Happy 4th of July!

 This week I'll be giving my 4th year students a chance to try chili dogs, apple turnovers (instead of pie), and cucumber, tomato, and onion salad.  The last is something my mother makes during the summer, and as I know I'll never approach her potato salad, it's the best I can do.  In preparation for it I went shopping yesterday and today.

I found kidney beans at the regular grocery store by accident.  I had been looking for them for almost a month now.  I was at the salad dressings looking for Italian when another person came up and was looking for something.  Body language tells us quite a bit.  I could see she wanted a bottle of something my cart was blocking.  Since I was crouched down looking at the bottom row with little success, I stood up and took a step back.  Sure enough, she grabbed a bottle of something immediately and continued on her way.  As I was getting set to start looking down low I noticed canned corn.  I turn my head a little, and there are red beans with キデニー printed on it.  "Kidney."

I found the Italian dressing.  And cheese, buns (called "hot roll"), and all of the other pieces I needed to make the food except for pickle jalapenos.  That's okay.  I have some fresh peppers that I can make work.  This afternoon I went down to Tokushima station and the mall near there.  Jupiter is a chain here that has imported food.  I went looking for whatever I might find and I found sauerkraut.  Now I just need some sort of serving plates and flatware.  I have until Tuesday, so there's lots of time.

As it is the Fourth, I was planning to go to the beach with some students to set off fireworks.  On Friday it looked like it was going to rain, so they asked if we could change plans and go for dinner instead.  I said I'm good with either way.  One will pick me up at 5:30 and we'll head to wherever we are eating.  A common theme for me is people pick me up, and I have to trust that I'll end up back home by bedtime.

I was talking with Malachi this morning and pointed out that I'll be home in 28 days.  Sometimes it seems like I just left Michigan and other times it seems like I've lived here my whole life.  Most of the time the feelings are pretty "middle of the road."  As I was riding home after my Jupiter shopping trip I was thinking about how to talk with other faculty about doing this exchange.  It's very much worth all the... everything we had to go through for me to get here.  There's no denying it would be very nice to have my family here, but the experience of being alone so many hours on the weekends and evenings has given me lots of time to reflect.  I appreciate all three of the more.  And for that, I am grateful.