I can't believe that there is only one more week left this semester! Where did the time go? I guess it is like they say "time flies when you are having fun"! I hope my students did have fun this semester, and that they learned a lot of English. I think this semester was a big challenge, but that we all learned a lot - not only the students, but me too.

Speaking of learning a lot of things . . . here is a little bit of advice for my students. Never wear sandals when you go hiking!!!!! I went hiking north of Kyoto this past weekend. It was really beautiful. We started at Ninose (on the Eizan Line to Kurama) and we ended up in Kurama. It must have been over 11 kilometers. We climbed up 700 meters, and then we hiked down the mountain through a mountain stream. We saw so many waterfalls, and the water was beautiful and refreshing. However, I was wearing sandals. I don't know what I was thinking. By the end of the hike, I had almost fallen off of a cliff, and I had really hurt my big toe on my left foot. I was in agony! Luckily, in Kurama there is an onsen. After the hike I was able to get clean in the onsen. It felt so good to soak my tired body in the hot water. I think that the onsen saved my life! Anyway, the moral of this story is that you should always wear good shoes when you go hiking in the mountains. I especially must remember this because I am going to climb Mt. Fuji in August.

Only one more week left . . . keep working hard students!!