Amy

Here are pictures of Amy and Keisuke, and their 1 year old Woodstock, lovingly called Putz, climbing up my pants. The rest of the pictures are of a beautiful walk Amy and I took at Powell Butte Park. Can you see Mt. St. Helens in the background?

Those close to me know the story of Amy and me, but I don't think I've had the occasion to introduce Amy here. The simplest story is that we met in nursery school way back when we lived in Essex, CT. And we've remained friends ever since. That's over three decades! It's hard to explain, but perhaps we were close in our past lives, so once we met this time, maintaining our friendship for life was only natural. All I know is that she is a true friend and we've been blessed with such a special relationship.

What's really cool is that Amy speaks Japanese! After I moved to Japan when I was 9 years old, we kept in touch. I visited once in junior high, and she visited me in Tokyo during high school. When she went to college, she began taking Japanese language courses, ended up doing her Junior Year Abroad in Tokyo, then came to teach in Japan through the JET Programme. By then she was speaking Japanese very well.

So in addition to having our history, we can also share the 2 cultures we love.

Now check this out: she currently teaches kindergarten at a Japanese immersion school in Portland...one of the few such programs in the USA (the one where my college buddy Michael's son attended; see below). I've attended her class before and she is an amazing teacher. It doesn't surprise me that over 90 students try to get in her tiny classes each year. Parents stop her when they see her around town to say either they are grateful for how she taught their child, or that they are praying that their child can get into her class. She's been interviewed in books, and here is a cool article done by the George Lucas Educational Foundation on the program she is a part of. View the video clip included cuz it shows her teaching in action!

And finally, the best part of all this is that she met Keisuke, who is a junior high teacher at the Japanese immersion school. They make the perfect cute couple!