La Familia - マイ・ファミリー

Amazing, yesterday (wait - yesterday WHERE?), Monday, August 25, I got to see everyone in my immediate family. Not all at the same time, mind you. First, I had lunch with mom and Ash (my older brother). We wanted Pasta La Vista, but it was closed, so we went to Joey's. They had great food, and the "patio" had full furniture! So I got the fish tacos, and they were good but not quite Ruiz good. After that we went to the Marble Slab Creamery for ice cream. WOW! Great way to end my eating in Winnipeg.

Then my mom dropped me off at the airport, where my dad met us. So we each had pictures taken together. It was a quick time there, but my mom prayed for me, and my dad wished me all the best, and I was off. When I got to Vancouver, I was supposed to meet Jay (my younger bro), but he wasn't supposed to get there until like 7:30pm (1.5 hours after my arrival).

But to my surprise, he was there about 2 minutes after me, so we got extra time together - about 5.5 hours in total! We went out into town and had dinner at a place called East is East (Indian/Afghani/Pakistani food). Yummy! Next we walked around for an hour or so, stopping to check out the beautiful Vancouver shoreline just after sunset. Then we met up with his girlfriend Michelle, and went to Naam - a vegetarian Indian restaurant, where we ate nothing. Michelle was hungry though, so we stopped. Then they dropped me off at the airport, the end. After a grueling flight, I am now in Taipei, it's 6:30am here, and I'm leaving for Okinawa in less than 2 hours. I'll be home at last!

Man, I don't know what time it is anymore in my mind... I have slept about 3 hours of the past 36, so I don't know when the proverbial battery will shut me down. But it was a blessed time in Canada, and I'm so excited to be almost back in Okinawa! Thanks, Raichuras, for making my time back "home" fun!

Happy Birthday!!!

Today is a very special day for a very special lady. My grandma turned 90 today! And so a bunch of us Krahns (well, I'm a Raichura but you know, half of me is Krahn) and other friends and relatives came and celebrated the long and blessed life of a wonderful lady who has done so much for so many. She is a very humble lady who, when asked to give a speech, said she did not deserve such a wonderful party. Are you kidding me?

Well anyways, my mom worked very hard to put on this party. She prepared a photo board, ordered a whole lotta food, drinks, prepared a bunch of things, reserved a whole bunch of other things, and made sure everyone had a great time. There was also a very cool powerpoint of pictures dating all the way back to Grandma's childhood (1920s?). There were also pictures of her children - 9 (2 boys, 1 girl, 2 boys, 1 girl, 2 boys, 1 girl), grandchildren - 24, great-grandchildren - 16. Amazing. Most of these people were there, too.

It was a great time of celebrating my grandma's life, and visiting with other family members that I so seldom get to see. The bottom right picture is of me and my dear good cousin, Sheila. Almost every time I have a family gathering, I am not too excited about going, but when I get there I don't want to leave. I have a lot of cool cousins, uncles and aunts. And of course, I love my grandma too! Happy Birthday, and I pray you will have many more years of joy!

Le Golf

Saturday was the first day of "not-so-nice" weather we've had here in southern Manitoba since I arrived almost 2 weeks ago. It was rainy and cool and windy, and it only got up to about 18C (maybe 65F?). But that did not stop the 3rd annual Krahn Golf Tournament from taking place. So a bunch of us drove out to Lac du Bonnet to my uncle John and aunt Sally's place, and 8 troopers headed out to golf. The result was a victory for the team that included my mom, so they were a pretty happy bunch.

All the golfers got trophies for participating, and everyone was a winner - even Aunt Marie. (She didn't golf, but she wanted to feel like a winner, so I got her to pose with a trophy.)

My Nephew Myles

He's cute and you know it!

House for Sale!

Hey you guys, if you want to live in a quiet place, not too far from a big city but far enough away to enjoy some peace and quiet every night, then have I got the place for you! Spacious enough for a family of 5 or 6, enough yard for young kids to run around in, and a garden for the adults to grow vegetables in! Very clean interior, comes with a gas fireplace and even the amenities (fridge, oven, dishwasher, washer/dryer) are included! Check it out!

In all seriousness, please pray as my parents have been trying to sell their house for the past couple of months, with no buyer. The sooner the place sells, the better! Thanks a bunch, guys!

Happy Birthdays / Anniversary

Last night, my dad took me, my brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and grandma out for dinner. We went to Alycia's, a very famous Ukrainian restaurant in Winnipeg. Given my love for perogies, could I possibly order anything else? I almost did - but in the end, gave in to the growling of my belly. The food was delish, and the company was good, too! Myles was as cute as ever, and my grandma was quiet for the most part, but still had a few interesting stories to share. Afterwards, we ate ice cream cake to celebrate my birthday (2 months ago), my bro and sis-in-law's anniversary (3 days earlier), and my grandma's birthday (6 days from yesterday). So the only 2 who weren't celebrating anything, so-to-speak, were my dad and my nephew. But they still ate a lot of cake and had a great time. I'm blessed to have a family that is in great health and enjoys good food!

Word of Life

Well I got to attend church this morning, and I was so blessed to be in a service here. It started with a really young worship team - I'm sure they were all in their teens. There was an electric guitar, a bass, drums, a keyboardist and two singers. They did a lot of modern worship, even stuff from some CCM artists. "Grace Like Rain" (Todd Agnew) and "Our Love is Loud" (David Crowder Band) among others were on the menu. Then someone came up to talk about his upcoming mission - he's going down to Nashville, TN to work with the teen help line. He's going to help teenagers who are suffering from various things (addictions, depression, etc.) and reach out to them with the love of Christ. It's exciting to see people in this town filled with compassion for others. Then there was a message by a guest speaker, who talked about stones. It was good, but not terribly focused, and I had a hard time following. But overall, I really enjoyed my experience there. And the best part - my dad came with me! Pray that the Spirit would speak to him and that he would give his life over to Jesus Christ.

A Car Ride

Hey y'all, I haven't been taking many pictures or anything, sorry. But the other day I drove out to see my Grandma with my Mom and my nephew, Myles. Here are a few pics and a video of the adventure. I love how my mom totally takes Myles' side in the discussion. It was a great time, and I enjoyed seeing my grandma again. She'll be 90 next week, and we're having a big party for her. Pray that God would continue to bless her with good health!

"Safe and Sound"???

Well, after a long flight from Taipei to Vancouver (2 hours longer than normal because of poor wind?), I got on board my Vancouver-Winnipeg flight, only to have this happen.

For some reason (I blame the iPod), I was completely unaware of anything until the cops came aboard when the plane landed, and took the man away in handcuffs. He didn't appear to be completely 'there' (perhaps drugs?) but it sure was strange to have been aboard a flight on which someone was arrested! God kept us all safe though, and there were no injuries to anyone. The plane, on the other hand, got damaged.

Welcome to Canada...

Where everything is BIG! I walked out my hotel this morning and was welcomed by big vehicles, big signs, and big fat American (sorry guys but it IS your food, not mine!) food - Starbucks, Burger King and Subway. So I partook in Subway, as I was famished. Two plane meals plus a sleepless night will do that to you! But what surprised me the most was the size of my hotel room. I felt like saying, "Are you SURE this is for me?" Two queen size beds, a dining room table, couch, lazy boy, TV, fridge, dresser, closet, and one of the coolest showers I've used in awhile. The shower head had 6 different settings! I used 'em all, and enjoyed freshening up for the final flight. Speaking of which, I'd best be off to the airport! See you in a few hours, Winnipeg!

Bye-bye Trevor! (I mean, 沖縄バイバーイ！）

今日は沖縄を離れてカナダへ旅立った。でもこれは決して悲しいことではありません！わずかな２週間後に帰ってくるし、１年ぶりに家族と会うことを楽しみしてる！あと、今日はたくさんの沖縄にいる友達から電話やメールいただいて、「愛されてるんだなぁ」ともう一度思いました。そして今日、ケイショーさんとジョーさんと一緒に中華料理を食べて（亜洲飯店）、デージまぁさんだった！あと、空港に行く途中、僕の大好きなさそりざ（ミルクティーのお店）に行って、おいしい飲み物を飲んで空港に行きました。着いたら、２人の素敵な友達が見送りしに来てくれて嬉しかった！（１人はまだ子供だけど、笑）　では皆さん、カナダに行ってきま～す！


Today I left Okinawa and am headed to Canada. I'm in Taipei at the airport right now, waiting for my connecting flight to Vancouver. It's 8:30pm and I have another 2 hours or more until boarding time. *Sigh* the joys of international travel. Actually my layover in Vancouver is even worse - 13 hours! And on the way out, too, I arrive in Vancouver at 6pm and don't leave until 2am... so I think I'm going to try to see something in town if there's anything worth seeing! Anyways, I arrive in Winnipeg on Wednesday afternoon (that would be Thursday before dawn in Okinawa), and stay for like 11 days or something. I look forward to the good times with family and friends! Today was a great day, by the way - a China day of sorts. I had Chinese food with Keisho and Joe (this is the 3rd straight day having Chinese for lunch for me), watched the Olympics (which are taking place in Beijing), had Taiwanese milk tea, and am now in Taiwan!

Thanks to Miki and Aika for coming to the airport to see me off! See you all in 2 weeks!

Yakiniku Once More

Just 2 days after going for yakiniku (bbq meat) all-you-can-eat with my students, I went with some friends again! Different restaurant, different meat selection, same result: a full belly! While I had an awesome time, it was sort of a bittersweet day, because it was the last time I got to see Ping before she left for Taiwan. Ping is cool - funny and caring and talented. Thanks for the memories, and someday we'll have to meet up again - either in Taiwan or Okinawa! You can come back anytime!


Interestingly, I am in Taiwan as I write now... but I'm at the airport, and it's evening time so I didn't contact Ping.

MEAT! 焼肉！焼肉っ食う！

本日の駄洒落（ダジャレ）：バンボシュでチキンの位置は低くてトリニク～い！（笑）

昨日はクラスで焼肉を食べに行った。まぁ、クラスっていいながら5人しか来なかったけどなぁ。楽しかったしおいしかった！色んな話しして色んな肉を食ってアイスクリームももちろん食べて最高だった！ＹさんとＮさんはすごいバランスの良い食事をして、ユッキーが「私、見習うべきだ」と言った。次またやりたいよ、2年5組全員で焼肉食べよう！牛だけじゃなくて、豚だけじゃなくて、鳥だけじゃなくて、全肉食う！


Today marks the end of the first semester of school, so as a class we celebrated by eating a whole lotta meat. Well, not the entire class showed up, but half of my tiny class made it out, and enjoyed a great meal together. With people like A. and M., the conversation was never dull... they're so much fun to have in the class! And of course H. too... he always has something "smart" to say to others. I am so glad to have such a great bunch of kids in my class this year, and for my awesome sub-homeroom teacher, who often does as much work as I do, if not more! Thanks, Yukky! I look forward to another great semester of fun with you all!

Grace and Mary - leaving Okinawa...

Last night we had a farewell party for two of our favourite American colleagues - Grace and Mary. They arrived in Okinawa last fall, and adapted really quickly to the culture and the school... they participated in outside activities like karate, pottery, and taiko drumming. They also got bikes and hit a lot of beaches on the weekends. I believe they had a great time here, and I wish they would stick around like Paul is! But as things would go, they are moving on to greener pastures in the States. You will miss Sasoriza, and Sasoriza will miss you! (That sentence can be repeated with the word "I" in the place of "Sasoriza".)

昨夜は正式な送別会がありました。グレース＆メアリーは今日、帰国してしまいます。去年の秋(2学期)から沖尚で勤め始めて、初日から生徒にもスタッフにも好かれました。グレースはいつも笑顔でみんなを接してくれて、特に女子に人気があった。あっ、でも特に男子にも人気があった。(男子だって、シャイボーイなので、グレースが近づいたら緊張してしまって無口になったと思う。)　メアリーは早くもさそりざ依存症にかかってしまって、見た度にミントミルクティーを飲んでいました。二人とも素敵なコーワーカーだった。アメリカに帰ってもがんばってください！また沖縄に戻っておいでよ！