Going Home

It has been been 3 months since I have written a post. I know, I know, I know. Why and what have I been up to? I have been quite busy. This past summer, 2010, I decided to do something that I have been wanting to do for sometime, go back to graduate school to work on a certificate in Human Resources. I have always enjoyed the field of HR but have no formal education so I thought a certificate coupled with my experience would give me an edge if and whenever I formally enter the field. To say the least, it has taken up a lot of my time, kept me quite busy and challenged me but I have thoroughly enjoyed the program. Juggling my work, class and sorority schedule/commitments has kept my hands full. In between time, I have been able to get a break here and there but not much. I will be finishing up my third class in a couple of weeks and have 2 more classes to go! I see the light. I will officially be finished at the end of summer 2011. YES!

In the meantime, all is well here in Okinawa. My job continues to be a challenge for me but I still enjoy it. My biggest challenge is managing faculty. I won't go into that but I will say, I'm learning something new everyday when it comes to working with folks from all ages and walks of life. I know it will make me stronger and more prepared for my next level career opportunity.

I have not been back to the states since Aug 2009 and I'm so excited to be returning in 3 days. I will first spend a couple of days in Chicago and see friends there. I'm excited about that and excited to get one of my favorite snacks, Garrett's Popcorn! :-) I suppose I will bring some back to share the goodness with friends here. To do that is big for me because I usually don't share my Garrett's popcorn. If you tasted it, you would understand why.

I will then head to Cleveland Hts., back home. I will be staying at my house on Greyton, which I really miss so it will be truly like coming home. I will arrive just in time to attend the Delta's annual Red Hot Scholarship Dance. What timing. When I found out about it, I changed my flight to come in one day early. I thought it would be the ideal way to see folks that I probably would not get a chance to see. I'm very excited about that. I will also get a chance to see my father for a few days. He will travel from Cincinnati and spend Thanksgiving with me and friends.

I will be in the states for about 2 weeks. The time won't be long enough and I hope that I won't feel too sad to leave. Most folks have told me that when they return to the states for a visit, they are always ready to return back to Japan. We shall see if this will be true for me. I only hope to be able to see and do everything that I miss most: friends and family, Target, TJ Maxx, the Mall, did I say shopping, driving on two lane streets, tv commercials, Cheesecake factory, picking up my cell phone to call friends and family and winter/fall clothes.

I will do my best to not let so much time go by again before my next post. I will share my experience during my trip to Hong Kong.