If anyone ever tells you that change happens slowly in Japan...well, I think I might just beg to argue on that point. For us, the last few weeks have brought multiple, and dramatic changes!
To begin with, I (Adam) found out that I would not be needed to teach the extra class at Wakakusa English school (something I had been preparing for over the last few weeks). My schedule will stay the same as it has been the last few months. However, as the end of the "school year" came and went I found out that some of my coworkers at my school would be moving on to other schools, and new teachers would be coming in to take their places. This meant a couple very sad goodbyes, and small cloud of "fear of the unknown" settling in for me about my work.
But these we small changes in comparison to what followed.
Next, Hannah and I have moved from the house right by the school to a new apartment here in Funehiki (Big Change #1). Why, you ask? Well, our team has just undergone a slight shuffle in the line-up. A weeks ago we expected five teachers to be heading home to America, and five new teachers to be arriving from America to take their place. In the team of new teachers is a lovely family (the Jones') with a 3 year-old, and it was generally agreed that they would be the most in need of the extra space at the house.
So, we cleaned out the house we were living in and moved our things (with the help of Kono sensei and a van) to small, new apartment just across the river. We couldn't believe how much we had!!! Anyway, two former teachers, the Costanzos, were living in the apartment up till last week when they went back to America. Well, we love the new place. It's lots of fun. All sorts of great Japanese features. It's smaller, but ever so nice. It has everything we need and we've already had a little "housewarming party." We hope to have a lot more opportunities to play the host and hostess at the new place in the future.
Big Change #2 was when we found that one of the teachers who was set to come to Japan was not going to be able to. Our hearts go out to him, and our prayers are with him (A.MC) This, however, created a somewhat critical situation as our new teachers already had a short window to get acclimated to Japan before beginning their teaching on April 7th. Well, God knew what he was doing. One of the teachers who planned on moving back to America decided to stay on instead of leave...only in a different teaching position.
This brought on Big Change #3. Hannah was asked to move from her position at the English school to a public junior high school position as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT), instead. This would mean we would both be working as ALTs. This is actually something we had hoped might happen in August, so that our schedules would be similar, and Hannah might have the experience of seeing the Japanese school systems, but we were surprised when it actually happened now! Just when we finally settled into the idea of things probably staying just how they were, we got the word that there would be some "change" coming down the pike.
Which brings me to a great piece of advice I learned from the director of my YWAM mission-training school: Flexibility is the key to success!
Sou desu ne! (Isn't it so!) Well, we didn't really have much time to dwell on all that this meant for our future because we had a lot of work that needed doing in the meantime. Besides moving-out, moving-in, and cleaning-out our old place, we needed to help get some of the other apartments "just-so" for the new teachers, buy groceries, change phone lists, plan orientations, and so-forth.
On Wednesday night the new teachers arrived, late, from their long journey...unfortunately, without their baggage. Nathan, Adam, Amy, Sebastian, and the Jones' family all arrived safe and sound. What a great bunch! We spent Thursday showing the "newbies" around their apartments, Funehiki town, and even a few of the key shopping spots and best restaurants in Koriyama. It was a full, but satisfying day.
Today (Friday), is proving even busier. We began the day with a meeting with the mayor, then moved on to the Board of Education. It was strange to be doing this again so soon after having just met both in August...but it was exciting actually to see how far we have come in the past few months, and to remind ourselves of the greater vision of what we're doing her as English teachers.
Right now, Hannah is meeting the principals and teachers of her new school. She is sad to be leaving some of her classes, and will miss her students, but is also growing excited about this new era of her time her as the reality of everything is finally setting in. Please pray for the transition to go well for her! Also, pray for our team as we shuffle to cover some extra classes over the next few weeks while our final transitions take place.
Well, that's all for now. God bless!
