In the rush to finish up the work week, ship out presents, write and mail a hundred New Year’s cards, we haven’t had any time at all to prepare for our upcoming trip. Last night was Christmas Eve here in Japan, and we decided to forgo the cake and fried chicken to focus on killing off all the vegetables that we have laying around the house that would go bad while we’re off in Thailand.
After dinner we did decide to go ahead and open presents, and we had a lot of loot to go through. Presents from my aunt, uncle and cousin in San Diego, my cousin and her family in Hawaii, my brother and his wife in Oregon, and my folks back home in Glen Ellen made for a lot of opening. We got some great stuff – thanks to everyone who sent gifts! Kuniko got me a new wallet to replace the smelly one that has been in my back pocket for years now, and also according to our tradition some new underwear to wear on New Year’s Day. I got her a book on champagne, a bottle of Bollinger, and a kitchen steamer to make even healthier meals.
Christmas Day has been pretty normal, except for a shopping trip during my lunch break to get some stuff for my ex-student who lives in Thailand. He requested some interesting items, so I ran around the Nagata area of Hyogo looking for the right stuff to bring. I got back just in time to teach my afternoon classes.
Tonight will be packing and prep, and then we’ll be flying early tomorrow morning. Pictures and stories when we get back!
