I received some sad news this past week when it was announced that my former high school, St. Joseph, will be closing at the end of this school year.  The closure is the result of the pandemic affecting household incomes and a general drop in enrollment at private schools in the US.  

St. Joes gave me some amazing memories in the four years I studied there.  I made lots of great friends, started my first band, had fun playing soccer, and learned a lot thanks to some really strong teachers.  Those memories will always be there, but I can’t help but feel sad to see that the school won’t exist after this year.  

My high school has a famous basketball program in the US, and produced one of the greatest players in NBA history in Isiah Thomas.  There’s also a well-known documentary about the program called “Hoop Dreams”.  In addition to basketball, St. Joes has had a really strong soccer program throughout its history.  

For a lot of reasons, St. Joes has had a great reputation throughout the Chicagoland area.  It will be missed.

Hey y’all!

  Over the weekend Ryan and I went hiking in Tarui. The path was behind Nangu Shrine, the most beautiful shrine in Gifu in my opinion. The weather was absolutely stunning, so it was a great day to get out and get some fresh air. Along the way was saw few other smaller shrines, and some beautiful foliage. At the top of the mountain was an incredible view of the area; you could even see as far as Nagoya!  I would highly recommend the hike to anyone looking for a nice place to get some exercise and fresh air. 

See y’all in class! 

Hello everyone! Hopefully you’ve been outside recently and enjoyed the great weather we’ve been having!

I was very excited for spring to arrive because it meant I was able to start planting things again. I’ve said before, I’m not good at gardening, but I like to try. I bought a few seed packages last week and planted them. To my surprise, they are already growing! I can’t wait to see how they turn out!

Have a great week and let’s enjoy this weather!

新学期が始まって

1週間ほどたちましたね。

新しいクラスメートや先生に少しずつ慣れ始めたのではないでしょうか。

まだ始まったばかりの学年ですが、

どんどん新しい友だちを作っていけるよう

頑張っていきましょう。

皆さんこんにちは。

夜はまだまだ冷える日が続きますが、暖かくなってきましたね。暖かくなってきたので何かアクティビティがしたいですね。今恋しいのはバーベキューです。まっていたことがあり一時期は12月くらいでもやっていました。最近はコロナの影響もありあまりできていません。ただ今年こそはできたら良いですね。自分はひたすら焚火を見てダラーとするのが好きです。はんなり過ごします。なぜ火ってあんなにも落ち着くのでしょうかね。

みなさんは冬があけた今何をしたいですか？