I recently attended my first “Takoyaki Party” at my friend Kelly’s house! It was an awesome girls’ night with lots of delicious food. This was my first time making octopus balls- they turned out so tasty! We even tried adding things like yakisoba, crab, and sausage to a few of
Gaijin Smash™ Bento Recipe
So, I spent a bit more than I was expecting for dinner last night so I resolved to save some money by taking a bento to work the next morning. Maybe you’ve seen the kind of intricately prepared lunches that my co-workers regularly bring to work. I guarantee you, this
Valentine’s Day Fun + Lesson Plan
Josh and I had a wonderful Valentine’s Day weekend. We caught up on some of our favorite series, walked to the shopping mall, and ate a wonderful meal there together. I ordered ketchup omurice from Pomme’s and Josh had steak at Pepper Lunch. I had dessert at my favorite crepe
New Year’s Eve at Kashihara Shrine
It was a blessing to bring in the New Year at Kashihara Shrine. The place was packed with people amongst what seemed like limitless food stalls filled with delicious treats. I feel like Josh and I tried just about everything. We also got to celebrate with some local ALT friends
Christmas Evening in Nara!
We met up again with our friends Ashley and Joseph in Nara City on Christmas afternoon. Unfortunately the sun got away from us and we barely missed the Giant Buddha exhibit, but we got to pet and feed a lot of deer! They got a bit overwhelmed by the presence
Christmas Eve in Kyoto!
I am so glad that I got to meet up with my fellow Tennessee JET and friend Ashley as well as her boyfriend Joseph during Christmas break! She was placed in Nagano (quite a bit a ways from Nara), so this is the first time we have been able to
Skill Development Conference 2015
Here are some photos from SDC 2015 that I attended the week of Thanksgiving. I enjoyed taking part in this workshop conference and learned a lot of new techniques for teaching English more effectively with my high school students!
“Goons”giving 2015
Back on Thanksgiving weekend we had a lovely get-together with fellow ALTs in Yoshino-goon (hence the “Goons”giving). I made fudge cream pie and I was even able to find the ingredients to make a green bean casserole! I was so impressed with everyone’s cooking skills- the food was exceptionally delicious!
The Castle in the Sky
Last weekend I had the amazing opportunity to go see Takeda Castle (aka the inspiration for “Laputa: The Castle in the Sky”) with friends! We drove all night to Hyogo prefecture and then hiked to the top of a mountain for about an hour (starting from about 4 am I