Finding Kendra

Oh my gosh you guys! It’s been a rough time for me lately but I found these three videos on my laptop that kind of helped. Two are videos from my first days w...

It’s been just over two months since I left Japan and moved back to southern California. Two months of eating Mexican food by the bucket load. Two months of ...

Spring is coming. I feel myself starting to maybe almost begin to sort of thaw out and now I’m anxiously awaiting the beginning of hiking season! I started h...

There are a million and one things I love about Japan--I could go on forever about the convenience stores and the food and the festivals and the food and the...

My apartment in Japan changed quite a bit over time. As some of you know, when you don’t live in a Leopalace like most English teachers here do, your apartme...

UPDATE 03/18/16: So apparently not all branches do the pre-lesson thing. You lucky ducks don’t have to worry about this! When Interac hires you, a few weeks ...

March 11, 2011 may not be a date that means anything to most of you. Maybe it’s a birthday or perhaps an anniversary. A day like any other. But for Japan, Ma...

Ever do something and realize your expectations were so completely different from the truth they weren’t even in the same orbit? Yeah, that was me moving to ...

Having lived in Japan for two years now, there are many things about the country and culture that I’ve grown very attached to and that have become a part of ...

This is the official Everywhere To Be Found announcement that I’ll be leaving Japan and moving back to California sometime in early April 2016. I’ve put up a...

Now that I’ve put out there the things you should and should not bring to Japan, my personal to-do list before moving to Japan, and most recently the 6 thing...

So you’re moving to Japan! You’ve been hired, you’ve read, signed, and mailed every bit of paperwork and by now you might also have even Googled every bit of...

Every year, in Kasama City, Jr. High students from all over Ibaraki come together with their teachers and their ALT’s to present their own unique five minute...

Located in Mito City in Ibaraki Prefecture, Kairakuen (偕楽園) has been designated as one of the three most beautiful parks in Japan. And lucky me, I only live ...

Summer break is over, the homework is turned in and 2nd term has started. You know what this means? You got it! Sports Day! The late summer air is filled wit...

I’ve now been living in Japan for a year and a half and I have yet to write anything about learning Japanese. Shameful! The truth is, my Japanese ability is ...

Here we go! The year is moving fast and it’s time for a new survival guide! Hope it helps and let me know if you have any more questions. FALL Ah, the fall. ...

It’s happened. You’re in Japan. You finished all the training. You have all your materials and your ALT Survival Kit is ready for anything. You’re ready to t...

We’re nearing the end of the official typhoon season here in Japan and I’m here to relate my experiences with them, as well as offer some advice from a nativ...

Okay, here's the story. Few things scare me as much as needles. The very idea of a shot makes me woozy! My mom literally had to pull me out of the car scream...