Jean Of mArc

Hello everyone! Merry Christmas! This is my first time being away from home for Christmas, and it is quite different, but interesting. First of all, as in Canada, right now is the winter holidays at the schools. However, it is not to celebrate Christmas, but the New Year, which is a much bigger deal here. To demonstrate this point, even during these “holidays”, teachers are required to continue coming to school this week and to teach classes… but attendance by the students is optional. You would think that would mean a bunch of empty classes, but students here in Japan are quite a bit more diligent I guess, because they are still around the school. This, sadly though, means that I too have to work this week, even on Christmas Day. That part is kind of depressing, I must admit. I’m going to ask tomorrow (Christmas Eve) if I’m at least allowed in the kitchen or something so I can bake some snacks on Christmas Day, rather than just sit at my desk and weep or something.

That being said, there are a number of things that make it feel like Christmas here: there are some lights out around town. Not on anyone’s houses, but just along some trees and in shops, for example. Stores here are trying to push the idea of Christmas to make people buy more, of course. Sheesh. Also, it is snowing here…. it has been snowing pretty much every day for the past week. That has definitely made it feel more festive. Also, within the various church gatherings, there are special events made for Christmas, such as a Christmas Eve service tomorrow night, and carols for singing. Speaking of carols, I am going out carolling on Dotemachi, which is the more popular of streets for walking in this city, with some friends: Travis and Angie, a missionary couple who are teaching English at a Christian High School, Takarou, a Japanese friend who is very excitable, a good business and quite good at English, and others. It should be a good time, and I don’t know if anyone has ever sang carols outside at Christmas in Hirosaki before!!

On Christmas evening, I’ll be logging onto Skype to log in to Christmas Morning in Halifax with my family, so I can be at least a part of whatever is going on there. I just organized a Christmas Afternoon with Travis and Angie, and hopefully a few more of us who celebrate Christmas. It’ll be on Boxing Day, but this year, Christmas is 2 days long!! And next week, I’ll be going to help out with a Christian English Camp. I’m really looking forward to being able to spend some time getting to know some Japanese people during that time.

Anyway, as a message to my family and friends back home, as well as anyone else that I don’t even know who is reading this blog, I leave you with this heart-felt message:

I guess that’s the Japanese version. Close enough?