles and piles of stuff around for the past weeks. i just can't wait until we have a place to put it aside. until then 2 pairs of pants. 3 beat-up t-shirts, 4 pairs of mismatched socks, and some 'blown-out' boxers will have to be folded-up, rolled, or crammed into an under-sized backpack. i know i have more than that.

we just spent a few days w/ JP and Kae (not pictured) in hamatsu (also not pictured). they too are planning to move to 'back' to the States. so, it was good to share stories of the 'junk that rules our lives.'

4 days in kyoto. our kind of town!

reba and i spent a few days wandering around this ancient city to get our heads set on peace boat. the boat's keeping us busy by making us researching different ports on our journey. reba's in charge of looking up information on the former eastern block city of dubrovnik, and i am checking out key facts for colombo. did you know that dubrovnik is often referred to as 'the jewel of the adriatic,' and colombo is also known as the 'teardrop of the indian ocean.'

it's possible this was the last time we would get the chance to be in kyoto for a long time. what to do? see the sights again. soak them in one last time? naw... we had 30,ooo yen (approx. $300) worth of gift vouchers from ANA airlines to spend (reba cashed in on her miles - the perk of taking a 14-hour plane ride each way once a year). so, we got busy spending them by loitering around the ANA hotel during dinner time 3-days in a row. plus, we treated ourselves to an old fashion shiatsu massage. not sure of what shiatsu is? imagine a 4'11" woman attacking you with her thumb for 45 minutes. i'm sure there's more to it than that. i just haven't 'learned' to enjoy it yet.

up, up, AND AWAY!!!

it's official. we've finished out our contracts at the university, moved out of our house and left tottori. one of our friends commented that it must feel weird being 'unemployed...' hmmmm. it's been a long time since i have identified with that group. well, reba and i are trying desperately to hang on to that wad of yen that has now become our savings.


this past week we had to run the gauntlet of going away parties. there are so many emotions that we had to deal with. how do you leave a place that has been such a big part of your life for so many years? i know if you say that to some of the 'lifers' here, they would laugh and then slap you in the face. here's an image of me out w/ some friends for a night of karaoke. man, japanese kids really know how to drink and sing.