Oh Happy Day

Today has been a good day. To start with, it is the first cool day we have had since arriving in Japan. Believe me, I appreciate it. It's supposed to be hot again tomorrow, but the coolness of today was very refreshing.
The only negative thing that happened today, was that I overslept and missed taking my garbage out. I won't be able to take it out again until Monday. It will be hot, so my kitchen will probably get a little smelly.
In the afternoon, we went to Hasuda-chu to help with speeches. It was very laid-back and didn't take too long. Afterwards, Eddie showed us where the hyaku yen store was (dollar store). They are so much cooler in Japan than they are back home. Of course, I got some really cool things, so I am happy. After our visit to the store, we explored a nearby park. I should preface this with the fact that most "parks" in Japan consist of dirt, benches, and sometimes playground equipment. If you are really lucky, you might see grass. Well, this park had a huge pond for fishing, bike trails, loads of grass, and the most amazing children's area I have ever seen! It had a fortress on top of rocks and the illusion of a dried moat beneath. If I were a kid, it would be my favorite place to go.
After our excursion, I had a little down time before I met with my Thursday conversation group members. These ladies are so much fun. They met me and Rosa (the former teacher) for dinner. It was very relaxed and a lot of fun. We will start lessons next week, so I am really looking forward to it. I won't have to do much, because they already have a book and way of doing things. I am mostly there to visit and correct their grammar.
I knew that I would be getting paid for this class, but I thought that it was about $100 a month. That was wrong. I found out tonight that I will get $25 per hour per person. That means that I will be making about $500 a month. I would have done it for less, but I am thrilled to earn this.
I am here so that I can make a dent in my student loans, but I want to be able to travel and do things locally as well.
I am happy and feel blessed.
Oh, and one more great thing...I know that I have been losing weight, but I did not know how much. Today, I got on the scale and I have lost 27 pounds! I am very excited! I hope that I will keep this up for a while. I guess that the bike riding, humidity, and drinking 4 to 6 liters of water a day have really helped. Also, I have pretty much quit drinking coffee and soda.
I am going to go and do a little happy dance now.