Gomenasai!
Once again, this is the first blog in a long time. Let me try to give a quick, yet informative update since September!
Fall was a time of much excitement. We were really busy with a bunch of different things.
For a short weekend trip, Derrick and I visited the city Nikko, which is known for its many buddhist temples and waterfalls with great hiking opportunities. We went with our good friend, Kristin Creekmore. Nikko is also known for its temple with the engravings of the famous "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" monkeys.
That weekend in Nikko we met a family from Spain, living in Yokohama: Josef and Monica and their children Joan (pronounced like Johan) and Marta. They told us about a Greek restaurant in Yokohama and we decided we just had to go. So, in October, we decided to visit our new friends and try out some good Greek food. (By the way, Japan is seriously lacking in the Greek food area, so we miss it). They were very hospitable and showed us around town too! It was great!
That weekend we got to see the Blue Man Group perform in Tokyo! We went with our awesome Japanese friends from church: Norio and her parents Fumie and Chikara Namae. That evening we also saw a famous Japanese play in the Traditional Kabuki Theatre. (Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura: Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees).
Up through December 6th both of us studied Japanese harder than normal to be able to pas the level 4 Japanese Proficiency Test (easiest level). This was a very challenging time for us, but we made it through without too much stress. We received our scores this month and both passed, so we are very happy and ready to take on the next level this December. After the test, we had our second annual Logwood Christmas party (our first one was the year before). We combined forces and "hospitality" with our friends Chip and Heather Riley and renamed it the LOGLY Christmas Party. Many of our friends came and we had a great time with fun and games and prizes!
After having a Christmas party in Japan, the two of us packed up and got ready for Christmas back home in Missouri with Derrick's family there! We had a great time with everyone in Columbia and wish we had more time! We also got to go to Oklahoma for a few days to see some of my family and more! Derrick's sisters, Jordan and Hannah, went with us. (Below is a picture of us with Derrick's sisters, my granddad Bob Morris and his lovely newlywed wife Esther Marie and my little cousin Dylan).
We had so much fun! We didn't want it to end! We also got to visit with Derrick's dad, Wayne Logwood, and his girlfriend Jan while we were in St Louis!
Christmas over, vacation finished, we decided it was high time to start having weekend ski trips. SO, I taught Derrick and Chip and Heather how to Snowboard in Minakami, Gunma Ken for 2 days. Then Derrick and I went to Marunuma (also Gunma Ken), with Austin Powell and John Smith, to continue those awesome skills Derrick picked up, for two more days. As if that was not enough, we took a long weekend just last week with our friends Brett and Heather to Nagano. Many of you might know that this is where the winter olympics was held in Japan in 1998.
While in Nagano, we also visited the Matsumoto Castle. This castle is awesome because of its unique architecture, interesting history and the ability to see it in its original form.
Of course a visit to Nagano is not complete without seeing the Monkey Onsen! A hotspring bath full of soaking and relaxing monkeys. How cool is that!
We also got to witness some family drama... to see a video, watch for a link for it on a future post or on facebook.
AND in the midst of all our travel and fun and full time job, I was training for a Japanese Speech Contest which took place on February 6th. My speech was just under 5 minutes long. I talked about growing up as an American living in Belgium and obtaining both citizenships. I pointed out both some of the confusion this dual citizenship presented in my life, as well as the many benefits I have been blessed with.
To watch a video of my speech, please go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2nVImKrwpM or go to YouTube and type in "Miranda's Japanese Speech Contest".
This is by far not all we have been up to these last several months, so I am so sorry that I have neglected this blog and have not been able to post more about our exciting life!
