Have A nIce Day (original) (raw)

In two days I will be 31. Let me review some highlights of my 30th year (details could be found at my Facebook or my Tumblr or by contacting me though an in-person conversation would go faster than a typed text/IM/email. There are also a lot of pictures on my Facebook and Tumblr):

-I graduated from graduate school and I now possess a Masters in Education with a concentration in Multicultural Multilingual Education.

-I received my teaching license for the state of Virginia! I am licensed to teach Japanese and English as a Second Language for all public school grade levels.

-I am a teacher at a wonderful elementary school. My fellow teachers are amazing, I have a great support system, and I love my students. The commute is also nice and short - 15 minutes! It beats the 1 hour commute that I had to Mount Vernon (45 minutes on a good day). I interviewed for this job on a Monday and signed the contract three days later. While my school is a Title 1 school, I find the lack of resources really don't matter. (Well the lack of computers matter since all the standardized testing is done on computers. Kids need to practice on the computers.)

-I attended AwesomeCon 2015 where I met John Rhys-Davies, William Shatner, and George Takei. Each was a unique and wonderful experience though my 2-3 minute long conversation with George Takei truly takes the cake. We spoke entirely in Japanese which was a bit nerve wracking for me. I still get quite emotional about it because he reminds me so very much of my deceased grandfather. In fact, they have both called me amazing. I will remember that for years to come. (This is definitely an event to read about on my tumblr.)

-I also went to Wizard World Richmond where I not only made new friends but met Billy Boyd. It was quite nice!

-I attended my first annual meeting of the American Friends of Lafayette down in Yorktown. We watched the Hermione reach America and it was amazing! I also got to see it as it paused outside of Mount Vernon. I made more friends that weekend and though it never made it to French TV, I was interviewed!

-I also toured France for two weeks this summer with the American Friends of Lafayette. France is a gorgeous country and I found the people to be quite nice, especially in the countryside. I was unable to stretch my French muscles as almost everybody spoke English. (I did speak Japanese though.) It was a real treat to see all the homes of Lafayette and to be an ambassador of good will. As I have been a docent at Mount Vernon for nearly 4 years now, I took gifts from the estate to pass out to whomever we encountered. While some of the receivers were rather nonplussed about it, there were some who were genuinely touched by the gesture, a Freemason in particular. The point of the gifts was to show my gratitude for their hospitality so I hope for years to come they remember that some Americans do value their continuous friendship. While I loved seeing all the castles, I thoroughly enjoyed the cathedrals, especially Notre Dame. I don't think you have to be a Christian to appreciate and be in awe of such gorgeous architecture. I admire the dedication of the artisans not only to their craft but to their faith as well. I am also proud that I climbed all the way to the top! If you know my tumblr and Facebook, please take a gander at the hundreds of pictures I uploaded.

-Back in March I visited my friend Liz who lives in California. We toured the Las Vegas strip, saw a silver mining town named Calico, and of course visited Disneyland.

-I visited with friends which is always nice. My brother who is in the Navy came home for a week and it was nice to see him. I also went to the Renaissance Festival with my mother - a yearly tradition now.

-My father retired from his government job and I got to be a part of that event which was eye-opening for me.

-I saw a lot of movies, be it in theaters, or on an airplane. Or rewatching old ones. The nostalgia of my younger years has been hitting me hard, especially in regards to music. One of my favorite bands in the old days has reunited and I am looking forward to their new releases! I also watched a lot of tv.

All in all, a wonderful year, so much so I had trouble remembering it all!

The only downsides of course are I have chronic dry-eye now, take an anti-anxiety pill along with my ambien, and the keyboard on my laptop has decided to misbehave. I am dealing with all of these the best I can

Onward, to year 31!